rachel.simonsen

well hello!

Soooo...anyone notice I haven't posted in *months*?! I thought about coming up with a big dramatic fictional tale of what has kept me away from here, but really, I'm not that good of a liar. The truth is I've been busy. Just busy with life...

for example I went here

(oh new york, how i love you.)

and took a short trip here...

(my parent's backyard in Wisconsin...oh summer...I wish I was there right now with a good book)

and spent some time here....

(yes! that is me holding a surf board...I learned how to surf this past weekend...kind of...i'm using the word *surf* loosely here)

and I moved! Just down the street...but to a new house that needs a lot of attention. Hopefully soon there will be some finished projects to show you! Oh the ideas and plans I have...way too many.

And I think I have a new favorite color. Blue. Bright blue mainly. It feels like summer should be that shade of blue. 

loving....

shirt from uniqlo in the perfect shade of blue, blue ball canning jars, Anna Maria Horner Good Folks fabric, Susy Jack pencil cup from broadway paper, Thomas Paul Pillow, Trina Turk Zig Zag Pillow, Capri Blue Jar Candle from Anthropologie)

There you have it. I'm back. 

happy may day!

Ah, Friday, you have finally arrived.  I have such plans for the weekend, all things that are lovely and relaxing and perhaps a little creative.  I'm sharing some may day flowers with you here, although to be honest, they weren't originally intended to celebrate the month of May.  They've actually been beautifying my desk this week because I turned a whole year older and my family knows exactly what will make my day :-) Happy weekend to you all!

thursday...

My latest desk plant - I felt it was worth a picture because I have kept it alive for over three weeks. This is a new record. Hopefully this post won't jinx it.

I also wanted to make sure you knew about the giveaway Renee was doing - it's huge! Click here and comment by tomorrow when she'll pick a winner. Good luck!

*currently loving* the color green

Green! It's my favorite color...for now. Just about every shade of green is calling my name. Maybe it's because it's spring..? I don't know. But here's a very abridged version of what has been catching my eye...

Anthropologie Dress - Orla Kiely dish set - Flower tea light holder - Kitchen Aid Mixer - Rose Hip Card - Skeem Candles

And interiors seen on Ffffound... (p.s. - i cannot get enough of that site.)

I must say this is pretty strong color kick I'm on, it been at least two weeks and I haven't tired yet. Actually, at this point I want to paint all the walls in my house various shades of green...probably not wise. :-)

sites i am loving...

There are so many sources of inspiration on the internet.  In fact there is so much out there it can be a little overwhelming at times.  I get lost clicking away into a million different sites at least once a week.  But through all of this clicking, I often stumble upon some real gems.

such as... 

The Book Cover Archive - some seriously wonderful design can be viewed here...

I won't lie, I'm the kind of person that would buy a book for it's cover.  

The Paper Flea Market is an online store full of great paper products, ephemera and curious little objects.  Here are some of my favorites...

They have everything from vintage wall paper, to letterpress type, and old photographs...

And remember the image bookmarking site ffffound? (if not, you should check it out now...right now) Well! Good news - a bookmarking site just like it has been made solely for TYPE! I've been checking out welovetypography.com more or less daily since I heard about it. 

So do some clicking, be inspired - and good luck finding your way out!

new things...

It really feels like everyday there is something new popping up around here - I can't keep up!

This is some of the great (bright! fun!) paper from the next summer collection:

And a whole bunch of new stickers and soft spoken should now be available to you at your local Michael's store.  

Seriously, a whole big bunch. Way more than I photographed...

There are so many that I forget which one's I'm really excited about and want to use. I need to make a list...

And there is all sorts of foil and flocking and glitter over just about everything - it's all very exciting! 

Have a good weekend all, see you next week...

tape love...

Remember when I just about fainted over masking tape in this previous post?  Well, I was prepared to go to extensive lengths to procure said tape - however, this became unnecessary when I spotted it for sale right here. (via oh happy day - a lovely blog totally worth checking out)  This completely made my week. I did however experience anxiety over choosing which ones to actually purchase. It took a large amount of self restraint to keep myself from buying one of everything.

Oh sweet grid tape, I can't wait to hold you...

scrapbook pages...

I finally got to play with some of the new product that continues to roll in around here.  Check out the results...

Oh and I did a mini-challenge for myself. I wanted to use the same photo to make two different looks. 

a traditional baby page:

and a funkier baby page...

I'll be sharing more of the new product throughout this week, so check back for some sneak peaks!

ready for the weekend...

and spring is in full swing around here! Well, the weather may not be exactly sunny, but I picked up some very cheery flowers at my farmer's market the other night and they are really putting me in a spring-y sort of mood. 

And I have many little creative projects to tackle - including finally doing something with all this fabric I've been hoarding.  See you next week - Happy Easter to you all!

before & after

The other weekend I tackled a project that has been on my to-do list for some time now. My dining room table set badly needed an overhaul - and here are the results!

I had no idea just how dingy the chairs looked until I took one outside to photograph - how embarrassing!

I used different fabric on each of the chairs.

Not the best after pictures - I was running out of daylight! But I must say, I am quite happy with the way it turned out.

I've never done anything like this before and as with any good creative project, it took longer than I thought :-) But I had a lot of fun.  I think my lungs have recovered from the spray paint fumes, and my wrists don't have that aching carpel tunnel thing going on any more.  When I was about half way through re-covering the seats I thought my hands were going to fall off. I mean, just look at all the staples I pulled out!

Ah! But it was all worth it.  Oh! and scrapbook-y sneak peak for you, I had some new product nearby ready for me to make something with, so I thought I'd snap a picture to let you know what you have to look forward to.

There's a bunch of new stuff coming out that I have been anxious to share with you - there is some very rad stuff in this batch!