Catholic Guilt

♥ Gemini Studio ♥

I dare you to tell me this is not the cutest thing ever!

OK, so you don't like cats.  Then how about this?

Uh huh...thought so.

I don't work for Gemini Studio, nor did they pay me to blog about their goodies, I just LOVE their artwork and chose to cyber stalk them for a moment.

I ♥ the subject matter...
I ♥ that they use antique paper and newsprint to collage and layer...
I especially ♥  that it's handmade!

And if you aren't into animals (shame on you!), they offer something for your taste.  Take a look, see for yourself.

Out To Sea

I am addicted to this photo and the photographer's photostream.  All of his photos are mysteriously dark, just the way I love them. 

It's difficult to articulate why the image appeals to me so much, but it does on a very primal level.  Perhaps in a past life I was on such a boat.   Perhaps I was the wife of a sea captain, standing on the balcony of our seaside home on the widow's peak awaiting my beloved's return only to mourn his loss at sea.

I'm a country gal...

I don't hide the fact I grew up in the country on a farm.  So it's no wonder any chance I get I love taking the back roads, even in the San Francisco Bay area there are the most amazing views along the backroads. 

This photo was snapped along the Sonoma Coast on our way back from Bodega Bay a few weeks ago.   I touched it up and love how it turned out, even with the sun flare. 

Fireworks and wheels...

Hello darlins!  I hope you all had a superb Independence Day and were fortunate to celebrate our country's birthday with loved ones.  I made the 3.5 hour drive to the Central Valley on Saturday morning with Katie to spend the day with family and friends to celebrate my niece's first birthday.  How fun for a little girl to think that the nation celebrates her birthday everywhere with fireworks!

  

Katie loves her new set of wheels.  She's so eager for a car ride, though usually car rides lead her to the doggy park where she herds the local dogs with vigor.  But this time, it led to the caliente Central Valley where the temperature was in the low 100's!  Given I'm so sugary sweet, I about melted!

Katie isn't the only one who loves her wheels.  Miss Julia, aka, Birthday Princess, does too.  And as any spoiled Portuguese Princess,  she received her second set of wheels on her 1st birthday.

I want my very own set of pink wheels too! 

Princess Gwen...

This is an older photo I took a few years back of Gwen in her Halloween Princess costume which I recently touched up using some fun new actions I acquired.  It's fun to go back and re-do older photos with new learned skills.

Tea time...

I heard about a darling tea salon in San Francisco via some tea lovin' friends.   Upon visiting Crown & Crumpet's website,  and given I don't live too far from the City I just had to go. 

 * Photo taken from their website *

Of course I needed a victim because tea is best enjoyed with company and not just any company but the new beau.  He afterall does enjoy tea.  We'll call him "M" since this is the first time I'm introducing him on my blog and would like to protect his innocence because mere association with someone wild and crazy such as myself might get him in trouble with the witness protection program.  (Oh, I kid!)

Despite all the pink and frillyness, someone appears to be enjoying himself.  While I did have to coerce him there with pouty lips and lots of eyelash batting, the delicious crumpets and finger sandwiches convinced him that we will indeed be returning.

Va va va vooom!

Oh me oh my! 

Red, rouge, crimson... the color of passion and love has been my favorite color from the time I cast my demonic spell upon my unsuspecting parents in my early childhood.  Later in my early adult years I discovered the color not only suits my skin tone, but it suits my passionate personality.  Red is simply a part of me.

When I saw this picture of Morrisb's to-die-for purse, it sent shivers up my spine.  I've been wanting to acquire the perfect red purse, and by the rapid beating of my ♥ I believe I've found it.  But not only was it the purse that caught my attention, but the black skirt, the sultry hose, the  leather heels.  The entire ensemble is the epitome of sexy don't you think?

For the love of swizzle sticks!

