I have moved! Please join me at my new blog

www.andreareneeblog.blogspot.com

Sneak Peek

Hello! My new blog is just about done! I am moving to New York next Thursday, so I will begin posting again very soon :)  I was able to transfer a lot of my older posts, and keep my favorites for you guys to view again any time you like. I hope you are as excited as I am about this new journey! Let me know what you think!

New Beginnings

Hi everyone. It has been a while!  I've been going crazy trying to get my life together and I think I'm finally on track!  I recently received a job in New York and I will be moving in a few weeks. This summer has been such a roller coaster ride with a whirlwind of events.

I couldn't thank all of you enough for continuing to support me and being patient with me in my inconsistency of posting.  Now that it's time for my new journey, I think it's time for me to do the same in the blogging world. I am making the announcement that I want to start fresh and create a new blog with a new name.  It will be under construction for the next month or so, and I will definitely let you know when and where it is moving! I will be sharing my experiences, inspiration, and insights, and I cannot wait for you all to join me!

I am a small town girl moving to a big city, but I'm not letting it intimidate me. My parents have always encouraged me to see the world, not to keep myself confined in the same place, and not to limit myself and my ability.  I already got a taste of the big city last summer during my internship, and now I can seize the opportunity and make the most of it.  I saw a really great quote not too long ago under the "discussions" tab on Pinterest that read "The beginning is at the end of your comfort zone."  This is very true, and very much what I am doing. I have had the privilege to travel, experience, and see new things. It is so inspiring and eye-opening to see the world outside of your comfort zone. It broadens your mind and keeps you open to new exciting things that the world has to offer. At the same time, I still know where my roots are, and  will always be that "small town" girl. The only difference is that she'll be in a bigger place.  I've learned through this that we shouldn't push the world away from us, but welcome it. After all, it is what our Creator has given to us. It is a gift. There is a plan for me that I can only see unfold in the present, and all I know to do is faithfully follow it and have the patience that great things will follow.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Next time I'll be posting from my not yet found apartment in New York City!

xo,
Andrea

Discover Pinterest

Hi there! I'm sure all of you guys have already discovered Pinterest. I did a couple months ago and I'm obsessed! It's such a great tool for organizing inspiration. If you aren't a part of it I urge you to have a look! Here are a few images I've pulled from one of my boards :)

fabric covered pots

fabric covered  hangers and cute aprons

patterned tape! A must have :)

Personal Website DONE!

Hi Everyone!

I'm finally done with my website.  Please have a look here.

Have a wonderful day!

xo,

Andrea

Stories through Photography: Susannah Conway

I am in love with Susannah's work. It is so beautiful and serene.  Here are a few tidbits of her stories. Please enjoy and have a look at more!

Happy Valentine's Day

 

These lovely little fine art prints are by Lori H. on Etsy. You can also find her work on Flickr.

Have A Sweet Weekend

Nanaimo Bars

Found on a delicious blog by the name of Lemonpi

Wanna make it? RECIPE

In the Home of a Natural Crafter

All images above are by a woman from Washington who goes by "Oakmoss" on flickr. From thrift scissors, beautiful yarns, letter press, a great sheeps coat rug find, to some carded wool lying around her home, these images reflect her daily joys and lifestyle. She knits, sews, gardens, cooks, thrifts, and crafts.  What can I say? Oakmoss, you. are. awesome.

Read her blog to see what she is dabbling in at the moment as well as past projects and interesting finds.

*Click images to read the post to each.

Thoughtful Thursday: Wondering Where on Earth I'm Going...

 

 click image for source

Hello friends,

Of course this has been on my mind, but have no idea where I'm going to be or what I'm going to be doing in the next 6 months of my life.  I'm currently still completing work for my portfolio and rallying everything up for graduation.  I would love to have a job set before I graduate, and the anticipation of getting there is killing me.

I always find it so fascinating the way people end up where they are, and how opportunity presents itself. It's usually very spontaneous, or it just falls in one's lap.  I love hearing these stories because they give me hope and trust that God will provide at the right time. 

