here, there, everywhere.

2009-03-14T12:19:00.001-04:00

A Story to Tell

2009-02-18T19:09:00.006-05:00

I created this image a while back and it was supposed to be a gift for my son. It is part of a series of illustrations I did that I was hoping to make into a book. It was taking me far too long to finish and I was growing impatient with myself for not getting it done so I decided to take this one image and make it into something a bit different than a book. I used the fine services at spoonflower.com to created a piece of custom fabric in which I made yet another blanket for him to snuggle in. The difference with this blanket is that it tells part of a story. You see, the house in the bottom used to be our house and the neighborhood use to be our neighborhood. Since I knew he would be too small to remember where he came from I would create a sort of pictoral summary including our old grocery store, church, neighbors and even the hospital where he was born. I think that deep down I really need to hang to those memories. It was a great place to live and because Grant was born and lived out his early days there it holds a very special place in my heart.

Once the blanket is done I will post a pic or two

First Attempt at Fabric

2009-01-17T22:59:00.004-05:00

I wasn't sure how this would turn out but I wanted to make a blanket for my mom for Christmas. Well, With a little photoshop work and some of my favorite pics of my son Grant (yes, here he is in fabric form) I created a simple repeat and then sent the file off to the fabulous folks at Spoonflower. When the fabric came to my door I was so excited and so pleased with the job they had done. Way to go Spoonflower!!! Here are some pics of the fabric repeat and the finished piece. The color was "bang" on and the fabric is very soft and smooth and well, nice.

I have to send many, MANY kudos out to my sis Carrie at weavergirlguz for walking me through the steps to creating such a blanket as I have never sewn one before. I am starting to think of cool fabric ideas for my second! Thanks Carrie and Luv ya Mom.

L.

Back to Baking

2009-01-17T22:13:00.010-05:00

I was going through some old pictures on my computer when I came across these. Funny How life changes as well as people places and Careers too. I used to have this small little side business baking these mini cupcakes for a few people back in Pittsburgh. It was so much fun and I do miss it however my kitchen her in NJ is both too small and too, well, old to really bake for anyone other than my family. This little business of mine was called pretty cute cakes. I even had a quick little site (I think it is "off the air" now) at www.prettycutecakes.com. I saw these photos and thought it would be fun to post them and see what you thought. The Cakes above were for a kids halloween party and turned out pretty neat. They realy liked the frosted eyeballs the best. Anyway, I really need to bake more often I miss it.

Gluten Free Key Lime Cakes with Marshmallow Frosting.

Angel Food With Sprinkles (turned out pretty).

Chocolate Chili Cakes with Marzipan Peppers.

A Fall Assortment of Chocolate and Vanilla Buttercream.

They were all pretty tasty but The flavor that sold the most was always vanilla with vanilla buttercream.

L.

Celebrating Christmas in WNY

2009-01-02T22:20:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone and sorry for such a long pause in the blog world. After shopping and working and wrapping and celebrating I just ran right out of time to sit and type and review good pics for a post. We were also planning our trip up to Buffalo, NY this Christmas to celebrate with family and wait for Santa's sleigh. After Christmas was over we did our usual long overdue visits with friends, our favorite Buffalo eateries and (if we had time) swing by a couple of stores for some gift swapping. We were out and about one day and I was sitting in the parking lot of one of the local Targoneit's when I looked out the car window and saw something that made me laugh. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots. Ahhh, December in Western, NY, there is nothing else quite like it. The next day we paid a visit to the Our Lady of Victory Basilica in South Buffalo which took my breath away. They had decorated for Christmas and all I could say was "WOW, there really IS nothing like Western, NY in December."

Having the Blues

2008-11-09T12:40:00.005-05:00

No, don't worry this is not another "downer" post. I am actually really excited that I had some time to grab a few pics of one one my favorite little parts of our home. I have been given and I guess you could say collecting various pieces of blue glass. I just love them all. When we moved in I placed them in our front window and they seem to really sparkle there. I am just glad that I had pretty good light today and was able to grab my camera for a little photo shoot. "Work it, work it" blue glass. Oh yeah, and congratulations to our new President Elect Barack Obama. This blue's for you! Blue is such a fabulous and functional color don't you think?

It's Getting Chilly Out.

2008-10-25T14:55:00.004-04:00

Last week after work when I went to go pick my son Grant up from daycare I noticed that all of the kids were outside on the playground enjoy themselves. It was quite chilly out and I could see that most of the kids including Grant had pink noses and cheeks from the brisk air. That is when I decided to knit him a cap for school. Something colorful and warm but not heavy. Something that could get tucked into his classroom cubby and pulled out on a cold fall day.
Can you believe I found this yarn at "Wal-you know what"? It is totally un-natural acrylic but it will wash well and is easy to knit with. I have been looking for a good knit/craft/creative shop around Piscataway, NJ where I work. It would be fun to do a little shopping during lunch but I have not seen or heard of anything so... off to "Wal-what don't they sell". It's not much to blog about and there's not much to knitting in the round but it should come in handy for a cold head on the playground.

