I got a message from a friend of mine last week, and the end result was so exciting that I just couldn't wait to share. I know Amy Perotti through her blog, where she gives glimpses at her gorgeous illustrations and describes the inspiration behind them. I've also provided a home for some of the prints she sells in her Etsy shop. She has all kinds of adorable illustrations, but one recurring theme you'll see is Matryoshkas. This print, for example, now belongs to me:
Since I admire Amy's work so much, I was really receptive to her ideas when she contacted me about a Holly-inspired Matryoshka illustration. And then, she completely amazed me.
She decided to draw me wearing this dress.
You know, the one I wore for this winter wedding.
And since Amy's the type of girl who pays attention to detail, she even included the same jewelry I wore on my wedding day.
What she came up with pretty much astonished me when I first looked at it.
It is INSANE how closely her illustration resembles me, especially considering the fact that the artist has never actually seen me in person.
Here's the description, taken from the etsy listing for this item:
"'Holly 21st Century' is the first in my new series of American Women Matryoshka! Holly is a beautiful, bright, American woman who embodies the handmade movement of today. I was inspired by the real Holly Embry of HollyRocks.etsy.com (also HollyRocksJewelry.blogspot.com). We have become friends though Etsy and our blogs. She has a generous and kind spirit that resonates through everything she does and all her interactions. With a degree in education, she shares her entrepreneurial knowledge with others by teaching a class about how to start an Etsy shop at a local community college. Holly was kind enough to allow me to draw her portrait as my 21st Century American Woman. Thank you Holly and bravo!"
I seriously think I started blushing when I read that! Thank YOU, Amy!! I'm honored to know someone as kind and talented as yourself. ♥
Hello, readers! When I posted the pictures from my wedding, I promised to include photos from the rest of the trip in a future post. Remember? Well now, we're in the future (weird!), and I always keep my promises. So today, I've got some pictures to show you. We'll start at the beginning.
Here we are leaving town. This is one of the last photos we took together before we were married. Is it just me, or does my almost-husband look slightly terrified in this picture? Poor guy, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.
Due to a heavy snowstorm which took place over the holidays, we had to drive very carefully.
We arrived in one piece, and our little treehouse was waiting patiently in the snow for us to come live in it for a week.
It was so nice and cozy inside.
The view from the balcony on the back of the treehouse was lovely. We could see miles and miles of snowy forest.
Even the walkway between the treehouses was a sight. I felt a little bit like an Ewok, which was incredibly cool in my opinion. I've always wondered what it would be like to be an Ewok.
The day of our wedding was very relaxed. All we had to do was stop by the courthouse to pick up a marriage license.
If you enjoy old-timey architecture, Eureka Springs would be right up your alley. Here are some photos I took while we were out and about in this charming little town.
I just LOVED the Victorian houses. They were so ornate and magical- I could have pictured myself living very happily in any one of them.
I took this photo on the top floor of a hotel that is supposedly haunted. But in my experience, there was a complete lack of sightings, chilly breezes, or otherwise creepy feelings. The ghosts must have heard that I'm one tough chick, so they decided not to mess with me. Can you blame them?
Since we took our trip right after Christmas, the main street area was all lit-up at night.
This community is very supportive of the artists and crafters who live there. Many of the shops sell handmade goods of some sort, and you will even find the work of local artists along the city walls.
On the last day of our trip, we decided to tour a nearby cave. We're both very interested in rocks and minerals. But if you have witnessed my obsession with fossils, you already knew that.
How could we NOT be fascinated by the amazing formations hanging underneath the ground like natural chandeliers?
And finally, here are a bunch of pictures of us! Since it was just he and I on this trip, we used the good old fashioned "holding the camera in front of our faces and hoping that we both make it into the shot" method (as well as the self-timer). We didn't mind though. We were just glad to be spending time together.
Looking back, I truly believe we chose the perfect way to get married. We went back and forth on the idea of eloping, and I'm just so glad that we ended up going that route. It was a marvelous experience, very enchanting and mellow at the same time. And the best part is how close Eureka Springs is to where we live. I'm sure we will go back very soon, and we could even stay in the same treehouse!
If I had to choose one thing about Eureka Springs that I'd like to wrap up in tissue paper and bring home with me, it would have to be the balcony on our treehouse- complete with the view surrounding it, of course. Maaaaaan I loved that balcony.
Before I get on with the pics, let me first say that I swear I'm not abandoning my blog. It may seem like it, but I am absolutely determined to maintain some semblance of my life as it once was. Allow me to explain. I started a full-time internship in a fourth grade language arts classroom on January 4th. It's quite an adjustment for me, but I'm *LOVING* it so far. I'm finally getting a chance to really show what I've got when it comes to working with kids. Last week, I took over the writing portion of the class, and the students did so well with it. It's just adorable to watch children working diligently on their own written masterpiece in which they are able to express their ideas and improve their skills. As the days go on, I'll take on more and more responsibilities until the entirety of the class is under my control. It's nerve-wracking, but incredibly exciting at the same time.
So what I'm getting at is that my life has been consumed by teaching. And while I'm definitely having a good experience, I think it is important for me to maintain my hobbies and interests outside the classroom too. I may not post as frequently as I used to, but I will definitely be around. And when I'm not here, you can know that it's because I'm putting my heart and soul into being the best teacher I can be for the 62 kids (split into 3 classes) who will depend on me this semester.
Now that that's out in the open, who wants to see some pictures? Since I was so camera-happy during our trip, I'll include wedding photos in this post and photos of the rest of our vacation in the next post to keep it simple.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Signing the marriage certificate and making it official.
Newlyweds!
There was snow on the ground during our winter wedding. Isn't that romantic?
We made time for a few smooches while we were waiting for our carriage ride after the ceremony.
We also cuddled on the balcony of our treehouse.
This is the ring that my love's great-grandmother wore to celebrate her engagement many years ago. I was told that she would be honored to know that it was present during her first great-grandchild's wedding.
I made a few accessories the night before the ceremony, such as the flower hair clip and the crystal earrings. The necklace is something I made about a year ago, but it went well with the earrings and I wanted to be decked out in my own creations for my wedding, so I wore it too.
For my bouquet, I bought a dozen red roses and tied a few of them together with satin ribbon. They looked and smelled lovely, but they were much less expensive than a bouquet purchased from a floral shop. If you know me, you know I love to pinch pennies.
Here we are all bundled up in a horse-drawn carriage. We were wrapped in an electric blanket to keep us nice and toasty! The driver also gave us chilled champagne to sip on during our ride, which was a nice touch.
The wheels of the carriage were lit with blue lights, making for a very magical and surreal post-wedding experience.
Our last stop was this fancy, yet super creepy, hotel. There is an upscale restaurant located on the top floor, which is where we ate our wedding dinner.
Well that's about it for photos of our wedding night. You'll see more pictures from our vacation in my next post, so come back soon!
This year has brought many changes into my life. It's been busy around here, but there are some very promising and exciting things occurring right now. We moved into our new house, and we're starting to make some progress in our effort to make it look like home. I hope to have my etsy shop opened back up sometime this week, so keep an eye out for that because I'm thinking about having some sort of promotion to celebrate the fact that I'm finally getting my life back to normal. How has 2010 been treating you so far?
