A Bright Spot

Introducing... Lucy Scot

2011-08-23T18:02:00.010-05:00

Hi I'm Lucy Scot Carr I was born June 27, 2011 at 4:31 in the afternoon.

I weighed 5lb. 11oz. and was 19.25 inches long.

My favorite things to do are sleep, of course, look out the window, meeting new people, hanging out in the moby wrap (thanks Ali) and taking bathes.

I don't like crying, being woken up by loud noises, getting dressed, or getting shots.

I'm not sure what to think about Sulu the beagle, getting my diaper changed, daddy's beard, or the hiccups.

Props the the photographer Micah Dorsey for capturing amazing moments in time of sweet Lucy.

mint&honey summer projects

2011-08-18T14:06:00.008-05:00

I fit in a couple of more mint&honey orders before Lucy was born. Now I'm taking a short break to get adjusted to having her in my life. Things have definitely slowed now that she is sleeping much longer through the night and having her here is not as daunting as it was at the beginning. At first, I thought I would never get anything accomplished with all the bottles I had to wash, diapers I had to change and the feedings that seemed like they were starting just as we had finished the last one. Now at seven weeks old, I feel like I know exactly what to expect each day with her and having her here finally is the greatest!

Bathroom Makeover: Before & After

2011-06-21T09:37:00.004-05:00

Our last big undertaking in our house was the main bathroom. We knew there was going to be a lot involved in updating and transforming it, so we put it off to the end. Kelly again is such a trooper taking this on. He completely stripped down the room by removing drywall, ripping up the tile to the sub floor, and removing the handicap shower stall. And then, we knew there was no turning back. After many hours spent watching youtube videos about how to do this and that and talking with the people at Home Depot and Lowe's who probably knew Kelly by name at the end of all this, he finally finished. It took from January to May but WE'RE FINISHED! So, to put this room back together again; Kelly installed a bathtub (because he loves his baths), tiled the walls around the tub, tiled the floor, tiled the countertops, installed new drywall on the walls and the ceiling, painted, put up new trim and installed all the hardware and I'm sure I'm leaving some things out. Again, I'm so proud and thankful he's such a hard worker and see's projects to their very end. Doing this ourselves saved us so much money.

Tile: Lowe's

Sink & Faucet: Lowe's

Mirror: Target

Light Fixture: Pendant - Amazon; Shade - Ikea

Bathroom rug: West Elm

Shower curtain: West Elm

Knobs: Anthropologie

Art: groundwork

Frames: Ikea

Lucy's Nursery: Before & After

2011-06-15T23:41:00.006-05:00

Lucy's nursery is complete except for some very minor details, so I'm going to show off the cutest parts. Before there were even these wood floors, there was some very old knotted carpet that Kelly had to rip up. He sanded the wood floors and and added a light coat of varnish. He painted a fresh coat of paint and completely changed the shelving in the closet. I am so thankful for him, he worked so hard on getting everything ready for me to decorate. I love how everything turned out. The nursery feels calming, there's lots of natural light and we feel it really reflects our style on a budget.

Paint: Turtledove by Behr & Moonlight White by Benjamin Moore

Crib: Hand me down

Bedding: Duvet from Urban Outfitters, transformed into bedding by GreenNeedle

Dresser: Hand me down

Knobs: Anthropologie

Rocking Chair: Ikea

Quilt: Pennington's Quilts

Art: Matte Stephens, Rifle Paper Co. and Becca Stadtlander

Frames: Ikea

Curtains: Urban Outfitters

And my sister just bought this vintage embroidered piece to hang in the nursery, it's sooo cute!

Lucy's Shower!

2011-06-08T23:31:00.006-05:00

I've had an amazing three showers for Lucy and cannot believe the generosity of family, friends and friends of family I barely know. I feel the closest to being ready for Lucy's arrival than I've ever felt. I'm still incredibly anxious about the exact day this will all happen but that's a given I think.

Below is an invitation I designed for one of my showers. I literally couldn't help myself from doing it, I know it's suppose to be someone else's job but I wanted to do something to contribute to the showers.

One of the most memorable gifts of the shower is this incredible quilt from Brooke. She only started quilting recently and her quilts appear as though she's been doing this forever. The shot below is from her blog but is pretty much exactly what Lucy's quilt looks like. It will be something we will care for and treasure always! There's no tellings the countless hours Brooke put into making this and Kelly and I are just amazed by her talent and gesture! You should definitely bookmark her Etsy shop Pennington's Quilts, she is always working on something new for her shop!

Coming soon are pictures of our bathroom makeover, and Lucy's nursery (which is so close to being finished!)

mint&honey event postcards

2011-05-15T20:06:00.003-05:00

I have slowed down working with mint&honey since entering my third trimester. School has required a bit more of my time and since I've decided to pursue a national board certification next year. I really want to focus on preparing for that before this school year ends.

This spring I have worked on these pretty postcards, I keep incorporating more watercolor into mint&honey and I'm really loving the look. I have a couple of more paper goods to get to before Miss Lucy gets here so I'll be spending the rest of my May working on those.

I hope in the next couple of weeks to get some photos of the nursery and our finished bathroom! Sooo happy we can turn our back on that project and begin enjoying our home that is free of tools lying around and the layer of dust that was constantly there.

Nursery: Stuffed Animals & Pillows

2011-03-29T17:15:00.004-05:00

This past week I lifted the burden of completing my baby registry. I have been reading reviews and combing websites since January trying to find items with reasonable prices with the style we're wanting to achieve in the nursery. Along the way I bookmarked a lot of cute things in and out of my price range.

I was never really attached to any of my stuffed animals growing up, though they were a comfort to have around and I loved piling them up then jumping into them. They were not that special to me. A teddy bear looked like every other teddy bear out there, no uniqueness to them. So I became real excited when I came across cute stuffed animals and pillows on Etsy and other sites, I just had to share.

Stripey Pipey ($42) - The Black Rabbit

Double Decker Bus Pillow ($85) - Bliss Living

Orla Kiely Fabric Cats ($24) - Jane Foster Screen Printed Products

Mabel Marigold the Spring Bunny Plush ($26) - Sleepy King

Liam the Woodland Fox ($38) - Sleepy King

Lion Screen Printed Pillow ($26) - Sass & Peril

Little Red Riding Hood Softie Pillow ($23) - Pink Nounou

Bathroom Redo

2011-03-25T11:30:00.007-05:00

According to my diligent and hard working husband, our bathroom makeover that has been in progress since the middle of January is down to two weeks until completion. I was very surprised and pleased to hear this. But I'm going to give him a month anyway, because I've learned there are always set backs.

Here is a little of what I've envisioned for the bathroom. And some pictures of some of the accessories I have picked out.

Gut shower stall, install new bathtub (check)
New tiling around bathtub (check)
Replace ceiling tiles with drywall (check)
Replace paneling with better walls (check)
Replace floor (almost there)
Replace sink (bought not yet installed)
Replace tile for countertop (almost there)
Fresh coat of paint on everything (in progress)

Above are the two pictures that are our inspiration in color and style of the bathroom.

Floor tile design we have picked out from Lowes.

I would love the find a pendant shade similar to this, but unfortunately this one is out of my budget.

I love this raw wood shelving with iron brackets from Pottery Barn, but yet again it would be a tight fit into the budget.

Untraditional choice for a bathroom rug/mat, but I wanted a splash of pink in there and I got a good deal on Overstock for this one.

Shower curtain from west elm

Nursery Art

2011-02-04T16:23:00.004-06:00

The search begins and it needs to begin now because I am incredibly picky and indecisive about picking out things for our house. So I've been creating a wish list on wishpot.com of all the things I've come across online that I am considering for the baby and our nursery. There is not a definite color scheme I have in mind, or maybe I just want it to appear that I don't have a color scheme. Regardless, what hangs on the wall is a defining part of the feel of a room. Here is some cute art prints I've come across that goes with what we envision for the nursery.

