Living the Swell Life

a cheerful farewell.

2011-09-08T20:43:00.005-05:00

hello my dears. yes indeedy. this sweet stack of pastel children's novels was by far my proudest thrift store prize of the summer.now it's time for a bit of true blue honesty and a complete subject change. the last few months have been tough. i've been struggling to find a balance, as we all do from time to time. i've been contemplating + praying about this for the last 5 months and i've made a big decision.

i am saying farewell to this little blog of mine.

with slightly slumped shoulders and a bittersweetly beating heart, i am choosing to move forward and focus not on the things i cannot accomplish, but to rejoice in what i can. you know the feeling? when you're doing 100,000 things and only doing them 50% well? i am over that. life is so, so full and i simply need to prioritize what truly, truly matters...like faith, family, home, career, and time to just relax and be in between. this blog has been a super important piece, or more appropriately a collection of pieces of my life for the past 4 years. then at some indefinable point, it became more than just a little hobby and more of a nagging responsibility, at which point the joy began to seep out and the guilt began to seep in.

this blog has carried me through so many amazing life transitions!! like moving away from the heartland, a san francisco adventure, a surprise pregnancy, a s pring chicken, and a grateful passage to motherhood. which brought us back to the midwest where God led jeff to start his own tiny little photo business on the side, which quickly grew into something more. we also cozied into our very first home with a craft room for moi and a yard for the boy to flourish.

and all along, i have been so immensely blessed to meet so many beautiful friends with similar passions and enormous, Jesus-loving hearts, many of whom have challenged me to survey my own. this blogosphere is one powerful network. i have been inspired again and again and again. i've been challenged to be more authentic, more creative, more intentional; more appreciative. i gained confidence to throw parties for perfect strangers. i found utter joy in sharing my favorite little craft projects and recipes with you. i even have a little family record of birthdays, holidays, and everything wonderful that happens in between. heck, i eventually even learned how to take a decent photo.

now that we've shared some fond memories and dried ~~our~~ my tears, are you ready to hear the silver lining? good. because there is one.........i am jumping into this photog biz of ours wholeheartedly. i think i may have something to contribute, the foremost of which is my time. last spring i received a golden piece of advice, from an ahh-mazing mentor & colleague: make your business personal. make your blog personal.

at first this did not sit well with me at all. this is my blog, my gig...and our photo stuff is our photo stuff. that's just how it was gonna be. but after letting the whole thing marinade for awhile, God helped me realize that i'd been pretty selfish and how this whole thing made perfect, amazing sense. that's when we got serious about a re-brand/re-design, making way for this whole new chapter. it's been a long time coming.long story short, Living the Swell Life lives on (right here). i have big dreams, big plans to compose a manageable one post per week on something personal, something creative, or something inspiring amid our busy business business. funny how i am so completely at peace, yet completely spazzing about its reincarnation, and my our pretty new space. cheers to new beginnings; to wearing a photographer hat.

and no celebration would be complete without an invitation to the party. pretty please join me? hop on over, update your link, and enter a super lovely new camera strap cover giveaway
(i crafted a whole bunch, just for you)!!

see you on the flip side. but first. just one more of a coy little boy, because i love him so. so. so:

i need to make heart cookies.

2011-08-28T15:15:00.003-05:00

the other day, a little bit bored, g stated "i need to make heart cookies." (lately almost everything has been a dire need around here. we are working on sorting out the difference between needs and wants.) but i totally caved to this one. i needed to make heart cookies too. g helped with every step of the process and i must say, he is becoming quite handy with a rolling pin. once iced and sprinkled, we tied a bunch of them up into a pretty little package and mailed them to my grandma. we lost my grandpa a couple weeks ago and we figured it might be a fun way to brighten her day.
p.s. yes--those are big boy underpants in photo #2. potty training is underway. please pray.

look at the size of this thing!

