Wplus9 Mar '11 Release Day.

Today is the final day of the release. Dawn is an amazing stamp designer and I always get excited to see what she has come up with every month. The Brothers & Sisters stamp set is so perfect.

When I first saw the thick frame in the set, it made me think of a wall stencil. I immediately started stamping it as a background and it worked great!  I pulled out the Poinsettia Patterns stamp set for the center. (It is a super versatile stamp set that is listed under the "holiday" section. Can be used all year round!)

FAMILY BY CHANCE
Stamps: Wplus9 (Brothers & Sisters; Poinsettia Patterns)
Die: Wplus9 (All Occasion Label Die)
Ink: ColorBox, Stampin' Up!
Paper: Papertrey Ink
Jewels: Doodlebug Designs

Simple card featuring the new, fabulous die. I love it! Such a pretty shape that coordinates with my All Occasions Stamp Set and Dawn's Brothers & Sisters Stamp Set. It is so fun to use!

CHANCE MADE US SISTERS
Stamps: Wplus9 (From the Kitchen Of; Brothers & Sisters)
Die: Wplus9 (All Occasion Label Die)
Ink: ColorBox
Paper, Twine: Papertrey Ink
Buttons, Ribbon: Craft Supply

Check out the rest of the design team:
Dawn Woleslagle
Elise Durenberger
Jinny Newlin
Kerrianne Gwin
Maile Belles
Savitri Wilder

***Stay tuned. Tomorrow will bring a fantabulous giveaway from one of the cutest shops of all time. You don't want to miss it!

Wplus9 Mar '11 Release: Day 1.

This is going to be a condensed release for the short month. Even though it is short, it is a VERY exciting release! Dawn is expanding the Wplus9 line and will now be offeringsteel rule dies made to coordinate with the beautiful Wplus9 stamps! It was so fun playing with the first of the line this month. I can't wait to get my hands on more. (Tomorrow's card will be my first card featuring the new die.)

Today's card was made using a cute little stamp set by Kerrianne. Such a fun one to paper piece with.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Stamps: Wplus9 (RetroGirly Birthday)
Ink: Memento
Cardstock, Twine: Papertrey Ink
Buttons, Ribbon: Craft Supply
Markers: Copic
Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink & Cosmo Cricket

Check out the rest of the design team:
Dawn Woleslagle
Elise Durenberger
Jinny Newlin
Kerrianne Gwin
Maile Belles
Savitri Wilder

Winter is Back.

Last week, the snow melted. Sweatshirts and light jackets were all I needed. Spring was close; I could feel it. But alas, Jack Frost is back with a vengeance. My first test of contentment.

I went outside for a brief moment today. Just finished my workout, so the cold air felt refreshing. The snow was sparkling and the quiet was peaceful. Yes: I am content with this beautiful scene out my back window.

On Contentment.

Am I allowed to change my word-of-the-year? Can I throw out my new year's resolutions and not be disappointed with myself?

Making goals is a part of who I am. Lists. Time lines. Planners. Schedules. Planning out every aspect of my life in detail. That is me. I am a perfectionist. A self-nitpicker. Someone who is never quite settled with who I am or what I am doing. I want bigger, better and more success. "Grow" was a natural word-of-the-year for me to pick. It wasn't hard to choose. "Grow" was in my comfort zone.

I recently came across an old goal journal of mine from age 8. In it, I wrote down goals for myself and then consequences for not accomplishing them. (Completely hilarious, I might add.) They said things like "Dust your room every day. If you don't, you must clean, dust and vacuum Sarah's room for a week." There were around 50 little goals and punishments in that binder. Oh, what an odd child I was. (And, I highly doubt I accomplished any of them.)

In many ways, I haven't outgrown that. I am constantly setting new goals for myself. My day begins and ends with a new, insanely long to-do list. And although I don't write the consequences for not accomplishing them in a journal like my 8-year-old self, I still punish myself when I don't get them all checked off. I start thinking that I'm not creative enough, that I'm failing as a mother, that I'm not successful, that my housekeeping skills are lacking, that I'm not a good sister, friend, or neighbor. I often can't accomplish the lofty goals I set for myself, and am left feeling discouraged at the end of the day.

