Birthday Wishes

This weekend, this handsome boy turns 8!!  I can hardly believe what an awesome little person he is turning out to be.  He's developing athletic skills like it's second nature and is creative to boot( he constructed wallets out of multi-colored duct tape for all the guys in the family for Christmas gifts). That'a boy!! But the thing that melts my heart the most about my special nephew Sam, is the way he cuddles up next to me on the couch. There's almost nothing like it, I'm telling you!  Happy Birthday Sam, may you continue to nurture you talents and spread your fun loving energy.

Current State of Mind

Tonight as I was powering through my treadmill run at the gym, I got to thinking about all the positive reinforcements I have in place to motivate me to get to the gym after a long day of work.  To start, I created an ipod playlist called WORK FOR IT (yes, I'm screaming to myself by putting it in caps :)  Here are just a few motivating lines from some of the songs that are on this playlist and here is where I go to be inspired by another fellow runner and all around awesomely creative talent.  What songs get you off the couch and  motivate you to move during these cold winter days? I'd love to know!

                                                                 

Telepopmusik- Breathe

"Another day.........just breathe".

Seal-Crazy

"But we're never gonna survive unless we get a

little crazy".

 Joy Williams- New Day

" Another chance, another try

open your eyes, cause the sun is

about to shine, it's a new day!"

Loving: Hand drawn Valentines

Today I'm loving these super cute and personal hand drawn Valentines by Two Brunettes.  Aren't they so adorable! How great would it be to send these out!  But if it's not in the budget they also have a printable download that you can print for free!  To download click here.  Ahhh love...it's in the air and soon to be on paper :)

Images by Two Brunettes

Chicago Street Photographer Exhibit

My photographer friend at work sent me this link and I just couldn't wait to share it.  Vivian Maier who worked as a nanny in Chicago and the North Shore for most of her career is now being compared to Evan Walkers for all her street photographs she captured in the 50's-early 70's.  It's a crazy story that you must go and see this video to get all the details, but to sum it up over 100,000 negatives and more than 3,000 prints of her work were discovered in an estate auction shortly before her death in 2009. Some of those  prints are currently being exhibited at the Chicago Cultural Center until April of this year and it's free to go and check out! I am personally not a big fan of street photography but her work just blows my mind! I can't to go see these in person.  Have a great weekend, stay warm & toasty!!

Lovely Freebie Textures

If your longing for sunshine and blue skies like I am today, then maybe this lovely collection of free textures by Lost & Taken will give you a little jolt of happiness, if not only for a few moments :) 
Take a peek through there texture gallery, I bet you'll look through every category like I just did. If your looking to spice up your blog background, header or button Lost & Taken textures are available for use for both personal and commercial projects including web templates and designs. Donations to the site are not required but greatly appreciated. Here are just some of my favorites.... hmmm so many possibliltes!

 Bokeh

Motion Blur

 Wood

Experimental

Happy Friday

 Photos by Jennifer Squires

Hello!  Let's hear it for the weekend!!  Woot woot :) Work has been crazy this week, but fun.  New photo stylists in the studio have brought much needed energy to our small photo group.  How has your week been? Do you feel this sense of renewal because of the new year?  I'm sure feeling it. My thoughts this week have been full of hope and possibilites. Whatever your weekend may bring, I hope you find time to unplug, recharge and focus on being the best possible you!  

Surprise Birthday Decor

My big sis is turning the big 3-0 this Saturday.  And to celebrate her big day she and her husband are throwing it at her favorite sushi restaurant, Tank Sushi in the city!  It's a really quaint, fun atmosphere located in Logan Square.  And as a surprise to her I wanted to decorate the room that they have reserved for dinner.  I called the restaurant this morning and they said it would be fine to come in early to decorate the room.  So I have lots to do this week!!  I've put together an inspiration board for the party and will use this as a guide.  I love the pink and yellow color pallette!  I can't wait to get started!  And I can't wait to see her smile when she walks in! Wish me luck :)

 

Photos by Creature Comforts and Martha Stewart

Mac App Store!

The long awaited Mac app store is open and stocked with awesome apps for your Mac!  If you are one of those people (like me) still without an iphone, and have started to feel left out by all the others who have these great apps on their phones, then check out the new store.  I still won't be able to take them with me when I'm not at home, but at least I can have some cleaver apps to look forward to!  Here are a few of my favorite ones.  Happy Friday to you!

 Compartments App- Take inventory/organize your stuff

 rubiTrack App- Exercise Journal/Tracker

Sketchbook Pro- Digital Sketchpad

Fearless Creativity

Print by lilco press

Hello and a very happy Thursday to you all!  I can across this inspirational article on Etsy about how to overcome the roadblocks of fear when it comes to creating for yourself or to sell.  I am my worst critic when it comes to critiquing my own work but I've learned that most of my best ideas happen in the most organic ways. And when I come up with an idea I give it time to rest and then come back to it a few days later and make any changes.  But this is a good article on ways to push yourself through the doubtful creative times.

Welcoming a New Year

It's so exciting to return to the blogging world after being off line for the holidays.  I especially look forward to reading about fellow bloggers plans for the new year and what they hope to accomplish in the coming months.  I too have had time to think about what I want to really focus my efforts on in 2011 and I'm excited to announce that I am in the works of developing a new online shop.  I'm a little hesitant to talk in detail about this new endeavor, however I am excited to have already started creating some inventory and brainstorming ideas for more.

I can tell you that my new shop will feature decor for the home and other little knacks that make a home feel cozy and lived in.  The shop will feature a combination of paper crafts, sewing projects, and art that is easy on the environment and have a unique handmade aesthetic to each piece.

I can't wait to share more...but for now I can share with you the space and place where most of my creations have begone to take shape.  Small you say?  Yep!  It's my craft closet and one of the first "rooms" that I decorated when we first moved into the coach house.  It's small yet holds all of my craft supplies including my sewing machine and paper rolls.  My favorite part are the magnetic boards I hung on the inside of the doors to serve as inspiration boards. That and the fact that I can make a mess and at the end of the day close the doors to conceal all the work in progress.
Wish me luck on this huge undertaking!  I'm really excited and motivated to start on something that I am utterly passionate about. And I can't wait to share with you it's progress along the way.

Hooray for new creative challenges and great beginnings to the new year!