Getting the creative juices flowing!

Happy Monday Everyone! This weekend was a little gloomy so I took some outfit photos under my bright rainbow umbrella :)

 

     Daniel and I spent our Saturday in Philly, checking out the Mütter Musuem

and browsing through thrift shops and vintage boutiques; with a little stop at our favorite bakery- Sweet Freedom Bakery and a quick lunch at Whole Foods. It was such a wonderfully relaxing and easygoing day for a busy week.  The weather somewhat mimicked this bittersweet week..a mix of rainbows and thunder.   My friend Lydia became a mother on Mother's Day last Sunday (right as I was writing my last post!), I could not be happier for her, and her son Ian is the absolute cutest! Then the world lost a very special woman on Wednesday night.  The mother of one of my dearest friends Diana, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.   I had a tough time hearing this and feel so heavily for Diana.  Her mother Tina was an absolutely AMAZING woman.  I have never met someone so full of kindness and generosity.  She always extended herself to express warmth and kindness, and she will surely never be forgotten.  What a lovely woman you were, Tina!  Always a rainbow in the rainstorm <3   

My finds this Saturday in Philly- a 60's vintage floral dress, polka dot scarf and fun colorful necklace.

     You may have noticed a little change around the blog recently- my new background! My colorful backdrop is a collection of acrylic moth paintings that I did for my 30 days of art project.  The project really gave me the "push" I needed to make my art dreams happen.  For some time I have had the goal of illustrating insects and then turning them into usable items like fabric, jewelry, gift wrap and stationary.  I am so happy to announce that my vision is now becoming reality!  With the help of spoonflower.com, and my incredible husband (who helped me tons with formatting and the technical workings) my paintings are now becoming items like fabric and gift wrap!  My next goal is to use my textiles to make clutches, coin purses and skirts (and hopefully dresses!).  I am still in the process of ordering swatches and selecting the fabrics so stay tuned and hopefully these items will be available on my (currently empty) Etsy shop sometime soon! 

  My first gift wrapped with my new moth print gift-wrap <3  Daniel's mom got her late Mother's Day gift in this box, and we'd like to think the gift wrap was sort of a gift too ;)

These are my new moth necklaces made from prints of my original paintings.  I collaborated with another artist who has a laser wood cutter and printer for these fun pieces.  I am SO happy with how they turned out.  If you would like one please shoot me an email and let me know!  I am selling them at my shop in Delaware but have not gotten them up on my Etsy shop yet.

I want to dedicate this post to Tina Katherine Linn, a beautiful soul and lovely woman who made an indelible impression on me and inspired so many around her.  What a courageous, strong, and compassionate woman you were!  We will miss you. <3

xo, Alyssa

Take your camera to work day + A Strawberry Sunday!

 Alas, this quick weekend is coming to a close.  I had to work all day Saturday (you are playing me a violin, I know ;)  so I decided it would be a good day to bring my camera along!  I know that I mention the store that I manage from time to time, but it dawned on me that I have never posted any photos, so here it goes!

I work at a little boutique called "Clothes in the Past Lane".  We are located on Main Street right next to the University of Delaware.  It's a pretty nifty shop- chock full of both vintage and new clothing and accessories.  We are always on the lookout for cool, unique items that no one else will have!  Like this pink hat- rockin'!

I wish hats like these were still everyday attire.  My favorites are ones like this from the 40s and 50s that are covered in fabric flowers, lace, and leaves.  The details are amazing!

Here I am with our mannequin, Bertha.  Yes, we name our mannequins (hey, it helps us keep them straight!)  This is little Bertha, we also have big bertha (so named for her voluptuous shoulders and rear) and wire bertha (made of wire).

This is a curated collection of some of our vintage jewelry- we all take turns decorating the displays.  You can probably guess I had a ton of fun with the rainbow case on the left.  Our other themes right now are spring pastels, and black and white!

A pair of floral jeans that I should own by now!

