Baby Devin

Here are a few birth announcements that I have been working on for this adorable little guy named Devin Dean. I got to meet him last week and what a little sweety! I had a lot of fun working on these announcements but I honestly don't know which one I like best. His mom gets to have the fun of deciding! But I thought I would post on here to share!

Michelle Romo: Crowded Teeth

Okay- so I saw this posted by HOW magazine on twitter but I couldn't resist to share on my blog! I am in love with these bags and accessories by Michelle Romo of Crowded Teeth blog (and check out her 1 project a day 1 year....very cool stuff!) They will be available, along with many other goodies, at Loungefly in Spring 2010. I know I am not alone when I say "I want one!" (or many!!!) Mark your calendars, people!!!

My Bedroom of Dreams...

It is by happy chance that I stumbled accidentally upon Shawn Lovell's site this morning and totally fell in love with her work. She works with metal creating functional pieces of art that are just absolutely gorgeous! So for the time wandering her site, looking at her portfolio, I escaped reality for a moment and imagined my bedroom at home being finished and furnished by some of her fine work. Taking a nap right now sounds absolutely blissful. After a late night working on a project, I definitely could use a few more hours of rest. But how sweet my dreams would be to sleep on that whimsical tree bed...I want it so badly.


Paired with the bed, I think that the bird chandelier would also look awesome.


And I know that it's a wine room door, but I was thinking how beautiful this would look if it could be designed as french doors that enter into my bedroom. It just completes the picture in my head.


Natural colors with jewel-colored accents...I'd be in heaven! If I am sleeping, please don't wake me. I'm loving this dream I am in.....

Sending HOPE In The Cards

(cardstore.com)

I don't know what I was doing, why today is the first day I have heard of this but I think it's too cool not to share with others! This is the Week of Hope, from Sept. 1st-7th. I heard about this awesome site that is all about sending HOPE called Hope Is In The Cards. It's about encouraging people to send out handwritten letters or cards, offering messages of HOPE. And actually, there are a lot of retailers out there (find one near you!) that are supporting this cause, offering free postage. And if that isn't awesome enough, Cardstore.com is also offering a special promotion until Sept. 8th that allows you to send a personalized card to someone FREE. How can you beat that?!

And you know, in these dark times that so many have had to face, it's hard to have hope and see that light at the end of the tunnel. And when you are faced with things like trying to figure out where to come up with the money to pay the mortgage payment, buy food so that your family can eat, have utilities so that you can have things like a running fridge, showers, lights and heat...it can be tough to find optimism and keep faith. When I have on my own worry hat, it's hard to think about anything else. So I think it's so important to share with others how much they mean to you, how important they are, share with them the things that you see in them that make them shine!

For more inspirational ideas for doing NICE everyday, please check out OperationNICE! Give some HOPE everyday!

home, paper, scissors

Yesterday, I received a copy of home, paper, scissors by designer friend, Patricia Zapata, and I am telling you...I am blown away! I was on my lunch break from work and could not put the book down. I was hypnotized from front to back, amazed at all the great, fun projects that are tucked within. It actually made me think how fun it would be to play hookie from work for the rest of the day so that I could have a secret love affair with a paper craft project!

Patricia not only provides a lot of great paper craft ideas but gives good instruction on how to complete them, including supplies needed and approximate time it takes to complete them. Another thing that Patricia included, that I really do appreciate, is a description of different papers. It's very informative to those that are not only a novice to paper crafting but even a helpful guide to those who aren't.

And if you are budget conscious, these are actually really affordable crafts to make for gifts. I know of a couple of events coming up where some of these ideas could really be fun and cost effective to make. And Christmas will be here before we know it!

Please check out Patricia's blogs: A Little Hut and Crafty Synergy. She offers more fun and inspirational projects. You can also find out more about her and home, paper, scissors there as well.

You can also purchase home, paper, scissors at Random House, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders.

An Invitation a 15 year old Might Approve of...

My oldest son is turning 15 in a few weeks. It doesn't seem possible at all. Where did that time go? Seriously. He's now at the age where looking cool and impressing people seems like an important aspect of his life. He's now officially in high school and a football player. So he's automatically grandfathered into a cool club he thinks. LOL Oh if only it were that easy...

Anyhow- I have been horrible about keeping up on this blog, posting consistently. I have also been a slacker of the creative realm. Doesn't mean my creative brain isn't going non-stop. Just that I haven't made time for myself to develop some of those cool ideas into something more tangible. Such a shame. Such a waste. However, I am wanting to improve upon that. I need to.

