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today is the last day to purchase prints from the la dolce luce collection... the shop will close at midnight CST. thank you so much to everyone who supported the shop over the summer... the fact that i was able to relive those beautiful moments every week as i packaged your prints made my summer a truly glorious one. thank you friends...
xoox~jla
we had our first incident report from school today. day four - i mean, really? so soon? ayla walked into a metal fixing on a door. sigh. she was such a trooper. have a wonderful weekend friends... some things to leave you with...
simplicity and pleasure. it is what i seek out of my everyday existence. there are little things - the few lingering moments when my girls crawl into bed with me in the morning - we stretch our limbs in unison while holding each other and welcoming the day; lighting a candle every night at dinner - the glow a ritual, prayer and my daily reminder that my brother is somewhere in the world - offering life and limb for us; my espresso - made on the stove every morning and filling the entire house with intoxicating scent of promises. little, simple pleasures that fill me with a quiet calm.
another such ritual, but one that induces more palpitations - is our pen pal day. we actually do not have a designated day - we write when it moves us - though at least once a week. this is a new ritual. several years ago i was one of the first members of the letter writer's alliance - an amazing little organization dedicated to the hand written letter. through the LWA, i was connected with my first pen pal. she is a most dedicated and inspiring pen pal. even when i could not bare to sit and think of something to write about, her letters continued to arrive - full of enchanting art and beautiful script. i am happy to report that in the last few months i have been holding up my end of the chain much better. and once the ritual began, it became addictive. i wanted to write more. surely i could write more. i wanted to post letters all over the world and as i began to turn again to the LWA to request a connection, it occurred to me that i have already connected with some unbelievable people the world over in the last two years. and so, at first unbeknownst to them - some of them are now my international pen pals {i think you ladies know who you are *wink*}.
while a delicately hand scripted letter is always my goal - i love sending treats - whether they be own art work, or someone's that is currently inspiring me... i love the details, the extras... the love. some things i am wanting to add to some of my up coming packages:
~ lindsey is a print-maker and polaroid-taker - enter the ideal marriage - these amazing little letterpress books are handmade and designed to fit polaroids - my favorite part is the back cover where you can note the camera you used, the film, subject and date. can you imagine receiving one of these in the post, full of light and magic? *sigh*
~ amanda {not only one of my favorite photographers, but one of my favorite people ever - that is why she is one of my international pen pals - did you know this amanda? ;) } has finally opened up shop featuring her dreamy polaroids. imagine gently separating the flap of your envelope to reveal such beauty...
not only do i love including such lovely little things in my notes to friends and family, i love the ritual of the process itself. the feel of the paper between my fingers, the sound of the pen gently scratching it's way across the surface - dancing in time to my pool of thoughts. my absolute favorite pens right now are the stabilo point 88 - i have a pack in my bag, on my desk and next to my bed. i am addicted. and tape - oh how i love thee - right now i use this collection of tape to seal everything - a gift from a dear friend who knows me frightfully well.
and my adie fey writes with me. she is an exceptional artists and draws with great detail - she practices her penmanship with little notes hugging the characters on her paper. she posts letters to her cousins, her friends afar and her friends next door... the ritual continues... may you be so inspired.
xoox~jla
i have been excited to share with you that i have a spread in the new autumn issue of small magazine. bye bye blackbird was shot after studying the tintypes of children at the Alinari in italy this summer - i was so moved by the haunting images of these perfect little children - almost glowing against the dark beyond. i was able to use a lot of vintage clothing that my grandmother and mother wore - and that my grandmother made. the girls had a wonderful time playing "dress up"... watch for another spread in the upcoming spring 2010 issue!
xoox~jla
p.s. see one of my favorite shots that did not make the spread here.
today was it. this morning adie became a kindergardener. and as emotionally charged as i expected to be for her, it was overshadowed by the fact that today was ayla's first day of pre-school. my sweet, sweet ayla. adie is strength and courage. she is sunshine and believes that she can do anything, that she can conquer anything, that she can climb anything. ayla is hawaii: sunshine one moment and a tumultuous thunderstorm the next. her heart is pure and full of joy - but it seems the world can overwhelm her so easily. it was difficult leaving her at the door this morning in the safety of her new classroom. i wanted to tap her teacher ever so gently on the shoulder - asking her to take special care. but i did not. her sister is in the classroom next door and reassured her as i dropped them off, "ayla, i am right next door - don't be scared. i am right here." she hugged her and ran into her class with unadulterated glee. ayla literally tip toed into hers...
as mentioned when i first launched la dolce luce earlier this summer - it was to be a shop of limited editions for the summer months only. and then i blinked. and summer was nearly over. so the time has come - it seems so quickly - to close the shop. but not before a little end of summer special. today through august 31 - all la dolce luce prints are marked down from $35 to $20 - buy 4 and the 5th is free. this will be your last chance to purchase 8x8's from this collection.
thank you all so much for your support over the summer - it means so much to me to continue and connect with you through my work. my voyages throughout italy this summer are something that will remain with me not only as an artist, but as someone who needed the sweet air of the tuscan coast to remind her what life is about: the laughter of close friends, the feel of the sand and the salt of the sea in my hair, the essence of pure food and lazy, purely pleasurable afternoons and hushed moonlit eves. i hope you had a beautiful summer... i did.
shop here.
and a special thank you and {day-early} birthday wishes to my amy liz without who i never would have found myself in tuscany so soon and who graciously posed for some of the shots in the shop... love you stardust.
xoox~jla
hello friends. it has been a whirlwind of a summer. and a very emotional one. one of learning, growing and loving. it has drained me to my core - not in such a way that i feel empty, but that i feel raw. i am happy to be home, happy to return to the simple routine of waking up to a bed full of baby girls and making coffee on the stove every morning. of reminding myself that my family and dear friends are the most important things in my life and to do everything i can to help make their existence a beautiful and happy one. of making dinner every night and not looking at it as a chore - but an adventure - a challenge - therapy. remembering to walk away from what i am doing, no matter the perceived importance, is so very important if it means holding my girls a little longer, brushing curls from their cheeks and kissing their perfect noses. slowing down while in hand, catching up. wish me luck...
