IT'S BUSINESS TIME

So, usually I just post my feelings or random pictures or whatever here. I really want this to be a place to share my new ideas, crafts and whatnot. I don't know if it's the weather or a sudden raise in motivation, but I really want to create lately. I'm not even as worried about making something horrible. I just want to go through the process of finishing projects again.

For starters, these are my new business cards. I used my Gocco to screen print them on a variety of different colored stocks. It just made me happy to actually pull out my machine again to make them. I also feel like these are more "me." I don't know if they'll get me some work or not, but at least I'll feel proud to carry them in my wallet.

Home Again

Well, we are back home after a very enjoyable week in Branson. Unfortunately, the rest of my leftover vacation money is going to be put towards a speeding ticket. At least it's from IL and not MO though. We still made really good time in the end. Dex was amazing in the car. He mostly slept, but even when he was awake he contented himself.

The week itself flew by. Phil and I were extraordinarily lazy, but it felt really good to not have a schedule to stick to. We played a lot of card games and watched a few movies. We hit one of my favorite diners, a Bob Evans, Famous Dave's Barbeque, a Chinese buffet and of course a Sonic. Gran made killer rocky road brownies, Heath Bar Ice Cream Cake, beef stew and mac and cheese casserole. Aunt Debbi made my favorite Texas potatoes. Basically, we ate pretty well and most likely gained a couple pounds each.

I got to introduce Phil and Dex to my aunt and uncle that live down there - as well as their son and daughter-in-law. Easter day we visited, feasted and played a competitive game of guys versus girls Catch Phrase. Good times. I was back in my pajamas by 4 for the night. 

Leaving was bittersweet. but it feels good to be back in our home again. We went and picked up Paisley last night. Honestly, I thought she'd be more excited to see us, but Grandma Pat and Grandpa Bill took great care of her. She's practically potty trained! 

Phil's already back to work, and I've got a lot to do today as well. Luckily, there's also quite a few jobs lined up for dessertforbreakfast. Other than that we just plan on making a lot of little renovations to the place.

Branson Bound

So tomorrow is the big day, our first ever family road trip! We are dropping Paisley off by Phil's parents tonight, and they are going to watch her for the week. She just would have been too much right now. Maybe by the time we get home she and Bailey will be friends.

We are taking anew route this year. My grandpa found an expressway that cuts out a ton of traffic. Woohoo! I have made that drive many a time, solo and with others. Shaving off an extra hour or so will be nice! For the most part we should really only have to stop a couple of times. Dex usually sleeps in the car. 

It'll be nice to kind of escape for a little while. The weather is supposed to be in the 70's there. I get so tired from being here all day. I try to find things to do with Dex, but it feels so monotonous sometimes. I know Phil can use the break from work too. I'm actually just looking forward to the car ride and switching our iPods back and forth.

I wish everyone a Happy Easter holiday, and we'll be back soon!

Man, where have I been?

I guess I have been pretty busy lately. So many things have been going on. 

Most exciting - last weekend brought a surprise Whitney visit. It was awesome! Mig, Sam, Whitney, Dexter and I just bummed around downtown. The weather was beautiful, and it was just nice to reconnect with everyone.  

I also had many a visit from Sarah which was equally cool. She actually did a series of photographs here, and it's always fun to see her go in to photographer mode and use all of the gigantic equipment. She even crashed one night, and we pretty much fell asleep watching Wonder Showzen. Good times.

In other news I attended yet another portfolio show with Phil and Dex. Amanda, Joe and Jacob were among graduating friends. The displays were great, and I know how relieved they must feel to finally be done. Good job, guys! :)

Tonight I am attending a reception with Angie for our friends Marc and Erika. We both have a sort of Hepburnesque look going on. It'll be nice to just catch up and relax. 

Next week I'll be going to see Jay Ryan and a plethora of his awesomely hand-illustrated posters. Let me know if you want to go!

Thursday, I think

It is pretty hard to keep the days straight any more. They seem like one big blur. Though it does seem to be getting nicer out. Hopefully this means just a short time until Dex, Paisley and I can hang out outside during the days.

