SHOP UPDATE AUG 30TH

I'm slowly recovering from this yucky head cold we all caught this past weekend. It started with Tyler, then to me, now to dad. Oy. It started out so innocently with a runny nose and has since turned into a full blown, body aching, nonstop sneezing cold. And of course this couldn't have come at the worst time but I suppose it's never a good time to come down with a bad cold is it?

Well, no matter how I'm feeling tomorrow, I will put on my happy face because we're heading out to the fair and I'm pretty excited about it. It's literally the same booths/events/food every year but now that we have Tyler, it's all new again. I'm pretty sure he'll love the animals the most but this year we get to do some kiddie rides. Pretty stoked about that.

Onto to the shop update news. I had hoped to have the Life.Love.Paper shop stocked by today but that wasn't going to happen. I thought about just throwing up the stamps but I'd really love to have more of a complete update so please bare with me as I pick myself up  from a sea of wadded up Kleenex and Ricola wrappers. I may also have a new digital release as well!

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Happy Monday! xot

weekend to dos

Hey! Just wanted to pop in to wish you all a happy weekend and jot down a few weekend to dos. Helps me get things done when they're printed out on my blog. This worked extremely well for me a few weekends ago. :)

*Finish editing my most recent Senior session. *Possibly attend birthday party.(pending sick toddler) *Get the digital shop ready for the September release!(love the cut files this month) *Finish a mini book I created with Central High. *Screen Print new designs.(oversized Ampersand + gold paint on chipboard = new obsession) *Update the Life.Love.Paper shop.(everything is just about sold out!) *Plan weekly menu, add new recipes. *Clean out closet, possibly buy a few items for fall. *Take Tyler to new park to watch dad shoot a few hoops.(pending sick dad) *Plan for numerous upcoming birthdays. *Handwrite a letter to my grandpa. *Get excited about Tyler's second fair visit!

Enjoy the weekend! xot

weekend salad

This salad is in my top 3 favorite salads of all time. You have to be a fan of blue cheese, which is something I didn't like until I was in my late twenties. And that's what makes this so good....lot's of blue cheese.

I got the idea from what used to be a favorite local restaurant of mine (Glacier Brewhouse) until I received some pretty sh*tty service a few years back which was unusual but still, I'll never go back. So when I crave their famous blue cheese salad, I make it myself for half the cost.

Here's how I make it.

I buy romain hearts, wash and cut into bite sized pieces. (bagged romain will do just fine) Dry it off well if you wash so the dressing doesn't get all watery. (the worst in my opinion) Dress the lettuce with your favorite blue cheese and be generous. (I like Marie's) Place into a bowl, add some sweet seedless red grapes, a palm full of crumbled blue cheese and candied pecans. Now you can buy candied pecans already made but I always keep raw pecans in my freezer (something I picked up from my grandmother) and candy my own. I just melt a few tablespoons of butter and add a couple spoonfuls of brown sugar. Mix well and add your pecans. I just crush them in my hand. Put it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and bake for maybe 10 mins in a 375 oven. I just wait until I smell the pecans, then I know they're done. Don't burn them! I'm usually in a hurry to eat so I throw the candied pecans in the freezer to let them cool, then top off your salad and enjoy!

It's the combination of sweet and savory that I love. So good. xot.

Weekend to dos

*Make crockpot rotisserie chicken for dinner. Embracing my crockpot more these days.* Watch this a few more times. Love the magic of the night sky. [vimeo 43797471 w=400 h=300]

*Frame this quote and read it often. *I might try the single serve deep dish chocolate chip cookie recipe. That was a mouthful. *I also might go thrifting, if I'm lucky. I'm on the hunt for some new material to screen print on. *Work with Studio Calico's September kit. I'm excited about this one. *Depending on the weather, we may go adventure hunting. *Coffee + cocoa date with my guys. *Give stinky dog a bath. *Work on shop update. (end of week sale!) *Possibly work on Project Life. Possibly. Even if it's planning pockets, it's a step up from being a complete fail. *Watch The Lorax. Again.

Enjoy the weekend. xot

20 months later

Being the mom to a busy toddler is extremely different than being a mom of a newborn. Neither is better or worse, just different. There are several books you read in preparation of becoming a mom, mostly on caring for newborns and scheduling and feedings. No one ever prepared me for parenting a toddler and I have to say part of me was not ready. The words I say the most these days are "Tyler" and "no". I feel he is constantly testing the waters aka me + his father to see how far he can get. And why wouldn't he? He doesn't know any better and that's where extreme patience comes in. (and breathing techniques) Sometimes I find that I have to walk away for a moment, especially after a long day of running and picking up after him. This isn't an everyday occurrence. I'm not the mom of a raving lunatic. I know this is just the norm for our life right now.

I started talking with other moms of toddlers. They confided in me about their tot's not so good ways and I did the same. It was such a relief to know what I felt was normal. Tyler is my sunshine. He can turn a frown upside down in a split second. I've learned a lot from him and myself because he is so much like me personality wise. Maybe that's why I get so frustrated...I'm dealing with a miniature Tina.

