turtle soup

New Looks Stop Motion

2012-01-27T08:45:00.002-06:00

I get to work on a variety of projects for work, which is what I love most about my job. Below is a really fun project that a couple other Art Directors and I worked on for the launch of our 2012 collection for our proprietary apparel brand, Destinations. I traveled up to the lovely state of Iowa to shoot the stills with our photographers and then we pieced the music and images together internally.

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Very fun project, I'm a lucky girl!

For more information on the new items, check out www.StaplesPromotionalProducts.com

Geometrics

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

I was a fairly good student, but I distinctly remember the worst grade I ever got was in my middle school geometry class. Getting a C+ was truly traumatizing for this goody-two-shoes. Now when I use geometry (which is rare) it's applied to a specific project, calculating the circumference or area of a circle or something. I even impress fellow designers with my math-formula-know-how. But that's not the point of this post. I'm absolutely smitten with all of the geometric prints -- mostly triangular -- in the craft world today. Just don't ask me to calculate the area covered...

Items listed clockwise, starting in the top left: Equilateral Triangles Crib Quilt, Geometric Mobile, Wooden Totem Necklace, black gold dipped geo ring, Loop Scarf - Triangle, Geometric Prism Necklace, Triangle Coin Purse, Geometric Wood Bead on Brass Chain

Breakfast Tour KC

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

My beau likes a big breakfast/brunch. I like my beau. Therefore we have gotten into the habit of eating a pretty big breakfast on the weekends. We're trying to do the every-other-weekend thing and cook one weekend, eat out the next. It's pretty delightful. I love that he loves good food and I love talking and laughing with him over our enormous portion-sized meals.

@ Succotash, with the inaugural photo of the breakfast tour. We originally took this photo because of the comedy of our plates and drinks not fitting on the table. The pre-meal photo became a tradition that I cherish. Justin takes the photos, because his inevitably turn out better (i.e. less blurry and higher up).

@ Blue Bird Bistro on Summit & 17th. Not much left... apparently we tore into this one without snapping a photo first. Oops! This place inspired me to make Pumpkin-Sage Jam (more to come on that later).

@ Genessee Royale in the West Bottoms. This was one of my favorites, the dressing on the greens was so light and just perfect. We even tried the bacon jam (pictured in the center)... not my fav, but Justin was a fan.

@ Rooster in St. Louis. Delicious, delicious crepes. These larger plates were shamefully followed by a warm Banana-Nutella dessert crepe. It was devoured in minutes by the two of us. This was Justin's first awakening to Nutella (or Nut-ella as he pronounces it) and now I'm afraid there's no going back.

We've also hit up The Farmhouse, Chez Elle creperie, and The Wooden Spoon in Overland Park. All delicious, but not captured in our photo study. I guess we'll just have to go back!

@ Home. Here's a sampling of our creations. I'm still working on my omelet technique after years without practice and after this meal I dubbed Justin as the official hashbrown-maker. He accepted. Now we have perfectly prepared hash brown patties instead of just hash. Together, we're pretty much breakfast rock-stars. The homemade meals usually include simply potatoes, sausage, eggs, and any combination of vegetables around. Sometimes we throw in a spinach smoothie. Sometimes I attempt baked goods without proper measuring utensils. Or breakfast pizza. One thing is for certain, we've been eating well the past several months. (Perhaps contributing to my extra fluffiness as of late...)

Future places on ~~our~~ my list to try out: You Say Tomato, Happy Gillis, Westside Local, Urban Table, Julian, Eggtc, Room 39, Unforked, etc. Any other suggestions?

2012 Goals

2012-01-22T14:00:00.000-06:00

Ok these are a little late, but better late than never, right? Hopefully me posting my goals at the end of January isn't an indication as to how this year will go. But honestly, I have been so preoccupied I didn't give it much thought until recently.

1. Lose 25 pounds. Somewhere after RAGBRAI and being in a new relationship and being busy with grad school, working out became few and far between and I put on a much heavier "winter coat" than usual. So, it's time to shed the extra poundage. I'm hoping publicly announcing my goal will help me stick to the plan. Working out 5+ days per week and lots of vegetables, here I come!

2. 6 Blog posts per month. For some that number sounds kind of pathetic, but if you look at my most recent posting history, it will be a dramatic improvement.

3. Read at least 1 book per month. I think this is about on par with what I achieved in 2011. I've really become a fan of audiobooks (or ear-reading as my significant other calls it). My on-hold list at the library is getting a little short, any suggestions?

4. Break snooze button habit. This has seriously gotten out. of. control. I hit snooze every 10 minutes for an hour or longer every morning. I try to set my alarm for later, but I still find myself going through the constant snoozing routine and I just arrive later and later to work. I don't know how I'll break it, but I know I need to for better sleep and all-around health.

5. Weekly sketches. I'm not a natural doodler or sketcher, but I want to start doing much more. I think this will help my creativity, help me find my personal aesthetic and all sorts of wonderful things. Ideally, I'd like to go for a walk outside and sketch nature, but the current chilly weather might keep that plan on hold for a while.

6. One craft/art project per month. I used to constantly work on craft projects for my apartment but now I'm pretty well settled and haven't been doing as much hands-on creativity. I want to pick that back up in hopes that it continue to boost creativity in other areas (much like weekly sketches).

7. Finish thesis & graduate! This is a big one. Last semester I officially started my thesis-prep classes and I'll continue those throughout 2012. My goal is the graduate at the end of Fall semester this year, so I need to get into gear and keep researching, ideating, and working on my thesis. Wish me luck!

Let's Swap

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

I mentioned previously in my TV-less post that I have been participating in swap.com. It's pretty awesome. After the colossal garage sale fail of 2010, I've given into other methods of spring cleaning. I don't keep a huge collection of movies because I don't see the point really, but I have a handful that have been gifted to me or I've picked up for a cheap deal.

So instead of trying to unload of them by pricing everything out and hoping you'll be able to sell them in a silly garage sale or on craigslist, why not trade? I mean, no one needs to watch Legally Blonde more than three times. Seriously.

Above are all of my swaps, top row is what I had, bottom row is what I received. In my opinion, all of these are upgrades. ABBA is my current go-to playlist at work and in the gym, by far the best trade yet. But who knows, maybe in a couple of months or years, I'll be over the my Lord of the Rings phase and ready to swap again!

Now Launched - The Gender Reveal

2012-01-18T21:10:00.003-06:00

A couple of months ago, a couple friends and I launched an etsy shop, The Gender Reveal! How exciting, right? You guessed it, we specialize in designed invitations and decor for gender reveal parties.

I've been wanting an etsy shop for the longest time, but it's overwhelming to keep everything up all by your lonesome (kudos to those friends who do), but now this solo party is a party of three and I couldn't be happier and more excited. The other great thing about the shop is we only sell products for gender reveal parties. It's daunting to think about making as much as a ripple among all the cuteness of baby shower invites/wedding invites/graphic posters/other paper goods that's already out there, but we think gender reveal parties are an up and coming trend that we can jump on!

So please visit the shop and check out our invites and decor packages. And spread the word to all of your friends who may be interested in such a party!

The coffee table SURPRISE!

2012-01-15T11:12:00.001-06:00

Remember the coffee table story? I was originally dreaming of a coffee table with hairpin legs and a recycled wood top, then someone I know copied my idea before I could get to it and I was back to dreaming of other possibilities.

But guess what? I ended up the winner!

My brother and sister-in-law (Nate and Michelle) drove across five states to visit for New Years and to my surprise, brought me a handcrafted coffee table for Christmas! I was completely surprised. In previous conversations with my brother he mentioned he had bought a welder and was interested in making me something for my apartment for Christmas. We discussed coffee tables. We briefly talked style preferences. I told him to check my Pinterest. That was it.

Fast-forward to the day my family arrived, my mom and I stepped out to do some last minute grocery shopping and when I returned to my apartment (where the rest of my family was hanging out) to my surprise the coffee table was sitting in it's place! It was all very exciting and perfectly timed.

Nate and Michelle picked out beautiful glass in aquas, blues, greens, and greys; and crushed them into smaller pieces to make a recycled glass cement top. Recycled glass countertops are something Megan turned me onto a couple years ago and since then it has been a must-have in my dream kitchen. This was the first recycled glass piece that Nate made and it's a treasure that he gifted it to me. He has big plans for making more coffee tables with more elaborate patterns and such... maybe by the time I get around to affording my dream house he can make my counter top for my kitchen! He also welded the base out of square metal tubing for a perfect modern vibe.

While he was at it he made another coffee table for his friend's new loft bachelor pad out of recycled palette wood. I think both designs are awesome and couldn't be more ecstatic with the finished piece.

Grateful

2011-11-23T09:25:00.000-06:00

In past years I've put a number requirement on the things I'm most grateful for, which probably gets a little redundant—and let's be honest—boring. This year I want to take a different approach and only celebrate the things for which I am the very most grateful.

1. Curiosity and an appetite for knowledge.
Growing up I wouldn't have labeled myself as "curious," I was a shy child and not yet comfortable asking the sometimes naive questions. I'm over that shyness (well, most of the time) and I'm so very grateful to feel like I am truly comfortable in my own skin. I'm comfortable being laughed at for asking that naive question, because I have come to realize three things. 1. Others usually have the same questions. 2. Sometimes asking that child-like question brings light to a situation that others overlook, dismissing it as too raw, sometimes raw is the best place to start. 3. I've learned to laugh at myself, which brings me to my next item:

2. The ability to laugh at myself.
This summer someone told me I was funny. Me? Funny? They even said I was much funnier than most girls. To which we both agreed it was because I have the ability to laugh at and make fun of myself. This may be what I am most proud of. Again, when I was younger, not only was I shy, but I was soooo easily embarrassed. It wasn't until recently that I learned how to make fun of my idiosyncrasies and own-up to my silliness and I'm much happier for it.

3. Passion & Interests.
I am so blessed to be passionate about my profession. I love design. I love reading about design, I love being in the environment, I continually strive to make my small, small fraction of the design world a better place. Not everyone can be this passionate about what they do. I'm truly grateful.
Not only am I lucky enough to be passionate about my chosen career, but I have a plethora of interests and hobbies. Cooking, gardening, crafting, sewing, biking, grad classes/learning, volunteering, etc. It's recently come to my attention that others don't have hobbies, which is something I will never, ever understand.

4. Introspection.
This has been a very introspective year for me. I feel that I have grown mountains in the past two years, really learning about myself and being able to connect the dots in my life and how seemingly small realizations play a much larger picture to who I am and who I want to be. I continually write myself notes and write in my journal about new discoveries about myself. In my Life Goals document (yes, I have one of those that was started around age 16 and has continued to grow and evolve with me) I thought I would be married by age 23. I am now 26, unmarried and extremely happy. Again, this is the 16-year-old-small-town-Midwestern me writing that down. I am grateful I have had these years after college for such amazing self discovery and exploration. I've change a lot and am not nearly the person I was at age 23, I'm grateful I've had this time to grow as an individual and learn to really love myself first and hopefully someday that will translate into a beautiful marriage, but I'm putting any age toward that life goal.

5. Yoga.
I started yoga in January, took a brief hiatus for RAGBRAI training in the summer and couldn't wait to start yoga immediately after RAGBRAI. Not only am I much, much stronger physically, but yoga has taught me balance and strength and peace of mind. It's an amazing 1.5 hour escape every Monday. I tell my co-workers yoga keeps me sane and keeps me from turning into a giant stress-ball and I whole-heartidly believe this. I didn't realize how much yoga has effected me until I took my hiatus in the summer. There is a lot to be said for my amazing teacher, the soul-filling music she plays, her teaching and her practice, but it's also the act of yoga that fills me up. This is something I don't want to give up any time soon. My goal for next year is to work on meditation, focus, and breathing during yoga, some things that I'm not particularly great at.

6. Family and Friends.
I moved to my own apartment at the end of June and since then my life has been filled non-stop with friends and family. More than ever I'm making plans with friends to fill up my evenings without yoga or grad classes. I'm grateful for my friends and family to help fill those voids. I couldn't be happier with my social life (and my new apartment).

7. My job.
I love working for my boss. I have now been at Staples for 13 months and feel like I have started to make a difference. SPP is the perfect size, you can be outspoken and not get lost in the shuffle, while at the same time having a specific role and not being asked to wear too many hats. I'm excited about the upcoming projects I have on my plate and hope we can continue the forward momentum.

Ending with seven, my favorite number, seems appropriate. So with these seven things I'm truly grateful for, I wish you and your family a very happy and grateful Thanksgiving.

