P r e t t y S k e t c h y

See you later chumps.

Hey Hey!

It's me, I'm alive. I have decided that I am tired of paying Typepad to host my sorely neglected blog so I have started a free  new blog which can be found by clicking here. I hope to see you all there. New things are happening...

I have found that

summer is not the time for sitting inside blogging. It is the time for multiple wedding attendances in new dresses, walks on the beach collecting sea glass, countless road trips, visits to the zoo with little ones in tow, drives out to the coast beaches to walk and let Pencil run free, afternoons reading on a blanket in a park, visits to and from friends and sisters and developing the best tan I've had since South Africa. I've been busy, and while I have taken a lot of photos I think that this one sums up summer pretty well. Sitting outside with a latte in my hand while Pencil sleeps in my lap (while wearing Bethany's skirt and belt).

I have a bit of news for the few of you that still read this blog and don't know me in person (if there's anybody left). Last December I applied for a job as a designer at Anthropologie. The interview process was long and difficult. I had to construct a portfolio, design and complete three buildng projects, as well as make an inspiration book. It was a tremendous amount of work. But I ended up finding in spring that I did not get the position. So I took a job nannying the cutest kids in the world. I spent a lovely spring and summer with them and then I got an e-mail last month when i'd all but forgotten my months of interviews and toroturous waiting. It contained a request for me to interview for the same position I had applied for last December but at a different store. Despite my love of my nannying job I interviewed and in a week-and-a-half, I had a new career.

(image source)

On Monday I will begin my new job as a display coordinator for Anthropologie in Bellevue. I will be designing, constructing and installing displays at the store full time for what I imagine to be a long time. I feel like I've paid my dues since graduating with my degree in 2007. I've had a lot of crummy jobs, a few good ones and definitely experienced life as a starving artist and an out of work teacher in a crummy economic slump. I feel super lucky to have gotten this job and I'll try to share from time to time what I'm working on (as long as it doesn't violate any privacy disclosure issues, I need to ask a few questions first). I'll also try and show a few pictures of the projects and things that helped land me this sweet job.

Treehouses & Chalkboards

It's been hard lately to motivate myself to blog when I could be out for a walk, or at the ocean or reading in a coffee shop. In Seattle you have to make the most of the nice days and I have been doing that to the detriment of the blog. I have a whole slew of pictures and things I've been up to but I'll start with the murals I did for the family I work for. In Brogans room I did some drawings of dogs from one of his favorite books, it wasn't my original work so I'm not going to post photos of it but in Anya's room it was all my work. Her Mom wanted something that was very girly and that matched her bedspread, something that would be able to work in her room for a few years. So I ended up doing a variation of a painting I'd done a while back for my friend Nathan. Instead of painting a new base colour I decided to work with the existing wall colour. So here it is:

It was super fun doing it, I think I ended up putting around thirty hours into this thing but Anya loves it and it looks so cute in her room.

I also did a bit of work in the playroom. It had a bit of a recycled nursery look so I wanted to do something that would make it more interesting and maybe be something fun for the kids. So we decided to do a chalkboard wall. Once I had painted it and let it cure for a bit I had the kids help me coat it in a layer of chalk. I'm not sure why you have to do this but we followed the instructions and spent half an hour rubbing chalk all over it.

B got bored with it pretty fast and started scribbling but Anya was a little trooper and worked 'til the end.

After we finished we rubbed it all in, took a picture of our chalky hands and then wiped it down for some drawing...

Anya's work...

and Brogan's, he was trying to write his name and for a three year old he did pretty well I'd say. It's been a few weeks now and the kids still use it a lot. Anya practices her spelling on it, friends come over and draw and B practices his name during his quiet time. It's been really fun.

Gum, Walks, & Tenting

I've been pretty quiet lately due to road trips, weddings, wedding prep, post-wedding fatigue and loads of time spent with the kiddies. I've been trying to take a lot of photos of them because we spend so much time together so here's a few from the past week or so.

At the gum wall by the Pike Place Market. Kids really enjoy the grossness of this.

Little B hanging out under an arch at the park.

Playing tag.

Walking around Green lake. I have them in two of my favorite little outfits.

Anya making stars for our surprise project for the playroom...

and Brogan colouring them.

The team, playng with the hole punch with the stars strung up behind them on the frame of...

the tent we made for the playroom! I used a tutorial that I read about a while back on Cakies (found here) and it was so easy to do! The only change I made was to use thumbtacks to affix the bed-sheet to the frame instead of sewing elastic (I avoid sewing at all costs). We ended up taking a few of the flowers off after we took this picture cause it was a bit too girly but both the kids love it. They spent the afternoon we made it playing games in there and this week Anya dragged her sleeping bag, favorite stuffed animals and a few pillows in there to make it more cozy. She even takes a nap in there now and then. As an unfortunate aside, this picture shows the sad state of my point and shoot, man do I ever need a new camera.

More later.