Last week my husband and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary!  It’s hard to believe that a year ago I was immersed in mini-wedding planning.  To celebrate, we had dinner at the very same place where my husband proposed.  I,  finally, got one of our wedding pictures properly framed.  And I even bought a beloved cookbook to honor the occasion (because paper is the traditional first anniversary gift, right?).

Anyway, I remembered that I was going to post some post-wedding, “non-reception” celebratory photos.  Looking through them, I don’t have very many with actual people; I think I was too busy having a blast to take many photos which often happens!  So, I’m just going to post some of my more craft-related ones.

These pics are from non-reception #1 which took place at our home last October.  Rather, they were taken during preparations before anyone showed up.

Since it was October I wanted a slightly spooky theme but not in a costume-party kind of way (see our party invitations here).  The colors were black, white, silver, pink and orange.  In the photo, above, you can see our pretty bunting crafted with paper doilies, silver glitter card stock letters and black & white striped twine.  The wee cake is pre-wedding topper (silvery glitter initials much like the ones used in the bunting).  Originally I wanted to make a larger 2-tiered cake but became petrified by the thought as I’ve never made one.  But a sweet little cake plus cupcakes galore did the trick.  (By the way, the frosting was pearly and marshmallow-y, while the cake was yellow with chocolate chips.  So good!)

My lovely friend Kara, who came down for the weekend, was very kind and totally game for any party-decorating ideas I threw her way including decorating our high ceilings with paper streamers.

The mantle was decorated with various pumpkins, candles and a fabric-covered accordion-style scrapbook filled with photos from the wedding, backed with craft paper I printed and designed myself.  The plastic cauldron on the coffee table was later filled with candy for the young and young at heart.  (We did have real food, I swear, like cheese and dip and charcuterie, but those things were set out just before people arrived.)

Kara and I spent the previous night making these fun cupcake toppers with Victorian clip art butterflies in October-ish colors.  We (and by we, I mean Kara) put that scalloped paper punch to good use!

Oh, I can almost taste those cupcakes!

I don’t recall when exactly but I told you I’d post pictures of my studio (a fancy way of saying office) after I painted it grey (from bright yellow).  Well, it’s probably been a couple of years now but here it is!

A perfectly styled room it is not.   Isn’t it better to see how I really live?  The most significant thing I’ve done to prepare for these photos was clearing off surfaces.  I can’t help but live with stacks of papers (work, sketch, etc.) on my desk and sewing table but I figured that would be too distracting.

This space is really me, a jumble of all my favorite and mostly old-fashioned things.  And I love pattern so much, I buy fabric just because of the print (I know many of you do the same!)  and I’m surely running out of room.  I’m also in love with old, delicate, falling-apart things (as you know) and now the north wall is looking a bit like a bricks ‘n’ mortar vintage shop with the Edwardian blouses and 1930s dresses hanging from it.

You can see my mother-in-law’s rug in the lower left corner of this pic, in front of the antique sewing thread cabinet my landlord gave me.  Isn’t the lighting here a little odd, like I had the flash on?  I didn’t though - it’s just the white morning light coming through the facing windows.

Below is my little nook which includes this unglamorous but functional Ikea futon.  At least it’s a comfortable place for my childhood teddy friends.

Hi Totoro!

I’ll end this post with the seat at my desk, a place where I spend a lot of my day working, drawing and gazing out the window with my dear cat Spoo. (He often sits behind the curtain to watch the busy little house finches in the morning.)

I hope you enjoyed this mini-tour of my world.  Enjoy the weekend!

I’m glad to be adding new works to le shop soon.  It’s definitely a balancing act between juggling work with illustrating, sewing dolls and dresses, ice cream-making, ice cream-EATING, making more ice cream, etc.

Anyway, printable stationery is one of the things coming up.  I love stationery because it can be so pretty but really practical too.

Happy Wednesday!

I’ve been wanting to visit the Huntington in San Marino ever since I stumbled upon it (online) in my quest for wedding locations last summer. (It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since then!)  The Huntington was out of our price range but still remained a place of interest; what I found most intriguing was their scholarly library.  I’m not sure what it takes to qualify but not just anyone can go in and start poking around the old books.  Luckily for the rest of us, there are beautiful art exhibits (permanent and changing), architecture and expansive gardens.  My husband and I went over the weekend and I must say, we fell in love with the place!   I felt like we were on vacation, in a land far, far away.  If we lived in the area I would seriously consider getting a yearly membership.  If you are ever in SoCal or are a local you must visit.

I took a ton of photos and have included some highlights here:

I came away with my one required souvenir, the sweetly illustrated Kate Greenaway’s Mother Goose which you can get on Amazon (but it would be so much better if you visited the Huntington gift store instead).