New Stuff, New Years, and a picture of Buddy

Hello, Hello!

How is everyone today?  I am excited to have three days off.  I am really looking forward to kicking 2011's a** out the door!

I hope for most of you that this was an excellent year, but in all honesty 2011 has been very difficult for numerous reasons and I am hoping that all of the lessons I have learned over these past few months will be put to good use in 2012!

I am hoping for so many things in the New Year for myself and my loved ones, but most of all I am hoping for health, happiness, and financial stability.  These three big things I have realized require a balance and I am hoping for that balance to happen soon!

As for what I have been doing for the past week, I have been busy thinking of projects that I want to work on.

I am currently working on a new series of cards that I am calling:  Dream Big.

There have been so many people in the last year that have set their sights on goals and have achieved them.  Since the New Year has been coming all week I have been thinking of people that have inspired me in many ways in the past year.

Here's a peek:

I letter-pressed Dream Big and hand cut a stamp of Adele who without her music playing in my head this year I might not have made it some days.  Meridyth and I listened to her on numerous trips to the ER!

That is it for today lovelies!  I am sending good thoughts for all of your New Year's, be safe, have fun, and until next year!

love,

Jess

And one picture of my Buddy boy to leave on!  I was never a cat person but how can you not love that Putnam (face in Yiddish)!

He said he can't wait for 2012 either!

NPR, Maurice Sendak, and a beautiful dress

Hello lovelies!! How is everyone doing today? I had a good cry yesterday and heard some good advice that I really listened too and feel calmer and more centered than I have in awhile.

I actually worked five hours today and on the way home they played an amazing interview with Maurice Sendak. I was literally bawling (which doesn't take much lately). It was an interview that hit me in a core part of myself.

His description of how he loves the people in his life, and the joy he feels with the world was so beautiful. You can start to understand why his artwork and stories are how they are. Go here if you want to listen. Plus, I didn't know he was gay and had a partner of fifty years! Very cool!  Or that he was happy he never had his own children.  It's a definite one to listen too!

On another note I was browsing Ruffled Blog a beautiful wedding blog I look at most days, and I came across the most beautiful dress.

I then clicked on the wedding photographers link Sweet Little Photographs which is run by high school sweet hearts who tied the knot and are based out of Los Angelos.  I love finding new photography blogs to stalk!

I digress, here is a picture of the gorgeous dress made by Oscar de La Renta:

Don't you love the black and white and the details? Oh, and she's wearing hot pink shoes! Ahhmazing!!!

Love, Jess

LoveUPaperly Updates!

Hello everyone!

I hope if it is rainy cats and dogs like it is here that you all are staying cozy and dry!

I have been working soooo hard on figuring out what I want my shop to be on etsy.  I've been creating, and working, and making a plan, and figuring out what I love to make.

I'm not feeling great today and I have been sitting at the computer waay too long.

I have an emergency visit with my neurosurgeon on Tuesday so wish me luck that I will feel better by then and my fusion will be working.

Right now it looks like I am the humpedback of New Market, Md. because I have so much fluid in my back by the fusion site.  Yikes!  The PT actually put tape all over  the area where the fluid is saying the tape will help to disperse it.  Has anyone else had to go through this?

So on a completely different note, I am going to leave you with some images of what I am working on and in what direction my little shop is going in.

Definitely go to Etsy if you have time and poke around the shop:  http://www.loveupaperly.etsy.com

Hope you enjoy what i've been doing!

love,

Jess

31 things

Merry day after Christmas everyone!

I hope most of you have the day off and are recovering from all the food and drink that were had over the holiday.

On a different note, I have been blogging now for about two weeks and I hope you feel you know me a little better, but I think it is time to really open up and share a bit more.

Hopefully if I share a bit more, some of you our there reading will start to comment a bit. I want to know who you are!  So here we go. 31 things you don't know about me.

