life. photos. scrapbooking.

HILARIOUS!

And I thought the K-Mart "Ship My Pants" commercial was funny....

This one had me howling in my seat!

Enjoy!

 

Pregnant and I Know It.

This was sent to me last night by a friend...

Word up.

 

 

So sorry Clark...

But I ordered another Emily McDowell print for the kids new bunk room.

I know... I know...

This way - I figure I can put the endearing Peter Pan quote I showed y'all yesterday on the top bunk with Macho... and this very fitting one on the bottom where Miss Thing will sleep.

I just couldn't resist it. It's just tooooooo perfect for my little misfit. :)

Visiting and Sharing

I'm in Columbus for a few days. Visiting my girl, Casie. Having some good quality girlfriend time. My little boo-boo's are at my parents while I'm here. It's been great. We have lunched, done some shopping, chatted until we can't even think of anything else to say, watched some late night Netflix, painted our nails and shared new music interests...

One of the things that Casie shared with me I couldn't resist passing along. I know, as usual, I'm probably super late to the party on this one... as these little girls have been all over You Tube, on the Ellen show, and even had a spot on the new TV show Nashville.

Either way - what they can do with their voices and a couple of butter dishes is truly amazing.

I would recommend closing your eyes for a portion of this in order to fully listen to just how beautiful their harmonies and beats are as they sing. Two sisters from Canada... one 13 and one 11.

Skillz, yo.

 

Lennon & Maisy Stella - "Call Your Girlfriend"

also available for download on iTunes.

Happy Wednesday!

Blue Sky | Fall Catalog 2012 :: Maryland Commercial Photographer

When I was on vacation with my family back in June, I received a voice mail from a friendly, unfamiliar voice. It went something like this...  "Hi there, this is so and so... I'm a fashion designer... I make hippie clothes.... been in business since 1994... looking to elevate my brand with fresh photography and design... and I think YOU might be the one to do it."

Say wah?
Me?
Serious?

I dialed him back - only to find out - that not only was I not hearing things - but he was indeed serious.

Still... I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. There had to be a catch, right?

Wrong.

When I got back... I met with him... we chatted about his vision... I threw out some ideas... and we were off. That was it. Shocking, I know.

He was an absolute DREAM to work for. Totally not a micro-manager at ALL. He just let me run with this project. Hiring the models, hair and makeup, choosing locations, making arrangements for props. He and his team were there to back me up with whatever I needed. Again, I say - DREAM come true.

So I dialed up three of the most beautiful people I know. Jenna. Casie (who flew in from Columbus.) And MK. The best part - they had amazing chemistry the day of the shoot. Which really made the photos sing.

We had marvelous "Blue Sky" kind of weather that day... and all hands were on deck. When their crew came with the clothes - we set out to divide and conquer. Nine hours later - it was a wrap.

Then the real work began. Culling the shots down to the best keepers. Ediiting them with a particular tone and style - an earthy - homegrown feel - while still keeping with the integrity of the garments themselves. And finally bringing the design& layout spreads that would eventually become the catalog pages to life.

** That part was almost like digitally scrapbooking for hire! Except with the perspective of a consumer. I had to show some restraint... let the clothing do all the talking. Keep it clean and simple, yet still bold.

When I sent of the first few proofs off to Phil for approval/critique - I held my breath.

When he gave the thumbs up to continue - I was elated!!! What I'd held in my mind's eye was now a reality - and the boss was impressed.

A few weeks later - we were off to press. And I'm so proud to say that for the first time in the company's history - TWO versions of this catalog will go out. A wholesale (as was their custom) and a retail version.

When the printer sent me an advance copy of the real thing - hot off the press - I did about sixteen laps around my kitchen island. Jumping up and down and yelling at Clark, "It' looks like a REAL catalog."

He was all... "Well, duh."

Well put.

I'm expecting a case of these this week so that I can distribute some locally.

If you are interested in receiving one - please leave a comment below. I'll contact you for your mailing address and be sure you get one.

