I'm in Aspen, Co right now! I'm exicited to post a little gallery of my trip in a day or two.  But for now, here is a really cool indie shop to check out...it's called RedVelvetArt.com.  They have a really great blog....I like to check out what these chicks are up to every few days. :D

Love Anthropologie...but hate their prices? Check out ShopRuche.com!  Support small busniess owner and founder, Mai Olivo, and find great clothes at affordable prices.  This shop has it all clothes, accessories, and inspirations.  I went gaga over the cream and white background below and found a DIY Wonderland post about it on their blog.  Hmm...could this be a something I incorporate into my wedding?  

I've been wanting to freshen my website up for months, but lacked the motivation and time.  This week my students are preparing their final portfolio websites so I had to get down to business and get my site ready as an example for them.  I use www.Weebly.com to build my website and teach my students how to use it too.  It's relatively easy to use, I find the key to breaking free of the templates Weebly provides, is having a solid Photoshop background and understanding a bit of CSS.  

Although there are design elements I am still refining, I would love to get some feedback on the new look of my site? Tell me what you think...honesty is appreciated...both good and bad.

For Christmas, Grant and I opted out of buying individual gifts and decided to get ourselves a juicer.   We have been using it regularly the past month.  It's been fun experimenting and getting physiqued up on different fruit and veggie combinations.  Our staples have been carrot, apple, ginger and then whatever else we have in the house...sometimes celery, beets, kale, spinach.  This week's new ingredient has been grapefruit, because Grant scored a free bagful on a trip he took last weekend.  Usually we end up throwing a concoction together 5 minutes before I have to run out the door.  My students have taken notice to the colorful creations...so I decided to keep a weeks' worth of cups and take a pic. :D  

In the past few weeks, I've been busy with wedding plans.  I don't want to write about it too much, so instead here are some of my inspiration pictures! :D

Two weeks ago, Grant and I gutted out our storage room, which is attached to the outside of our house.  We had  acquired A LOT of stuff in just 3 years...we sold what we could in a garage sale and donated a good portion to goodwill...the remaining items are in piles on our back patio as they await their final destiny.   It was a refreshing feeling to clean out the space together.  We decided to take the newly emptied room & divided it down middle.  Grant put his boards and camping gear neatly on one side and on the other I made a mini showroom for moxie shop.  I have fabric folded on the shelves and bags on display.   It is such a fun space to walk into now!  There is still some work to be done, but it is really good start.  Take a look.  

This week my students are working on a multi-media project.  I have been introducing them to artists who work with mixed media.  Some of the artists have included, Julian Schnabel, Dolan Gieman, Dustin Ortiz and Michael Cutlip. I have a special affinity for Michael Cutlip's work.  I think it is the child-like feeling it gives me and the fact that I can create a narrative from each of his paintings.  I picked a handful of my favorite pieces of Cutlips and put together the image below...hope you enjoy it. 

I love the start of a new year!  Grant and I have a lot to forward to this year.  We will be getting married, he will be buying new camera equipment (he is a photographer and is sooo stoked), our dogs should be mellowing out (as they will both be turning 3!), we are going to try and grow the line of Rais Cases, and most importantly we are both in a state of mind of be grateful for all the we have.  Here are a some other things on my radar for 2011:

Lune Vintage
A bohemian-vintage style blog and shop that is to die for!  There are lots of great DIY projects and inspirations for those who are into this aesthetic. 

Pedlars 
A UK based shop that has it all- decor, vintage finds, clothing, camping gear and it's all got a fantastic stylish flair
Not On The High Street: 

Not On The High Street
Another UK based company, this site is sort of the same as ETSY.  Hundreds of unique vendors sell there wares through this site.  There are some great gifts, such as this clever mug for $15 (pounds)...sort of expensive...but very cool. 

My Black Book
This is a great blog with LOTS of inspiration.  There is no 'about' section, so I don't know who the author of this blog is, but whoever it is sure has great sense of style.  It's worth bookmarking this site. 

Tis the season for: family, friends, food (Skyline!), shopping, snow, and such!  Here are some snap shots from my trip back home to Ohio. :)