A little corner of the shop for my handmade jewelry line "The Lemon Moth" with a small collection of moth and butterfly necklaces and jewelry.

A lovely collection of vintage animal pins that I set out on Saturday.   Hope you enjoyed the little tour! 

And Sunday....what a crazy day!  Since it was my one day of the weekend where I could actually get things done I sort of went into overdrive.  My checklist for today was waaaaay too long, but somehow I squeezed most everything in.  Getting to the gym, getting last minute gifts and groceries, making cupcakes, cleaning up my closet (didn't get done, haha) visiting Daniel's mom and mine, taking photos and updating the blog!  Whew!  Bedtime is next on that checklist! ;)  I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day, though!  I had a great time seeing my Mom and spending time with the family.  I have a friend out in Washington who is hoping to be a mom very soon- (she is still in labor) and I am so anxious to hear of the announcement for her baby boy!!  Hang in there, Lydia! <3

It was beautiful outside today!  Just that picture perfect weather, you know?  Unfortunately, most of the sun had gone before we were able to get photos, but just enough that we could capture some good ones.  I had to take advantage of the beautiful bright pink flowers that were sitting all sprawled out on the grass here.  My parents have HUGE azaleas in the yard in all different pinks, purples, and white.  It made for a pretty backdrop and great grass shots!

I LOVE the pattern on this 1960's dress.  What could be better than monochromatic strawberries, right?  If it looks familiar, you're not crazy.  This dress inspired a strawberry painting I did a few years ago- and it sits on my living room wall and has made an appearance or two on the blog!  I have to give high kudos to my husband Daniel because he hemmed this for me today while I was baking cupcakes.  Amazing, yes?  This man is more handy with a sewing machine than I am, I need to work on that.  

Necklace and dress- vintage, cardigan- Kate Spade, Shoes- Urban Outfitters, tights- Forever 21, Headband- Claire's

I hope you all had a fabulous day and a wonderful weekend, I can't believe it's already ending! Hope you all have a super Monday tomorrow filled with strawberries and sunshine ;)

xo, Alyssa

Rainbow Ombre and an Art Show!

Happy Monday!  Sorry I've been MIA for a little while.  My "Fun A Day" project got a little too busy, so I wasn't able to fit everything in last week.  The weather has been absolutely GORGEOUS lately.  We had near perfect temperatures all weekend (although just a little bit too cold to wear this rainbow outfit ALL day) and the sunshine was well needed.  This morning it's a little gloomy out there, but I am hoping it's just a phase ;)

Aaaa rainbow colors.  My favorite, of course.  I got these shorts from the shop I work at and had been looking for a way to style them- I figured I'd go ahead and extend the ombre look by pairing it with my Motel rainbow gradient tunic/mini dress.  I really like all of the ombre looks coming out now- especially rainbow ombre, it's such a fun take on my favorite fashion staple!

It was another busy weekend for Daniel and I- we stuffed a whole lot in!  It started with Friday night and my gallery show for my "Insect A Day" project (you'll see photos down below) then Saturday was lots of errands and Daniel's electrician's apprenticeship graduation dinner with his family, my parents, and a few friends, we went out for a drink afterwards with my friend Diana.  Then Sunday was a trip up to West Chester to go vintage shopping, and a stop back at my family's for chicken tortilla soup, salsa and guacamole, yum!  

Oh yea, and a few nice walks at the park, like this one.  Where we off the path a bit :)

Outfit Details: Tunic/mini dress: Motel, Modcloth.com, shorts: Clothes in the Past Lane, Headband, earrings and feather hair clip-in- Claire's, necklace: Kohl's, bracelet- Saks Thrift Avenue, shoes: Forever 21

This clutch has been sitting at the shop where I work, Clothes in the Past Lane staring at me for months.  I finally decided to take the plunge and buy it- it's perfect, and an authentic 60s piece!  It even still had the box with it!

My friend Sandra at the Gallery Opening Friday night!

My collection!  One insect a day for 30 days :0)  Although I did get a little bit behind and play catchup when I got that icky cold. shhhhh.

