3
May
For those who didn’t see it at Calobee Doodles, there’s a new free desktop wallpaper up for the month of May! Click below:
omg i has photos!
2
May
It feels so good to check the “photography” box under Categories for this post. I haven’t done a shoot–a real photo shoot, with a model and a costumes and props–since well before Ellie was born. I think my last one was with Danielle, right before I found out I was pregnant, and that was over two years ago. And to be honest, it’s been much longer since I felt truly excited and inspired about photography (aside from the kiddo’s photos, of course).
So last week I was very surprised when I felt that familiar itch. Before I knew it, I was combing through my supply closet (I’d forgotten I have so much stuff!) in search of props and dresses, tossing ideas around. My friend Lyndsy offered to model for me, so we set up a shoot at the last minute and headed to the back yard to brave the blackflies.
And oh, the blackflies. I didn’t get to set up nearly as many shots as I’d planned because those vicious, bloodsucking beasts were swarming. I did take about 200 photos before I admitted to myself that we were both going to be eaten alive or carried off into the wild blue yonder if we didn’t pack up. I had the foresight to plan the shoot in the evening so we’d catch some of that glorious end-of-day light, but that also meant I was rushing to beat the sunset. Lyndsy was exceptionally patient about laying in the itchy grass and waiting for me to get just the right shot. And did I mention the blackflies? I actually found one in my nose after we were done. Ew.
I am very pleased with the results, especially considering how I’m out of practice and how little time we had to work. It felt just like old times, and it got me excited about doing more shoots this summer. I’ll be posting more from last night’s shoot here and at Flickr.
my ego vs. mushy fruit
11
Apr
It’s been a good week for business. This morning my shops were on the front page of Etsy, thanks to an excellent Maine treasury curated by atelierfrost. Prior to that, my “rescue” doodle was the Pick of the Week at Illustration Friday, one of my Firefox Personas is currently featured on the front page of the official Personas Web site, and to top it all off, I have a photo in the brand new Regretsy book.
Obviously I’m excited about the excellent press, but there’s nothing like a one-year-old to keep you grounded and living in the moment. Ellie doesn’t care about my self-perceived success, as long as I can still read “Hop on Pop” and sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” (both of which I’ve done, endlessly, this weekend). It’s hard to tend to an inflated ego when you’re scraping two-day-old banana off the floor, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve also been exhausted all week. Sometimes it seems like I can’t catch my breath with everything that needs to be done, and there’s always something new to add to the list. Thankfully, Tim and I managed to carve out a couple hours for a night out on Saturday. We decided to see Date Night with the idea we could use a few good laughs, and the movie totally delivered on that promise. Steve Carrel and Tiny Fey have excellent on-screen chemistry.
We also hung out with Danielle, who got me off my ass when all I wanted to do was sit and stare at my computer until my brain melted and leaked out my ears. Thanks to her, I had the excellent good fortune to try beer-battered asparagus (OMG so yummy) and lemon cake with pudding and berries. I am absolutely stuffed.
Tonight, I’m going to turn in early and try to catch up on sleep. Tomorrow starts another busy week!
a weekend in photos
5
Apr
We initially made plans with Danielle to hang out on Saturday and do some serious barbequeing in this lovely spring weather. That in and of itself was great, but Danielle took it a step further by surprising us with a guest. We had the pleasure of hanging out with this dude for the weekend:
That’s right–Danielle drove all the way to Boston and back on Friday afternoon to pick up my brother and bring him to see us. On a whim. We hadn’t seen Julian since Christmas, so this was a huge surprise. Excuse me while I gush, but I have the best friends and family ever.
As soon as I’d finished hyperventilating, we were off to the supermarket to grab supplies for a feast of epic proportions. We planned the menu as we went: Hamburgers, hot dogs, honey chicken tenders, potato salad, garden salad, potatoes with fried onions & cheese and deviled eggs. It was basically a heart attack on a plate and it was delicious.
After we’d stuffed ourselves silly, Tim offered to stay home with Ellie so Danielle, Julian and I could go to a movie. We decided on Hot Tub Time Machine, which turned out to be surprisingly funny. Dumb, but I laughed a lot, which is more than I can say for most of the other movies I’ve seen recently.
We didn’t have any special plans for the next day, but we did do a little Easter egg hunt for Ellie. She was a good sport about it, although she kept giving us looks as if to say, “Uhh, what’s the big deal, guys? I find stuff all over the house all the time.” It was entirely worth it to see the look on her face when she realized the eggs had chocolates in them. She doesn’t get many sweet treats, so finding 4 M&M’s in an egg probably seemed like hitting the jackpot.
All in all, an excellent weekend with some of my favorite people. I am so blessed!
friday favorites
2
Apr
I collect links the way some people collect magazine clippings for an inspiration board, and Google Reader allows me to star and share interesting tidbits I find as I’m reading. Here are some of my recent favorites:
- A neat egg dyeing technique at IndieFixx – One of my favorite parts of Easter is dyeing eggs, and I can’t wait to share the tradition with Ellie (when she’s a little older, of course). Until then, I’m happy to try this on my own.
- Creating the perfect iPhone app for your biz at Design Sponge – I’ve been working on a mobile Web project at the office, so I’m in an iPhone-ready mindset. This article has some very helpful information about the process.
- Handmade Spaces: Jennifer Ladd at Modish – Loving these colors!
- Not Martha’s vacation slides of her time in Paris – Chocolate. Chocolate? CHOCOLATE!
- Yummy pink at Poppytalk – I admit it. I have a love/hate relationship with pink. When I was four, my parents built an addition onto their house. When asked what color my new room should be, I (of course) answered, “PINK!” I spent the next 16 years sleeping within walls the color of bubblegum (and loudly complaining about it for the latter half of those years). I’m still drawn to all things pink, although now I’m a bit pickier about the shade!
Find these and more at my shared favorites on Google Reader!