Sadie Olive ~ French Prose

Inspired by...

2008-05-08T18:51:02Z

I think I better figure out something more to do with my favorite photos, or it is going to be stacks and stacks of postcards around here... :) These two are my latest additions (although the printed postcards are not yet in stock).

I bought a bunch of these vintage clock faces after being inspired by an Elizabeth Maxon article. (I think it was in Romantic Homes Magazine, if I remember right?). Anyway, I love the colors, and textures here.

This pretty little nest was part of a gift from my friend Kasey. As you can tell, I am still very into my macro lens. I may have to get a new lens soon, so I don't keep boring all of you with the same close-up shots. But man, they aren't cheap! Maybe I will win a new lens with the recent purchase of my shootsac... now that would be awesome!

Thanks for peeking in. Happy Thursday everyone!

Charmed, I'm sure...

2008-05-06T01:45:58Z

Thank you for all of your sweet comments on my last post. Are we just a bunch of homebodies and hermits, or what!?!? ...lol... I am feeling much less inadequate with my "boring" posts now. Thank you!

I know I mentioned a few posts ago about my friend, Cathy and I starting work on a fun little project for my shop. Well, Cathy has finished creating and they are on their way to me. We created a custom line of charms with some of my favorite photographs. I did some embellishing to the photos, we brainstormed about the design, Cathy worked her magic, and viola... a new line of charms was born!

We made the charms on the larger side, so that they can adorn your favorite lamp, or cabinet knob... not so much for wearing... I haven't seen them yet, but I wanted to share the photos we used on the charms, so that you all could tell me what you thought. :)

Thanks for peeking in, I can't wait to share the finished product with you all! I think they will be great!

Bad, Bad Blogger!

2008-05-04T04:13:13Z

I know I have been a terrible blogger lately. The truth is, I just never feel like I have interesting things to talk about. I am peeking in at your blogs every now and then and I love all the inspiration you all provide to me, but I haven't really felt like I have had inspiring things of my own to say. Am I the only one who feels this way? I don't know how some of you do it, always managing to have a fabulous picture and interesting story two or more times a week!

Maybe it's because I never leave my house? ..lol... The scene above (me at the computer in my office) is the scene at my house every day from 9:30am (yes I sleep in until then) till 6:30 (sometimes 12:30) at night. I have been working long hours mostly because Josh is traveling more and more and I am home alone most weekdays. I don't see people throughout the day, or even talk to other people sometimes! (Except via email which is all day and night long). I think it has made me a hermit... even more then I used to be before I worked from home. I used to just call myself a "homebody" but I think I may have graduated to "hermit" status this last year.

What is even more pathetic is that I think the guys who work at the shipping place are my closest friends! ..lol... Ok, maybe not my CLOSEST friends, but they are sometimes the only face to face contact I have in a day.

So here is my point... Unless I am talking about web design (which I know would bore some of you to death) or talking about what funny thing Hannah (our lab) did today, I don't have much to blog about. (Case in point - it's Saturday night at 8:00pm and I am BLOGGING!) But I promise, PROMISE, I am going to work on it.

I have been inspired by a few bloggers lately, but these three ladies take the cake this week in providing ME with inspiration....

Tonya - This girl is an amazing photographer! Her blog and website are stunning to look at and even more fun to read. She prompted my latest splurge this week with her new shootsac. (Sorry Tonya, I bought the same one as you, but only because I am a HUGE black and white fan, and who can resist black and white brocade! And you made me HAVE to have it with your gorgeous photos of your own!)

Tammy - Another amazing photographer. Tammy has similar tastes as I do, and I love, LOVE, the way she embellishes her photos. Vintage distressing, and muted colors... What's even more amazing is her latest post which showcases how she packages her killer handmade jewelry. (Tammy - I so love you for the inspiration!)

Alice - The multi-talented Alice, inspires me on many levels. Her website designs are layered in vintage goodness. I admire her style and her artistry. She (and her hubby) are also photographers and have an eye for beauty. (Alice it has been so nice getting to know you through your blog! )

Pay them a visit and be inspired!

I have two close friends in Romantic Homes this month. Lidy of French Garden House, and Chris of Lucys' Lounge at Tutti Chic. If you haven't seen Tara's article on these two gals, please go out and buy yourself a copy! It's so amazing to see your friends in the magazines you read (and I have to admit, even more fun for me to see the blog banners I created in print!) I am so happy for your girls and you both deserve it!

Fueling my passions...

2008-05-03T01:52:04Z

The new postcards are in. The ones I made from my own photos that is. I really like how they turned out, but I know I am biased. :) This picture (and postcard) has to be one of my favorites:

I hope to make taking pictures a more regular habit around here. I just have to find the time away from my computer to take some. I feel like I am glued to this thing 14 hours a day!

