Number Walk- Learning Through Play

When we go for walks around the neighborhood, one of Ethan's favorite things to do is to look for house numbers on mailboxes. We stop by each and every one and practice reading the numbers. It's been a great way to learn to recognize and reinforce his numbers. And frankly, it's a good opportunity to be outside!

Follow up with a great counting book like The Waterhole by Graeme Base (a favorite book around our house) and you've got quite the evening cut out for you!









  See! Lots of happy smiles :)

 

 

 

 

 

Dusting off Little Loves

I'd kind of gotten away from picking up the camera again for awhile. My photography seems to ebb and flow depending on so many different factors. Sometimes life gets in the way...sometimes I'm just totally uninspired. And to be honest, I'm perfectly ok with that.

 

I've been relying on my cell phones for photos a lot lately. I actually paid for a few apps so that I can do a lot more image processing on the phone as well. My hope is to get back to my "Little Loves" images...photos of just everyday stuff.

 

Using my phone has given me the ability to sneak in a photo edit from time to time...not to mention, a camera that's a little bit more inconspicuous...so not to get the toddler "CHEESE- here's every single one of my teeth" faces (as much as I want to squeeze those cheeks, I want to see those eyes!) Well, ok, maybe that only works for a fraction of a second--sometimes that's all I need. Sure, it's not my beloved SLR, but it's filling a niche.

 

So here's four of my most recent shots that I'm enjoying right now...

 

Mac and Cheese and "Red Juice"

Smiles!

Allosaurus

"Bathtub Paleontologist" with replica T-Rex tooth

Creating an Identity Student Work

I talked a little bit about my project to rebrand before. It's work that I have been wanting to do for a long time, but the whole process made my brain hurt. Anytime I've attempted to brand before, I always end up falling short. What I really needed was a bit of guidance and some accountability. This spring I was lucky enough to take the Creating an Identity course with Melanie Burk through Nicole's Classes and put together a brand package that I really enjoy.

 

It was just featured in the Student Work section of the Nicole's Classes blog in June, too. Pretty cool, right? Make sure to stop over and see some of the other awesome and inspiring work that my classmates did as well.



Image from original Nicole's Classes blog post

Even though I have no intention of designing identities for clients, I learned a lot from this class. The process was a great way to force myself to think through my work properly. I was reminded to draw ideas from many different resources...look at lamp shades, clothing, curtains, etc. Lastly, to keep working though an idea, and trying to keep pushing the idea in different directions.

 

OK, enough about that! This girl has work to do!

Playroom Makeover

We use the formal living room space at our house as a playroom. It's full of toys. White walls. White bookshelves. Brown couch. Boring. Boring. Uninspiring. Seriously, I always felt like it was a total drag to sit in there for any period of time.

My goal was to create a fun, kid friendly playroom space that was fun, but could fit in with the adjacent adult dining room. This time I started at Target with some curtains. Oh Target, how you inspire me to empty my bank account. Oh yeah- I wanted to make over this room a bit without opening up a paint can (sorry folks, just not ready to cross the bridge yet!)

So here it is, my mood board for this project. I started with an analogous color scheme-- blue, blue-green, and green. I didn't use all of these exact items, but did end up with similar pieces.

1. Threshold Jacquard Window Panels

2. Owls on Branch Wall Decal

3. Little Tykes Table

4. Chevron Pillow Cover

5. Modern Eco Throw Pillow Cover

6. Threshold Pouf Pillow

7. Striped Toy Box Cushion

It's just a few small details, but it sure makes the room seem so much cozier and more enjoyable to be in. Also, the little table is the perfect size for a Lego Duplo Plate or for coloring; the pouf makes a great "adult seat" at the table. All in all, a much more functional and happy space for the whole family! What'cha think?

Nidhi Chanani Coloring Pages

One of my favorite artists, Nidhi Chanani has two coloring pages up on her website for free! Check them out, they're really cute!

And definitely look at her work while you're there. I own at least seven of her prints. I just absolutely love them. Nidhi has lots of art for sale on her website, and also in her etsy shop.

I love when the art and designs that I enjoy cross over with childhood so seamlessly. :)

Have fun- and be sure to color some pages yourself!

Bold Flora Living Room Accents

I'm not an interior designer by any stretch of the imagination. I have an eye for color, but I have the absolute worst time picking a theme or color pallet and sticking with it. I get very distracted, especially if something shiny catches my eye!

I decided that this time around I would create a mood board for my living room area. I also knew that I was sticking with our blue upholstery and some burgundy and gold curtains (I've got a budget folks!). And that our living room's accent wall is brick with a black pellet stove. 

I started by shopping for a pillow as a bit of an inspiration piece. I found a marbled pillow at Target that seemed like a great starting point and I built a mood board from there. It's really something that I'm working on with all my design work, so it's a good way to practice in a real application. (See- these graphics classes are starting to pay off!)

This is my first real mood board, but I'm really happy with how it's shaping up. With this project I'm also trying to focus on being bolder and brighter with my accent colors. It's a bit outside the box from my norm, but still very me. 

1. Joyful Garden Floral Canvas

2. Ranunculus Arrangement

3. Coral figure

4. Flowering Branch Pillow

5. Marble Toss Pillow

I'm going to use all these pieces in our space, with the exception of the coral. Instead, I'm going to use some coral we picked up in the Bahamas last month (what fate!). Otherwise, I may have spray painted some aquarium coral to achieve the same look! 

Looking forward to seeing how it all comes together!

Jumping Bean Train T-Shirt Gets it Right

Jumping Bean T -Kohl's

I feel a little extra joy every time I look at this t-shirt. Our little dude is extremely particular about what he wears. If he doesn't fall in love with the design on the shirt, forget it. If it has buttons on it, it's dead to him. Seriously. I was really excited when I found this shirt at Kohls because he loves the trains, and I love the great illustration. There's so much great shape, texture, and repetition. Lots of movement and a good use of the vertical space. The detail on the logs and the little trees have to be my favorites. Now not only do we have a shirt that he likes, but one that I love to look at. Well done Jumping Bean!

PS- Even better yet, it costs $6! (Looks like stock may be getting low)