The Dress

It was a lot of fun to watch the big wedding on Friday. I love that the dress had long sleeves! It was very beautiful. Of course, I also loved the long-sleeved dress that she wore to the engagement announcement. And don't you love the outfit that she wore on their first day as a married couple? {All photos from The Royal Wedding official site.}

Friday Featured Etsy Seller: Keep Calm Posters

Did you watch the royal wedding? Spectacular! I know this has gotten really trendy, but I love the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster from 1939. The Etsy shop Keep Calm Posters offers the image in every color imaginable.

Thursday Text: Jane Eyre

I finally read a book by one of the Brontes. Last week I finished Jane Eyre. I thought I should read it before going to see the new film version. I really liked it. Have you read it? Or seen the movie?

Diana: a celebration

While we were in Missouri, we visited the Diana exhibit at the Union Station in Kansas City. It was a fascinating exhibit about the life of Princess Diana and included dozens of her dresses, including her wedding dress with its 25-foot train. Photography was not allowed in the exhibit, but at the end I snapped the replica of her wedding cake and this beautiful photographic portrait.

Maggie Bonanomi

We were in Missouri over Easter, and I had a chance to visit White Horse Antiques in Rocheport. It was fun to catch up with Marcia (one of the owners) and her dog, Sam. I was excited to find this book: With These Hands, by Maggie Bonanomi. Maggie lives in Lexington, Missouri, and is an incredible crafter. This book outlines primitive projects that she's created - emphasizing rug hooking and similar crafts.

Beaded Flowers

Here's my latest attempt at a project from Martha's Encyclopedia of Crafts. I'm working on these beaded flowers for Mother's Day brooches. The one on the left is a daffodil. The others are pink and white dogwood blossoms.

Friday Featured Art: Temple Square at Sunset

I love that the online store at LDS.org offers fine art prints of religious subjects - especially Church history. Temple Square at Sunset, by Christian Eisele is one beautiful example.

Thursday Tunes: Halcyon Days

We've been listening to some Bruce Hornsby again lately, and I really like the title track from Halcyon Days.

Bright light streaming in, through my window pane
Think I'll stare at the shapes it makes
on the floor and then stare again
You've got your curtains drawn,
anything I can do?
Maybe a rose or a pillow or a picture or a funny joke just for you
To carry you away
Let me bring you, some tokens of esteem
Close the door on the world, make it our own beautiful scene
There's a darkness visible, maybe only to me
Maybe just a dream, a time-slowing-down dream,
a hole you're sinking down deep
Comes loose at the seams, make the dream leave

Some rise by wrong
And some by virtue fall
And those convicting may be the guiltiest of all
Wash it away
I'd love to bring you, on a silver tray,
some halcyon days

Feel a strong gravitational pull, holding you down
And the air feels thick, having a hard time
moving through, moving round
I'm hoping you may let me, help to pull you through
You're here so you might as well let me see
If I can do that for you
Carry you away
Feeling so helpless, mostly I'm a clown
Every now and then gotten so even
up can feel like down
In the hour of my reflection, I've had enough of disaffection
Like a starless sky, no light in our eyes
Maybe change this tonight, some brighter times, some lovely rhymes

Some rise by wrong
And some by virtue fall
And those in judgment could be guiltiest of all
Wash it away
I'd love to bring you, on a silver tray,
some halcyon days

Maybe just a dream, some ever-present dream, evanescent scenes
It could seem so for me, this is for me

Some rise by wrong
And some by virtue fall
And those in judgment could be guiltiest of all
Wash it away
I'd love to bring you, on a silver tray,
some halcyon days

Cosmo Cricket

I was introduced to some really cute paper by Cosmo Cricket the last time I was at Archiver's. It's their new Circa 1934 line, and I really love it. So cute.

Little Shop Around the Corner

When we were in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago, we visited the Little Shop Around the Corner. It's part of the Missouri Botanical Garden - people donate items for them to sell, and the proceeds go to the Garden. I bought this little glass box. And then I put some cute paper in the bottom.