There are times I crave solidarity, peace and quiet. Oh do I love a clean quiet house. I never knew how much I loved those 2 things until I had a kid. If I can steal an hour to myself out of the day which is usually nap time, I'm happy. Even happier when the boy wakes up feeling refreshed and ready to give me a work out and a million laughs.

xot

(Everday I love you more and more digital element is from Paislee Press's newest release, Meant To Be)

Homemade tortillas yo.

Don't ask me what spurred the sudden interest of making my own tortillas but it seemed like a good idea since I had forgotten them from my shopping trip the day before and did not want to go back to the store. I repeat, I DID NOT WANT TO GO BACK TO THE STORE. I'm wearing what could be the ugliest sweatpants I own, no make up and hair that could not be tamed. I already had chicken in the crockpot that I had planned on shredding and was craving mexican so homemade it was. I found this pin to a recipe from the Taste of Home site for tortillas that did not require lard. (didn't have any of that either) The ingredients were incredibly simple but it was more time consuming than I had planned. But now I know what I'm doing so the next round should go a little better. One issue I had was that I could not roll out my tortillas in perfect circles. Screw perfect, I just wanted a somewhat traditional shaped tortilla but kept getting misshapen ovals. I swear one looked like the profile of Shrek. They did taste good. That was the important thing.

xot

Spotted

It's been fun spotting my prints and stamps all over Instagram + blogs. I love seeing them go out the door to new homes but seeing them put into action makes what I do that much more awesome. Amy Tan's CHA 2012 booth-

Seriously, having my print in Amy Tan's booth was so cool. I was like a proud parent. :) Only wish I could have seen it in person. (this photo is from Amy's Instagram)

Vee's Project Life

Vee continues to amaze me with her project life. I can see her personality all contained in little plastic pockets. I had commented on her blog that I envied her ability to not only keep up PL but to do it in the most artful way. I love how she incorporated the mini prints into her current week. I'm so honored to be a part of her documentation of life.

Thank you all for you amazing support. I've got a lot of new things on the horizon and I cannot wait to show you.

Have a wonderful weekend. xot

Silver Salmon Fishing

Dad and I set out on a little fishing adventure this week. We took the boat down to Deshka River which is about a 2 hour drive from Anchorage. The day started out on the gloomy/rainy side but the sun peeked out and made for a great day of fishing. I had a great time on the river. It was so peaceful. The repetitive motion of casting and reeling is quite a calming effect on the mind. Then you get a bite and the fun part begins. It was a trip to actually see all the salmon swimming up stream. All in all, it was a great trip having caught 1 Silver and 2 Pinks which we threw back. Apparently Pinks aren't a great fish to eat so those guys were lucky. The Silver, not so much. Dad caught 3 himself but they came home with me. :) Guess what we'll be having for dinner tonight?

xot

work in progress

It's funny when you're the crafty one in the family, you get the task of doing the creative projects for events such as birthday parties. Not a complaint, in fact I'm flattered. Now I get to use my tools and pretty papers for something other than the norm.

My nephew's 4th birthday party is going to be a plane theme. His mom showed me a photo of a cute airplane garland that decorated the table. Easy to me, a little more intricate to her. It's funny to interact with those who are not so inclined creatively. In my minds eye, I'm already planning on how to create the garland as soon as I see the photo. She's just wanting to buy it already made. I take joy in watching my Silhouette cut paper airplanes in no time, where as she would just see it as a chore maybe. I can appreciate this about her though and other friends who don't make things. Not because they can't but they simply don't want to. I just wish I heard this more rather than "I just don't have time".

This project is even more special since it's for this little dude's big birthday bash. I watched him come into this world 4 years ago. I just can't believe that much time has passed already.

Happy weekend, xot

Life.Love.paper shop update

Happy Friday everyone! I just completed a small shop update this afternoon. My new MAKE stamp is now available. You'll receive a free screen printed MAKE tag (shown in the photo below) with the purchase of a MAKE stamp through the end of July. I've also put up some pretty sweet sample bags too.

More items will be added next week. Have a great weekend. xot

Here we go..

Some layouts I created for the Studio Calico CHA booth. I had the pleasure of work with the new Classic Calico and Wonderland collection. I mentioned this before but Classic Calico is always my favorite line to work with. I usually start out with a neutral piece of paper and go from there. The neutrals and patterns in this collection call to me. Wonderland is fun too. It was a bit strange trying to scrap last years Christmas photos but I think I managed ok.

And a couple of layouts for Paislee Press, Up & Away (loooove this digital kit) and Weekender (Liz's cameras are so fun to work with).

