Archives: March 2013


11/52 : JUST ORDINARY PEOPLE

 The 52 Project – a portrait series of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013 

One thing I love about this project (52 project) is that it pushes me to document our everyday life.  And it’s also a gateway to share a bit more about my family, so i hope you don’t mind!  It used to be that I only brought my camera with me if we were going somewhere out of the ordinary…or if it was a holiday or a special occassion.  But remembering that I have want to capture a new portrait of Rylee each week, reminds me to take it with me almost everywhere.  To capture not just the special moments, but the simple ones too.  One of our favorite things to do as a family is go to the beach.  We are beach people.  I’ve grown up with it, so to imagine not living near the coast is kind of uncharted territory.  We love every part of it.  The sun, the water, the sand….even the burn indicating you’ve stayed too long (or perhaps that’s just me).  It’s one of those places that I always feel God, and where I am constantly reminded of the beauty of his creation.

As I was looking through my camera to see what I captured from our day at the beach yesterday, my heart melted all over the floor when I saw that last one of Rylee sitting on Sam’s lap.  Sam’s not a regular member of this blog because he’s not big on getting his photo taken.  Most of the time I wish it wasn’t the case because I think he makes for a pretty good looking subject.  I might be bias, but I think he’s a babe. But it’s also something I ironically really love about him.  He is simple and genuine and never wants to make life seem fabricated or contrived.  Which, let’s be honest, happens a lot in the blog world.  Whether intentionally or unintentionally, we show our best sides and hide the ugly parts.  But i’ll tell you right now that even though I share mostly what is “pretty” here, our life is far from perfect.  We face challenges just like any other couple, we fight, we make up, but most importantly, we love.  At the end of the day, we know our love for each other will overcome any hurdle we face.  And I don’t just love him….I really like him.  There’s a difference, you know.  He makes me laugh, he encourages me, and he’s my very best friend.  I’m lucky he’s mine…and Rylee is lucky she’s his.  There is nothing sweeter to me that seeing the two of them together.  It’s no secret she’s a daddy’s girl through and through.


LUCCA’S FLORA AND FAUNA BIRTHDAY PARTY

So, I just had to share! Is this not the most amazing one year old birthday party you have ever seen!?  My friend Tori of Sitting in a Tree knows a thing or two about throwing a good party.  I was so excited when she asked me to design the invitations for her daughter Lucca’s one year birthday.  I just knew it was going to be amazing.  Winter wonderland theme meets flora and fauna!!?  Yes, please!

…yes, that’s my daughter trying to swipe the deer from Lucca’s cake.

Just to gush on Tori for a minute: she is one of the sweetest and most creative people I know.  Aside from being a creative genius herself, she has been one of the biggest supporters of my work, really, since the very beginning.  I remember meeting her for the first time at an art show I was a part of.  An art show she actually curated.  I’m not even sure how she knew about me or my art, but I remember just being really excited for an opportunity to showcase my work.  It was back in 2006 I think, and only the second real show that I had ever done.  From Tori, came countless commissioned projects and referrals.  And I think she is the person that has purchased more art from me than anyone else in history!   I’ll forever be thankful for that.  And i’ll always remember her being a part of my “beginning”.  Not to say that I have made it by any means.  But we’ve come a long way…..and i’m glad that today we are still a part of each others lives….supporting each other in our creative endeavors and celebrating new life in our little ones!  That Lucca Valentine is to die for.  Anyway….all this to say….I’m really thankful for friends like Tori, and all the people that have encouraged me and supported me over the years.  Including a lot of you readers who I know have been keeping up with me for a long time!  I so appreciate you!!

Photos by the amazing Studio Castillero.  A whole lot more can be found over on 100 Layer Cakelet

______

In other news….have you heard? Google is saying goodbye to google reader! More info can be found here. I’ve actually never used google reader myself, but I know it’s the go-to for a lot of people to keep track of their favorite blogs.  If you happen to be a Google Reader user, I’d suggest switching over to Bloglovin.  It’s clean, simple and easy to navigate.  You can follow me here!


MODCLOTH BLOGGER OF THE MOMENT

Dress – Kelli Murray Dress c/o Modcloth / Platform Sandals – Zara / Hat – Free People

I’m so happy to be featured as Modcloth’s Blogger of the Moment this month!  This here is my Namesake Dress! Yup…it’s named after me!  You can get it here.  It’s not a print I would typically pick out for myself, but I’ve kind of fallen in love with it.  Perfect for Spring!

