Tenacious Dee

Apr 09 2013

steven alan spectacles

steven-alan-eyewear

I think we can all agree that Mondays can be rough, right? Yesterday, I woke up early to be productive but due to bad weather and a poor transportation decision actually ended up being late to work, couple that with some godaddy server issues, and a killer migraine, this particular Monday was shaping up to be pretty shitty. That is, until I opened an e-mail stating that one of my favorite brands, Steven Alan, now carries eyewear, yipee! I know it’s silly, but I am in the market for some new spectacles and am so pleased that I’ve got even more options, good options to boot.

Sometimes all it takes for a crappy day to get better is the possibility of a future shopping opportunity.

Apr 08 2013

4 Comments

fun, personal

practicin’

practicin

I hit a bit of a road block as far as work this weekend, I attended a work-related seminar on Saturday which took up most of the day, Sunday was spent getting trying to catch up on things I missed Saturday and fighting a pesky cold. So, I decided to walk away from work and practice what I learned at my Dabble calligraphy class. I did some cheating though and used some charcoal instead of a calligraphy pen.

That is how productive I was this weekend, how about you?

Apr 03 2013

3 Comments

personal, personal series, photography, spring

a spring study part two

a-spring-study-3

photography by the one and only Anni Compton
florals by Elizabeth of Asrai Garden
styling by Dennise Saxton and Anni Compton

a-spring-study-4

I’d like to take my profession of love for winter back because this spring project has got me real excited about nice weather, pretty dresses, flowers and sunshine, lots of it. Winter, I love you but I think you and I should take a break… it’s not you, it’s me.

Apr 02 2013

a spring study

a-spring-study-1

photography by the one and only Anni Compton
florals by Elizabeth of Asrai Garden
styling by Dennise Saxton and Anni Compton

a-spring-study-2

So, I’ve dusted the cobwebs off this blog of mine and I bring you a fun little Spring shoot Anni and I worked on last week. We knew we wanted to work with florals again since we had so much fun the last time around. When brainstorming of what to pair with florals, I realized how fun it is to start digging through your closet at the start of a new season. Florals and pretty clothes, what a pair! A huge thanks to Elizabeth Cronin of Asrai Garden for providing the beautiful flowers, if you live in Chicago or are ever in the area, you have to stop by Asrai Garden, it’s the loveliest little floral shop on earth, I’m sure of it.

Stay tuned, I’ll be sharing a few more shots tomorrow…

Mar 18 2013

brewery tour

begyle-brewery

On Saturday, my friend took me on an unofficial tour of his roommate’s brewery and although a short visit, it was such a treat! I really wish I had something other than my iPhone but I guess I’ll have to wait til next time.

Speaking of beer, I hope you are all recovering nicely from what I’m sure was a fun weekend. Happy Monday!

Mar 15 2013

5 Comments

art, inspiration

on inspiration

aqq-design

all images via aqq design

I’m not going to lie to you, creatively, I’ve been sort of absent. I’ve hit a point where I feel like everything that could be done has been done by someone else, and done better than I could ever imagine. Don’t misunderstand me, this isn’t a “woe is me, I’m comparing myself to everyone” thing, it’s just, for lack of a better term, a creative block.

So, lately, I’ve been trying to find inspiration in new places, I’m so used to my same sources and they’re great, but they’re not pushing me to do or make or write interesting things. In my hunt for more offbeat inspiration, I stumbled upon the work of AQQ Design and thought, this is the sort of simple yet unique kind of inspiration I need right now, it’s definitely a good start.

Where do you turn when you hit a creative block? I’d love to know. not to mention you’d be helping a sister out.

Mar 08 2013

2 Comments

dabble, fashion, personal, sewing

wardrobe revamp

dabble-wardrobe-revamp

Yesterday a small group of women gathered at this lovely place looking for some tips on hand sewing and mending clothes. This Dabble course, taught by the super sweet and talented Kandy Christensen was very laid-back and super helpful, after Kandy taught us how to properly sew on a button, it was like a light bulb went off, we all shared that wonderful a-ha moment. The combination of sewing, drinking and eating was surprisingly a great combination as well, as you can see from the photos, we had some good grub to nosh on whilst learning.

I look forward to taking some further lessons from Kandy and finally put to use that awesome sewing machine my husband bought me for Christmas. Up first, this pattern that I’ve been dying to make, hopefully in time for summer.