Quick, Easy Chocolate Fudge Cookies

2011-11-22T16:40:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I needed a chocolate fix, bad. But not wanting to go to the grocery store or spend a lot of time in the kitchen, I turned to this uber fast and simple recipe:

Chocolate Fudge Cookies
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)
3/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped (optional, but it makes them awesome)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease cookie sheets.In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough into small balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 24-30 cookies.

Awesome!

Downloadable: Holiday Gift Tags

2011-11-20T12:00:00.000-06:00

As part of a holiday gift package to our customers, I designed free, printable gift tags for Staples Promotional Products. Download and print your own here.

Read the entire message from our Senior VP, Barb Wells, on SPP's blog: YourBrandPartner.com.

Cookie Party Time!

2011-11-13T14:07:00.001-06:00

Each year I host a cookie party exchange with my friends, I always have high intentions of posting more about these, but it comes at the busy time of year and it always gets pushed to the side, leaving it undocumented. Anyway... my friends give me a hard time because I typically start thinking of color palettes for this in August and this year was no exception, I was planning gold and emerald... but I got the bug to do a stop motion video instead.

So with the help of Lindsay Stanley and Katie Larson, we created this fun stop motion for the invitation (view it here for better resolution). I was nervous at how long it would take, but it really only took 3-4 hours from start to finish and then my boyfriend found the perfect, whimsical music to add to it! There are things I'd change (like getting the day right), but I'm extremely happy with it overall.

I can't wait to work on next year's invitation... oh, and of course this year's cookie party!

Holstee Manifesto = LIFE Manifesto

2011-11-09T20:53:00.001-06:00

Hello blog friends! I miss you. I know I've been neglecting you, but my non-digital life has been non-stop exciting times and I haven't taken a break to keep you in the loop.

Anyway, today I discovered the Holstee Manifesto video, completely brilliant:

And here's the poster version, which has been out for a while:

The whole thing is wonderful / inspiring / delightful.

And I should've been going on more bike rides lately before the weather turns ick.

Halloween Hoot

2011-11-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

After I moved apartments this summer, I realized how much crap I have. I'm really not a sentimental person and I clean out my closet every month or so, donating extra clothes and such. But still, I seemed to have collected more than I actually need. Particularly in the craft department. I have multiple chests dedicated to fabric and paper and other craft supplies. I would say I only have a 50% success rate of actually finishing projects that I start. So it has been my goal to start whittling down my collections prior to buying new materials for new projects.

Image from Alphamom found via Pinterest

This Halloween turned out to be no exception. I saw this little girl in costume on Pinterest months back and hoped that I could only be half as cute as her. I really wanted to be a grey owl, like my inspiration pic. But with four days to the big party and being too lazy to go to the craft store for supplies, I decided to go through my closet. Low and behold I found oodles of fabric that could be used for said costume. Instead of being a gray barn owl, I decided to be a lovely, lovely snowy owl. And I used up fabric that has been sitting in my closet for years, waiting patiently to be made into place mats. (Honestly, if I dug a little deeper, I think I could've been a grey owl, but I'm rather happy with this combination, no?)

I even added wings to the costume after my friend Katie shared some lovely inspiration via Natty's Birds of a Feather Costumes on BurdaStyle.

As a side note, this is what I made for Halloween Dinner... Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Roasted Purple Potatoes and Roasted Okra and Garlic. The okra was awesome... the others were ok, but I thought the colors were fun for Halloween.

RIP Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T19:28:00.000-05:00

To quote StrangeNative's tweet "This is my Michael Jackson."

Inspiring video:

Connect the dots.

If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Lotta Jansdotter Fabric Line

2011-10-04T21:00:00.001-05:00

Image via Purl Bee Blog

Looks like Lotta Jansdotter is coming out with a fabric line! Hooray, hooray! I think I can postpone new pillows a little longer, right? I'm geeked, all of those colors are so me.

Squirrels!

2011-09-26T12:26:00.002-05:00

Did I mention I have a fondness for squirrels? I love this new squirrel from Jonathon Adler, although I'd have to brainstorm something else for the little guy to hold...

Sweet Paul inspiration

2011-09-19T22:58:00.004-05:00

Another issue of Sweet Paul came out the other day and it's filled with delicious fall foods that I can't wait to taste-test, along with lovely, lovely food styling (as always), beautiful layouts, and inspirational crafts.

After a weekend with family, I was sent home with a bag full of delicious home-grown pears, tomatoes, multicolored bell peppers and lots of fresh rosemary. I was delighted to see many recipes with pears and rosemary!

Here are the recipes I'll start with:
I've tried for years for a good pretzel recipe, maybe this will be the one...

John's Pretzels, image via Sweet Paul

Dried pear slices, image via Sweet Paul

Fennel & Rosemary Roast Lamb, image via Sweet Paul


Honey Baked Fall Vegetables, image via Sweet Paul

Pear Galette, image via Sweet Paul

Pear, Red Onion & Manchengo Pizza, image via Sweet Paul

Pork with Warm Fall Slaw, image via Sweet Paul

Thyme Roasted Chicken with Pears, image via Sweet Paul

I think I'll start with the Roast Lamb with Fall Vegetables and Pear Galette, I do love the rustic and romantic qualities of a good flaky galette... so who's comin' over for dinner?

As always, well done, Sweet Paul!

LOVE

2011-09-04T18:30:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to my big brother and his new wife! At this moment they are tying the knot and I'm so happy to welcome Michelle into the family and call her a sister. Nate couldn't have picked a more lovely bride and wife. Wishing you two many, many years of love, laughter and happiness.

Female Inspiration

2011-09-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

People always ask (and by people I mean, our little white board at work and other blog interview types), who would you want to have dinner with, dead or alive? I've been giving this a lot of thought lately, I don't know why, but I have.

For me, it would be a toss between:
1. Claudia Kotchka, former VP of Design Innovation & Strategy at Proctoer & Gamble
2. Tina Roth Eisenberg, founder of swissmiss blog, CreativeMornings, Tattly and co-founder of TuexDuex
3. Rachel Botsman, co-founder of Collaborative Consumption
4. Grace Bonney, founder of Design*Sponge blog

These four are all intelligent, strong females and leaders in the design community. All have families and balance their work life and do amazing, innovative things. All have powerful personal brands. What better inspiration to have? I look to these women and think "What the hell am I doing with my life, get it together, sister." Instead, I sleep.

(And someday once I have it together I will design a poster with the song lyric by Ingrid Michaelson: "I want to change the world, instead I sleep.")

Redesign, Redesign

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed all of the re-designing going around on the web lately?
They all seem to have more a different navigation system, something new and kind of strange and less intuitive, if you ask me, but maybe I'm just not used to it yet. But with big names like Target, Pentagram, and VSA Partners, I'm thinking this is the tip of the iceberg for this type of interaction and probably at least a couple years in the making.

Pentagram

Target.com

VSA Partners

When I started thinking of this post, I swear I had more examples... I will probably add as my foggy-mind remembers...

Also, I've noticed other big social networking players easing any changes they are making to the system by telling users in advance of these changes and letting them try the new features before it's "official," probably to smooth any transition and bumps in the road and allievate any protests as the Facebook News Feed Controversy of 2006. I've noticed Facebook, Google, and Blogger (owned by Google) all using this early-warning-system method. It goes to show that companies are continuing to get more saavy and realize that many people are afraid of change. I personally love it, because I feel in-the-know and all of Google's (and therefore Blogger's) updates have been kick-ass design-wise.

The coffee table, Part 2

2011-08-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

Clearly, the original coffee table idea (you know, reclaimed wood with hairpin legs) is not original to me and others can replicate it easily, too easily... it would've been original to my acquaintances, but someone swooped in and made one before I had the chance (from my own sought-after reclaimed lumber store, no less). Just glad I wasn't mid-process so we wouldn't end up with the same coffee table... I mean, how embarrassing. So, I'm over it. So. Over. It.

Right now I'm using my TV stand from college that I reupholstered as a foot rest and temporary coffee table. It's nice, it rolls. I like this characteristic. I can roll it out of the way as I attempt to do my personal training routine in the middle of my tiny apartment. I think this easily moveable characteristic should be a mandatory in the final design solution, which probably rules out what I'd really, really like, which is vintage metal flat files.

Tad Carpenter's house (in KC!) via Design*Sponge

Kirra Jamison's house via Design*Sponge

Can we just take a moment here and pause to reflect on the beauty and awesome functionality of vintage metal flat files. (of course picturing a flatter stack to be used for a coffee table) Ahhh....

Maybe tomorrow I'll come accross a super cheap and low set of vintage flat files that I can fasten heavy-duty casters to! Until then, it's back to the drawing board for me... any suggestions?

The DMV Experience

2011-08-30T20:11:00.001-05:00

Image from libraryman

What’s the worst service experience you’ve had? For most, the DMV ranks near the top of that list. It takes forever, you’re should-to-shoulder with strangers you’d rather not sit next to, it’s loud, possibly full of unpleasant smells, and most likely you have forgotten some crucial and mysterious piece of paperwork that requires you to return after retrieving it. So today when I made my way to the Kansas DMV, I was not looking forward to the task... perhaps that’s why I put it off for two months and waited until one of the very last days of the month, right before my plates were to expire to get the dreaded chore done. Nothing like a deadline for motivation, right?

Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise. The Johnson County Treasurer’s office that I visited was very fancy-schmancy—a definite upgrade from the DMV in the not-nearly-as-affluent county I resided in in Missouri. It was clear this county had spent some serious money and time designing the service experience for their patrons, which may be expected from a county boasting one of the highest median incomes in the country (according to the 2000 census).

Now for the actual experience:

Upon entrance there were three kiosks that greeted you asking for a bit of information: First, language preference, offering English or Spanish and your cell phone number, which was used to serve as your virtual spot in line. After entering my information, the digital screen told me I would have an estimated wait of 37 minutes.

This is brilliant for many reasons:

The Spanish-speaking customers are filtered to the Spanish-speaking service representatives. (Because how annoying is it to get to the front of the line to find out that person can’t help you? Pretty annoying. And with a language barrier, I’m sure it is ridiculously difficult.)
Part of service design is looking at the psychology of waiting and what that does to your perceived experience, which highly effects the outcome as good or bad and 37 minutes is still a long time to wait. (My service rep later informed me that they were busier than usual because it was the end of the month and, like myself, everyone had been procrastinating.)
Knowing my approximate wait time was awesome. I could’ve walked to the coffee shop or donut shop next door (that is, if I liked either of those options...), run a nearby errand, etc.
Part of the texting system allowed you to get updates through your phone on where you stood in line and your estimated wait, you could even respond with an “M” to give you some more time. (I didn’t play with this feature, not knowing if it would push you back 5 people or at the end of the already 52-person-long list.)
My service-rep also told me that I could reserve my spot in line from my computer at home. Or say, after I finish at the vehicle inspection place. Again, brilliant!

Other features that rocked:

The space was wide and open and had cool, clean air circulating. People had ample room to leave two or more chairs comfortable between them as their stranger-buffer-zone. No more shoulder-to-shoulder claustrophobia.
Rows as chairs, even some tables were provided, in case you needed to get a little work done during the wait.
Two TV monitors listed your place in line via the last four digits of your phone number, while two others played the news and cartoons. And as we’re a society dependent upon electronic connectivity, this is essential.
This system has been in place for a number of years and I also learned at the end of the year they are updating their systems, she said they’re “archaic, built in the 80’s.” So now they will no longer have to manually enter each persons information each time someone comes in, but instead and can retrieve your profile and do “customer maintenance.” That should make that 37 minute wait, dwindle even more.

All-in-all, I’d say my wait time was actually around 27 minutes. Not too bad for 52 people in front of me, right?

So, kudos to you, Johnson County DMV. Awesome job of the front-end customer experience improvements and dedication to updating your back-end systems. It’s not perfect and I doubt I’ll ever relish in the fact that I get to go to the DMV, but at least it wasn’t the dreaded task of yesteryear.

Now let’s work on improving the doctor visit waiting room experience...

Smitten

2011-08-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

A new online mag came out today, Smitten, focusing on real weddings. Now the cat's out of the bag, I follow wedding blogs and now apparently wedding mags... and I feel I have to clarify, it's not that I'm wedding-obsessed like the stereotypical single gal, but I just love the visual inspiration. I mean look at all of the beautiful (and some unique) color palettes, photography styles, and even graphic design layout/typography elements! I'm totally... smitten.

