A Pair of Pears

Finders Keepers: At the Quarry Pond Pillow

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:05:00 +0000

I came across this pillow the other day. It's kind of an unusual pillow. Most throw pillows are covered in flowers or bold patterns but this is a little piece of art on a pillow. I think that's what really draws me to it. I kind of like it. Ok I love it.

His & Hers: Road Trip Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:58:00 +0000

Jake and I are headed up the coast to San Francisco this weekend! We couldn't be more excited to get away and explore a new city. It's a good distance from LA (just under 6 hours) so we are making sure to bring good music to serenade us the whole way there.

These are a few of our favorites that you can bet we will be belting out every word to as we drive along the Pacific.

Do you have any favorite tunes you play on road trips? Check out our picks on Spotify.

DIY: Pom Pom Pillow Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:35:00 +0000

I've been dreaming of getting a pom pom maker for a while now. I finally got one from Michael's a few weeks ago to make pom poms to add to the tops of the party hats for Pixel's Birthday Party. I needed another excuse to make some more poms poms so I came up with this pom pom pillow upgrade! It's super simple and can be done pretty quickly.

You will need:

A pillow in need of upgrading (mine is from ikea)
scissors
soft yarn
safety pins
pom pom maker (optional)

Step 1: First make your pom poms using your pom pom maker. Have fun with it! You could do multiple colored pom poms or even try adding more than one pom pom on each corner.

If you don't have a pom pom maker you can use your hand by following this methed.

Step 2: Take your pillow out of the cover. From the inside of the cover pin each pom pom to a corner.

Step 3: Stuff your pillow back in and enjoy your upgraded pillow!

Note: You can also sew the pom poms on but I like to wash my pillow covers pretty often. So these can easily be removed when they need a quick cleaning.

Peonies

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:41:00 +0000

I spotted these peonies while grocery shopping at Trader Joe's over the weekend and I just couldn't pass them up. They make our home feel so summery and fresh. Now we just need to enjoy long nights on the back patio sipping lemonade and summer will feel officially here.

What's your favorite flower?

Making 101 Dalmatians

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Bartlett) — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:19:00 +0000

Today I wanted to share a series of videos I found on youtube that tells the story of making 101 Dalmatians! There is so much behind the scenes goodness that I never knew. It's a four part series, so after you watch the first part, check out the links to the other three below.

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

DIY: Dog Treat Jar

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Jake and I have now been to three puppy parties this year (including Pixel's). It's fun to spoil your dog a bit plus it's a good excuse to throw a party and hang out with friends. But what do you bring the furry guest of honor? How about this super simple treat jar filled with goodies! I made one for Pixel's birthday. Now he has his own jar at home filled with his favorite treats.

I shared the DIY with Daily Dog Tag where you can find the full instructions.

Pixel's First Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:15:00 +0000

Happy Birthday to our little Pixel. Today he is one year old! We have loved watching him grow. It's hard to believe how little he used to be, but he is still as cuddly as ever. Size doesn't matter to him (or us).

On Sunday we gathered all our friends together along with their pups and threw Pixel a hot dog birthday party in the park. It was such a fun celebration! Guests topped their hot dogs with whatever they wanted and some where even up for a "Great Dane" (a hot dog topped with everything). The day couldn't have turned out better. Even the 95 degree heat didn't stop us from having fun. We just soaked the dogs with cool water and let them get good and dirty.

Want to throw your pup or human a dog/hot dog party? Download the doggie bag tags and the hot dog menu for your party. The invitations (fill-in-style) will soon be available in our shop! And don't forget to download our party planning printables when planning your next event.

On top of all of that, it's also our three year wedding anniversary today! I couldn't have asked for a better three years. I am so blessed. I love you Jake!

P.S. Notice how similar the shirts we are wearing are. Yeah, we didn't even plan that.

Watch Me Grow: 1 Year Old

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Bartlett) — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:46:00 +0000

Today is the day our little guy was born. What an amazing year it's been! We love Pixel so much, and are so happy he's in our life. This will be the last Watch Me Grow post, so here's a little tribute to the last year.

Our Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:07:00 +0000

We had quite the weekend, which leaves us completely exhausted today. We spent most of Saturday running around picking up last minute supplies for Pixel's birthday party and then baking lots of human and dog goodies.

Sunday we ran over to the Rose Bowl Flea Market for a quick gander and then came back home to set up for Pixel's party. Is was a blazing 95 degrees yesterday. That heat zaps you of all energy. We had fun though and I can't wait to show you how everything turned out!

Finder's Keepers: Pencils

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:45:00 +0000

If I had a choice between a pen or a pencil, I would choose a pencil every time. I love the rougher texture they add to your writing, the smell of wood when you sharpen them, and the little pink eraser that tops them off. And that's just a traditional #2 pencil. There is even more to love about these pencils from Amanda Catherine Designs. I think the Art Movement set is my favorite; then again I love the Favorite Things set. Who am I kidding I love them all and would happily have any or all of them.

