Great color combination

In the process - Part 2

Oregon

Sorry I have been M.I.A. for a few days.  I just returned from Oregon.  "It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times."  I had a blast.  I had a meltdown.  Staying in a house with 28 people and only 4 bathrooms was the ultimate test of my sanity...and I failed.  However, in order to keep this light and airy, I'll start with fashion from Portland on Monday. 

Details in nature

It is interesting how the top side of this butterfly's wings looks so different from the under side.  Even God likes to mix colors and pattern.

3D inspiration

This week, I've found inspiration lying underneath this canopy of trees in our front yard -

I love how it's 10 degrees cooler in the shade and how the branches and leaves and light intersect to create interesting patterns.  I found these feathers on the ground.  The way their color goes from white to gray to blue reminds me of a blue ombre dress I once tried on.  It was a very simple shape with beautiful color.  I wish I could find some of that fabric now.

Lately, I have also been intrigued by clothes with different shapes and details like the clothes made by Renske Solkesz as shown on her blog.  She spent a year making her own clothes, so I feel a little bond with her.  Her clothes are interesting without being flashy.  She talks about using 3 dimensional elements in her design, so I thought about her when I saw this piece of bark -

It looks like a sculpture to me.  It comes from this tree whose bark is continually peeling off.  I don't know if that is OK for the tree or not, but it is really pretty -

I have a few "normal" looking projects in the pipeline, but after that, I'll see if I can come up with something more creative...

Nature invasion

There is a lot of nature going on around my house.  First of all, there are birds that are constantly building nests on our house -

They make a lot of mess, but they are interesting to watch - especially how they dive bomb you anytime you go close to the nest. 

Then, there is the garden that my husband and daughter are tending-

We had our first harvest of cucumbers, squash and beans this weekend.  I failed to take pictures before everyone gobbled them up. 

And every Spring there is a ladybug invasion, which I don't mind -

My kids think this picture of my skin close-up is really gross.  But I think it is amazing how it looks like my skin is made of tiny triangles all connected together.