Bolder

2011-08-16T12:29:00.001-05:00

About a month ago swissmiss wrote a post about a new site:

Bolder, a site that helps people to trigger and discover experiences that make the world a little better, one action at a time.

For example, one of the challenges was to Water your Plants with Reclaimed Water. This was perfect timing because just that morning I had come up with the brilliant idea of capturing the water wasted in warming up my shower with gallon milk jugs. To be fair, I adapted the idea from my aunt who uses milk jugs to capture cold water before washing dishes every night. I usually don't have that many dishes to wash, so this is a better method for me. And after practicing this for more than a month I've found more ways to use the reclaimed water than just plant-watering (like using it to soak dishes, in the aforementioned dishes that don't get washed every night...).

Anyway, it's a cool site. Check it out. Some of the fun challenges have expired, like Go Completely Waste-Free for a Day. Or you can start a new cool challenge.

Pitter-Pat

2011-08-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

Image via oh, hello friend

Lately it seems I've been waking up to a serene rainy day. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sun, but these grey mornings may be equally as pleasing with the rain pitter-pattering on my window. The rain seems to make me more productive and focus on the work at hand, instead of longing to be outside.

Wheatgrass Delights

2011-08-13T14:31:00.001-05:00

I asked for wheatgrass seeds for my birthday and because I have an amazing friend, my wish was granted! I really had two reasons for wanting the seeds:
1. I like the way wheatgrass looks, so modern and clean.
2. I like to watch things grow. (Weird?)

But oh boy kids, little did I know I was in for a rather scrumptious surprise!

I prepped the seeds: Soak for eight hours. Rinse. Soak for eight hours. Rinse. Soak for eight hours. Rinse.
And after 7 days of planting, this is the beautiful mess I have:

I wanted to put a camera on the sprouts for a little time-lapse photography but, as you can see, they grew like crazy. (Megan gave me two packages, perhaps I'll try the time-lapse thing next time...) Seriously, I think they grew about 1" per day!

And today I had the pleasure of harvesting my wheat grass! So I looked up juicing instructions with a blender and made myself the best mid-day snack. Here's images of the process (I can't get over that beautiful color):

I blended the final strained wheat grass juice with a little plumcot (hybrid plum + apricot) for a special treat, but didn't have a chance to snap any photos before it was gone!

Wheat grass is a very tasty snack without being juiced! Every once in a while I reach over for a delicious and nutritious nibble straight from the planter. And even though I think I just surpassed my crazy quota, I'm going to throw it out there that I just might take this planted perfection to work so I can graze during the work day.

Some Perspective

2011-08-12T12:15:00.006-05:00

I expected RAGBRAI to be this completely transformational experience. Using my yoga experience, I was expecting a challenge and ready to set intentions and use mantras to get me through the day and also have time for personal reflection and meditation... but I was wrong. It wasn't the physical demands that brought a little perspective into my life, but my teammates. Chatting with my teammates I had a sudden awareness of how moved I am by my vision and the gift of sight. Day after day my teammates would hear me babble on about how beautiful the Iowa landscape was, particularly in the morning, it was truly gorgeous in my eyes. In fact anyone that knows me, knows how passionate I am about Iowa scenery, but it doesn't stop there. Images move me more than anything other sense. I mean, a well-cooked salmon steak is pretty amazing or a tomato straight from the garden, but it doesn't move my soul like my eyesight does.

That being said, I had a fairly traumatic experience this week.

I was waking up Wednesday morning and streeeeetched (as most do) and accidentally my fingernail went right into my eye and scratched the fragile thing. It hurt a bit, but I thought it would be a quick recovery... like 10-15 minutes or so. I took 10 (ok, ok it was 20) extra minutes to lay in bed and rest my eye in the darkness... it was sore and tearing, but I pushed on through my morning routine, showering and getting ready in the dark. As I got in the car, I could barely keep my eyes open because of the light. Thank goodness work is only 5 minutes away, otherwise I don't think I would've made it there safely. Once I got to work I realized work was not going to happen that day. The bright glow of my 27" iMac was painful. Back home I went, hoping my slight injury would heal by noon (see how optimistic I am, always an idealist).

My eye was tearing profusely and was extremely sensitive to light, I knew I had to get to an optometrist. Once there she looked at my eye and saw that I had taken a good chunk out of the organ and just kept saying "Oh, hun." I didn't realize how clearly terrible my injury was. Eight hours after dilation and eyedrops galore, I was still sitting in my dark, dark apartment, unable keep my eyes open for more than a couple seconds at a time (I'm not even making this up!). It was not a productive day.

Fast forward to Thursday morning, the only remnant of my scratch was my hugely dilated left pupil, which left me looking a little crazier than normal... Anyway, I went to a follow-up appointment with my optometrist and she was surprised and a little shocked at how much my eye had healed. But the scary party was when she tested my vision with the chart on the wall, something she didn't even want me to do the day before because of unnecessary strain. And she was, again, overly surprised at how well I could see after one day of recovery. WHAT? Excuse me? I could've (temporarily) damaged my vision? The thing that I hold most precious in this world from one sleepy stretch?

One of my biggest fears in life is losing my vision, it's my livelihood and my passion. Crazy how fragile life and one's body can be, but also, amazing how fast the body can repair itself when necessary. I'm just glad to have my vision fully back and grateful for some perspective.

TV-less

2011-08-04T22:18:00.000-05:00

A while ago I tried to give up TV for a week. I failed miserably.

But guess what? I've been living in my new apartment for five weeks and I still haven't purchased an HD antennae (I'm not planning on cable)! I've watched a couple movies and borrowed a season of BBT, but other than that I haven't had TV. And guess what? It's awesome and I'm so much more productive. Before I always used TV as background noise, but it still enticed me into lounging on the sofa more often than I should.

I had every intention of buying an HD antennae, but I'm kind of enjoying it and getting loads done! Now I rely on TED talks, music, NPR, audio books and the occasional movie for background noise. I was considering Netflix, but I want to try other resources first. I've recently posted my entire collection of DVDs (mostly bad chick flicks) to swap.com, and have had one successful trade so far (Under the Tuscan Sun for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). My apartment complex offers DVD rentals that I'm hoping to use as well as the Johnson County library. And maybe I'll hit up friends for local DVD swaps, for a little collaborative consumption. Not entirely because I'm cheap, more because I want to give these other resources a try first. Once depleted, Netflix or Redbox may be the way to go for a more current selection.

Eventually I'll get around to the HD antennae (I do want it for news, PBS documentaries, and some sitcoms), but with 15+ fun projects on my TeuxDuex "someday" list, I'm in absolutely no hurry...

RAGBRAI, The Conclusion

2011-08-01T12:46:00.010-05:00

I did it! I finished RAGBRAI and dipped my front tire in the Mississippi River! I am unbelievably proud of myself. I went into RAGBRAI telling myself it was ok to walk up most of the hills, catch the sag wagon towards the end of the day, be the slowest person in the group, etc and I was fine with it. But I was so totally wrong. Yes, this girl that threw a tantrum any time I had to participate in any sort of athletic sporting activity as a child, cycled across the state of Iowa.

I gladly used my friend's wedding reception an excuse to not ride the first day. So, I started on the second day, the day with the most climb of all the days - 4719 feet to be exact. And I dominated. I had fresh legs when everyone else was tired from the previous day. I was sprinting up the hills that I was nervous about like a champ, passing many in the process. The first day was by far my favorite, the weather was cool, cloud-covered and beautiful. The rolling hills went far past the road and we were left with the most beautiful, lush landscape with the fog cresting the horizon. I was smitten, completely smitten. This is why I had decided to do RAGBRAI and I was elated that I was riding at an above-average rate, well above my training pace. And I had the huge realization that I can do this.

It wasn't all rainbows and daisies, by the end of the day the sun had come out and the hills were not nearly as fun and I was a exhausted. Days three through five all blur together a little bit with varying emotions: pride, joy, irritation, exhaustion, silliness, delirium, etc. And then finally I took day six off. My entire life I have been pretty sensitive to the sun/heat: heat exhaustion, heat rash, heat stroke, sun migraines, you name it, I've had it. Around day three I developed a ridiculously irritating heat rash on my arms and legs and decided it was best to give them a rest (which conveniently happened to be the longest day on the route). And I wanted to finish strong on day seven, the last day.

And finish strong I did. Six of our team members finished on Saturday, I rode with four of them and led the pack most of the way. I was in the groove in the morning, riding a good 2-3 (or even 8) miles per hour faster than I trained, up hills and cutting through headwinds. It was an amazing experience to feel my training paying off and being able to go that fast and not be completely exhausted. As we rode into Davenport people lined the streets cheering us on as we rode our final 6.6 miles across Iowa. This was amazing, it felt like a real accomplishment to finish.

I got to the dipping station at 2:56 pm, making it our fastest day of the bunch. I'm so happy I did RAGBRAI, definitely have plans to do it again, although next time more pie will be consumed and I want to take the time to enjoy the people and sites of Iowa, not just escaping to the shade in pass-through towns. I want to be able to ride the entire route and even the 100 mile loop, sun and heat cooperating, of course. Although I'm not sure I'm cut out for the whole camping thing...

I had originally decided to track all of the calories I consumed during the week, but I was too exhausted at night to track everything. Instead, here's some estimated stats from the week:
Miles rode: 300-315 (or about 70% of the route)
Feet of Climb: 13,218
Days: 5 (of 7)
Calories Burned: 11,000+
Max Speed: 36 mph
Weight: +4 lbs (It's common for first time RAGBRAI riders to gain weight. The question is, how much is new muscle mass vs consuming too many calories?)
Pieces of Pie consumed: 1 (I am so sad about this stat)
Ears of Corn consumed: 1 (again, deeply saddened by this!)

And props to the awesome team members of TFP (Team Fist Pump):
Will. Paul. Nate. Danny. Loren. Becky. Dan. Jon. Catherine. John.

Major props to Paul and my dear friend, John, who both rode the entire way across Iowa. Paul even added the extra century day. But John was a rockstar, this was his first RAGBRAI as well and he was determined to finish every mile, no one else in our group had that kind of determination. We were all impressed (and a little shocked) that John rode every. single. mile. Congrats, friend!

The coffee table, Part 1

2011-07-23T08:00:00.009-05:00

So now that I have the sofa situation figured out, it's time to move onto the coffee table. I have this deep desire to build it myself. After all, that's why I wanted to live on my own, to have furniture the way I wanted it an to get the experience of building things. Since college I've had this strong craving to make something of my own.
I'm thinking my apartment may be a but heavily skewed to the mid-century modern look, when really I'm a combination of mid-century modern, modern, rustic and industrial. I'm thinking the uber modern dining room chairs I have picked out will help along with the introduction of the perfect coffee table. So I've been contemplating reclaimed barn wood with hairpin legs, to give a nod to the rustic/industrial/mid-century modern in me. Similar to these:

With one piece of gorgeous reclaimed wood?
Image from Kriselkeeper via Remodelista

Or lovely planks?
Image from Sit and Read

Or with a cubby for bonus storage... I'm leaning this way, I think. But I need to figure out the construction.
Image from here.

And there are a plethora of other beautiful little ladies out there as well.

So getting excited about this reclaimed wood thing, I ordered samples from Elmood Reclaimed Timber in Smithville, MO and they're absolutely gorgeous. I mean I was expecting like a 1x1x1 sample or something like that. But these are substantial. After placing an online order, where I could specify what I was interested in, they sent me a delightful and personal confirmation e-mail. A few days later a fun package came with a plank-sized brochure and the samples. It's all beautifully prepared, a beautiful experience, and although pricey, you can bet I'll be giving them my business because of the time (and money) they've already invested in my patronage.

Antique Heart Pine-Rustic plank & Black Walnut-Country Select slab samples

I'm also thinking I need to make something lovely out of these samples and give them a new life as well. Candle holder? Napkin holder? Necklace? (Does anyone have a belt sander that I could use?) It will be something fun for sure!

And not to throw all that out the window, but I do need something modern in my space. So these nesting coffee tables in white from Ikea keep popping into my head. Thoughts? Are they too modern? Would they look foreign in the space? I'm also updating my throw pillows to be much more modern... is that enough?

This is what I will be thinking of during my many miles in the country on RAGBRAI. This and pie.

RAGBRAI Preface

2011-07-22T12:00:00.004-05:00

The time has come, RAGBRAI starts Sunday. I'm about 75% excited and 25% nervous... or really it's the opposite. The past couple weeks I've been trying to get over a nasty cold and my life has just been out of control busy. Translation: I haven't been training like I should. To this date the longest ride I have completed was 32 miles. 32 pitiful miles. And now I'm about to embark on a 454 mile journey. This is scary.

