vintage finds

my sister and i hit up the thrift and vintage markets yesterday, in search of some good bargains... i of course found way to many ;)

found wonderful vintage pieces at kudzu, a local antique market (i live only a few minutes from here... this may prove to be dangerous!)... of course many were out of my price range, but i did find three or four wonderful deals, including this lovely vintage yellow metal picture frame

we moved on to a local thrift store, where i was thrilled to find this vintage round footed pottery bowl... i've been searching for one to use as a planter for a while now... love the soft color

well, it will eventually become a planter, for today it is currently in use as tula's latest toy ;)

*** don't forget to enter the lovely handmadecharlotte skirt giveaway below! goes through sunday, september 6th... good luck everyone! i'm enjoying reading all the entries

handmadecharlotte giveaway!

the giveaway is finally here! rachel, from handmadecharlotte, has offered this gorgeous girls' skirt for giveaway here on my blog! rachel, a mom to five children, is a gifted designer, making exceptionally cute, original, and high-quality apparel for children. she is also just a really cool person all-around. i was fortunate enough to visit her amazing farm here in georgia this summer, complete with huge lake for swimming/boating and horses for riding! maybe she'll adopt me to come grow up on her farm ;)

depending on the size of the wee one, i would say this elastic band skirt is in the 9-18 months range... what an absolutely fantastic and original handmade shower gift... or as a lovely (and oh so stylish!) addition to your own little one's closet

for a chance to win this giveaway, simply leave a comment to this post telling me you'd like to enter, along with your email address (or you can contact me privately with your email address upon winning if you'd prefer). i will also give an extra entry to anyone who posts and links back to this giveaway or handmadecharlotte's shop

just leave the link to your post in the comments, so i know to enter you twice

***giveaway will go through sunday, september 6th

***as an extra bonus, i will also be including one of my own 'nest with eggs' with this giveaway... good luck!

nest with eggs

fall garden apron, by handmadecharlotte

visit handmadecharlotte for more adorable pieces

pizza with local organic toppings

since i so rudely ate all the beautiful green beans last night without taking a picture, i thought i should share my lunch meal today, a pizza prepared with the heirloom tomatoes and red peppers from the decatur organic farmer's market

can you even call it a pizza anymore, with fresh, beautiful ingredients like this? the word just doesn't seem to do justice to the deliciousness of such a meal

and how nice it is to pause and view the food your preparing through the eye of a camera... making it feel just that much more special when you take the time to appreciate the beauty of it all

local food - 8/26

paid my first (of many to come i'm sure) visit to the decatur organic farmers market yesterday... all of the food is organically and locally grown

picked up a delicious crop of food... i should have taken a picture of the scrumptious green beans and heirloom tomatoes from my dinner last night, but i dove right in and ate it all up before i could! they were even more beautiful to my taste buds. does a delicious, fresh piece of produce ever bring tears to your eyes (did i mention i love food!)

this will i'm sure become a weekly event for me, and the market is open year round... i will try to take a picture each week of what i've picked up, and some of the market itself. i hope next week to find some fresh eggs... i was a little too late this week... the woman in front of me purchased the last dozen :(

as one

a new piece has finally been added to the shop!

'as one' is a mixed media fiber art, combining ink illustration, hand sewn fabric, and hand embroidery on canvas and wool

as always, i began with a sketch, and then began my work on canvas... i was trying to capture the harmonious world of nature, blurring the lines between the beginning and end of the bird and tree... to feel as if they breathe and move as one

the leaves/feathers are made using a lovely hand felted wool, with hand embroidery used throughout the entire piece

you can see more images of the piece on my flickr

busily working on a new house as well, which i hope to add to the shop this week... so lovely to be creating once again... looking forward to some autumn inspiration to really move my hands in the upcoming months as well ... summer always seems to draw me outdoors to other pursuits! it looks as if summer will last quite a bit longer though, here in georgia, so i must find a way of settling down and focusing on my work!

**** here is another sneak peak at my upcoming blog giveaway from handmadecharlotte

later this week... you can see the post below for another look at this sweet, wee skirt ;)

tula

meet tula, my new sweet kitty... a georgia girl now, by way of kentucky. she and her siblings were actually rescued by my aunt (from a racoon)... the litter was born behind her house to a feral cat, who has since fortunately been spayed after giving birth to several litters of kittens. this litter was than fostered by a wonderful woman, who actually fostered my sister's kittens as well... tula's nieces! oh the hilarity this caused in my niece and nephew... that an 'aunt' could simultaneously be a baby!







tula, the smallest of the litter... yet oh so affectionate and loving... and a bit of a trouble maker! fortunately, she's pretty darn cute, so i tend to often look past the trouble part ;)







she was originally called thumbelina, for her tiny size and love of being held in a little ball, but i decided to give her the name tula, which means 'jumping water'. how surprising to find how well this tiny one can jump all over the furniture! the first night home, i spent time making a nice bed for her on the floor beside my own... i than crawled into my own, only to find this wee one springing onto my tall bed, curling up next to me










*** look for this lovely giveaway, via my friend rachel, from handmadecharlotte, coming next week on my blog... a darling skirt for babies, perfect for your own little one, or as a shower gift... i'm planning on including a little something from my own shop as well ;)