New Life

Can I start by stating the obvious?  Its really been a long time since I posted on this blog. I have been carefully considering whether or not I even wanted to keep it, whether or not it fits into my 'new life'.   So much has changed for me in the past year, not the least of which is that I am a mom to this very adorable little boy.

See what I mean?  Adorable.  He also happens to be the most chill baby ever (despite the fact that he is starting to crawl -eek!), which means really I have plenty of time in my life to keep doing narcissistic things like blogging about my life, my photography and my woefully-neglected-but-still-there Etsy shop. 

And can I just say, the whole pregnancy/childbirth thing was really not some mystical magical experience so many women describe?  It was hard.  It was emotionally draining, physically demanding, and pretty much ruined my body.  Modified bed rest for the last trimester led to way more weight gain than I anticipated.  Unforeseen problems during childbirth led to a long, exhausting delivery that resulted in an emergency c-section, which meant a long and frustrating recovery (and delayed weight loss...as in, um, NO weight loss).  And a whole mess of circumstances (that I'd rather not go into cause I'm sick of talking about it) led to a difficult (but right) decision to bottle-feed formula.    Nothing, I mean nothing, about my pregnancy, or the birth, went according to plan. But on a happier note - I am glad to have had great health insurance, amazing doctors and midwives who spoke english, and an amazing husband who went to amazing lengths to take care of me through it all.  

Now I'm eight (!!!) months into the life of my happy kid and I am starting to slowly re-claim my body.  Which is proving to be as hard as the process that destroyed it.  Losing weight is difficult to do when you are trying to fit working-out into a baby's schedule - not to mention the fact that it hurts.  I have no core muscles left - which has led to severe back pain.  And its amazing how a year of very little physical activity (and an extra 30 pounds) can leave you in the worst shape imaginable.

But I am slowly breathing new life into my new life - picking up my camera again, getting back in the kitchen, working out and writing.  Autumn in Berlin is in full swing - which is one of my favorite times of year - and I am excited for the coming winter and holiday season (christmas markets yay! snow? boo).   Look for new and exciting things around here (and a possible change of venue?) soon!

What's New?

I've been scrambling to keep up with everything lately, feeling slightly short of energy.  One of those things being neglected is this poor 'ol blog. 

But today, I am super excited  to share with you whats new in my Etsy store:  Canvas! 

I have wanted to sell Canvas Gallery Wraps on my store since I opened it -  I have several hanging in my house and I think they are just a great looking way to hang art.   I have had trouble, though, finding an affordable option in Germany.  Printers in Berlin are prohibitively expensive so I have been struggling getting my shop off the ground in the way I want.  However I finally found a solution and am super excited to be getting things rolling.

Look for lots of new listings in the coming days!

{{Inspired}} Sunday Morning Breakfast

I love breakfast. It has absolutely become my favorite part of the day. I blogged about my discovery of "the most important meal of the day" on my food blog - and I am not exaggerating when I say discovering breakfast has changed my life.

But lately, breakfast time is more than just a meal - its my inspiration. Its a quiet Sunday morning, a little bit hungover. My husband puts on some good music, I put on the coffee and together me make a warm and filling breakfast. Its the highlight of my week, one of the few times we get to spend a few quiet moments together talking and laughing and just enjoying the moment with no stress from work or life getting in the way.

Every single day I find myself wanting to photograph breakfast time - and this week on Etsy I found plenty of items to add to my inspiration. And that I want to add to my kitchen.

(No seriously. Someone buy them for me. If I don't get that sugar/creamer/syrup set i might cry. and the orange mugs. and the lotus bowls. and the blue frying pan. and most definitely I must have the adorable mushroom kettle, I mean look at it! and the picture and the breakfast print...I have a breakfast nook that is just dying to have these on the wall. please? anyone? )

To see all these items, click on the picture which will take you to Etsy where you can click on each one individually.

New

I haven't listed new items in quite awhile on Etsy. I have endless projects that I am constantly working on but it seems like I fall into these lulls in creativity and am constantly having to jump through hoops to get myself out of. I get frustrated to the point where I don't even want to touch my camera anymore. Which is a long way of saying I haven't done anything I have loved in quite some time.

But there is nothing like a trip to the South of France to get the creativity flowing. Hey it worked for Matisse and Picasso, why not me?


I am pretty excited for these newest items - they are images that I really like (for now - I am soooo fickle about my own work). They represent so much of what is really moving me at the moment - nostalgia, possibility, romance and every conceivable shade of blue (hmmmm shall we call this my "blue period"?)(har).


You can click on the images themselves to go the listings on Etsy :)

{{ Inspired }}

So, I have been seriously neglecting this blog lately. In large part, its because I have been spending an enormous amount of time on Etsy - and not tending to my own shop - but instead rooting around finding all kinds of things I decide I really really must have. I have at least 200 hundred necklaces favorited and I can't decide which one to buy first because I want them all.

I have become obsessed with making Treasuries - if you aren't familiar with Treasury's on Etsy you need to become so. They are So.Much.FUN. Basically, you get to curate your own collection of items to whatever theme or inspiration you want. I am completely addicted. Its like my own version of an Inspiration board.

Above is my latest, inspired by Alice in Wonderland. There is something about Alice that really appeals to my sense of imagination and nostalgia - and for weeks I kept coming across items and works that reminded me of that story. I love all the soft and dreamy neutral tones mixed with the periwinkle blue.

Here are links to all of the items above:
top row: Susannah Tucker; Persophene Vintage; Lolas Room
row 2: InGodsHands; LittleChickDesigns; Jenkiabaphotography
row 3: captaineeep; eunonymous; ThatOldBlueHouse2
row 4: MjLeonard; Morgana Femme Couture; faitavec

Vino

Someday I will visit Napa Valley, California, Bordeaux, France and Tuscany, Italy. I would at least like to visit the Mosel wine regions here in Germany. I love the way vineyards look in the Autumn, the combination of colors is just gorgeous - the browns from the vines, the greens, yellows and reds from the leaves and the deep purple and blue hues from the grapes.

These Merlot Grapes were growing in the terraced vineyard behind Sanssouci Palace, the summer palace of Frederick the Great. Supposedly they still harvest and make wine from these grapes , which would be fun to try.

This print is a now available in my Etsy shop! I am trying to make some note cards and similar items as well, look for something soon :)

Prints of Darkness

Maybe its all the True Blood I have been watching....but I love dark monotone art. These are some of my favorites I have - and now I have them up for sale in my Etsy shop. Check em out. The top one is currently hanging in my bedroom (above my crimson velvet chaise lounge). ;)

The View

Watching the evening sky really never gets boring.

And guess what? I started an Etsy store! Ok, so I started it a couple of weeks ago but I am just starting to get it running smoothly. If you are unfamiliar Etsy is an online marketplace where artists and crafters can sell their wares. I much prefer it to some of the other sites I have tried for selling images online. I hope to expand my selection soon, and even get some cool products up there in time for Christmas in addition to just prints. I added a link on the sidebar or you can check it out by going here:

http://JulieDavisPhoto.etsy.com

We have had some insanely beautiful days lately, with just a hint that autumn has arrived. On Sunday we went and walked around Tiergarten and enjoyed the perfect temperatures and sunny skies. On Monday it was cold and cloudy, I am glad we got out and enjoyed it.