But I do have lots of short rides under my belt. I have done nearly 400 miles in the past 4 months. (Ok, really, that's not that much and OMG I will double that in one weeks time). RAGBRAI recommends 1,000 miles of training before the ride, but most do less... some don't train at all. I just need to keep telling myself RAGBRAI is a series of short rides from town to town. And breathe. I need to remember to breathe.

And camping? I don't think I've ever truly been camping, at least not since I was a tween. Is this woman, who enjoys her 15 minute hot showers ready for an entire week of camping? With mostly boys? I haven't even begun to prepare for that...

So please wish me luck as I prepare for the most athletic and outdoorsy thing I have ever done in my life.

The sofa story, the finale!

2011-07-12T08:30:00.002-05:00

On Friday night, with the help of friends, I picked up my new sofa! (ok, honestly, they did all of the work I just directed) And she's a beaut! I decided on the Macy's Corona sofa, a lovely mid-century modern at an even lovelier sale price. I'm now sofa-twins with several of my previous Hallmark colleagues.

The swatch color was slightly warmer grey than I wanted (but much cooler than the picture on Macy's site), but the real sofa is even cooler than the swatch. Hooray! And she's the perfect size: comfortable for three, cozy at four and the perfect length on the wall. I'm so smitten. She's already met seven new friends and even had one overnight guest!

So I leave you with a glimpse of the new apartment and my new lovah, I should name her...

Images by Stephanie Hertel

New pillow covers, an art wall and a full apartment tour to come!

Goodbye & Rest In Peace Captain Nielson

2011-07-11T05:00:00.003-05:00

Original Image source unknown

This weekend we said goodbye to one of the most genuine, sincere and faithful servants that I have ever met. Captain Matthew Nielson was killed in Iraq June 29th from indirect fire. Two other men were killed in this senseless act, three lives lost way to early. Matt was returning home in August and excited about my brother’s wedding in September. The one thing I learned about Matt while attending his visitation, celebration of life memorial, and burial services is he truly touched every life he came into contact with. Matt was always sporting a huge, contagious smile and I never saw him lose his way. He could teach all of us a lesson in enjoying life and friends.

Image via The Des Moines Register, photographer Justin Hayworth

One of the most powerful things—that always brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes, and still does as I’m typing this—is the support for a fallen solider by those that didn’t even know Matt. The support and honor for Matt from the American Legion Riders Iowa Chapter, men and women from around the state standing outside the funeral home, community center, and burial grounds proudly holding American flags in the piercing summer sun, some even wearing buttons of loved ones they’ve lost. These men and woman were there to show their support for our fallen soldier and ward off crazy Westboro Baptist Church protestors. When walking past these loyal Americans my parents were able to say thank you for their support. I just welled up, full of emotion, I hope they understand how much that meant to all of us.

Matt’s life was lost to early, but he died supporting something he truly believed in. I keep thinking, “That could have been my brother” or any other loved one still overseas. Something this humbling really puts life into perspective, living like Matt did: loving his neighbors and truly taking the time to spend it with others. We shared great stories of Matt and his parents and family learned the love Matt poured on everyone he met. He was an outgoing man, always keeping in touch, a true and loyal friend.

Matt was buried in the breathtaking Iowa Veterans Memorial cemetery, a true vision of God’s bountiful landscape. Rest In Peace Matt and thank you for your service to our country. In death you realize how much of an impact some have had on your life, you will not be forgotten.

The sofa story continues...

2011-06-28T12:33:00.000-05:00

Of course they just raised the price on Plan A (Murray at R&B)... but also upgraded the fabric to my original favorite when I ordered fabric swatches months ago... decisions, decisions!

The sofa story and a lesson on decisiveness

2011-06-27T12:03:00.012-05:00

I’m moved! The move really couldn’t have gone any smoother, thank you to my lovely, lovely helpers: Clint (the rockstar), Merlin, Ranae, my mom and dad. As of yesterday I was 100% moved, unpacked and ready to entertain! (ok maybe not ready to entertain, I’m still missing some furniture pieces...)

The sofa story and a lesson on decisiveness.
I’m indecisive (or maybe it’s a fear of commitment???). I get this from my mother. When my parents moved into their new house a couple years ago, she would hem and haw about which sofa or fabric was right. She still does about bedding for guest rooms, rugs, etc. It drives me (and my dad) nuts. Just make a decision already! But guess what? I think I’m worse. Not only did I inherit her indecisive-has-to-be-perfect-and-perfectly-priced gene, but I’m also a designer which I think compounds the issue even more. So I was about 99% sure I would get this Room & Board sofa after I moved, visited Atlanta to do a sit-test and everything would be happy. But then Crate & Barrel started a big sale a week before I moved. Naturally, I went to check it out. And guess what? They had the Petrie Apartment sofa on closeout for $1049, in the exact color (Graphite) and size I would want. OMG! Maybe that would be mine (I had previously ruled out due to the cost)... I decided to wait a couple of days so that I wouldn’t have to move it twice (they would only hold it for 5 days). I did some research and turns out most people weren’t happy with how that couch lasted over the years (or weeks for that matter) and I had kind of crossed it off my list. But then the sales lady called on Friday (her name is Erin and I think she is absolutely awesome) and said they had lowered the price to $899! I went into a giddy, happy dance and thought! “IT SHALL BE MINE” disregarding the deeper sit (better for spooning???) and the countless warnings from other consumers that this sofa does not hold up. It was soooooo pretty and sooooo perfect.

So we made our way to C&B Saturday after moving and unpacking a bit. The store had already closed for the evening. Sad. The store opened at noon on Sunday, we got there at 1:20ish and guess what? It had sold that morning. I was heartbroken. It would have been perfect to complete my apartment with a sofa all in one weekend. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Time to revert back to Plan A at R&B... But then there always is the Corona sofa at Macy's that’s on sale until July 4th (Plan C). Or Karlstad at ikea? Or maybe something will pop up at another store?

Maybe I didn’t learn a lesson at all...

Unforked.

2011-06-24T16:16:00.001-05:00

As of Thursday noon, I had scraped the last bit of Smuckers natural peanut butter and strawberry jelly into a PBJ and there was officially nothing was left in my fridge that could combine to create any semblance of a meal. So eating-out was in order for my last couple of meals prior to moving.

Photo of "Cali" Taco and Chips by Stephanie Hertel

Today's lunch was a treat, something special. Sheridan's (Frozen Custard) opened a new concept restaurant called unforked close to work and a couple of co-workers and I decided to try it out today and ohmygosh it's good. Here's a snippet from their "about us" section:

We promise to buy clean, local, seasonal ingredients first; if not local, then family-farmed organic; if not organic, then fair trade; if not fair trade, then the most unique highest quality possible. We take responsibility for the food we serve while giving customers the flavors they crave.

The place is gorgeous. A designer's paradise. Eames chairs at every table, exposed steel beams, beautiful graphics galore: the cups, the parchment, the beverage labels, t-shirts, etc. Design porn, as I texted to my fellow-designer friend. The building was designed by 360 Architecture in KC and the branding and graphic design was done by Design Ranch. (side note: The KC Business Journal covered the opening, but why I ask is the architecture firm credited, but not the graphic design firm??? Did they not play just as big of role? Aren't they just as local? They designed this brand, this brand that will follow them to hopeful future openings nationally. Where's the equality, I ask? Sigh.)

Image via Design Ranch Blog

This move may be dangerous, unforked is half-way between my new apartment and work. They're breakfast sounds sinfully delicious. I may become a regular, it's delectable, very well-priced and supports multiple local business. How could one go wrong?

Moving Day Saturday

2011-06-21T12:26:00.000-05:00

The big moving day is almost here and I am so excited. I have been talking sofas and chairs and packing non-stop for the past couple of weeks. But mostly I'm excited to have a kitchen in order again and not be eating randomly concocted meals and finally be able to indulge in the wondrous produce of summer. These are the first three things I think I will make in my new kitchen: Stuffed Peppers, Zucchini Strand Spaghetti, and Fresh Peach Pie (must take a better photo of this guy). Yum. Maybe I'll throw these in for good measure (as a bribe to all of my co-workers who have put up with my moving-talk).

p.s. I'm offering a free Chipotle lunch to anyone who helps me move!

Joplin support

2011-06-20T12:05:00.005-05:00

After the shocking tornados in Joplin, MO, my first reaction was to drive down there and help, after all I'm only a couple hours away (and thankfully I have friends with the same thought). But so many other Kansas Citians, fellow statesmen and countrymen wanted to volunteer and Joplin wasn't able to accommodate the support after such a devastation. Finally, I've talked to one friend who was able to go down and help for a day, although he said it will still take several months (if not years) to get the city back to it's original state.

Moosylvania, a St. Louis based marketing and advertising agency, designed a series of posters in honor of Joplin, with the proceeds going to the Southwest Missouri chapter of United Way.

Lovely, aren't they?

Via grain edit.

Calm. Happy. Successful.

2011-06-10T07:24:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: This is a personal reflection post, more intended for myself rather than anyone else.

Calm. Happy. Successful.
This has been my personal mantra for over a year and a half. It started when I was extremely unhappy at work and in my personal life. I sat down and thought about what I wanted the most out of life. I simply wanted to be calm and not sweat the little things or get so worked up about everything; I wanted to happy with my stage in life, although it may not be as I had planned; and I wanted to be successful and achieve my career, educational and personal goals. I posted notes with these three little words at work and at home and whenever I would get super stressed, I would repeat calm, happy, successful to myself over and over again. Sometimes (i.e. when I remembered) I used it as my mantra during yoga classes earlier this year.

This morning I got up early and went on a lovely bike ride and guess what I discovered along the way: I am calm! I am happy! I am successful! I cannot explain it but for the past couple of months I have felt such a sense of inner peace and happiness. When I finally realized that this morning I let out this high-pitched little squeal of delight (there may have even been some enthusiastic clapping). I feel I am finally able to let go of things that bother me and just focus on loving my current station in life. What a great way to start the morning and kick-off to the weekend?

A Fine Frenzy

2011-06-07T12:00:00.003-05:00

Since I've begun talking about music on here, I thought I'd share my most recent obsession. Last year Sparky introduced me to A Fine Frenzy. I liked, but didn't explore more on my own until I started A Fine Frenzy Pandora station and like turned into love. I purchased both of their recent albums: Bomb in a Birdcage (2009) and One Cell in the Sea (2007). And according to their wiki page, a new album will be coming out in summer 2011, perhaps this time I won't be 4 years late to the party!

Today Liar, Liar from One Cell in the Sea is really speaking to me:

Liar, liar
You're such a great big liar
With the tallest tales that I have ever heard
Fire, fire
You set my soul on fire
Laughing in the corner as it burns
Right between the ribs it's sinking in

Oh, oh, the sirens sang so sweet and watched the sailors going down
Oh, oh, you talk to me in siren song
Yeah, anyone would drown
Anyone would drown

Sick and tired of this mad desire
Fluttering inside me like a hawk
Wire wire
Got my hands on wires
Will heaven help you when I get them off?

Right between the ribs
You'll feel it then

Oh, oh, The sirens sang so sweet and watched the sailors going down
Oh, oh, you talk to me in siren song
Yeah, anyone would drown
Anyone would drown

All the ships go down
Following the sound
All the ships go down

Oh, oh, the siren sang so sweet and watched the sailors going down (Oh, oh, oh)
Oh, oh, you talk to me in siren song
Yeah, anyone would drown

Summa, Summa, Summertime

2011-06-01T07:57:00.005-05:00

Summer is here! Let me count the way:
1. I've spotted my two favorite summer ~~weeds~~ flowers popping up in ditches! (You have no idea how excited this makes me!)

2. I've had my first Peppermint Bon Bon ice cream in a waffle cone (although, sadly, not from Twiins Shoppe in J-town)

3. I've got some awesome ~~tan~~ burn lines.

4. We finally turned on our air conditioner Sunday night (although it's been ridiculously beautiful in KC, I'm still not sure it's actually needed...)

5. The smell of fresh cut grass is all around. Mmmmm.

6. Playing every night after work, like a teenager in the summer. Last night? Swinging in the park.

Still haven't been to the pool, but hopefully that will happen very soon! Life couldn't be any better!

Collections.