And so, I'm throwing out my goal to "Grow." Ripping up my resolutions. I've picked a new word. One that is much more challenging for a person like myself. One that will truly stretch me.

My new word-of-the-year is "Content."

This word isn't a ticket to give up on being a good mother, friend, or employee. On the contrary. It is to make me more present and alive in the moment. To relish the here and now. To appreciate where I am in life and find joy in the journey. I don't want to overlook the sweet, small things happening today while wishing for the future.

I have a feeling this is going to be a very, very good year.

Do you Birchbox? I do.

You haven't heard of Birchbox? Oh, please let me introduce you!

Last November, several of my friends went in a birthday present for me. A year's subscription to Birchbox! Up to that point, I had never heard of it, but once my friends explained it to me, I was ecstatic! Birchbox is a $10/month ($110/year) subscription that sends you around 5 high-end beauty samples. These aren't little one-time use samples, either. These are DELUXE.

Check out what I received last week:

That Nars Illuminator is probably worth the $10 alone! (Amazing, by the way.) We also received a sample of Befine Exfolianting Cleanser, which is the most gentle, moisturizing exfoliant I have ever used. (This sample is worth at least $10 too!) The bareMinerals mascara is incredible, and who ever needs more than a sample size anyway? (Do you throw your mascara out every 3 months like you should? I try...) They also sent a green tea moisturizer which is very nice and some chocolates. (They occasionally throw in a yummy treat. Fun.)

Another fabulous thing about BirchBox? It comes wrapped in a beautiful box, ribbon and darling pink tissue paper. The outer box, which I didn't take a picture of, is a cute pink shipping box. I love when I open my mailbox to find it sitting there.

Also, if you review the products on their website, you can receive points towards earning free, full size products! Holy Moley. That is awesome!

Birchbox offers a month-to-month subscription, so there is no obligation. Fabulous.

I am not being sponsored or paid by Birchbox. (I don't think they know my blog exists...) This review/recommendation is coming straight from my beauty-product-lovin' heart.

Friday Lovin'.

:: Lovin' that I've proclaimed today to be "Pajama Day." (Probably not going to admit how many self-proclaimed pajama & sweat days there were in my home this week.) I'll also be sporting the makeup-less, unbrushed hair, just out of bed look. I'm hoping to start a new trend.

:: Lovin' our new G12. I pulled it out of the box yesterday. This will be our vacation camera; much more portable for hikes and amusement parks. Can't wait to put it to work!

:: Lovin' Christina's new blog. She is one of my best and most inspiring friends. I always come away from time together with a new conviction to be a better person. Her new blog is all about "Beeing" better, a very appropriate topic for her to write about. Working towards your best self. It is a must-read already; she is amazing. (I designed the blog, by the way...)

:: Lovin' that I've been asked to speak at a local University (BYU) about my life as a graphic designer. I'll be speaking about logo, web and print layout design. I'm not sure why I can teach at something like the Art Weekend without fear, but get me in front of a college crowd and I start trembling. 11 more days to prepare....I can do this!

:: Lovin' my job. Finishing up designing a few logo orders and May's edition of CARDS magazine this weekend. It's going to be a busy one and my postings may be sparse over the next few days.

:: Lovin' that both my daughter and husband have the day off on Monday. Trying to think of something extra-fun to do with the fam on this rare occasion. Happy President's Day!!

What are you lovin' today?

Valentine's Day: In Review.

What is love? A husband who will grocery shop for my last-minute missing ingredients on his way home from school.

