I'm looking forward to a day of pumpkin carving, candy and scary movies (it's the one day a year I'll watch anything scary). And how cute is Hannah in her little pumpkin costume?! Happy Halloween! 

Well, at least ONE of them! For those of you waiting, I am still working on the dresser and a few other furniture projects around the house. 

I've also decided that I am done with our dining area and how absolutely boring it is so I want to start the process of putting the "RHI stamp" on it.

With so many things on my to do list, I have GOT to start prioritizing things around here so that I can actually get some projects around our own home completed. 

I want to keep my word with you all so I'm working hard to get the faux finish tutorial up for you. I promise it'll be worth the wait! But, in the meantime, I kinda need your help.

Most of you know after reading this, that we are in a rental home. It took almost an entire year for me to settle with that and decide to begin making this house of ours, no matter how temporary, a home.

The next couple of months or so I would like to focus my energy on this space...

That would be our cute little sweet pea doing her homework as I snapped away!

It's our dining area. And, well, it's a little sad. I want it to be "happy" and to really express who we are as a family. The challenge, of course, is that it's technically not our home. I've thought of so many amazing ideas to make this a better place for all of us none of which exclude moving a wall or knocking something out of the way.

I also have issues when it comes to decorating my own home. Seems I can never commit. Ask me to help someone else design or decorate a space, I'm on it. Ideas flow freely. My space? Cricket, cricket.

So, as you can see, it's pretty much a blank canvas and the wall colors are neutral which I feel is a good thing but I'd love to make that wall (that one right there) a focal wall and perhaps even do a decorative paint technique, stencil or just paint it a different color altogether.

Our living space, which is directly behind this area is quite neutral with brown, tans, hues of blues and grays. (I know, exciting) Honestly, I love that space. You can see it here. But, in our dining area I want it to be cohesive with the living space but I'd love to pull in a different color.

I love this print from fabric.com. I thought I could use this for new panels on the windows and start there. 

But, I also love this one...

But I know that this one blends in with the wall color way too much. 

Then, there's this one...

I kinda actually REALLY love this one. It's ALMOST perfect. 

Can you see my problem now? Commitment. I just can't seem to commit to any one idea for this space. Ultimately, within the next couple of weeks I will decide on a fabric for the panels, choose to paint or not and decide on what will go on that focal wall. 

All of those decisions would be easier if you could help me! Pretty, please? With a cherry on top? 

Which fabric choice do you think would look best in the space and what are your ideas for THAT wall? That big, blank wall. 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! 

When we moved almost a year ago I was frankly staggered by the amount of stuff we had.
Moving is a great opportunity to re-evaluate your possessions, see which ones you use, enjoy and have real meaning, and simply get let go of the rest.  

I realised there is very little more than I really need. Sure I would love to swap out some existing furniture for new that will suit this house better, but those are big ticket items I will need to choose and buy myself.
That got me thinking about this Xmas, I want to give my dear ones things that are on their use, enjoy and special list.  I don't want to give things that will go into cupboards and never be used. Sometimes you find something you know someone will love, but usually choosing is so difficult.  
This is when I had my clever idea, how about making a family Xmas 2012 board on Pinterest and getting everybody to pin what they would like.  What do you think?  Want to do one too?  

• Add a board on your Pinterest, invite your family so that they can pin on it too, and let the fun begin.
• Make sure to add your name when you pin so people know who wants what.  
• Family who don't pin can probably get somebody to create a pin for them.  
• Add something you think somebody else will like and ask for comments.  
• People can join together to gift more expensive items.

I am excited to see what everybody puts on already already.  For myself I am thinking luxury consumables, hmm...  
    - I would love to replace items like old, tired towels and pillowcases, and old unmatched coffee cups.  
    - I would love Grown hand wash in every bathroom
    - a few bottles of Moet to put on ice
    - a gorgeous bunch of peonies

Here is a sneak peek at my board so far, click on the image to see more.  

Organising the gift list
The last few years the Voice of Reason and I have bought our gifts from each other ourselves, BUT kept it a surprise.  So when I opened my present on Xmas morning I knew what it was, but he didn't, and vice versa.  It worked pretty well but this year I found something I think he is going to love.  

