Outdoor Adventure Birthday Party

Our sweet 7 year old was excited about the idea of an "outdoor adventure party" with promises of an obstacle course and a scavenger hunt! It was so much fun! Last year's Star Wars party was cool, but I was glad we didn't have to do it again! Here are some photos from the party.

For the favors I made coloring books, my friend Vida made amazing feather clips, and then I bought some sweet little agate stones, and colored pencil sticks! 

The kids did a scavenger hunt. On their list was:   1. acorn 2. pinecone 3. unusually shaped twig or stick 4. animal tracks 5. bug (dead or alive) 6. work together to find and compare leaves (look for different shapes and colors) 7. something fuzzy 8. feather 9. wild berry 10. something you think is a treasure. The kids had fun running all over our wild yard finding their treasures. 

The animal friends were inspired by some similar ones I found online. The company doesn't have a website anymore, but you can see a few for sale here. I drew some of my own animals and people and had the drawings printed on fabric from Spoonflower. Then I sewed up 20 sweet little friends. Our new house is pretty much in the country, so we have a lot of animals around! I wanted to use the animals that we see around our area... deer, jackrabbits, owls, and horses. I made a bunch of kids as well. I bought some fabric markers for the kids to color their own little friend and bring home. 

My son always wants a chocolate cake. I decorated it with trees, mushrooms, and animal friends. Plus 7 candles for singing and wishing! 

My brother and his fiancé made the obstacle course out on the back deck. It was a timed course. First the kids leaned down onto a baseball bat and had to spin around 3 times… then weave in and out of the orange cones… then run across the bench… then climb under the string and navigate through on hands and knees without touching the string… then climb out to the finish line! The kids had a great time! 

There was a necklace/bracelet set up with beads, embroidery string, and tassels that I made. 

Top 5 Music for March

I used to love to make mix-tapes and mix-cds. Playlists don't quite have that same feeling, but sharing music is sharing music. And I like to share music so here you go. Here are the 5 hits that have been keeping me company recently while I make dinner every night: Apple Music Playlist

or you can watch the videos individually: 

Mitski, “Your Best American Girl

LOLO, “Not Gonna Let You Walk Away” 

Ra Ra Riot, “Water

The Chainsmokers, “Roses

Sky Ferreira, “You’re Not the One” This video has 2 songs. “You’re Not the One” starts at 4:37 in case you want to skip hop ahead

Our Mid-Century Modern House

I’ve been hemming and hawing over whether or not to post photos of the new house. I had a few negative nelly’s that were kinda bringing me down about it. And these were people I thought were friends, not just your average web weirdos. (go Kate, 3 solid bits of alliteration in the first paragraph).

I’ve posted a few photo over on Instagram (first, unpacking kitchen, deer). I love Instagram and Pinterest and I barely read blogs anymore. I’m not even sure if anyone will read this. But I’ve decided that I want to post here. It’s my site and my space and it has been for so many years. I want to document this house that my husband and I just bought. Because it’s incredible and we’re so happy and lucky and thrilled to be here. We really walk around all the time with hearts in our eyes! We can’t believe our luck and I hope you can share in the joy as well. 

We will spend the next good long while remodeling. The house was built in 1961 and hasn’t been fiddled with since, with the exception of the kitchen, which was tastefully remodeled in 1974 (Thank you 1974 people for sticking with classic WHITE!!!) We hope to enlist the help of a designer who can merge our styles, and help pick out new flooring, walls, etc.; you know, “finishes.” We definitely want to keep the same feel of the house. It’s totally perfect and amazing, but the walls need to be insulated and we generally want to give it a bit of a face lift. (We need a new roof and new deck, but that’s not super exciting, so I’m putting it in parentheses).

Let me know if you have any resources to share- flooring? inspiration? mid-century interiors? awesome places to get vintage furniture that doesn’t cost my first-born son? THANKS!!! 

Newborn Photography

My babies aren't babies anymore and I need a baby fix! Since we aren't having more of our own, can I come cuddle and photograph your new baby?? I am available during the week in the Silicon Valley area. Here are some favorite tiny baby photos. You book a session with me by visiting my online shop HERE. If you don't see a date that works for you, just give me a ring or an email and we'll set something up.