The Charm of Charleston

One of my favorite things about moving to Jacksonville, FL is being so close to my favorite southern cities Savannah and Charleston.  I went to Charleston a few years ago.  We stayed at the Mills House in town.  I highly recommend it.  There was a beautiful courtyard and so many historic details.  We were steps away from strolling the gorgeous streets of Charleston.  Some of my favorite things about Charleston are:  shrimp and grits, historic details, alleyways, cobblestone streets, iron pineapples, gaslights, fountains, Rainbow row, carriage rides, marshlands, and beautiful beaches.  Does it get any better than that? -->

Have a Nautical 4th!

 

Happy 4th of July!  I feel so blessed to live in a such a beautiful area with the love of my life.   These are some of my favorite nautical spots around town.  Life is meant to lived and enjoyed.  There is no point in stressing about things; life is too short.

Florida Fun in the Sun

 

My husband and I just got back from a little vacation to Southern Florida.  It was such a blast.  I can never get enough of beaches, palm trees, and sunsets.  My dream in college was to take off and open a smoothie stand next to the beach.  How cool would that be?  It felt great to escape the snow from up north and feel the warmth of the sun.  I got to do a little jogging, swimming, and lots of walking along the ocean.  We went to Miami, West Palm, and Fort Lauderdale.  I was really happy to come back home to my cat (I missed my little guy) and get working on new designs.

I wore some of my new designs on the trip.  Here is the new Pearl Halo Headband - perfect for bohemian brides. <3 br="">

Christmas in Vermont

This year my family wanted to do something different for the holidays.  My brother gets a place in Killington, Vermont for the skiing season every year and he graciously invited us to come stay with him.  The scenery was absolutely gorgeous.  The snow covered mountains and wooded bridges were so charming.  We checked out the skiing resort, the quaint small town Woodstock VT, and hung out at his house by a famous trout stream.  We kept the wood-burning fireplace full stocked.  As we were driving across New York State into Vermont a billboard read, "Yes, even gas stations are nicer in Vermont."  I thought it was pretty funny, but it's seriously true!  Christmas night was spent stargazing.  The darkness in the woods surrounding the house was free of light pollution so we really had an amazing opportunity to enjoy the winter sky.  I had an amazing time with family - old and new.

Buffalo Botanical Gardens

A beautiful sleigh filled with Christmas gifts at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens

me - dancing around

During the cold and snowy Thanksgiving 4 day weekend I felt like hibernating and designing.  I managed to get out a few times though.  One of my favorite visits was to the Buffalo Botanical Gardens.  Being in the warm, earthy environment makes you feel alive again.  The gardens included desert, jungle, and Japanese style gardens.  Christmas decorations were all around - toy trains, poinsettias, sleds, Christmas lights, and Christmas trees.  Winter is such a great time to check out your local Botanical Gardens for some inspiration.

Wine, Yarn, and Animals

Two weekends ago I went to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival.  The countryside was absolutely beautiful. The Finger Lakes Wine Tasting was also going on that weekend as well as next weekend.  It was warm, sunny fall day and there were scarves, yarn, and animals abound.  They had lhamas, sheep, and rabbits there since they use their hair for making clothing.

After the festival we headed up to through Honeoye Falls, which is a stunning little town.  They have a waterfall right in the middle of the town (that's my kind of place).  Next, we drove up to Rochester.  I really love Rochester.  It's a beautiful little city.  We drove through the suburbs up to Lake Ontario and Irondquoit - Durand Eastman Lake.  Since it's almost Halloween (well not quite but in Western New York we like to start Halloween as early as possible) we drove to Durand Eastman Lake which is known to be the place where The Lady in White appears.  The story goes back to the early 1800s when a woman's child went missing.  The mother of the girl had a feeling the farmer next door raped and killed her.  Every day the mother went wandering the woods with her dogs searching for her daughter.  Eventually she was left so grief stricken she threw herself off the cliffs into the water.  They say on a foggy night you can see the Lady in White rise up from the lake and continue to search for her daughter.

When we drove up to the lake I had a strange familiar feeling.  I knew "this was it."  There was a white swan swimming in the lake which gave an eerie feeling (it was almost dusk too..ooohhh spooky).  It's a gorgeous little spot between two lakes Durand and Lake Ontario.  The story of the Lady in White was also made into a movie.  I recommend checking it out.

Dreaming of Montreal

My trip to Montreal was almost a month ago now, but it feels like yesterday. I find myself daydreaming of Montreal and Quebec. The food was scrumptious and the architecture was breathtaking. I find myself craving croissant and raspberry tarts.

The underground mall was really cool; it's a great feature during the winter months. Buffalo should really take note of that. While walking around Montreal in the summer heat it was hard to imagine the city covered in snow drifts come December.

