Fab Artist: Grzegorz Wrobel

I have always loved watercolor. I like the way it makes everything look softer and sometimes more surreal. However, I am always impressed when artists take watercolor to another level. It takes incredible talent to make watercolor look realistic. Polish artist, Grzegorz Wrobel does just that and more. His paintings make cityscapes and architecture look even better than in real life. I wish I could just step right into one of his paintings. I discovered the work of Grzegorz Wrobel through this link on mymodernmet.com and was instantly in love. I went to the artist's website to see more of his beautiful work and fell even more in love with some of his nature landscapes (though his buildings and city-work are amazing as well).

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Making Party

I hosted a Valentine-making party the other night. It was super fun! We ate goat cheese and heart-shaped beet crostini, pea pesto crostini (that I blogged about here), cupcakes, heart-shaped cookies, and drank champagne while we made valentines! I had different colored papers, stickers, scissors, markers, colored pencils, doilies, little baggies, candies, etc. for everyone to use.

Linzer cut-out cookies with seedless raspberry jam

goat cheese and beet crostini (I boiled the beets and then sliced them and then free-hand cut them into heart shapes)

We used some cut-outs from vintage children's books for some of our valentines.

I found these vintage images by just searching through google images for 'vintage valentines' then doctored them up on cards with glitter and stickers.

It was great to get together and craft with friends, I might have to make this a tradition!

Let Amy Butler inspire you...

Thanks to sfgirlbybay I was introduced to Amy Butler's inspiration page. The photos are so colorful and beautiful they are sure to inspire you to be artistic or at least introduce some color into your life! They remind me of summer and beach houses. Visit Amy Butler's shop for sewing patterns, fabric, books, stationary and more.

25 weeks

Us in the snow--we have like 3 feet here!

Baby V is 25 weeks old! Time flies when you have a baby. Today he rolled from back to belly for the first time. He rolled from belly to back when he was only about 2 1/2 months old but the other way took forever! We offered him his first rice cereal a couple weeks ago. I wanted to wait until he was 6 months but he was nursing so frequently because he's HUGE and I read up on the signs of when to start and he had all of them. I got the organic brown rice cereal and he loves it! He grabs the spoon and tries to get more. We are still only doing one feeding a day of that and only at night hoping he'll sleep a little longer through the night. It will be fun (and messy) once he starts to eat other solids. I have a little food grinder and I'll use my food processor too to make him food. He's SO close to crawling. He gets up on all fours and for a while he would just rock and get momentum and then lunge forward to grab a toy. However, now he actually lifts his legs up and will move his legs in the right motion he just hasn't gotten the motion of the hands and arms down yet. I run to break out the Flip cam every time he looks like he's going to do something so his dad won't miss it! We are in our new place and I love it! I'm still working on his nursery, looking at lots of websites and blogs for inspiration! I want to mix all his new furniture with vintage decor so I've been scouring antique stores and thrift shops for stuff for his room but I haven't found anything great yet! I'll post pictures once it is all done.

Valentine Making Party

I'm hosting a Valentine making party at my place on the 11th. I'm super excited to get together with my cousin and my girlfriends and make valentine's, eat pink cupcakes and heart shaped cookies, and sip on champagne sans baby for a night! I made a polyvore for inspiration.

 
Tiered Strapless Dress, $120
Leg Avenue Princess Shoes in Pink, 45 GBP
Heart Lock & Key Charm Necklace, $315
Lab Created Heart Shaped Ruby Ring with Simulated Diamond in 10K White..., $73
Betsey Johnson Pink Rose Stud Earrings, $30
Love To Bake Measuring Set, $12
Glenna Jean Isabella Rosebud Heart Wreath - Glenna Jean - Wall..., $99
Light Pink with Hearts Matte Balloons, $2.49
edited cupcake by me :] use
Pink Cupcake Infant Bodysuit - CafePress
Valentines Day | Shareapic.net

Fab Artists: Ma + Chr; Mathilde Aubier & Christine Delaquaize

I found these funny animal collage prints through the blog sfgirlbybay. I love making collages and these ones are artful but simple: an animal photograph with human eyes pasted on. They are slightly creepy but also cute and definitely intriguing. Some of the animal photos look vintage and remind me of books I used to find as a kid at library book sales and yard sales of kittens and puppies. I think I got rid of them all but now I wish I kept them! Ma + Chr is an art and design studio based out of Paris co-owned and operated by Mathilde Aubier and Christine Delaquaize. Much of their art involves collage and combining photographs with colored papers and other unique images. Check out more of their Petits Chiens or some of their other artwork.

A Few of My Favorite Things...02.02.2011

 Making paper flowers...this was Martha Stewart's tissue paper flower making kit I bought a looong time ago and finally made them! I love them now and they are in a vase in my living room.

This is a tray that I decoupaged over the original image with magazine clippings I had saved and a quote I liked. I love collages and decoupaging and I hadn't done it in quite some time so this was really fun!

These squishy blocks from Target. I bought them for Baby V for Christmas and I didn't know if he would even really play with them but they are great. I can stack them up and he knocks them over and they can't hurt him and he squeezes them and chews on them. Plus they look cute.

And lastly, these pictures of Baby V. He is getting enormous!! My mom bought him this funny hat at a children's consignment store and then Daddy is holding him up to see the crazy amounts of snow we have been getting lately!

Fab Food on a Snowy Day 02.01.2011

picture via

• I cannot rave enough about Giada's pea pesto crostini. The pea puree is so delicious I have used it in omelettes and on sandwiches as well and everyone loves it. This recipe is a simple and healthy appetizer that you will make again and again.

• Why not make this beautiful pink ruffle cake for Valentine's Day?

•  Mmm...healthy smoothies are an easy breakfast anyday...although where I live right now we have so much snow I don't know who's in the mood for anything cold!

• Roasted beets with goat cheese are one of my favorite treats! Just cut the ends off of beets, throw them in the oven on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil at 400 degrees for about an hour (check on them and depending on their size see when they are easily sliced through). Let cool slightly and peel the skins off, chop as desired and sprinkle with salt and pepper and crumbled goat cheese. Enjoy!

• Drool over the gorgoues pictures (as always) of food at Cannelle et Vanille. Then try to make the Chocolate and Raspberry Financiers.

• Start to dip into all your preserves. We get jellies from a man my Dad works with every year and are lucky enough to nearly never have to buy store bought jams or jelly. Check out these gourmet jams. 

• Heart shaped scones to warm you up on a chilly morning.

• I love this vintage cake icing set!  

• 20 Ways to Roast & Warm Up