impending summer.

I made this blackberry tart a couple of weekends ago based off of Jamie Oliver's recipe, lifted from this great cookbook. Makes me feel almost ready for summer. Almost. You just sort of brace yourself for a summer in Tucson.

"living" gifts...

I love and really prefer giving "living" gifts so very much, do you? There is something so beautiful about giving someone (and receiving) something that is alive and can't be wrapped up or stuffed in a gift bag. Here are some Mother's Day herbs we gave to my lovely mother-in-law a couple Sundays ago.

Speaking of living gifts, I'll just take this opportunity to post this sickeningly adorable picture of Belle and Sebastian- the living gifts I received from Nick as a wedding present three years ago. It makes me laugh every time I see it.

fabulous feathers...

I just love these screen printed feather cards that my wonderful pal Shanna Murray listed in her shop today, don't you? They're so fabulous!

xo

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful mother!

King and Queen of Hearts

These amazing stamps are being released today...Steve, who works at my favorite post office ever, gave me a heads up a couple of weeks ago, saying "There are some new stamps coming out that I think will be just your cup of tea." He was so very right! Can't wait to scoop them up.

Alethia Academy Adventure

Nick and I just took 7 twelve and thirteen year olds on a trip to California; the one picture of the nine of us all together was on the wrong setting and turned out like this. I actually kind of like it, don't you ? It was a long five days, but very sweet.

Little Dorrit

We have really enjoyed watching Masterpiece Theatre's Little Dorrit the last four weeks (on PBS Sunday nights). You can view the past four installments here, and the final one airs this Sunday night, April 26th. Has anyone else been caught up in this great production? I think it is so very well done.

Sunday Finds.

Nick and I have a book problem. I know I've written about that before. Sadly, we're not taking many steps for the treatment of this disease, and yesterday we popped into the Friends of the Library Sale, just to see if there were any treasures lurking about on the shelves. I found this amazingly charming book about a boa constrictor that lives in a French village with Madame Louise Bodot, as well as a volume of German verse. Such great finds, both of them! As it was half-off day, I paid 75 cents for the two of them. At least our addiction isn't breaking the bank, right? Speaking of which, does everybody know about Paperback Swap? We discovered this a couple months ago and have already used it countless times to hunt down books we were interested in owning.

Sweet Peas and Roses...

Just some more loveliness from our garden, for your viewing pleasure!

Letterpressed Materials- Gray and Cream

Andria Ledon of Lilikoi Press asked me to do the lettering for her wedding invitations and materials, and I think they turned out beautifully, don't you?

All photos from the lovely blog 100 Layer Cake.

Spring has Sprung!

Look what has popped up in our backyard!

Simple, Familiar, and Sweet

A lot of people now skip the entire inner envelope concept when sending out invitations, which I think is fine- it saves trees, saves money, is less formal, etc. However, the nice thing about an inner envelope is that you usually write out the first name or even "pet name" of the person you are addressing. It adds such a personal touch. I think a really great way to combine the two would be to do something similar to the photo above- just add a good dose of familiarity and playfulness to the outer envelope by using just the first names! I think it would be perfect for an informal, whimsical event. Don't you? I hope someone takes me up on this idea soon for their invitations!

Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles

I'm excited to present this spread from Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles- they contacted me to do some lettering for this story and I think it looks lovely with the feel of the piece, don't you? What a fun project!

White on Kraft

This week I completed these kraft envelopes with stark white lettering for a sweet couple in Brooklyn, Jessamine and Chad. Check out the charming wedding site that Chad designed!

Fresh Colors...

I had such fun doing these envelopes and tags for a lovely bride in Los Angeles...the beautiful invites are by Sycamore Street Press. Don't they make you feel fully ready for Spring? I love the pairing of teal and coral.

Lemon Tart with Pinenut Crust

Okay, I admit it. We stole some lemons. But they were on a huge tree! In the yard of an abandoned house! They were going to go to waste! So we took some, and I made this tart, the recipe found here. This tart is amazing. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life and probably never get tired of it- although I probably wouldn't fit into my favorite jeans anymore. But it might be worth it. And there is something so relaxing about the process of making the sabayon (the filling). Does anyone else find themselves doing some seriously productive pondering while they are baking?

Whales

I don't remember where I stumbled upon the link to this little print shop, but I absolutely fell in love with this whale print. I'm crushed that they are sold out. But anyway, it reminded me of the really interesting article I just read in National Geographic about blue whales. What amazing, majestic creatures! I would love to go whale watching sometime. Have any of you ever done that?

Another Wedding featured in New York Magazine

I did the calligraphy for this lovely wedding- photos found in New York Magazine. I love the boutonnières made of bluebells and cotton, don't you?

Sabino Canyon

Since it is Rodeo Break here in Tucson and Nick had a couple days off, we decided to go hike in Sabino Canyon yesterday morning. It was so lovely- perfect weather, perfect company, and I have perfectly sore muscles today. Yikes! I guess that's what 7.5 miles will do to you! We have plenty of work to do the rest of the long weekend, unfortunately, but it was nice to escape for a morning, at least.

xoxox

I found this vintage postcard in a shop in New York City, and it hangs framed all the year round, but it is especially appropriate for Valentine's Day, don't you think? And it reminds me of Mr. Rogers asking "Won't ya be my neighbor?!" every time I walk by it. So hilarious.
It's been a crazily busy week for me, trying to complete several personal jobs, along with getting all of Hello Handmade's Valentine orders out in the mail. I'm definitely ready for the weekend to start!

I did find time to make another loaf of this lovely bread this week - I'm trying to get into the rhythm of making a loaf every week for our sandwiches, in addition to other bread experiments...I'll keep you posted! My friend Marianne and I went to an enlightening King Arthur Flour Bread Workshop a couple of weekends ago, and I'm more inspired than ever to try to bake all of our own bread. Do you have any bread recipes you are particularly loving right now?