enJOY it

our favorite San Diego spots.

February 9, 2015

photos, clockwise from top left: waterfront, SD zoo, Bird Rock Coffee, El Camino, Urban Solace, Snooze, Prep Kitchen, Exotic Gardens, Dark Horse Coffee. (We only take photos of Ellerie drinking from a straw, BTW.)

I have avoided writing this post because I felt like we've spent such a short time here and we tend to go to the same few places. But after enough requests for recommendations, I thought I'd share our favorites. This is in no way an all-inclusive list, but these are the spots that Paul and I (and Ellerie) have gone to, continue to go to and enjoy.

These places are all south of the 8 freeway (in the greater downtown area). We lived in Little Italy for a year (2010-2011) and now that we live north a bit, we still find ourselves heading back that way most often unless we're going to our neighborhood place (which has great beer, is very kid-friendly and in walking distance from our house #holygrail).

FOR DINNER

Seersucker – this is our only Gaslamp area restaurant because we don't go down there often (it's a fun area but it's hard to park, very crowded, etc.) We went for our first anniversary and I went recently with a bachelorette group. Both times it was good.

El Camino – home of the Instagram famous Hola sign. This is our favorite (fairly Californian) Mexican restaurant. If you want authentic Mexican, there are dozens of little taco shops to be found.

D-Bar – very kiddo friendly (though we take Ellerie to most of these places). Super light and pretty with a fun menu and tons of great desserts. Ellerie loves the music they play here.

Craft & Commerce – super hipster (just look at that website)…great cocktails and fun food pairings. Get the corndogs and fried pickles.

Prep Kitchen – this is a bit fancier than the others, though still hipster (that's sort of our jam). Get the bacon wrapped dates. And we love the steak tartare.

Tractor Room – Great food although portions are huge. Like enough to feed a family…for a week. The cocktails are great.

100 Wines – I'm not sure how we found ourselves here, but it's a fun spot. Again, hipster-ish menu and obviously lots of wine. Fun little outdoor patio. This is a good place to share a bunch of small plates. We all (even Ellerie) love the Brussels sprouts and crispy cauliflower.

FOR LUNCH

Burger Lounge – this is a chain but serves great burgers. I'm not a vegetarian but I get the veggie burger every time because it's so excellent

Urban Solace – we've actually gone here for dinner a few times, but Paul's gone during lunch and said it was great. The duck macaroni is awesome.

FOR BREAKFAST/BRUNCH

Influx – great quick breakfast spot and the lattes are good. They have free wi-fi (ask for the password at the counter) and I like to work here some mornings or while I'm waiting for my film to be developed across the street.

Snooze – crowded on the weekends, but we went early on a weekday and had no issue. Great eggs benedict options and cute diner look.

Donut Bar – always a line, but worth checking out just for the novelty of eating absurd donuts (like butterbeer!)

FOR COFFEE

Dark Horse – killer pour over. Beans are in-house roasted. We usually get the Ethiopian or Kenyan beans, depending on what they have.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters – is another local coffee roaster and they just opened a new location in Little Italy. It's beautiful. Amazing pour over. If you're not into black coffee, get the cappuccino. It's the best we've ever had.

FOR BOOZE

Waterfront – Yes, it's a hole-in-the-wall/dive bar. Yes, the bathrooms are gross. But the bar food is good and the beer is better. This was our absolute favorite place when we lived in Little Italy.

Stone Liberty Station – there are a lot of great breweries in the area, but this is one of our favorites.

And really, every restaurant we recommend serves great drinks. San Diego is a beer town and if you like IPAs you're in luck.

FOR DESSERT

Pappalecco – the gelato is amazing. Coffee and pastries are great too.

FOR FUN STUFF TO BUY

(this section is incredibly skimpy, I haven't had as much time as I'd like to wander fun little shops and boutiques, but these are a few of the highlights from the top of my head. Please yelp whatever area you're in to find more little shops!)

Blick Art Supplies – huge art supply store.

