LinnieBell

Love for Paperless Post

2012-01-25T22:28:00.001-07:00

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

2012-01-21T18:24:00.004-07:00

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 :)

current state of my desk

2011-12-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Time for a bigger desk. I need more workspace! Sigh.

I participated in the gift exchange at Creative Collaborative tonight--so fun! Everyone brought five things to share. It was so fun seeing all the goods...music, prints, fine art, photography, handmade books...everything was amazing! I made this print last summer, and it's been hanging by my desk ever since: "live what you love." Maybe it's not so much of a print, per se, but I used my ever-so-handy Silhouette to cut out the phrase and backed it with some printed paper. More proof that I can be crafty!

On my desk:
• Silhouette
• Mixtape by American Crafts (love it!)
• Little mini Christmas lights (up in the left corner...I love having these in my room at Christmas time!)
• 20 windows open on my computer...oops
• Prints for Creative Collaborative
• some AC adhesive (ever so useful)

This weekend: Christmas shopping. Playing a two-person piano/organ duet at Church. Should be fun! Getting organized. Car upkeep things. Enjoying the season.

Claire, Claire, Claire...

2011-11-13T22:15:00.001-07:00

Spent Friday afternoon being crafty with work peeps and made a little reverse applique shirt for Ms. Claire. Didn't turn out quite as planned, but it works, right? After work, I went to drop off the shirt, and she didn't want anything to do with it because it wasn't a "princess" shirt. (Me = fail!) Claire is convinced that Grammie (my mom) made the shirt for her, not me! Ha! (Doesn't Claire know by now that I do have a crafty streak in me? :)

Katie got Claire to wear her new shirt on Saturday--yay! But Claire got ahold of the scissors and did a good little whack-job to her bangs--no! Katie called in a panic, needing "help" with the situation. Claire was so proud of her new 'do, as evidenced by her sassy little attitude when I got the camera out. It was only a matter of time til it happened.

Family pictures next week should be highly entertaining! How can you be mad when she's loving it?! (I know, I know...if she were my daughter...yada, yada, yada...)

Just A Thought

2011-11-09T00:18:00.001-07:00

via Pretty Zoo.

Floral Lane

2011-10-24T23:13:00.001-06:00

Love, love, love the papers in the Floral Lane collection. Bright, fun colors; cute and simple patterns. The thing that makes this paper even more special is that it's printed on a textured cardstock, making it feel extra special, if you're into that kind of thing. (That would be me!) Click over to Facebook and "like" Pebbles and you could win a uge prize!

Yes, uge.

A Tip

2011-10-22T18:30:00.001-06:00

I sooo need to do this.

Happy Weekend!

Take 3

2011-10-19T03:00:00.000-06:00

Missy Loo-hoo is almost three! Yikes. I decided at lunch today that it would be a good day to take Claire up the canyon for birthday pics. It's crazy how many pictures are almost identical to the ones we took last year. Only a handful of slightly-blurry-this-will-have-to-do pictures and the rest are all of her throwing rocks in the ~~ocean~~ river.* The leaves were a little past their prime, but we still enjoyed jumping in and throwing all the brown leaves.

Claire insisted on a pink cupcake after pictures, but when we got to the Sweet Tooth Fairy, she became set on the blue funfetti cupcake. Go figure. It's all about the frosting with this girl. Claire was done with pictures and put her hand up and said, "ok Lindsay, no more pictures please!" I had to stop because she said please.

Love this kid.

*Claire is convinced that any body of moving water is the ocean.

'Tis the Season

2011-10-18T03:08:00.000-06:00

For pumpkin! I could have taken a pretty picture of my pumpkin bread that just came out of the oven, but this picture is pretty much what it looks like. Less effort, right? I've been living off this bread for the last 3 weeks or so for breakfast and dinner. Add a little butter and it's heaven on earth! I'd even go so far to say that it's maybe even a little better than Great Harvest's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread.

Pumpkin Muffins/Bread Recipe

1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1/3 cup water

Mix all ingredients together. Bada bing, bada boom. For small muffins, bake for about 17 minutes; large muffins, bake for about 25 minutes. For pumpkin bread, fill pan about 2/3 full and bake for about an hour (until a knife inserted comes out clean). Bake at 350º.

Side note: It's worth doubling this recipe...one batch doesn't last long! When you double the recipe, use one large can of pumpkin.

Oh--and chocolate chips are a good addition :)

Recipe credit: mamacita

Digially Distracted

2011-10-17T03:00:00.000-06:00

So much to do, so much to be distracted by. If you love info graphics, this one's for you. Information Is Beautiful is a collection of beautifully organized info...I especially loved this one, except I'd put Pinterest at the top. For sure.

Just a random sampling from recent pins: 1 // pinterest. 2 // just be splendid tumblr. 3 // the good report. 4 // that's happy.

Life Lessons

2011-10-16T22:47:00.000-06:00

(picture from 2005ish)

Meet Erin. Erin Carter (not to be confused with Aaron Carter, teen pop star). Erin and I met in our sophomore ward at BYU Idaho back in 2003. We pretty much did everything together--this pic is from when we worked for BYUI Event Staff and I think we were working on our "soccer pose."

Anyway, back to the point. I was just digging through my hard drive from school and found a file named "Life Lessons for Spencer" from November 2006 and had to open it. Just a few gems from the document:

Life Lessons, As Prepared by Autumn Winds Apartment #308

Lesson #5: Never swear girls off and say they are dumb.

Lesson #6: Ask out lots of different girls, but ask out girls that could potentially be compatible. Be sure to taste all the flavors of ice cream.

Lesson #7: Never call a girl "home-ly" and A) make sure that she dresses cute, but not too high maintenance and B) date girls who look cute in ALL situations.

Lesson #9: Ask out girls who have goals and aspirations, and who are motivated by things she is passionate about. Make sure she is confident in her potential.

Lesson #11: Don't ask out needy girls. It is good to have down time by yourself.

Lesson #12. Don't date girls that are dumb as dirt.

Lesson #19: Date girls who have motherly qualities ie. cooking, cleaning, compassionate, first aid skills, etc.

Lesson #21: Never date drama queens.

Pretty profound life lessons, huh? Lesson #12 might be my fave. Oh, and the motherly qualities part. Erin and Spencer ended up getting married that next year. I like to think that Spencer did pretty well at following the outlined lessons :) Good times, sweet memories!

Lots going on these days...headed to Houston next week to spend some time at home. Lots to do between now and then! And our Cards just made it to the World Series! What-what!

Dream Workspace

2011-10-03T21:31:00.001-06:00

My workspace right now is looking rather...drab...especially next to this! The natural light, the organization, the colors. My folding card table will have to do for now :)

images via Little Green Notebook.

Give Away!

2011-09-29T18:16:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's just a little early to have Valentine's Day on the mind, but Pebbles' latest collection With Love was just released today! I might be just a little biased in my opinion, but I think it's a pretty sweet love line! The paper is always my favorite part of a collection, and this paper definitely doesn't disappoint. Four of the papers are printed on kraft and add some fun variety to the line. I'm totally into making garlands for holidays these days (remember how I don't really scrapbook? oops...) and have a couple other cute ideas in mind for this collection.

The giveaway is over on the Pebbles Blog...trust me, the pictures don't really do the paper justice! Just leave a comment to enter to win the whole collection!

