5.28.2013

Recipe : Blueberry Mint Iced Tea


This Recipe would be absolutely lovely for any summer event. From picnics to pool parties and especially barbecue's... or in my case, tea for one on the back porch at sunset with my evening read.

What you'll need:

1 c (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves
1 c of fresh or frozen blueberries
1 c of sugar
4-6 black tea bags
Water
Stainer
Knife
Cutting board
Food Processor

Directions:

Finely chop the mint leaves. Combine 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, and your chopped mint leaves into a pan. Boil until sugar is dissolved.  You've made a mint simple syrup! Strain out mint leaves.

Boil 4 cups of water on stove, once boiling add 4-6 tea bags, depending on the desired strength, I did 6!

Combine 1 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of water into your food processor. Create a Juice like substance of fruit puree. Strain.

Combine tea, blueberry puree, and your mint syrup into a pitcher.









 Find friends to share your yummy beverage with and enjoy the summer weather! 

Truly // Sarah

5.21.2013

Adventure.



"Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to face many a danger, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle." 

Annie Besant 

5.15.2013

Summer is Calling.




// Outfit Details : Denim Levi's Jacket (kids size, cut the sleeves off) - Thrifted / Tank - Thrifted / skirt - gifted from dear Bridget / Boots - Flea Market find //






I can't stop thinking about that blackberry bush that grows behind my house or dreaming of reading under the shade of a tree with ice tea in my hand.
Picnics by the lake sound too nice and enjoying cucumber sandwhiches on the porch has got me romancing.
Walking barefoot while watering the flowers and floating on the river with the current pushing you along are images I can't break free of.
Summer is calling me and I can't resist the emotions that it brings.


Truly // Sarah

5.11.2013

Happy Mother's Day


{These are just some pictures I scanned at my grandma's house a few years ago, they've been hanging in my room ever since. This is my beautiful Momma.}

My Mother is the best & most beautiful lady on this planet. She has taught me everything good. I could never thank her enough for loving me as wonderfully as she does & giving me everything. 
You mean the whole world to me Momma, I will always be your dolly.

Truly // Sarah

P.S. Make sure to give your momma's and mom figures extra kisses at this special time. 

5.09.2013

Nineteen

{photo by Nathan Stracke.}

Sunday I turned nineteen.
My eighteenth year has been one of the best years yet. 
I've learned a lot about myself and have developed all together into more of who I want to be as a person. This has also made it one of the most difficult years so far, it has held a lot of realizations and changes. 
I've made more valuable friendships this year than ever before.. but at the same time I've felt lonelier than i ever have before at certain times.
I've found more creative outlets through my blog and my developing hand at photography... These are a couple of my favorite accomplishments. 
I committed myself to a very wonderful man at the earliest part of my eighteenth year.
I have traveled to Europe... This is probably one of the greatest highlights of my eighteenth year & a terrific  way to finish it off. 
I've started out my nineteenth year by switching jobs... I now work as a barista at a local natural food store, an endeavor I am more than excited to begin. I have transferred to a community college in my town... I am going to focus on where I want to direct my life educationally there. 
I finish finals next week & my first semester of college.
As soon as school is out I plan to start summer by chiseling away at some of this years' goals. 
I want to read more, be more devoted to the people and activities I love, travel every time I get a chance, practice photography, begin many new hobbies, sew more,play outside, save money, & foremost, become more passionate about my purpose on this earth.
I love that my birthday is at the start of Spring. Spring in many ways symbolizes new beginnings. I can't wait to see how the last year of my teens turns out. I plan to make it extra special. 

Truly // Sarah

5.02.2013

Q & A


I’ve recently come to know & love Scottish Illustrator (based in Brooklyn, NY) Katy Small. Her work is a vast inspiration for my self. She illustrates the most lovely, dainty pieces. Her photo collaborations are phenomenal and one of my favorite things she produces, along with her new Bespoke Stationery that is absolutely novel.





I got a chance to know Katy on a deeper level through a little Q & A and was excited to dig into where all this beauty and creativity stems from.  Here is a little bit about this lovely soul.