2011-08-24T14:20:00.004-05:00

hello there. it has been forever. i really hadn't intended to take a summer blog-cation...it just sort of fell to the bottom of the list--and i haven't quite mustered the energy to bounce back.

we've been busy.

i say that every time. last night, after a slightly-more-eruptive-than-usual meltdown, jeff insisted that i stop working too hard and that in order to preserve my sanity (read: and his!) i should just blog for a little bit today. so here i am! yay!
lately we've been crossing all sorts of things off of the summer bucket list:

1. harvesting the garden. to be precise, i snagged 1 barely ripe tomato & 3 bell peppers off our plants before an army of blasted, dirty squirrels destroyed and consumed everything. boo. i guess they need to eat sometimes too--and can't afford the luxury of a grocery store like i can.
2. getting way way better veggies from the farmer's market. our neighbor stopped by with this cabbage last night. it. is. enormous! we can't seem to stop chuckling about it. at this point, all i could think to do with it was take a picture...i don't know how to even begin to eat it.
3. tossing a blanket in the grass and reading/ipading the afternoon away
4. playdates at the pool
5. dining al fresco both on our backyard deck & at a few neighborhood cafes
6. road trips x2
7. evenings at the park
8. s'mores

some pretty white things

2011-07-15T23:10:00.006-05:00

It is the last few minutes of Friday, and I just realized I had a very important winner to share!!

The big House 8810 giveaway winner...

Congrats Jen!!

Email me at swell.life(at)gmail(dot)com for all of the deets!! Hooray for you!!

In other news, Jeff is really, really good to me. I've been working too much lately, and the other day while running errands at the grocery store, he had the inspiration to get me flowers. Of course they probably only had crazily-dyed daisies and horrible wilting roses to pick from...so he had the class & thoughtfulness to bring me a simple bunch of baby's breath. And I love it--all white and whimsical in a little bowl on my mantel. I feel like baby's breath got a bad wrap in the 90s. But I really think it's back, and it's beautiful (when not paired with red roses). Yay!

And that's not all. He also just surprised me with one of these fancy new contraptions: I mean completely blew me away. Woot!!!! At first I was a little taken-aback about the small investment, but I really do think it is complete amazing-ness...We've already been finding free books, snapping little photos, and checking the HD weather forecast before stepping out the door. Tonight I even set it in G's room on the piano solo Pandora station to help him fall asleep! I can't believe that I already can't live without it. I've never before owned something that is actually app-worthy, so I am in need of advice.

What are the best apps!?

giveaway: house 8810

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am excited to share a new shop + a giveaway with you! A very warm welcome to a swell new sponsor, the lovely shop House 8810. I'm here to say that this online boutique is a must-stop. They stock a really darling selection of nostalgic + vintage inspired goodies at fab prices. Just about everything you need (over never knew how much you needed) to make your abode the coolest & cutest digs on the block.
Today House 8810 is giving away a $40.00 shopping spree, which can be used on any item, items in their shop!

A girl sure would be lucky to get her hands on this one...In case you need any more convincing, here's a little visual on how I would spend $40:

Very berry napkin for my collection $5 |Red race car for my boy $14.95 | Classic Compendium of games for my entertainment $16 | Wooden folding ruler for my crafting $ 4

*****

How about you? Would you like to go shopping!? Enter once, twice, 3 or 4 times! {Sorry friends abroad, this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.}

1. Visit House 8810 & leave a comment sharing an item you love.

2. Leave another comment telling me what awesomeness you have planned on your summer vacation(s).

3. Share a link to this giveaway on your social media of choice, and leave an additional comment telling where!

4. Start following House 8810's

blog /facebook/and/or/twitter
...then leave a 4th comment if you did so!

Winner will be randomly selected & announced on Friday 7/15!!

Happy Monday friends!!

picket fence gals

2011-07-08T14:03:00.003-05:00

Yesterday my super crafty friend Amanda & I took an impromptu mini-road trip to check out the Picket Fence Gals vintage sale in Lindstrom, MN. Lindstrom is the most adorable little Scandinavian town, with a tea kettle water tower and the yummiest little main-street bakery. Right along the main drag, you'll find the Picket Fence Gals are nestled in a big, white, old, and adorable Victorian house. Once a month (Wed-Sun), twenty-something awesome antique vendors pool their goodies and open their doors for a giant sale of vintage items. They are constantly updating their displays and the treasures are all new every month!
I was so excited to spend an afternoon here! So many fresh ideas and finds. I came home kicking myself for not buying a piece or two...All part of the adventure! However, I did not return empty-handed. I could not resist the small minty-green metal tray, children's book with orange illustrations in the inside cover, and this little wooden octopus puzzle (which I doubt is very vintage at all--but cute, nevertheless).
Happy weekend friends! This poor little blog has been on the back burner for far too long! Am planning a little giveaway + some photos of our most recent road trip next week.

i'm ready to rock the bob.

