WHAT HAPPENS HERE...

I'm still not a huge fan of Vegas. This trip didn't change my opinion much. There's serious effort to keep you lost within a hotel so you can't spend your money in the other hotels. As a result, nothing is convenient. There is no walking in a straight line in that town.

But I was grateful for some much needed inspiration. I'm not a gambler. I'm not one to carry around a giant souvenir cocktail, but I do like to shop and take photos of things that inspire me. Thank goodness I married someone that enjoys the same (see him shooting the Louis Vuitton wall at Crystals, City Center). I Love, LOVE, loved Prada, of course, and Stella McCartney with her beautiful chandelier horse, "Lucky Spot". All Saints at Cosmopolitan Hotel was making me drool with the vintage sewing machines lining all of its window as well as the many patterns, textures, and spectacular lights all along the strip.

I also loved the variety of casino carpets. I found myself looking at the floor more and more, enjoying the color combinations and patterns. I thought, what a great book this would make... and guess what, someone else thought the same.

FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE. BILLBOARDS 2012.

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. And we knew it. We knew it when we got in the gold limo behind MGM. When we stepped onto the red carpet. When we saw the many guitars all lined up and ready for their performers. When Ty's publicist took us to our 8th row seats. When Brandi sat down next to us. When Mike Tyson and Tommy Hilfiger were within spitting distance. And when Ty led us to the side of the stage to watch Stevie Wonder sing.

We were so very fortunate and loving every minute of it. I was snapping photos with my phone like a fool, not even caring that none of them even look good. It was no surprise that my husband was blending into the crowd of "who's that?" with such success. Tommy Hilfiger kept staring at us, probably wondering "who's that?"

It was fun to see the performances even though I don't really have Bieber Fever or listen to Katy Perry. I gained a new respect for performers like Taylor Swift after hearing all of her amazing accomplishments. I was so proud of Ty for doing so well as a host with Julie Bowen. I had happy-tears in my eyes for the lucky singers that got to sing with Stevie Wonder and I was in awe of the many, many people backstage making the whole thing run so smoothly.

Once in a lifetime. Thanks Ty and Holly!

See real Billboards photos here.

 

Christine and I getting into the limo. Holly, Emily, Jeff and Duncan on our short ride to the red carpet. Tosh and I in the hotel suite and in the limo. The line up of guitars. Ty looking so very calm. Me, Christine, Emily and Jeff in Ty's room backstage.

Ty and Julie starting the Billbaord Awards. Jeff and Emily, Me and Tosh at our seats. Taylor Swift receiving her award. Julie and Ty on the overhead screen. Brandi looking absolutely stunning. Justin Bieber performing. Mike Tyson with Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose. Stevie Wonder singing with Alicia Keys.

Backstage shots of Cee Lo and Stevie Wonder being interviewed. My husband Tosh beaming after Stevie said to him, "I love you too, man." After show parties at 1 Oak @ The Mirage and Lily @ Ballagio.

 

FINAL TWO

After a bit of shopping (thanks mom for watching my kids!) I was able to narrow down to a couple of dresses. I was really surprised to find a colorful option. I think it's going to win out. And I love the shoes! Both will get much more use than the black set up, although the black dress is pretty spectacular too.

1. Alex & Ava Cowl Neck Jersey Dress $158.00 (Ginger). Cole Haan 'Air Vivian' Sandal $178.00 (Sequoia). Nordstrom Multi Row Bar Bangle $48.00 (Gold). Argento Vivo Triple Teardrop Earrings $68.00 (Gold).

2. Adrianna Papell Rosette Mixed Media Dress $178.00 (Black). Via Spiga 'Brook' Sandal $225.00 (Turquoise Patent). Kendra Scott 'Rafa' Rose Cuff $125.00 (Gold). Kendra Scott 'Elle' Small Oval Earrings $52.00 (Turquoise).

