.a mix of texture.

aren't these tea light holders from texture mix awesome? i love the imperfections in the wood, especially the big crack in the round holder. and those coasters... i can't get over that bark! also, check out the geometric tea light holders in the shop.

.vintage photo friday : scholar.

I found this lovely girl at my favorite antique mall last weekend in Grand Haven. I love that she chose to pose for her portrait with books. not sure what the paper is for, maybe she draws? architectural renderings? this is my favorite thing about collecting vintage photos, guessing who these people were, what they were doing, their favorite things, etc.

also, her dress is fabulous!

.so many.

400 posts! can you even believe it? this brings me mixed feelings, for reasons that you will soon know, most of them happy. it's been such a pleasure getting to know so many of you through my blog, and yours (as well as flickr, twitter, etc!), and I can't even imagine my world without those relationships.

just wanted to say that :)

.daily film : loom.

I love the light that comes in through this window. in fact, it's the reason we put my loom here. the weeping birch just outside the window filters the light in the most beautiful of ways.

.daily film : senior.

ahhhh, to be a senior in high school again... haha, actually i'm much happier now that i'm done with college, or as my friend puts it, a creative professional. but let's be honest, there's really not a single moment of your life that doesn't shape who you are, including all of the awkward and uncertain ones of senior year in high school.

aren't these two so cute?? the top photo is of amy, my sister's friend, and the bottom photo is my sister, erika. actually, that was her in yesterday's daily film image, in the detroit institute of art.

autumn really is a beautiful time of year, is it not? i think the sun is its most butterscotch-y in these transitional months.

.daily film : DIA.

this is my sister and her boyfriend standing in front of (to my knowledge) one of the biggest paintings on display at the detroit institute of art. as those of you who have been following my little blog know, i love this place to pieces. when i was going to ccs, i came here almost every day i had a lunch break. this painting is about death (that's him in the middle), but i can't remember who painted it or what it's called. i'll find out, i promise.

what's your favorite type of museum to go to? i'm torn between art and science (i.e. zoo, aquarium, planetarium....).

.photo essay : grand haven.

one of my favorite places to eat in grand haven is elegance of the seasons. their menu changes each day and is entirely seasonal. and delicious. plus, their cafe is super cute with their mismatched tables and chairs.

always a pleasure, we walked along the grand haven pier. it was incredibly cold and blustery, but we made it all the way to the end and back. i was happy to see that they're using cfls to light the catwalk. the lake was very calm, especially for this time of year.

the pine forest next to my parents' house. the light is so beautiful on the fallen pine needles. i love these pines.

we were lucky enough to visit my parents' friends, mark and kathy. they're both ceramic and glass artists (mark does most of the ceramic, while they collaborate with the glass) and have built their outdoor studio from scratch.

this is the third or fourth year they've fired their handmade kiln, and the time it takes them to get up to temperature keeps getting shorter, which is really great. they use a combination of gas and wood to fire that kiln, which has to be under constant watch and feeding throughout the near-24-hour firing.

they use a combination of soda and wood ash to glaze their pieces, resulting in some really beautiful coloring of both the clay and the glazes. the pieces in the last photo are a couple that i picked out for myself to buy. i haven't taken them home yet, as they like to keep everything for their show/sale, which is the first week of december. i can't wait to get that beautiful coffee pot (a generous graduation present from them) and new mugs/tumbler home! now i'll just need a bunch of people over for breakfast to use the full capacity of the pitcher. the coffee will, of course, be made using the ceramic melitta brewer that i got from them last year.

who wants coffee?