Too Slow!

2011-09-28T00:33:00.001-06:00

Claire beat me at a game of "high-five" this weekend when she pulled her hand out from under mine and yelled, "too slow!" She asked me for an "iPad 2 for kwis-mas" when we had a sleep over last weekend. Claire teaches my mom how to use the iPad! (Right, mom?) Getting this girl to sit still to get a decent picture is nearly impossible...and don't even try to get her to look at the camera. Claire is practicing holding up 3 fingers for her upcoming birthday. It's going to be a sad day when she no longer says, "peace out!" when you ask her how old she is. I love being able to tease her and she teases right back. Asking Claire to sing for you is one of the funniest, sweetest things ever.

Love this kid.

Twinkle Lights

2011-09-27T23:47:00.002-06:00

I don't think I've closed the window in my room for the last month or so because we've had such beautiful weather lately! It makes me want to go get some sparkly lights and put them out on my bedroom balcony and just enjoy the warm weather before winter sets in.

And dinner tonight consisted of a cookie, cupcake and milkshake. Wowsers. Yikes. No bueno. Gym tomorrow? We shall see.

Current fave song: I Would Do Anything For You by Foster the People. Love it!

Animated gif via From Me To You tumblr.

Distracted

2011-09-26T23:30:00.001-06:00

Dang it, Pinterest! I (literally) put on a timer for 2 minutes, but kept hitting the snooze button and that two minutes turned into 10 minutes. But, I came across this kitchen in that extra 8 minutes. Perfection. Love it. It's pictures like these that make me want my own little house. Someday.

Image via House of Turquoise.

Just FYI...

2011-09-23T20:42:00.000-06:00

If you get towed in Provo, it'll cost you $175 to get your car back. It should have been more, but the guy was "kind enough" to not charge me a "storage" fee. I picked up the kiddos to have a sleep over last Saturday night. We've learned (Katie and I) that it's easier to just switch cars instead of switching car seats. I parked my car in visitor parking at Katie's house, and apparently you'll get towed from that one parking spot if you're there between 2 and 6 am. Didn't know that. Expensive lesson to learn.

Oh, and in case you didn't hear, BYU lost last week to the U. Pretty bad. I'm listening to the BYU/UCF game on the radio right now, but I can also hear the crowd from the stadium--hoping they pull through this time around. UCF just scored again, making it 17-10. Yikes. It's kind of funny listening to the 13-ish second delay on the radio.

Monday was a sick day. I was at work for exactly 58 minutes, and had to come back home. Highlight of the day was when Katie showed up with a cherry limeade from Sonic, which makes everything better!

Then I ordered my mom's birthday presents earlier this week, and had them scheduled to be delivered today, just in time for her birthday on Sunday. Forgot to change the shipping address, so my planning ended up not paying off. Sorry mom--be expecting a package next week! Promise it'll be worth the wait! :)

Enough of the not-so-good stuff. There were some pretty awesome things this week. Painting my nails a pretty shade of red always makes things better. Dole Whip from Farr's is pretty fantastic. Attending the lecture by the *crazy talented* Jessica Hische was pretty awesome. (She's a big deal. Love her.) Most definitely a highlight of the week. Finishing a collection at work that I love and starting another collection that I'm totally loving is always a good thing.

Life is hard, but it can be so good. I've felt so loved by so many friends and family recently. Notes, texts, phone calls, emails all seem to come at just the right moment. Our relationships with others are so important.

Ok, 93 yard-kick off return for a touchdown! Things are looking up!

Sure glad it's the weekend :) Oh, and it's the first day of fall. We've had the most gorgeous weather this week. I'm hoping to take a drive up the canyon this weekend. The trees are turning and it's just beautiful. I love, love, love fall!

Quilt Inspiration

2011-09-17T16:29:00.003-06:00

A friend asked me to help him put together a quilt for his girlfriend (soon-to-be fiancee!!), so we spent a couple hours going to quilt shops looking for fabric and pulling things together. I found these quilts on poppytalk and thought they were so, so sweet. They're the inspiration for the quilt, so we'll see how it turns out!

images via poppytalk via comma workshop

Hi

2011-09-16T17:00:00.000-06:00

via scout's honor co.

Long time, no real blog. Perhaps this weekend?Loving the cooler temps and ready for fall. Happy Friday!

Lunchtime Fortune

2011-08-31T13:13:00.003-06:00

Not so sure about this one...

Counting

2011-08-23T22:32:00.001-06:00

via mattallen.com

Happy Sunday

2011-08-21T08:34:00.003-06:00

Weekend randoms: Sunday morning = cinnamon rolls. Fun weekend with good friends. New roomie (Kayce!) all moved in--yay!! 400 blog posts. White glove clean check. Clean house. Getting caught in a downpour. Laughing. Makeup at Sephora. Temple with Katie. Marshall is back in the states! Can't wait to see him this week. Can't wait for Katie + fam to get back to Utah...so funny seeing pics of claire at the beach.

Happy Sunday

Almost Home

2011-08-16T00:12:00.003-06:00

Crazy couple weeks, I tell ya. Lots of changes, all for the better. Life is good. Especially good this week because Marshall comes home on Thursday! Just sent him one last email. Can't wait to give him a hug! Thankfully he'll be back at BYU and close by.

So True

2011-08-11T00:54:00.002-06:00

via wide open spaces

Before & After

2011-08-06T16:54:00.003-06:00

I learned last night that the best way to start any weekend is to share a slice of Magleby's chocolate cake with your sister! And, naturally, if you order chocolate cake, you need a glass of milk to go along with it.

Happy weekend

Downpour!

2011-07-30T09:26:00.003-06:00

Full Havasupai report coming soon. For now, know that it was pretty incredible!

We've had some impressive afternoon storms this week. Claire now knows about lightning and thunder and loves watching the storm from behind the curtains (because it's safer behind the curtains, of course). Love her.

Havasupai!

2011-07-20T23:10:00.002-06:00

Mini vacation to Havasupai starts tomorrow! I'm trying to focus on packing right now, and it's not going so well. Good thing I have the morning to finish everything up. A few of us friends have been planning this trip for several months--I'm excited to just get there! It's going to be a crazy adventure, for sure. Here's to hoping the helicopter out of the Grand Canyon isn't full on Monday morning when it's time to leave...

...wish me luck!

the story behind the dollhouse

2011-07-08T11:44:00.002-06:00

image via Sarah Jane Studios Blog

Project: turn the dollhouse into something presentable at Quilt Market. With Sarah and Ken's help, we did it! Never did we think it was going to take as long as it did, but the hours we put into that project paid off. It's such a charming little dollhouse! Ken's idea to light it up added such a nice, finishing touch. Check out Sarah's blog for more pics of the transformation!

The 4th: In Pictures

2011-07-05T16:34:00.008-06:00

Good weekend. Good family, friends, food, fireworks, fun. Summer is finally here!

