"Two" Visor

I'm not a perfect parent. I proved this to myself yesterday.

My son had his first homework for the week: decorate the visor provided in celebration of the 2nd Grade's 2nd day of school. The ideas given included using the number 2 and gluing pairs of items onto the visor. As always, I was excited about the project.

Photo Journal (08/20/11 - 08/26/11)

08.20.11 - Pushing buttons.

Baby + Big Brother Gift Tags

Our friends just had a baby, so we decided to send gifts to both their baby and to the baby's new big brother. I used onesie and t-shirt designs to reflect the kids' age relationship to one another.

Photo Journal (08/13/11 - 08/19/11)

08.13.11 - Escalator fun.

Angry Birds Pig + Egg Card

After throwing our Angry Birds themed birthday party, we needed to send out some thank you cards. These are the cards I ended up making. While I used my cards as thank you notes, the design would also work well for a "thinking of you" theme or for Valentine's Day.

Umbrella Gift Tag

I was inspired to make an umbrella gift tag for a cousin's wedding shower.

Photo Journal (08/06/11 - 08/12/11)

08.06.11 - The long trip East.

Creative Spotlight : Move, Learn, Eat

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

I was browsing Facebook today when I came upon a link to the video above. Rick Mereki is an Australian filmmaker and artist who was commissioned to create films inspiring people to travel. His journey included a trip around the world with stops in eleven countries. Mereki's trip is documented in three 60-second films entitled "Move," "Learn" and "Eat" -- films that succeed in fueling my wanderlust!

While the films remind me of some videos done a few years ago by a traveler named Matt, I enjoy the refreshing spin these films have on travel. Not only do these films depict travel as fun (as Matt does), but they also suggest that travel is something people should seek as enrichment to their lives. I particularly enjoy the film "Learn" because I believe we will understand the world more if we take the time and effort to stand in others' proverbial shoes.

Watch the films and see if they inspire you to explore your world!

Lake Lenore Caves

I grew up going past the sign for Lake Lenore Caves on our way to the Grand Coulee Dam area where we frequently went camping. Every time we passed the sign, I wished to explore them. Well, I decided this was the trip for it. I am an adult now, after all!

Photo Journal (07/30/11 - 08/05/11)

07.30.11 - His first plant.

Today's Haiku

One child grinding teeth
Near one child lying across
One mom, wide awake.
(maybe this should be labeled "Last Night's Haiku")

Creative Spotlight : Creative Defacement

Photo credit : happyplace.com

*Note: I don't support defacement, just the creativity that goes into this particular kind of defacement. 

Graffiti makes me angry. I don't like that some people are so disrespectful of others' property, so selfish, that they decide it is okay to alter property for their own personal gratification without permission. But I must admit, I've seen some very creative examples of sign defacement. And while I think it is wrong, I believe these creative souls need to be harnessed to do something creatively non-harmful in the world. Because if they can make me smile with a few simple sign changes, surely they have other ideas they can share with us!

Stormtrooper Gift Tag

My son had another birthday to attend and when I asked him what his friend liked, he said very enthusiastically, "STAR WARS!" So here was my nod (in gift tag form) to the Stormtrooper.