♥made with love.

ashley meaders makes stuff.

(beautiful stuff.)

for weddings & events.

by hand.

with great love

& endless imagination.

♥ my new favorite song.

for the past few years, i have not been impressed with any new music,

so when nick played the first track from iron & wine's new album,

kiss each other clean, something immediately resonated with me.

a bit of a departure from his usual music, lead singer sam beam

layers this song with gorgeous melody and full bodied musical

grandeur. and if you read the lyrics, you will feel a whole

other level of appreciation for this song.

much like the album cover art, it's pure magic.

♥ every artist writes his own autobiography.

thanks to the power of netflix to know my film taste better than i do,

i had the pleasure of watching seraphine (2008) last night.

it is a true story about a barefoot, shabbily dressed

mary poppins-type character, who works by day as a cleaning lady

and works by night as an unconventional artist whose talents

(she claims) come directly from a higher power.

her artwork is rhythmic and repetitive.

the scrolling flower shapes and the bright colors are

truly mesmerizing. i am so glad i watched this film!

source.

watch the trailer:

♥ fashion friday on regarding design.

last week i went to an amazing fashion swap,

and picked up some fun & fancy items.

read more about my swapping adventures on my

weekly guest blog, regarding design.

♥ a bright idea.

this week, nick--the light of my life-started school to study to

be an electrician. he is very interested in green energy, so we

are not quite sure where his degree will take him.

but i do know one thing for certain: our future children will definitely

be making one of those awesome light bulb science projects!!

i was always jealous of the 4th grade kids who figured out

how to pull that one off!

don't these lamps remind you of them?

♥ pretty in pink.

just a bit of pink ban.do to brighten your day!

don't you just love the model's fuchsia lipstick?

♥ the best way to find your perfect match is to meet love halfway.

i don't think i can think of a modern couple more talented than

colin meloy, lead singer and songwriter of the decemberists,

and the artist behind every album cover, and his wife, carson ellis.

with their winning combination of words that could paint pictures in the mind,

and pictures that tell a thousand stories, their latest children's book

collaboration, ( a three-part young adult series called wildwood)

will without a doubt, be out of this world.

♥ for the love of dior.

just when i seem to have fallen into a pit of despair

when it comes to seeing something new & inspiring in fashion,

( i mean honestly why won't uggs just die already?)

john galliano rides up on his white horse and saves the day.

his latest spring 2011 couture collection is a nod to

christian dior's original fashion illustrator- rene gruau.

i love the drama, the tulle, the bird-like headpieces

and the ribbon masks... if only i could afford couture..

source.

♥ the cat is, above all things, a dramatist.

remember the post i wrote last year about the cat-mask wearing

actress from the film inglourious basterds? well, apparently,

my wonderful cousin, jaimee did- and she mailed it to me in

her stead the evening of my surprise girl's night!

i think i will wear it every day.

♥ winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.

so, yeah, like, i am totally over winter.

and whoever is in charge of our weather systems didn't

seem to get the memo because it keeps snowing and the wind keeps

blowing and everything is freezing and dreadful and there seems

to be no end to this madness.

the only saving grace is a cute accessory--

(no, not a dickie like the one i wore last winter!)

but a super cute pair of earmuffs like these beauties

from little fille.

springtime, please come soon.

♥ jealousy is all the fun you think they had.

aside from the writer's bump on my finger, (which doesn't want to ever go away

despite my transition from mostly hand-writing to mostly typing )

my jealous streak is probably one of the ugliest things about me.

i don't know why i have this tendency to self-compare, but it is a

part of my personality i am least proud of and one that i am

consciously battle on a regular basis.

now for something to really be jealous of:

instead of hiding the green-eyed monster away in the shadows,

the jealous curator puts it all out there in plain sight/site.

"a collection of artwork that inspires and depresses me.

i know it's good when i'm left thinking:

damn i wish i thought of that."

if you haven't already guessed--

i am totally jealous.

ps. read the jealous curator's musings

about jealousy here.