the end or the beginning?

2011 is coming to an end, can you believe it? So much has conspired in my life this past year, and yet looking from the outside, my life might not seem too different. I usually don't really make New Year Resolutions, but a recent event is making me break my non-habit and make one.

I recently joined millions of others in getting a Pinterest account (username: mykmyk) for a couple of reasons. 1. I love gathering inspiration from other people's pins. 2. It's a great way to keep things that I like or want to do organized on a site that I can access from any computer with internet. 3. It's a great way to promote company's or self-promote one's art!

I can't lie, number 3 outweighs the other reasons a bit. So, yesterday I pinned something from my blog... Remember those Harry Potter posters that I had made? Well I pinned one of those to test out the whole system of pinning. So imagine how happy I got today when I saw this on my screen...

That's right, 18 likes and 70 re-pins! That means that more than 70 people saw my poster and could have possible traveled on over here to my blog. This soooo inspires me to really dive into my art. The economy is tough right now for everyone, especially all the artists in the world, but with sites like this that help spread inspirations, literature, and art things are looking to me like 2012 is going to be a new beginning! 

Long story short: new years resolution... work even harder on my side projects and art! 

Christmas Company Party

The company I currently work for, Stampington & Company, had it's Christmas Party yesterday. During lunch a Panini food truck was parked in our parking lot and we were able to place our orders and then eat and be merry with our co-workers. There was also a Tacky Christmas Sweater competition that was going on, and I was in it to win it. The night before I had rented a movie (which ended up being horrible) and decided to make my own tacky sweatshirt*. Anyways, I won 2nd place and got a nice little goodie bag. Our company photographer, Johanna, snapped some pictures of the three winners (Nichole, Me, and Cynthia) and they turned out pretty funny. We tried to do our best "awkward office photos," and I think we succeeded. I then played around with the saturation, levels, contrast, and colors a little bit in Photoshop to make it look a little dated. All-in-all, it was a nice little break from the work-day!

Did your place of work do anything fun this year?

*I bought the red sweatshirt and turtle-neck from K-Mart and then cut green triangles out of different colored green felt squares. I then combined all the triangles into a pattern to form one giant tree and tacked them on with stitching glue. Each triangle represents an employee, so I wrote everyone's name in permanent marker under the triangles (tacky enough, right?) To finish the whole thing off, I used used some puffy paint to add ornaments to the trees and to also write "Stampington and Company" at the top. Ta-da! That sounds like a lot more work than it really was, the whole thing only took my about a hour (at most). 

Newport Beach Boat Light Parade 2011

Last year I experienced my first Christmas boat light parade and decided that for as long as I live in California, this experience is a must every winter season. This being my second year, I was a little more knowledgable about where to go to get a good seat so my pictures turned out much better than last years (still not great, but I can't complain when taking pictures with my phone!) I picked up Jessica after church and we made our way down the peninsula, almost to the wedge, and sat on a wall facing Corona Del Mar. Anyways, the noisy crowds of families, the cheery music, the chilly air, the reflection of lights in the sea, and the sand below my boots really put me in a west coast Christmas mood! These pictures don't do these million-dollar-lit-yachts much justice, but hopefully you can get the picture.

Follow up: National Tie One On Day

I know that this is Christmas season, but I had forgotten all about this post, until today when I was checking out Stampington & Company's new blog. I was happily surprised to see a photo of my apron-wrapped loaf of pumpkin bread in one of their posts. If you'd like to see what my end result was, click here. I bought the apron from Ross and made a label on illustrator using a quote I found online by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I hope this brought someone some joy on their Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving quote reads:

For each new morning with its light,

For the rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

FOr everything Thy goodness sends.

-Ralph Waldo Emeron

Family Christmas Card 2011

final outcome

Last year I made my family a Christmas card to send out to family and friends. I wanted to go bigger and better this year and had a vision. About a month ago I was surfing the web (do people still use that lingo?) and I came across a really funny image from one of my newest favorite shows, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The image was so cheesy... goofy.... funny.... the image was so... so.... my family! Over Thanksgiving I discussed my vision with the family, and to my happy surprise, each member was excited to give this concept a try. So I mapped out where everyone was to stand, we color-coordinated our outfits and had my uncle take a few pictures of us using Summer and Steve's brand new amazing camera. Everyone nailed the expressions perfectly.

Now came the tough part... Lot's of photoshopping and color correcting. I decided to cut up two different images into clipping paths and replace them together, moving myself to the outer left side and squeezing us all together a little bit closer. I played around with the hue/saturation/level/and brightness a bit until I was happy with the outcome (I wanted it to be bright). Then the background was made, shadows were added, and the text was the finishing touch. Taaaa daaaaa!

Hope you all enjoy the time spent preparing for the Holidays, I know I am!

Inspiration: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Original Photo 1: Used Summer, Me, Dad, Kipp, and my Mom from this image 

Original Photo 2: Used Steve, Nickee, and parts of the table from this image

Last years Christmas Card, a little more classy haha

Feeling Jolly

Jolly Jar on top of my hard-drive and out of my reach!