I See You!

2008-10-23T20:48:00.009-04:00

I bought theses fun lights for my 16 month old son. We have fun turning the kitchen lights off and starring at the glowing red, green and blue eyes. He point to each one and says "dah" which of course means fabulous glowing eyeball in his language. They were on sale for a really low price so I could not resist. The pictures came out sorta weird (once again I apologize for my prehistoric camera) but also kind of cool. Anyway, have a safe and happy Halloween everyone. Keep your "eyes out" (sorry about that) for more g whiz postings.

Photo-less and Feeling Flat

2008-10-21T10:25:00.004-04:00

Is it possible for people who seem to start out crafty and unique to just wake up one morning and all of a sudden stop being creative? I only ask because I feel like I am in a creativity funk. I am truely dissapointed in how I look and feel on the web. My photos are crappy (I need a new camera so badly). My post are written quickly and don't have a lot of substance and I am really not doing creative things on a daily basis which is the true inspiration for some of the best blogs I read.To me, these are all things that creative people just do naturally.They just get up in the morning and start making things around them more beautiful and different. I have also been reading some fantastic blogs lately (weaver, yummy, juicy - you are all daily reads) and I am feeling that I no longer fit on the same creative level which bums me out.

Yes, sure I am a graphic designer and have created some commercial pieces that my clients were really happy with but how creative does that make me? A LOGO, brochure, stationary, note card? a lot of folks can do that very same thing (no big whip). Just browsing through Etsy brings talent to my eyes that overwhelms me. It is a constant reminder of how the envelope can always be pushed. So why don't I jump in and keep pushing? I don't know. I can't figure it out. I feel like right now I need to sit in the passenger seat rather than drive the vehicle myself. Perhaps it that I have taken on a full time non-creative job. Probably not the best decision but I need the stability of a full time schedule both for me and my son and the bills must get paid - right? Oh, I am sure I will grow out of these thoughts but I wanted to write something here so other people know that I know that this blog could be a lot better.

Sweet Addition to the Family

2008-10-19T14:22:00.008-04:00

I just found two new sub categories of the ever popular Halloween classic - candy corn. Introducing Chocolate Caramel and Candy Apple candy corn. Both just as sweet and stomach churning but in all new jazzy flavors. Actually, I am not really sure how new they are but our family has never had them and man - we just can't stop eating them. My biggest fear is that they don't sell out in the stores and after the holiday is over they go on sale for 1/2 price - yikes!

Here, There, Gone Already!

2008-10-19T12:01:00.004-04:00

So I have been a bit busy lately and have not had time to update the blog like a good blogger should. I have lots of thing to mention here yet it always seems that the blog gets pushed to the end of my "To Do" list. This post is to show one of my latest creations for Etsy that were put into the store last week. They sold so fast that I wanted to give everyone a chance to see them. I also wanted to say a great big Thank YOU to Uniquely Nancy who purchase these striped edge buttons and patiently waited for me to finish them up and get them posted to the shop. I am so excited to see what she does with them. They were fun to make and if anyone out there might be interested in owning a set (almost) like them just let me know. I hope to become the new black and white button fairy!
L.

Bite Sized is Better

2008-09-01T13:43:00.008-04:00

So I am not much of a gardener but every year I plant a few things around the yard in hopes of something new and beautiful to look at out my back window. I did pretty well with my sunflowers and my tomato plants however my tomatoes did not get very big. I guess this is where fertilizers come in handy. Anyway, they may be small but boy are they good and I have more than I can count. They are also so easy to eat - no slicing or napkins required. Their color is so beautiful that I am thinking tomato red will the perfect color to accent my "a little bit newer every day" kitchen (more pics of that to come).

Round and Round

2008-08-31T21:36:00.005-04:00

One of the perks to living in New Jersey are the miles and miles of coastline loaded with boardwalks, beaches and parks. If my son was old enough to talk he'd tell you his favorite place on the boardwalk is sitting on top of a beautiful bouncing carousel horse. He gets to ride on a pretty pony everytime we go to the shore. Some of them look really old and the painted details are quite stunning. They really are more like moving pieces of art. At night they give off a beautiful glow and mixed with cheerful music. sounds of ocean and the smell of saltwater in the air you really can't help but want to jump on up and take a ride!

Simply Use Sprinkles

2008-08-21T13:24:00.007-04:00

Sometimes I just bake and today was one of those times. We were completely out of sweet snacks and since we learned that Grant is allergic (or so it would seem) to eggs we have not had baked goods with eggs in them around for fear of unseen bites. I wanted to make cookies so I put together a batter with no egg from a chocolate chip recipe (without the chocolate chips) I had. I added a spoonful of sour cream and pinch of ground cardamon for a bit of jazz then I topped them with a simple glaze frosting and some sugar sprinkles I found in my baking cupboard. What I got in the end was a nice little "sparkle spice cookie". They turned out much better then I thought and worthy of a few pics. I really think that sometimes all it takes are a few sprinkles to make me happy.

