We live in a house that’s practically all windows and have been day dreaming about curtains since we moved in a year ago. When your sweet 80 year old neighbor has a conversation with you like the one below, you know it’s time to bust out the sewing machine and get to stitching, immediately.
“I brought you some cinnamon swirl bread…” – Alysa
“Oh, thank you! I love bread. I used to bake you know. How ’bout them ducks and squirrels. Don’t you love living on the lake? We can’t really see you too good in your house when we look in your windows from our deck. The other night though, I saw one of you [insert silent Alysa comment here...'OH MY GOSH...saw one one of us?'] pushing something around and around in your living room.” – Neighbor
“Oh yeah, Brent was vacuuming.” - Alysa
“That’s so sweet. Well, Lenny don’t like cinnamon…so I’ll be eating the loaf myself. Thanks dear!” – Neighbor
When it’s all said and done, I’ll need to cover about 30 feet of windows, most of which are 6 and a half feet tall. Talk about an intense sewing project; this might take longer than sewing my wedding dress. It’s slow going, but I’ve managed to sew curtains for the kitchen and entryway windows which I made out of cream linen fabric with a stripe of dark goldenrod linen at the bottom. Only 26 more feet to go! After hanging up the curtains in the kitchen, a cleaning binge took place and I potted a few little plants for the shelf by the sink.
Tagged as:
home decor,
sewing,
Sewing Project
When your best friend sends you 100 Pantone postcards in a decorative box for your birthday, creative ideas pour in like rain. Ever since we painted our entire home several months ago, the walls have been a beautiful barren blue, waiting oh-so-patiently for something to adorn them. These cards are perfect for my design loving self and simply cannot be kept stashed in a box…but choosing 6 Pantone cards out of 100 took an entire evening. Come fall, I’ll probably pop 6 different color cards into these frames; versatile wall decor is quite exciting. I’ll post more about the mysterious teal bottle, twine, and stick project once it’s finished.
Tagged as:
Pantone
“Look in the basement by the saws, what you find will fill you with awe,” was the catchy one sentence poem found within my birthday card from Brent. As I stumbled into the garage and turned the corner towards Brent’s chainsaw fixing bench, my eyes landed on the large galvanized water trough. Quite exciting! Since we bought our home last year, I’d been contemplating putting in a veggie garden. I like the thought of tromping into the back yard to pick a tomato for dinner. The only problem with this idea is that, like leafy lettuce, I wilt instantly in the hot sun. During the peak of summer, prime time for weeding, watering, de-bugging, and harvesting is just about when I’m forced to sit on an ice pack, in the shade, under a sprinkler, with an iced tea in one hand and a battery operated fan in the other. But, fill a water trough with dirt and I’ve got myself an instant-raised-bed-micro-veggie-garden-plot that I can keep on the deck and tend to with ease. How thoughtful is Brent? Now that I won’t have to tend to multiple 20 foot rows of veggies, I’m actually looking forward to gardening this summer. Over the weekend I planted radishes, carrots, peas, broccoli, tomatoes, and lettuce in seed starter trays. The radishes have already germinated; by the time late May rolls around these babies will definitely be ready for transplant!
Tagged as:
Gardening,
Nature
It’s giveaway time! Who is your favorite person to send cards to, and why? Leave your answer as a comment to be entered to win this package of 8 greeting cards that I’ve designed. Vellum envelopes included. A winner will be randomly chosen on April 30.
Tagged as:
Graphic Designer Fremont Michigan,
note card
After I spent the entire day on Saturday in bed with the flu, the next day morphed into ‘Cat Sunday’. My cousin’s wife, Ashley, mentioned the amazing idea of ‘Cat Saturday’ a few weeks ago, and I knew we’d be implementing that around the Passage house. On ‘Cat Days’ take cues from the felines. They eat, sleep, nap, play, nap, eat, sleep, bird watch, nap when ever they want, in what ever order they like. They have no plans, but seem to enjoy each moment as the day unfolds. They never feel bad for lazing around, or being indecisive about whether or not to go outside. They nap in the sun at 11:30am. Lunch can be eaten at 2:07pm. They play with crumpled balls of paper for 2 minutes, and then decide a second nap is in order. With its complete lack of structure and no pressure of time, Cat Sunday rejuvenated us immensely. When’s your next ‘Cat Day’?
Our Cat Sunday
- Waking up naturally without an alarm clock
- Laying in bed staring at the ceiling
- Reading | Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
- Mountain Biking [Brent]
- Lounging on the couch
- Mid-day showering
- Comfy jeans, puffy sweatshirt, complete lack of hair-do [Me]
- Pj pants, old t-shirt, complete lack of beard-do [Brent]
- Watching Dante’s Peak
- Eating peaches, potato chips, and fresh baked bread with butter
- Napping
- Sipping mixed berry juice
- Sitting in the comfy chair watching the birds
- Playing Jurassic Park on Super Nintendo
- Laying on the couch in the sun
- Planting vegetables in seed trays for water trough container garden
- Drinking cinnamon vanilla lattes late in the afternoon
- Thinking about going outside
- Deciding it was too cold to go outside
- Thinking about going outside | Stepping out on deck | Moving picnic bench around
- Returning inside because it was too cold [in typical cat fashion]
- Making homemade tacos for dinner [with my mother's voice running through my head, "The spices will burn the bugs right out of your system..." as I wondered if spicy tacos were the best thing for my empty stomach]
- Watching Seinfeld [for a three hours...oops...wait it's okay...it's Cat Sunday...]