As you look at the clothes below - keep in mind they are made fair trade, many with recycled or sustainable materials. Your purchase of these garments support, designers, seamstresses, and a family oriented group of people with jobs right here in Maryland.

And me.

Without further ado - I'm so so proud to present...

Blue Sky | Fall Collection 2012

all of these styles are now available online at

www.wearbluesky.com

Huge thanks go to :

Phil, Alex and the entire Blue Sky team - what an honor it was.

Jenna, MK and Casie - love you all. My beautiful friends!

Jenny & Bill at Discovery Farm - your kindness is overwhelming.

Tim & Noah at Rise Up Coffee - you boys are as rad as your beans.

KJ and Richard - the VW bus was the dopest prop we could've asked for. Our 4th model!

My Shelby - girl - you are the cream in my coffee. Love you to pieces. The best photography assistant a girl could ever wish for.

 

Can't wait to begin work again for the Spring 2013 line... Shoot is at the end of October!

 

Welcome Back... and HELLLLOOOOO September!

Hey guys. Sorry I had to bow out last week. Nothing major happened. I just didn't have enough hours in the day. You know the drill. I just granted myself a week's reprieve from writing (but continued to jot down ideas for this week) and buckle down.

So.... that's that.

In other news..... Hi-ya hi-ya hi-ya September!

Anyone else excited? I love September and October... they are great months in my opinion. Perfect weather... lots of changes in routines. New TV shows hitting the airways (not that I watch much on cable)... I feel more inspired to cook and bake and generally be crafty. I just love fall.

Who's with me?

So... since I altogether skipped August - I figured I'd hit the ground running with a fresh installment of CURRENTLY LOVING.... September Edition. Mmmm-kay?

 

1 :: Yes, yes... trying the grow out thing again with the dang hair. My conundrum is this... I'm getting lots of grays... Sad, but true. So I know that COLOR is most definitely in my future. Therefore, I'm thinking I'll have to give up my beloved relaxers - lest I fry the living SH@T out of it trying to relax and color at the same time. If I can't relax - I can't go short... the short curly haired thing just doesn't become me.

I'm doing what I can to stay the course. To try to inspire myself with pins from Pinterest like this....

How awesome are those hilights right? I'm a good 8-12 months away from this length, mind you... But again... I'm doing what I can....

Conversely, I have to utterly abstain from pins like this one...

just makes me wanna snip, snip, snip.

2 :: Chobani Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Yogurt

Please tell me someone out there has had this. Wow - it's like having chocolate chip ice cream anytime of day and not feeling all that guilty. Thank you Chobani Gods.

3 :: Lululemon Sweater Top

Scored this puppy on SALE... Woot. Hellllloooooo fall. (In fact, it still on sale... 3 colors y'all. Click the pic to be taken to the link. :) - Yer welcome.

4 :: Pretty Little Liars on Netflix

The past few weeks of work have been a bit stressful so I've mindfully tried to set aside some "down time" to just chill out... Entre.... PLL on Netflix. I can queue up an episode anytime I wanna and it's become quite the little addiction. :)

I'm currently on like episode 3 of Season 2 (the first two seasons are on Netflix - and the third just wrapped on ABC Family - but I think the web episodes are still running online).

It's good fun. And Ian Harding - who plays Ezra Fitz is just sooo boy next door cute. :)

5 :: My Fitness Pal App

I've been on the LB gain train for a few months. I know its all the editing and grazing going on here at casa de la Pegher... Gotta move my hiney and shed the extra jiggle I've packed on this summer - or I know I'm going to have one of those "get the winter clothes out of the attic - and nothing fits" meltdowns in front of the bedroom mirror in a wee bit.

That just can't happen.

So... I figured there MUST be an app for that, right?

And here it is...

My Fitness Pal - I especially love that I can just scan the barcode on whatever I might feel like eating and it automatically calculates the calories, fat content, etc. into the daily food journal. It's genius. It also tracks - your weight gain/loss, exercise habits, water intake, food diary, and more. Totally check it out. It's free in the App Store.