1. Canal Street New Orleans by Matte Stephens
2. Dear You, Mister Bear by blackoutwell

3. Uh Oh by Rifle Paper Co.

4. Friends of Violet by Studio Violet

5. Doudou ABC Print by Kayatine

2011 Valentine Cards

2011-01-30T14:52:00.003-06:00

I finally got my new Valentine cards in the shop. I know I'm a week or two behind. But that's what you can come to expect from someone doing this on the side for fun. I always do two kinds of cards, one you can give to just about anyone and another that's more for that special someone. I choose to do "XO" this year because it reminds me of my grandmother. No matter what the occasion, in a card or letter, she would always sign off my putting lots of x's and o's. So I've picked up that tradition with the cards I give to my family members. It's a sweet way of remembering her. The XO is made up of floral elements. I love it when designers and artists incorporate illustration with typography, and it inspired me with the design of this card.

My second card is a print and is fairly simple. It kind of came to me on a whim. It states "you are my one and only." I found a nice big chunky number one that I could fit this message into. The words are hand drawn by myself and printed with black ink onto an off white matte card stock. Both of the cards are 5"x7" and come with a craft brown envelope. You can purchase these cards as well as two of my previous cards from last year in my Etsy shop. There is free shipping within the U.S. from now until Valentine's Day.

Goodbye 2010!

2011-01-01T18:44:00.005-06:00

I was looking back at the New Year's Resolutions I made last January to see how faithful I had been to my goal for 2010, and I was really surprised by all that we were able to accomplish.
Goal: Progress on House (Paint: Den, Bedroom, Studio; Carpet: Studio; Retile: Bathroom)

I had a whole bunch of projects for our house and almost every single thing I mentioned got finished; with the exception of the bathroom. But it such a relief to almost have our home completely updated. And I couldn't have done it without Kelly's help. He played a MAJOR role in getting most things finished and looking right. But our bathroom is about to be tackled we've almost reached our goal in our savings to be able to start working on it. It will be one of our biggest undertakings yet.
Goal: Find inexpensive/modern/mid-century furniture for our home.

Second, I realized that the dream of getting all the furniture I wanted for our house was going to be a little difficult with our funds and my pickiness. And that's okay, we did manage to get my grandmother's couch reupholstered and as soon as I find the perfect fabric I will get her wingback reupholstered as well. I scored so really great pieces of art and bought curtains for most of the rooms.
Goal: Get my sewing machine out of the box that I get for Christmas last year and get crafty.

Third, I guess you can say I halfway met this goal. I got the sewing machine out of the box. I just didn't take the time this year to learn how to use it. So I will carry that resolution over to 2011.
Goal: Create a 2011 calendar.

Fourth, I did start on my 2011 calendar very early in the year in fact. But some unforeseen events, put my interests elsewhere and I was unable to finish it. Oh well, these thing happen and I'm not too sad about it.
Goal: Be health conscious

Fifth, I actually feel really good about this resolution. I did drink way more water this year, I cooked really healthy and for a while this past year I ran and did yoga. So hooray, goal accomplished.
2010 has been really great to us! I was able to be involved with some art related projects in our community. And we are expecting our first child summer 2011. So no doubt 2011 will also be an incredibly memorable year, since I'll be spending the first half pregnant and the second half getting acquainted to motherhood.

Green Needle

2010-10-11T21:40:00.003-05:00

My wonderful friend Melanie is the talent behind Green Needle. She is a committed stay-at-home mom who uses her free time to create almost anything using fabric and her sewing machine. She is always thinking of new ways of re-creating things in her home too. I designed a business card for her this summer. It is one of my favorite things I've made so far.

If your curious where you can purchase Green Needle items, she displays purses, headbands, phone cases, scarves and many other fashionable accessories in the Paper Dolls consignment shop in town. You can also find other adorable items, such as, onesies and burp clothes in her Etsy shop.

I asked Mel to fill out a short survey. To find out what she has in store for her business and some of the items she's currently working on.

1. What is your favorite thing about fall?

My favorite thing about fall is the smell! from the smell of the crisp air in the morning to the cinnamon apple candles burning in the living room, and lets not forget the sweet smell of pumpkin cookies baking in my kitchen.

2. How many hours a week do you spend at your sewing machine?

Depending on my families schedule, I spend anywhere from 5 to 10 hours a week on the sewing machine.

3. Are there new things your going to create this fall/winter?

In honor of my family finding out that we are having our first little boy in Feb. some new stuff that I will be working on this fall/winter are some Jon Jon's and cloth diapers. Some other projects are clutch purses, owl back packs, ornaments, and dog toys.

4. What are your favorite things to create when sewing?

My favorite things to create when sewing are appliqués, I love taking different fabrics and sewing them together to make little designs on onsies, purses, wallets, and clothes.

5. Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get my inspiration from friends, family, sites like etsy and different peoples blogs. the best is when you know the person really well and know exactly what to create them just by knowing them and what they are into.

6. Is there an important goal you have for Green Needle before the new year begins?

Before the new year begins I really want to have everything ready for my little man when he comes. when my girls were born I didn't know how to sew yet so this is the first one of my own I can make crib bedding and all that fun stuff for, I am really excited. I also would like to make a bunch of stuff to have lots of inventory ready for different fairs and concessions.

Appeal Magazine

2010-09-25T12:40:00.004-05:00

Back in the middle of August, I got asked by a fellow local blogger if I'd be interested in illustrating for her column in our local magazine Appeal. I was unsure at first because I had not seen the magazine and I am not too keen on the local magazines I see around town. So I picked up a copy and was pleasantly surprised by the printed quality and the quality of the content. Yes, it's still a Texarkana local magazine, but it is by far the most well executed one in town. You can read it online here.

Robot Dance Party

2010-09-06T16:27:00.004-05:00

My friend Sarah contacted me in July asking me to design a birthday party invitation for her son who was turning three. At that point I was pretty excited because my favorite kind of invitations to design are for birthday parties. But then she proceeded to tell me that she wants to throw him a robot dance party and wanted to have "emo-bots" drawn on the invitation. Haha! This was one of the coolest birthday party ideas, I'd ever heard. And I was loving the idea of giving robots some emo flare. I wanted to pull from some of the design elements of classic vintage robots from the 1950's and 60's. So below is how the invitation turned out, along with some pictures she took from the party. I was blown away to find out she had the cake designed from the invitation with the little emo-bot sporting the mustache. She did a great job making the party come to live.

Home Improvements

2010-08-31T16:40:00.007-05:00

So, Kelly has become obsessive about re-lining (re as in we have done this before) the kitchen drawers and shelves. He went and bought scrapbook paper from Michael's. He measured, cut and taped the paper in our drawers and spent a little too much money in the process. But it is actually a really good idea since it is nearly impossible to find contact paper with a good design on it. Here's an example of one drawer he completed. The other's are in progress.

After a 10 days, my Kombucha is carbonated and ready to drink. The picture below is what my bottles look like after the second fermentation that lasted 3 days. I added chopped cherries in two bottles, fresh crushed blueberries in another and lime juice and ginger to my fourth bottle. But you don't have to add any fruit at all and it is just as good. It's amazing how this started off as sugar, black and green tea and now it is a fully carbonated healthy drink.

vegan, vegetarian, and cruelty free adventures.

2010-08-17T22:50:00.006-05:00

As of recent my husband feels very passionately about only eating meat and dairy from local farmers or from farms with a cruelty free environment. I support his convictions and have semi-vowed to go along on this adventure with him. We both understand where we live it is going to be extremely hard to live by these standards, so we are going to do the best we can. The key to success so far has been the planning and thinking ahead. The biggest challenge so far is to resist cheese, butter and eggs! Luckily we've been able to purchase farm fresh eggs and raw milk cheese from vendors at the farmer's market in Little Rock. But that supply will only last for so long. I personally don't have as strong a conviction about eating dairy. And the vegetarian recipes are way more tastier than the vegan recipes I've tried. Ali told me about Sunshine for Dinner a local farmer who delivers batches of her harvest at a low cost. This might be our way of attaining eggs along with some veggies and herbs.

