summer.

This is my fam last weekend headed to the lake... Oh, how I love you, Summer. I'm excited to finally get to spend QT with my hub tonight & welcome the season right! On the menu: some of sweet Kim's famous salsa, corn on the cob, watermelon, chicken, blackberries, greek salad & some homemade vanilla bean ice cream by Tyler Florence. My mouth is watering already... & yes, we are fully aware we eat like a family of six. Its pretty typical...

Dear Summer,

Thank you for arriving & coming with a vengance.

We are ready to partake and play hard.

Your not so secret admirers,

The Fraziers

Happy Hump Day!

on the ocean of emotion.

I am in love with this is shoot from Vogue. {& who would have thought that that was Will Schuester?} Everything from her suits to her hair is just fabulous...

Speaking of Will, I'll admit, Tuesday night TV has my night to plop down on the

couch & do everything from laughing, to dancing, to crying... lets face it, it doesn't get much better than Glee and Parenthood back to back. Parenthood has actually stepped into a close lead now... I think I'm done with reality TV for good.

{images via here.}

swoon worthy.

This weekend, Ry & I finally rented, "Its Complicated." I did love the plot, but I think I ended up staring at the interiors of the house more than I did pay attention to the dialogue. This home was absolutely stunning... the majority of the shots were set in Meryl Streep's Spanish style ranch home in Santa Barbara, CA. {Where my sister-in-law just moved to... jealous does not even begin to explain. ha.}

I do, however, have a few questions for this movie:
- Why on earth did she need to remodel her kitchen? really?
- Can I have a friend that owns a bakery one day... yah know, just to pop in at midnight to bake up some munchies in? that would be pretty sweet.

Below, see images of the Set's absolute perfection:

Meryl, was a remodel really necessary... ? I'm sorry, I think not.

A+J

This weekend we hosted couples' a shower for our dear friends, Alexa & Jono who are getting married in Cabo this August. It was a great time of friends, food, drinks, and laughter and the weather could not have turned out better, but I wish I had taken pics throughout the night. {Please note the On the Border decorations at the back table, mind you, that was the result after reining the catering man in and nixing the mexican blankets & gourds of faux plastic food... he insisted on the metallic chili peppers.} Cheers to the soon to be Probsts!

six tidbits.

So, I am a horrible blogger... the j-o-b has been N-U-T-S... but that's no excuse, right? I guess I have not had very blog-worthy updates to share, either... so here is the random amalgamation of fun tidbits that are floating around in my noggin:

1) These little lovies look divine. I know most of you read her blog, but these are next up on the baking list... lovely, simple, fluffy brookies. mmm mmm.

2) It was the amazing Mr. Valentino's birthday this week. I tell you this only because I have a mild obsession with him. Have you seen the documentary on him? It's absolutely beautiful. I got to admire him from afar when he came to visit our offices one day a few years back... I think I drooled a couple of times.

3) I have been following this awesome blog... it is one of the sweetest, most inspiring stories of love, loyalty, & motherhood that I have ever read... and a reminder that life can look look a little different for everyone else, and it can still be so very sweet.

4) Have you seen this post on pillows? Yes, pillows. Random I know, but pretty legit- slash- humorous.

5) I am sure you are all aware that Martin+Osa is going out of business... they announced it a few months back... but just an FYI you can get some pretty sweet deals right now... the hubs & I were pretty shocked. They always have great, chic, casual classics... Why are they so under rated?

6) Isn't this piece of art cool?

Well, look closer, its made out of buttons. Stunning, absolutely stunning. Artist: Ann Carrington. {Check out her other work... very intriguing.}

That's all for now... my brain is scattered, so I have a feeling my posts might be following suit over the next few weeks. xoxo. Happy Friday's Eve! {right Lin?}

book release.

Joy Deangdeelert Cho from the popular, Oh Joy! blog, is coming out with a book on July 14th, called Creative, Inc. Its geared towards trying to strat your own creative business at home & gives you practical advice and tips for how to succeed. I think this would be great for anyone trying to earn a little extra moola on the side. Joy is so talented & inspiring... always seems to be dabbling in something new. I can't wait for the release date!

etsy.

I decided to just set up an etsy shop about a week & a half ago & dabble around in it a bit. I mean, isn't it just the greatest little source for inspiration and 'a way of means' to materialize your creativity? I am still working on the site, but last week made my first sale on an invitation! wahoo. It wasn't for much, but it got me more enthused.

I decided a few months ago, that while I still have a whole lot to learn, I want to expound, dive in, & try to tackle improving & selling some of my graphic designs. I have gotten to create, play with, & design for friends, and I love it too much... so I thought, golly, why not?

Right now, I am focusing on becoming more proficient in Illustrator. I feel like I have a pretty full understanding of photoshop & dreamweaver, but was sorely lacking in the good 'ol vector field. I am not fully comfortable in it yet & am slowing working through tutorials when I have a free moment at home... I purchased a little classroom book to chug through, as well. Growing in a new subject makes me miss school & learning more than I thought...

So in the mean time, sorry if this blog has been & will be a tad bit neglected... I feel like I have just been "blog acting" lately. {What is blog acting? My definition: re-posting things you find that, yes, are inspirational & interesting, but are not my own to claim. I can make up that verb, right?} My apologies for that.

So, all this to say, I'm excited to maybe earn some extra ice cream money on the side & have fun while doing it. I'll put the link up to my shop later when I get a few more items up.

Happy Monday!

PS - Don't get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with sharing ideas and reposting, heck I do it alot, will continue to & LOVE it, its just ALL I have been doing. Again, sorry folks. I am a firm believer in sharing concepts & images.. there really is no such thing as an original idea, its a give & take of creativity. :)