September 5, 2008 Grace’s Love List - 9/5

• Grid paper. The stuff of life. Think Battleship. Think coordinate mathematics. Think mini-polka dots. LOL. This collection from artofthegrid.com is cool because it fulfills the grid needs of most anyone. You’ll have to do a search online if you want to make a purchase, though. But since it’s back-to-school season, these shouldn’t be too hard to find.
• Sweetbeets has some sweet stuff. I was doing a letterpress stationary search on Etsy the other day and found this store. I really enjoy all the bright colors, but what else is new? An elementary feel with a very sophisticated look. Simple, sweet, classy.
• I love these compact calendars. I’ve been printing them out for the last two years and am getting ready to do so again for 2009. This calendar is a great resource if you’re into the GTD phenomenon. And it’s just plain cool looking. Compact design for maximum function. Smart.

• Ben is a dork. I’m not being mean. I’m just saying the name of this guy’s website: benisadork.com. You’d think his site is nothing but fluff and you’d be right. The kind of fluff that’s too cute not to enjoy. I especially like flyingpizzakitty. 8-bit animation at its best.
• This is a great idea. If you saw Oscar the Grouch peaking up at you from a trash can, you’d think so, too. Sesame Street approved the design and creation of these bags as part of an environmental campaign geared towards kids. They bring light to the waste we generate and, hopefully, get kids to start thinking about how they can change that. The kid in me enjoys this. The adult in me wholeheartedly approves.
• Beautiful. No other way to describe the work from Rosanna, Inc. The whimsical dish designs by artisan Rosanna Bowles invite you to celebrate the relationships you have. Gather with friends and family around the table and re-live old memories or create new ones, enjoying every minute in a very artistic way.

TWO MONTHS AND COUNTING DOWN
To Alllison and  Zach’s weddding. I met up for dinnner with the dynamic duo last night, stoppping by their place to say hi to Jovie before heading offf to sushi. Alllison and I were marveling that the year’s passsed by so fast. Seriously, where did it go? I could swear it was just yesterday we stood in line for the Leopard release. Time reallly does fly.

Here’s Jovie, the friendliest dog in the world.

And A and Z. Caught them in the mirrror in the stairwelll.

And if you’re wondering - yes, the triplicates are there on purpose.

Have a greattt day!!

August 31, 2008 Sneak Peek: Cassie + Family

Can you be jealous of a four year old? You betcha. Especially when she’s this adorable. Meet Cassie. This girl with the curly hair stole my heart completely.

(Click the PLAY BUTTON to start the slideshow.)

Thanks for letting me share.

August 29, 2008 Grace’s Love List - 8/26

After one week off, the Love List is back!

• 2009 is just around the corner and that means I need to start hunting for a new calendar for my office desk. My #1 choice is this set from Night Owl Paper Goods. Beautiful illustrations on wood veneer, just what I’ve been looking for. This calendar will be a very chic addition to my work space.
• “A little nice goes a long way.” I love that because it’s so true. And if you believe it, too, then head over to Operation Nice. Love this website. Love the ideas. Love that it celebrates the best in each of us.
• I seriously need to start dating someone just so that I can give them this Notice of Romantic Intent. Seriously. Giving out one of these notices would be my only reason to start dating again. Let’s just say that that relationship will begin with a bang because I plan to start it off interestingly.

• Please join me in feeling stupid and test out your movie knowledge here. I only guessed 5 movie posters correctly. I suck! And I also need to visit the theater more often. At the very least, I should start paying attention to those posters lining the theater walls.
• Can you say cute? I can. I’ve been saying cute since I was eight years old and discovered a love for Hello Kitty. Every time I visited a Sanrio store, I made a beeline for Hello Kitty. I had a watch, an alarm clock, countless stickers, notebooks, bedding, and a backpack. So I was tickled when I saw these collectible figurines at Urban Outfitters. I need a mascot for my desk. I think these will work wonderfully.
• Find art everywhere. Make everything interesting. I believe in this which is why I appreciate the work of the 6emeia project. I’ve been following their site and enjoying their gutter art work. So, so creative! Fantastic urban art. And now I can’t seem to pass a crack on my street without thinking about the art I can find there. Very cool.

