antiques, markets + katie day

inspiration wednesday.

{antiques, markets + katie day}

grandma, you inspire me. I was at my grandmother's house last night and I told her the story of how my mother gave all of her lovely hats to goodwill (gasp!) a few months back during her 'extreme purging' phase. (mother, when in doubt, ask me first if I would want any of your really great old accoutrements.) but it's okay, I forgive you, I really do understand the need to get rid of things you never wear....however, this conversation lead to my grandmother bringing out her hat she wore on her wedding day. just love it. two feathers plus velvet, what more does a hat need? i love the evolution of fashion; it's all coming back, it's all coming back.

Getting ready for the Celadon Artist Market tonight. If you happen to live in this great and growing town of Grand Rapids, you should come and check it out. Food (sandmanns), live music (Valentiger), and local GR vendors. New lief products will be there -- I'm excited!!

also, I met the really rad photographer this past weekend. not only is she amazing at what she does, she also is one of the coolest ladies around. you really should check her out. and to top it all, her name is Katie Day, how sweet is that?

cheers! em

dress + ties

liefday monday.

{dress + ties}

so, as you know, it was my dear friends suzy + john's wedding last weekend. one reason suz and I are great friends is our shared love for creating, which naturally overflowed into their wedding. specifically: men's neckties.

here's how the conversation went:

suz: em, I figured out what to do for John's friends that are coming to the wedding...let's make them ties.

em: that's brilliant. how many do we need to make?

suz: 15

(both of us laugh at the ridiculousness of how long that will take us to finish in the short amount of time we have.)

em: perfect.

boys and their neckties. just love that black one with cars on it.

and I did finish the dress. :) even if I was still hand-sewing that lace 20 minutes before the ceremony, it did get done -- and it fit! one robin's egg blue dress, done.

just might make ties into a new lief product. whatcha think? got a specific color you want? I'm on it -- especially now that I have a phaff to use! eeeeeeeee, one happy girl. (thanks, suz)

cheers.

tattoos + letters

inspiration wednesday.

{tattoos + letters}

I love the idea of a tattoo. I more love the idea of calligraphing a word or saying and having that calligraphed on me. where? I don't know. saying what? not sure. due to this, my skin is still bare, but maybe someday. here are some that I just like. a lot.

jessica hische temporary tattoo. sweet.

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sweet little wave tattoo.

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lovely little hearts.

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really love this calligraphed poem.

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have a happy weekend. off to go see my darling suzy + john get hitched!

michigan + littles

liefday monday.

{michigan + littles}

love michigan? me too. that's why I decided to do some michigan themed stationery. because michigan just is that great. but we are not other state haters -- if you've got some local state (or city) lovin', let me know and I can craft up some stationery just for your liking.

also completed the wall hanger for the sweet boy born on June 8.

cheers! emilie

TRUCK + color

inspiration wednesday.

{TRUCK + color}

i love watercolor. it's a new medium for me, but i love the challenge of learning something different. with all the spare time on my hands these days (haha) why not dabble into something new? i stumbled upon the watercolor artist becca stadtlander through this blog and simply love her designs. her detail is impressive.

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also, through the same blog, found this furniture company: TRUCK. i have a white platform bed with a white comforter now, which i love, but oh the contrast of wood and white, gorgeous! and check out that raw, not-stretched-so-tight leather cushion, sweet.

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I hope you can find some inspiration today as well...

cheers, emilie

patience + robin's eggs

liefday monday.

{patience + robin's eggs}

happy fourth of july week. hope you had a chance to enjoy some summer.

I tried something new this week: dying fabric. i'm in a wedding this summer where I need to wear a robin's egg blue colored dress. i think it's fabulous and I love this color, but found it quite hard to find just the right dress. and just any dress won't do for this wedding, so I decided to dye and make it myself. you should try this at home, it is delightful. it's like a spiral of anticipation as you put your beautiful, crisp white fabric into a bin of splashing color that doesn't even resemble the hue that you hope it will be. and you wait, and stir, and wait, and inhale some toxic fumes, and stir, and wait, just hoping that the past two hours you spent folding and spinning your fabric will actually look the color you intended it to be. and then the moment comes; you wash, you dry, and tada, somehow, magically, it beams with robin's egg blue. and just like the tree, the girl was happy.

cheers!

emilie