I put together all of my favorite Modcloth items here, and you can read my full interview on their blog here.

Thanks so much for the feature Modcloth!

 


DIY // WATERCOLOR PAPER FLOWERS

I’m so excited to share this DIY with you today!  But first, I want to introduce to you my friend Nicole from Bloem Hill, part owner of an amazing floral and design company based  in Southern California.  Nicole and I have partnered up to bring you a fresh new DIY project once a month, and I can’t be more excited about it.  If you are anything like me, you need someone to challenge you in your craft endeavor’s, and Nicole’s my girl!  Be sure to stop by her blog to say hello.  She is incredibly talented.

Naturally, we are kicking off our DIY series with florals!  But even better, florals that will never die! (my kind of flowers!)  We decided to put our own spin on a paper flower with an organic, natural and painterly feel.   It took a bit of trial and error, but we love what we came up with!

First, you will need a pair of scissors and some paper.  We used this natural fine paper from Paper Source.  Cut about 10-12 rectangular pieces roughly 4″ X 2.5″  in size (larger for  a larger flower, smaller for a smaller flower).  You could then use your scissors to cut them all into the shape of petals, but we preferred tearing the paper by hand so that the edges were left rough and slightly frayed.  They all don’t have to be perfect.  In fact, having them irregular looks even better in the end.  After you are done shaping your petals, you’ll want to paint them.  We used Winsor & Newton watercolors in mustard, peach and grey.  But use whatever color palette is inspiring to you! This is the part that allows you to get creative.  Mix your paint with water and start painting your petals.  I would suggest making the bottom portion of the petal darker, and then fading up to a lighter shade at the ends.  Let the petals dry.

Next you will need some rustic floral wire and some pliers.   The wire will serve as your stem, so cut it to the length you desire.  To create your flower, take the petals (they should be fully dry at this point) and begin wrapping them around the top of your stem using floral tape (not pictured) to secure them.  We did 2 petals at a time.  After you have attached all of your petals and your flower is full, it will need a “center” to cover up the exposed wire in the middle.  We just twisted solid black paper into a small ball and used a glue gun to attached it to the center.  We also added touches of black paint along the edges of our petals to give them a little definition.

A fun trick for adding a little extra sparkle to the center of your flower :

Cut a strip of metallic tissue paper and using shredding scissors, cut along the edge leaving at least a centimeter uncut. Roll it, metallic side facing in, around the top of your wire before you start attaching your petals.  This will leave you with a pretty little pom in the center when you are finished!

I hope you all love these as much as we do!  Let me know if you give it a try!

 


10/52

 The 52 Project – a portrait series of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013 

These sweet little shoes are by Fox Paws.  Starting today, they are available through PS I Adore You  at a discounted rate and will go to support their Cure the Kids Campaign.  It’s such a great cause and I encourage you to head over to their blog and read about their story!

 

Rylee lately:

– Her feet smell worse than my husbands (and that’s saying a lot).  I have no idea how such a tiny person can have such stinky feet.  But this girl! She even says “woo wee” when we take off her shoes! I hope for her sake that changes one day, but i’m not counting on it.

– She is really funny, and she knows it.  My favorite time with her is that hour before bed time when she gets a little slap stick.  She loves to rough house, so we always play a game with her on the couch where we toss her into the cushions.  Sometimes she laughs so hard she can’t catch her breath….which in turn, make us do the same.

– Dancing is her thing.  No matter where we are…if she hear a jam she likes, she busts out the moves.  Sometimes I get frustrated that they are not entirely on beat, but I have to remember she’s one.  ha!  I kind of want to put her in a baby hip hop class if there is such a thing.

– She knows what she wants.  A blessing and a curse!  I am honestly loving the age she is at now.  I keep wanting time to stand still and let her stay one and a half forever because I love it so much.  But I guess if it just keeps getting better then i’m all for moving forward.  *sigh.  I wouldn’t mind time standing still for me though!  Anyway, she is getting so much better at communicating and more of her personality is starting to come out.  Stubborn, impatient (i wonder where that came from)…but also super funny, easy going, sweet and sensitive.  It feels like she is learning a new word every day and she is constantly surprising me!  Sometimes I feel like a baby shouldn’t be so smart. I mean, she is already learning the art of manipulation.  I guess it’s time to really be a parent.