a pre-order deadline THIS WEEK. and a shop credit!

hey blogging friends. 

so apparently i have a more strict deadline than i thought with pre-ordering these adoption tee's
. 

chalk it up to nievity, not being a printing expert, etc. 

BUT 

here's where you can help. 

long story short...i need to place my pre-order with my printer for  tee's by the end of this week. 

that's soon!!

basically, to get a bulk discount, I need to order the tee's in a quantity of 50 or more, which i'd really like to be able to do, because that means we are able to put that much more to our adoption fund. 

so, that means i need 20 more t-shirt orders by this friday. 

can you help a sister out?

also as added incentive, everyone that buys a tee this week (and has already bought) will be entered to win a $25 shop credit to my love is rising etsy shop! ! 

we are so close to hitting our goal of t-shirts ordered, but aren't quite there, so this week is key for us.

i will keep you updated on how this week goes.

and if any of you want to blog, FB or tweet about this and our deadline, i would appreciate it greatly.

i hope you don't think i'm being too in your face right now, but we have a need we are trying to meet. :) 

and
  
you guys have been so supportive with our whole adoption process, that i thought i would put things out there and be honest with where we're at with these guys. 

so, if you want a cute tee and are looking for a way to support our adoption fund, this week is the time to pre-order friends. 

here they are again for your viewing pleasure: 

 

let's do this! thanks for your support! 

remember, all pre-orders need to be in by Friday of this week.

and just to be clear, yes, you can still order tee's after the pre-order has ended. BUT, this pre-order push really does help me order more tee's up front, get a bulk discount, and save more for adoption. 

let me know if you have any questions!  

click here to purchase. 

and the winner is...

according to the lovely random.org

the winner of some super cute handmade cards with callmeblessed

is...

congratulations katrina!! 

email me to claim your winnings. 

happy weekend everyone!

p.s. adoption news coming next week! get excited. :) 

embrace the ever lovin' camera

happy thursday friends. 

here are a couple photos i LOVE from our recent family shoot. 

my sis took us out and got some great images for our adoption portfolio. 

chanks for stopping by.

t-shirts hotdogs and adoption.

So, you know the t-shirts they shoot out of hotdog guns in the summer at baseball games? 

Just picture it. you're at a Royals game (or fill in your team name.) 

and then they announce they're bringing out the big guns, literally. 

and people get way too strangely excited about this process. 

some team mascot comes out with a hotdog gun and shoots tee's into the crowd. 

tee's that are XXL. 

tee's that are made of 100% polyester. 

tee's that will end up as an oil rag when you get home. 

well, this t-shirt announcement is nothing like that! 

it's kinda exactly the opposite. 

my brilliant friend heather has helped me come up with two SWEET, whimsical, soft, organic, quality v-neck tee's that we're selling to help with our adoption costs. 

Check these babies out. The design is killer. (chanks Heather) and the tee itself is soft, cuddly and grabs you in all the right places ;) 

my vision was an Urban Outfitters type tee and i think we hit the nail on the head. 

Enough describing, take a look. You have TWO to choose from:

OR

Now, just click on this here link and go buy yourself one, and rest assured you'll get a sweet v-neck tee, that's going to help bring our babes home! 

and maybe your mom or bf needs one too...

p.s. keep in mind this is a pre-order, so thanks for being patient with shipment time. shirts will ship the 3rd week of june.

hooray! something to look forward to getting in the mail.

the best freakin' taco's i've ever had.

i don't even like taco's. 

and here's the best recipe ever for them! 

i think the secret is in the homemade seasoning and shells. 

enjoy! 

adapted from Cooks Illustrated 

Ingredients

• Beef Filling
• 2teaspoons vegetable oil or corn oil
• 1 small onion , chopped small (about 2/3 cup)
• 3medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2tablespoons chili powder
• 1teaspoon ground cumin
• 1teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt
• 1pound 90% lean ground beef (or leaner)
• 1/2cup tomato sauce
• 1/2cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1teaspoon brown sugar
• 2teaspoons vinegar (preferably cider vinegar)
• Ground black pepper
• Shells and Toppings
• 8 taco shells (warmed according to package instructions), or Home-Fried Taco Shells (see related recipe)
• 1cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces), or Monterey Jack cheese
• 2cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 2 small tomatoes , chopped small
• 1/2cup sour cream
• 1 avocado , diced medium
• 1 small onion , chopped small

