there's stars in my eyes & there's sun in my hair.

last night, I was thinking about my sweet little niece, who is currently in the hospital with severe burns, and this drawing kind of just spilled out of me. It's not a portrait of her or anything, but I think the lyric is perfect for her: she is a starry-eyed and sunshiny-haired kind of a girl.

Get well soon, Lydie!

i made some fonts with my handwriting.

that's right! after reading the post on A Beautiful Mess on font-making, i decided to give it a try. I used an iPad app called iFontMaker and the Targus stylus for iPad. it was really easy & fun! the app guides you through it step-by-step, and voila! homemade fonts!

i made two fonts this weekend- nothing fancy, just playing around. the first one is my plain ol' handwriting: 

the second one is a bit more cursive-y:

click the links below to download them, if you'd like. (for free!)

font one (my handwriting)

font two (curly)

on my autumn mind.

Ooh, it's freezing today. There's rain, and maybe even a few snowflakes.

I'm sitting in the library drinking orange spice herbal tea. Happiness!

Today, I thought I'd share a few autumn-y products that I'm loving right now.

 

1. pines by a fine frenzy. a cozy, woodsy sound- perfect for cold weather. 

2. a perfect patterned cardigan. if this one weren't so pricey, it would definitely be in my closet right now.

3. a pretty book to read by the fire. i'm in the process of collecting these gorgeous clothbound classics, and Middlemarch is one of the next ones I plan to buy.

(have any of you ever read Middlemarch? did you like it? i can't wait to read it!)

4. a mug for hot chocolate, tea, and cider. mmm.

5. i love these flats. i wear them almost daily... the perfect fall color.

what's on your autumn mind?

Doodles

In the warm glow of happiness that ensued after taking my history midterm today, I decided to take a little time to draw- a luxury that tends to fall by the wayside during exams.

No pencils, paints, or markers. Just me and a pen.

Happiness.

on the table: a simple french dinner.

when i lived in the Loire Valley region of France,

i used to dine at the home of a lovely lady named Odile.

she would give me a cup of my favorite tisane (herbal tea) and sometimes there would be lunch.

on one such occasion, she served us this dish.

i took a bite, fell in love, and asked her how to make it.

i remember she smiled slyly and said, 

"first, you heat the olive oil, then perfume it with garlic."

you perfume the oil with garlic.

french people talk so pretty.

this is one of my favorite french dishes.

and today i thought i'd share the recipe!

haricots verts au vinaigre balsamique

serves 2.

12 oz. green beans, steamed

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked

1 tsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. creme fraiche 

salt & pepper to taste

heat the olive oil in a large skillet; add the garlic and perfume the oil. add the mushrooms and sautee until coated with oil and garlic. add the beans, chicken, balsamic vinegar, and creme fraiche. stir and toss to coat- a light brown sauce will form. salt and pepper to taste.

*this is traditionally served over pasta, but i think it's delicious (and filling!) on its own.

*if you can't find creme fraiche, you can substitute sour cream.

On my bookshelf: the Library Book.

A twist of fate (and googling) brought me and this obscure little British book together. And let me tell you, it was love at first sight (the cover alone!)

It's a collection if essays and short stories, all dedicated to the love of libraries. Famous authors share memories, history, and stories, and all of them are perfectly charming.

"There's something of the importance and power of books that doesn't come from anything else. Nothing else has that magic, that combination of ink and discovery."

"The great unsold truth of libraries is that people need them not because they're about study and solitude, but because they're about connection. Connection with other worlds and different views, even if that's no more than being among other people thinking and breathing."

"Writers, I discovered, were not to be bowed down before and worshipped, but embraced and befriended. Their names resounded through history not because they had massive brows and thought deep incomprehensible thoughts, but because they opened windows in the mind, they put their arms around you and showed you things you always knew and never dared to believe. Even if their names were terrifyingly foreign and intellectual-sounding, like Dostoevsky or Baudelaire, they turned out to be charming and wonderful and quite unalarming after all."

 happy reading!

images via google; last one taken by me.

ooh, it's october.

it's chilly outside, the leaves are changing, there are pumpkins everywhere.

my favorite time of year is this time right now.

the september resolutions went well. 

so well that i'm going to keep a few of them for october

(like taking a photo a day)

i am also going to read a book that's not for school, take evening walks in the park, 

and try a new recipe or two.

these resolutions aren't very serious. they're small.

and awesome.

and you know what? i have discovered the magic of the tiny, somewhat silly resolution.

you should definitely try it.  

october is the month of

reading

fresh, crisp air

sweaters

libraries

candles

&

happiness!

"there is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on,

and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings,

as now in october."

-nathaniel hawthorne

happy thursday!

all photos by me.

the film project: it's a wonderful life

i know, i know. everyone in the world has seen this movie. I've seen this movie before, i'm sure, but i didn't remember a thing about it.
the other night it was cold outside- a lovely autumn chill. i made some tea, snuggled with a blanket, and turned on this gem of a film. it was a perfect movie for a chilly night.

it totally cemented my love for the adorable Jimmy Stewart. I mean:

"What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary. Well, then you can swallow it, and it'll all dissolve, see... and the moonbeams would shoot out of your fingers and your toes and the ends of your hair... am I talking too much?"

all while he's wearing football pants that are too big for him and stuttering. i'm in love.

sigh... they just don't make 'em like this anymore. 

september resolutions.

With the new school year, I decided to do monthly resolutions instead of those yearly ones I never stick to. Most of these resolutions are boring and have to do with school, but I included a couple fun ones so I don't go totally crazy.

One of them had to do with my art (I'll post about that later) and one was to take a photo a day with my phone. It has been such fun! It has also really helped develop the photography instinct.

Excited for October resolutions. And fall weather. (have I mentioned that?)

