Yet another reason to love June

We wait all year for the few weeks that the peonies are in bloom. What a flower!

I'll have what she's having.

"Though Nora had no delusions about being forever young—she famously felt bad about her neck, concealing it beneath turtlenecks and scarves (though, honestly, it was a perfectly pleasant neck to look at)—she remained forever curious, engaged, out on the prowl. That’s what was amazing about her. She never fell into that older person’s trap: that closed feedback loop of the same old friends, the same old war stories, the same old movies, the same old DVR’d programs, the same old recipes, the same old restaurants. In every sense, she stayed hungry."

Enjoy this short and humorous tribute to Meryl Streep by Nora at her best. 

To women, "Be the heroine of your life, not the victim."

You should know! A catch-up compendium.

You should know!

Mary Ann Moss is sharing her extremely funky and bright hand-designed labels for download at a mere pittance here. 

Both Mary Ann and her sister Carol have inspiring blogs I read regularly. They are a kick. They cheer me up.  Each of  them are witty, creative, and photographic. PLUS! they travel worldwide, blogging their travels and their cool journals. You should get to know the Moss girls if you already haven't.

Tall Tales from Kansas:

Dispatch from LA:

I am loving the online workshops taught by Kim Klassen. She has a beautiful blog that shows off her talent for photography and is an expert in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. I enrolled in her Photoshop Essentials class a while back but am now just immersing myself in it, because I opted for an extra permanent access cost, well-worth it to learn at one's leisure and have for reference. I am finally getting a grip on Elements through beautifully-explained videos, dozens of them to guide you through, a very extensive class. I am learning so much. Took a one-day class once that cost twice as much and learned nothing that stuck. Kim has an easy-going pleasant demeanor, the videos masterfully done, and I am using the pause click often to practice as I go. If you would like to get  a better handle on Photoshop at any level, I doubt you'll find a better place. (Totally unsolicited recommendation.)

More labels: Vintage office ones available here, a free download. I found out about them on Pinterest (here's my page), which opens up a floodgate of ideas and resources every time I visit.

Nora on Meryl

Journals of the famous

For those who like to peek inside the diaries and journals of others: some journals of the famous here and a dandy archive of visual ones here (the latter a whole dang site of 'em). Here's one:

From Sophie Valenti's sketchbook

Days go so fast. Want to share photos and dabblings from the past few weeks but in a bit of an art funk. Nothing works, nothing looks good, blahblahblah. It will pass. See you then.