design. wash. rinse. repeat.

thirsty?

After feeling like there is nothing to blog about i discovered via a random facebook comment that my latest line for BasicGrey, "Lemonade", released on wednesday. really, i don't know how i'm so out of it sometimes. especially since i have been dying to show people this adorably cute little "bird box" that i developed for the line. i truly cannot wait to get my hands on some actual printed samples!! they'll be perfect as party favors, thank you's, or gifts to let that special someone know how much i love them. 

Everyone at BasicGrey has worked like mad, and as a result these new lines have the biggest build-out of embellishments yet. check out the new woolies: layered felt stickers; pops: layered cardstock stickers; take notes: layered journaling blocks; doilies: intricately cut lace papers; and lastly the aforementioned do me a favor party boxes: unique ready to assemble favor boxes for parties or gifts. You can preview all the new products for Lemonade, and BasicGrey's new June Bug line on their website, plus check out Kelly and Layle's blogs for cool project samples. Prepare to be stunned! (The adorably retro June Bug paper is even double sided, how cool is that!). Hopefully these will all pop up in your local scrapbook store in the coming weeks, as well as become available on Scrapbook.com. (Pre-orders available now at StopAndScrap.com) 

keep calm

i've always loved the British poster from World War II, "Keep Calm and Carry On". For one thing it reminds me of my dear friend Katie, and for another, the mantra actually works (at least for me!). So imagine my delight when strolling by my favorite children's boutique i spied a tiny pink toddler shirt with the classic sentiment prominently hanging in the window. yes dearies, i snatched it up immediately. however it got me to thinking that I certainly could use one too, and a simple online search turned up a plethora of possibilities (even hoodies!). think any of these would fit over an 8 months pregnant belly?

{Dark Blue T: Decorative Things (etsy); Light Blue T: Yes No Maybe; Pink Hoodie: keepcalmandcarryon.com}

loving spring

it's been so long since i posted anything that i'm hoping i still remember how. my conundrum seems to be that whenever there's anything exciting to talk about i'm too busy working to create a post, and when i have all of the time in the world there's nothing much to tell. the last couple of months have been a bit of both... plus some pregnancy induced exhaustion mixed in (6 more weeks. ick. hope i make it.). but these quick snapshots of my girls enjoying a cool spring day in our back yard make me happy, so i thought i'd share.

winner!

The Random winner of the $10 in pcPurse money is Martine! thanks so much for all the comments and recipe ideas, it's refreshing to have some unique new ideas. {Martine: email me and i'll hook you up!}

freebie: recipe card

I've been so busy working on fun new projects for BasicGrey that i almost completely forgot i have a digital scrapbooking kit releasing on pcLayers TODAY! This new kit, Bon Appetit, has a cooking theme, and there are lots of elements (like section tabs and recipe cards) that could be used to easily create your very own cookbook. Perfect for upcoming Mother's Day gifts! and for an even easier project the super amazing Aly designed the fabulous Quick Page above, available in the pcLayers store for just $0.95! gotta love a bargain. 

Speaking of recipes, one of my goals for 2009 is to be better about cooking dinner (as much as we LOVECafe Rio, one can only eat there so often!). so i need some yummy dinner solutions. leave a comment with your favorite home-cooked meal idea and on friday the 20th i'll pick a random winner to receive $10 of pcPurse money to spend however you'd like! Meanwhile, download and enjoy this freebie Recipe Card that co-ordinates perfectly with the Bon Appetit digital kit. cheers!

Q/A with Cath

Today, the lovely Cath (from Paper Crafts Magazine) kindly featured me in the "Ask Around" feature on her fantastic "Moxie Fab World" blog. We discuss trends in particular and what inspires me as an artist, so if you're interested head on over for a visit! BasicGrey has even generously donated 2 sets of both the Eva line and the new Porcelain line, so at least 4 random commenters will receive killer prizes! I'm totally flattered that Cath thinks highly enough of me that she asked me to participate. i respect her immensely and on top of that she's a great friend. Although i could seriously have done without the massively HUGE headshot she posted! yipes!! (i hate photos of myself, therefore the lack of them on this here blog... i'd much prefer an adorable photo of my sweet girls! as would everyone else, i'm sure.)

