Baby Evie

Miss Evie. Love this little babe. More often than not, she's got a smile on her face and is ready to play.

Trying to soak in as much time as possible with these little kiddos before they ship off to California! I might have shed a few tears just thinking about it. My brother-in-law has joined the Navy (yay!) and they'll all be heading out to Monterey by the end of the year (boo!). It still hasn't quite sunk in that come next year, they won't be a short ten minute drive away. It's just an excuse to head to the coast for vacation, right?

Dad officially retired a couple weeks ago, and the parentals have been back and forth between here and Houston a couple times in the last month or so, with one more trip planned at the end of the month. I couldn't be any happier for Dad! He's worked so hard, and I think he's rather liking the retirement lifestyle so far!

Life is busy. Life is good. Enjoying the last bits of summer.

Bubba Love.

Hi from Colorado :)

It's been a little while. Oops. Quick trip down to Grand Junction for the day for catalog press checks. Spending time at a press makes me remember when I worked in the bindery at Premier Graphics in Bellingham, Washington. I love the smell of fresh ink!

Katie dropped me off at the Provo airport this morning, and Bubba came running up and gave me a big hug and kiss before we took off. He knows the way to my heart! He is such a loving lil' guy and can't seem to get enough of his little sis, Evie. (He has been known to crawl into her crib at night just to snuggle up with her!) This pic was taken just a couple days after Evie was born--we were taking a bunch of newborn pics and Bubba couldn't miss out on the fun. Great smile, no? Classic Bubba face. Love this kiddo.

The last couple months have been a blur...a good kind of blur. Keeping busy with family (only 11 more wake-ups til Dad retires! Party!!) and friends and work. Stadium of Fire // Beach Boys concert: amazing!! Love them. Trips to Seven Peaks on Saturday mornings with Katie and Joe and the kiddos. Loving on Lizzy and Lucy, the parental's dogs who have temporarily made their home at Katie's place. Sound of Music at the Hale Center Theater. Keeping cool in all this 100* weather. Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days rodeo. Trips to the snowie shack for snow cones. Roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. Enjoying life.

new york

image via

It's been a good week. Finishing up a few last minute things (including brunch at Isabella's!) in the city and heading back home tonight. Highlights: getting caught in multiple downpours, Shake Shack, catching up with good friends, amazing food, staying with this lovely lady, birthday dinner and Just Dance, the National Stationery Show/Surtex, mastering the metro, the Manhattan Temple, window shopping, visiting The Met, and lots, lots more. It's been good.

Sweet Baby Evie

Sweet baby Evalyn Jayne, or Baby Evie for short. Gosh, I get kind of choked up thinking about this sweet little baby! She's pretty perfect. Time kind of stands still when I'm holding her. Evalyn is a special little name, and so is Jayne...names of some pretty special women in my life. How is it that a new baby can bring so much peace and evoke so much love?

It's been amazing watching her older siblings fall in love with her! Claire is a natural little mother to her, and Bubba is quite protective. The bow in the picture lasted for almost a week, til the Bubba-chub Monster decided she didn't need it any more!

Life sure is good.

Spring?

Woke up to snow this morning...after having 80* weather less than a week ago! Fingers crossed Spring shows her face sometime soon!

Oh...and pics of baby Evie (newest niece!!!) coming soon. She's pretty perfect.

Paper Love

12,000 pieces of construction paper can create quite an adorable music video! 

Song: Love Is Making Its Way Back Home

Artist: Josh Ritter

Signs of Spring

It's hard to believe it's the beginning of my fifth (fifth!) Spring season in Provo. Not quite sure where the time has gone. I love the transitions between seasons -- especially Winter to Spring.

I spotted some buds on the tree just outside my bedroom this afternoon, and it definitely brought mixed emotions. 99% excited for Spring, but 1% dreading the two weeks that it's going to smell like rotten fish around here. I wish the smell matched how pretty the trees are in bloom! Trickery, I tell ya.

It's Magic!

Cupcakes, available 24 hours a day?! Yes, please!!