My sweet friend, Cathy, and I are working on another fun project with some of my favorite photos. I hope to have some exclusive items in the shop for you all very soon.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! It's bright and sunny here in California, and Josh just came home from a business trip, so I will be spending some time with him, and hopefully get some work done on the house!

porch progress

2008-04-25T19:53:56Z

We have been working hard over here on the house. The front porch has been the main focus of late, since it is the most unfinished. But we are getting there! Here are some progress photos for you to see how far we have come....

This will serve as the before picture, which is where we left off last time after we poured the new sidewalks.

Then we added stair railings. It's amazing how much they finished off the look of the porch. We also painted the wood under the porch white.

And now here we are today. (Well the picture wasn't taken today, but the house looks the same as a few days ago when I took this shot). We are getting ready to stucco the underneath of the porch, so you can't see under the house anymore. :) Once this is done, I am on to painting and planting!

She's coming along I tell ya! I can't wait until it's finished and we can enjoy the house without all the planned projects! (I know, I know, I will always think of more).

Muses

2008-04-20T22:39:12Z

I was feeling particularly inspired this weekend by photography. I started selling a few of my favorite shots in postcard form in the shop, so I wanted to capture a few more that I thought may be postcard worthy. These next few pictures didn't make the cut for postcards, but I thought they were worth sharing. :) I hope some of you find them inspiring.

A stack of old books in my collection.

I was loving the color combos of these three.

A few of my vices: Coffee and Sugar. :)

A small peek into my wild overgrown garden.

Just popping in...

2008-04-17T19:28:48Z

Thanks so much for all of your kind comments and encouragement left on my last post. I was feeling a bit like this project would never end! We managed to get our final inspection and we passed so that was great news. All that is left now is the cosmetic fun stuff. I have to take some more photos, so I will share next time. I can count on just two hands the few projects we have left to complete, which feels amazing! (Paint the exterior, finish the soffit work, install the French doors in my office, rain gutters, and stuccoing the front of the deck to name a few). Keep your fingers crossed that we don't run out of steam and money before we get it all finished. :)

I am sharing a few photos today that I took awhile back with my Cannon Macro lens. I just love collecting ephemera and these bright bold pieces are a lot of fun to photograph....

As always, thank you for dropping in. I always appreciate your comments and read everyone of them even if I don't always respond.

Duckett Construction

2008-04-03T20:05:16Z

Well I always get excited about progress around here, especially when it is progress on our never-ending construction project. The inside of our home and addition are basically complete, but we are still finishing up some of the outside projects with our added front porch and matster bedroom. This last Saturday, we recruited the help of our Dad's and my sister Morgan and brother-in-law, Mike and got to work. This weekends project was the concrete work. (Well originally the plan was for pavers, but when money is tight and your permit is about to expire since you are taking so long, it becomes concrete). :)

Here is a before shot (which was the last "after" photo I showed you when we left off).

And here are some photos of our Saturday:

Forming the concrete molds from the new sidewalk to the front door.

Leveling out the concrete.

Josh dumping a new load of concrete.

Starting to look prettier....

The curved path to the side of the porch from the driveway.

Stamping the rocks down to the bottom.

Morgan and I are even getting a little dirty.

Hannah checking out the new path.

And I will leave you with this new "After" shot, which will be the "Before" shot on the upcoming project update post. (Which I'm hoping will be very soon!). We are on the home stretch and I can't wait until it's done!

An interview

2008-03-27T02:32:10Z

Tara from "In This Instance" emailed me about a week ago to participate in a little online interview for her blog. She features weddings and wedding inspirations for herself and other brides to be. I was happy to participate and email her with some of my favorite wedding photos. (Like the ones below). Stop by her blog to read the interview and let me know what you all think.

The pole barn at Firestone Winery on our wedding night. I had the florist drape the barn in fabric for a romantic feel.

The cake a friend of ours made for our wedding that ended up a little lop-sided. The lanterns, hanging flowers, and tealights were from our florist, Square Root. And the banner we had made by this cute company, Confetti.

This one is my neice, Kiki as my flower girl.

All photos above by Tara Rochelle. (An amazing Photographer, who also has a blog!)

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T20:37:24Z

I hope all of you had a wonderful Easter this year. Josh and I had a good one. We spent all day Saturday working on our house and even a small part of the day Easter trying to finish some things up. (Photos to come very soon). We also made it out to Los Angeles to visit our Aunt Sheri and Uncle Robert in their home for an early dinner and Easter egg hunt. Here are some photos from Easter Sunday.