VEGAS ON THE APPROACH

I'm not huge on Vegas, but my husband and I need a getaway. NOW. The last time the two of us got on a plane without kids was before we had kids. That was 4 1/2 years ago. Since then we've had two very appreciated one-nighters to Park City. We've gone to Portland with one kid and to Dallas with two kids. That's the extent of our travel. It always involved family and tended to be a bit stressful. Those were great outings, don't get me wrong, I liked those trips, but we're ready for a real vacation from our kids. It will be hard to leave our sweet girls for four whole days but at least Vegas is close-ish. It's also a bit of a "cheap" getaway. I had looked into San Diego. I want to save that for the kids. And Palm Springs. I want to save that for a sibling getaway.

So Vegas it is. I was starting to get excited about it. I never would've thought, excited about Vegas? But then... We got invited to the Billboards. That just kicked the meter up a few notches. We didn't think we would be able to swing it. Our original tickets out of town were the day before awards night. All hotels were booked because of the event. A return ticket would be as much as our original hotel and flight to Vegas. And the kicker was that who would watch our kids for 4 whole days? But somehow it all worked out and we get to go.

So now... a dress. Oh boy.

I must confess, I don't have a body that can just easily fit into any cocktail dress with ease. I have some areas to deal with. I've had two kids and my high metabolism that I grew up with sunk pretty low post 35. It's not going to be easy to find something for an event like this. Plus it's going to be 90+ degrees down there. Ugh. I'm going to need a girdle plus it will be hot... I may pass out.

Today, I go shopping... I feel a little like Julia Robers in Pretty Woman when she's so excited to go shopping and finds out that the experience sucks beyond belief. I have already started this process and after 8 dresses, I am a bit nervous. I can't leave this purchase to Vegas. If I don't find anything there, I'm bound to show up in my usual frumps. We're also sitting in a camera section so I need to try to find SOMETHING that doesn't embarrass myself and all I know. It's the new obsession.

Here are a few thoughts before I go: Needs sleeves but not too long. Can't be too short (like a shift dress). Not too fitted. Can't be stretchy material. Can't be see-through. Solids might be best. It would be a bonus if I could actually wear it for another occasion later. I'd love it if it were under $300.00 but I'll try not to think about that, there are too many other restrictions. But I can't forget shoes and accessories. Wish me luck.

DRESSUP & BOOK NOOK

I couldn't decide. I knew I wanted to do something with one of the closets in my daughters room. She loves to hide so I thought a quiet spot with books might be nice. But she also loves to play dress up so where to put all of those things without making her room look junky? It was a project that my husband and I worked on together. There are two closets in her room so I reorganized to make everything she really needed fit into one, then we took off the closet doors and painted the interior of the other closet. My husband installed some track lighting and I started planning out the scene.

What I REALLY wanted was a sky scene with hot air balloons, blue skies and clouds. I also wanted a small dresser painted bright yellow, like the sun. So I started looking for wallpaper. I couldn't find anything that was fitting these ideas. I thought about painting it blue but I didn't like that with the existing coral wall color in her room so I left the walls white. Clearly, from the get go, I could see that this project wouldn't be complete right off. I made two hot air balloons and purchased one other (see "Hodgepodge"). I found a cloud shelf, and some cute flower hooks at Urban Outfitters. I had a cushion made and purchased a small nightstand and painted it yellow. I made a pillow with some Dandelions fabric by heidikenney that I had been admiring for a while on Spoonflower I found a used tin mirror and hot glued lots of colorful shiny bits all over it, (found around the house and at dollar stores). I purchased a ruffle curtain at Target and used a bathroom shower curtain rod to hang it. I got four bins from IKEA for storage.

My mother-in-law made a nurse hat and vest, and two superhero capes. I found construction vests at IKEA and lots of costume items on sale after the Halloween season at Target and Savers.

Things left to accomplish: I still want to find a wallpaper or do something to the back wall, and possibly the left wall behind the cloud shelf so that it's not white on white. I also would like to get a flokati rug for under the cushion and add some fringe to the pillow. 

Although I have things in mind to make this closet better, for now it's a huge success with my kids and their friends that come over to play. It's also really easy to put everything away so it doesn't get overly messy. That was important to me. That's also why I like having a few baskets high up and a dresser with an area for hats, shoes and a drawer for jewelry. It all worked out somehow.