Yesterday was a great day. Dex and I picked Mom up from work at 10:30. She took a half day, and we bummed around Woodfield. Granted I hate being there, but we were on a mission. It was actually quite enjoyable, not too crowded. I needed to get a dress I could wear for a couple upcoming weddings. At first it seemed typical - really cute things...that didn't fit. Or stuff that was adorable on the hanger but not on my frame. Luckily, I ended up finding a super great, fitting dress. It's got a very retro style which I was immediately drawn to. The top is a chartreuse satin with a collar neck and ruffles. The bottom is a super thick black stretch cotton with a thin black belt. I hate, hate, hate trying on clothes and usually feel really defeated after I do, but this miracle garment seemed to fit in all of the right places. After that huge accomplishment, we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory - but sadly left no room for cheesecake. All in all it was an amazing day. I wish I could kidnap Mom more often. ;)

Today I have hopes of being productive. So far I made a chicken salad for dinner. We had this gorgeous whole roasted chicken from my folks, and I didn't want the leftovers to go bad. We do waste a lot in this house unfortunately. I want to get better about that. But this recipe is really delicious and simple - roasted chicken with the skin on (more flavor!), equal parts spicy brown mustard and mayo, salt and pepper - a good amount and about a cup of sweet corn kernels (this tasty tip came from Europe. All the Londoners and Scots were eating their chicken salad with corn. It adds a yummy crunch). So we will have that as sandwiches tonight. We also have some brown, mushy bananas on our counter that will tonight or tomorrow become banana bread! I just have to find a recipe.

Rainy Day in

So it's pouring outside and the kids and I are stuck in for now. I took Paisley for a walk earlier, and we both got drenched. Dex is halfway through his first full week of cereal. Next week we'll bump it up to two servings and then on to veggies!! It's really great, because just after a few days he's doing great with a spoon. Granted he still has a beard of food, it's just fun to mix it up a little bit.

The job front still looks bleak for now. I did go on an interview this past Tuesday. I ended up conducting it and asking all of the questions. It wasn't bad, but it didn't feel like a good fit. Everyday consists of hours of online searches mixed with writing a business plan on the side. I'm still just remaining hopeful.

I hope nicer weather is on its way. I miss long stroller walks outside with Dex and Paisley. I love winter. I'm a winter baby, but I honestly cannot wait for spring to come. I feel it's long overdue this year. Dex has gotten so smart and so observational of everything around him. I am pumped to have him be outside and notice birds and squirrels and everything nature has to offer.

Sundaze

Well, yesterday was a most wonderful day. I got to be with my two favorite valentines. Phil had the whole day off work, AND it was Dex's half birthday! I cannot believe my little man is 6 months old already. SO insane. We started off the morning but giving him rice cereal for the first time. It's mixed with his formula, so it's still pretty much liquid. Man was it messy!! More on his bib, outfit, chair and Phil then in his mouth. Hopefully he'll get the hang of it pretty soon. We also went grocery shopping early on and then spent the rest of the day just doing housework and relaxing. It was really nice having all that qt together. For dinner we had "lovers" steaks with blueberry salads and pasta. Yum!

Today we woke up and immediately played Animal Crossing for too much time. (We are still incredibly obsessed with it). My house is fat, and I'm just trying to pay off my last mortgage to get a flag! Phil left for work and I decided to do some cleaning. I didn't really want to, but I figured it was a good idea. Anyhow, I super cleaned and rearranged the dining room and living room. Dex has been passed out for about the last 2 hours. He must be having a growth spurt, because his naps have been sooooo long lately.

We both have the day off tomorrow and Tuesday again. :) Of course, everyday is a day off for the unemployed. ::sigh:: I'm pumped for sewing class tomorrow night. It's small this time around, so maybe I'll even finish my new skirt tomorrow!

C'est la Vie

Well, I finally heard back from that company that I went on two interviews for. They sent me a rejection letter in the mail after I left two voice mails with them. Mega disappointing. It seemed like a good fit. But I just have to look at it as it wasn't meant to be. Thankfully tomorrow am I meeting with Digital People. They are a creative staffing firm who will try to place me either as freelance or on some other basis with their network of clients. I haven't lost hope. In the mean time I am keeping busy with Dexter and trying to write up a business plan...

I did these wedding invitations for an amazingly nice couple whom I met through a friend. They were incredibly happy with them, and asked me to do their thank yous as well. Also, the groom's brother is getting married in November, and hopefully that is another opportunity for me to design some more. I know a lot of people (professional designers) joke around about how wedding invitations are they work they don't want to do or the undesired work. For me it's quite the opposite. I get humbled that someone is willing to let me direct the look of their big day and that they are sending their friends and family members a piece of my work. The best part is taking an idea someone has and cannot execute for themselves and bringing it to light. That's my favorite.

In other news, I made chicken for dinner with garlic herbed mustard potatoes and steamed veggies. It was scrumptious!

Been a while...

