well, it's finally happened!

i moved my studio from a little bedroom on the other side of the house to the separate apartment room above the kitchen. i've been saving my earnings and took many trips to ikea for my basic desk, table, cabinet needs...

here's my awesome hubs helping me assemble the desk and tables –

after thinking and rethinking i went with the galant system (left corner desk and the extension tables) for my computer and drawing areas.

i also got this radical free-standing cabinet from the kitchen section to serve as my shipping station –

it goes really well with the emerging theme which is: "white, metal, and wood"and all of my tubes, boxes and bags fit so perfectly inside!

here's a view from where i sit at the computer...

since all of the walls are stone in this attic room i had to come up with some creative alternatives. i used nickel plated mesh wire to string across the stone walls for my inspirational matter and i got two of the white alex drawer units for all of my inventory...

+ a couple weeks ago i salvaged a great old laundry bin to serve as my cardboard and recycling catcher. (you can see it in the above photo - right below my hanging posters)

and that's about it – simple and effective!

•••••••••

it feels really great to have worked hard and been able to create this space all on my saved earnings. i feel like it's the first big step to really standing on my own with this little business. so, thanks for all the help and support – i couldn't have done it without all of my loyal spreadthelove fans!

xoxoxoxoxo

i'm so in love with the photography of jon van holleben!

all of it is just my style - fun and simple.

i can't wait to have kids and make photos like this with kitsune –

and just recently my lucky-duck husband got us an inside deal on a nikon D90 so let the photography begin! plus, we have the most perfect slope in our yard for set-up like these–

and awesome little hams that belong to all our friends...

i'll post shots once we do some experimenting!

hey there folks! i just wanted to give this little update since i've had to wait a while before i could say for sure –

it's official, the geese are gone for good!

if you have a pond (or know of a pond nearby) you may have had or seen issues with canadian geese – and it ain't fun. well, when we moved in we were sharing our 3 acres with 3 families of geese who would each have 4-6 babies in the spring.

i know this sounds kind-of awesome and seeing the babies was great... at first... until the amount of poop started piling up. (geese put out a ton of poop per day, times that by 18 and we're talking serious poop-city!)

anyway, after trying all the humane ways possible we finally found a system that works!

so here's the secret: 1 happy dog + 1 old canoe.

yup, that's it. we let our old canoe float around aimlessly all day – which works for the majority of the time. and when they really tried to come back to nest and keep their babies (which they do for a couple days this spring) i had kitsune swim/chase after them for hours. she could never quite catch them but kept them constantly on their toes which eventually made it so they didn't want to come back.

so, i'm thinking i may have a new business venture.

i think i'll call us: 1 happy dog + 1 old canoe = 1 ecstatic and goose-free you.

xoxoxoxox

happy friday!

it's such a beautiful day out there and i'm feeling so fantastic!

all this treasury and feed-back love has made me seriously high on life and work...

ok, check out one of my all-time-favorite treasuries created by sammade –

be sure to check out her shop, too! so great!

and then this wonderfully selected balloon inspired treasury by vivalaviolett –

who also has such cute stuff in her shop! xoxoxox

and then, the reason i do what i do...

and really appreciate every minute of it –

i got all teary from the most recent one. i'm so sappy.

so with that – i love you all!

happy weekend wishes,

xoxoxoxo

loving these landmarks!!

such a wonderful treasury by katnawlins –

i'm so thrilled that my brooklyn bridge print has been getting such extra love lately + i have such exciting (however, momentarily secret) news about it's upcoming national debut... stay tuned!

oh boy! it's been such a busy summer and the wedding season has been seriously bumpin' around here! amidst all of that – i've barely had time to post anything new (+ i know some particular family members have been looking for what's news in this neck-o-the-woods) so here you go!

••••••••••••

every other morning kitsune and i have been walk/jogging 5 miles!

