That, or possibly a Red Sea redux.  And I’m thinking that this fortune cookie (which isn’t EVEN a fortune –  more like an omen) just might have been right!

Case in point: there was that epic hail storm, death of the firstborn when our dog died a few years back, then the most recent plague of pestilence which hath destroyed our grass.  And now, in the past week, it seems we have encountered boils and bugs. I can only imagine what is coming next. Blood in our faucets?

Really, the so-called boils were not that big of a deal. Jude has such sweetly sensitive skin like me. He got heat rash that looked less-than-appealing which got him promptly sent home from school.

But the bugs? Oh guys. I about died.  So here’s what happened -

Sunday, we were sitting in the church service. The pastor came up onto the stage, and being a note-taker, I reached into my purse to grab a pen. I couldn’t feel it, so I finally looked over into my purse and started digging around. As I finally found the pen, I notice something wiggling and I tell you, Internet, it was all I could do to keep from screaming right as the pastor launched into his sermon. There, inside my beautiful bag, was a new friend! A cockroach! Happily ensconced in the fanciest house it has surely ever known! I carefully pushed the purse as far away from me as I could without seeming too obvious. And then the next 30 minutes passed painfully slowly as I thought about the dozen times I had blindly reached into my purse all morning long to grab a pen, or apply some lipstick. I kept furtively looking at the bag, expecting to see the “new friend” creep its way out of the bag and horrify all the other people sitting around us. It was like that time in the 9th grade when I burned my hair  in charred clumps with my curling iron before school, and as it molted off my head all day long, all I could think during 3rd-period Algebra was, “Dear Lord, please don’t let my dead hair fall off my head onto Lee Hand’s lap behind me. My life will be OVERRRRR.”

As the sermon ended and the music began, I whispered into Simon’s ear, “I have to go to the bathroom!” And then looking ridiculously prim, I shimmied outta there holding the bag away from me. Again, without seeming too obvious. I went into the bathroom and promptly freaked out and dumped the entire contents of the bag. But there was no cockroach. Did I dream it? I shook the bag again. And there, in slow motion, flew out the bug. I’m sure it was sad to leave its leathery happy home.

Are you horrified yet? Because I am still cringing from the entire experience. Spiders? Sure. Wasps? Hate ‘em, but I can deal with ‘em. But cockroaches?!?!?!?! That’s gotta be my kryptonite.

As we walked to Jude’s class to pick him up, I casually said to Simon, “Sooo, you know how I had to go to the bathroom during church?”

“Uhhh… where is this going?”

“Oh, well, it’s because I opened my purse and, oh, you know, FOUND A COCKROACH.”

“WHAT!”

Now listen. I don’t blame you if you don’t want to sit by me in church now. I don’t know that I want to sit by me now!

Now excuse me while I call every exterminator on the planet. And prepare for the coming apocalypse.

In honor of my new blog home here, I thought this week’s Follow Friday should be other blogs that have gotten some facelifts lately.

• Jeremy & Kathleen 
• The Neo-Traditionalist
• Ampersand Design Studio
• The Alison Show

Finally, a few more links to take you into this marvelous weekend. We’ll be spending our weekend rendezvousing with friends at the Better Block OKC project, attending birthday parties, and trying out new restaurants!

Don’t forget today’s the last day to enter our big huge awesome amazing giveaway!

I like watching the progress this blogger is making as they redo their new house.

Have you ever noticed this happening when you watch TV? Oddities explained!

Happy Friday!

1. Thanks

You know, I really didn’t expect to be excited about having a FB fan page for Pencil Shavings Studio. Initially it felt repetitive and weird; I didn’t know what the place would be for it. But I’ve gotta admit, I’ve really started to like having that space over on Facebook. It puts a face to the names that I’ve gotten used to seeing here in the comments. So really, I want to say thank you. Thank you for participating, for reading, for encouraging, and for telling your own stories.

2. Get Dressed

Have you checked out Susan’s #getdressed challenge?  She’s encouraging her readers to get dressed every day. Not just yoga pants and flipflops, but real live actual clothes.  I’ve been instagramming my outfits, and posting them on the FB page, and it’s been fun to see what others are getting dressed in everyday too. I’ve always been a firm believer that it takes just as much effort to put on real pants as it does to put on yoga pants. So why not put on the real pants? Plus, if I’m wearing real clothes everyday, I’m also able to better tell if I’m gaining weight. It seems like an unfortunate side effect of yoga pants and leggings that you can pack on a few pounds and not even notice. Womp womp.

