hello love

celebrate.

2012 is just around the corner and the kids and i will be in santa barbara with my brother and his wife to celebrate! for any of you in down in that area, i am doing a mini-session special from january 1st until the 14th:

i hope that your holiday season has been filled with love, laughter and above all magic!

2012 is going to be amazing... i can feel it!!!

courage.

there is a munchkin who was born on this day 2 years ago... i never had the pleasure of meeting him, but he has changed my life. in fact, he has had a greater impact on more hearts than most of us could hope to in a lifetime... and he was only 8 weeks new when his family had to say goodbye to him. 

my sweet friend natalie is gavin's mother... she has endured the loss of him with such grace and genuine honesty. she is a stunning soul. this world is a better place everyday because she chose not to be defeated but find courage and inspire everyone around her. she.is.beyond.amazing.

someday i will share more about how she taught me to breathe... for now you can read her story and let gavin and his fierce momma inspire your heart.

mer

natalie, thank you for your love and encouraging words. love you and your sweet family!

 

going back.

time for a little throwback...

 
just over a year ago i was given an extremely generous gift by (4) of my favorite people of the old-school variety.

it was as if the universe sent them a memo that read:

"hey guys, planning a trip? well, this girl over here is about to step out into the best and worst year of her life... what if you sent her an invite?"

...and so they did. but, it read more like this,

"hi, we're planning an epic trip... and guess what?! you're.going."

and just like that, my schedule opened up and everything fell into place. pure awesomeness!

the trip was filled with so many ridiculously wonderful moments... encounters with mint soap, the big spoon vs. the little spoon, "oh yaris, you'll take us far-is", crazy obscene doughnuts in pink boxes, nightly picnics, thrifty finds, baby xb and so, so much laughter. it was simply amazing for the soul.

i thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace and even color palette of portland. i loved all of the refurbished pieces included in the city... ace hotel *love*, stumptown coffee, and powell's books are must-sees. i also indulged a small love affair with industrial lighting fixtures and chairs - hee hee! one coffee spot we went to had different metal stools at each table. it looked like a high school science lab, art studio and photo classroom had collided - beautiful!    

i don't get to see these pieces of my heart nearly enough and sometimes i long for the time that they were my daily lunch buddies. but i know they are out in the world making amazing things happen! and lucky me - they are a huge part of my foundation. em, heather, john and rach - thank you for the trip of a lifetime!

love you.
mer

p.s. check out ashleyann's post here (step 1) to see how i created the portland word-art!

a little love...

for you on this cozy valentine's day! i had a little time this year to do handmade invites for d's class!

a few shots of our process...

i illustrated the hole punch (pink for the girls, red for the boys) while d got to work on punching circles out of pretty paper. next d helped me stamp the back of the cards and write out the to-from info. then we added in a color coordinated candy mix and sewed up the top of the goodie bags!

i loved taking advantage of first grade humor with our idea... i can't wait to hear how all the fun goes at school!

mer

weekend inspiration

i'm thinking that i'm completely in love with these pretties...

the colors are amazing... plus, don't they look like like a fiesta for your feet?!

mer

(yes, i did style these into a stack at target to get this quick pic because i'm weird like that - haha!)

holiday wishes

busy planning a hoiday season inspired by:

polaroids, letter m, twine, thermos collection, star buttons, trapper hat,  pattern,washi tape, tinsel, christmas tree, pink bottle brush trees, elf

if i had a lot of time i'd try this tutorial but i do have ideas involving letters, metal and the font above. i am completely obsessed with it! good stuff for sure.

enjoy your monday.

mer

to: you

with love from: sunday morning

treasure hunting with some of my favorite loves on a stunning fall morning...

1. tin covered with school pennant graphics, 2. fun sign, 3. napkin detail, 4. paper umbrella (beautiful graphic), 5. vintage toy horses (the legs on these were so silly!), 6. camera, 7. school chair (so tempting), 8. vintage scrapbook cover, 9. glitter letters, 10. vintage ornaments (these beauties were sprinkled throughout the vendors), 11. fabulous yellow motorbike (this actually fired up), 12. 7up tin sign (love, love the flower graphic), 13. moe's new necklace (so her!), 14. flower jewelry, 15. vintage soda bottle top collection (old school graphics are so awesome!), 16. orange crush chalkboard, 17. thermos love, 18. beautiful quilts...

the faire had some of the best selection we've seen in a long time! i'll share the finds that came home with me soon... thank you moe, tami, kelsey and shelby for an inspiring morning.

mer

p.s. almost forgot my favorite find!

so cool!