Author: admin

In the Bag: The Diaper Bag Dilemma

With a 17 month-old, I’ve officially been through 4 diaper bags, with 3-4 unofficial options as well. Why? Am I picky? Am I destructive? Am I disorganized? Do I get frantic? Kind of.

The thing is, different situations call for different bags. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about! You have your big, multi-purpose handbag for everyday outings or when you need to carry the utilitarian stuff. The cute, sassy clutch works for evenings out because you only need a couple of items for the night.

Though you may not be dancing the night away and getting free drinks with your little one in tow, you may have a preference for a smaller bag sometimes.
Here’s what I’ve learned about diaper bags.

Skip*Hop Diaper Bag
Skip*Hop Diaper Bag

Continue reading “In the Bag: The Diaper Bag Dilemma”

Feeling Flashy: Using Your Flash When it’s Least Expected

Recently, I took a web-based photography class via CreativeLive, taught by the incredibly talented Roberto Valenzuela. Though the class was geared toward wedding photographers, I gleaned some valuable information as an amateur photographer (cough cough). A cool tip I learned, which I’ll share with you here, is how to use your flash to create some beautiful shots.

When you think of flash photography, you think of low light, indoors, red eyes, blown out skin…just BAD…right? Well, it’s a tool, and it can be used in a way you wouldn’t necessarily think of!

This weekend, we visited a pumpkin patch at around 2:30 in the afternoon. It’s a notoriously “bad” time of day to shoot because the sun is still really bright, but lower in the sky, creating deep shadows, too much contrast, and it makes people squint if you try to eliminate shadows and have your subject face the sun.

Enter the flash. 

Sunflower photo no flash
It’s an okay shot, but the flower looks dark and sad.

Continue reading “Feeling Flashy: Using Your Flash When it’s Least Expected”

Rice Rice Baby

As autumn descends upon the Pacific Northwest, I’m faced with the prospect of limited outdoor playtime. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a hardy Seattleite, undeterred by a little drizzle and limited sunlight hours. But as a Seattleite with a toddler, the horror of endless hours indoors gives me chills. Her current favorite activities include climbing, slides, coloring (aka–crayons on any surface) and digging rocks, dirt, and sand. I already have a decent couch for climbing, but God forbid I bring a bucket of rocks or dirt into the house.

Enter the Rice “Sand” Box:

Rice Sand Box
Create your own “sand” box for those foul-weather days.

Continue reading “Rice Rice Baby”

Fruit Stand. Sit. Stay.

On our way back to Seattle from Yakima, we stopped at one of the many fruit stands dotting the Highway 82 landscape.

This one boasted “Fruit Antiques”. Well, probably Fruit AND Antiques, but I don’t think the sign painter had the room. Anyway, it was a good stopping point, so we headed in. They did not disappoint. The fruit was fresh, the antiques old, and the wines local. I snapped a few pics around the lot. Enjoy!

Committed Fruit Pears, peaches, and apples are in season! Continue reading “Fruit Stand. Sit. Stay.”

A Little Slice of Heaven: Paper Cut Illustrations

Before Pinterest, I was bookmarking every single design and illustration site that I found interesting. It’s still nice to go through the list, randomly pick a link, and be instantly inspired by what pops up. Today’s random link led me to this:

Roadside Projects. Illustrations by Jayme McGowan.

Continue reading “A Little Slice of Heaven: Paper Cut Illustrations”

Hot Pattern-A-Day: Patterns #11 & #12

I’m clearly very far behind on this project! But instead of beating myself up over it, I’m just going to keep sharing them as they come. Here are two very different options for your patterning needs.

Pattern #11: Spring Swirl

I was browsing an old sketchbook (and I mean OLD–like before I was even thinking about being a designer) and found a fun style. With some touching up and color added, it’s a happy addition to any desktop. 🙂

All I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.

Committed Pattern 11

 

Pattern #12: Moroccan Tile

If I could only actually produce these and tile my future pool with these, I’d be a happy gal. I used intentionally misaligned and asymmetrical elements to add to the handmade feel.

