Day 29; Purchased. Plus, a sneak peak!

 I don't purchase things very often, I'm definitely a saver rather than a spender. When I do spend, it's usually on supplies to make my own, less-expensive version of something. Such is the case today.

 I purchased four picture frames at the dollar store for use in a top secret project that I will show to you tomorrow. We used a can of spray paint we already had to paint them all the same matte black.

Here's that sneak peek I promised:

I'm sure you've already figured it out, but I'm still not telling until tomorrow!

Day 28; Daily Routine

Sundays are our lazy day, where Mr. Bear and I enjoy watching movies together while we work on mindless projects. Today my project was attempting to untangle a skein of yarn that had gotten hopelessly knotted up. I managed to sort out a good half of it before I gave up.

Luckily for me Mr. Bear loves to untangle things. He sees it as a puzzle, and he loves puzzles. He actually asked if he could take a stab at the Gordion Knot of sock yarn! I love him.

He's so cute when he gets focused like that.

Day 27; After Dark

A lovely evening at BonBon with Spokane's best bartender, Crystal.

My Grandmother's Trunk

 I never thought I'd be into the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" thing, but I actually find I am. Today I went to my grandmother's house and went through the trunk in which she keeps the old family belongings that have been saved over the years. We pulled out baby dresses her grandmother crocheted and sewed for her, pictures, letters, and her mother's wedding dress.

 This is my great-grandmother and great-grandfather on September 19th, 1930, their wedding day. They were 18.

I used to spend part of every summer taking the train with my grandmother to visit her mother. I spent weeks playing in her award-winning garden, marveling over all her fair ribbons. Playing with her costume jewelry.

Her dress is a gauzy, flowing, cream confection of a dress. I could never in a million years fit into it, she was tiny. I would wear it in a heartbeat if I could.

I love the lace on the built-in slip, and the flower.

And the ties on the puffy sleeves.

We looked at a bunch of other things, too. Like her high school diploma.

Citizenship papers belonging to some of my relatives who immigrated from Ukraine.

A land grant. It's not really the president's signature, but I love the penmanship.

My great-grandfathers hand-operated hair trimmer. In perfect working order.

His monogrammed pocket squares. He was rather dapper.

What I was really looking for was a handkerchief to wear on my wedding day as my something old. I had many to choose from. My grandmother keeps them all in a cigar box.

They all have lovely details. Hand-crocheted edges, lace yellowed with age, hand-embroidered flowers, cutwork embroidery.

This is the one I ultimately chose. It is very delicate and thin, but beautifully embellished.

It belonged to my grandmother's grandmother, and on my wedding day I will pin it to the inside of my dress. Someday I will display my great-grandmother's wedding dress in my home and take joy in the incredible works of art wrought by the hands of my foremothers. 

Days 23, 24, and 25

 Behind again, I see. How the days slip away...

Tuesday's assignment was A Sunset. There are too many trees where I am to get a good picture of a sunset, so Mr. Bear and I packed up the corgi and paid a visit to the local Rose Garden, at sunset, to photograph sunset-colored roses.

The Rose Garden smelled like heaven. We attended a wedding there a couple of months ago, before the roses were in bloom, but it was still gorgeous.

Wednesday's assignment was A Smile.
I've been rather ill and confined to the house, which is made more bearable by Ponyo's constant presence. Who could feel down when confronted with a corgi smile?

Today's assignment was A Sunflare.
I confess I didn't capture the light soon enough today to make a sunflare, so instead I'm using one of the many sunflare pictures I took on our trip to Friday Harbor this past spring.

Mr. Bear took me for a romantic trip in that rowboat when we were first dating. It is one of my dreams to collect enough driftwood from that shore to make a wedding arch.

Day 22; Trees

 For today's assignment I have chosen trees both literal and symbolic.
This is our new tree, an Improved Meyer Lemon.

 Mr. Bear asked me what I'm going to name it, as I am rather famous for anthropomorphizing everything, but honestly it hadn't crossed my mind to name to the tree.

 It already has two tiny lemons! One will have to come off soon, as you are supposed to keep at least 6 inches between fruit.

My other trees are from a Moda Fabrics layer cake that I dream will one day magic itself into a cathedral window quilt.

I have a penchant for woodland scenes.

Day 21; Pretty Pattern

 Okay, asking me to pick just one pretty pattern is a form of psychological torture to which I refuse to submit. I did narrow it down from the dozens of pictures I took, though.

First, two examples of the Atlas(or adliss or however you like to spell it, there doesn't seem to be a consensus) fabric I brought back from Da Bazaar(The Big Bazaar) in Urumqi.

 This is traditional atlas, woven on a narrow loom. This example is shot through with beautiful metallic thread.

 This is an example of a modern interpretation on the traditional pattern, printed on a silky synthetic fabric. It drapes beautifully.

The second pattern I chose is my own! This is the fabric I designed on Spoonflower a few years ago(and yes, it is available for purchase there).

 I cut my fat quarters up into triangles for a quilting workshop I hosted earlier this year.

Only one person came, so I have a lot left over.

Maybe I'll make a mini quilt!

Jill and Mary's Day of the Dead Wedding

Today was the wedding of two of my very favorite people; Jill Malone and Mary DuChene. They are so so so incredibly in love and so perfect for each other. It was an honor and a privilege to bear witness to their marriage.

Plus, they had the most awesome wedding ever!! Day of the Dead themed, in the middle of August. Perfect. I totally got into it.

 Mr. Bear is a spoil-sport and wouldn't let me paint his face.

 I wasn't the only one who went all out with the theme! 

 Jill's son and the maid of honor's daughter were so incredibly adorable and took to their roles with gusto.

 Matt here is commenting how all these pictures are going to end up on Bird Hearts Bear. Good call, Matt. They were lighting the tealights for the altar.

 It was also Day of the Newborns! Levi, 4 months old, Spencer, 1 1/2 months old, and Raziel, only 5 days old(!), were all in attendance and very much in demand.

 Lovely Crystal had fun keeping Maddy entertained during the toasts.

 Anytime these two are near each other, the love that pours out of them is undeniable and overwhelming. I am so happy for them both that they found each other.

My favorite part of the night was watching the brides dancing with their sons.

 Jill and G have the most awesome relationship ever, and he is such a cool kid. I hope he appreciates how rad his mom is and how much she loves him.

Mary looked spectacular in her dress(which the maid of honor made! Jealous!) and her dashing son walked her down the aisle.

The reception was a blast and I was having too much fun to be bothered with taking pictures after this, but some other shutter-happy types snapped these, for which I am grateful:

Today's photo assignment was What I Read, and I'm sad to say pretty much the only thing I read was a bottle label!

In my defense, it was really good beer!