Vocabulary – I have found unique and cute dresses/tops here. Super well curated, boutique prices.

Love and Aesthetics – such a cool little gift shop, great (but small) card selection.

Pigment – super cute stuff, everything from kiddo toys, to paper to plants. I could spend a day here.

FOR TREASURE HUNTING

Architectural Salvage – there is not much I would actually buy here, but it's fun to look around

Exotic Gardens – my favorite succulent shop

this blog post from two years ago includes some of my favorite vintage shops. These stores are NOT Goodwill prices, but are super fun to look around.

FOR KIDDOS

I get asked a lot about what's fun stuff to do with kids and I never know what to say because we just bring Ellerie on our adventures. We take her on a lot of walks. There is a park near our house that she runs around at. Other than that, I'm not much help except for…

San Diego Zoo – going to the zoo here is like going to Disneyland (meaning it's as aweome as Disneyland) and costs just about as much. EDIT – I just learned it's only half the cost to go to the zoo vs. Disney for a day. And we do LOVE the zoo but…it's hard for me to recommend it because for us it's an easy jaunt and since we have season passes I don't feel bad when we leave after just an hour and a few exhibits. You know your kids and if this would be an activity they'd like.

And seriously? The reality? We like to stay home a lot.

All of these photos are from my Instagram. Follow me there for more on the go, good stuff.
weekend links / 52.

February 7, 2015

I love the Internet. Here are some of the cool things I found online this week…

"You would know exactly how bright and beautiful you are if you saw yourself in the moments where you are truly yourself." – such wise words.

good news for my planner.

Etsy is thriving.

brilliant and accurate.

thoughtful (and thought-provoking) essay on success.

everyday objects become sweet illustrations.

I saw this and immediately started printing photos.

yep.

there's still time to make valentines!

and from me… an interview on Yahoo! Makers.
around here.

February 6, 2015

around here I'm in MAKE&GIVE30 mode. This was not the plan. I thought I'd wait until after my birthday to really get started. But turns out, I just needed a new creative goal to feel a new creative burst of energy. It's funny – I thought the reason I felt so zapped creatively from small DIYs this past year is because I was so focused elsewhere. And while that might be true, I also think it's because I didn't set any expectations on myself to be working on them. Now that I have this goal again it's like all the ideas are coming at once.

To organize my brain a bit, I've decided to break the project into three phases. Phase one, the first 10 projects, will be about using up current supplies. Knitting with pretty yarn I haven't used yet. Carving a stamp with my existing tools and left over rubber. Making one more hardbound journal with the book kit I've had for five years. Using my last gocco screen and set of bulbs to create a fun print. Making a small knit blanket and giant weaving with scrap yarn. 10 projects using what I have. Phase two (projects 11-20) will be doing a completely new take on an old project. And phase three (projects 21-30) will be trying something I have never done before. I'm so inspired.

around here I'm looking at paper samples for GET TO WORK BOOK. This project also has three major phases. Phase one was the design and editing process. That was the first place where things could go very wrong or very right and I'm 95% sure we fall into the latter category. Phase two, which I'm in right now, is production. What will the paper feel like? How thick will the cover be? How much will the book weigh? How much will it cost to produce? How many can I produce? How quick will be the turn around? How can I make sure I don't get screwed here, time-wise? Is this product the very best it can be? Phase three is marketing and promotion. I can't even let myself go there yet.

around here I shared a photo of testing planner paper samples and I got a comment from Tiffany: Ummmmm. Girl. THIS IS YOUR JOB. how rad is that?! I grinned at the time. But right now, as I type this I'm fighting back tears because THIS IS MY JOB. I can't believe that this is my job. I can't believe that I get to make stuff and share it and call it work. Thank you Internet. And thank you college-Elise for starting this blog and sticking with it.

photos by Cortnee Brown for Creative Start

around here I was honored to be a guest on Creative Start. Cortnee is really doing some cool stuff with that site and podcast. I love chatting business (obviously) and it was fun to do. I also love and appreciate the photos Cortnee was able to take at my house and in my workspace last December when we recorded. New headshot! High five!

