Teaworthy Moved!

Please update your RSS readers and bookmarks to the new site
http://teaworthy.com

Continued on Page 7: I've Moved!

Jim Gaffigan has a funny bit about how when he sees that an article he is reading says, "continued on page 6" he mumbles to himself, "Well, not for me." He makes me laugh. I'm hoping that you are all willing to see Teaworthy continue on new, hopefully easier to read pages. Please update your RSS feeds and/ or bookmark to Teaworthy.com. You'll notice the old posts from here and the old Paper Boat Blog are all there waiting for you.

I'm still working on the details and format differences, but in the meantime, I'll be posting at the new address. And your efforts will be rewarded! I'm going to be having a contest soon for those who make it over to the new site, so you won't want to miss out on a chance to win. I'm so excited to have a place where I can blog larger images for my photography clients, and have room to drop an essay without being squished up.

Sea Sew

I've felt twelve kinds of love for Lisa Hannigan's music since hearing her with Demian Rice years back. Her new solo album Sea Sew is love, lovely.



She gave a great interview about her creative process and the album on NPR that you can read here. The liner notes include a photo of all of the song lyrics that she herself stitched on linen. She explains her song writing by saying:

"It's that moment where you see the turn of somebody's elbow or a book peeking out of someone's bag on the train," Hannigan says. "And — I do this anyway — I sort of construct a person behind it, invariably positive. And I think that song is about that moment, where you're sort of full of hope about someone you really have no idea about."

I love that. That's the beginning of every story that has already been going on without you. You just want to jump in. I feel that way when writing or taking photographs, too.


By the way, the pub where this is filmed, Dick Mack's Pub, is in Dingle which is in County Kerry, Ireland. I have never been to this pub, but I have been to Kerry and it is beautiful. Here's a few images of the pub (from a traveler on flickr) that make me a little thirsty for a pint.
Cheers.

This Message Has Been Brought To You By...

I have a lot of plugs to make here for people and things that have been amazing inspiration to me in the past few very busy weeks.

I took the plunge and went to The Love Affair Workshop for women photographers and I'm so glad I did. It was/is so so hard to give myself permission as a mom and as a counselor to lots of clients to step away for a few days and focus on something that is mine and mine alone, but I needed it. I never would have made the commitment without my husband encouraging me to go for it. I can talk myself OUT of almost anything. He just kept telling me, "Go for it!"



Love Affair is the creation of four amazing photographers that I have respected and followed for years: Lauren Clark of Texas, Davina Fear, of South Carolina, Millie Holloman in North Carolina, and Kelly Moore of Texas. {I list their states because so many Teaworthy readers live in their areas. }If you ever need a photographer, they each provide a unique, thoughtful experience with unforgettable images. There are not enough superlatives for their work or for who they are as human beings. I felt a little star struck and just tried to absorb as much as I could.

I learned so much from the other attendees. I have some new friends - always a great thing - and new photographers to follow and encourage on their journey too. My mom and mom-in-law are both painters and have told me about the benefits of workshops for years. I just could not get there until now. I'm going to try to go to one per year: a new commitment to myself.

Here are a few images of the models we got to photograph. {More to come later}




The finale party and several other details were designed by Joy Thigpen Environments and if you are in the Atlanta area and need an event to POP look no further.




The most thoughtful attention to detail is in everything. When I sat down at the dinner and looked at the place setting centered around a homemade jar of preserves, I read the label "strawberry" written by the 84 year old Georgia Jam Lady who made them, it looked exactly like my Grandma Viola's handwriting.



It was hard to swallow tears. Good tears. A little hello from her. That's how I see these things anyway. She loved quilting and crafting and giving time to her art too.

I finished up the week by meeting my guys at my parents' place. It was short, but so sweet.







Once home, I dove straight back into depositions and piles of paper, so I am still working through the laundry and blogging backlog. Lots of inspiration to share with you...and images...and exciting new things for my clients learned at the workshop....and a new blog in the making to replace this one with larger, crisper images, and
I'll stop.
It's good to be home.

Saturday

Today, it has been cool and rainy here which was the perfect excuse to hit up the french bakery, make paper dolls, have a tea party, watch old Gilmore Girls episodes and (naturally) princess movies.

As Bear Grylls would say, "If I'm honest" this week has, "not been ideal." In some ways, it has been a crap week. After some tears, my husband drug me out to our favorite bookstore, a sure-fire cheer-me-upper. It wasn't working, so we wandered over to the music section. He placed head phones over my ears, cued up this song on the listening booth, hit play, smiled and walked away.


I so love this man.

Magical things really are happening in the world. I love that he reminds me of that, even after hard days.

I'm stocking up on the good stuff. Here's some things I have found. I hope they help you, too.

-The most fabulous summer mosaic I've seen from Emma Bradshaw here.
-An uplifting story of moms helping moms from Amanda Blake Soule.
-Travel inspiration from my friends Jill & Steve.
-The funniest story from my friend Ross about an unlikely robbery.
-A really good person became an American citizen this week. America is a little brighter to have a citizen in my friend and gifted writer Mwabi Kaira.

I'm slowly working my way through photo editing my last wedding, savoring every bite.





Yes, magical things are all around.

Know Your Onion

Do you know that Shins song called Know Your Onion? I love the line from it, "But when they're parking their cars on your chest, you've still got a view of the summer sky."

After a 7 hour deposition today, it's good to be home with my guys and a kettle warming up for tea and pjs and a little photo editing. Magic at the end of a long day. Things like this are my view of the summer sky.

Stars Hollow for Sailors

My latest travel obsession began with a lovely post about sailing a Sunfish on Lake Michigan here...which led to a search about Lake Michigan sailing... which led to the discovery that there is a town called Holland, Michigan.

Holland was my grandfather's last word before he passed. It was the name of his home, too. So I check out Holland, MI and find that there's a college there named Hope with an anchor in the middle of campus. Love that. And! Just so no nautical reference goes unturned, there's a lighthouse and an adorable knit shop {Lizzie Ann's Wool Company} with this in the window. {yes, that's rope}





Even the local library is picturesque...



AND! There are cottages kids. Wrap around porch, sandy path, screened in porch, hardwood floor lovin' cottages. Would they need a translator to understand my southern accent? Probably. Would I care? neh. I may have to plan a trip. Of course it could never live up to how it looks in my mind. If anyone reading lives there or has been there, tell us all about it!! Are the downtown sidewalks really heated in the winter?



Speaking of cottages, love this NYTimes story on a couple who bought a house for 90K and turned it into something amazing. Be sure and check out the slideshow. Love the colors!