Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
Recently, I had the fun opportunity to interview Jess Marie of Pine and Boon. I always enjoy being able to hear more about an artist's creative process and the real life struggle between paying the bills and doing what they love. Hearing a little more about the person behind the product always inspires me to do my part to support as many local artists as I can. Jess Marie makes beautiful products and her enthusiasm for what she does shines through in her work.
The past couple of weeks this blog has taken a backseat to life. I have been fortunate to have a hectic travel schedule this Winter and have been able to spend my time on many exciting projects. One of the most thrilling projects I have been working on over the past few months just wrapped up last night- the Seattle Bloggers Unite Spring Social. For any of you who attended last night, I would love to feature your recaps on my blog. Simply email me the link or leave it in the comments below. I would love to see all the different perspectives from the night.
There are so many exciting things to do as the days get longer and the weather becomes warmer. Here is a list of my top things to do this Spring:
Today I would like to highlight one such vendor, Erin Duncan of Wren Bird Arts, who tirelessly creates personalized, creative embroidered handkerchiefs, pocket squares, napkins, placemats and dishtowels. I am so pleased with the beautiful assortment of handkerchiefs she has created for our gift bags. I like the idea of ordering a stack of the "No ugly crying" handkerchiefs to have on hand for anyone I know who was getting married in the near future. The flowers, the elephants, the paper cranes. I pretty much love them all.
The Glass Cabin is the perfect jumping off point for exploring the Skagit Valley. You can drive into LaConner or farther afield and spend a day visiting farmlands, shopping or taking in the local culture.
Soon, the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival will be in full swing and thousands will descend upon this small town to see the tulips. We like to make it an annual tradition to visit the tulips and a few years have even made it for the daffodils. Here are some of our past trips in 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009 and check out my guide to LaConner and how to best enjoy the Tulip Festival. In order to see which fields are in bloom before you go check out the bloom map.
When I first stumbled upon this glass house, I knew I had to experience it firsthand. This is the type of house you see amongst the glossy pages of an architectural magazine, the type of house you pin on Pinterest or the type of house you one day dream about living in. I had planned our trip to the glass house many months in advance, so when the day finally approached I could not contain my excitement.
There are so many great day trips to take from Seattle. Some of our favorite destinations include locations like Coupeville,Friday Harbor and Orcas Island. All of these locations require ferry rides, which make getting there half the fun. There is something extra adventurous about going on a day trip which requires multiple forms of transportation. This Winter, we have made a conscious decision to break out of our routine of going snowshoeing every weekend and instead enjoy taking several day trips from Seattle. Usually, we usually save these adventures for better weather in the Spring or Summer time, but there is something inspiring about visiting a place during a different time of year.
Greetings from the Glass house!
Several months ago I stumbled upon this spectacular house and knew we had to plan a visit. I have been looking forward to staying here for awhile now and now that we are here I am giddy with excitement. From the wood burning fireplace to the heated bathroom floors I am pretty much in heaven everywhere I go. Although I would never classify myself as a homebody having so much exposure to the outdoors makes being inside downright dreamy.
As much as I love winter with its moody color palette and snowy adventures, I equally look forward to Spring. The temperature has started to warm up around here as it evident by the daffodils, crocuses and irises popping up out of the ground around the neighborhood. My favorite product of spring is the eventual blooming of our cherry blossom tree and our camellia bush. Having an excess of fresh flowers to bring inside never gets old to me.
A proven way to chase away winter blues is with flowers. The only trouble with fresh flowers is they don't last forever. A simple and easy way to bring the outdoors in is by creating an assortment of tissue paper flowers.
All you need to make tissue paper flowers are three simple items:
Living so close to the city, my world oftentimes feels busy and frantic. There are endless places to visit or things to see and do. Going on weekend adventures either up into the mountains or visiting quaint little towns helps to keep me sane the rest of the week. Our recent visit to Edison, WA demonstrated how charming and lovely a small town existence would be. In Edison they don't just yarn bomb, they wrap entire afghans around utility poles. In Edison, most stores operate a few days a week and are open for the most idyllic hours.
Good morning! I hope you all enjoyed a lovely weekend. It was a wet one around here, which for those of us who enjoy mountain sports means we have been receiving buckets of snow!! The snow has been late to join the game this year, but it has been more than making up for lost time. This past Saturday while we were out snowshoeing Cameron had the brilliant idea to build a snow cave. Although it seems counter intuitive that something made of snow and ice can be warm and cozy, it truly was.
As of late I have been making more of an effort to mail fun packages to my friends and family. I know how much I appreciate get something fun in the mail, so I have been trying my best to spread the love. For this simple birthday package I thought it would be fun to stick with the recipient's favorite color which is purple.
A couple weeks ago, I was sitting in church when the teacher posed the question, "How many of you have children?" As I watched the hands dart up around me I was astonished to see how slowly and sheepishly I raised mine. Although I gave birth to our beautiful son fourteen months ago because he is not here I find it difficult to identify with other mothers. The path to motherhood has not been a straight line for me.
Last Saturday, the wind was blowing and the rain was coming down sideways as we drove up north to Bow-Edison. Typically, good weather inspires day trips, but this trip was a good reminder why day trips are fun and good for the soul particularly when the weather outside is bad.
No matter how old you are is something inherently comforting about going to Grandma's house. Within the confines of those walls you can rely on things generally staying the same from year to year. The only recognizable change is as the wrinkles on their faces deepen the love between you grows.
In an ever changing, world I was grateful for the consistency I found there. I looked forward to sitting on the couch gazing over at the table lamps and thinking the plastic dust covers were the strangest thing I had ever seen, being able to eat off of television trays while I watched t.v. or knowing there would be an endless assortment of sweet treats from morning until night.
Deception Pass is the straight which separates Fidalgo Island from Whidbey Island. It connects Skagit Bay, part of the Puget Sound with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There are beaches, trails and plenty of space to explore for an afternoon. Sometimes it can get really windy, but in the Spring and Summer it can be a lovely place for a picnic or a short hike.
Seaside is arguably the most visited and popular oceanfront resort in Oregon. Seaside is located a mere 80 miles from Portland and is the perfect spot for a beach getaway. While we were staying in Long Beach, WA last month we drove to Seaside for the afternoon. Living on the west coast, it is always a bit exhilarating to cross state lines. On the day we were there, Seaside was experiencing unseasonably warm weather and we enjoyed a 60 degree day in the middle of Winter.
It is a very rare occurrence for it to snow in the city. It might happen once or twice a year. So when it does it is a full on party at our house.
I am happy to announce I will be cohosting Seattle Bloggers Unite Spring Social with my friend, Lyndsey Wells from The Stationery Place at the end of March. These gorgeous invitations were hand painted and created by the amazingly talented Melissa Leith. The moment I came across her work, my first words to her were "Where were you when I needed a wedding invitation?" Not only does she create gorgeous work, but she was able to work under short deadlines and with very demanding clients.
The Spring Social is open to everyone, not just bloggers. The panel we have created will focus its comments on blogging, running a small business, finding your entrepreneurial spirit, how to grow your audience and create a sense of community.
If the invitation is any indication of how fabulous the evening is going to be, you should run and not walk to your computer to buy a ticket before they are all snatched up.
