Packed with Love

It's always an exciting afternoon when a package is sitting on our porch. And even more exciting when that package has something like this on the side:



Because then we know it's from Weez, and there's going to be some good things inside! This time was no exception. She was sending Spencer his toy dog cage that he had left at my parents, but threw in some fabric samples for me, too. Weez, you're the best.



We are in the process of getting slipcovers made for two chairs in our living/dining room and an ottoman in the family room. There was one in particular that caught my eye:



Here it is in a room:



You like? I tend to upholster our sofas and chairs in solids because I'm afraid I'll get sick of a pattern, but since we are getting slipcovers, I kind of want to do something bold and fun. We'll see! [UPDATE: Weez just called me and told me that fabric was discontinued! She's friends with some folks in that showroom, so they let her take the larger swatches. No longer an option, which is probably good considering what the price tag would have been. But it's good inspiration, and maybe we'll make some pillows out of the remnants...]

In weekend news, we are having a little birthday dinner at our house tonight for our good friend, and I'm making this amazingly delish pasta that I found on The Pioneer Woman. I use grilled chicken instead of shrimp. Nothing against shrimp, just prefer chicken. It gets 5 stars from me, which in my rating system means it's not too complicated and super tasty.

Have a good one, friends!

[Last image from AGA in House Beautiful]

Woody meets Lee Jofa

He only likes to sit near fabrics that match his outfit.

[Think this post is completely random? This one explains my "cleaning game," which is basically just me amusing myself while I straighten up the house!]

Wish I Were There...

...snuzzled with that adorable little pup and snoozing! It was a long weekend [boys were off school yesterday], and I'm playing lots of catch-up today.



For our President's Day outing, we dropped Mags off at her sitter and saw Gnomeo and Juliet [or Goneo and Julia, as my boys call it]. It was cute. Not one of my faves -- think Toy Story, Despicable Me, Up -- but cute. I'd definitely pass on the 3D -- don't think there would be much difference. And yes, it is hot enough here to wear shorts and a tee. I'm scared about where the summer is going to take us.

PS: I'm just going to put it out there that my bed doesn't look so cool unmade. Maybe if I threw a cute pup or cute kid in the mix I could achieve that same chicly tossled unmade bed look. But it feels messy in our room if the bed isn't made. What about you? Do you like to make your bed every morning or have you perfected the chic unmade bed look?

[Lovely top image from Brown Dress with White Dots via Head Over Heels]

Friday in the Studio

This Friday in the studio, I've been putting the finishing touches on some new wedding and baby designs, which I am so so so excited about. I can't wait to release them!

I also got an email from Natasha at Minted this morning telling me that my interview was up on the Minted blog! Be sure to check it out if you're curious to know more about me and what I do.

She also mentioned that my design The Perfect Match was featured by Matchbook Magazine!



The tagline for the magazine is "A Field Guide to a Charmed Life." Bring it on! I'm so glad they liked my work, and I'm also so glad to have discovered this gem of an online magazine. It's chock full of interviews, destinations, fashion and beauty recs, interiors, recipes and more.





[How much do I want to transport that sofa into my house? A lot.]

What else? I just finished up some birthday labels for one of my favorite one-yr-olds. Elephants are the best.



That's all for now -- happy weekend to you!

Ponies

Y'all, I've got to start doing something with my hair. Really. I like having my hair off my face, so I tend to pull my hair back all the time [Evidence of such in this post and this one]. But it is time to spice up the pony. Since I joined Pinterest, I keep seeing these pretty little do's that are inspiring me:



It makes me laugh when I see these styles termed "messy." I've got the messy part down, but truly, these aren't actually "messy!" I guess messy in that "I've spent a long time getting my hair to look this particular mess" kind of way.

I think I need some product, too. Not much of a product gal, but that may be because I haven't found the right one. With all the humidity down here, those natural good hair days [like the ones experienced in say, Wyoming] are few and far between. Gotta make them happen!

