handmade:modern by elizabeth rosemond (the blog)

the aftermath

This sweet little window sits in the hallway between the front door and my studio. I love it so much that I've filled the windowsill with some of my very favorite things: a photo of me and my mom in 1976, a ceramic fleur de lis ornament (given to me by my mother-in-law), my favorite vase and an antique antique metal frog (which holds a Kenner Road card and another favorite photo from the '70s).

This is the only window in the house without blinds. So when the tornado sirens were blaring yesterday, this is where I stood. I don't really know what I was looking for; perhaps some sort of indication that the tornados were truly heading our way (the sirens really should have been enough).

We had a tornado scare last year, but yesterday was different. Yesterday, I found myself home alone with the little ones (my husband was keeping his students safe at work and my teenager was taking shelter under a lab desk at school). Yesterday, the three of us spent an hour in the closet under our stairs (I'm so thankful that I keep their extra games and toys in there). Yesterday, I made a mental note to profusely thank Lauryn's preschool teacher for preparing my West Coast baby girl how to handle herself during a "tomato" warning; my girl had her flashlight ready ("Mama, it's tomato time!") and didn't stand up once in that closet.

Yesterday, those tornadoes came super close (reminder = we live in Plano):

This photo was taken about 45 minutes before we took shelter in the closet. By that time, the yellow areas had Plano surrounded on two sides.

Yesterday we dodged a bullet. Yesterday, in many ways, the Dallas/Fort Worth area dodged a bullet. To have 6 to 12 tornadoes touch down without a single life lost (as of this morning)? Amazing.

Many thanks to all of our friends who checked in with us to make sure we were safe.

Today our thoughts and prayers go out to those who must begin rebuilding.

xo,

e

project life | february 2012 | part two

Hello April!! We have enjoyed a weekend of  gorgeous weather here in Dallas. I'm currently parked at the kitchen table watching the Women's NCAA Final Four (Corey is playing with the littles upstairs), so I thought this was the perfect time to share the rest of my Project Life for February :)

Can you tell this was the week of Valentine's Day? I had so much product in my stash that I was dying to use on this spread, but I don't even think I made a dent!

LOVE card in top photo from Jamaica's shop (I also included her cute invoice/thank you note). Pink heart is from Paper Source. 

Some close friends of ours welcomed their first baby (after years of trying) on Valentine's Day so I knew little Taigen had to be included this week :)

I also had a few inserts this week:

 

Corey gave me a sweet Snoopy card ( I love Snoopy!). On the other side is the front of a card Lauryn made at school. The grapes are her little thumb prints :)

This is a cute heart Lauryn made at school. On the backside (I forgot to take a photo) is her signature. Love that!

I think this speaks for itself! This was the beginning of the longest three weeks in history. In the top right corner pocket is my prescription slip from Walgreens. You'll be seeing a bunch of these in late February and March.

The weather was nice and I started to feel a little better. Picked up a book at the library (which inspired the TV series "GCB"). Worst.book.ever.

Full spread (sorry for the glare).

I took little Michael to the library for the first time (he didn't care about the songs or stories, but he loved the bubbles afterward) and Miss Lauryn fell ill with a sinus infection. I felt well enough to take the kids to the playground at our favorite grocery store and for a Shamrock Shake (I swear they used to taste so much better). Took some photos of Lauryn in her new Harajuki Mini dress before she headed to school to take her official school photo.

One insert this week (President's Day related):

...and the best part:

Priceless!

That's it for February. I've definitely fallen a little behind on March. I'm refuse to give up, but I think I might have to re-think my workflow.

Have a great night!

xo,

e

Not familiar with Project Life? Learn more here. Check out all of my Project Life posts here: 2012 | 2011 

 

fever!

It definitely isn't fun when one of the kids is sick. I think it's worse, however, when one isn't quite sick but has an unexplained fever of over 100 degrees.

Over 100 degrees = no school.

So that has been the story here. Miss Lauryn has been sick enough to stay home from school for the past two days, but not nearly sick enough to sit still. Yeah.

This morning we entertained ourselves playing percussion instruments in the kitchen:

This afternoon, since it was warm, we spent a few minutes outside pulling weeds smelling the flowers (yes, still in pajamas - no judging):

I'm sure she'll be feeling better tomorrow.

