OUR DIY CHRISTMAS CARD

This is long overdue, but I wanted to share our Christmas card details here.

I am a big fan of Christmas cards. I look forward to seeing everyone's each year and it's the best excuse to get in touch with faraway friends. I'm also a big fan of DIY. This is my second married Christmas, and my second Christmas card sent. Last year I created them myself, but on a much smaller scale, by using a calligraphy font to write "Merry Christmas" across the bottom of a wedding photo, and then printed them at kinkos, four to page, and fit them into A2 envelopes. This year, I lettered my own, and it was so satisfying. 

I hand lettered "joy" in black ink, converted it into a file with a transparent background in photoshop, changed the color to cherry red, and and stretched it across a photo from a shoot this summer. I had them printed on 110lb matte paper at Office Depot, sized them to 5x7 and rounded the corners. The weight of the paper really does make a difference, in your DIY projects go as high as you can for the best quality.

To say that I loved how they turned out would be the understatement of the year. Obsessed with everything about these.

For the addressing, I went with a grey ombre watercolor brush lettering style for the name, and block caps lettering in sharpie for the address. I love how it looks "imperfect" compared to calligraphy, and unexpected and different. 

I finished them off with our return address stamped on the back, and either my "Merry and Bright" or "Heaven & Nature Sing" calligraphy stamp in red ink.

Love these!! They were a huge hit and so fun to make.

MY ONE LITTLE WORD FOR 2015

The One Little Word Project was started by Ali Edwards in 2006 as an alternative to the standard New Year's resolution. Essentially, it involves deciding on one word as your guiding principle of the year. See more in her blog post here. 

My One Little Word for 2015 is SIMPLIFY. 

I've gotten a taste of this word with my capsule wardrobe project started last fall. In pairing down my wardrobe to 30-ish items that I truly loved, I felt more satisfied wearing my favorites rather than rummaging every morning through tons of items I just kind of liked. The simplicity felt like it gave me room to breathe. I actually feel like I have more wardrobe options when I work with less, because I know what works and what I love, and I'm purposeful about my pieces. 

I've had so much success with this concept that I figured it would be worth expanding into other areas of my life. I want to only live with what I truly need, and do away with all the excess. I want to simplify: my things & possessions, but also my time, my schedule, and how I run the business. I want to run my life smarter and more strategically. Simply instead of chaotic.

I feel like I can be a person of excess sometimes. I thrive on full days, and the busiest social calendar imaginable. Last year, my husband and I often had commitments 4 out of 5 weeknights each week, plus multiple parties/events every weekend. There wasn't much room for simplicity in our schedule. This year, I'm much more aware of that, and I think I will continuously be learning how to live between too little and too much. 

Excited for this word and for this year. Cheers to 2015!

JANUARY GOALS

NEW YEARS DAY AT GREENLAKE

Hello, new year!! Perfect time for reflection and goal setting. 

Recap of December goals:

1. See the Christmas Lights on Candy Cane Lane. There is one darling neighborhood goes all out at Christmas each year, and it's so fun to stroll the streets and see all the lights. A magical Christmas moment. 

2. Go ice-skating. Embarrassingly, I have my own skates. My husband is athletic and great at any sport, and he's up for a skate night if I promise hot chocolate and maybe a double date with another fun couple.

3. Decorate our tree and house. A given! But I'm looking forward to it.

4. Fly to California to visit my family at Christmas. I can't wait. 

5. Attend 7 Christmas parties, including 2 weddings. That may sound crazy full, but I love a full calendar, and thankfully, so does my husband. Love this time of year for so many reasons, but I really love getting to see so many people we love at all the parties. 

We did it all, except for ice-skating! December was packed for us. It was also the most fun. I really love everything about the holidays, and this Christmas was no exception. A truly magical time of the year. 

JANUARY GOALS

1. Launch the Valentine's Day card line in the shop. The card that started it all (Hello Handsome) will be available again in a few weeks.

2. Read. I got the Kinfolk Table for Christmas from my brother in law (thanks, Luke!) and am excited to read it. I also put Lean In on hold at the Library months ago, and it's finally ready. Looking forward to getting time with both of those this month.

3. Simplify. This is my main goal for this month and for this year. I want to simplify in all areas of my life, from my possessions and my things, to my wardrobe (it's begun with the capsule project!), my time, and how I run the business. We have a WAY less busy January than we did in December, and we need it. Looking forward to a much simpler month. 

What are your goals and resolutions?