Claire Kitty Cat. She looks like a mad kitty, but I promise that as soon as she saw pics of herself, she lived it up. Best $5 ever spent.
Bubba and Sarah take a little break in the shade. It was hot. hot. hot. Bubbalicious takes his strawberries and swing time very, very seriously.
Pretty Sarah Jane. Crazy Claire. Yummy Katie. Boss Claire. Lemonade lovin' Claire. Another lovely Sarah. Stuffed to the max Bubba. (But there's always room for more food in that kid's stomach.) Captain dance-y-pants Claire. That girl sure loves to move.
The $10 roller coaster ride that lasted maybe a minute and a half. Claire tricked Katie into paying for it (she's good like that). Whenever Claire is in the car and we're driving up or down a hill, she throws her hands in the air and yells, "weeeeeeee!" til we've conquered the hill. I'd say her first roller coaster ride was a success. She may look terrified, but that's just how she rolls. She was slightly upset when she couldn't go again.
Proof that we were all together for dinner on Sunday! We headed up to Chris & Holly's place for a picnic dinner and had fun chatting and catching up. I love being together.
A few of us headed up to Pleasant Grove to watch fireworks--yay for good friends! Love me some time with Ms. Katie! (pic from katie)

Happiness

2011-06-19T22:36:00.003-06:00

Claire + iPad (watching Mickey and Minnie Mouse cartoons from the 1930s) + Minnie Mouse by her side = one happy two year old.

Go Cards!

2011-06-19T14:59:00.007-06:00

I'm not particularly the biggest fan of baseball, but we (my family!) have loved cheering for the Cardinals the last few years. Love me a good Jib Jab! :)

18 on the 18th

2011-06-18T13:51:00.002-06:00

image via Katie Daisy

That little thing we call patience gets me every time. Ai yi yi. I used to think when I was younger, that by the time I was done with school I'd be a total pro at that "p" word. Nope. I guess I'll just keep practicing!

Randoms for today:
1 • It's already the middle of June...I don't think a year has ever gone as fast as this year has!
2 • I'm kind of--ok really--excited that summer is finally here!
3 • Happy hour at Sonic starts in a few minutes. I think that means I'll be getting a UGE cherry limeade in a few minutes :)
4 • I had grand plans to go to Sundance and ride the ski lift at night this week under the full moon. Didn't happen.
5 • 5K on the 4th with sister Sarah Jane. I know it's just a 5K, but I'm kind of nervous...it's been a while since I've been running, so we'll see how things go.
6 • Thoughts of Havasupai keep running through my mind. I'm going down with a few friends next month for a weekend and I'm so looking forward to it!
7 • This little 3-bun messy hair up-do thing has been a major time saver the last few weeks. Love it. Add a cute little headband and you're good to go.
8 • Taking a mini 3 week web design course at BYU starting next week. Dreamweaver has always been a mystery to me, but I'm ready to learn.
9 • Love the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine with all the red, white and blue. Excited for the 4th of July!
10 • Redesigning this little blog of mine is my next big project. As soon as that web design class is over, this blog is getting overhauled!
11 • Can't get enough of Pinterest. Love. Genius. Can't get enough. If you haven't signed up yet, do it. If you need an invite, let me know and I'll send one your way!
12 • Floral Lane is one of the newest collections I worked on, and is one of my faves to date! The images on the website don't do the paper justice--it's printed on a textured cardstock paper--it's amazing! Check it out and get some in your little hands.
13 • I thought I could handle a stuffy nose for a few days, thinking it was just allergies. Nope--fully on nasal infection. Gross.
14 • A friend came over the other night to help me with a project, and he pulled out my sketchbook to take some notes. He couldn't stop laughing when he flipped through the pages and simply said, "You think in totally different terms than I do." I like to think that he's just weird :)
15 • Strawberry Days rodeo tonight! Best part: Strawberries and cream. Delicious.
16 • Pinterest, pinterest, pinterest! I'm telling you, it's amazing.
17 • Father's Day is tomorrow, which means we'll have a 4-way Skype home to chat with Daddy-o. Just wishing that Marsh could join in the fun!
18 • Decisions determine destiny. Love this little article from 1979. "When the time for decisions arrives, the time for preparation has already passed." So true.

Happy, happy sunny Saturday.

DIY: Fabric Necklace

2011-06-06T22:05:00.006-06:00

photo via cakies

Ever stumble on one of those blogs that you instantly fall in love with and wonder how you didn't know about it til just now? Cakies is sure to be a new fave of mine...I found her blog via a DIY fabric necklace pin on Pinterest (the tutorial here). I was totally hooked when I saw that she uses outdoor patio furniture inside:When I was back East, we stayed at my aunt's home and she refinished some old patio furniture and used it in her family room. I've wanted to refinish some furniture ever since then and bring the outdoors inside. Love, love, love how it's used in Cakies' family room and kitchen!

Anyways, I think I'll be making a few of these cute necklaces this weekend. Good way to use up scraps, and a perfect way to add a little extra color!

Happy!

2011-06-04T09:17:00.003-06:00

Happy Saturday morning! My morning started kinda early for a Saturday (like 5:30 early) with a migraine, so I took some meds, went back to sleep, and started my Saturday over sans migraine. I love meds :) Forecast for today: sunny and nearly 80°!! I think it might be the best day so far in 2011. Lots to get done today, so I'm hoping I can enjoy the sunshine at least for a few minutes today.

Last trip home to St Louis was kind of bittersweet. Littlest sis, Sarah, graduated. No more high school graduations--yay! No more trips to Edwardsville--sad. For the last 6+ years, St Louis has been "home" for me, even though I never really lived there. The motto in our family is "the plan is, the plan will change." I wish I were good with change--I'm really good with change when others are involved in whatever is changing, but sometimes going through change solo is kind of hard. But that's ok! Life is supposed to be an adventure, right?

So the funny thing with my parents moving to Houston is this: I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say now when I'm asked where I'm from! Is my hometown where mom and dad currently reside? Where we've lived the longest? What state we've lived in longest? Where I graduated high school? (I went to three high schools, so that's kind of a trick question :) I've been in Provo for going on 4 years now, so am I from Provo now? Input, please.

Life is good, it's sunny out, and it's Saturday. Best day ever.

Snapshots

2011-05-18T21:16:00.004-06:00

Katie and the kiddos headed to St Louis this afternoon to spend some time there before my parents move to Houston next month...and I get to meet up with them next week! (Slightly excited :)

listening to: adele, make you feel my love
feeling: anxious/excited/nervous/happy/scattered/focused (confused? me too!)
thinking about: katie flying to st louis by herself with the kiddos and hoping she survived
seeking: for some answers
looking forward to: being with my sisters and mom and dad
weather: cold, rainy (snowy in the mountains)
enjoying: my new little toy--an iPad--but...
wondering: if i should get the 64 GB
making: well, thinking about making this
enjoying: the last few days being 26!
dreaming about: the future

and one more smoochy pic. love these two.

Spring Quilt Market

2011-05-16T17:25:00.001-06:00

image via Sarah Jane Studios Blog

Spent the weekend with the talented Sarah at Market--such a fun and amazing experience to meet and see and visit with and admire so many talented designers all in one place...and right here in Salt Lake! The last couple weeks were spent alongside Sarah wallpapering, painting, gluing, cutting, and all the little things that make a booth really come to life. I love this kind of stuff! The booth couldn't have turned out better--Sarah and her husband, Ken, did an *incredible* job. Such a good weekend.

Love, love, love Market. See you in Houston.

Puddle Jumpin

2011-05-08T22:00:00.000-06:00

It was a good day today. For more than one reason, but jumping in the puddles with my Claire was one of the highlights!