Now I just need to figure out how to either a: actually get my hair to do these things or b: finagle a way to get my own personal hairstylist, who will come to my house every morning and do my hair while I'm wiping up gobs of oatmeal. Sounds dreamy, no?

UPDATE: As if on cue, while I was typing and mulling over this post before I published it, I saw this awesome tutorial on Cup of Joe about making a "messy side ponytail!" I think I just might be able to pull this one off...

And PS: If you are on Pinterest, let me know!

Sweetness

We do Valentine's pretty low-key around here, so you can imagine my surprise when there was a knock on the door at 7 o'clock that night and in shuffled about 10 dudes in ties. Um, hi? They then proceeded to SING! Yes, right there in my living room. For the longest time. My girl. And a one-of-a-kind serenade. I do not do well being the center of attention like that, so I was grateful that 1. our neighbors were over and 2. that M was in my arms. It's pretty easy to direct attention toward a cute toddler!



I do, however, love surprises, and Reg pulled off a good one this year! The guys were from a music fraternity on campus, and were super sweet.

I also received two of the best Valentine cards ever:



Getting Henry to actually sit down and color for any period of time is no small feat, so it's something I will treasure. And the pink ax-looking thing on Spencer's [right] is actually cupid's arrow. He asked me a few days ago why cupid would want to hurt people with his arrow, so I had to explain that the arrow was shooting love to the person. And that sometimes love hurts. Just kidding -- we'll save that one for the teenage years!

[Apologies for the grainy serenade pictures -- they are screen shots from a video!]

Mag and Ag

I'm going to send you on your merry way this weekend with this shot of Mags and Agnes, my sister's Chihuahua.



She makes M giggle. Makes me want to get a dog with how much our kids love dogs, but the thought of caring for another living creature at this point in my life makes me tired. Some day the right dog will come along at the right time...

Feltron Annual Report

If you like graphs, data, genealogy and/or rockin' typography, be sure to check out the 2010 Feltron Annual Report created by Nicholas Feltron:



This time around, the report is a documentation of the author's father's life. It is described as "an encapsulation of my father's life, as communicated by the calendars, slides and other artifacts in [the author's] possession..."





A fascinating project, not to mention the stunning graphics and typography.



[Find out more about the author, this project, and the other annual reports; via The Fox is Black]

A Birthday Movement

Ok, just saw this over on SwissMiss and had to pass it on, especially in light of recent birthday party talk. Hilarious.



All I've gotta say is "Enter the mini-pony."

Rain and Branches

Hello! How was your weekend? Ours was good -- dreary, but good. We've had a lot LOT of rain lately. Think about all the snow everyone has been getting and just translate that to rain down here. We went to the library on Saturday. M "entertained" everyone by doing sprints around the stacks and squealing. The librarians love it when we show up. I checked out Valley of the Dolls. Thought it might be good in that Real Housewives kind of way: a little dark and twisted mixed up in absurd dysfunction. I decided to balance it out with a Rascal Flatts CD.

Anyway, I've recently discovered this website called Made by Joel. It's a blog by one decidedly creative dad who creates things for his kids. One of my favorites is this post on branch trees:



A perfect way to bring the outdoors in when the weather is...how shall I say it nicely...crummy. See all his clever creations here!

Picture Perfect Boy Room

Picture-lined walls against soft colors and natural wood floors make this such a soothing yet fun looking place to be. And the chalkboard with lighting is totally awesome.



[Images from photographer Anitta Behrendt]

Stamp It

Because if you were anything like me as a 7-yr-old, wanting to grab that little date stamp from the lower school librarian and stamp your own books, this is the perfect tip for you. I found it when I was going through some old tear sheets from Cookie magazine, and thought "why why why have I not done this yet." It's genius. Plus there's that added bonus of getting to channel your inner librarian.



Do you have a favorite way to date and store artwork?