around here Paul's on an ER rotation which means a major schedule shift. (Ellerie's waking up at least once at night and at 5AM in protest.) Doing the dinner-bath-bedtime song and dance solo isn't ideal but the good news is we're one week down and at the end of this tunnel there's a trip to Las Vegas for E&P followed by a trip to Disneyland for the whole fam. Not too shabby.

around here, if you haven't guessed, it feels like GO time.

ps … you can still shop sale and do your best misprints here.
rough cut diamond ring round-up

February 5, 2015

clockwise from top left: Satomi Kawakita Jewelry $2640, Siren Jewels $230, Emily Shapiro $540, Rough Diamond Shop $400, Pompeii3 Inc $249, Todd Reed no price listed, Todd Pownell no price listed, Ariko Jewelry $580

This April, Paul and I will celebrate our five year anniversary! What?! (Very exciting.) We're actually not big gift exchangers (and clearly, not big on surprises) but this year we decided I'll add special ring to my collection (jury is still out on what he'll get). I was on the hunt for something like this (source on Pinterest isn't right) and when I turned to Instagram and Twitter, I got tons of suggestions for similar beautiful rings. I thought I'd take those resources and create a round-up if you too are looking for something like this. These would make such beautiful wedding bands as well as stack-able anniversary (or any occasion/non-occasion) bands.

Now that I have somewhere to start, I'm thinking of having one made with just five stones (to represent the five years) and I'll be wearing it on my right ring finger. Currently I wear my engagement ring and wedding band on my left ring finger and a twisted gold band (from Ellerie and Paul last Mother's Day) on my right index finger. Some people wear their heart on their sleeves. I like to wear mine on my fingers. (insert sappy face emoji here.)
the glam lamb knit cardigan.

February 4, 2015

Last weekend I finished up my last "for Elise" (<– nine years of blogging and I finally got to use that link!) project for a long time. I'm now getting started on MAKE&GIVE30 projects! SO exciting.

I went out with a(nother) knit sweater. This time it was the glam lamb cardigan that I was so inspired to make after seeing Jen's interpretation.

Since I'm allergic to color in my wardrobe, I went with white for both the body and the sleeves. And since I'm still new to this and nervous to spend a lot of money on yarn for a sweater, I used Lion Brand chunky (in fisherman) for this one. (It seemed to be a great yarn weight).

This was a very simple pattern to follow (I made no adjustments) and even adding the sleeves was easy. It came together in a few weeks and for the most part was very mindless knitting (the perfect compliment to seasons 1-2 of The Americans).

The neck part folds over and is just huge and awesome. I seriously love it though I would probably love it even more if we lived in a cold climate. I realize these photos feature Ellerie more than the sweater but that's because the hardest part of "style blogger photos" (aside from finding cool walls) is knowing that to do with your face, body, legs, and hands.

Bottom line: great pattern, fun to knit, easy to wear. Highly recommend.

other notes : my jeans, shoes, sunglasses. Ellerie's outfit and shoes.

Today on the ELISE GETS CRAFTY podcast I'm chatting with Tracy Benjamin about creative routines…and blogging…and life. Subscribe to ELISE GETS CRAFTY on iTunes or stream this week's episode here!
LIMITED MISPRINTS & SALE PRICES

February 3, 2015

I've reduced the prices on a few MAKE29 editions (FYI : flamingos, goal trackers and abstract prints will be staying at the same price for the foreseeable future!) and listed a few misprints of the MAGIC letterpress and DO YOUR BEST stamped prints. Quantities are dwindling, if you're interested, be sure to grab now.

Click here to shop the sale.

Thank you, as always, for your support.
20 LESSONS

February 3, 2015

It's birthday month! I'm kind of obsessed with birthday month because my blog posts tend to write themselves. In three weeks, I'll turn 30 which means today I've got a round-up of the 20 biggest lessons I learned while in my twenties. While I could have gone on (and on and on) about each, I kept things simple. I linked up when the lesson corresponded with a blog post.

