fairhope

in the great little town of fairhope, alabama, there are many spectacular things. one of which, the annual arts and crafts festival. its one of the largest in the country. i saw artists from wisconsin, new jersey, even paris (france, not texas). it never disappoints.

my favorite artist was marc james villanueva.

the piece i wanted got bought while i was browsing. i'm considering getting him to do a commission piece if my finances change anytime in the near future (fingers crossed).

i actually didn't buy anything at all except for an (overpriced) extra long $6 corndog, and a totally worth it home-made ice cream root beer float. it was deeeelicious.

also in fairhope: a plethora of antique shops. ranging from the "is this really an antique?" junk stores, to the "i'm afraid to touch this" rare finds, its quite an adventure. along the way i met and fell in love with this french bergere. one day she will be mine, considering she is still there after some time.

and, unexpectedly, me and the feller got a rare treat. nestled down fairly long driveways and hidden well by trees, are 2 amazing "fairhope castles." we wandered down to take pictures, and the mother of the architect just happened to be outside and was so kind to invite us inside. i didn't take pictures of the inside (as not to impose), but it was equally marvelous. the architect (who we met, last name mosier) is also a painter and had some fantastic HUGE paintings in his studio--2 which will be hung in historical galleries; one in fairhope, one in annapolis. i didn't take any pictures of the first castle, but its the original, built by the father-in-law of the architect of the castle got to see close-up. they are right next door and have/will remain in the family. take a gander.

from the driveway
the entrance (can you see the moat??)
fountain that feeds into the moat

upclose view of the castle tower...there are glass bottles, toy cars, etc in the walls. neato!

view of the awesome front door with the lowered door over the moat (don't think its a working door, but its still cool.)

what a weekend, huh? and to top it off we had gooey fries and hot wings at baumhauers, and then we went to bass pro! doesn't get much better than that.

a world of emotion

sometimes i will google different emotions to send in emails for a more grand effect than what might be created by those lame-o smiley faces. even the animal versions just don't cover what you need them to...plus i've never been much for inserted smiley faces.


this morning i googled "crying" and came up with this image.



awesome. it just screams "hey! i am upset here!" it makes me wonder if they were trying to go for graceful and she decided graceful just wasn't her present mood. i think the photographer should create a portfolio of different emotions in this way. it could be the new smiley face...hmm.

what better way

is there to eat a cupcake?

i apologize for the poor phone-picture quality. i'm working with 2 mps.

a co-worker made these sock monkey cupcakes using regular and miniature vanilla wafers. they are too cute. and i didn't even know there were mini vanilla wafers (i love things in miniature). i don't even want to eat it! ok that's a lie. i'm saving it for my after-lunch sweet craving :)

ignoring the college rivalry colors...

this is a pretty neato space. all red and gray. and to spice things up a little, its moroccan! hey!

check it out for yourself. the only thing that would concern me is the damp-darkness of the concrete walls. you really have to have a great lighting plan to counter-balance it.

[in addition to my love of red, i also love elephants. you'd never guess i was a "war eagle" screaming, navy and orange wearing s.e.c football crazy person, would you?]

happy little kitchen

i love this kitchen. its small but they've so cleverly worked with the challenging space. when's the last time you saw a kitchen with vaulted ceilings? there's still plenty of storage, the color palette is fantastic, AND i know my life would be a little more complete with a red gas stove. electric users, save yourselves the disappointment. i had to go from electric to gas, and back to electric...not fun. gas is clearly superior.

another interesting element: kitchens are also usually against an exterior wall. this one is separated by a hallway (interesting because i did that on a project in school once!), but has that large pass-through window to allow access to exterior windows. and in case that isn't enough, there's a skylight! lighting of champions.

flying

it took me a while to find a good devotional. this one found me by accident. ok, that's a lie. i'm convinced it was devine intervention.

growing up, i always had (and now struggle with) this vision of God as a foggy being floating in the clouds. long beard, flowing white cloak, old...you get the picture. my journey to shorten the distance between me and Him has been at times difficult and confusing.

this book is helping to change all that. it really helps you to see that He is not a foggy vision or a heaven-dweller looking down on earth--He is literally right beside you, whether you feel it, understand it, like it, or not. and when you need it, there is nothing more comforting than that.

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

-Lamentations: 3


of all things designed well, the Word is the greatest

it is good

being in a new apartment requires new things. ok well it doesn't really, but every time i move i think of it as a new design challenge, even though i have all of the same stuff from my old place. my latest design quest has been for a bedside table lamp. i found this little beauty on the currey & co. website. normally i am not aware of such great residential sources. however, once and a while i get a rep in here to whom i have to give the sad response of "you have great product, but we do government honey. it ain't gonna work here." to which they persist, "just take it!" and i gladly accept, putting the catalog in a special place where i know i can find it to relax with during a quick 5 minute break from grey and beige.

of course i cannot have this lamp. but it would work so well with my pewter and white bedroom!