a little soundtrack: eric hutchinson

The motion graphics in this video illustrate the music beautifully and make me want to get up and groove. Enjoy!

sugar paper

Here's my video fix for the week, and it incorporates all that I love about letterpress! It is an introductory video for Sugar Paper in Los Angeles. I love the sweeping shots of the piles of paper and envelopes, the spinning flywheel of a press, and the bright red spread of ink near the end. Artistry and love is truly in the details.

secrets from a stylist

I've been totally obsessed with HGTV Emily Henderson's blog as of late, I enjoy her quirky writing style and lovely resource lists for all the rooms she designs for her show Secrets From a Stylist. She is seriously talented and actually gives useful tips for styling our own rooms at home. And her unstuffy delivery is refreshingly un-HGTV!

It has been a great jump starter for me to rethink how I decorate and what choices I can make for our own home. Here's to starting small! So far this is what is on my list:

• Choose and purchase art for the dining room wall (I talked about that here)
• Find simple and classic lighting for our dining area
• Find a child-friendly storage ottoman to replace our wrought iron and wood coffee table UPDATE: We just scored ourselves a new cream tufted ottoman today! Yes!
• Find new drapery in a lighter color (currently we have wine colored velvet curtains)

So far I've been trolling good ol' Craiglist every single day just waiting for the right listings to come up (I have a few search terms that I always employ), and I do believe that good things come to those who wait ... and by the end of the summer I'm aiming to complete this decor to-do list! I only have a few weeks to go, so here's to getting myself going! Yay!

weekday adventures

Although I sometimes miss the community of working at a company, I love going on adventures with my little girl during the weekdays. Our home is sandwiched between two downtown areas and it's lovely to walk and explore the hidden gems that are right outside our door. We even discovered a small organic farm in our city and bought purple basil and apricots to bring home!

Spending time with my little love is the absolute best.

image via mike's table

renegade craft fair sf 2011

2011 was my third year of attending the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco, and this year was exceptional! Lots of loveliness to look at, and it forced me to be very thoughtful about my purchases. Otherwise known as self-control! All in all, I love being inspired by other people's work. Don't you think to yourself - I wish I had been genius enough to think of THAT? That definitely rings true for the wooden alphabet bunting below by Figs and Ginger. I purchased some bunting for my daughter's room, two delicate gold and leather bracelets for myself, and a bicycle birdie screenprint for our home.

Other vendors featured: Thief and Bandit (jersey necklaces), Diament Designs (delicate bracelets), Strawberry Luna (cute and affordable screenprints)

giving is good

I am so inspired by this image that I came across on the Passion City Church blog. It's an open shipping container with a mini classroom inside it. This is part of a movement to collect backpacks full of school supplies for kids in need around their community. I love the sign that says backpack + supplies = happiness!

It inspires me to help in big and small ways to make a difference, and I hope it inspires you too. Fun!

letterpress app

I love how technology is helping to spread the word about letterpress and the process behind it! Sure, most of the folks I encounter still need an explanation about what letterpress is, but we're making strides every day. Here's an awesome example of that with a letterpress app for the iPad! It uses a vintage Vandercook (like my press) and scans of real wooden type to print faux broadsides. Amazing. I can't wait to test it out.



I don't think I ever updated on my blog about what I've been up to with letterpress, but we just finished designing a wedding suite for a rustic western wedding at a ranch. I can't wait to photograph all the pieces and post them up. It was a great experience, and there's more ahead! Until then, enjoy the video.

mr. stache

I was just browsing Amazon when I happened upon this free short film that won the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival for the Short Film Category. It's called Mr. Stache and it's quite worth the 10 or so minutes it takes to watch it. Funny, cute and clever. I mean, who can resist a 'stache? They're great for storing leftovers to enjoy later. Enjoy!

parenting methods

Although my little one is still very young, I often wonder what it will be like when she learns to express her own opinion and will. What will she say to me? What happens when she doesn't want to obey? What kind of response will I give her?

My hope is that it will be one of love, but also full of wisdom for what will help her to grow. And I'm sure that sometimes, probably most of the time, it will be a hard process. So I like to take methods and advice I've heard and file it away in my own personal parenting memory bank. You know, for future usage.

Recently, a friend told me that her sister purchased a Nintendo DSi for her kids, but let them know that it was her DSi and that they are only allowed to earn play time on it. So it does not belong to either of them, but instead it is something they must work for the privilege of using. They are not allowed to fight for it and do not become glued to it because it belongs to Mom and Dad. Genius! They do chores and help out around the house in exchange for DSi minutes - then once they start playing, they must set an egg timer with the allotted minutes. Once the timer goes off, they must turn off the device themselves. Consistency with this method is key, but I love that the kids are the ones that must have self-control and the parents are there to offer accountability. There are so many lessons to learn in this!