Our dinner was yummy. (Well...except for the "seafood medley." We both decided that mussels are not our favorite. They were tossed in the trash. Sad. I hate wasting food, but I could.not.eat.them. Ick.) We were too stuffed to eat dessert. J's favorite menu item was the asparagus soup. Mine was the green bean salad. (The only thing missing was a great, big, homemade, buttery dinner roll. Too bad it's not on my diet. Sigh. I miss gluten. Allergies stink.)

I set the table in red and black and pulled out our polkadot martini glasses for the water. (I learned that martini glasses are not good water glasses, by the way. They hold next to nothing and we ended up refilling every two minutes. But, they were pretty. That's what counts, right?)

We exchanged small gifts. We both bought each other wallets. Kind of funny. Mine is small to go with my new mini purse and is chevron striped. He knows me too well.

After the candle-lit dinner, we did what all truly romantic couples would do:  homework.

Hope your heart-day was fabulous.

Good Morning Hearts.

Happy Valentine's Day! I woke up my little sweethearts this morning with a heart-themed breakfast. The minnies were so excited as I flipped the heart pancakes onto their plate. And strawberries? They are naturally heart shaped. Perfect as a side or topping.

These are so easy (and fun) to make. I used a squeeze bottle I purchased at a local craft store. (You can find them in the candy-making area.) I snipped off the end to make the opening a little wider. Then, I drew my hearts on a hot skillet and filled in. Cute, cute!

***We also do this for St. Patrick's Day, shaped as shamrocks. Die the batter green for extra fun.

Disney Love Songs: 2011 Valentines.

Last night, my husband and I stayed up making these valentines for all of my daughter's class. I thought that the kiddos would recieve enough treats, and wanted to make them something different.  I decided to make them all a mix of E's favorite Disney love songs. We used Marta's handy dandy CD sleeve tutorial. Then, we printed off the playlist and glued it to the front. Inserted the CDs into their cases and secured with red+white baker's twine.

I massively underestimated the time this project would take. As we were finishing up this project last night at 1:30 a.m., my husband turned to me and said, "Hannah, you know there is a reason that people buy boxed valentines from Walmart, don't you?" Yes, yes, I know. I learned my lesson.

MadLibs Feature.

Sweet Emily is featuring me over on her fun blog today.

Remember MadLibs? Yeah...I totally loved them too. I am doing one over on her blog and my random words made for quite the...interesting story. (I didn't realize that I would be featured on Valentine's Day when I filled out the form or I would have chosen more romantic words!)

Hop on over and check it out.

Twelve Things: February.

01. My shoes on the 12th. Errand shoes. Not exactly glamorous, but oh so comfortable.
02. Grocery shopping. I usually love it, but it transforms into a hideous chore when you are carting 3 little ones along.
03. Returning beloved library books.
04. Walmart. On a Saturday. With a gigantic shopping list. And three kids. NOT. SMART. (But a seriously beautiful day. Almost warm. Spring is around the corner. I can feel it!)
05. Sweet E helping me make a valentine tradition: sugar cookies.
06. Darling son decorating the sugar cookies. (I just want to report that I did NOT cheat on my sugar fast. Although I wanted to really, really badly.)
07. Our favorite treat. From jar to spoon to mouth. Honey roasted peanut butter. Daughter says it "tastes like candy." (***Edited to add: I've had a couple questions about this already. No, I don't eat this while on a sugar fast. Too much sugar. Sigh...)
08. Book on tape while doing chores. Currently listening to "Screwtape Letters" and LOVING it.
09. SweetTart conversation hearts. Way better than the originals.
10. Pizza night. Husband's turn to pick toppings. (Are you making fun of my pizza shaping skills? I have none. None at all.)
11. New mini purse for upcoming trip. (It is only 4 x 8 inches. I wanted a purse that would only hold a few necessities. I don't want to be lugging much around where we are going.) I love this new beauty. Went to Target with a brown purse in mind and came home with apple green. What can I say? I love color...
12. Ended the night watching the Auschwitz doc. Very interesting. And depressing. And creepy. I made my husband stay up with me and watch a little SNL so I wouldn't have nightmares about it. Going to watch part 2 of the doc tonight.