Miss E's favourite present of both Xmas and birthdays is the parcel of many little things that my mom and family send from Cape Town.  Its always a selection of bits and pieces that they have found during the year and its always the highlight.  She loves the parcel arriving, she loves all the little things wrapped inside, its like a Santa sack all of her very own. 

In some families the tradition is that each adult buys for just one other family member, randomly chosen out of a hat.  This way you can spend a little more and get something a little bit special, or spend time creating a special gift pack.   I like this idea myself, especially when the family is large like ours and trying to buy gifts for all ends up really expensive.  I have yet to convince my family this is a good idea.

Others have a $15 limit for store bought gifts, keeping the focus on the sentiment of gift giving.  
Last year I came across a family giving only luxury food and wine for the pantry, to be enjoyed with friends and family another day.
Each family seems to find its own way.

How do you organise presents?  Any good tips to share?

Oscar has been pretty unsupportive of the idea of me dressing him up for Halloween this year. There was a glimmer of interest last weekend when he tried on this dinosaur costume at his friend Lilah's house. The same afternoon he let me put him in a Bumblebee outfit to go to a neighbourhood party. All that being said, it's up in the air as to whether or not he'll agree to wear a costume on Halloween. And I'm not going to force it - I guess some little ones just aren't that into dressing up.

Around the house we've decorated minimally, getting some fun bats from the dollar store, and we were given some super cute decor courtesy of The Home Depot (See that Haunted House sign? Super cute) Hopefully the weather holds out and he can at least visit a few houses and have some fun. I think once he realizes he gets candy, he'll be totally into it. ;)

I hope you all have a lovely Halloween, and be sure to do the Change for Kids if you're in Canada!

*Tip - My girlfriends have lent me costumes that their older kids aren't wearing - It has been SO helpful. Oscar wore a borrowed outfit last year, which you must see.  

It's time for another Pinterest Challenge, which means I've completed another project I probably wouldn't have otherwise (you can check out my past Pinterest projects here and here). I was inspired by these DIY coasters from Penelope & Pip, but I decided to add my own twist with a monogram (I grabbed a stamp at Michael's for $1.50). Unfortunately, I couldn't find any pre-cut coasters, so I made my own out of cork tiles. Another option would be to paint over some coasters you already own.

Here's the how-to:

1. Gather your supplies.
2. Trace the shape of your coaster onto your cork. I used a coaster I already had on hand.
3. Cut out your coasters using an exacto knife, then smooth out the edges with some fine grit sandpaper.
4. Tape off your coasters and brush on your first paint colour. Apply as many coats as needed (I did three for the pink and two for the gold), but remember to remove the tape while your paint is still wet. Once your first colour is dry, tape off the coaster to apply your second colour. The last step is to apply your stamp and seal your coasters with a clear glaze.

And now you can enjoy your pretty, personalized coasters with a glass of wine :)

Psst! Make sure you check out all the Fall Pinterest projects here, here, here and here.

If you're looking for THE perfect set of wooden blocks, check out Melissa & Doug Wooden Architectural Block Set. They are amazing. My Mom gave this to Oscar for his birthday and they get played with every single day. We make tunnels, parking lots, more tunnels. They are thick pieces, making it easy for little ones to stack. The price may seem a little steep, but truthfully they are 100% worth it. It's kind of the perfect gift from Grandparents. :) xo Linds

Ps., Although I like to shop locally and support stores I love, I just did some price comparison and this set is available on Amazon for $50, and it looks like they ship to Canada. Grab them. 

Lately, I've been trying to deal with our junk. You know, all that stuff we don't need, can't use and pretty much ignored until we were tripping over it (I swear it multiplied in the night). Some of it needed to be recycled or thrown out, a lot of it will be donated or sold in a future yard sale, some of it has already been sold on Kijiji, and a very little bit of it went into a I'm-not-ready-to-make-a-decision-about-this-yet pile. It's a multi-phase operation.