2011-05-30T16:12:00.004-05:00

I am fascinated by designer's collections. I'm not talking about fashion designer's summer clothes collection, but things that designers carry or their space. I love what Character Design Agency did for their "Cast" or biography page: a bird's eye photo of that person's desk. Check out more here.

Images via Character Design Agency via design work life.

I want to photograph my desk at work in the same manner now... and I do owe you a shot of my new cube location, so maybe soon!

Similarly, my friend Niki did had her design friends photograph what they kept in their bag, here:
It's All In The (Designer's) Bag and It's All In The (Designer's) Bag Part 2.

Service/Experience Design

2011-05-28T10:36:00.007-05:00

Hello Blog Friends!
It’s been so long! I’ve been busy. Busy with grad school, but now we’re done for the semester and have been partying like we’re teenagers on the last day of high school. I was in a service/experience design class this semester and have to say it was my favorite class thus far in my graduate career. We had a very fun final project, partially because we had a kick-a$$ team, partially because the subject matter was just fun. So I’ve finally decided to share some images from our final project with the interwebs today.

Our focus was to explore the retail shopping area, research, discover, and design an innovative shopping experience for consumers. So without going through the entire project, here’s the eye candy!

Store concept equation: Co-creation + Local Production + Modern Technology = 21st Century Tailor

Exterior image, with large windows so you can see into the shopping, production, and showcase areas:

Interactive Wall that could welcome guests, highlight recent purchases or recent custom creations in our online and retail store, as well as project images and videos of recent trends in the fashion industry:

Interactive mirror, using the voice and gesture recognition technology, customers could design every detail of their clothing in the fitting room. From adjusting sleeve length, collar styles, pattern and color styles, buttons and other extra embellishments.

Interactive mirror, video chatting with another fitting room to get style input.

And the experience doesn’t end with trying the item on and receiving it in the mail, but instead a fun delivery truck will come to your house with the garment pressed and ready-to-wear!

Well said.

2011-04-12T20:55:00.004-05:00

My professor posted the following in his slide deck for tonight:

Find or rediscover the satisfying experience of creating something wonderful, the joy of doing good work.

Help an organization do something it couldn't otherwise do.

Serve people by giving them more value for for their dollar, a greater sense of worth for their efforts.

Going beyond what you're being asked to do, but solving the real problem at hand... love it!

Dipped.

2011-04-05T22:29:00.005-05:00

Ever since Martha did an article on dip-dying last year, I can't get enough of it. (I can't find the full story, but part of it is here.) I even tried my hand at dip-dying tea towels. They turned out ok for a first try and less-than-ideal facilities... just another craft project that didn't make it to the old blog.

But, I digress, check out these beautiful pillows from CapellaKID on etsy. If you have to decorate seasonally, this would be my ideal decor for Easter or Spring, but are beautiful all year round really.

Image by CapellaKID

RAGBRAI 2011

2011-04-04T08:00:00.004-05:00

So RAGBRAI.
I wrote about it here when the ride went through my hometown and it's on my life-goal list here (side note: run a half marathon is also on the list, I think I can safely say that I have removed from the list, what was I thinking? I hate running).
Anyway I'm registered this year for the whole week of RAGBRAI. The whole week. This has me equally excited and terrified... actually maybe it's more of a 30/70 breakdown, 70% terrified that is. Every day my excitement level builds a little as a do more research. I've started training and have something like 15 weeks left to build up my endurance, but look at these pictures:

Image via stevelummer.files.wordpress.com

Image via widerightandnattylight.wordpress.com

Scary. This is the girl that didn't ride her bike in college for fear of not being about to navigate the among pedestrians and feared she would hit one. Now I'll be riding among thousands of other tired cyclists, on hills, and during the hottest week of the year in humid Iowa.

So my training for the event, includes getting in massive amounts of "saddle time", learning to drink beer, and navigation training. Not sure how the last two will pan out, but we'll give it a go. Wish me luck!

Birthday Month: Wish List

2011-04-02T08:00:00.006-05:00

Happy April and happy birth month to me! And what would a birth month be without a wish list?
1. iPhone 4: I finally want to discover what this smart phone buzz is all about... but am questioning if the iPhone is really the one to get...

2. Iowa Native Bumper Magnet: I’m not a big fan of bummer stickers... at all. But my love and pride in the great state of Iowa far surpasses my dislike for clutter on my rear (or fridges for that matter).

3. Toaster: An essential for the new apartment.

4. Goat Cheese Cheesecake: A couple of years ago I had the most delicious cheesecake: a goat cheese cheesecake. I've been dreaming of it ever since and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday, Easter, and reunion with desserts after 40-days without.
Image (and recipe) from One Bite at a Time

5. Vacuum: Another new apartment essential. It must be bagless with a clear canister, because I like to watch all the dirty spin around and get bigger while I'm vacuuming. A little obsessive/gross, no?

6. Raygun Not Flat Tee: I've had my eye on this guy for a while, I think it would be a perfect addition to my RAGBRAI evening wear. (btw, Did I mention I registered for a full week of RAGBRAI? More about that craziness later...)

7. Wheatgrass seeds: I enjoy watching things grow. I'm not necessarily planning on eating it.
Image from Sarah Goes Organic

8. Rumikub: A good friend recently reminisced about how I would bring the electronic version of Catch Phrase to college parties... so winning! And I'd like to add that I most likely had a bottle of Malibu in there as well and by "parties" I mean get togethers. So to fulfill my lifelong addiction to board games, I'd like to add a family favorite to my collection, perhaps I'll whip it out at my next game night with you!

9. Aladdin Tea Infuser Mug: I like tea.

Very Veggie Creative Food Day

2011-03-29T08:00:00.006-05:00

Image via Amy Atlas Events

Amy Atlas has been an inspiration to me for a couple of years now. I love her work and consider her one of the first trendsetters of the over-the-top dessert/candy table craze. There are others doing the same thing now, but not with as much skill, elegance and grace that Amy has. I love following her blog and seeing the behind-the-scenes peaks at what it takes to go into her extremely creative events.

The one thing that has always slightly bothered me, beautiful as the tables are, it’s all desserts, candies, and sweets (hence the name dessert tables) and maybe not all that practical for an entire event spread... but then I saw a beautiful departure a couple months ago: A fruit and veggie table.

Image via Amy Atlas Events

HOW PERFECT? I love vegetables, my previous co-workers thought I was nuts for my fanatical nature about the nutritious and delicious food group. How can you not love them? They’re colorful, crisp, fresh and you can eat them all day long and not feel guilty about them what-so-ever. So after seeing Amy’s inspiration table and announcing Friday as a “creative” food day, I had no second guessing about what I was going to bring (and seeing as I gave up desserts for Lent, it was even more of an automatic decision) veggies was on the menu!

Below is my scaled-down version:

I paired the veggies with SkinnyTaste’s Creamy Cilantro Dressing. I highly recommend this recipe. I got tons of compliments on the dip (and the presentation) and can't wait to use it as dressing for salads. Instead of using buttermilk, I made a buttermilk substitute with 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 cup milk and letting rest for 5 minutes. SkinnyTaste focuses on favorite dishes, made skinny, often supplying the Weight Watchers points as well, this recipe is 0 points! A perfect snack for the entire day!

Tough Choices

2011-03-27T18:58:00.005-05:00

It's no secret that I will be moving out on my own soon. I have two options:
1. Buy a fancy Room & Board sofa
2. Get a kitty

The two are mutually exclusive.
I've been heavily leaning toward the first one, until I saw this:

Absolutely Cuckoo Cats from SINLOGO on Vimeo via The By and By.

You Make Me Happy

2011-03-04T12:48:00.005-06:00

Last night in yoga, I discovered a new artist: Lindsey Ray. I specifically love her song You Make Me Happy. It's the perfect sunny song to be listening to on such a grey, cloudy day.

I can't get enough of Adele's new album, 21, it's been on repeat all week. I can't decide which song is my fav because they're all absolutely phenomenal. Definitely appropriate for the week I've been having.

New music makes me happy.

Top image from the Lindsey Ray Official Website
Bottom image from Adele's website

Baby Tooth Chart 2

2011-02-22T18:14:00.003-06:00

Just an update, I've now uploaded the pdf (high-res) image of my Baby Tooth Chart, due to all the popular demand!

Download it here.
See the original post here.

Decidedly short

2011-02-22T17:41:00.006-06:00

Remember this debate I had way back when about growing my hair out versus keeping it short? A couple of months ago I started the growing-out process, because long hair seems so luxurious and like something someone my age should have (meaning every time I get it cut short the stylist asks me if I have kids). It’s now down to my shoulders and driving me insane. INSANE I tell you. It seems like it grows an inch every week and is just plain ridiculous.

I made the cut-throat decision and called to move my haircut up a week and am probably more excited than I have ever been for a haircut... I should've had it moved to tomorrow, I don't know if I can stand three more days of this insanity.

Short hair will be glorious, for so many reasons:
1. Less time spent in the morning “styling” my hair (if you can even call it that, I only know one trick: Blow dry. Straighten. Which is part of the my problem with longer-ish hair).
2. I’ll feel much, much sassier and more confident with short hair. (And can forgo the expensive red high-lights I was planning for added sass)
3. I look better with shorter hair. It’s a fact. More than 5 people have told me that in the past couple of months alone.
4. I will once again live up to my Blogger profile image.

So it’s settled. I will forever be a short-haired lady. And kudos to all of the women who have hair past their shoulders, I just don’t know how you do it.

Maybe bangs?

A Valentine's Dessert!

2011-02-14T08:00:00.003-06:00

Over New Years eve weekend I attempted to make tiramisu with a friend. It was a colossal fail, due to a lack of patience and not having the proper dish to make it in. I was determined to give my tiramisu a second attempt, so I ~~coerced~~ partnered with my roommate, who is a much better baker than I, to attempt the delicious dessert for Valentine's Day.

This was my inspiration from Gourmet Baking:
A mix of a delicious-looking chocolate base, marscapone cheese, and chocolate mousse.

Lindsay and I made ladyfingers the night before, which turned out light, soft, and delectable. After reading a couple of comments online about how to get the tall circular shape, we decided to line tin cans with parchment paper, which worked like a dream. We cut out the ladyfingers with the tin cans and piped in the marscapone cheese and whipped cream layers and put it in the fridge to set.

We had also planned on a low-fat chocolate mousse to layer in, but realizing the already towering height from double-layers of the ladyfingers, marscapone, and whipped cream we decided to nix that last minute. I wish the end result would've been a bit cleaner like the inspiration image, but I couldn't complain too much because it tasted phenomenal. I guess I'll just have to make it again to practice the presentation! Click here for the five-star recipe.

My new diggs

2011-02-07T08:30:00.000-06:00

As promised (a looooooong time ago) here's a pic of my new day-time diggs. Very similar accessories as my old office, as seen here and here, but much cooler because look at the window! Right there, I can look out it with just a turn of the neck!

I took this picture in early January and things have already changed around a bit, but it's close enough... I may even be moving cubes soon, so there may be a part deux.

Roasted Vegetables

2011-02-06T08:30:00.001-06:00

For Christmas I got a perfectly-suited Roasted Vegetable cookbook from a friend. So about a month ago I decided to make one of the delicious recipes, I decided on Roasted Vegetables with Orzo. It was a colorful delight and tasted even better with the amazing depth of flavor from roasting... I may make some more this weekend! It's perfect for leftovers during the week!

This chestnut... err, hazelnut recipe

2011-02-05T09:00:00.009-06:00

Do you know what today is? It's World Nutella Day!

For the longest time I boycotted Nutella, something about it just didn't seem right to me. I bought some to have for guests at my crepe brunch on Christmas Eve and I fell in love. Nutella-banana-whipped topping crepe? Amazing.

Earlier in January I made Nutella biscotti, while it wasn't a massive fail, it wasn't perfect. So I tried a new recipe Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Nutella to bring to celebrate the glorious day at work. The recipe was a success! How could you resist the hazelnutty/chocolatey goodness?

And this may have been the most beautiful, silky-smooth dough/batter I've ever made-for cake or cookies. I made it at night, so no pictures (they just turn out bad without proper lighting...).

Inexpensive Gift Idea: Paperwhite Bulbs

2011-01-10T09:00:00.002-06:00

So this is a little late, but I wanted to share what I gave to my co-workers for Christmas this year. Christmas 2009 I received a paperwhite bulb from a co-worker, it was such a unique, fun and memorable gift that I thought I would spread the joy to my new peers this year.

