Into the Weekend...

These fabric gift wraps from Chewing the Cud are a really wonderful idea.  The "Give Wraps" come in a collection of series, like...

Give Luck:

  

Give Heart:

And Give Joy:

Can't wait to buy someone a special gift so I can work some magic with these.

Happy weekend, dear friends...

Yep.

Chalk it up to this rainy day and an impending sense of laziness, but , wow, am I in love with this bedroom.
I'm especially swooning over the door and the open window... makes everything so flippin' cozy.  I will pretend I am laying there for just a few minutes and then I'll snap myself out of it (bummer) so I can get some work done. 

Top Five Tuesday:: The Yums

I should probably reduce the amount of sugar from my daily intake, but really I never will.  I do love me some sweets.  Bask with me through my Top Five picks for sugary goodness...

French Macarons  from Sparkles Kitchen... Etsy's current Featured Seller!

  

Vegan Fleur de Sel Vanilla Caramels from Cupakes in Jars

 

Lynne's Sweet Shop Truffle Pops... oh my gosh!

These and...

these from Sweet Vegan.

Probably not the best subject to post about when it's almost midnight and I'm craving chocolate chip pancakes ( I'm salivating over here.)

Dig in!

UPDATE: Jacqueline from Cincinnati, Ohio is the Ciara Obscura blog giveaway winner!  Thank you to everyone who participated...

Word for the Week:: Invigorate

Holy wow, am I needing a pick-me-up.  I think no single day off in three weeks finally caught up with me and... smack.  Pooped.
I started this new thing, lately, which is if I can't take a full day off, then I'll give myself little breaks maybe every few days, for a couple hours.  This has helped, but I've yet to make it consistent in my routine.  So here's to making it happen from this week forward.  I'm hopeful that it well help to reinvigorate me when the weight of the work load lovingly beats me down.  I'm lucky that I , at least, enjoy what I do most days.  Other days... eh.  But there's a balance.
That extra dose of energy, vibrance and gusto will have to come in the following forms...

* Morning and afternoon tea

(Sarah Moldovan)

* Breathe in the rain

 

( Dovie Moon)

* And then the sunshine

 

( Sixth and Main )

* Follow with a cat nap

( ValeriaH )

* Or a few swigs of espresso should do the trick

 

( Gallery 32 )

Into the Weekend... Peace within the chaos

 I'd like to reflect a bit on the people of Japan.  Their level of respect and connectedness and compassion for each other amidst the catastrophic events and chaos over there is honorable and noteworthy.  There has been a striking lack of vandalism, looting and violence... things that seem to happen at alarming rates in our own neck of the world during natural disasters.  It's quite a beautiful thing to witness Japanese culture in this way through photos and testimonials from tourists and citizens alike.  I'm blown away.  Seriously.  (Can you tell?)
So here are a few great images of goodness to take with you into your weekend...

* I feel silly overusing the word "darling".  But I think it's appropriate here.

 

(Charlotte Taylor - discovered through DesignLovefest)

* Cute.

* and happily peaceful.

 

(I can't lift my eyes from this painting.)

Behind the Designs:: Photo Shoot

You know what's neat?  This is my 200th blog post.  And I had no idea until I logged in.  I started this blog with so much hesitancy a couple of years ago and now, as it turns out, I can't imagine not having this space to share my rantings on a nearly daily basis.  So YaY for this the 200th entry!  And I think it's good timing... I've evolved right along with my business and seeing the difference between where I was then and where I've gotten to now makes me realize just how much everything has expanded.  I like that... a real lot.

Anyhow, here are a few behind the scene photos from the S/S 2011 collection shoot last week.  I'll post some better ones when I get them from the photographer in another week or so, but these will do, for now.

 I got Mama protective with Kiel standing on that ledge with a 100 foot drop on the other side.  I (jokingly, of course) asked him where he keeps the photos and cash, in the event he goes over.  I am happy to report that he avoided any mishaps.  Here he is photographing Erika wearing, I think, a hair adornment.

 Backed into a corner, photographing Jennifer wearing a necklace.  He was capturing a really stunning backdrop that you can't see from this angle, but will be able to see in the final photo.

Somehow I got wrangled into this group shot (I think it was the last one for the day).  That's me front and center, with Jennifer and Erika looking so cute to either side.

 

 Pal extraordinaire, Steph (far left), helping to style the shoot, with Kiel directing model Andrea wearing a necklace, with Erika looking on.

 Steph styling Erika with a cluster of hair adornments.  I love this shot.

It was so much fun, you guys.  Kiel Rucker, as usual, was just perfect. And the models were beautiful.  I cannot CANNOT wait to see the final photos.  You, dear readers, will see them all when I launch the collection on my website in another week and a half.

Oh!  And Happy Saint Paddy's Day!
P.S. Feel free to hop on over to the Giveaway post and enter to win a grab bag o' gifts.

Top Five Tuesday:: Blue

I've been a real freak for the color blue lately... in all it's hues and tones and shades and goodness.  Enjoy a selection of some fantastic beauties that happen to be in the blue family.