Family Portrait, May 2011

2011-05-08T16:02:00.003-06:00

My Family, Mother's Day 2011

We just had our last "phone call" with my brother, Marshall, before he comes home this summer from Brasil! Marsh was able to connect with us via Skype, and I think this was by far my most favorite and memorable call with him. It was a totally different experience to hear and see him! We all got a good laugh hearing Marshall talk...he has such a funny accent. He expresses so much happiness in his weekly emails, and it was fun seeing his happiness. I miss his huge, quirky smile. I think it's one of his best features!

It's still amazing to me that we were able to connect via Skype...5 different computers in different countries all communicating with each other. (And for free!) Simply amazing.

♥ Pinterest!

2011-05-07T16:02:00.008-06:00

My new fave, fave, FAVE site: Pinterest! I've heard about the site for several months now, but didn't really "get it" til this week, when Sarah was kind enough to show me the basics, and now I'm totally loving it! I've had my little inspiration blog for almost two years now, but it's pretty time consuming to save a picture, remember where it came from, post it, link to the original source, etc. Pinterest is a virtual idea board, where you can organize and keep track of all your ideas. So simple.

Here's the quick run-down: When you sign up for Pinterest, it'll give you the option to add Pinterest to your browser toolbar. Add it; it'll make things so easy-peasy. Next, when you're browsing the internet and you come across an image on a website you want to catalog, click on the "Pin It" button in your toolbar.A window will pop up that has all the images from the page that you're on. Find the image you want to "pin;" click "pin this." Another window will pop up with a drop down menu. On your profile, you can set up categories for the different things you want to organize. Choose one of the categories and add a description for your image. Click "pin it" and it will be added to your pinterest wall. Done and done. Such a brilliant site. Oh, and the best part about Pinterest: it takes care of linking back to the original source of the image. Too often, I find an image with no link to the original source, but this takes care of all that. Gone are the days of "bookmarking" images! Have fun pinning!

It's Friday, Friday

2011-04-22T16:50:00.004-06:00

Friday came soo fast this week, and I'm so glad it did! No work today, 3 day weekend! Party! Spending this weekend with friends, BBQ, spring cleaning, planning summer trips (!!!), Easter egg hunting, wishing I were in Houston with the parents and Sarah, working on projects, and checking things off the perpetual to-do list. Yay for being productive!

Just a few faves from blog reading/etsy window shopping/searching the web from the past few days...happy weekend!
1 • bamboo doily clock from uncommon 2 • birds on a wire paper clips from urban outfitters 3 • peep smores from poppytalk 4 • portable utensils from donna hay via oh, hello friend

Mindful Home

2011-04-19T13:00:00.002-06:00

I sooo need to have this print in my room. That little reminder about the bed and hamper hit a *little* too close to home for me! :)
via the lovely blog, my happy little life.

(click to see larger.)

Neapolitan Cake

2011-04-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

I think I need to make this. Tonight.
via Sweetapolita.

Pretty, Pretty

2011-04-17T23:00:00.001-06:00

I love, love, love gathering inspiration and find myself saving (all too often) all kinds of random things that I tuck away for future projects. Sketch books are another fave of mine, so when I saw these sketch books with little pieces of "life" tucked away in the glassine envelopes, I kind of fell in love!
via birch & lily via A Creative Mint.

And the idea of expanding your sketchbook to a mood board...LOVE!
via decor8.

Kind of a random post--just sharing some things I love! :)

The Slingshot...

2011-04-13T21:42:00.002-06:00

After watching the Biggest Loser last night, I couldn't stop thinking about The Slingshot....

375 feet up. 375 feet back down. The best part about the video is that Sarah and I scream at almost the exact same time!

(Mom + Dad + Sarah + Me in Orlando for Christmas in 2009. We found this little boardwalk area and somehow Sarah and I ended up on the Slingshot. Definitely a highlight from that trip!)

hello.

2011-04-12T14:05:00.001-06:00

via Hello! Lucky blog.

Number Check?

2011-03-17T21:34:00.006-06:00

According to Yahoo, Jimmer has scored 1,0002 points this season:
Awesome.

Going UP!

2011-03-10T21:40:00.004-07:00

I've learned that Claire has good taste in movies. Her all time fave is UP. (That is, unless Katie has "hidden" the DVD, and in that situation, Peter Pan or Cars becomes good enough to watch.) Love Pixar, love UP. My favorite part is when all the balloons float up out of the chimney and the house floats away! I've always wondered what it would take to make that happen.

Enter National Geographic's How Hard Can It Be?

This stuff is for real. The show debuts this fall and I can't wait!

I still have questions, like how did they get it to land? and how did they choose who got to go up? and how long did it take to fill up all those balloons? I guess I have to wait.

Enjoy.

Crazy Talk.

2011-03-05T19:36:00.005-07:00

So...I've never posted or shared anything like this on the blog, but I just sat and watched this in disbelief. I'm not all that huge into bike racing, but a friend on facebook posted this video and I had to share:
Crazy talk, right?? The best part was when the dog casually strolled onto the path. I think I would have died before finishing that course! (I should clarify that this video is from Chile.)

And totally unrelated to the above video, I had Claire and Bubba-licious over last night for a few hours...always a highlight of my week to spend time with those kids! Claire wanted to watch Up, so we popped it in and Bubba made it clear he wanted to watch, too! Sure do love those kids. And pretty sure I should win best babysitter of the year!Happy Saturday night :)

Oh, So Pretty

2011-03-01T21:36:00.003-07:00

These shoes keep showing up on every.blog.I.read. I love, love, love them, but that darn price tag is kinda getting in the way of them being in my possession. Anthropologie now has a wedding shop, BHLDN, and I think I look at the site daily.

Downloaded Adele's newest album tonight and can't get enough of it. Love, love, love. Lil' sis, Sarah, is going to BYU-Idaho and I'm soo excited for her! (I might be slightly biased.) Going to the BYU basketball game to watch Jimmer (but not Brandon) tomorrow night! Got my taxes done. Yessss. Theraflu is amazing. It's already March...what the...? Random thoughts tonight. I ~~think~~ know this is what happens when I've got a lot to do, but don't know where to start. Know the feeling?

are you happy or sad?

2011-02-24T20:38:00.004-07:00

Love this. So simple and so true.

Lotsa things on the mind tonight. Sometimes things are really great in life, and sometimes things are kinda hard. Glad I've got a sister that keeps things in perspective for me :) We were texting away about her little kiddos this morning and about how perfect they are for each other. Somehow life turns out perfect, even through all the ups and downs. Different than we'd ever dream, but always for the better. Love this talk by one of my favorite people.

*image via seesaw designs, according to Moritz Resl.

Back from the A-ZZZ

2011-02-22T21:33:00.004-07:00

And ready for some zzz's! A quick trip outta Provo is just what I needed :) Memories from the trip: lots of good food, good company, a fun hike, sunshine, gorgeous sunsets, a $7.50 sundae (what the...?!), visiting Britt's homestead, shopping, time at the temple, movies (one of the movies *might* have been about a musician who *might* be turning 17 next week...hint, hint), visit to ASU's institute and seeing BYU-Idaho friends, Jermaine picking out a shirt for me at Limited (yikes), misunderstanding/mis-hearing Juliet and saying what I thought she said, UGE snowcones. Way fun. Good times.