There's no school tomorrow, of course. It might be time to buy a few more pot lids :)

xo,

e

 

project life | february 2012 | part one

Happy Friday everyone! It's gorgeous day in Dallas and we're gearing up for a weekend with temps in the low 80s. YES! Grilling and salad-making are definitely in my immediate future. Before I get too busy, I wanted to pop in and share the first half of my Project Life for February :)

After editing all of these photos, I realized that blogging about Project Life on a monthly basis makes for massive blog posts! From here on out, I'll break each month up into two posts. You probably remember that I'm not working on this project on a weekly basis (too stressful!), so this is what is working for me.

The title page this month is from the bottom of the February Anthro catalog (click on photos to see them a little larger).  

I wanted to be sure to document Whitney Houston's death, but I also wanted to keep the mood somewhat positive. I downloaded some album art, then used a Smash journaling page to document my 5 favorite Whitney songs :)

Right in the middle of the period was A Day in the Life. I wanted to keep things super simple, so I just used my iPhone for every photo (my DSLR was in the shop anyway). The entire day is now documented and is nestled in the middle of this week:

I simply used 2 of Becky's Design F Page Protectors, which are awesome for iPhone photos (it looks like they're sold out until late April; see all of Becky's products here).  I cut off the very last column of each one so that they'd be a little smaller than my normal protectors. The title page is a free dowload from Ali, which can be found here.

I'll share the rest of February early next week. Right now, I have two little people in desperate need of baths after playing outside this afternoon!

Have a great night :)

xo,

e

 

 

 

 

 

Not familiar with Project Life? Learn more here. Check out all of my Project Life posts here: 2012 | 2011 

project life | december 2011

 Hello! As I mentioned earlier this year, I'm playing a little catch up with Project Life 2011. I started with December and I'll be working my way back to June (I think I completed May, but I'm not sure).

December came together rather quickly since many of the photos + words already exist in my December Daily album.

 

Super simple spread showcasing a little holiday decor/projects and teacher gifts for Lauryn's preschool.

Ah, my awesome trip to Seattle!  Eating, partying, visiting friends and kissing babies were the themes of the week. I also had an insert (artwork by the 6 year old daughter of one of my closest friends).

Headed home from Seattle (view from my airplane seat); Anthro shopping; custom orders; december daily; arrival of my new Project Life goodies; arrival of my stepdaughter, followed by our road trip to New Orleans.

I love this spread so much - it's awesome to have more of the family in our album. The entire spread is dedicated to my mother-in-law's birthday dinner.

The final spread of 2011! The remainder of our holiday in New Orleans; a trip to the Dallas Aboretum with Lauryn (my girl loves her flowers); a very quiet New Years Eve :)

That's it folks! It's nice to know that Project Life 2011 didn't forget about me :)

Off to the Bar Method again. Have a great night!

xo,

e

 

 

 

Not familiar with Project Life? Learn more here. Check out all of my Project Life posts here: 2012 | 2011 

spring breakin'

This week is Spring Break in Texas (yup, most of the public schools in the state are on the same schedule)! Mother Nature isn't fully cooperating (it's warm but muggy and overcast), but I plan on enjoying myself.

Miss Lauryn went on a road trip with her dad, so I only have to care for one little person until Sunday (plus  a teenager who is mostly self-sufficient). To a busy stay-at-home mama, this feels like heaven. Espcecially since the child left behind takes 3 hour naps and sleeps over 12 hours at night :)

I have a thousand things to do in my free time:

• spend some one-on-one time with this little guy (who is sporting a brand new big boy haircut)

• organize and back up my photos (i've been meaning to do this for a long time)
• finish Project Life for February
• catch up on the 30 days of Lists project
• organize my side of the master bedroom closet
• go through some boxes in the garage (we've been in Dallas a year and I have a few boxes that I haven't opened. They must go)
• blog about Lauryn's 4th birthday before I forget all of the sweet little details :)
• catch up on season 2 of Luther (Idiris Elba shirtless? yes please!)
• do some reading. I currently have 3 books on my nightstand. I'm starting with this one. It has almost 500 pages, so I have no idea when I'll get around to reading the other two :)
• watch a ton of College Basketball. March Madness is upon us, folks. The women's tourney doesn't start until Saturday, so the men will have to entertain me until then.
• finish binding a stack of journals for the shop 

Right now, I'm rushing out the door to head to an evening class at The Bar Method. I usually go in the morning when Lauryn is in school, but I thought it would be nice to change things up a bit.

