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8 ♥able items from Anthropologie

By on May 18, 2012 in friends, IRLOMashup, your adventures, ♥ l.o.v.e.

Source: anthropologie.com via tico♥tina on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via tico♥tina on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via tico♥tina on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via tico♥tina on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via tico♥tina on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via tico♥tina on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via tico♥tina on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via tico♥tina on Pinterest

why are we talking about Anthropologie today? well, because the founding member of the IRLO Mashup Team Garden, Nina, of the French Series is weighing in on her dream today. and I love it!

(how awesome is it that Nina carried the theme of the card into her picture!)

So I had this dream ever since I could remember:to become a fashion designer. A good one. Then life took its twists and turns and little by little this passion faded away. I realized the world of fashion could be too hectic for me and perhaps not exactly what I need. In fact I used to be such an hyper active person, always running about, working a lot, doing, creating, juggling everything, going crazy. I came to France and the first year I did NOTHING. It was so hard to do nothing! Then my petite princesse came and I did “nothing” again for another year, professionally speaking. Now I find myself at the verge of two worlds where I need to, I have to do something, yet not get as hectic as before, I could not follow that pace anymore. My dream transformed itself into one of having a boutique, but not just a fashion boutique since I discovered so many other passions: photography, painting, interior design, papercards, writing etc. Do you know the Anthropologie store? I want one like that, on a smaller scale perhaps. It’s a place where I would go to detend, enjoy, enjoy and enjoy, everything. I started a logo, a name, a concept. All I have to do is start to work on it! I even started blogging to motivate myself… :)

I can’t wait to see Nina’s store, how about you??? let’s support her in her new adventure!

her IRLO Mashup profile is here.

don’t forget to check out our pinterest board to see new members when they are added!

Comments { 2 }

if I close my eyes and make a wish will fairies come and check off my to do list?

By on May 17, 2012 in help!, stuff we do, ☢ rants

because I could seriously use some fairies about now…

I thought while I was waiting for the fairies to show up I would come on here and tell you about my to do list. I promise that it will make your day at least 2% more interesting.

1. we are on a quest towards minimalism. it is freakishly harder to get there than I wish it was. as in, time consuming! I wanted to make a “30 days to” but I don’t want it to take that long!!! it is, however, sort of inevitable I think. the sleeping room probably has another day of optimization left. and meanwhile, we live in quite non-optimal surroundings… (we haven’t yet even started on the other 4 rooms)

2. I NEEEEEEEEEEEEED to organize, sort, delete, systemize all of our files, pictures, videos…………………………….. because we really can’t keep just buying another external hard drive every time we run out of room. and I’m battling all of my drives trying to be in the red zone right now. UUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

3. I need to track down whatever happened to the picture scanner we bought while in Costa Rica. it wasn’t here when we arrived. soooooo where is it? do YOU have it?!

4. we have various client projects to follow up on. nothing horribly urgent, thank goodness, but all there in my head adding weight. and oh yeah, have to set up two in-person meetings. those always take more time…!

5. we really need to finish our Kaleidoscope site makeover because the portfolio section which already needed to be updated lost all but one picture for each project in the transfer. #headache

6. we need to finish sorting out the details of our self-service sites for Kaleidoscope (Premium Webspots)

7. we need to keep working on our Beauty of One site because it’s currently too confusing and etc. etc. I need to go through all the work that Krista has started and refine it and put it up on the site.

7.a I have a TON of pictures/textures/etc. that need to be sorted and uploaded for stock photography, etc. hopefully develop a little side income there…

8. I need to order new sets of BlankCanvas cards. but I hate ordering, so maybe I could bribe Krista into doing that for me… hmmm.

9. I need to order t-shirts.

10. I need to know where the money is going to come from for above said ordering.

11. speaking of money, we ended up having to get an extension for our taxes because things were just too crazy right around the time that we had procrastinated up until and so yeah, we still have to do those. #timesimnotsureifdeathwouldntbeabetteroption

12. I need to update our Beauty of One social media

13. I need to do at least 10 things for the project related to the trip we are hoping to go on this summer. I need to blog about that also. because I hate when people are vague as much as you probably do.

14. I need to make a very last minute flyer for our church’s youth pastor woohoo! did that in a half an hour

15. I need to make more IRLO Mashup updates and schedule at least 3 more introduction posts = time consuming.

16. I need to figure out what we are having for supper because we need to go grocery shopping. I don’t remotely want to go anywhere today.

17. there is yard work that is being completely ignored. because we can only do so much.

