bloom with grace...

I stumbled across this pretty wallpaper at just the right moment in my life.  A beautiful artist named Mable created it for people like you and me.

I mentioned to her:

This is just so perfect seeing this right now…  I’ve been seeing a rose bloom through a fence lately…  It’s a spot my ol’ girl used to lay down and rest during her morning walks…  I keep meaning to take a pic & had planned to post with the saying “bloom where you are planted” but I’d never heard the addition of “bloom with grace.”  That was her name… it brings tears to my eyes.  Happy tears.  Thank you so much for this wallpaper.  It made my day. ~n

You see, yesterday was my Grace's sweet 16.  My heart never stops aching for her.  I miss her face so much, but I love knowing her beautiful spirit is always with me...  Happy birthday pretty baby.

Please check out Mable Tan and all her stunning artwork.  Plus for the month of July, she has free downloadable wallpapers… You will love them!

ghost runners 5k dog run - web design

Volunteering for Heartland Weimaraner Rescue this past year has made me a busy little bee!!  Not to mention it has been incredibly rewarding…  (Hello!  It's brought two special someones into my life… chicken little & big bird -insert big grin here.)  I mean, what a great group of people- that are all about saving grey & blue furbabies.  Donating my time has allowed me to put my love for graphics & design to good work… planning events, designing tees, constructing flyers, & even building a shiny, brand new website!  Now our biggest fundraiser of the year is coming up soon, so you better mark your calendars…  This event is unique, because it allows you to run with your dog.  That's right I said it!  Run with your dog.  You know, the one you already train with everyday, because not only are you working on your own fitness, but you are trying to exercise that baby properly!?  It's going to be a great time for the entire family, so I hope you'll join us this October 25th!  -And here's a peek at the website I designed for the race!  Below are a few screenshots, so be sure to visit the site for all the details and to sign up!!  See you there friends!

bake & take - graphic + web design

A client of mine's been coming to me for a variety of lessons, and I'm pleased to say we have struck up a happy little friendship!  So when she turned to me asking for a blog re-design… of course I jumped right on it!  Every week she pops in her kitchen and bakes up the most wonderful, yummie delights!  And I get to sample them… naturally, it's only fair.  I am currently claiming that her lemon scones were out of this world.  Honestly, I never even told my hubby about them, all because I didn't want to share!!  What!!?  Don't judge me.  Please see number 17- random things about me.  Anyways, I wanted to share her blog with all its fabulous recipes and the new re-design with you all!  bake and take - the blog  -by Gwyn Day

week 13

one good deed a day

an ongoing journal of a few good deeds throughout this year

85. apr 9. If you're thinking about donating money, ask a friend to contribute and increase the impact » skip your latte today (or just buy Heartland Weimaraner Rescue one too!!)  All donations will help- by providing heartworm prevention or helping pay for treatment for a weim in our foster care.  April is Heartworm Prevention Month.  Help save a life.  Giving $10 will supply one dog with prevention for an entire month!  And if you'd like to donate more, that would be wonderful as well!  We've had 4 weims come in this first quarter alone testing heartworm positive.  Their treatment can cost upwards of $800-$1000 dollars each.  Any amount helps!!  Please help spread the word by sharing this post (links below).  We really appreciate you for your support in helping these loving dogs!  Please Donate!
86. apr 10. wave hello at a four-way stop, yielding to the other person » easy peasy.
87. apr 11. accept a new friend's invitation an old friend's constant begging to come visit her » Hehehee… okay, in all fairness, this is a pretty accurate description… So after her latest plea: "please come see me!!"  We have decided to plan a girls trip and make it happen!  Sandy beaches here we come!
88. apr 12. set high expectations » This one was actually for myself… today is the Redbud Classic, and I'm participating in the 5K once again.  I really wanted to beat my previous records and push myself to run a little faster this year.  My GPS showed just below a 9 minute pace, which I was pretty excited about!  Definitely better than past runs… And when my race results were emailed to me, I finish 8th out of 93 in my division (although it shows my official pace to be 9:06).  My finish time was 28:16, and I'm quite certain this is the fastest I've run it to date!
89. apr 13. do a little dance and be silly » Take me bowling… it will happen.
90. apr 14. watch the movie that your significant other wants to watch » And yes.  It was pretty terrible, haha.  Not to mention we forgot to return it, so now we are paying double for said movie!
91. apr 15.  return a long-overdue phone call » which of course leads to a fun game of phone tag!

