Category Archives for Life
A Bit of Reflection
This time of year brings a lot of birthdays and celebrations in my family. My brother’s birthday is May 8th, my dad’s birthday is May 9th, and Mother’s Day is always close behind the two.
This weekend I was reminded how fragile and unpredictable life is. We have very little control and every day we have on this earth is a blessing. So I just wanted to take a second and say happy birthday to my brother and my dad- and Happy Mother’s Day to my mom. I am beyond thankful for you guys and love you so much. You have helped shape me into the woman I am today and continue to do so. (And sis- I love you too!)
Mom // your sense of humor and outlook on life is inspiring. You have shown me how to humbly live as a servant of the Lord- following wherever He may lead you. Fully trusting Him through every step of the way.
Dad // Your enthusiastic spirit and hard work ethic has shown me how to live a passionate life. To embrace the simple things in life and know deep down that they are actually the big things. To submit your talents to the Lord and see what He does with them.
Jonny // I can’t even say your name without smiling. You are my artistic partner in crime, the only person who can make me belly laugh for days on end, my baby brother who I still feel the need to protect. Your heart for the Lord and His people is contagious. I can’t wait to see where life leads you.
Friends- hug your loved ones today. Give them a call if you’re far. Because we don’t know what’s going to happen. We really don’t. Life is short. Seemingly too short sometimes. Embrace every day, the big and the small moments. They are what make up your life.
Lennon and Masiy are my Fav
It’s been another long and busy week! I’ve been in a design cave the past few days- and am so happy to come out this weekend! Stumbled upon this video from Loren Conrad’s blog and it just put me in an amazing mood. A perfect Friday morning vibe.
Have a marvelous weekend you guys!!!…
Three blogs I read when needing to CHILL OUT.
It’s been a long week over here. I have definitely been pushing on the borders of taking on too much. Once again. I was doing a great job at saying no to things for a while- to scheduling out projects and being all organized. But then sometimes when things are going well, it’s like I take that and say “I can take on more, I feel fine!” then I’m right back where I started. Stressed!! I’ll learn. One day. I hope.
Sometimes when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I just need to take 5 minutes, to focus my mind on something else and look at things other than design. I find it inspires me much more than forcing ideas to come to my head. So I wanted to share with you three blogs I visit when needing that chill time!
1 // Joy the Baker. Looking at the delicious treats she makes paired with her clever, hilarious and oftentimes heartfelt writing just warms me inside! It’s like I’m entered into the kitchen of a good friend who is telling me stories and baking me goodies. A great read when you just need some comfort or a good recipe. Her podcast is a regular listen for me too.
2 // Refinery 29. I guess this one isn’t necessarily a blog- but it’s a daily read for me so I had to post it! The fashion, the local tips, the celebrity gossip, I am an admitted Refinery 29 addict. They never cease to amaze me with their marketing. I want to read every single article with just one glance of their headlines! They have different sections for different cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and LA! I’ve come across a lot of different restaurants, store openings and events happening in LA because of this site. It’s a great read for those times when you’ve been working at home and haven’t left the house for too many hours (maybe even days- ah!) and just need to see what’s happening out there in the world around you. Maybe even make plans to head out to a new store opening in the area.
3 // A Cup of Jo. I’m sure you guys are familiar with the one and only Joanna Goddard and her beautiful little family. This was one of the first blogs I ever started reading when I discovered this whole “blog land” and I’ve loved it ever since. (And have always been jealous of her amazing blog title. I really wish I would have thought of it first!!) Writing lovely posts about her adventures as a mom, giving weekly challenges like “Interview your parents” or “Meditate for 10 minutes a day“. And much more on love, travel, food, fashion, and a ton of quirky fun finds. It’s a great read when you need to just step out of your world for a minute or two and focus on the small pleasures in life.
So there you have it! My go-to’s for small chill out moments while working. Are there any sites you visit when needing to take 5 from work stuff?
Hope you have a wonderful weekend friends!!…
A Discount for the LA Folks
Hey friends! Hope you’ve been having a good week so far.
This post is for my LA Creatives- (but feel free to read you non-locals!) There is an awesome event happening at The Standard in DTLA May 18th. It’s called Create + Cultivate.
It’s a one-day event filled with mimosas, workshops, creative seminars, food, cocktails, a photo booth, amazing goodie bags. There will be speakers like Jessica Comingore, A Cozy Kitchen, Leaf TV, and many more talking subjects like turning your passion into a business, the art of food blogging, how to find inspiration and tons more.
This would be the perfect event for someone who is looking to meet some local creatives, get inspired and have an awesome time, of course! And hey, I’ll be there! So we can meet and be friends!
If you need some more convincing- check out this video from one of the past Create + Cultivate events. It will sell you more than I can!
If you need more convincing, you can use the discount code “CCVIP” at checkout and get a deal on your ticket.
Let me know if you’re gonna be there so we can hang! Tickets are limited and going fast so hurry up and get yours!
Happy Wednesday friends- enjoy it!…
Creating Outside The Comp
I had some fun a few Fridays ago with a calligraphy starter kit I had purchased MONTHS ago and hadn’t used yet. It was one of those days. Feeling frustrated, not really able to clear my mind and focus- so I hopped off the comp and busted out my calligraphy kit. It was really hard to do! But really liberating at the same time. It was so fun to not do anything for a client or a project- but just for the sake of creating something. I miss doing this. Some of you may have seen this little pic I Instagrammed that day.
I also got a little crazy and spilt ink all over my desk… I have to admit I wanted to “Command Z” that thing right when it happend, but it was also kind of awesome to get messy and have my desk and my hands stained with ink splatters. I just ran with it and dipped my paper into it. I had some neon green puff paint lying around and put that on it, and had some fun with my logo.