Have a great night!

xo,

e

project life | january 2012

Happy Thursday everyone! I'm popping in quickly to share my Project Life for January. I fell a little behind when I was sick, so I'm glad to have the first month of the year under my belt.

The girls headed back to school after their holiday break and life returned to normal :)

Michael and I went on a field trip to a local sanctuary with Lauryn's preschool class; I got a much needed morning at the nail salon; Lauryn ate her weight in cheese (again!); I found a "snake warning" sign on my morning walk.

I received some happy mail from Oprah; bought a ton of Martha Stewart's new labels (LOVE!); the Saints lost to the 49ers; my teenager left me some photobooth pics on my laptop; we had some amazing January weather

I wrote a letter to myself re: my weightloss/wellness journey (it's hidden behind my top left photo); thunderstorms; Michael and I both had sinus infections (which is why the second half of the spread is so sparse).

I also had an insert this week:

The theme of the week at Lauryn's school was the letter D. I had a serious fit of the giggles when this piece came home :)

Done and done! I'm currently plowing through February. How is your Project Life shaping up?

xo,

e

 

Not familiar with Project Life? Learn more here. Check out all of my Project Life posts here: 2012 | 2011 

since i've been gone:

• i've endured 2 rounds of steroids
• i took 2 rounds of 2 different antibiotics
• i experienced the worst sinus-related facial pain ever
• i turned 37
• michael turned 18 months
• we celebrated lauryn turning 4
• i completed project life for january (i just did this today, so i'm feeling successful) - photos to come
• lauryn played in her first 2 soccer games
• i saw one doctor, 2 nurses and a nutritionist
• dallas had some extraordinary weather (which ended today)
• we said goodbye to someone close to us
• i have not been to the bar method

Yeah, it's been a crazy few weeks. My strange cold turned itself into the worst sinus infection I've ever had (hence, the 'roids). HORRIBLE. Two weeks later I'm far from 100%, but I'm so grateful to be on the mend.

My to-do lists are bursting at the seams, so I'm going to take advantage of my newfound enegy and get off this computer!

I have a ton to share, so I'll be back soon :)

xo,

e

goals for the day | monday 20feb2012

• sit upright (vs. lay down) for the majority of the day
• give Michael his antibiotics without him spitting it out yelling "ca ca, yuck yuck"
• stop taking Mucinex D (I think it's making me itchy + scratchy)
• make sure one person changes out of their pajamas
• cut WAY back on the comfort foods (keeping in mind that I've just ordered pizza for lunch)
• make (+ consume) a green monster smoothie
• finish hand cutting fabric letters for a custom order (this is a reach. for sure)
• try not to be depressed about how much I've fallen behind on all of my projects
• do a load of laundry (this includes folding and putting away)
• take a shower
• get some fresh air

As you might have guessed - we are sick (and by we, I mean me + the two littlest Rosemonds). Michael has a sinus infection; Lauryn has developed a low-grade fever and a nasty cough (following her sinus infection of late January); I am slowly recovering from a horrible 5+ day virus (this is following my sinus infection of late January). 

To say I'm over it would be an understatement. 

I hope YOU are having a fantastic Monday.

xo,

e

happy valentine's day + giveaway

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

We're a fairly low key Valentine household but my husband is coming home early tonight, so I'm excited about that!

I wanted to share a few things I love today:

• My friend Stephanie has been sharing *love*ly things all month.  Check all of them out (Sweet Sadie's rainbow party and Elise's guest post yesterday are among my favorites)
• I adore Kal Barteski. Seriously. Her new project, LinkwithLove, is part of something pretty amazing today. Check it out. I'm all over it.
• I can't get enough of this song (guilty pleasure? just a tad. don't judge me!): 

• Lastly, my friend Marilyn at Pulp Sushi is hosting a sweet Valentine's Day giveaway today. Quite a few items are involved, including a Valentine edition of one of my best sellers:

       

       I'm also offering Marilyn's readers a special shop discount on their entire purchase. Check everything            out  here.