I was feeling as though I needed to work on something just to jumpstart things again. Or try. Other than some doodle-cards I need to work on for an exchange I signed up for, I really didn't have anything else to work on. Well, let me rephrase that...I had stuff to work on, but just haven't. That's sort of a long story that I'll work out for later. But anyhow- I was thinking about any birthdays or holidays coming up very very soon that would call for a quick and fun invite or greeting and realized that my son's birthday is coming up....We're not doing anything major this year. Just going to get some pizzas, have cake and ice cream and that sort of thing. Really laid back. But still, I figured that it would be a good excuse to come up with something, right?! Why not? So I had fun playing with type and whipped up something that a 15 year old would approve of. (And believe me, if he didn't like them, he'd let me know! LOL)

Best Day Ever!

July 23, 2009- Cheyenne, Wyoming

(Poster I designed that also sports the invitations I made for my daughter's birthday party!)

Several months ago, I blogged about some Taylor Swift themed birthday party invitations that I designed for my daughter's 10th birthday. I learned to never underestimate the power of blogging from that particular post! There have been a lot of times that I would often wonder how many people really do read my blog, if anyone reads it at all. So you can only imagine my shock when I was contacted about my post and given the most awesome opportunity to take my daughter and the rest of my family to meet Taylor Swift and go to her concert in Cheyenne, Wyoming during Frontier Days on July 23rd! If you read my post about the invitations, you can only imagine the excitement my daughter had when I was able to share the news with her! But what little girl wouldn't have been excited, right?! It was the most awesome gift for my daughter's birthday and I wish I could properly thank the people that gave us the opportunity.

Standing in line at the Meet & Greet, ready to burst! "We get to meet TAYLOR SWIFT!!!"

Check out our awesome Taylor Swift armbands!

It seemed things worked out so that my daughter could invite a friend to go with us to the concert. My oldest son went to New Orleans with our church youth group before the concert and didn’t get back until after. So, it just worked out that the rest of our family and my daughter’s one friend could all go. My daughter was so happy she could take a friend to share the experience with- I designed a fun poster for them to have signed by Taylor. When we were standing in line waiting to meet her at the Meet & Greet before the concert, the girls were worried that they might not be able to get the posters signed. My daughter was so nervous…so worried that her brothers were going to embarrass her (brothers usually do! LOL) But she was also ready to just burst with excitement. Taylor seemed to really like the girls' posters and she also signed a couple of the invitations that I made that the boys were wearing. My daughter had a million questions to ask Taylor and I am sure that if we had been able to spend more time with her, she probably would have had her ear talked off! LOL

While we were standing in line, a woman passed by me, patting me on the arm and said, “Hey, Mom!” It wasn’t until after she had passed that I realized that it was Taylor’s mom. I wish that I could have been able to talk to her a little bit. Considering that I am a mom of a girl who has big dreams, it would have been really cool to talk to her. But sadly, I missed that window of opportunity. Perhaps there will be another time?!

We were able to have a group photo taken with Taylor and it turned out awesome- we're definitely going to cherish it forever! I wish we could have gotten a shot of the girls alone with Taylor, too. But for what time we did have with her and the opportunity that was given to us- it's far more than what we could have ever asked for! Taylor is such a sweet girl in person, too. I mean, I am sure she hears from fans about how great she is, how beautiful, how talented (and she truly is!) but she shows such affection and gratefulness to her fans as well. It's no wonder that so many girls like my daughter look up to her and are inspired by her. She's really an amazing girl and I am so happy for her, for all the success that has come to her!

CHEESE! All of us with Taylor Swift....how AWESOME!!!

After the Meet & Greet, we went to the concert- There were a few issues and we did quite a bit of running around to get into the concert, but we finally managed to get in! The girls got their prized Taylor Swift tees and had the best time ever! Luckily, where we were, there was plenty of dancing room! It turned out to be one of the best days ever for the kids! Huge thanks to Taylor Swift, her managers and everyone else involved in helping make this an awesome experience for all of us! It’s a memory that we’ll all have for the rest of our lives. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

The concert just can't be complete without new Taylor Swift tees!

Best of Friends!

"Love Story"




The new Taylor Swift dance team!

This was the BEST DAY EVER!!!