I'm going wherever the wind may blow me and I'm working as hard as I can for the entire journey.
All of you happy artists out there, please do tell your story to me.  Lets continue inspiring one another by not only sharing pictures, favorite artists, and blogs, but through stories of life's little experiences.

To all of you out there reading this, share your story with me as I continue to share mine.

xoxo,

Andrea

Jessica Swift

Some of you may formerly know Jessica Gonacha, who is now Jessica Swift.  I wanted to share her fun colorful work. She does everything from patterns and illustration to animation and painting.  Here are  some cute pieces that caught my eye on her  Etsy Shop that you can also find on her original website.  Enjoy!

illustrations

 cute pocket mirrors with some of her patterns and illustrations.

Yay for coasters!

 

screenprinted fabric and quotes

*click images for direct source*

Rifle Paper Co.

A paper goods, illustration, and design company in Florida by Ms. Anna Bond. Please check out the shop and blog . Pure fun and joy.

Here are a couple adorable prints I found while browsing the shop.

Company found via frolic!

Textile Tuesday: Naomi's Manic Muffin Totes on Etsy

These sweet little pillows are made from Noami who is a fellow Alabamian from Birmingham Alabama.  She is a textile artist who shares her love of turn needle applique through these "lil hoots" She has a variety of "lil hoots" and "big hoots" each having their own names. Aren't they precious? I also love the fact that all of these are stitched by hand. Please visit her Etsy shop so see more.

Monday Blog Praise: Unruly Things

Unruly Things is a wonderful lifestyle blog filled with beautiful inspiration about home decorating, design, photography, and fashion. I find my self sighing at the cuteness and beauty of every image I lay my eyes on. If you haven't already, please take the time to visit this week!

{click images to see post}

Thoughtful Thursday: Growing Up

Lately I've been thinking a lot about where I'm going to be in the next year or so. Right now as you all know, I'm on my very last fall/winter break from school. The last time I'll have a month and a half to kick back and enjoy spending quality time with my family. Soon everything is going to change, and I hope I didn't take too much for granted.  After June the 4th, which is my graduation date, or close to it, life begins on my own.

I don't know if I've told you guys this but I"m somewhat of a Taylor Swift fan and I recently got her new album.  She wrote a song about her moving out and having her own apartment for the first time and she is singing to all the younger listeners out there who are in middle school or high school who are ready to grow up fast and do things on their own.  Little do they know when they actually get to that point, they are going to be wishing they were little again.  I can't tell you how many times I've said this in the past two months when I see little children running around. I say to myself, " Oh, to be little again, without a care in the world." They are such bundles of innocence with no worries at all.  On the other end of the spectrum, I can't say I have no worries or responsibility anymore because of course, our lives are full of them. I'm just taking it one step at a time to see how the journey will unfold.

Taylor's song is called  Never Grow Up. I know we all have to at some point, but the message that she is sending is not to rush yourself into it.  Also with a sister who just turned 13 years old, I"m dedicating this song to her.  I love you Amy ;)

Click here for a listen

Never Grow Up

Your little hands wrapped around my finger

And it's so quiet in the world tonight,
Your little eyelids flutter cause your dreaming

