back + forth project!

P.S.! Betsy and I moved the Back+Forth Project into a new little home :] Be sure to check it out!

backandforthproject.wordpress.com

faces + places

My friends Nate + Rachel got married two weeks ago in Minnesota, and this weekend was their reception at home in Georgia. My genius Mom did their flowers for their reception. Some of my favorite faces from the celebration:

new + loves

This has been my creative life for the last few weeks: New visual journal pages:

Psalm 23: In progress ...

Palette and color :]

Brand new journal! I love love love starting new journals. They're such a part of who I am.

Huge canvas just waiting for some paint...

Back + Forth

Earlier this year, my beautiful friend Betsy and I decided to start a journal collaboration. She completed the first spread in the journal (her blog about which can be seen here) and mailed it to me. My spread took it's formation clues from hers, and her next one will take it's cues from mine, and so on. We have very different styles, so the cohesion of the look of this project is going to be so interesting.

Jumping into this spread was so much more difficult than I had expected! I battled lots of fears to get this color on the page: fear of Betsy not liking it, of nobody 'getting' it, of it being too scattered, too 'much', too odd. I like to be assured of the outcome of the things that I attempt. I have often been accused of taking a "Ready ... Aim ... Aim ... Aim ..." stance in my life. I don't often take explosive action. I don't often try new things.

Then Betsy sends me a beautiful spread surrounding the idea of daring to dream new Dreams. As I was pondering what that looked like in my own life, I happened upon an article about Marissa Mayer, a female creative exec for Google. She had a quote in the article that I fell in love with, because it embodied so many of my thoughts about my own fear. So my pages were born around that quote - it answered, for me, the questions that Betsy's pages raised in me.

Okay, enough words, onto an image: collaged ink sketch + acrylic paint + handwritten text + type-written text.

click image for large version

About fifteen minutes after I put the final touches on these pages, I found myself muttering the words, "I never really try new things!" with a little laugh. I caught myself in that phrase, then quickly wondered if journaling can work retroactively. Yikes bikes.

new + photos

just got my camera back from the shop :] here are some happy snapshots from this weekend in quiet + world:

new uniform

Don't you guys love the end-of-summer/back-to-school/start-of-autumn season? It is absolutely my favorite time of year. I only wish I had a reason to by some back to school clothes [and maybe some school supplies!] I'm itching to mildly reinvent my style. Here are some things I've been craving lately:

american eagle straight jeans [ae.com]


military jacket [oldnavy.com]


military shirts [oldnavy.com]

cord vest [oldnavy.com]

long, cozy sweaters [oldnavy.com, again]


frye carson pull-on boots [piperlime]

Maybe it's time to hit up some thrift stores and hope for the best!

beach love

one of my favorite photos from this last week:

my brother and his girlfriend in mexico beach, florida

confession

i have a really hard time living in the present.

guys guys guys!

I definitely got a very special package this week. [Pictured, left. Ignore the crazy eye] I am so excited to get to share with you guys about this new project contained in said package! For more details, you'll have to visit my friend Betsy's blog. Be on the look out for a blog specifically dedicated to this project. It's going to be a good one!

this is what most of my day has consisted of:


really good chai [in a really clean kitchen]

crazy journaling/life planning
with many, many pens from my crazy collection.

love days to reflect :]

tiny + living

I really enjoy my life; my friends, my job, my art, my personal growth, my spirituality. I do feel like I'm in a really good place, but every once in a while, I get the urge to sell everything, buy a tiny house and live a tiny little life in solitude. Okay, so maybe not in entire solitude, but wouldn't one of these little bitty houses be just the greatest studio retreats?

image via tiny house blog