Looking around my cozy dwelling, it's easy to spot some of my dearest little possessions. Many are lovely trinkets given to me by those who know my penchant for history, and others are little indulgences from me to me. Nonetheless, they're quite an inspiring, old-fashioned lot. The following arrangement is chock full of ideas, draw on them the next time you find yourself in want of a present - for a loved one or yourself.No. 1 The Royal Blue Scarf After an afternoon of weekend errands - from the corner drugstore to the local market - I turned down one of my favorite tree lined streets. In the window of a sleepy second hand shop, I spied a smart navy scarf. To my mind, no other accessory achieves such a jauntily classic air. Try searching for bold nautical hues like red, yellow and navy, or tastefully small prints like pin dots or delicate florals.
No. 2 The Golden Locket All the themes of a good Victorian romance novel seem to dangle from the end of a chain. The locket is timelessly sentimental and intriguingly secretive, whether it was discovered in your grandmother's jewel box or uncovered more recently in the Rachel Abroms Vintage Collection.
No. 3 The Historical Journal It's lore and legend are perhaps almost as endearing as its cream colored pages and brooding black binding. It's quite a lovely daydream - to pour your thoughts into the same Moleskine notebooks used by Hemingway and Van Gogh.
No. 4 The Vintage Box Quaint boxes and old containers cast off through the decades have a revived charm and peculiarity - and an inherent utility. This old travel soap dish "made in Spain" is perfect for housing smaller treasures.
No. 5 In the Dark Room In black and white, modernity fades. For old fashioned appeal, go grayscale when it comes to cards or other printed goods. The card above is from the J. Paul Getty Museum, and features the photography of Josef Sudek (Czech, 1896-1976).
No. 6 In the Boudoir The scent of lavender always strikes me as thoroughly historic, it always seems to stir images of French countryside and old world trade routes. Its clean and simple fragrance still graces modern niceties, easy to find and inexpensive yet modestly elegant like this one from a health foods store.
No. 7 In the Post I've been humming "My Favorite Things" since attending an interview with Julie Andrews live at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, two Sundays past. Predictably I've especially delighted in "brown paper packages tied up with string." Rustic and antiquated, this little parcel is wrapped in crinkled kraft paper, a length of embroidery floss, and crowning royal blue butterfly.
No. 8 In the Library This copy of The Original Girls Handy Book (I've been meaning to share this with you for quite some time!), was a Christmas present from a beau who knows me all too well . It's a reproduction of the original 1887 edition, complete with charming engravings and excessively flowery prose - not to mention a litany of instructive little chapters on crafty, domestic and cultured pursuits for proper little ladies.

I'm quite pleased to be posting another tutorial here at A Field Journal. It's the second in what I do hope will be a series of sweet and simple papery projects. This one invokes the pastels of spring, the glint of sunlight and a startling assemblage of bold letters in black on white. Gather some crafting supplies and settle in for a spell of paper, paste, ribbon and glitter. Indeed, this avian ornament is quite fit to be crafted on a late April's afternoon.
{Part One Supplies}

Cardboard bird silhouette
Cut any shape you wish out of a piece of moderately sturdy cardboard, the one shown here is a bird silhouette
Page of Letters
You may make your own on any word processing program, or download the one used here. Print out the sheet on a laser printer or make a photocopy.
Paintbrush
Scissors
Glue


{Part One Instructions}

1. Cut out individual letters from the laser printed or photocopied sheet.
2. Using an old paintbrush, apply glue to the surface of the bird silhouette and adhere a letter cutout.
3. Repeat step two until the entire surface of the cardboard shape is generously covered. Allow excess paper to hang over the sides.
4. Let dry completely.
5. Trim the excess paper from around the cardboard shape.












{Part Two Supplies}

Watercolor paints
Watered down acrylic paint will work just as well here.
Embellishments
Additional embellishments are optional.
Paintbrush
Iridescent glitter
Brad
A tiny button or other small round craft supply can be substituted.
Glue




{Part Two Instructions}

1. Apply a light watercolor wash over the decoupaged bird shape. Layers of blue, pink and light brown were used to color the example shown.

2. Allow paint to dry completely.

3. Brush on a light layer of glue and sprinkle glitter over the front surface of the bird. Allow to dry.

4. Add a small brad to serve as an eye.

5. Add additional embellishments if so desired.

The week that opened with a spell of sweater weather, I ended poolside - the heat of Friday noon lingering into dusk. A wooded perimeter cast long shadows on the open lawn that slopes toward the blue of swimming pools and shrill echoes of lifeguard whistles. It's among those rare places on campus, unexpectedly idyllic and tauntingly carefree. Reluctantly, I headed home, toward a weekend of the usual textbooks and to-dos.

