Friday, May 20, 2011

FONT FRIDAY: ISSUE 12


I am writing about this fab font this today because I LOVE it.  I am also pretty sure it has been covered in FONT FRIDAY before...but I don't care. I love it.  I need it. I just have never tried to use an EPS file.  I googled it and found these instructions that I will try.  This font is WELL worth the little bit of extra trouble...I mean, COME ON...look at this!


This is NELMA by MISSY AUSTIN for LOST TYPE CO-OP.  Does Missy sound familiar?  Kerry over on SUPER SWOON just did a post on her illustrations HERE.  LOVE. This girl just graduated last year, and I can't wait to see when her talent explodes...

Check out my font pals here:


ALEXANDRA  {THE AERIALIST PRESS}
 ALISON {ALISON OWEN DESIGN}
STEPH {BUBBLEROCK}
SOFIA {BRANCOPRATA}
CATHERINE {DESIGN EDITOR}
JENNA + ELIZABETH {LITTLE BIT HEART}
LAUREN {PALM PAPERS}
KERRY {SUPER SWOON}
FOLLOW #FONTFRIDAY on TWITTER 
Extra, Extra... Wanna WIN some fabulous party goodies??? Go NOW to ONE CHARMING PARTY and enter to win a set of 6 of my CHAIR GARLANDS.  Yep, SIX.  When the lovely, Brittany asked if I'd like to do a giveaway for her BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY WEEK, I said "Oh, YES!"  So, check out the ENTIRE giveaway and enter to win on EACH day of this week.  When Brittany does a giveaway, she does it really REALLY well...kinda like her parties...have you seen her latest?  SWOON.
and one more...Extra, Extra, Extra...
Did you see the DIY goodness yesterday on THE SWEETEST OCCASION?  My video tutorials on an EMBOSSING GUN and a SCORING BOARD.  Super easy, but you might not know how to use them...don't worry, you can go peek and I won't tell. Don't forget...DIY Week continues today!!! Am I DIY'd out...hardly, baby...we are just beginning.

ok, SO...it was a super long post, I know. It's been a crazy week for Hank + Hunt and here at home. I really am going MIA now. I know, I know...you're like 'you said that last time and you keep popping in'...it's 'cause I love you so!  This time the shop closes on Monday, and all you will hear from this blog is crickets...But really this time, the movers will be here in a few days {EEK}...wish me luck and have a fabulous MEMORIAL DAY weekend! See you in JUNE! 


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

DIY Week Continues...on THE SWEETEST OCCASION


 Hello, lovelies! There is so much goodness going on this week,  I simply can't keep up...Don't forget to read all the tutorials...Ms. Chelsea,of LOVELY INDEED and my DIY cohost, has some AMAZING videos...Pinwheels, anyone? 

 {SOURCE: LOVELY INDEED}
Aren't they adorable? And she just did a stop motion video tutorial...EEK! I love this girl even more! Is it weird that I am this excited about DIY WEEK? Um...NO.  'Cause it's AWESOME! Oh, what fun us girls can get into!

Here are the links to the latest of my DIYs for DIY Week over on THE SWEETEST OCCASION.

NO SEW BUNTING (okay, I know not everyone loves sewing as much as me, this is faster, anyhoo)



EDIBLE TOPPER AND BUNTING (out of Fruit Roll-ups, yep, I went there. yum,)

For the love of OMBRE...Inspiration Boards

We did it again, thanks to the wonderful collaboration of Wendy of JUST WENDERFUL, Aleah of VALLEY & CO. , and Sofia of BRANCO PRATA...and a huge THANK YOU to Wendy for the fabulous idea of OMBRE color boards and putting it all together so beautifully.  I think I want to live inside each one, so go see them NOW! {HERE} **FIXED LINK** A little sneak peak of my color board...

Monday, May 16, 2011

DIY Week over on THE SWEETEST OCCASION

Ladies and Gents, you might have noticed a little bit of quiet over here on the blog, well, I am moving, but I was also making a bunch of tutorials for Cyd over on The Sweetest Occasion.  This week is DIY Week and Chelsea and I have a ton of goodies for you!  Tutorials, printables and VIDEOS, oh my!
So, be sure to stay tuned and get your craft on this week! It's gonna be a doozy!

To start your day, here are my U-COLOR-IT PRINTIES for a party that the little ones can color their crazy little hearts out...

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Who's got four thumbs and needs style?