Instructions

1.  Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, spices, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
   
   
   
   Add ground beef and cook, breaking meat up with wooden spoon and scraping pan bottom to prevent scorching, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. (no photo here, thought that would be too yuck :)
   
   Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and vinegar; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking meat up so that no chunks remain, until liquid has reduced and thickened (mixture should not be completely dry), about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
   
   Using wide, shallow spoon, divide filling evenly among taco shells; place two tacos on individual plates. Serve immediately, passing toppings separately

To Make Your Own Shells: 

Grab some corn tortillas.  

Heat up some oil. Vegetable or canola oil will do. 

Now, lay the tortilla in the skillet. Shaping as you go. Use metal tongs! They're easiest. And I usually get my hubby to do this part, b/c i'm scared of hot oil. :)

Make as many as you'll need for dinner. Be sure to lay them on a plate with paper towel to soak up extra oil.

Gather your toppings and you're done! Yum!

 

the arts incubator.

our lovely friends, kyle and kathleen, got married this past winter 

and i got to shoot their wedding. 

their whole evening was full of amazing beauty. 

kathleen wore her grandmother's wedding dress 

(no alterations needed!) 

and she rocked it and looked stunning. 

their wedding was at the Arts Incubator in downtown KC. 

amazingly beautiful, and vintage and magical.

here is some of the evening for you to enjoy.

 

emerald city. and adoption.

here is a lovely i added to the shop last week and i'm just sharing on the blog. 

it's one of my favorites, but i think i might always be tempted to say that ;)

flying to emerald city- antique birds on a branch necklace with jade charm

remember this week you can get free shipping on your entire order  {until saturday}

by using the code: FREESHIPSWAG at checkout.

----------------------------------------------------------

and on another note...

i wanted to give you guys a quick adoption update. 

or really say, man we're still in the same place we were at a couple weeks back, we don't have any official news to announce yet. 

things should be coming together this week (fingers crossed, and by fingers crossed, i mean, we're praying) and we can't wait to tell you all about it when we know something solid. 

i promise i'm not trying to be evasive, or weirdly mystical about it all. but we really don't want to get ahead of ourselves and say things that aren't official yet. 

make sense? 

we hope we can share more with you really soon! 

a winter wedding and swag swap week.

here's a sneak peak at kyle and kathleen's wedding that i shot this winter. more images to come soon...

----------------------------------------------------

and on another note...

Swag Swap Week is here and YOU are going to want to check this out!

Swag Swap Week is where for one week participating indie shops get to swap their swag for other swag in participating shops!

a lot of blog readers have been wanting to participate even though they don't have a shop.

is this you??? (good news coming up!) 

we put our heads together and each shop is going to offer a discount, starting tomorrow, for swap week. 

i'm going to let my blogging friend, leonora, tell you more about what's going on during swap week! 

See something ya diggin? Well, you're in luck! The participating shops are offering coupon codes that will be active the week of the swap (this sunday, May 15th - May 21st) Thats 7 entire days to get some suh-weet savings! Check em out below (I know, squeal away)

 1. Leaf Cluch from aPearently Sew

(Score yourselves some cuties at 15% off by using SWAG15)

2. Gray & Yellow Ruffled DSLR Camera Strap Cover from Marine Parents (The Shop)

(All her goodies are 10% off! Use SWAG10 at check out)

3. Out To Sea Adorable Vintage Slate Flower Earrings from Love is Rising

(hate shipping fees? Use FREESHIPSWAG for free shipping!)

4. Happy Birthday Printable Banner from Paper and Pigtails

(10% off all your party printables with SWAG10)

5. Light Green and Polka Dot Wristlet by Boogaboo Handmade

(Nab some swag at 15% off using SWAG15)

6. Oh Dear Painting by Paint me a Picture

(Super Savings! Use SUPERSWAG at check out for 15% off!)

