We have a tradition at the Fly house. And we dubbed it Big Breakfast Saturdays. During the week, mornings are often rushed and breakfasts skipped, all while inhaling the daily jolt of caffeine. But on Saturdays we intentionally linger longer. We take the time to sit around the table in conversation and laughter while enjoying a big breakfast--and maybe devour a few more cups of coffee than usual. Admittedly, often it's more of a big brunch, the location changes, and sometimes we have a few extra people at whatever table we claim. But the tradition always ends in a full stomach and an even fuller heart. Maybe it's because breakfast food is my favorite, but I think the success of this little tradition is more because life and food are slowed down and savored around the table. 

It's with this thought in mind that I created these recipe cards. Well, that, and I was tired of keeping my recipes on scrap paper + notes in my phone. 

I hope you will use these cards to share recipes with loved ones, to savor slow meals, and to create your own traditions around the table.

For more information on the recipe cards, head over to the shop.

Welcome to the new and improved site! As much as I often fear change, sometimes it is inevitable and most of the time it is good. When I started this little business, I never imagined that it would take the path that it has and I couldn't be more excited about the direction it's going. But that's life. Full of twists and turns; never going the way you planned but always seeming to work out far beyond your expectations. 

You will see more paper products added to the shop and new branding around the improved site. However, the foundations of the business remain the same: simplicity, texture, handmade, and lots of love. My role remains as a maker of things that (hopefully) point to the Maker of all things. I hope you enjoy looking around, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or advice.

Thank you for your unfailing love and support! 

I have a different agenda than most retail companies.

I refuse to pretend that you have to buy my necklaces to be beautiful. If you buy my stationery or wear my bracelets, it will probably not solve problems or make you feel loved. You are already beautiful beyond comparison and loved beyond your imagination. 

But if one of my products helps you feel beautiful or points you to His endless love, that’s when this little business’s big dreams will be reached. If one of my designs starts conversations and opens doors, that’s when I’ll dance around the kitchen in reassurement that this business-owning adventure has purpose. If one of my downloads brightens someone’s day or reminds people to fix our eyes on Jesus, then I will keep making them with joy in my heart because it is so much more than a wallpaper background.

And maybe my business agenda is full of naïveté. But as I sit here sipping my second cup of coffee this morning, I can’t help but think that maybe every dream needs a little bit of childish expectation. Like a kid on Christmas Eve, hoping to receive an extravagant gift the next morning.

And maybe businesses should wish for more than making a few bucks off of work they don’t believe in, more than capitalizing off consumers they don’t care about. I don’t want to fit in with those mere monetary-concerned companies.

So I keep creating with passion, in hopes that this little business will fulfill its greater purpose.

And I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. 

I started out the weekend with a cold. I absolutely hate being sick. The degrees of sickness are irrelevant; I turn into a big baby and curl up with a blanket and write love songs to NyQuil. I eat comfort foods and wear my comfort clothes. For me, that means eating cereal every other meal and sporting an old college t-shirt which has exactly three holes and two stains. Since I was fighting this horrid cold (sidenote: sometimes I like using words like horrid and chap because it makes me feel British and sophisticated. I neither am British nor sophisticated), I was perfectly content to sit on the sofa in my old t-shirt and yoga pants and read my new book Friday through Sunday. But my husband reminded me that we originally planned to go on a picnic over the weekend. We planned this picnic as a date night and because summer was slipping away without us doing many summer-y activities.

So this past weekend I forfeited my sick day activities for a little while as we tried to hang onto summer. Since I actually wasn’t feeling very well and the heat was lethal outside, we decided to have the picnic in proximity to tissues and air conditioning. We waited until it cooled off a little, laid a blanket on the back porch, lit candles, and fixed sandwiches. We sipped sweet tea out of mason jars while listening to James Taylor and counted our blessings. And I am so glad my love songs to NyQuil were temporarily interrupted because a picnic on the porch was the perfect tribute to summer’s end. 

The best parts of life happen in the interruptions.

Sources: 1/2/3/4

I am finishing up the fall 2014 designs, and I can't wait to share the new jewelry and stationery with everyone! In the meantime, I thought I would share this moodboard that acts as inspiration for this collection. Just as in the photos above, the new designs are filled with texture, natural materials, and --of course-- simplicity.

If we sat down for coffee, I would probably tell you about my summer. I would laugh as I told you about the time the boat died in the middle of the lake and how we paddled with skis back to the boat house. We would discuss the books we've read and how I am shamelessly re-watching all of Gilmore Girls in my spare time. I would show you pictures of the beautiful places I was able to see and share in amazement at God's creation.

So how does a coffee date sound? Pour a fresh cup, pull up a seat, and allow me to tell you a little about the adventures this summer held.

First we retreated to Highlands, North Carolina where the small downtown is as charming and captivating as the mountains surrounding it. We went on hikes of exploration with our pup, ate the best local ice cream, and listened to the sound of raindrops fall rhythmically on the tin roof.

Then we were off to more mountains in Blue Ridge, GA where we stayed at a quaint bed & breakfast. I sipped coffee on the front porch and saw breathtaking views from 6,000 feet above ground. And I was filled with amazement at the Lord's artistic strokes of lush green and deep blues. 

After all of the driving north, we finally headed south to the place where I have spent most of my summers, the place I always find myself aching for like a long lost friend. This house has character with a bright red door and little white fence, where the screen door slams in announcement of another soul's exodus to the white sand and salty air. I awoke with the sun's return and walked to the old donut shop, devouring the most delicious red velvet donut only minutes later. I paddled out into the ocean, straining my eyes to see where the ocean meets the sky; then laughed and tumbled amidst the waves back to shore. I read Steinbeck while digging my toes into the sand, glancing up often in an attempt to soak in the spectacular view. 

For the final trip of the summer, we drove north once again, past the white-haired men selling peaches and peanuts, past the big red barns dressed proudly with the stars and stripes, and past the little white churches all in a row. The winding dirt roads brought us to the cedar shake cottage right on the lake. We cast lines off the floating dock while I thought of Thoreau's insight: Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. We rode the boat until the lake ended and watched the sun set beneath the mountains, where its light shone in magnificent rays before dipping into its resting place, and you could almost hear the heavens shouting the majesty and mercy of the Father.

In each of these trips, my heart is full of wonder at the Lord's creativity in all of His creation. And I reflect on how this summer has been a time for growth and discovery. A time for learning and healing.  A time for adventure.

Thanks for taking a coffee break with me.