18. there are about 15 things on my church secretary to do list.

19. I want to make a bunch of updates on THIS site.

20. I really want to be the kind of friend who celebrates people on their birthday and checks in with people during the week and all of that. but I can’t right now and it kills me! I recently missed even wishing my friend, Althea, a happy birthday, and that makes me sad. it wasn’t that I didn’t think of her around her birthday, it was just that things happened.

21. obviously there are lots of things we should be doing with our kids. Maeve needs to learn to read better. you know, simple, basic things that are kind of important for success in life.

well. that is a small picture of why I am feeling stressed out today. there are easily 10 more things that I want to do and lots of ways the above things could be broken down into lots of little things. everything just takes so. much. longer. thank it should take!

YES we want to simplify our lives, but getting to the simple is an annoyingly long process! and of course there’s always that whole money factor in there. can’t forget that.

having a huge to do list is just rather paralyzing. I regularly pray that if the work we are doing is not in line with what God has for us that he would show us and direct us in the right way. I feel like he is doing that, but it is scary and we have no idea what it ultimately looks like, so we just keep bumbling along one day at a time. sometimes I think he lets us get pushed to the breaking point so that we will be ready for the next thing that he has for us. we’re there, God, we’re there!

I just want to do this again!

Comments { 5 }

did someone say PRIZES???

By on May 17, 2012 in giveaways, HA! ☺, IRLOMashup

normally I would stay at a girls’ night until the last people are leaving to make sure that I don’t miss anything FUNNY, but I made sure to come home tonight to try to finish this post up before my midnight – because I really try to stick to my word! I had a lot of great laughs mixed in with the deep conversation tonight, though, so it’s ok :) from insecurities to predestination to blind spots in relationships… we cover a lot of ground, let me tell you, lol.

ANYway, we’ve been LOVING the creativity you guys have been putting into your pictures for the IRLO Mashup! YOU are what makes this such a fun process. I regret that I haven’t been able to be as active in visiting all of your blogs and doing more faster as I had very much HOPED, but that is for another post titled “Blogging #FAIL!” (which I’ve been wanting to write for a while now…) (and I feel like Kelly from Houtz House Party with all my capitalized words today! hehe)

we all have a lot on our plates and we do what we can, right? hopefully we can all extend grace to each other in the light of that, too :) (in this case, me, lol)

I have been super impressed with Katlyn of the Dreamy Meadow and her initiative and networking ability. she kinda came outta nowhere and made a big splash, hey? but she’s not afraid to reach out to people, and that’s a quality I’m attracted to! she’s done an awesome job rallying her team. we didn’t even originally intend for people to have to make their whole team themselves, but Katlyn saw that it seemed to be easier to get people on board that way and took initiative. LOVE initiative! Team Mr. Hottie has their own facebook group for team spirit and communication, guys… yep, that’s what I would have done :) and they are seriously killing it with social media building initiatives – have you checked out the blog angels program yet? good stuff!

the team named after Mr. D is not the only one of interest this week, either. Team Menagerie/Playground almost had an arrest on their hands when Brooke from Covered in Grace tried to take some apparently illegal pictures…???

yeah, I really want to know WHAT this is about, too
let’s stalk her blog until she posts the story, k?

we’ve got some great characters in this race, people. makes me laugh!

ok, on to part of what you’ve been waiting to find out. I mean, we mainly want to emphasize the fun and networking aspect of this race, but what would it be without a little incentive? not that bragging rights aren’t sorta cool… :) so, some of the other things up for grabs include:

(sorry, the frame is not included with the print and the shirt won’t look exactly like that, since they’re not printed yet, but I’m pretty sure the cards will be a new batch from some of our Costa Rica adventures!)

AND

something from the shop of our very own, the lovely,
Mariah of Thee Fire Wife, mud running beauty queen

one of her ahmahzing bags! {clickety-click the pic to visit her shop!}

and this is the part where I let you know that anyone is welcome to sponsor part of this big prize giveaway!

prize sponsors for teams (that means 10 of the same prize, since teams have 10 people) will get dedicated posts to introduce their product, blog, or site, as well as a code for a free medium (or large rotating) ad here on our site and your info listed on a prize sponsor page. of course we’ll personally follow and help promote you also.

obviously this sounds a little daunting at first, providing TEN prizes?!
but if you really think about it, it’s pretty doable.

what we would suggest is that ad space, shop credits, small digital gift cards to places like Amazon or Target (so you don’t have the shipping cost), etc. are great options that add value to the prize pool and don’t break your bank in the meantime. you could even go together with another blog or shop and each pay in a little bit to share the cost as well as the spotlight. do you pick up what I’m laying down?

don’t forget there is also the individual creativity prize,
so individual items are welcome as well!
individual prize sponsors will be part of a group post and we’ll also follow and help promote you, obviously!

