Ninja Party- Heck yes!

Hi (yah!), everyone! Just finished up a pretty great weekend and wanted to share with you some pictures of this epic ninja party I helped create for the craziest, sweetest, red-headed ninja I know. Although most children celebrate their birthdays, and simply boast or brag about the all-important following half-birthday, Burke opted to play down his actual winter birthday, and go big (ninja style) this summer for, the less conventional, Half-Birthday Party. 

NINJA INVITES: 

I wanted the invites to get kids excited by reflecting just how amazing and hardcore this party was going to be. Aside from providing the standard party info, they apparently doubled as an unintentional first challenge, as I later found out that it took some of the guests days to realize that the sword actual opened up! 

NINJA HEADQUARTERS:

Jaci (Burke's mom and my employer/good friend) had the great idea to wrap the trees lining their long driveway with "Chinese symbols." I put that in quotations because they were more 'inspired by true symbols' than actually reflective of them. The kids were able to help out too with some of the banners and enjoyed making up their own meanings. The entryway was made by taping together two pieces of red paper (from a roll), cutting a child-size opening (yes, the parents all had to duck), and then painting some Chinese dragons. I hung it up with red duct tape, and put up streams of red crate paper on each side. The end result? -A pretty badass way to get the party started, and the kiddos in gear for a true ninja experience. And speaking of gear...

NINJA GEAR:

Immediately entering the house, the kids(already instructed to wear all black in their invitations) walked up to a table equipped with all the ninja essentials- num chucks, Chinese tattoos, a pouch (for storing gold coins and pinata candy), and bands of red fabric for their heads, waists, and arms. The numchucks started off as solid black. During the course of the party, the ninjas were guided through various tests/challenges; after completing each challenge, they earned a different color stripe representing various B.S "virtues" Jaci made up along the way- very entertaining.

NINJA CHALLENGES:

Jaci kicked the Ninja Challenge Extravaganza off by leading the group in a few rounds of Sensei Says (our adaptation of the ever-popular Simon Says). This proved to be a great start to the party because it established clear authoritative roles: Jaci as the Head Sensei and me as the Tape Master. Also, it allowed for some serious practicing of needed ninja skills like double kicks, num chuck twists, and karate chops. Some of our other challenges included wood breaking (Styrofoam boards painted brown), a laser obstacle (a web of red yarn that the children must maneuver through without touching the 'lasers'), a javelin throw (pool noodles thrown through vertical rings of other noodles), a giant slingshot used to knock down towers of cardboard boxes, an elaborate snake hunt that earned them gold coins, a kick bag pinata that the kids attacked (one at a time) with their best punches and ninja kicks, and a ninja star toss where they tried to knock off foam balls resting on black toilet paper rolls. 

NINJA FUEL

After successfully completing all of their tasks, our little ninjas enjoyed some pretty tasty cupcakes with surprise ninja centers ( mini ninjas were pushed inside the baked and cooled cupcakes and covered with generous amounts of vanilla and chocolate icing). Red plastic cups were wrapped in black felt masks and filled with yummy 'Ninja Juice'

Needless to say, everyone had a GREAT time. The kids really played the part, and took the challenges pretty seriously. Everyone left with goodie bags of fortune cookies, chop sticks, a dragon glider, an inflatable samuri sword, some ninja figurines and pencils, chinese tattoos, and lots of perfected ninja skills :) Now to start brainstorming for Bella's birthday in the Fall.....

Hey there! Just got back from a lovely weekend in St. Louis. There's no better feeling than when you can seamlessly enjoy a stressfree, quality weekend with a favorite high school friend, your best college friends, the family, and your b-e-a-UTIFUL boyfriend. Oh, and did I mention there was sushi?

As for today: no work, no shower, and lots of advertising research. However, before I do anything TOO productive (like wash this crazy hair or actually apply to some of these pretty great ad agencies) I thought I'd blog my latest packaging project. My original goal for this brand was to create a fun logo that incorporated the image with the name - a more integrated style of branding than some of my past work. I've already started with the boys' design, but I plan to create a girl's line soon and will, of course, share the results with you. Anywho, here's a sneek peek of what I have so far: Enjoy! and have a FABULOUS week!

More Handlettering!

So, this is a portfolio piece I did a while back, and am now revisiting to make the change from computer font to some good 'ole hand lettering.

And now here's one after the switch:

Hand Soap meet Hand Lettering

I recently bought target's new(ish) kitchen cleaning supplies by Caldrea. Although I believe Caldrea's original packaging to be a model for good layout and design, its simplistic (and somewhat flat) qualities weren't a perfect fit for my home. So, because I truly enjoy this particular brand and scent (citron ginger), I purchased it anyways with the intention of recreating my own, more illustratively artistic labels.  Here's how they turned out!

