7.07.2021

a hello from julia, some music, and more!




Hi Everyone! Julia here, a quick pop in to say hi because I haven't in a while and it feels like a good time to chat.  How are you all doing?  We are doing pretty good at the shop - it's been quite busy for us in person lately as well as the online shop - we truly can't thank you enough. It's been an interesting transition from the past year to not seeing many folks at all to seeing all your lovely faces again, we missed you!



Lately, I have been taking intermittent time away from instagram and pausing - we are focusing more on our mailing list and other avenues of "rennes outreach" as I'm not sure what else to call it?!  Some days I really miss just sharing my random internet finds or music or what have you, so I thought I might start again via this blog.  Elyse has done a great job on here keeping you all updated on the fun comings and goings in the shop.   I also enjoy updating our pinterest account - Other things we've considered - vlogging!  Hey, it's could be fun!  Speaking of vlogs, one I have really been enjoying the past few months I found via Elyse, Brittany Bathgate - who ironically seems to share random clothing obsessions or random thoughts that Elyse and I both share!  

Here are some random things I've been up to lately:

Watching : Just finished watching Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  It's a light hearted fun adventure tale with lots of humor and good vibes.  I also just watched the second season of Lupin after having really loving the first season a year ago.  I highly recommend both of these.

Listening to : Mainly a random youtube assortment - the past year has been a lot of Otava Yo, a Russian folk band with lots of fun and playful music videos, especially this one, which reminds of some of the illustrations by our new favorite brand, aseedoncloud - I swear they must have influenced one another!  Also I have this on repeat at home frequently.  I used to play the bagpipes in highschool, so their music makes me want to pick this up again, or uilleann pipes.  I also discovered a "joke" genre of music remakes last summer called bardcore, which is funny and surprisingly good.  

Reading: I can't say I've done this much but my most recent read is by David Suchet and called Behind the Lens.  I have always admired his acting and how deeply he gets into character, and this book was about his lifelong love of photography and how he approaches his job / life / everything.  I found it rather touching and relatable.   Also, I'm in the middle of  Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life, which I just picked up at McNally Jackson this past weekend.  This book has put into words so many things I have been thinking about the past year.  

Hiking / Walking : Again, a recent find (pictured above) is the Stroud Preserve, which is about 50-60 minutes from Philly.  We went on a rainy day, which then turned sunny.  We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves.  Definitely going back this weekend or next, if the heat breaks.



Gardening: Our blueberry bushes always start to ripen June through July, and each one ripens at a different rate - the biggest one is always last and is ripening now - if it wasn't for all those mosquitos we'd be in the backyard all the time picking!

And that's all for now, talk to you all soon!