Tomorrow will be a new adventure as I fulfill my civic duty and report for jury duty. Never done it before. Tips? Tricks? Stories from the courtroom? Should be fun. (Right?)

Ready for Summer

2011-02-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Miss Claire somehow tricked me in to *wanting* to be outside last night to play with chalk...that little kid is so good at getting her way! She's fun to talk with on the phone and is starting to form sentences that actually kind of make sense, so when she asked if I'd come over to play, I couldn't turn down the offer.She also managed to get into my sister's nail polish and covered her legs in pink because she wanted "pink wegs" (pink legs) to go along with her pretty princess pink toe nails. Oh, and Katie now has a pink mirror and a pink bathroom sink. Gotta love the pink! Back to the chalk...I loved that my phone camera snapped the pic of Claire kissing Katie when it did--I love it! And I totally love Bubba's little smirk on his face when I gave him kisses...sure do love that kid! Dreaming of warmer weather and long summer nights.

Headed to Arizona tonight with some friends to visit Gina for the long weekend. Ready for a break :)

Wishing

2011-02-17T19:24:00.003-07:00

So Beautiful!Alison Carmichael was a guest on Daily Drop Cap earlier this week and I just spent the last half hour looking at all her gorgeous work over on her website.

Another fave:
Enjoy :)

Be Mine ♥ (and a free download!)

2011-02-13T14:50:00.006-07:00

I got a cute text from my sister the other day (Ms. Sarah Jane...here's a cute pic of Sarah and another one here) asking if I'd be her valentine this year...her text totally made my night!

Just wanted to post a pic of my valentine's I made for the card swaps I participated in:
I had great plans of hand stitching all the cards, but it just didn't end up working out. Maybe next year.

Still need a quick valentine card idea? Click here to download this card! You'll get four up on a page. I printed mine on some kraft paper to give them a little more character and paired them up with some awesome red envelopes (they fit perfectly in A1 size envelopes). Best part--it's free!! This is my first free download, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this works :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

(To download the document, click on the link and you'll be taken to a separate window where you'll see an option to "download" the file in the upper right corner. Download and print your valentine cards!)

Scrappy Inspiration

2011-02-09T18:05:00.010-07:00

I'm loving the Pebbles Blog these days! We have a design team that consists of 25 super talented women from around the world who design projects with our products (page layouts, cards, home decor, etc.) and every day on the blog is filled with lots of fun ideas! Just wanted to share a few of my favorite projects of late:

Valentine's Collage by Suzanne Sergi

Love Layout by Anna Sigga

Sisterly Love Layout by Zoe Nemburt

Sweet Friends Layout by Lisa Kisch

Bundle of Joy Layout by Melinda Spinks

(be sure to click the image to see it larger...it's pretty awesome!)

Super talented ladies on the design team, right?? It's always fun and rewarding to see the things I've designed on projects as beautiful as these! Stop by the Pebbles Blog for more inspiring projects! :)

Warm Up Your Desktop!

2011-02-08T17:48:00.010-07:00

Just got back from checking the mail and I came back inside wishing I were here:...at Venice Beach! I was in California last week for CHA and we had some time to head down to Venice Beach for an afternoon...I've been dreaming of 70 degree weather ever since! A full CHA recap coming soon! (Dinner with Channy + kids, pics from the show, Lakers game, the bride of CHA, delicious food and more...be excited!)
Until then, warm your desktop up with some fun wallpapers from Fossil! I currently have this one up and am loving it:A few other faves from their collection:Thanks Jessica at How About Orange for the heads up!

Daily Drop Cap :: Y

2011-02-08T17:07:00.004-07:00

es, this would be my most favorite letter from the talented, Jessica Hische's Daily Drop Cap! (I had to think of a sentence that started with "Y" so I could use it :) Jessica is an incredibly talented designer, typography being one of her specialties. Today was the end of the series, but a few guest designers are lined up to complete another alphabet! Check out all the other beautiful letters here.

My Significant Brother :)

2011-01-12T22:21:00.004-07:00

Spent the evening pulling some things together to send to Brasil to the cutest missionary ever:
One of the highlights from Christmas was chatting with Marshall for a few minutes--I miss having him around and hearing his funny stories. I'd tease Marshall about being my "significant brother" whenever we were out in public, and you could just tell he would be so annoyed with me! I miss looking over during church and see him drawing all over the program for the meeting. I love getting his emails every week and hearing about all his amazing experiences...and funny stories, like this one. I'm excited that he's coming home this year! :)

I'm trying to find single serving little things of peanut butter like they have at hotels to include in the package. If you know where I could find some, let me know!

Valentine's Day Card Swaps!

2011-01-11T18:43:00.007-07:00

I loved participating in a couple swaps over the holiday season, so it was fun when I came across more card swaps for Valentine's Day! Several people asked me about the swaps I participated in over the holiday season, but by the time they asked, it was too late to sign up...SO...if you want to get in on the Valentine Card swaps that I'm participating in, sign up now! :)

The first swap is over at The Stationery Place. Lyndsey is a friend of mine who formerly worked at American Crafts. Her blog always has inspiring paper-slash-stationery related inspiration from around the web. Be sure and add her blog to your reader! Sign up deadline: January 20th. Visit her blog for more details.

Crow and Canary is also hosting a Valentine's Card swap! I just recently found this blog, and it's a super fun blog showcasing all-things stationery. Love it! Sign up deadline: January 21st. Click here for more details.

Unrelated, I saw these pics of kitchens on My Happy Little Life today and totally fell in love.

Someday my kitchen will be as awesome as these kitchens! ♥

Images via My Happy Little Life.

Just a thought.

2011-01-10T23:32:00.003-07:00

via here.

ps...I've spent too much time on this tumblr site...love it!

Made Me Laugh

2011-01-09T08:00:00.001-07:00

I really laughed-out-loud when I watched this! Enjoy.

Looking Into The Past

2011-01-08T21:06:00.001-07:00

I found this blogpost saved in my posts from August, but it was never posted! Oops.

Loved this photoset on Flickr by photographer Jason Powell.

All photos from Jason Powell's Looking Into The Past collection on Flickr.

On Being Perfect.

2011-01-08T20:19:00.001-07:00

Welcome, 2011!

2011-01-03T20:38:00.003-07:00

Let me (and Claire, Bubba and Katie!) be the last ones to wish you a Happy New Year! It totally made my whole year when the trio showed up this afternoon! I happily drop whatever I'm doing when those kiddos come for a visit and get a few good laughs in. Love them.

I think this year, more than any previous new year, I've been so excited about the idea of a new beginning, a fresh start, new opportunities, and big dreams. This is going to be my year. So many things on my list of things to accomplish in 2011.

2010 was an amazing year:
• story of Jack the Snowman
• katie and I attempted to "scrapbook"
• Michael Buble concert with Sarah!
• learning that Katie would be having a baby with "outdoor plumbing"
• spending time at home for my birthday
• BSB concert with Katie, Michelle and Gina!
• CHA in Chicago and then spending a little extra time with Mom and Sarah in Chi-Town and driving back to St Louis
• Baby Caleb aka Bubba was born
• mom gave my room some much needed attention and left behind some beautiful sunflowers :)
• another trip home and flying solo with Claire
• falling in love with little Claire's smile all over again
• quick trip with mom to Houston for the Quilt Festival and staying with Beth!
• our first white Christmas, spending time with the family, talking with Marshall on the phone, hearing stories of mom & dad's courtship, eating at The Peel, minute-to-win-it games, stories, playing Just Dance on the wii, laughing hysterically over nothing, getting a visit from the "Christmas man"...basically the best Christmas ever!

