Happy Weekend!!!

Image by Abby Powell

HAPPY WEEKEND 

&

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

EVERYONE!!

It has been one heck of a crazy week..

Mother Nature has been pulling some serious punches..

Luckily us New Englanders came through yesterday's storm unscathed..

and today...

Today, I hear the glorious sound of snow melting under a gorgeous bright blue sky..

I woke up this morning to some extra Valentine's Day kisses from my boys..

perfect way to start the day..

I think the chocolate covered strawberries from his secret admirer (not me!) that arrived yesterday in the snowstorm (hooray UPS)

got the Monster into the holiday spirit.. 

Speaking of the holiday spirit..

I was told by my too cool for school middle schooler weeks ago that 5th graders don't give Valentines..

My heart wilted a bit..

Are we really there yet? 

Aha..Not yet..

Cause lo & behold we received the class list 2 days ago..

What to create in 2 days in the middle of a snowstorm??

Hmm...

Certainly not a masterpiece..

But we Wessons don't give up..

so...

The Monster picked the candy

(of course the one with the hardest name to rhyme)

and

this old lady's brain had to start chug chug chugging..

So here we go my lovely Readers..

One just for you!!

Image by Chocolate Creative Design

Be Safe, Show Someone You LOVE  Them and Have a Great Weekend!!

a little glitter to start your week....

1. Secret Heart Espresso Cup at Wiebus Designs   2. Heart Soap at Free People

3. Olive Wood Mini Heart Dish Set at Connected

4. Love Quotes & Passages from the Heart at Anthropologie

5. Heart Ear Buds at Audiocubes   6. Gold Heart Dish at Michael Aram

7. Wood Made with Love Spoon at Terrain

8. Juliska Berry & Thread Heart Canape Plates at Bloomingdales

9. Effervescence Clutch at BHLDN    10. Dancing Heart Shoes at BHLDN

Gold Heart Belt Buckle at CWonder

Valentine's Day is just around the corner...

so I thought I'd get a little heart start on it..

Now...

they may all not be glittery & golden but I can assure you..

when given..

They will make the heart sparkle!

Cooler than Peppermint....

The Saturday Evening Post

Ahh the Valentine's Day card....

So much angst and love rolled up into one little piece of paper..

But..

it's one of my favorites to design..

Last year, the Monster and I created our "Hooked on You" Valentine...

This year...

I wanted to go big....

Really really big....

I mean..we're talking origami dragons that breath fire and light up...

We had to go big as next year The Monster hits middle school and I'm not sure that they really "do" valentines anymore...

So I was ready..

I had the perfect client who LOVES to think big..

But guess what..

 The kid pooped out on me...

No dragons..no breathing fire...

just Heart-Shaped York Peppermint Patties  Mom..

Ok..I get it..

you are definitely my child..

chocolate and mint..

I can work with that.. 

  

So...

all it took was... 

 paper, plastic bags, a stapler, a picture of the Monster, heart shaped York Peppermint Patties

and

of course some letters sculpted from snow...

to create this

 (sorry the Monster is not giving the finger...just has man hands and is hard to grip small things)

Aha..a smile..Mom did good...

But we haven't forgotten about you guys...

 The Monster wanted to make sure you got one too!!

I mean..you guys are way cooler than peppermint!

The older and wiser I get...Valentine's Day gets less scary...
I'm not that little girl anymore who anxiously awaits "the card".
I'm not that young lady anymore dreaming of the piece of jewelry.

I am however, the woman who appreciates the words "I love you", the valentine song and dance number that awakens me in the wee hours of the morning, the snuggle before I get out of bed, the single rose from each of my boys, the calling of a beloved auntie to tell her we love her, the cold wet nose of a pup, scrumptious fish tacos from Milagros take-out and a cold Stella shared with my husband...

So whether it's a person, place, thing

or even...

a brother with a waggily tail...