Describe your childhood & where you grew up, how did it attribute to where you are now in your creative profession? “I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland until I was ten; it is a small and very beautiful city. I think that the winding, cobblestone streets and rising gothic castle in the midst of the city crept in and cemented a lifelong tendency towards the old and the melancholy. It is a special city because it is very green, with lovely museums surrounded by the sea, woodland and beautiful gardens. We moved to a little village in the Scottish Borders when I was ten and lived in a ramshackle house surrounded by a wild, sprawling garden. There was magical woodland, rivers, wildflowers and purple hills all around. Of course, it was Scotland, so it was rainy and grey 90% of the time which meant a lot of indoor time reading and playing make believe, too…I grew up with three little brothers, so a lot of our time was spent playing make believe together; we were always making dens, putting on plays and generally living in a world of our imaginations. We would spend our weekends taking trips to museums and botanical gardens; places that still inspire my work today.”

Is there anyone significant in your life that has shaped you? “My mum is such a creative person, and was always encouraging me to tell stories in my homework assignments, to think in a magical way. My dad would take me to the ballet and music recitals from a young age. They both encouraged me to draw, act in plays and learn the piano.... all things that shaped my creativity. Growing up in a small village also installed in me a very strong sense of ambition; to travel, to do great things and to 'escape'. 
I was never "good at art" at school, and was going to study acting or English. My first love was the school art star and he really opened me up to the possibility of art, to the insatiable need to create. He took me to foreign movies, interesting exhibitions and we would draw together. He stirred something in me that is still growing. Also, when I was 16 I finally got an art teacher Mrs. McCann, who told me I was good at drawing. I had never heard that before, and that was the beginning of it all, really. A little love and support is like magic!”

What inspired you to be an illustrator? So many things! The decision to study illustration, specifically, really came from my desire to work with words and stories. It seemed like a good way to combine my love of literature with my desire to draw.”

What inspires your illustrations? So many things! I love the flicker of excitement right at the beginning; the hazy outlines of inspiration that you can’t even squint to see but feel so real and exhilarating. I love clutching to the coattails of that feeling, starting to research & draw in a world that doesn’t quite exist yet. It can come from a book, an exhibition, a movie or just the light upon a bended bloom. I am forever inspired by the representation of women; their portraits, their stories and the historic role that florals play in the telling.”


How do you explain your artistic style? Bittersweet, dreamy, poetic. Stories told in layers of winding botanicals, paper petals and regimented patterns. Studies of women whose wild, steely eyes flicker under the groomed beauty of strict gardens. Untamed vines of paper hair cascade upon ladylike lace. Fragile blooms clutch neat wildflowers and gaze from iron frames unto the creeping wilderness...”

Are there any other things that you like to do creatively, besides illustrating? I enjoy clothes and fashion, and assist my talented friend Ariel Dearie with floral design. I collaborate with a lot of lovely people on different projects so end up doing many different creative things from set design and styling to flower arranging and window dressing. The variety is what I love about what I do.”

What was the main inspiration/thoughts behind your new Bespoke Stationery? I love when someone comes to me with their own story, their own favorite flowers and colors and I get to be part of designing something which is truly made for them. It is lovely to feel like I can bring some joy, and help to make an event feel really special. I have always loved pretty paper, letters and cards and I think that receiving beautiful mementos in the mail is one of life's loveliest pleasures. Wedding invites are the most popular request, but I also do personalized holiday cards, thank you notes, custom portraits for gifts, event stationery....anything on paper really!”




What do you hope your creations do for your clients? "It really depends. If it is a wedding invite I hope to honor a special moment and time and create a treasured memento, if it is an illustration job I hope to bring a sense of grace and joy into unexpected settings. In my personal work, I hope to stir a little emotion, to suggest a story and, hopefully, to bring a little beauty into someone's day."

Katy's work is beyond magnificent. Give her a visit and check out her full portfolio and the rest of her new Bespoke Stationery!



Truly // Sarah

She Was Surprised.


































We waited & we waited... when she came, she was utterly surprised. Happy Birthday to my dearest, loveliest, and long-time friend. Morgan deserved this & heaps more for the nineteen years she's given to this world.

Truly // Sarah