I decided to go with the same Christmas color palette as my cookie exchange (more to come on that later... hopefully), so I used olive, teal, and cognac. I wanted to use teal velvet ribbon (how chic would that have been?) but apparently my local JoAnn's does not carry such sass... so I settled for the beautiful olive satin instead. Classic.

These baby couldn't get any more simple...

1. Buy containers, rocks, and bulbs.

2. Place rocks in container.

3. Place bulb in container, perching on rocks.

4. Wrap with ribbon and instructions. (optional)

Above are the name tags and instructions I used.

Cost breakdown:

- Paperwhite bulbs: $6.98 for 6 = $1.16 each (I bought them at a local Home Depot, also available on-line or at nurseries. I guess I missed the big mark-downs, which happened near the beginning of December by my estimations, so many stores were sold out.)

- Glass containers: Glass cups from World Market = $1.49 each

- Decorative Rocks: $2.49 for 3 containers = $.83 each (I bought rocks at an estate sale during the summer)

- Ribbon: $3.49/spool = $.29 for approximately 12 packages

So there you have it, a unique, fun, and memorable Christmas gift for less than $4.00!

Of course you can always get funky with your container, a stemless martini glass for some sass? Or colored ramekins for the cooks in your life?

And at this rate, I'll be posting my New Year's resolutions in mid-February... that is if I had any.

Culinary Delights

2011-01-09T11:00:00.001-06:00

I've been holding some of my culinary delight photos hostage because I've been in computer-limbo, but now I've got my brand new, shiny computer all ready to go and sent off my old friend to recycling (that was a sad day).

Here are the newly uploaded photos from this past Fall:

Peanut Butter filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache topping

Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese Twice-Baked Potatoes & Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Beautiful flowers from my going away party at Hallmark

Fresh salsa & cilantro (to accompany homemade pork carnitas)

White cheddar & jalapenos for scones... my hands burned for days, although slathering in sour cream helped. Note to self: buy better gloves.

Jalapeno-Cheddar Scones from smitten kitchen

Red Velevet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting & Chocolate Snowflakes I made for the last day of class for the semester!

Halls Christmas Windows

2010-12-13T12:21:00.003-06:00

My favorite dress, stunning in person.

A couple of months ago, a (previous) co-worker got us a sneak peek into Hall's Christmas windows (not to be confused with the actual Hallmark). To celebrate Hallmark's 100th anniversary, the visual merchandising team created a flashback of all the great Christmas cards of years past. The vintage cards we're amazing, great retro modern illustrations in funky color palettes, it definitely inspired the theme for my annual cookie exchange. But they didn't just stop at bringing back the vintage, they created phenomenal dresses, trees, and entire displays out of these cards... absolutely beautiful!

Love the fringe tree against the saturated green background.

Love the tree in the background... looks easy enough to replicate!
All images from What the chic blog.

Something I would've loved to do for the Hallmark network stores, but if you knew how many hours they spent crafting these masterpieces, you'd understand the dilemma.

Christmas List 2010

2010-12-09T07:30:00.001-06:00

So last year, I was an over-achiever and illustrated my Christmas list... that's just not going to happen this year. I thought I would still put my list out there to the powers that be, just incase anyone is interested in spreading the spirit of the season... and by that I mean buying me a laptop.

So here's my list, not necessarily in order: West Elm Winter Ice Canapé Plates that could be used all year round, not just in the winter time sillies; an everyday perfume, such as Clinique Happy or Gap Close; the time has come to upgrade the ol' laptop to this new beaut, and of course I would need something to carry that new toy in and what better than this gorgeous handmade Stash herringbone wool messenger bag? I also believe I would benefit from Creative Inc.: Complete Guide to Freelance or some bling from Early Jewelry. Or a screen printing kit, a dSLR camera, a Kitchen Aid Mixer (I'm not going to let that one go, here's hoping I win Amy Atlas' giveaway), a mandoline so I can make this, and a large format printer so I can print big things.

p.s. Happy Birthday Daddy!

Branding Quiz

2010-12-07T23:28:00.000-06:00

Dear Blogger,

I'm sorry I've neglected you. I have 5 posts in the draft pile, just sitting there, waiting patiently to be polished, shined, and ready for posting. I pinky-promise if I get it together and finish my class project Thursday night I'll work on getting at least one of you up in the next couple of ~~years~~ months.

But for now... I came across this abstract branding quiz on FastCompany. I'm ashamed to admit my score, let's just say it was challenging in a good way. This is a great demonstration on how powerful color can be in branding.

Tremendous Turkey Day

2010-11-29T19:00:00.001-06:00

I had a splendid Thanksgiving, on Thursday my mom and I cooked all morning while my dad did the dishes (it doesn't get any better than having your own personal dish-washer). Earlier in the week my dad sent out an invitation to international students at ISU to join us for the holiday, we had one taker and his wife, a young couple from China. The husband is working on his PhD in Astro Physics and the wife is applying to ISU masters programs to get her second masters. It was great to share this uniquely American holiday with the couple, bringing a new appreciation to the tradition.

Then on Friday, my friend John and I made the Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cake from Sweet Paul Fall edition e-magazine for our families. It turned out delectable... although not really like the picture (but their picture is much prettier than our version). The cake itself is super moist, the salted caramel sauce is delicious (but not thick and substantial like it's shown) and the frosting is more of a ganache (even better!)... we only made half of the frosting recipe and we could have gotten away with 1/3 recipe (that way you'd only need 1 cup total of heavy cream), but all-in-all it was a win! I'll definitely have to make it again sometime to impress the boys.

And the holiday weekend ended on a lovely note by flashing three (3!) pictures of me (and fellow ex-coworkers) in a Hallmark public service announcement after the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, November Christmas. Did you see my big debut?

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T10:00:00.001-06:00

Wishing everyone a delectable and delightful Thanksgiving.

Things I'm Thankful For | 51-60

2010-11-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

51. Hand-crafters
52. Midwest values
53. Smiles
54. Estate Sales
55. Music at Jacob’s Well
56. Happy Hours with friends
57. Co-workers
58. Friends
59. Family
60. My mom, who has become one of my best friends over the year

Things I'm Thankful For | 41-50

2010-11-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

41. Math skillz
42. Cordless Drills
43. Staple gun
44. Handy men
45. Starlight Theater
46. Real books and magazines, not just the on-line variety
47. But I also appreciate on-line magazines
48. Online Giveaways
49. Discovering friend’s blogs
50. Garmin & reducing my driving/parking anxiety everyday

Things I'm Thankful For | 31-40

2010-11-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

31. Pandora
32. Disposable income
33. Days without need for air conditioning or heating
34. Vacuums
35. An unexpected class cancellation
36. Word-of-mouth referrals
37. Bike rides
38. People who will go on bike rides with you
39. Elliptical machine
40. Crunchy Leaves

Squirrels

2010-11-21T13:00:00.001-06:00

My sorority mascot is a squirrel. When I first learned this (and I’m ashamed to admit this now) I was a little disappointed. I mean others had arrows, owls, dolphins... and we had a squirrel. But I lacked vision and I soon discovered squirrels can be awesome, even more awesome than dolphins and whatnot. Every time I see a modern squirrel, I get a giddy and my heart does a little flip for all of the good memories of being a squirrel. So I leave you with some holiday squirrelly inspiration:

West Elm Porcelain Origami Squirrel Ornament (my favorite)

West Elm Sequin Squirrel and I don't even like sparkly things!

Jonathon Adler Squirrel Ornament

Beautiful white squirrel vase from Pretty Random Objects

(I’d like to think the designers of these products are my fellow squirrel sisters....)

And this last one has nothing to do with squirrels, but my namesake. It's Jonathon Adler's turtle box, I love it!

Things I'm Thankful For | 21-30

2010-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

21. Olive
22. Chartreuse
23. Craft Paper
24. Grey
25. Olive is Not Drab. Neenah Promotional Book
26. Keyboard shortcuts
27. Multiple artboards in Adobe Illustrator CS4
28. Archer, the font
29. Neutra, the font
30. iTunes Genius

Things I'm Thankful For | 11-20

2010-11-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

11. Cold pizza
12. Crockpots
13. Herringbone
14. Twill
15. Houndstooth
16. Chevron patterns
17. Wool Felt
18. Linen
19. Burlap webbing
20. Dark Teal

Things I'm Thankful For | 1-10

2010-11-19T08:00:00.001-06:00

Well, last year I counted down 100 things I'm thankful for prior to Thanksgiving... this year I'm following it up with 60 things (100 is a lot!) I'm thankful for, starting with food (again):

1. Goat Cheese
2. Greek Yogurt
3. Grape tomatoes straight off the vine & warm
4. Roasted Garlic
5. Roasted Red Pepper
6. Roasted tomatoes
7. Roasted eggplant
8. Jalapeño Jelly
9. Iowa Sweet Corn
10. Trying new foods

Next Chapter: Staples Promotional Products

2010-11-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

So, what's the next step for me? I've accepted an Art Director position at Staples Promotional Products and start next Monday. I'm super excited about this opportunity for my career, I'll get a breadth of print design, web design, package design, product design, etc. not only for Staples Promotional Products, but I'll also get to work with some big name clients.

I'm excited to see where the next chapter takes me!

But right now, I'm enjoying my week of unemployment. It will be filled with lots of food, cooking, baking, crafting, shopping, freelance projects, homework and working out (if time permits).

Gifted Mag & a start to the Christmas Season

2010-11-01T17:25:00.012-05:00

Now that Halloween has passed it's time for Christmas, right? Ok, ok, I'll hold off until after Thanksgiving, but I was checking out Gifted Mag today and it put me in the holiday mood. I can tell this Christmas is going to be a good one! I haven't worked on a major Christmas-related project since June (minus the little projects here and there) and it's been glorious, unlike the past two years where it's been Christmas 9-10 months out of the year, which sucks all of the fun out of the holiday...

So, like I said, I was reading Gifted Mag and they started with these seven holiday-related questions, which I thought I'd answer as well:

BEST GIFT TO GIVE FOR $20 OR BELOW:

Last year a co-worker came up with a great gift on the cheap. I think I'm going to steal the idea. He gave everyone a paper-white bulb in a small vase, with a layer of river rocks, and a square dowel to use as a stake once the flower grew. It was a great gift that I enjoyed watching for days and days. He tied up the vase in a beautiful red grosgrain ribbon for the perfect package.

Or you can never go wrong with an iTunes gift card and cookies!

DREAM ITEM YOU'D LOVE TO SPLURGE ON IF MONEY WERE NO OBJECT:

Eames Management Chair in powder blue leather... or maybe a pair of Barcelona Chairs...

FAV HOLIDAY SONG:

According to iTunes:

1. Baby It's Cold Outside, Elf Soundtrack

2. All You Need is Love, Love Actually Soundtrack

3. Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant

4. Any song from The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas album recorded in 1982

5. Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson

FAV HOLIDAY FILM:

Elf or Love Actually. Both destined to be classics.

YOUR FAV SANITY-SAVING HOLIDAY TIP:

Keep a list of gift ideas for friends, family, and yourself throughout the year, adding and editing as needed. Purchase those "perfect" gifts throughout the year, saving you from the last minute hustle and dispersing the cost.

THE BEST GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED:

Books inscribed by my dad.

FAV HOLIDAY SWEET INDULGENCE:

Peanut Butter Blossoms and Sugar Cookies

A love letter & a goodbye.

2010-10-29T06:30:00.010-05:00

Dear Hallmark,

Today is a bittersweet day for me. Today is the last day that I can call myself a Hallmarker. Today is the day I say goodbye to a great company, great friends and start a new chapter in my life.

Thank you for the wonderful opportunities I've be given for the past three and a half years (plus an awesome internship). I've worked on some really great projects in my department and had the opportunity to work on some amazing projects within the company. I can't imagine a more creative environment to spend my first couple years out of college. I'm going to miss so many of the "perks" of the job: The creative library. The trends department. The supply shop. The Rice Center (an in-house workshop and print center). The laser-cutter. The archives. The lettering studio. Workshops. Union Hill Photography studio. Mentors and Generational Buddies. And most of all, creative people around every corner.

I have been fortunate to work with so many amazingly creative people, words cannot express how grateful I am for the friendships developed and the support I have been given over the years. I have learned so much and grown so much.

So goodbye Hallmark, perhaps we will meet again later in my career. You will always be held fondly in my heart and I look for big things from you. Let the world see the amazing talent within those walls.