1. Don't fight hungry (or drunk) (or tired).

2. But if it still bothers you when you're fed, sober and rested – by all means – battle.

3. How to make perfect pizza dough.

4. Always end a speech with a call to action.

5. How to use a sewing machine.

6. "I can't do this but I'm doing it anyway." (best remembered in situations of half-marathons, deployment, 28 hour labors and speeches in front of 2800)

7. How to move. (as in houses & running the right way)

8. Want to make progress? Put your head down and work.

9. Say yes when it's terrifying and no when it's boring.

10. (And sometimes say yes to the boredom and no to the terror.)

11. If you're losing sleep it's the wrong fit.

12. Eat real food.

13. Count steps not calories.

14. Red wine > white wine.

15. How to drink black coffee.

16. A run solves most bad moods.

17. In the moment it's easier to hold a grudge; after the moment passes, it's easier to forgive.

18. It all comes back around.

19. The library is the greatest.

20. Trust your gut in both business and life; no one will ever care as much about your shit as you do. (And that's exactly how it should be.)
MAKE&GIVE30 : introducing my next birthday project.

February 2, 2015

I am so excited to share more about my next birthday project plan.

If you've been here awhile you're familiar with the birthday project idea. If you're new (greetings!), basically, I like to pick a creative project and work on it throughout my birthday year. My most recent was super business focused and called MAKE29 where I produced and sold 12 projects in editions of 29 or 290. The original was a project called The Daily Card where I tried to decorate a playing card everyday.

Here are the cliffnotes for MAKE&GIVE30 : I am going to complete (and share!) 30 DIY projects and give them (or a portion of the proceeds) away over the course of a year.

And if you're like "Screw the cliffnotes, I come to this blog for you to over-explain everything!"… here you go:

This project idea came about last fall when I was wondering how I could "beat" MAKE29. I'm not doing MAKE30. The idea behind MAKE29 – limited, varied monthly editions was killer. It was successful financially and truly fun for both my business and creative sides. I loved it. But part of what made it rad is that it was just the year. It would be awkward and boring to drag it out longer than that. It would be like taking a short book and splitting it up into multiple movies. (Only kidding, The Hobbit, you were fun, just too long.)

SO. I thought about what my favorite project from the past few years was and I really loved the 26 Projects. I made some great stuff that year. Big stuff and little stuff. I had good DIY blog content and remember feeling inspired and motivated. I really believe that was the year my blog "took off" (if you consider slow and steady organic growth "taking off.")

The trouble is I don't need another 30 DIY projects in this house. We are pretty decently "filled up" around here (and that's a good thing!). I love my Elise Blaha National Craft Museum (first ever referenced here) and am happy to live in it, but we've sort of reached the edge of the line and I'm okay with that.

Enter the GIVE aspect. I realized if I make stuff and GIVE IT AWAY, I still get to make stuff. I still get to try fun DIYs. I still get to be creative and learn from the process. I still get to share the process with you. I still get to enjoy the making aspect. You, the reader, still get to see me attempt some random crafts. A few of you will actually win the random crafts. This, to me, feels like a #winwinwin.

Here are a few questions you might have that I have recently asked myself.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN GIVE?

I'm still thinking on this point. Right now I see "GIVE" meaning at least five things:

The first is obvious… let's say I make a cool indigo died scarf. 1) I would share the project/tutorial on the blog then I would open up the comments, draw a random winner and ship them the scarf. (The comments will be semi-related to making like "what's the next project on your list?" or "tell me your favorite thing you've ever made.")

But there is more than that. 2) I might, for example, make a quilt, share it on the blog and then "auction" it off to the highest bidder. Then I would donate a decent portion or all of those proceeds to a charity. Another thing I thought of is that 3) I might make something to GIVE to a friend (or my mom/MIL) as a gift. I would still share it here with a tutorial to make your own. (This is inspired by the Quilts by Christmas project.)