Goofin off with Allie in the Fun-A-Day "Foto Forest"

The hubby :)

My friend Steph (who did Dance A Day) and her mom Sandi (also my boss at work)!

My vintage finds in West Chester <3

I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week and I will be sure to check back at your blogs soon, thanks for reading! :)  

xo, Alyssa

Candy Colors and Bows Galore!

Happy Earth Day Everyone! :) This is a shot of my outfit from Saturday, I got out to take a photo just as the sun was starting to go down and I had been in all day painting the picture below.  I am so happy I grabbed this Nishe dress from the ASOS mid season sale.  From the charming little bow buttons to the silky fabric and vintage inspired silhouette, I really couldn't be happier with it!   I broke my favorite bag back out, too! :) 

This is the piece I dedicated most of my Saturday to.  It took a loooong time, but it was totally worth it.  I am thinking of working with this piece to make into a patterned fabric, so I am super excited to be finished.  I have only about a week left to my art-a-day challenge, it hasn't been the easiest undertaking, but I am so glad that I decided to do it- it's definitely gotten me out of my art funk!  Some days I've really had to wrack my brain to figure out how to have both the time and creativity to make a new piece, but once I get a plan figured out I get into the "zone" and get really focused and it's simply bliss :)

Yummy spring candy colors!  Ok, so, I  haven't totally jumped on the stripes bandwagon this spring, BUT I did pick up this top and I was in love with the hot pink stripes so I had to have it.  I threw it together with my mint lace shorts and lilac tights and voila! a whole new look.  Can you tell how much use I am getting out of this little floral headband? A few dollars very well spent!  I was so glad that Daniel and I ventured over to this garden yesterday.  It lies just outside the city of Wilmington and was the former estate of a very wealthy family. Years went by, the house on the property went abandoned and fell into disrepair, and now it still stands in all of its decaying glory at the top of these steps.  Yes, the house itself is "off-limits" but the gardens surrounding it are open to the public.  We didn't get up to the house to take photos this time, but it is truly gorgeous and just the perfect example of beauty in decay.  I do know there are plans to restore it at some point! 

Outfit Details:

Top & flats:  Forever 21, Shorts and necklace: Francesca's, Headband:  Poconos flea market, Tights:  Target

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, cheers to another week!

xo,

Alyssa 

My Sniffly Weekend Snapshots :)

Well, hello folks :)  I've been feeling a little under the weather as of late.  So, I've been trying to take it easy and chase away my sniffles.  In Delaware we went from 40 degree weather to almost 90 degree weather within a day or two and like clockwork, the sniffles came, the sore throat and the cough. I spent Friday home from work and watched a Documentary called "Happiness" and old classic comedies like "Tommy Boy" and "Uncle Buck".  The couch was my throne that day- with short trips to the mailbox and the kitchen for some warm tea.  Now, I am moving around and talking much better (I had all but lost my voice) and hoping to feel a lot better by the end of the week! So sorry if I have not commented on some of your blogs in a while, I will be sure to get myself up and running soon! :) Here are some snapshots of my weekend.

The mirror in Anthropologie :)

Awesome flower applique Clutch I found in Anthro.

Desserts with my family to celebrate my husband Daniel's graduation from his Electrician's apprenticeship!

A preview of some of my work from the "Fun-A-Day" project.  My theme is 30 days of insects.

My Sunday afternoon outfit, I was really feeling the flower appliques!

Cherry and Lavender <3

I was really lucky to find this amazing Ryu cardigan on sale at a local boutique for little over 20 dollars.  I love the 3D details, and found it went perfectly with my ASOS floral dress.  I wish I had taken a photo of the back- it features a heart cut out!  These shoes are also one of my favorites.  Little strawberry sandals from Irregular Choice- found during a spring sale on ModCloth.

I hope you enjoyed the snapshots from my weekend.  *Grabs a tissue* hope you are all having a wonderful Monday! :)

xo,

Alyssa