Who says boy layouts can't include doily's? Not me. :) xot

Pin to Action//Cheap Korean Beef

I tested this recipe tonight with good results. It is indeed "cheap" like the title suggests using ground beef instead of the ribs or steak I would normally use in this type of recipe.  I love that it calls for ingredients I always have on hand and I'm always on the lookout for a tasty ground beef recipe which personally are very few as I'm not a huge fan of ground beef.It came together quickly and guys devoured it. I served it with some stir-fried carrots and zucinni and added some toasted sesame seeds and of course, sriracha sauce. I held back the red pepper flakes the original recipe called for. I don't think Tyler's quite ready for that kind of spice. Definitly going in the Aszmus recipe book. xot

deadlines shmeadlines

I've been buried under deadlines and projects this week but was able to kick it in high gear and get sh*t done. Feels good. I managed 4 layouts in 48 hours and felt pretty good about them. 3 of which will be in the Studio Calico booth next week. I'll post those soon. Loving the new lines...have you seen the preview? I'm pretty excited to see some of my photography featured in the new Handbook inserts.

Also had the pleasure of doing some custom packaging for Kelly Purkey's new shop launch. I love the geotag stamp she's created. Doing a repeating pattern of geotags and her familiar signature was my inspiration for the screen printed kraft bags and tags. Please contact me at lifelovepaper@gmail.com if you are interested in some custom work for yourself or your shop. I love collaborating!

Getting the ol' blog updated is still on my to do list. Now that I've got some of the deadlines tackled, I should be able to get this mess under control.

Happy Friday! xot

Sometimes you just need to take a day.

Fourth of July, 2012 9:15 pm//home .............................

I spent an entire day with my husband and son and it was awesome. It was the kind of day where being alive and with the ones you love most are the only things that matter in life. We didn't leave the confines of our neighborhood. No shopping or errand running. No driving...well no...we did go out for a couple of lattes and a hot chocolate for the boy *. It was so relaxing. So good.

The house smells of freshly laundered sheets and lavender. The apple crisp still lingering in the air. I could bottle this and sell it, it's heavenly. I love these easy, simple summer holidays. I'm actually glad it was a little gray out. Sorry but I'm that girl. I can't stand the heat, the cool air feels so much better. I also love the sound of the fireworks and laughter in the distance although our dog is a nervous wreck.

This day was fully appreciated and needed. I hope you all had your own fully appreciated day! Happy 4th!

xot

*sidenote-Tyler experienced his first hot chocolate last week. I decided it was time for a step up in the treat department. Seeing his baby hands holding a mini to go coffee cup filled with lukewarm cocoa was the highlight of my week. #parenthood #proudtoddlermommy #mymomisadork

*photo- UGMONK. I've fallen in love with a few screen print artists, Ugmonk being one of them. Combine that some pretty rad photos and you've had me at hello. I absolutely love this photograph. It's beautiful and appropriate for my today.

Last Call Winner

Please email me at lifelovepaper@gmail.com to claim your prize! (a just realized readers cannot see the date and time. apologies as I see there are a few jenny's. the winners blog is...http://jennymiralambert.blogspot.com/)
Thanks everyone for your comments! It was nice reading about your favorite summer events and traditions. Can you believe it's July 1st?! Nuts. I wish we could just slow it down a bit. Summer is going by entirely too fast. And now the school supplies are up at Target. That would annoy me if I were a kid. Still, I had to stroll the aisles to check out the new binders and pencils all displayed neatly in rows. (geek) Happy to report that nothing school supply related made it in the basket. Neither did the cool chevron patterned pillow or the million other uber cool designed items Target stocks.  I actually walked out of there with the few necessities written on my post it. Kind of proud of myself. :)

Last Call + a giveaway

The Last Call section is full of good things today! Kind of sad to see Take Note and Abroad go. Now's your chance to stock up!

To say farewell, the dt is giving away some select items. I will be giving away the wood veneer frames (used in the layout above) and the wood veneer state frames. I will choose 1 winner for both items Sunday night and will post here on Monday. Leave me a quick comment on this post. I want to know your favorite summer time tradition!

Good Luck!

Studio Calico//Elmwood Park

I decided to start posting layouts as is for easier pinning. :) This month was fun with the new Digital release. I'm a huge fan of Photoshop brushes. To have all the cool rubber stamp designs as digital brushes make me so very happy. If you're new to using digital brushes or don't think you can use them, I created a couple of video tutorials to help you out. Now I'm no expert in Photoshop. It's all by trial and error and a few tidbits from friends. :) These brushes will work with any version of PS, even Elements and can even be turned into Silhouette cuts. Check it out.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hipT3Mf0g-g]

I even show how to take one of the Elmwood Park digital stamps a step further by creating a custom cut inspired from a greeting card. (card is from RIFLE PAPER CO. and it is lovely)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xY8-lTNtsM]

 

an afternoon in Palmer

Tyler and I drove out to visit his grandparents last week. The drive out to their home in Palmer is beautiful in the summer. We stopped along the way and snapped a few photos. I've pretty much given up on getting that perfect toddler portrait of my son and started to appreciate capturing him at his best. He is high energy and determined and keeps me on my toes. Happy Monday