shut the front door

{from etsy.  spotted here.}

reference 1: more publicly acceptable and PG version of STFU. i learned this term from Brandee. to this day thinking of the way she says shut the front door in her Iowan accent makes me laugh.

reference 2: the door is ajar, not fully closed and/or wide open. please close it all the way and check that its locked. 

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While I've been known to drop reference 1 of shut the front door from time to time, this post actually applies to reference 2. 

Friday evening after our purge party, we headed out for sushi to a hole-in-the-wall hot spot within walking distance. Saki and sushi was followed by a little fro yo. We took the fro yo to-go and headed home. Commenting on how we could see our breath and we're eating frozen treats, we hurried into our house. 

Our apartment is on the second floor, but you enter the actual apartment on the first floor and immediately go up a flight of stairs. Our front door has three locks, two of which we use at all times. The bottom locks automatically and the top requires the turn of a knob. 

We spent the remainder of the evening in the warmest spot in our house, the living room. When I went to get ready for bed I was freezing. On most days our house is drafty so this wasn't too out of the ordinary. However, we made an executive decision to camp out in the living room for the night. It was my first time sleeping on our new(ish) couch. Survey says - comfy!

The next morning we got ready and headed out for bagels & coffee (we heart you Noah's!) and some errands. To our complete shock and horror the front door was ajar, not wide open but also not fully closed. The knob on the top lock had been turned, unfortunately the door had not been fully shut. I can't remember who was the last in, but I blame the cold weather and my desire to get warm enough to eat my fro yo. This also explains the extra drafty air we were feeling in the apartment.

The good news is that we survived a night in Oakland with our front door wide open. We are lucky and maybe our neighborhood isn't so urban after all? Just in case we'll be shutting the front door AND locking it from here on out.  

his + hers: its gotta go

Between the new year, this Sunset article about the zero waste home and the three upcoming weekends of house guests, I've had the urge to purge. Friday after work when most hip people are hitting up happy hour, I was eager to get home and tackle my dresser and closet. I created three piles: sell, swap and Goodwill. I'm planning to host a clothing swap with some friends and co-workers at the end of the month. Whatever I can't sell will be added to the swap pile, and anything that's not sold or swapped goes to the Goodwill (along with a few straight to goodwill items). 

I'd mentioned my urge to purge to B a few times. I don't think he was expecting to come home from work to three large piles, but much to my delight he jumped right into the purge party! We ended up with five bags of clothes and shoes. My dresser drawers and hangers in the closet haven't glided with such ease in quite a while. I love how tidy everything looks and feel extremely satisfied that we were able to let go of so much.

Well, not everything was that easy to let go. There are times we all need a little honest and loving push encouragement to get rid of. Which brings me to this weeks his + hers post, the items we told each other "its gotta go."

HIS: white long sleeve t-shirt

This (off)white shirt has been well loved. Purchased from the Gap several years ago, its safe to say B has gotten his full ROI on this sucker. For an undisclosed amount of time I've encouraged B to let this one go. After a humorous discussion over a pair of Unionbay cargo shorts (M: "umm unionbay, do they still make that brand? how long have you had these?" B: "ooookkkkkkkkkk, they're going to Goodwill") I noticed B hanging this shirt in the closet. He jokingly placed it right next to my clothes, knowing its not my favorite. That's when I said its gotta go! It's in the straight-to-Goodwill pile, in case you're wondering.

HERS: pink flower pajama shorts

I'll admit, I've had these pajama shorts a little too long. About as long at the the cutoff jean skirt I decided to part ways with (ahh the college memories). Comfort and the patchwork flower have made them hard to let go! Ironically also from the Gap, these shorts have lasted a long time. I had them in my 'maybe' pile while purging. Once I commented on B's white shirt, I knew immediately what he'd pick for its gotta go...They also headed straight to the Goodwill pile.

They say the key to a long lasting relationship is compromise. I'd say honesty and humor are right up there too. Like joking for three years about a shirt you don't love and then having the heart to finally say...its gotta go!

Last weeks his + hers posts here.

new uses for old things: can opener

{real simple}

One of the most useful Christmas gifts I received (thank you, Kaci!) was the new book by Real Simple, 869 new uses for old things. I've always loved the section in the magazine and now I have an entire encyclopedia of ideas at my fingertips!

Today Debbie and I stumbled upon $10 cricut cartridges at Michael's - amazing deal! We each bought a different one (so we can share) but I took them both home to work on a project. Debbie commented "oh good, you can open that stupid plastic." While it's true the cartridges and many plastic clamshell packages are insanely hard to open, thanks to my new book I have a solution!

How to: use a can opener to open clamshell plastic packaging 

without cursing or cutting yourself.

Get out your manual can opener. 

Automatic can openers, you're sitting the bench on this one.