Lately

loving: sunny saturdays, bike riding with the kiddos, longer days.
excited for: baby evie's arrival in a few short weeks! being an aunt is the best :)
sad: that my fave go-to, quick-fix photo editing program is closing.
made: banana bread. make it--you won't regret it. i just like the glazy-crusty-goodness.
listening to: bell and sebastian with a little captain & tennille mixed in.
enjoying: spring cleaning--at least getting a head start. getting rid of stuff feels good.

claire decided this weekend that we are officially "best buddies." we even have a song: you'll be in my heart by phil collins. sure love that kid ♥

Flashback

Twenty years later, and the glasses are back. Not a strong prescription, but enough to need 'em. Still figuring out if I like them or not. I think I need to do a little more shopping around to find some frames that I really love, but for now, these will work!

Ha.

Yes, that happened. Wacky Hat Wednesday at AC. When you show up to work without a wacky hat, you make do with what you have! Amy suggested ears, so we went with it! Courtney had cute little cat ears, and I had...mouse? bear? I don't know...cute, generic little ears. It worked. 

Thanks, Jen, for the pic :)

Inspiration: Alison Oliver

I've never really been a huge reader, but I love books -- especially children's books. I was at Barnes & Noble over the weekend and discovered the illustrations of Alison Oliver, and totally fell in love with her work! One of my favorite things about her style is the subtle use of pattern within the illustrations. So cute! I ended up adding Pride & Prejudice to my (small) book collection.

Totally unrelated, but I just finished watching Being Elmo on Netflix. Completely adorable, and totally worth watching. Enjoy :)

Sketch to Quilt

{Left: via Sarah Jane Studios blog. Right: via Cut to Pieces blog.}

How amazing is this??! It's no secret I love (LOVE!) fabric and quilts. Quilter-slash-artist, Angela Pingel, was inspired by a sketch my friend, Sarah Jane, included in a blog post, and created this amazing mini quilt. I n-e-e-d to learn more about raw edge quilting. So beautiful.

Oh, and the Heather Ross fabric in the heart thought bubble? Completely adorable.

Done Deal

Done and done. Birthday trip tickets are purchased. Couldn't be more excited!

Tea for Two

{Claire having a tea party with Pet Wock}

Claire is obsessed with rocks. A walk or bike ride is not complete until she's picked up at least a pocket-full of rocks.

I saw these little pet rocks while doing a little online shopping, and knew it'd be a hit with Claire. Sure enough, she fell in love as soon as figured out how pet rocks work. Claire and Pet Wock (or Pet for short...and still working on that hard "r" sound) have quickly become BFFs. Pet likes to sleep, have tea parties, go for car rides, eat cereal, sleep, watch Dora and Diego, jump on the trampoline, sleep, play with toys, read books, and we learned tonight that Pet likes to eat carrots.

Spending time with this girl is always the highlight of my day. I don't think I left Katie's house tonight until after Claire said "I luff you wiff awl my hawt" ten times! Good times.

I love my little BFF.

Paper Crafting & Patience

{video via Etsy}

Wishing that I had this kind of patience and wishing I had this talent! 

Video via decor8, featuring art by Nicole Licht.

14 Days of Love :: Day 14 :: Happy ♥ Day!

{stop motion video via nicolephoto.com}

Just wanted to share a few other last-minute Valentine's Day ideas!

• Add some love to a glass of milk with heart milk cubes 

• Cute way to wrap up some last-minute treats

• Good option for a candy-free valentine

• Sew-A-Heart valentine tutorial

• An easy way to add a little love: heart paperclips

• Cross stitch a card for your Valentine

• Darling little felt fortune cookies
• Free (!) Valentine downloads
• Adorable e-cards -- 10 different cards to choose from

14 Days of Love :: Day 13 :: Valentine's Party

Need last minute party ideas? Just a few ideas:

1 // Be My Valentine garland // Cut out some letters, attach some valentine ephemera, hang up and you're done!

2 // Valentine Tree // All the more reason I need to get a pink Christmas tree!

3 // Heart Shaped Pepperoni Pizza // Use a cookie cutter to cut out some pepperonis for a sweet addition to your pizza!

4 // Kissing Booth Sign // Totally adorable letterpress sign in pink & red. Love it!

14 Days of Love :: Day 12 :: Straws & Sodas

{images via papermash and the silhouette blog}

Such a cute, easy, and cheap way to dress up straws and old-fashioned sodas for a Valentine's Day party! Need a little inspiration for how to decorate? Spend a few minutes over on the Amy Atlas website and I'm sure the ideas will start flowing!