Another similar method that I've read about is Mom Bucks (you could probably make this Mom and Dad Bucks). I remember a teacher in elementary school that used this with our class, and it was great for incentives and offered positive reinforcement. It's very simple - the kids earn bucks by contributing around the house, helping put away groceries, cleaning their rooms, and the like. Parents give them paper money in $1 or $5 increments. As a reward, they can turn their bucks in for fun events like a trip to Jamba Juice or the movies. Or they can turn in their bucks for real cold, hard cash (3 Mom Bucks = whatever cash exchange rate you like!). This seems like an effective tool - much better than the sticker charts or regular allowance - it seems to have more staying power.

Well, we'll see how it all goes, my prayer above all is that as a family we will communicate openly, clearly and lovingly to one another with patience and understanding ... Until then, one step at a time. My child has barely begun to crawl yet! How the time flies.

Extra note: a list of interesting random mom tips I found from Parenting here.
Image from here

blank walls

I have a confession to make - for the last five, almost six years of living in our home ... I've hardly put any artwork on the walls. And honestly for me, it's a travesty! Okay, maybe not that tragic, but you know what I'm saying. Can I even call myself remotely creative when I have nothing on my walls? Okay, save for a photo print of trees that someone gave us for a wedding gift and a photo rope filled with baby announcements and wedding save-the-dates in the kitchen. A friend from college once said "blank walls are the sign of a blank mind," a statement that I don't necessarily agree with, but it sure does make for some boring decor!

So lately I've been pinning artwork on one of my Pinterest boards to try to nail down a style or look that I like, and I realize why my walls have been so blank all these years! I have a fear of commitment - "print commitment" if you will. A hilarious concept, really. I'm afraid that what I put up there is going to be there forever and an inaccurate representation of who we are. And I think I just need to bite the bullet and get hammering! These photo hanging strips will help me with my commitment-phobia so I can change things out more easily if that Magritte/Super Mario print doesn't tickle my fancy anymore (which in fact, it doesn't!).

Here are a few art prints I've been eyeing:

This first one is from the American Cancer Society and is by Andrew Bannecker. It's called "Wish."

It is a great tribute to the fight against cancer, which I'm all for.

I love the rustic wood type print and colors in this next print by normatstudio and I'd love to create something like this with another saying.

This print has a great sentiment and I love the hand drawn words.

My summer project will be to get some art and photography up on the walls, and hopefully in the coming posts you'll see the final layout. Whether or not these works of art will make it, well, that's another story!

easter reflections

Hope you had a lovely Easter weekend, friends! We had a great time at two weddings (hubby and daughter went to one, I went to the other) on Saturday and then took off for a night and a day at the beach house! Some sweet family friends offered it, so we took them up on the generous gift. Though it was very very windy at the coast, it was still beautiful.

So beautiful that I got up to take it all in! If you know me, I'm a woman who loves her sleep ... but even so I found myself wanting to sit by the waves even in the early morning hours. So while everyone else was asleep, I snuck out to the beach and sat on a driftwood log to enjoy the waves and gulls in the foggy gray. It was a perfect way to think on and reflect on the true meaning behind Easter. Not all the eggs and bunnies, but of Christ's love for us. As a new mom, I feel like I have a better understanding of the sacrificial and pure love that God has for us, at least in a small way. Each night before I put Norah to bed, I look down at her in my arms and I am overcome by love. It's nothing like I've ever known. All my life I've chosen to love others -- my husband, my friends, even my family. It is a conscious decision to love them. But when I look at her, something just stirs within me when I see the child that I've carried inside and given birth to. She is someone that I immediately loved and had no choice about loving. The love I have for her just IS. It is full and deep and hits me right at the core of my heart. When they placed her on my chest after she took her first breath, I was moved straight to tears. I could not hold them back, and from that moment on, she was the most precious thing to me.

So I can't even wrap my mind around how much God loves us! Or that He would give His Son! It is overwhelming. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you.

cinemagraphs

I've been a big fan of photographer Jamie Beck since discovering her beautiful tumblr blog, From Me to You over a year ago. Recently she started creating these photo + video combinations that she calls cinemagraphs, which are totally awesome animated gifs. But about 200 times better. Remember those horribly garish ones from the 90's? Yeah, these are not like those at all.

They are still photographs with objects or subjects that subtly move and give way to a moment in time. It is super brilliant and so interesting. I think it's innovative and I wonder if other photographers are going to pick up on it! See the collection of cinemagraphs here, and read an interview with Jamie and her fiance Kevin about the concept here. Beware, it does take a little time to load the gifs, but it is very worth it. And some of them will creep you out, they are so real.