Open the can opener and clamp onto the long edge of the packaging. Squeeze until you feel its clamped on. Now turn the handle until you've cut along the entire long edge. For thicker plastic you may need this more than once.

 Now carefully remove your product from the plastic (the cut plastic may be sharp). Take a moment to pat yourself on the back for not losing your cool. Now enjoy your new toy/device!

Adventures in Calligraphy

I've always been impressed by the beauty of calligraphy. Its amazing how even the simplest of words becomes art when written in calligraphy. When I found out my local Paper Source had a class, I signed up immediately. Literally, I was the first and only person to sign up in the fall. Between planning weddings and making cards it felt like a perfect addition to my skill set. The class was postponed a few months and after great anticipation I attended the first of two classes this week. What I quickly realized is that just because you are crafty or have nice handwriting does not mean you'll be good at calligraphy. Like any skill or art form, it takes practice and patience. 

During our first class we covered the basics - terminology, our tools, how to put the pen to paper and lower case letters. Our teacher, also named Michele (great name, even with just one l), demonstrated the entire alphabet for us and then sent us on our way. While I was thrilled to learn we were using real calligraphy pens and ink (as seen below), it was really hard for me to even draw a straight line. Come to find out our ink was too thick. Once that was remedied I was on my way working on the alphabet.

After a few times through the alphabet, Michele encouraged us to connect letters by writing out words. Here's what I came up with... clever, I know! 

 

The best and worst part of the class was when Michele watched each student write the alphabet. I was having flashbacks to elementary school spelling tests with all the red corrections - yikes.

In this case the red corrections were very helpful. When I struggled with a letter, she'd demonstrate the letter in red and have me follow her leed with the pen and ink. Although I have a lot of red marks where I'm in serious need of improvement, I'd like to highlight the areas where I did the letters correctly and received an x of approval!

The biggest things I learned in the first class were how to hold the pen correctly (it's different from how I normally hold a pen) and to slow down. To me some of the movements of calligrpahy felt like cursive. What I learned is that my cursive is extremely rusty, therefore not a good form of comparison, and most importantly that calligraphy isn't cursive. Calligraphy is artistic and requires slow, deliberate pen movements not loopy, quick cursive letters.

In an effort to inspire us to practice our calligraphy, Michele showed us her skills by writing our names. Even on lined notebook paper, look how fun this is... 

We left class with a large stack of practice paper and a felt tipped calligraphy pen to practice (easier to manage than the pen and ink). While I won't be addressing wedding invitations any time soon, I will continue to practice my letters and admire the professionals with a greater sense of appreciation for this fancy lettering!

2011 Wedding Season

With the new year comes the obvious change in date, resolutions and of course...another wedding season!! It's a time of year I always look forward to. This year promises to be another busy but exciting spring and summer full of weddings! 

I wanted to share our current line-up of 2011 weddings we'll be attending, their cute pictures and a few of the details... 

Melissa & Parker

February 26 ~ Tambor, Costa Rica

Melissa and Parker are having a small ceremony on the beach with immediate family and a few friends. They choose a destination wedding for a few reason, the biggest (no pun intended) being that they're expecting a baby in May (see the bump here)! They wanted to tie the knot now and plan to have a large reception back in Colorado in late summer or fall, after the baby is born.  

I will be traveling to Costa Rica sans B, but with some of my favorite high school ladies (plus Dave!). Not only am I looking forward to watching one of my besties tie the knot, I'm thankful for the motivation it's currently given me to workout! I am currently helping with a few wedding details (and surprises!) that I will share after the big day.

Debbie & Jeremy

April 30 ~ Turlock, California

Debbie and Jeremy are having a large ceremony (350+) and reception in Turlock, California (Debbie's hometown). While in Boston (Jeremy's hometown) last spring they had engagement photos taken at Fenway Park, home of the other love in Jeremy's life, the Boston Red Sox! 

The photo below was turned into their save-the-date, which you can see here on Debbie's blog. You can also follow along with her wedding projects as she counts down 30 before April 30. 

Over the last year or so B and I have both become good friends with Debbie and Jeremy so we are both really looking forward to witnessing their big day! I'm especially looking forward to seeing all Debbie's projects come to life, I know they won't disappoint. 

 Katie McElwee Photography

See their entire engagement photo session here! 

Sara & Andy

May 28 ~ Denver, Colorado

Sara and Andy are getting married over Memorial Day weekend in Denver. Their ceremony will take place on the grounds of Denver University, followed by a reception at an art gallery on Santa Fe. 

Perfectly aligned with their city wedding, are their adorable city engagement photos. The top photo was used in their save-the-date cards.

When Sara began her planning I was honored that she asked me to be her coordinator. After one talk we decided it would be more fun to help plan along the way and attend the wedding as a guest. Sara ended up hiring another friend as her wedding coordinator, Jackie with Jaclyn Michelle Weddings (great name, eh?)! And Kaci will be baking the cakes!

