Jorjah-Accept + Jorjah-Thrift

i'm taking the challenge!
{of the utmost kind }
or should i say taking the plunge?
go here
to see what i am talking about.

it's a challenge i gladly accept,
since we are on a somewhat strict budget
as we recover from being a recently unemployed household.

and you know what?
it's not a far fetch for me.
i love second-hand shopping anyway --
with or without a challenge.
{already, 90% of my belongings
are hand-me-downs, garage sale or
vintage and thrift store finds.}
the hard part will not be making myself
buy from a thrift store.
that's easy AND fun!
the hard part will be staying out of the stores
that sell the shiny, new things.
i like them both, you see.
{sigh }

what a great idea
from this girl named tif
of the blog named dottie angel.
{and the etsy shop that is likewise named }
i think her blog is the bees knees!
it's quite possibly the best blog i've ever found.
{i mean, i have found so many wonderful blogs.
but this one is so "me" -- so my style.}

i love the color
the writing
the subject
the links
the whimsy
the cheerfulness
the thriftiness
the craftiness
the beautiful vintage vibe
and the pure joy that it brings me!

how have i not seen it sooner?
anyway, you should check it out.

i plan to post from time to time about my challenge finds.
this is going to be fun!

{adorable photo via dottie angel }

Jorjah-Link

i thought i would let me love for photography spill over onto this blog, since i've been neglecting in my consistency with posts on jorjah-b and putting all my efforts into my photo blog. so here are a few fun links to all things photographic and inspiring.

for your iPhone

i just saw this yesterday on one of my favorite photo blogs to visit... a generous offer for free iPhone backgrounds from her to you. i LOVE this idea, and her photos are so beautiful, why wouldn't you take advantage of the offer? {if only i had an iPhone so i could.} follow this link if you want one for yours. she'll be offering a new set of photos every month.

for your desk

here's another generous offer. this photographer is offering her template design so you can make your own 2010 calendar. feeling creative? like to take pictures? you can insert your own photos into her beautiful design and make your own personal calendar. what a great gift idea, too! i just might have to take her up on this. follow this link if you'd like to as well.

also for your desk

speaking of photography calendars... if you're not feeling creative enough to make your own, why not buy one? i've seen a lot of these kind of photo calendars out there lately. but i am featuring this one that i recently discovered via a blogger/photographer whose work i enjoy. i think these dreamy photos would be lovely to look at every month. this calendar set is available at her etsy shop.

for your pocket or purse

last, but not least... here is something else i discovered while visiting shutter sisters. these photo cards you can take with you anywhere you go {from memolio }. what a great way to show off your family, pets or friends. or even just your own personal favorite photos. and they, too, would make a great gift! i love them. i plan to order some soon.

well, i hope you've been inspired by all things photo-rific today! happy wednesday!

Jorjah-See

we went to visit my husband's brother and his wife last night, and every time i go, i'm so taken with the gorgeous chandelier {pictured above } that hangs above their table. it was there when they moved in, but they knew a good thing when they saw it, so they kept it up, and it looks absolutely gorgeous above their large, rustic table.

it made me remember the chandeliers that i saw when i discovered a furniture store last summer called arhaus. i'm not even sure how long these showrooms have been around, but arhaus was new to me, and i loved the collections there.

but i was especially smitten with their charming lighting... rustic, yet full of romance and glimmer. these two were {still are } my favorites. i thought the first {called the piccolo } would be precious in the center of the ceiling in a baby's room. the other {spoon and fork chandelier } is more appropriate for a kitchen or dining room, of course. clever, no?

we've got one room in our house that lacks proper lighting, as it's the only room that does not have a ceiling or wall light-fixture {making it very difficult to see what i'm doing when i'm getting ready for work in the morning -- especially now that the days are "shorter" }. so we have rely on lamps to see. some day i'd love to have a chandelier in there to shed some good light. oooh! i have a bright idea... perhaps a cluster of those little piccolo fixtures at varying lengths. i think that would be quite effective. hmmmmm.... christmas list i'm thinking??

do you have a chandelier anywhere in your home. if not, have you always wanted one too?

Jorjah-Scare and Jorjah-Wish

BOO!

just want to say,
have a happy
and a safe
and fun
day.

{photo via my sister }

Jorjah-Vent + Jorjah-Wish

this weather is


we've seen so little of the sun around here for so long, it's really starting to ware on me. i love autumn, and i know with autumn comes rain, but it's been so gray almost every single day. i'm needing some sunshine really badly. i think i better double up on my dose of d vitamins so i don't develop s.a.d.

well, that said, i thought i would give you a dose of sunshine from my shoes and wish you a H.A.P.P.Y F.R.I.D.A.Y! if you can't look up and see sunshine, try looking down at the ground. you might be surprised what you find.


here's to all the good things that make a cold, cloudy day better... like tomato soup, or spiced cider, or hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, or your favorite sweater.

what comforts do you reach for on a cold, rainy day?