You're Invited! Again...(and again).

Although my Spring tea party was already a tradition set in place years ago, I went a little (okay a lot) further and more extravagant this year because I planned on using it as a portfolio piece to show in future interviews. Since the party, it's come to my attention that it would work as a much stronger piece if I could incorporate some variations of the original invite- you know, so that they could be packaged in groups of three, adding more interest (and the opportunity to draw more floral tea cups). So, without further ado, here they are:

Garden Par-TEA!

Okay, so the ultimate tea party has long since come and gone, and I'm FINALY getting my busy busy buns to post some pics. I've gotta say, the work (and play) I put into creating original, garden party- inspired invitives, wine lables, and place cards did NOT seem like a waste. My closest friends and I enjoyed the perfect sun shinning, tea sipping, food munching, story sharing, wine drinking afternoon and I have some great pics to remember it all by. For my next tea party, I hope to plan it around a Pintrest theme in which guests participate by bringing, wearing, and sharing things from thier boards; It's still in the early planning stages, but I have some pretty spectacular ideas already! 

Got quite the Budget Talk from my dear old dad last week, and have taken his advice/demand to heart. Sort of. I can't just quit my gym dad, or stop tanning, or use conditioner from Walmart- those things are CLEARLY essentials. My three dollar car washes down the street however were, admittedly, a luxury I just can't afford. Instead. I have enslaved these fine young workers to do it for a buck less. Cha-CHING! That's the sound of a smart shopper feeding her pig :)

Fusion Book Signing

Just had my first St.Louis Book signing yesterday. So much fun! And look at these cuties I got to hang out with!

February:

Bought me some turtles! Two, to be exact. Milo is the handsome fellow on the left, and Rosie is the cutie on the right. I'm that weirdo in the middle. 

March:

March was pretty good to me (minus the death of my newly beloved, Rosie- apparently, a side effect of leaving your infant turtles in the overly enthusiastic hands of a 6 year old). BUT the fact that I got the call while in Florida made it a lot easier to deal with. Nothing seems quite as bad with a tan and a pretty view. Bella, my turtle's first (and tragically last) babysitter, quickly replaced Rosie with a turtle of roughly her size, and named her Rosie. Just like the one that died. I found this creepy and kind of cold, but, like I said, she's six and this, along with an extensive collection of Rosie portraits, seemed to be important to her grieving process. So I said thanks, waited 'till I returned home, thanked Bella for all her 'I Love Rosie' artwork, and changed my new Rosie's name to Lyra Rose. Lyra kind of sucks as a turtle so far. She hides in her cave every time I enter the room, and she and Milo don't stack up on each other the way Rosie and Milo did (I love it when turtles do that). But, Lyra is pretty. And super fast in the water. 

March also marked my first Bachelorett party (yay, Kelly & Eric!) and my first Fusion Rave (yay for Rave and Neon, Boooo for that Fusion workout that kicked my out-of-shape ass)

Also, like most of the country's female population, I saw The Hunger Games- WHICH. WAS. AWESOME!!!!! My only complaint? Not enough shots of Gale. Not even close. 

A big chunk of my March (and possibly the second half of February), was spent on making T-shirt scarves- an addictingly stylish and easy craft my friend, Jaci, found on Pintrest. I was really into making certain scarves for specific outfits and events. For example, I made the green one in that picture for St.Patty's day, and I don't expect I'll wear it again until next year. But that's okay, because I made it out of shirts I bought for 2 bucks at the Salvation Army! And it was fun!

Oh, AND I was featured as my sorority's Fabulous Alum of the Month for my book, If You Live Here! Way kewl!

So, what I'm I up to now??? Right now, I'm pouring my creative energy into planning, designing, decorating, and baking for my upcoming tea party. Yay! Already sent out the invites- here's a peek of the finished product:

Holy slacker! I've been gone for quite some time. The thing is, I've been meaning to post for a while now, but the task gets more and more daunting every time I think about all the things I've needed to blog and missed. So....... here's the condensed version of all the things I meant to show & say but didn't:

NOVEMBER:

Oh dear.... I really cannot remember back that far. I know I ate some turkey. And that may have been the month Tim and I went paintballing with my family in the rain. That day was awesome. 

