evidence

we have evidence to believe that mia is part water buffalo:

buffalo pic from here

silhouette

so i've been looking at die cutting type machines for some time now and haven't been very pleased with what is available. everything i've found seems so...constricted. not a whole lot of room for creativity or flexibility...until now. thanks to "oh, hello friend", i've been introduced to the silhouette digital cutting tool!

source

very versatile and it looks like i'll be able to create my OWN designs and cut them with this awesome machine...instead of hand cutting with scissors. (ugh) go check out the silhouette website and the blog "oh, hello friend" - she's doing a GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

makeup & hair

my maid of honor jamie & i did some experimenting last weekend on my wedding hair & makeup. my friend amber (who is an incredible makeup artist and owner of cor cosmetics) ran us through a makeup lesson and showed us some tricks & tips for application and to get that awesome glow. here's some pics...

my before pic (which i actually took on saturday before all the beautifying happened - and i forgot on friday before the makeup appointment)

my after pic (after the makeup lesson)

the tools...

my hair...jamie curled it and did a gorgeous job. and then we pinned it at the top.

after some trial and error, we decided that the best option would be to curl it and then pin all of it up for the wedding. sorry, no pics of that - some things need to be a surprise! :)

wedding accessories...

our wedding is exactly one month away! WOW how time has flown...i've been finding the finishing touches for my wedding day "outfit" (for lack of a better word). i have the dress, the shoes, and jewelry...but maybe i need one of these clutches from tsuru bride to hold the rest of my goodies (click on image for link):




i wouldn't mind getting two - one that looks like mia & the other, like vito. oh, and i love the pig too. how funny would it be to walk down the aisle with a hedgehog under my arm?

mia's puppy class

this is from the last day of mia's puppy class. the pups get a chance to run around together and socialize. enjoy :)

because i like taking quizzes

remember when you used to take those quizzes in magazines as a little teeny bopper and it was like "WOW that's, like, so totally true!" when you read the results? well, this isn't quite like that, but it's just as much fun.

check out this quiz:
it's called testcolor. you pick colors based on your favorites and least favorites, then your personality results pop up. go here to do the test!

here's an excerpt from my results:

"You are 38 % extrovert and 62 % introvert.
Independently of any order of importance :
You are able to listen to others, you show a good emotional intelligence, you know how to bring your support to others. You are also imaginative and creative, you have always new ideas, and you know how to apply them. Finally you are a manager and a structured person, you know how to take into account the needs of each person while leading them towards the set goals."

thanks to how about orange for posting this quiz! seriously, this girl finds the coolest stuff.

type is AWESOME!

*in a feeble attempt to be more consistent with blogging, i'm trying to post whatever catches my eye or inspires me immediately...otherwise the idea will fade away...*

i'm going to nerd out for a second here so bear with me...

so, here's something super cool: a typography book called HYPERACTIVITYPOGRAPHY FROM A TO Z

there is a chapter per letter with all sorts of fun info and activities...it reminds me of a coloring/activity book for grown ups. i would LOVE a copy but sadly the first addition is sold out :( click on the picture and go to their website - you can flip through the book there!

thanks to design crush for posting about this book!

reading

i actually started reading a book for fun over the weekend. and that book was (please don't make fun of me)...twilight. yep.

amazon

i love me some vampires & some major teenage angst. when it first became popular, i thought the whole twilight thing was stupid. but i decided to see what all the fuss was about and be a bit more open minded, and i'm glad i did! i won't go into the story since you'd have to be living in a cave to not have heard about it. i just finished it last night and i realized how much i miss reading for fun. it was a good escape from the stresses of the day. and then i promptly hopped on amazon and ordered the other books. and am somewhat irritated that i didn't order them earlier since now i have to wait to see what happens next. AH! but now i have no excuse to procrastinate on art.

business stickers

in an attempt to improve my product packaging, i decided to get some stickers printed. i am trying out vistaprint, which i heard about on etsy and jessica jones blog how about orange. i'm trying out a 1.5" round sticker to put on the bottom right corner of packaged (in plastic) books and on the back of my 5 pack notecard sets. i messed around in illustrator and here's what came out:


i blurred out my phone number because...well, i just don't really want to post my number on the interwebs. i was going for something simple and pleasant, and something that wouldn't detract from the bright paper on the book covers. so what do you think?

the sketchbook project

thanks to brandi at not your average ordinary for posting about this amazing project - it's called the sketchbook project. basically, you sign up, are mailed a sketchbook and then fill it (with a theme in mind) and send it back by the due date. then your book goes on tour and ends up in the permanent collection of the brooklyn art library. how freaking cool is that???

