3 words or less: part 2

I am answering another batch of 20 questions that you have asked. Sticking with my plan to answer each one in 3 words or less.

Q: What was the font you used for Claire's Pinkalicious party invitation?
A: GiddyUp

Q: I know you are from Maryland. How did you end up in Arizona?
A: Love my husband.

Q: What is your most dreaded everyday task? The thing you most dislike doing?
A: Cleaning the highchair.

Q: What type of camera do you use?
A: Nikon D90.

Q: Would you rather have 4 cats or 2 dogs as pets?
A. No. And no.

Q: Where's your favorite place to buy a cute dress?
A: I'm looking. Ideas?

Q: Do you have any laundry secrets?
A: Involve the kids.

Q: Will Project Life be back in stock?? i NEED it now!! ;-)
A: Re-printing now.

Q: What did you have for supper last night?
A: This salad.

Q: You had a post about cleaning your makeup brushes. What do you use to clean your brushes?
A: Mac brush cleanser.

Q: Do you plan to offer just the page protectors from project life as a separate purchase?
A: Yes.

Q: Do you make cards?
A: Super simple ones.

Q: Do you post the same things on facebook as you do on twitter?
A: I do.

Q: Are you recognized very often in public?
A: Don't think so.

Q: What is the name of the orange you painted your bathroom?
A: Behr brand: Fireglow

Q: What is your favorite blog/website for home decor inspiration?
A: HouseOfTurquoise.com

Q: Is it hard living so far from your parents?
A: Technology connects us.

Q: How do you deal with your stress?
A: Take a break.

Q: Where do you get your hair done?
A: My friend Brooke.

Q: What are you negative about? You always seems so positive. I figured there must be something that you get down about.
A: Taxes.

floral fest

My latest kick, as many of you know, is floral design. I'm relying on 3 things as I make an arrangement:

1. A little bit that I learned in a floral design class I took in college about 13 years ago. I know. How fun is that for a class?
2. The influence of other people's work (pretty arrangements I see).
3. My instincts.

This is purely for fun. For play. No pressure. While we were in Utah last week, I made a couple of arrangements for our friends that we stayed with.







Oh, and here's that one I made a couple weeks ago. I promised to show you the finished piece.



And getting started with that one.



I'm no floral design expert. This is purely a hobby. That said, here is what I've learned on the topic:

1. Never done this? Start with a small arrangement. I started gigantic because I was so excited, but that was hardly a warm-up. Still laughing that I did that. Start small.

2. You always need more flowers than you think.

3. Flowers aren't cheap. Buy them on sale. JoAnn, Michael's, Hobby Lobby ... these places always put their flowers on sale.

4. You can find amazing pots, etc. for really inexpensive (Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Ross, Target, WalMart ...)

5. To begin the arrangement, shove blocks of floral foam into your pot or container. Cut smaller pieces with a knife as needed. This can be messy but it's a necessary starting point. You want the foam firmly in place. Use some hot glue if necessary. Then start with your bigger flowers, working your way to the smallest flowers; "fillers" are very last.

6. Creating arrangements is a truly artistic experience.

7. Everyone needs a little floral arrangement in their home. You can totally do this.

back from holiday.

Our little family just spent a week in Utah, along the beautiful Wasatch mountains. And on them too.



Being on holiday with my family meant taking a break from the computer. Just a couple quick blog entries and I was pretty much non-existant on Facebook & Twitter. But we're back and settling in to normal life again. Part of my "normal" life these days means staying in touch and sharing ideas. It's going to be a fun week here on my blog. Lots to share, including some give-aways. Really cool give-aways.

Stay tuned.

have a listen.

I recently had the chance to chat and chat and chat about all sorts of stuff -- starting a business, the theory behind Project Life, the evolution of personal style, how I feel about scrapbooking, etc. This conversation with Amy Coon (The Paper Life) is on her blog. I get pretty passionate in the interview. Sweet Amy hardly got a word in at times. ; )

Click HERE to listen.