2011-06-22T20:49:00.002-05:00

I plopped down in my adorable, sweet, and pregnant new stylist's swivel chair this afternoon and blurted out, "I'm ready to rock the bob." Not sure where that came from, except that I've been totally jonesing for some short hair ever since I saw this. I had absolutely no reservations--I was ready for something cute and fun and new and super cool for summer. When we got to the part where she cut my bangs, she asked if I wanted straight bangs. I replied "sure, since we're already going crazy."

And I love. Looove. It fell a little flat before I could get these pictures, but I think my new hair and I are going to be friends. I haven't tried styling it on my own yet, but that dear stylist assured me it's going to be all wash-and-wear from this day forward and I should style it only if I want to look extra sleek.

I've been super sick all week As in, more-sick-than-I-can-ever-remember. I lost my voice for 3 whole days and did not answer my phone or leave the house, because I was literally mute! Thankfully it was all rain and drear, so I don't think I missed much in the outdoor world. Indoors, Graham had a rave and I sat on the couch, thinking about the 1,000 things I wish I could get done.

So today, it felt amazing to get out of the house. Just being back in civilization has me feeling incredibly better. And a fun new haircut has officially brought me though my summer slump. Yay!

a shout out to some dads i know.

2011-06-19T21:49:00.004-05:00

this pic pretty much sums up the sweetness in this day.
i love that g wants to do everything just like daddy...like playing camera.
(although i will admit that i lied and told him there was candy in the viewfinder of that camera...just so he would look and i could take this pic... naughty, i know.)
and i love that he could say "happy father's day" to jeff this morning.
we celebrated with burgers + a bike ride. oh, and naps. naps for all 3 of us.
jeff and g are so adorable together. i love these boys.
i am so blessed to have these boys and that they have each other.

and even though we couldn't hang with my dad or jeff's dad today, i think they are pretty amazing too.

i love my dad because he is the picture of selflessness. my grandpa's health is failing big time lately and my dad has been taking care of him every single day for the last 2 months, in order to keep him out of the hospital/nursing home. and somehow he continues to juggle his 1,000 other responsibilities. there doesn't seem to be an end to his giving and he never ever complains about it. i think that is awesome and a tough act to follow.

there are some really amazing dads in my life.

diy wedding boutonnieres

2011-06-09T22:56:00.006-05:00

It has been forever since I've posted about anything even remotely creative around here and so I've been chomping at the bit to unveil this latest little project... My dear creative, free-spirited friend Amy just married an equally awesome boy named D. She is hands down one of my craftiest friends (oh my, just wait til you see her handmade doily wedding dress!) I was completely honored (and crazy-nervous) when she asked me to make boutonnieres for all of the wedding boys, using things like feathers and non-living notions. The result was a pretty eclectic mix of things that suited her bright, beautiful vintage wedding quite well, if I do say so myself.

feathers: BearyBox
photos: yours truly
based on this great tutorial!

it is summer

2011-06-06T00:28:00.005-05:00

...Ahem. Is this thing still on? Hello! I am back from my world-class disappearing act. The last few weeks have really spiraled out of control with non-stop places to go, things to do, and people to see. I'm trying super hard not to feel guilty for the complete lack of blogging, as life has been overflowing with some hard work and a whole lot of summertime playing.

It is summer! And it is officially our busy photog season...We've shot 5 weddings in the last 3 weeks!! Plus we hit the road for a week and went to visit G's cousins in Colorado. My sil Katie is a way better blogger than I--so go here if you want to see some of our trip pics, and of us snuggling with our suuuper sugary new baby niece!