3. Fear of Summer

Can I be brutally honest? I’m a little afraid of summer now that I’m a mom because it means our regular schoolyear routine is gone. I LOVE routine in that regard because the days that Jude goes to school are the days that I get to work on Pencil Shavings Studio projects. But now, summer means that I don’t get my usual 2 days of Mother’s Day Out, which means that those 2 days that I use for work are gone. It also means that we can oh-so-easily slide into using the TV for a babysitter so I can accomplish things (blush). I’m not saying it’s right; I’m just telling it like it really truly is. It’s also the unfortunate side effect of working from home. The boundaries get easily blurred and mother guilt creeps in despite my best intentions. I’ve been working on planning out our days for summer, but I’m anxious to know what you fellow moms out there do to stave off the summer doldrums. So far we’ve got Vacation Bible School on our schedule; I’m also going to be adding swimming lessons to the mix.

4. BOYS! UGH!

My precious boy. I love him so. And he’s been a very good artist lately, drawing lovely portraits of our family. But then today I about died laughing on the inside because he brought me another drawing of me, Simon, and himself. “Mom, here’s you. And here’s me. And here’s Dad. Do you want to see where the private parts are?” So without either splitting my gut laughing or overreacting about how “WE DON’T DRAW THOSE THINGS HERE; SAVE IT FOR ART SCHOOL!” I raised an eyebrow and said thoughtfully, even perhaps contemplatively, “Hmm. You know, those things are private. It’s probably best if we keep it to ourselves and not draw private parts. Dontcha think?”  And then I held my breath while he thought for a moment. “Oh. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Cue the release of whooshing breath. And then furtive snickering.  The further along I get in this mothering business, the more I believe that it’s only by the grace of God that boys grow up to be well-behaved men that don’t pick their noses and act like wild animals. BOYS!

Eight years ago, I was working as an in-house designer for a teeny tiny apparel company (tiny! party of 3!) called Pink Sugar. I designed our website, clothing line, and any printed materials such as line sheets, etc. It was exciting and overwhelming because I was in a creative industry but frankly, we were flying by the seat of our pants. Every. Single. Day. There was no oneto turn to for advice; those in the industry that we did know were tight-lipped, backstabbing, and not interested in helping out anyone but themselves. Blogs and online communities hadn’t hit the mainstream yet and that spirit of collaboration and sharing the wealth of knowledge was nonexistent.

A year later, I left Pink Sugar and began freelancing as a graphic designer. I dabbled in stationery and made my bread & butter by doing identity projects, collateral materials, etc. It was exciting, but a lonely time. Again, lots of flying by the seat of one’s colorful pants. I think I’ve said it before, but the internet has changed the community for independent designers. The world is smaller, and we are less closed off to opportunities. Other designers are willing to share their expertise and help others along their way.

That’s why I’m excited about participating in this year’s Stationery Academy. Launched in 2011 by my friend Whitney English Kolb, the Stationery Academy is an intensive workshop experience for creative entrepreneurs who are interested in the paper industry. I first heard about it last year and I thought, “YES! That is something I want to be a part of!” So when Whitney contacted me about – gasp! – being a speaker at the Stationery Academy, I about fell out of my chair and laid in a stupor for a good 30 minutes. Uhh, where do I sign up? YES YES YES!

I’ll be speaking about launching and managing your Etsy business at this year’s Stationery Academy and I simply cannot wait. I am so excited to pass on any wisdom from my experience and to hear from other designers as we are all empowered and inspired to pursue our passion for paper. If you’re a designer who loves paper and dreams of running your own paper company, this is the conference you need to be at.

From the website:
Students will graduate from The Stationery Academy having identified clear, strategic next steps to bring authenticity to their brand, strength to their business processes and unforgettable experiences to their clients. Students will also receive:

• Two days of interactive workshops focused on Business 101 and Branding 101: simplified, powerful business strategy and building an authentic, strong, soon-to-be nationally recognized stationery brand. See workshop topics below.
• Beachside Cocktail Orientation and Celebration Graduation Dinner at The Grand Marlin in Pensacola Beach, Florida.
• All meals on Friday and Saturday.
• A personalized Stationery Academy workbook (among other special gifts!) to be used throughout the Academy to simplify, refine and strengthen goals, processes, business strategy and overall brand.
• Access to the exclusive Stationery Academy Alumni private Facebook Group and resource center.
• A credit for $300 worth of fulfillment printing credit.

