A Pair of Pears

I'm Seeing Color

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:04:00 +0000

You can blame photographer Paul Octavious if I start looking at everything in terms of Pantone colors. Paul started The Pantone Project where he matches a Pantone color with real life objects and situations that he shares on his instagram. I love this one.

French Press Iced Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:35:00 +0000

Sometimes Mondays call for more than the usual one cup of coffee in the morning. But around here the temperatures are steadily rising and I just don't have any desire to put something hot in my body when I'm already starting to sweat. Instead we make iced coffee. Problem solved.

Here's how we make it.

If you plan on adding sugar to your coffee put it in while it is still hot. This will help it to dissolve. Let the coffee cool then add lots of ice. It works best if you make ice cubes out of the coffee; then the ice won't water down your drink. Mix in anything else you would like such as cream or flavoring and enjoy!

Tip: Make some extra coffee in the morning. That way it will be nice and cool when you're ready to have that second cup.

Finders Keepers: Rijks Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:58:00 +0000

I came across this post on Poppytalk this morning and I couldn't help but share it with you. The Rijksmuseum has made a website called Rijksstudio where you can download masterpieces from their collection and use them to create your own works of art! If you would rather have them do all the printing you can have them make a canvas print, post card, or greeting card for you.

I just told Jake yesterday that I'm thinking about redoing our gallery wall in our living room. This is the perfect place to find some beautiful pieces. This should give you something to do over the weekend. Happy downloading!

Here are a few more finds from this week:

I didn't know printing your own fabric could look so good
Anything with S'more in the title has to be good
The most perfect invitation for a golden birthday

I Have a Creative Cold

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:17:00 +0000

It's just been one of those weeks. I've been struggling all week to pull even an ounce of creativity from my little head and haven't got much to show for it. I've been feeling uninspired, unmotivated and just plain unproductive. I could probably add a few more "uns" but my brain is shot just thinking of those three. The sad thing is I don't even have a good reason to feel this way. I have no excuse. Oh boy what am I going to do with myself. I guess just make the best of it and hope for a better day tomorrow. One thing I've learned about being a creative is that you can't force it and sometimes stressing about it just makes it worse and slower coming.

You feel me? Got any advice for treating a creative cold? Ooh I just came up with that on the spot! I think I'm already starting to get over it.

His & Hers: Summer Essentials

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:01:00 +0000

We love summer! Longer days, BBQs, afternoon ice cream cones, and evening walks as a family are just a few reasons why we are huge fans of summer.

HIS: Camera, Ray Ban Sunglasses shorts, daft punk vinyl
HERS: ice cream maker, sandals, sea salt spray, feedly,

Jake: All I need this summer are some comfy clothes to BBQ in, the grooviest of grooves from Daft Punk, and a camera to capture the essence. Bring on the sunshine!

Jamie: Give me homemade ice cream, effortless hair, cute sandals to stay cool and Feedly, my new favorite way to read blogs, and that's a lovely summer day to me. What RSS reader are you planing on using once google reader shuts down in July? I'm really loving Feedly but I hear Bloglovin' and Pulse are pretty good options too.

Finders Keepers: The Portland Press

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:43:00 +0000

You know from Monday's post how much Jake and I like our coffee. Ever since Christmas when my parents got me a french press we have retired our coffee pot and now only make coffee in our french press. Mostly because it tastes better that way but also because it takes up less room on our little apartment sized kitchen counters.

This Portland Press is still in development and is half way to their goal of making it a reality. Two guys dreamed this up with the desire to make a quality product that is designed and manufactured responsible all in the Pacific Northwest. It's so inspiring to see people go after a dream and it's icing on the cake when they have nice typography to present themselves with. It looks like a great product made by great people. Now that's something I could get behind.

Check out their video to learn more.

New in the Shop: Hot Dog Party Invitations

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:45:00 +0000

We had so much fun throwing Pixel a Hot Dog themed birthday party. Now you can too! Or you can use these party invitations as a good excuse to gather your friends together and eat lots of hot dogs. Hot dog eating contest anyone? Don't forget to download the matching menu and doggie bag tags.