Lately I have been trying to cut down on my sugar intake (yaa, yaaa, somehow I have become a little health conscience), but weeks ago I somehow ended up with a giant bag of jolly ranchers (actually a pretty funny story, but too lengthy to write here). I am one of those people that cannot be trusted with large quantities of candy, chips, or sugary breads in their possession, so in order to limit myself I brought my 1 pound bag of candy to work. One of the many things that my mother has taught me is that presentation is everything, so I knew a torn open plastic bag just won't do, not to mention it takes up too much room on my desk. So, here you have my feeble attempt at making an inviting candy jar. 

Necessary Items:

Mason Jar: I used an old spaghetti jar that I had been hoarding

Washi tape: Patterned Japanese tape, can be found at the shop on Stampington.com 

A (clever) label: I decided to go super cheesy with my design and it reads, "Have a JOLLY good day, Mate!" because let's be honest, we all need these words of encouragement to get us through the day at the office

Jolly Ranchers

I did have a lid on top, but that seemed to make my co-workers think they were to keep-out (quite opposite of what I am going for). Simple, easy, and done... and feeling like Pam on the Office during her reception days. 

National Tie One On

A co-worker of mine brought this great charitable act to my attention and I wanted to pass it on in the blogger world... 

Basically, "Sometime before Thanksgiving, pause in the preparation of your own meal, wrap a loaf of bread or other baked good in an apron, tuck a prayer or note of encouragement in the pocket, and tie one on … an apron, of course! Deliver the wrapped bundle to someone without your bounty … a neighbor, friend or family member in need of physical or spiritual sustenance, a bit of recognition, or just a kind word."

What a great way to reflect on all the gifts in your life and reach out and give to others. Women from my company will be donating our Aprons and Breads  to Laura's House, an abused women's shelter based in Ladera Ranch, and I will definitely be participating (I think I am going to back a pumpkin bread)... Hopefully I will have some photos to post afterwards. If this sounds like something you would like to do, please join in! I have placed the link below if you wish to find out more.

National Tie One On Day

A Blogger's Guilt

Forgive me Blogger, for I have sinned.
It has been 58 days since my last post.
Forgive me for I have found myself tempted with other sites such as Pinterest, Facebook, and Google Reader.
Forgive me for I have been distracted by work, working out, social outings, and cooking.
Forgive me for I have been lazy and too tired to blog due to the darkness outside when I get home.


I am sorry for these and all the sins of my past blog-life.


My penance shall be to start updating once a week, no matter how dull its contents may be... and may you all show mercy on my posts! 

Austin City Limits

Arriving back to our appartment at 11 last night after partaking in a three day music festival...

Waking up at 3:40am this morning to get to the airport...

Waiting for my first flight for 3 hours...

Spending about 10 hours between airports, plains, and cabs...

Spending way too much money...

Body and mind totally exhausted...

ALL WORTH IT! although I wish I could be back home with a snap of my finger, I had an amazing time at my first ACL trip. Great performances by Foster the People, Kanye West, Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, Alexander, Santigold, and sooo many more.

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A HO-HUM BEGINNING

This morning started with a knock on the outside of my bedroom door, a swift back-aching jerk to look at my clock, and a jump to my feet while frantically looking for work clothes to throw on. It was already 12 minutes past the time that I normally leave for work. Instead of making my carpool tardy as well, I sent them on their way and decided it best to drive myself. After a few stumbles, a washing of the face and a brushing of the teeth, I made it out the door and into my car to find (and remember) it's about empty gas tank. Of course my debit card gave the gas station fits and took longer than normal making me get on the freeway at perfect rush-hour traffic time. All of this and arriving to work to find the hot water not working for my oatmeal, looking at myself in the mirror looking like a hot-mess (so much for the theory, "dress for the job that you want"), and just the fact that I was at work put me in a ho-hum mood.

But after a few hours sitting at my desk working away, listening to Pandora, and drinking my coffee I decided that I am not going to waste today away in a ho-hum mood! So, I began making my "this makes me not so ho-hum today" list. So far I have:

Receiving an email from my friend Katie who is currently living in and loving England

Pandora... Original Motion Picture Scores station (I know I am weird)

White Chocolate Caramel Latte creamer from Coffee-Mate and 4 cups of coffee... oops

A DIY friendship bracelet tutorial (Found on an awesome site: http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-friendship-bracelet/) that lets me know what I will be doing tonight while watching the U of A football game against Oklahoma State

Knowing that in a week I will be on my way to Austin, TX for Austin City Limits Music Festival

And keeping an image of my family on my desk that I get to look at all day

ahhhh sigh, now I am relaxed and not so ho-hum. Hope your day is going well, and if not, just make yourself a list and you will find your attitude changing for the better. Think happy thoughts 

I have recently found a new ingredient that I love to cook with. I guess it's not really new to me because my mother had introduced me to it a couple years ago but since I didn't cook back then, I couldn't really understand all the possibilities. I am talking about Broccoli Slaw (found at Trader Joes). It is pretty simple, just sliced broccoli and carrots, but it is so fun to cook with and is a nice substitute to spinach, salad, or cabbage. I have tried it in wraps and omelets, but my favorite two recipes are listed below. The next time you are in Trader Joes, definitely give this bad boy a try!  

