historical serenity

My friend Alison took this photo as she toured a historical home this summer.
There are about 10 things in this photo that make me happy.

Jumping for Joy

I don't have a specific reason to jump for joy right now, but these photos make me want to.

J took them of our teenaged niece and nephew out on Pismo Beach back in June on our family trip. Aren't they fantastic?

Love this tree

I love trees. But you knew that already.  The other day I was in Old Torrance, visiting Momen+ and drooling over very expensive fabrics. As I stepped out of the car to meet my friend, I saw this tree.

 Or rather I saw this scar on a  tree. 

Isn't it lovely?

But even more... 

I look at it and the poet in me sees a heart in the place where pain occurred. 

An entire limb is lost and what remains is beauty

 and heart.

I have been through a lot lately. 

I want my scars to make me more beautiful.

cutest family... okay, they're my family, but they are cute..

My sister and brother in law have the cutest kids. I mean, REALLY.

Victory also has a fabulously talented photographer friend that has come into town a few times this year and snagged flipping awesome pics of the Ludwigs... and I just have to share, because even if you don't know them, you can't help but to love them here. These pics are great.  (FABULOUS JOB, EM!)

Bubble Tea pics

I think I showed you the fabrics for this new skirt pattern to replace "Sweet Tea" a while ago, but we never got pics until this weekend. I wore the skirt as we went around town and in our ventures to Hollywood and Malibu - we took these pics. (Not that they're your typical Hollywood or Malibu pics, but they're the typical parts of our lives that involve those two locations - and they made for some fun pics)

Like them?

First three quilts

Sonja posted the most lovely pics of my first three quilts over on her blog. 

I'd almost forgotten she had taken these....

I'm currently in the process of finishing up 5 more quilts. I've been on a roll lately. Pics to come.

Guerilla Knitting

I've heard and read about "guerilla knitting" and "Urban Inoffensive Graffitti"... But I've not seen the knitted lampposts for myself until just now. We just happened to be driving by the Art Institute and right outside the window was this happy "graffiti".  I have to say that I love Chicago for loving (and leaving) stuff like this.
Another amazing happy accident was yesterday when we were driving downtown and we paused under the el tracks to let j out for a quick errand and as I looked to the left I was staring right into the doorway to the School of Art Institute of Chicago...where I studied (and worked on a certificate in painting) while i lived and worked in Chicago. It was that doorway I walked through to study and learn in my collage class... And also my art journaling class... When I found I loved mixed media and collage more than painting, I nervously approached my advisors... And in true artsy "Art Institute" style - they informed me I was still painting... Just with different materials... And they were perfectly fine with me as I embroidered paper and wove magazines together supported by bamboo frames... And basically laid the groundwork for what I'd be doing these days...
Kind of reminds me of last year's happy excursion to my textile design studio in Florence, Italy.
I love the journey. And I love revisiting the landmarks, too.

Camera app jokes

We spent the other day walking through an adorable town in NJ with J and his cousins... A few of the more artistically inclined were snapping artsy photos of everything they saw ... One of the guys started a joke about taking pictures of everything making the ugly artsy. He stopped and pointed his camera phone at this mess of wires as a joke. I did too and then showed him what fun even the wierdest pic can be when subjected to the iPhone apps. (I used camerabag and tiltshiftgenerator)
All these are the same exact picture.

Coco in Love goes to Jersey

I'm not a Jersey girl, but the Worth family has roots in rural (beautiful) New Jersey. On our trip to visit them this week, we've gotten some nice pics of my #2 favorite Libby Dibby skirt. (#1 is Out & About) Gotta say, I love those big dots..

Caramel latte, anyone?

As we've been traveling around this summer, it's been a goal of mine to get some decent pics of some of the skirt patterns we haven't photographed yet. Last week, we were at Big Bear Lake in the SoCal mountains and got these pics of Caramel Latte. 

(still to come: Coco In Love - as she travels along the East Coast and into the Midwest)

Call for Photos

Hey! Do you have a great looking pic of you in your Libby Dibby skirt?
I'm in need of some good pics of the current patterns of skirts to post on my testimonials page.
If you have a picture that shows the skirt/pattern/fit well - email it to me (with the understanding that I can use the pic) and if it's usable for me - I'll send you a prize!

 I'm most in need of the following patterns:
FALL SPRINGS
HOLLYWOOD
DAY JOURNEY
THE ORIGINAL (flowered side)
COCO IN LOVE
CARAMEL LATTE
CLASSIC

The pics need to be clear, good resolution, decently close up ... (and artsy is always great!)

Here are some examples that J has taken.