hello

OH! hello neglected blog... hello 1000 emails and 30 flagged emails in my email account to deal with... hello  forgotten book on my nightstand... hello netflix movies we have had sitting there for a month... hello laundry and scary back-of-the-fridge...

I have been off gala-venting at a wedding, and trying to pin down my new necklace line for Seed & Sky, and puddle splashing with the kiddos... One of these days soon I will come back around.
I promise. 

airplanes and other play...

Remember airplanes as a child?
My dear friend Jenny came to visit this past week and she teaches a type of yoga that combines stretching and acrobatics. She taught us all some moves. I love having people in my life who still know how to play and be silly!

making diy wedding favors

I offered to make some little wedding favors for my friends who are getting married this weekend. My mom helped me finish the project today by slipping them in the perfect glassine envelopes. They include a little magnet of the couple and a small quote printed on card stock. Washi tape is wrapped around to keep the envelope closed.

materials & how to: (In case you felt inspired to make some too)

1. small photo. To get this I uploaded my favorite picture of them onto the free photo editing site picmonkey (www.picmonkey.com)  Crop the photo square. go into frames and use rounded edges at 100%.  save. Then I printed this image out as a contact sheet from my computer. (a contact sheet should be 1" in size)
2. clear epoxy sticker. (I found mine here) I used a 1 inch or 25mm clear epoxy sticker. adhere to the small image on the contact sheet. Then I carefully cut the sticker out to a perfect circle. 
3. Metal setting. glue (I used this glue) the epoxy sticker to the 1" / 25mm metal setting. (I bought these) and let dry. 
4. Magnet. Glue a magnet (I used these) to the back of the metal setting with a strong glue like E600 or super-glue. Let dry. 
5. Quote, handmade paper, something personal. 
6. Glassine envelopes. (I got mine here) but I am sure you can find them in the supply section of Etsy. 
7. Washi Tape. I ♥ my washi tape. (I got mine here).  

Super simple & so cute! 

I am looking forward to our day celebrating with them tomorrow!

selling our wares

 A few photos from our day vending at Art in the Park in downtown Asheville. It was such a pretty day!
Unfortunately, it wasn't an amazing sale day for us which can be hard when we are trying to pay the bills; but we did have a  few retailers approach us about carrying our line in their store which feels promising. All in all a bit of a bust, but an enjoyable one! 

dusk

As I sit here in the evening light of our living room the kids are up past bedtime. Gita (7), Lil (4), and Seo (2) are all playing down by the garden together, their giggles rising up from behind the bushes. I love this time of day with the peepers and whip-poor-wills and the little ones' berry stained faces.  Lightning bugs and the sound of our fan running...

Our first successful attempt at growing carrots!

(sometimes) the reality of the walk to the mailbox

"SouleMama: How are your children incorporated into your business?

Kelcey: We have a ½ mile walk to the mailbox, and my kids love to take a walk and be in charge of putting the Seed & Sky orders in the mailbox and raising the flag."

~an excerpt from the sponsor interview with Soulemama a few months ago. 

Pre-walk

I took this photo of Lil with some outgoing Seed & Sky packages in her backpack. I had to laugh when Alex brought back this little video her 3/4 of the way there. It is hard to hear her asking if they are almost there because the sound quality is poor, but her face says it all:

Venus

Venus crossed the sun yesterday evening in North Carolina, and we were prepared to watch the special event with the eclipse sunglasses I ordered online. The sun, however, set behind our mountain just as the transit was beginning so we got the kids in their pajamas and drove the 2 miles to the other side of the mountain to watch the sunset.

It ended up becoming an impromptu tailgate party because our other neighbors had the same idea.  We stayed up past the kids bedtime catching up and watching the tiny speck of Venus when the sun peeked out from the clouds.

 I always appreciate another reminder of the amazing and mysterious universe we live in...

raed al-rawi

Traveler Music 30"x24"

I had the honor of being placed next to painter Raed Al-Rawi when we vended at the LEAF Festival last month. It has taken me a long time to sit down and write about it because I wanted to make sure I captured just how moving it was to be next to his booth all weekend.  He was originally from Iraq, and now he lives in Charlotte with his wife Beth and two twin boys. He spent half of his life in Iraq and half in America. He describes himself on his website as "An American-Iraqi born in Baghdad-Iraq". 

I have never knowingly met someone who grew up in Baghdad. So when Raed told me this part of his story I was struck by the contrast of the image in my head of Baghdad and the gentle man standing in front of me who paints beautiful paintings about connections. Of course I rationally know that Baghdad is infinitely more complex than the limited newspaper-type pictures in my head~ but sometimes in this age of information overload, brains makes sweeping impressions and they stick. 

But now I have some new pictures to broaden my view of that area of the world. Of course, Raed is an American~ but somebody's roots are an important part of the story. And in this case his artwork speaks volumes and is the best kind of ambassador. 

Art can be powerful like that... carrying so many meanings at once. 

 Journey New Morning

 Journey 48"x60"

These were the thoughts that swept through me during that first conversation~ my lasting impression I have from the weekend is of making a new art-friend and appreciating his beautiful paintings. 

Wind 30"x40"

 Door n' Sky 12"x16"

Land 

Find out more about Raed Al-Rawi from his website HERE

(Thanks Raed for letting me share these images!)

sea

Seeing the grandness of the ocean through the kids' eyes.
The simplicity of the beach and waves.

This was the first year Lil embraced the water. She went deeper and deeper in, and when the first wave knocked her down she stood up startled and sputtering. I told her it was called a "Wave tumble" and she wiped away her forming tears and giggled "I got wave tumbled!"
Seo followed her right into the deep swells with no fear.
(Click here to see a perfect Seo moment)

I am feeling really blessed I was able to spend a week by the sea with loved ones.