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

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.

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!

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!

babies, dating and dinner parties

Can you believe it? Only 4 more weeks to go before our baby girl arrives! 4 and a little bit ... it's very exciting and unnerving at the same time. Very soon our lives will be changed forever.

I've been reading a book called On Becoming Babywise that a few friends recommended, and it has been interesting to hear that though life will be different, life should still maintain a balance. The author emphasizes bringing the baby into the family unit instead of making the child the center of our universe. This includes remembering that though I will be a mother, I am also still a sister, daughter, friend and wife. He also points out that we should continue to date our spouses and show them gestures of love (like my friend lists here), including spending 15 minutes a day on the couch going over the day's events. Sounds like a given, right? I'm sure I'll have to be very intentional about this once she enters the world!

One other point the author made that surprised me was to purposefully invite friends over for food and fellowship! In essence, have a dinner party with baby! Is it possible? I sure hope so! I will be ever so grateful to have friends over if we can manage it. A few friends have had us over in the first 6 months of their children's lives, and I've been so impressed! Both couples have made dinner for us - one new dad was even able to make homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch! We can only hope and pray that our team work and love helps us to care for this child and for one another. Here we go ...

place setting above: crate and barrel place mat, plates, and dansk flatware, appetite home napkins

n is for ...

Love the daily typography put out by illustrator Jessica Hische. I'd love to purchase this as a print from her shop. And what does N stand for? Neat, Nice, New. Maybe you'll see more of this N later!

friday photo: love in the woods

Okay okay, I know that this is a wedding photo, but I couldn't help it! What a gorgeous shot from the fantastically quirky and way talented Katie Sokoler of Color Me Katie. It's like a dream ...image via color me katie

a new development

I haven't yet announced it on this blog yet -- but it's now official! The hubba and I are expecting our first child in October. And I'm cooking up lots of plans for the nursery and a few other fun projects, so hopefully I'll be able to keep up the blogging a bit more. I'll try not to make this totally a baby blog, but all this handmade baby stuff is just too cute for words! We'll see if I can resist it all! We're so excited that our first child is coming -- and soon we'll find out if it is a boy or a girl.

adorable bibs via downhomeamy

live what you love

My dear sister-in-law gave me a teal letterpress print of the poster above, but here's a new edition in a lovely soft gray with a heart. Very inspirational, and reminds me of what really matters in life. Don't we want to incorporate our loves and passions into our daily lives?

I sure do. I want to live out my faith, my creativity, and so much more.

linky loves for the week

Been reading some fun things this week in the blog world, and just thought I'd share the goodness!

I'm inspired - it's been years since I've had a Pop Tart. Why not try these ones?

A great post about how to find a good printing press - I love letterpress!

Such a beautiful house and what a cute baby and momma! Utterly adorable.

My husband is such a gamer and his influence on me is showing with the hilarity of this little guy. Bwaaaaahhhh!

I love the desert, and I love summer parties. These are oh-so-lovely and simple ideas for a summer soiree! I cannot wait for grillin' and chillin' season.

Mmmm can't wait for more online goodies next week. Share your links if you have any intriguing ones!

humanitarian photography

Recently I received an amazing book from a good buddy that showcased the photography of Jeremy Cowart as he traveled around the world with the Passion World Tour to 17 cities across the globe to celebrate their shared faith. The images are stunning, as they capture the spirit of the nations they visited - the faces, the people, the hearts of many enraptured in true joy as they worshiped the God of the universe.

