january desktop calendar :: graphic design

hello friends!   and happy happy happy new year (almost).  this month i created the desktop wallpaper for LRS web solutions, so i'll send you over there for download.  you can even save it as your iphone backdrop if you feel the desire!

i will see you back here next year...

sparkle :: fashion photography

ready for a new year's celebration?  do you have your shoes picked out?

where the rabbit lives :: photography

i am so attracted to the loneliness of an empty space full of forgotten items. it's mysterious and sad and eerie and full of art. i like to think about the history of the objects that live among the space and the people that perhaps once loved them.

my husband just thinks i'm weird.

mom :: painting

my mom has always loved my paintings so for christmas, i did one just for her. wasn't she beautiful?! this was her senior picture and i've always loved it.

dancing light :: abstract photography

happy holidays friends! i hope you spend them dancing...

boy in room :: at home photogrpahy

yarn tree :: holiday decor

more trees to add to my kitchen forest.  love.

the state house inn :: black & white simplicity

last week i had the pleasure of taking photos of the state house inn for their upcoming, newly-designed website.  as you can see the decor is amazing...  very retro and simple.  when they requested all photos be taken in black & white, i couldn't agree more.  somehow, when simple objects are depicted in black & white, everything seems so much more dramatic.

now, don't you want to meet me after work there for a martini?

bubble lights :: christmas decor

a few years ago my mom gave us a box full of outdoor lights to decorate our new home with.   she announced that she was too old to be hanging lights on the roof & we were grown anyway, so she was done.   hubby has never been willing to climb the ladder and face the cold to hang the lights (and i've been satisfied with our light-up rudolph lawn ornament), so the lights have stayed in the box in the attic.

well. this year, in our new condo, we have the perfect little trees and bushes to put our lights on!  down comes the box from the attic.  i am thrilled, the kids are thrilled and hubby is cold.

then. at the bottom of the box, i found 3 perfectly packaged original bubble light strands.  can you believe it? the tag that was still attached to each strand said 1979.  these are the real deal.  of course we put them on our tree.   i love them and i tell everyone who comes over about them.  apparently, bubble lights are making a come-back and they are selling the style again.  see here.  but, they just aren't the same...

decorate your pillows :: home decor

such a super simple, fun, clever, easy, darling, adorable, and festive idea!

i'm imagining a cut-out flower in the spring or a pumpkin in the fall...

all you need:

• throw pillow from the couch
• felt
• yarn
• scissors

snow globes! :: kid project

every birthday and christmas, i encourage the boys to make their gifts for each other. for my youngest, it usually just involves stickers or finger paints, but now that "the monster" is getting older, he can be really creative in his offerings. this year, we walked thru the craft store and i asked him to think about what "bump" likes to play with.

balls & animals.

when we found the shatter-proof plastic snow globe kits we were both thrilled with the possibilities.  plus, so easy!  just water & glitter, right?  "the monster" picked out a couple small animals from the hobby section of the store (usually by the trains and models).  i checked with the helper-bee at the store to verify that super glue was waterproof and we we're off.

flash forward to one disappointed boy when we found out that super glue is in fact, NOT waterproof.  i also realized after opening the snow globe kit that we would need a couple drops of glycerin to add to each gift.  the glycerin thickens the water so that the glitter/snow/etc fall a little slower.

thankfully, there is a walgreens on the corner.  we headed out for e-600 glue (which really is waterproof) and some glycerin (which my elders promise will be available).  the helper-bee at walgreens was dumbfounded at just where glycerin would be.  we checked the soap, makeup, and pharmacy aisle.  as we're following him thru the store, he mentions that people used to ingest glycerin when they became constipated.  sure enough...  right there on the shelf with the laxative selection is liquid glycerin.

sign of relief. 


as we checked out, i felt the urge to justify why we're buying the glycerin.

umm... this is for a craft.  i'm not constipated.

so.  if you're thinking of making snow globes this year, here are the actual supplies you will need:

• jar or plastic snow globe kit
• glitter
• object for display inside globe
• water
• glycerin (found in laxative section of drug store)
• e-600 waterproof glue

orange you glad for coffee? :: personal story

when my son was learning about "knock, knock" jokes, i would always tell him the same one:

knock, knock

...who's there?


orange


...orange who?


orange you glad i told you a joke?


after that, he involved the word orange in every joke he told and most of them didn't make any sense at all.  we started using "orange" in normal conversations around my house to help him understand the punchline.

orange you happy you don't have to do chores today?

orange you hungry for breakfast?

then it became this ridiculous inside joke and i started drawing faces on his oranges i would pack for school.  on the back, i will write...  orange you happy i made you lunch?.

i'm convinced that this sort of behavior is normal as long as you have children.  i'm not sure who i'll blame once they're grown.

anyway, this slow monday morning, all i can think about is... orange you glad for coffee?

paper tree :: holiday decor dyi

we have never had vaulted ceilings before.   i am loving all the space above our kitchen cabinets to decorate!  i have decided to create a christmas forest display.   my sparkly cousin made some of the glitter trees for me.   i think my paper trees are a good addition to the collection.   i still have plenty of room left up there though... more holiday tree tutorials coming soon!

new use for an old wreath :: holiday decor

new use for an old wreath:  centerpiece base.  love it.

treasure soap :: project idea for boys

i sometimes have a hard time coming up with homemade gift ideas that my sons can give as gifts.  good gifts anyway - not just a colored picture or a jackson pollock imitation painting.  it is also equally as hard for me to shop for grown men like uncles, brothers, etc.   most men i know want very little and when they do want something, they go buy it themselves.

so.   i was thrilled that our homemade treasure soap worked out.   it smells super yummy, contains a fun surprise, and encourages my children to make gifts using their talents. (not that this takes a lot of talent).

instructions for treasure soap:

1. melt glycerin soap base cubes in a microwave save bowl for 30 seconds.  stir and keep heating at 30 second intervals, careful not to burn.
2. poor liquid soap into a mold of choice.
3. add aloe, and a scented oil.  we used wood cedar so it would smell masculine.
4. drop a treasure into the liquid slowly and carefully so it's doesn't splash out.  be sure to place your object up-side-down so that when the soap is finished, the object is facing the right way.
5. let dry and harden for an hour, then pop out of mold.

custom toy portrait :: gift idea

the paintings have arrived! jen did an amazing job, don't you think? i am so so so excited to see the look on the boys' faces when they open up these for christmas.

glitter gift wrapping :: project idea

prepping for the holiday has begun at our house.   cue the glitter.

december 2011 :: free desktop wallpaper

to download your free desktop background, click on the image above. then right click and save.

happy december friends!