Look What I Made

Project Life 2013 // Week 17

Week 17! I pulled my color palette from the events during the week. We were in Washington D.C. - so obviously I used red, white & blue. Plus, the race color scheme was lime green & teal. I added touches of green & teal to keep my spread from becoming too themey or patriotic. 

Having a colors scheme really helps me keep all my pockets cohesive and helps me make decisions on which products to use. I'm at a point where I have a lot of stuff, so I need small little challenges for myself to make good design choices.

Here's the left side. This side pretty much sums up my week before we went out of town for the weekend. Truthfully, we didn't really have anything happening. I included a photo from my photoshoot with the moon, and a drawing I made for the blog when we went to D.C. 

Here is the first of two inserts. I used a 6x12" American Crafts page protector with three 4x6" slots. 

I added a second 8.5x11" insert (just a cheap one from Staples) to hold my race bib and a cool course map we got in our goodie bags. I'm happy to have a place to hold these types of things. I am kind of sentimental about things like this.

Here is the right side. I used this page to document all the sightseeing and touristy things we did in D.C. 

Instead of writing down every little detail of our trip (which I started to do) I wrote a few highlights on a piece of Dear Lizzy paper. It sums up the trip, and tells the story of things that aren't included in the photos. That's really all you need.

And just a little moment here to profess my love for these Maggie Holmes glitter thickers. They are awesome.

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See all my Project Life posts here.

I am more than happy to share what products I've used, so if you have any questions, please ask in the comments or shoot me an email!

 

Adventures in Urban Gardening

My mom gave me this herb garden and a pot of basil over the weekend. I really hope that I don't kill them. We live in a high-rise on the 14th floor, so gardening isn't something I thought I'd be able to do while we're living here.We have an old Ikea table (that is not meant for outdoors) on our patio that we meant to throw out, but has really come in handy when we are grilling out there. And now, I have a place for my plants! 

Semi-related, I finally switched my camera over to Manual mode and can definitely see a difference in my photos.

'Handmade by' Cards for Mom

I illustrated & designed a set 'Handmade by' cards for my mom for Mother's Day this year. (This is actually something she had asked me to make for her.)

She is a super, amazing, fantastic knitter and makes a lot of gifts for family & friends. With these cards, she can write the washing & care instructions on the back and include with the knitted goods. . I, for one, am usually scared to wash her hand-knit creations because I don't want to ruin them. I am sure others feel the same. Problem solved.

I packaged them up in a kraft bag with a custom sticker from my shop. She loved them!

Custom Return Address Stamps!

I am so excited to annouce that I have custom return address stamps listed in my shop! I have 2 options available, a self-inking stamp (pictured) and a wood-handled stamp. Each stamp is custom designed with my own handwriting and made to order. This has to be one of my favorite products in the shop. It is great for wedding invitations or makes a great gift. 

As a special thank you to those of you who read my blog – please use the code 5OFFSTAMPS to receive $5 off your stamp order! (edited to add: coupon will be good through June!)

I really love having a place to share my excitement for things, like stamps, so I truly do appreciate you stopping by and for your support.

Stitch Fix!

I got my second Stitch Fix last week and am addicted. I love it and have kept 2 things from each of my boxes.

I don't normally have a problem styling the clothes that I have, or finding things I like at the store, but I decided to try Stitch Fix because I always buy the same thing. So when I'm not in the mood for my clothes, I have nothing to wear because basically everything is the same in different colors. I also wanted to find a few new pieces to add into my wardrobe that are a little more grown up than my usual.

So, here we go. Please excuse the awkwardness and try not to be jealous of my professional modeling skillz.

Polka-dot Sleeveless Blouse – I really wanted to like this, but it just wasn't very flattering on me. Maybe if I kept my hands on my hips all day, you could see that I have a waist, but on me it just looked too much like a big polka-dot bag. The back was really long too and covered my whole butt. I think this would probably look super cute tucked into a pencil skirt, but that is not my style. I sent this one back but might go hunt on my own for a sleeveless blouse.

Navy Butterfly Shirt – I saw this and thought 'no' immediately. But I tried it on anyway because that's what you are supposed to do. It actually fit really well! The neckline was flattering and the bottom had elastic so it didn't look like I had no shape. I thought really hard about this one but decided to send it back. I don't really love the butterfly wing sleeves and the fabric had a little shine to it. I do not like shiny fabrics.

Cantaloupe Skinny Jeans – LOVE. THEM. I love colored denim. I was glad they sent these because I was always under the impression that cantaloupe wasn't my color. They fit super well and I have a bunch of shirts that will match them. Really happy with these. Obviously, kept them.

Navy & White Striped Sweater Blazer - Hmmm... this one. It was so cute when I pulled it out of the box. It just didn't fit right. The collar would not lay right (you can see it in this picture). It only had 2 buttons, I think it needed 3 to hold it together more.

I sound like I'm being picky because I am. It was $88 and if it fit well, I'd have no problem spending that. But it's got to be perfect for me to spend that. I sent it back but I appreciated that the stylist put it in my box. It really does fit all the criteria of my wish list, just didn't fit right.

Chevron Dress - Yay! I was really excited to see this one. I kept it. It's really cute and flattering (more flattering in person than in these photos). Plus, it has pockets! The fabric is kind of polyester-y but I don't really care. This is a dress I'll wear for the fun of it and won't keep for years and years. I kept it. It's adorbs. 

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So, in the end, I was very happy with this fix. I haven't scheduled my next one yet. I'd like to figure out what I 'need' and then give them some good direction. I think that lots of information is the most important piece of this process. These stylist don't actually know you, so you have to be very specific with your likes/dislikes. I shared exactly why I did or didn't like the pieces in my 1st fix. I updated my style Pinterest board and shared it with them. And also, I tried not to be too hard on myself if something didn't fit right. Just send it back. If you're on the fence, I think you should do it! The worst possible thing that could happen is you lose $20 in the styling fee. 