Just before our big road trip, we squeezed in a gardening day. I let Graham just go nuts playing in the dirt and helping me fill all of the pots with soil. He is 116% boy--he LOVED getting filthy! By the time we were done, I almost didn't recognize him; my little mud man. Afterwards, it took Jeff 30 minutes to rinse him off in the shower! Here's hoping that our little pots bring forth a tomato or two...

the iou project

2011-05-19T22:00:00.007-05:00

Have you heard about the IOU project? It's an awesome idea + unique new venture that combines authentic hand-woven cotton material with smart design and an even smarter business model to make beautiful, quality clothing with tons of integrity. The IOU project is cool because it shares the story behind each and every unique piece of clothing and all of the real people who handle it--from loom to tailor to you!

I sometimes get tired of shopping at cheap mall stores where I can pretty much guarantee that the clothes I buy will either stretch out or begin to disintegrate faster than they can go out of style. I love the idea of buying clothes that have classic design and are built to last. Which is why it's kind of like a breath of fresh air to find a total grass-roots clothing company that is all about sustainability, quality, and individuality. I love that each piece is 100% unique, not made in factories, and supports hard-working people all over the globe.

You should definitely check out the quick video to learn a little bit more. The project launched this month and they are channeling the power of the world-wide-web to spread the word. I'm excited to partner with them through my blog and share some of my favorite items through an online trunk show! Go ahead, have a peek...Then tell me what you think!!

pool school

2011-05-18T22:24:00.003-05:00

Our little G is taking his first swimming lessons! He goes once a week with Jeff to a class geared just to acclimating kiddos under 3 to the water. He is a huge fan and sleeps soo well afterwards. Now that we know he has no reservations about the water, I'd say we're all set for a summer of poolside afternoons. Can't wait. This week I tagged along to his lesson to admire my toenails on the deck and to snap a few photos of the boys in action. I hope you don't mind all of the splashing. I just can't get enough!

back on the bike

2011-05-12T11:20:00.000-05:00

Talk about skeletons in the closet: I bought a shiny new bike 3 years ago. And I just rode it for the second time ever. Shame, shame, shame. Yesterday we had a suuper pretty pocket of sunshine amid sprinkles and drear. The warm breeze & dandelions were begging us to come spend a little time in the fresh spring air and we happily obliged. We snatched up the opportunity to take a little bike ride around one of our favorite lakes. I in my new navy Toms, Graham in our new (well--new to us) baby bike buggy, and Jeff in his winter beard...which apparently, is here to stay. The trip was complete awesomesauce. We really do need to get out more.

my makeup bag.

2011-05-11T13:55:00.004-05:00

I am just a regular girl with an ultra-basic beauty regime, but today I'm spilling the humble contents of my makeup bag over on the Sherbet Blossom blog. (As you can see, I am no cosmetic queen--so I may have blushed just a little when Hannah asked me to guest post!) Hop on over to get the scoop!

rug love

2011-05-10T22:34:00.003-05:00

I'd been scoping out rugs for our bare, boring floors for awhile now, and was super surprised by the charming selection + reasonable prices at Urban Outfitters. I finally settled on the pretty batik floral pattern on the left. {Yesterday I ordered it in-store at the Mall of America: an awesome way to dodge shipping costs and I didn't even have to tote it around for the mile-long walk back to the car. Yay!} Really excited for it to arrive at my door and roll out on my living room floor. I think it will be just the ticket for summertime.

it's been awhile!

2011-05-06T17:11:00.004-05:00

Hi there strangers, it's been awhile! In case you worried, I've been alive + thriving. It's just that once in awhile, my to-do list overwhelms my creative spirit and I must take a break and accomplish things...Like scrub the grout in the shower and go to work and take care of my sick boy. At least now that my spring cleaning fever has passed (and my house has returned to a more typical state of chaos), I hope to be around here a bit more! During my week off (off from blogging at least), the loveliest package arrived at my door. I squealed with delight when I opened it to find one of Marta's famous mini diaries. I've always wanted to get my hands on one--and now I have my very own, in the most summery colors, just in time for summer! I just quickly filled out the first page and already I am thrilled by the idea of pausing to notice the simple, daily gifts for our senses.
Hoping you have a wonderful weekend in store!! What are your plans for mom's day??

P.S. I just hung curtains in Graham's room (a project that had been on my to-do list for 10 months!!) It felt so awesome. I will share pics soon!

may baskets!