After I got home I was doing a little research and I had no idea how many movies were filmed around Montreal. Catch Me If You Can, Abandon, I'm Not There, The Fountain, Wicker Park, The Aviator, The Day After Tomorrow, The Notebook, The Terminal, The Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Noel were all filmed in Montreal. Movies are often filmed in Canada because it's cheaper and the scenery is gorgeous. Old Montreal is especially popular because it resembles a European city.

Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream? - Edgar Allan Poe

I woke up this morning dreaming I was still in a hotel room in Quebec, Canada.  I was dreaming I forgot to hand in the key to my room.  It feels like the past few days have been a dream.

The warm weather during the summer puts me in the mood to travel.  Two weekends ago I went to Rochester, NY.  We went hiking around Chimney Bluffs, Sodus Bay, Dinosaur Bbq, and of course the mecca Wegmans.  It's amazing what adventures you can find so close to home.  Rochester is a super fun little city.

Last night I just got back from a trip to Montreal and Quebec City.  I was only gone 4 days, but it felt like 2 weeks!  The summer seemed like the best time to travel north.  I've never been to either city or that far north, so I was thrilled.  The tour began with a long drive across NY State, up to Alexandria Bay for lunch (gorgeous view of Boldt Castle), across the border and up to Quebec.  Quebec is known as the only European city you can drive to in North America.  Everyone speaks french, all the signs are in french, and all the menus are in french.  After a few days you really begin to start thinking in french.  The city has a smaller European city feel and it's the only city in North American with a wall around it.  The food was delicious!  Over the past few days I ate croissants, crepes with duck, liver and onions, gelatto, chicken with mushroom sauce, spaghetti and meatballs, and calamari.  Montreal was more high fashion, so I did lots of trend spotting, which I'll share with you soon!

I went on a tour and I really enjoyed meeting all the different people and hearing their stories.  You start to become a family with your traveling group.  It was also very interesting hearing stories from locals.  The more you travel the more you realize we're all the same.  We may speak different languages, eat different things, and live in different climates, but we're all people with basic human desires.  We all dream.

My favorite part of traveling is coming home and seeing and hearing everything in a new way.  My routine drive to work felt different today.  I noticed the beauty of the willow trees around me and the freedom of driving my car.  Traveling also has you thinking about your next trip.  I'll share more details of the trip soon!  Au revoir!

Away We Go

Yesterday I had dinner with my friend Crystal, a fellow graphic designer, who just got back from Europe.  She recently traveled to Dagenham, UK.  This was her first time traveling ALONE and outside North America, so I was very proud of her.

She also ventured to Scotland UK, Wales UK, London Uk and Salisbury UK. I enjoyed hearing all about her adventure.  She was telling me how all the stores you can find here in a US cities are there as well.  She mentioned H&M and I said oh yes we have that here.  She was searching endlessly trying to find unique gifts for her friends, but it was all Made in China and generic.  Crystal ended up bringing home some beautiful seashells for her family.  With the internet we have really become so connected as a society, yet we lose some of our individuality.  She imagined the UK to be different somehow...maybe not so modern?  She absolutely loved it though!  If I was there I would have loved to check out some textile museums or studios!  Crystal said the trip made her appreciate home more.  There's no place like home, but she's ready for more traveling in the future!  :)

Have you seen the movie Away We Go??!?  A young couple is on a quest to find a place to move, to call home, and start their family.  They travel to Wisconsin, Montreal, Miami and Arizona visiting friends and checking out different lives.  Aren't we all on this journey trying to find a place where we fit in this world?  Have you found that place?  Where is it?

while i was away...

Hello All! I'm sorry its been awhile since I've posted. I drove from New York State to Georgia and back. Everyone should do that drive sometime. We live in a beautiful country with such different landscapes, plant life, and animals. I saw alligators, turkeys, palm trees, spanish moss, oak trees, lakes, oceans, etc...

While I was away I read about the shooting in Pittsburgh, Pa, August 4, 2009 at an LA Fitness center in my old neighborhood. The gunman lived a few streets away from me. I rode the school bus past his house for years. This is the kind of stuff my grandma would have nightmares about. She was always watching the news and worrying about things...now I see for just reason! My prayers go out to the victims, their families, and the gunman. He was very disturbed and isolated. It's sad he didn't have anyone to turn to. We must reach out to people who look as though they're going through a difficult time.

On another note my favorite writer/director, John Hughes, died August 6, 2009. You may know his movies - Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Home Alone, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club and many others. I was looking forward to his future films. His films will be appreciated for generations to come. RIP

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer...

Since the summer isn't getting super hot I'm finding other ways to make the summer entertaining. Attending local festivals, fruit picking weekend getaways around New York State, music events, museums, and of course making more artwork and designs! Rain or shine make it a priority to make this summer a special one. Call up an old friend, make a new one, or just sit and enjoy a sunset.

Video - Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer - Nat King Cole http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj76br_aLdQ