Masterpiece.

I have loved this quote for quite some time.  Now I have a child to speak the quote about.  I love my little girl so much, and everything about this quote is true.  As an artist I have always dreamt of creating something beautiful, moving and thoughtful.  I never dreamed that I would feel such a way about a person.  But she is beautiful, moving and though provoking, just as the perfect masterpiece should be.  She is my child, my masterpiece.  She fills me with love, and I wear the honor of motherhood with pride.

Beauty.

Today I am embracing the beauty of pregnancy, and ignoring the discomforts.

Baby Shower.

Baby shower cake!

Decorations!

Letters to Juliet's Mom

Baby Shower.

So we got to enjoy the stresses and joys of throwing a baby shower this weekend!  We burnt the food, and then accidentally lit one of the games on fire, but being as that's a little typical for my family, all went well and everyone had a blast!  My mother-in-law was the host in my mother's house, and so everything had to be fancy and perfect, but somehow I convinced everyone to keep it simple.  However, asking my MIL to keep a cake simple is like the insult of all insults.  This cake was home made by her!  She used a teddy bear cake mold and chopped off it's ears and nose (it got to keep it's tail).  The baby is lemon pound cake, because it's more firm, and the bottom was three tiers of white cake with raspberry jam filling!  My favorite!  The handle on the binky is a lifesaver! Gotta love it!

We hit up Part City for decorations.  The lanterns were the bomb, because they're so quick to assemble.  We were running so last minute when it came to decorating the place, that I was so happy we had chosen lanterns.  We made a bunch of the tissue paper poufs, but they took so much time to properly poof them, that we ended up only using a couple over the food table.  And I fell completely in love with that fan.

Using a variety of different hanging items was perfect, because it almost gave it a bouquet look!  Variety is complimentary.

I saw this activity on Pinterest, and knew from the start that it had to happen! We hung up a hemp clothesline along one wall, and as everyone arrived, they received a onesie to write out their "Letters to Juliet's Mom."

 You can purchase onesie cutouts at Michael's and different places, but it was so much more fun to make our own!  I used the funky shape tool in Photoshop to essentially make my own patterned scrapbook paper, then fed the patterned papers through the printer again to get the onesie outline.  

 This was just a couple of the baby shower ideas, amongst many.  It was so cute, and a total success!

Heirloom.

Okay vintage lovers!  I've been blessed to be handed down an heirloom from my aunt, my grandmother (and maybe her mother?).  I've been doubly blessed to realize that it fits my big, fat, prego fingers, so I no longer have to look illegitimate! (This is rather important to me.)  So here's my query: What era does this ring date back to? And, can you tell me anything about it?

Belts & Shoes.

I thought that perhaps a follow-up on my fashion-friendly post would be fun, considering that I'm actually keeping up with a goal for once!  I have been taking time with myself each day, and not leaving the house until I feel absolutely beautiful!  One thing that has been forcing me to dress up a little bit more, is that my husband splurged for me to have a new pair of shoes!  A new pair of shoes always makes a girl think a little bit more about her getup, I think.  It sure does for me, especially when the new pair of shoes are these!!! Fluorescent pink Chuck Taylors!!! With a little chipped nail polish to match.

And there's nothing better to dress up a baby bump than a cute belt! I'm normally a cotton-only kinda gal, but I'm beginning to think there's something worth while in all these odd "hang to dry" fabrics.

I also replaced my floppy-cotton capris with form fitting black leggings (which I found at Ross for $4.99).  It's amazing how much difference a couple inches of fabric makes on my self-esteem!

Identity.

Who are we on the inside? Who are we on the outside? Where do we come from, and how does that define us? How could our perceptions of race change, when our inner identity is shifted by new knowledge? These are the questions I asked myself when my family history revealed that I was not genetically made by the culture I had always identified myself with. I was suddenly physically comparing myself to a whole different ethnic group of women. I found myself wondering if I wanted to continue to cling to the culture I knew, or if I wanted to learn more about where my family originally came from.

This portfolio is my expression of the inner search that I experienced at this time in my life. Who we are is who we are, but perceptions and ideas are painted onto us, sometimes by others, and sometimes by ourselves. Sometimes this causes individuals to feel separate from others, and sometimes it allows us to embrace each other. Race and culture cause a beautiful intermingling of people, beliefs and ways of life. Who are you?