But this post isn't about my nasty hoarding habit, it's about how I turned some of that "junk" into this pretty jewellery organizer:

It started out as an empty, cheap-looking picture frame:

This is a classic case of something looking better in photos than it does in real life. A problem I would love to have, by the way. The glass was already missing, so I decided to paint the frame white and cover the backing with a scrap of leftover fabric (I secured it with spray adhesive and trimmed the edges). I had a bunch of small hooks leftover from a similar project I did a couple years ago; I eyeballed the placement using my jewellery as a guide and screwed the hooks into the frame's backing (the hooks poke through the back, so you could double up the backing with a piece of cardboard or cover each hook with a little tape to keep it from scratching the wall - I just left them).

It's going to live in my organized and pretty closet, just as soon as I finish organizing and prettying it :)

Back in the mists of cyber time (about 5 years ago) I doubted that I would buy much on the internet.  

How hilarious!  I have bought clothes, shoes, lamps, bed linen, a lawn mower (! not kidding) any amount of fabric and craft stuff, hardware, books... the list is endless.  This year I am doing my Christmas shopping online.  I know its early but I am going to be super organised, I am not going to scrum down in the department stores, I am going to miss the traffic and find wonderful, thoughtful, reasonably priced presents for all.  Sharing is caring, so I hope you find some ideas here you like too.

Gifts online for under $30: 
Half Full print and Bird pendant by Courtney Oquist on Etsy. Charm with your child's actual foot print or hand writing by J4J Charms.  I really really want one with Ella's handwriting, what gorgeous keep sakes for any mum and they do cuff links for dads. Click Clack Critterz Frog from Biome.

More online gifts under $30:  
Fetch tea towel from To Dry For.   
Sweet Orange, Cedarwood & Sage Hand wash and Mandarin & Rosemary Body cream from Grown.  My personal favourite range for home.  
Cotton fouta or french bath towels, the perfect light beach towel or sarong in gorgeous french style stripes and colours.  Look on eBay, lots of suppliers and any colour that you like.

Apps for the littlies, tested and approved by Little Miss J:
These are good sanity savers for long journeys or doctors waiting rooms.
Both the Duck Duck Moose range and the Hairy Maclary books are very interactive with the figures reacting to the patting and poking of little paws.
Apps are great gifts to send when loved ones are far away, and super reasonable at under $6 each.

I am only including things that I would like to give or receive myself (we will see which of my family read the blog won't we).
Pop in next week to see my selections for under $50 and under $150, also I have an idea which I think will revolutionise family gifting forever.

The week ran away with me so I am a bit late joining the Nice To Meet You link up.  This month our topic was the 6 tools or resources we can't do without.  Off the top of the head, and time is the one resource I never have enough of these are my current faves.

My iPhone:  Yes I know its been said before but what on earth did I do before this came along.  Calender, camera, notepad, jogging companion, music, reading, relaxation, you know the drill.  I really do feel naked without it these days.
Computer:  None of this would be happening without one.
Instagram:  I love Instagram and a lot of my images pass through its filters on the way to this blog and my family photo albums.
Photoshop:  I would still prefer to use Illustrator but its still to expensive and Photoshop certainly lets me do what I need to.  I am quite pleased with my layouts for tomorrow's Christmas gifting guide, stop by and let me know what you think.
Nature:  A constant source of inspiration and joy.  Nobody does colour better than nature.  The light, the scents, the textures.  Nothing lifts your spirits like a beautiful walk, or a snooze on warm grass, or ski-ing in perfect snow.  No matter the season I love the outdoors.

Now its your turn to join in if your want to by:
1.  Visiting the other blogs participating to see what their top tools are.
2.  Writing your own blog post and linking up with the code and instructions your will find here.
3.  Creating a pinterest board to link up or just leaving a comment.

But however you play make sure you include our Nice to Meet You button and visiting the other host blogs below.
Ashley @ She Makes A Home

Ashley @ Bricks & Baubles

Jeanette @ Artchoo

Lauren @ Elleby Design

Erika @ Fox Trot Press

Suzannah @ Adventures in Dressmaking

Sentrell @ Suite Seven

Dani @ The Future Reynolds

Jenny @ House Full of Pretty

Haeley @ Design Improvised

Eva @ Build House Home

I wasn't going to post again until next week but I was itching to post these. I get a a lot of daily "sale" e-mails from shopping sites. With the exception of some scarves recently at Zulily I've never jumped at buying something. What I love most is that I'm introduced to new product lines I may not have known about. Here is a roundup of the e-mails I get daily and what I'm kind of loving enough to come out of hiding to post this for the weekend (because these sales are limited runs)