It's slightly naughty of me to admit that I used to watch The Osbourne's reality show on MTV a couple years ago.  Yes, as in Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness himself.  I just love that little shuffling muttering man with black nail polish.  But what I really loved the most was how his spitfire of a wife Sharon, seamlessly (with a crew of designers no doubt) orchestrated the perfect dance between shabby chic goodness and gothic decor.  Not your grandmother's house either!  I wanted to move into their mansion - just me, Ozzy, Sharon and the pack of wild toy cutsie dogs they collected.  Forget the kids, they were definitely on their own as far as I'm concerned.  Oh, their assistant, the cute blonde thing, she could stay.  ;)

While browsing the local section of artists on Etsy I came upon this lovely shop, by a San Francisco local.  Mysterious gothic elegance meets shabby chic goodness in the form of...rose stem swizzle sticks!  Hot damn, I can just picture Ozzy sipping this pink concoction, careful not to poke himself with the rose stem swizzle stick.  Oh how I love to say...swizzle sticks!  It's going to be my new phrase, I can feel it.

Florabella

I am smitten with time worn elements; anything tattered, vintage...anything that looks loved or old.  My older kitty often climbs on my bed.  She's 18 years old and a big girl, but she manages to claw her way up.  The once expensive pristine comforter is now snagged and well loved.  I was once asked if I freaked out over it, but I smiled and shook my head.  I prefer it that way.  I know how it got that way and it makes me smile.  Growing up, my perfectionist mother was too concerned about keeping everything look new.  So I suppose this is my way of rebelling. 

Last week in between projects at work I was perusing Flickr as I often do for beautiful images.  I came upon Shana Rae's photostream and was enchanted with her dreamy images of flowers and babies.  Her images were processed in such a way that appealed to my vintage obsession.

 

I was delighted to read that this creative and talented photographer was soon to make her textures available to the public.  As you know, I'm quite the amateur photographer myself and always on the look out for inspiration and talent from which I can learn from.  Of course I snagged up these beautiful textures and once I finish some other projects I'm knee deep in, I plan on working some creative magic.

You absolutely must visit Shana's fine photos.  They are truly exquisite, like heaven's garden.

♥ Thomas Mann ♥

Have I mentioned that my life is rockstar crazy these days?  I'm not talking jet setting to some exotic location, sipping mojitos on the yacht while wearing a large white brimmed hat (because I'm allergic to the sun) and laughing as the paparazzi fails miserably to get a glimpse of my new boy toy.  Ha! Next time paparazzi!  No, not like that.  But close, real close.  For example, I drove myself and my short legged pooch 3.5 hours in the heat to the central valley to visit family.  Told you it was close.  Don't be jealous, you too can have the life you dreamed of. 

Anywho, while driving my older sister, mother and niece in my Mini, because we are close like that, to pick up Me-n-Ed's pizza (food of the Goddesses I tell you), we decided to drop by and visit my Godchild who was chillin with her friend.  While we talked roadside (too much of a hassle to pry ourselves out of the car), the child tore my favorite earrings off my ears.  Now, mind you, I've had these bad boys for at least 4 years (a record!) and remember where I was when I purchased them.  I was up in Bellevue, Washington on business - you know, meeting with my agent and stumbled upon a unique shop of sorts that carried stuff made by people I'd never heard of, independent designers they are called. 

You may not know, but I love hearts, especially flaming hearts and I love anything edgy yet romantic.   So when I saw these lovelies, I flinched at the price (because I'm cheap and they are silver, not gold) but I splurged because I'm that rockstar.  F - A - B - U - L - O - U - S

Ok, so back to the unruly child that is not mine!  Since she recently underwent a Catholic procedure called Confirmation and I had not attended and forgotten to bring her gift with me, I allowed her to savagely rip these off my ears and put them on hers.  Yes, I do love her, that much.  It felt as though someone was ripping my heart out of my chest, but love hurts sometimes and Thomas Mann still makes gorgeous jewelry.

Like this!  Ohhhhh my goodness.  Be still my flaming heart.  It's so purdy and my birthday is coming up in July.  ♥ ♥ ♥

Ohhhh, but then there's this!  I can't decide, I love 'em both!  Help!