The Elf on the Shelf

I so wish this would have been a part of my childhood!  I am extremely jealous of all those kids out there that are experiencing this Christmas Magic!

 

If you’re unfamiliar with Elf on the Shelf – please view this video on their website.  You can find the Elf at Target or online – which is shipped from “The North Pole!”  How cool is that!?  When you give your elf a name, his/her magic is “activated” so he/she can report back to Santa during the night.  The fun comes when the children find the elf in a different spot every morning because maybe your elf spend the night ice skating in the freezer or had a snowball fight with your other holiday figurines!

Here are some fun photos I’ve seen recently, that make me so excited to share this Elf Magic with our children.

 

Who knew the elf could be naughty! haha

 

 

 

 

This one is so stinkin' cute - please view here for this one: Magic Elf Seeds!

Where the kids are instructed by Santa to plant "magic seeds" aka: cookie decorations in sugar before bed and wake up to cookies that "grew" overnight!

5 Haikus for the preggos!

Haiku #1: The Belly and What it Wants

It doesn’t look big.
Who cares even if it did?
Yes. I bought ice cream.

Haiku #2: Waiting at the OB GYN

It’s been an hour.
Starting to get old. OK.
Won’t watch the weigh in.

Haiku #3: At Least We Know Who’s Driving

AH! Cocktail party.
Lame that you’re pregnant and all.
‘Preciate the ride!

Haiku #4: Ode to Your Cervix

Millimeters count.
Thrilled to hear 38, dear.
Victory, cervix.

Or, haiku #5: The Fortunate Son

Inside you, my dear
Yet another lucky child,
’cause he’ll call you Mom.

These are from of another blogger who wrote these for his pregnant wife.  

Nursery Room

Slowly over the last week we've made a LOT of progress in the nursery.

I am so excited for the outcome which will be revealed soon because I still need to take off some of the blue painter's tape.

Below is my inspiration for the room's paint job.

I was also inspired by Jen Loves Kev blog; she painted her master room with Birch trees.

Tonight we take the tape off and see how it all went!

Google Reader

Good morning.  My name is Camille and I am addicted to Google Reader.

I use Gmail for my email and I LOVE it.  Yes, I love my email!  I use the calendar and reader features to keep up with friends and family and I constantly recommend Gmail to EVERYONE. 

Google Calendars can be shared with other Gmail users; so currently I know the schedules of three of my closest friends, my husband, and possibly you – if you’d like to share your dentist appointments with me!

Beyond the calendar function, Google Reader has changed my life in the last year or so.  The reader is a page accessed when you’re logged into your Google account that lists your blogs, news and RSS feeds you subscribe to.  I constantly change my blog list – usually adding than subtracting blogs – to fit my current interests.  I love when friends recommend new blogs to read.  I have friends who have turned me onto design blogs, cooking blogs, wedding blogs, and NOW – baby blogs! 

Since getting my iPhone – I am even more dedicated to reading because I can access my  expanding list of new postings ANYWHERE!  I usually begin reading my list when I get on the train in the morning and usually browse through the listings as I check my email at work.  Harmless, right?  Before you answer the question, look at my list of subscriptions below.  I don't read every single post but it takes a while even to read their headlines because a third probably post more than once a day.

If you’re thinking of starting to use or adding to your Google Reader, here are my current subscriptions, categorized even! (Some blogs are listed twice b/c they fit more than one category)

Design (Home, Stationery, Decor)

Annette Tatum  

décor8  

Design*Sponge

How About Orange

Project Nursery

Oh So Beautiful Paper 

Ruffled

Queen of DIY 

Lovely Morning 

The Scoop 

Queen of DIY 
Jessica Hische 

Friends Blogs

Jax…Locked up abroad and Loving it! 

The Durtty Bride

The Roberts Family 

The Little Blogdorf
be good and you will be lonesome
Danielle Brown Fine Art

News

CNN 

Baby

LilLuxe

Lovely Morning

Project Nursery

Annette Tatum  

BabySteals 

The Durtty Bride

Being Pregnant

My Chicago Mommy

Weddings and Parties

Ruffled 

The Budget Savvy Bride 

The Durtty Bride

The Scocial Secretary 

Oh So Beautiful Paper 

Wedding Bee
From "I Will" to "I Do"  

Food/Cooking

Smitten Kitchen

For Fun

The Blogs at HowStuffWorks

Happy Reading!

Judge a book by its cover

Delightful Packaging – when was the last time you bought something because it looked good?

One of the things I love that influences my many purchases (call me your sucker consumer) is a product’s packaging.  WINE is a perfect example of this – their labels and names can make it or break it!

Before I give you the goods, add a fun veggie pun to this post: Veggie Inspired

Remember, if you’re the 10th comment, you receive a little present!  A veggie inspired set of greeting cards designed by yours truly!