Jorjah-Look

i discovered this photography series

and am so captivated by it.
in fact, i find all of her work
to be dreamy and beautiful.

i'm also awed by this beautiful series
from photographer, alicia bock,
who never ceases to amaze me.

both series inspire me to look around
and see the world in soft monotones.
{thus my photo and processing below. }

i hope these images do the same for you.
happy week ahead.

{oh, i almost forgot! congratulations to alicia {{not the alicia i mentioned above, but a wonderful photographer none the less }} who won my black bird print give-away. thanks to everyone who entered it was fun to read about so many fun halloween costume ideas. i wish i could send each and every one of you a bird print. but don't forget... the print {{of the two }} that alicia does not choose will be going in my etsy shop, so you can potentially still have one. in fact, maybe i'll make more of the cards this year. i already have one prospective customer. i'll be sure to announce when the second one has been put in the shop.}

Jorjah-Wish

wishing you days of peace and light-heartedness.
{and a happy weekend, too.}

{{pssst... scroll down a couple of posts if you want to enter my give-away. there's still time.}}

Jorjah-Show-and-Tell

okay, i don't have a great deal of time tonight, but i wanted to at least get a quick word out about some artists i have recently discovered and whose work i admire. {one of which i discovered through the other.}

first, is ginny. i can't even remember if i found her blog or if she found mine. all i know is we became fast friends in the blogosphere, and she is quite a kind soul and talented artist. i was first drawn to the beautiful photography on her blog, sweet myrtle. but then i discovered that she also has a web site where she sells some of her hand-made creations {along with another artist named alice }. so i'm taking the time to blog about one of those creations here...

...these beautiful pink roses cards made with vintage fabric. aren't they sweet? i've had my eye on these for a while and am really wanting a pack.

she just did a give-away recently, too. she's giving the above oh-so-adorable hand-made fabric grocery bag here. that's a hint! you should go enter. wait... maybe not. i want to win it, so never mind. {wink }

now on to the next artist... i found tracy {another artist/blogger } through ginny's blog. like ginny, she also takes lovely pictures. and like ginny, she also makes pretty things and sells them online--in her etsy shop, pink purl. there are so many cute items there. but these are what i swooned over the most!


so, so cute, aren't they?! i love the chunky knit of the second one. and the colors, too.

so there you have it... two of the four artists i was hoping to feature this week. i still may get the other two in yet. i like to write from time to time about the art and creativity i see out there. or the ways that women use their entrepreneurial savvy and talents to earn a living and nurture their creative sides. it's always inspiring to me! these two ladies are inspiring to me.

don't forget to enter my own give-away below! it's going to be running until sunday night, which is when i will pick a winner. and have yourself a lovely thursday!

Jorjah-Give

my halloween give-away has finally arrived!!!

{oh, such ado, hah?}

i'm not a big halloween person. i liked it as a kid {'cause i'm a big freak when it comes to candy and chocolate }, but since i don't have kids of my own, i don't really get too into this holiday anymore. but i do get into october festivities and fall in general. so last year, i decided to make some halloween-ish cards. i did not want them to scream halloween, but i did want them to definitely have a darker mood. and since i love birds, i decided to make some using a black bird motif.

these are what i came up with {above }. i hand-drew the bird images with ink on a metallic card stock. i framed two of them {below }, and have had them sitting in my home for the past year, just waiting for the next appropriate season to roll around to do something with them.



so... here's what i'm doing. i will be giving away one framed print and selling the other in my etsy shop. {i know... don't faint. i'm actually putting something up on etsy! don't even get me started--that's a whole other post for a different day.}

anyway, the person who wins the give-away can choose which of these two prints they would like, and then that will decide which one goes on etsy. i know halloween will be here soon, but i will choose a winner by sunday and then get it off in the mail first thing monday morning--still in time for the holiday.

{the above shot is just another view to show the full frame so you know what it looks like.}

and the nice thing is, it can be left out beyond halloween. it could even be carried over into thanksgiving or even into the christmas holiday. i see black birds as a more fall/winter type image--not just for the spooky, scary fall festivities. drape a sprig of berries over it, and you have a thanksgiving/christmas decoration, too.

this may not be your kind of thing, but i got such a great response when i blogged about these cards last year, i thought it would be a good thing to... well, to give away.

so... if you would like to win one of these framed hand-drawn prints, leave a comment on this post telling me about the best halloween costume you've ever seen {either your's or someone else's }. since i have not kept up with my blogging and blog reading, my readership has dropped substantially. but that's good for you! the less people who read and comment, the better chance you have to win if you leave a comment!

think of it as sort of a thank you gesture to those of you who are reading. you guys are the best and you make me smile all the time.

wow, that was an earful for just two little prints, no? good luck!

