Giveaway: Cameron Garland paper portraits

Remember last week when I posted about the ultra-talented Cameron Garland and the awesome paper portraits he creates?


Well, this week he is giving away one custom 3-D framed paper portrait.

- Each portrait is roughly 4-5 inches in height, 2-3 inches in width, and 1/3-1/2 an inch in depth.

- Cameron designs and hand cuts absolutely every single piece and doesn't use templates, meaning every single piece & portrait is unique. Your likeness or the likeness of others are captured to the best of his ability.

Here's how to enter:

1. Be sure you're following Cameron's blog.

2. Leave a comment letting me know you're a follower, along with your name and email address.

That's it!  I'll randomly choose someone to win their very own custom portrait on Monday, June 13th.


Good luck to everyone!

Thankful.

Today I am thankful for:


my best friend Sarah. She brightens my day every single day. When someone knows you- really knows you, all the good and all the bad...and accepts you just the way you are, that's such a rare, amazing thing. We've been through so much together and it's neat that we've been side by side through so many stages and changes in our lives. I wish all of you could spend time with her so you could also know what beautiful spirit and huge heart she has. I guarantee she'd make you smile!

our new BOB jogging stroller. Henry and I have been going on early morning runs every since we got this amazing thing from Hank's Dad and Step-Mom.  I never thought I could love a baby product so much, but after using our severely lacking Graco stroller, the BOB is such a great change. It rides so well and Henry is so much more comfortable. Our Graco was so finicky about closing properly (most of my friends and family can attest to this), and now that we don't need it anymore I sincerely want to take it out back and go all Office Space on it. Ever see that movie? The printer scene? That's what I'm talking about!  But really, I love the BOB. We got the 2011 Revolution with the big wheels if anyone's curious.

 

Salads. Oh goodness. I cannot get enough of salads lately!  My current favorite: spring greens, sliced raw almonds, dried cranberries and balsamic. I just put it all in a tupperware container and shake it up. It's out of this world.

My Mom. I think I only truly realized what an amazing mother I have once I became one myself. I've always appreciated her, but this just takes it to a whole new level. So thankful for this wonderful woman.

Bachelorette Nights. Adie and I usually spend Mondays watching the Bachelor (or this season, The Bachelorette) and it's always such a fun time. We snack, we girl talk, we turn a two-hour show into a five-hour extravaganza.  Last night we had the show on pause for a good 3 hours while we talked and talked, and then around 10pm we should get serious and actually watch the episode.  And speaking of, if you're a Bachelorette fan, I am loving the recap on Hello Giggles this week! 

Lazy weekend afternoons and evenings with Hank and Henry.  Nothing is better than strolling around downtown with my boys, and our summers here are just beautiful.  I always look forward to the Bluegrass Festival and the Summer Concert Series. To me, there's nothing better than listening to live music on a blanket in the grass.

Rita's Italian Ice. Okay. Now, we definitely (and unfortunately) don't have one of these in Arizona, but in my native New Jersey there are quite a few. Just the promise of a cherry gelati is getting me through my days. We'll be on the East Coast next month and you can bet your bottom dollar I will be enjoying a Rita's every day we're near one.

And finally...this dude. For such obvious reasons. (thanks to Diana for the awesome bib!)

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I'll be back later today with a fabulous giveaway from a very talented artist!

Boon Flair Highchair Winner!

Congratulations to Caitlin of The Goldfinch Anchor! Please email me at sometimessweetblog @ gmail to claim your new Boon highchair. :)

Thanks to all who entered!

Tattoo Tuesday V.73

Name and blog name: Meanz Chan // Koi Story

Age: 20

Occupation: Student/blogger

Age of first tattoo: 18

Favorite tattoo: All of them.

Featured tattoo/location: Koi-phoenix transformation on most of my back.

Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Josh Bowers, Iron Heart, Des Moines, IA

 

1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?

Well, I have always appreciated and have been inspired by Japanese artwork and I’ve always loved koi tattoos. I am Chinese; my parents used to tell me a story about how when a koi fish swims up a waterfall and gets to the top it becomes a beautiful dragon. That’s always fascinated me. I decided to go for a phoenix instead of a dragon I decided to go with a phoenix, because according to my mom’s stories and some research I did, a phoenix is basically the female counterpart of a dragon. It is also one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen, and I thought it would be a unique idea. I haven’t seen it done before. Also, koi fish were originally brought from China to Japan.  So not only does it represent my culture, it also is a symbol of overcoming obstacles and perseverance.

2) Do you have any other tattoos?

I have one other tattoo. It’s an infinity symbol on my wrist. One of my best friends and I got the same one together, and it was my first tattoo. I know it’s a crazy jump from one tiny tattoo to a full back piece, but I had to start somewhere! To me this symbol represents infinite possibilities, and it’s there to give me hope, and spark some optimism.

 

3) Do you plan on getting more?

