nathalie bearden photography

very merry...

oh what a sweet merry christmas we had here. we had such a fun time together.  just the three of us. it was so nice to stay home, relax, cook, and enjoy each others company. we got to watch movies, play, and do a little house organizing. santa came to see us and he was too good. we must have been nice people this year. but, beyond the gifts, i'm so happy and thankful to have and to love two very important people. below is the evidence of santa's quick passing.

which was taken with this. oh how much fun is this little camera. it is nice to relax and not worry about f-stops and apertures and iso's and shooting modes and and and. in my world of i want to be "perfect", this is a nice welcome change. and it was left with several packages of instant film for lots of good times recorded.

she got a cool school bus from mama and papa for her birthday, which happens to be the night before christmas. oh let me tell you about three. three truly is a magic number. i love three. i can't get enough of three. the sweetness, the wonders, the adventures of three. it comes with a whole new set of rules, wants, likes, and dislikes. right now the thing is school buses. she can spot one a mile away!

santa left her some really nice art supplies complete with an artist's hat. or whatever you call it.

 

i have a feeling the paper roll will have to be refilled soon! watching her paint this beautiful picture reminded me of this quote. "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up". ~Pablo Picasso.  hopefully having her supplies around will allow for my little artist to continue to blossom.

 

and here is our christmas in a nutshell. i'm sure you will see more of these darling prints floating around here. they are so cute and little.


well, i hope you too had a very merry christmas and got to enjoy time with your loved ones!

i know there has been some little changes around here. i'm just trying to consolidate under one "theme". a real logo is in the works. this was just something i made for the time being. and if you ask, i'm still going to show you lots of handmade goodness coupled with my photographic work. not to worry! the craftivism lives on! in fact i have quite a few things to show and so many in the works. i think "one project at the time" will be my new year's resolution number UNO! i have 10 things going and i need to finish them. so much do to and create!i'm also reworking my website. i'm adding new images and all. it looks empty right now!

Happy Week!

guess who is three?...

yes time flies! three years ago i got the biggest christmas gift of my life. a sweet girl to love and to cherish! she is our world indeed! we had a little celebration for her on monday with all of her friends. mama here even made these delicious cupcakes.

she looks like a big girl and acts like she is a big girl...but please...stay little a while longer! we have a nice little day planned at home for my special someone. we will start with chocolate chip & peanut butter pancakes, just as she loves. the weather says we might get a white christmas. that would be too fun!

happy birthday my sweet love!

just like in buenos aires...

my husband has been telling me how much he wishes he could have some empanadas. like the ones he ate while on a business trip to buenos aires. i know how good those things are, i have eaten plenty of them. but never, ever, did i think i would be able to make them myself. the kitchen is not my favorite spot. i do enjoy it occasionally and today was one of those days. i had to goals in mind. one was to make some for my husband to enjoy and two i needed to practice my cooking skills a bit more. my dad, stepmom, and sister are coming from brazil for my graduation and i can't let them down. well, the verdict is in, the empanadas are freakin' delicious. i used a super easy recipe from real simple magazine. sort of, i did not use any of the spices they listed. i just browned the hamburger meat with diced onions, mashed garlic, green onions, cilantro, and added juice from one lime. so, really the only thing i used was the idea for the dough. and you will have to get the mag to see the idea. probably anyone who cooks would know it, but i did not. duh!

any big plans for thanksgiving? we do not have any. i have tests the week after so we decided to lay low and not do much. i plan to take a day over the holiday and do some christmas decorating.

i guess i better go paint my mirror before someone gets up from her nap. i will miss these hours when she decides she is too big for them!

happy sunday!!!!

a playhousewarming party...

yeah i know i have abandoned my poor little blog. just hang in there my faithful readers, 6 more weeks and i will have more time to create and post. how about this little house? last year's christmas gift is all finished and have been played in and loved much. i invited some of my friends and k's friends for a little housewarming party of sorts.

for a party to start off on a good note, we need sweet invitations, and i found the perfect ones for this day.

and here is a view of the little house. i can't tell you how many times i hit my head on this front beam. k's friends were so kind and gave her the sweetest doll first aid kit, a fun rug for the front door, cool cups, and the delicious cupcakes below.

they played and played and played. the girls get along so well. oh and i did invite boys, just just could not make it to the party. k's friends can't be any prettier. not possible!! and each with such sweet personalities.

some vintage and wooden toys (from the playroom). just the perfect little cozy place to hide, play, and have her own little world.

a long while ago i snatched this vintage iron crib, is it perfect for this tiny house or what? i will post other pictures soon. the house is not that big, so it is hard to get a good shot sometimes.

there's even a mail box to send letters to friends!

i hope you enjoyed the tour of k's little place! we have to thank mr. handyman for the craftsmanship in building this fun place. i still need to make some little curtains and a add few more details. but that can wait a little while longer.

also thanks to melissa for such kind words! i never thought of myself as brilliant...but i gladly accept the compliments!

one a not so related note: i went to see brightstar, excellent movie! after the movie i bought a john keats poem book and am trying to read it and comprehend his words. my favorite movie quote is: "My stitching has more merit and admirers than two of your scribbles put together...and I can make money from it." perfect quote for a seamstress. 