4) I also might make something like a DIY screenprint (like building the screen). Again, I would share the process here on the blog, give a few away and list more (for sale) in my shop. Last, it's possible 5) I might partner up with companies for a project or two (say if a fabric company wanted to sponsor a post) then I would donate a portion of those earned proceeds and giveaway the project.

THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF LOOPHOLES FOR GIVE.

Yes! It is. I think that's a good thing. The main point here is to make some new stuff. It's to try some new crafts I have not before OR to give some old ideas a new spin. It's to play with new concepts, hopefully inspire you and NOT bury myself Elise DIY projects.

BUT YOU HATE GIVEAWAYS.

Hate is a strong word, but yes, I think giveaways often don't hold enough content as a stand-alone blog post. So I'm looking at this as 30 project posts, not 30 giveaways. I'm hoping that this becomes a collection of 30 (ideally) really cool ideas that you'll be inspired to read about and try. The giveaway is just a thing at the end, not the focus AND you don't have to retweet or follow or mention or like or regram or hashtag or love or pin or anything. (Though if you want to do all that jazz…thanks!)

MAKE29 WAS A MONEY MAKER, HOW WILL YOU MAKE MONEY THIS YEAR?

MAKE29 was a money maker. A good one. I imagine that my income will breakdown very differently in 2015 and I am (obviously) hopeful that the planner will contribute to my bottom line this year.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A CHANCE TO MAKE SOME MONEY FROM THIS GIVE PROJECT, NO?

Yes! There is. Probably not tons, but some for sure. While this is not business focused the way MAKE29 was, right now I can imagine a few projects where I'll be able to giveaway a few and sell many. And who knows? A year is a super long time. Something will come up from this project (an ecourse idea, a teaching opportunity, an amazing product) that makes sense from a financial standpoint. I have found that these "just for fun" creative projects almost always develop into something I can save in a bank (or spend on coffee beans).

I FEEL LIKE THIS HAS GREAT POTENTIAL FOR BURN OUT.

Yes, but so does blogging. So does everything. This is why the rules are flexible and the concept is tremendously broad.

DID YOU THINK ABOUT HOW SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE DIYs?

Yes! But there are always going to be some posts I write that people are not interested in. If all goes as planned, I'll right 312 posts in the next year. This just means at least 30 are guaranteed to be craft/DIY focused.

ARE YOU WORRIED?

A little. I think part of why I love my DIY projects (coming up with them, working on them and ultimately finishing them) is because I am so excited to HAVE them in my house. I am curious to see what my energy level will be for this project when I know these things are headed out the door. I'll keep you posted.

ARE YOU EXCITED?

I AM SUPER EXCITED. I am looking at this project as a really great way to use up some of the supplies I have around here that I've been saving for a rainy day. I'm looking at this year as a rainy year. No hoarding. No "saving" projects or ideas. Let it all out. Get it all out. SHAKE it all up and MAKE it all up and GIVE it all away. Sounds fun, no? I hope you'll follow along. Look for PROJECT 1/30 the last week of February, right after I've hit the big 3-0.

HOORAY!
weekend links / 51.

January 31, 2015

above quote is from one of my favorite books.

four things you thought were true about time management.

what fun glasses.

"You have found your X. You are here. Let yourself be here, and let the Y be there. Now, get to work." – nailed it, Erin.

pretty cards.

super long, but great article about the science of naming new products.

loved this motherhood post.

what high school students looked like in 1969.

another really great mug.

I'm going to try this. Some days will be easier than others, for sure. Thanks, Jess!
making my office work better for my work.

January 30, 2015
You know how sometimes you see photos of an artist's workspace and it's just crammed with awesome layers, textures and colors? You feel like you could spend hours in there, uncovering treasures and magic? You feel like you're looking into their creative brain and it's amazing?

It's a great feeling.

But I have found I work best in a space that is the EXACT opposite of that. Never once in my life have I been staring at an "inspiration wall" and BOOM! Inspiration has struck. It took me a really long time to realize that I do my best work when…

I have space to work and think clearly.

