I took a week off from the ol’ day job over the holidays, and, um, guys -IT WAS AWESOME. I always look forward to the end of year because I finally get a break and an opportunity to get caught up on stuff. Anyone else do this, too?

Beer and nachos were consumed, loads of tea and coffee was imbibed, new hats were crocheted, my massive 2011 weaving project was (mostly) completed, vintage books were acquired, two books were devoured on the kindle, cookies were baked, prosecco was drunk, documentaries were watched, new things were added to the shop, delicious meals made by Brannan were devoured, the horse was ridden, and lots, and lots of R&R time was had.

And yes, I documented a bunch of this on the blog’s instagram account. Can’t help it. (Anabela (aka Fieldguided) clued me into the PicFrame app that let’s you collage a bunch of photos together, like I’ve done here.) Happy 2012 everyone!

Why yes, yes I am on a tan kick. Looking at my Wear Board on pinterest lately it’s become pretty obvious I’ve a fixation. I think it has something to do with trying to add a little visual warmth to the supremely uninspiring lack of colour in the winter landscape. Whatever the unconscious reason, I’m liking it

I don’t know about you guys, but to say I’m burned out on the internet and its endless cycle of memes would be an understatement. I’ve become really selective about what I read and make sure it’s content diverse. Also, now that we’ve managed to get the majority of our new arrivals finally up, I’m back to my own creative pursuits, which thankfully doesn’t require being on the computer for long stretches.

This isn’t to say I’m not still toodling around online I’m just trying to find things that haven’t been posted to death. Recently, through a random search, I came across the Library of Congress’s online Flickr account and their Photochrom Travel Views set featuring travel photos from 1890 – 1900 (Photochrom process described here). It’s seriously like a travel vacation for my eyes! While they don’t have a large selection of photos, what they do have is really nice, so be sure to have a look.

I’ve been MIA thanks to the ol’ day job again. We’ve a two week straight survey trip in New Mexico so that means no new arrivals this week. However, I come bearing a few instagramed photos of some cool sights I get to see while I’m hammering away at the work. (Check out the bull’s head in the rock photo below.) The weather has been just ace – even a little too warm for surveying. I’ll be back in the groove hopefully by next Monday!