The Stationery Academy is also offering a giveaway – a scholarship! – to one lucky recipient. You can apply for the giveaway here.

Get more info on the speakers for this year’s Stationery Academy at their Facebook page and at their website.  I hope to see you there!

image source // layout by me

Girls, I waited until today to chat about this because I know none of you want to start off your Mondays thinking about swimwear. Am I right?  Because unless your name is Gisele Bundchen, shopping for swimwear is about as much fun as shopping for a doctor to do your colonoscopy.

Or at least, that’s what I think.

Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? ::tapping microphone::

I myself am a one-piece swimsuit kind of girl. But can I be honest? I really wish I was in a 2-piece. One-pieces can so so so easily sneak into the frumpy zone, can they not? So, why am I not wearing a 2-piece, you ask? A few reasons: my childbirthing size-12 hips and thighs, for one. My deeply-ingrained ideas of modesty, for another (I blame my uber-conservative high school dresscode). And finally, the rest of the fear stems from exposing the serious scars on my tummy from my two ulcerative colitis surgeries. Oh, and that c-section. Oh, and my uneven lumpy tummy that I’ve had since birth. So there. Oh, okay, and my thighs. ……   Sooooo, clearly there are a lot of body issues going on here.  In the end, it’s never a bad idea to cover up, is it? But at the same time, I don’t want to look like a nun either. So! I’m learning to love myself in my one-piece swimsuit, and I’m going to show you how to do it too.

Here’s what I keep in mind when I’m swimsuit shopping:

1. Step away from the boring black one-piece. Sure, we all love a little black dress, but the ubiquitous one-piece black swimsuit doesn’t have enough personality for me on its own. In short, it’s boring.  I want something with a little color to set me apart from a sea of little black onepieces.   Here are my top picks for colorful swimsuits.

A // B // C  // D // E // F // G // H // I // J // K // L

2. I personally don’t want something sporty; I want something glamorous.  No to the Speedo swimsuit; rather, think Grace Kelly in the Cote d’Azur. Think Aqualillies – do you know who the Aqualilies are? These girls are amazing – they’re the hottest new act in LA and they are making synchronized swimming cool again. They are the epitome of vintage seaside glamour without having all their goodies on display.

I keep these images above and more (there’s that mood board again!) in mind when I’m swimsuit shopping to help me stay on course.  Finally, just because I’m a mom doesn’t mean I have to choose function over form. I shouldn’t have to be frumpy mom in the  one-piece swimsuit equivalent of yoga pants just because I’m chasing Jude the Dude from diving board to slide.

3. Accessorize! Finish off your look with amazing accessories. This is especially great if you don’t want to be perpetually exposed at all times. Again, channel your inner Brigitte Bardot and reach for that glamorous straw hat and prettily patterned sarong. Choose interesting sunglasses and footwear.  Don’t wrap up in your beach towel; reach for a sarong or a button-down shirt in linen to toss on over your suit.

4. Make your hair work for you. Do something fun with your hair. Scarves, headbands, topknots, etc. are all awesome ways to complete your look for hot weather. I’m particularly interested in using scarves as headbands this year.

5. Don’t be afraid to spend a little money. But don’t be afraid to shop around, either. Maybe you love all the swimsuits at, for example, J.Crew. Order several online to try on at home – less stress & better lighting –  and then mail back the ones you don’t like. Or, send them all back and then do some hunting on eBay for the same suit. I got a new and unworn J.Crew swimsuit (that I wore here) for over 50% off; it’s in last year’s colorways, but I absolutely adore it. I knew what size worked for me in J.Crew swimwear so I was able to shop around and get a deal. This also works with practically any other brand on eBay or shopping sites such as Gilt, etc.