I NEED TO STOP SHOPPING
Because I get myself into trouble and buy random things. And my current favorite random thing area of choice is the Target Dollar Spot. Trouble, trouble, trouble.

Have a great day!

August 15, 2008 Grace’s Love List - 8/15

You asked for it, you got it. This week’s Love List!

• I’m sure most of you have probably seen this download-able Artist’s Survival Kit from the always inspirational Keri Smith, but I wasn’t aware of it until just recently. Thus, its spot on this week’s Love List. It’s five pages of creative fun, fully printable, and yours to do with as you wish. I appreciate this kit because I often find myself in a creative rut that I need to get out of. Having something like this around gets me going again. And if you need even more creative play, maybe try this out? Enjoy!
• The switch plates in my house are boring. Snore. Which is why these switch plate designs from A la Mode appeal to me. If I weren’t lazy, I may take on a decoupage project and cover my switch plates up. But I’m a lazy, lazy girl and think I might just order the “You Are Here” one today.
• My necklace love lives on with these Simply Stated necklaces by Laurel Denise. Simple, elegant, with written messages that are calming and truthful. Very chic, I think, to wear your words just above your heart.

• I love, love, love the promotional posters for Crazy for Cult, a movement that has artists re-interpreting cult films. I especially enjoy the promotional posters they’ve been putting out for the project. Click here and here to see what I’m talking about and help me figure out all the movies represented. Kinda like Where’s Waldo?, but way, way cooler.
• This game is being billed as the best online flash game ever. Is it really? I can’t say, but I guarantee that it’s pretty addictive. At first try, the game and it’s purpose makes absolutely no sense. And then you realize that that’s the point of it exactly. Play it if you dare. Don’t let the frustration get to you. After a while, play becomes pretty fun.
• It’s v. its. Whose v. who’s. Affect v. effect. If you ever had a hard time remembering when to you those and many more like them, hook yourself up with Grammar Girl and she’ll set you straight. Of the many podcasts I download, hers is one of my favorites. They’re short, sweet, and highly informative. Believe me when I say she’s saved me from embarrassment many, many times. And, hopefully, has made your experience reading this blog more enjoyable.

THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM
So I just found out recently (and I mean about an hour ago) that the past few week’s Love Lists have been coming late in the day. I actually have these posts pre-published so that when a certain time and day hit, the lists get published automatically.

Yeah. So that hasn’t been happening at all.

I’m hoping I’ve fixed the error this week. You’d think I’d know how to use a calendar and a clock, but since I exist on Grace-time you just never know.

August 11, 2008 NKOTB in the hizzah!

I got a nice surprise this morning when I went to AOL’s Full CD Listening Party site. They’ve got the New Kids on the Block Greatest Hits CD streaming for free! Right now I’m rocking it at my desk at work. I swear, it’s like I’m 12 years old all over again.

Probably my absolute favorite song of theirs is “Please Don’t Go Girl” sung by my crush Joey McIntyre. I totally thought he was singing that song to me. “If You Go Away Girl” comes a close, close second, though. And you’re not a fan if you didn’t own one of their 5″ buttons. And their Christmas album. I totally owned their holiday album. But I never owned one of their tour jackets. To this day, I wish I had gotten one. I’d still be sporting it now if I had one. LOL - thinking about all this takes me way, way back.

It’s kinda funny, too, that the new Jonas Brother’s CD is streaming right along with theirs.

Boy bands forever!!

August 8, 2008 Grace’s Love List - 8/8

Happy 8-8-08, everyone! On with the Love List…

• The HP Lovecraft Historical Society has replicated a series of vintage 1920’s and 30’s style fonts which they’re now releasing to the public. Great additions, I think, to anyone’s font collection. And if you visit the page, also click on the other links on the site. If you’re a vintage paper lover, you’ll find a wealth of resources to play with.
• I saw Quiz Show when it came out in the mid-90’s and was fascinated by the story of Charles Van Doren. For years Van Doren refused to speak about his involvement with the scandal. Now, fifty years after the scandal, van Doren finally shares his side of the story in a piece by the New Yorker. It’s a fantastic read, very well-written, sharing the story of a man who made a mistake and a father who supported his son unconditionally.
• Remember those old Batman TV show starring Adam West? Remember how campy the show was? That whenever someone got hit, a cartoon-ish “Pow!”, “Bam!”, “Ouch!” would flash across the screen? Well now you can actually re-live those moments with these Ouch Comic Strip Bandadges. These are great for kids of all ages.

