getting back to that May project

Back in May, when I was tackling the 31 things project, I think I mentioned that I had stuck with making the lists every day but hadn't necessarily done so well at creating the actual layouts. The past couple of days though, I've knocked out a couple of more in an attempt to play a little catch up. Doing layouts for the Design Challenges class has me excited to scrap again (and hopefully get some September project life knocked out as well.) For the May fourteenth layout, I went classic black and white with papers from my LBD kit

and for the fifteenth, I used cards from the Boyish Filler Cards set.

See the rest of my 31 Things layouts (and download the templates) here.

overlay share

In my blog perusing this morning, I stumbled on this post from Squirrelly Minds and the fun graphic overlay reminded me of a set of photo/journaling card overlays I created awhile back (and on checking the save date, it was over a year...crazy how time flies!) This is just a single 6 x 4" psd file with all 6 overlays on individual layers - just drag to your photo to resize/recolor. If you'd like to download for your own use, grab it here!

in which I knit

I haven't shared any knitted projects in ages. I've done a handful of simple projects...scarves and the like - plain knitted rectangles that are satisfying no-look knits that I can work on while I read or watch TV. My sister asked me to knit a few hats and headbands for her coming-in-November  baby girl so I directed her to some yarn, had her buy what she liked and got to work putting some things together. A couple of weeks later and here we are:

I forgot how much I love baby knits. So fast and inevitably cute. A shrug/hat combo, nordic inspired with tassels, a bunny hat (that still needs some ribbon for those ears) in anticipation of Easter and red and white stripes that will surely be used for some Christmas portraits. I'm about halfway through the yarn she purchased so I have a couple more enjoyable weeks ahead of me. Then, who knows? Maybe I'll tackle a real project for someone in my own house! I know Izzy has her heart set on a monster hat so I see stripes and tassels and felt eyes in my future.

Big Picture Classes Design Challenges

Winner: Congratulations, Bonnie! Please email me so I can send you the information for joining the class - enjoy!
___________________

I so totally enjoyed being a part of the Phone Photography class a couple of months ago so when Elizabeth asked me if I'd like to contribute to a challenge blog as part of the Design Challenges class, I jumped at the chance! 

I've been less than productive when it comes to scrapbooking recently (which makes me sad) but these challenges have me scrapping again and even more importantly, really enjoying it! I've pared down to the essentials, really honed in on the digital + paper mix that I find most satisfying and recorded some stories and moments that are important to me.

Here are the details:

Design Challenges

12 inspired scrapbooking prompts to cure creative block taught by Elizabeth Dillow

http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/designchallenges.php

Starts 9/26/2013 $25

Class Description

Take the challenge(s)! Create twelve sensational scrapbook pages in four weeks, with Elizabeth Dillow, Erica Hernandez, and Stacy Julian as your creative muses. Design Challenges is back for its third run, and it's here to help you conquer creative block (and other artistic ailments).

Elizabeth Dillow was the force behind our summer blockbuster workshop, The Phone Photography Project. Now, in this month-long design journey, she'll help you tackle a dozen scrapbooking prompts that will have you scrapbooking with style, simplicity, and profound purpose.

In twelve downloadable handouts, Elizabeth will share two innovative scrapbook pages based on each of her twelve prompts, from "Challenge 1: Adapt a Familiar Form" to "Challenge 12: Embrace Fine Lines." A live classroom blog will include two bonus spins on each challenge, but with a fun new twist: these layouts will feature iPhone photos exclusively. (Just in case you need 24 excuses to get more of your photos off of your phone and into your scrapbooks!)

read rest of description here.

Class starts in just two more days and I have a spot to share! Simply leave a comment (I'd love to hear what topic or even you're looking forward to documenting next) and I'll announce a winner tomorrow, the 25th at 8 EST!

eating this week

Winners from last week? The minestrone was delicious. I subbed onion for the leek, sweet potato for the squash and vegetable broth for the water. I also added some barley. The wild rice and carrots was surprisingly good for being such a simple recipe. The roasted tomato ravioli was AMAZING. So much so that I switched it up a bit and made it again yesterday (bumping the ricotta spinach pasta for a later date.) The broccoli cheddar pot pies? Eh. Kind of bland, actually. Promising with some changes perhaps...add sauteed onion and garlic for starters and maybe just a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

For this week, I have a feeling I'm going to be a bit scattered so I'm sticking mainly with things we've had before - mainly quick fixes.