Lots of ups, a few downs, and everything between. It was a good year. High hopes for an amazing year!

Much love, me

(ps...story about the top right pic: we told Claire to make a face like Bubba, and that's what she came up with. Love her!)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:22:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas from snowy Edwardsville! Our first ever white Christmas!

So far:
• Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Fabulous Fox Theater (amazing!!)
• Food
• Just Dance on the Wii (best game ever!!)
• Minute-to-win-it
• Playing in the snow
• Christmas Eve breakfast
• Gift Exchange--"Dad Style"
• Movies
• Christmas story (as told on cassette, from 1992)
• More food
• Christmas morning presents
• Raccoons getting into the "fridge" outside (a red cooler, but because it's so cold outside, we just keep food out there :)
• Loving the decorated house & just being home.

Giveaway + How To + Get Well Soon!

2010-12-14T22:31:00.006-07:00

First, a little "get-well-soon-shoutout" to my seester, Katie. She had surgery today and is having to take it easy for a few days (hopefully just a few days!)...Katie can share the details! :) I was hoping that I'd have lots of blog content (funny stories from the operating room), but unfortunately it was a pretty uneventful day. She does claim that the male nurses were hitting on her...I'll let her tell that one! :)

Second, I think it's safe to show off my "ornament" for the Freshly Blended ornament swap that I participated in, along with a how-to! I kind of, might of, ok...I didn't make an ornament. I made a paper garland instead, but I felt it was ok! These garlands are super easy and fun to make, and they're fun to use for holiday decor.

What you'll need: a circle punch, paper, and a sewing machine. I love my circle punch from Fiskars...easy on the hands and you can see right where you're punching. Punch out a bunch of circles...I used scrapbook paper, and can get about 110ish 1" circles out of a 12x12 piece of paper. When all your circles are punched, you're ready to sew! Feed your circles through the sewing machine, just like you would with fabric. Make your garland as long or as short as you like! Easy. For directions with pictures, here's a post over on Armelle Jewelry's blog, with some fun pictures of her garlands in use!

Third, because the garlands are so easy-peasy to make and because I had lots of left over paper that needed to be fashioned into a garland, I decided to make another garland for a giveaway! This garland is probably about 15 or so feet in length, so plenty of garland to use as a last minute Christmas decoration somewhere in your home. Cute Christmas colors: red + green + gold...you can't go wrong with that combo! Simply leave a comment, and I'll draw a winner on Thursday evening.

Lastly, I hope you're enjoying the holiday season. I don't know that I'm totally there yet, but I'd better start enjoying the season soon--Christmas is NEXT week! Yikes. So much to do, so little time. I love this time of year; I love the kindness and thoughtfulness of everyone that you run into--friends and strangers alike. I love Christmas!

Coming Soon...

2010-12-08T22:55:00.004-07:00

...a giveaway!

I've been busy making my "ornaments"* for the gift exchange that I'm participating in, and have a couple extras. I'm shooting for Thursday. Keep your fingers crossed!

*ornaments is in quotes for a reason...it'll make more sense when you see it/them :)

Just a thought

2010-12-08T18:24:00.002-07:00

Saw this thought as I was browsing a new favorite blog of mine: joy ever after. It's located down at the bottom of the page, just below where you click to go to the next page. I've never heard this quote, but I've fallen in love with it! I've always loved so many different things, and now I can justify loving a ton of different things! (This is also probably the thing that frustrates my mom the most about me--ok, so I frustrate my mom a lot (!)--but she's always trying to figure out/pin down my "style" (ie: things I like/dislike), and I always just say, "I'll know if I like it when I see it!" :)

(ps: mom has awesome taste--especially when it comes to antiques! :)

image source.

Up There

2010-12-06T14:02:00.003-07:00

Fascinating.

UP THERE from The Ritual Project.

Take a few minutes to watch. Hand-painted murals are such a work of art! I was in Salt Lake last night, and there are remnants of murals around, but you have to really pay attention to find them--and look up! Enjoy.

via Rifle Paper Co Blog.

AC Warehouse Sale!

2010-11-29T19:26:00.003-07:00

American Crafts' annual Warehouse Sale starts this Friday! Albums, Thickers, Paper, Ribbon, Gift Wrap, Embellishments, Stickers and more...tons of stuff at super amazing prices! Make sure to stop by!

Happy Saturday Night

2010-11-27T20:48:00.003-07:00

via Your Great Aunt Mary tumblr.

I'm participating in two swaps this year: an ornament swap and an Christmas card swap! I just got the list of people I'll be swapping xmas cards with and looking through all their blogs/sites...holy amazing fun blogs! I always get excited when I find a new blog/tumblr/inspiration site/pinterest site/flickr that I fall in love with--there is sooo much on the web, it's impossible to see everything!

On an unrelated note, the BYU/Utah game came to a disappointing end. Boo.

Happy Saturday night :)

Headed to...

2010-11-03T22:10:00.004-06:00

• 4th largest city in the U.S. of A.

• population: 2.3 million peeps

• 6th largest metropolitan area

• classified as "humid subtropical" and known as "the most air-conditioned place on earth"

• international headquarters of ConocoPhillips

• 3rd largest skyline in North America, one of the top 10 in the world

• Residents eat out more in this city than in any other US city--with more than 11,000 restaurants

• the 17-block theater district is second only to NYC

...any guesses where? I'm trying to pack and get things together for a super quick trip to Houston where I'll meet up with my mom and head to a quilt show! Slightly excited! Yay for weekend trips!

Any MUST DO'S while in Houston for 48 hours??

Roomies!

2010-11-01T22:28:00.003-06:00

Laundry Basket • The Fly • Fortune Teller • Goldie Locks

Halloween 2010 has come and gone...thank goodness! :) I'm ready for the holidays!

We hosted a fun Halloween party on Saturday night with a bunch of friends, complete with homemade root beer and a cutesy, very "DIY" photo booth. Finished the night by heading to the bowling lanes--I think this was the first time in a loooong time that I didn't break 100! (I got 99. Boo.)

Happy first day of November!

Ornament Swap!

2010-11-01T22:18:00.001-06:00

Just signed up to participate in an ornament swap! I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I'm excited!

Click here for more information about this fun swap.

First Snow

2010-10-26T23:14:00.003-06:00

I've had a to-do list that's about a bazillion miles long, but every time I sit down complete a task, something distracts me (surprise!) and I end up never crossing anything off. Tonight I was totally distracted by the snow! My roomie, Katie, and I wrapped up in blankets and went for a walk to commemorate the first snowfall, and it ended up in a snowball fight...I'm sure the first of many for the season!

Confession

2010-10-26T22:40:00.001-06:00

Get ready for a huge (read: UGE) secret.

I'm terrified of drawing. You know, the sit down and draw-a-picture-of-something-or-someone kind of drawing. I jumped through a lot of hoops while I was in school to get permission to only take one drawing class. I think I ended up with a very generous B- in my Drawing 1 class from a very gracious professor and a lot of prayers! I literally get quite anxious thinking about "drawing."

