the innkeeper's pup: contemplation

earlier today, my darling daria jean beauty queen was staring out the window in deep contemplation...

the two of us are reflecting and resting in preparation for a festive month ahead...

...sweetly dreaming of how we want to end this wonderful year.

sending you lots of puppy love from the inn.

see you in december!

xoxo

{snail mail} a note from the inn

stationery makes me swoon.

i have been madly in love with it for as long as i can remember, especially when it comes it a beautifully packaged set.

last week, i was wandering around our local bookstore when i found a table full of curious stationery sets.

this one captured my eye...

it combines four things i love: cute, creepy, colorful, carnival.

it features the artwork of mizna wada, an illustrator in tokyo who happens to be exactly my age...

i immediately purchased it with the intention to send these strange ladies to guests of the inn...

i plan to write notes on these lovelies and send them wooshing out into the world to five guests of the dew drop inn.

would you like to find one in your mailbox?

if so, please leave me a comment with your email below.

all global locations are welcome!

the first five to respond will get a sideshow sweetie via snail mail from the inn.

p.s. my pages up above (about the inn, meet the innkeeper, contact, and web love) are finally alive if you would like to take a peek!

hand made mug: swirly birds

when traipsing about the world on adventures, there is one thing i love to collect: hand made mugs.

it makes me so happy to sip my coffee or tea out of a piece of beautiful art. i consider it a special everyday luxury.

at maker faire last weekend, i visited the bazaar bizarre and found catherine reece, a local pottery artist whose whimsical creations captured me instantly.

i bought one of her pieces to add to my mug collection...

{i could not resist these swirly plumes}

{a sweet little yellow fellow}

{stack of birds}

{my favorite -> that hairdo melts me}

{smitten with swirls}

{pale yellow spiral}

there were many other pieces i loved. my next purchase from her will be these...

{rainbow + birds + tiny vases = love!}

visit catherine's etsy shop to see more of her lovely work.

creepy cute: diner dogs

ever since i was young, i have had a fascination with kitsch that is cute but slightly creepy.

i always stared in amazement at the strange stuff found at garage sales, antique shops, thrift shops, tourist traps, and my grandmother's house.

when i discovered the diner dogs at maker faire on sunday, i fell madly in love...

these odd canines have a history...

i was smitten and snapped away...

perhaps i love these because they remind me of my daria jean beauty queen...

visit the doggie diner site to read more about these peculiar pooches.

un chien du théâtre

{this is}

{daria}

{a dog who}

{lives with}

{two people}

{who met in}

{a theater company}

litany

ah, well.

i have been swooped up into the whirling vortex of back*to*school madness...

one week ago, i started teaching at a new school.

this year i am teaching drama to middle school students on a beautiful campus in the midst of old oak trees and sprawling vineyards.

my dear dew drop inn has been woefully neglected as i have been rushing around meeting staff, attending training, shopping for new clothes, preparing my classroom, lesson planning, and meeting my students.

whew!

this is officially the first time that i will be teaching and blogging simultaneously.

thus, i am in the midst of a slightly awkward adjustment phase (read: i have not blogged in over a week!) that will soon pass.

for now, i present you with an incredibly sweet something to start your weekend:

an adorable three-year-old reciting the billy collins poem "litany" entirely from memory...

You are the bread and the knife,

the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

space robots in my studio

it is almost impossible for me to stroll down the spiral notebook aisle at target and not fall crazy in love with some of the cute stuff that lives there.

my most recent purchase is a perfect example of how i crush madly on adorable notebooks.

it's a set of two space robot themed notebooks with pop-out paper characters to build and love!

the books...

the paper pop-outs...

...these cuties are standing on my desk right now and staring at me while i type this post.

lamb love

one of my very favorite things about spring is seeing lovely little lambs all over the place.

i have been following lamb life at juniper moon farm for over a year now.  this is a CSA farm (community supported agriculture) that produces beautiful wool yarn for knitting.  the site has a great blog as well as a LAMB CAM!

here is a picture of twin lambs born this week, gonzo and camilla...

...too cute.  seriously.

and this video of the two hopping all over the place, wagging their tiny happy tails?  

sheesh.  

so ridiculously adorable.