** Happiness Is...**

A Harp, A Baby, & A Cat

Seattle-based photographer, Jenny J, took these family shots of her old friends with a new baby in their own home. They make my heart swell. Music, love, and cats. What more do you need in life?  :)


{Images by Jenny J}

6 Modern Artist Studios In The Middle of Nowhere

Technically, they're in the middle of somewhere... Fogo Island, Newfoundland. But these modern geometric artist studios, set against dramatic remote landscapes, seem like the only shelter on earth.

I'm greatly affected by my surroundings and I just know that if one of these studios were mine, I'd be inspired enough to record 3 albums, write 2 books, create 5 art projects and compile a year's worth of blog posts in a matter of weeks! How about you?  

{Images via It's Nice That by Saunders Architecture}

Sending Out The Invites

We're finally getting the invitations out this weekend, hurrah! Guests, we thank you for your patience and we hope you think they're worth the wait. Hal designed, wood block printed, and letterpressed them himself and I'll be packaging them up pretty and hand-addressing the envelopes. Then it's off to the post office. There's something sort of scary about mailing them out. It means it's happening. We're really doing this!  :)

Have a super weekend, darlings. Please enjoy the links...

A rice crispy treat wedding cake.

Awesome chalkboard maps.

Cat lovers: your new favorite app.

DIY water bottle chandeliers.

Vintage Volkswagon van tents.

Cool cross-stitched portraits.

A washi tape dress.

Teeny tiny food sculptures.

Guess what's the most satisfying food?

Lovely calligraphy necklaces.

And some posts of mine you may have missed...

• Illustrated Wedding Invitations
• Barefoot Sandals
• DIY - Clever Upside Down Racks

{Images by Anne Robin}

A Sneak Peak of Our Wedding Movie

This will probably be the first of many posts about Katia, the director of our wedding movie. She's a brilliant photographer and videographer from Mexico who I've been communicating with for months over email. When we finally met and spent 2 full days together this past weekend, I discovered she's just as talented, sweet and funny in person. Plenty more on her later, but I squealed with delight when she sent over these sneak peak stills. They turned out so dreamy. I can't wait to see the first edit!


{Images by Katia Herrera}

Foodzie Tasting Boxes

Has anyone subscribed to Foodzie yet? You get to choose between 3 gourmet specialty tasting boxes each month and a new assortment of hand-selected artisan treats will be delivered to your doorstep. I'm particularly enthused about their themed cooking boxes, like Date Night and Movie Night. Shown above is Spring Brunch, with waffle & pancake mix, lemon curd, marinated goat cheese, maple syrup and butterhorn pastries.

P.S. Thank you, Summer, for the heads up!


{Images via Foodzie}

A Beautiful Seattle View

Summer has arrived early in Seattle. We've had consecutive days of 75-80 degree weather with a perfectly cooling breeze. Yesterday evening, Hal and I went to our first barbecue of the year on the roof of this pretty lady's apartment building.

There's Lake Union, the Downtown skyline and the Fremont bridge all in one incredible 180 degree view. My camera didn't capture Mount Rainier in the top image, but it was visible in the distance, clear as day. Only thing missing is the Space Needle, which lies just off to the right behind the hill. Sigh, I love my city. Can you tell?  :)

Movie Making

We did a little movie making over the weekend and had such fun filming. It still needs to be edited, but the plan is to screen it at the wedding.

The whole process took me back to grade school, filming cheesy home videos with my brother over the summer. We thought they were sooo good at the time. I need to dig them out and watch them again for a laugh. Did you ever make home movies as a child?


{Images via: 1. Classic Film TV; 2. Urban Bound}

Mothers

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us, when adversity takes the place of prosperity, when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us, when trouble thickens around us, still she will cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.

 - Washington Irving

Happy Mother's Day weekend. I hope you're able to spend some quality time with a special mama in your life. Enjoy the links, my loves...

3 plants that help you sleep.

Make a mirror out of plastic spoons.

The cutest animal pocket knife.

A gown for the minimalist bride.

The most stylish canoe.

9 things you should make with leather.

A very important life skill.

British LEGO birds.

Turn your photos into clothes.

Music is alive!

And some posts of mine you may have missed...