PEOPLES

I've wanted to make these for quite some time. We've got tons of Vintage Fisher Price Little People, which are called "peoples" in our house, and these little bitties can play along too. A cute tutorial for making them with kids is here. It makes for a fun crafternoon even with my littlest one.
You Need:
Wooden dolls (available at craft stores like Hobby Lobby or here in a variety of sizes)
Pens (Colors for eyes and mouth)
Brush and Paints (Colors for hair and clothing)
Clothing Materials (Fabric. Lace. Felt. Stickers. Ribbon. Sparkle Bits)
Fabric Scissors
Hot Glue

1. Have your kids draw eyes and a mouth (or no mouth) on the ball of the peg.
2. Have them paint the hair (let dry). I did one and they followed quite well. 
3. Have them paint the body clothes from the neck down (let dry).
4. They choose the fabrics and trimmings.
5. I cut out skirts, dresses and pants and hot glue them on.

They love being a part of making their own peoples and playing with them. They're a hit.

EVENING OF FOOD & FABRIC

As promised, I'd like to offer up my humble review of Pallet, a new restaurant in Salt Lake City. I found out about it while looking for wallpaper for my sister-in-law's home. I really love the wallpaper they chose for their men's restroom. It's a black on black damask. Cody Derrick of City Home Collective was good enough to help me out with the source. We ended up using that wallpaper in a gameroom and LOVE it.

A few friends had experienced Pallet before I was able to get there, but we all had similar thoughts. Beautiful, dark and lively atmosphere (I love the enormous mirror behind the bar), with a menu that needs some tweeking. Priced as if it has been around and favored by many. My husbands opinion was quite low, but I'd like to see how they do over time. Perhaps a chef that could offer up flavors that are worth the price. I had the scallops, my husband had the buffalo ribs which he said was, "the worst cut of meat" he'd ever had. I liked my meal, and our friends both enjoyed theirs. I enjoyed our evening there but I think we'll wait awhile before returning to see if some kinks get worked out.




Around the corner, I came across a fabric store that I never knew was there. Tissu Fine Fabrics & Design Gallery. Pierpont is home to several cute little shops, some stick around, others come and go. I don't know how long this has been there, but I fell in love with some fabric in the window. It's the kind of fabric that makes me nervous though. I want to make something with it, but I'd buy it, and it would sit in a bag until I could muster up the courage to start a project. Possibly a table cloth for Mother's Day.

STELLA TURNED FOUR AND I SURVIVED

I'm pretty sure my husband doesn't want me to throw another party ever again. He's patient with me as I dedicate our home and much of my time to planning and preparing for our daughters birthday parties. He likes to get involved, within reason. He designs adorable party invites and I'm always grateful to have one thing off of my to-do list. And I'm as patient as I can be as he asks me, without fail, "how much more have you got planned with this thing?"

With our oldest daughter turning four, I decided it's time to move on from a family birthday gathering to a friend party. She wanted to invite a few friends from school, a couple from church, her best friend, her cousin and some neighborhood friends. 16 kids total (Yeecsh).

She wanted a POLKA DOT theme. I asked her about colors and she said, "blue and purple". Once I found an outfit, I based the color palette around it and started planning the invite, food, cake, decor and favors. Below is my style guide for shopping and a few photos of the party.

THE FOOD: anything round I could find. Melons cut in round shapes and stacked large to small. Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers, Grapes, Blueberries in round clear containers. THE CAKE: I ordered Cake Pops from Kate's Pop Sweet Shop via etsy for the kids. I don't feel confident with my baking skills so I am usually sweating through the whole process and praying it all comes out ok. I made a three layer vanilla cake with blue frosting with tissue puff skewers on top and a circle punched number four. I also found some circle sprinkles that helped the bottom edge. It was a cute cake. THE DECOR: I made circle danglers by using a Fiskers circle punch and sewing them in strips. I used dart balloons to create a small wall of color. I bought a 36" balloon online and made the tassel with ribbon, fabric and tissue paper. I really wanted Craspedia Billy Ball flowers but instead I opted for simple yellow tulips. I wanted to use bamboo forks and colorful plates. I have a stash of bottles from previous parties and got some dot straws on etsy and put them all in a large round yellow tin, filled it with ice. I made some yarn pom pom garlands and tissue pom poms for decor around the house. THE PARTY FAVORS: I originally thought about sewing dot baggies for candy but opted to go simpler and got craft bags and some washi tape. Filled them with dot candy, a dumdum wrapped in dot fabric and tied with twine, some blue foil wrapped chocolate balls and some purple sixlets. I circle punched a "thanks for coming" and hot glued it to close the bag as washi tape doesn't hold very well sometimes.