Resolved to finally mend a frayed jacket cuff, I pulled out my sewing box - a button of a yellow, seam ripper in blue, pin dots of pearlescence. It was then I discovered that beauty pervades even the most disagreeable obligations. In this case it takes the form of a color combination I can't help embracing along with the warm weather. Citrus yellows and hydrating blues turned up in other weekly tasks as well - designing a website appearance {upper portion of the collage below} for a new project at work, and day-dreamily browsing Anthropologie's "Open House" {lower half of collage} after signing my first apartment's lease.

The images of bedroom, Bluebird Setting teacup and textile close up of Ardenne Headboard, Libuelle Ochre used in the collage above are photographs courtesy anthropologie.com.

I'm pleased to announce that things are now back in order after a brief mishap involving a faulty hard drive, a year's worth of irretrievable data, and one very disappointed (but not disheartened) girl. Thank you for all of your kind words and support! I'm starting fresh with a blank slate and looking forward to recreating lost designs, streamlining and reorganizing. Meanwhile spring has arrived - quite a timely parallel, for the season's fresh start is the most beautiful of all.

Above, a collection of snapshots from my Easter Sunday: Leaving school and city behind, I returned home to find a rambling and charmingly haphazard garden alive with blossoms and bluebirds (to my surprise). While the feathery visitors were far too elusive for my lens, I managed well enough with some close-ups of my father's prize daffodils. And after seeing delicate white petals flutter from tree branches, I couldn't help but recall a passage from my girlhood favorite, Anne of Green Gables. I gathered a few slim boughs in a light yellow pail and added a sprinkling of old wooden ornaments.

"She had been studying her lessons, but it had grown too dark to see the book, so she had fallen into wide-eyed reverie, looking out past the boughs of the Snow Queen, once more bestarred with its tufts of blossom." L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

After being tagged - by my esteemed fellow bloggers Creature Comforts, Theresa J, Jewels and Knits, Moose, and In the Night Kitchen - to share seven facts about me, I'm finally facing the music with (sorry to break the rules) one fact about what I do when I'm not drawing, painting, crafting, designing or studying. So without further ado, an ode to Irish dance. It was a most enjoyable pastime, perfectly suited to my love of beauty, tradition and history. I put in nine years of lessons, practices, performances and competitions (yes, those are my feet in the photos!). I unfortunately had to quit upon going away to college, and have since tried to fill the void by taking up tap here at the university. However, at times I feel like a bit of an outsider in the mainstream dance world.{About} Two types of shoes are worn - soft shoes (ghillies) and hard shoes (more akin to tap shoes). Soft shoe dances are graceful yet bouncy, incorporating leaps, hops and kicks, while hard shoe dances incoporate heel clicks, rallies or trebles (similar to a shuffle in tap), and stamps. If you're interested in learning more, Wikipedia sums up Irish stepdance in a succint yet detailed article. Finally and quite appropriately - Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Dear me! I've scarcely had a chance to post. Final exams are approaching and I've also been hard at work on a new project - it's a surprise to be unveiled here in the coming months! But for now, I've put together some snapshots of a Natural Historie order packaged for shipping.

{How an Order is Shipped} Earlier this winter I redesigned my thank you notes - they're now stylish textured flat cards, with quirky pin dots, a few of my sketches and a lovely script font. The thank you note and order (in this case a set of Robin Egg Tags) are tucked inside a pristine sheet of light pink tissue paper, secured with a dotted blue seal, and slipped into a padded envelope. Just a few shipping labels on the front and it's on its way. P.S. If you're enamored with envelopes and embellishments you mustn't miss Good Things Come in Pretty Packages.

I recently celebrated a birthday, spending a wintry weekend consumed in lovely and simple amusements. A morning spent in the kitchen happily dipping strawberries in chocolate and icing cupcakes a dreamy light pink gave way to an afternoon of golden garlands, papery crafts and perfect place settings. After dinner out, a party of six sat down at twenty past seven to savor a delicate, decadent dessert of sherbets, strawberries, cakes and tea.

Snapshots: {1} Homemade cupcake and a solitary candle sit atop a table strewn with decorations {2} Place setting with handmade box - tea bags and packets of sugar reside inside {3} On handmade boxes the little doe I sketched and painted stands coyly near a line of text that reads "for you deer" - these will surely inspire a new product at Natural Historie {4} Simple vanilla cupcake, frosted in pink {5} Homemade chocolate covered strawberry, liberally coated in creamy milk chocolate and indulgent dark chocolate drizzle {6} A lovely banner, with hand drawn lettering on circles cut with scissors (used earlier for a similar affair, see Tea for Two)

During a particularly busy week, I found amidst the fray of to-dos, requests and deadlines in my inbox, an exceptionally thoughtful note. Melissa of Acts of Kindness (quite appropriately named), took the time to send me a snapshot (appearing above in the speech bubble) of the way she's displayed her recently acquired Mycology Tags. They look so cozily at home with her charming collection, and I couldn't be more delighted to learn of the destination of these little creations!