Seeing Green

2008-08-12T13:19:00.004-04:00

The Family got together last weekend for a big 3 day camp out. We had a ton of fun and enjoyed hiking, swimming, swinging, and hanging out by the campfire together. It did rain a few times and we had our "damp" moments but it didn't stop us from having a great time! The picture above is of the clearing right across from our campsites. Very green and lush due to some wet weather.

Operation "Kitchen Pretty"

2008-08-12T12:46:00.010-04:00

When we moved into our new home we knew that the Kitchen was going to need some TLC. It is a very small galley style with no dishwasher or microwave and a definite "beat up" style. The cabinets are old, the counter tops are old, the sink is old the appliances are ... you guessed it, old. The worst part about it is that it has been through two floods, without any updates - yuck!.
The thick textured wallpaper (shown above) is peeling off and the scratched up counter (shown above) is a blast from the past linoleum featuring a yellow starburst pattern. We are thinking new floor, new counter, new sink and new paint for the cabinets. For now the appliances will have to stay but any change is a good change for this retro nightmare. So excited to see what we can make of it!

2008-07-29T08:47:00.005-04:00

I do like the idea of keeping a record of some of my favorite moments, interesting thoughts (at least they are to me - hahaha) and pictures from my surroundings on my blog. I used to think that keeping a diary or written record of life's little stories would be great. The greatest thing about a blog vs. a traditional diary or journal is that I never need white-out! So what to do with the journals from Image Factory? They seem so old-fashioned.

Water Watching

2008-07-28T08:54:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was wet. It rained most of the afternoon and into early evening. Some of the showers were quite heavy and the puddles soon turned to flowing water down the edges of our street. In most places a rainy day is nothing too much out of the ordinary but here in Bound Brook rain and water can lead to something else. You see, most of Bound Brook is in a flood zone and back in 2007 over 50% of the town was 3-5 feet under water so when it rains hard and the water builds up in the street people take notice. That is exactly what happened yesterday. The water fell and flowed and slowly filled up the end of our street. The fire dept. came to block off traffic and the kids were out jumping in the water that was now up to their shins. Neighbors were all outside standing in the drizzle watching the water. For the first time I had a better sense of what could happen if either the amount of rain or the length of a storm increased. We know that a flood has happened here before and we have flood insurance. We know that just last year our home was under water and we have seen many photos of Bound Brook and the devastation. This was the first time that I had a sense of how fast water can build up and how trapped you could feel from rising water that you can't just get in your car and drive away from.

What to make of this...

2008-07-27T12:52:00.008-04:00

My head has been spinning lately trying to manage a lot of creative ideas into one successful project. My new thought involves fabric, graphic design, sewing and LOTS of color. The trial run will involve the above image. Can you guess what it will be? Well, until I have something to show for all the gears grinding in my head you will just have to hang on this image for a bit.
Keep it all crossed for me!

Sunny Days!

2008-07-20T13:06:00.005-04:00

I have to admit that I am not much of a gardener but I do manage to get a small collection of plants and flowers to grow each summer. This spring my neighbor was nice enough to give me some sunflower seeds from some plants he grew last year. I made a little bed along my fence. planted the seeds and watched as they grew. I have had some bad results from other plants in the yard but the sunflowers went way beyond my expectations. They are so cheerful and bright (like the sun) and they are now taller then me; really cool!

Etsy... A new frontier in creativity.

2008-07-19T14:29:00.012-04:00

So... I really need to thank my sister-in-law, Carrie for introducing me to Etsy a few months back. She is also a proud shop member and does some incredible stuff - Way to go Wash My cloth!
I can spend a lot (too much) time looking and browsing the thousands of creative shops and vendors. If you need to buy a gift for that person who owns everything then Etsy is your one stop shop! I am so excited about my black and white clay pieces and the idea of being part of a grand, eclectic, creative, marketplace! I find cool things (if only I had the extra spending $$$) every time I visit. Below are a few of my favorite Etsy things...

it was a very egg-citing morning!

2008-07-18T12:32:00.010-04:00

So I just found out that my son Grant may be allergic to eggs :( He took a couple of bites of my french toast this morning and a few minutes later had big red hives all over his face and hands. The doctor told me to keep a close eye on him for swelling and trouble breathing and after about an hour everything seemed to subside. "He probably is allergic to eggs but a blood test will need to be done to be sure" the nurse said on the phone. That will be another chapter... for now, no more eggs for Grant!!

Blah, Blah, blog!

2008-07-18T00:25:00.000-04:00

So much pressure!
I mean I get the blog titled, then I play with font colors and sizes, layouts and templates, header artwork and finally I am almost ready to post, but wait...

what was it that I really wanted to say? ohhhhhhh.... you mean I have to type it?