My daughter really wanted to paint at her party. She loves crafts so I got some wood letters, the first letter for each child invited. I spray painted them white and got a variety of colors from the color palette and circle sponge applicators and let them create their own letter art. Of course, aprons were a must ;)

A huge thank you to my husband and all of the moms for helping to make the party go smoothly. Thank you Nicole for jumping in and taking a few photos.

Maybe we'll do this every other year? We'll see if I can stop myself.

HODGEPODGE

My process for decorating a room starts with finding one thing; a wallpaper or fabric and then creating a color palette, patterns and accessories around it. This has worked great with our girls baby rooms (Nina's has been featured on Apartment Therapy and Modern Musings), but for some reason with my oldest daughters "grown-up girl" room, I was feeling the flop.

First off, I fell in love with a paint color. A salmon. I still had our enormous vintage gold frame that I turned into a bulletin board with pale yellow linen backing. So the color palette started with those two colors. My daughter loves blue so I added a teal but I had a hard time finding fabrics in my crazy color palette.

Then we got bunkbeds for her to eventually share with her little sister. Big. White. Chunky. We hung onto some of our functional, modern, white IKEA pieces like the book shelf, chair and light. So... no real theme, crazy color palette... I was trying to salvage items from her baby room and I just couldn't make it work. I needed a small wall shelf for all of our Friends With You toys. I painted it teal to see if that helped tie in the colors.

I'll tell you what, the room is a hodgepodge of randomness and it's driving me crazy. After my husband did some work with San Francisco's Lab Partners they gave him an adorable calendar with a "festive fleet of flying contraptions". Then I bought this super cute handmade balloon by Zoe Howard Jacobson (the one with the face). So I focused on A Day at the Fair theme. I made two other hot air balloons and embraced the crazy color palette I had roped myself into. Teal, salmon and yellow.

For her Christmas present, we created a dress-up closet with a yellow Victorian dresser, a teal floor cushion and a white cloud bookshelf. This whole area is still a work in progress to me. This is why there are no photos, I'm too embarrassed to show what it all looks like now. Plus I hate the blinds. One day, this room will come together. I foresee this happening perhaps when she turns 14? Oi.

Until then, I'll continue to create random bits of fun things that have nothing to do with anything and I'll remind myself that it's ok. This is a kids room, it's meant to be fun and messy and a bit crazy. And then I'll really try to convince myself that there doesn't really need to be a "theme".

Below are the two hot air balloons that I made, and Zoe's cute little balloon that I will forever cherish. Also a robot that I made trying to tie the colors together. This was before the Fair theme. I need to give credit to Abby Snow for her robot design. I swiped it and made about 6 robots over the last couple of years for gifts. Mine are a bit different, but her cute little guys got me started.

 

CITY CREEK OUTING

City Creek opened the end of March. We chose to check it out on a Sunday for some mellow window shopping instead of attempting a shopping excursion among the craziness of opening weekend. Although it's a bit of a bummer that it's not open on Sunday, it makes for a lovely family outing. All of the fountains are going and I know for a fact that the kids enjoyed it this way much more. They could run around and squeal with delight. And I was able to get a few shots of my favorite patterns and textures. Tiffany's was my favorite.

HAPPY EASTER!

EASTER GARLAND

I think I'll use this garland for an upcoming birthday decoration as well. The colors work for multiple occasions.
























