This and That (phone edition)

While prepping for Alt Summit (which starts tomorrow night) has taken a lot of my time lately, some other things have been going on too. 

I finally took a bunch of our lamps in for repair. I'm excited we'll have a bit more light in the living room again, and there's finally a lamp by the front door (we don't have overhead lights in the living room) so we don't have to stumble all the way to the dining room when arriving home in the dark. The repair guy even knocked out a dent in that metal shade so it looks better than it has the whole time I've had it. If you're in the Pasadena area, I highly recommend Pasadena Lighting for repairs.

I actually managed to bring a plant back from the verge of death! I may look a lot like my mother, but I definitely didn't inherit her green thumb. Since moving in here I've made some bold moves and purchased about fourteen plants. Four have died, and two are almost dead, but this little Kalanchoe is making a comeback! I'm now a little more optimistic for the fate of the others.

Last night was the big Alt bag packing night. I was up until about 3 this morning getting everything rounded up so I can head out for Salt Lake City later today. I'll be relieved when I'm in the car and on the road- all the planning and packing has worn me out. 

I've been trying to get some reading in lately, starting with this book the mister gifted to me at Christmas. If you have a blog, or are thinking of starting one (and you can't attend Alt, or even if you can) Blog Inc. is a great resource. Joy Deangdeelert Cho, from Oh Joy, has put together a ton of helpful information, as well as interesting interviews with a variety of bloggers that are a reminder that everyone started somewhere. 

The tangerines on the tree in our yard are finally ripe! It's been pretty amazing to be able to go pick fresh citrus a few steps away from our door. Add that one to the slowly expanding list of things I like about SoCal.  

So that's a bit of what's happening around here- what are you up to? I'll be heading out to SLC this afternoon, and as always, Instagram-ing along the way so find me there and follow along. If you're interested in keeping up on what's happening at Alt, I'll be tweeting the key things I learn from each session throughout the day- just follow me on Twitter, and follow the hashtag #altsummit to see what others are tweeting as well. If you'll be at Alt- please let me know, I'd love to meet up!

Things will be a little quieter than usual here this week, but I'll be back with a few more posts (not all Alt related).

See you soon!

This and That

Just a little of what's been happening around here...

Baking. I had terrible back pain all weekend, so when it let up a tiny bit on Sunday I decided to celebrate by making some cookies. Looking for a great chocolate chip cookie recipe? I use the Toll House recipe, but always add extra flour until the dough cleans the side of the bowl while you're mixing it. I like cookies to be crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and find the best way to get that is to pull them out just before they're done and let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Re-styling a few spots around the house. I've been working on a book mock up and needed some more photos so I found some things I hadn't photographed yet and went to work. I'm really enjoying seeing my interior photography skills improve. It's fun learning what works best.

Taking the New Year's decorations down. I was a bit sad to see it go, but the tissue was driving me a bit crazy whenever I walked past it. I realized I never mentioned my inspiration for this little entryway display- check out this beautiful wedding inspiration shoot that Michelle Edgemont styled and made all the decorations for. So many wonderful details.

Crafting. I always start new notebooks at the beginning of the year. This year I thought I'd take some classic black Moleskine notebooks and fancy 'em up. I love how they turned out and it was super simple to do. Want to make some of your own? All you need are the notebooks, this metallic tape, some scissors and an Exacto knife. Plan out your design (I lightly sketched mine on the notebook with a pencil), then apply the tape. For the triangles, just overlap the strips of tape, then use the Exacto knife and a straight edge to trim the overlap. Gently remove the cut pieces. If you plan carefully you can wrap the tape over the spine of the notebook and start a different pattern on the back. Such an easy project and the metallic tape is far more durable than gold leafing or paint. 

Posing. For that book I mentioned I figured I should have an updated 'about' photo. I had the mister take a few quick shots out in our yard. These are the outtakes- it was super windy that day and my new haircut was looking a little crazy, plus I can never do serious faces, silly faces are just more 'me'.

Planning outfits for Alt Summit. If you've ever been to Alt, or heard about it (apologies to anyone who follows me on Twitter- there have been a lot of #altsummit tagged tweets), you know that fashion is a big deal there. I'm definitely not as put together as many of the bloggers there, but I try to bring my 'A game'. My goal this year is to include several vintage pieces in every outfit, and though that isn't always easy when you're full figured, I definitely have some fun things and I'm super excited to be somewhere cold enough to justify a warm hat and mittens!

Gussying up my business cards. Speaking of Alt, another talked about aspect are the amazing business cards that are swapped. Last year I debuted the new G&H cards, which I still love, but I figured I'd do something a little bit fancier this year. I'll share the final product a little later, but here's a little peek. If you'll be at Alt, I'd love to meet you and swap cards with you! 

So that's what I've been up to- how about you?