Spring Bursting forward.

I just came across this on Etsy this morning.  It's really lovely isn't it?  At first I thought it was a quilt (imagine waking up to that every day.. glorious!) and then found that it is a paper collage.

I absolutely love it!

Kelly Lynette is the artist and her shop is Box64studios.

daily desktop 4

daily desktop 4, originally uploaded by Jen Renninger.


Thank you Andy Dufek,  where ever you are.

daily desktop 3

daily desktop 3, originally uploaded by Jen Renninger.

daily desktop 2

daily desktop 2, originally uploaded by Jen Renninger.

daily desktop 1

daily desktop 1, originally uploaded by Jen Renninger.

The two boys

The two boys, originally uploaded by Jen Renninger.

A few years ago, on a trip to an amusement park,  I witnessed one of the most startling things:

A little boy walked into the Chimpanzee viewing area wearing a chimp mask that could be bought just a few feet away from the exhibit. He went to the window to peek in and immediately a young chimp ran over to the glass wall, seemingly quite upset about the boy being there. He was jumping up and down and yelling, calling over the others. 

Soon 4 chimps were at the window, very disturbed by the apparent escapee on the other side. It was upsetting to watch the process of them figuring out that they weren't looking at a chimp but something .. else. 

After a fairly long time the older animals returned to their previous spots in the exhibit,  their backs turned to the mystery behind them, leaving the lone young chimp in his confusion. He was transfixed, as was the human boy. I took the picture then, as they were staring into each others eyes. Making some sort of connection that, I'm sure, will last both of their lives.

The BEST Envelopes

The BEST Envelopes, originally uploaded by Jen Renninger.

M. Yagoobian swears by these envelopes.  And he left a hidden letter to prove it.  

I love it.. and love the name. These were found at the closing sale of an old printshop a while back. I had the good fortune to not only buy boxes of these, but also to have a tour of the printshop by the man who opened it nearly 70 years ago. I fell in love with printing that day. With the details, with the sense of tradition, with the knowledge that you are working in a process that has been around for centuries and has changed the world with it's presence.  The written and printed word is alive and well, even if it is sometimes hidden in the things we find around us everyday.  

Thanks for the letter of certainty Mr. Yagoobian. 

Specimen No. 10

Specimen No. 10, originally uploaded by Jen Renninger.

Once upon a time I used to take pictures all the time. These days it's not uncommon to go months without touching a camera. Today though,  I noticed that our garage has great light. Beautiful, soft box light. So I grabbed some things from a table in our dining room and began to shoot. One quick hour and I was reminded again that I love LOVE LOVE photography.

ps- the lovely teardrop shaped bowls were made and designed by the incredibly talented Asya for her shop Gleena, which you can find right here.

Current Colors

I've been painting a lot lately.
Nothing to show just yet, but I thought the way the paint looked on the palettes was fairly lovely.

Have you ever seen such lovely smiles?

I'm interrupting our regularly scheduled pictures with a charming bit of life.. enjoy!

Fifty People, One Question: New York from Fifty People, One Question 

swoon

Its been a busy few days around here. I'd like to thank everyone who came by Etsy while I was a featured seller. Your notes were all SO kind! How could I not be smitten... ?

Thank YOU!

Metamorphosis

think of this every minute

beauty as far as the eye can see

happiness in color

you are lovely

What will you make today?

I wrote about "The beckoning of Lovely" last week. I think it might be my favorite find so far this year...

Today is the deadline to get involved and the video above is how it all started.
It's simple and lovely and makes me wonder:

What will I make today?

What will YOU make today?

Le Love. Because we can all use more love in our lives.

Le Love is an amazing blog devoted simply to   l o v e.

With small snippets of text and filled with images of soft intimate images you will always leave with a smile on your face,  a light glow of love around you , and the urge to kiss someone.

Now, Go + be smitten!

Lets Make Something together!

I came across this on Penelope Dulligans blog and fell in love. It might be impossible to watch it and not smile.

For more info on the project visit The Beckoning of Lovely

To see how it started take a look here.

ps- It makes me want to move to Chicago too...!

Old school roughs