MONDAY lentil tacos
TUESDAY sweet potato + quinoa salad
WEDNESDAY roasted cabbage w/ brown rice
THURSDAY spaghetti + salad
FRIDAY tomato avocado grilled cheese
SATURDAY quinoa nachos
SUNDAY pizza

and then my barely five-year-old lost a tooth

(Did that scare you?)

A few days ago, her bottom right tooth popped free. Is this normal? It seems premature. So, I googled and found that it's not the norm but it's not unusual either. Five weeks from first wiggle to tooth fairy time. The day we discovered it, Izzy wanted to let me mom know. This is the video we texted her. It's adorable.

IMG 2096 from Erica Hernandez on Vimeo.

(This was taken after the tearful conversation where we talked her down from being scared and hyped her up with the promise of impending fairy money.)

eating this week

I got out of the habit of sharing my dinner plans each week but I'm most certainly still creating a plan each week. It's been such a great habit for me over the past couple of years. The combination of switching to a vegetarian diet + planning meals for the week has seriously lessened my stress level at 5 pm each day. Having four people ask me on "what's for dinner" (sometimes before they've even finished breakfast...often multiple times a day) on a daily basis is stressful and annoying. Having an answer lessens that stress. A bit.

While I assign a meal to each day, usually each night I look at the meals I still have left for the week and based on time and energy, pick the one that works best. I also throw in one or two lunch items as well as a dessert. Most afternoons, I just grab leftovers or a sandwich at lunch but a couple of times a week, I like to sit down with an actual "meal."

I use pinterest, a couple of tried and true cookbooks and a handful of recipe-less favorites to come up with a plan but I find looking at past menus helps me thrown something together even faster; something that helps me mix old favorites with new recipes in a way that ensures everybody will be happy at least most of the week. I don't save past weeks' menus on my computer so having them easy to access here is a great way to speed up my planning time.

I've been working my way through some Cooking Light recipes I saved last month when I tried out Next Issue (tangent, I did a 30 trial and fell in love with this service! I'll definitely be subscribing when I find myself with a little extra fun money) so a good amount of these recipes are new to us and hopefully will be winners I can add to the regular rotation. I would love to get to the point where I'm planning a month at a time so I can develop weekly shopping lists ahead of time just adding the necessities as required. I'm realizing now that this whole week, with the exception of the stir fry (which is different every time I make it) and the pizza are new recipes.

SO. For this week:

MONDAY late summer minestrone with butternut squash and corn
TUESDAY broccoli cheddar pot pies + salad
WEDNESDAY tomato ravioli + garlic bread
THURSDAY wild rice and carrots + green beans with lemon mint dressing
FRIDAY veg stir fry w/ brown rice
SATURDAY ricotta spinach pasta + salad
SUNDAY pizza

LUNCH fattoush salad
BREAKFAST/SNACK chai banana bread // homemade fruit bars

new 2014 calendars in the shop

I'm really excited about these new kits in my etsy shop. A simple idea to be sure but I love having the option of printing BIG, inexpensive calendars for a variety of uses.

There are three 24x36" design options as well as a combo that includes all three files at a reduced price.

The classic calendar is a simple, graphic design with lines for making notes or keeping track of important dates or milestones.

The insta calendar is perfect for displaying 4x4" instagram or other square photos. I think this would be such a fun way to display monthly photos of a new baby growing or featuring a special person (birthday? anniversary?) each month. Add all of the photos at the beginning of the year or add them month-by-month.

The kid version provides patterns and 3D lettering perfect for coloring. ALL of my nieces and nephews are going to get one of these along with some crayons or markers for Christmas. Such a fun way for them to personalize their rooms!

Izzy already got her hands on that one (I kind of love that she went for coloring the spaces in between the circles rather than the circles themselves...I never would have considered that.)

I had all three of these printed at Staples for $10 total. Keep in mind that these files can be printed in any manner you choose. *I* like the option of printing them cheap and plentifully. These are printed on a plotter meant mainly for engineering drawings - line drawings - so the quality isn't super fantastic but for the price and my plans for them, it's the exact right price. For a big block of black (the classic version) there may be some ghosting but it doesn't bother me in the least. Here's a quick visual to show how I ordered from Staples (and picked them up the same day!)

from the sidebar, select Copy & Print > Banners & Signs etc...

choose Engineering Prints

select your size ($3.59!)

and again choose Engineering Prints (redundant, yes?)

upload your file

uploading...

from the Media pop out, ensure that 24 x 36 is selected

and that the proper orientation is selected 

Name your job (you can upload multiple files at the same time) and Add to Cart. That's it. Now wait a couple of hours and go pick them up.