This gal. Like yesterday.  So, my cohort had the fabulous idea to enter a contest to get us some saucy makeovers at BlogHer.  Sharon and I have the same love for our boys (both have two, 5 and under), party blogging, taste and snarky humor. I can't wait to meet her there (finally, in real life) and of course, since I was wondering what in the heck I was going to conjure up to wear to this little event of fabulousness in 2 1/2 months (eek!!) I immediately said...I'm all in...and then she mentioned we had to post pictures of ourselves. Really? Crap.  Did you know there is a reason there are only TWO pictures of me out on the WWW?  Did you know WHY I have a logo on all my Twitter/Pinterest/Blogger accounts? So, then my virtual BFF posted her entry last night {HERE} and I cringed.  She's so darn cute and she set the bar at NO MAKEUP??? What??? It's not fair that she can look that fab with no makeup... I read on and got to the bottom of the post and cried.  There was me...with hair. (and makeup)


::SIGH:: I miss hair.  I miss ponytails.  I chopped all my hair off 'cause I wanted a fun and super easy 'do. Six months later it still is easy, and quick...if I want mom hair.  It takes me just as long to style it as it did this long. So here's the run down...me, sans makeup. {Thanks! Sharon} How on earth do you grow out hair without looking like A) the Beatles in the 60's, B) a walking candy apple (so what,  I've got a big head) or C) someone from the Golden Girls? *disclaimer: I got carried away with the no makeup thing and didn't do my hair either...aka this is how I look when I drop off the oldest at preschool. eek!


It just goes to show I really, really, really want to win the makeover by Mom's Fashion File...What happened? I  have been asking myself this very question since Henry turned 5.  He's five.  My baby. Wow, where'd the time go? Well we are finally moving back to Seattle this month, from outside Reno.  I say Reno cause it’s the only thing people recognize, when in reality I live 60 miles beyond the biggest little city’s reaches.  We moved here right after my oldest was born 5 years ago, which was a great place to raise babies…but as far as style development, not so much.  Over the last 5 years I have become increasingly complacent and frumpy.  I can go to the grocery store in ANYTHING and be the best dressed one there. So, I do. Often.  Without makeup.  Which, as I climb to mid-thirties status, is not an option anymore.   


But let’s look at what I do…I love parties.  I love designing things for them.  I love setting them up. I can make ANYTHING and I DO.  My favorite thing in the world is to show you how to do it, too, here, there, all over and at The SweetestOccasion.  I have 18 cake stands but only a few pairs of shoes. I have over two hundred fonts.  I will switch out six different styles of napkins to get the right colors for a DIY shot. My last pair of shoes was a pair of Tom’s, which my hubby calls “glorified slippers.”  Somehow I have reached the point and chosen comfort over style. How do I look cute and effortless at the same time.  No, really.  How do I look like I tried (effort-less) and still be stylin'? 

My craft room is stocked with the latest and greatest and my pastime is cruising the aisles of Michaels…it used to be Anthro (which Reno doesn’t even have.)  I adored shopping…now I avoid it like the plague.  What happened? Really, can anyone tell me?  I am just sitting here shocked with my mouth hung open. 

When I think about this transformation, I can see it in slow motion. First, just a new mommy, finally fitting back into her cute clothes…still able to pick up bits and pieces here and there of newness and keeping relatively current.  On to the second baby…then back into her cute clothes after, but not as hip.  Having issues finding her way in the new range of  new styles, slowly buying less and less to update the look.  Fast forward to now…I don’t buy anything when I go shopping.  I don’t know where to start. I guess I just figure my babies are happy, so I'll just try to find something next time. I am so out of date, I can no longer buy just one thing and make it all better.  I am beyond the point that even a swanky purse will fix me.  This is getting worse at an accelerated rate. 

Fast forward to two and a half months from now…BlogHer, in San Diego.  I have been “hiding out” in a cave in the desert.  I will have opportunities to meet incredibly stylish people and I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR. So, at least I have a few months until BlogHer, and soon I can go shopping in a CITY that actually has a Macy’s that isn’t in two separate buildings (no joke) and has Anthros and Nordys aplenty…so maybe that will help a little. I just need a plan.  Someone, anyone? Please help me.  I have a sense of what I’d like, but no idea where to start. How do you start from scratch?  What key pieces do I need? Arg! It just tires me out to think of it. For the love of pete...pretty please, with sugar on top!


Are you, my lovely readers,  in the same boat as us?  Gosh, I hope so...well, no. I wouldn't wish this level of stylish handicap on anyone, but if you needed it, too, is would make me feel better. ;) xo


Friday, May 13, 2011

FONT FRIDAY: ISSUE 11

I've been swamped like crazy this week, but aha! I found a little chunk of time to put a NEED on my little wishlist...