• Your House
• Beachcombing
• Romper Season

{Image via The Glow by Kelly Stuart}

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a magnificent private estate in Scotland, owned by architect, Charles Jencks. He opens it to the public only one day a year! The landscape was designed to blend precise science and mathematics with the chaos of nature, integrating fractals, black holes, the Fibonacci sequence and a giant DNA helix. Wouldn't you love to visit?


{Images via Kuriositas by Paulus Maximus}

Trashing A Dress

I've never really understood the whole "trash the wedding dress" concept. Why ruin a gown you spent so much money on? But my opinion has changed after seeing these joyful photos of Bre. This red dress is the actual dress she wore during her Paris elopement.

Would you ever trash a dress for fun?


{Images via The Bride's Cafe by Rebekah Hoyt}

Little Books For Big Ideas

I'm an ideas girl. I'm sure I drive my family nuts with my grandiose plans and brilliant-to-me schemes. Recently, I've been struggling with this side of myself, trying to figure out why I'm like this, and if it's more of a burden than gift. After reading the book, Refuse To Choose, I was relieved to learn that there's a name for people like me. I'm a "scanner". A highly creative person with a special type of mind that doesn't zero in on a single interest but rather scans the horizon, eager to explore and do absolutely everything they find fascinating.

The author recommends that scanners keep a journal to record their ideas, because every idea should be cherished no matter how silly or far-fetched. While this solution isn't ground-breaking, the simple act of writing down all your ideas will organize your thoughts and give you peace of mind. Searching around for a good journal, I came across these darling pocket-sized notebooks called Scout Books with customizable insides and covers. The Weaver House used them to make their own Like No Other books for recording dreams, passions and projects.

What about you? Do you consider yourself a scanner too? Do you have one strong easily identifiable career path, or a gazillion?  :)

P.S. I cannot thank you enough for your encouraging emails and comments on yesterday's post. Now I know I made the right choice. I feel lighter than air, just knowing you will be here for me always. xo


{Images via Scout Books by The Weaver House}

Staying Afloat

My loves, I knew this time would come, but I'm afraid it's happening sooner than anticipated. It may seem like everything is perfect in Shannon land, since I only blog about things that make me happy. But in all honesty, I've been drowning emotionally. With the wedding planning, work, family, and some recent personal issues, my stress level is through the roof. Which defeats the entire purpose of Happiness Is. No matter what I do, I can't quite keep my head above water.

This blog will stay alive, but I need to cut back. Since 2009, I've been posting 3x every weekday. I knew it was an ambitious schedule and I don't know how I adhered to it for as long as I did. From here on out, or at least until my life slows down, I'll only be posting once a day. I hope you'll forgive me! I realize I may lose some readers with this change, but I guess I'll have to take that risk. I appreciate your continued and loyal support over the past few years. This blog would be nowhere without you. xo


{Image via B Tru Yoga by Daan Verhoeve}

Fiesta Time

Happy Cinco de Mayo weekend! Do you have any fiesta plans? I'll be taking a little drive down to Portland with some girlfriends. I've been working so hard lately, it will be a nice break.

This particular holiday always gives me warm fuzzies. Probably because of my fond memories of Mexico. I have visions of tacos with cilantro, Pacificos with lime, and chips with guac & cotija dancing in my head.

Have a good one, mis amigos! Here are your weekend links...

One I love you per day.

A pretty pink wedding dress. 

Would you wear invisible shoes?

A cityscape made of stacked books.

Tangerine peel animals.

The IKEA cardboard digital camera.

A message at the Sacre Coeur.

10 tasty homemade ice pops.

DIY wooden bridal spoons.

A round-themed birthday party.

And some posts of mine you may have missed...

• Trees That Draw
• Beauty In The Abandoned
• Save-The-Date Bag o' Clues

{Pre-image via Style Me Pretty by Sarah Yates}

An Outdoor Living Room

Lounge, dine, soak, play and entertain all in one fresh outdoor living space. I don't think I'd ever go inside.


{Images via AT by Alicia Blas}

Nature Goddess Headpieces

For me, what brides wear on their head is just as important as what they wear on their body. I've been searching for the perfect bridal headpiece to match my gown, and I think I found it. I think. Nothing as wild as above, but somewhat similar in aesthetic. And that's all I can reveal!  :)

Did you or will you wear a headpiece, hairpiece, or veil on your wedding day? What did or will it look like?


{Images via FGR by Paul de Luna for Mojeh}