Read more »

Earlier this week, we had my mom over for dinner to celebrate her 60th birthday. To pretty up my table, I turned a scrap piece of fabric into a no-sew tablecloth and created a simple centerpiece using a square of leftover burlap from my $15 neutral mantle, some vases, candlesticks and votives I already had on hand, and some white carnations from the grocery store. Carnations seem to get a bad rap, but I think they're so pretty when you stick to one colour. I also got to break out my cake stand! I went with a classic yellow birthday cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Oh, and that frame on the settee was a gift for my mom - it's filled with pictures of Hannah for her wall of fame (an entire wall in her house is devoted to pictures of her grandchildren).

For that little something extra, I made this DIY tassle garland from penelope & pip. The garlands were so easy to make and I love how they turned out. Apparently they could also work as Halloween decorations; my niece Caroline asked if they were "ghosties" over Skype. 

While editing these photos, I realized that I forgot napkins! Oops. Can I blame it on mommy brain? A linen hemstitched napkin would be perfect here, folded and placed on top of each plate. If you're not obsessed with neutrals like I am, this would be a good place to add some colour or pattern :)

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In case you're wondering what we ate, I made butternut squash risotto for the first time (Adam and I are vegetarians) and it was delicious! I used this recipe from Martha Stewart, but I roasted the squash instead of steaming it. We served it with a delicious salad that my brother and his gf brought, roasted brussel sprouts, and plenty of red wine.

Have a great weekend!

Today is CanTeen's Bandanna day in Australia.  This amazing organisation provides support to teens living with cancer, or with a family member who has cancer.  A long time ago a dear friend was given support by a similar organisation when her mother was ill.  Her gratitude to them has always stayed in my mind.  So I was delighted when CanTeen asked me to spread the word about the app they have just launched.  
This year, in addition to selling their own bandanna's, the Bandanna Art app for iPad and iPhones lets you design and print your very own CanTeen bandanna.  I showed the app to the discerning Miss E who can't wait to give it a go.  Choose brush, spray or pen, and use your finger to draw your design.  
The app is free, bandanna's cost $20 to print plus around $2 to ship to your door.  And there you have it, your very own piece of art immortalised as feel good fashion, now wear and enjoy.

In the gallery you will see bandanna's designed by Ken Done, JC from Powderfinger and other important but not famous people like you and me.  If you like their designs, you can order one of those too.

This blog tends to be about nice to have things, but material goods aren't really important compared to the health and well being of family and friends.  Make sure you hug those precious to you today.

Quickly popping in to share this .... Ikea gave our Kitchen renovation the seal of approval by dedicating an entire album to our renovation on their facebook page. Yay! If you're a new reader - check out my archives for helpful posts on the Ikea kitchen process.  Hopefully some of the posts will prove to be helpful. Anyhow, signing off for the rest of the week. Have a great weekend. xo

Ps., Love this photo above, and it seemed fitting to share it as it's one of our more popular Ikea projects. At The Bay preview yesterday I met Samantha Pynn, who as you many of you know, inspired our Ikea bench.

The Bay kindly invited me to the preview of their Christmas Street at their flagship store in Toronto today. It's an invitation I accepted right away.

I have fond memories of going downtown with my family to meet up with my Dad after work so that we could walk to see the Bay Christmas windows. Although it was cold and dark out, the windows lit up and were magical with moving toys, and sparkly lights. That tradition continued through to when I was a young adult -  although it didn't happen every year, they are occasions I will cherish.

Later on when Aubrey and I celebrated our first Christmas together we went to The Bay to find our special first ornament. Aubrey (who is Jewish) was introduced to the excitement of finding the perfect ornament for the tree that year at the flagship store.

Walking into The Bay today to see "Christmas Street" was a very special moment for a variety of reasons, many of which I mentioned above. At the core of it all Christmas wouldn't be complete without The Bay.

The preview was amazing - the ornaments are gorgeous, the collections are HUGE (candles, stockings, ornaments, vases and wreaths) Perhaps another huge moment was finally getting to meet Brian Gluckstein who was a true gentleman. His collection is truly magnificent and the attention to detail is stunning.