"In my world, the books would be nothing but pictures." Alice in Wonderland

A most appropriate present for my dear friend Alice. An enchantingly serene and simple little piece, drawn to mimic an old black and white illustration from the classic storybook. Only its color hints at the imaginative fairytale that is Alice in Wonderland. Attired for adventure from her signature bright blue frock to the coral pink piping along her petite pinafore. Snapshots from the project: {1} Sketching {2} The completed ink drawing {3} Adding color with acrylics {4} The finished piece within creamy matting {5} The completed present, finished and framed - I do think she'll love it!

Wishing you all a simply lovely day! Don't forget to check your inbox if you've signed up for Natural Historie Correspondence by the 13th at midnight (EST).

See those mysteriously entrancing little hearts floating upwards? They're tiny sneak previews of the virtual postcard that's coming your way this fourteenth of February. (If you're on the Natural Historie Correspondence list that is!) I had a lovely time designing what will be one of the first little goodies I get to send out to all of you! It features among fonts and flourishes, a snapshot I took while rummaging through my collection of Victorian paper cutouts and ephemera. It's the quintessential Valentine, Natural Historie style. If you're not on the list just yet, not to worry. Be sure to click the button below to sign up by the fourteenth.

Perfectly pink and fetchingly festive this garland of miniature paper hearts is just in time for St. Valentine's Day. Swag a strand across a door frame or over a window for a look that is demure and charming.

{You will need}
paper scraps*
scissors
coordinating thread
sewing needle

*we used assorted scrap booking papers, in varied textures & prints in shades of pink, violet, gold & red; heavier papers work best

{Step 1}
Fold a 1-2" square paper scrap in half with right sides together.

{Step 2}
Along the fold, cut a half-heart shape as shown in the diagram.

{Step 3}
You should now have a symmetrical heart shaped cut out.

{Step 4}
Repeat steps 1-3 with different types of papers - try an array of colors, textures, and prints. The number of hearts you will need will vary based on the size of your hearts and the desired length of your garland. Our hearts ranged from 3/4" to 1"and approximately 14 hearts were required for each foot of garland.

{Step 5}
With a threaded needle begin to string paper hearts by passing the needle through the top center of each folded heart (right sides together).

{Step 6} Continue adding hearts - you can create a repeated sequence or simply add varied patterns and colors at random.

{Step 7} As the garland grows longer, space the hearts evenly so that their edges just barely overlap.

{Step 8} Enjoy decorating your home!

Remember to craft responsibly - certain aspects of this project are not safe for small children.

Remember these? I've finally developed my mushroom drawings into a new collection of paper goodies, pairing them with light blue accents and polka dot motifs. In honor of a friend's birthday I assembled this little sampler packet of tags, stickers and labels and I am pleased to announce that some of its contents have inspired me to create a similar collection for Natural Historie. Be on the look out for these brand new additions to the paperie - they'll be making their debut in the very near future.

At last, the anticipated conclusion of the first ever contest at A Field Journal. Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter - your comments were lovely and so much appreciated. All sixty two entries were printed, cut, folded, and placed in a roomy blue box (after rapidly outgrowing a small bowl). Congratulations to the very lucky winner drawn at random... Mary Hanks! Enjoy your new earrings from Natural Historie. As for the future, I can hardly wait to host another contest -this one was such fun! So stay tuned, you may have a chance to be a lucky winner yet.

Beneath bell jars and glass roofed conservatories lies a winter garden, its specimens snugly nestled within white ceramic vases, mossy terracotta pots and old apothecary jars – the splendor of springtime cultivated indoors. A traipse through a January garden in full bloom need not require more than crossing your threshold. Meander through the snapshots above: {1} A store bought bouquet of tulips before the windowpane - my favorite flower, exceptionally warm and beautiful in pink and orange {2} A potted amaryllis in a wintry white, finally in full bloom on the kitchen sill {3} A lone narcissus sprouting in the garden foretells of spring. {4} Rather modest rosebuds reside in an antique decanter atop a volume of rainy day reading. At right: {5} My humble emulation of nature’s beauty – a sketchbook drawing in colored pencil.

Find something pretty in your inbox! Every few months I’ll be sending a little surprise to everyone on my mailing list – it might be a seasonal greeting (like a sweet little valentine), a special announcement or perhaps an exclusive discount.

To become a part of the Natural Historie Correspondence email list just click the logo, and send the email that appears. Then be on the look out for the occasional splendid little design in your virtual mailbox.