Want to document your 12th, too? Information can be found here. (Thanks to Miranda who inspired me to participate.)

Valentining Without Sugar.

I've received quite a few questions asking what we'll be eating on Valentine's Day when I'm on a sugar fast. (Four more weeks!) I've spent some time coming up with a low-carb, sugar-free meal that still is elegant and delicious. The dessert was the hardest to find. A no-sugar dessert? Is that even possible? (I could do the whole fake-sugar thing, but that isn't really my cup-o-tea.) I've made little recipe cards that you can print off. Click, save and print.

Hope you are all having a marvelous weekend. I'm busy making valentines and running errands.  Preparing for all the Monday fun.

Justin Hackworth.

I am usually the one in the photo who is hiding behind someone or something. I've always hated photos of myself. My flaws seem to scream to me. My pores and lines and limpish hair. My husband often stands by me as I upload photos off our camera so he can "save" photos of me. I'm known for deleting all photos with me in them.

I've always wanted to love a picture of myself. I knew that if anyone could capture a picture of me that I liked, it would be Justin.

I was lucky enough to acquire one of Justin's portrait sessions. I was excited and nervous as I arrived at his beautiful office, not far from my home.

I've never quite had a photography experience like this before. I walked into Justin's office and he sat me down to "chat." He asked about where I grew up, what I did for a living, how many kids I had, why I blog. He laughed at my jokes. He put me completely at ease and made me feel like he cared about what I had to say. It made the photo session much more fun.

Justin's photo studio is unique. No props. No poses. No nonsense. Clean. I like that the pictures are about the people; not about the setting. The faces are the star. That's rad. 

A huge "thank you" to Justin Hackworth. I had a wonderful experience with the photo session yesterday. I'll be back. (With my family next time. I much prefer pictures with my kids in them. They are way cuter than I am.)

Valentine Freebie.

I'm posting over on CREATE: today! Head over there to download a Valentine Freebie designed by your's truly. Enjoy!

Happiness is...

A poster board for each.
Glitter crayons
and mom's blessing to use markers.
Princess and the Frog soundtrack turned up a little too loud.
Occasionally breaking to dance.
(Can't NOT dance to "Going Down the Bayou.")
Little brother munching on Cherrios
while watching siblings in delight.
An average, happy afternoon in our home.

It's amazing what simple, everyday things delight these little ones.

Giveaway: Shabby Apple.

Welcome to my new blog home! Hooray! A custom domain has been in my ownership for over three years. Pretty ridiculous how long it has taken me to get it up and running. Crossing my fingers that it worked and that you all made it here with me.

I wanted to celebrate the move by bringing you a very fun giveaway: Shabby Apple is here to celebrate! I've done a few design projects for Shabby Apple and adore the company. The customer service is excellent and the employees are so kind. Not only that, their dresses are gorgeous and fantastic quality. I love wearing the styles I've purchased.

Shabby Apple is going to be giving one lucky reader a Midnight Garden dress of their very own. ($72 value!) The perfect, stylish little black dress that would be appropriate for any occasion.

To enter, leave a comment on this post. Entries close on Saturday, February 12th.

The winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on Sunday, February 13th. Good luck!

Can't wait? Shabby Apple is also providing all of you a 10% off discount code. Enter "sherbetblossom10off" at checkout. Offer good until March 31st.

Congrats to Meag!

Domain Change.

Exciting day! I'm finally taking the plunge and switching over to the custom domain I bought....3 years ago. Yes, I know. Procrastination, much?

I feel a bit like the cobbler whose children have no shoes. I design blogs, but I never have time to work on my own. A new design is still in the works, but who knows when I'll have time to finish that up. For now, I better just focus on the domain.

I have an exciting giveaway that will be posted this evening to celebrate my new home. If you don't see it update in your feeder by tomorrow, please come on over to the blog and resubscribe. The new url will be:
http://www.sherbetblossom.com/

P.S. Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my last few posts. It's so nice to know that you read, listen and care about my thinning hair. ;) See you soon at the new url! Hip Hip!