Finally, as I was laying on a chaise longe in Las Vegas, surveying all the bodies in near-states-of-undress around me, I realized that it is highly probable that we are all in the same boat. I can almost guarantee you that there is not one woman out by the pool who isn’t thinking, “I am such a faker out here right now compared to all these other beach babes.” But the fact is, thick or thin, tall or short, we all have our body issues. And frankly, nobody else at the pool or beach cares about your problem areas because each one of them is thinking about their own problem areas. So why don’t we all heave a collective sigh and just stop worrying about it? Let’s make a pact this summer that we are going to stop focusing on what we perceive is wrong with our bodies, and START focusing on the fun that we’re having in our swimsuit.

But first, I’m going to go apply some self-tanner, ok? Ok.

But really, capable isn’t a powerful enough word to describe the team that is Cooper House. Working with other designers can either be amazing or it can be a nightmare, but I was constantly in awe of not only how professional, but how organized Tim & Erin are. It was the kind of experience that made me realize that I have a lot to learn when working with clients and it made me want to improve my own process.

In short? You should call them.

Also! In honor of my brand spankin’ new space, I am having the biggest Pencil Shavings Studio giveaway ever!

We’re giving away one each of our bestsellers in any pattern of your choice: 1 small lucite tray, 1 iPhone case, and one iPad case. All to one lucky reader!

How to enter:

1. Comment on this post with what pattern(s) you’d choose (pssst: you can view them here). That’s it! You’re all entered!

But! Get extra entries by tweeting about the giveaway mentioning #PencilShavingsStudio and linking to this post. Just come back and comment again letting us know that you tweeted about it. You can also like us on FB and chat about us there to get more entries too.

This fantastic giveaway is open until Friday, May 18th!

Welcome to the brand new (and most definitely improved!) Pencil Shavings Studio!

The fabulous team at Cooper House has been working like crazy to get us up and running here and while they’re still working a few bugs out with the comments, etc., I wanted to give you guys a peek at what’s happening over here. I cannot sing their praises enough – Tim and Erin are web wizards, I tell you!

And I can’t wait to show you what I’m giving away next week — something pretty amazing in honor of our new digs!

Check out these links to take you into the weekend:

• Ally at Allyson in Wonderland wrote the post I’ve been wanting to write for months.
• Susan also had a pretty awesome post on the benefit of wearing those awesome clothes in your closet TODAY.
• I bought the linen swing sweater from J.Crew and I am OBSESSED with it. It’s ridiculously versatile and the swing shape is perfect for that half-tuck look that J.Crew is so good at.
• Darling nursery tour over at Little Green Notebook. I’m especially crushing on that little blue sofa.
• Uhhh, this gorgeous quatrefoil ceiling pendant is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I think this would be perfection in the master bedroom. Via Shades of Light.

We stayed at the Aria for a second time; those beds are just so darn comfy! No really – it might just be the most comfortable bed either of us have ever slept in. Even better than the Westin’s highly-touted Heavenly Beds. Plus there’s that delicious smell when you walk into the lobby; I don’t know what perfume they’re pumping in there, but it is oh so wonderful.

We spent the days eating, shopping, swimming, lounging, and then doing it all over again.

Vegas is all fashion and no style. The amount of skimpy get-ups is nothing short of mind-boggling. As I shimmied into my one-piece swimsuit, I said out loud, “I will be the only person out there under the age of 70 in a one-piece swimsuit.” Simon raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “After all the flesh we’ve seen the past few days here, I think that’s a good thing!”

If you’re an Instagram follower (username: pencilshavings), you might have seen this little lady below pop up in the photostream. She came home with me, but in navy!

We tried to hit some new-to-us food spots. Previously we’ve stuffed ourselves silly at Bouchon and other delicious locales, but this time we were a little more casual. The Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria in Crystals is utterly delicious (get a pasta and a pizza dish to split). The next night we hit Holstein’s in the Cosmopolitan from a recommendation by a friend, and holy cow – it really was the best burger I have ever had in my life. Cool, funky interior and amazing milkshakes too. Apparently there’s also some kind of hidden pizza place there in the Cosmo that’s supposed to be cool, although we didn’t try it. Simon had never experienced the classic Las Vegas buffet, so we tried the one at the Aria. I gotta say, it was pretty impressive, but by the end, we stumbled outta there ready for a nap. It was a carb explosion! The Todd English P.U.B. in the Aria was delicious and had a fun atmosphere.  Finally, it was a treat to check out Serendipity for their famous frrrrozen hot chocolate. Definitely a good way to end the night walking down the Strip.