1.   I am 31 years old
2.   I lived in Venice, Italy for a year and went to school for my M.A in graphic design
3.   I have three best friends. Steph, Meridyth (my fiancé) and Lisa
4.   My mother and Lisa's mother are best friends and met when they were pregnant with us
5.   I played tennis in high school
6.   I am going back to school to hopefully be a nurse or a P.A
7.   I worked as a hostess in a restaurant for two hours and they fired me
8.   It is the only job I have ever been fired from
9.   My first concert was Hootie and the Blowfish
10.  I had my first major surgery this year, a disectomy/spinal fusion
11.  I have been dealing with depression since my early twenties
12.  I strongly believe in therapy
13.  I hate flying but love airports
14.  I lived in Israel for a summer and worked on an archeological dig
15.  I knew after that I did not want to be an archeologist
16.  I have insomnia and it is usually on those nights I feel most creative
17.  I am a wedding photographer, http://www.jessicalorenphotography.com
18.  Meridyth and I have been together for almost seven years
19.  I like falling asleep to the movie Jurrasic Park
20.  I have one sister that is five years older than me
21.  I am an NPR junkie
22.  I treat our cats like dogs because I never had a cat until two years ago
23.  I believe in soul mates and angels
24.  I was brought up Jewish, though more culturally than religiously
25.  I'm very stubborn
26.  I still occasionally get carded when I go to the movies
27.  I did a sprint triathlon and finished
28.  I love to read and usually read 3 or 4 books at a time
29.  I love watching On the Case with Paula Zahn
30.  Miller Light is my favorite beer
31.  Cinqueterre is my favorite place on earth

That's it!! Thirty one things. I hope you feel you know me a little better. Now you can share with me! Don't be shy!

original author unknown

Love,

Jess

Christmas Eve, British Photogs, and a look at my studio

Merry Christmas Eve lovlies!

I am about to head out with Mer to eat some good food and see some family, but I thought I would write this blog really quick while she was putting on her makeup!

First, these are some bookmarks I was working on to give out as presents to coworkers

I had not yet covered them with acrylic sealer (makes it shiny) and they are missing the ribbons on the top, but you get the basic idea.  They were a big hit!

Also, I have been looking at a lot of British wedding sites like RocknRollBride, and OMG I'm Getting Married and the photographers that sponsor their sites are fantastic!  I could look at some of their sites for hours so at some point I am going to make a list of fabulous ones because man they are talented!

Finally, here is a look at where I have been spending a lot of my time.

This is my little corner of the world where my imagination can run wild.  As you can see it is just a table and lots and lots of art materials.

You can see though my little tiny press that I love, some stencils, white cards, and white dry grout I use to make chalk board paint!

I am working so hard on ideas for loveupaperly.  My whole idea of what I wanted the shop to be is changing but things are not ready to be seen yet.

Maybe in a week or so!

So I hope everyone has a great holiday!  Drink and be Merry and safe, and love to you and your family.

Jess

Holiday cheer and a little crying

Happy Friday!!!! So, tomorrow officially kicks off the holiday and though my family is in Florida and Seattle we have tons of Mer's family here in Maryland and we have get togethers all weekend! I am super excited to see people and eat good food! Today was not a great day though. I am six weeks post surgery and for the past two days the pain has been pretty bad. There are also other stressful situations that I feel unable to handle. I usually deal with stress by going to the gym and pushing my body to it's limit, but since I can't do that...I cry. I cried at physical therapy today. I cried from pain, from feeling a lack of control, and for situations out of my control. However, as I am lying in bed surrounded by Mer and my kitties I pray that 2012 is a better year and I give thanks for the many, many, many learning experiences that happened in 2011. Though I am hoping for less learning experiences in 2012! I have photos to share with you but the will be coming soon. Maybe even tomorrow! Until then Merry Christmas Eve Eve and happy holidays! Love Jess

One step at a time and a great picture

Hello lovelies!! Today has been kind of crappy. Meridyth heard from a job we had our fingers crossed on and they offered the position to someone else. I have been out of work before, but I have never experienced the emotional stress of having a partner be out of work. I wish I could make it better, but I know I can't. For all of you you out there also struggling to emotionally support a partner out of work and go through the ups and downs, I am thinking about you and hope you are maybe doing better than I am!

Physically I don't feel great. After physical therapy yesterday I hurt and this morning I felt like a turtle laying on it's shell struggling to get up, but all I could do was flail my arms and legs.  Good mental picture right!?

