Look What I Made

Project Life 2013 // Week 18

Week 18 - another busy weekend for us. We celebrated Billy's birthday and roadtripped to Dubuque, Iowa for each of our college alumni soccer games.

Here is the left side of the spread. Except for the picture of Billy sleeping in the airport (on our way home from DC), I have lots of daily routine, typical stuff. My desk, my planner, driving to work - little tidbits of everyday.

I used one of my hand-stitched ampersands as a filler this week. There wasn't much to journal so it was the perfect addition.

I took this photo on our drive to work and I love it. The sun is finally shining regularly. I always forget to take pictures of Billy and me together. It's embellished with an Ormolu tag and Dear Lizzy ribbon.

I added an insert this week since we had so much going on. The front includes photos from Billy's Birthday Fiesta that we hosted on Friday night.

I ordered the Elle's Studio May Kit and I love it. The multi-color 3x4" card was included and it goes perfectly with this party insert. The 31 flair is from Ormolu.

Here is the back side of the insert. We roadtripped to Dubuque on Saturday morning and drove home Sunday morning. Quick trip, not too many photos.

Here's the right side of my spread. Again, pretty standard. I included pictures of myself from my Stitch Fix modeling session and a recipe for basic hummus.

The banner is also from Elle's Studio. It was originally part of a 3x4" journaling card (from this set) that said 'the sights and sounds of spring.' I really just wanted the banner part so I chopped it up and layered it so that the top piece covered the words 'and sounds.' I knew that if I didn't make the card work for me, I wouldn't use it. And I'd rather chop something up then let it sit in a box unused.

A little weekly wrap up. I used 2 kraft colored 3x4" cards to fill slots and write random notes that aren't pictured.

And for fun, here is the weekly spread, minus the insert. I like how it all flows together this week. I see pops of turquoise and yellow and krat. 

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See all my Project Life posts here.

I''ve linked a few product sources in the body of the post. But, as always, if you have any questions, please ask in the comments or shoot me an email!

Currently: May

Drinking tea. This month it's Lime Gelato, Mango Fruit Punch (really good iced) and Mint Julep.

Eating fresh strawberries.

Watering my plants when needed. Happy to report they are doing very well!

Motivated by the sunshine. I've been getting out of bed earlier these days and I like it.

Spending my lunch breaks at the pool deck at my gym. It's right down the street from my office, so it's the perfect little escape.

Catching up on Project Life.

Reading this book. So far, really good! But I'll report back soon. I'm almost finished with it.

Excited for a 3-day weekend coming up! 

Overwhelmed by the response of my new shop Facebook page! I receieved 160+ Likes in 24 hours. It was so exciting. I was hesistant to share - you know, the whole putting yourself out there thing - but I'm so glad I did. It was so worth the risk of (stuggling for the right word here) feeling silly. I don't know. I think my shop is great (as I should) and I'm so proud of it, so I should share it. Other people might love it too. I feel good that the response was positive.

A Walk Around Museum Campus

The weather on Sunday was absolutely perfect. We were lounging around all morning being lazy so I decided to go out for a walk and take pictures. We are fortunate to live so close to the lake here in Chicago. I walked around Museum Campus, behind the Adler Planetarium and along the water. I sort of just wandered around and ended up being gone for 1:45 minutes. I took 141 photos, not all great (but some great!). I'm still trying to use my camera in manual mode, so lots of expirementing happened on Sunday. I feel like I am finally getting the hang of it, learning about light and aperture.

I am planning to include these photos as an insert in my Project Life for last week. I had a lot of fun taking these photos, but I'm really glad that I feel like I have a place to put them too.

Calligraphy Practice 01

I bought a new calligraphy nib last week on a whim. I was at Blick picking up some supplies for another job, and wandered over to look at the calligraphy inks & supplies. I found a nib + holder for $1.99 and some black India Ink. I also bought a Speedball starter set and did not like it (for me). I prefer the pointy nibs, rather than the flat tipped ones. 

I played around with different letter combinations and words and filled an entire sketchbook in 2 days. It was fun! The best part was that I could physically see myself getting better on every page. My hand is still a little shaky (you can see in the 'What's up, Buttercup?' photo), but I like what I did with the city names, especially 'New York'. Now, if I could only figure out how I did it. ;)

I've taken one calligraphy class in my life. It was at the Paper Source with my mom when we were in the midst of planning my wedding. I naively thought that after 1 class my calligraphy would look amazing and super professional. Wrong (obviously). But I didn't have too much time or energy then to practice. Now, I have time. And I'm excited to keep at it and hopefully get better. How cool would it be to one day say, "What do you do?" "Oh, me? I'm a calligrapher." Sounds super fancy to me.

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.