Or, you know, just take it in on a thumb drive ;)

Now, you have no excuses for being super productive. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Picture Everyday Giveaway

Giveway winner:

So, school took more out me me/the kids than I intended! But random.org tells me that libbywilco is the winner!

Hopefully, I can get back in the groove tomorrow. I'm cautiously optimistic ;) Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

--------------------

The kids start school tomorrow. TOMORROW, people. That's three kids in school ALL DAY LONG.

I'm not going to apologize for the all caps yelling because this is a REALLY BIG DEAL. I've been a mom now for eleven years and have never been alone in my own house for as long as I will be tomorrow.

It's going to be bittersweet walking away from that school after waving goodbye to my newly minted kindergartner. She's going to rock it though so I'm not at all anxious for her. Me though? Totally different story. I'm fairly certain tomorrow will be spent in an alternating cycle of euphoria and sadness and anticipating all of the new ways I can be productive and active and better. I have things that need to be part of a regular schedule now that my excuses of limited time have been nullified. The house will be immaculate now, right? At least between the hours of 9 and 4 this house will run like a top. Some of those "honey do" list items can be knocked off so Carlos isn't quite so burdened by my never-ending list of minor house projects.I can expand my thrice weekly running routine to include a more diverse physical presence. My etsy shop can be resurrected with a vengeance and grocery shopping will be an absolute breeze. I can volunteer at the school and make uninterrupted phone calls. And I hope this doesn't sound selfish but I'm looking forward to being able to schedule in some me time as well. Without getting too philosophical, it's pretty easy to lose sight of yourself when life revolves around the needs and wants of three little people.

One of those me things is going to be this big picture class. The timing couldn't be better but the subject matter? Yeah, I'm ready to tackle something like this. The Phone Photography project was so perfect for capturing those summer moments with my kids and I feel like this will be the perfect way to usher in a new season - both on the calendar and in my life.

From the class description:

Your life is full of beauty, authenticity, and moments of magic just waiting to be captured in pictures. All it takes is the right perspective. In Picture Everyday, a new workshop from photographer Tracey Clark, you'll learn to see your world in a sublime new light—and to use your camera to tell the story of what you see. 

Through 30 surprisingly powerful photo prompts, dozens of inspiring images and videos, and eight weeks of gentle encouragement, Tracey will help you elevate your everyday—and fill your soul with gratitude along the way. You'll be focusing your lens on topics like Routine, Spaces, Places, Details, Connections, and Affections.

Pretty great, right? And, I have a spot to share with one of you! I'm a pretty recent convert to online classes and I want to tackle this one with gusto - I hope some of you will as well! I can't be the only one that's about to have some new-found freedom ;) Interested? Sure you are! Leave me a comment and I'll choose a winner Wednesday. Good luck! (And send me some happy thoughts tomorrow morning if you think of me ; Thanks a bunch.)

back-to-school fashion

Awhile back, I listed a friendship belt DIY kit in my etsy shop. Apparently, based on the description:

My littlest child and only girl started school this fall (boo) and in an effort to spice up her wardrobe a bit with some personalized items, I decided to turn the newly ubiquitous, flash-from-the-past friendship bracelet into a belt. And I love it :)

I must have had them up a couple of years ago.

She's pretty adorable, right? But so much bigger now!

I'm planning to make a new one before Izzy starts kindergarten (sob) in less than two weeks (double sob) so I thought I'd share the idea here as well.

All you need is some yarn (I'm going with inexpensive cotton...the stuff you'd use for a dishcloth - this won't stretch too much and will hold up to being tossed in the washer if necessary) and a couple of D rings.

If you look closely, you can see that I added a small bit of tape wrapped around the opening in the rings...just to be safe. For the yarn, I used about 250" looped though the rings like so - the yarn will be doubled up to make for a sturdier finished product. That length of yarn should get you a belt up to 35"+ then you can cut the excess off.

For the belts above, I did a standard chevron pattern but I'm thinking of trying out this lovely leaves pattern or the evil eye pattern if I'm feeling particularly brave. If Izzy spies this Hello Kitty pattern though, I'm done for.

it's so obvious

Kids can say some pretty awesome stuff if you're paying attention. I try to remember some of the gems that come out of their mouths (particularly Izzy, at the moment) but this one has stuck with me for a few weeks now. I jotted down the conversation at the time and decided it needed to be fleshed out a bit more for me to finish processing it. I'm sure to her, it's long forgotten but I won't forget.