The invitations are available in our shop and are sold in sets of 10.

Fresh Summer Salsa

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:56:00 +0000

When warm weather comes around I love munching on fresh salsa. Let's be honest, I did a little munching in between photos. Can you blame me?

In my opinion the fewer ingredients their are, the better. Who wants to shop for 50 things that only make up one dish? Not me! There's nothing fancy about this recipe. Just fresh, easy and soooo good.

Ingredients

3 roma tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 jalapeño
1/4 tsp salt

In no particular order chop everything up, add the salt and give it a good stir. You can also try adding pineapple, black beans, or avocado if you want to be fancy. That's it! Grab some chips and start snacking. We won't judge you if you eat the whole bowl in one sitting.

The Original 101 Dalmatians

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:43:00 +0000

We are so excited about what we snatched up the other day; The original 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith! There is no way we could pass this up and it's in such good condition. The cover art is so lovely and I just can't get over the puppy illustration on the hard cover and the inside of the book. I can't wait to read through this book and see how the story was originally written.

I couldn't help but snap a photo of our Dal. He is sound asleep while I'm busy taking pictures. I think he as become imune to the shutter sound of our camera.

His & Hers: Morning Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 22:32:00 +0000

Every morning we have a cup of coffee. Not something fancy from Starbucks -- just what we make at home. Jake always get's up first to make it while I grab a few extra minutes of sleep until I hear the coffee grinder. It's the best way to start our day.

What do you put in your coffee? (or are you a tea drinker?)

FEED USA + Target

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Fri, 31 May 2013 17:50:00 +0000

Target has this way of making you leave with a whole bunch more stuff than what you came for. It's not my fault that they have such cool stuff, right? Well they are about to have even more cool stuff that I don't think I'm going to be able to pass up. The best part is that it's all for a good cause!

Target is teaming up with FEED USA and premiering a co-branded lifestyle collection. Each item that is bought has a number that represents the number of meals that will be donated to Feeding America. My parents gave me one of their market bags a few years ago and I love it. I might have to pick up another one when their new line is released on June 30.

San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Thu, 30 May 2013 20:26:00 +0000

We took a little trip up the coast last weekend to San Francisco. It was so nice to get away and enjoy some time with just the two of us. The city was beautiful. If New York and LA got together and had a baby city I think San Francisco would be it.

Our first stop was the Painted Ladies. We both grew up watching Full House so there was no way we could pass this up. The park across the street was full of people picnicking and enjoying the warm sun. For some reason I had it in my head that this row of houses was kind of rare and random up against the rest of the city's architecture. But actually I was surprised to find that a lot of the buildings are similar in style.

The next morning we headed to the Ferry Building to grab some coffee and breakfast. Then we sat on the pier and watched the boats go by. I would do that every morning if I could.

Did you ever watch that show last year called Alcatraz? Unfortunately it was canceled, but Jake and I really liked it. Ever since then we have wanted to tour Alcatraz so that's exactly what we did. It was really neat, kind of creepy and sort of depressing. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be a prisoner there. We also learned a ton of other facts about the Rock. Did you know children grew up on the island? Now that's a conversation starter.

Ever since our honeymoon when Jake and I rented bikes to ride around Mackinac Island we have made it our little tradition to take bikes to see the sites on our vacations. It's so much fun. This trip we rode bikes across the Golden Gate bridge. The wind was crazy up there but it was well worth it. I think that was both of our favorite part of the trip.

The trip was the perfect amount of running around seeing the sites and just relaxing. We're glad to be back home with Pix though. Man did we miss that little guy.

Alice Ferrow

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Bartlett) — Wed, 29 May 2013 17:25:00 +0000

These beautiful illustrations by Alison Ferrow are inspiring me today.

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.

UPDATE: The hot dog party invites are now in our shop!

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.