It brought to mind the good that photography can do. Transporting individuals like us in America, to the hard truth and amazing hope that is alive in other nations. Beyond our entitlement, success, busyness, and materialism - there is something else. I felt it when I was in South Africa almost 5 years ago, and it really crept into my heart and underneath my skin. It really snaps me back into reality when I am too full of myself and this American existence. Since then I've been reminded to be conscious of this often, and it is more apparent when you are faced with photos that speak of it ... loudly and clearly. You may recall that I was drawn to these photos from the TOMS shoe drop - and little did I know that it was the work of humanitarian photographer Esther Havens. While clicking around the web one day, I came upon her site and blog and was touched by the images I saw. Take a look (click to see them larger), and I hope you're encouraged to be more grateful, less busy, and hopeful. Not in a cliched, feel good kind of way -- but with true, heartfelt understanding of others around the world. Go to her site to click on more countries and see more photos.

images via awakening the book and esther havens

before and after: seriously smart interior design

Here's a quick post that I had to share because it's pretty brilliant. When you have a small space to deal with and you want to make it look bigger and create drama - this is a great idea.

Please note in the before photo, the small window on the left and how tiny the room feels. In the after photo, see how the room appears larger due to hanging the curtains high, and having them span the length of the wall! This gives the illusion that the window is actually larger. And that huge pendant light and black ceiling doesn't hurt either. The after is bright, light and lovely. And so smart! This is one idea to bookmark for later. Enjoy!

found via design*sponge

wonder foodie: thrown together

You know, that last post was so ... brown! Time to spice it up a bit with some pumpkin soup. I had an Australian Blue (gray, really) pumpkin from my mom and sister's trek to the pumpkin patch that really needed to be cooked - can you believe it lasted so long? I didn't want to waste it, so I roasted it late last week for 8 hours at 200F a la this recipe. It was so easy to take the seeds out and scoop all the pumpkin out - but what to do with it now? I didn't want to make a pie, so soup it was! A hybrid of this recipe and this one, with a lot of spices and improvisation.

Here it is with sour cream, cilantro, and homemade croutons. Forgive the laptop camera photo. A mid-week soup for a rainy day, and inspiration to throw more recipes together.

everything must have its place

If there's one thing I've learned about organizing a house over the past few years, it's that every single thing must have its place. Now, I'm not perfect at it, but these are a few tips that I've learned and wanted to remember. I was very proud to have cleaned the house for 12 hours the other day --- I don't think I'll do that again, but my bathroom is so much better for it. I should have taken pictures!

1. Consolidate. Don't be afraid to throw things away. We always think we'll look over those dated notes or that we'll wear those old clothes, but in reality we won't. If you haven't used it or thought of it in months, donate it or throw it away. A great way to remember those notes and keep down on paper hoarding is to take a photo of a card or note with a digital camera and then throw it away. Remember to use the macro mode so you can still read it from the digital photo! This has been saving me!


2. Take note of what you really need. One day, I walked around my house with a notepad and made a list of all the things that were out of order or things that needed a place or receptacle. I had stray hair ties and cups on my nightstand, the dog's leash was never in the same place, the napkins had no home, and our collection of plastic grocery bags was overflowing. There were some simple solutions to these problems, a tray with a few bowls on my nightstand as a catch-all, installing a few hooks for the leash and other hangables, purchasing an inexpensive napkin holder, and minimizing the plastic bag intake for our household (take it back to the store for recycling!).

3. Be creative with what you already have. Rearranging furniture, repurposing old items and utilizing what you currently own is a great way to mix up your decor and organize your home. I received a great print as a gift, and the mat for the frame wasn't being used, so I re-purposed it for another print. Wonderful!

4. When you get something new, give away something else. This is the surefire way to make sure you're not just accumulating things and keeping them -- I've learned this is the easiest way to acquire clutter. I'm still in the process of giving away so many things that I don't need. I've got craft supplies galore and old college text books that are begging to be thrown away or given to those who need it.

5. Keep to the useful and beautiful clause. William Morris was a textile designer and is best known for his quote "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" and it is very true! All other things are just taking up space! What a great guideline to purging and organizing.

a lovely holiday

Just watched The Holiday again tonight on television, and it reminded me of how much I loved the set interiors when I first saw the movie. The sets of Nancy Meyers movies are comfortable, homey, elegant, and peaceful - I just want to flop onto one of those sofas and veg out. And the huge windows with the light streaming through them, really gorgeous. Take a look at a few of the set screen shots from The Holiday and Something's Gotta Give, I love them for home decor inspiration.

