blog camp 4.0 - you know you wanna be there!

just announced! blog camp 4.0 - taking it to the countryside july 23-25. tho' the house isn't fabulous (yet), it's workable, there's wifi, there's plenty of space, there's a beautiful garden, a lake and a pony. but there's only a few spots, so email me to secure yours - jknachti (at) gmail (dot) com. a summer weekend of good food, good wine, loads of laughter and creativity.

an ode to snail mail

in the past week or so, i've gotten two wonderful things in the mail (not counting stuff i ordered myself on etsy, which while great, is not the same) and i've just got to share them with you.

i participated in se'lah's wonderful gift of jewels card exchange. and right in the middle of blog camp, i got this lovely handmade card from beth of be yourself, everyone else is taken. it's now in a place of honor on my inspiration wall in the blue room. together with my new lego magnets.

and then today, a lovely surprise arrived. rxbambi, who attended blog camp - reno, sent me some of her brand new moo cards (we know how i feel about those), a beautiful card made by her sister barb (who must exist because she blogs) and two stones from lake tahoe! how sweet is that?

a big thank you to both beth and bambi for the snail mail goodness (and to se'lah for coming up with the gift of jewels card exchange in the first place). email and the virtual world are great, but there's something really special about holding a hand-written card in your hand.

now, if only i'd read spud's fabulous post about low-light photography and the wobbles before i took these pictures. sigh. but i do hate flash.

loving today...

look at these beautiful girls in my blue room! and am i loving spud's ultra wide angle tokina lens? yes i am. is it now nestled down in a box of fabric over here on "my" side of the desk? perhaps, but if you don't tell, maybe she'll never notice...