It's been a while since my last post, but that's because there is SO much going on right now. I'm currently working on a wedding suite for a nice couple consisting of 150 invitations and response cards. They are really deserving, and I am just happy that I can help them out with what they want. I also am doing a custom order for an etsy customer. Not a huge deal - just someone who liked one of my illustrations and is ordering it in multiples in the form of gift tags. Other than that I have been putting together more upcycled pocket sized journals. I just feel better these days, because yet again I am creating. I don't want to get to the point again where I feel completely unmotivated and uninspired.

I still haven't heard back from the job, but I am forcing myself to remain optimistic. It's just difficult because they called me for my second interview the very next day. If it's meant to be it'll be. For now, I am enjoying my quality time with Dexter (and Paisley) during the days.

My car got its initiation yesterday. Nothing huge. I was in Highland Park with Sarah and some older gentleman kissed my front end as he was turning in. I was honking, because he came in the wrong side of the lot, but it was too late. Luckily, only my screw to my license plate holder got knocked loose. His car was fine, except he broke his license plate surround. Thankfully, he stopped and was very nice and helpful. Even though it was something so minor, it was scary having Dex in the car when it happened. Let that be the worst "accident."

In other news, a few of my friends are revealing their pregnancies. How exciting!! It has been a long, cold, boring winter. ;) I just hope I can be helpful in any way - answering questions and whatnot. Dex will have playmates!!!

Time to get back to the projects at hand...more to come later

Oh, also, for Animal Crossing fans, I caught 4 lobsters yesterday! BOOYAH!

Good with the bad

Some of you may or may not know that my Found On Road Dead Taurus took it's last breaths on Sunday. I've had nothing but problems with this beast for years. This last breakdown was the final straw. It brought the repairs total to more than the original purchase price of the car! While it was no fun being stranded or towed around, there is a silver lining to this incident. I was able to get the car I have been yearning for the past 4 or 5 years. It's a black Honda Fit (sport). Looks tiny from the outside, but inside it's actually quite comfortable and spacious. It feels really good to have something reliable now, especially being the car that I have wanted for so long. Now our family travels will be safe (and stylish) ones!

In other news, I went on an interview for a Merchandising/Graphic Designer position for a company in Oakbrook. First of all, I was really pumped to even be called in (with today's economy and all). Interviews are not a dime a dozen anymore, so I took it very seriously and optimistically. I left feeling really good about the meeting, so hopefully my stars are aligned and our living situation can get ever so slightly more comfortable. :)

New Year

So I know that this title is a little belated, but I just have this feeling that this year is going to be the best ever. There are so many exciting new things that Dex is going to be learning and doing every day. In fact, in February we get to start him on cereal. This may sound lame to some, but for us it brings huge excitement. 

Prospects of a job are looking a little more positive. The economy is still in the toilet, but for the first time in ages I am interviewing. It feels great. Someone out there actually likes what I am doing...and cares enough to contact me about it. Having a more secure position would do so many great things for our family. I feel at this point we are just scraping by, barely. Something more significant would be stellar. However, I do plan on staying the weekends at the store for now. I am really comfortable there, and she is even starting to carry some of my cards! 

Other exciting news is our first family vacation. (God-willing) in April we are road tripping down to Missouri to stay with my grandparents for a few days. They feel awful being so far away, so it will bring them such delight to see all of us, especially little Dex again. It will be special too, because I have cousins and other relatives there who have never met him before. I know 11 hours with an infant will be a challenge, but I like to think of it more as an adventure.

I don't know if it's the moons, or the new White House or what, but the karma is so positive right now, and I just see good things happening this year!

A Warm Welcome

Hello, friends. I just wanted to welcome you to my new blog and say thanks in advance for stopping by. I figured this would be a good way to keep in touch with people and meet some new people. I also plan to post and share recipes and preview new designs here as well.

Life has been pretty good lately. Dexter is more amazing everyday. Phil and I are really in the new parent groove. Dex is more and more alert these days and sometimes has uncontrollable giggle fits. It's the best! I can't wait until the weather warms up a bit and we can take him outside and just show him everything.

Outside of family life I've got a few projects going on. I am working on custom wedding invitations for a couple and forever coming up with new card designs and other handmades. I was also fortunate enough to get published in 1,000 Handmade Greeting Cards from Rockport. There are so many great people in there, including the likes of artschoolgirl, Amy Rowan. So it was a really big shock and honor to be involved with that.

Well, that's all for now. Pictures, recommendations, likes and reviews to come! Thanks again for taking time out of your busy day to read this. Feel free to share. 

:)