Anyway's, this photo taken from a great photographer working out of Seattle named Laurel McConnell made me smile, and I hope it makes you smile too!  How can you not love a close up of a Great Dane?  Sooo cute!  Also looking through her sight and blog was amazing.  So go for it and look through some great eye candy!

Tomorrow is another day and I hope everyone has a nice and quiet, or a wild and rowdy, Thursday night.

Love,

Jess

Macaroons (Macarons) and other Things

It's Wednesday!  It's Wednesday!

Happy second night of Chanukah to those of you who celebrate, Merry almost Christmas, and Happy Holiday's to everyone else!

I have been busy making presents today and will have pictures soon!  We are poor but it doesn't mean I can't make some heart felt things for the people I love!

I have also been rethinking me etsy shop.  Some questions I have been asking myself is:  What do I really like making?  What kind of images do I want to put out there in the world?  What can I see myself doing and making in a year, in five years, in ten?  What do I want to share with people and what do I want them to buy that they will want more of?

I like the name of my shop, love it actually, but I just feel like I need to figure out some core things about what kind of artist I want to be and what I enjoy making (when you enjoy it I feel like it shows through in the work, when it is painful to make or difficult I think you can feel that too).

Onto, the last part of the post.  As those of you who have been reading the blog know, I love images.  I like eye candy and pretty things, and beautiful images make me happy.

One of the images I love on all of the wedding blogs is this:

Image by Simply Photo

Macaroons!  They are so pretty and I love the colors and the shapes, and lately I have been seeing this eye candy all over the web.

La Mie Bakery, Des Moines, Iowa

Now, I have pinned some of these beauties on pinterest and can I admit a secret?  I have never eaten one before!  I don't even know what they are made of!

So if anyone else has this dirty little secret, this is what I found out in my searches on the web today.

First, I have been calling it a macaroon, most people seem too, but if you look on Wikipedia it is actually spelled Macaron.  What I found out is this treasure is a meringue based sweet made with egg white and almond flour.  The base of the word is from the Italian word maccherone meaning to crush or beat which is referring to the almond powder.

This sweet is considered primarily a french confection, but the Italians would beg to differ saying the french started making it when Catherine de Medici who married Henry II of France brought over her Italian cooks with her.

Traditional macarons were raspberry and chocolate, but now they come in a variety of flavors and combinations and the fillings can be jam, buttercream, or ganache.

The possibilities of flavors are endless!

I hope if you were uneducated like me about Macarons which Wikepedia said most North Americans consider it synonymous with Macaroons, but most Europeans differentiate, that you learned a little something!

Until tomorrow...I'm off to dream of beautiful pastries,

love,

Jess

Found on the blog Mumu, source unknown (if you took it, e-mail me!)

Feeling like a failure and teapots

Hello everyone!

So I wrote a super long post about feeling like a failure and complaining about Tuesday.  

But instead, I am going to tell you that I am grateful.  Grateful for the wonderful people in my life who support me and care about me and love me and let me be myself.  I hope everyone has those people and that even when the day kind of sucks they remember that.

So, some more gift ideas for those tea lovers, my mom and mother-in-law are two!  Links to the web are under the images so click away!

love,

Jess

Teapot Flower Pots

Cute Teapot print from etsy

For those that like fresh tea, really cute tea infuser

 

Teapots!

Feeling better and cute lamps

Happy Monday Everyone!

Honestly, I don't have much to post today.  I do have a post in the works, but the good news of today is that I worked for four hours!

This may not seem like a huge deal to most, who doesn't work at least four hours, right?  But after surgery and fighting to feel better, not getting tired after about two hours and being able to be at work and feel productive feels absolutely wonderful!

I am hoping that I have hit a sort of turning point and I will only start to feel better after this.  Everyone from my physical therapist to my fiance has been telling me that it takes six to eight weeks to even feel like a normal person after spinal fusion.

So hooray!  Wednesday is six weeks after surgery so maybe they were right!  I have a hard time listening to good advice.  I have always been stubborn.

