enJOY it

day in the life / february 2012.

February 10, 2012

Ali suggested a Day in the Life documenting adventure on Monday and I was so up for the challenge. I did this last year and hope to do it again later this spring when Paul is home. It is always interesting to compare what changes and what stays the same. I am printing many of these photos for a separate insert in my Project Life album this week (I'll be sharing it here Sunday).

This is what Wednesday, February 8th looked like for me.

7:30 : woke up "early". Checked email on my phone from bed which is realllly a habit I am trying to break. There were a few things that needed attention right away (this is why it's a bad habit) so I hopped up and to the computer to address them. ps. cannot thank you enough for all the suggestions in the comments section of my natural skincare post.

8:00 : downstairs for coffee, cereal (granola and blueberries) & reading blogs/twitter on flipboard for the iPad.

8:30 : back upstairs to address the rest of the emails.

9:00 : print some photos and work on Project Life.

9:15 : go for a walk to stretch my legs and get some photos for Thursday's blog post. (shoes c/o Blowfish, jeans are j.crew toothpick)

9:35 : home. Deal with email, upload walk photos, prep Thursday's post.

10:15 : drive to the dealership for an oil change. Pretty sure I convince the man to not try to up-sell me any extra crap. Thankfully they have free wifi – I brought my computer just in case. Sit in the dealership for two hours and work on blog posts. I have some seriously photo and link heavy posts coming up and they are taking ages to prep. Totally appreciate the complete uninterrupted 120 minutes of work time.

12:30 : car looks fantastic and I didn't get hassled. I am starving. Not in the plan, but I have more errands to run so I stop at Chipotle.

12:50 : my girlfriends are coming to visit this weekend so I am in need of wine and groceries. Go to BevMo and stock up on their 5 cent wine sale and decide to just get everything (specific wines & beer) Paul requested so I have it for when he's home. Makes for an exceptionally full cart of alcohol. I take the above photo and email it too Paul.

1:15 : visit Trader Joe's next door and pick up just a few things. I am the worst grocery shopper ever and end up at the store every few days. But good news! They have heirloom tomatoes!

1:45 : home again. Unpack groceries and wine. Check the mail – all junk. Call the landlord about the electrical outlet behind the fridge that stopped working. Deal with email. Clear my inbox down to nothing for the first time all day. Manage to keep it that way for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Always a huge deal. I hate having email in my inbox. Answer blog workshop questions, tidy up a few blog post loose ends for posts next week.

3:00 : clean kitchen & downstairs. Listen to my current favorite song and unpack the rest of my luggage from my visit to Sacramento and get bedroom picked up and closet organized. I finally have enough hangers for all my shirts. Awkwardly happy about that.

4:10 : realize I need to run now to be home for a video chat with Paul. Dash out the door and loose myself for 23 minutes. (shorts are lululemon and tshirt is my favorite from the Nike half marathon.)

4:35 : home again. Gulp down a glass of water and hop in the shower.

4:50 : at the computer waiting for Paul. Respond to emails.

5:00 : PAUL. Gmail video chat has sucked for us recently. Try skype and get a great connection. 35ish minutes of chat. He sounds sick and tired. I show him how many links are left on our countdown chain. He thinks it looks like a lot. He can't believe how much money I spent at BevMo. I tell him we'll drink it all eventually. I should have told him, "think of how much we've saved while you were gone!" Man, I miss him.

5:45 : go downstairs. It's my favorite time of day because I always feel like I made it through another one. Close the blinds (which for some reason always makes me feel like an adult) and decide to use my newly purchased heirloom tomatoes to make a caprese salad. Still totally full from Chipotle, but I eat a chicken sausage (I usually cook a bunch up every few days) too because cheese and tomato does not a dinner make.

6:00 : eat dinner and start the last two episodes of Biggest Loser I have missed. Biggest Loser is beyond boring this season and so I watch with half an eyeball. Meanwhile, drink tea, browse catalogs (j.crew spring, you are killing me), email with Paul, read all the blogs that updated throughout the day and browse pinterest.

9:00 : upstairs to print photos and do a bit more blog post prep. Pin about 15 new items from j.crew to my pinterest wishlist.