i love this idea - for me, a sketchbook is SO personal. i don't know what it is about it. it's not like a diary with a ton of deep dark secrets. it just ends up being one of the items i use the most to jot notes in, figure out detailed projects, work on print designs....i spend a lot of time working in it. this would be a good exercise for me to really push myself to be open & honest in what i create, knowing that (potentially) tons of people will see it. check out the website here for more information.

in the meantime, i'm going to go sign up!

computer gripes

i need to vent and what better why to express my frustration than post it on the internet!! my work computer has been giving me the worst time. i know it is on its way out, heading toward computer heaven (or computer hell since it's been such a pain in the ass).

my typical day goes something like this:
- get to work and turn on computer, then go find something else to do for 15 minutes while it starts up.
- check on my computer, which has started up, but when i go to type in the password, i realize that the mouse & keyboard are not being recognized, so i can't type anything. restart computer and wait another 15 minutes.
- finally am able to type in password & log in to computer. go to start email program...program attempts to install about 8 times, then starts up, and 3 errors ding at me. close those and attempt to check email.
- start other programs that also attempt to install a few times for no apparent reason. i swear i click the cancel button more that any other human in the world.
- receive an email but it doesn't show up in my inbox, so i have to go to another folder, then back to the inbox for it to show up. same thing if i delete or move any emails.
- open a file. but instead of simply double clicking on it, i have to open the program first (seeing annoying unnecessary installation sequence above), then find the file and open. otherwise *DING* errors!!!!
- email program crashes for no apparent reason. attempt to restart.
- if i have 2 programs open, i will get an error stating that i don't have enough memory.
- computer then randomly shuts down for no reason whatsoever.
- get pissed and leave.

so yea i pretty much loathe this computer right now. it is the equivalent of the fax machine in the movie office space. it has become the bane of my existence. and i would really like to take it out to the range and shoot it.

rant over. thank you for your attention.

engagement pictures

last week, bfff & i drove up to flattop (a common local mountain to hike) and met our friends judie & steve for our engagement photo session. steve had suggested flattop as a good background for our pics to get some scenic views of alaska. we brought our puppies up with us to attempt to get some shots with them...but they were a little too crazy to sit still. the weather was pretty ominous the whole week and was supposed to rain...but the clouds broke for a couple of hours, just when we needed them to. here's a small assortment of the amazing photos that steve took:

bfff & i walking...

hanging out on these random log benchs...

check out the snow on the mountains...in june

through the trees...

bfff making me laugh (as always)

my bling!

puppy training put to good use

look at those sweet faces!

our little family

an enormous thank you to steve and judie for the photo session! we had a wonderful time :)

40 days...

the wedding is in 40 days. that's just a hair over a month. holy crap.

i'm going to have my makeup done on friday - my friend amber is giving me & my maid of honor a makeup lesson, so that'll be oober fun! amber is an amazing makeup artist and she has her own line of mineral cosmetics called cor cosmetics. i LOVE her makeup! check out her website here. will post pics later - maybe i'll do a before & after.

over the weekend, my MOH threw me a bridal shower and bachelorette party! SO much fun :) i don't have pics of the bridal shower (need to get them from a few people) and there is pictoral evidence of the bachelorette party....but i haven't decided if i'll post it or not. haha.

worked on some art stuff this weekend...and i know i keep promising the pics of the invitations. i actually bought some stuff to make a mini light box and wanted to try taking the invitation pictures in that. we'll see. but i will work on it.

bfff & i also had engagement pictures taken last week by our friend, who did an amazing job!! we got a sneak peek of 4 pictures and get to see the rest today. i can't wait!

so how was everyone else's weekend?

flowers

after seeing my wedding dress, my mom thinks we need to make some adjustments to our flower plans. originally, we were thinking of doing a bright colorful bouquet. but after some discussion, she pointed out that a bright bouquet would compete with my dress....and she is SO right. so to a degree, we are back at square one regarding flowers. kinda. i think mom's helped me figure out what kinds of flowers i like (and i actually know the names of them now, thanks to her - my mom is an awesome gardener and knows all of this stuff). so here's some bouquets that are in neutral tones, but still quite beautiful (all images from the knot):

sweet peas!

roses & calla lillies - i'm not huge on roses, but i really like this pale ivory pink color

i like the pale green hydrangeas

mini calla lilies, ranunculus, and orchids

peonies & lily of the valley

peonies! this one is my favorite :)

these flowers are drastically different from what i was looking at before (here and here) but when you see my dress, you'll understand why the change was necessary! what do you think?

weekend stuff

hello! how was everyone's weekend? i was incredibly busy and productive!! friday evening was spent working at the gun shop and then visiting with friends.