On a different note, I have been dreaming of crisp letterpress pages and cute lamps lately.  Here is an adorable recycled lamp I have my eye on.  Maybe one day when i'm ridiculously wealthy I can buy it without a thought.

Until tomorrow...

Jess

Lovely Sunday Photograph

I had the opportunity to take some pet portraits for a dear family friend. She has two very large and pretty awesome golden doodles. I totally want one but we need a bigger yard! Hope everyone's weekend has been great.

Till tomorrow! Love, Jess

Inspiration: Gifts to Give

Christmas and Chanukah are right around the corner and if you are anything like me you have been browsing the internet rather obsessively looking for cool presents.  Meridyth and I are actually not buying presents this year.  Times are tough, as I sure they are for many of you, but that doesn't mean that I am not in the holiday spirit and that I can't look at all the amazing things I would like to buy for people!

Row One:  Cloud Mobile from GoshandGolly, Puzzle Piece Rug from Rosenberry Rooms, Dog Hat via Sweethoots
Row Two:  Awesome wall decal from CherryWalls, Paris Poster by Moxy Creative House
Row Three:  Urban graphic candles from RE-SURFACE, Adorable Moustache Ring from smilingsilversmith, stylish satchel from Urban Outfitters

Working through It even though I am all over the place

Hello lovelies!

I hope everyone is doing well out there tonight on this cold and rainy Thursday.  At least it's rainy in Maryland!

So, I've been gradually adding new items to my etsy shop.  Originally, I was going to only focus on quilled items since that it what I have been working on for the last few months and I figured it would be good to be a shop that focused on selling/showcasing one form of artwork.

However, like many people out there (I wonder if any of you are like me?) I get sidetracked, and bored, and damn't I like creating and sharing too many different types of things.

I know that businesses thrive, and maybe blogs too, when a person is focused.

For instance, so many of the wedding blogs I love focus on....you guessed it....Weddings!

Seems simple enough, right?  Figure out what you like to do, make, sell, etc...and then go for that with all your might.  I know, it is important for any new venture, for a person to figure out exactly what market they are trying to capture and what the goal is of what they are doing.

Uhhggg...truthfully I SUCK at keeping and maintaining one goal and being focused!  I love photography, I love to draw, I like to quill things, and you know what?  I really love medicine too and hope to one day work in that profession.

I have always been all over the place.  I was the girl in college who had 15 different majors by the end of my freshman year.  I am also the girl who reads about four or five books at a time because I can't focus on just one story.

So, right now my etsy shop is selling quilled art, original art, digital prints, and paper jewelry.  Maybe too much and too all over the place for a buyer to understand.  Yet, this is me!  I am all over the place!  I love and have energy for so many different things and I do a lot of different kinds of art!  This is what keeps me excited and exploring.

So, I am figuring, instead of trying to fight this trait in myself (I fight it quite often!) I will try to look at it as a good attribute and embrace this part of myself.  I am not exactly sure how to make this trait something that will be helpful instead of hurtful, but it's a process!

If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears!  So have a wonderful night, I am going to share with you my new print on LoveUPaperly, look for a new inspiration/love board tomorrow!

Love,

Jess

Blogs I love, Gift for Christmas, Wednesday Musings...

Hello Everyone!

Happy Wednesday!  I actually really love Wednesday's and I know not a lot of people do.  I feel like Wednesday is a day full of possibilities.  You can start to think about the weekend because you only have two days left of the work week!  You can congratulate yourself for working hard for three days and only having two days left to go, and I like to think on Wednesday that the week is still full of possibilities!  Not always easy, but since my neck surgery I have been trying to think of the glass as half full.

So that my lovelies is my Wednesday musing.  On to a christmas gift I bought Meridyth!  Meridyth and I are both artists.  I majored in black and white photography and fine art in college, and Meridyth minored in art and majored in Computer Science.  So, she needed/wanted a new pencil case because she loves to draw with graphite pencils.  I have been looking everywhere for a pencil tin with no luck.  I tried all the major chains and ebay and art stores.  Then I realized I didn't look at etsy!  So silly.  So I looked last night and found a man who sells handmade wooden pencil cases.  His name is Dallen Wright and his shop is Rexburbia.  Here is what I bought for Mer last night.  She was really excited!