So, I tuck you in

Turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything's funny

You got nothing to regret

I'd give all I had, honey

If you could stay like that 

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up 

Just stay this little 

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up 

It can stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart

And no one will desert you 

Just try to never grow up, and never grow up 

You're in the car on the way to the movies

And, you're mortified

Your mom's dropping you off

At fourteen, there's just so much you can't do 

And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots

But, don't make her drop you off around the block 

Remember that she's getting older too 

And don't lose the way that you dance around in your PJ's getting ready 

for school

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up 

Just stay this little 

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up 

It can stay this simple

And no one's ever burned you 

Nothing's ever left you scarred

And even though you want to 

Just try to never grow up 

Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room

Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home

Remember the footsteps, remember the words said 

And all your little brother's favorite songs 

I just realized everything I had is someday gonna be gone 

So, here I am in my new apartment 

In a big city, they just dropped me off

It's so much colder than I thought it would be 

So, I tucked myself in and turned my night light on 

Wish I'd never grown up

I wish I'd never grown up 

Oh, I don't wanna grow up 

Wish I'd never grown up 

Could still be little 

Oh, I don't wanna grow up 

Wish I'd never grown up 

It could still be simple 

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up 

Just stay this little 

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up 

It can stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you

Won't let no one break your heart

And even you want to 

Please, try to never grow up 

Oh, whoa 

Don't you ever grow up 

Oh, whoa 

Never grow up 

Just never grow up

Florence Broadhurst

Today is the first day for "Wild Card Wednesday" and I wanted to share a book that I am currently reading called Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret and Extraordinary Lives. I got the book at Anthropologie a little while ago. I just started reading it a few days ago, and I'm already half way through and can't put it down. Florence Broadhurst is a very eccentric woman who grew up in the 20s. She never let the art world out of her sight no matter where she went.  She is known for her brightly colored retro wall papers and her very extravagant personality.

There is a huge mystery behind the death of Florence, which was a murder in 1977, and it's one of the reasons why I can't put it down because  I've got to know exactly what happened. She was still living a full life at 78 years old, and from the story thus far,  I don't think she was finished creating.   Also, Florence's stream of events are all so interesting. Her career path changes so many times, along with the name she gives herself each time with some other secret events.  The best part is that everywhere she goes, and everything she does is based off of her purely, raw talent. I would tell you the whole story so far, but of course  I wouldn't want to spoil it. This book is such a great read and I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn something new, or just to get to know another amazing artist.

Something to Look Forward To

photo by libookpearson-( I am in love with her journaling skills)

Hello Friends! 

So, You and I both know that once I've started with class back in Savannah in the past, my blogging has been put on the back burner, but I want to stop the back burning and create a day to day system.  I originally post whatever inspiration comes to mind, or whatever I happen to see during the day that may spark an idea for a post, but with all the chaos that's going on around me it has been hard doing it while I'm in school. Soooo, I am going to prepare myself by creating a blog topic schedule for myself day to day to make things a lot easier and natural for me when I  post. This will be something to look forward to, because not only will I know, but you guys will know what to look forward to each day I make a post.  So here we go, and here's the schedule:

Mondays: Blog Praise (I will be praising a blog each week for you guys to check out!)

Tuesdays:  Textile Tuesdays (any textile artist, pattern, or product I fall in love with that particular week will be shared- after all, it's what I do!)

Wednesdays: Wild Card Wednesdays (could be about anything!)

Thursdays: Thoughtful Thursdays (This will be a more personal post that will allow me to connect better with all of you guys.  Thursdays are usually the last day of my school week, so i'ts a day to think about what all was accomplished and learned throughout that particular week. I find myself pondering the most on Thursdays, so you guys can give me your opinions and let me know what you are up to as well! I look forward to inspiring one another about life <3 ) 

Fridays: Photo Fridays (As you all know my passion for beautiful photography)

And that's it! I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am :)

Blog Praise: Dottie Angel

I'm starting a blog praise at the beginning of each week, or a blog of the week rather.  This week I want to praise Dottie Angel, by Tif, who  I found through the Artful Blogging magazine (Winter 2010 issue). I absolutely love her eclectic style, and the imagination behind "Dottie Angel" herself. Tif also has an etsy shop with more of her work and beautiful images. Enjoy :)

[Click images for details]

All images taken by Tif.

First Snow of the Year

I absolutely love snow. In the little southern town of Florence, Alabama snow is rarely seen, or rarely seen by me to say the least. We usually get our first snow when I have to leave from my holiday break to go back to Savannah for classes, but I'm so happy I get to see it today, and I wanted to share it with you. To all of you guys who never get to see snow, I dedicate this to you :) This is a view of the snow falling from the lake.

Have a Lovely Weekend

I'm warm and cozy, ready for the Holidays. I hope you all have a fabulous and relaxing weekend! Here is my current favorite holiday song. Enjoy :)

{photo by Marie Louise Windsor}

"Christmas Tonight"  -Dave Barnes and Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott