JHill Design Studio Opening

Last night Eric and I headed over to South Boston (Fort Point) for JHill Designs' studio opening. It was really exciting to see Jennifer, the talented woman behind JHill Design, and her new work space. I forgot to bring my camera, but I had my blackberry, so I was able to get a few blurry photos. Stupidly, I didn't take one of Jennifer! What was I thinking?

Anyway, it was fun. And there were dogs!

We don't get over to South Boston very often, so I really like going there because the streets seem full of mystery since I don't know what to expect around the next corner.

Q-tips

When Eric and I moved in together two years ago, I bought a q-tip jar. I'd always wanted one, because all the beautifully styled bathrooms in magazines seem to have them.

When it's time to refill the jar, I take my time aligning the q-tips so they fit in just right. Maybe it's obsessive, but I love the result.

My own glass q-tip jar. Sigh. :)

*Check out today's Lost In Thoughts!

A New Vase

My sister recently went to Alaska. She had a wonderful time and she definitely wants to return at some point. I'm super lucky, because she brought back a beautiful, blue glass vase for me.

Today I made some paper flowers, so the vase wouldn't be so lonesome. I had fun making them, and I was guided by a Zakka Life tutorial (via iDiY). If you want to make your own flowers, don't be afraid to try some variations (I did!). I also added old twisty ties as stems.

Paper Dragon

I woke up this morning and decided to make something with my hands. It was a great way to focus my energy and start the day.

A few years ago I made a paper dragon for my mom (based on a picture I'd seen in a magazine ad, but of my own design). I wanted hers to be good, so I made a practice version first. I never got around to making a nicer one for myself, so that was this morning's project.

I chose yellow and gold to cheer myself up. My happy little dragon.

Don't forget to check out yesteday's Lost In Thoughts (if you missed it) and the new Bon Voyage card over at Everything Little Miss.

★ Happy Friday, happy weekend, and happy dragons! ★

Newspaper Baskets

A few weeks ago I was inspired to make a basket out of old newspapers. I got a little carried away, and decided to try to make nesting baskets. It was successful, and I gave the first set to my sister as a birthday gift.

My mom liked them too, so yesterday I made these for her. I worked much faster this time around, because I had a good system. I used some glue to hold the first four strips of paper together. I also glued a strip around the top of each to finish them off nicely. Binder clips are my friends. The Wall Street Journal was my newspaper of choice, but I think any would work. These baskets are surprisingly sturdy, too. There's a tutorial here, if you're interested.

Happy weaving and happy weekend. Enjoy the sun!

Giveaway, Fenway, & Last Day

I've got 3 completely unrelated topics to cover today.

ONE

The first is a fun Everything Little Miss giveaway over at Carrots 'N' Cake. It's easy to enter, and 2 winners will be picked tonight. Just visit Tina's post and follow the simple rules of the game! Each winner will get a set of the apples cards and a garbanzo bean card (9 cards total).

TWO

Look at this cute light switch cover my mom got for us.

I put it up yesterday morning. It's perfect for our bathroom light, because nobody can ever find the switch. I'm hoping this will help draw attention to it so guests won't be so confused. (Thanks mom!)

THREE

Today is Eric's last day at Salary.com. July will be a bit of a summer vacation for both of us. It's good for him to take this time off, because by all accounts HBS is very intense. He starts in mid-August, which is creeping up on us very quickly!

Eric, congratulations! You've had 3 successful years at your job and you have 2 exciting years (and the rest of your life) ahead of you. I'm so proud!

Make A Wish

I posted a new card on Etsy today.

I made this one because I always tell people to make a wish when their birthday rolls around. I'm a big wish-maker. I believe they come true. You just have to know what to wish for, that's all.

When you're not blowing out birthday candles, there are still a few occassions fitting for wish making. When all of the numbers on the clock are the same (ex: 3:33), make a wish. If you see a shooting star, wish away. Should an eyelash fall out, place it on your finger and wish as blow it it away.

There's also a famous poem about wishing.

Star light,
Star bright,
First star
I see tonight

Wish I may,
Wish I might,
Have this wish
I wish tonight.

★Happy wishing! ★

Healthy Eating

I've been eating out more than usual, so I'm being extra careful about my meals this week. It helps that I recently discovered the blog Carrots 'n' Cake (I actually know the author!), which is definitely inspiring me to be healthy. I've also found that I'm more dedicated to healthy eating and exercise when I keep track of what I eat and how much I exercise. Taking the time to document makes me think twice about everything -and that's good. Soooo, I started a free account with Fit Day.

This is what I've had for lunch the past two days.
Cottage cheese, 1 slice of turkey, 2 thin slices of American cheese, 1/2 an avocade, and 1/2 a grapefruit. There are so many different things that it's really satisfying, but it's also healthy.