My nieces and cousin waiting on the egg hunt.

Josh and my nephew Brandon.

My sisters Lindsey, Denise, Morgan, and me. (We didn't plan to wear those colors... we apparently just all think alike.)

Let the hunt begin.

Hailey and Brandon climb the hillside in hopes of finding loot.

Lauren fills her basket in a mad dash.

Kiki counts her bills and calls it a day. (The Easter Bunny only puts some bucks in the "golden" eggs.)

Matilda cracks open her eggs to see what's inside.

My Mom and Aunt Sheri.

Lauren is pooped after eating all that candy.

The family photo. (I just love that remote control!)

Happy Easter everyone!

a day at the park

2008-03-24T18:00:43Z

This last week my best friend Tyler and I went to the park with her son, Gavin. She wanted me to take a few pictures of him to decorate his room. Tyler is pregnant again, and Gavin will soon have a baby brother, so she wanted to give him a special day to remember before the baby comes. We had a blast and shot a ton of photos, so I wanted to share some of my favorites with you.

I was LOVING Gavin's cute little jeans... (Joe's Jeans for kids) so I edited this next one to be in black and white and just his blue jeans in color.....

And this last one cracks me up.... Gavin and Elmo are both sad to leave the park.....

Grandparents

2008-03-12T02:02:14Z

I've talked about my maternal Grandparents a few times before on this blog. They are both gone now, and I miss them so much. I regret everyday not spending enough time with them while they were alive. I had never seen photos of them when they were young, or even of my Mom as a child. But yesterday my Aunt Sheri sent over a ton of old family photos from their albums and I got to see, for the first time, just how beautiful they both were. I wanted to share some of the pictures with all of you.

Here they are on their wedding day.

My grandma as a young woman.

On Labor Day 1951.

This one has got to be my favorite. My mom (Chris) was born in July 1951, so this must have been in September of 1951.

And this one is from Feb 1967. Will you look at the size of those clams they found! I think that is my Uncle Robert with them.

I miss them both a ton, but these pictures sure help to make me feel close to them again. Thank you Sheri for sending them!

It's funny, today is actually my paternal Grandmother's birthday, with whom we celebrated this last weekend. I don't have any photos of her when she was young, nor have I seen any, but here is a more recent one I found of her. I'm going to have to ask to see photos of her when she was younger next time I see her.

Happy birthday Grandma, I love you.

The novelty hasn't quite worn off....

2008-03-04T02:03:40Z

I hope you aren't sick of my close-up photos yet. I still have more to share. :)

This pretty little envelope was attached to a gift I received. I just loved the stamped lettering and gold ink.

A little corner in my office.

These cards were also a gift from a friend, and I loved the way she packaged them and tied them up with a vintage earring. Some people are just so clever! :)

That's all for tonight. I have to go feed Hannah some dinner, she has been staring at me for the last 20 minutes and prodding me with her nose to tell me she's hungry.

More little things....

2008-03-01T19:15:00Z

Here are a few more of the "little things" that have been inspiring me. The general store cards and the "I serve" Red Cross Pin are some new treasures I picked up this week. And the little bundle of clothespins were a gift from my good friend Cathy.

I am getting better with the post-processing and learning all the fun stuff you can do with Adobe Photoshop. (I use CS2, in case you wondered). I have been buying new tools I can use on my photos, which makes photography all that more enjoyable to me. It's another way I can be creative when I am bored with web design. I have been working non-stop doing design work for awhile now, and I welcome a break every now and then. The girls at this site inspire me so.....

I must also use today's blog post to wish my baby girl, Hannah, a happy birthday.

Boy they sure grow up so fast! ;-) The joy she brings to my life I wouldn't trade for anything!

Love of Little

2008-02-29T23:23:19Z

Ever since I bought my new Cannon Macro lens, I find myself drawn to the details. I am inspired by textures and colors, and all the littles I seem to gravitate toward at flea markets. I love to buy trinkets and small decorations, if for no other purpose than to just look pretty in my home.

It was a fairly cold and slightly gloomy day today but I was feeling inspired by the natural light coming through my window in the office. So I grabbed my new lens and snapped a few shots to share on the blog in hopes of inspiring all of you with the little details. :)

This one (above) has got to be my new all time favorite! I love the subtle color and textures at play.

Bits of paper and metal "notions" I purchased online from French General. I don't know how to make anything with them, but I had to have them. :)

This little door pillow is from the shop, but I love it in this photo paired with this old key. It actually is the key to an old door I purchased at the flea market last year.

I took a bunch more photos, so I will break them into a few posts over the next few days. Lookout readers, I'm feeling inspired! :)