merry merry! our christmas card!

our christmas card is always one of my favorite things to design each year. it takes months of planning and scheming to think about what silly getup/pose i can make pixel do. this year was challenging because we had to incorporate our newest member of the family, finnigan. and when we took this photo, finnigan had yet to learn basic manners. getting him to sit still for a split second was a challenge (and actually it STILL is!... 2 months later).

after lots of photos and some hysterical outtakes, we chose this as the best photo. the caption followed. (click to enlarge.)

last year's card. (i LOVE pixel's expression!) 

2010's card.

and 2009 (which was sent with a year's update from pixel). still one of my absolute favorite photos of pixel.

and with these, i am signing off until 2013. merry christmas! and thanks for following up with pixelimpress!

christmas in the house

so last night i got out our christmas decorations. we decided not to do a tree this year. we got spoiled with the most gorgeous, lush trees in seattle and can't find the same here in dallas. so we just decided to forego one this year. but that didn't stop me from making some pretty holiday vignettes around the house. my favorite thing... a bowl or vase of ornaments. oh, and poinsettias.

here's a pretty pink one with my mercury tree.
and i got a little practice time with my new macro lens.a little stove mantle holiday spirit.
my breakfast nook is mainly decorated in blues and green. my ornaments fit in perfectly!
mini stockings.i hope i don't regret hanging this mini cowbell.master bath holiday spirit.

i love our velvet stockings.
more macro practice. ornaments are the perfect subject!i also came across these
that we used in last year's christmas card photo shoot.pixel was kind enough (like she had a choice!) to sport them again last night for the camera.

our weekend

we had a busy weekend. saturday started with steve and a coupla guys (all of polish heritage) from work making pierogis at our house. it was a little surreal seeing these strapping men rolling out dough and filling it with their prepared stuffings. (you can click on this photo to see a slideshow of all photos enlarged.)
of course this gal wasn't far from the action, waiting patiently for scraps to fall.uh oh....what just happened in the football game?
the finished product. yum!while the pierogi making was happening, this showed up at the door.
about 3 months ago at a neighborhood planning party for halloween, we got off track and started discussing the christmas event. i nonchalantly volunteered steve to play santa, exclaiming that he would be PERFECT. things snowballed from there....
he's santa!we arrived fashionably late to the party to build anticipation. this little girl was too cute... she had her list all prepared for santa.that beard's a little ticklish.good job, honey! (and can you get over that sneak peek of my neighbor's christmas tree! it was sooo pretty.on sunday we went to a local nursery for some christmas decorations. i love poinsettias, especially white ones.
pretty wreath.
i'll show more photos of the decorations when i finish.

happy 4th!

steve came home wednesday from being in dallas for 4 weeks. yes, 4 weeks. we missed him. pixel especially. they're 2 peas in a pod. or 2 red haired beings on a sofa. you get the drift.
and now it's time for the holiday weekend! well, after i get caught up on orders from here. i'm swamped.

steve's sister and her family are enroute to our house for just an overnight visit. we're making these for dinner. have you ever tried them? what?!? you must.image via here

and then saturday we're hosting a cookout for a bunch of our favorite people. we want to use this space before we pass the house to new owners.

what are your plans for the weekend?

this little guy....

sits on a bench in our powder room. i painted him. awhile ago. while i was taking watercolor classes here. that was back when we lived in atlanta.
my mother-in-law coveted this painting and threatened to slip it into her suitcase on her last visit here. like i wouldn't notice it was gone. i made a mental note to paint one for her. it would look perfect in her newly redone bathroom where she wanted to hang it. i planned on painting it for last mother's day. didn't happen. planned on it for her birthday. it didn't happen. planned on it for a christmas gift. didn't happen. it was one week before this mother's day and i thought about it again. i already had the frame bought. i just had to sit down and paint it. and then i had a brilliant idea... do what other painters do. make prints of their original artwork! so off i went to have it scanned. it turned out beautiful. so much so that i made a print for my mother also. i framed my mil's in a dark aqua lacquer frame from pottery barn. and my mother's in a gold frame. and shipped them out last week. they loved them.

love is in the air

valentine's day is just around the corner. ok, the corner being 3 1/2 weeks. and as always, i've got your back. there's some cute stuff in the shop for you to buy and give to your loved one. and they'll love you back since you got them something so cute.

xoxo typography on paperbag cardstock.
xoxo tic tac toe on bubblegum pink herringbone.be mine on mauve tone on tone chevron. i'm bringing mauve back.
forever on taupe tone on tone chevron. my husband will give me this one. he likes saying "forever" to me to remind me of those vows we took almost 4 years ago. romantic, huh? not so. it's usually after he does some obnoxious man thing.
these are supercute! give some for valentine's day and save some of the rest of the year when you want to send a little love.
kate's getting this one for her prince charming. if you buy it, too, i'll put your and your beloved's name on it.
and if you're a gift giver for valentine's day, tie one of these on your package.
all goodies can be found here.