Now onto some blogs that I follow pretty religiously.  One photographer whose blog I love reading is Katie Jane Photography.  I found her a few months ago because I love looking at elopement photography online.  Something about two people running away together and tying the knot just makes me swoon!  Well, she is a great photographer out of New York, and does a lot of elopements.  If you want some eye candy and people in love, I would definitely check her out. 

Another site that had me actually laughing out loud last night was The Knotty Bride.  I had never known this blog exsisted until last night and now that I do this is going to be a regular read!  She is sassy, and witty, and also talks about weddings!  Not for the meek of heart but I am a little bit in love.

Hope you enjoyed my musings for a Wednesday!  Until tomorrow...

love,

Jess

Dresses by Elie Saab

I am not a huge fashion girl. Don't get me wrong, I like to look cute, but I work in a doctors office so my outfit everyday is scrubs and the only jewelry I wear is my engagement ring.

Usually on the weekend I wear sweatpants and a t-shirts. So, getting married and planning a wedding let's me dream a little, and dream I do!

There are so many gorgeous dresses out there to wear for the wedding and the week that everyone is in town! While looking at the many blogs I read at night when I can't sleep because of my surgery, I have come across the designer Elie Saab. Where have I been that I had never heard of him?  He produces whimsical, lovely, magical dresses that make me swoon. Here are a few that I am swooning over. Gosh, they are gorgeous!

If I was born a dress I would like it to be made by Elie Saab!

I am a Tortoise

I spend a lot of time looking at things online.  Being a wedding photographer and lover of pretty things I love, love, love, sites like dwellinggawker or pinterest which lets me look at those pretty things in an easy space.  I also love looking at other wedding photographers blogs and this morning I found a Nashville wedding photographer that not only has amazing images, but also wrote something personal on her blog that really rang true.

The photographers name is Alex Bee, please check out her site if you haven't it's awesome, and she wrote something about being a tortoise instead of a firecracker.

When I read this I immediately thought to myself, this is me!

To me, being a tortoise means that accomplishing things is never easy.  Not only do I second guess myself, but there also seems to be so many roadblocks in the way.  I know a lot of people go through ups and downs, but have you ever looked at someone and just thought that even though they had to work to get what they wanted you bet you would have to work twice as hard for the same thing?

I honestly am not trying to be negative, but I have always been one of those people that things just never seem to fall into my lap.

To make a point to this post:  There are a lot of things in my life that feel hard right now.  I'm in pain from my surgery, I can only work a few hours a week, I'm questioning if my art is good enough to sell or if people will even like it, Meridyth is still looking for a job (she was let go from her company in August).  Things are hard and kind of suck.

Then I remember...I'm A Tortoise!  I go slow but will eventually find my way.  Remembering that not only gives me hope, but makes me smile.

So here's to all the tortoises out there!  May each of you find your way as slowly as you must!

love,

Jess

(Source: Demetri Martin)

Lovely Sunday Photographs

Every Sunday I am going to publish a pretty photo.  Sunday's are a bit of a conundrum in my world. You know in your head you still have all day until you have to go back to work tomorrow, so that is... lovely.  However, I usually get a case of the Sunday blues.  Sunday blues happen because I know I have to finish everything that I started so excitedly yesterday because I won't have the free time once Monday hits!

So, from this day onward, lovely sunday photographs will happen so that everyone can find  a little beauty in the day and maybe help it will help me beat the Sunday blues.

Below is a photo of the cupcakes I made from scratch for the first time!  The icing didn't work, but they tasted pretty good and sprinkles make everything look delectable.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Love,

Jess

Two items for sale!!!

Sooooo..... I did it! I listed two items for sale in my etsy shop. I do not think the listings are perfect. I know I need to learn so much about selling and how to list and make the photos pop, but I've been working hard and I am proud of the items. So much more to think about but after going to the super walmart with Meridyth at 7 am and holding my digital SLR (definitely more than 5 pounds!) I am going to watch Work of Art on Bravo and take a nap. Love, Jess

First Inspiration Board

So here are some goodies from around the web that I have been loving, I hope to make this a regular Friday occurance!  Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone!