3 words or less: part 1

Last week I invited you to ask anything you wanted. Just for fun. No rules. The twist? I have to answer in 3 words or less. I'll answer a bunch more, but here's a start.

Q: Will you ever write another book?
A: Not anytime soon.

Q: What makes you happy at this moment?
A: Hands-down: family.

Q: What is something special you would do to brighten someone's day?
A: Borrow their kids.

Q: How do you organize your kids' school work? I throw a lot away but I still have more that I don't know what to do with. Help.
A: Scan it all.

Q: What are the storage containers that you have shown in the picture on your home page?
A: The Container Store.

Q: If this scrapbooking/writing thing doesn't "work out", what other career path would you choose to pursue? :)
A: Marriage enhancement retreats.

Q: If/When you go to Starbucks or a coffee house, what do you get?
A: I don't.

Q: Do you plan on creating a new design for Project Life for next year?
A: Absolutely.

Q: Apple, orange, or banana?
A: Apple.

Q: Do you have a nanny or full time babysitter? I don't understand how you do everything you do without help. Please say yes just to make me feel better. :-)
A: No. Little help.

Q: Favorite TV show?
A: Planet Earth.

Q: On a scale of 1-10 with ten being the most, how afraid were you to leave Creating Keepsakes?
A: Zero.

Q: Who would you like to meet that you have never met before?
A: David's maternal grandmother.

Q: Do you plan to offer just the page protectors from project life as a separate purchase?
A: That's the plan.

Q: Do you have other projects in the works besides the next Project Life that you will be putting out to the world?
A: A couple ideas.

Q: I know you've lived in several states - which one is/was your favorite?
A: Each unique experience.

Q: What is one food item/main dish that you would eat everyday for the rest of your life if you had to?
A: Kellogg's Raisin Bran.

Q: How old are you?
A: 33.

Q: What do you use to clean your walls with?
A: Magic eraser.

Q: What was your major in college?
A: Family Science.

things to know today.

Hello, Friday. And hello to all you fine people. I had an awesomely creative day yesterday. Didn't even sit down at the computer until 11:00 pm. Spent time with a couple of my besties and hung out with my family and I put together something beautiful for our home. Here's a hint.



I'd show you the whole thing but then I'd have to kill you. Actually, it's the perfectionist in me. I have just a teeny bit of tweaking to do before it's just right. And then I'll share the full arrangement. : )

Now on to a few items of business:

[ SOLD OUT ]

As of this morning, Project Life is officially SOLD OUT on Amazon! This leads me to make 2 important comments:

1. YES, we are printing more Project Life kits. Yes, yes, and yes. I will be sure to let you know as soon as we have an approximate availability date.

2. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. This is so much more than a business for me. It didn't even start that way. This is a passion. A passion for organizing pictures and stories and memories into a anyone-can-do-this format with beautiful results. And because so many of you get that about Project Life ... you have shared the concept with friends and family. And so I thank you for being an essential part of our Project Life community.

[ LIKE FONTS? ]

I'm pleased to tell you that in the digital version of Project Life we have now added two of my fonts to the collection. CK Jot is my everyday handwriting (legible enough for the journaling) and CK Becky is my script -- a looser cursive (fun for titles). So if you already have an account, you'll notice these in your font options now.



If you haven't played around with the digital Project Life, IT'S SUPER EASY. And totally free to get in there and start building a book. No obligation to buy anything if you don't want. Check it out HERE, watch the short instructional video, and get in there and play!

PS - The "CK" part of those font names is because I created the fonts back in the day ... at CK. During my 12 years at Creating Keepsakes magazine, one of my little things was that I created dozens of fonts. These two fonts integrate particularly well with Project Life.

[ YOUR QUESTIONS ]

Referring to the post right before this one ... you guys are awesome. Some really great questions in the the mix. Some are just so funny, some are rather deep, and some are for sure not answer-able in 3 words or less! I will be posting many of those answers in the coming days. You're still welcome to add a question to those comments here, if you want.

Wishing you an awesome weekend.