Taking a Trip: 5 Favorite Bring-a-longs

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Juliet Tiu

I’m heading out of town with my family… and ready to bring snippets of beautiful scenery, cool shops, and awesome food pics straight to you. Here are a few shots from last year.

See what I mean, gorgeous, just gorgeous. We love the Pacific Northwest.

So, while you so patiently hang around, this is what I like to bring with me when I travel. Aside from the “mom purse” full of fruit snacks, crayons and markers, and medicine:

Travel art kit: Fancy pens, crayon, and a mini-note pad. Why the crayon? So I can do rubbings if I find a cool texture or plaque.
A magazine to read, and then afterwards do paper folding art and leave it on the plane.
A little bottle of body spray. Nothing crazy perfum-y, just something to refresh myself after a long plane trip, or to refresh in the middle of the trip. Like Cotton Blossom from Bath & Body Works.
Postcard stamps. They’re 33 cents now!
And I like to wear comfortable clothing. That doesn’t mean it’s all yoga pants and t-shirts. What about a swishy dress and a cardigan like this?

Summer Blur :: Almost Wordless Wednesday

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Juliet Tiu

Who knew that it’s been over a month since the last post? No one but my family and a few close friends read this blog anyway… so, it’s okay, right? No, no. I know friends out there are reading. I’m sorry I’ve been away. I always seem to let too much time pass between posts in the summer months. With the kids and husband home, every day is an adventure – except when outside feels like a sauna and we hunker down in our basement and play video games and ping pong. (Not very into the pool scene. I don’t buy pool passes. No chance to break even.)

Forgive me for the lack of posting? Facebook and Twitter have been easier to update on the road and on the fly.

Since I last posted…

For neighbor kids and friends, we hosted a week long art camp in our garage.

Made some great projects during art camp.

Ssampled Brazilian Brigadeiro – chocolate truffle with sea salt and lime zest

Made cake again to make sure the recipe wasn’t faulty.. happy to report that it was not.

Managed to sew some burp cloths for expecting mom friends

Found this little guy on a garden walk which inspired me to get back into my own garden.

Made some Model Magic baked goods with the kids on a “too-hot” day

Checked out the Lego Kids Club

Celebrated 4th of July with family :: cakepops by my cousin

Tasted roasted purple cauliflower at a friend’s home

Worked on a Subway Art sign for a friend

Survived my first t-ball season

Visited an awesome bed and breakfast

Got to hang out a little at the beach, too

… and turned 39.

Back from Summer Vacation

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Juliet Tiu

We’re back from a week in hot, humid, beautiful Orlando, Florida. Yes, we took a family trip to Walt Disney World. I’ve missed writing this summer (so hard with the family schedules), but I’m looking forward to sharing crafts and recipes again… especially some dishes inspired from Disney’s Dessert cookbook. I totally had to pick this up while we were there.

Just glad we’re home, even though it’s just as hot, if not hotter than Florida – and just as humid. Our plants didn’t die while we were gone *whew*, and our basement didn’t flood with the epic storm that happened while we were away. So, so thankful. How’s everyone been lately?

Inspired by Maroon 5

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Juliet Tiu

(A little backwards today – Day 17: Sing. Sing a song… make it simple to last your whole life long! How did that feel?)

I’m so excited to see Maroon 5 this week. So. Excited. Missed them in October, so I made sure I bought tickets early when I found out they were making another stop here. My kids are looking forward to it, too – so much so that we’re jamming along to the albums and practicing on Band Hero.

So, yes, my husband and I are taking them to the concert. It’ll be fine, it’s outdoors… the weather is supposed to be fantastic. I’m just a little worried that they’ll be too tired and miss the songs they want to hear, or the little guy will miss seeing Adam Levine in person. You can’t imagine how angry Ollie gets. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed.

Day 16: Do you create best when your emotions are high? Do you turn to creative endeavors when you are sad, angry, or just filled with joy?

I used to think I created best under pressure. It’s just that I finish projects under pressure, self-inflicted or not. Creating for me isn’t when emotions are high; inspiration seems pretty random for me. Whatever I’m feeling, when I create, I’m transported, distracted for a little while. I empty my head, and fill my heart. Does that make sense? Then I finish, and voila! – I return to my routine.

So I offer my Maroon 5 inspired art. Music moves me… what better way to get in a creative mood than to immerse myself in their albums? Try it sometime. Listen to your favorite artists and create. Maybe you already do.

Can you guess which songs inspired which pieces? (Click on the thumbnails to zoom.)

: “Must Get Out”

: “Monster that lives in her dreams”

: 1″ x 1″ pieces of translated Maroon 5 music

: Listened to Maroon 5 “Tangled”

: Called this doodle “Hypnotized”

: Some serious doodling to Maroon 5 music

All Tangled Up, the “Monster” and last little inchie (number 7)… really like those.

30 Days of Creativity – Day 14: Farewell Gifts

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Juliet Tiu

Day 14: Make something to give away. Send a card to a friend or make a little gift for someone you care about.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been busy making a few things to give away. It’s just that time of year: end-of-school, graduation parties, summer birthdays, etc. And, I have all these ideas and inspiration, but there’s just never enough time. For my daughter’s teacher who is retiring, the class wrote letters of gratitude (or poems and just goodbyes). I put their little works of art together with pictures from school parties and their last field trip.

Over the weekend, we also hosted a going-away party for my sister-in-law and her husband who are moving out to the West Coast. *sad face* Really, we are so proud and excited for them. We will miss them so much… thank goodness for video chatting. So, a few friends and family came over, we laughed, we feasted on some favorite foods and bid them farewell. The thing about going away parties (I don’t like saying “goodbye”.), it’s all about spending time with your family and your pals. You could go nuts with decoration or theme, and I might have if there were more time. We just pulled together a few things. My daughter and I wrote cute messages on some vellum that we embossed, then we taped them to some glass jars for homespun hurricane jars.

And for our guests, something to conjure up Washington (state): some Starbuck’s to go, a copy of a vintage downtown Seattle postcard, and my sister and brother-in-law’s new address.

How would you prepare for a farewell party? Share some website loves in the comments!

Enjoying the Garden

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Juliet Tiu

We finally have a break in the weather. From the heat and humidity, we’re enjoying a preview of autumn with highs in the 60s and lows going into the mid-40s in some areas nearby. We’ll be back in the mid-80s in a few days, but for now, I’m loving the crisp, cool air in the morning and early evenings. Then pair that with the earlier sunsets. Ah, late afternoons in the fall… It’s my favorite time of the day. Ask my husband, he might say, “Yes, my wife loves the sun in her eyes when the sun sets.” It’s all about the lighting and how everything looks to me when there’s that slight tint of peach-orange sunset. I could just drink it up.

The other day, the lighting was just beautiful, and I wanted to capture some colors around and in our garden beds. Enjoy and happy Labor Day!