Row 1:  Seating by Moda Collection from freshome.com, Closet into an office per countryliving.com , pretty pink fingerless gloves from etsy Tenderlove
Row 2:  Craft Room inspiration from Craftaholics Anonymous, Adorable handmade plush whale from The Craftinomicon, Gorgeous one of a kind craft from Deloris Petunia
Row 3:  DIY pompoms suggested by Honestly...WTF, Beautiful handmade fabric from Lauren Rossi in Philadelphia, Underwater hotel in Norway from Unusual Hotels of the World

progress, progress, progress

I had an allergy appointment today for my unusual allergic reactions.  Mer and I have been to the ER 5 times in the last month and the doctor's honestly have no idea what is going on.  It seems that IV benadryl and steroids are my best friends lately.  However, I love, love, love my allergist and she wears...wait for it...glitter, hot pink, chucks!  Amazing!  Oh, and she had a red hair extension in her hair today.  Quite possibly the coolest doctor ever.

After the appointment I was hurting a lot from my neck so I decided to go to Michael's, craft store therapy of course, to get some paper to mount my newest quilling creations I am working on because I would really like to start listing them in my etsy shop.  No one told me that the craft store was going to look like they were giving things away!  I think half of Maryland was playing hookey from work trying to get ready for the holidays!

Well, now I am home, and I just sprayed the quilling photos with matte spray to seal them.  I am also working on a sort of inspiration board of things I have loved this week.  Props to all of those bloggers out there that do inspiration boards all the time!  Not only are they time consuming, but making sure that each image is sited correctly is crazy!  I personally love the inspiration boards from the website http://snippetandink.com.  Check them out if you haven't yet, some are definitely drool worthy.

Here are some pictures of my progress!  Now on to ice the neck and take a pain pill!

Love,

Jessica

It's all in a name

So, a quick update about me. Went to PT this morning. It is semi torturous and semi fantastic. I love estim and ice! Also went to work for the first time in over a month. It was so good to see my coworkers and interact with living beings other than Meridyth and our cats!

As for the meat of the actual post I wanted to talk about the name of the shop and the blog. Loveupaperly is my take on loving something properly. I wanted the shop name to be catchy, but cute and I also wanted to take a piece of a good memory and use it.

My Grandma Lee who was my moms mom, always used to tell the grandkids to "love things properly". Meaning be respectful and grateful, and love the things and people in your life truthfully.

This shop and blog are a part of me living up to that statement. The art I am making and the objects that I want to sell all come from me loving things properly. So I promise to love things properly. Hence the name , loveupaperly. I had to also bring in my obsession with all things paper! Otherwise it just wouldn't be me!

Now, to sign off with a bit of eye candy via 1453designs. Vintage camera bookends! LOVE!

Pictures and Updates!

So I found a crappy point and shoot that my love Meridyth had and I put some new batteries in it to take some shots of what I have been working on.  They still need work, and to be sealed to make them shiny, but it's exciting to see some of my creations digitized.

This first one I am calling dreamscape.  Not done yet, but this is all hand quilled paper and the inspiration is taken from being driven home around sunset on a day when my healing was not going well.

This second one is a set of owl coasters I have been working on.  They need to be sealed and I am trying to decide if I want to sell them as a pair or make four to round it off.  The brown guy still needs some legs!

Lastly, is a personal pic, my cute kitty cat buddy who hasn't left my side while I haven't been feeling well, and often try's to eat my paper that I am rolling!

Hope everyone is having a lovely day, and I can't wait to pic up my Canon SLR again!

love,

Jessica

Bad Blogger!

So, I am going to blog. I really am. I am going to post pictures of all the goodies I am working on for my new etsy shop that so far has nothing for sale because my point and shoot camera is broken and I cannot lift my pro digital camera to take pictures because of my neck surgery! I am going to start working, going out of the house and not just to PT. One day I am not going to have ice on the back of my neck which is more swollen than it should be four weeks post op disectomy/neck fusion. I will be successful and a proud contributing creative member of society! But for now...I am going to heal and use ice and dream of paper quilling and pictures.

Love,

Jessica