Tonight we had portobello mushroom burgers, and they were so, so, sooooooo delicious! It was the first time I ever made them, and I was really pleased with the result. We topped them with cheese, avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce, mustard, and ketchup - no buns. I also made my first (very simple) cole slaw: red cabbage, shredded carrots, mayo, and apple cidar vinegar.

Okay, enough about food! What else have I been doing? Well this morning I lined envelopes and wrote up a tutorial over on Everything Little Miss. I've also been designing cards like mad. I'm just about done with 3 or 4 new designs. I'm really excited!

In other news, today is Sara and Marcel's 2 year anniversary! Want to know how he proposed? Sara wrote all about it today! Happy anniversary!

What have you been eating? Has the summer weather (non-existent today) inspired you to get healthy? I really and truly want to know!

Arts Festival & Friends

How was your weekend? Ours was lovely and delightfully sunny. We spent a lot of time outside; it doesn't get much better than that!

On Saturday morning we headed over the the Arts Festival in Coolidge Corner. I like going to these things to see the way people display their products and to check out prices. I'm investigating because one day I'll be showing Everything Little Miss at places like this!

I also like going to see Jennifer Hill's booth. I can always spot Jennifer from a mile away because of her gorgeous reds and distinctive designs. We worked together at my last job, and she's been full of encouragement for quite some time now. I love her work, and it's nice to be able to see it in person. Anyway, the picture is of her booth. She's in the yellow sweater and her sister is helping her.

We spent Saturday afternoon in Harvard with Eric's parents. Then we headed to The Barking Crab to meet up with friends. Since we arrived pretty late, we weren't there long before the group decided to go to Lucky's, which was about a block away. It great to catch up with our friends and we had a lot of fun!

Yesterday we had lunch with some new friends. We met them at the HBS Admitted Students Welcome, and they were here yesterday picking up the keys to their new apartment. After taking a look at there new place we walked to Harvard Square and got sandwhiches to go at Leo's Place. We ate outside, and there was live musical entertainment in the background. Everything felt very summery. We had a really great time, and I'm looking forward to all of our new friends moving to the area!

The Special Delivery

Yesterday I promised I'd tell you all about my special delivery. I'm here today to fulfill that promise!

Last week I visited a stationary store in downtown Boston, and I spoke with the owner. I told her about Everything Little Miss and asked if she'd look at my stuff. She said I could bring some samples in on Wednesday or Thursday of this week. So I spent a lot of time getting my cards ready and finalizing the packaging, and I headed over to Rugg Road Paper Company on the 3rd. When I arrived, the owner was speaking with a sales rep, and I ended up waiting for about an hour. With each passing minute I grew more nervous! Finally she had a moment to meet with me, and she was really kind and positive about my designs. And guess what! She decided to make a purchase! She selected 6 different cards designs. I'm feeling more confident about my creations and I'm over the moon!

It was exactly what I wanted to happen, but I couldn't believe it. I practically ran out of the store to call my mom and dad and Eric. I managed to get everything packaged up by yesterday afternoon, and Eric drove me over to deliver the goods when he got home from work. 

So it's official, you can now get cards by Everything Little Miss in downtown Boston! How incredibly cool is that? Wanna check them out in real life? 

Rugg Road Paper Company

105 Charles Street

Boston, MA 02114

I also wrote about this on the Everything Little Miss blog. Happy weekend! I'll be smiling the whole time!

Cool Bike Rack

I saw this cool bike rack in Boston the other day. I wish I had a bike. I don't know where I'd keep it though. And I'm actually terrified of riding around the city. There's so much traffic. 

When I was home for Memorial Day Weekend I rode bikes with my brother. I borrowed his bike and he used our mom's, because hers is too big for me. We just rode up and down our street (it's a dead end with very little traffic). It was SO FUN. That's what riding bikes is all about for me. Just going back and forth and having a good time. It's not about exercising or dodging cars. 

Anyway, I had a big day today. I'm grinning from ear to ear. I'll give you the details soon, I promise! 

Chilly Weekend

On Saturday, Eric and I went to the SoWa Open Market in Boston. I wanted to go for two reasons. 1) My friend, Jennifer Hill, had a tent and I knew she'd be showing her beautiful new animal alphabet prints, and 2) I wanted to check it out because one day I want to have a tent at markets like this! We didn't end up staying too long because it was see-your-breath-cold and seriously foggy! 

I stupidly forgot to take a picture of Jennifer in her cute little tent, but it was really fun to see her there. We wandered around and looked at the things people had to offer. Vintage clothes, magnets, photos, maps, pastries, pens, clocks, antiques - there was quite a selection. Just down the street there was also a nice looking farmer's market. We ended up eating a late lunch downtown. 