Here are two of my favorites (look at her skirt in the second one!).

a little soundtrack: april chase

My friend mentors a band called April Chase and they just released their new EP, Still Breathing. Consisting of young students from my alma mater, this alternative pop rock band has some infectious melodies and a great female lead singer. I love her indie style and her voice, which sometimes reminds me of a younger Gwen Stefani with a cleaner edge.

One of my favorite songs is Time Won't Tell, which is especially wonderful as an acoustic number. Check out this fantastic music video shot by some talented buddies over at The Mighty Fifty. I love music Tuesdays. Stream their entire EP here.

April Chase - Time Won't Tell (Live Performance) from The Mighty Fifty on Vimeo.

martha stewart spring ipad videos

Erin Jang is so talented! For her art director position at Martha Stewart Living she has been coming up with these short and crafty iPad videos that are very inspiring. Whether it's stop motion origami, disappearing chocolates, or swirly and colorful soap suds, it's neat to see a lighter side to Martha. And the music selection is pretty great too.

friday photo: hot hot hot!

It's been so hot lately ... it was just 80 degrees today! No complaints here, we are breaking out the shorts and flip flops with glee! This photo was taken last summer during a trip to Seattle to visit our cousins (good times!), and the heading is quite appropriate. Note the preggo belly as well.

Well, we're headed off to farmer's market tomorrow, have fun playing wherever you are!

designing away

Okay, I'm totally behind on blogging, but I'm going to do my best to keep it up -- at least weekly! Lots has been going on lately ... mostly by way of design projects that have been cropping up. I've had at least 1-2 a week! Exciting.

A baby shower invitation and decorations for the event, a wedding invitation, a t-shirt design for our church youth group, and the cover of a songbook! Fun fun fun. I can't show all of the designs here yet, but here are two:

a baby shower invitation for my best friend

a t-shirt design commissioned by our church youth group, art directed by me

I am loving the design process for these events - each idea is very organic, and sometimes I find myself getting an idea after a night of sleep. It's quite refreshing to see them come to fruition with some sketching and reworking. My little notebook is filled with ideas, and some of them may not become a reality, but I like that other projects ride on the wake of those little thoughts. Sometimes it's difficult to be consistently creative and challenge yourself to think out of the box, especially when there is so much swirling around the internet. I feel blessed that there is so much creativity spilling forth right now. More to come!

pray for japan

I have a confession. I've been remiss in watching the news lately, though I've heard of and know the severity of the quake and tsunami, I couldn't bring myself to see the devastation for fear of becoming paranoid about a pending disaster here. But yesterday I really wanted to sit down and watch the videos and see the faces of the people I am praying for, so I pulled up the videos and just took it all in.

Sadness overwhelmed me, and I thought of all those who are looking for their loved ones in anticipation. I would never want that for anyone ... and I pray that in this time of sorrow and loss, that the Japanese people would find hope. Hope in God's great love and grace! May He hold them in His arms and give them strength to keep pressing on.

Praying for Japan like crazy.

image above from elderweiss

a little soundtrack: rolling in the deep

My daughter's middle name is Adele, and I am so glad that it evokes thoughts of the beautiful singer with the same name. Her voice is old school and classic, and I am really enjoying her new album, 21. Jazzy and funky with strong driving beats, it's an all around good time. Download it here.

poppies for norah

Before Norah was born, I used some poppies from this post to make a headband for her. It was on one of those sleepless nights that I stayed up preparing our hospital bag. I took some elastic that I had in my sewing kit and carefully attached the bright red poppies to create it. I also sewed one bloom onto a side-snap onesie. My nesting instinct was in full gear with this project! She didn't end up wearing them at the hospital, but wore them one month later.

I love making things for my little girl - it reminds me of when my mom used to make clothing and ornate Halloween costumes for my sister and I. She is great at sewing, and I hope that I can have skills like that one day. Until then, my hand sewing will have to suffice!

inspired to learn: food styling

Recently I was looking through some loveliness on Donna Hay's website, and ran into some neat Australian videos of her giving food styling tips!

If you've not heard of Donna before, she is likened to Australia's Martha Stewart, but I would say that she is a cross between Martha and Ina. She is known for her simple and elegant style, along with her great entertaining tips. These videos are from the Australian reality series called Masterchef and they certainly showcase why she is one of Australia's best food stylists.

I love all the little tips that she gives in these videos, and her down-to-earth nature is so likable! In these videos she teaches how to style a bowl of pasta, how to create lovely ganache drips on a cake, how to make the perfect layer cake, and how to give the classic caesar salad a twist. Seriously, watch these videos and you'll learn a little something! The things she does are so smart, and I'll be sure to employ these the next time I make a cake or hard boil an egg!