enJOY it

august book report.

August 21, 2014
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith I got through this one much quicker than the Cockoo's Calling and really enjoyed it. Maybe because I already knew the characters and so I felt like it was easier to read? I feel like we didn't need to hear about how Strike can't afford to take a taxi on every single page, but other than that, this was a good one. I'm anxious for the third book…

The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss I added this to my library queue after AJ Jacobs mentioned it in Drop Dead Healthy. I have read 4-Hour Workweek and thought this might be interesting. It's not the sort of book you curl up with and read (at all), but it's for sure worth a page through to see what he says about different weight loss, muscle gain & calorie intake theories. I just like to know this sort of stuff for some odd reason. I read so many chapters of this outloud to Paul it was just so crazy (and interesting!).

Fallen Skies by Phillipa Gregory | I have read almost every single book Phillipa Gregory has written (which for the most part means the Tudor Series). I picked this up at the library on a whim and because it's classic Phillipa, I found myself totally sucked in and wanting to devour it in a day, forgoing all other activities, like eating and tending Ellerie (I'm reading it in the photo above). It's not a literary work of art, but it's entertaining and a super quick historical fiction read.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub | I saw this everywhere this summer (it's one of those books that got a lot of great press and is making the blog rounds). It was…fine. Another one with a wide range of mildly screwed up characters (which I tend to like) but I didn't think the characters did that much. I never felt "on the hook" or more than a bit interested. Quick, easy read, but I wish I had enjoyed it more.

WHAT'S NEXT?! I'm currently reading Lean In (and having SO MANY THOUGHTS about it) but I'd also love a great fiction book, folks. Where's the next Still Alice? Or Night Circus? What are you reading?

ps. see all my past book reports here and be sure to come back for the comments section on this post. It's always 10x better and more helpful than anything I write.

Other posts you might enjoy:
August MAKE29 : behind the scenes.

August 19, 2014

I am excited to share a little behind the scenes look at the August edition of MAKE29. These wooden plant stands will go on sale at 8am PST on Friday 8/22. I am thrilled about the return of 3D projects this month and think this second half of the year is going to be pretty fun (and go by quickly!). I hope to finish off this craft (ad)venture strong.

There are 290 plant stands in this edition and each were carved from a solid piece of maple.

I had Jeff and Cherie Kirscheman (see Jeff's construction site here and Cherie's etsy shop here) cut these stands for me, inspired by a vintage wooden stand I found while thrifting last year. This is the same couple who did my ampersands in March so I knew they'd do a great job. They live and work just miles from my house and I am always happy to be able to keep things local to San Diego and support another family business.

Jeff has a giant machine in his workshop that he and his dad built and tweaked over the years so that it can now cut anything to perfection. On a normal day, Jeff uses it to create custom cabinetry. I visited the shop a few weeks ago and was able to watch one plant stand (two interlocking pieces) come to life.

Pretty impressive (and took longer than I expected!).

Each stand was cut one at a time and the machine took two passes to get the cleanest cut possible. After the machine created the shape, Jeff adjusted the notches by hand to make the pieces interlocked perfectly and drilled a hole in the bottom piece so the stands can be held together with a screw. Cherie then sanded each piece.

And then I took over and stained each piece in my garage workshop, taking care to keep the original two pieces partnered up so the wood grain would match in each set.

After a few days of drying, each stand was stamped and numbered.

I'll be shipping them out in three pieces (2 pieces of wood & 1 screw) to reduce their fragility and keep shipping costs down. I'm including a fun "how-to" instruction guide because…why not!?

These were, obviously, pretty time-intensive to create, but they turned out so awesome. You can read more about the product on the listing page here. Thanks for letting me share a peek behind the scenes. I am hoping to do that a bit more these final six months.
E & e in August.

August 18, 2014

I will be documenting Ellerie's second year by photographing some mama and baby favorites each month.

This is what Elise and Ellerie are doing in August 2014.

EATING : backyard sungold tomatoes | backyard sungold tomatoes

READING : Show Your Work, Do More Great Work & Write It Down, Make It Happen (aka, research) | Hatch

PLAYING : with the VSCO app | with her baby doll

MAKING : a list | animal sounds

WEARING : the fitbit and an Odette arrow cuff | mama's hairbands because we lost her beloved slap bracelet

ps : JUNE & JULY
weekend links / 31.

