design. wash. rinse. repeat.

love your blog!

The lovely Brandy J. kindly tagged me with the "I Love Your Blog" award. She had such overly nice things to say about me that one has to wonder if she's confused me with somebody else! but i'm incredibly touched and flattered at her thoughtfulness, since i think the world of her. and now, in no particular order, i pass the torch on:

{The rules for the award are - (1) The winner can put the logo on their blog. (2) Link the person you received your award from. (3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. (4) Put links of those on yours. (5) Leave a message on the blogs of the girls or boys you’ve nominated.}

01: Rachel-I "met" the fabulous rachel when she joined the design team at pcLayers. Her bubbly enthusiasm for life in general is simply contagious, I can't help but smile when i think of her. Her blog is an eclectic bit of creativity and fun, and our mutual love of cupcakes has bonded us for life.

02: Aly-another pcLayers friend, Aly is indescribably talented. her blog showcases digital and paper scrapbooking as well as her super cute family. She frequently has not-to-be-missed tips and tricks and even free digital scrapbooking templates! she's a goldmine of scrappy inspiration.

03: Melissa-there's a long list of people who've already awarded melissa this, but with good reason. She must have an unlimited supply of energy and creativity because she's one of the most prolific and inspiring paper designers i've seen. the impeccable detail she puts into each of her projects is astounding, i'm always left in awe.

04: April-my neighbor and friend, i absolutely love every minute i get to spend with this fashionista. As a fellow working mother I am inspired by how well she balances and maintains her passion for her job (she works for the United Way, how cool is that!) and her family life.

05: Nicole-i couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. She's an incredible listener and amazing mother to three of the most adorable girls. her devotion and kind heart are inspiring. i'm so excited she recently joined the blogging world! (and if you're ever playing a board game or card game you want her on your team, trust me!)

06: Ali-have you ever come across a blog, fallen in love, and then realized you actually know the person? small world. before she married and became super mom Ali worked for a Design Studio that i worked closely with, and until recently discovering her blog i had no idea she had such a gift for writing! her thoughts on life and motherhood are both touching and entertaining and her growing family is adorable.

07: Heather-heather bailey needs no introduction, she's absolutely the most charming blogging gal around. I was lucky enough to meet her at the SLC Quilt Market last year and can say that she's as warm and friendly and insanely stylish in person as she is on her blog. i love her blog for the glimpses into the life and mind of a creative genius as well as the gorgeous photography and clever crafting ideas.

paper crafting 3 ways

Can't tell you how much I love the latest special issue from Paper Crafts magazine! i'm not just saying that because of the adorable photo in the picture frame on the cover--but dang, aren't those girls cute?! (when your friends work at a magazine you've got to be careful giving them snapshots, you never know where they'll end up!). The book is brimming with cool ideas for all skill levels. I was lucky enough to be asked to dream up a project using Heidi Swapp's "Runway" collection, and her chandelier crystals (SO AWESOME!) inspired the wall hanging for little miss Ev (pictured below left). And i love those cover projects (by Alice Golden, Daniela Dobson, and Wendy Johnson) using the BasicGrey Sugared collection. good stuff, i hope everyone will check it out!

bright idea

My good friend Emily sent me a link to this super cool light-up baby bootie project featured on craftzine.com. Aren't these genius?! I've got to make some for Ev before she's too big! Ana Pires and João Silva came up with this clever concept and were generous enough to provide a free tutorial. Check out Ana's blog for more LED ideas. And while we're on the topic of crafting for the little ones in our lives, Lori Gardner also has a great "baby bib" freebie tutorial and pattern on her blog! (aren't her latest fabrics adorable! don't miss your chance to win some free sampes by leaving a comment on her blog!)

why, how, when

LilyKate is in that broken record mode that so many kids seem to go through, and the "why" and "how" questions are unending (tonight, while watching the Olympics, she asked "why are TV's square?... Why aren't they circles?"--good question! the designer in me immediately pictured an incredibly chic flat screen circle TV on the wall. it's just what we need!). A recurring theme she seems to always have on her mind is "how do you make...". For instance lately she keeps asking "how do you make red Sprite"? Provided with an answer she replies with a chipper "oh!", then ponders the information momentarily before asking "how do you make blue Sprite?" So terry or myself describe the process yet again, this time with even more exaggerated details. Again, she smiles sweetly and exclaims "oh!". Ten seconds later... "mommy, how do you make pink Sprite?" After running through half the rainbow my answer is simple, "the same way you make red Sprite", which seems to please her just as much as the other answers. And when I then ask HER how to make pink Sprite, her little two year old brain amazes me by rattling off all the details i've given her right down to driving (don't worry, it's a hybrid vehicle!) to the store to buy the Sprite. This month my little genius turns 3, and she can barely contain her excitement. So to help her understand the "when", I thought it would be fun to create a good old-fashioned "countdown" chain. We got out the scissors, glue, paper (from my Phoebe collection for BasicGrey), Martha Stewart Butterfly punch, and the all important glitter glue and went to town punching and gluing butterflies to strips of paper. The project was simple enough that Little Kate was able to do the majority of the work herself and was incredibly proud of her beautiful finished product. I could tell because she then danced and twirled around the house with the chain dragging along behind her as she sang "you are my sunshine", while baby Eva giggled dizzily at her big sister's antics.
Speaking of Eva, my little Budha Baby wowed us all this week by suddenly crawling across the room! mischief is surely just around the corner. Frightening how quickly my lovelies are growing up.