10:00 : brush teeth & wash face. Download a new book (I recently finished Divergent (loved it!) and decide to start Variant – recommended by Kayla Aimee & Stephanie) and head to bed. Read until my eyes close and fall asleep by 11:30.

When I look at it… I see a lot of email. And a lot of writing. Recently I have stopped spending a lot of time browsing online. My computer work is incredibly productive which is really good. This year is so interesting because without a lot of focus going into the shop it's harder to tell that what I am doing is making a difference and an impact on my job. But I feel really good about it. The subtle day to day work has potential for big pay off. Just keep swimming writing.
green + brown + blue + yellow.

February 9, 2012

I'm tired of deployment. But I'll never be tired of the town where we're stationed. Not sure if "even trade" is the correct expression, but the year we'll actually spend here together is going to be rad.

p.s. I am loving those leopard flats c/o Blowfish shoes. Super cute and comfortable for walking around. Double win.
skincare update.

February 8, 2012

I posted last fall about transitioning to natural skincare products. (You can read more about why I started making the switch in that post.) Four months later and I am still going pretty strong. I have stuck with some stuff, fallen in love with some stuff and added some new products to the mix. I thought it was time to share an update.

I am still a big fan of my non-chemical mascara and everything Pangea Organics, including face & body lotion, mask & toner. I apply the face lotion every morning and night and if I miss it for a day (like when it's lost in my suitcase) and substitute with a different lotion, I can tell a difference in the softness of my skin. When I am consistent with it, I don't have visible white pores around my nose which was a chronic problem before.

Somewhat related : my skin has been rebelling a bit the past few months, especially up by my hairline. The placement and on and off frequency that it appears means its probably hormonal (perhaps TMI, but I am no longer regulating my hormones with a daily pill). I am going without harsh topical medication and am trying to just wait it out. I did a google search for natural remedies and it said you can take a daily zinc supplement to help with acne, so I have been trying that. Things are better than they were in November and December, but I am not sure if that is due to the zinc or just my body mellowing.

The big thing that I was on the hunt for last fall was natural nail polish & sunscreen. The hunt for a great liquid facial sunscreen continues, but I did receive a SPF mineral powder from Mineral Fusion that I love. It's free of oxybenzone and other toxins, offers SPF, evens out my skin tone & is easy to use because it's a powder in brush all in one. I will want a good fuller coverage sunscreen for spring and summer, but right now when I am not usually outside for extended periods of time (I wear a sunlight blocking hat to run) it's working great. I also use the Mineral Fusion lip gloss and love it. It's perfectly clear and gives just the right amount of shine without being sticky.

Nail polish wise, I am in love with a clear base coat from No Miss that I picked up at Whole Foods. Over the past few years, my nails have been a peeling, week mess. Since I started using this stuff, they don't break and are visibly stronger. I can't 100% say this is due to the polish because around the same time I started taking pre-natal vitamins and using Burt's Bees cuticle cream. 😉 (EDIT : I could not be less pregnant. The vitamins are just advance prep. I promise I wouldn't sneak a baby announcement into a 700 word post about skincare.)

I am still absolutely looking for good non-toxic (or less toxic) color polishes so I was excited to hear about Priti Polish from The Green Life. My friend Jessica (whose husband runs The Green Life) sent me some of their tester bottles. I tried both the metallic and the red and was super impressed with how smooth the color went on (one coat was enough!) and how long it lasted.

And finally, soap related. I tried Dr. Bronners bar soap and it was fine. But I also tried their big bottle of liquid soap as my hand-wash in the kitchen and that made my hands red, itchy and dry. Not great. It might have been due to excessive washing (this is when I first moved and was painting and cleaning and making up a storm) but still, ugh.

This has been quite an adventure! I was so thankful for all of your suggestions and ideas last time I posted about this. I still carry that little piece of paper about the bad chemicals (you can see it in this post) in my wallet and stand in the aisle and read the tiny-print on the back of products before purchasing anything. It's good times.

heads up : some of the products I mentioned here I received for free. I was not paid to mention them and I wouldn't endorse them if I wasn't a true fan.
artful blogging.