I'm also going to start making Kombucha Tea. I've been hearing about it from a couple of my friends. It is a fermented tea that brings many health benefits: increased energy, improved immune system, and better digestion. I won't go into the details of making the tea or how it works because it doesn't sounds very appetizing at all! But if you want to read into it go here.

source

School starts this week! It hasn't hit me yet, but I'm sure it will when my alarm is going off 5:30 and my head hitting the pillow 14 hours later. My feet will be sore from standing and I probably will have a cracked voice from not using my teacher volume in 2 months. Pray for me!

august update!

2010-08-03T15:23:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. I guess July was more jam packed that I thought it was. July was filled with celebrating Kelly's 28th birthday, and our 3rd wedding anniversary. I also taught private art lessons in my home for two weeks, as well as, getting an early start back to school with some inservice and classroom preparation.

For the next three months I won't be taking any mint&honey custom orders. I want to focus on helping my husband finish our updates on our house so we can get everything in place and actually relax and have normal evening at home. So I will be welcoming orders again starting in November, just in time for those custom designed christmas cards.

Here's a recent prayer card I created for a lady that's going to be spending the next year in the Congo teaching. It has a watercolor background with hand drawn designs.

Grocery List & Recipe Cards

2010-07-05T11:44:00.005-05:00

In case you didn't know I'm a little obsessed with maps. I decorate with them and like using them whenever I can with my art. I've used a vintage map of the Swiss Alps in the design of this grocery list. It's 4.25"x5.5" 50 sheet pad.

These double sided recipe cards have a hand painted damask design. They are 4"x6" cards, sold in sets of 12 for $10.

These all would make great gifts!

Recipe: Strawberry Basil Lemonade

2010-07-01T22:59:00.003-05:00

I just came across the most wonderful summer drink on Tastespotting. You have to make this instantly! I knew without a doubt that this drink would be delicious because of the strawberry mozzarella salad I make regularly. It would be perfect at any party, shower or for lounging by the pool.

Strawberry Basil Lemonade from What's Gaby Cooking

Ingredients:

10 Lemons juiced

3/4 cup of sugar

4 cups of water

8-10 strawberries, hulled

1/3 cup of fresh basil

Directions:

Juice the lemons and transfer the juice to a large pitcher. Add the sugar and the water, stir to combine. Add the strawberries and the fresh basil. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture for about 20 seconds until everything becomes pink and the basil is finely chopped. Serve with lots of crushed ice and enjoy!

*If you do not have an immersion blender, add all the ingredients to a regular blender and it turns out just fine.

papernstitch

2010-06-29T10:44:00.005-05:00

Mint&honey has been accepted to be apart of Papernstitch's newest exhibition that will run until July 25th. The items available on papernstitch will link buyers directly back to my Etsy shop where they can purchase my paper goods or services. This will hopefully bring more traffic to my Etsy shop and bring more awareness to mint&honey. I'm really excited about it! I will be adding more items to the shop throughout the exhibition. I will also be offering free shipping with any order if you mention papernstitch!

Recipe: The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-06-25T19:48:00.007-05:00

It has been important to me since I got married to make as many things from scratch that was possible or that time would allow. We grew up having desserts that were make from mixes: cake mixes, cookie mixes, Jello, or pudding mix. I'm not complaining that they weren't good, but as a child I assumed there was just no other way. My grandmother used to read Panda Cake to me all the time when I was little. It's about a mother panda who sends her two panda sons out to gather all the ingredients for a panda cake and how the boys obtain all the ingredients for this very special cake. I daydreamed about many homemade desserts because of this book.

I know I came across this recipe on tastespotting, but I don't remember the blog. I had tried about 20 different chocolate chip cookies recipes before I stumbled across this one. I was very determined to find the perfect recipe for me. The reason I love these cookies so much is because they are crunchy and gooey at the same time. So to me they are the perfect chocolate chip cookies. Another great thing about the recipe is that you can make as few cookies as you'd like at a time and stick the dough back in the fridge and it will keep a day or two.

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

1. Whisk flour, salt and baking soda together. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, beat the butter for about a minute. Then add the sugars and beat for another two minutes until well-blended and creamy. Beat in the vanilla.

3. Add in the egg.

4. At the mixer's lowest setting, add flour mixture a little at a time until all incorporated.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips. Reserve a handful for later. Refrigerate dough for about 30 minutes.

6. On a lined baking sheet with parchment paper, spoon rounded tablespoons of cookie dough on sheet.

7. Bake them in preheated oven 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

8. Turn half way and let cool.

Merci, Grazie and Thank You

2010-06-24T13:35:00.006-05:00

I'm finally taking advantage of my summer and getting some more items in my Etsy shop. These thank you cards were all illustrated by myself. Each design says thank you in either english, french or italian. All three cards are sold together in a set of 6 and come with a pastel gray A2 envelope.

I've also added some recipe cards that have a painted design on them and I will be adding a grocery list notepad very soon!

My Kitchen Revealed

2010-06-22T23:27:00.004-05:00

Yay! I feel like my kitchen is the first completed room in our house. Kelly installed some track lighting from Ikea this past weekend and it totally changes the vibe. This just confirms how important lighting is to a room. My kitchen is completely inspired from a kitchen I saw in a 2007 issue of Blueprint magazine. In fact, most of my house is inspired from just that one issue. The colors I used were spring mint, antiguan sky, and hazy blue from Benjamin Moore.

Light Fixtures Out of Reach

2010-06-16T13:08:00.012-05:00

My mind is wandering to the idea of electrical work. Most older homes do not have light fixtures in necessary places. For example in our living room and den there is not a light from the ceiling. I know that light can transform the way a room looks and feels, so I'm beginning to give this more thought so when the time comes for lighting on our list of things to do for the house, it won't take a me months to decide on something. Here are a few that I'm in love with at the moment.

For the entry way

Above the kitchen sink

For the bedroom

For the dining room - This is even more beautiful in person!

Trying my hand at Watercolors....

2010-06-09T09:12:00.004-05:00

This was my first attempt at joining mint&honey with watercolors. I can say I'm definitely liking where this is going. I haven't played around with watercolors since college and have forgotten how much I love them.

My friend Jill, who is having a girl and due in 3 weeks, is doing an owl theme in her nursery. This is no surprise to me because this girl has loved owls since I don't know when. My friend Mel is making her bedding from this super cute Alexander Henry fabric, long with an owl mobile inspired from the owls on the fabric! I can't wait to see the finished product.

Since summer has begun I've been having somewhat of an artist block. So once this cloud that is killing my creativity lifts I will begin on my 2010 calendar.

Summer Has Began

2010-06-03T07:42:00.004-05:00

Unfortunately I will not be spending my summer days relaxing on a beach enjoying the books on my summer reading list. I will be getting hardcore about finishing the projects on my house. I spent yesterday prepping the den and today I will priming and hopefully painting the trim. I'm thinking I will be finished with this project on Monday ::finger crossed:: Along with the den there is our poor little bathroom that needs paint, wallpaper and a new floor.

Because school was insaneville from the last of April until the end, there was not a lot of mint&honey action going on. Just a couple of mother's day gifts and baby shower invitations. But I'm in hopes of finishing my 2011 calendar this summer along with some other items I can load in my etsy shop.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summers and wearing plenty of sunscreen for all occasions.

First Hand Painted Invitation

2010-04-20T20:18:00.007-05:00

I've always admired Anna Bond and Katie Lombardo and their hand painted invitations and papergoods. Maybe that's why I was inspired to get my paints out while creating this invitations for a baby shower. I'm definitely going to be experimenting more with my watercolors and acrylic paint the next time I do invitations. I love how this turned out and I was just playing around with it and didn't expect for it to be my final copy. I'm working on painting some stationary and mother's day cards (for me to give, not to sell.)

My Recipe File

2010-03-31T20:06:00.005-05:00

I'm spending a little time this post to compile my favorite recipes that I've found and tried on food blogs. Because good food is worth sharing, even if you can't make it over here while it's cooking.

