This weekend was a good mix of work and play.  I didn’t get as much work accomplished as I would’ve liked, but I certainly enjoyed myself (and isn’t that the point of life anyway?).  Started the weekend by visiting a friend in her hometown of Marblehead (the land of Katy Elliot!) and she showed me all the best places in town.  It was a perfect New England coastal weather: cloudy and cool.  Marblehead is so charming with the world’s most amazing houses and yards, I wish I could’ve stayed the whole weekend… but will be back.

Then we had SoWa on Sunday.  The weather was a bit more summery than fallish, but no rain to be had.  There were the nicest, friendliest people shopping as well as showing; I swear that each SoWa we do is getting better and better as we wind down to our last two (*which are October 9th & 16th).  Also ate the best food during the day from the food trucks, including a chickpea fritter sandwich from Clover that I am still dreaming about.  Such a nice weekend.

PS:  Yes, I do love Hipstamatic and I’m not ashamed to say it.

I’ve known for about a month or so that I’ve needed to have my holiday product ready to go for the beginning of fall, but somehow the month of September snuck by me.  All of the sudden, I’ve got to work my you-know-what off in the next two weeks to design, print, and package to prepare for the holiday season.  I’m also in a wedding next weekend for two of my favorite people, and have a bridal shower in three weeks for my cousin and dear friend, and am fitting in all the to-do’s for those events with all of my design work.  I’m finding at the end of this week that I need more hands, more time in the day, and more of my brain to accomplish it all.  Somehow in the nuttiness that is this type of work, the type where I’m working all hours of the day (and late into the night), I have so much creativity (more so than usual) and enjoy “riding the wave” while it lasts.

(Oh, and on a personal side note… I decided to train for a half marathon at the end of October, just because I apparently like having too many things to prepare for and accomplish.)

I have a few exciting things to share with you all next week, a project dear to my heart and some tiny but big news (for me, at least).  Can’t wait to tell you all… hope you have a restful weekend, lovely readers!
- Colleen

PS: Hot cocoa and soup-making season have begun at our house!  I’ve been having a cup of homemade cocoa as my treat at the end of a long day.

I’m already short on wall space, but if I had a plethora of walls to decorate, these prints would be on my must-buy list.  Bookmarking for the future…

{images shown belong to Panteek}

I’ve tried Elderflower jam and juice before, but I’d love to get a bunch of fresh, delicate elderflower to put in a vase.  This photo from Pure Style Blog is simply gorgeous.

{image shown belongs to Pure Style Blog}

Hooray!  I finally, finally got a chance (at long last) to sit down and make a few terrariums: one for myself and two for friends.  One of my dear friends (thanks, Lori!) gave me several sedums and a tiny fawn for my birthday, specifically because she knew I’ve been meaning to put a terrarium together.  On my to-do list now?  Finding the perfect tiny plastic figure to make a thank you terrarium for my friend!

{for more of my in the garden images, check out my Flickr}

Working on a wedding invitation project, I came across this book spread online.  How beautiful!  Really inspired by it.  From the book Evergreens, via found in my mom’s basement.

{image shown via found in my mom’s basement}

Yesterday my cousin and I finally made it to the beach.  Hooray!  It was really a perfect beach day (with the exception of a wild and very bold seagull knocking my sandwich literally out of my hands with his beak – ouch!).  Felt super relaxed when I got home I stayed up late getting a lot of work done.  So, based on my summer to-do’s, I have four more things to go!

I feel like I write this list every year (and it appears here and here, so I’m beginning a pattern of doing so).  Summer is my favorite season, and it always takes me off guard when August rolls around and I realize my favorite time of the year isn’t far from being over.  Sadly, it appears a few of this year’s to-do’s are on past lists… guess I’ll have to make an earnest attempt at getting these things done in the next few weeks!  I’m keeping this one short so it’s attainable.

1. Go to the beach!  I have been going to a local pond for a swim this summer, but I still have yet to trek out to the ocean.  Sad, because this is one of my absolute favorite things to do.
2. Go to the drive-in!  There’s one not too far from me, and yet I’ve never been!  How crazy of me.
3. Make some terrariums!  I already bought some glassware from Ikea, just need to get my plants.
4. Visit the Cape!  One of my favorite places in the world, I’d love to do a few day trips here.
5. Read more!  For some reason, this one is hard for me to do.  I feel guilty ready during the day (“I should be working”) so I wait until right before bed, which always ends in me asleep after two pages.

What would you like to do with the remaining weeks of summer?

I cannot tell you how excited I am for next week… we’re going back to camp in Acadia!  This time we’re bring my parents, hoping to make some good memories.  Funny how this trip always seemed so far away, but all of the sudden it crept up on me.

{for more of last year’s photos to Acadia, check out my Flickr}

Love, love, love this set of dishware from Anthropologie.  Wish I had an excuse for new dishes!

{images shown belong to Anthropologie}