I came across this wonderful quote:
"There's no right way, no formula. There's nothing but struggle and constant refinement. We always have the daily disaster or three, but when it all works, it's pure magic." - Karl Lagerfeld
I know that Mr. Lagerfeld was describing the couture design process, but he just as easily could have been talking about parenting...at least the way it happens in our house.
Well, almost wordless, anyway...
Recently, I've been working with Mia of JTM Photography to update the product images of my monogrammed jewelry at A Gracious Plenty. A couple of days ago, Mia sent the beautiful shots below. I'll be adding these shots to A Gracious Plenty soon, but in the meantime, I just had to share Mia's beautiful work with you! (And if you live in the Atlanta area, Mia does wonderful portraits of children and families, so be sure to look her up!)
Single-strand Freshwater Pearl Bracelet with Monogrammed Sterling Charm
Double-strand Freshwater Pearl Bracelet with Monogrammed Sterling Charm
Sterling Silver Square Monogrammed Charm on a Black Satin Cord Necklace
Thank you, Mia!
So I had sooo much fun posting a couple of days ago about ME and MY birthday celebration that I left out a lot of other fun stuff we did as a family that didn't necessarily focus on, uh, ME. But in the spirit of FAMILY and all that, and because I love posting cute pix of my kids, I wanted to share a bit with y'all about other happenings this past weekend.
For the most part, we ushered in the fall season by attending a couple of outdoor events. The first was the annual 'pumpkin patch' fundraiser at my oldest son's elementary school. This was our third year there, and to be candid, it was mostly a couple of hours of been there, done that. The fire trucks were parked in the same place as last year - and the year before - and our three kids did not even give them a passing glance. And the pony rides, petting zoo, and face painting table...also, all in the same place, and frankly, all so last year, as well.... Now forgive me if you are one of the many parent volunteers who worked hard, long hours to make this year's pumpkin patch come to fruition (no pun-kin intended...well, maybe...). You did a *lovely* job, and forgive me for being cavalier since I did absolutely NOTHING to contribute. (But in my defense, did you know it was my birthday?) It's just that, maybe next year you could rearrange the locations of the booths and activities a bit...or get really crazy and bring in a new attraction! Flamethrowers, anyone? Now that'd liven things up! I mean, we know the firetrucks will be there at the ready, so the safety angle is covered...but I digress...so getting back to what I know best, here are The Pix:
Now, the second event we had the good sense to check out was the First Annual Chastain Park Arts Festival. Since it was the 'First Annual' festival, it didn't have that pesky little burden of measuring up to, much less surpassing, last year's festival...so for us it was a winner right off the bat! We spent a couple of hours strolling the path along the artists' tents and exhibits, noshed on a few snacks (the kids' favorite part of the day!) and found some unique gifts for upcoming birthdays and Christmas.
One of my favorite discoveries at the Festival was the work of Ronnie Phillips. I admire his use of color and mixed media, and would love to have one of his paintings to brighten my home. It was wonderful to hear him tell the stories behind each of his works.... You can visit his website at www.RonPhillipsArt.com. I also was really keen on the serene sepia and vibrant color photographs of Alan Mogensen. Please check out his works at his website, www.alanmogensen.com. My last newfound delight was the ceramic artistry of Julie Sewell. Sadly, I couldn't find a website for her works so that I could share them with you, but luckily, she is based locally, in Roswell, in case I need to look her up for a future purchase!
How could such a wonderful weekend have ended? I think this picture shows it best:
Yes, all in all, it was a sweet weekend indeed!