Favorite Breakfast

Egg Florentine Quesdillas

Favorite Salad

Strawberry & Mozzarella Salad

Favorite Soup

Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken, Lime & Cilantro

Favorite Main Dishes

Panko Crusted Salmon

Italian Meatballs with Basil Pesto Pasta

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

Heather's Quinoa

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Favorite Desserts

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with Cornmeal Crust

White Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Extreme Home Makeover: Bathroom Wallpaper

2010-03-25T09:57:00.013-05:00

Ok... so I guess I'm going to start calling all the work we're doing on our house "Extreme Home Makeover" because to us, it's pretty extreme. We are crossing the line of people who didn't know anything about construction, carpentry, and basic knowledge on how to care for a home to people who widening their knowledge base by diving in head first tackling home projects we probably have no business doing without professional supervision.

I've been doing a terrible job documenting the process, because at times I don't want to be reminded of the huge mess we're making. But I definitely need to start! I'm currently spending my Spring Break painting my bedroom. I thought this was going to be a simple and fast project. But of course there are obstacles. I will mention them later when I show you before and after photos.

I'm also thinking ahead to my next project. The bathroom. Our bathroom needs a lot of work. Or maybe I should say, we want to do a lot of work to it. It's functioning, thank goodness, but it is ugly. We will retile it, because apparently the floor is rotting underneath. And instead of painting it, I would like to put up some wallpaper. I was apprehensive about doing this at first because I thought with all the humidity from the shower it would peel right off. But the gentlemen who put up my wallpaper in the dining room, told me if it was done right, it would stay forever. So I've been looking for wallpaper for the last 5 months, trying to find the right one. I've come across some beautiful wallpaper on the web. But not until last week did I find what I was looking for at a reasonable price. I wanted to find something I liked in yellow that was a modern yet fresh with a vintage feel. Below are some wallpaper that I think are beautiful and great, but didn't quite fit the criteria of what I was looking for.

This picture with the yellow wallpaper is from Miss Print and is called Saplings Wallpaper Sunflower Yellow with White. This is what I ended up falling in love with. I'm going to tile up four feet and paper the rest of the walls. So excited for this project to begin. Estimated time to begin is in two weeks!

All wallpaper images are from: http://www.5qm.de/

Tea Party, Don't Be Late

2010-03-06T22:43:00.008-06:00

So when my friend Mel asked me to make invitations to her daughters nineth birthday, I happily agreed. Then she proceeded to tell me it would be a tea party. I got pretty pumped. I immediately wanted to make it inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Even though I knew this would be typical considering the movie was coming out and all. I knew it would still be fun for her daughter and definitely fun for me to illustrate.

At the beginning of Lewis Carroll's book, Alice is doing her studies and it quite bored because there are no pictures to admire. That's why I decided to have an invitation like a book with something interesting look at. My vision was to illustrate the forest joining in on the tea party, along with the March Hare who in the book joins the Mad Hatter and the dormouse for tea. This invitation turned out exactly how I wanted it to; I am so happy with it!

mint&honey papergoods custom design/illustration for birthday invitations: $40

M&H Business Cards

2010-02-17T20:54:00.007-06:00

In case you weren't aware, mint&honey does offer custom design for business collateral. Here are some examples of business cards I have designed recently. I'm working on two more, one for my mother and one for my mother-in-law. The charge for custom design on a business card is the same for all other non-wedding related services, just $40. The cost of printing is separate.

Valentine Cookie Boxes

2010-02-12T19:35:00.008-06:00

Saturday was spent in the kitchen ALL day making cookies for my family for Valentine's day. Of course it was so much fun, and I love baking and being creative on holidays. I started out my day with Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Coconut Cookies. Kelly can't stand when I add things to chocolate chip cookies. So I never get to make anything like this for myself. I was banking that were would be a couple that wouldn't fit into the boxes so I could keep them for myself. The only thing I changed from the recipe was that I used dark chocolate chips. So yummy, I'm actually eating one right now :)

I had actually prepared the shortbread dough the night before so all I had to do was get my heart-shaped cookie cutter out and get to work. I used the recipe for Heart-Shaped Shortbread Cookies with Pink Sprinkles from the bread & honey food blog. The recipe was sooo good. This was my second time making shortbread and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite cookies; the pink sprinkles made it even better! So buttery and crisp!

Sulu is always hanging around whenever I'm baking or cooking, hoping he'll get a little sample. Sorry, but not this time. I didn't think my already hyper dog needed sugar in his diet.

While the cookies were cooling I started decorating these thin cardboard boxes I picked up from Michael's for .89 a piece. I decorated them from cut out hearts, doilies, and maps and created a label for the inside lid of the box. I had most the ingredients for the cookies already on hand, so I didn't spend a lot out of pocket for this project.

Here is the recipe for the only cookie I didn't document the baking of, my photographs didn't turn out that great. Flourless Double Chocolate Cookies. These cookies are the best right out of them oven; after a day they get pretty hard and crunchy and not as enjoyable. So eat them fast if you decide to make them!

SNOW day!!

2010-02-12T00:32:00.005-06:00

Yay! Texas and Arkansas finally got some snow! Just in time for a four day weekend we have!

Sulu wouldn't stay in the picture one second.

yeah, my dog's crazy

Blogging Artists

2010-02-10T18:37:00.010-06:00

I thought I would dedicate this blog to sharing with you some of my favorite artists out there who are bloggers and maybe one who isn't, but shouldn't go unmentioned despite the fact. I love reading their blogs for curiosity and inspiration.

Birch Tree Decals

2010-01-26T20:37:00.004-06:00

Ever since I've seen this post last June on knack's blog, I have seen dying to get these trees in my entry way. Well, one purchase from artfire and a paypal claim later they were in my hands! It's not worth mentioning which seller I got them from because they caused such a hassle. Since we finally got our living painted and things looking relatively good in there, we decided it was time to hang the trees. I'd been kind of scared of the whole process though because I didn't want to mess them up, but our friend Will and his wife hung some in their new apartment and he said it wasn't hard at all. And he was right! I love how they look, I'm just debating on whether to put a bird perched on the branch above the front door though. Not sure if the bird thing is too trendy or not. I'll have to sleep on that.

mint&honey valentines

2010-01-24T07:00:00.006-06:00

These Valentine goods along with the "Beat Faster" card in the previous post will be in my Etsy shop on Tuesday! So excited to finally get them in there.

"Altogether Beautiful" 8"x10" Print - $8.00

"Love" Folded Card, Blank Inside, 5"x7", Light Gray Envelope - $3.00

"Be Mine" 5"x7" Flat Card, Light Gray Envelope - $3.00

"How Beautiful" 5"x7" Folded Card, Craft Paper Envelope - $3.00

Have a great week!

Valentine Preview

2010-01-18T18:42:00.003-06:00

I love maps, like really love maps. Sometimes I think I get carried away with it because I have stacks of old vintage national geographic maps, calendars of maps, pictures hanging on my wall of maps, in my blog banner, books about them and so on. I just think they are great and beautiful. I love the lines on them and how they mimic a blueprint of God's creation.

Anyway, you will see them in many of my designs, just warning you.

The valentine's that I am working on are inspired by the book of Song of Solomon. I found many lovely quotes from Solomon to his bride in the book as I was reading through it earlier this week. Here is just one example.

Lighting Makeover

2010-01-14T16:37:00.008-06:00

I have been so busy working on mint&honey and working on my living room I have neglected blogging. As we're nearing the end of the work that needs to be finished in the living room, I'm trying to think of solutions for lighting. I am debating on spray painting both of these fixtures but have no idea what color to choose. If I drive myself crazy and can't decide I will just buy new lighting. The colors in my living room are a light gray and white, so if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Getting ready to add some Valentine cards and prints to my etsy shop next week. So be sure to check them out!

Welcome 2010

2010-01-01T11:40:00.005-06:00

I thought there would be a greater chance of my goals for the new year getting accomplished if I were to put it in writing. I have several more that are typically generic that most people re-add to their resolutions each year; those I will stick to my mirror perhaps.

The first one on the list is top priority! The environment I put myself in affects my creativity, motivation and attitude. We moved into our first home at the beginning of July and have finished the kitchen, laundry room and almost finished with the dining/living room. I guess with a full-time job and my husband gone the whole month of July that is a lot of work accomplished. I'm crossing my fingers I will have everything finished by the time my summer break is over, that would be a dream come true!