(Unrelated side note: have you seen this adorable Mary Poppins-themed party??)

14 Days of Love :: Day 11 :: Edible Paint

{image via How About Orange}

Decorate some plain dishes for the holiday with edible paint! Simple, cute, and it's likely that you already have what you need in your kitchen for this project.

How About Orange is one of my favorite blogs -- definitely a must-add-to-your-google-reader kind of blog. Muffin and I met Jessica while attending ALT. Super kind and totally down to earth. While everyone else was putting together their personal style boards for ALT, Jessica put together a "what to wear to the farm" style board! Awesome :)

Click here for the complete tutorial!

14 Days of Love :: Day 10 :: La La Love You Paper Craft

{image via Crate Paper Blog}

Create some simple wall art to decorate for Valentine's Day! This would be such a cute way to use up those little paper scraps. Click over to the Crate Paper Blog for the complete how-to.

14 Days of Love :: Day 9 :: Free Card Downloads

{image via sweet muffin suite}

Quick (and free!) card downloads are available over at Sweet Muffin Suite! Totally loving the simple, graphic style. Pair with a kraft envelope (how cute would that be?), seal with a kiss and you're good to go!

Muffin and Sharon have teamed up for the holiday--be sure to check both of their blogs for a few other adorable Valentine's goodies!

Click here for the card printables.

14 Days of Love :: Day 8 :: Heart Pillows

{images via U Create Crafts and V and Co.}

I think I need to make some of these heart pillows and keep them out year round! Time to get out the sewing machine and get to work! Both tutorials look super easy to follow and include how-to videos. The pink pillow on the right is made using reverse applique -- I've attempted reverse applique once before, and it turned out kinda cute!

Click here for the white and red pillow tutorial and click here for the pink pillow tutorial.

14 Days of Love :: Day 7 :: Chocolate Garnish

{image via celebrations at home}

Little chocolate hearts to garnish treats and drinks? Yes, please! Super simple to make and they add the perfect finishing touch.

But I have to admit -- the first thing I paid attention to in the photo above were those little pink heart cakes and I was secretly hoping to find the recipe for them! Little Debbie Be Mine Valentine Cakes (in vanilla!) are my weakness this time of year -- but I've held strong so far this season!

Click here to get the how-to. The possibilities are endless!

14 Days of Love :: Day 6 :: Heart Bookmarks

{image via thirty handmade days}

Adorable, simple, and totally usable! I'll be making a few of these to add to my stash of office supplies. Now, if I could figure out how to use these to bookmark pages on my iPad...

Click here for the complete how-to.

14 Days of Love :: Day 5 :: Lovey-Dovey Playlist

Cheesy, lovey-dovey love songs get me every time! Enjoy a little compilation of some of my faves!

Adele // Make You Feel My Love

Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt // Don't Know Much

Ray LaMontagne // You Are The Best Thing

The Archies // Sugar, Sugar (side note: adorable video!)

Rascal Flatts // Waitin' All My Life

Yaz // Only You

Bad English // When I See You Smile (that hair...so dreamy! ha!)

Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt // All My Life

Brad Pasley // She's Everything

Cher & Peter Cetera // After All

(Yes, two Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt songs. Love it!)

14 Days of Love :: Day 4 :: Heart Gift Box

{image via the wonder forest}

These DIY heart gift boxes are perfect for little Valentine's treats. Click here to download the template, trace onto cardstock, and fold into a cute box! (Pebbles has a super cute Valentine's paper collection that would make some super cute boxes!)

14 Days of Love :: Day 3 :: Red Velvet Hot Chocolate

{image via a beautiful mess}

How adorable is this? Pink and red velvet hot chocolate! I might need to get up a little extra early in the morning so I'll have time to have a cup before heading for work! Find the recipe over on the always creative and inspiring Beautiful Mess Blog.

14 Days of Love :: Day 2 :: Heart Jewelry

I may--or may not--get my love of hearts from my mom (who loves all things Brighton). These simple and adorable hearts are perfect for Valentine's Day, but could easily be worn year round. Easily customize a conversation heart necklace at Hannah Blount Jewelry. That little heart bracelet could easily make it's way into my jewelry stash!