Angie Wilson Photography

Sarah & Derek

July 29 ~ San Rafael, California

Sarah and Derek are getting married this summer in San Rafael where they currently live and work. Their ceremony will take place in a local park and fitting for these teachers, their reception is at the St Vincent School for Boys! 

Their engagement photos were also taken in their neck of the woods and I just love everything about them (the photos and the couple)!

Sarah and Derek have been together for over five years, so I've known them both a long time. I know I'm not alone in saying that I can't wait for their wedding! I have a feeling it will be just like them - unique and a total blast.

 Meghan Roberts Photography

Layna & Dave

August 5 ~ Denver, Colorado 

Layna and Dave are getting married towards the end of summer, just outside of Denver at the Boettcher Mansion (same venue as Stephanie & Mark's wedding). These love birds will tie the knot in their element - surrounded by the trees and their families and friends.

Over the holidays Layna's twin sister, JNelly, took their engagement photos in Beaver Creek. Not only are they an adorable couple, but these photos truly capture their love of the outdoors. The photos will be used for their save-the-dates, which are currently in the works!

I've known Layna since Kindergarten and have been friends for a better part of that time. I could not have better hand selected a man for her to marry. I am very much looking forward to being a part of their special day!

JNelly Photography

 I promise to share details along the way and highlights after each. 

2009 wedding highlights: here

2010 weddings highlights: here, here and here

Cheers!

here's looking at you, 2011!

{inkandiron}

a new year is here! in fact, we're four days in so i've had plenty of time to mull over some resolutions. while i've never been a hardcore resolution type of gal, i do like to think of a few. i like goals, structure and having something to work towards. while i continually set goals for myself (which i've shared here and here), resolutions feel more like something to work towards, not necessarily something i can check off a list. that being said, this year i am going with three themes: save more, waste less and be timely. 

save more. mainly, money. over the last year i worked hard at actually creating a savings that contained more than the minimum balance to gain interest. this year i want it to be an actual pot of money that grows with each paycheck. for future needs (like a new car, wedding, down payment on a house), vacations and emergencies. i'd also like to make smarter purchases, because even though i'm trying to be on a saving kick, i know there are tons of purchases i'll still want to make. with an automatic deposit into my saving and a financially savvy boyfriend, i think this resolution is doable, although it's going to take some work. 

waste less. food, paper and time are the things that come to mind, although i know there are other areas i can cut back. before we left for CO i cleaned out the fridge and was sad with how much i was throwing away. on the plane ride i read this fascinating article in Sunset magazine about a zero waste family. it really inspired me to think of the ways i can cut back or use less.  with organization, planning and a few people i already know that are good at this i am hopeful to get better at this! 

timeliness. sigh. sadly, i am that person that is usually 3 minutes late. i have the best of intention to be timely and then when i'm not i get disappointed in myself. considering that, i wanted to pick a few things i could work on this year to feel better about my timeliness. they are: be on time to work, respond to emails within 24 hours and get things in the mail so they arrive in time for birthdays. easy enough, right? so far i've made it to work before 9am this week. my goal is 8:30am. yep, i've got work to do!

speaking of goals and birthdays...HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kaci!!! read her 2011 resolutions here, and while you're there give her some birthday love!

his & hers: Christmas toys

hello, hello! I'm back from a 10 day vacation to Colorado. Although I was on vacation, seemingly leaving lots of free time for things like blogging, I decided not to make time to blog. Instead I had lots of time with family, friends and my beloved Mile High city. It was a nice little break, but I'm happy to be back (to blogging. real world? not so much). 

Before diving into the new year and sharing a few intentions for my 2011, I want to share our Christmas toys! I've decided to play along with Hooray Design's weekly series called his & hers. 

I can't remember the exact age when I stopped asking for toys for Christmas. All I know is that its been a while! Now that I'm (ahem) an adult, doesn't mean I can't start asking for toys again! In the 3 years we've been dating, B and I have always set a limit on Christmas gifts. For some reason this year we decided on a higher than normal limit. I was so excited to give him his gift and equally excited to receive mine....just like a kid on Christmas morning!

HIS: the new 4th generation iPhone

B rocked the Slvr for 4+ years and was overdue for his upgrade. It didn't take long for him to fall in love with his new iPhone. I can't lie, I'm also in love with all the free aps, games and that I can change his background and locked screen to denim (hello Canadian tuxedo!). Minus the alarm clock fiasco, it's been a solid purchase. 

{apple}



HERS: Cricut Expressions 

In plum...isn't she cute? I received word late last night that she's arrived in the East Bay, thanks to A&B for the safe journey! I look forward to all the crafty endeavors ahead of us, including play dates with Debbie and her Cricut. From others I received 2 Cricut cartridges, craft paper, stamps and a gift card to Michael's. I'm looking forward to a crafty 2011!

{cricut}