on saturday, i finally got to use a spa gift certificate from bfff (valentine's day gift) for a vichy massage and OMG it was incredible. if you don't know what a vichy massage is (i didn't), it was a full body massage then after that, the therapist uses water (like a portable jacuzzi jet) to massage too. it was SO relaxing. i am considering treating myself to something like that at least a couple times a year. i was in a totally different state of mind after the treatment.

the huge news...when i arrived home, the lady from the post office showed up with a package that needed a signature...and it turned out to be my WEDDING DRESS!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! so i ran inside, tore open the packaging, and tried it on immediately. and let me tell you, it is EXQUISITE! chrissy wai-ching made the dress and captured exactly what i wanted. i am so thrilled with the results! oh, and i don't need to get it altered either. if you ever have the need for a custom made gown, i highly recommend chrissy. go here and browse her catalogue. seriously.

sunday, i cleaned the house like crazy and did a million (slightly over exaggerated) loads of laundry. and made a ton of books for the upcoming art show. the puppies were little angels. vito even woke me up early...although unintentionally, since i awoke to that infamous dog getting ready to barf sound.

i also started on another project - a book that i'm making as a thank you for chrissy (hopefully she doesn't read my blog). here's some pics of the project so far:

i cut a bunch of circles from scrap chiyogami

gathered colorful thread

and sewed together the circles in a crazy pattern - i know it's hard to see the stitching but it's in there

i'm going to make another one of these circle sheets and then use them to make covers for the book. i'll post more pics as this project progresses :)

weekend is here...almost

for a short week, this one sure was busy. i am SO thankful for the upcoming weekend, even though i'll be working my butt off. i managed to get a lot of things checked off the wedding list, including a big one: addressing & mailing the invitations! i have a few extras that i will take some pics of this weekend to show you all.

since bfff will be busy all weekend, i am going to (finally) use a spa gift card for a much needed massage, spend some quality time with the crazy pups, and make mass amounts of books for the upcoming art show. oh, and clean the house. and actually fold the laundry instead of just leaving a giant pile on the floor. which mia decided to use a little bed last night.

speaking of mia, in addition to coming out of her shell and being a rambunctious puppy that literally zooms around the house, she's also learning some new things from her brother vito. for example, vito has taught her that socks are FUN! grabbing socks from any pile of clean or dirty laundry, flinging them into the air, playing tug of war with them, or just keep away from me....all of it is tons of FUN. i used to see vito proudly trotting past the doorway with a sock in his mouth. but as of this morning, mia was the sock queen. four times past the door, different socks, and a puppy gallop! we're so glad she's finally settled into her home. even though 90% of our socks have holes now.

what are you all doing this weekend? what ever you do, ENJOY!

engagement party pics

my mom & dad hosted a wonderful engagement party for bfff & i. it was beautiful and such a great way to celebrate :) we didn't get many pictures since we were busy visiting with everyone, but here's a couple:

amazing cookies - handmade & decorated by mom :)

yummmmmmmmmmy food!

also note the amazing centerpieces - fire engine red carnations in a clear blue vase and an aqua ribbons!

memorial day weekend

we had a busy memorial day weekend! we visited with friends, hung out with our puppies, (bfff) cooked some yummy food, addressing some envelopes (wedding invite post coming soon), and went on a hike.

actually, it was more like bfff woke me up early on sunday and said we are going on a hike. so we got our stuff all packed up, got the doggies packed up, and my dad came over to hike with us. we went to a place called bird ridge...and it was basically straight up the mountain the entire time! the weather was gorgeous and here's some pics of our adventure:

taking a break after a couple hours of hiking

check out the view (with dad)!

beautiful!

vito is STILL not tired

mia tuckered out (and my stark white legs)

dad saying hi

tired puppies!

mia spotlight!

happy june! our mia just turned seven months old and she's had quite a ride! the last couple of months with her have been so rewarding. she listens pretty well and is doing great in her puppy class! she has a few quirks....like she doesn't really jump off of stuff (bed, couch, etc) she does this funny little slide:

her and big brother vito have been playing and thoroughly enjoying each others company. if i'm lucky, i get a shot of them together like this:

me & crazy puppy mia & passed out vito:

tuckered out puppy:

box sets

back in february, i had a meeting with a nice couple who was getting married, the mother of the bride, & a friend of their family. they wanted to photo album & box sets for the wedding photos. the bride & groom picked out paper & materials based on their wedding colors and the mother of the bride chose drastically different, but complimentary colors for her set. here are the results....enjoy!

bride & groom's set

box and matching photo album

gold inside of box

inside of box with photo album

mother of the bride's set

tangerine & gray bookcloth box & photo album

dark orange inside of box covered in gray lace

inside of box with album