Ever since I saw 36" balloons with tassels on Geronimo, I have been putting tassels on everything possible. I like them at the end of felt ball garlands. I also like to mix felt balls with pom poms. If you have the patience and don't mind destroying your skin a little to make felt balls, knock yourself out. Here's a tutorial. I bought a ton of wool roving and started to make them and quickly found that the job sucks. I don't have the patience for it and my skin can't take the soapwater soak for 10 minutes per ball. So I buy the balls on etsy now. Pom poms are easy enough to make and you can buy a little tool here. My friend, Nicole makes darling wreaths and offers a tutorial on her site. I string them all together, space them and put a dab of hot glue on each side of the felt balls to hold them in place. Then I make the tassels with a variety of ribbons, slit fabrics, lace, and yarn, all about 14" in length. Fold the bunch in half over the garlands end piece and wrap thread around the folded end to secure it. Then tie a knot around the tassel on each end with the garlands end piece. It takes about an hour or so to make. It's easy and I love how delicate it looks. Happy Easter.

Materials Needed:
Scissors. Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks. Felting Needle (or Large Needle). Clover Pom Pom Maker. Felt Balls. Yarn for Pom Poms. Tatting Thread. Strips of Lace, Ribbon, and Material in a variety of colors.

RED GOLD

Just a brief moment of panic last week when I opened the freezer and found no more raspberry jam. When I saw some gorgeous raspberries on sale at the market I had to make the time for a batch of jam. We can't survive for long without homemade jam in this house. My mother-in-law calls raspberries "Red Gold". So completely agree.

Printable Jam Labels for you. Enjoy.

Large Lid , Small Lid, Tags, Round Circle Labels (Fiskars XL Punch)

The Martha Stewart string was originally purchased at Michael's, but can now be found just about anywhere. Check out etsy for a plethora of colors.

BABY ROOM CONCEPTS

I've been working on my sister-in-law's home with her and her husband. They recently purchased a beautiful Arts & Crafts home near by. It came equipped with terrible paint in every room and plenty of space to beautify. Needless to say, we're having fun giving each room renewed life and style.

They have a bit of a earthy, minimal, and textural style and a nice collection of mid-century modern furniture. We want to add to that with a touch of Industrial, and Victorian. They like muted blues and greens, feminine mixed with masculine, they like wool, and felt... they like what I like.

All of the rooms need paint, some need wallpaper, most need furniture. I started by collecting snippets of products and style ideas and applying them to style boards for each room. For their nursery, I had several thoughts... too many thoughts because to me, a nursery is the perfect room to do something very different from the rest of the home. I've included them here, and as many of the references as I could find for each.

REGENT BIRDIE
A bit of Hollywood Regency and a few birdies amount to a beautifully feminine space for a baby girl. I'm not much for pink for girls because it's a bit obvious, but in this case, it's really sweet to me to have pale pink mixed with gold and accented with pale greens and blues. Paint metal items gold and/or gold foil vintage Victorian frames for a bulletin board. A gold pouf and mirrored dresser along with a very girlie vintage chandelier. A few handmade bird houses on the wall and various knitted or sewn birdies could make a cute mobile. Maggie & Sparrow has a beautiful option. A grey rug with a graphic pattern and a simple glider. White iron crib RHBaby. Birdcage memo holder available at The Orchard. Bird print by Matte Stephens.

SCHOOL DAYS
I was originally inspired by a homeschooling room from Mandy Lynne. Decorating with vintage globes, suitcases (photo credit: Mollypop) and typewriter, Victorian frame turned to bulletin board or chalkboard, needlepoint footstool, and wire baskets for storage. Vintage Fisher Price Schoolhouse (etsy) and peoples in Vintage wood wall shelf (photo credit: bunnyfrogs). Doily garland (by anemonecomms) and soft toys (by Cleo & Poppy and blabla). Quilt by Maggie & Sparrow. Clock and lighting by Schoolhouse Electric. Furnishing with Millbrook Iron Crib (RHBaby). Hannah Nicole Glider (Sears). Vintage schoolchair/desk (Modern50). Painted Victorian dresser for a Changing table.

FOX DEN
As a mom of two girls many of my ideas lean to the feminine but I tend to like boy things. Boy shoes for instance. My girls wear boy shoes until they figure out that their shoes are boy shoes. Then I have to surrender to the sparkle. A room based on foxes could go for boys or girls. I love the kick of color and the opportunity to combine masculine with feminine in color, texture and style.

