Archive for February, 2011

Music Monday | Sarah McLachlan

February 28th, 2011

Bring On The Wonder I have been a fan of Sarah McLachlan since before she was a household name. By sheer luck, my family stumbled upon a small, free concert she put on in central park, just as she was releasing Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. I’ve been on Team Sarah ever since. I “experienced” this song [...]
 

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I have been a fan of Sarah McLachlan since before she was a household name. By sheer luck, my family stumbled upon a small, free concert she put on in central park, just as she was releasing Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. I’ve been on Team Sarah ever since.

I “experienced” this song off her newest album on a snowy day, a rare afternoon in Boston where the streets were nearly empty, and everything was freshly white & enchanting. Since then, this song has become a bit of a mantra for me. Since I was little, I have been amazed by the wonder of this world. However, the past few years have beat me up a little, and for awhile, the world looked a bit dull. Whenever life seems to lose it’s shine, I like to turn this on (or just sing it to myself), and remind myself not to push that wonder down deep. Each stage of life is too short, too beautiful, not to delight in.

 

Cheers, Briana

 

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Hoppy days are here again

February 27th, 2011

I should probably express right now that I love beer. Good beer. Craft beers and microbrews, in particular. In addition to better taste and satisfaction of supporting smaller businesses, I find that craft breweries still see brewing (and drinking) as an art. the   Upon moving to Boston, enjoying a good ale has transitioned from [...]
 

I should probably express right now that I love beer. Good beer. Craft beers and microbrews, in particular. In addition to better taste and satisfaction of supporting smaller businesses, I find that craft breweries still see brewing (and drinking) as an art. the   Upon moving to Boston, enjoying a good ale has transitioned from pleasure to interest to hobby. As I type this, James is in our kitchen embarking on his first home brewing adventure.

James and I are not quite sure how this started, but most milestones in both our dating and married life has involved a good brew, our most epic yet being a tour of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, with all of our guests, the day after our wedding. Here is a cherished picture of that day… destination weddings are awesome. ;)

Last week was the first trip we have taken alone, with no other responsibilities or obligations, since our honeymoon over 3 years ago.  Naturally, we realized we needed to keep with our consistently successful travel theme of Hoppy = Happy,  so we headed up to Portsmouth, NH.

Portsmouth is a lovely town full of good food, great beer (holla!), and charming shops. I believe it deserves a spot on a list for Perfect New England Getaways. I must give a quick shout out to Scott & Doug at The Ale House Inn for our perfect accommodations, and for being the greatest of hosts. Their warmth and knowledge pushed our trip from enjoyable to beyond fabulous. Also, this inn was every artists dream. If I could make their lobby my living room, I would. I’m surprised I didn’t damage the gorgeous wood flooring with my constant drooling. The inn is a former Brew Co. warehouse, remodeled with such amazing style and attention to detail. Their website does not lie when it claims to be Portsmouth’s ultimate destination for those seeking a unique blend of history, style and comfort. I could not recommend them more highly!

The rest of our trip consisted of our favorite things. Local pubs, bookstores, sifting through junk yard-esque antique shops (scoring a bottle press for our home brewing in the process), and naturally, taking far too many photos. Though really, can there every be enough photos? :)   Here are a few highlights:

James and I return to everyday life tomorrow. Refreshed. Life is beautiful again. :)

Cheers, Briana

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Williams, White, & Whimsy

February 23rd, 2011

Last week, I saw The Civil Wars (also known as Joy Williams and John Paul White). As I made glaringly obvious with my first Music Monday, which featured this amaaaaaazing duo, I love The Civil Wars. Love love love. Their live show was nothing short of charming. If you already love their music, scour the [...]
 

Last week, I saw The Civil Wars (also known as Joy Williams and John Paul White). As I made glaringly obvious with my first Music Monday, which featured this amaaaaaazing duo, I love The Civil Wars. Love love love. Their live show was nothing short of charming. If you already love their music, scour the internet for videos of the new track Oh Henry, or their mind-blowing cover of Disarm (smashing pumpkins). If you don’t already love them… get on the ball! :)

Cheers, Briana

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Music Monday | Fun.

February 21st, 2011

Benson Hedges Greetings! I am currently on a mini vacation in Portsmouth, NH with my fantastical husband. In honor of taking a break from everyday life to simply have fun, what better a band to choose for this monday than… well.. Fun.   Try to listen to them without smiling and shaking your bum. I [...]
 

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Greetings! I am currently on a mini vacation in Portsmouth, NH with my fantastical husband. In honor of taking a break from everyday life to simply have fun, what better a band to choose for this monday than… well.. Fun. :)   Try to listen to them without smiling and shaking your bum. I dare you.

Cheers, Briana

 

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Featured | Grey Likes Weddings

February 18th, 2011

I’m thrilled to have Brandon & Brieana ‘s wedding featured on Grey Likes Weddings blog today. Check out the post HERE, and be sure to peruse her Nesting and Baby blogs as well. They are drool worthy!     Cheers, Briana
 

I’m thrilled to have Brandon & Brieana ‘s wedding featured on Grey Likes Weddings blog today. Check out the post HERE, and be sure to peruse her Nesting and Baby blogs as well. They are drool worthy!