With love,
Stephanie

Listed below are some of the people who have had an impact on me while at Hallmark. Thank you.
Mike. Leo. Suba. Jae. Lee. Sal. Dayle. Clint. Brandon. Ray. Neil. Sheryl. Megan. Lindsay. Alyssa. Saundra. Lauren. Anissa. Scott. Michelle. Aphro. Suzanne. Bernard. Pamela. Jeff. David. John. Adam. Jim. Rob. Scott. Doug. Bryan. Tom. Ashley. Janice. John. Hector. Brian. Steve. Lindsay. Alfred. Colleen. Kim. Cheryl. Joel. Brian. Cindy. Anita. Debbie. Mary. Megan. Max. Jeff. Eric. Bob. Daryl. Casey. Amy. Jill. Darren. Ashley. Jon. Ninette. Paula. Terri. Terry. Nancy. Yolanda. Jim. Mike. John. Tom. David. Carrie. Carly. Em. Katie. Stephanie. Morgan. Kathleen. Erin. Julie. Andrew. Erin. Kate. Nicole. Ashley. Donald. Kevin. Andrew. Robbie. Daniel. Kevin. Tina. Kerry. Becky. Megan. Jim. Trish. Bess. Aaron. Dan. Scott. Marita. Ashlee. Aimee. Angel. Richard. Chris. (Sorry if I forgot you!)

Sofa Cunundrum

2010-10-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

I dream of someday having my own place. And having your own place comes with the need for furniture. A sofa in my case. While owning a place of my own may be in the distant future, having my own apartment may be in the somewhat nearish future (say 8 months...).

I don't know why, maybe because I'm a planner, or maybe because I like interior design, or maybe it's just because I'm anal... but I've been scoping out sofas a lot lately.

I love, love, love several sofas at Room & Board, but I'm not so much in love with the price tag (and then additional shipping fees). Short of me winning the lottery or coming into some unexpected funds, it would be super tight on my budget and my general frugality. And I'm questioning whether it would really hold up over the test of time and my ever-changing style preferences... but I also don't want to be stuck with an uncomfortable sofa that will be worn out or in need of repair in a few short years.

Anyway, here are my options:

A favorite from Room & Board.

Another high contender from R&B

Another more versatile option from R&B.

Another acceptable version from R&B, at an apartment-length.

Similar to the R&B Andre sofa, but more comfortable, I'm told.

So those are the brand-name options. Now onto the bargains! A while back I heard of a place called Custom Sofa Design (CSD) based out of California. It's gotten extremely mixed reviews, some say it's shady, uncomfortable, and had numerous mixed up orders; others say they had no problems and it was an excellent experience.

The major drawback for me: not being able to test the sofa and a probable hefty shipping fee. They've got the same designs, but at a fraction of the cost of the brand names and you can completely customize the fabric (so ignore the crazy colors shown).

CSD: A beaut of an option, probably my fav, for only $599!

CSD: Just like the R&B Reese Sofa!

CSD
A more masculine offer from CSD, or maybe it's just the brown fabric it's shown in.

Or there's Urban Outfitters, if I do want to go the needs-to-be-replaced-in-two-years route.

Or NFM for an in-town, free shipping option. Not nearly the style I'm looking for though...

What's a girl to do? Go for the brand name, better-quality, but expensive choices? Or risk it on a cheaper version that will get me through a couple of years?

Any other price-conscience, but stylish options out there?

Wallpaper Wednesday | 025

2010-10-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

Recently we're been talking about failure in one of my grad classes and not being afraid of failure, but learning from it. This is best shown in how I learned to cook.

I've always loved cooking, it's such a creative and satisfactory experience for me.
There are two things that inspired me to start:
1. I was a hungry child (still am, I like to eat, what more can I say?)
2. My dad was famous for "concoctions" in my household growing up.

My dad would throw in any number of ingredients to make something delightful... or inedible. I seem to remember the later more distinctly (note: I'm not necessarily saying the later was more often). My dad can be a great chef, if you're looking for an omelet prepared exactly to your liking, a delicious bowl of hearty chili, or a "cookout" burger, he's your man. In fact, I got a lot of my skillz from my pops... by sitting through those sometimes-terrible concoctions and being a hungry child and all, I decided to learn to cook myself. I was never afraid of throwing in some of this, or a little of that, because it couldn't be worse than the macaroni 'n cheese/ground beef/ketchup concoction my father had attempted the night before.

A couple of my friends have asked me to teach them how to cook, the answer? Don't be afraid of failure and just try.

That being said, I'm trying to implement those words of advice into the rest of my life. Learning to not sweat the small stuff and learning from my missteps. I'll let you know how it goes.

Rustic Apple Tarts

2010-10-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of Sweet Paul? It's an online magazine chock full of food porn. This time it's full of Fall foods, including lots of apple baked goods (It's Fall and I have an obsession with apples...).. Sometime I want to make the Apple Filled Bread, Apple Muffins, Rustic Apple Tart, Carmel Chocolate Cake, and the Chevre pizza.

That sometime was last night for the Rustic Apple Tart. I got to use the apple peeler-corer I was given a year ago, which was so fun, I even made Curly Cheese Potatoes!

The pre-baked wheat crusts.

I'll leave you with Sweet Paul's professional out-of-the-oven photo.

Verdict? Absolutely delish. The texture of the wheat flour gives the crust more depth and is the perfect balance to the tartness of the Granny Smith. I added a significant amount of cinnamon to the recipe, in the crust and in the apple mixture. And instead of adding the apple preserves at the end, I used some of the leftover cinnamon & sugar mixture from the apples to create a syrup and drizzled that on top. It's definitely going in the recipe box.

Christmas Colors

2010-10-02T10:15:00.001-05:00

I grew up in a household (yes, we said things like household) that cheered for teams with red. The Huskers, ISU, Jefferson-Scranton Rams, etc. My ~~parents~~ Dad loves supporting his teams so much that we had red walls, red accent chairs, red cars, even license plates expressing his affinity towards red growing up.

So now, I am a graphic designer for retail store signage. The Christmas season is our biggest season, meaning we spend nearly a year working on Christmas graphics. Translation: I spend nearly a year in a sea of red, because in retail Red=Christmas.

Being tired of red, I have tried to omit it from my personal Christmas vocabulary. (Although this year I had actually considered the possibility of using red as an accent... but it didn't make the final cut)

Below are some of the contenders for our 4th annual Christmas Cookie Exchange:

The finalist was selected because:

1. I got a sneak peek of Christmas graphics for a to-be-named retailer in KC... they were inspired by amazing vintage graphics and colors.

2. I currently love, love, loving dark teal, olive, jadite, and craft paper. So let's mix them all together into one glorious palette.

And there you have it. The extremely long winded version of my 2010 Christmas color palette selection.

Going Green

2010-09-30T16:00:00.001-05:00

Hallmark is going green... or at least in the process. Today I attended a meeting at work outlining a new "zero-waste" program that will be implemented and tested on one of the floors I work on. I was ridiculously (and nerdily) excited about this. One area of Hallmark's campus has been in the zero-waste business since the beginning of the year, now it's time to start implementing it throughout the rest of the company. Basically waste is broken down into several components: 1) Paper recycling 2) Aluminum can & plastic bottle recycling 3) Composting 4) Burning (with state of the are filtration systems) 5) Trash

Clearly, my area already participates in the first two recycling initiatives, but I'm super excited about the possibility of the composting and creating burned waste into energy for the company. The composting program is awesome, it is not your regular residential composting, but a industrial-level compositing. Meaning they accept all food waste, including meat bones, chewing gum, wax paper, frozen dinner boxes, etc. Because it's industrial grade composting the heat is much greater and you can compost things like meat bones, where I can't do that in my balcony bin. The cafeteria has been using this system for at least three years behind the scenes, reducing our landfill contributions immensely.

Do you know what's even cooler? The city of San Fran, (side note: Neil this is an abbrev for San Francisco) now requires all of their residents to compost their food waste, otherwise they will be fined! It's a curbside composting program, just like recycling. Amazing!

p.s. I bought myself some craspedia the other day at the wholesale florist on my way to work... it smells funny... like Fall and wet leaves... with bugs in them.

Things I'm loving: unlined corrugated board

2010-09-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

We, in the biz, call this unlined corrugated board. We, in the biz, call this awesome.

One of our concepts for this Christmas season at work included some earthy, natural colors and materials. I wanted to use unlined corrugated board, it has such a great texture, warm color and it's cheap(er). What's not to love? We ultimately didn't pursue that direction, but I've been using our leftover material to enhance my office. Check out my new wallpaper of sorts:

Some vendor samples of pedestals made of unlined corrugate:

I visited Anthropologie the other day and found they're using it in lots of the same material in their visual merchandising for accessories and what not... how chic?

I love the beauty found in simple, raw materials.
Image sources: olive manna

Also, check out this use of the unlined corrugate in packaging.
Image source: Lovely Package

Things I'm loving: Roasting Vegetables

2010-09-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Red peppers. Garlic. Tomatoes. Even eggplant.

Have all been roasted in my oven lately. Once I discovered how truly easy it is to roast vegetables I haven't been able to get enough of that delightfully smoky flavor. I wonder what I can roast next... any suggestions?

Things I'm loving: Craspedia

2010-09-17T08:00:00.007-05:00

I know I'm a little late to the craspedia-craze (aka billy buttons), but I think they may be the perfect flower for late summer/fall. They have such a gorgeous color and texture. How could you not love them?

From flores de sol

Faux (and crafty) craspedia from Berry Island

And a simply elegant bout paired with bear grass from InStyle

Wallpaper Wednesday | 024

2010-09-15T08:00:00.002-05:00

Alex Osborn is creditied as the Father of Brainstorming and this thought resonated with me while we were discussing brainstorming in one of my classes. It's a good reminder to strive to create something everyday.

Color: Autumn

2010-09-13T08:00:00.005-05:00

With class in full swing and the chill in the air, it is apparent that Autumn has arrived. This season, I'm really into this beautiful color palette from Heath Ceramics.

p.s. For those of you reading this in Google Reader, Google Buzz, or Facebook, I've made some updates to the blog... I'm still working on some particularly stubborn elements, but come on over and take a peek at the new look!

Herman Miller Giveaway

2010-09-11T16:22:00.002-05:00

Herman Miller Design has an awesome giveaway for several products, including the Embody Chair, Leaf Light, and one-of-a-kind artist painted Eames rockers. The more people that sign up for the giveaway, the more prizes are given out!

Things I'm loving: Rugs & Carpet

2010-09-10T08:00:00.005-05:00

My sorority from ISU needs to be remodeled, it will be a huge project over several years, but it should be a fun one! My roommate had worked on a mood board and I wanted to join in the fun as well. So, on my lunch break at work, I pulled together a little mood board myself. I was so inspired one Friday night, I stayed up super late ordering fabric, paint, and carpet samples. And good thing because shortly after this flood put a kick-start in our plans to replace the carpet in the basement.

Anyway... I discovered the joys of carpet! I have some absolutely stunning carpet samples from Mannington residing in my home.

I've been checking out FLOR for more inspiration.

And now, I've stumbled upon the most beautiful (and my favorite) rugs from GAN, a company based in Valencia, Spain.

Of course, there's always Amy Butler. It's amazing to see her fabric patterns come to life in rug form.

Since grad school has started, I've stepped away from helping with the sorority remodel (there are already many talented alums and active members working on the project), but I'm still drooling over the carpet!

024 | Wallpaper Wednesday

2010-09-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it's about time for the first Wallpaper Wednesday of the year. School is back in session, meaning I'm reading a lot more. A LOT more. So, that means two things:

1. Blog posts are going to be even more sporadic than they have been the past couple of months.

2. Wallpaper Wednesday is back! I'll try to capture any interesting learnings from the week in my Wallpaper updates. This week, it's from an article in HOW magazine.

Things I'm Loving: Herringbone

2010-09-07T17:56:00.010-05:00

I've inherited a love for the simple pattern from my mother (that, and any tweed or houndstooth). So, to my delight I found this charming fall sampling when I checked etsy for my hourly inspiration:

Lovely, right?

And the peek-a-boo boxes from The Harbinger Co? Absolutely stunning.

The Dewey Color System

2010-08-19T08:45:00.004-05:00

I've always love, love, loved color. One of my favorite parts of being a designer is selecting colors to match the personality of the project. Maybe that's why my personal color preferences are so fickle... they're always changing to adapt to the colors that I'm currently working with.

A work, we're working on a branding project and my Art Director brought in Neenah Paper's promotional piece: Olive is not drab. (A particularly captivating title for me, as olive is creeping up in the ranking of my favorite colors) It is a beautifully constructed color manual based on The Dewey Color System, according to Neenah: "the world's only scientifically validated, color-based personality testing instrument."