Images: Be Mine Conversation Heart Necklace, via Hanna Blount Jewelry. Single Heart Bangle via Kris Nations Jewelry.

ALT Business Cards

The business cards of ALT have received lots of attention--there was quite a bit of talk before the conference about how to best represent yourself through your card. Letterpressed or stamped? Foil or flat ink? Edge painting? Traditional size? Include a little surprise with your card? Enclose in an envelope? Textured paper? Smooth? Vellum? Die cut? Clearly, lots to think about. It's been a while since I've designed a hand-out-worthy business card for myself, and with time not really on my side, things were kept pretty simple. 

This afternoon I spotted my little ol' card in a business card round up over on Creature Comforts, along with Muffin's beautiful card! (Mine's the one with the little floral print, one of the papers from the Pebbles Floral Lane collection.) Ez was so fun to chat with, and totally willing to answer any and all of our questions about photography! 

Need more business card inspiration? Here are just a few: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

{image via creature comforts blog}

14 Days of Love :: Day 1 :: Treat Bags

I can't believe it's already February! Ai yi yi.

14 Days of LOVE starts today! I thought it'd be fun to roundup 14 of my favorite Valentine-themed projects/recipes/crafts/downloads for the two weeks leading up to Valentine's Day! Every day will feature something different--things I've found around the web, Pinterest, or things I've come up with. (I can be crafty occasionally! :)

Day 1 :: from Twig & Thistle

Love, love, love these little treat bags from Twig & Thistle! Just download, run a paper bag through your printer and fill with fresh brownies--my favorite--and you have an adorable Love Day treat! Click here to see the original post from 2009, or click here for an updated treat bag download.

And for heart-shaped brownies, simply use a cookie cutter!

image via Twig & Thistle

Inspired by Sesame Street!

Loved this little video collage from the Squarespace and Uppercase mini part at ALT! All of the mini parties had adorable photo booths, and this one had a plexiglass wall that you could draw, write and doodle on. Love that it was inspired by Sesame Street! (I love when Bert starts laughing when Ernie is "drawing" his ears...)

Me = total nerd, but Muffin is adorable, so I'll just go with it! Love this girl!

Love for Paperless Post

I was reminded the other day about Paperless Post--a great resource for e-cards. Lots of variety and beautifully designed cards, and they're even delivered "in" envelopes! I'm still planning on sending out some snail-mail Valentines, but these are pretty tempting! Some of my faves:

1 // hello valentines pink hearts 2 // i fancy you 3 // i love you 4 // i love you - red velvet 5 // i couldn't love you more 6 // lucky me

New Year

Oh, hey there! It's 2012. It's been a while :)

The holidays were fun--parents drove to Utah from Tay-hass, got stuck in Roswell because of snow, and made it to Provo on Christmas Eve. Little Lucy and Lizzy (scroll to the bottom of the post) came along for the ride, and I think we all scheming ways we could keep them here in Utah!

I just spent the last two days in Salt Lake for ALT and to say that it was amazing would be a severe understatement! So many amazing, talented, beautiful, creative, inspiring, influential, encouraging people, all with different stories, all together to learn and be inspired by others. Classes, round table discussions, panels, keynote speakers, parties. 30 pages of notes and thoughts. Dreaming big. Just a few of the highlights: 

• Spending time with the adorable and talented Muffin...so glad we went together! Muffin and I met in school, and our paths have crossed several times since. Love this girl!
• Listening to Ben Silbermann, founder of Pinterest. Loads of respect for him, and next time I get the 404 error message, I'll be a little more patient :)
• Meeting and spending time with and making new friends...and meeting 'the face behind the blog.'
• Thought-provoking questions.
• Setting goals for this year and working to accomplish these goals.

Loved my time at ALT. Well worth it.

Here's to a fabulous 2012!



Oh! One other bullet point! My sweet, funny, and talented friend, Katie, was so kind to let me stay with her in Salt Lake. Katie used to live just a few condos down from me, and ever since she moved to Salt Lake, Provo hasn't been the same!

Krista (on the right) hosted a little party before Christmas, and Katie (on the left) came down from Salt Lake and helped me decorate a gingerbread house. I like to think that ours turned out the best :)