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!