Happy weekend!!!

last days of summer...

i can't believe it is already september. my favorite season of the year is about to end. i love summer! i love fresh fruits, the sun's heat, playing outside, bright skies, vibrant colors, and the general way it makes me feel. the only thing i like about fall are the colors. i can't stand the cinnamon smell of fall and winter. i do not know why, but i simply detest cinnamon's taste and smell! so my classes have been HARD. so much to keep up with. i'm really happy this is my last semester. i need a break from studying. we did our own little summer celebration of sorts. i have decided to become a better cook. with the help of the food network, of course. this is what i had to offer: rosemary orange chicken, baked sweet potatoes, and whole wheat taboule. i have always loved taboule, but never cared to learn how to make it. then a friend of mine from NIH sent me her fabulous recipe. i could eat a whole bowl of this stuff. so fresh. speaking of fresh. we had so much from our garden this year. i don't have picture because i was away all summer, but maybe next year i will get to show it off.

 

today i took a break from school and worked on some sewing projects. i made three things to give away in the next several weeks. this is how it will work: if you want to be enter the giveaway you MUST live comments on this post and the next post. i gotta tell ya that the stuff is pretty cute! happy labor day to you!  i'm back to labor now!

ps: pardon my dust!  i have been trying to make some changes to the blog. will keep working on it! new banner to come as well. i'm trying to embroider it so for now you can look at the stripes. so much to do!!

a late happy 4th...

so look who came to visit me this weekend!  we had too much fun hanging out in DC.  first a trip to the white house.  she won't remember any of this, but the pictures will show her she has been there.

you know she wanted to smile, but ohhh no. 

then she fell asleep in the stroller.  and missed out on this. 

after the nap we walked in at the smithsonian national museum of natural history.  we saw so many huge animals there.  but she was a bit puzzled by their stationary poses.  she was rightfully expecting them to move.  i have more pictures of the musem, but i'm pressed for time.

then the next day we went to the national mall to see the fireworks.  first we stopped by old ebbitt grill to pick up our "picnic".  the food was really great!

this is some serious fun.  they thought of everything.

after a few hours of wait.  we got the most amazing display of fireworks.  it was well worth it.  i think this looks more like neurons. 

on sunday we headed out to the zoo.  now here the animals move.  we had to see a few animals from the book good night gorilla.  we saw almost all of them. the picture below is of such poor quality, there were just so many people waiting in like to take pictures here i did not want to hog the space and take more shots. 

she is a huge fan of elephants and monkeys, as you can see.  and i think this is the best seat as well!!

i love this face!!!!  i think she grew 2 inches in 4 weeks.  such a big girl. 

 

well, this was our weekend in a nutshell.  i miss them already!!!  my roomie and i plan to make a trip to eastern market for the farmer's market this weekend.  i have been to whole foods quite a lot, but i have not seen anything as i like.  i can't wait to get some fresh foods.  yummmmmm!

sweet slumber...

you saw the bookshelf and now you can see the rest of the room.  it is finally done, everything in its place and i'm so happy about it. 

now you can see where k sleeps.  sooo sweet.  her bedding as i said before was designed by lori marie and it is from pottery barn kids.  the pink owlie is also another one of lori's creations.  you can also see where the chandelier is.  still pretty yummy!

this is a place for slumber and very sweet dreams.  it came out exactly how i wanted.

abby has her own bed to sleep in.  and she also has a nice little wardrobe.  for sure i get to have all of the fun decorating!

these little outfits where all handmade, not all by me.  i only made the little knot dress.  such a cute collection.

i tried so hard to photograph these curtains.  there are two sets.  the set on the back that you can't see is so charming.

how about a double duty dress, serves as something to pretty up a pretty girl (if that is possible), and also a decorating piece when it is not in use.  the dress is from one of my fave clothing lines, lemon loves lime.  

a magical room such as this had to have a magical branch with owls, birds, and butterflies.

k's little cloth dollie emilia.  i confess kennedy could care less for emilia.  so she only sits as a decoration piece.  she would much rather play with her babies.