I think, I love you...
Kewl Script by Alejandro Paul, the font king himself... I need it. 


I must have it. 


I have a little thing for retro/vintage looking fonts and this has such awesome ligatures that I am just NUTS over it.  Oh, the things I could do with them...


It's the font that will sit in my cart as I hover over the buy button.  I've been pretty good lately...It's been three weeks since I got a font. MUST. RESIST.  I'll tell you what...this font is my next purchase. Period. 
A big WELCOME to our new FONT FIENDS err...FRIENDS.

Catherine {DESIGN EDITOR}
Allie from {HONEY BEE INVITES}

Go NOW and visit the rest of the fontabulousness at TGIFF...


ALEXANDRA  {THE AERIALIST PRESS}
 ALISON {ALISON OWEN DESIGN}
STEPH {BUBBLEROCK}
SOFIA {BRANCOPRATA}
JENNA + ELIZABETH {LITTLE BIT HEART}
LAUREN {PALM PAPERS}
KERRY {SUPER SWOON}


 
 
FOLLOW #FONTFRIDAY on TWITTER

 

Monday, May 9, 2011

Real Party: Shannon

 
Keaton's Party, a black white and green masterpiece, is a chic little kids party by Shannon over on WHAT'S UP WHIMSY **A must read blog with all kinds of design goodness** Shannon used Hank + Hunt GREEN FELT FLAGS for an accent in a party styled after my own heart.  {I especially love this because in the new blog, it's all black, white and green...SWOON} She made cute little green garlands from Sharon's tutorial, that remind me, I've GOT to make these for my next shindig....
I adore the use of one color that pops against a black and white sea.  Can I just say that it is so sweetly simple, but cool with all the things that I love in a party?  Giant round balloons held down with black animals...am I the only one going gaga over this idea? How perfect, something CUTE to tie down those behemoths, so you don't have to tie it to the table, right?  It turns out so MUCH cuter this way.

I am speechless about this little table topper called astroturf...TOTALLY.FREAKIN'.GENIUS. 
Go check out all of the party, with all the fab sources and details, HERE.

Friday, May 6, 2011

FONT FRIDAY: ISSUE 10

I'm in search for the perfect ALL CAPS font.  As you may notice on the blog here, I float between amazing Helveticas with round golden ratios all the way to extra tall and condensed. The golden ratio is a perfect ratio of the height of the character and width of the character. {okay, I've been geeking out and reading type design books...} Today, I bring you the opposite.


Gorgeous elongated letters, slightly bold. I find it rather striking.  I have taken workshops from Alma of Ollibird and Nicole's Classes, she is OUTSTANDING by the way.  I just finished up a refresher for patterns, because I wanted to hone my skills for more geometric patterns.  It was amazing, so simple once you learn the tricks...the hard part is coming up with the designs, really.  Anyhoo, a must do...but onward with fontliciousness.  One of Alma's favorite fonts is BEBAS, of Flat-It.  As soon as she mentioned it in class at Art Weekend, I immediately snatched it up.

While cruising the aisles at Font Squirrel, I saw BEBAS NEUE, by Dharma Type.  It seems to be a more condensed version, as you can see from the picture above, both are in 30pt.  

*Gorgeous shot above from my brother who happens to be wandering the gorgeous streets of Jeruselem currently and headed to the pyramids on Monday...nope, that's not jealousy in my tone...not...at...all...

Go NOW and visit these lovely ladies of TGIFF...


ALEXANDRA  {THE AERIALIST PRESS}
STEPH {BUBBLEROCK}
SOFIA {BRANCOPRATA}
JENNA + ELIZABETH {LITTLE BIT HEART}
LAUREN {PALM PAPERS}
KERRY {SUPER SWOON}

and a BIG WELCOME to ALISON {ALISON OWEN DESIGN} *block out an afternoon to read her loveliness...trust me.

FOLLOW #FONTFRIDAY on TWITTER

LOOK!! ---->>> {yeah, it took me a week...}
Font Friday Badge o' GORGEOUSNESS by the FABULOUS  KERRY of  SUPER SWOON.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

DIY Fringe Garland

Hello Lovelies! I'm over on THE SWEETEST OCCASION today with a super easy little diy for instant fringe.  That aisle with all the furniture trimmings at your local yardage shop? Well it has fringe that you don't have to make, just attach it to anything.  Heck, it looks awesome just hanging as garland on it's own!


So, go check out my DIY Fringe Chandelier and have yourself a very fabulous fiesta! Happy Cinco de Mayo! Una cerveza, por favor...