small life, slow life

Lisa Congdon has a way of capturing the beauty of small things in her art.

It’s been busy lately! Work, work and more work. Not too much play. Sadface! And, as it always goes when I’m super busy, I’m on a major creativity kick. All day long I’m thinking about sewing, writing, drawing and cooking. Watch me not care about any of that once things slow down!

Regardless,  I thought I’d come share some cute little things with you.

First, Lisa Congdon, who I discovered via A Beautiful Mess. An artist who didn’t begin painting or drawing until her thirties, Lisa has now been creating with paper every day for ten years. You may recognize her work – it’s pretty popular. She’s also done illustrations for books and she did some work for Pottery Barn Teen. I love her charming style!

She lives in San Francisco, which makes me jealous enough! I lived in Berkeley for two years and I constantly miss it! And I adore anyone who quotes Julia Child:

Perfect for Vacation Saturday.

I’d love to put some of these prints in a future kitchen!

I saw this super amazing DIY on 7th House on the Left. I am a collage-making junkie and everywhere I’ve ever lived has ended up with big collages on the wall (and tons of pin holes and tape residue after I move out) – so I thought making my own bulletin board would be a great way to stop ruining the walls, as the wall above my desk is beginning to get populated with too many push pins!

The corkboard has chalkboard paint, so you can actually write on it! How cool is that?!

This is another cool one – you can print this sheet out and then use Post-it notes to make your weekly to-do lists or goals! This is perfect for someone scatterbrained like me who always wants to do 100 different things each day!

I’ve been thinking a lot about fermented food lately (ew?! just stay with me a sec) and I really want to start making it.  I’m already dreaming about littering it with mason jars of pickley stuff.

I haven’t mentioned it too much here, but in the beginning of this year I was having some major stomach issues. Ever the hippie, I spent a long time researching how to help my condition naturally and kombucha was a big healer for me. I still drink some almost every day! But, um, it’s $3.79 a bottle when it only costs pennies to make. Must rectify. I also have a whole list of foods that are hard on my tummy (bye bye, eggs, gluten and raw nuts). I’ve become super passionate about good digestion and when it comes to boosting healthy flora, fermented foods can’t be beat! They were a huge part of our ancestors’ diet and I want to learn to make a ton!

Totally wanting this book so I can get started with fermenting:

And also needing to make some colored mason jars (even though you can’t eat out of these):

I am SUPER stoked to be seeing Rachael Yamagata again in November! I saw her last November for the first time (even though I’ve been a fan for about seven years now) and she was amazzzzzing. She’s so moody and blue and I love her. As soon as I saw she was coming back to LA, I jumped at the chance and bought a ticket. Yup, just one. I’m the kind of girl who’s happy to go to a concert solo!

And lastly, Emma + Elsie are thinking about fall (already?! I’m finally just enjoying summer) and they posted cute photos of their fall to-do lists on their blog.

As for me, before the end of the year I’d like to:

– Seriously get my butt to yoga twice a week
– Try Bikram yoga (eep)
– Learn to make kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles and fruit peel vinegar dressing
– Make an awesome corkboard for above my desk
– Re-vamp the blog – I’m not liking these citrusy colors anymore. Wanting more creamy pinks!
– Create a cleaning schedule for the living space without harsh products (is there a natural wet Swiffer-type thing anywhere?)
– Put black-out curtains over the windows to provide for deeper sleep (can I make these? I’m wanting to)
– Get my sewing stuff out and make some things
– Create a writing schedule that works
– Discover more great music (loving Lana Del Rey’s “Radio” currently)
– Fine-tune my budget so I’m not cutting it so close each month
– Get all the fluids flushed from my car (my brother recently changed my oil, detailed and vacuumed my entire car AND fixed the back breaks, and he warned me that I need to take better care of my little girl)
– Be in the pool more – I swam four days in a row last week and I was so, so happy

That’s it for now! How are all of you doing?