Sunday we spent way too much money. We bought a Dyson (not at full price, but still). Yikes! It was totally worth it though. The vacuum we had was an abomination. I'm telling you, it didn't do anything. We decided on this particular vacuum because it looked small enough to fit in our tiny broom closet (it does! it's amazing!) and powerful enough to actually clean our carpets. There were some other small vacuums that cost less (not much less), but they seemed too expensive for their features. Hahahaha, I can't believe how much I just wrote about a vacuum, but I'm pretty excited. I think this will really help with our dust problem. The rug looks amazing!
 

Friends & Pizza

Sara and Marcel are coming over for dinner in just a little bit, and I'm so excited. We're ordering pizza, and I made oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert. I'm looking forward to catching up. Sara and I used to work together and see each other every single day. Now I get my daily dose of Sara by reading her blog, emailing, and following her on Twitter. Oh my goodness! I just remembered she's bringing my birthday present! Whoo hooo! I love presents. Who doesn't? :) 

The picture above is the only picture I took at their wedding (nearly 2 years ago now!). That's my bridesmaid bouquet in the foreground. Don't worry, Eric took a number of really gorgeous photos.

Sara's doing an awesome GIVEAWAY on her blog, and she's picking up the loot tonight. She's selected the Oxalis folded card set (pictured below) from my Everything Little Miss Etsy Shop. Head over to Sara's blog to enter the contest!

New Layout

Hey Everybody, 

Perhaps you've noticed that something looks different. This morning we switched over to a 3 column layout and updated the header. Hope you enjoy the new look!

Sincerely,

The Management

A Little Bird Without A Name

I love, love, love this little bird! My dad found it (marked down to $2!) in a bin in the Old Navy fitting rooms. While we were waiting for my sister to try on some clothes, I took a picture of it sitting on a pile of soccer balls. And then I got in trouble. Ooops. The fitting room attendant told me that customers are not allowed to take pictures inside the store and that if his boss saw me she'd yell at me and make me erase the photos. How would I ever know that? As far as I could tell there wasn't anything posted about the "no photos" rule! Even so, I turned bright red and felt really guilty.

My dad ended up buying the little bird for me (and a really cute tote). It always looks like it's waving at me! Any suggestions for names? 

Wrapping Paper

I bought this wrapping paper at Target in December, because it's not Hanukkah-y or Christmas-y and it's really interesting. The other day I had this scrap sitting on the table, and when the sunlight hit it I was reminded how much I love this paper. I saved the scraps - it's that awesome! Added bonus: the black design is fuzzy, like a fuzzy poster. 

Business Cards Are In

Oh! I am just about jumping for joy because my new business cards just arrived! See more photos at Everything Little Miss.

Little Miss

Remember that project I mentioned awhile ago? Well, here are the results! It's the doll from the header of Everything Little Miss. Isn't she sweet?

After I posted about my project, it was put on hold because I was getting frustrated. But this weekend my mom visited and gave me the motivation (and a little sewing help) that I needed to finish this project. I spent all day yesteday -- seriously, like 8 hours -- adding the hair and face, and making the dress and shoes. My fingers still hurt from playing tug-of-war with the needle, but it's so worth it. I'm really proud of myself, and she looks a lot like my drawing. 

Everything Little Miss

Here it is: Everything Little Miss! This is what I've been working on since I was laid off. It's not a company yet, but one day it will be. My very own. Eventually I'll switch over to a custom URL and site design. This is just to get me out there, so I can start branding and getting people excited (people like you!). 

You're probably wondering what I'll be offering. Stationary, business card design, note cards, stationary, prints - things like that. Check out my valentines here.

I haven't uploaded everything I'm working on, but you get the idea. I'll keep adding as I create more. Add everything little miss to your blog reader! 

Trying Something New

Well this is a first. I bought anchovies! Can you believe it? I wanted to try this new recipe I found in a Martha Stewart magazine, and it called for one can of these ugly little fish. It's still in the oven, so I'm hoping it's as delicious as it looked in the magazine. There were only two brands to choose from, so I grabbed these because they're flat (as opposed to rolled). 

It's funny because The Schwarz and I were just talking about anchovies yesterday. I was telling him that I'd never tried them, but that I wanted to buy some because the cans are so interesting. He's had them, because his cousin used to eat them right out of the can when she was little (I don't know if she's still a fan, I'll have to ask her). 

More importantly, happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. His birthday was the 15th, but he is honored on the third Monday in January. He would have been 80 this year. I hope you took some time today to reflect on the positive impact he had on our country. You can read a short biography of MLK on the Nobel Prize website.

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent." 

-Martin Luther King, Jr.