The Holiday

Something's Gotta Give

Also notable is this very sweet clip of the scene between Jude Law's character and Cameron Diaz's character with his two daughters in the movie. These little English girls steal the whole scene! And I love how proper they are. It's completely endearing! So heartwarming - perfect for the holidays. Enjoy!

wonder foodie: eating with your eyes first

One of my new favorite websites to browse for delicious dishes is Tastespotting. You can type in a search for anything from chocolate chip cookies to roasted chicken and it will come up with delectable snapshots of food photos for you to pick from. Then it will link you to the food blog that the photo came from, and the recipe for that dish.

Isn't that amazing? Talk about eating with your eyes first ... what better way to figure out what you'd like to try cooking next? The image above is a simple berry souffle recipe that you can find here. I think I'll be trying my hand at these soon, since I just bought some brown organic eggs at Target on sale. Side note, the Target near us just reopened and it is 180,000 square feet of Targety goodness. Fresh produce and meat? Frozen food section that lights up when it senses someone is near? Get out of here!

in the woods

Fall is SO here! And I'm seriously feeling natural and beautiful woods and textures. Wood necklaces, leaves suspended in mid-air, cozy scarves, cable knit blankets, soft light, chilly nights. Here are a few lovely pieces that have been inspiring me, click on the photos for more info.


from ruche, dores, pioneer woman, and claire richardson

inspired outfits

I don't generally think about fashion much, but I do enjoy and appreciate it. I think I would consider it more if I had more time - especially to go thrifting. Finding fun treasures and clothing you can re-purpose is so appealing. For fall clothing in general, I'm feeling ruffles, vests, graphic tees, blazers, striped cardis and Minnetonka trampers.

Here are a few fun outfits that I have been saving in my inspiration folder:

From The Sartorialist
Love the graphic tee, olive green leather jacket and boyfriend jeans! This girl looks effortless, and I love that.

From Weardrobe User Tania
The trampers are great mixed with a jean vest (80's!) and a folk-inspired floral dress. I like the color palette here.

From Weardrobe User Greta Eagan
The trench coat is classic fall, and I love the plaid shirt paired with a unexpected orange belt. The pop of color is great. I've always wanted a yellow belt, but orange? Great idea.

So everyone knows The Sartorialist's blog, but my sister introduced me to Weardrobe, and I love that it's like a whole bunch of fashion photo blogs for real people. You can click through and get tons of up to date fashion inspiration for the season. I don't shop much since I'm so busy, but I do like being inspired by different patterns and textures together. Especially when it's Chic for Cheap! I mean, fashion is art, and I like myself some art! Also check out my fashionista and all-around thrifty gal pal Davina's blog, Douceur Vivre. She's always throwing sweet outfits together on a whim and it's such fun.

midweek crafting: diy fabric poppies

After a hard day at work, sometimes I want to unwind, and the television just doesn't help. Yesterday was one of those days, so I did a bit of crafting. I made these fabric poppies out of this old pillow fabric from our couch. It felt so good to just make something with my own two hands after being on the computer for the entire day. And they are so simple to create! I think I'll turn them into a necklace or attach them to bobby pins. I made them with things I already had, like a bracelet from H&M made of wooden beads that I took apart. Here are the materials you need:
- polyester fabric
- candle
- beads
- thread and needle
- scissors

And that's it! Gotta love a little midweek craft time. Does anyone want a poppy hair pin? Leave a comment and I'll send you one!

look up to the sky

Many times on my way home from work, or while on a walk with the dog, I'll look up at the sky, take a photo, and just marvel at it. I've seen some pretty beautiful skies/sunsets in the past few months, and it is a great reminder that sometimes we need to stop and take a minute to appreciate the creation all around us, and the Creator that made it. The setting sun, the colors, the expanse, and the cloud formations! Wow, just wow. Check it out.

One side note though, I need to be really careful, because sometimes I snap these photos while I'm driving. Oops.