August 16, 2014

As part of my word WHOLE this year, I want celebrate the work of others by sharing links to my friends, possible friends and complete strangers who are doing great things on the Internet. This is some of the rad stuff I recently saw online….

bookmarking this list of kiddo craft books.

this tunic is on my fall wishlist.

I could read talking through your business posts like this all day long.

(here’s an old one from me if you missed it.)

map of the introvert’s heart.

wow! 1.6 million pageviews in six weeks?! Congrats, Coffee & Crumbs.

our sweet friends are getting married at the end of the month and their engagement photos are perfection.

this honest post makes me excited to try breastfeeding again with kiddo #2.

loved Kelly’s tips for traveling solo.

10 DIY instagram accounts to follow.

such a cute clutch.

the seafoam project life kit is on sale for just $12!

I interviewed Kathleen of Braid Creative yesterday for a future podcast and she’s so inspiring.

thanks for the glasses feedback! How interesting to get such varied opinions. (Fun reminder that it’s truly impossible to ever please everyone!) (I went with my gut and picked #6.)
#makeitpublicmakeithappen

August 15, 2014

On Saturday, I posted a photo similar to the one above on Instagram.

The difference was nothing was crossed out in the first photo. I hashtagged it (as you do) with #augustmanifestoisboringbutnecessary and #makeitpublicmakeithappen. (Obviously that second one might have more traction.)

We've been in our house for 1.5 years (already?! OMG.) and the thing about THAT is you start to settle. You get used to the fact that the outlet in the bathroom doesn't work so Paul charges his toothbrush on top of the dresser. You get used to the fact that you absolutely HATE that damn dresser. You get used to the fact that the baby's closet doesn't close properly because THERE IS SO MUCH STUFF packed inside it. You just deal. Because, well, it's normal. This is how it is, right?

One and half years in one place?!! That's basically forever in Cripe Land. In Cripe Land 1.5 years means, "Who cares what's wrong or what's right?! We're on to the next town. On to the next military move. On to the next 'Paul's deployed so Elise will orchestrate this transition as fast as possible.'"

But not this time. We're here. WE. ARE. HERE. (all of us) for another 2.5 years (at least). And so it's about time that I un-capped the Sharpie and started getting serious about this list. Time to get this house "finished" and "settled in a good way."

There are some spaces of our house that I totally adore (this is one and if our chairs did not legit break every time you pulled them out, this would be two and okay, I like the TV space so this is three). But there are other areas that need to get a "fixerup" and August feels like a good time to get a move on.

So…mid-August, hello to you! It's not going to be pretty but it's going to be effective. As you can see from the highlighter and the few photos in this post, I'm making progress. Searching for a new entry table? That sounds like a dream. Finding some sliding door hardware? That sounds like a good job for Paul. Hanging up some palm trees in the bathroom? I'm excited.

Time to get over the 1.5 year slump and shake things up. Who's in?

Yay, little E! We're happy to have you on board.

ps. those instagram photo magnets on our fridge are from sticky9 (formerly stickygram). I'm planning to COVER the fridge before we move. If you want to order some for yourself, use code FRIEND29D9 to save $2 off magnets or $5 off an iPhone photo case. (Please note, If you use the code, I'll receive affiliate credits and be able to add to my obsession collection.)
new glasses!

August 14, 2014

Last week I got an email from David Kind, asking if I was interested in trying out their glasses styling service. I had heard only good things about the luxury eyewear company and was so excited to see what they would pick for me.

I've worn glasses since my junior year of high school – so nearly twelve years. And during that time I think I've only had four different pairs of glasses. I wear them while driving at night, watching anything (sports, movies, plays, lectures) from a distance and watching TV. I tend to go with tortoise frames and every time I "upgrade" to a new pair, the lenses get a little bigger (it's like I get braver or something).

A few months ago, I had my eyes checked and we found that my eyesight had improved! My prescription went down a bit which the doctor said could be due to pregnancy. I think it might be due to the fact that now, with a little one, I spend WAY less time straining my eyes at a computer…

Either way, I was excited for a new pair of glasses and totally said "YES!" to David Kind and filled out a short style profile online and uploaded a photo of my face. A few days later a gorgeous box of glasses arrived in the mail. (Seriously the packaging was perfection.)

