“a nod to grandma-chic”

Take a look at the Behinds the Scenes video of the shoot and the inspiration behind the designs HERE

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Where to find it :

1.  Gipsy Back Seam Rose TIghts

2.  Rick Owens Agular leather jacket – SPLURGE

3.  MINKPINK shirt dress

4. Kimichi Blue Tassel Purse

5.  Sam Edelman lace-up wedge

6.  Northern Flicker Art Print

7.  Brass Buci stacking rings by Flutter

8.  Marquis & Camus necklace

Leeana Tankersley is one of those women I wish I was a little more like : smart, funny, thoughtful, reflective, and inspiring.  I was honored when she asked me to read and review her first published book titled “Found Art”.  Given my track record with books, I was a bit nervous in taking on the challenge and felt somewhat “under qualified”.  But I pushed aside my insecurities knowing there was something good to be learned here.  Totally unfamiliar with what the book was about, I instantly assumed it was about art (given it’s title).  And by art I mean the kind of art I know about – paintings, drawings, sculptures, ect.  But come to find out, it was really about a different kind of art altogether.  The art God is busy creating from the scraps and the cast-offs of our own lives.  Any one of these scraps might be a discarded item, but collaged together, they become something entirely different. Art emerges from the carefully collaged odds and ends. God takes the unlikely moments of our lives and pieces them together into something of beauty and worth.

Found Art is a memoir of Leeana’s experiences as the wife of a Navy SEAL, living in the middle east for her first year as a military wife during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Leaving everything she knew, she embarked on a journey of self discovery and renewed faith in a place very VERY far from home.  Although her story is very different from my own, I found much of what she wrote about to be very relatable. She talks about her frustration with the perfectionism of our culture,  dealing with change, the pains of war and death, and finding true passion in God. Her emotions are raw and genuine, and her story will encourage anyone who finds themselves in difficult and unfamiliar situations.  In the beginning pages of the book Leeana writes “While the story is literal, it is also figurative. As you may well know, foreign territory doesn’t only exist ten thousand miles away; we can find ourselves in unknown countries without going anywhere.” Isn’t that the truth!?

Beauty often emerges from our areas of greatest weakness and pain.  One quote that rang true for me was “Pain, like no other place perhaps, is where our art is born, where our stories are written, our canvases brushed, our scores composed.  Though we so often want to deny the discomfort, suffering is one of the few things that can lead us to the place where we find the God we so desperately longs for”.  I have goosebumps even writing it.  It is easy to fall victim to pain.  But God gives us the opportunity to grow, to learn, and to rise up and become a stronger person because of it.

Thank you Leeana for being so raw in sharing your story and reminding me that although my life may not be perfect, God is molding and shaping it into something beautiful.  We all have a story to tell.

You can read through a few of the pages of FOUND ART HERE

And also her blog post a few months ago on me and my art - “Creating”

Once again, I have returned to wedding mode as my sister Kerri just got engaged!  I am brainstorming what I can create for invites and DIY crafts and have even starting shopping around for bridesmaid dresses! LANE has me hooked! Check it out.

….and here is a handful of inspiring imagery pulled from the site.  ohh lala!!

I have already raved about some of the dresses you can find in the store…but here is some more eye candy!

1.  Kloset Shadow Dress 2.  Lucullen Cupcake Dress 3. Ivanahelsinki Hazel Dress 4.  BGN Crane Dress

HAPPY WEEKEND!

How ironic that the man I married grew up doing the SAME THING in a town not too far from where we vacationed in Wisconsin! (We learned this a ways into dating).  Sam is originally from Minnesota and his family owns three log cabins on a plot of land spread 80 acres wide, dense with forest, in a small town called Solon Springs.  They call it Hathaway (just the name of it sounds enchanting!) It has been in the family for over 40 years.  This was my first trip with Sam to this place I had heard so much about.  And it was even better than I had imagined it would be.

I wanted to take this jeep on the plane back home with me!

Sam reeled one in on his second cast.

This is my new family (but certainly not replaced) who I am so incredibly thankful for.  Meet the Larson’s……Me and Sam, Hannah, Jesse, Mary, Mark, Nell and baby Andrew, Jared, Amy and Benj

Friends of Type

Since there was no show to be seen from the lake….we bought our own fireworks.  The boys had their fun! HAPPY 4th!

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Amanda Nicole

This is a little something I drew up for her to display at the event.  The character is wearing one of my favorite suits in ANI’S collection! A sweet turquoise eyelet one piece.  I want it! Contact Ani if you are interested in one of her bikinis!

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2 women’s tees and one mens tee available.  Click HERE to purchase!