family, woodworking, photography, K-pop
We’re still under the weather around here but thankfully I think I’m starting to feel a little better.
I just wanted to hop on and give the head’s up that Amy Ruppel is going to be on Tiny Showcase tonight.
I love her work and can’t wait to see the the print they’re going to release. Only 100 copies will be sold and at $20 a pop they’re going to go fast.
Check it out at 5:30 pm today Utah time.
I love the illustrations on Olliegraphic‘s line of customizable dishes, pillows, growth charts, etc… I think the characters you can create using the different mix-and-match options are very cute in a sweetly retro way. I’ve been thinking about getting E a custom plate for his birthday or Christmas but they were priced a bit more than I wanted to pay.
So last week when I saw a pay-$10-get-$20 voucher on sale at Zulily I snapped that baby up. Do yo shop at Zulily? Lately I’ve become somewhat addicted to checking their sales. The deals aren’t always that great but occasionally they’re fantastic. If you’d like, sign up using this link and I’ll get a kick-back when you make your first purchase.
I am really trying (and so far have a mixed track record) to keep up on birthdays this year AND I even have vague ambitions of putting together my Christmas gifts a little at a time throughout the year. (Live the dream!)
Thank you for the well-wishes and kind comments!
We are on the mend. Mimi is feeling better and I’m starting to relax about her breathing (or the possible lack thereof). One of the things that has helped quite a bit is the Nosefrida*,
It sounds disgusting (both figuratively and literally) but it really is effective. And (very importantly!) there’s a replaceable foam filter in the middle to stop the snot so it doesn’t get into your mouth. I really prefer it to the blue bulb syringe you get at the hospital. I like being able to apply a long pull of suction instead of sticking the bulb syringe in and out of Mimi’s nose repeatedly which freaks her out, can make her little nose bleed, and doesn’t get as much mucus out.
I bought the Nosefrida on a whim before Mimi was born and I am so glad that I already had it when we came home from the hospital. In fact I’m so enamored of it that I might buy a couple for baby gifts. It’s not a very cute gift to receive but I’m pretty sure they’ll thank me later.
*That’s an Amazon Affiliate link
I like Star Wars but I’m a pretty casual fan as these things go. I need to sit down and watch the original trilogy again because when the subject comes up my knowledge is pretty lacking.
I think it’s fun when kids are into Star Wars and I’m looking forward to seeing if E will be into the movies when he’s older. If you have a Star Wars-loving kid/adult in your life they’ll probably think these things are several kinds of awesome.
An awesome Jedi Quiet BookI’m tempted to try and make the quiet book as a Christmas present for E. But E’s really into superheros right now and still clueless about Star Wars so I want to make him a superhero cape and mask for Christmas.
But I might just buy this pattern and stash it for later. It’s just so darn awesome. You can get a kit that comes with supplies or just the PDF version of the pattern. Julie has more pictures of the book up on her blog here and here.
So is anyone making any presents/crafts this year? Except for the cape/mask set for E my crafty Christmas goals are limited to a few felt tree ornaments. I’m trying to keep my expectations reasonable since I have several projects to do around the house to prepare for the baby.
So this is the phone I’ve been using for the past three or so years:
Yeah, she’s a stunner, isn’t she? Years ago when my previous phone died before my contract would pay for a new phone I went to Target and bought this $15 phone and put my sim card in it. It worked fine to make calls but I kind of wanted something with a bit more to offer. But I couldn’t really justify buying a new phone when I already had a working phone so I set of goal that I would get a smart phone when I lost 20 lbs.
I got pretty close to my goal but never quite reached it. And after a while I kind of got attached to my ghetto phone. It survived being dropped several times and even came back to life after a soda exploded in my bag and soaked it. It was the trusty little ugly phone that could.
But after a while decided to focus again on losing weight. Just as I was getting serious again and looking forward to getting a new phone I got pregnant. I knew that it would be well near impossible/unhealthy to try and lose a significant amount of weight while pregnant so I changed my goal to exercising at least twice a week for 45 minutes until we went to Korea.
And I did it! It was hard at times but I stuck with it. After we got back from Korea things were so busy and I was paralyzed with indecision (seriously, the number of options is insane!) so I put off phone shopping. But this weekend I finally finished waffling over different carriers and phones and got a brand spanking new smart phone. And it is awesome (in no small part because I feel good about meeting my goal).
(On an unrelated note, this guy got a bit jealous of me taking pictures of my old phone this morning and insisted that I take his photo. So here is E enjoying his breakfast.)
How is it that I’m both eager to get into the Christmas season and already vaguely panicky that I’m running out of time?
I received an Amazon gift certificate recently and I used it to go on a mini Christmas-themed spree. I picked up these two things to help me get into the swing of Christmas.
This Sufjan Stevens box set, Songs for Christmas
And I’ve been really enjoying flipping through this book, Fa la la la Felt
*FYI, these are Amazon affiliate links which means that if you purchase something through them I get a small percentage.
Growing up I was kind of a nerd. I was more into books and photography than make-up or fashion and as a result I sometimes feel like I’m still a bit behind the curve when it comes to girly things.
But I’ve been dabbling in makeup more lately. Maybe it’s something about turning 30 but I’ve been feeling like trying a bit harder might be in order.
I’ve had my eye on these Tarte cheek stains for over a year and before we went to Korea I finally picked one up in “Tipsy.” It’s more than I normally spend on makeup but I love it! It blends really easily and looks more natural than the powder blush I used to use. It seems to last all day and smells delicious. Also, I can tell that the container is going to last a long time; I’ve been using it frequently for a month and the stick still looks like new.
I had to try on a couple of shades to find one I thought looked natural so I would recommend trying it on in person if you get the chance.
I’ve only ever had one digital camera: the trusty 1st generation Canon EOS Digital Rebel that N surprised me with for Christmas 2004. Before that I shot film.
The digital rebel (and the awesome lens N gave me last Christmas) are usually all I need when I want to take pictures. But sometimes I end up leaving my Rebel at home just because it’s pretty bulky and heavy with the lens attached. It would be nice to have a camera that fit easily in my purse. But there wasn’t really a point-and-shoot camera that seemed worth buying–until now.
I am kind of drooling over the Canon PowerShot S95
Because of all the features it’s pretty pricey for a point-and-shoot camera–enough so that it’s out of my price range. But I think it’s great that someone made a point-and-shoot camera with some dSLR features that you can really dig into.
*These are Amazon Affiliate links.
I know that kids today have probably never played these games, but I still think these wall decals from Urban Outfitters are pretty sweet. They would be fun in a kid’s room.
If these decals have you feeling nostalgic and you have some time to kill (or you want to introduce your kids to the classics) you can play Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers online.
Be careful though–it’s addictive!
I know I’ve been posting about art more than usual lately but I have to tell you about this print by Jen Corace. I really love Jen’s work: we have a couple children’s books she’s illustrated but none of her prints. So I was really excited to see this print she did for Tiny Showcase. It’s bigger than most of TS’s prints (7″x10″) and half of its $30 price goes directly to help with the gulf oil spill which is nice.
Down, Down, Down by Jen CoraceIt’s summery and serene and I think it would look great in my guest bath/laundry room. (Hmm…)
If you’re interested, you’ll need to act quickly. The print run isn’t limited but it closes after tomorrow. More info here.
