Pea Green and Mustard Yellow.

My fave colors...  yes, it's true, they are pea green and mustard yellow.  I thoroughly enjoy them by themselves, and even more especially together. Don't freak out--it doesn't look like baby poop when you put them together the right way.  I promise.

Do you trust me?

fashion chic: pea green

Baby Poop color can be vintage aaand modern.

Beautiful in a fairy-tale sort of way in weddings...

...and can also be lush and rustic.

Yum.

Yellow cardigan over a wedding dress??? Yes PLEEEEASE!!!

Oh my I love this. Sooo fabulous.

Super ornate... but aren't the colors delectable??

Bright and sunny and sparkly and symmetrical.  Lovely.

A dash of sophistication if you please.

Add some green and your space will NEVER be without imagination...

Green/Yellow shag carpet = super rad and sooo hardcore in your jammin' room.

Pretty pastel pallets make for the perfect room to indulge in some sweets.

These colors are also gorgeous in vintage, shabby chic spaces:

...

And ultimate fashion use of golden and mossy hues??

CARDIGANS.

Of course.

Accessorized with complementary scarves and bags.

Perfect.

Delicious.

Green and Yellow are what I would call the ultimate WHIMSICAL color combination.

I loooove how bold and playful it is; especially when you make something sophisticated and traditional out of pea and mustard.  It's definite whimsy.

Grateful for: President Uchtdorf's talk on creativity and compassion.  Sooo grateful.

Quote of the day: "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing shall be impossible unto you" MATT. 17:20  (teehee)

A Cake, Fronk, is made of flower and water.

A while ago I posted some pictures of Max's "Up" Birthday cake.  I said I was trying to eat less cake and instead make them for other people or make pretty things to go on top of them.  Well, I'm getting ready to make some new cake toppers here in the next few days (and will be sure to update ETSY as soon as they're done), and was looking at some old ones to get a few ideas...

Mom and Dad's 25th Wedding Anniversary Cake Topper:

Mom is such a free-spirit Maria and Dad is suuuch a Captain Von Trapp, so when I found these paper versions, I knew they were destined for greatness.   

The figures are little cut outs, and the paper on the Topper matches the papers used in my parent's wedding scrapbook.  I love how accurately it depicts mum and pops.

Emmacita's Birthday Cake Topper:

Hahaha... this was fun to make with all sorts of flowers and sparkles and butterflies and fabrics and colors and pearls... whew.  I love how tall this one is.

Well, more to come!! I've been very inspired lately with modern silhouettes and more graphic shapes, as well as bright bold colors and patterns... we'll see what artistic madness ensues...

Grateful for: Mt Bonnell FHE.

Quote of the day: "I'm a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls!" --Fanny Brice in Funny Girl

I don't like being left behind...

Remember how there are like a million kids in my family?  And I am the oldest?  Remember how I got to see ALL of them come home from the hospital when they were just tiny babies??

Well, remember how Emma is starting 5th grade tomorrow??

And Dylan is starting 7th?

And little Maxy is starting HIGH SCHOOL???

And little baby Jesse will be a JUNIOR?? 

Remember how Logan and Sophie are going back to BYU in a few hours?

I remember.

. . .

I was the first one to spend the night away from home, and was the first one to go away to summer camps, and the first one to go to college alllll the way in Idaho.  But this time, I'm the one staying behind.  It's weird.  My job doesn't start until next week and I'm not planning on taking classes until January.  Tomorrow when everyone is off to the new year of school, it's just a regular day for me.  Weird.

Today I'm grateful for new adventures on the horizon.

Quote of the day: "The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before"

--President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Another Attempt at Christmas Card Perfection

One of my family's FAVORITE things to do is take family pictures.

Not.

But we do it quite frequently.  We used to have to update fairly often to keep up with the newest addition to the family.  Now we update every time we all are together in between all of our schedules.  So since today is the second to last day we're all together for at least a few months, of course we had to spend some time updating the fam fotos.  Wanna see??

I lub these guys. And gals.

Grateful for: A summer with my whole family even Logie and Soph.  Aaaand, delicious citrus chicken marinade.

Quote of the day: "Sooo much paaain!" --Dylan after he accidentally hit himself over the head with a plastic sword... the plastic sword he was trying to hit the cat with.

Two posts in less than 24 hours.

I have lots of wonderful friends.

Tonight I had another lovely conversation with another delightful friend.

We came to the conclusion in our discussion, that our interests and talents are gifts given to us by our Father in Heaven.

We talked about how we are given them to bring us joy.

That joy is what then gives us the courage to go out and do good things.  Help other people.

These are some things that make me happy:

Painting the frames of shelves gold.