We were sitting in the front yard on one of the few glorious, sunny, perfect temperature days us Michiganders were fortunate enough to experience in July. We were both lying on our stomachs with our heads inside our pop up tunnel (the one that usually serves as a full body snake suit now that they'e bigger) for maximum privacy. Then this happened:

This is so obvious to her. Boys are icky and the girls in the neighborhood are the people she wants to spend her time with. Her only concern about the wedding is that both she and her intended get to be fancy and pretty. Someday, (and probably someday soon as she'll be entering kindergarten in 3 weeks,) she'll be told that girls can't get married. Or that it's wrong to even believe that it shouldn't be that way. And that breaks my heart. While we've never really actively discussed the idea of gay marriage with her, we have with the boys a bit with the caveat that like many things in life, not everyone thinks the same way about it and that it's OK to form your own opinion. The actual idea of same sex marriage makes them giggle (only because they've never seen how normal and beautiful it is in their own lives,) but the theoretical is something that is obvious to them as well.

Whitney believed the children are our future and I do too. Sometimes, (often,) I wonder if we wouldn't be better off turning it all over to them now. Before they get hateful and cynical and make decisions with their wallets and prejudices rather than their hearts.

I cheer every time another state is added to the small but growing list of places where equality is achieved and look forward to the day our own state makes the leap. I cheer and then a shed a tear or two watching the celebrations that result. I have a feeling that with the kids in charge, I'd be cheering a lot more and in quick succession. And that our diets would be awesomely indulgent.

I don't know about you but living in a world where a discussion about a future hypothetical trip for ice cream warrants a bigger conversation than the marriage of strangers sounds pretty darn appealing. (Don't worry vegans, I have it on good authority that there will be sorbet served in utopia as well :)

eat this now

It's hard to deny that the alchemy of water + flour + yeast is one of the most magical transformations known to man. Or, at least, to me.

Over the years, I've become more confident, more adventurous, more comfortable with my chopping and sauteing and experimenting but few things make me feel more competent in the kitchen than producing an edible hunk of bread. And this foccacia took less than an hour. Can't beat that.

I used this recipe, following it to the letter other than changing up the topping a bit. I did a butter/garlic/parsley/ parmesan mix that was absolutely delicious. Paired with this soup (with a couple of handfuls of chopped spinach and my trusty roasted corn instead of bacon substitution) it was the perfect dinner for a less-than-summerlike evening. Seriously, August, what the hell is up?

new in the shop: Pocketed Calendars

This digital set includes individual transparent (for easy recoloring) 3x4" envelope calendar templates for 2013 and 2014.

Simply arrange the files for printing, trim, fold and secure.

Recolor if desired (or simply highlight after printing if you want.)

Print a few months at a time so future appointments can be tracked.

I have mine stacked and clipped.

When the day/week/month is up, tuck the whole shebang into your album!

I'd love to share these with a couple of you...leave a comment if you're interested and I'll pick winners tomorrow (Wednesday) night!

cool story bro

Just for fun :)

For project life or whatever...3x4" in a single png file (need help using a png with multiple images? tutorial here.) Grab 'em!

newly released

I've added a few reworked kits to my shop as well as a new frame set. These files come as PSDs with a frame layer and a mask layer for the photo inset.

I also have a freebie for you. This was a paper single I released at Two Peas a few years ago (and was apparently featured in a Martha Stewart Weddings roundup having to do with lace? I never actually saw it but I was told it was there ;) You can grab this one here.

I'm working on a couple of downloadable 2014 calendars that are BIG, meant to be drawn/written on (kids' colorable version as well!) and meant to be printed cheaply at Staples/Office Depot/etc and should have that up soon (when is too soon for a calendar?)

And finally, since I've updated the shop with a few things, I thought it would be fun to do a last minute Christmas in July promo...use XMASINJULY between now and the end of the month  (expires July 31st at midnight...unless you sneak in and use it before I wake up and deactivate it on the first) when you check out with a $5 minimum purchase and get 20% off your order!

the things that come out of this girl's mouth...

Just the teensiest bit of background - (because I was taught you don't talk about money, politics or religion...a good rule of thumb in my opinion!) we don't go to church unless someone is getting married. Carlos and I have different beliefs but we have never disagreed over how we raise our children in this respect. Our kids know what our individual beliefs are and they know we respect each other's beliefs as well as of those we know. They see it demonstrated by our words and actions. Many (most) of our family are church goers and the kids have gone with their grandparents to church on occasion. My parents (dad + step-mom, mom + step-dad) always ask first if it's OK to take them and it's never been an issue with us - we want them to make their own decision about what they choose to believe.

A couple of weeks ago, Izzy spent the night with my mom and step-dad and went to church with them. A few days ago she said, verbatim:

"Mom, let me tell you the truth about God. He didn't have pants or shoes and people hated him. They hung him up and then there was a miracle. And that's the truth about God."