freebie fortune

i still get nice comments from reader's who've recently discovered last year's Valentine's freebie, which is so much fun. But it's kindof hard to top that! so this year i thought i'd create something a bit more quick and easy for those of us last minute givers. This fortune cookie project is just the ticket. A simple circle of patterned paper, adhesive, and a message are all that is needed to create a unique gift for your loved ones. This download includes 4 patterned circles—which conveniently co-ordinate with "Rapture", my Valentine's themed line now available on pcLayers!—and 10 quotations, but you could also easily use your own patterned paper and create your own personalized sentiments. I printed a bright red on the reverse side of the pattern for a nice surprise of color on the interior of the "cookie". 

For a complete package, pick up a chinese take-out box container from your local craft or paper store and fill with your fortune cookies and a favorite treat. quick, easy, voila! 

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new BasicGrey winner!

Thanks to all who left comments about CHA and the new Porcelain product line. I'm completely flattered by all the enthusiastic messages that were made, many of which were so incredibly thoughtful that i am truly touched. The handy random number generator selected comment 12 as the winner of the "Porcelain" giveaway! here is what the winner had to say:

"So pretty. I love the soft colors. This is a beautiful kit!" {debbie b}

congratulations Debbie! email me with your mailing address and i'll drop some goodies in the mail.

new BasicGrey!

CHA Winter is finally underway in Anaheim! All the top companies in the crafting industry will be unveiling their new products for retailers, which means that as of today you can check out the BasicGrey website to see all of their fresh new goodies coming to a store near you! As always the BG lines are phenomenal, and i feel so lucky to get to work with such an amazing company. The line I worked on this time around is titled Porcelain, and my inspiration was heavy on the vintage... lace, birdcages, roses, brocades, and um, yes, my collection of porcelain tea cups of course! But i wanted to execute the look in a new way, so i ditched the computer and went back to my roots, cracking open the watercolors and a few paintbrushes. i love the unique organic effect that watercolor brings to the line, but making the watercolor work together with the patterns was a serious labor of love, so my fingers are crossed that everyone will enjoy the final result. either way, i feel lucky to have a job that lets me express my creativity so freely. 

What do you think of this new line, or any of the new BG offerings for that matter? drop me a note, i'd love to hear your thoughts, and on Feb 6th i'll pick one lucky RANDOM WINNER to receive a bit of BasicGrey Porcelain products! 

Flights have gotten so cheap that i've decided last minute to fly out to the show! Can't wait to hug my pcL girls, my PaperCrafts peeps, and of course the lovelies from BasicGrey. And the best part is T and the girls will be coming later in the week to join me for some quality time at the happiest place on earth (aka Disneyland!), AND we get to see my brother and his cute family who recently moved to San Diego. pray for sunny days!

so ready for this

Tonight marks the Season 2 debut of one of our favorite TV shows ever: Flight of the Conchords! It's been on hiatus for over a year, and both T and i have eagerly anticipated it's return to HBO. The show is about two kooky kiwis, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, who make up New Zealand's "4th most popular folk parody duo". They've moved to New York in hopes of hitting it big, but have yet to achieve much more than the undying devotion of one OBSESSED fan (played by the super fantastic Kristen Schaal).The deadpan dialog and inspired musical numbers are priceless. If you haven't seen them before you can find loads of hilarious clips on YouTube (one of my personal favorites is "Hiphopapotamus vs. Rhymenoceros"), plus you can watch the entire 1st episode of Season 2 on the HBO website!

But what cracks me up even more is how much my husband T vaguely resembles Jemaine in both appearance and extremely laid back attitude. Random strangers stop us on a regular basis to ask if we've seen the show, because they can't believe how similar they look. And if that wasn't enough, when our 3 year old saw a bit of an episode on TV she turned and asked "why is papa on TV?" 

so, what do you think? The top 3 photos in the below montage are Jemaine, and the 5 below are of T. (since T doesn't see the resembles i'm sure he will be absolutely thrilled to see this post! ha ha).