So thank you to The Bay for inviting me this year - It brought back fond memories from Christmases past. If you are by a Bay, I highly recommend visiting their Christmas collection when you are going to look for the perfect ornament as I do every year.

xo Linds
Ps., I met up with my Mom for coffee after the preview - so it was a pretty awesome morning. :)

You may have already spotted this gorgeous Vancouver home on The Marion House Book While drooling over it again last night, I noticed the shower curtain hanging in the bathroom.

source: the marion house book

I want this shower curtain. I need this shower curtain. Anyone know where I can find something similar?

I started a new piece the other day. Truth is, I have a few pieces that are in process..you know how it is right?

You start painting one piece and then it hits you...you finally find inspiration for the other piece that's been sitting for a month and then you just HAVE to begin that one and then before you know it, you've got 5 pieces going at one time. Come on, tell me I am NOT the only one who does that? 

Well, I don't know if this one will be finished before the week's end with the schedule we've got but here's a sneak peek at what I've been up to this week! 

Excited to show you all and post a tutorial of the new faux technique I've discovered! 

Hope you enjoyed that little sneak peek! Stay tuned for the full reveal and more! 

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Happy Tuesday...

I was thinking of peonies this morning and then I spotted this arrangement on Mo+Mo Living.  I am hoping to find some so that I can style up my gorgeous new West Elm lamp.  
Yes its arrived and its totally gorgeous and now I wish I had two.  

Sigh...I guess I can't have everything.

I will have to see if peonies are in season yet.

I am slightly obsessed with finding interesting light fittings at the moment. Australian retailers seem to offer lighting that is cheap and nasty, not so cheap but still nasty, boring, or beautiful and boy it must be gold plated to justify that price.  

I have been impressed by West Elm's style, quality and delivery, would highly recommend them to other Aussies.  We still have to put up the long arm chandelier that I ordered a month ago but its going to look gorgeous.   I love this pendant below (spotted in Pinterest but I can't find a credit).  Looks almost like a laundry hamper that has been turned upside down.  I think it might be this bamboo and cotton lamp from Dutch Ay Illuminate.

These pendants remind me of prayer lanterns.  These are Schooley Lamps by Mark Eden and I am determined to try and make one.  Will let you know if it works or if its a pinstrosity.  

Please let me know where you find your lights.

Nothing too exciting. I resist posting as I don't have much to say, other than I am in love with this shot that I took yesterday afternoon. When you mix a good lens, with natural light (and fun product)... that's a recipe for a good shot. :)  Ps., If you're not on the business update list (which you can sign up for here) I announced last night that I have 20% off 8x10 Prints in my shop until Friday. Enter the promo code ARTSALE when checking out. xo Lindsay

Making your home more energy-efficient isn't exactly fun, but it will save you money in the long run - and who doesn't like saving money? With winter around the corner, we've started talking about the efficiency upgrades on our home's to-do list. Since I know some of you are probably thinking or talking about the same thing, I thought I'd share our list.

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1. Install a programmable thermostat. DONE!

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2. Draft-proof our house by caulking and weather-stripping windows and doors.

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3. Add insulation to attic, exterior walls or basement. DONE! But we can do more. We had spray-foam insulation installed in our basement and crawl space last year, following our home energy assessment. Adam also installed a vapour barrier over the gravel floor in our crawl space, but we'd like to cover that with foam board insulation (per our energy advisor's recommendation). It's an affordable and relatively easy project, but not a fun one (spiders!).

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4. Replace old windows and doors with energy efficient ones. Our energy advisor also recommended that we replace our windows, doors and garage door. The door leading outside from our kitchen is in really bad shape, so it's definitely on our list, but we're not sure about the rest of it (this isn't our forever house after all). Of course, seeing pretty garage doors, like this one from Garaga, are making me think twice about it.

Do you have any energy upgrades planned for this winter? Or, which improvements have you already made?


This post was sponsored by Garaga, but the content and opinions are my own.