So if you were ever curious about what a five year old might take away from an infrequent church trip, there you have it.

ain't no party...

A few days ago when I made Izzy's birthday layout, I was thinking that an "ain't no party" project life card was a MUST. So I made one to share :) Grab it here if you'd like it (single png file includes color version shown as well as a black text version that you can recolor - enjoy!)

(why tupperware? no idea...I drew a blank and it was the first thing that popped into my head. also, I'm a dork.)

Wondering how to use a multiple image png file in PSE? Look here. How about using images in Word? Here's your answer!

VSCO presets: a cheat sheet

One of the fantastic students in the Phone Photography course at Big Picture asked about which VSCO presets were best for different types of photos. There is a description of each set in-app but I remember seeing a Hipstamatic cheat sheet a couple of years ago that I absolutely loved so I thought I'd put one together for this app as well just so I could quickly see a comparison of how the different effects work on different types of shots at a glance. I'll still probably turn to my tried and true method of simply playing with the different effects until I find one I'm happy with but this is a good guideline for when I'm in a hurry.

I did a comparison of a few different shots...one indoor still life type of a shot, an outdoor portrait, a sky photo and a more dramatic silhouette type shot. The VSCO descriptions for each are included as well as my original shot (which I only cropped and adjusted for exposure prior to applying the VSCO effects. (These images do get bigger if you want to click and save.)

I noticed after I had already started that VSCO has added a (free) skin tone set so those aren't included here...I'd say the application for that set is pretty self-explanatory though.

five years of Izzy

And just like that, whoosh, five years flew by. Five years seems so big. I'll admit to tearing up as I pulled some photos from the archives...5 favorite moments from the past five years of Izzy birthday parties.

Can you see her confidence growing? Amazing.

KITS: tile alpha | dude | stamp press life | ready set go

I created a set of six 6x4" geometric templates for photos and blocks of color (you can see one of them above.) Use them for layouts, cards or project life. Grab them here and enjoy!

birthday party edition

Yesterday we celebrated my very-nearly-five year old girl at our house with family and friends. (It seriously seems like yesterday that I was shocked and awed by my oldest turning "one whole hand" and now my baby is?!? Can't deal.) I took only a few phone shots of the festivities (sigh, that's the norm these days) but did snap a couple of shots of the pre-party set up.

As the years go on, our parties get lower key. No one really notices and I know my stress level has dropped considerably. Not to say that I wasn't up into the wee hours of the morning finishing up favor bags but overall, much less planning and much, MUCH less during-party stress. As usual, my ambition outweighed my time/resources but as time passes, I'm learning to let go, get the necessities done and be happy with whatever details I manage to pull off.

Izzy wanted a Detroit Tigers party (that's my girl!) so orange, blue and white with a dose of Olde English (this is the only occasion that font is appropriate...tradition, people!) were a must.

As were hot dogs, lemonade, baseball cupcakes and icees.

The gift bags had monogrammed pennants that I made from the aforementioned font cut from self adhesive felt. Inside were Cracker Jack, popcorn, baseball cards and parts poppers. I really wanted Cracker Jack in a box and Big League Chew but my tour of the city and five separate stores was fruitless. If I'd have been on top of my game I could have ordered these and these from Amazon ahead of time!

Some of the Tigers even stopped by (*wink, wink) on their way to the game yesterday to autograph the tablecloth (thank you google images for providing me the tools to search out signatures to forge...it's a good cause, promise!) I printed the signatures, laid them on the table (just a roll of kraft paper cut to size,) traced them really hard so that there would be an impression left in the kraft and then traced with a sharpie. I think I did six in total.

Those nasty looking hot dogs are vegetarian. I never liked hot dogs even before we were vegetarian but the rest of my family did...they all think Smart Dogs are a reasonably acceptable replacement though I don't make them too often. I felt so naughty buying real beef hot dogs for all of our guests!

There was much paper ripping (those are my two sisters-in-law in the background. Both sporting baby bellies and matching royal blue).

And an adorable nephew who would really like you all to know that he is THIS many now (as of a few days ago.)

And Jake, in happier times, before he was knocked out by a tennis ball line drive to his eye (seriously, it knocked him on his butt. There was crying and an ice pack but he's fine now...just a tiny bruise!)

And it wouldn't be a party if Izzy weren't hamming it up.

And maybe Carlos too.

And even my sweet mom.

And finally, a little Squinkie action to wind down after everyone had gone home. A good, if bittersweet day.