I would love to get more. The next one I want is of a dream catcher, to remind me to follow my dreams and never give up. I’m also really interested in the idea of dream catchers. I want it to have phoenix feathers, to I guess, keep a theme, and I just adore phoenixes. I want to get it on my forearm just a little above the wrist. I also want to get one on my upper thigh. I think those are really cute. I just am not sure what I’d get there yet. I’m just not sure if I can handle any more pain! I’m not very tolerant of it.

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)?  Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos?

My friends love my tattoos. I get compliments on it a lot. I have very open-minded friends, and many of them have tattoos of their own, and they think it’s awesome I got such a huge, colorful one. I think many people were surprised I went through with it because I’m not very outgoing! My parents weren’t exactly sure how they felt about it when I first told them my idea and showed them my sketch, and honestly, I didn’t really think I would get one this huge. It just happened. When my tattoo artist, Josh, drew up the sketch and place it on my back, I knew I had to get it the way it was. He even asked me if I wanted to shrink it, but I felt it was perfect, and curved well with my back. My mom began to love it after I got the outline and my dad liked it, every time I got more done, they’d want to see it.  They still think it’s a waste of money, but they think it’s beautiful, and I’m really glad they do, because I love it so much. I haven’t run into any negativity. People just don’t understand why I’d undergo the pain sometimes, but it doesn’t bother me, because sometimes, I’m not sure why. I get plenty of compliments though. Older ladies really love my tattoo because it’s so colorful and vibrant. I do have a boyfriend. He does not have any, but he likes mine. He’s an open-minded guy, and that’s what’s so great about him. I got my tattoo when I was with him, and nothing has changed. I don’t think he’ll ever get one, and that’s ok, I can get some for the both of us.

5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

I guess, just really think about it, I mean REALLY think about it. I asked myself so many times, will I still like this in 10 years? 20 years? 30 years? Etc? My answer of course was always yes. I just thought, hey, I’m going to be the bad ass grandma with a back tattoo, that sounds amazing. It is a beautiful piece of art. Think about why you want the tattoo? Does it mean anything? Could you ever regret it? Also, think about the placement of your tattoo, can you cover it when you need to? I don’t know, there are many factors, and mine was pretty well thought out, and it took me a while to actually do it. Also, I’m not going to lie, it hurts, but you feel this incredible feeling when it’s finished. I was so happy when it was done. I am so happy everytime I look at it. Just think about it for a while and don’t get something you won’t still love in 50 years! Also, and this is important, research different artists, find portfolios of their work and get some opinions before getting one. The artist can be the difference between a good or a bad tattoo. It took me a while to decide on my artist, and in the end, I am completely satisfied.

Sakura Bloom Styleathon

I am so excited to share some exciting news with all of you! Today marks the beginning of the Sakura Bloom Styleathon, where I'll be participating in a Baby Wearing Style Documentary along with James of Bleubird Vintage, Joanna of A Cup of Joe, Jen of Jen Loves Kev, Elizabeth of The Littlest, Natalie of Nat the Fat Rat, Melisa of The Lil Bee, Sharmadean of The London Momma, and Aura of Aura Joon. 

Sakura Bloom recently sent me a couple slings, and I have to tell you guys how much I LOVE them. They're by far my most favorite carrier and Henry's honestly never been happier or more comfortable.  They actually sent a baby wearing expert out to our home to give me a private little lesson on the slings, and since then he's been in it everywhere we go. I'll be talking a lot more about Sakura Bloom over the next month, but I have to say how neat it is to be involved with a company, a mission, and a project that I truly stand behind.

This is going to be so fun!

From the introductory post this morning over on Marvelous Kiddo:

"Beginning now and extending over the next couple of months, I will be the hostess, here on Marvelous Kiddo, of the first-ever Sakura Bloom Styleathon. Follow along with nine of the most influential, trend-setting women in the blogosphere (and their babies!) as they fire up their fashion savvy and compete to style the most fabulous, original outfits around Sakura Bloom slings and key wardrobe pieces. Here's the really fun part, and where you come in: the Styleathon is a unique, interactive event designed to spread the love to our readers, with frequent opportunities to win the same items featured by your favorite bloggers!"

There's so many more details over on Marvelous Kiddo, so hop over there and check it out!

A day of firsts!

Yesterday was a big day in the world of Henry.  He has his first swim class and did so well!  It's a 6-week class at our local YMCA, and it basically teaches them the basics, and what to do if they happen to fall into a pool or body of water. The instructor's baby was a little older then Henry, and when her Mom put her in the water she knew to flip on her back and float. It was pretty amazing, and even when she was put into the water face down so flipped right over. Henry just started and has a long way to go, but it makes me so happy that we're starting his early. We spend a lot of time on the water, whether it be in the ocean, on the houseboat, or in the pool, so it's really important to us that he's comfortable.  It was also really fun and I think he really liked the songs and games. I can't wait until next week.
















Henry also tried his first food, and we gave him the Earth's Best brown rice cereal mixed with breast milk. We gave it to him before his last feeding before bed, and he was a little fussy to begin with, so I think tonight if we time it better it should go a little more smoothly. He took about three bites but then wasn't too into it.  This was the very first food he's ever had, and it was pretty adorable to see him try and figure out what the heck it was.  In the video below you'll see that he doesn't really know whether to laugh or cry. Adorable. We are planning on doing the cereal for a couple of weeks, then transitioning into single vegetables. Yay Henry!
 