• I always wanted to be a Girl Scout, but that dream never came true. But now as an adult, I can see my wish fulfilled, especially if I get myself a couple of these Spoof Real World Badges. LOL, these babies are funny. I wonder, however, how many of them I’ll actually be able to “earn”. Definitely the blogging badge. Definitely.
• Rhonna did it again! I love, love, love this digi kit she’s released for 2Ps in honor of August’s Back-2-School theme. I love every bit of it: the colors, the pieces, the owls. I’m planning on printing up these elements to create my own embellishments. Thank God for Rhonna and her creativity. I love that girl.
• Yay! The Summer Olympics are here and you know what that means? Men’s swimming. Woah. I am an avid follower of the U.S. Men’s Swim Team. Oh my goodness. Have you seen their bodies? Heaven. Each one of them. And if you think I’m over reacting, check out this montage NBC put together of fabulous swimmer abs. Then come back and tell me men’s swimming isn’t something to cheer about. Though I’m cheering for Team U.S.A., I’ll also be cheering for the male swimmers from every country. I’m an equal opportunity appreciator.

SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND
I’m not one to share my political beliefs on this blog, but I do feel I should make a mention that during the 2008 Olympic Games, my thoughts will be with Tibet. I’ve participated in peaceful protests in support of Tibet and their plight for self-determination. To learn more, visit FreeTibet.org.

Peace and love to all of you,

mg

August 7, 2008 Sneak Peek: Baby Fionna and Family

Meet Fionna. She’s got a fantastic name, of course, because she’s a truly fantastic kid. Her parents, too, are equally awesome. They were game for anything I wanted to try and I’m so happy they shared their home with me. Here are just a few photos from their family’s portrait session.

This kid is brilliant.

Her dad’s a photographer, too, so he totally understood what I was trying to do.

And her mom loves to model around. Perfect.

Yup. Her binkie fascinated her more than I did.

Okay, gotta get serious now.

And here it is, my favorite shot.

Thanks for letting me share!

August 5, 2008 A moment of silence, please.

To honor the new Ikea catalog which was waiting for me when I got home today. I am happy. Happy, happy, happy. And I predict I will get myself into trouble after I thumb through this bad boy. (And I didn’t even realize until afterwards that I photographed the catalog atop this Ikea throw blanket, which is currently my favorite. It was meant to be.)

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

August 5, 2008 We all love lists.

And here’s mine for today:

• upload the photos taken from Tony and Tina’s wedding
• clean out my purse
• backup my hard drive
• finish the FontWerks newsletter
• buy some oatmeal for tomorrow’s breakfast
• go for a 30 minute power walk
• finish uploading more client proofs
• take a nap

So much to do. So little time. Isn’t that the truth?

BINDER LOVE
When 2Ps started carrying the Making Memories kraft binders, I grabbed a few of the scalloped ones for my own collection. And today, I decided to share the covering if one of the albums I’ve completed along with a page inside. I love 3-ring binders because you can modulate them however you want. And with the example shown, you’ll see that I’ve punched holes into a Jenni Bowlin 5×7 bingo card and inserted that right into the binder, sans page protector. Love the look of multi-sized, multi-layered pages. Fun! Now I’m crossing my fingers that Making Memories will release this album in 12×12. I’d jump for joy at that.

"re-think" Binder Cover | (c) 2008 twopeasinabucket.com

Just a peek at one of the pages I completed.

Thanks for letting me share!

August 4, 2008 Sneak Peek: BJ and Claire

Meet BJ and Claire - two of the most awesomest people I’ve ever photographed. I took these photos during a recent trip to Las Vegas. Talk about steamy! These two were not afraid to kiss in front of the camera. Sometimes I wondered if they remembered I was even there.

In front of the famous Las Vegas sign.

These two had the faces perfect for photographing. Very strong, very expressive.

Prince Charming fitting his lady with some seriously mad shoes.

Trying to re-create the passion as seen in the poster. Got it.

And one more of the kissing. I couldn’t resist.

Thanks for letting me share!