And then the good part!! Trying them on at HOME (with no make-up and slept in hair because that's how I roll 95% of the time). I have six days to decide what I like, share my thoughts on each pair, and send the full box back with my perscription information. It's easier and more fun than trying things on under the awful lights at the glasses store.

Ellerie laughed and clapped for each pair, which was flattering, but not helpful. Paul had two favorites. And I honestly loved them all (most were very similar to styles that I have had in the past – which makes sense and shows the stylist gets my style). But I am sort of on the fence about what pair to keep. Part of me wants to do something different (which would be the green pair #6 and the big frames #1).

What do you think? Any favorites? (Note that 4 and 5 are the same, just in slightly different colors.) I'd love to hear your thoughts!

PS : learn more about David Kind and schedule your own at home try-on with a stylist here. I just started following David Kind on Instagram and love this graphic of their frame colors (and the color names!). I was not paid to write this post, but I was provided a pair of glasses free of charge. As always, all opinions and text are my own.
let’s talk shop.

August 13, 2014
I have been getting a few questions recently about my online shop – how it's hosted, what I recommend, etc. – and so today I wanted to share some thoughts. I designed and coded my own website and shop from scratch. No templates. No systems. Just me, a very old version of Dreamweaver and the two HTML classes I took in college.

To be clear: my HTML knowledge is limited. I never really got the hang of frames (do people still use frames? Surely, they do, yes.). I don't understand flash (do people still use flash? Probably not as much since it doesn't work as well on mobile…). But I do know the gist of what holds HTML together and I have a good understanding of tables (which are the grids that I use to "set-up" all my pages.

So I know enough to build a site that accomplishes what I need it to do. I actually LIKE that I am limited in my abilities to code a website because instead of saying "the sky is the limit, do whatever you want" to myself I say "this is what you can do, so figure it out within these parameters" to myself. And I have found that the limits of the latter make things so much easier (and faster).

I use Typepad as a blog host (that is what you're reading now). And totally separate from that, I purchased a domain (elisejoy.com) and hosting (which allows me to actually put pages and images on my domain). I use Dreamweaver to design and code each page you see at elisejoy.com. My site is really VERY simple. (If you are a professional web-designer I imagine you think its PAINFULLY simple.) It's a home page (shown above) of 5 photo buttons and then some text links. I use it as a business landing page, a shop site and more recently to hold the episode guide and shownotes for the podcast.

Most of the pages are super simple. A block of photos and then a paragraph of text with relevant links.

The MAKE29 page is a bit more interesting because I broke the format to create two columns of text, photos and the video trailer.

And the MAKE29 shop page (to me) looks exciting, but even that is just a grid of 12 photos that rollover as the year goes on. Each product page follows the same format – two columns of text and photos. I use e.junkie as my actual shopping cart system (which means those "buy now" and "view cart" buttons are created for me and among other things, inventory is tracked and addresses are collected).

Every single decision on my website was decided by answering two questions:
1. what do I know how to do?
2. what will look good?
I'm not interested in anything that looks good that I can't figure out how to make happen. And obviously I don't want anything that I can do that will not look good.

I share ALL of this to tell you one thing…the site is just the window display. It matters yes, but what matters MOST is making your awesome product available for your customers in a system that functions well. As an online shopper, I am not really concerned if a product is sold through Etsy or BigCartel or Shopify or a blog (I did that for awhile!) or Instagram or just a PayPal buy-now button.

What I am concerned about is that the product is exciting, that my payment is processed correctly and that the item arrives in good shape and looks like the image I saw online. There are SO MANY really great shopping cart systems that exist now – many of them that can give you the super minimal look that I was trying to find years ago when I decided to build my own shop pages.

Don't let the "where to sell" be your hang up. I recommend making a list of what you're looking for (ability to list 100 products, many different photo angles, various shipping options, functional search bar, minimal or flat-rate fees, sense of community) and then suggest doing some research into what is available that fits most of your needs. You don't have you use Etsy because that's what everyone used to do. You don't have to use Shopify because that's what everyone seems to be doing now. But one of those might be ideal for your sort of shop and your budget.

