End of Summer Things

Hey friends!

Well my most important news:  I painted my studio door Spirit Warrior which might be more accurately described as SAFETY ORANGE and I'm not sure how I like it.

I think I like it?

I think I like it.

Studio doors are supposed to be funky right?

Anyway, how are you?!!

We've been spending each and every weekend getting the garden set up. We finally got the raised beds dug in and now we're filling the pathways with bark mulch. Next year we'll fill them with flowers and veggies- I can't wait!  Right now I'm mapping everything out in my garden binder and moving some plants according to their water needs. Have you heard of Xeriscaping? Given how dry our summers have been here, we're starting to explore garden plants that require less water.

I was looking over some old blog posts and it is so satisfying to see this house transform. I'm still referring to it as our "new house" because we are still settling in! If you want to see some before photos check out these blog posts here and here. We went for several months with nothing on the walls in the living room and now, as you can see from the photos, we've succeeded in filling up that space lol. I recently had someone walk in to my home and comment, "you have a LOT of knick-knacks." Ha! I've tried to downsize, I've tried KonMari, but, alas, I think I just like having my things about me. 

 Image source here

Do you like gallery walls? Are they too much? That's what I think sometimes, gallery walls can easily slip over into the "cluttered mess" category. So I've been looking for design inspiration and learned my cluttered-approaching-path-house-style actually has a name!  Have you seen this instagram account ? I love how she embraces color and her fearless approach to the gallery wall.

Are you reading anything good? Cooking anything good? I made a blueberry buckle from my friend Marcy's cookbook and man oh man was it wonderful. Bert makes fun of me because of my rigorous search for the perfect _____ recipe. I've baked many a blueberry cake/ buckle/cobbler and they all are fine but not...life-changing. This blueberry buckle was life changing lol, the perfect ratio of cake, fruit and streusel. It's a science, people!  Marcy's recipes are always spot on so I highly recommend her cookbooks. (Notice I didn't take a photo because it was devoured in its entirety soon after leaving the oven.) And tonight we made a delicious Vietnamese Salad with this recipe and it is one of the best things I've ever made. Ever. Since there isn't a Vietnamese restaurant anywhere near me (aghh!!) I will be making this on repeat. So good!

Let's see, as far as the shop goes, I have a bunch of new cards out and I love them, especially this one and this one. And I love how many autumn themed cards I have in my line now, I feel accurately represented by my art! Also I have a new section called NEW STUFF where I showcase all the latest products so you don't have to sift through the shop to find them. I have three new prints and a bunch of new stickers coming your way in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

There you have it! My last summer update as we transition into fall. Thank you friends, for being here. ~Lori