In Motion: SCREENGRAB

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Bartlett) — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:27:00 +0000

Get ready for your brain to hurt; today's video is mind-bendingly cool. Screengrab is an experimental video combining printed out still frames from video, combined with actual footage from the same video. It's pretty easy to follow at first, but once the video really gets moving it's easy to not realize what's printed out and what live footage. Check it out!

SCREENGRAB from Willie Witte on Vimeo.

Type Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

You can never have too much inspiration or good typography to look at.

Decorate Your Desktop: 03

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:50:00 +0000

Desktop | iPhone | iPhone5 | Android

My desktop was in need of a fresh design, and today is rainy which makes me even more in the mood for cuddles and warm coffee. I think I'll take a coffee break now. See you tomorrow friends.

You can find more decorate your desktop designs here.

Finders Keepers: Furniture Makeovers

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:05:00 +0000

For us there is nothing like the feeling of buying old beat up furniture at a good price and fixing it up to be just what we wanted. Furniture Makeovers not only provides you with tons of inspiration, it also teaches you simple techniques to transform your pieces. I think this could come in handy when we own a house someday and have lots more rooms to fill with flea market finds.

Here are a few more finds from this week:

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo - the history of the piñata!

Use this brilliant idea at your next party.

Easy beautiful gift for mother's day or any day.

His & Hers: Longboards

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:33:00 +0000

His \ Hers

Jake and I got each other Longboards for Christmas last year, and we've loved cruising down the neighborhood streets ever since. Pixel loves pulling Jake as fast as he can and it's great exercise for him too. On Saturday mornings we like to get up early and ride down to the Coffee Bean for breakfast and coffee with Pix.

Piñatas

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:10:00 +0000

ice cream piñatas | mini piñatas | number piñatas
letter piñatas | piñatas cake | piñata cookies

Have you noticed the piñata trend going around? Piñatas are popping up everywhere and they come in all shapes and sizes! Some mini piñatas would be a perfect party favor for a summer fiesta.

In Motion: Panera Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Bartlett) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:15:00 +0000

Jamie and I love eating at Panera Bread. I typically get a broccoli cheddar bread bowl, and she loves the chicken and wild rice soup. Today I found an awesome video Panera made telling some of their story through a Rube Goldberg machine. Check it out below:

Panera Bread from 1stAveMachine on Vimeo.

When a company makes a commercial this good, I have no problem sharing it. The design of the whole piece is top notch. And now I'm craving a bread bowl.

Stop and Smell the Roses

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:58:00 +0000

by Sarah Sherman Samuel

Monday is always the busiest day of the week for me. My to do list gets filled out and I try to get as many things crossed off it as I can. But even on the busiest days it's good to take your eyes away from the computer screen for a bit to stop and smell the roses, or at least stop if you don't have any roses to smell.

Work in Progress: Puppy Party Invitation

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:26:00 +0000

Pixel's first birthday party is just around the corner. The invitations are sent and all the details are coming together.

His invitation turned out just how I wanted. I love it so much that I decided I wanted to design a version that could go in our shop too! Here's a little sneak peek of my work in progress. I hope to send this little beauty to the printer soon.

Wander Postcard Project

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:19:00 +0000

We're going camping soon! So when I saw this Wonder Postcard Project I got really excited. There are always postcards from towns or tourist attractions to pick up and send to friends. But there aren't any postcards for nowhere. These ones remind me of something boyscouts would use to send home when they are in the wilderness. Now that's an idea! How fun would it be to go camping and send a letter home? These aren't actual postcards you can buy, but they do have them available to download for wallpapers. I think that's the next best thing.

Yours, Roxanne

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:25:00 +0000

These illustrations by Yours, Roxanne make me happy on a Monday morning. Now that's saying something.

Finders Keepers: Paper Mâché Mask

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:21:00 +0000

These animal masks from Abigail Brown are really great. I love how they look displayed all together.

Here are a few other finds from this week:

Typography in your garden.

Yellow stripes and hand done typography makes this pretty perfect.

Trying this recipe tonight for dinner.

Unexpected Type

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:14:00 +0000

I saw this Unexpected Type project over on Fifth & Hazel this morning and thought it was the best thing ever. Melanie and her little daughter Maggie have made learning letters, practicing creativity, and having fun a part of their daily routine. A+ goes to Melanie for being an awesome mama.

p.s. Melanie I'm thinking this would make a great children's book!

Paint By Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:06:00 +0000

1|2|3|4|5|6

Last week I saw this pin on Pinterest. Since then I can't get enough of vintage paint by numbers. I love everything about them. Over the weekend I searched our local thrift store hoping to find one of these beauties, but unfortunately there weren't any.

These are some of my favorite paint by numbers pieces I found on Etsy. I would love a few of these hanging around our apartment. I'm thinking this could be a perfect nursery theme for future baby boy Bartlett, especially the bear and boat.

Finders Keepers: The Polaroid Z-2300

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:40:00 +0000

How fun would this camera be to play around with? Yeah, way too fun! You can check out more pictures and info at Photojojo. I love technology.