a day in the life of gale from wichser studio

Welcome to another day in the life post. Have I mentioned lately that I love this series? Let's think way back to Danielle's guest post way back at the beginning. It's just been week after week of inspiration and beautiful photos since then. I can't thank all of the contributors enough and I am definitely going to keep this going if I can! I hope that you've all been enjoying it, too. 


This week's post is brought to you by Gale from Wichser Studio. I found Gale's jewelry designs when we were both featured together on Jillian's blog. I loved Gale's jewelry and was so excited to be featured alongside her. Let's take a peek at a fun day in this talented lady's life...

This day marks the beginning of "warm weather mentality" for Jeff and I -- we've officially packed those winter blues away! Music is something we both can't live without, so our springs and summers are spent at concerts and outdoor music fests whenever possible.  We saw one of our favorites The Slackers, at Asbury Lanes. This was our first concert of the season!

What I love most about Asbury Lanes is that it's a functioning vintage 60's bowling alley. Throughout the concert, people bowled on the remaining side lanes, while the middle lanes were used for center stage. This place was easy going and seriously a ton of fun in all its retro quirkiness. They had pop art on the wall, colorful pillows and lounge chairs, Christmas lights, and my favorite -- a full bar! ;) 

It was a such a free-spirited night with awesome music from The Slackers and another band, Hub City Stompers from New Jersey, who were great as well! We drank, danced, had Irish Car Bombs, and Jeff even got right on stage to shoot some photos! After a very long winter and our last summer spent preparing for our wedding, we plan on making up for lost time with more concerts this season for sure.

Aren't these photos beautiful? They were taken by Gale's talented husband, Jeff, whose photography I always admire whenever it appears on Gale's blog. Thank you so much for sharing, Gale! Be sure to check out the Wichser Studio blog and shop. They're both at the top of my favourites list.


In other news...my final studio presentation in landscape architecture is Wednesday afternoon, so wish me luck. I can't believe that this day has finally come. It's been three insane years in this program and I have so many mixed feelings about it all coming to an end. I am definitely looking forward to getting more time to work on jewelry and so many other creative pursuits that have been put on the back burner lately. Thanks to everyone for all of the words of encouragement and great comments and beautiful guest posts. You've all made this month of sitting at my studio desk and working away so much more exciting. Thank you.


Next week's day in the life post will feature the amazing Carla from Lola and George and Starry Eyed Charlie. Another post you definitely do not want to miss. See you on the flip side of this crazy presentation day, everyone!

a day in the life of micaela from dolce vita

I am so happy to continue the day in the life series with this week's post from Micaela. I think I must have discovered Micaela's blog through Danielle, and as we've gotten to know each other it turns out that we have a ridiculous amount of things in common with one another. The list of similarities just keeps getting longer and longer and I love following Micaela's blog to learn more about her. I know you'll enjoy getting to know her through this post, too!

my day always starts with copious amounts of coffee and cuddles from my puppies (this one is stella, the baby of our puppy family. her sisters are maverick and bubbles).

we'll go outside to our back porch, welcomed by the beautiful sky and mountains of el paso. i always read a daily word of encouragement from "365 day brighteners," a present from my parents. breakfast usually consists of oatmeal with honey, cinnamon, and apples. i always get ready using my favourite vintage mirror.

i'll spend the morning replying to emails/blog reading, chatting with my twin sister while she's at work in Wichita Falls (my home) and reminding myself i need to water our geraniums i'm trying desperately to keep alive in this desert climate. all of this to U2 shuffling on my ipod in the kitchen.

on a free day, i love nothing more than going on a thrifting date!

i could spend hours searching for gems or presents. these are two of my latest finds: vintage genuine leather crested mocs and a wood stand candle holder that goes well with the candelabra we have on our bedroom wall. i love nights my husband and i stay up laughing and talking while the candles glow...reminds me of Jane Austen novels.

i'll meet my husband and our friends for a lunch of Thai or Indian (our fave!), clean up around casa di M, and on certain days of the week around 7:30 i'll grab my yoga mat and head to my pilates/core class at the gym.

in the evening after dinner, i'll create postcard collages of images and typed quotes that have stayed with me to send across the miles. i'll change into one of the vintage nightgowns hanging inside my bathroom and try to read whatever book i'm in the middle of (right now it's a birthday gift, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers) before slumber.

but usually my day ends the way it began...out on my back porch, but with a glass of wine.

Thank you, Micaela, for sharing a day with us! Be sure to go and check out Micaela's blog, Dolce Vita! Next week I'm psyched to a) have less than a week (!!!) left in my master's degree and b) to share a day in the life of Gale from Wichser Studio, who's been a friend of mine almost since I started this blog. Wow. Less than a week. Okay. Let's do this.

five friday favourites

I'm going to share a mix of things here today that I've been loving lately. I hope you'll find something to you enjoy amongst these things, too.

1. Dirty Projectors

This is not exactly a new song, but I've been listening to the Dirty Projectors a lot lately, and this is one of my favourite songs. I generally like way weirder music, but this makes me happy on the bus ride to school. 

2. Pagan Poetry

Sanaaq talisman necklace by pagan poetry

I find Diane's line extremely inspiring. I love the way she combines materials and her colour palette is soft and evokes cold climates and winter days. And don't you worry, that's faux fur she's using! I'm very inspired by Diane's beautiful blog and her story. She also studied landscape architecture (which is what I am studying right now) and became smitten with jewelry design along the way. I'm sure you will love her work.

3. Heart Shaped Box

I've been thinking about this video a lot lately. Perhaps because I've been seeing a lot of Valentine's Day related stuff everywhere. If you haven't watched this video for a while, it's worth taking another look at it. It was intended that it be filmed in Technicolor, but that type of film was either no longer being made or being processed. Instead, the director came up with the plan to have the frames coloured by hand, thus you end up with the amazingly vibrant and slightly surreal coloration of the video. I realize that this video might still be a bit controversial, but it is one that has really stuck with me. I still love this so much, I cannot believe that this album was released in 1993. I am getting old!

4. Paul Newman

source

This photo of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward is just too good to be true. I want to recreate it with Jeff and Lola. I might have to work out for a while first to be able to hold Lola like that. This reminds me that another western movie you might want to check out is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Seriously! They're good when you give them a chance!

5. Habit Forge

Okay, so I haven't actually tried Habit Forge yet, but it seems like a pretty good idea. Except that I already get a lot of e-mails and they are already a bit distracting. This site allows you to set a goal and holds you accountable to yourself for twenty-one days, just long enough to turn the change you seek into a lasting habit. I think I'm going to give it a shot. Just need to figure out what would be the most useful habit to forge. What good habits do you wish that you had?

And just a bonus list of some great giveaways that are going on right now:

Carla at Starry Eyed Charlie is generously sharing one of her beautiful dandelion rings here. While one of my other favourites, Wichser Studio is also hosting a generous giveaway for custom designed jewelry pieces and more!