little luna.

As of a week ago today, I am the proud new auntie of Miss Luna Vaughan.

She was born at home to my brother and sister-in-law, and I was extremely fortunate enough to assist at her beautiful birth alongside their midwife and apprentice. Births are an incredibly magical event to anyone involved, and I have been fortunate enough to assist at about 19 births so far (Luna's big sister being one of them). Although, they can't help but be so much more meaningful when it is family. I will have a special little bond to Luna for as long as I live because I watched as she took her first breath of fresh, country air, and that is truly a gift to hold in my heart forever.


Besides possibly giving birth to your own, have you been witness to one of life's natural miracles?

are you a....?

...doodler, writer, journaler (is that even a word because if not, it should be), note-taker, list-maker, or brainstormer? Not like you couldn't be all of the above, but even if you are just one...


Check these puppies out:

All embellished journals above are listed in the shop, and more are soon to follow so be sure and check back soon!

happy birthday ma!

My Mom with a seemingly concerned me...Circa 1977

Today is this special lady's birthday and we are celebrating by traveling to Charlottesville tomorrow to hit up Anthropologie (she just HAS to use her birthday discount you know) and enjoy lady's lunch at her choice of many delicious places to eat in the area. Psst...I'm hoping it will be outside to enjoy this beautiful fall weather...do I have the non-birthday right to sway her decision?

5 Fun Facts About My Mom:

1. She used to literally iron her hair across the counter to make it straight...and it ended up waist-length with a lovely 70s part straight up the middle.

2. One time we were sledding and she "broke her ass" on a bump in the hill. We still refer to that snowy winter as "the one that Mom broke her ass."

3. She got married when she was 18, and she and my Dad celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary this year. I'll go ahead and throw in that I threw them one heck of a 50th wedding anniversary party last year; one that they are STILL talking about and one that was MUCH deserved!

4. She has baskets and baskets of yarn because she can't imagine actually using them and not be able to squeeze them in their perfectly-wound ball of softness when the urge arises.

5. When we were little and my cousins were over, she and my aunt used to let us have "Cussing Sessions" to get it all out (under supervision)...these usually lasted until someone under age 10 let out the F-bomb...aaaaand that was usually me....

Not only is her name awesome, but....

...her illustrative work is as well!!


I was sitting at a bar in Baltimore supporting a friend's fundraising efforts (really...I was supporting) for running the NYC marathon in honor of another friend who passed away, when the little red light on my BlackBerry started to blink in anticipation of being checked. So, naturally, I obliged.


Lo and behold sat my beautifully executed silhouette that I recently commissioned from Moorea Seal. Needless to say, my phone was quite popular for the next few minutes while this was being shown off to everyone!

Isn't it beautiful?!?!?

I love it! And what makes it even better is that Moorea was so wonderful and easy to work with - she had wonderful suggestions for what to do and also fulfilled my wish of including my new favorite headband in the silhouette! I love the colors, the background, and it's me! I've been hesitant about putting a "signature" picture of me on the blog (just not my style to pose for a headshot), so this was the route to go with making my blog a little more personal. I'll get less camera shy in the future, but this is just perfect!

I borrowed this little rundown of Moorea's services from her blog: 

Are you interested in having a portrait of yourself illustrated by me?  Or perhaps you are planning ahead for Christmas gifts for someone you love.  An illustrated portrait is such a special way of capturing a moment in time, for yourself or someone you love, whether it is used for your internet presence or to display in your home.  Email me at mooreaseal{at}gmail.com to chat about creating a one of a kind illustration just for you! 

But you should also go here and read up on her packages and past clients - she does such a wonderful job!! And you may have seen a few of these floating around in the blog world....

Thank you Miss Moorea Seal!! ;)