2011-04-28T17:38:00.002-05:00

Hello hello! Today is spring cleaning at my house, and I must admit, the feeling of organized drawers and neat & tidy rooms is downright exhilarating. There's just something so satisfying about stepping into a freshly scrubbed shower and crawling between a fresh set of sheets. Makes me love my house so much more.

May Day is almost here!! To help you celebrate, I'm guest posting at one of my favorite blogs, A Bit of Sunshine today, with a tutorial on how to make a fancy felt may basket (no sewing machine required). Go have a looksee!!

if you have a garden and a library

2011-04-27T23:19:00.005-05:00

1. you have everything you need: studio mela 2. objectivocupcake 3. peony wallpaper anthropologie 4. wool felt hairpin by sweet & simple 5. via (source unknown)

happy easter eggs!

2011-04-25T16:10:00.003-05:00

We just stepped in the door after a really fun weekend visiting my parents! We had an epic parenting fail on the trip: Shortly after we arrived, we realized we'd forgotten G's little suitcase, including his cute bow tie and boat shoes! Thankfully there was still time to grab him some new duds before the stores closed on Saturday. It was really no big deal in the scheme of things. We still had an awesome time celebrating Jesus' victory over death with our family! Here are a few of our pics from the day--oh and G and I dyed these eggs together! It's so fun that he's beginning to get interested in fun holiday traditions!
Sunday morning Graham woke up saying "Happy Easter Eggs!" How cute is that!? After church + a giant family meal, we enjoyed one of the best warm-sunshiny afternoons so far this year, perfect for bringing the party outdoors with an egg hunt + lawn games. Graham did a great job tracking down all of the eggs in the yard, once grandma kicked in her handy egg-GPS services.
I used some scrap fabric to make mini Easter baskets for all of the cousins. I added felt handles and rick-rack, then stuffed them with pretty pastel rock candy and taffy!

diy little boy bowtie:just in time for easter!

2011-04-22T15:45:00.001-05:00

Hi friends! Am hoping your weekend is rich with candy-filled baskets, springtime cheer, and that your heart is blessed by the joy of Jesus living!! His love for the world, his death & resurrection is the reason we celebrate this awesome holiday. Thanks to his grace, there is nothing you can do to make God love you less! Happy Easter!!I have just one more tutorial to get out of my system this week! Do you have time for a last-minute Easter project? Because today I am recapping how to make a snazzy little boy bowtie. {Plus I could not resist sharing a few of these G pics again!} These are so fun to make with your small scraps of fabric! And although this tutorial focuses on a small, kid-friendly version with velcro in the back, this pattern could easily be adapted for even the most manly-man’s neck…Or turned into a hairbow for the most girly-girl! But right now I absolutely love the bow tie look on little boys. I feel like the simplest bow tie could make even the most spoiled brat look like a perfect gentleman. This tutorial requires a bit of sewing know-how, so I’d classify it as intermediate level--however I promise it makes for a quick project that you can squeeze in between your housecleaning and Easter egg hunt. Now dig in!
Little Boy Bowtie Tutorial:

Supplies:

must have
fabric (6x20" strip)
interfacing (medium/heavy) (4x15" strip) although not 100% vital, this provides great structure to the bow tie
Velcro (1")
scissors
sewing machine
needle + thread
iron
measuring tape

nice to have:
pins
pencil
fabric marker
rotary cutter + mat
Before we begin, just a note on sizing: I found that 15" of fabric for the band created ample room to go around my 2-year-old's neck and shirt collar. If you are making this for an older child or adult, simply measure the circumference of his shirt collar (preferably while he is wearing it!), and add 2 inches of length for velcro overlap. The strap could further be modified to create a more adjustable grown-up finish, but that's a different lesson. :)
Step 1: Cut your fabric into the following dimensions:
2 1/2 x 15" for band
3 1/2 x 3" for center
3 x 20" for bow
Cut your interfacing into the following dimensions:
1 x 14" for band
3 x 10" for bow

Step 2: Begin your bow!
Fold your 3x20" piece of fabric in half the short way (wrong sides facing out) and place 3x10" piece of interfacing on top. Pin these three layers together as shown. Next straight stitch along three edges of the rectangle. Leave one of the short ends open for turning.