Bins blissfully full of lovely flowers and fabrics and tulle to make cake toppers.

My "studio" (or comfy bed) covered with sketchbooks, idea books and CRAYONS.

Lampshades re-covered with prints of Van Gough paintings.

These are some things that make me happy.

They are things I would stay up to the wee hours of the morning to finish.

Things that I can create with my own two hands.

Things that beautify the space around me and bring a smile to my face.

My suggestion if you're having a rough day?

Find time to fill it with a hobby.

Paint.

Sew.

Sing.

Play the piano.

Garden.

Bake cakes.

Study nature.

Write a story.

Use your imagination.

Quote of the night: "Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of the creative effort." --Franklin D. Roosevelt

M-m-m-movie.

Yesterday a friend told me that they never watch movie trailers before going to see a movie.  Aaand, they avoid having anyone tell them about the movie--at all costs.  Hahaha  I laughed at first when I heard this.  How can you avoid this?  Not watch TV?  I guess I'm an avid movie-trailer-watcher too.  I am OBSESSED with them.  Whenever anyone says "Have you seen the trailer for that new movie--?" I usually cut them off and say "Yes! It looks so good!! It has so-and-so in it, and is directed by whats-his-face!  It was filmed here and the costumes were made there.  Blah blah blah."  I know aaall about movies before I go see them.  Why do I spend an arm and a leg to even go see these movies I know everything about?

Hahaha this really isn't such a big deal; creepin IMDB (the internet movie data base) is just a fun pass-time.  And I'm a stalker of all artists--actors, directors, and set designers included.  The dilemma that sometimes arises though is that I create expectations for movies.  These expectations by the way are both good and bad.  For example: When I went to see the movie "The Help" the other day, I expected a mediocre film at best.  Judging by the fact that Emma Stone was the main character, and the design of the movie looked like a cotton-candy, bouffant hair, mid-century, cute-looking-but-not-the-most-incredible-movie-I've-ever-seen movie. (did you follow all that??)  I was sceptical.

I was quite wrong though.  I wish I hadn't watched all those clips and looked at the "movie stills".  They made me think of hairspray.  This movie was not a cotton-candied musical wanna be after all.  "The Help" was a beautiful, full-of-character, poised, and poignant movie.  And I highly recommend it.  It's a wonderful story that is very intelligently acted.  It's empowering for anyone who has ever felt stuck and unable to move forward in their lives.  You should go see it.  But don't let this review make up your mind for you before you've seen it!! :) Haha

Little tangent for the day: Movies can be such great motivators.  Seriously, in like an hour and a half to two hours, you can see a whole array of lessons learned in people's lives.  I am so grateful for movies like this.  Seeing the span of evens smooshed into that short time reminds me how many many lessons we learn in life.  I mean how many movies have been made about 1 specific event in peoples lives?  Have those movies inspired you to do something better?  To live your life in an over all in a better way?? What an interesting phenomenon this is.  We're given lots of opportunities to re-evaluate ourselves every day.  I need to learn a loooot of lessons in this life.  I'm grateful that life is as long as it is and has as many days it does to try again. 

(also) Grateful for: Pencil skirts, cat-eyed glasses, pearl earrings and about 10 years of perfecting the ballerina bun so getting ready for "networking workshops" goes smoothly in the morning!

Quote of the day: "You is kind. You is smart. You is important." --The Help

Thursday evening with a Girl Named Chuck and a pie maker.

Discouraging day + being on a diet (so no skinny cow ice cream at then end of the discouraging day) = a severe need for the best TV show in the world: Pushing Daisies.

Recipe for why this is the most delicious TV show I've ever seen:

-1 C of Mr Unbelievably-Cute-Face; Lee Pace

-a few tbsp of the adorable Anna Friel as the girl named "Chuck"

-1 (mini) C of the epic Christin Chenoweth

-some big heaping spoon fulls of intelligent writing and witty banter

-a dash of musical numbers

-and sift in the  most dreamy wardrobe on the tube.

Not to mention, Pushing Daisies has one of the sweetest kisses in film history...

If you haven't seen it... don't wait aaaany longer.  Please go and watch the first episode ASAP and then as many more as you have time to sit through.  They'll make you want to fall in love, or go hold hands with someone special.  They'll make you want to bake pies of all shapes and sizes.  They always make me want to go vintage shopping, and be brave enough to wrap scarves on my head while wearing cat-eye sunglasses.

After watching a few episodes this afternoon, not only did I feel relaxed and satisfied, I decided to add something new to my "to-do" list.  I decided I need to find me a "Ned".  A shy and slightly awkward, witty-bantering, pie-making boy with one of those cutest-smiles-you've-ever-seen. 

Know any?? 

Hahaha  I'll keep an eye out for one....