XOXO

HOW Design Conference 2009: Events

Everyone seems to anticipate the opening keynote at conference and the craze for swag when the doors to the resource center open. You pretty much need to pack an extra suitcase in order to haul all of that swag back home unless you decide to ship it home instead (which is probably the smarter way to go considering most airlines make you pay for your luggage to ride the plane now, too.) But I have to say that compared to the last two years of attending the conference, it felt like there were fewer vendors and they weren’t as generous with swag as years before. But honestly, I really wasn’t interested in bringing home every piece of swag that I could possibly get. In fact, I was a bit more choosy this year as to which vendors I wanted to stop at. Yes, I did come home with buttons, posters, stickers, notebooks, pens and cool paper shutter shades. But I think that the highlight swag item for me was “Full-Bleed” from Veer. (I have wanted her since before Christmas. And so, when they were handing her out with “Megapixel”, I was only focused on getting her. It was the highlight of my night at the Resource Center!) There was a photo booth set up by Shutterstock but I completely missed out on it! I don’t know how or why I did, but I did. But hopefully they’ll have it back next year!

A new event for HOW this year was the Designer’s Market Place. A friend and I decided to go in together and share a table to sell our goods. I took in greeting cards and calling card sets while my friend and roommate, Kelly Parke, had her Con Survival Kit. I was really surprised by the mob of people that gathered and came to shop the Market Place. I felt that I did well and learned a lot from the experience. I have a better idea of what to expect for next year- what seemed to be most popular as far as my work goes, ideas for table displays, quantity of items, new ideas for other products to offer… Oh and a very big lesson- make sure I have plenty of change on hand!!! I did get a chance to venture off and look at a few other tables. I could have easily spent all the money that I made that night! My purchases? Some buttons and bookmarks from Melissa Ivone-Morris of Operation Nice, two beautifully illustrated cards by , and a numbered, limited-edition tee from Steve Gordon. But I definitely could have spent a lot more! (There were some awesome booths that offered Letterpress- so yummy….I was so very very tempted!!! I did get contact info from a few so they might be hearing from me in the future!) Overall, I was really happy with the turnout- it seemed to have been a great success!

I was also tapped this year to be a reviewer at the Portfolio Review. I was very honored to have been selected- it was only a couple of years ago that I, myself, was showing my work at the portfolio review…nervous about how my work would stand up to others, what sort of comments I would receive, etc. I actually learned a great deal from that experience. I won’t lie, you can’t go into it with thin skin. And if you do, you have to learn quickly to “cowboy up”. But at the same time, it isn’t the reviewer’s job to only see and point out flaws. It tears down self-confidence, makes a person question their abilities and ultimately, leaves them feeling like crap. A good reviewer is one who will take the time to look at a portfolio and notice the strengths the person has, the good qualities of the work being shown, how it is presented, and also making suggestions and ideas to possibly help show the work from a different perspective and show a path for improvement. Last year, when I attended the portfolio review, I was just finishing up my degree and was working on a portfolio class. I had literally torn it apart and was trying to decide on how to recreate it so that it had a polished, professional look to it yet also reflect my own personal touch. Well, while at the portfolio review in Boston, I noticed a sea of black portfolios. But among those black portfolios, there were some individuals who had done something different and I noticed that those were the tables that seemed to gain the most attention. Not discounting the work that was put into all the others that were out there. I am sure there were diamonds among them. However, it was obvious that those who did something different really did stand out. This year, in Austin, I am not sure if the number of people participating in the review was down because attendance was down. Perhaps it was a bigger, more spacious room. I’m not really sure- but I didn’t notice so much of the “black sea” of portfolios this year. They were there but it just didn’t seem as obvious, I guess. In any case, I went in with my little reviewer badge that sported my name on it and met up with some very talented designers on the floor. I hope that those that I spoke with were able to gain value from what I discussed with them, to go on to bigger and better things. Perhaps one day we’ll see their name in lights and I’ll be able to say, “I remember meeting them way back when…” You never know! I know that I learned a lot from the experience and for that, I am grateful.


And how can I forget to mention the Closing Party?! This year’s theme was “Keep Austin Weird”, which coincidentally, is also Austin’s slogan as well! I had the pleasure of walking to the party with the Hoops & Yoyo gang: Bev Carlson, Bob Holt and Mike Adair. And let me just tell you, these guys are off the hook, crazy party animals! Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating for entertainment purposes... But they really are a bunch of fun people to talk to and hang out with. It was nice connecting with them on a personal level because it made me realize that these people who are the creators of animated little characters that so many people idolize…even they have chaotic normal lives like me. Well, when I say normal, I mean well….chaotic....But, anyhow….I think you know what I mean! I had a lot of fun checking out everyone’s costumes at the party. I must say that there were quite a few very creative ones out there. Me? Well, maybe not so creative…I wore a funky patterned sundress and put my hair in cute little ponytails. I looked very “country”. The only thing missing were some cowboy boots and a chicken. We'll just leave it at that!