anna and kaya again.  they have to share a bed.  abby gets a bed of her own.  not by my determinations though.  i don't make the rules in the room.  i only clean up after. 

whimsical print from vanessa.  you can find her lovely work here.  it adds so much charm to the room. 

this mirror is another of my spray painting jobs.  we have had it for a long time and i did not like the color anymore.  give me a can of spray paint and i make anything new.  the glass apothecary jar holds k's bows and hair clips.  the little garland was made out of my huge pile of fabric scraps.  i had to put them to good use.

another bird cage.  this one we have had for a while now.  again.....spray paint.  it was only $3 and i put the nest and birdie inside.  see the things you can use to decorate and not have to spend a ton of $$$ them?  my biggest thing is to make something look great without looking cheap or crafty.  you know what i mean?  well, i hope this room will inspire you.  i know i'm always inspired by children especially my little k. 

sweet dreams little one...

beach fun in florida...

last week was my spring break.  so we loaded the car and headed down to seaside, florida for a quick family vacation.  this was k's first time on the beach.  we had four lovely sunshine days, then things started to turn against us.  we came home two days earlier because florida was getting really bad weather.  but trust me the four days we had to spend on the beach was well worth the looooooong drive.  here are some images to prove my point.  i came home to two tests this week....sooo i will dissapear once again.  hope you enjoy the pretty blue waters.  we will go back to the area again.  it is a lovely place for families with young children.

view from the condo...

k loved the sand...but was not a fan of the water.  not because it was freezing cold...but because the waves really scared her. 

making some vitamin D...

this is my favorite photo...

time to eat...

time to shop in seaside...

time to pick a book to read...

time to go back to the beach...

this beautiful outfit was made by my friend ashley!  she gave it to kennedy for her birthday.

time to look sweet...

time to eat at george's...

very neat place to eat at aly's beach...

time for mama and papa to be sweet...

bye bye seaside.  until next time...

working the land...

we are trying to be more self-sufficient.  i think the in word now is sustainability, like it is a new concept.  you know, going more green, making our own.  as if i don't make plenty of our owns already.  this time making our own will be food.  we have had a garden before and i really enjoyed having it.  we had it on little land.  now with three acres it will only be much better. i'm kind of like a romantic gardener.  i romanticize gardening more than i actually get to do it.......or want to do it.  i romanticize the simpler life, life on the homestead.  just as in the american movies i used to watch as a child.  but this is easier said than done.  i like the city....a lot!  but i also like to eat things i know where they come from.  when we had a garden about 5 or so years ago it was so nice to go out in the backyard and pick our own to eat.  the book the new self-sufficient gardener by john seymor is a great one to have and so is the backyard homestead.  both sort of elude to the notion that we have replaced producing gardens in the country for green lawns in the city.

these are a handful of things we intend to plant.  we will purchase the rest as plants from the farm supply store and buy more seed in bulk. 

look so yummy, doesn't it??

this tiller was inherited from my husband's grandfather.  he tilled his land many times with this thing and it still works so well.

here are some of our favorite eatings.  one healthy, one just for treats.  kennedy LOVES the dark chocolate cookies. 

see i told you she did.

so in trying to keep things simpler and healhier, i decided to stuff my dolls from now on with 100% sheep's wool stuffing, no more poly-fill.  this package was a special treat from jen.  she sent me some of her shetland sheep's wool so i could try them out.  well, jen, i love it.  check out her shop.  she will be my wool supplier from now on. 

well, i guess i will have to show you some of the fruits of our garden labor when the time comes.  next time i will post picture of a very special package i got in the mail.  have a great rest of the week!

two by two by two...

so we finally went to watch the movie slumdog millionaire.  one of my friends from class volunteered to baby sit for us.  THANK YOU JAMI! you rock! it was nice to go out at night!  the movie was superb.  i loved the story line and my husband and i both agreed it was worth every bit.  after the movie we went downtown for dessert.  it was crazy there because this weekend is mardi gras.  so even in the midwest we still celebrate it. yeah this have nothing to do with the pictures or the title of the post.  but i just had to say a word about the movie.  i hope it gets every oscar it has been nominated for. JAI HO for you all.  i have no idea what it means but i love this song!  in fact i like all of the songs in the movie.  i have been on a indian music kick lately. 

we where playing noah's ark the other day.  and making animal sounds.  i think i said moo about 100 times.  kennedy loves showing us figurines or pictures of things.  she asks "what's that?"  and we have to say what it is.  she knows a ton of words now, but likes to use them when she likes to use them.  miss mind of her own. 

ok time for a snack!

have a wonderful week!!!!  i will be back with some posts of a few sweet things i have made.