Emily: Yay!

The sun came out!

Emily: Why I love Moo

Nancy turned my on to this site Moo, based in London that grabs images from Flickr or Etsy (and other places that do not concern me) and let's you make your own printed materials. My pictures show a set of postcards that I ordered to send to my customers to thank them for their business.

Emily: stupid winter!

It would seem that the weather is taking its cues from the market...I took this picture in the front yard yesterday and it was cold and dark and rainy. It looks like a black and white, but it is in full color, folks.

Emily: My vanity

Emily: For Nancy...the banner lady and unofficial 3rd

This little package is on its way to you....

Emily: Sunbeams

When I left Pennsylvania for New York a dear friend (who now lives in California!) gave me a gift subscription to The Sun. The magazine seemed to keep me sane while I was adjusting to my new life in a city that hummed and vibrated at all times.

At the end of each issue is a page of Sunbeams - quotations relating to the loose theme of each issue. I thought I would share some Sunbeams about money, and following your dreams.

"I signed up with a temp agency, and much to my dismay they actually found me a job. It had been a couple of years since I'd worked in an office, so I thought I should prepare for it. I went to the YMCA with a friend and had him tie me up in a burlap sack and sink me to the bottom of the pool. Just as I was about to suffocate, he yanked me up and gave me a lunch break." - Martha Kelly

"When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home." - Betty Bender

"Your money, or your life." We know what to do when a burglar makes this demand of us, but not when God does." - Mignon McLaughlin

"Work is love made visible." - Ama Ata Aidoo

Emily: California Romantica

I wanted to post about this book earlier, but I bought it for my mom for Christmas and didn't want to ruin the surprise.

Diane Keaton is part of the team who wrote California Romantica a large scale, full color book which demonstrates how peaceful and cheerful California's native architecture can be.

Emily: Shameless self promotion

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade EmilyLynch.etsy.com

Emily: Winter

Yes!

Emily: Thanks Lady!

Thank you so much for sending me sweet cards on a pretty regular basis when we email, blog, and text each other so often. It is nice to have something tactile to remind me of you and the days when I would bring in handfuls of vintage rhinestone jewelry to your room when you were getting ready for dates.

Emily: Yellow #2

After uploading, I realized that there was a whole lotta yellow in the items I listed in my Etsy shop today.

Emily: Sparky

We have been wanting to adopt a puppy...and Saturday went to the Sonoma Human Society and saw Sparky. He has since been adopted, which makes me both happy and sad for obvious reasons.

As much as we liked Sparky, we did not like his name and spent the afternoon hike coming up with possible alternatives. I have always had a fascination with names because they are language as beauty and not function. My possible future offspring are sure to get beat up in the playground as a result of my love of multisyllabic exotic names.

To follow is a poem from The Sun, the magazine that is most important to me (more so than even Elle Decoration or Vogue Living!) in the world.

Names
Danusha Lameris

What happens to the ones that fall out of favor:
the Dorises and Archibalds,
the Theodores and Eunices?
They all had their day,
once roamed the earth in multitudes
alongside Gerties and Wyatts,
as though there would always be
at least one in every classroom.
Names written in neat block print,
scratched into tree bark side by side,
engraved on heart-shaped lockets,
or filling the morning paper
with weddings and engagements.
How could they have known
it was their last hurrah?
That once by one the Constances
and Clydes would disappear,
replaced by Jennifers, Jacobs,
Ashleys, and Aidens?
That few would ever dance again,
corsage pinned neatly to their breasts,
or hear their names on the radio
read by the DJ in whispered dedication,
or uttered in darkness
by a breathless voice,
or even shouted out in anger -
"Seymour! Seymour!" -
as they grabbed the keys and stormed out the door?
Each names would fade quietly from daily life
as though it had never existed,
except for the letters etched into gray stone,
warmed by the sun in the day,
at night lit by a crescent moon.

Emily: Yellow

I live in the woods, which means that I can use this yellow painted crate as a side table near my sofa.

Emily: Songs from the wood

I have been looking for a reasonable set of flatware, as I am planning a Holiday Brunch where I will use my Great Grandmother Marie's wedding china. It was given to me by my Grandma Isabel, who was my great conspirator and who carried on the tradition of French cuisine she had learned from her mother.

While I admit I do not have the talent to fill the plates that they had I at least want to do them justice. Everything that I have found (and can afford) is either too fancy to go with my everyday plates (plain white porcelain) or too plain to belong alongside china. That is, everything but cheap-o Naturewood from Pfaltzgraff, which I will rock this brunch, baby!

Emily: Quick Books :(

Learning Quick Books makes me feel slow. Sorry for the lack of posts...I am trying to get current for year's end!

Emily: The spirit of the season

I have started decorating for the holidays. :)

Emily: life as a clover

Emily: Fort Ross

When I pay attention I find inspiration in unexpected places. Such was the case yesterday when we spent the day visiting and hiking around Fort Ross. The Fort was established in 1812 by Russian traders and was purchased by the State of California in 1908. The oldest original structure dates back to 1836. It was such a treat to explore some of California's history with the hypnotic sound of breaking waves in the distance.

View from the tower.

The hikes in the area are beautiful even in winter.

One example of door hardware at the fort.

Um...yes! Apothecary jars and natural specimen!

Give me a cabinet of curiosities any day.

A charming painted bed in one of the homes.

Detail of one of the benches.

The interiors had a "Jack and Jill"/Axel Vervoordt feel.

My favorite of the door handles on display there.

Emily: Affinity

The topic of performance comes up again and again when low v.o.c. paints are mentioned, and despite what some people are saying I find them to be great to work with, personally and professionally.


Benjamin Moore came out with the Aura Collection last year, and have recently added exterior paints to the line. It coats really well, has wonderful color saturation and gives off little to no odor.


The chips below are some of the colors I have used in my own home...the bedroom color is the prettiest gray/blue....

And I have yet to try Natura...the zero V.O.C. base!