So back to wine...WINE packaging completely persuades me to buy and DRINK their product!  Wine labels are my version of filling out a college basketball bracket based on the team colors and mascot. I've included a few examples.

 

Smoking Loon- I tried their Syrah

Fat Bastard Wine Company

Giant 47 Pound Rooster Pinot Noir

Mommy's Time Out Pinot Grigio! 

AWESOME NAME!

I found a couple websites that are fun to drool over too.  They include all sorts of packaging from crayons to milkshakes!

Lovely Packaging, a fun blog devoted to packaging a great source of inspiration.  They even include student work. 

The Die Line, a creative blog with many resources including a job board!

Design*Sponge included a great post today about how to design your own packaging.

Tool Kit is another source for small businesses.  They have some recommendations for packaging too.

 I would buy these items if I saw them in the store: 

Milkshake cartons

 

Crayon/Marker Box

Pain Pills!

Veggie Inspired!

You may think this is about eating healthy – WRONG!

 Fabulous Dish Towels from To Dry For

Today I want to get some reader/friend/family input – yes even from you who read and don’t comment!

Today I am inspired by eatable plants – mainly from my new favorite blog, Design*Sponge.  They include a couple posts a day that inspire apartment decor and design, stationary, city architecture, all delicious things that deter me from work!  Today they included dish towel designs, a LOVE I inherited from my mother who send me towels for most holidays – these towels are from To Dry For.

So what I need you for is this idea I’ve cooked up in my head!

I am going to design a fun collection of cards featuring your ever lovely vegetables; radishes, rutabagas, celery, carrots, beets, squash, etc.  I will be taking care of the illustrations if you can help me with the words!

If you think of a clever saying including a vegetable or a reference to vegetable (and fruit, I don’t discriminate) then I want it!

Need an example?

• Orange illustration – “ORANGE you glad I didn’t say Banana?”
• Grapes illustration – “Love you BUNCHES!”
• Celery illustration – “I’ll be your stalker.”  (Okay, so that’s not the greatest – this is why I need you!)

I will send the 10^th person to comment a free set of cards when they are printed – a potential Mother’s Day gift!!

Our Blank Wall

We've been staring a blank wall for about a week wondering what we'll do ... 

Yesterday Nolan and I visited the Art Institute - Chicago on Michigan Avenue - it was their weekly Free Evening!  We spent a couple hours exploring the old, the modern, the curious, the new, the unexplainable from 900 BC Asia to 2008 Canada.  

This prompted another conversation about our blank wall. Currently we have our Chicago watercolor hanging amongst the vast emptiness!  It is great but it looks puny in comparison to the wall.  Even though I had thought of an idea before I never shared it with Nolan thinking he'd shoot it down right away.  I kept seeing a trend on design blogs that I like dearly.  

"What do you think of a collage of plates?"  I ask.  He thinks, he nods, then we draw up a diagram of how we might arrange said plates!  This isn't your grandmother's antique plate display!  I was floored that he liked the idea.  It seems like the most economical way to put a piece of art, 3D art in our apartment! Cue Excitement!

Beyond creating something unusual on our wall we also get to hunt for these  said plates at thrift shops, antique stores, garage sales, our parent's homes (just kidding)!  I am really excited about our new design project.

Do you need a visual?  Please see below.

CasaSugar blog offers a 'how to' in case you're wondering if you'd like to accomplish the same look.

For more inspiration and photos - visit these websites!

Remodelista Blog: http://remodelista.com/posts/dining-room-plates-as-decor

Shelter Pop Blog: http://www.shelterpop.com/2010/01/25/inspiration-decorating-with-plates-on-the-wall/

House and Home: http://www.houseandhome.com/design/hanging-plates-wall
Decor It Yourself: http://www.threadbanger.com/decorityourself/post/11062/how-to-hang-a-plate

my GIRL crush!

rool drips off my face every time I read about Jessica Hische!

This girl is amazingly talented and I gawk at her blog and website every chance I get.  Jessica Hische is a typographer.  She designs type for a living!  Who's jealous!?  

Check out some of her stuff:

Her website:  Jessica Hische

Her blog:  Daily Drop Cap 

Would you choose a flower alternative?

 

I couldn't help but LOVE these!  They are right up my alley!  I wonder if I could make one?

Ruffled Blog featured these broach bouquets yesterday and I couldn't stop thinking about them.  They kinda go with my button boutonnieres (right), that could also be a bouquet if you think about it, just using more buttons... hmm? 

 

Our Wedding Featured on "The Budget Savvy Bride"

Go check it out at Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week!

 

Jessica, aka the Budget Savvy Bride, featured our September wedding on her blog this week.  Jessica is from Tennessee and features a budget savvy wedding each week from all over the country. This week our stationary, boutonierres, flower girl, ring bear, colors, and our TREE adorn her blog pages!  Thanks Jessica!