I will also be radically searching craigslist, antique/thrift stores, garage sales for furniture for our home. I am by curse and by blessing one of the pickiest people alive when it comes to how I decorate my house so needless to say we hardly have any furniture because I've been enable to find anything I can live with for a decent price. So after all this work is finished on my house it will look quite bare if I don't find some items to fill in space. Maybe some random person will come to my door and say "Here's my credit card I want to get whatever you want at Room & Board." Ha!

I should put that dream aside for now and focus on the rest of my resolutions. Happy New Year all!

recipe cards

2009-12-30T10:27:00.006-06:00

These are two recipe cards I created for my sister for a Christmas present. She was the first out of all of us to attempt to boil water and go on to master basic breakfast foods. Since, she will probably be married soon and have her own kitchen, she can now start saving recipes. I was forever looking for a cute recipe binder to hold these cards and the only one's I could find were "country kitchen" style with chickens and things on the cover. As I was browsing through Target being disgusted that they too only had "country kitchen" recipe binders I noticed across the aisle were the photo albums which has the exact same function as a recipe binder except aesthetically more pleasing to look at..... and there were cheaper! It worked perfectly holding the 4"x6" recipe cards they only difference is there were no dividers, but I could live with that.

2009-12-19T10:25:00.004-06:00

I was so pumped this week when I saw that Nicole, a guest blogger on Design*Sponge was wanting to use photos from my kitchen on Wood Street in a blog post about how people utilize space in small kitchens. Design*Sponge is my favorite design blog out there, I feel so special to have been featured, even for a small thing like this. You can locate the article here.

Last week I completed another one of my holiday ambitions. I made two soft trees based on a project featured on the purl bee. It was surprisingly easy, and with the help of my friend Melanie and her sewing machine I was able to get these sewed and stuffed.

christmas papergoods by mint&honey

2009-12-05T09:57:00.003-06:00

Here's a look at some of the Christmas paper goods that came from mint&honey this year. I will show more later. These were all so fun to make; like always. And each one personalized to each person's interests.

Yarn Wreath Complete

2009-12-01T20:10:00.003-06:00

My second holiday ambition is complete. Over the Thanksgiving holidays I made a yarn wreath. All of the materials can be found at Michael's, even the reindeer! Now.... where am I going to hang it?

2009 Christmas Card

2009-11-28T00:25:00.004-06:00

Finish our Christmas card during Thanksgiving Break... check!

Photo by: Micah Dorsey

Hand drawn by: Me!

Holiday Ambitions, Part 2

2009-11-16T18:54:00.004-06:00

This is inspiring me to make a wreath for the inside of my front door. How cute is this! Katie Runnels makes so many of these wreaths for every time of year. Check out her shop!

Holiday Ambitions

2009-11-12T22:39:00.003-06:00

Soft Trees, from The Purl Bee
Originally uploaded by the purl bee

I am intent on making some of these for my home this holiday season, sewing 101 here I come.

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice!

2009-11-08T21:14:00.004-06:00

I started a new tradition this year. Starting the first week of fall, I set out to make something pumpkin every week until the week of Thanksgiving where I might possibly make something with pumpkin in it everyday that week. I plan to do a better job documenting all of my recipes next year.

This week I made Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Caramel Corn. I found some pumpkin spice Hershey's Kisses at Target for 75% off and this seemed like the perfect way to use them up!

1 3.3oz bag Kettle Corn popcorn, popped and all un-popped kernels removed
1 Cup dry roasted peanuts
1 Cup unwrapped pumpkin spice Hershey’s Kisses

1 Cup dark chocolate chips
6 Tablespoons butter
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1/3 Cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place popped popcorn and peanuts onto a large rimmed baking sheet that has been sprayed lightly with non stick cooking spray.

Place kisses, chocolate chips, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a light boil. Remove from heat and pour evenly over popcorn and nuts. Gently stir to coat mixture over popcorn. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and pour onto parchment paper to cool. Break into pieces and serve.

(Recipe adapted from Beantown Baker)

birth announcement

2009-10-27T17:13:00.004-05:00

Being poor when you're an artist is not always a bad thing when it comes to gift giving. You can always create things for friends and family. In this case, my good friend Mindy was having her first baby and I thought it would be special if I created a custom birth announcement for her to hang in her nursery. I wanted all the words to be hand lettered in different styles. I used a bird and twig on the announcement because it will compliment her bedding. It was so fun, hand lettering is one of my favorite things to do! Here is the finished product!

we got our picture taken

2009-10-24T14:26:00.004-05:00

Kelly's best friend Micah came over last weekend and took some pictures for our Christmas card this year. I plan on drawing a border around one of the photographs to give it a Christmas feel.
Mint&honey is going to be busy this holiday season; I already have requests for custom illustrated Christmas cards, business cards, birthday and Christmas parties, and a couple of wedding showers. I better get to work! The deadline for accepting requests for custom illustrated Christmas cards is November 16th. The cost is $40 and that is without the cost for printing.

Have a good weekend!

pumpkin carving party

2009-10-21T16:50:00.004-05:00

I love creating invitations for special parties. As much as I love pumpkins, you know I highly enjoyed creating this one. I was inspired by all the mums and pumpkins the grocery store have out this time of year. The purple mums were the perfect color combo for the bright orange pumpkins piled high in the bins!

Redecorating

2009-10-14T17:11:00.005-05:00

I am refusing to put any pictures up of the interior of my house until everything is fully or almost fully decorated, I won't try to estimate when that will be either. Because it has been proven already that getting everything the way you want it is going to be a longer process than you imagine. But, I will share some of the things I've been purchasing with our lovely tax rebate we received from becoming first time homeowners. All going in different rooms, just having purchased these things make me feel productive and that things are coming along.

Rug: West Elm

Sofa: Pier 1

Rocker: Overstock.com

Wallpaper: Cole & Son

Open House // Etsy

2009-10-07T18:33:00.005-05:00

mint&honey has been asked to participate in an Open House. An interior designer in town is opening up her house to give her clients an update on what services she has available to them. Since I was already designing the invitation for the event, she thought it would be a great idea if I could sell some of my papergoods there as well. Since I was in the process of opening my Etsy shop I thought it would be a good opportunity to put myself out there a little more. I am going to have thank you cards, note cards and hopefully some Christmas cards available there. I'm really excited about it and will post pictures soon after.

In other news, mint&honey's etsy shop is finally open but only has the bare basics right now. I'm in the process of adding more items to it. But you should add me to your favorites and check back later this month!

I hope you have been enjoying the Fall! I've been making almost every dessert under the sun that could possibly have pumpkin in it! Scones, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, bread and for my sister's birthday a pumpkin cheesecake.

Have a great week!

Prints

2009-09-20T12:27:00.007-05:00

I've been searching high and low for art to hang in my new home. Here are a few I'm in love with. Lately, I've been drawn to art that uses type, so forgive if a lot of these have a common theme.

1. Heart Print by Ork Posters

2. Home Sweet Home Print from Keep Calm Gallery

3. Take a Hike Print from Katie Daisy

4. Where There is Love Laser-cut from MadebyJulene

The days are not long enough!

2009-09-09T22:27:00.002-05:00

safari bday
Originally uploaded by mint&honey

Do things ever slow down? And if they did, would I like it? Maybe just for a day or two. I don't have too much to share or blog about for right now. Even though I feel like I have a ton of stuff going on. I don't want to show too much of what I'm working on, because a lot of it will be for my Etsy shop that I plan I having up and running by the end of October. ::crossing my fingers::

Here is a birthday invitation commission, safari themed. Children's invitations and announcement are always more fun to work on for me. It reminds me of doodling in math class on the back of my notebook or bookcover.

engagements

2009-08-25T16:33:00.004-05:00

These are two of my most recent invitations both designed for engagement parties/showers. The first one is for an engagement party turned campout and cookout. I tried to make it look like a postcard from camp. Should be a lot of fun!

The last one is for a big engagement party at a great outdoor venue with music, friends and food!