Committed Pattern 12
Feel free to use this pattern as a background. Link back to http://committedgifts.wordpress.com

 

 

Chalk it up to Awesomeness

I’m a little obsessed with Dana Tanamachi’s chalk signs right now. She’s a super-talented graphic designer based out of Brooklyn, NY, and was commissioned by West Elm, Rugby Ralph Lauren, Ace Hotel, and Tommy Hilfiger Harajuku (to name a few) to create stunning, elegant hand-lettered signs in chalk.

I love turn-of-the-century typography-turned modern, and I think she does an amazing job of it. I can see the influence of Louise Fili in her work, but the medium she is using is all her own. Beautiful. Enjoy.

 

Have you seen any hand-lettered signs, invitations, or packaging that you’d like to share?

Nailing It!

I was lucky enough to get an afternoon to myself this weekend, and opted for some mani-pedi action. True to form, my fingertips were chipped by the next day. Taking advantage of the plethora of unique colors on the wall seemed like a good idea at the time, but here I am without a matching color for touch-ups.

Solution:

20120816-212424.jpg

Touch-up with a contrasting color! I call this tequila sunrise. Don’t worry about French tips or anything fancy; just be consistent with how deep you go. I used a couple of coats of Sally Hansen topcoat to seal and smooth it out.

What are some nail tips (pun intended) you’d like to share?

Hot Pattern-A-Day: Pattern #9 & #10

Before launching into the next couple of patterns, I feel I should explain the Pattern-A-Day project a little bit.

You may look at the collection and say “These aren’t really patterns, Smarty.” And I’ll say, “You’re right. They are tiles for a seamless repeat pattern.” While the image itself may or may not be a pattern, when repeated, they should do so seamlessly.

Crappy technical tip: So if you want to see this at work, right-click on the image, click “Save As.” Then you can go to your System Preferences, choose “Change Desktop Background”, and select the image. Depending on your system, there are options such as “Fill Screen,” “Stretch to Screen,” or “Tile.” Select “Tile” and there you have it. See the image of my lovely desktop below:

Committed Pattern Desktop
Seamless!

Anyway, onto some new patterns (yes, I’m sticking with the misnomer for consistency!)

Pattern #9: Rec Room

So I didn’t grow up with a Rec Room, but I read many books of teens who had them in their basements. I didn’t even have a basement, or stairs, so the whole idea intrigued me. I always pictured Rec Rooms with some crazy wallpaper and shag carpet. And maybe a handmade mahogany bar stocked with Seagrams 7 and Wild Turkey. If that mental picture was at all accurate, I’d bet the wallpaper was something like the following.

All I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.

Committed Pattern 9: Rec Room
Feel free to use this pattern as a background. Link back to http://committedgifts.wordpress.com

 

Pattern #10: Hello, Dahlia!

It’s dahlia season, and Volunteer Park in Seattle has a beautiful collection of these structural, unique flowers. I snapped pics today and collaged them. I love the screenprinted effect (without getting my hands dirty). This would make an excellent desktop wallpaper, Twitter background, or blog background. Take a deep whiff and enjoy!

Committed Pattern 10: Hello, Dahlia!
Feel free to use this pattern as a background. Link back to http://committedgifts.wordpress.com

 

Hot Pattern-A-Day: Pattern #7 & #8

Today is a twofer since I didn’t get to post yesterday.

Pattern #7: Argyle Love Connection

I’ve been a fan of argyle for years, so for today, I thought I’d show it a little love…connection.

The lines connect star-crossed lovers all across your desktop!

If you repost, all I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.

Committed Pattern 7: Argyle Love Connection
Feel free to use this pattern as a background. Link back to http://committedgifts.wordpress.com

 

Pattern #8: Hot Shade

Two years ago, we took a little trip to LA. One day, we visited the Getty, which was a truly amazing experience. One thing I really loved were the tumbled travertine pavers in the courtyard, enhanced by the shade of the well-placed trees. I took some of these tiles and manipulated them. I think they look a little like watercolor now. Enjoy!

Again, if you repost, all I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.

Committed Pattern 8: Hot Shade
Feel free to use this pattern as a background. Link back to http://committedgifts.wordpress.com