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DECEMBER:

Bought a crock pot. Seemed life changing at the time, but I haven't used it since January. Kindda want to now tho (although that means trudging into the yet-to-be-spring-cleaned storage closet). Maybe I should check out Pintrest for some new recipes (and some tips & motivation for decluttering)

As for Christmas and such, my favorite holiday activity ended up being preperations and decorations. Once again, I made personalized tags for all my gifts, and thoroughly enjoyed wrapping presents (both from myself, and on behalf of the wrapping impaired). I found this facebook status update from December 1st to give give you a glimpse of my holiday cheer and enthusiasm: "Five hours and 430 dollars later, I have (almost) all my x-mas decorations. Crank up them jingle jams, I'M DECK'N MY FRICK'N HALLS!" I swear, Pier One is sure to be the death of me. Damn their BEAUTIFUL seasonal decor! "

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JANUARY:

okay, Januaryyyy..... hmm. Well, I spent a lot of time playing in a hot tub with no water. 'Why?' you may ask?? A red-headed piece of crazy and her adorable sidekick baby brother can't seem to get enough of it. We read there, snacked there, colored there, took naps there, and everything else. Brin likes to keep it filled with lawn pillows now and Boden likes to sneek in handfuls of dirt from various flower pots around the house. Needless to say, it's a pretty cool hang out spot, but the club has gotten kind of exclusive. Just today I found a 'DO NOT ENTER. MUST HAVE PASSCODE' sign taped to the door. Underneath, Burke (age 5) had drawn a bunch of buttons with numbers and 'numbers' scribbled on red construction paper. Serious stuff, man.     

In other news, I had my first book signing, which went incredibly well, and finally finished The Pillars of the Earth (the book and the series). 

Also...discovered this awesome youtube video that just can't recieve enough praise. This girl is whack. But, like, in a good way. 

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Shit! Just realized what time it is, and I need to get ready for dinner with the bf and his parents. You'll hafta wait for February and March summaries until my next post (with my track record, lets hope that's sometime before September).

I'M A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

My first children's book has just been published, and I couldn't be more excited! It's something I started a while ago, but getting that first author's copy in the mail made it seem absolutely new, fresh, and exhilarating. I'm extremely proud of myself, and soooooo incredibly motivated to get my next book published, so jump on my happy train and get to reading the world's newest literary gem, "If You Live Here," by me. Of course :)

Hey, October!

Yeah, for October and a fun month for decorating!

Today is exactly the kind of day I expect to look back on in the near future , and wonder why I ever looked for something else. Sure, there are reasons- important ones, even- but on days like this, I'm jealous of my own life.

Woke up this morning feeling uber rushed, yet more than satisfied with my four rounds of snoozing (sorry neighbors!). Found enough time to locate my yellow heels and enough hairspray to show last night's do who's (still) boss.

Started my work day dashing in and out of a flurry of cinnamon toast waffles, semi-healthily pack lunch-boxes, The Backyardigans and flying Cheerios. At ten till 8 it was time to buckle in Boden and Brinny- we were called upon to drop Burke off at pre-school this morning, which turned out to be quite a treat. The ride was longer and curvier than usual- Kansas City's 'construction' is spreading like wildfire. Burke used the time to share with us common folk the different powers his various weapons had when placed in his hands. Sitting beside him were 3 toy guns, a bow (with no arrows), and a glove from his Ironman costume- all of which came with accompanying sound effects (compliments of Burke).

After drop-off, it was just me and the babies- both sporting wild hair, 'pajamas', and bare feet. So, naturally, we took a trip to the grocery store.

By the time we got home, Boden had fallen asleep in his car seat, and Brin was itching for a snack and movie which I was happy to do with her seeing as Beauty and the Beast is one of my all time favorites, and she was in an uncharacteristically cuddly mood. Half way the movie though Boden woke up and I was thinking of ways to continue the day's good feeling. One look outside, and I had the perfect idea.

The weather was perfect. I mean kick off your shoes, run in the grass, spin in a circle, draw with chlak, hug a stranger, smile at nothing kind of weather. The kind of weather that goes great with a pinic. So that's what we did. I quickly shed my dress, slipped into a sports top/yoga pants combo and packed the perfect picnic.

We drove to the plaza, walked around for a bit, played, in the grass, took some pics, ate our lunch, and tossed nearly two dollars in pennies into the big fountain, after which, Brinny pulled me in and gave me a kiss. With feet in the water, sun on my face, and happy babies on either side, I sat there thinking life doesn't get much sweeter than this.

The euphoria of it all, however, was suddenly interrupted when I started packing up the stroller to find that I had misplaced the keys to the car. When I asked Brin if she'd seen them, she said she threw them into the fountain. Great. 