Step 3: Turn your bow inside out; don't worry about the unfinished edge. Press flat. Using your measuring tape and fabric marker, mark the center of the rectangle. Then fold both ends in toward the middle.

Step 4: Pin the edges together, then make one big fat zig-zag stitch down the center. You may need to adjust your machine's tension, as this is a little chunky.Step 5: Now fold your rectangle in half again the long way. Make a 1" straight seam perpendicular to your zig-zag stitch (I used my fabric marker to draw a guideline for myself).Step 6: It's time to make the band!
Take your 2.5x15" strip of fabric, fold it in half the long way (to make the strip even narrower, wrong sides facing out) and place the 1x14" piece on top. Pin the three layers together. Sew a 3/8" seam along the long unfolded side of fabric and along one short end. (I.e. just sew 2 sides!) You're ready to flip your fabric into a tube. This can be a little bit tedious, but trust me, it's worth it in the end! Use a pencil with a good eraser to help prod your fabric along. Press flat.
Step 7: Sewing velcro to the edges:
To address that pesky unfinished edge, we will simply hide it underneath the Velcro: Tuck in 2 sides of fabric and fold the edge down into a point (like an envelope). Simply pin a piece of velcro to the top and sew around its border. Do the same thing on the opposite end (and on the opposite side of band). No need to get fancy with the envelope technique on this side, as it is already finished off nicely.
Step 8: Now for the center piece of the bow:
Fold your 3.5x3" fabric in half the long way. (No interfacing necessary for this one!) Pin and sew a seam along 2 unfolded edges. Turn & press. It's ok to leave the open edge unfinished. We will tuck it in and sew it in the next step.
Step 9: Putting it all together:
The moment we've all been waiting for! Use your fabric marker to draw a mark at the center of your band, then line it up with the center of your bow. Next wrap the center piece around the middle of the bow. Turn all 3 pieces upside down, pull the center piece to your desired tightness, and fold in its unfinished edge. Use your needle and thread to manually whip stitch this piece in place. (Or for instant gratification: whip out your hot glue gun!)
Hooray! You've done it. Now stick it on your little guy and party!

guest post:: diy easter bunny headband

2011-04-21T13:41:00.003-05:00

Hello Living the Swell Life readers my name is Rebekah and I blog over at a bit of sunshine. It is an honor to be here today! I have a fun little project just in time for the Easter weekend to share with you - An Easter Bunny Ruffle Headband for all those little girls in your life! There's a lot of steps but let me assure you it's super quick and easy. Are you ready? Ok lets get started: (click on the photos to enlarge)

For this project you will need:
1. 1/4 yard of fabric - I used a fat quarter and a some silk scraps, whatever you have on hand should do.
2. a plastic headband. I bough mine in the bridal section at my local JoAnnes for under a dollar.
3. fabric glue
4. scissors
5. clothes pins
6. a flower embellishment (the one Jessica posted earlier in the week would work perfectly!)
7. pipe cleaners
8. a sewing machine

1. Begin by measuring your headband you are going to cut a three inch strip of fabric at least two times the length of your headband. My headband was 15" long so I cut my strip 40" because I had that much length but ended up trimming it down. You just need enough length to make it ruffly.

2. Press your strip with a hot iron and fold it in half with right sides together. Sew it into a long tube and flip the tube right side out. This is the hardest part - it just takes a little patience!

3. Now iron your tube flat with the seam in the center.

4. Next you are going to sew a little track in your tube by sewing a straight stitch down each edge of the fabric. Use your foot to gage it, about a quarter inch should do just fine.

5. Your ready to slip the tube onto your headband, the fabric will ruffle up as you slide it on, use a clothes pin on one end to keep the fabric from slipping off and on the other end put a good dab of glue and fold the fabric over onto itself to secure. Secure each side with the glue and then clothes pins and let the ends dry.

6. At this point you are ready to add your flower embellishment. I chose a vintage millinery flower with a feather and a rhinestone button to take it over the top. You could really use anything here, a big bow, a rossette - the skies the limit! Glue it on with your favorite fabric glue - I chose to use a small circle of felt on the back but it is totally not necessary to do so.