- Wishing Cat Sunday wasn’t over
- Falling asleep with Pelican cuddled between us and Sasha mewing her head off downstairs to announce her ‘catch’ [a.k.a. paperball]
Are you ready for a GIVEAWAY tomorrow?
Tagged as:
Relaxation
Brent set out to whip up a chocolate confection for my birthday and was quite victorious on his first solo cake baking adventure! There’s nothing quite as fun as the sound of your husband cranking an apple green KitchenAid up to top speed. After staring at my cake all day [and stealing miniscule dollops of frosting], I cannot wait for him to arrive home from the farm tonight, because then he’ll finally let me dig into my cake. There’s a strong possibility that I’ll request ‘dessert first’ before he grills up our steak dinner. I have a big scoop of raspberry fudge ice cream waiting in the wings…
Tagged as:
Birthday,
Cake,
Celebrating
When was the last time you did something different? For the past few weeks I’ve been up to my eyeballs writing CSS & HTML code for a website project that I’m quite excited about, but I made some time to watercolor the other day! After writing things like this for several hours: /*.rmdheader {font-family: ‘Spinnaker’, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 45px; letter-spacing: 1.5px; color: #C2C7C2; text-align: center; padding-top: 10px;} .rmdheader2 { font-family: ‘Spinnaker’, sans-serif; font-size: 25px; letter-spacing: 1.5px; color: #1196D9; text-align: center; padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 8px; }*/ the 20 minute watercolor-change-of-pace from coding refreshed me enough to dive back into website work with renewed vigor. Vibrant serenity is the phrase that came to mind while painting. The next time you find yourself doing a whole lot of one thing, take a little break and do something completely different. You’ll be rejuvenated, and thankful you did. [On a side note...do you know who crafts handmade paper that's amazing to watercolor on? Whitney Korstange of Maple Street Paper Company in Fremont!]
Tagged as:
Design,
painting,
Watercolor,
website design
These are some quick snapshots of my booth at the Fremont Community Business Expo! Here I am [on the left] with my awesome friend Krista [on the right] who brought me a scone AND a chai the morning of the expo and helped me run the booth for the weekend. I can’t thank her enough! After the expo I was convinced that Krista must know everyone in town. I definitely enjoyed myself at the expo and was thankful for the opportunity to meet and network with a variety of people in our community.
If your pallet enjoys robust bittersweet flavors, this molasses latte recipe is sure to please. All others…you’ll probably want to blend up a strawberry peach smoothie! Some of the foods I love the most pack a bitter punch: artichokes, asparagus, bittersweet chocolate, brussel sprouts, cabbage, capers, cranberries (raw), creamed spinach, dill pickles, rhubarb, and rutabaga. Surely there are others who share these food affinities! Molasses contains more antioxidants than almost any other sweetener, so if you’re looking for a way to nutritionally enrich your morning coffee or latte, this gooey black all natural sweetener is the way to go!
The Lassy Latte
1 shot espresso
1 cup steamed milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 tsp all natural molasses
Drizzle a small amount of molasses on the sides of your mug for a pretty, streaked look. Mix vanilla and steamed milk then pour gently into the mug. Add espresso and 3 teaspoons molasses. After you’re finished admiring the beautiful molasses art on the walls of your mug, stir up the latte and enjoy!
Tagged as:
Latte,
recipe,
Speciality Coffee
Click here to enjoy this free desktop wallpaper!
“There are truths to learn from the wanderers.” – John Tuttle
After listening to a inspiring talk by John Tuttle from Water’s Edge I decided to create this desktop background based on Genesis 15:1 to give me a focal point for the week. John discussed the things a couple [Abraham & Sarah] did and didn’t do, had and didn’t have, accomplished and only dreamed of, and what they were rewarded with while they made the most of their lives, wandering in the desert. It was all about persistence in waiting when the future is uncertain and that no matter how life turns out – the conflicts encountered during the wandering times of our lives serve a purpose and often times make our triumphs and future brighter.
Tagged as:
Desktop Background
It was so nice to meet you all at the Fremont Business Expo at last night. I’m looking forward to another round today. Would love to connect with you again on Facebook!
This Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 I’m looking forward to setting up my design booth at the Fremont Community Chamber of Commerce Business Expo at Fremont High School. I’ll have a few giveaways, one of which will be a package of custom designed greeting cards [designs pictured above]. Hope to see some of you there!