So I started look in the water, thinking (hoping, really) that she was confusing the words 'keys' and 'pennies.' I double and tripple-checked my purse and tore apart our cooler and stroller. No keys. No bueno.

So we started retracing our steps (which we had taken a lot of). Finally, after I had given up thinking they'd actually appear and started putting my brain power into how I was gunna tell thier mom I lost her keys and had no way of gettin gher kids home, I found them! There, on the grass, was a silver message from God saying "Here ya go, idiot. Enjoy the rest of your day." I snatched the keys and scooped Brinny up to spin and 'dance' to the tune of an original number entitled "Ahhhh, We Got Our Keeeeeeeeys Back, We Got Our Keeeeeeeeeeys Back." 

After that, we hit up the library and then walked over to a nearby ice cream shop (and my favorite place to eat in Kansas City), Yogurtini. Mmm, mmm good :)

Not surprisingly, they fell asleep in the car. Brin made the easy transition from garage to crib with no problem. Boden? Not so much. I went back down to the kitchen to make him a bottle and returned to his room to sing him a string of my favorite Disney songs. So, there I am, pleasantly tired from a day of sun, penny wishes, and frozen yogurt, rocking Boden to sleep and wondering how much longer he'll need me to do this before he gets too old. When do babies stop being feed bottles? When exactly does he stop needing to be rocked everyday? And suddenly I stop worry about how long it's taking, or what other chores I should rush off to. The kitchen can wait, in fact it's been doing it all day. 

All We Need

Ten years ago, they fell onto a city paved with fear and heartache, and the world stopped to fall on its knees. Today I'm back on my knees, unaware of the moment when the world got back up and continued to turn. Evil can be incredible at times, but love is our greatest power. It is our greatest gift- both to others, and to ourselves.

To Gloss or Not To Gloss

Question of the Day: Is it awkward to put on lipstick for a 'woman's exam'? 

I struggled in the hospital bathroom with the possible interpretations of a 23 year old wearing hot pink lips (my signature color) topped with shimmer gloss for such an occasion. Would it make him think I was some kind of slutty weirdo? Like I was misinterpreting normal procedure for some kind of sterile first date? Awk. Ward. But then I was already anticipating the ugly cover-up I'd have to wear, and the fact that I'd, inevitably, be feeling more than a little awkward and out of my comfort zone. I mean, the guy was already gunna see me without any of my (specifically planned out for the event) clothes on, did I really have to go through this with naked lips too!? 

The truth is, at this point in my life, a good stick of color and a tube of gloss can instantly calm me down or liven me up; In short, it makes me feel good. So I did it. I laid down on that paper-covered, privacy-snatching slab with a flower in my hair, and lipstick on my lips, and I felt good. Well, pretty at least...

April here. Reporting from another rainy day in the City of Fountains. Talk about a lot of water. 

Today's post shall feature New Found Favorites.

NFF number one would have to be Kale salad. Love, love, loooooooooove me some good kale these days. For all you folks who haven't tried it, do it. For all of you who have, do it some more. It's easy to find, mixes well with almost any veggie, and keeps for days even after it's been dressed. My biggest tips would be to chop everything up pretty small. The smaller the pieces, the better the mixing, the yummier each and every delectable bite. The last salad I made was with kale, green onions, cilantro, yellow onions, green pepper, yellow cumber, avocado, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes (a MUST), sprouts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and a light Asian ginger dressing. 

Like I said, kale goes well with almost anything, so just take a walk through your grocer's produce section, and start grabbing all your favorites.

NFF numero dos would have to be curly bangs. When you have hair that looks different everyday on its own, it's hard to want to throw in additional variables. It's easier to establish two or three looks you know will work at least 80% of the time, and hairspray the shit out of them. However, at the request of a close friend, I let my bangs hang curly one night (I was wearing a new leopard print dress, and Katherine felt that wild hair could enhance the exotic kind of beautiful I'm so desperately reaching for). Since then, I've fallen in love with my curly bangs. Not all the time- sometimes they don't curl just right. Other times it goes against the look I'm going for. And then there are days when they are just annoying and need to be pinned back in time-out. 

Moral of the story: try something new. Especially if that means embracing more of your natural beauty. For me, the change makes me feel more myself, get more compliments, spend less time getting ready, and use less hairspray. Not too shabby for such a small change, eh?