Thanks to everyone who commented or tweeted with your two cents about my headboard dilemma. Almost all of you said I should paint it, so that's what I'm going to do. I even bought the paint this weekend :)

Remember that Kijiji find I teased you with back in August? It hung out in our living room for a bit, until I figured out that it really belonged in our dining room. The best part is that now I can stare at it while I'm sitting on the couch :)

I found the Dwell Studio pillow at HomeSense for a steal. I think it adds interest to the room and the colour of the applique ties in with our living room couch, helping unite the two spaces (now that I'm sure I love it, I should probably remove the tags). The vintage enamel jug was another Kijiji find.

 I've been wanting to add a snake plant to our house for ages, but for some reason I never buy them when I see them for sale, and then I kick myself later when they're nowhere to be found. Home Depot had a few tropical plants on sale for under $10, including one snake plant, so this time I made sure he came home with me. Still need to transplant him into a prettier pot.

How was your weekend?

It was raining outside. Oscar was playing quietly in his room.... I stepped in to make sure he wasn't causing mischief and caught this moment - he was playing with his rabbits & making up sweet little conversations. I quickly took this photo with my phone and tip toed out and went back to quietly folding laundry in my bedroom. It was too sweet not to share.

Speaking of little ones I've added a complimentary advertisement on my blog for "Change for Kids" - a program for Holland Bloorview | Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.  I'm very passionate about any organization founded to help children and adults/children with disabilities. If you have a moment please take a peek at their website and see what they are doing for Halloween. xoxo Linds

Ps., Thank you for all your support on the launch of my collection. You can see some photos of my art  spotted around Ontario on my facebook page. Love it. :) xo

It was a hot summer day yesterday and I was feeling fabulous in my gorgeous Siren, the New Classic in green spot that I had my eye on since the new range was launched.   Sal and Margie of Sirens Swimwear have outdone themselves this year, the colours are vibrant, the cuts are fresh, and the New Classic fit is even more flattering than the old one (which I still love).  Look how teeny my waist looks with all that hidden help. Red lippy, sunnies, and that vavavoom feeling. More about them all here.

It's been a long week. Between work, rehearsals and shows for HPX, Adam has been super busy and I've been on full-time Hannah duty. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with the bean, but she barely sleeps during the day. It's hard enough to find time to feed myself, throw in a load of laundry or vacuum the living room, let alone time to tackle a DIY project or, you know, actually relax. I know it sounds like I'm being dramatic, but I swear an entire day goes by and all I've done is feed and change Hannah and take the dog for a walk. Then I look around at the laundry that needs to be washed or folded or put away, the floors that need vacuuming and all the crap that needs tidying, and I feel like crying.*

Seriously, how do moms do it all?

Luckily my mom showed up yesterday to help, so I was finally able to hang the vintage mirror she brought me back from Vermont in the guest room (top left). It's huge and gorgeous and I love it. Did I mention that it was only $35?

I also finally got around to hanging my Ikea curtain wire in Adam's studio (bottom). The posters are just placeholders for now (it would be kind of weird to only display your own show posters, no?), but I'm looking forward to digging through our art collection (that makes it sound much more impressive than it actually is) to create a semi-permanent display. The beauty of the curtain wire is that we can easily switch it up as we go. Oh, and in case you're wondering where I got an Ikea curtain wire in Halifax, I ordered it through Amazon, had it shipped to my father in the US and he mailed it to me. Thanks Dad!

Speaking of Ikea, I've been using their kitchen planning tool to play around with layout options for my brother-in-law's kitchen remodel (top right). Adam's brother and his soon-to-be wife aren't planning to use Ikea cabinets, but the planning tool is still a good way to get a feel for what is and isn't possible in the room (I know there are lots of planning tools out there, I just find Ikea's the easiest to work with).

Anyone else thankful for Friday? Have a great weekend!


*Thanks for letting me vent. I really do know how lucky I am to be able to stay home with Hannah for the next several months. I'm incredibly grateful and we're doing great, but we're still figuring it out, too :)

Look what is at HomeSense.... some of my art collection! I can't believe how quickly all of this has happened.  It really is surreal. You may recognize some of the designs as they are similar to those in my store, but as you can see above - they are printed on gorgeous canvas or in frames. Keep your eyes open for other designs as there is a large catalog of my work being released. So excited! Anyhow, just a huge, huge moment over here. :) I'm so proud of this collection.

xo Lindsay

Ps., If you see them in the store, snap me a photo, I'd love to see!