7. Ok while the headband is drying grab two pipe cleaners and twist the ends together.

8. Shape the pipe cleaners into a bunny ear and twist again to close at the bottom. Leave yourself some "legs" to attach to the headband.

9. With some fabric scrap strips - either the same fabric you used for the ruffle or a coordinating one I chose some raw silk because I wanted them to be fancy. Glue the end of the strip down onto the pipe cleaner and then wrap the entire ear with the fabric including the extra legs.

10. Once your ears are dry you can attach them to the headband by simply wrapping the pipe cleaners around the band and tucking them under your flower embellishment. This way you can remove the ears if you want for use after the holiday!

My little girl will be wearing the ears to our annual Easter Egg Hunt but I will remove the ears for church - maybe :).

I hope you guys have fun making Easter Bunny ears for your sweetie pies. For a boy version you might consider skipping the ruffle steps and simple wrap the same scraps you use on the pipe cleaner ears around the headband.

Happy Easter - may it be full of much joy and life!
xo,
Rebekah

the daffies make me happy.

2011-04-19T21:16:00.004-05:00

This week:
:We're over half way through April and there is still talk of snow in the forecast. I guess that's the trade off when you live in the Midwest, sheltered from more horrible things like hurricanes and tsunamis. But still. I'd much rather be on the beach at this very second.
:The bright yellow daffies are offering so much cheer.
:We are dying eggs and stuffing baskets! Easter is almost here, yay!
:I intercepted 3 garbage bags (and more!) of goodies from my dear friend Naphtali's house, garbage bags that were nearly cast away to Goodwill. {She is amazing at decorating her house...and redecorating and redecorating. So I sprang at the opportunity to go shopping in her house, snatching up hundreds of things from her past interiors. Everyone needs a friend like her. Seriously.} Now I just need to find a way to pay it all forward. So inspired by all these new old things that I am cleaning out closets and organizing the shelves in my craft room. Love having new treasures!!
:Eating lava cakes.
:Feeling a bit broke after cutting Uncle Sam a big fat check last week, plus some other hefty unexpected expenses in the past year. {I truly hope you can't relate to this one.} But somehow in spite of it all, I'm feeling blessed with contentment. We have so much and I love being able to enjoy it.
:Making a very happy girl out of last week's giveaway winner:

rewind: felt flower tutorial

2011-04-18T09:28:00.004-05:00

Around Valentine's Day, I shared this little felt flower tutorial on Little Birdie Secrets. I thought it merited an encore presentation here on my own blog, because its concept translates so well to pretty much any project! I ended up placing this flower on my vintagey pillow, but it would look equally fab on a headband, brooch, or purse--in felt or fabric form.
Step 1 |
Supplies:

*Felt (I love wool felt, but any sort of felt will do. I choose two different colors to help create more depth.)
*Fabric scissors
*Felt tip pen or fabric marker
*Needle & thread (I choose a slightly lighter color so it would be more visible in photos.)
*Chipboard for flower pattern
*Buttons, if desired

To create the flower pattern, you can either download and print the image, or go ahead and free-hand your own. C'mon you can do it! My flower is approximately 2.5" in diameter

Step 2 |

Trace pattern onto felt, repeat x5
Step 3 |

Cut flowers. Note: I prefer to skip step 2 and to simply hold my pattern on the felt as I cut around. Felt is somewhat stiff and easy to work with, so this works well. You'll also avoid pen marks on your edges.
Steps 4 & 5 |

Lay one flower down as a base. Fold remaining 4 flowers in half and pile on top of one another so that you have four quarters sticking out.
Step 6 |

Double up the thread on your needle and you're ready to sew! Begin at the center and make several stitches until you've caught all 4 quarters. Step 7 |

To help ruffle your rose, peel back some of the inner layers and make additional stitches at center to help sculpt the petals into different, more upright directions. Note: If this seems too abstract or confusing--don't fret, you can skip this step also!
Step 8 |

You've got a finished rose! The plain look is very sophisticated, however if you wish to add a button...
Step 9 |

Continue using the same strand of thread to sew a fancy button of your choice to the center.
Ta-da! Now that you've rocked the ruffled rose, go crazy and experiment with different fabrics, sizes, and functions!