7. Partial Bow Headband by Lillypie Accessories

(Get some pretty little thangs at an extra 10% off with SWAG10)

8. Pleated Hobo Satchel in Natural by My Sunshine Handmade

(ya ready for this?! Ashley is offering 20% off the ENTIRE shop! Use SWAG20 at check out)

9. Plain Jane Earrings by Made by Jewls

(Awww Yeaah! 15% off your order by using SWAG15)

10. Come and Ruffle headband in Simply White by Come and Knock

(Come and Get 10% off your entire purchase with SWAG10)

ALSO YELLOW HEART ART IS PARTICIPATING IN THE SWAP!

Get some Art Prints and Necklaces at 10% off by using SWAG10 at check out!

you excited yet?

Post via Yellow Heart Art

yard sale magic.

remember that yard sale announcement i blogged about a couple weeks back?

well, it came and went this past week and it was a

smash hit!

we were completley wiped afterward, but are that much closer to funding our adoption! 

i forgot to take pictures, but the hubs stepped in with his iPhone and here is the way he saw the day...

getting ready with some annoying, attention getting flags. 

 london sampling the baby tunnel merchandise

our friends, the mcgee's, who stopped by in support and obviously left with some amazing things. 

thanks to all who came out and supported us and all who made donations!

thanks a million.

dear blog world friends, 

thank you! ! !

i made the cut as part of the top 25 mom shops out there in the blog/internet world. 

yeah~ 

i couldn't have done it without you.

i was nominated alongside some legit business ladies. 

 ladies that have had thousands of sales, fans and support.  

eek!!

This was such a fun experience for me. :)

 you can see the top 25 shops here. 

i encourage you to visit and be inspired!!

here's london's reaction when i told her we made top 25. 

 i'm excited, but keeping it under wraps.

ok. i just had to include a photo of her ;)

guest post- Mrs. Nato and the book mark

sounds like a fiction novel doesn't it??

if you don't know Mrs. Nato you should. she's hillarious, creative and drop dead sexy. ok, weird. but really she's beautiful. check out her blog here and show her some love. the Nato's have been a great support in our whole adoption process. in fact, Mrs. Nato was the original that encouraged me to blog and here i am...trying to walk in the footsteps of the great...like Nato. so, i know your waiting anxiously...here's the DIY guide by Mrs. Nato. 

book paper book mark

for all you slackers out there, this could be a last minute mother's day gift...

ok, so we'll make a flower with book paper. i've made this flower before...a million times. once here and once on a pillow. so you can go there for a more in depth tutorial.

i forgot to take a pick of my hot glue gun too. but you'll need that as well. so numero uno: gather materials.

my fabric backing is a really stiff fabric...you might opt for cardstock/cereal box cardboard if you don't have some sturdy fabric.

so you'll put your flower together using your half circles you cut out. start with 4 big half circles, then layer in the rest. there's no perfect way to do this...just experiment. you'll be fine.

i put a couple of buttons in the middle of mine

then glued the flower onto the "stem".

now, the bookmark would be cute like this. but then i put a piece of ribbon in the middle and sewed the edges.

then booya, you're awesome.

self portrait + baby= difficult

happy thursday. 

and embrace the camera day. 

here is lon's and i.

taken on my phone, while trying to get both of us in the shot, while trying to get london to stay still :)

and did you notice? 

i changed a ton of things on my blog this week. 

what cha think? 

please my lovely followers come out of the woodwork and share your feedback. your {nice}feedback, that is. 

like it?  

a night of whimsy.

wow. it's been a busy week.

hints the lack of posting.

i want to share something truly magical with you.

one of my best friends, ashley, had her 30th birthday party last week.

she has always dreamed of having a magical party for her 30th, full of fun and whimsy. 

here are some images from that night that show our evening together as friends.

words CANNOT describe the beauty and whimsy of this night.

it was SO magical. hope you enjoy.

all images were taken by the uber talented alec vanderboom.

                love you ash.

                      hope you had a wonderful birthday. full of whimsy, love and magic.