Lots of exciting things going on with mint&honey! (at least for me anyway) I'm getting started on holiday cards and several different designs for thank you cards. My goal before the year is out is to have my Etsy shop up and running with a variety of papergoods and perhaps some vintage goods.

Wallpaper!

2009-08-17T21:35:00.008-05:00

Here is a picture of the wallpaper I ordered and received today from selectwallpaper.co.uk. I am wallpapering 3 walls in my dining room that is connected to my formal living room, which is painted a light gray (seattle mist from benjamin moore.) I'm excited about putting it up even though I've never wallpapered anything before. I've heard it's easy from some and hard from others. I don't expect it to be a piece of cake, but I'm still crossing my fingers I don't completely screw it up. Good thing I have this book below to help me and give me ideas on what to do with the left over scraps! Image of living space from Feb. 2007 Blueprint Magazine.

I ordered this cute return address stamp from paperwink. They have the cutest papergoods!

projects and purchases

2009-08-13T22:09:00.008-05:00

I'm finally positing my before and after pictures of the dresser I got from my Nana that no one was using and knobs were missing. I still need to give it a final coat of polyurethane. But I really love the way it turned out. I kept the original knobs and added two red ones from Anthropologie. I still need to find the perfect pull for the top though. I used Behr paint; Indian Ocean for the drawers and Scotch Lassie for the frame.

While in Austin for teacher training we hit a couple of great vintage stores! The owl string holder came from Uncommon Objects along with the white letters. The deer planter came from Room Service; we had an identical one that was black and bit smaller that broke during the move so I'm lucky to have found another. The paint by number came from eBay and the other vintage print came from Room Service. I can't wait to start decorating my house, but I need to paint first and rip up carpet (that's my next project!)

Close up of the dresser!

my nana

2009-08-12T18:50:00.007-05:00

Sunday night my Nana passed away from Alzheimer's disease, her funeral was yesterday. She was an amazing lady who kept me during the day until I started kindergarten, so I have a lot of memories of her. Here are some great pictures of her. Below is the story she would tell our family most. I shared it yesterday at her funeral in a eulogy that my sister wrote.

I had been in the Women’s Auxiliary Air force (WAAF) for five years. I was stationed outside of North London. One of the most popular places to go in the service when we were off duty was the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. It had been transformed into a beautiful place to dance and to meet new friends from all over the world. One night, I was there with two friends. I didn’t go dancing every week and I never went alone. The one thing that was unusual about this certain night was that it was the first time in four years that I had not worn my uniform. The reason for this was my friend, Iris, who lived in South London, persuaded me to wear a borrowed blouse and a plain brown skirt. I had felt uncomfortable wearing someone else’s clothes, but Iris wanted me to, so I did. I decided to go to Covent Gardens just to hear the dance music. I loved the orchestra that was at the Gardens. I was a big fan of Glenn Miller and the music was as close as it could be. After I had been there a while, both of my friends had left me to dance with handsome American soldiers and I was left alone to enjoy the festivities. There was a tap on my shoulder, I had no idea it was coming and probably would have seen him if I wasn’t watching the dancing. I turned around and there stood a very tall American with a nice smile on his face, who asked me if I would like to dance and of course the answer was yes, I wasn’t one to turn down a tall dancer myself being 5’8”. It didn’t take long after we hit the dance floor that I discovered that he didn’t know how to dance after all. His name was Husley Reynaud and he suggested we go sit down and listen to the music and he apologized for not being able to dance. He began to tell me how his company had just returned from North Africa on account of his sunburn, which he definitely didn’t get in England; they had a secret bombing mission to destroy a dam in Yugoslavia. They didn’t attempt to get back on the dance floor and instead they sat and talked the rest of the evening. At the end of the night, he told me he wanted for us to exchange addresses. I liked him, he was tall, the quiet type, not flirty or clever acting; I could tell that he was trustworthy.

Husley and I were in agreement that we would make the effort to see each other once a month. This went on for a year and then in 1945, the invasion was a success and the war was almost over. On May 8, 1945 the war ended and we were together that day in London and had a great privilege of watching the victory precision from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We saw the King and Queen, Princess Elizabeth and Margaret, along with Winston Churchill and other great leaders of the war. A couple days after the big event, I returned to my base and Husley to his base. Within a week, I received an urgent message from him telling me that he was being returned to the United States and by July he was home safe in Louisiana. I wasn’t discharged the W.A.A.F. until November of 1945. We kept writing to each other and it was eighteen months later that I made the biggest decision of my life; to purchase a ticket to the ship Queen Mary II and make the voyage across the Atlantic to New York City and from there took a train down to Alexandria, Louisiana. It had been a long time since we had seen each other, but the very day I arrived they were married in his living room by one of his brothers who was a Baptist minister.

vacation is over...

2009-08-04T20:22:00.006-05:00

So sad that summer is ending for me and I have to start the same school routine over. But, with my new position as art teacher I should be in store for a lot of exciting things and learning experiences. I was hoping to put some finished pictures of my kitchen, but we've had some set backs, maybe next time.

Here are some pictures from our vacation to Pismo Beach and Carmel, CA. And an additional business card I made along with a baby shower invitation for a friend!

anniversary

2009-07-16T10:42:00.009-05:00

I'm spending my 2nd wedding anniversary in Carmel by the Sea, CA during our family vacation to Pismo Beach, CA. I did a little hand lettered message inspired by this antique wooden sign. I thought the message was simple and true to our lives.

Some photos of past trips to Pismo Beach when Kelly and I were still dating. Happy Anniversary to my loving husband! July 20, 2007!

m&h business cards!

2009-07-06T16:05:00.006-05:00

Here are two business cards I made for mint&honey papergoods Friday night. I am wanting to get these printed on mini moo cards to send out with my orders and to just pass around. I'm also wanting to get a custom stamp made so I can stamp the back of my papergoods or stamp the envelopes I send them off in. If you know of a good place to get one made, please let me know!

engagement party

2009-07-01T22:23:00.010-05:00

Funny picture of our dog, Sulu, during our move. I laugh so hard when at the look at his face in this picture!

Cute little engagement party invitation I cooked up this evening. I think this would work for a wedding invitation too!

moving announcement fun

2009-06-29T16:39:00.004-05:00

A little moving announcement I was playing around with. The closer it got to the move I had to get the anxiousness of designing an announcement about of my system. So here's what I came up with. Kelly wanted me to incorporate Sulu in it, so I may dish out another one just to appease him.

We are finally all moved in and finished with the apartment on Wood Street. Now we're just surrounded by boxes staring us in the face. I hate to unpack when there is so much I want to do to the place first before I get everything situated. I plan on painting the living room and formal dining room this week, that is if I can ever convince my husband of a paint color, but once I do that I will be able to rip up the pink carpet to see what condition the wood floors are in. Wish me luck!

Baby Shower Invite

2009-06-21T09:04:00.005-05:00

I was asked to do my first baby shower invite. She wanted brown and purple to be used, the bible verse Psalm 139:13, and birds. So this is what I came up with. I think it's cute, I hope it's not too coloring bookish. I think it gives the effect of a children's book illustration. Here is a before and after prismacolors were applied.

Inspiration for the Kitchen

2009-06-20T11:49:00.004-05:00

After much time spent looking through the Domino Magazines I spotted this cute little kitchen in Blueprint Magazine and I fell in love. This is now my inspiration for our kitchen. We move in a week, I can't wait!

TAG! It's your turn.

2009-06-06T10:49:00.016-05:00

What is your current obsession?

I do get fixated on things a lot so this is a relevent question for this survey. I'm surprised my blogging obsession is still going strong. My recent obsession is Craig's List. It's amazing, I'm finding so many inexpensive pieces of furniture to use in my new house I'll be moving into at the beginning of July. I'm also obsessed right now with my Aerolatte. It's this cute handheld device that makes lattes in like 10 seconds! Works great for those Chai Lattes I'm always craving.

What's for dinner?

I'm thinking of using up some leftover rice mixture to make Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers. They are SO good, I use red bell peppers instead of green because they are my favorite.