**Don't forget, the latest giveaway ends tomorrow!!

a rainbow cake!

2011-04-15T16:54:00.006-05:00

Just wanted to share a few images of the rainbow cake I made last weekend. I actually made 2--one for G's birthday party and a second for some spring photo mini sessions we did. I believe that children always photograph better when incentivized with sugar, so I put together this simple dessert table for all of our little clients at the studio. It was super fun!There are tons of different rainbow cakes out there, so I won't launch into any secret recipes, but I will share a few tricks!
*I used 2 vanilla box cake mixes. You could surely use one, but I messed up a couple of the layers when pulling them out of their pans. (The more thin layers you can make, the better!)
*I mixed 5-8 drops of food coloring in each layer to achieve these pastel hues
*Place parchment paper at the bottom of your cake pans to pull the cakes out easier.
*After each cake has cooled from the oven, cling wrap and freeze them before frosting. They are much sturdier this way!
*There are lots of layers in this cake and therefore it requires lots of frosting!! To prevent it from becoming overly sweet, I used the easiest cream cheese frosting recipe ever:

2 sticks of butter (softened)
2 sticks of cream cheese (softened)
whip together in a mixer until blended
continue to add powdered sugar until it reaches your desired sweetness & spreading consistency!

Thank you all so very much for your input on the children and the internet controversy. You all had such insightful things to say and I really appreciate your honesty!! I think every blogger (and probably every modern person) struggles with where to draw the line online to some extent. I've decided that at the end of the day, you just have to do your thing. Do what you love and do it with common sense. There's definitely bad stuff in the world--but also a lot of amazingness that you will miss out on if you spend your days fearing the unknown.

Don't miss the splendid giveaway going on & Happy weekending!

drawing the line: privacy v. publicity

2011-04-13T13:38:00.009-05:00

Once upon a bright & perfect afternoon, I took a little jaunt with my friend Kayt to 50th & France (a favorite local shopping area). We hit a few old favorites and new-to-us stores and even stopped for a cupcake break. But when it comes to an afternoon shopping stroll, there is seriously nothing better than a trip to Anthropologie to refresh my creative spirits and really get my heart pumping. I brought home these a-mazing party pencils 1) for their bright + beautiful colors 2) for their polka-dots but 3) mostly for their crazy pom-pom ends. Can't decide if I should share the love, passing them out one by one or just hoard them all in a pretty container on my desk...

Also, I just wanted to gush a little about something that's been on my mind this week: The age old debate of internet privacy v. publicity.

I know it's a heavy, heated topic, but I really want you to weigh in.

A little background: Last week my sweet friend Bethany confided in me about a sticky situation she encountered in which a reader assumed too much and sent her a pretty judgmental (and hurtful) email. Today, with her plight still on my mind, the parents at G's playschool were discussing the topic of children & social media. They all seemed to be in agreement that status updates involving your kids have no place on facebook, that their faces/names should never appear on blogs, and one mom even expressed concern over photos in a password protected snapfish/shutterfly account. Yikes. You can bet your bottom dollar that I made no mention of this blog I write where 100s of people look at 100s of photos of Graham every day...

The thing is, I've never been burned. In fact, I would consider social media to be a blessing in my life. Yes, I've received the occasional insensitive comment around here, but 99.9% of this blog has brought forth only good things. I've made amazing online connections and I thrive on your friendships and encouraging words. Plus with the help of facebook and a little kick from twitter, we've managed to build a photography business that helps us pay our bills with little to no paid advertising.

I realize that many of you who read this have blogs of your own, where you share heartwarming stories + photos of your kiddos everyday, so maybe I am just preaching to the choir. I realize that as Graham gets older I will need to be more mindful of what I write about him, but for now I simply can't help but share the joy he is in my life and to write about some of the memories we make as a family.

Up until today, I perceived greater risk in walking out the front door, taking Graham's hand and crossing our street than posting photos of him online for fear of some unknown stalker/kidnapper. (Btw, if the stalker/kidnapper is reading this, I'll tell you right now that you don't want him. He wakes up too early, he whines a lot, and he's not even potty trained.)

I know I'm not the only one who struggles with these things. Are some people just out of touch? Am I just foolish? Where do you draw the line?