~jorjah-b

Jorjah-Dwell

i'm not sure which is slowing down more -- me, or my computer. i think a little of both. jorjah-b has taken a back seat to my other blog, especially since photography becomes more of a passion of mine every day. i have so many ideas and plans for this space, so it bothers me that i have not kept up with it.

but i have to cut myself some slack. i'm working again, trying to get control of some other areas of my life and still figuring out what i want to be when i grow up {wink}. i'd say this past year and a half has been a process that is still going on, and i look forward to how everything eventually pans out.

a newer faster computer is right around the bend. i can feel it. and when this happens, many doors will open for me. so i'm just hanging tight. until then i will dwell in possibility. that quote has been here on this blog since day one. it's sort of my motto. {which is part of the reason for this post.}

over on shutter sisters today, they asked "what's your mantra?" so today's thoughts and yesterday's photo kind of came together into this little post.

how 'bout you? what's your motto?

Jorjah-Shoot + Jorjah-Ask

i had the pleasure of being a quasi-professional photographer for a day today. one of my dearest friends asked me to drive down and get some autumn photos of her little girl. i was happy to do as it would mean photographing a little one--something i don't get much of a chance to do, as i do not have kids of my own.

it was so much fun and i got several shots that i am happy with {some of which are over on my photo blog }. but there was one shot of the day that my friend and i both agreed was the "keeper" of them all! the shot above. i was thinking of sending it in to a magazine or entering it into a photo contest.

that's where you come in. i wanted to ask... which processing technique do you like the best? which one of these images grabs you the most. i keep going back and forth between a few of them as to which one is my favorite. so i would never be able to decide. but maybe if others "vote" on which is their favorite, that will help me get closer to choosing.

here are the other three.



so what's your vote? 1, 2, 3 or 4?

{sorry... i know the images are a little small. if you click on them, you can see a larger view.}

Jorjah-Apologize

sorry for my lack of promised posts this week, but yesterday's post took precedence--i'm sure you understand.

next week we'll hold all my promises and more. have a wonderful weekend. {gosh, i'm glad it's friday!}

~jorjah-b

Jorjah-Laugh

happy anniversary, b-rock.

{the huz and me nine years ago }

instead of writing something sappy and mushy
for my ninth wedding anniversary
like i did last year,
i'll just share with you all
something that gave me a good chuckle yesterday.

we recently inherited the king-size bed
from my mom's spare room,
because she needed to put a smaller bed in there
as my grandmother will be going to live with her.

we previously had a queen-size bed,
so this was definitely a step up.
i had been meaning to write my mom a thank you card
for several weeks after she gave it to us.
i finally got around to it last night.

i had b. write his half of the card first.
when i went to fill in my half,
i saw what he wrote
and laughed and laughed and laughed.

kind of funny,
but the real hoot was his drawing below.

needless to say, i'm what you would call a "bed hog".
oh, goodness.
i still can't stop laughing.

Jorjah-See + Jorjah-Wear

one of my favorite color combinations...

yellow and gray

in the yard

{an autumn tree photographed with a twist--
you can see more here.}

and

in my closet

{my new favorite necklace from anthropologie
bought with birthday gift cards.}

i had hoped to do some fun posts this week--a few featuring some women artists and a give-away for halloween. but, alas, this week got away from me. i've been busy at work and exhausted when i get home.

i'm still going to try to do the give-away on friday. but tomorrow i have something else more special planned. {i almost forgot... tomorrow is a very important day!} anyway, i hope everyone's week is going swimmingly! isn't my new necklace BEAUTIFUL? i saw it online and so hoped to get it, but knew it was very unlikely since we are still playing catch up financially from being unemployed.

but i got another anthro gift card for my birthday and added that with the gift card i still had from last christmas {thanks, ese!}. plus, i had a birthday coupon for 15% off because i am an anthropologie rewards card member. hey, getting old isn't so bad after all!

i tacked it up on the wall in my bathroom for the photo, and i like how it almost looks like art hanging there--so much, that i think i'll just leave it there when i'm not wearing it. a storage/decorating solution in one!

thanks to everyone for hanging in there with me. i'll get my act together yet. and next week will be all about those fabulous artists i was talking about. happy "the-week-is-more-than-half-over" day!

Jorjah-Follow

i went for a walk in the woods yesterday.
muddy boots.
frozen fingers.
runny nose.
none of it enough
to keep me away
from the color and scent
and loveliness of autumn.
this is why it is my favorite season.
{that, and pumpkin spiced lattes from starbucks.}

my world was saturated with color.


colors that came in every shape and size.

so good to have you, fall.
why don't you stay for a while.