P.S. Images used in this post are original snapshots of my postcard collection, and the "mail" themed inspiration board I created. For more snapshots visit me here.

Did you miss {Part One}?
And here it is, the sweet scene I imagined, delicately rendered in ink and watercolor. A dear little doe amidst a pastel picnic demurely sips from a polka dotted teacup, all the while unbeknownst of the twittering bluebirds overhead. “Happy Birthday Deerest!” they proclaim. Springtime fast approaches with pastels, petite fours, fawns and flowers, so treat a dear one to this lovely forest fete. I’m so pleased to introduce the first ever birthday notecard from Natural Historie.

It was during the incessant drone of an twelve thirty lecture that I found myself engaging in that age old classroom pastime. Between the “good afternoon, class” and the “next time we shall discuss,” a nonchalant little margin doodle evolved into a page of ideas. Here are the beginnings of a fanciful design I’ve been working on for the first ever birthday notecard from Natural Historie. Ever since jotting down this rough sketch I’ve been dying to create some developed ink and watercolor drawings. Take a peek at these snippets and notes from the process; there are even a few of the finished elements dashed about it (strawberries and such)! Next time I’ll share the finished scene with you – I hope you’ll think it as lovely as I do!

{Contest Rules and How to Enter}
In celebration of the new year, I am holding the first ever giveaway contest at A Field Journal. Simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post to enter to win the boxed pair of Natural Historie earrings pictured above. In your comment, please include a method by which to contact you if you are the winner. Contest is open to continental US residents only. Contest begins January 1, 2008 and ends January 25, 2008. At this time I will place each contestant’s name on a slip of paper and draw a random winner. Happy New Year!

{About the Prize}
Queen Anne's Lace Earrings There they are, growing wayward along the woodland path, perfect reconciliations of humility and elegance. Stop and gather a few wildflowers – after all, you’ll look positively regal adorned in these. Earrings are made with nickel-free ear hooks, metal findings, lightweight metal “doily” and glass beads. They measure approximately 3 inches from arch of ear hook to bottom of longest bead. Your earrings will arrive beautifully nestled in a rustic Natural Historie gift box.

{The Contest Has Ended}

Hoping your holiday was merry and bright. Here are some scenes from our Christmas Day - presents and place settings in greens and gold.

Year after year the week before Christmas brings a seemingly endless day of cookie baking. In years past more ambitious pursuits have yielded stacks of iced sugar cookies, a mountain of floury cookie cutters, a disastrously messy kitchen and two very tired girls. This year we attempted to avoid the inevitable oath of “I wish to never again see or eat another cookie.” Opting for the simpler method of using this vintage cookie press that has been in the kitchen drawer since I can remember, we made two batches in chocolate and vanilla. Small accents in simple white icing make these cookies complete.
Here is the timeworn recipe from the cookie press box – we used it to make the white dough.

BASIC RECIPE FOR COOKIES
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs, unbeaten
3 cups sifted flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Cream together the butter sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well. Then add flour and salt and mix until blended. Press through Cookie Maker onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a hot oven (400° F) 10 to 12 minutes.

Simple handmade boxes filled with sweets make delightfully succinct little presents or party favors. These were created using Blueprint magazine’s printable wrapping paper on white cardstock, a gift box pattern and crimson satin ribbon. To pull together the smart black and white patterns and rich red I created a matching label featuring my familiar black ink drawing and tiny accents in red. These little packages would be equally lovely at a New Year’s affair with champagne colored ribbon and a themed label.

“But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be On your own front door.” So the seasonal carol says. These wreaths (they are a matching pair, though only one is pictured), are spruced up with an abundance of backyard boughs and accented with golden ribbon, leafy garland and faux burgundy berries. Though these wreaths will hang from the front porch's twin columns, there is nothing like bringing “the holly and the ivy” indoors. It's so fresh yet old fashioned. For more inspiration, read about Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg with its candles, garlands and decorations handmade from natural greenery.

A girlish variation on typical red and green, this little assortment of bows and baubles is the perfect adornment for a miniature evergreen. I look forward to unwrapping these each year and trimming a petite tree entirely in the frills and sparkle of sage and rose.
{1} A radiant tree topper – actually an over-sized ornament just perfect for this use {2} A tiny looking glass, bedecked with jewels and sparkle {3} Trays of treats {4} Glittered snowflake in a glistening opaque white {5} Another variation – traditional glass spheres remade, rosy, golden and glittering {6} My own handiwork, custom made from my assortment of old glass beads in yellow green and mauve {7} Snowflake ornament frosted with iridescent glitter {8} A miniature sconce ornament added to the collection a few years ago {9} Ribbon and garlands in green, gold and white