I'm also planning on making a Nectarine-Blackberry Crisp for our small group tomorrow night. It is the season to be using fresh fruit in everything you know!

What's the last thing you bought?

A huge decorative antique gold mirror that my husband was insistent on getting. It really was a steal for $20. I think is was suppose to be $200, but the lady marked it wrong. As of now it is hideous, but not for long. Before and after photos coming later next month.

What are you listening to right now?

Sufjan Stevens, I wish he would come out with a new album already!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

I wish I was in Pismo Beach! We are going in the middle of July and I can't wait. It's the perfect little surfer town with a beach lined with eucalyptus trees, the Splash cafe (they have the best clam chowder in a bread bowl you ever tasted), and an ice cream shoppe with cotton candy ice cream, yum!

What's your favorite quote (for now)?

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don't bother concealing your thievery-celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said "It's not where you take things from, it's where you take them to." -Jim Jarmusch

What's your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

Probably my chacos, because I can wear them with anything!

What's your dream job?

I'm in my dream job. I'm going to teach Art next year in the elementary grades and I'm making papergoods for people on the side. Just wish this dream job paid a little better.

What's your worst habit?

Letting things pile up on my desk!

Do you admire anyones style?

Zooey Deschannel is one of my favorite actresses, and she always looks so cute to me!

Charlotte from Pushing Daisies is hands down the most stylish character on television who has inspired my wardrobe.

Describe your personal style?

Mmmm.... French Librarian goes on a winter holiday

Haha, i just came up with that. And I say that only because I love wearing scarfs, sweater berets and beanies, and of course cardigans.

What are your favorite movies?

Dancer in the Dark

Funny Face

Billy Elliot

What inspires you?

Domino Magazine

My Husband

My Friends

Architecture

And much music!

What's your favorite book?

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Expurey

The Giver by Lois Lowery

Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine De Saint-Expurey

Do you collect something?

Vintage children books, different kinds of ribbons and wrapping paper.

I have a full collection of every single issue of Domino magazine.

What do you like most about yourself?

This is a really hard question to me. But I suppose that I understand that I was not created to be perfect and there is no way to ever achieve that. I am content in the way God created me and I am blessed that He gave me the desire to be creative and love nature. I also know that the imperfections that are within me are over time being weeded out and replaced by His nature.

What's your go-to nail polish color?

I'm not a big nail color person, so clear.

Future Homeowners

2009-05-19T21:31:00.004-05:00

Here is our future place of residence! It is so precious and I can't wait to get in there and paint and decorate. It's a 2 bedroom, 1 and a half bath, with a formal living and dining room, and a den. The garage has been converted into an apartment with a full bath but no kitchen, so I'm thinking Kelly will use it as his studio. We will be making our move sometime in the middle of June. So that means I will need to be making another moving announcement. The only major things that need to happen is a fresh coat of paint in every room and to get the pink carpet in the formal living and dining room ripped up immediately and depending on what's underneath we'll either redo the wood floors and recarpet. So exciting, this is our first house!

Chelsie's Bachelorette Invitation

2009-05-09T23:25:00.004-05:00

I started and finished this invitation today. Lots of bright colors, because it's going to be a lively time. Chelsie is the type of person who would not have wanted bras and panties drawn on this invitation, so I focused on trying out different patterns until I found the ones that fit. I can't wait to see how this turns out printed!

may thrift finds

2009-05-03T16:46:00.007-05:00

May is a busy, busy month; as I am sure it is for any normal or abnormal person. I have weddings, end of school, end of a college course, planning vacations, starting a summer job, working on more mint&honey goods and more.

Despite this tornado, I was able to enjoy my Saturday hitting up a favorite thrift store.

I plan on turning this cute little kitchen pot into a pot for some fresh herbs. I'm so pumped about! I hope to fit rosemary, cilantro, mint and basil.

I can't decide whether to save the mushrooms, or give this letter holder a makeover.

What do you think?

Have a merry month, I will be updating with mint&honey goods as they are created.

chelsie's shower invitation

2009-04-23T23:12:00.005-05:00

I used the colors for her wedding, even though I have a thing with yellow and blue. It was how my mom's kitchen and bedroom were decorated all throughout my growing up and I developed a disgust for it. But there is no disgust here, maybe I will have to give this color combo a second chance.

P.S. This invitation is dedicated to my purse. Without my purse there would have been no inspiration for this invite, you're the best !

mint&honey

2009-04-20T22:48:00.005-05:00

Well.... I created a public profile on facebook for mint&honey papergoods. I halfway did it out of boredom, but in the process thought it was probably a pretty good idea since so many people I know prefer facebook to blogging. I made a temporary logo for fun, haha. I really need someone to teach me the photoshop ropes.

So, become a fan of mint&honey! Woohoo!!!

wedding map

2009-04-12T14:35:00.006-05:00

I spent my weekend creating a map for my dear friend Chelsie's wedding that is coming up at the end of May. She wanted the map to look similar to the style of Crystal Kluge. I didn't have the fancy hand lettering and watercolor skills like her, but I managed to pull off something I think she will be happy with.

bag ladies

2009-03-29T17:23:00.007-05:00

I am a one purse or bag at a time girl. But seeing all these cute and functional bags around the web might make me a girl who has a bag for everyday of the week.

Grocery Bag: Happy Vegetable Reusable Vegetable Bags from wonderthunder ($20)

Everyday tote: Tote from Forestbound. This would be perfect for overnighters.

(what great use of those 90's braided belts)

Everyday tote: I am thinking I might use this one to carry my school books or drawing supplies around; Embellished Bag - Corset from Showpony ($20)

Lunch Sack: Lunch To Go Lunch Bag from BlueThimble ($25)

ciao bella

2009-03-17T09:49:00.003-05:00

I think this music video is so sweet and so clever. I came across Rose on myspace a year or so ago, I think she's great! I am so frustrated though because iTunes does not carry her on their American store, so I can't download her.

birthdays

2009-03-08T19:35:00.005-05:00

I recently celebrated my 25th birthday and it was super fun! My kindergarten students surprised me with a birthday poster they made in Spanish and then sung me happy birthday in Spanish.

I thought I'd share some of my gifts: some cool shades (which were a gift to myself) Tazo Organic Chai (my recent obsession, I have at least 2 cups a day), sharpie pens, a fun chocolate bar, some house slippers, Domino The Book of Decorating and an Orla Keily mug; simple, sweet gifts!

I just completed a birthday invitation for my good friend Mel, Her daughter is turning 8! I had so fun making it, as I do with everything.

Our Floppy Ear Friend

2009-02-24T18:32:00.004-06:00

The Sunday after Valentine's Day Sulu, the beagle, became apart of our family. Here are a couple of pictures of our new floppy ear friend.

home sweet home

2009-02-21T09:52:00.006-06:00

Here are some pictures of our small apartment we moved into over the christmas holidays. It's beginning to have a cozy feel to it. There are still some empty places on the wall where art is needed but I am not going to rush it. I have my eye on a couple of things on Etsy that I plan on purchasing that I think will be the right fit.

The art in our apartment is a combination of old calendars, vintage children's illustrations, and a radiohead poster from their concert last may.

I love the built-in bookcase in this room.

Since our apartment is a one bedroom, we had to convert our living room into half living space and half working space. And it works!

We moved our red bookcase into the kitchen to make it more cheerful. We filled it with thrift finds, cookbooks and our colorful dishes found at Crate&Barrel Outlet. We made a trip to Ikea to fill in some lonely areas.

I will have to post pictures of the newest addition of our family next time!

valentine's prints

2009-02-08T07:59:00.006-06:00

I have not been much of a blogger lately, this new year seems as though it has been a bullet shot out of a gun, it's moving so fast, too fast for me. I am excited about some of the projects that are coming up that I get to work on. I am creating a map for my dear friends wedding invitation, a birthday invitation for my friends daughter, and some personal stationary for a friend to I've gotten more handwritten letters from than just about anybody.

