{366} Week 20

{Day 134} 05.13.2012
Mom's Annual Disposable Mother's Day Dinner Party

{Day 135} 05.14.2012
New Software <3

{Day 138} 05.15.2012
This person's hair kept touching my purse and iPad. Eeeeeewwww!

{Day 139} 05.16.2012
The Washington Street bridge on my way home from a networking event

{Day 140} 05.17.2012
A Sausage Tree at the Beer Under Glass at the Garfield Conservatory #forreals

{Day 141} 15.18.2012
Coast Guard Boats with semi-automatic weapons ready to cap some protestor ass.

{Day 142} 05.19.2012
Mattress as a Sandwich Board + Air Guitar = Bitchin'

{Day 142} 05.19.2012 - BONUS!
Andy totally jazzed over the new bags he bought for AR's lake house.

{Week 19} 366

{Day 127} 05.06.2012
The previous owners of AR's vacation house invented a weight-loss drug that a certain government agency wouldn't approve. They've renamed it and now sell it out of a gas station.

{Day 128} 05.07.2012
I forgot to take a photo-a-day pix and then remembered after I woke up on the couch just before midnight. I snapped this fog photo through the window on my way to bed. #fineartphotography

{Day 129} 05.08.2012
Hooray! My new computer is in business! I felt naked without my Illustrator and Photoshop. I'm so eager to teach myself InDesign for work.

{Day 130} 05.09.2012
The light was spectacular this evening.

{Day 131} 05.10.2012
Preparing for Mother's Day W****t Style. This little guy held some super cute chevron earrings and a crisp $20 bill.

{Day 132} 05.11.2012
The surgery for my benign mass was an all-day affair, but super easy.

{Day 133} 05.12.2012
A handsome door at Queen of Angels Catholic Church.

Aunts and Godmothers Should Totally Get Mother's Day Gifts!

Ample Drops from Anthropologie

Triple-Stripe Necklace from J. Crew

Azalea Necklace from J. Crew

Crystal Venus Flytrap Necklace from J. Crew

Add caption

Golden Cabochon Bracelet from J. Crew

Park Guell Bib Necklace from Kate Spade

Resin Square Necklace from Tory Burch

Luggage Tag Charm Bracelet from Tory Burch

Resin Band Bangle

New Business Cards

I'm attending a free seminar on social learning next week and needed some business cards, as my work cards have an old name and company logo from three mergers ago. Since I primarily interact with internal employees, I really didn't think that people still used business cards. Then I attended an American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) conference in 2010 and spent three days writing my contact information on scraps of paper to enter contests and share with new friends.

I wanted something affordable with more substantial printing than my little Canon PIXMA printer. My name didn't fit in the adorable, but pricey, designs on Paper Source and Minted, so I checked moo.com during my commute home. Oh man! What a deal! The hardest part was reigning in my options. I finally went with these retro-ish asterisks that were stylish *and* somewhat applicable to communications and learning.

 

 

 

 

 

{Source, All Images: moo.com}

Gifts for a Woodsy Wino

As you probably guessed from last week's 366 photos, Andy's Aunt Ruth bought a new vacation home in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Lucky her! (And us, huh?) While she's embracing the log cabin theme with gusto, we couldn't resist getting her some fancy wine stuff to help her remember her roots!

I ordered some woodburned wine charms cut from a fallen spruce tree branch from Etsy seller, The Hickory Tree. I asked her to attach some silver rings for me to insert the charm loop. Then I picked up some earth-toned beads at Caravan Beads for embellishment. Each family member and a few of AR's "Wine Diva" friends received a charm.

My sister-in-law, April, looooves the bling, so her charm had some fancy crystals instead.

I packaged all of the charms in a sturdy gift box from Paper Source that could be left out on a counter for easy access.

That went into a box with an electric wine opener, a bottle of a family favorite wine for special occasions, and other accoutrement that are fun must-haves for any wine-lover on vacation. 

{366} Week 18

{Day 120} 04.29.2012

I haven't played with beads in ages. Such a calming activity for a Sunday night.

{Day 121} 04.30.2012

A surprise greeting to thank a good friend for a HUGE favor. 

{Day 122} 05.01.2012

Already?

{Day 123} 05.02.2012

Here come the sail boats!

{Day 124} 05.03.2012

The first glass of wine on Aunt Ruth's deck in the Northwoods.

{Day 125} 05.04.2012

Popping champagne to christen the maiden voyage on his dad's new boat on Aunt Ruth's lake. 

{Day 126} 05.05.2012
For "Northwoods Andy," sticking one's head under the faucet and styling your hair counts as "dressing for dinner." Northwoods Andy also wears khaki pants that he cut into tattered capris for a pirate costume a few years ago, as "why junk up good pants fishing?"