But doodling? I'm totally there! I don't consider myself great at it, but I can hold my own. I practice my doodling skills daily. The other night when I was at my sister's house and Claire pulled out the paper and crayons, I knew I'd be in good company. I like doodling with Claire because in her (almost!) two year old imagination, she can figure out what it is that I'm attempting to draw. My favorite thing I drew that night was the "owl dressed as BATMAN"...and my favorite thing my sister drew was the pelican! See if you can spot them; they're pretty tender.

I had forgotten about doodling with Claire until today when I was flipping through some pics on my phone. Heaven bless the person who came up with a phone + camera...I use it all the time! Seeing these pictures totally made me laugh. I love my little doodle buddy and I'm glad that she doesn't know what fine art is. :)

This...

2010-10-25T22:53:00.001-06:00

{image via Once Wed.}

...is the kind of weekend I was hoping for, but instead the clouds poured rain and the winds blew. We had an intense rain and wind storm (with the s-word* mixed in) last night. I really hope to get at least one more classic fall weekend in before the snow sets in for the next four-plus months. Without a doubt, fall is my (current) favorite season!

*snow

Framed.

2010-10-20T20:07:00.008-06:00

Yup. Framed and on my desk. I can't stop looking at this little cutie-patootie!

On Saturday, I tricked my sister into packing the kids up and heading up the canyon to take some pics. I'm glad she humored me...it was nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall colors. Claire (in typical fashion) couldn't sit still for more than two seconds, so we only got a handful of pictures, but they turned out pretty cute!

Claire + rocks + water = LOVE. She love, love, loves her rocks, and throwing rocks in water is even better! Claire would pick up a little rock and throw it in the river followed with "where dit goooo?"

She also discovered how much fun it is to gather leaves and throw them up and laugh uncontrollably as they fall!

Bubba (as Claire now refers to him) in all his cuteness sat and watched us run around chasing Claire for an hour! He's such a good little guy...we sometimes forget he's even around because he never makes a sound!

Another trip up the canyon is planned for this weekend...the leaves are almost done turning, but it's still so beautiful. I love fall!!

"Here's a good one. Another good one."

2010-10-19T22:02:00.003-06:00

Another cutesie video. Love this little girl. Happy Tuesday night.

via Serendipity Factory.

Made me smile :)

2010-10-19T21:51:00.004-06:00

via Love. Obsess. Inspire....this blog comes highly recommended :)

Green

2010-10-05T19:10:00.003-06:00

What color are you? Take this little quiz to find out!
Green. Love, love, love green! All of us girls in my family have a dish collection and my collection is the Anchor Hocking Forest Green Charm collection. We pulled the dishes out when I was home last week and used them for Sunday dinner, and I think I fell even more in love with them! (I'm picturing my mom laughing as she reads this!) Most of the dishes are square and are super simple, just the way I like 'em.

Speaking of home, I'm kind of glad I'm not home right now. My poor family is dealing with a mouse problem right now. I had my first experience with trapping a mouse while I was home (and let Dad have the honors of moving the mouse outside!), and it's not something I want to experience again! The last two messages I've gotten from my sister have had to do with the mouse problem. I just like hearing about the problem from a safe distance! If you have any advice on dealing with this kind of problem, I'm sure they're open to any suggestions! :)

quiz via How About Orange (this blog comes highly recommended!)

New Collection!

2010-10-03T21:21:00.003-06:00

I've seen lots of walls with letters, but I LOVE this wall with the alphabet!
I have a new collection to start on! :)

via justbesplenid tumblr...via Lismon Studios. Just spent a few several minutes browsing their portfolio...gorgeous work!

mmm...

2010-10-03T15:58:00.006-06:00

Thinking about making these this afternoon...
via ming makes cupcakes.

I shouldn't have done this, but I clicked over to the "cookies" tab...now I kind of want to make these:via here.

{click on the images to see larger}

Weekend...

2010-10-03T14:29:00.004-06:00

Sniffle. Clean. Breakfast with Dad! Conference. Move furniture. Cough, cough. Watch more Conference here. Clean room while watching Conference. Get ready for day (at 5:00 pm). Sniffle. Cough. Head out to Deseret Book with roomies and dinner. Come home, take Nyquil. Bed at 8:30.

Airport run at 6:00. Return rental truck. (More on that later.) Breakfast...german pancakes! Finish cleaning-slash-organizing-slash-get rid of more stuff. More Conference. Cough. Cough. Dayquil this time! A little more Conference. Sniffle. Sniffle.

It's been a crazy weekend, but so, so good. Saturday morning Conference session was just what I need. President Uchtdorf quoted Leonardo da Vinci, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Watch here. "What does this have to do with flying an airplane? Well, let me tell you..." Classic.

Currently missing this little lady:

(us flying to St Louis...she LOVED looking at all the airplanes!)

Last week I took Claire with me as I flew home to St Louis for the weekend. We had a little mini family get-together for mom's (50th!) birthday and little Caleb's baby blessing. It worked out for me to fly home a little earlier than everyone else, and because Claire is still under two, she got to come with me! She was perfect while we were in the air, but it was at our layover in Denver that she had her inevitable meltdown. We (barely) survived the meltdown and I might have thought about leaving the kid in Denver...just kidding!! (I love that little girl a little *too* much!) I have so much more respect for parents flying with little kiddos!...it's hard! Claire (oh...and her mom and brother) won't be back in Provo for two weeks, and I'm going crazy with out them here. I'm hoping the next two weeks go fast.

And here's to hoping this little sickie will feel better. Soon.

Flower: Fail

2010-09-20T23:20:00.004-06:00

Funny story. I went by (unnamed) store to pick up some flowers for a friend's birthday this afternoon. I bought a dozen roses, got them home and unwrapped and ready to go in a vase. I picked the first rose up, and the whole flower part falls to the ground. (I have the stem in my hand still.) I get slightly frustrated. (Insert: roommate Brittany is in the living room wondering what I'm grumbling about in the kitchen.) Pick up 2nd flower, and it's fine, so I put it in the vase. The next three roses that I pick up all fall to the ground...it was as if the florist had cut the heads of the flowers off and shoved them back in with the rest of the bouquet, hoping no one would notice! Grrrr...so not cool. But then I counted the number of roses...there weren't even a dozen roses! There were only 11! This leads me to believe that there were probably originally five broken flowers in the bouquet, but one escaped. Not only was I gypped by getting flowers that were, you could say, "pre-cut," but there weren't even 12! Oh well :) I should've gotten a pic of the chopped flowers! Dangit.

Short work week this week! Woo-hoo! Headed home on Wednesday morning for a little birthday celebration for mom! #50! I won't be flying solo...I'll have Claire with me! I've flown with just her before, but she wasn't so squirmy, so I'm kind of anxious about this flight and hoping it won't be a packed plane!

Oh, and speaking of work...

This morning at our weekly meeting, we played our traditional get-to-know you game, as we had a new designer recently start on the team. Everyone goes around the table and puts a "get-to-know-you" type question on the board. One of the questions was something like, "If you weren't working here, what would you be doing instead?" (Something not art-related.) I said I'd want to be one of those undercover/secret shoppers that goes to stores and rates stores on their performance. Doesn't that sound fun? I thought so.