 

 

Cheers, Briana

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Reflections

February 16th, 2011

*Boston Holocaust Memorial As I take a long hard look at the society in which I exist, I am often overwhelmed by political bickering, self-indulgent lifestyles, and shallow ambitions.  In this unfortunate age of entitlement, I try to take a moment to recognize those lovely pockets of people who still believe that love is the [...]
 

*Boston Holocaust Memorial

As I take a long hard look at the society in which I exist, I am often overwhelmed by political bickering, self-indulgent lifestyles, and shallow ambitions.  In this unfortunate age of entitlement, I try to take a moment to recognize those lovely pockets of people who still believe that love is the greatest call upon our lives. My prayer is we can educate our future generations in a way that inspires using their knowledge and successes to help those beyond themselves; teach our children to reach out of self and into selflessness. I desire a future where people make each other a priority. I hope for a child who, no matter the hardships or the plentiful blessings, wouldn’t think twice about giving a raspberry to their friend.

Cheers, Briana

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Music Monday | Arcade Fire

February 14th, 2011

We Used to Wait I was thrilled to hear that Arcade Fire won Album of the Year last night! Hopefully we will see more bands like this getting the credit they deserve in the coming years. Cheers, Briana  
 

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I was thrilled to hear that Arcade Fire won Album of the Year last night!

Hopefully we will see more bands like this getting the credit they deserve in the coming years.

Cheers, Briana

 

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From platitudes to postcards

February 13th, 2011

I have never enjoyed the phrase “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. Partly because I really only like lemonade if it’s mixed with iced tea, or if I am buying from a cute little kid with a stand, therefore I’m not exactly the target audience for that expression. Mostly I dislike the phrase because [...]
 

I have never enjoyed the phrase “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. Partly because I really only like lemonade if it’s mixed with iced tea, or if I am buying from a cute little kid with a stand, therefore I’m not exactly the target audience for that expression. Mostly I dislike the phrase because I am not particularly a fan of any cliche attempts to cheer me up. Unless used ironically, of course, while paired with a photo of a reeeeally cute animal. Nonetheless, I recently was unable to escape talks of lemonade, silver linings, and upside down frowns.

As many of you know, my gorgeous New England fall was rudely interrupted by the recurrence of a bone tumor in my ankle. I was taken out of work for surgery, and my few months of recovery severely limited me, both financially and creatively. This was a discouraging time that no clever phrase could help. However, I couldn’t help but realize that the answer to my troubles was to take action; to assess an unfortunate situation and figure out how to turn it into something I could enjoy (or at least learn from).  So I sucked it up, seized what I had to work with, and made an Arnold Palmer.

I have always loved simple design work. Cards, art, home decor, all aspects of design make me giddy. I have grown to appreciate this and had chances to dabble in that work, given my artistic milieu, but never had a reason to expand that hobby into my business. Upon learning I would be temporarily disabled, I realized what better time to open that door. Through the fall and the holiday season, I made the best of my cooped up time by advertising to former clients, friends and family, and ended up designing postcards for a variety of needs. Here are a few examples of what I was up to:

(contact info blurred out for client privacy)

The fabulous headshots for Laura Manchester was taken by the talented Josh Lyon, based in Ca.

I love my clients! Seriously, they inspire me and bring me so much joy. I am currently in the brainstorming/inspiration board stage for a theme and all subsequent printing design for a wedding. Just thinking about it forces me to keep my drool in check. Sigh.

We all need to mix things up a little bit, to stretch ourselves. What have you all been delving into lately? I would love to hear about it.

Cheers, Briana

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Deep Winter

February 9th, 2011

I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter.  Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.  ~Andrew Wyeth   Cheers, Briana
 

I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter.  Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.  ~Andrew Wyeth

 

Cheers, Briana

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Music Monday | The Civil Wars

February 7th, 2011

Poison & Wine The Civil Wars are my latest obsession. Their new album, Barton Hollow, has been playing in my ears nonstop. The album is on repeat on my laptop, as well as in my car. I haven’t experienced musical chemistry this strong since Swell Season stole my hear a few years back. If there [...]
 

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The Civil Wars are my latest obsession. Their new album, Barton Hollow, has been playing in my ears nonstop. The album is on repeat on my laptop, as well as in my car. I haven’t experienced musical chemistry this strong since Swell Season stole my hear a few years back. If there were a score playing over & throughout my perfect world (and let’s face it, there would be), this duo would be the ones to write it. Also being my dream world, I would figure out how to weave their harmonies into a hammock so I could lay in them and happily drift off to sleep. :) I can’t help it. I love them that much.

Keep walking and running and running for miles… until you reach a store where you can purchase their new album. ;)    Seriously. They will rock your world.

Cheers, Briana

 

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