Happy Monday. xo

Hello there! How was your summer? Mine was busy busy (hence the lack of blogging). What better way to begin again than with a list?

1. Studying at that table by the window at my school library.
2. Fall tastes & smells- apple, pumpkin, cinnamon.
3. British accents
4. Belly laughs
5. Sleeping with the window open so I can smell the crisp autumn air.
6. Tea + blankets.
7. Poetry books
8. The little vine shoot that somehow grew through my window and into my room.
9. Stamped envelopes- I just love the look of a letter ready to send.
10. Smiling at strangers.

A happy, happy weekend to you!

trends i love, illustrated.

   

this week, i love:

mustard yellow

embroidered cardigans

stripes

belted skirts

&

messy braids.

what do you love this week?

10 little things that make me happy.

It's a lovely day.... Time for a happy list!

10 little things that make me happy.
1. the farmer's market
2. when your iPod comes up with the PERFECT shuffle of songs
3. Summer things, like fresh limeade, sandals, and fruit.
4. the sweet satisfaction of finishing a good book
5. hands covered in marker and pen marks, and maybe some paint too
6. evening drives through town with the windows down
7. hugs from really tall people
8. wandering
9. mason jars
10. warm summer evenings.

the film project: an american in paris.

One of my big goals in life is to be well-read. I recently decided that I would also like to be the film-version of well-read, too. (whatever that's called.) So. I am starting

THE FILM PROJECT.

Which is a fancy way of saying, I have a big long list of old, classic films i've been meaning to watch for years and I have decided that now is the time to start. I will be posting on the films I watch: what I like/don't like about them, how they inspire me, etc. 

do you have an old (I am classifying “old” as made before 1970) film you would recommend? Ooh, tell me please!

Ohhhhhhhkay.

I have a very shameful confession to make: up until two days ago, I had never seen an American in Paris.

I know, right?

I mean, I was an american in paris.

I had a blog called an American in Paris.

Like I said, shameful.

That is why, when I decided to start the film project, this film was the first one on the list.

And let me tell you, what a way to start a project with a bang.

Gene kelly dancing and singing in paris with a little french ballerina for two hours.

Gold mine!

Things I loved:

-this movie is drenched in color. Paintings, flowers, dance costumes! It was so inspiring. I felt like I was going to explode all over my sketchbook.

-gene plays a struggling american artist living in a tiny apartment in paris. AKA, he's livin' my dream.

-gershwin's music. Especially the scene when gene sings “I got Rhythm” in the street with a bunch of little french children. While tap dancing. It totally knocked the Mr. Holland's Opus version of that song right outta the water.

-leslie caron! I want to see more of her movies. (Gigi, here I come.) she's darling. And she has crazy ballet skills.

-speaking of ballet, only gene kelly (who choreographed this entire film) could blend tap dancing and ballet in one movie. Sublime.

"I'm a painter. All my life, that's all I've ever wanted to do. And for a painter, the Mecca of the world for study, for inspiration, and for living is here on this star called Paris. Just look at it. No wonder so many artists have come here and called it home. Brother, if you can't paint in Paris, you'd better give up and marry the boss's daughter. Back home everyone said I didn't have any talent. They might be saying the same thing over here, but it sounds better in French."

loved it.

baby, it's not cold outside.

i am in open rebellion against summer.

don't get me wrong- there are some things i love about summer.

but.

i'm really just a cold little girl living in the desert.

counting down the days until autumn.

here is the first in my

cold girl

series.

you like? despite the crappy scan?

(it looks much better in real life)

going live on the Etsy shop

TOMORROW.

!

two trends i love, illustrated.

i had an idea.

illustrate the clothes i love!

so.

welcome to my new series:

trends i love, illustrated.

today i love:

chambray shirts.

mint.

florals.

statement necklaces.

what do you love right now?

here's to happy lists

it's wednesday, almost thursday.
thursday is my favorite day of the week!
{don't you think it has the best name out of all the days?}
anyway.
i think this almost-thursday moment we're having definitely deserves a happy little list. don't you?
let's celebrate the little things.

10 little things that make me very happy.

reading by the window

listening to music in the car. isn't it so much better in the car?

good hair days

this scene from sleepless in seattle. i laugh every time.

french herbal tea

{totally smuggled three boxes of it in my suitcase. heh.}

making plans & lists & daydreaming

the new barnes & noble leatherbound classics. i die.

that magical moment in a summer evening when the sun is low in the sky, the crickets are chirping, and the sprinklers have left the sweet smell of wet grass in the air.

the prospect of school starting soon. school starting means three of my very favorite things: autumn, school supplies, and books. happiness!

image via weheartit.

currently

this is what my life looks like right now.

stacks of drawings everywhere.

marker all over my hands.

pencils and pens everywhere i look.

i'm kind of in heaven with it all.

things i love about june

"if a June night could talk, it would probably boast that it invented romance."

-bern williams.

things i love about june:

warmer, longer days.

dinner parties and barbecues under the stars

farmer's markets

sundresses & sandals & sunglasses.

inspired by: french postcards.

i'm always looking for inspiration. 

these vintage (and not-so-vintage) french postcards are just perfect.

the clothes, the handwriting. 

(and that hand-drawn one from Shakespeare & Co. !)

the French certainly know their postcards. 

when i lived in Paris, it took a lot of self-control to not buy all of them!

a lot of inspiration from an unexpected source.

what have you been unexpectedly inspired by lately?

welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere. after an almost two-year hiatus i am oh-so-happy to be back.

this blog is the place where i will place my favorite little thoughts and ideas (and some photos and drawings too) so as not to forget them. my inspirations, my doodles, musings, and yes, lots of lists. thanks for stopping by!

love from

lindsay