6 :: Fleabags for JCrew

Coveting this marriage of two of my fave brands. I'm loving this bag.... like L-O-V-I-N-G it.

7 :: Bass loves Rachel Antonoff Flats

Speaking of amazingly harmonious marriages of talent and industry... Bass + Rachel Antonoff = LOVE

and here is the love child... which I ordered for just $55.00 via My Habit on Thursday...

8 :: Watermelon Tomato & Feta Salad

Been eating this a LOT... it's easy peasy to make. And has an incredible and unusual mix of flavors.

Just combine - chopped watermelon, crumbled feta, heirloom tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, cracked pepper.

9 :: Strawberry Big Bump Blanket from DivineKnits.com

Heading to photograph two little twin beauties today... can't wait to use my newest prop. Waited a good 4-6 weeks for this baby. Can't wait!

This photo is from the Devoted Knits website - and was taken by Rachel Vanovin

10 :: Perfectly Manicured Red Nails

I haven't had a good mani/pedi in a loooong time. Since vacation in early June. Ahem.

So I went for one last week. And now my nails are a perfect shade of red... this one from Sephora, in fact.

Hilarious.... the name of the shade is "High Maintenance" Maybe so... but not when it comes to my nails, sadly.

Now I feel that all is right with the world as my fingers peck down on the keyboard with these freshly polished tips :)

 

Hope you all are having a glorious Labor Day!!!

Welcome back!

xoxox

 

4 Year Letter for My Boy

When Macho turned one I sat down and wrote him a letter. I recapped his first year - discussed milestones he'd reached (standing, feeding himself, etc) - what was happening in the dynamics of our family - and the dynamics of the world at large. It's a traditon I've kept up ever since. (A WHOPPING 4 years now... he he he. I'm all about commitment :)).

And when the H.B (I'm now referring to the little missus as Honey Badger - some of your out there might know what I mean.... she just "don't care" and "does whatever she wants")... turned one - I started the same tradition for her too.

You can read those related posts HERE and HERE
....

Which brings us to the next installment.... Macho's 4 year Letter. Basically the format was the same - with one exception this year. This time, I added a personal interview portion to the letter. I asked him some questions... Favorite Color, Movie, Toy, Holiday, Friend.... etc. and took note of his answers.

My two favorites were. 

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: I want to bake cookies. :)

Ahem - Cake Boss. MMM kay.

and

Q: What is your least favorite part about preschool?

A: We are not allowed to kiss.

Hmmmmm. Lover boy. Mamma best keep a keen eye on you. ;)

.....

I have a few prints ordered from the lab that I intend to put inside the envelope when they come back. Snapshots of him RIGHT NOW... and one of he and HB and myself right now. This has been a consistent inclusion in all of the other letters... so I had to keep that part up too.

Finally - one of the most fun parts for me is decorating the envelope for him. I'm trying to keep them age-appropriate each year... which should be a fun thing to see evolve.

On another note... It has been MONTHS since I picked up some patterned paper and my adhesive - so I felt a little out of touch and experienced a bit of creative blockage... It's hard to just pick up and "BE CREATIVE" sometimes.

But dang - it felt good just to sit down and make something.

Here are a few shots...

Have an awesome weekend! We are taking the kids to Six Flags tonight!!! Woo hoo!

:)

Another fine use of the Instax Mini :: Thank You Notes by Macho

Spoiler alert. Those of you who participated in the celebration of Macho's 4th year, or sent a gift... You may wanna just stop reading now. Your thank you notes are promptly posted - but they'll look an awful lot like the ones I'm about to show below... so if you wanna be surprised...

JUST STOP NOW, K?

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

You couldn't help yourself could you?

I know I couldn't.

Yesterday was an "at home with mom" day for the kids and getting Macho's birthday thank you notes checked off the list was a high priority. I'm BIG on thank you notes - getting and giving them.
In this culture of instantaneous communication - we email, text, etc. to get our point across... so sitting down and taking the time to write/create a nice personal thank you note - says "hey, I really give a hoot about you and what you did" or "i'm suuuuuper grateful."