This is a great opportunity for a vintage Mid-century dresser/changing table. The Daddy Glider has clean lines and is complimented by a textural knitted pouf. A vintage school chair and teak crib. Harlequin wallpaper by Ferm Living. Socks the Fox by Blabla. Lighting by Sect Design and handmade fox plushies. I'm a huge fan of Maggie & Sparrow's quilts. And an even huger fan of  Djeco's Scouic Fox pull toy designed by Marc Boutavant.

RAINY DAY
I love clouds and rain. Maybe it's the Portland in me. I miss those days when it would rain for 20 minutes and then get sunny for an hour then rain for a half hour and then sunny for 4 hours.... Clouds coming and going is comforting to me. Mellow weather feels like a good concept for a baby's nursery. This one is my favorite, actually.

I recall seeing the "I will be grateful for this day" poster on etsy a while back and loving the subtle colors and rain drops. I love the idea of small white string lights and fluffy white ruffle curtains. Vintage tin bins for storage and a Rain Cloud Mobile by The Butter Flying. This would be a nice place for a damask wallpaper or fabric for the bumper, flokati rug and warm wood furniture. The Little Dorm shelf by Ferm Living. Drum light by West Elm. Glider by Olio. Cloud pillow by BlaBla Kids. I also love the idea of white string lights to offer unpredictable lighting. Bird print by deka-Animals. Umbrella charm by Jade Scott.

COUNTING SHEEP
Sheep mobile by Gifts Define. Wood Sheep by Plan Toys. Myles Glider available through Layla Grayce. DIY IKEA painted shelving. Cloud B Sleep Sheep. Sheep Crib Bedding by Land of Nod. Flokati pouf. Budding Crystal Chandelier by Anthropologie.

IN THE GARDEN
Inspired by the colors in my grandmother's garden with a variety of lush greens and vibrant pink, yellow, orange and blue. I love the Garden Rug from from Land of Nod. It has all of the colors that I remember from the hot summer days I spent on her farm in Northern California. Quilt by A Beau Ideal using "a mix of Heather Bailey lines for the fabric including Nicey Jane, Pop Garden and Bijoux." Also in the mix are vintage tin bins and mirrors from old window panes. Garden knobs for wall hooks and wire baskets for book and toy storage. Vintage side chair along with a lovely glider by Petit Nest. Yellow metal crib and side table. Snail art by Matte Stephens. Felted snail by Muddy Feet. Olive linen curtains by Crate & Barrel.

VINTAGE CIRCUS
Wire storage bins, wire baskets and crib by Restoration Hardware. Lighting by Anthropologie. Quilt by Maggie & Sparrow. The baby's name in string art inspired by Dominique Falla. Painted Victorian table for a changing area or small dresser. Vintage letters and Fisher Price circus toys. Animal art by Lisa Jones Studio. Table lamp available through Swank Lighting. Pouf DIY through DesignSponge. Carter Glider by Room & Board. Jute rug from Rosenberry Rooms.

WOODLAND FRIENDS
Brown flokati rug. Stump side table from West Elm. Quilt by Maggie & Sparrow. Langley Floral wallpaper by Ralph Lauren. Dupioni silk curtains. Vintage Iron crib, Matteo linen bedding, and Capiz pendant by Layla Grayce. Neutral colored tufted glider. Vintage wood wall shelf for small decorative items like a mushroom collection and little forest critters. Soft toys like hedgehogs, bunnies, and chipmunks. Hand crafted items like felted mushrooms in a teacup, felted acorns could be turned into a mobile. Jonathan Adler Squirrel. Gorgeous brown lace for a pillow and soft quilted pouf all make for a textural and soft woodland room.

VINTAGE FIND

The beauty of letterpress is not only in the touchable indents on lush paper, or even the romantic nostalgia of a machine at work. It goes so far as beauty in storage. Vintage letterpress drawers are functional, beautiful, and easily repurposed.

They're everywhere I turn. They're in photoshoots, they're being used as wall shelves for collectibles, thread or favorite pretty things. They're being turned into jewelry racks, advent calendars, furniture, and wall art. Some people even (gasp) paint them for renewed life. Letterpress letters have always been a hit, but the drawers they're stored in deserve attention as well. And for good reason. Form meets function with a new purpose. You can't beat that.