Soon, I want to make a Chinese Chicken Salad with it and add some peanuts. Can you think of any other ways to use broccoli slaw? 

August Rush

New desktop background I created

Toffee latte and fruit tart... delicious

Outside of Alta: you can see my parked bike kind of

Ok, so today's post title is ripping off the movie August Rush, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the film.

It's the middle of August already... Can you believe it? With work being so busy and friends and family being able to come visit, the past couple months have flown right by. Don't get me wrong, I love when life is full of fun events, socializing, and working hard, but this past Sunday I made sure to stop the rush and have a little date... With myself.

After taking Cortney and Elise to the airport (which was a bit depressing), I arrived home to an empty house. I wanted to take a nap, but decided I would be happier if I used the time to meander around the penninsula. I road my bike to church listening to my Radiohead Pandora station. Church felt great for my soul and spirit, I don't know why I stay away from churh most weekends. Afterwards, I took a little bike ride to Alta, this amazing coffee shop. Ordered myself a little (ok, BIG) treat, and then sat on a bench and watched the sun go down behind the bay.

How do you unwind and take a break? Do you have a special escape?

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Happy birthday to you!

Fruit tart cake that my mom used to always make.
Sugar cookie dough, cream cheese, and fresh fruit... Delicious!

After eating dinner at Felix in Orange Circle we had our dessert in the park.

Happy birthday to my amazing sister, Summer. She turns the big 2-8 today and spent half of the day in Cali and the other half in az. In order to celebrate, Summer, Steve, Anne, Jesse, Kipp, and Nickee all came out to visit and go to Disneyland with Jessica and me. It was an amazing weekened filled with laughter, creeping, hugs, beaching, walking (sometimes running from ride to ride), eating (lots of eating), and much much much more.

We did Summer's birthday dinner in Orange and had dessert in the park right next to the restaurant. I had made a fruit tart (two actually) for my sisters bday, but forgot to bring the candles and toppers that I had made for a special effect. (I designed them to my liking inm Illustrator and then printed them out, folded,  and glued them to some tooth picks). So we got to eat the tart in a park in Orange, but my presentation was lost! To make up for it, I set up the second tart tonight and snapped a couple photos for you to enjoy! So let's just pretend these pictures are from the same night and I didn't forget the candles, ok?

And here are some fun photos from the Disneyland adventure. It truly is a very happy place. :)

7th wheelin it :)
From front left to back: Kipp, Nickee, Anne, Jesse, Summer, Steve, & Me.

Birthday girl got drenched on splash mountain... happy birthday?

We creeped in every picture that we could... it made for some pretty entertaining photos! 

My ride buddy, Jessica! Nothing but blue skies!

Love this picture... gearin' up for Thunder Mountain!

EXPECTO PATRONUM

If you know me personally, then you know that I am a huge Harry Potter nerd. My friend Cortney sent me a message today with a link to this image (which is a take off of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters) and I loved the idea, but wanted to try my own take on it. Although Gryffindor is my obvious favorite  house, I wanted to be fair so I included Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw in the mix too. Enjoy and let me know which poster is your favorite, if you have plans to see the movie, and how you are celebrating the end!

Mim-a-palooza

Took some time to make a birthday card for my mom, but alas... the printer is broken. I get to be in AZ with her today, but if I can't hand her a hard copy of it I guess I will just give an electronic version. How green of me, right?

Well, Happy Birthday to my beautiful-caring-kind-loving-silly-sweet-lilfella-mother. Let's get this Mimapalooza started!!!

Star Spangled Banner

For me, July is an exciting month (I don't think there is a month that I am not excited about, but this one is just a little more special). It's the time of year when Summer has completely kicked in, my mother and sister's birthdays are both this month, and the fourth of July is celebrated.

As a kid,  I remember 4th of July parades, swimming, bbq's, popsicles (the red, white, and blue ones), my mom's famous American Flag Fruit Tart (yum), sparklers, light-rope/glow-sticks, and family and neighbors joining together on blankets spead over the golf course  to watch the firework's show.

As I've gotten older, I made it a point to be in California for the 4th. There have been a couple trips with all my girlfriends (some of my favorite memories are from our huge CA girl-trips), a trip with Kipp and Summer, and last year it was the first weekend after I moved out here and Kimmy was out to visit me.  This year's celebration will be in Newport again and I am excited, but I love to think back over all the past years and the memories that I hold from this one Holiday.

Anyways, I'm rambling now and really all I meant this post for was that I made a new desktop image for my computer at work and wanted to share. If you'd like to place it on your desktop background please feel free to! Just save the image and then change your desktop settings.