NFF number three, and the closing of this New Found Favorites chapter, is crafting without the craft store. This is a HUGE revelation for me being that I have always had a special place in my heart for art stores and craft supplies. I'm that weirdo that gets turned on by aisles of scrap booking paper and overpriced, 3-dementional stickers. I can get lost for hours planning DIY projects, and buy canvases before I know what I'm gunna paint or even that I'm going to paint. But I've recently found a special kind of excitement and satisfaction from creating with what's already in front of me. Like most ideas, this NFF came to me as a solution to a reoccurring problem: the kids I was nannying for often felt like crafting on days when it just wasn't practical (or even possible) to take a trip to the nearest Hobby Lobby. Not wanting to waste their creative spirits, I took the situation as an opportunity to challenge myself and create something fun and super. Here are my three favorites from the last couple weeks:

Flower Faires. 

This project was a total success, and has become my favorite thing to do with Bella. We walk and talk around the yard, filling up our bags with leaves and petals. After the fairies have been arranged, glued, dried, and named, we cut them out and hang them from strings around the house. Some of our flower fairies will become part of Bella's Book of Fairies (our next project).

Building Robots. 

Burke, age 4, is a special kind of kid in that he always has to be doing something. The problem is, it's hard to really pin-point what that 'something' is. One second he's a Spy Kid with a squid launcher, and the next he's a baby named 'Jack Jack' who lives with Peter Pan. Connecting with Burke is a challenge I find fun and extremely rewarding and I've found that building robots is something that always excites him and consistently proves to hold his attention for longer than most activities. He enjoys a big box and a can a metallic spray paint almost as much as I've come to enjoy the subsequent robot competition his father and I seem to have started. Now days, most of mine and Burkes conversation revolves around robot designs- secret compartments, removable brains, wheels for legs, eyes that shoot out lasers and kill pirates...It's crazy to see that what began as a tuesday's cure for boredom has now become such an important part of mine and Burke's relationship.

Recycle City

Recycle City is great because there's sooo much creative freedom and room for expansion. The two buildings here are milk cartons covered in construction paper and stickers. The kids love paint and glueing things, so, naturally, there's tons of that going on. The strip of feathers you see laying across the top is Burke's rendering of God. No, those feathers do NOT represent angel wings- he's made that very clear on numerous occasions; it's just God.

Welp, that's really all I have for you right now. I'm off today, so no kiddos. Which usually (but not always) means no crafting. Instead, I have plans to pay bills, clean house, and join a friend for Happy Hour, which may be a first for me (us nannies don't often meet up for drinks in the afternoon- although I think most people would understand the need).

Until next time, I encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open for your own New Found Faves. Or try some of mine. I mean, who couldn't use a good robot building session?

Rain, Rain, Run Away

Woke up this morning (after just a few hours of shallow sleep) with faaaaaaaar too much energy to waste on grocery shopping or unpacking from the weekend. So what did I do instead? I went for a run. In the rain. I realize this is an image that people either find super sexy or gross and moronic. And the soggy, frizzy version I found in my bathroom mirror 30 minutes later was definitely the latter. Strangely, however,  it's the only time I can recall being that comfortable on a run. For me, I don't run because I enjoy it or use it as a way to clear my head. If you need to think people, go for a drive. Or take a shower. No, running is something that usually shoves my butt out the door after seeing a photo of Kate Middleton or seeing a mother of four with a body half my size, and twice as much muscle.

Things I hate about running:
- The fact that, lately, the only time you can run without the death of a thousand suns scorching through your skin is super early (when I'd rather sleep) or super late ( when I'd rather do ANYTHING else)
- It is IMPOSSIBLE for me to find a pair of earphones that stay in my ears. Annoying.
- Having to take a shower right after (I have a lot of hair, and it's a big deal. Don't judge.)
- Being sweaty
- Running shorts. Eww.

Things I like about running in the rain:
- I appear to be very disciplined/dedicated to fitness
- There are zero expectations for my hair
- I have a surprising amount of songs about rain on my ipod that are much cooler in this moment
- I don't feel sweaty
- I just feel like an overall badass

In conclusion, (and in the words of country singer, Luke Bryan) Rain Is A Good Thing.

It's my day off today. Which is great since there's nothing that wears a girl out more than a day of swimming, smoothies, crafting, and dress up. Not to mention the kind of planning and pressure that goes into a Spy Kids marathon. Prob spend the day working on illustrations for a children's book I'm publishing - meaning I'll do almost nothing but paint and watch movies (not the most unfamiliar way to spend my time). Maybe I'll hit up the pool later. Or pop in at the 'office' to get my fill of  Spy Kids and Lucky Charms. Decisions, decisions...

Anywho, here's a sneek peek of the book:

(I write the story. Mom draws the pictures, and I get to color them. Score!)