The simple phrase in my most recent painting came to mind after I’d received news that a friend’s parents had passed away, another friend’s brother had passed away, and a third friend’s grandpa had moved onto the afterlife. A few of my other friends seemed to be having a generally rough week as well. All these life changes were swirling around in my head as numerous people stopped by my office that week. A startling number of them solely talked about the weather. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve mentioned the weather far too often myself; during the 1 minute walk to the car with my grocery bagger, I can barely think of anything to discuss with them besides, “At least it’s not raining today…bet you’re happy you’re staying dry…oh…thanks for carrying that raw chicken with such poise…” Of course when the seasons change there are little comments that are bound to escape from my lips, “Can you believe how warm it is?” or “I LOVE SNOW!” I guess I’d understand constant weather related conversations if I was chatting with a full-fledged meteorologist or storm chaser. For those of us who aren’t up at 4am to track and report blizzards, or record unseasonably warm spring temperatures, let’s talk about more. I know, below the surface level weather comments, there’s a rich well of conversation waiting. “More That The Weather” is just a simple mantra and reminder to ask deeper questions of the folks I see ever day, and remain vulnerable enough to honestly share my own ups and downs. In the light of the fragility of life, there’s so much more than the weather to share.
Tagged as:
artist,
Graphic Designer Fremont Michigan,
painting
The end of February and beginning of March has just whooshed by! Brent and I went on a 4 day weekend vacation. We took plenty of hikes and discovered some pretty neat items amid the forest.
2012 has brought a plethora of design projects which gives way to early mornings and late nights in front of the computer creating up a storm. I’ve been working on:
- Promotional Materials for the Sidewalk Prophets & Josh Wilson Concert
- Wedding Invitations, Reply Cards, & Mailing Labels for Alvin & Jessica
- Website Design Coding [CSS/HTML for you nerds out there]
- Logo & Website Design for a new company that I have to keep under wraps for a few more weeks
In between designing and filing our 2011 taxes, Brent and I helped our church’s high school youth group with the ever-famous Chili Cook-Off [which was a fundraiser for the youth retreat we embarked on that following weekend]. During the retreat in Traverse City, we survived a 5 hour power outage with flying colors, played multiple rounds of Apples to Apples, went ice skating, consumed fruit snacks like it was our job, and listened to a compelling
speaker and
worship band. Of course, the retreat occurred during the ‘Spring-Forward’ time change, which led to even less sleep than one normally acquires on a youth retreat. Inevitably, it took us about a week after the retreat to feel un-zombie like, but it was definitely worth it. This Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 I’m looking forward to setting up my design booth at the
Fremont Community Chamber of Commerce Business Expo at Fremont High School. Hope to see some of you there! After that flurry of activities, it’ll be time to train for the 5k Spring Classic at the end of April.
Tagged as:
Design Work,
Graphic Designer Fremont Michigan,
Life
After forgetting to pick up a few items on Brent’s grocery list [pecan sandies being one of them], I whipped up a batch of cookies last night. I still can’t say that I fully enjoy pecan sandies, but for some reason or another, there are several sitting inside my belly. Brent feasted on several before our pepper-chicken and rice dinner. If you want to listen to some music that will absolutely have you dancing in your kitchen while baking cookies, check out Trent Dabbs & Amy Stroup’s album Sugar and the Hi Lows.
Pecan Sandies
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup pecans
Granulated sugar
Cream butter and shortening for 3 minutes in an electric mixer. Slowly incorporate sugar. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder/soda, and salt. Slowly add mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in nuts. Chill dough for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, dip in sugar and place about 2 inches away from each other on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly. Bake for 11-12 minutes, do not over brown. Cool on wire rack.
Tagged as:
baking,
cookies,
dessert,
pecans
This is the rough draft of the wedding invitation I’ve been working on for my friend Jessica, who was my suite mate from college. We were definitely a crafting duo at NMU, and would spend our study breaks up to our elbows in art projects. Between the two of us, we could have happily supplied a k-12 art classroom for an entire year.
Tagged as:
Graphic Designer West Michigan,
wedding invitation
After seeing how bright and beautiful Laura’s fabric wrapped vase full of tulips was [not to mention her whole living room], I bought a lovely bouquet and dug into the depths of my fabric cupboard. I took a strip of fabric about 2 inches wide and wrapped it around a tall, cylindrical vase and secured it with pink ribbon. This wild fabric, which I hadn’t yet found a use for, matched the variegated yellow and pink tulips perfectly and gave me a chance brighten up my kitchen window until Spring truly arrives.
Tagged as:
Fabric Craft
This weekend was filled with fun and not so fun activities. On Saturday a few friends came over and we had a marvelous crafting party. We drank plenty of chai, ate sour apples and way too many twizzlers, some ladies scrapbooked, some crocheted, and I had time to reupholster the footstool that I bought at an antique store a few weeks ago. Now the stool is sitting in the corner of my office under the $3 chair that I reupholstered in October. Now I can finally put my feet up! Sunday was the not so fun…tax day. Tax love. Thank goodness I have an accountant, but gathering the essential paperwork for a tax meeting is often times an all-afternoon activity. At least Phil Collins and Cyndi Lauper kept me company with their smooth 80′s tunes.
Tagged as:
craft,
reupholstered chair