I challenge you to create something outside of the computer this weekend. Just for fun. Spill some paint- stain your hands. Let go.
Have a great weekend everyone!…
My Life!!!
Hey friends. I’ve been the worst blogger in the universe this week! Sorry about that…
Since I’ve been so bad at blogging I wanted to do a little update on my life lately.
First things first- this is LONG overdue. I chopped off all my hair!! My long hair was seriously getting some major dreads going (no lie) I never brushed it and it was not good. It started stressing me out and got really bad… you guys it got SO bad. I would post a before pic but I’m honestly too embarrassed to show you. I know you would just think I’m a dirty hippie who never gets dressed or takes care of herself… (which may not be too far from the truth!)
So the cut was made. My good friend from home cut it- as I was too embarrassed to have anyone who doesn’t know me that well see what I had happening in my hair.
And now I love it. It is waaay easier to take care of, so easy to style, and I spend way less money on shampoo 
Next thing. My husband ran a MARATHON. That’s 26.2 miles folks. What a stud. He totally inspired me for my half marathon coming up next month.
We had our good friends from Seattle and their (semi) new little girl come and stay with us that week- as Kevin (Nolan’s friend) ran the marathon as well. It was a blast hanging out with them last week. Kelsey and I even made some pretty awesome signs (you would never know I was an art major in college!!) I asked a lady to take our pic with the signs but this was all I got when I looked at my pics later. Oh well- you get the idea! Also- don’t mind the long line of potties in the background of our gorgeous photo…
Also- remember this desktop download I offered you guys while back? Well, Tana from Mom’s Best Network loved it so much she wanted to use it in her new business venture, “Destination Nursery“. She explains it much better than I can so here’s what she says about it:
“Destination Nursery started with a desire to help someone…with my love for product design and experience within the children’s industry….I saw an exciting opportunity to help a mom be able to create her dream nursery space. To begin creating my babies space I knew I wanted a clean white background with some fun pops of color! My daughter is in love with animals and making their sounds so it was a natural fit to add in some of her favorites!”
Tana had my desktop turned into an amazing WALL DECAL!! How sweet is that? You can see some cool shots of it in the video (plus some other fun items I made spinning off the piece) below. Destination Nursery will be giving away one nursery makeover to a mom in need. If that sounds like you, head over to their site and enter!
So besides all that, having more friends in town, work, church and more work- life has been keeping me busy!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! Live it up!…
I Want to…
Oh yes I do. My mom and I took a spontaneous trip up to my sister’s house in San Luis Obispo today. Both of us were just really needing to get out of LA. You know that feeling? That stir crazy feeling where you just need some change of scenery to spice up your creative juices? I truly believe (at least for me) that sometimes you just have to get out of the norm to get motivated. Now being by the beach I want to ride a cute bike around and wear these yellow spring flats.
Cheers to inspiration and change of scenery!
A New Season
Hey friends! I know I’ve been a bit sparse here on the blog lately, so I wanted to fill you in on a few things happening in my life and in my head. Bullet point style.
-I’m excited about a new season. It’s officially Spring and I can feel it in the air here in Southern CA. The temperature is in the 70s and 80s and I am loving it. I’m soaking it in before summer comes and it gets to be scorching hot.
-I find that I love change. I crave it in the weather, my work space (been working at a lot of different coffee shops lately) even in my running playlist. I have around 4 different ones that I rotate through.
-I feel like I’m becoming a much more organized person. I was told that organization is a skill, and it can be learned. Thank goodness for that.
-I really am putting work into my new portfolio site. I’ve been working on this thing for what seems like ages. I’m very indecisive when it comes to my own branding- but sometimes you just gotta suck it up and make a decision. It’s never going to be perfect. (I keep telling myself that!)
-My half marathon is in May and running is going well. Besides the fact that my knee and hips are killing me after every long distance run. I think it’s weird out of all things my hips are the ones that are hurting… if anyone has any remedies feel free to leave them in the comments!!
-I’m excited that Easter is this coming weekend. I still hide Easter baskets for my husband. It’s something I loved as a kid and won’t stop now that I’m an “adult”!
I hope you are all enjoying Spring. And for those of you on the East Coast- I hope you’re staring to see some signs of Spring and keeping warm! Happy Monday friends!
I’m 25 Now!
This past weekend was my 25th birthday. And boy- did I feel loved. My husband and our friend Andrea planned a surprise party and dinner for my friend Amy (whose birthday is a day before mine) and I. We ate a lot, drank margaritas and listened to music under the stars. While standing under the cafe lights in our friend’s backyard, surrounded by family and friends I looked around and and felt so thankful. Thankful to the Lord for blessing me with such loving people in my life who I aspire to be like. They lift me up and encourage me without even knowing it.
So I’m 25 now- and it honestly feels great. I don’t fear getting older, (well, maybe a little bit) but mostly I am excited for what life will bring me, for the new things I’ll learn and how I’ll become more confident and comfortable in my own skin. I think that’s the awesome thing about getting older. I look back to how insecure and immature I was in my younger years, and just hope that in 5 years I can look at myself now and think the same thing.
So I had a wonderful weekend- I feel so loved, so blessed, and so ready to see what this year has in store for me.
Bring it on 25!!…
Feelin Free
Lately all I’ve been wanting to wear is a maxi skirt with my hair up in a highly messy bun. (I have these major knots I’m working on getting out of my hair at the moment… not cool) I think it’s the weather warming up that’s making me feel all desert summery. It was around 78 this weekend and I was in heaven. I made this little fashion board to go with my mood these days. I call it desert hippie rock.
Happy Tuesday friends!…