Unfortunately other things have crept in to take away my time, I am doing after school tutoring, preparing for a kindergarten program, and I'm being forced to take Arkansas History online in order to become a certified teacher in Arkansas. That is taking the bulk of my time. Nonetheless, I am enjoying the new year very much and I am hoping a puppy is in the future for us. We'll see!

Here are some Valentine prints I have been working on.

out with the auld and in with the new

2009-01-04T18:11:00.004-06:00

All internet surfing and blog browsing was put to a halt when we had to move apartments over the holidays.We actually moved into a newer place, our old loft was circa 1920's and our current apartment is circa 1940's, so we're movin' on up.

We still have a few more things to hang on the wall and since I've gotten internet back, I've been searching for inexpensive art on etsy, poppytalk, the keep calm gallery and little paper airplanes. Everything is coming along quite nicely; the apartment is smaller, but it definitely has a cozy feeling that our other place didn't have.

Here are some before pictures.....

The wall color is earl grey, perfect since I'm an avid earl grey tea drinker.

That's all for now....

Back to the real world where school starts tomorrow and I have to plan my meals for the week.

Au revoir!

fa la la la la

2008-12-08T21:51:00.002-06:00

christmas 08
Originally uploaded by heather.carr

So I decorated for Christmas even though we are expected to move in a week or so. I just couldn't pass up the occasion. Instead of a traditional tree topper, I thought it would be cool to get one of those paper lanterns to hang over all three of my trees, fun!

my recipes

2008-11-29T11:18:00.004-06:00

my recipes
Originally uploaded by heather.carr

My recipes now reside in this cute little recipe book I found antique shopping with my dear friend this past Monday. It's so adorable! Now, there is a method to my recipe filing madness.

Pumpkin Thanksgiving Fix

2008-11-23T19:52:00.004-06:00

If you need your pumpkin fix this thanksgiving

Real Simple has got it going on.

Early Christmas Shopping Part II

2008-11-16T21:47:00.007-06:00

1. A gift for your distinguished friend

2. A gift for the friend who likes to wear the bling.

3. A gift for the friend who is never on time.

4. A gift for the book lover.

Early Christmas Shopping!

2008-11-03T16:58:00.011-06:00

I am purchasing a couple of 2009 calendars to give as gifts and some to keep for me :)

1. Pink Letterpress Calendars 2009 Punk Gal and Cupcakes make people Happy, $20.

2. 2009 Calendar from Creative Thursday, $38.

3. 2009 Calendar from Orangebeautiful, $28.

4. 2009 Dandelion Calendar form Hello Handmade Paperie, $24

5. 2009 Letterpress and Silkscreen Calendar from ilee, $22

Homemade Granola

2008-10-29T17:25:00.006-05:00

It feels so healthy to make anything homemade, because you can see exactly what is going into it. I had been spying some granola posts on tastespotting and kind of made my own concoction.

Your Granola

4 c. organic rolled oats

1 c. raw sunflower seeds

1 c. raw pumpkin seeds

1 c. natural unblanched almonds

1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 c. sesame seeds

1/4 t. ground cinnamon (optional)

1/4 t. ground ginger (optional)

1/4 c. natural maple syrup

1/3 c. honey

1/3 c. sunflower oil (or canola oil)

1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

1/2 c. any dried fruit of your choice

(cherries, raisins, apricots, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the maple syrup, honey, oil, vanilla and set aside.

Toss together all the dry ingredients, minus the dried fruit.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a spoon until the oats are well covered.

Spread the granola on the baking sheet into a thin layer.

Bake for 25 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Place on cooling rack for 5 minutes, mix in the dried fruit and store in an air tight container until ready to eat.

I love to eat granola with vanilla yogurt and blueberries! Enjoy!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin!!!

2008-10-25T11:27:00.007-05:00

Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Pound Cake, oh how many pumpkins things can I make???

It's the way it shatters that matters!

2008-10-14T16:58:00.004-05:00

On my recent trip to Dallas I stopped to buy my one and only favorite candy. Nothing else compares to my Violet Crumble. I bought three of them and graciously gave one to my husband and hid the rest for me.

Welcome Fall!

2008-09-24T19:46:00.005-05:00

I am so pumped that it is officially Fall! I don't know if it's cheating to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte while it was still summer, but oh well, I did it; the temptation overtook me.

There were several things I did to celebrate the first week of fall.

1. Buy decorative pumpkins to put outside my windows.

2. Baking, Dark Chocolate Pistachio Chip Cookies. I used this recipe and switched white chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips, I love the bitter taste.

3. Baking, Pumpkin Brownies. I didn't make the brownie part from scratch like the original recipe states; I cheated and made the brownies from the box :)

Etsy Obession

2008-09-21T14:49:00.009-05:00

I can't get enough of searching for great things on Etsy. I would literally be on there all day if I could. I get so excited when I come across a great shop!

In Progress

2008-09-15T20:55:00.012-05:00

As a side job, I would LUV to design people's wedding invitations, shower invitations, personal stationary or any kind of announcement. I've been doing a couple of things for some friends lately and have enjoyed it so much!

Here's a watercolor I found in my closet that I forgot I had painted. I need to find a good home for it, in or out of my apartment.

I'm looking forward to framing these prints from a 2007 calendar of vintage maps and hanging them in my bare hallway.

Old to them, new to me.

2008-09-08T20:38:00.006-05:00

Our librarian at school is finding and giving away tons of discarded books that were published in the 1940's to 1970's and I'm reaping the benefits. There are so many great illustrations in these books that not only inspire me artistically, but could make for some great art to hang on the walls. Here's a glimpse at what I found:

The Art of Teaching

2008-08-05T23:26:00.005-05:00

I was cleaning out the kindergarten classroom I will be residing in this coming school year. I found these old children's book from the sixties in a pile. Since they were falling apart and destined to end up in the garbage if I didn't grab them up; I decided to use them in pieces of art. Here's my first piece using a page from a career ABC book from the sixties.

Baking and Re-Making

2008-07-24T15:25:00.004-05:00

I've been out of town for a couple of days on a little trip to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. So I've been missing my kitchen and being able to and bake. So the day I got back I attempted my version of bread & honey's apricot tartlets. But our supermarket sadly didn't have any apricots in stock, so I turned to peaches. I added a little whip cream and sprinkled cinnamon on top. It was quite tasty.

Another exciting endeavor, well exciting to me, is an art deco chair I found at a local antique store. I didn't even know the store existed and it happens to be just a couple blocks away from where I live. This chair was a steal and I'm thinking yellow. I'm open to suggestions also.

Fabric Earrings

2008-07-09T15:30:00.007-05:00

I have been obessed with Etsy.com this past week. I love the idea of it and I have been finding the greatest handmade things: art, clothing, jewelry. I purchased two pair of fabric earrings from fabricfarrago. Here are some others that she has for sale.

Rhymes and Reasons

2008-06-26T11:18:00.009-05:00

I have been reading blogs for the past couple of years. I never started my own because I didn't think it was something I could keep up with or I didn't have enough going on in my life to put out there. So, I decided I am not going keep those excuses any longer. My desire to blog has been lingering since my discovery of food blogs. They inspired me to cook and experiment with various ingredients. So, some of this blog will be dedicated to by my successes and errors in the kitchen. And the remainder of the blog will be to highlight artistic inspiration and great design I come across on the web. Several years ago I felt limited to where I could find people who design and create great things. Now, there are so many people with their cute businesses I'm discovering thanks to word of mouth, Domino Magazine and other blogs.

I finished reading a book by Franky Schaeffer called "Addicted to Mediocrity." It was a fantastic book that brings shame to crappy design and artistic sterility and promotes for people with the talent and desire to create in whatever area to not settle for society's low expectations for art, architecture and design. There certainly were no metal-sided buildings exalted in my art history books. The book points to God as the ultimate creator, who in everything He created was such beauty and grandeur. As works of His creation, He also gave to us the desire to create. With that gift we shouldn't produce things half-heartedly or with lower standards.

So check out the book, it's neat.

Here are some friends/artists who are not addicted to mediocrity:
http://browneyedblogg.blogspot.com/
http://willbryantplz.blogspot.com/
http://joydeeanncarson.blogspot.com/