my "giftcard" design for our local Rescue helping spread the word on heartworm prevention

week 7

one good deed a day

an ongoing journal of a few good deeds throughout this year

43. feb 12. eat your next meal in silence (away from a computer) » and any other electronic distractions…
44. feb 13. empty the dishwasher -before anyone in your house or office has a chance to ask you to do it » Well considering I normally do this, I'm not sure if it's really a good deed, but I'll take it!
45. feb 14. be the first to apologize » I may be quick to snap lately, but I am also trying to make sure and take responsibility for my actions and any wrongdoing on my behalf…
46. feb 15. shovel the snow off your neighbor's porch salt your neighbor's driveway » Oklahoma's version of snow, usually ends up as slick & hazardous ice…  So we prepared by buying salt, knowing the storm was coming.  My hubby went outside to investigate the weather situation as evening started to fall, and the next thing I know he comes inside and has already salted both ours & our neighbor's driveways…  Ummmm wait a minute.  This isn't Brad's good deeds, is it?  Haha.  But you know what?  I guess that works.  Get others involved with your good deeds, because that's good too.
47. feb 16. make an effort to mend a rift in a friendship » by actually sitting down and talking- not over the phone or through text messaging… but face to face.  It will be hard.  Be honest.
48. feb 17. volunteer » especially when it's for a great cause (and very near and dear to my heart).  There are so many wonderful people helping Weimaraners out there.  Heartland Weimaraner Rescue is one such group.  I've donated to another Weim Rescue in the past, but I've decided it's time to do more, especially here locally.  I have time and skills worth contributing.  And you know what's great?  Just as soon as I put myself out there, someone contacted me needing help.  Would you be interested in designing our St. Patty's Day Parade tee?  You betcha.  The marketing coordinator suggested that maybe since the parade falls on March 14th, we could base the design on the number of Pi.  I got to work, and this is what I came up with.  Weimaraners, easy as Pi… get it?

49. feb 18. be understanding and truthful » The quiet and heartbreak in my life still continue…  I struggle with this new normal daily.  I want to reach out.  I want to help other furbabies.  But I am having such a terrible time…  In addition to losing our light, we went from a family of three to an empty nest.  It's no joke people.  I never REALLY understood the enormity of the situation prior to experiencing it ourselves…  We've been in contact with a few Rescues, hoping to welcome a new addition to our family when the time is right… which we are all too aware hasn't quite worked out for us in the past.  So for now, all we can do is be understanding with each other, truthful as we go through this process, and hopeful for the strength and the courage we so desperately need.

hello october...

Oh beautiful, wonderful, happy October!  You are finally here, yippee!!!  I am loving the phrase October is my favorite color by the way… -no really, it's pretty dang appropriate.  Living in Oklahoma has its weather challenges… for instance, the summers here are just WAY too hot.  So as a friend put it, I do lovingly look forward to the "ber" months the most.  But I mean come on Oklahoma, 90s in September?  It's gross.  Can we just get past this already?  Because fall is just that pretty time of year when I like to hop on my pumpkin obsession train, and deck out my home in all those gorgeous autumn colors, and let's face it… I am SO ready.  (side note: people may get confused when they come over in summer, because I tend to prefer these warmer, richer hues year round! -minus the pumpkins, I suppose)  Another fun fact I've recently learned… when it comes to fall, I've discovered I'm a basic white girl, and honestly… you guessed it, I'm perfectly okay with that.  Here's just a few of my favorite things that point out specifically why:

pumpkin spice lattes

well basically anything pumpkin spice

decorating for fall, inside & out

plaid flannels & leggings & chunky knit scarves

boots on fallen leaves #fromwhereistand

taking entirely too long to search for the perfect pumpkin

black friday shopping

layer upon layer of colorful turning leaves

So hello, October.  Glad you are back.  You are my very favorite.  

terms of endearment

oh you know… just a few nicknames along the way = adorable artwork.
so why do I feel like I left a few out?  haha.  happy friday friends!

debbie's dozen

I'm having too much fun with these…
You know those crazy cat ladies?  Well… my mom is a crazy chicken lady.  Now we all know I get a little (a lot) excited about my dog.  Well let's just say she gets a little happy when she is talking about her chickens…  We really enjoy getting fresh eggs- right from her farm, so I decided to design a little fun for her packaging!

well and maybe a little fun for her wall or desktop too… wink wink.

social media buttons: clean & simple.

weeeeee!!!  

So along with my new simpler, redesign… I am smiling ear to ear about my new, colorful social media buttons!  I know!  fun stuff.  Changing my layout and widening the right column allowed me to squeeze them together, so they could all be one big happy family!  And with just a little bit of Photoshop and HTML knowledge, you can customize them to your heart's content!  

which of course means my little share buttons needed some updating as well… 

a big thanks to the blog decorator for her great little tutorial on the subject!

pure desktop magic

Been in the midst of a MAJOR cleanup & overhaul of my laptop, computer, and multiple hard drives… let's just say, not very fun (and seemingly never-ending).  However I'm discovering it does have its rewards!  I am constantly changing my desktop wallpaper to reflect my mood or the season.  And as I was doing some reorganizing, I ran across an old favorite- which of course got my creative juices flowing… and well… welcome to my new desktop!

I got the idea for this little gem a long while back from The CoffeeShop Blog, which resulted in my first attempt at this lovely little desktop, which I admired for a long time (and still do… just needed a little visual update is all)!

My sweet Gracie (aka Beans…) always remains a constant of course!