be mine.

Nick and I don't really do presents for Valentine's Day....but I really just adore this ornament from Paloma's Nest (hint!). The simplicity is beyond perfect.

obsession...

I find that I tend to go through obsessive little phases with the things I cook or bake, making the same thing over and over again when I find a great recipe, until we just can't take it anymore. This fall and winter I've been a little (a lot!) fixated on this Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup, a recipe which I stumbled across by accident one day. I tend more towards the savory camp when it comes to butternut soups, so this recipe is just heaven in my book.
Do you have any favorite recipes from these winter months?

Romantics Unite!

Every time I watch a Jane Austen movie, I am always fixated on the scenes where someone receives a letter- sealed with wax, elaborately folded, the recipient quickly unfurls the folds to read the gorgeous lettering within.

So this year for our Hello Handmade valentines, Shanna and I decided to take a cue from Austen's era and create these lovely Regency Valentines! Hand-painted and hand-lettered, folded in the regency style, and sealed with striped washi paper tape and wax, these personalized, customizable valentines are truly something spectacular, if I do say so myself. And 10% of each valentine sale is going to the American Red Cross relief for Haiti, which makes them even more special.
Just wanted to share some love with you today.... xo

simple song's mailing...

I know the holiday season is more than over at this point, but I wanted to share these photos of the lettering I did for Suann's holiday mailing this year. She did the letterpressing, and the boxes were filled with goodies from Whimsy and Spice. Here is the link to her post about them! I was totally honored when Suann asked me to work with her on this project, as her blog, Simple Song, is one of my very favorites.

Image from Simple Song

Lucy & Orla

Last month a sweet woman man named Francis (Mortifying: Francis sent me a note this morning correcting my mistake- tattoo was for daddy's arm all along. I had it all wrong.) emailed me to see if I would be interested in scrawling out her his daughters' names for a tattoo, and of course I eagerly said yes. Here is the result (and a cute photo of the young family, to boot). One of the sweetest projects I've worked on in a while!

ducks in a row...

Happy New Year! It has been a while since I've posted, my excuse being the whir of the holiday season as it flew past! But I'm back, and ready to jump into a whole new year (decade, while we're at it!). How about you?
My parents generously helped us buy and install a dishwasher this Christmas, which has been the most wonderful gift ever. It has given us the gift of hours more time during the week to spend on other things besides dishes, and since it displaced the only drawers in our kitchen, it has kicked off a whole-house organizational spree. People always talk about "spring cleaning," but I think the dawn of a new year is the most perfect and fitting season to really make huge, cleansing changes in lots of areas- house and home, priorities, attitudes, etc. It feels good, doesn't it? Here's to the freshness and hope of a brand new January!

Image from Toast by Post.