Lens and Needle

summer days

 

 

 

 

 

{{a few memories of friends and family and good times had by all this summer}}

Fall shoe picks

Last night the bestie texted me a pic of the new boots she had bought. This lead her to counting her shoes, which lead to me counting my shoes, which lead us to discovering we both have a unhealthy love for shoes. We then compared what kinds we had the most of. She came up with mostly boots, and I with mostly heels. I wasn't suprised in the least. :)

Soon the days will be getting cooler, and for that I am very excited! The valley where I live is currently engulfed in smoke from wildfires nearby, and I'm praying hard for rain. While I wait for those cooler and wetter days, I've made a list of shoes I would love to have for this Fall season. Here are some of my favorites!

 

Suede Boots from Boden

 

 

Orange Ballet Flats from Seychelles

 

 

Faux Suede Booties from Blowfish Shoes

 

 

Pretty Oxfords from Modcloth

 

 

Colorful Mid Calf Boots from Pink Basis

 

Which are your favorites? Do you have any shoes you are wanting to add to your wardrobe this Fall? 

the iron lady

 

It was the morning of our fifth day in London. We rode the Tube (London subway) to the train station, boarded the train, and off to Paris we were headed! A few hours later and I was walking the streets of a place I had only dreamed about. It was not like I had imagined, exactly, but it was going to be an amazing experience, I just knew. When we arrived at the hostel, they only had two of our rooms availble, so the (five) guys put their luggage in one room and us (14) girls put ours in the other. That was fun. (Ever had 14 girls AND their luggage all in one tiny 4 person room?) The other fun part was hauling our bags up several flights of marble stairs. :-D Anyways, we freshened up, and then headed out to explore the city.

We took the Metro (Paris underground), knowing we were going to the Eiffel Tower. When we emerged back onto the streets of Paris, we found a spot to stop and go over the rest of the day and get a brief history lesson. Then we headed off, following our instructor Rowan. At this time none of us had asked WHERE the Tower was, and you couldn't see it from where we were. Then we rounded a corner... and our group gave an impressive collective gasp. There she stood. The Iron Lady. Larger and more magnificent than many of us had imagined. It was a breathtaking sight. She stood tall against a backdrop of blue sky and fluffy white clouds.

Now this, this was the place of my dreams.

 

 

 

LONDON :: JUNE 2012

The river Thames and Big Ben

 

 

 

 

 

Busy London streets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westminster Abbey

 

 

View from the top of St. Pauls Cathedral

 

 

View looking out from Trafalgar Square

 

 

Whitehall Street

 

[summer happenings]

Hey there! I'm not sure if there is anyone out there that still remembers me. It's been a while.

BUT, I have found new motivation/inspiration to start blogging again. See, last month a lovely family moved in next door. It was kind of a big deal to us, because all our previous neighbors have been single older folks. Which is great, but when we saw this family come look at the house, we were excited. Then they actually bought it. We had been praying for great new neighbours, and God graciously answered our prayers! It soon was discovered that we know many of the same people, have similar interests, and my youngest siblings have playmates! I may or may not have Googled the wife's name because I had a haunch she had a blog. No, I'm not a creepy neighbor, I promise. Turns out she does have a blog, a pretty cute one at that! So now she has MY blog address, and I feel a bit of accountability to get back to doing something I enjoy. Thanks Morgan. :)

 

a few shots from my summer::

 

waiting at the Philadelphia International Airport to board a flight to London.

 

yeah, I went to London. :)

 

and Oxford.

 

and Paris,

 

and Normandy.

 

For ten days in June I traveled around the UK and France with a group of photographers (many of whom were friends, the rest quickly became friends!). It was an amazing, eye opening experience. I am so blessed to have gone! I will be posting more pictures of my trip later this week. 

 

Thanks for reading! 

xoxo, Ashley

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sweet christmas treats

I love all the treats that come with Christmastime! How 'bout you? Do you have a favorite Christmas goodie? I don't know if I could choose a favorite, but I really love orange creams. They bring back memories of making them with my granny when I was little. One year we made all the balls of that delicious orange cream, froze them, dipped them in chocolate, and then proceeded to eat them all! Just the two of us. Oh boy, my mom and grandma were not happy. ;) 

Here are a few recipes I want to try this holiday season!

 

Homemade Hot Chocolate *photo via Tasty Kitchen

Hot Chocolate, not Hot Cocoa. Mmm. 

 

Spicy Gingerbread Cookies *photo via smitten kitchen

 

Chocolate Peppermint Roll *photo via Joy the Baker

When my little brother saw me looking at this, he said "Let's make that for Christmas!" I agree Ethan, let's!

 

Roasted Berry Flaugnarde *photo via Nourished Kitchen

I think this would make a great Christmas Eve morning breakfast!

 

Pain D'Epices *photo via Tartelette

 

my "winter wonderland"

 

 

 

I've lived in the same neighborhood my entire life. We have "green" Christmases. I don't really mind; but somewhere, someday, I want to get snowed in. Because it sounds romantic, and I'm a hopeless romantic. :)

Do you have white Christmases or green ones?

pretty vintage

 

I absolutely adore all things vintage. Every time I walk in a thrift store, I scan the racks for lost treasures. That funky patterned skirt, the odd Corningware mug (or maybe a complete set!), a colorful piece of Pyrex, or an awesome velour "granny chair". I almost always bring home a little something, whether it be a skirt for my future-Etsy-shop stash, a picture to pretty up my home, or a vase to add to my ever growing collection. 

Do you love vintage too? Do you have a special piece that made you squeal when you found it? Or a collection of vintage somethings? Let me know, I'd love to hear about your love for vintage!

source: one, two, three, four.

For Kicks Patchwork Ball

Some year I want to hand make all the gifts I give for Christmas. This year I'm not doing that, however I am making a few gifts, one of which is Anna Maria Horner's For Kicks Patchwork Ball (found in Seams to Me). I sewed this cute toy up yesterday, and I must say it was pretty fun! 

You start by cutting out all the hexagons and pentagons, 32 pieces in all! I used my mat and rotary cutter to do this, making it go fairly fast. 

 

Then I started sewing together the hexagons and pentagons. This part was a bit tricky at first, but once you sew a few together you figure it out. 

 

Don't forget to stop and refill your coffee cup! 

 

And never, absolutely never embark on a sewing project without one of these dandy's. A seam ripper is a seamstresses best friend! 

 

After I got all the pieces sewed, with just two pieces left open, I stuffed the ball with Poly-Fil. Make sure to stuff the ball really well; otherwise it won't hold it's shape when being played with. 

 

Then I hand-sewed the ball closed. And it's done! Now I have a nice handmade toy to give my little sisters for Christmas, and it only cost me an afternoon and a few dollars. 

 

Sewing Books I enjoy:

Seams to Me 

Bend-the-Rules Sewing

Handmade Home