I hope you ALL find and feel love on this gorgeously blue-skied snow laden Valentine's Day!

all images by Chocolate Creative Design

Dueling Designers Part Treize

Wilhelmina Cooper for Vogue 1962


LOVE must be in the air this month..
The lovely and talented Miss Amy Graver poked me last week and reminded me that it's been a very very long time since the Dueling Designers had made an appearance...
You know what...she was absolutely right!
The last one was way back in June of 2011!! 

So in honor of THE day of LOVE, Valentine's Day..

We picked

The Fabulous Miss Amy Graver picked a gorgeous palette of warm and cool fuschias mixed with a sophisticated black!

Can that cake look ANY more delicious?!!

For me, being able to work with pink was a dream....

since I just so happen to be surrounded by men...

I simply chose a palette which started at red, moved to fuschia, softened to the lightest of pinks and finally grounded by grey.

So put on those shades...

because these Dueling Designers are gonna brighten your day and warm your heart

on this perfectly perfect

Day of Hearts!!

Elements Design

Row one: Balloons; Black and Fuschia bow dress; Poster

Row two: Fuschia gelato; Fuschia costume, Sisters
Row three: My Favorite; Pink Peonies; Pink Champagne; Chocolate Rose Flavored Cupcakes

Chocolate Creative Design

Row One: Stone Angel, Dior Ladies, Postage Stamp Rug

Row Two: Heart Lollipops, Heart Eye, Fuschia Entry

Row Three: Flowers, Heart Knocker, Issa/Spring 2013

Tuesday Typeface....Meow...

Leopard and Hearts...

Shazam!!

Cookies by Y and C Sweets Company

How do I LOVE thee??

Art print by Oh My Deer at Terrain

Geronimo Balloon at BHLDN

XOXO Cookies at Williams-Sonoma

Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial Champagne

Love Letter Calligraphy Kit by Linea Carta at Etsy and Terrain

Heart Birch Cuff at Anthropologie

Slate heart cheese board at Terrain

Vintage Gold Dresden Frame at Vintage-Ornaments

Happy Weekend!!!

Image via Cozy Cuts for Kids

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

I know it may seem a little strange but I have Valentines Day on the brain...

I always seem to rush the Monster's Valentines creations so this year I am definitely getting a head start!

I swear..the older he gets..the harder it becomes..
and let's not forget that this is for a boy....
so many many restrictions..

But..
This may be my last year as next year we will be heading into Middle School 
and
Are Valentines EVEN cool in Middle School?

Speaking of LOVE..
Thank you to Mandy at the Fabric Paper Glue Blog
who gave us a little LOVE for our Emerald post!!

Be Safe, Stay Warm and Have a Great Weekend!!

I'm Hooked on You!

 

Image: chocolate creative design

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!!

Oops..wait..that was 2 days ago....

My how time flies....

But..

I couldn't let the week go by without telling you what exactly the Monster brought to school for all his Valentines...

A few of you guessed correctly on what the theme was...

And even one of you blew my mind by guessing exactly what candy would be used...

Yup...good ole Swedish Fish..

The Monster's 2nd favorite candy right after chocolate of course...

But the tricky part was figuring out what type of card & packaging would be created...

So... I went through some of our fabulous photo archives, and came across one of the most perfect days my fishermen ever had...

Yes..that is actually a real fish...

and after a few poses here and there, I caught a couple shots of this beautiful giant right before the scaling and cleaning began...

Fish inspired..

I created a tented card printed on a thick watercolor paper with a twine handle. Inside was a mesh pouch tied with twine and filled with the most delectable Swedish fish!

But since (in my opinion) Valentine's Day isn't always about that mushy gushy romantic stuff...

It's about telling friends, family and those who support and care for you that you love them..

So I made one for all of you...

my fabulous readers who follow along with me, support me with your comments and occasional clicks to a rockin button and honestly make me love what I do!

Don't they taste yummy!!

So Happy Valentine's Day my fabulous readers..

Just know that you have made all the difference in one persons life!!