I always enjoy the closing parties at the conference. It gives you a chance to meet up with people you met while there, cut loose a little bit and just have a great time! I think everyone anticipates what the theme will be in order to come up with cool costume ideas. I am wondering what the theme will be for Denver? hmmmmm........

HOW Design Conference 2009: Sessions

You know, for the first few days or so after the conference, allowing more to be absorbed, I have to admit that I had this feeling of disappointment in some of the sessions that I attended. There were a few that I really had been ones that I staked high interest in but ultimately felt disappointed in them for not living up to my expectations. And unfortunately, I ended up walking out on those. It happens. Not saying that they were horrible sessions or there wasn’t benefit in what the speakers had to offer because I know that isn’t true. I’m just saying that for some of the sessions that I walked out of, it was more about the fact that it was information that really didn’t apply to me nor the direction that I desire to go in. I do wish I would’ve attended some of those freelance sessions given by Peleg Top and Ilise Benun. In the chaos of trying to keep my schedule straight, I forgot all about those sessions and honestly, there wasn’t anything printed in our booklet about them (unless I missed something?) and I don’t even remember seeing any signs for them. But that could have been my fault for not being more observant, too. (There were moments that I could probably say that my personal theme was “Lost in Austin”. Stories to entertain, for sure, but perhaps for another time…) But in any case…I am going to move onto the good stuff now-

(Photo courtesy of Kelly Parke)

I did attend quite a few sessions that really did knock my socks off. I really enjoyed sessions that provoked my creative brain to explore ideas, made me look at things in a different perspective and really did leave me feeling inspired. I won’t lie- those speakers that were engaged with their audience, they threw out entertaining videos, made us dance, threw glitter on us, wore clown noses, offered up prizes of lil ninja dolls and cool posters or made us go out to promote our favorite PMS colors (and for one of my roommates benefit- “VOTE FOR PMS-580…Going KINDA Green” LOL)...Well, we’re a bunch of creative designers (or well, I like to think so) and so we’re easily distracted by these things. We are like a bunch of preschoolers that just want to pick up a book to look at the pretty pictures. We like hands-on stuff. We want to “ooooh & ahhhhh”. But it’s also through these methods that we learn and allow that inner child to come out and play. It’s by allowing the freedom of creative thinking to make the impossible ideas become reality. Yet, at the same time, we are also in need to learn how to deal with difficult clients, learn or improve skill sets, become more business oriented, improve leadership skills, become a better team player, learn to write better (and hopefully without typos…oh, I do hope you’ll forgive me…), learning how to promote and market yourself in these crazy economic times and of course…networking.

(Photo courtesy of Jeff Fisher, Logomotives)

Regardless of those sessions that I couldn't jive with, the ones that I did enjoy really did make up for it! Once again, I left the conference inspired, motivated with new ideas, more knowledgeable in areas that I wasn't as knowledgeable in and feeling more connected then ever before! So would I say this justifies the expense for next year's conference? You betcha!

(And just in case you didn't know...next year's conference will be in Denver June 6-9, 2010!)

HOW Design Conference 2009: Networking

First and foremost, I have to say that one of the most awesome and powerful experiences that you will gain from attending conferences such as HOW Design Conference are the networking opportunities. The conference provides networking opportunities such as the Networking Lunch (great for new conference attendees) and a Networking Kickoff that takes place before the conference officially begins. It allows people to meet and mingle with others, share information, experiences, contact information, etc. It’s also a great way to make new designer friends to hook up with and attend sessions, make lunch dates, shopping excursions, site-seeing and not to mention fun after-conference events that you wouldn’t experience otherwise. At the end of the conference, not only do you get to go home with a giant stack of cool designer business cards and names and numbers loaded into your phone (and not to mention all the twitter follows), but you also go home knowing that you made some great friends who are also going to understand and support you on the business end as well. And personally, I can attest to this- I met a gal at last year’s conference in Boston and from there we were able to form a friendship and collaborate on a project that actually paid my way to this year’s conference. So right there is proof that networking at conference can be very beneficial!