One of my goals for 2015 was to turn my office into a more functional space. I wasn't sure what that would look like but I did know that my job has changed and it's time my office changed with it. As soon as MAKE29 wrapped up (last Thursday afternoon) I was ready for a fresh start.

The first thing I had to do was think seriously about my job these days.

What do I actually do?

When I am not at my computer (which is often) I use my office to :
- prep outgoing product (make, crop, sign, package)
- pack orders
- lay out (excessive amounts of) paper work
- style and take photos of product and projects (both in progress and finished)
- record how-to videos
- work on projects
So really, all I need for a functional office is a computer (check) and a TON of clear surface space (this is what I was lacking). (Sidenote, my office doubles as a guest room. When we have visitors, we blow up a big air mattress in the middle of the room – which is why there is no table or cart or something using that "extra" floorspace.)

I went through every drawer, cupboard and shelf and got rid of 40% of what I owned. I also moved about 10% of stuff (a few books and photo albums) into a hall closet. This alone made for a massive improvement. Getting rid of some stuff that I had held on for five years (and three moves!) was tricky but I applied that same mentality you're supposed to apply to clothes that no longer fit: "Let them go! If and when you're able to fit into them again, you'll want something more current anyway."

After the major clear out, it was a bit easier to breathe and resort what I actually have (and use!). I picked up some open wire containers (at Ikea and the Container Store) which I think are easier for storage than the boxes I was previously using (though all of those boxes are still being used in the cupboards/garage).

I added containers to my open closet shelving (from Ikea) which alone made a huge difference. That before and after is pretty sweet. I also picked up a few more shelves and was able to create space to hold large prints, large photo paper and some poster board (that I use for photo backdrops). I added one more shelf to the very top rung, giving me more usable space to store packing material.

I was able to get my (wireless) printer onto the shelving which helped clear more work surface. The paper sorter to the left of the printer holds mailing labels and photo paper.

I had to think seriously about how often I use my sewing machine (less than once a month) and moved it up into the shelf to free up more table space. The bins hold projects in process, promo pieces, art supplies I need to use up this year, yarn, packages to ship, fabric and Ellerie's toys (which she ignores in favor of the 700 better things in the room).

The table by the window used to hold my two printers and my sewing machine, leaving very little room for much else. I scooted the table over a foot (which provided me with better window light for photos/videos) and gave me a space to store my large format printer on top of an extra file cabinet (that holds paper, printer ink and shipping supplies).

Clearing up this space finally gave me room for my paper cutter (that was awkwardly stored on the counter top for the past six months even though I use it everyday).

And then the counter top! (You can read more about how my dad and I built that here.) It's cleared off almost completely and the birds (i.e. Taylor Swift) are singing again.

I sorted everything in those cabinets to make things easier to find and use. It holds mostly shipping supplies, product and a few craft supplies now.

I framed two of my favorite prints from the January edition. Those are just Ribba frames from Ikea which are a bit smaller than the 16×20 Sweet and 12×12 Choose but work well because they are matted. The white really lets the colors pop.

Last, I added a letter sorter (from the Container Store) to the wall next to my desk. I constantly have a stack of papers, mail and receipts. Now I have a wall of papers, mail and receipts. It's nice to have that off my desk, but still nearby.

Behind my computer is my editorial calendar, list of goals (monthly and yearly) and a big calendar from Sugar Paper for Target.

Paul and I still share the long desk (just a stained piece of wood on top of two filing cabinets) and it's working perfectly. The hanging plants are pothos plants and in these, that lamp is West Elm and our chairs are Keilhauer.

On the whole, these are subtle changes (nothing like the big office revamp I completed in November 2013) but it's amazing the difference it makes to just have all that empty tabletop. SPACE TO WORK! Space to film. Space to breath. Space to make new messes. Space to write the next chapter of my business story.

WHEW. Happy Friday. Happy (almost) February. Every February this blog gets kicked into high gear because it's birthday month. I've got a bunch to share in coming weeks.

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