* A little while back, I received a hair adornment custom order based off the client's love for the blue in these Ball mason jars.  I just loved her reference starting point and I knew she'd be a fun customer to work with (she was!).  p.s. You can't get a sweeter vase than with these, either.  Don't you think?

( South Rose Window )

* Wicked cute vintage shoe morsels from Wearing the Past.

 

* Pretty darn adorable illustration of one of my favorite things ever...

 

( Royal Typewriter by Nan Lawson )

* And this 

* And then this

 

from Lola's Room

I think the name *blue* got itself a bum rap.

Word for the Week: Giveaway!

This week's word is all about you, dear reader.   It's giveaway time and one lucky duck will receive a surprise grab bag of Ciara Obscura goodies.
Maybe a little something from here...

 

and here...

 

and here...

 

and even here...

Want in?  Follow the rules below and I'll announce the winner come Saturday.

Ready?  Go!

GIVEAWAY RULES (Deadline Friday, March 18th at 11:59pm PST):

* In the comments below, share your happiest memory of Spring.

* Hop on over to a few other Ciara Obscura blog posts and leave your thoughts in the comments section below each (no need to alert me of this yourself, I am notified of every incoming comment automatically).

* Extra points: Become a Facebook fan and suggest it to friends, if you'd like.

* Extra extra points: Maybe make an effort to be nice to someone today.  Kindness matters, don't you think?  And as a former teacher, I still find myself encouraging this sort of thing!

Good luck!

Big hugs,

Cath

Meet Talula the Bicycle

I'm very excited to introduce my new bicycle (vintage Huffy!).  She's been a labor of love... tuned up (thanks to the kind peeps at Wheelhouse), shined up red wine paint with just a hint of a sparkle, white handlbar grips with pink stitching, a gold and silver vintage styled bell straight from Japan, and a crocheted-esque Scandinavian basket with an ivory and pink flower attached (I may change that out from time to time).

Anyway, I adore this bike.  She's the perfect size for my not-so-tall-self and rides like a dream.  A special thank you to my folks whose thoughtful gift helped to bring sweet Talula into this world.

Here are the two of us together on the first day I took her for a little cruise.

And here we are daydreaming in one of my very favorite places.  This photo was taken while filming a  documentary short on me as the subject (yikes!) on a behind the scenes look of my creative process as an artist.  While I'm soooo nervous about how I come across in front of the camera, I am thrilled to share that the film crew were so encouraging, professional and wonderful.  More to come on that.  Meantime, aren't me and Talula (Lula!) a pair?  We're like BFFs.

Tomorrow morning I'm back on the job with a photo shoot.  This time, thankfully, I will not be the subject.  The models wearing the new Spring/Summer designs will be.  And I bet those girls will be perfect.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend...

Into the weekend...

This will be a busy and eventful weekend over here.  Some cute street fashion to escort you into a lovely next few days... How great are these teal combos?!

 

Photos from The Sartorialist

Behind the Design :: Sneak Peek

The Spring/Summer 2011 collection is almost ready to launch!  Up next is a film shoot and then a photo shoot complete with three really lovely models and one really wonderful photographer, Kiel Rucker.  So, in the meantime, I'll give you a sneak peek of some of, but not all, the colors and materials you will see in this upcoming batch of pretties...

 

 

  

  

  

Plus some more earrings and pendants, pops of romantic color, and all around day-dreamy goodness...

Top Five Tuesday:: Skirts

How much do you love skirts?  I'm a pretty big fan over here and so figured this particular post would be a nice one for today.

1. From Dolce and Gabbana:

2. Bustley Skirt from Free People:

3. Silver tailored silk skirt by Bruna Romeo:

4. Vena Cava goodness (in Styleite)

5. Anthropologie's Sunday Shopping Skirt (looks a little like an old apron I have):

 

So many different styles, but I am an appreciator of them all...

Word for the Week: Moxie

 

(Follow Your Heart by Farouche)

This week I'll be digging into my reserves and mustering up some extra moxie to move along through pesky happenings.  I figure, the very fact that I choose to reside in a more pleasant world, free from being bothered by ...er... unpleasant people, might really be the ticket I need in combination with some extra spunk.

So here's to standing up for loyalty, devotion, respect, and love.

And that said, I'd like to wish my husband (who expresses all of the above beautifully) a very happy birthday.
And to thank him for, more often than not, supporting this moxie in me.

Enjoy a week filled with truth and a heaping dose of peace.

Into the Weekend...

This week was rather nutty.  A series of rescheduled everything. But you know what?  It worked out better that way and I'm so grateful for the universe, or whathaveyou, that has thrust this change upon me.  Such nuttiness that I will totally embrace... with a side of grilled cheese on sourdough and chocolate cake for lunch, on this finally sunny day.

Some scooped up tid bits that I came across this week... Enjoy:

* So in love with the styling of Twig Hutchinson (Above photo. More yellow!)  I came across her work through Decor8 and, wow, how beautifully orchestrated are these?!

* This gorgeous post from Leonie Allan on Superhero Journal:
The last part, in particular, is a stunning expression of what it means to really be alive.

* Um... yum.  Coffee Shampoo bar soap from Rocky Top Soap Shop

 

* and yum again.  Cookies from Tookies!

Maybe I'm hungry.

Have a lovely weekend...