My point is - THANK YOU notes go a loooong way with me.

Stepping off soapbox.... now.

I wanted Macho to do something personal... but he's 4.... hmmmm. Hardly Hemminway at this point.

So I thought about my handy dandy little Instax Mini Polaroid Camera.

I ordered/used it for the little bugs hospital guest book... when she was born in Nov 2010.

You can read all about that HERE.

Anyway - it had been quite awhile since I dusted off this fun little toy and I thought this would be just the project to do it.

Here's how it all went down...

1 - I had my list ready of all of the things Macho had received for his b-day and from whom.

2 -I snapped instax pix of him playing with each of the items. And let them "develop" a couple of minutes.

3 - I gathered some textured cardstock, a few select stamps (which Macho helped choose), permanent ink pad, a spool of ribbon, some glue dots, a sharpie pen and a stapler.

4 - I began stamping the little pirate guy (Stampin' Up! stamp from a few years ago) onto the cardstock... and Macho began to sign the bottoms of the photos.

5 - Macho then glued the photos to the pages and stamped the second "Thank You" stamp underneath my pirate kid.

6 - Finally - after I'd lost Macho's flea-sized attention entirely - I cut some small strips of ribbon and attached them with a stapler to the cards.

VOILA.

Personalized - signed - easy - and something we could did TOGETHER on our day at home.

Check that box, y'all.

 

 

 

Giving this a try.

Two of my girlfriends (hi Renee!) (hi Sarah!) use freshly laundered bandanas as everyday napkins in their homes. Every time I've joined them in a meal - I think to myself....

Self - you must remember to do this!

You can find them pretty much anywhere - I got this stack at Wal-Mart for a buck a piece.

The more you wash them the softer they become. It's no big deal if they get stained... You'll hardly notice. And, the best part is - you'll use FAR fewer paper towels at mealtimes.

I wouln't really consider myself an "Earth Mamma" - but I do use chemical free cleaners in my kitchen - vegetable based dishwasher pellets - and Mrs. Meyers laundry soap.... and now these.

I do believe in conservation... I don't like to be wasteful... and we go through A TON of paper towels, it seems.

So - we are gonna give this a try.

Just thought I'd share.

:)

 

Slipcover - An Attempt

I bought this marvelous new desk chair from the Pottery Barn on MEGA sale last month.

My derrier has been thanking me during my long editing stints in front of ye olde computer screen for that cushioned bottom. Veeeeery nice.

It's upholstered in linen with a nailhead trim.... see?

I really do love it. As it goes in homes with small children - anything mommy or daddy loves - the kids usually love too... especially with peanut buttery fingers or drippy popsicles this time of year.

In order to protect my new investment I decided to purchase some cotton twill fabric and try my hand at sewing together a loose fitting slipcover for it.

SO on Saturday - I gave it the old college try. But, be warned... sewing - it's just not my gift. I want to be good at it - but sadly - no.

I washed my fabric first so it wouldn't shrink later.... I did this weeks ago. (been sitting on this praying that the kids didn't ruin the chair with a rogue pen or something until I had the time)

Anyway - step one was to basically just start pinning and cutting out the framework for the slipcover...

I wanted the rough fringed edge to be exposed around the bottom of the chair - so I cut my fabric accordingly.

Really the entire process was more like one big guess. I would pin some - and then go sew it. Come back - pin on some more - then go sew that bit.... and on and on it went.

I thought I was pretty bad a$$ that it was sorta fitting all around - and that I tucked the corners up at the front of the seat and all that. I figured it was the same idea as wrapping a package... so I went with it.

Nothing to lose right?

It was looking pretty good until I finished and turned it right side out. Then it all looked a little wonky.

Usable - but wonky.

Again - I'm pleased that there aren't large gaping holes in between some of the seams - but the fit could be a bit better in some spots. In any case - it's a suitable shield for all the tiny grimy fingers on those who call my "office" their playroom.

Happy Monday!