If you're interested in purchasing a letterpress drawer, check out etsy. They've got oodles.

Today I spotted a couple at a favorite vintage shop, Euro Treasures.

VISION WALK FOR LUCY

My lovely friend Shawni and her husband Dave have five amazing kids. I have never met these beautiful kids, but I know they're amazing because they belong to two of the most wonderful people I know. Their littlest, Lucy struggles with vision and next weekend they're walking to earn funds.

If you have the means, please join in supporting them. They truly are an inspiring family. I love them dearly, and even though we don't live near them, I'm sure they can feel the love and support. For more information about Lucy you can read Shawni's blog here.

From Shawni's blog: "Please follow this link for more information about the walk. Follow this link to join our "I Love Lucy" team on March 31st. There is no charge for walking with us and there are all kinds of fun things for kids set up where the walk takes place. If you cannot join us for the walk but would like to make a donation to help fight Lucy's specific type of blindness, click here."

70s STELLA & 60s NINA

When Stella was born, my husband, Tosh designed her birth announcement. Our friend Ben at Mandate Press letterpressed it with care. I took a photo of Stella, and we sent it out to our closest friends and family.

The announcement won a little design award and got some attention because Ben photographed it, put it on his site and it started popping up on blogs all over the world. It was fun to see Tosh's drawing that started as a potential Christmas card (he was originally Santa and I had the pregnant belly) turn into Stella's sweet little announcement.

Two years later we changed clothes and repeated the process for Nina's birth announcement. I will cherish both of his designs always. As usual, I'm quite proud of my talented husband.

NEW EATS. PALLET.

I'm impressed with the style of a new restaurant in town, Pallet
http://cityhomecollective.com/blog/pallet-wait-over/ on 400 West and Pierpont. Design led by: Cody Derrick of City Home Collective. Owners: Rocky Derrick and Drew Estman.

Pierpont is the home of a few of my favorites from the past and present. We often wander into Elemente to see what furniture and other finds have made their way there. There used to be a great soup shop there, now gone. Such is the story all too often of businesses in Salt Lake City. I have high hopes for Pallet. I haven't eaten there yet but I am truly tempted if only to see their gorgeous restroom. Black wallpaper and vintage light bulbs... Must see more!

From the photos on City Home Collective's site, I see that if the food tastes as wonderful as the restaurant looks, it will be a new favorite. Maybe they could work on their restaurant website next. eatpallet.com

Stay tuned. I'll let you know when we go.

All photo credits go to Eric Russell.

DIY TOPIARY PLACE SETTING

True to usual form, we're late getting a birthday gift for my mother-in-law. She's so hard to shop for. She has everything she needs and anything she wants, she can make. She's the original Martha Stewart in many ways. If she sees something cool, she'll figure out how to make it, usually for half the cost. So when we saw some sweet little topiary place settings at Williams-Sonoma for $10 each I knew I needed to learn from her example and make them.http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/moss-topiary-place-card-holders/

I figured they would be fairly simple to make. But I didn't think they'd be as inexpensive. I went to JoAnn's and purchased everything needed for 12 settings for under $25 (with coupons). Nothing against Williams-Sonoma, I love that store and I try to support and be a purchaser, but that would've cost me $120 for 12 settings. Sorry Williams-Sonoma I had no choice but to swipe your idea because my mother-in-law cooks for 12 all too often.

Supplies (q12):
- Moss - 2 packs
http://www.joann.com/supermoss-18-x16-instant-green-moss-mat/zprd_09598897a/
- Styrofoam Balls - 2 packs (q6 in each) 2 1/2"
 http://www.joann.com/floracraft-2-1-2-styrofoam-balls-6pk-white/xprd499270/
- Clay Pots - (12) 2"
- Large Safety Pins - 1 package. I used gold, but WS's are Silver
- Glue Gun
- Glue Sticks
- Scissors - I used a pair I don't care about to cut the moss because it has a sticky back,
  and a smaller pair that's really sharp for detail clipping.
- Wire Cutters