Some Thoughts on Blogging.

 I love blogging. I love writing and sharing. I love the friends I’ve met and enjoy because of this space. I love documenting my life. Remembering favorite recipes and sharing my attempts at creativity.

However, I’ve been thinking a lot about this little blog of mine. At times, I feel like I’m at a crossroads. A point of opportunity to grow. To expand. To earn a little money. I’ve watched friend’s blogs take off as I held back hesitantly. They travel and attend conferences and get to earn money doing what they love. It seems so appealing; the traveling and swag bags so glamorous.

I’m not going to say that building my little blog hasn’t crossed my mind. It has. Many times, actually. It seems that I am always fighting an internal struggle with myself. One week, I am gung-ho about building it up. I have a list of companies to contact, bloggers to question, series to organize, giveaways to post, and conferences to attend. I’ve planned out 3 months of blog posts, packed with recipes and tutorials and pretty eye-candy.

But then, a nagging voice inside of me reminds me of why I started blogging in the first place. Not as a place with emotionless schedules, but as a place where I can share who I am. This blog was created to be my place. To vent. To enjoy. To share creativity and crafts. To narrate my everyday, simple life. A place that I was hoping to inspire others, but also to encourage myself forward. Turning Sherbet Blossom into a business doesn’t seem to accomplish my initial goal. I want this to be a casual blog where I don’t have to feel restricted in what I post. Where I can blog when and what I desire. I want my blogging to be about enhancing my life as a mother, wife, friend and person; not a spot that takes up time I should be spending doing better things.

I spent the weekend reevaluating my blogging goals and thinking about blogger anxiety. I erased that blog schedule and thought about content.  I’m not sure that many will even notice a change on this blog, but I already do. No pressure. Just me being me.

Above, I've posted my long-standing blogging motto: "Blog what you live. Don’t live to blog."

Friday Lovin'.

 :: Lovin' February. Hearts. Pink. Love notes. I've received no less than 12 valentines already from my daughter. I love any holiday that encourages the eating of chocolate; even if I won't be eating any this year. (It has been 32 days since I've eaten sugar...am DYING for something sweet.)

:: Lovin' that my husband couldn't stop talking to me last night. I kept nodding off when he'd bring up another "Remember when..." He was reminiscing about our dating & early marriage for 2 hours. It was cute. I love being married to a sentimental guy.

:: Lovin' my new fleece electric blanket. A gift from my husband. I haven't been sleeping well because of the cold. My husband told me I was keeping him awake saying "I'm so cold" in my sleep. It was a lovely, welcome gift.

:: Lovin' nude nails. Light pink and glossy. I'm all about Zoya's nail polish lately and the barely there look. (Current favs? Erika, Dovey and Mia. 2-3 coats for maximum opacity. And by the way...the picture above is much closer to the true color than what they show on the Zoya website.)

:: Lovin' my neighbors. So sweet and supportive. I had multiple friends stop in unexpectedly to see how we were doing while we were sick. We had meals, popsicles, medication and balloons all dropped off. Errands were run. My mother's best friend, Elaine, delivered a giant care package to the kiddos full of toys and treats. We are feeling very loved and fortunate to live where we do.

:: Lovin' that my kiddos, though feeling better, are still in a cuddly mood.

:: Lovin' Kelly Purkey's window decor idea. Am thinking about blog-lifting it this weekend.

:: Lovin' my new cookbook. I'm not vegan, nor do I plan to be, but the recipe book helps me to avoid the foods I'm allergic to. (wheat, eggs and milk.)

:: Lovin' new-to-me books. Plugging away at my Book Challenge.  (Read "The Giver" for the first time yesterday and can't stop thinking about it.)

:: Lovin' my talking baby. He says "Wow!" as he points to this and that. Says "bye-bye" and waves to his school-bound sister every morning. He gives open mouth kisses while saying "Mmmah!" That boy! He is a joy.

:: Lovin' that we have no plans this weekend. Our Idaho road trip to see Hil&Co was canceled due to illness. And, because of the daunting weather and temperatures up there, we aren't too sad. March sounds like a much nicer time to visit.

:: Lovin' the Canon G12. Yes-sir-ee, it's true: I'm a point and shoot owner again. Excited to have this as a side-kick to my well-loved Rebel XSi. Lugging an SLR around our family vacay just doesn't sound fun. I'll tell you all about the upcoming trip later. We are very excited. Very.

:: Lovin' all the twine lovin'! If you haven't entered already, tomorrow is your last chance.

Felt Flower Clip Tutorial

I'm not a bow mom.

When my daughter was a baby, she was completely bald, and she had a mom who didn't believe in bows. (Poor thing...) I thought she was pretty enough without them, and I didn't want anything to detract from her blue-blue eyes. (Check her baby-picture out in this post. She was a beauty! That was taken at Hilary's wedding. I didn't even have a bow on that special occasion!)

But now my little girl is feeling deprived. Apparently, she is "the only one at school without flowers in her hair!" Something had to be done about that!

So we made some cute little bows., and here's how we did it:

1. Cut out 7 little 1-1.5 inch circles. (I totally freehanded this whole project. Nothing perfect here. Not working in my normal perfectionist mode and it feels so good!)
2. Fold 4 of the circles in half and overlap them on each other to make a circle.
3. Sew them together. (See!? This is a project that still looks good with messy stitches. Anyone can do this!)

4. Fold the remaining 3 circles in fourths.
5. Secure each one to the center of the circle made in #3.
6. Admire your cute little flower ball thingy.

7. Freehand cut a leaf. It should look like an awkward heart. Totally okay if this is imperfect too. (This project makes me feel very liberated.)
8.  Attach the leaves to the bottom of your cute little flower.
9. Sew to a clip and clip to hair.

***Would make a darling pin, bag ornament or headband. (Imagine three of these together, attached to a headband. Yes, that would be adorable. May make one for myself in yellow.)

Let me know if you use this tutorial! I'd love to see what you make.

Hair Woes.

So, my hair is falling out. Majorly thinning. (Thank you, babies.) I am always shocked by the amount of new hair in my brush each morning. It's bad. And I have new little hairs coming in everywhere.  I've always loved having long hair. My hair has always been one of my favorite features, actually. It's been a little tragic for me to see it fall out. (How come no one warned me that I'd have to deal with hair-loss after each child??)

Yesterday, my hair was really long; a couple of inches above my elbows. (Which looked exceptionally ridiculous on me. It made my hair look even more lifeless and thin.) So...last night I went to my wonderful hairdresser and had her chop it off. (And I didn't even cry this time!) Shoulder length now, and I think it suits my current hair situation.

My hairdresser advised me to get back on Nioxin. (One of my favorite shampoo/conditioner/hair treatment brands.) She also suggested drinking "green shakes" and trying Equate's version of Rogaine. (She likes the Walmart brand better, so I'm headed to pick it up today. You can find me in the aisle  with the balding men.)

Rogaine at 28. This is not good.

Giveaway: The Twinery

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I adore pretty twine. I use twine on almost every card I make and often when I am wrapping and crafting. It makes for a beautiful present. Adds the perfect little touch to a craft. I've love all the pretty colors that have been popping up lately. (Especially yellow. It is my favorite color. So happy and cheerful.)

Today, I have a very exciting giveaway! The Twinery is going to give one Sherbet Blossom reader ALL 11 FULL SIZED SPOOLS OF TWINE! ($154 Value!!) Beautiful, fun colors! Something I'd LOVE to have in my craft stash!

To enter, visit The Twinery and let us know which twine color is your favorite. Entries close on Saturday,  February 5th at 11:59pm.

The winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on February 6th. Good luck! 

 Congrats, Glenna! I'll be contacting you soon!