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 6/Home Sweet Home

Welcome to week number six!  This week's wonderful guest poster is the gorgeous and talented Mandi.  Mandi is one of those girls that could have written on any one of these topics, but lately I've really been admiring both her lovely home and her design aesthetic, so what better person to talk about making your environment a great place to be?  Mandi inspires me on a daily basis and I always find myself eagerly clicking on whatever she posts- I know that when I leave her blog I will always be filled with a sense of happiness, and of course, inspiration!  If you don't already read "Here's Looking at Me, Kid," then I suggest you hightail it over there...after reading her awesome contribution though- I know you'll love it!  Thanks again, Mandi.

Hello friends! I'm Mandi, from Here's Looking at Me, Kid, and I'm so honored to be a part of Danielle's 8 Weeks to a Better Me series. Making home a wonderful place to live is a great passion of mine, and sort of a necessity that goes along with living in Northeast Ohio. (Spending 6 months of the year inside can be a bit rough if you don't like your home). Danielle asked me to share some ideas for beautifying your living space, so I've put together three great tips on ways you can make your home a better place to live.

1. Don't buy or keep anything you don't love.

This one can be a tricky rule, when you factor in gifts from well-meaning family members, personal indecisiveness, and the original cost of said item. I adhere pretty strictly to this rule, but I do leave things in my home that are of absolute functional necessity. These things are called "place holders." You might not like it, and you're looking for something better to replace it, but in the meantime you just gotta have something to serve the function.

That being said, keep things personal. I like to have family heirlooms, things made by my family, and things of sentimental value out for display. I might not have selected it for my home had it not been made by someone I love, but I like it, and more importantly, someone I really love made it. So it's more likely to make the cut.

2. Start small.

Choose one room and tackle it! Transforming your space into your dream home really doesn't take a lot of money (take it from my personal penny budget), but it does take a lot of motivation and attention to detail. It can be really overwhelming to look at your home, not really like it, but also not know where to begin. My best advice is to start with one room, or even a corner of a big room, and start thinking about how you envision it to look. Browse home tours on blogs like Design Sponge and Apartment Therapy for inspiration, if you're lacking any, and then start getting rid of things you don't like or need (excluding placeholders, as mentioned above). Start a pinterest or, if you use Google Reader, star some favorite home decor images so that you can hone in on design elements that you really and truly love.

Sometimes paint can make a great difference. I personally love the fresh feel of white space, and while my apartment walls are off-white, I really wish I could paint them all a bright snowy white. My landlord did consent, however to my painting our kitchen cabinets white. The room didn't need much more than that, just a few cute thrifted accessories to make it feel happy and pretty.

3. Don't neglect function.

It's pretty easy to get wrapped up in prettifying your home, that you might overlook organization and function. For instance, if you have a lot of makeup, perfume bottles, hair brushes, and other things that take part in your morning routine, it's easier to keep them out on your dresser. But it's even easier for them to get out of control. I don't like to keep these things in drawers (out of sight, out of mind), because the drawers just get unmanageable and things wind up getting lost or forgotten. So I like to find little trays at the thrift store to corral everything together. They might all still be out in the open, but grouping them together looks a lot neater.

Also, if you are a crafter, an artist, or have children, please don't live in years of denial, like I did. I used to think that I could stow everything away in a closet, but that just resulted in either me not crafting, or crafting and being too overwhelmed by the mess to clean it up in a timely manner. Now, I have turned a corner of my living room into a crafting area. I hung up a pegboard wall so I can easily get things out and put them away. The desk I found for the space has plenty of drawers to keep the not-so-pretty items. I am not a girl who can't function (in a tidy fashion) using a desk without drawers, so I would never buy one or fool myself into thinking it will work. (Sometimes really pretty desks will try to deceive you into thinking this is not so! Trust me.) If you're going to be engaging in specific activities (especially the cluttered kind), make sure there is a place to do so. It will not only save your own sanity, but your family's too!

If you're craving more tips and inspiration, you can check out the "home" category on my blog where I share how my personal space has transformed through the years, as well as where I share some links to articles I wrote for Apartment Therapy.

1. Our dining room has been on my mind for weeks and week. There are a few small projects that I need to finish in there, but I keep getting overwhelmed when I think about all of the other things I need to do too. So, I'm going to take Mandi's advice and start small. I'm going to just focus on one room at a time, and this week it's the dining room!

2. I love what Mandi said about not keeping anything you don't love. I've already half-tackled that with my closet, but there are still some other areas of our home I could edit a bit. So, this week will "purge anything I don't love" week. Ahem, junk drawer!

3. And finally, I'm going to focus on getting up our family photo wall in the hallway. We had it up before but it could have looked better, so I took it down to redesign it. It's been months now and it's time for me to get on the ball. That hallway made me so happy when we had photos up, and I'm looking forward to getting it right this time!

How about you? What are you going to do to make your living space even more wonderful this week?