How To:
This gets a bit messy, but it's easy to clean up.
1. Cut 12 square pieces of moss, one for each ball to wrap. I wasn't too exact with the sizing but they were roughly 4"x4" and I was able to get 9 out of one package of moss.
2. Put a blob of glue in the center of one moss square and attached a ball.
3. Run a bead of glue from the ball to one corner and wrap it up the ball. This will be the bottom of the ball when it's done. Do the same on the opposite corner.
4. Pull up a third corner and hold with your finger, don't glue this yet. Cut where the two sides have little openings. The goal is to get it all of the edges to meet up without gaps or overlaps.
5. With the flap hanging open cut the portions along the ball's contour and glue them down.
6. Pull the flap down again and hold with your finger, don't glue this yet, but cut off excess that might overlap. Glue the flap down. If there is overlap, trip it off. If there are gaps, you can fill it in with a little more glue and small scraps of moss.
7. Do the same steps 4-6 on the last corner.
8. The ball should be covered with no gaps or overlaps. The bottom can be left a little sloppy though, it will be hidden inside the pot.
9. Run a thick bead of glue around the inside edge of the pot and place the moss ball inside with the sloppiest side in and hidden. Press down.
10. Clip off the safety pin clasp and squeeze the pin so that it has about a 1/4" gap and insert it into the top of the moss ball. I pushed mine all the way to the ball, but WS has theirs up a bit to expose the wire part of the safety pin.

You're done. Each one takes about 5-10 minutes to make.

WE LIKE FOIL

When my husband and I went on our honeymoon in 2004 to Montreal and stayed at the St. Paul Hotel (http://www.hotelstpaul.com/en/), we fell in love with the decor. Bull head lights in the elevator, cowhide chair in our room, Capiz chandeliers and most of all, the foil wall in the lounge. We wanted to include the same look in our home so I researched trying to find out how it was created. I even contacted the hotel designer Ana Borrallo (http://www.designhotels.com/hotels/americas/canada/montreal/hotel_st_paul/architecture). She was kind enough to educate me a little on the process.

We ultimately ended up using an old 4'x5' canvas and having a crafternoon together to create a silver foil piece to hang on our wall. However, the thing that made St. Paul's wall so amazing was the amber glaze. We loved how it was silver foil but the glaze warmed the room. We never did do the wall in that home but in our current home, we attempted it on a smaller scale. After more research I found that the experts use rolls of foil. Seen here http://www.gildedplanet.com/gildingceilings.asp. My husband was designing signage and menus etc. for a Park City restaurant and they were applying a silver foil ceiling. Gilded Planet actually helped us understand the process more so we did it. It didn't turn out as amazing as St. Paul's but it is pretty and it's unique. The amber glaze is the thing that is missing.

After that we thought it might be fun to apply gold foil to some of our random artifacts around the house. An old "B", a Buddha head from a past photoshoot, and my husband's newest idea, the plastic reindeer. We've seen plastic animals spray painted or glittered but not foiled. It turned out really great. Nice work Tosh ;) I think I'll do a bunny next to add to our Easter decor. Tosh wants to do a buffalo.

START WRITING

As long as I can remember I was taught to keep a journal. And I was good at it. I kept a journal all through high school, college, and my working and living single years in New York and San Francisco. I was told to write my inspirations and keep a record for my children and their children and so on.

But being the teenager that I was, I wrote like I talked. It was for me, all of those years. It was where I complained and talked about silly things like boys and rude people. What do I do with those journals now? I mean, do I really want my kids, my husband, my mom, my sisters... do I want them to know what I went through? No, not really. That's just embarrassing. And since I got married, the writing has fizzled to not-so-much.

So starts the blog. I realize I'm late and that the blog bandwagon has gone by long ago. I have a personal blog that I've kept up since 2008. I still post to it and tell my family to go see what's new. But I've always wanted to keep a record of inspiring things that make me smile. Design. Photography. Letterpress. Architecture. Interiors. Signage. Sewing Projects. Things my family and I create. Books... this list could go on and on. Things that I see while working, living and teaching my kids. So here's a re-start to the journal writing. With a creative emphasis.