(Photo courtesy of Kelly Parke)

I also have to throw out this little toot for the HOW forums- When I decided to attend my first conference, considering that I didn’t know anyone that would be there, I decided to venture into the conference forum-land. And I have to say that it was one of the best things I ever did, especially where networking is concerned. The forums provided some familiar names to meet up with at conference. I was able to not only meet some of these online buddies but I also found a roommate that year (which substantially helped save $$$!) Plus, it also gave me so many opportunities to join in on fun events that took place outside the conference. And many of these people that I have met on the forums, I consider good friends to this very day. More than that, I’d even say they could be considered family, in a sense. As my friend and fellow HOWie, Patti, would say, “I LOVE MAH HOWies!” And honestly, if I couldn’t find a way to afford going to the conference itself, I’d try hard to come up with the money so I could see my HOWie friends. They’re THAT awesome!

(Photo courtesy of Kelly Parke)

(Photo courtesy of Kelly Parke)

(And I can't resist posting a pic of Donovan w/ my super cool hula hoop!)

So next time you are at a conference, whether it be HOW or AIGA or MacWorld or whatever, make sure you get out there and meet people!

Next topic: Sessions

HOW Design Conference 2009: Just getting started!

HOW Design Conference June 24th – June 27th, 2009: Austin Texas
(Over the next week, I am going to touch on different aspects of the conference! There's just no way that I can squeeze it all into one short blog. I'm just way too long-winded for that!)

If you have ever been to a HOW Design Conference, then you can totally understand and appreciate how fast paced and exciting it can be! This year was no exception! I have been slow in getting this posted because I really have wanted to think about the conference and absorb all the information that I learned while there. Plus, I really wanted to justify this post with information that is worthy of sharing with others, that is also beneficial to them and not just a “show and tell”. I could share all the pictures I took with you and prove that it was a good time. However, I don’t think that they would provide much justification or could prove ROI with your company or clients (or even with yourself if you are one of those lucky ones, like myself, who have self-paid) without explanation (or sharing other experiences not photographed) to show how beneficial conferences like this can be.

First topic will be covering Networking. This is a very important topic when it comes to attending a conference as its about meeting others in the field, having conversations about experiences, asking advice, etc.

Off to Austin I go!

So, it's been a crazy couple of months...between baby showers, birthday parties, school functions, camp, etc. I sometimes wonder how I keep my sanity. But...as my mom always said, "You can't lose what you never had!" So, I guess it's all good! LOL

Anyhow- I have spent the last few days helping my two oldest sons pack for camp this week, work on the mountain range of dirty laundry that has piled up and also work on stuff for my upcoming trip to Austin.

Tomorrow, I am leaving for Austin to attend the 2009 HOW Design Conference! I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to attend this year. There are so many who aren't able to go this year due to economic issues, mostly, and so I am feeling very lucky to be able to go this year! I worked on a project several months ago with a friend that I met at the HOW Design Conference last year. She had a great idea and asked me to do illustrations for her on the project. And it is because of that project that I was able to fund this trip. Well, 3/4 of it, anyhow! There is a Designer's Market Place this year, which allows designers such as myself, to set up a booth and sell our goods. I didn't get done as much as I had hoped, but I am planning on taking greeting cards and calling cards, at least. Hopefully they'll get some buzz and I'll be able to make so extra fun spending cash while I am there! And it will give me the experience to know what to expect for next time I decide to set up a booth anywhere. I can be better prepared...I hope! I was also asked this year to be a reviewer at the portfolio review at the conference. This is a huge honor and I am so glad that I get to be a part of it and see some amazing work that I know is out there! And it's a great time to network, as well! You just never know where a connection might lead you....could land you an illustration job to pay for the next year's HOW conference!

Oh and of course the crazy fun that goes with it all....Smitcat will not disappoint and has plans for some awesome pubcrawls starting tomorrow night! Granted, I'll be getting in rather late to Austin, but perhaps I'll be up to having some crazy fun once I get to the hotel. Who knows! I am planning on going and getting a henna tattoo while I am there. A designer friend of mine gave me a referral to a henna artist and so that is what I am planning on doing after the Designer's Market Place and right before heading off to Lanai Lounge for Smitcat's Thursday night pubcrawl. I am really excited about this- the gal is so nice and I am thinking that she's probably the kind of gal that I could spend hours upon hours talking to like long-lost friends. And she makes and sells hoolas and so I am actually considering buying one to bring home. Could be interesting! Friday night is the closing party at the conference. The theme of the party is "Keep Austin Weird", which oddly enough IS Austin's slogan, it seems. So I am thinking that hitting up funky vintage shops on SoCo on Wednesday will help me decide on costume ideas. I think it will be a lot of fun! There are like three other things that I really want to do while in Austin: Barton Springs, Alamo Drafthouse and also watch the bats! Gotta see the bats, right?!

