A Letter To Summer...

Dear Summer,

I always look forward to you. In March, I always think I might die without you. But, by the end of August, I'm ready to see you go. It's not that I don't love you, Summer, it's just that, sometimes you bring more trouble than your worth. This summer has been sweet and sour to say the least. Made new friends, lost some friends, reconnected with some, saw others drift further away, saw my business continue to grow, questioned my path, questioned my decisions. Summer, you always seem so much more dramatic than I remember you being the year before. Why? I swear, sometimes I just don't understand you Summer. I just don't.

Now it's the last day of August, and I'm ready to say goodbye to you for another 9 months. I'm sure by the time Christmas rolls around I'll be begging to get you back. But thats just how life works. You always want what you can't have, the grass is always greener, yadda yadda yadda...

But hey, Summer, no hard feelings. Let's see where life takes us next year. Until then...

Your Friend,
Ashley

Summer Snapshot: "My Best Friend Tommy"

This is Tommy and Lucie. They are cousins. In fact, they are my cousins as well. However, Lucie refers to Tommy as "My Best Friend Tommy" on a regular basis. She frequently asks me if I know her "Best Friend Tommy" and when I explain to her that yes, I do in fact know him, and he is my cousin, silly goose, it seems totally lost on her.

Anyway, I took this picture of the two of them having a love-fest a couple weekends ago in Lake George and felt I just had to share it with you all because they are the cutest little dude and dudette ever.

Snapshot of the Day: Thing 1, Thing 2 and Thing 3.

I know I've been a bit MIA lately but I'll be back! SO much going on and business has been booming! Thanks to all my awesome customers :) I really appreciate all you guys and that your all spreading the word about my work!

Anyway, here's a quick little photo for you all. This is my best friend Lindsay (center) and her twin sisters, Cat (right) and Aliza (left). Beauties! I love the crap out of those girls. And so does my camera!

Hi girls! Don't hate me for posting this :)

Etsy Lust: LadyLotus

I am OBSESSED with camera's and photography in general lately, so when I happened upon this print by LadyLotus, I squealed! I really love the overall look of it. The image was originally a hand carved reduction linoleum that she turned into a screen print. I can't get over the detail! And I really love that it's an old Rolleiflex camera and not just a generic old camera that you often see prints of throughout Etsy, it's just so unique! The crisp black and white image would work PERFECTLY in my Black and White themed multifunction Guestroom/Office! Don't you think? I just need to find a couple spots on the wall for them and they will be mine!

What do you think? Good fit?

I'm itching to paint the walls of this room by the way! I'd love to use a vibrant Lilac color, or maybe even a Robin's Egg Blue! I think it'd just give it SO much more personality! Alas, it is an apartment and painting walls is a huge pain in the booty since I will need to paint them back before I move...boo! I really want to figure out a way to make this room have more zest but still love the crisp Black and White look. Damn you apartment rules!!!

All idea's/thoughts/suggestions are welcome :)

World, Meet Eliza Doolittle!

I was skimming through my increasingly mammoth iPhoto collection on my laptop this morning and came across some simple Black & Whites I took of my cousin Annie's first baby, Eliza, in the nursery at the hospital not even a full 24 hrs after she was born. Eliza was born on April 14th, so these pictures aren't exactly up to date, but I loved the simplicity of them and thought they came out really beautifully so I wanted to share with you all! Oh yes, by the way, Doolittle isn't on the birth certificate :)

Hope you like these cute little baby shots! Check back later today, I'll be announcing something super fun :) Enjoy!

Summer Snapshot of the Day

Here's a quick shot I snapped of Lucie, after a long day at the beach at our summer home in Lake George. She's a tired little chicken nugget but she's too cute to resist photographing! I love the candid feel and complete innocence of this image! Maybe in 20 years, she'll be able to appreciate all the photos I take of her and forgive me for always invading her personal space. I'm sure there will be more shots of my little buddy throughout the summer because were pretty much together 24/7, despite the fact that I'm not her mother...Enjoy!

Summer Snapshot of the Day: Meet Macy

I would like to introduce you to Macy, my little black and white Rat Terrier/Lab mix.  She was adopted early last September along with another puppy (who you will meet another day) from my local Pet Smart ASPCA Adoption Day. She was a street dog, born on the mean streets of Tennessee, and shipped up to NY by way of a funky, smelly ASPCA truck. How do I know it was stinky? On the day I met her, her stench stung my nostrils and made my eyes water, but I was able to overlook the funk because of her "Please love me" face. She was originally given the name "Callie" by the shelter, and was also with her brother "Caleb" (who was adopted before I got there) but we quickly changed her name, and of course, gave her a much needed bath. The little peanut was only 7 weeks old when we took her to her new home with us, and was very shy, she preferred to always be standing right under foot anytime we ventured outside, but it didn't take long for her to perk right up! She loves treats, walks with her siblings, belly rubs, kisses, laying like a frog, shredding her dog bed, leaping over the back of the couch in one smooth bound, sitting at the kitchen table like a human, and sleeping sitting up. Anyway, this Summer Snapshot of the Day is of my sweet little Macy, at almost 1 year old (her birthday is July 15th), and lucky for me, she loves the camera! The picture was taken at our lake house in Lake George, NY, after a morning walk. Enjoy!

Etsy-Chic Decor : A Study in Black and White

Theres nothing like having a vision of what you want an empty room to look like in the future and then seeing the *pretty much, kinda sorta, but will never really be "finished"* finished product! When I first moved into my new apartment I knew I wanted my spare bedroom, which does double duty as a guest room and office, to have a fun and chic theme that made me *want* to be in there to get work done. However, it's a fine line to walk between making the space gorgeous visually but still functional as an office space that doesn't distract TOO much. My solution? A Black and White themed room! Chic, stylish and amazingly inviting in my opinion. And more importantly, affordable! I decorated the walls in *mostly* Etsy artwork, I'd say a solid 2/3 of the artwork I purchased on Etsy , some of it I made myself, and a couple things I got for a steal of a price for a couple different stores like Target and Marshall's ( THE BEST places for chic updated decor on a budget! I'm always buying nice black wall frames with mats from A.C. Moore when they're on sale, they look so chic! Anywhoo, enough chatter, I might as well just show it off! I don't think the space will EVER be finished, I plan to add more and more black and white artwork as I stumble upon it, and of course, still have to get up my fabulous window treatments as well! I will link to the Etsy artists who adorn my walls as well...

Seedling Accent Pillow: Miso Decor

Two Silhouette Prints: Vol. 25

Elliot Smith & Andy Warhol Prints: Lake Illustration

Typewriter Print: Lou & Lee