Happy Monday :)

I ♥ the D.I.

2010-09-18T22:57:00.002-06:00

And this would be why:
Where else in the world can you buy a tanning bed and a suitcase, furniture, electronics, art, shoes and books all in the same place? You never know what to expect...it's always a surprise! I love the D.I.

Stairs.

2010-09-15T22:50:00.005-06:00

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this home I'll someday have...sigh.

{Side Note: I've secretly been logging ideas away already over on my inspiration blog. I guess it's not so secret, but I just don't talk about it too often. Why? Because I don't want to feel this weird pressure to update it on some sort of consistent basis. (Ever feel like you're required to blog? I do. And I hate feeling pressure to do that extra little thing everyday. Like brushing my teeth, making my bed, you know what I mean, right?) Anyways...that little blog has a lot of fun things I've collected from lots of different places. Everything's categorized, so when I want to be inspired by jewelry, home interiors, party ideas, photography, design, etc, I can just click over to that blog. I'm kind of secretly in LOVE with that little blog of mine...anyways...}

Stairs. Love, love, love me some unique stairs. Just a few to be inspired by:

Those numbers...I'm kind of digging them. They seem like something you could change if you got tired of seeing them. I think I'd end up counting each step in my head as I went up and down them!

I love all the dishes that lead you up the stairs! Love.

(all pics can be referenced by clicking here and you'll be directed to the source.)

I want.

2010-09-15T18:55:00.004-06:00

I want a house of my own. Perhaps this one??

I'm thinking I'll start posting things on this little blog of mine things I want in my (someday in the distant future) ~~house~~ home.

This house was featured on mint today...so much charm! So much character! Love it all. A lot of work? Of course. That's how I like 'em!

Aren't those windows a-maz-ing?! So in love.

And don't forget the stairs. My favorite thing in the whole house.

Someday. Someday.

Photos via Mint.

so pretty!

2010-09-14T20:47:00.005-06:00

Must read daily blog: design*sponge. Love it (and have loved it!) for several years now! Do yourself a favor and check it out. Daily inspiration ranging from DIY projects, business tips, recipes, city guides, before & afters and more!

I loved this post from last week...another reminder that fall is soon approaching! Beautiful, rich colors...
The pictures of the tomatoes reminded me of my sister's (once) lovely garden. In short, it got overtaken by thousands of these in a matter of days. (Click through your own risk.) At first, I thought (being the sweet, older sister that I am) that I'd go over and help her out with the mess, but after learning that the best and most effective way to take care of these critters is to swat them off the plants and then squash them, I thought, "I'm sure glad Katie has a husband!" :) If anyone has a better solution to taking care of those bugs, let me know...or let Katie know...or her husband, Joe, know...

pictures via design*sponge.

Almost here...

2010-09-13T21:57:00.004-06:00

Fall, that is.
Spent the afternoon over at the sister's house with Claire and Caleb...I just can't get enough of those kids! Claire and I read her current favorite book (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) on the grass under this most amazing tree! It's just a little tree, and I've always thought it didn't stand much of a chance, but when you get down and look up through it's branches and leaves, it's pretty amazing! The one branch fades from green to bright red. So beautiful!

This weekend to do list includes going on a drive up Provo Canyon. Must. Do.

Saturday Morning

2010-09-04T13:23:00.011-06:00

Spent the morning over at the Brewer home...mom packed up and headed back to St. Louis after being here for 3 weeks. Sad morning. (But we'll all be home in a few weeks for mom's birthday!)

Caleb is excited to watch his first BYU Cougar football game--he even dressed up for the occasion!

He's such a cutie-patootie! Claire is still working on loving her little brother, but I have a feeling these two are going to be the best of friends!

Grammie realized a couple days ago that she still didn't have any pics of her and Caleb, so we had to fix that!

This is what we look like on Saturday mornings, sans makeup and crazy hair...yikes. (But I secretly love this pic.) (We somehow end up taking pics like this kind of often...like this one.)

As mom was getting all packed up and ready to head to the airport, Claire decided to be a little sneaky and try hitching a ride to the airport...

Claire's plan didn't work, and she was quite upset when we pulled her off the car! She threw a little (ok...bigger than little...) tantrum when she realized that grammie was gone. She kept looking in the garage wondering if she was going to come back. It's a good thing we're going to visit soon!

(ps...my favorite part of the pic above is that you can see Claire's little belly button in the reflection! haha)

Happy Friday

2010-09-03T16:53:00.002-06:00

Dear Mom,

Thanks so much...I needed that :) It made my whole week that much better!

Happy looooong weekend!

*me

my o my...a GIVEAWAY!

2010-08-31T21:16:00.006-06:00

'Member how I've been so awesome at blogging this summer?? Oh, yeah...

Last month we had a fun creative activity at work...screen printing! All of us creative peeps designed a little something and then over two days, we headed over to one of my co worker's houses and printed the afternoon away! It's always nice to get a little 'creative break' from work :)

I printed this little ditty up on some shirts and some AC textured cardstock:

Want one?? Leave a comment, and I'll select a random commenter on Monday (because Monday's a holiday and that'd be fun to have a winner on a holiday, right?)...and I'll drop a poster in the mail to you (and maybe even with a little something extra :) Just be sure to tell me in your comment if you're sad to see summer end or if you're happy to see fall coming. Deal?

I'll answer first: I drove with a friend up the canyon yesterday afternoon, and the air was slightly crisp and so refreshing. Yes, I'm just a *little* excited for fall to be here!

Kittens! Inspired by...Kittens!

2010-08-25T23:30:00.005-06:00

I've probably single-handedly watched this 9,280,373 of the 9,280,374 times it's been viewed. Watch it at least twice...with every view, it gets funnier! (Right mom???)

I think part of the reason I think it's funny, is because I can see my niece, Claire, making a video like this in about 3 years from now!

I think...

2010-08-22T22:49:00.003-06:00

...they just might be related.

(the picture of Claire--if you can figure out which one she is--was taken by Katharine.)

Those Brewer kiddos...just can't get enough of them! Claire is learning and trying to be so gentle with her little brother and wants to cuddle right up next to him. Caleb couldn't be a cuter lil' guy!

...and let your natural sweetness shine through!

2010-08-18T21:51:00.005-06:00

My sister in law, Holly, posted this...it's too funny not to share. Enjoy :)

Sister & Brother

2010-08-16T20:34:00.002-06:00

Claire is soo in love and can't keep her eyes off Caleb! When she's not staring the baby down, she's playing on the jungle gym...I mean hospital stuff...and loving life! :)

Welcome Baby Caleb!

2010-08-16T18:33:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the world, little Caleb :)

Baby Brewer Updates :)

2010-08-16T18:02:00.010-06:00

6:00 pm - Katie's toes are blue for Baby Brewer! He'll be here soon :)

6:07 - Baby weight guesses:
Joe: 8lbs 10oz
Me: 8lbs 2oz
Mom: 7lbs 7 oz
Katie: 9lbs 4 oz

6:14 - Dr's here! He's on his way!

6:20 - Baby's here!!!! He's a big boy with a high squeal! We can't stop laughing--his little cry is so cute!

Official Weight: 8lbs 10oz...Joe was right!
Length: 20"

Home!

2010-08-02T21:19:00.002-06:00

Is it already time to head back to Utah?? It's been so nice being here...