I'd love to answer any questions you have in the comments and please note, this post is NOT sponsored by or affilated with anyone (except for MAKE29, but let's be real: the whole blog – and my family – is sponsored by MAKE29).

This week on ELISE GETS CRAFTY, I'm chatting with Isabella of DearKate about running a (hugely!) sucessful kickstarter campaign. Subscribe on iTunes or stream the episode here.
for the love of the crop.

August 12, 2014
I have said this before, but I have like seven tricks for taking photos. (See them here.) I do the same few things over and over again because I love the results that I get. One thing I haven’t written too much about is another favorite technique…

THE ART OF THE CROP.

I’m giving it it’s own post because it’s a big one! And some of my very favorite shots were cropped from less than awesome original images.

I have two ways of getting photos of me or me and Ellerie. The first is using the timer (or timercam on the iPhone). I beat this to death (sample one, two, three). I love the timer and I have talked about it endlessly. My favorite part about using the timer is the natural horizon that occurs when the camera is placed on the ground or flat surface. Eight out of ten shots look great (to my eye) from this perspective.

The second, is, of course, handing the camera off to someone else. Most often, that’s Paul. Paul is AWESOME about photo taking. He smiles for photos. He is happy to be in photos. He appreciates good photos. As long as we keep the session short, he’s totally happy to take them for me. He gets it. And I am grateful for that.

I am also SUPER picky and impatient (two winning traits, I know). So here is what we have figured out works well for us:
1. I find the space for the shot (usually a graphic or blank wall).
2. I make sure the lighting is good (usually the magic hour before sunset).
3. I hand the camera (usually an iPhone) to Paul and dash (occasionally with Ellerie) into position.
4. Paul knows to hold the camera level (tilted photos are my worst nightmare) and to take a bunch. (usually like 5-10.)
5. I dash back to Paul, take a look at what we got and 9 times out of 10, I say “GREAT” and we move on with our lives.
Then, later, I scroll through, find the “best” shot (generally based on my/our expression and rarely when we were perfectly posed) and crop it to what (to my eye) looks awesome.

It’s not magic and it’s totally scripted (I just wrote it out exactly how it unfolds). But it takes 45 seconds (which is ideal for Paul and Ellerie). And it results in photos I love (which is ideal for me).

Oh, Crop. I adore you, you art form, you.

all photos were taken with my iPhone and processed with the VSCO app.
adventures in succulent propagating / part 4.

August 11, 2014

see part one, part two and part three!

In mid-April, following this awesome tutorial, I trimmed the leaves off my "leggy" succulent plant in an attempt to propagate (grow tiny new plants) from the cuttings. I am sharing my progress in real time, to give you (and me!) a REAL idea of how long this takes.

I think I am about ready to wrap this project up. The most successful part were the original stalks. There were six and five of them have re-grown florettes that look good (and I expect will continue to grow into mature plants).

The original tops are going to make it, I think. All six of them have shot down roots (when I tried to pull them up from the soil I was met with resistance). They look a little dry here, but some water after taking these photos has perked them back up.

The leaves I am less impressed with. Lots of roots but nothing spectaular in the baby plant department. I'm hanging on to these ones a bit longer just to see if anything develops.

They are all currently outside with my other thriving (store-bought) succulents. The summer sun (and heat!) has been good for them.

Overall : fun experiment. But I am very glad I am not in the succulent growing business. 😉
weekend links / 30.

August 9, 2014

As part of my word WHOLE this year, I want celebrate the work of others by sharing links to my friends, possible friends and complete strangers who are doing great things on the Internet. This is some of the rad stuff I recently saw online…

massive sale at overnightprints.com (where I get business cards printed) ends tomorrow. Enter GRACE at checkout to be sure you're getting the best price.

what spontaneity looks like for a type-A mama. (this is SO me, I smiled the whole time.)

Tom Haverford is my favorite.

this toddler wisdom made me laugh.

I had no idea my iPhone could act as a level.

this is beautiful, Kal.

gorgeous ceramics round-up.

two-year-olds are rad.

10 golden rules about getting paid as a creative.

and from me, an hour long chat on Radio Enso about my creative background and "making stuff."