A homerun for us! Now back to daily life.

How’s your week going?

Y’all. I married the right man. That Simon Shingleton, I tell ya. It’s been a crazy few weeks workwise, and we need to get away. So he found us a surprise last-minute deal and is whisking (wheee) me away to Las Vegas this very same weekend.  Happy birthday indeed!

For us, Vegas is a 3-4 day kind of town. After that, we’ve had enough clang clang clang of the smoky casino and we’re ready to head home.  Vegas is more fun than a cruise; it’s got better food, better shopping, bigger bathrooms in the hotel room, and there’s no seasickness! Bonus!

So my darlings, while I am gone with my honey to get romantic, eat, and window-shop myself silly, get excited about the amazing things I have coming your way next week, including a fantastic giveaway and the big reveal of Pencil Shavings Studio’s new blog look.

Check out these links as we head into the weekend (as I woefully didn’t pull together a #FF in time for today)…

• Can I just tell you how many people I’ve talked to in real life who said they don’t wear shorts either? The comments over at my post on shorts have got my wheels turning. Add your two cents!
• I love the “Things I’m Afraid to Tell You” movement happening in the blogosphere.  Ez Pudewa posts about getting real in the land of blog perfection.
• Check out this house tour of a real life horse ranch at StephModo. Can I come stay?
• A cute style post by Bri at Designlovefest, inspired by her toddler self.
• Finally, I’m in love with everything that Will at Bright.Bazaar posts. Color extravaganza!

Internet, prepare to become a fool if you ever have babies. A fool for LOVE. And as we all know, love makes us do some pretty silly things. We won’t mention that time when I created an entire website to ask Simon to attend my sorority prom/dance/whatever you call it back in college. Nope. Not gonna talk about how cringe-inducing THAT was.

So you do crazy things for love because you’re head over heels in love with that man. But then you go and have his babies and WHOAH NELLIE. A whole new level of humiliation ensues. You begin making crazy faces to make that baby smile. You hop up and down on one foot to make them laugh. You read Green Eggs & Ham at ungodly hours of the morning because they are just so darn precious with their little boy morning breath and you cannot help yourself. No. No, you cannot. You sing “Little Bunny Foo Foo”. IN PUBLIC.

And then there was tonight. We were driving home from having supper, which, naturally, included having a balloon animal made by the local clown. (No, I’m not being mean, he really was a clown.)  Can I be frank? Our track record with balloon animals is deplorable. Goldfish from Walmart have better hopes of living a high quality of life with us than balloon animals. (Which leads us to a whole other discussion about why I excel at keeping myself, my child, and my husband alive, but NOTHING ELSE. Not even grass.)  Anytime the balloon animals meet their untimely but expected demise, Jude erupts into unintelligible sobs. So as we headed out into the windy evening, I made sure to hold steady to the balloon poodle, named Comet Nutcracker Santa Claus.  Then, as we drove, ambling through the neighborhood, I decided to roll the windows down in the car.

What happened next was nothing short of fate. It was like an invisible hand reached into the car – I kid you not – and snatched up poor doomed Comet Nutcracker Santa Claus. And I found myself literally gasping as I watched the balloon animal get sucked out of the car. Simon saw it and he too felt what was unsaid between us: “What do we tell Jude?!”

I know. Dramatic for a balloon animal.

So what did we do? After a couple of minutes, Simon turned that car around and I began searching the horizon for Comet. Simon spotted him (her? it?), and slowed the car down. Jude is still clueless as to what we are doing. Simon rolls the car to a stop and I leap from the car across the street and grab the sopping wet balloon animal out of the gutter where it is now covered in crap just as a pair of too-cool-for-school guys are jogging by.  I spring back to the car in my skirt and hand the balloon animal back to Jude.

“Smooth move there! Hehehehe Nice save har har har” chortle the joggers.

Excusez-moi?

HARDY HAR HAR HAR. See how funny YOU are, Mr. Fancy Pants Jogger Man in the face of a sad & crying boy missing his beloved balloon animal! Hrmph.

And when we get home? Yup. There lies Comet Nurcracker Santa Claus forgotten. On the floor.   So glad I bothered springing across the street in my short skirt, facing humiliating hipster joggers.

Fool for love, I tell ya.