So anyhow...I hope to be inspired and come back revived and pumped, ready to go! I am in such big need for a creative retreat! I can't wait!

As promised...

Even though this is late to post, I wanted to share pics from my sister's baby shower last month. I can't believe that it's already been that long ago, but sure enough...time flies! Her baby shower turned out great- the only downer was that the weather wasn't so cooperative. I had wanted to do it outside but because of rain, we opted to stay inside.

Yes....PINK deviled eggs! (dyed with beet juice)

Grandma Lynne needs to smile, don't you think?! LOL

My sister and our grandparents chatting it up...

Big Sister, Sara...

Busy Days!

So, it's been far too long since I last updated my blog. How shameful. But it's been absolutely crazy for me in the last month! My sister had another baby girl last month, Christine Carolyn, born on April 25th. So, I went to Denver so I could help welcome baby Christine into the world and also entertain her big sister, Sara Mae. But the arrival of Christine also meant birth announcements and baby shower invites to make. (I decided to throw her a baby shower so that my grandparents who can't make it to Denver would be able to see and love on her.) On top of that fun, I have also made birthday party invites for another person, got calling cards printed, packaged up and taken down to the local coffee shop that my work is featured in...I also made some invites for a going away party for one of my son's friends. (And talk about last minute! He brought me the information on a Tuesday and the party was that following Friday! But despite the short notice, the party turned out to be a huge hit.) We have had concerts and awards nights and track meets in the last month. It's been crazy!

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend...I am throwing the baby shower for my new niece tomorrow afternoon at my home. I decided to go for a very whimsical theme. Rather than telling you of all the details about it, I'll be taking pictures and posting on here so you can actually see. (Plus, as much as a time crunch I am under now at this point, I'd hate to mention something I planned on doing and then not be able to do it or it not turn out as I had hoped!) I know it is going to be absolutely beautiful, though! I am actually very excited about pulling it all together. This week has been nuts, though! We have been going through a bunch of stuff that we have accumulated over the last 16 years in boxes and totes and such and so we have all been scrambling to get it finished and the house clean for a good share of this week. Talk about rush job! Sheesh! But this weekend really did sneak up on me faster than I expected! I am sitting here right now in shock that it's almost June! Holy Moly!!!! But in any case, I know that we'll get stuff done and everything will turn out beautifully, so I really shouldn't stress myself out over it. Things will turn out the way they're supposed to.

I Think I Have a Crush on Paper-Source...

So I got this email from Paper-Source today notifying me of new products. I just recently bought those delish envelopes from them and signed up for emails. So I go to the website just to check it out for fun...why not, right? Oh my goodness! Do they have some stylish & witty things on there! (And when I was buying envelopes, I was so focused on just the envelopes and paper that I didn't even venture anywhere else on the site, really...but that was probably a wise mistake on my end considering that I was sitting there with my debit card in hand!)


Check out this witty coin purse! Now that's a fun way to say "Stick It" to this economy...with style and pizzaz, of course!


I also love this tote made from disposable shopping bags- not only are you repurposing those bags, it's also a very fun, bright and colorful bag for all your shopping adventures!




Having probably dozens of scattered sketchbooks, journals and such around the house, well, there's always room for one more! I love the message on this one!


And of course, I really like the idea of this fun chalkboard! What a fun way to leave notes and reminders and such!

A Party that Alice Cullen Would Approve Of...

I have been looking at Hostess with the Mostess™ blog for awhile...love all the fun and creative ideas that she has on there for parties. (And I wish that I would have stumbled upon her site before my daughter's birthday because I could have used that inspirational boost to really play up the invitations that I made for her...but the good thing is that there is always NEXT year, right?!) I am also working on ideas for a baby shower, or maybe I should call it a Sip 'N See, for my sister and her new baby that should make her debut into this world anyday!

Anyhow...before I go on rambling anymore and getting completely off track, I wanted to share these awesome downloadables that can be found at Hostess with the Mostess™ blogsite. I don't know how many of you reading my blog are Twilight fans, but I definitely am! I absolutely love the books! I was feeling a little lost without having any Harry Potter books to look forward to, so this book series definitely quenched my thirst!

I have been thinking how awesome it would be to throw my own Twilight party but right now, we're going through about 12 years of boxes and totes...it's been long long overdue, and so I have no idea where I would have it! But I wanted to pass this along because it's just a great idea! If you end up throwing one of these Twilight parties, will you please invite me????