* I have linked above to Stitch Fix using my referral link. If you choose to sign up using my code, I will get a credit to my account. :)

Our Trip to D.C.

Billy and I went to DC 2 weekends ago. We went because we love taking long weekends away and because I ran in a half marathon. I sadly forgot the battery to my big charger in the wall at home, so I only had my iPhone to take photos of the adventure.

Highlights from our trip:

• The pefect weather – sunny, not too hot and a little breeze. The best. We tried to spend as much time outside as possible.
• Our hotel. We stayed in Arlington, VA near the Pentagon. It was really nice and we got a super good deal.
• Finding my new married name (3rd photo) on the wall of runners at Nike Georgetown. I'm still not used to having a new last name.
• Dinner with friends on Saturday night in Old Town Alexandria.
• Finishing my half marathon with a time of 1:51:49. Not my very best time but I was very happy with it! I felt like I trained hard for it, my main goal was to finish in under 2 hours.
• The looong nap I took after the race. I love taking naps after long runs.
• Sliding down the ramp next to the steps at the Lincoln Memorial.
• Walking around eating street food with Billy & seeing all the sights.
• Eating tapas & drinking sangria and mojitos together on Sunday night in Georgetown.
• Billy & I playing a guessing game at the hotel bar.
• Finding the perfect half marathon treat. I buy myself something for finishing my training and the race. Normally it's something from Lululemon, this time it was these shoes.

All in all, it was a really fun trip! We tried to pack in as much as we could without putting too much pressure on ourselves. It was my first time in D.C. so I knew I wanted to see the White House and the memorials, but other than that, I just wanted to spend some time with BP, eat food and drink wine. 

Project Life 2013 // Week 16

Week 16! I'm currently working about a week behind on all my pages. I seem to only be able to complete 1 week in a week. Not a big deal at all, just an observation.

Here is the left side. Not too many pictures from Monday-Thursday (again). The weather was so dark and gloomy that the few pictures I did take were not very good. 

I dressed up my date card this week with some paper scraps I've been saving. I thought if I was going to go through the effort of saving these little bits, I better use them.

I summed up the week with these 2 cards. The one on the left is from a Studio Calico Project Life Grag Bag. The photo on the right is actually this Instagram picture. It looks even darker in this photo, but I used the foggy area to hold my caption. The green goes with the umbrella graphic.

I used the best white pen (ever) to write around my current favorite night-time snack - greek yogurt, strawberries & chocolate chips. 

Here's the right side of my week. Busy, busy weekend!

Another card (the right one) from the Studio Calico Project Life Grab Bag. I like how simple it is, but there is still a lot of space to write the random stories of our life right now. 

I have been including pictures from my half marathon training runs in each weekly spread. This one was officially my last long run! I liked the white space at the top of the photo so I added my details to the bottom of the photos. I used different color enamel dots and it reminds me a little bit of confetti. Because it really is a celebration to finish a 12 week training plan. 

I got this ampersand pin with my Ugmonk sweatshirt order. I was out of photos for the week so I just put it in the center of a sheet of mustard striped paper. I was planning on writing something on it, but changed my mind because I just really like how it looks plain!

The end. I am happy with this week. Now, the daunting (but fun!) task of sorting through our DC vacation photos. 

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See all my Project Life posts here.

I am more than happy to share what products I've used, so if you have any questions, please ask in the comments or shoot me an email!

 

The Moon.

We are back from our fun weekend in D.C. I have a bunch of pictures to sort through and eventually share, but very little energy to do that right now. In due time. :)

I wanted to share these photos I took of the moon last week. We were sitting in the living room and coule not help but notice the huge moon out our window. It was so big and seemed so low. It sort of felt like it was not supposed to be there. And it was amazing. These pictures don't really do the scene justice but you can see how bright it was by the reflection below on Lake Michigan.

MDW ---> IAD

Our weekend in D.C. is finally here! I'm really excited to explore a new city. Our plans include meeting friends for dinner and my half marathon on Sunday. We aren't really "planners" when it comes to vacation, so we're pretty open for adventures. I keep hearing how great of a city Washington D.C. is, I can't wait to find out for myself. Have a great weekend!

Project Life 2013 // Week 15

Week 15! I like this week. I spent a lot of time trying to make the colors work with my photos. There's also a lot of circles happening in this spread.

Here is the left side. Billy sent me a few photos from his weekend in Florida. I didn't have enough to do an insert like I planned, so I just chose my 2 favorites.

I used some old Dear Lizzy paper as my date card. It was looking a little unfinished so I added some stitching around the label. There was an odd empty space so I added the enamel dots. 

This was also the week that I was sick. I painted the thickers with some acrylic paint to give them some color. They were blending in a little too much with the photos and it was hard to separate the words "sick" and "days". Now they are a fun, bright color and easier to read!

I like to take walks on my lunch breaks when the weather is nice. On this day, I walked east and when I realized how far I'd gone, I decided to walk over to Millennium Park to see The Bean. Sort of random, but sort of fun at the same time. 

Here is the right side. 

These are my 3x4" pockets, which are always my favorite slots to fill. 

I love collecting business cards and actually having somewhere relevant to put them! How cool are these circle business cards? I accidentally put the adhesive on the wrong side of the top circle so now it's stuck to the page forever.

The end. :)

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See all my Project Life posts here.

I've decided to stop linking all my sources for the time being. It is incredibly time-consuming and makes me dread sharing my pages. I am more than happy to share what I've used, so if you have any questions, please ask in the comments or shoot me an email!