February 7, 2012

A few months ago, I was asked to write an article about my blogging story for Artful Blogging. I wrote it while on a plane, read through it once & sent it off.

When I saw it in print and realized it was a few pages and included so many photos too, I was beyond excited and so honored. What a cool thing.

I have said this a few times, but starting a blog was the best decision I have ever made for my professional life. And since Paul's been deployed, I've realized what a huge difference in my attitude and personal life too. Best hobby ever.

also, housekeeping : I have added a email subscription service to the blog. If you would like to receive my posts in your inbox, type your email address in the box to the left.
project 25 of 26 : a driftwood wreath.

February 6, 2012

I got my wreath completed.

Making a driftwood wreath to hang above the fireplace has been my goal since that first week in the new place when I found a handful of driftwood. Originally, I intended to make it more "wreath like" but lots of pinterest searching and an un-official poll on instagram helped me see that a sunburst was the way to go.

I didn't have a plan to hold it all together. I entertained the idea of a wreath form, nails & a staple gun. But finally just settled on hot glue. I used a plate as a circle template and hot-glued one piece to the next. Some of them held really well and others took a few more coats of glue.

It's fragile to move, but has been hanging on the wall for two days now and it's fine when it's not being touched. I am sure it will break on the drive back down to my house – I built it at my parents' place – but then I'll just glue it back together again.

Temporarily, it's hanging on a piece of twine, but when I stick it above our mirrored fireplace, I'll use fishing line to attach it to the ceiling. Then it will look as though it's floating. Hopefully I can get it to hang okay and will be sure to share photos when I do.

I am going to continue to collect driftwood and may still make a more traditional wreath for our front door. We'll see. I love driftwood. I never thought of myself as a "beach girl" and turns out, I totally am.

This is project 25 of 26.

I am attempting to tackle 26 personal craft projects before I turn 27 on 02.22.12. You can follow my progress here on the blog or on pinterest.

See project 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24.
project life : week 5.

February 5, 2012

Week five and surprise, surprise, I still love this project.

(click to enlarge & it will be a [somewhat] clearer image)

I am up staying with my parents this weekend so I attacked the week a bit differently, putting most of it together yesterday instead of throughout the week. I have to say, it's probably faster to do it all in one setting, but I enjoy the process more if I put it together a bit at a time throughout the week.

I made the "new month" graphic with the glitter letters from Design Editor. Paul was sweet to send me a photo of some of the people he's deployed with. I love that I get to add bits of him to this album even though he's gone, though I will say, it makes me excited for when he's home and we have actual photos of the two of us together. I didn't intend to have those two hand photos on the same page, but I kind of like that. Again – I love the concept of "hands at work."

Nothing too exciting on the right. I printed my "goals grid" from the blog post and then a few other photos. (Blog posts on the wreath and that magazine spread coming later this week.) That orange patterned paper is from a notecard.

I added a fun insert this week to show the progression of my checkered blanket. Over the three weeks I worked on it, I took instagram photos. When I knew I was going to finish, I printed them as a contact sheet (using iPhoto), cropped them down a bit to 2×2 and slid them into a slide protector in order. I trimmed the protector down a bit. It was originally about 8.5×11.

When I bought the slide protectors from amazon, I didn't realize they had a white space for writing on the front of each square. That is not something I thought I wanted, but it ended up being perfect here because I could stamp the dates and show how fast this blanket came together.

I didn't have enough photos to fill the back of the insert, so I just cut white and black cardstock and made a grid pattern to mimic the blanket. I am happy with how it turned out. I just stuck that label on top of it (it's an old discontinued one from Paper Source).

And now… on to the next!

supplies / Paper Source labels, Martha Stewart & Avery labels, digital glitter alphabet c/o Design Editor, American Crafts flair button, Crate Paper patterned paper (black and white), Cosmo Cricket patterned paper (lime green), Design A page protectors, slide protectors, Clementine core kit, Bebas quote font. I use a Fiskars corner rounder (it's not amazing, but it's lasted the longest of any corner rounder I've ever had). I am using a Zig Millennium 0.1 pen and Recollections glossy marker throughout this album.