While, they no longer have the "Olive is not drab." promotional piece available, they have converted some of the components to a web-based format.

There's a simple test based on the Dewey Color System to understand how the color preferences and combinations you select can reveal some shade of your personality. Mine?

Another, perhaps even more useful tool, is their Color Unleashed: "It's the first proven system that lets you explore the psychological meanings of color, ink and paper combinations." Pretty cool.

I'm feeling the love...

2010-08-18T08:43:00.004-05:00

Today two of my friends blogged about me...

One from undergrad (who has a wonderful etsy shop and blog) just posted about me in her humpday blog love! I'm blushing!

The other, a lovely co-worker (who also has a wonderful etsy shop and blog) posted about my jewelry party from last week!

What a great way to start the day! Check them both out!

'Tis the (zucchini) season

2010-08-14T10:01:00.007-05:00

If you're like my roommate and I, we've had zucchini a plenty the past 3+ weeks. Everyday it seems as if we have friends or family pushing more zucchini from their garden on us (I'm not complaining). So, I've made several zucchini dishes, the typical sauté and chocolate cake... but this year I've stumbled across two amazing new recipes (both of which are boyfriend approved).

The first (and my fav) is Zucchini Strand Spaghetti from Smitten Kitchen. Mmmm. My mouth waters just thinking about it... it requires a mandoline to julienne the veggie into spaghetti-like strips, so I can only make it when I visit the 'rents. Served with fresh-from-the-garden basil, goat cheese, and even some shrimp and you're in for the perfect summertime pasta.

Photo from DabblingDiva

The next delectable recipe is the perfect duet of peak summer produce, Blueberry Zucchini Bread. Mouthwatering.

Things I'm loving: Organic + Modern Serving Pieces

2010-08-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

I took a couple of days off at the beginning of the week, went shopping and discovered some beautiful serving pieces from Nambé. I'm loving these two:

Nambé Coquille Salad Bowl and Servers

Nambé Trio Condiment Set

I think they would be perfect paired with this unique beverage dispenser from NapaStyle (thanks for the post, Heidi!):

NapaStyle Banchetto Handblown Glass Drink Dispenser

Aren't they the perfect combination of metal/glass + wood and organic + modern. This is how I want to describe my style going forward. Fancy pants, right?

Domesticity: Canning

2010-08-11T00:31:00.002-05:00

I'm a huge fan of this Domestic Revival or Rural revival, whatever you want to call it, the sudden interest in the art of domesticity. Cooking, baking, sewing, crafting, etc. It's suddenly "cool" to be a little bit more domestic. Lately I've been going through domestic-inspired stages, where I am obsessed with one thing for a short period of time. About a month ago it was vacuuming. The past couple of weeks it's been bread baking. Now? Canning.

I come from very industrious families with farm backgrounds, so it's no surprise that both of my grandmother's canned their own produce. I loved to go deep into their basements where they stored their home-grown treasurers in jars of all colors. Tomatoes, beets, strawberries, cherries, peaches, pickles, corn, apples, it was all there. And it was decadent. I can only recall my mom canning produce a couple of times when I was growing up, when we'd had a very successful tomato crop or being roped into by her sisters. I would be delighted at Christmas when we would get a jar or two of my aunt's dill pickles or jam, knowing it was sure to be a treat. So, in the past three weeks I've come down with canning fever (these things just can't be ignored, you know?). Recently, I opened my Google Reader to find a posts on the posh jams, as well as logging into facebook and seeing a friend proudly displaying her home-grown produce and canning party, and opening one of my favorite magazines and saw an entire article on canning and making jams.

This past weekend, I was able to squeeze in some time to can some stewed tomatoes with my mom. And the weekend before we made an excellent Jalapeno Jam. Sounds blissful, doesn't it? Like a couple of perfect summer weekends.

I won!

2010-08-02T21:06:00.004-05:00

While I didn't win the Cricut Cutter, like I blogged about... I won a circle cutter from The (Martha Stewart) Crafts Department blog!!!!! My first blog-giveaway win! So exciting!

I can't wait to use it! No more exacto-knife circles for me, baby!

To my grandma

2010-08-02T19:45:00.006-05:00

Today I got one of the most beautiful and sophisticated flower arrangements I've ever received delivered to my office. My grandmother passed away Sunday evening and my boyfriend sent them for support. The reason was bittersweet, but it was the most amazing tribute to my grandma, who was a florist. When I think of her, I always think of floral arrangements and purple, her favorite color. Little did Jeff know how perfect and heartfelt the arrangement would be to me.

I've learned so much from my grandma. I was in Iowa for the weekend and stopped by to see her. Her health has been declining since a pretty traumatic stroke in May, but she was still as cheerful and delighted as ever. She always had a great attitude, no matter how tough the situation.

A lot of my interest and passion in crafting came from my grandma. I remember going to her house when I was younger and I'm sure I always came home with at least one craft project, whether that was a wreath made from the vines in her backyard, a floral arrangement in my favorite colors of the moment, or a Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause made from milk jugs... it was always something fun and very creative. She had the best craft storage room I've seen yet, baskets and wreaths every size and color you could imagine, an entire dresser filled with beautiful spools of ribbons (many of which my mom and I have inherited), and other unique embellishments for my crafty desires.

She was also an amazing cook, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at her house were amazing. Many of my recipes are from her, my favorite being a chicken wrapped in bacon dish (you can't go wrong with bacon, right?). Lots of yummy things came from her kitchen (more on that in a later post). Also, my grandparents had the biggest garden ever. Like Martha Stewart sized garden. And their tomatoes? The most delicious. It was a meal in itself.

So, thank you Jeff for such a touching offering of support. And thank you, Grandma, for the amazing memories and teaching me so many things in life and starting me on so many of my interests/passions that I have today. Rest in peace, with love, I know you're in a better place where there are gardens, ribbons, and flowers a plenty.

Ric Rac Roundup

2010-07-25T19:05:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, I attended Ric Rac Roundup. The show: amazing. The heat: unbearable. I wish I would've gone earlier in the morning so I could've enjoyed the booths more. I mean I was a huge, sweaty mess, it was like I had just run a marathon... or two. That sweaty. Attractive, I know.

Anyway... onto the show. I haven't been able to attend Ric Rac in the past but I was very impressed! Kansas City has some amazing artisans. (also, I was very excited, I got several good comments on the bag I recently made)

Of course, I was happy to see Sodapop with some new cute accessories. I bought cute yellow wood medallion necklace from her... I'm thinking yellow might be a new color for me.

Jeanee from Dirty Laundry was there with her super-cute and happy bath fizzies, she's just recently added some French Macaron bath fizzies. Very fun. Very sweet.

Perhaps my favorite new discovery was Aunt June. Maybe because I had just landed upon her work on etsy the other week and recognized it (don't you love it when you have that little sense of discovery? Like I was already cool and in the know by finding it on etsy and then boom! I see it again and it's local!) She makes her own fabric and bags. Totally what I would love to do someday... so I bought a fat quarter from her. I have no clue what I'll use it for yet, but it will be something fun.

Absolutely gorgeous jewelry from Early Jewelry. I would love to own this or this or any of the bone earrings (pretty much in love with her entire AM collection).

Emmy-Rae with some great enameled jewelry.

Always amazing and drool-worthy, Hammerpress.

Some seriously beautiful textiles from Stir Designs, a mother-daughter duo.

Funky porcelain jewelry from Luster Bunny.

And the very fun, funny, and refined, The Modern Logger.

All in all, it was a good weekend...

Cricut Cutter... for cakes!

2010-07-21T14:16:00.007-05:00

Wouldn't it be cool to have this little guy to make decorative cupcakes, cakes, and cookies with? Or if you comment on the Martha Stewart Crafts Department blog and win and give it me, I'll make you all the cupcakes, cakes or cookies you'd like! So go comment for yourself (or me) and good luck!

Tote Bag 3

2010-07-17T12:59:00.004-05:00

A couple weekends ago I decided it was high time I made another tote bag. You see, I made this pledge to myself, the Handmade Pledge. Except I'm limiting it to handbags. I pledged to only buy handmade bags for myself and my loved ones, and request that others do the same for me.

So, I made this little charmer for myself. It's made of a beautiful black and cream striped linen fabric, embellished with light blue vertical stitching, some pleats and jute webbing. I'm secretly in love with the way the exterior stripes go horizontally and the interior stripes are vertical, it's pretty splendid.

I'm pretty smitten with her right now... trying to come up with a name for her. Any suggestions?

(Mom- look how straight the blue stitching is!!! Aren't you proud?)

smt

2010-07-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

It's Tuesday!

That means sometime in the late hours of the night, I should be getting a delightful little ditty delivered straight to my inbox! At the beginning of the year one of co-workers took pitty on my horrible taste in music and lack of musical knowledge and breadth and decided to instigate, Sparky Music Tuesday, otherwise known as smt. He claimed that he has "great taste and that is more than enough reason to bestow upon you my wonderful selections on a weekly basis." (and I agree)

Now 27 Tuesdays into the year, I have 27 songs on my "Sparky Music Tuesday" playlist (and it is a frequently played playlist). It includes artists ranging from Casey Dienel, A Fine Frenzy, Camera Obscura, Adele, Yael Naim, and Pomplamoose.

Even more splendid? Sparky is my office-neighbor, meaning he gets the pleasure of seeing all of my moods throughout the day (and believe me, there are a lot). From elated and giddy to annoyed and angry. Sparky does an incredible job of matching my smt treat to my mood, whether it's an angry jam or a calming coo, he's got me covered. It's better than Pandora!

So thank you, Sparky, for expanding my musical vocabulary. I can't wait to get the other 25 songs this year!

Gastronomy Weekend 001

2010-07-11T19:00:00.006-05:00

Last weekend my friend, John, e-mailed me and said he saw Grinders on the Food Network or something and thought about coming down to KC to check it out... weird reason... but awesome to see him! So I suggested making it a whole food tour weekend, henceforth it shall be named Gastronomy Weekend 001. It was also a chance to experience some of the restaurants on my KC-restaurants-that-rock* spreadsheet.

Gastronomy Weekend 001 included:

- eating Philly Cheese Steaks at Grinders

- splurging with Dark Chocolate Turtles at Christopher Elbow

- touring the WWI museum (I can't say that I learned to much about the war, but I was captivated with the environmental graphics, displays and uniforms...)

- visiting the Asian Market in the River Market. (I was thoroughly impressed with John's impressive knowledge of Asian cuisine. I picked some delightful things including Thai basil, lemongrass, tapioca pearls for bubble tea and more!)

- delighting in delish Mongolian BBQ at Genghis Khan

- enjoying Bubble Tea (with a kick) at Blue Koi

- grabbing bunch at The Westside Local

- touring the Nelson-Atkins Venice: 3 visions in glass collection

- and ending the weekend with a culinary experiment of our own...

We made Rustic French Bread, a modified version of Pulled-Pork Roast with BBQ sauce, Roasted Red Peppers, Thai-Style Asian Coleslaw (with Asian market finds) all in 3 hours time!

I'm hoping that there will be more Gastronomy Weekends and culinary throw-downs in the future! I'm so impressed with John's recent culinary adventures, he's becoming a great chef!

Also, I'd like to note that I didn't have any formal itinerary for this weekend. Typically when friends come to visit, I have a planned itinerary with times, locations and menus (if food preparation is scheduled), upon request I'll even add in bathroom breaks. It's something I'm know for in multiple states. But this weekend, I flew by the seat of my pants, had no itinerary, no maps, no meals planned, and made spontaneous decisions with blissful results. Perhaps this impromtuness should become more of a routine...

*A spreadsheet with over 100 non-chain restaurants in the KC and greater-KC area, all highly recommended and delicious. Contact me for a copy of this amazing compilation.

Summer

2010-07-09T08:00:00.004-05:00

I fell in love four summers ago. In love with Queen Anne's Lace and Chicory when I was living in Kansas for the first time... or at least this was the first time that I truly appreciated their beauty. Every morning as I drove into work I was greeted by a sea of beautiful blue blooms (the chicory, it usually blooms in the morning). And every evening the delicate white blossoms of Queen Anne's lace were welcoming me on an evening walk. Every morning and every evening it put a smile on my face.

These flowers are the icons of my summer.

btw, as I did a little research I found out that Queen Anne's Lace can benefit other garden vegetables, like boosting tomato production and pest control. You can bet that it will be added to my garden wish list.