I don’t know, this is all a bit of an experiment and you guys are some very lucky guinea pigs :) woot!
(so feel free to make a suggestion if you’re feeling smart and stuff)

above all, we are very much enjoying getting to know everyone, so thank you!!!

don’t forget to go check out the IRLO Mashup info page to see the map updated every week!

Comments { 4 }

do you have the travel bug?

By on May 14, 2012 in friends, IRLOMashup, your adventures, ★ dreams

other cultures, other ways of life, open up our minds
and our understanding of ourselves.

I first caught the travel bug when I was seeing Mexico for the first time at the age of 12. it was only 2 weeks of my short life, but I felt like I could have lived there forever.

several years later as I traveled through Guam, the Phillippines, the Micronesian Islands, Hong Kong, and China on an exploratory trip with my dad the bug burrowed its way deep into my heart. as a 15 and then 16 year old girl living in the “small” (population, 600,000) town of Fuxin in the Liaoning province of China, I knew that I wanted to someday be able to return there with my future husband. (which we got to do for our first anniversary and he loved it!)

I’ve just met Rosie of Craftbotic who is the second member of the IRLO Mashup (the what?) Team Mr. Hottie, and she is from the UK, which is another place that would be quite awesome to add to my roster of travels someday!

Rosie grew up as a tomboy but she now understands the more traditional girlish dream of marrying her prince charming :)

Most girls dream about their wedding from when they have been read those first fairy stories….I never really dwelled on the idea. I didn’t play with dolls or put on my mum’s clothes. I liked playing in mud and with my brother’s Thundercat toys! 25 years later and I’m not married, but really hope to be one day and more specifically to my gorgeous boyfriend. We have a few obstacles in our way: living in different countries being the biggest. So my absolute dream is to live in Germany with my boyfriend, to find a job teaching in an International School and speak fluent German so I can make friends and talk to his family properly. Then I want babies, lots of his babies….ooo and I want to be able to bake like his mum, travel the world and keep learning everyday. It’s a good job I believe that dreams come true and know that when it eventually happens, it will be treasured that little bit more than if it had all been given to me on a plate. So keep your fingers crossed for me. Rosie xx

I know how hard it is to be separated from your love by many, many miles, and I am excited for when Rosie will be able to make this dream come true!

go check out her IRLO Mashup profile here!

we’re in the middle of a HUGE house mess from some sorting and rearranging we are doing, but I’m hoping to start getting some prize info up on Wednesday! keep the creativity coming, guys!

Comments { 1 }

hey four-eyes, I’m talking to YOU!

By on May 13, 2012 in sponsored, tips & tidbits

yeah, I’ve been a little four-eyes since I was the ripe old age of 7, and Mr. D has been wearing glasses since he was 12 or 13. this obviously means that we have plenty of scary pictures like this of our childhood floating around.

we certainly have hope that someday we will be able to afford lasik, but until then we are blind without contacts or glasses.

there are a few things that drive me batty about glasses, probably the most annoying of which being that I can’t just go directly from wearing them into contacts without having a dizzy indent in my nose from where the glasses used to be!!! I have to plan my day thinking how long before we’re going somewhere that I will need to put in my contacts if I don’t want to wear my glasses. LAME.

another thing that is frustrating is trying to figure out which eyeglasses actually look good on me, let alone staying remotely in style. (unfortunately that ship has sailed and I’m not that fond of swimming) but I always love when I can try glasses on virtually!

I was recently introduced to GlassesUSA.com and they have one of the better systems I’ve seen; it’s called the Virtual Mirror. I decided to help Mr. D try out some glasses. he doesn’t know about it until this is posted, so I’m sure he’ll be super impressed with my choices for him, LOL :)

dglasses1dglasses2dglasses3
it’s kind of addicting to see what people look like in different styles!

how sweet is it that you can try glasses on right here on our site?!

but you know what’s even more awesome??? I’ve got CODES for you!!!
if you’re looking for cheap glasses, how can you really go wrong?!

Take 50% off any pair of prescription eyeglasses/sunglass frames, plus free shipping.
Code: SPRING50FS

Take 10% off any order of prescription glasses.
Code: Blog10

now I’d better go check my eyeglasses prescription to see when I need it renewed!

Comments { 11 }