Jennifer Andrew

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Welcome Autumn (or trying to)

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The weather has been back and forth for a while, but I think it is autumn weather for good now. (I’m one of those people who thinks it’s not awkward to talk about the weather. It is actually my favorite conversation starter.) The end of summer weather is the most bittersweet feeling. Summers are usually the seasons I look back on the most. I make the most of them and try to fill them with everything good. This summer was one of the best. Beautiful, heartwarming, and unexplainably wonderful. I want to be one of those people who loves autumn. And I do! But I think it will be a little harder to get into the holiday spirit this season, because of some unfortunate life happenings lately. A huge part of me is leaning towards hibernating for the next three months, but I know that heartache gets better and I need to stay focused on my dreams and loves.

There are also some exciting things that will happen this season, including a craft fair and maybe, just maybe, that long awaited beekeeping class.

So, there you have it. Some depressing I’d-do-anything-to-go-back-to-summer rambles. I’m trying really hard not to wallow, but then again, I am a human being. Now back to posts about handmade goodies and color schemes.

Lexi & Aaron’s Wedding

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Photographing Lexi and Aaron’s wedding last month was a beautiful opportunity. It was held in a camp up in the woods of Nevada City, and the whole day was full of love and inspiration. Here are some of my favorite moments of the day:

My friend Ryan Doyle helped me shoot the wedding and his photos were all amazingly gorgeous. Check them out on his blog!

Weekly Instagrams

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Here’s a little recap of the last couple of weeks:

1. A fun weekend in San Francisco with the best people :)
2. Another SF trip to see The Civil Wars. What do I love more than perfect weather and free bluegrass festivals? …not much.
3. T.J. and I spent the last super hot day of summer at the lake :) it was such a great plan.
4. My roommates and I have started a Sunday tradition of getting frozen yogurt at a local place called Sugar Daddies. The flavors: Honey/goat cheese/fig. Avocado/coconut. Peach/brown sugar. Can you even believe it?

1. Last weekend, we kickstarted fall with a housewarming party! More photos to come :)
2. My favorite mexican restaurant, Picante in Berkeley. Sara and I make sure Picante is involved in almost every trip to the bay area.
3. Spontaneous late night cookie making! Sara made these cookies so fast. Soon she’ll be guest blogging some recipes here too. Earl Grey could use a little food love.
4. And last but not least, I’ve been making beanies all week. Lots. They’re photographed and ready to go in the Etsy tonight. Hooray!

After a few eventful weeks, I’m ready to just relax.

What have you been up to?

 

ps. don’t forget enter my Shabby Apple Giveaway! there are only five days left to win a $50 gift card :)

Flea Market Finds

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Happy October! What?! Weird, huh? Can you believe there are only three months left of the year? It is the strangest feeling. I have mixed feelings about summer coming to an end, but at least it’s an excuse to finally wear sweaters. So…bring it on, October.

Last weekend was full of so many good things. Some friends and I spent an evening at Bourbon & Branch, a classy speakeasy bar in San Francisco. We were taken back to the 1920s and felt all fancy in a private loft room. We went to another beautiful bar, Jones, and then had breakfast at a 24 hour place. So after all of that excitement, we intended for Sunday to be a lazy day. And we succeeded :)

But in the afternoon, my mom and grandma showed up and took me to a flea market downtown! Just two blocks from my house. I’m serious, everything is two blocks from my house. It’s the best. I was inspired and realized that maybe I could sell stuff there very soon! I need to look more into the details, but it seems very possible :) My town is tiny and homey but also full of life and culture. I love it. We even made friends with our neighbors, who delivered a long letter to our mailbox today! Love, love, love this place.

Anyway, this flea market! It was great. Small enough to not get overwhelmed and big enough to include variety. I purchased the following gems:

I hardly ever accessorize so I’m excited to start wearing this necklace all the time. It’s designed by Ashley at The Little Tree! Check out her Etsy for more beautiful work. That milk and honey soap seriously smells like heaven, and the basket is something I’ve been wanting for a long time! It was handcrafted in Ghana.

Have you stumbled upon any handmade or vintage finds lately? I would love to see them!

Weekly Instagrams

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Some weeks are better than others. This week happened to be a great one :) I managed to stay inspired and go on a few adventures with people I like a lot. Last week, I felt completely off. What do people always say…? It takes a few really awful days to appreciate better ones. Something like that.

1. I took some engagement pictures of Stephanie and Daniel! Remember them? I hope so… Steph is my best friend and roommate of what feels like a million years. We don’t live in the same room (or town) anymore which makes our times together extra special. These two are getting married in March and I’m super happy to be a part of wedding. I love weddings. I love Steph and Dan. Enough said.

2. A few days a week, I get to hang out with these crazy kids. I’m realizing that my freakishly smart, witty little sisters haven’t prepared me for taking care of hyper little boys. It’s different, but also really fun. This is a picture of a moment that was beyond adorable. I wish you could hear them giggling. We were all so peaceful for a second (that doesn’t happen often) and I wanted to freeze time. So I did. Thanks, Instagram!

3. I received mail from The Roost Tribe! What a great investment. Five dollars a month for blog resources, friendly newsletters, and snail mail from Bonnie at Going Home to Roost. Does it get any better than that? You should probably go sign up right now!

4. Today, Sara and I drove to San Francisco so I could check out a certain artsy school. I am always conflicted between continuing my education or just making things happen on my own. As of right now, I am happy to be done with school and I’d love to delve into crafty aspirations. I don’t need school…that’s what I have E-Courses for :) no, but seriously.

Weellll, that’s all! Can you believe September is already ending? I’m not ready. October seems so end-of-the-year-ish. I do have a few surprises in store for October. It will be a nice month.

Autumn Goals

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A few months ago, I blogged about goals and how I don’t do well with them. When I set goals, I set way too many, which results in no goals being accomplished. But the other night while I was feeling inspired, I wrote down a few simple, achievable ones. Four simple goals…kinda like Elsie’s 4 Simple Goals challenge over on A Beautiful Mess! Hmm. The guidelines for her challenge helped me chill out about my fear of setting goals. Goals that are simple, rewarding, and not result-oriented sound like the best kind :) So here are my four simple goals to focus on this season:

1. I just want to crochet and crochet until I run out of yarn. This one is extra exciting because it will a) allow me to make some pretty things and b) help me out with my extreme yarn hoarding problem.

2. This is probably the most stress-free goal I have ever set for myself. There’s absolutely nothing daunting about making hot cocoa, especially if lavender is involved (it will be!).

3. I’m so, so happy to be living in a new little house! I have always wanted to go all handy-woman and blog about reupholstery, gardening, and using crazy hardware tools. I don’t know how intense my house project blog posts will be, though. They will probably mostly involve spray paint.

4. There are so many good reasons to blog ahead and yet…it’s always the last thing on my to-do list. Bonnie from Going Home to Roost wrote the best post about blogging ahead and I’m going to try to make it a weekly habit.

Well! I guess those are my goals for the season. I’m super excited about embracing fall and doing simple things I love to do without stressful expectations.

Do you have any goals/hopes & dreams for the season? I’d love to hear about them :)

 

ps. If you’d like to swap ads, there are nine spots left! See the post below this one for details. 

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