– action shots –

here's a fuzzy shot of my favorite farm on top of our hill where i can see the blue mountains and even steam from limerick!

side note: did you know there is a boutique in tokyo called kitsune - and i LOVE it!!

xoxoxoxoxox

ok back to the homestead...

the chickens are doing well and giving us 4 beautiful eggs everyday!

and we've cut them out a new tree for shade next spring.

also, we've been doing some deck gardening while we clean up the real garden –

i've been busy propagating willow trees, irish moss, red clover, rosemary, basil, succulents and more!

green peppers growing

and little tomatoes, too!

thoughts for next year...

we plan to add coturnix quails

and escargot snails to the farm!

xoxoxox wish us luck xoxoxox

happy tuesday all!

check out domestica! one of my newest boutiques is looking soooo fabulous! finding my prints in the backgrounds of these photos is making me beyond happy and excited!! + you can find me in their big cartel shop or just check them out the next time your in des moines, iowa! {thanks so much chrissy! xoxoxox +++ super thanks to jen of hey! jen renee for her awesome blog post }

getting some brooklyn bridge love this past weekend with these great treasuries!

{super thanks to lovelykins and lillya xoxoxox}

check it out as i start making my new portfolio for textile design!

above are some screen shots of pieces i'm adding today...

hopefully i be able to add a few each week from a specific theme.

this theme is called vintage floral folk.

{themes for the future: vintage strawberry vine, dutchy bunny-rabbits, new-folk llamas, quaker's quail, and wild vintage mushrooms. so, stay tuned for more since i'll be making prints of them all for sale in my etsy shop!}

happy monday all!

last week was totally crazy and busy for me in my little world...

but my oasis in the midst of the insanity of my NYC trip was my 1/2 hour of heaven at what is antropologie. i could've spent a million dollars there easily!! but instead, i treated myself to only 2 new dresses...

and gawked for 15 mins at this cardboard chandelier...

can you guess my new project? i can not wait to get started – and it's sooooo perfect since i just happen to have a ton of boxes hanging around here like dust-bunnies in every corner! recycling my boxes + making a big beauty like this = one of the best projects i may ever make. i'll post the completion – someday.

ooooooo - this is my favorite treasury in a long while! sooo beautiful and mindful, too...

happy friday all! xoxoxoxo

last friday my good-old gramps sailed off to meet up with the others that have gone before him...

luckily i still have my grams around who obviously has some serious style –

check out those matching outfits! (that's my mom on the right)

and she had great taste in men, too! gramps was really awesome... and a looker!

7 kids total, farm living, family raising, good old pa dutchies from the lancaster county area – born and raised. gramps died at home in bed with his wife and family around him. can't beat that for good living, and dying. so much love and admiration to you, grandpa.

xoxoxoxox

as promised, here's a quick look at our new chickens!

they are still really skittish so i haven't been able to get any good shots besides this –

1 rhode island red (yet to be named), 1 australorp (blackula for now), 2 ameraucanas (one named goldie hen, and the other named greybeard)

and our first (blue) egg! man, i love raising chickens!

check out this amazing old fruit wagon!

i met mr. mertz (3rd generation mertz, of the kutztown area)

at that small engine show in bowers

who has been taking care of this piece of history since he was a child –

his great grandfather was j.a. mertz and rode this wagon around selling fruits up and down kutztown...

back when it looked like this...

anyway, mr. mertz said, "you can always tell when's something's pa dutch

because the decor and handywork are extra fancy... since they were a very proud people."

yikes, maybe not so politically correct – but proud nonetheless!

look at that ztown, pa i caught! fantastic!

this morning was the most beautiful i've experienced in a long time. it went like this...

the temperature was perfect and the sunlight was shining brightly as walked down to check on our new chickens. (i'll follow up with some photos of them next week - that is if they're still around!)

{+ you can read here about our lovable flock that got eaten in 2 days just last month. }

and all of a sudden, there she was – the most amazing mother fox i've ever seen! maybe it was because i got within 5 feet from her before she noticed me – but staring at her in that sunlight today filled me with utter joy! despite the fact that she ate every one of my birds. even some that i raised from chicks. i was dumbfounded. it's just so funny how sometimes the things you wage war against – went met face-to-face – melt your heart and change you forever.

and with that, happy friday all –

xoxoxoxox