Confused by Project Life? Start here. See all my Project Life posts here.
project 24 of 26 : a checkerboard knit blanket.

February 3, 2012

I finished.

And it's safe to say, this is one of my top five favorite projects ever. (Also in the top five : the headboard & the giant song lyric canvas – surprisingly, both are also black and white.)

But really, I love it. I love that the idea came from something similar but different. I love that is huge enough to wrap up in completely. I love that it's so soft. I love that it's perfectly imperfect, but doesn't have holes in it or any serious errors. I love that it got me though January, the second toughest month of this deployment (September was bad news).

I can't wait to show it to Paul in real life. And now on to the next – I am hoping to make my driftwood wreath this weekend.

If you'd like, you can see the start of this project here and an update here.

This is project 24 of 26.

I am attempting to tackle 26 personal craft projects before I turn 27 on 02.22.12. You can follow my progress here on the blog or on pinterest.

See project 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23.
my CHA recap.

February 2, 2012

Above are some peeks of my favorite products from the winter CHA show. From left to right, top to bottom : tiny letter stickers from October Afternoon, badges from October Afternoon (many booths had cute letter stickers and badges), neutrals from Studio Calico, more fun travel themed patterns from Studio Calico, Dear Lizzy's cute both (I didn't get any photos of her product, but there is a lot I loved – you can see it all here), a painting project from Amy Tangerine & American Crafts (see all of Amy's line here – I LOVE that frame paper), letter paper from Crate Paper, adorable brads from Crate Paper, herringbone and chevron paper and overlays from Hambly (I die), perfect kelly green thickers from Amy Tangerine & American Crafts, glitter tape from American Crafts.

My experience at the show was a little hilarious. Hilarious in the what am I doing here? way. I was overwhelmed with the sheer weight of an event that big (which is why I have such random photos) and then confused as to what my tiny role within the industry is and could be. But a few days later and I have my head on my shoulders and my brain back in the game.

Here's the bottom line : I saw some killer product that I as a consumer want to buy to use on my personal projects. I saw some fantastic papers that I'll be purchasing wholesale for a minibook launch in late March. I was able to say hi to lots of blog friends and finally connect with some creative women I have known online for years. It was a joy to have dinner with people who get it. People who understand the concept of pulling a job out of thin air and then working really hard to keep it afloat. Talking to creative people is unbelievably energizing.

And finally – American Crafts, you slay me with that glitter tape.
february goals.

February 1, 2012

As mentioned at the beginning of 2012, I am committing to monthly goals instead of ambitious year-long ones in the hope that the stuff I choose to do is relative for what I need in the moment. January crept by at a snail's pace, which was bad for my patience but excellent for my to-do list and I got a lot done. Not everything, but almost. Part of my plan to keep this non-stressful and interesting, is no mandatory goal rollover. If it doesn't get done, and I am not too worried about it, then it's on to the next! Productivity for me is knowing when to let things go and knowing when to dive back in.

February, I love you. You're my favorite month (especially now that I live in town that refuses to celebrate winter) and I am excited for all you have in store.

And hey! Please take a second to visit my new blog sponsors on the right sidebar. I am excited to welcome back some January sponsors again and a few new faces. Lots of GOOD happening over there right now.
40 loaves / brown butter biscuits.

January 31, 2012

Bread no. 34 : brown butter buttermilk biscuits.

Adjustments : substituted in one C of wheat flour. I melted 2 ounces of butter, but only crumbled in another 2 ounces instead of 4 like the recipe called for. I also only used 2 tsp of baking powder instead of 4. This is because I've noticed that when I use wheat flour the "flavor" of the baking powder is more obvious. Sometimes it makes my bread taste chalky. Because there was so much in this recipe I knew it would be noticeable if I didn't cut it down.

Notes : there were so many changes made to this recipe that I can hardly tell what's going on. This is the trouble with just me at home to eat all the bread. I try to "healthy it up" a bit too much.

Review : that said, these biscuits were still good. Great texture and just salty enough. Best biscuits ever? Probably not, but enjoyable.