Momathon Blog

Spring Snow

Is it snowing in your neighborhood? Colorado seems to be caught in a snow cycle that will not let spring take hold this year. And I really can't complain because all this moisture is helping boost our snow pack in reservoirs to keep the plants and animals healthy during our very dry summer just a few months away. The state's snow supply provides most of the water for household use and irrigation all year long. So for now, I'm happy to put on my snow boots and just enjoy winter for a few more weeks.

Hello, March!

Hi, friends. I can hardly believe it is March already—almost Spring! It was sunny and sixty-something here yesterday, but the snow is blowing down off the mountain today! Yikes! That's Colorado weather in March.

Do you have Spring fever? I've got a few DIY and craft ideas to get you in the mood for spring and all the loveliness of March.

1) Visit a greenhouse. Even if it is just for ideas and not shopping for plants. A little hot house humidity does wonders for the soul. The GREEN-crazy photo above—sans fancy photo filters—was taken by me at a local nursery.

2) Make a moss shamrock wreath via the oh-so clever Brittany at The House That Lars Built. 

3) Celebrate the awesome friendships in your life. Ideas all month-long on Joy's sweetest blog Frock Files. To start it off today, her post is all about the art of making a care package.

4) Turn plastic Easter eggs into a funky modern spring bouquet via my favorite idea girl, Haeley at Design Improvised. Her easy-peasy craft tutorial sounds fun to do. A great activity to get the kids involved.

Have fun! 

PS. Since I started writing this post we now have over an inch of the white fluffy stuff on the ground. I'm living in a snow globe!

Street Style {Chic and Cozy}

I grew up in Minnesota. Snowy cold winters were the norm. (That's why I love to ski!) With two older brothers I discovered how much warmer the coats for guys were and quickly adopted several as my own. My favorite coat as a teen was a vintage pea coat from my dad's navy days. Simply gorgeous and really warm. That's why I was drawn to this amazing winter jacket made for women by Emerson Fry.

Roomy enough to fit a cozy sweater underneath, the Big Peacoat in charcoal wool has a great silhouette and offers some serious warmth. When it is freezing outside, I believe a gal deserves some glam too. It's your time to shine—even when it is below zero outside—with a crystal-encrusted watch, a gold cuff, rich blue hues in a silk and cotton scarf, and spritz on a warm orange blossom and vanilla fragrance.

1) Emerson Fry New York pea coat, 2) Kenneth Cole watch, 3) Sequin-NCY.com gold cuff, 4) Tory Burch scarf, 5) Prada perfume.

 

Images: STREET STYLE graphic by me, Chris Olson and features images of products from Emerson Fry, Kenneth Cole, Sequin-NYC, Tory Burch, and Prada. Feel free to Pin images on Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks!

Weekend Playlist {Dream a Little Dream}

Happy Friday! Do you have big plans for the weekend? I've got ingredients for baking cookies and a list for hitting some vintage shops in my neighborhood. Do you like vintage finds? I do. Sometimes I even wonder if I am in living in the wrong decade. Here's a romantic weekend playlist with 11 vintage tracks to leave all worries behind you...

 

Act like a lady from bboop on 8tracks Radio.

A Pinterest Halloween {Part 1}

Hello, friends! I hope you are having a fabulous Thursday. Are you pinning Halloween ideas on Pinterest? Today's post is PART ONE of my favorite Halloween boards (and pins!) on Pinterest—I truly can't pick a favorite so I listed the boards in random order. I will have more links and Pinterest tips on Sunday. If you are looking for more ideas, check out my post earlier this week featuring Etsy ideas for a handmade Halloween. 

On my Party Ideas board, I have ideas for parties throughout the year.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Chris on Pinterest

 

 

And that lovely decorating pin above makes me think of all the gorgeous and family-friendly ideas for planning a Happy Halloween! on Pinterest via the editors at Babble.

Some of my favorite oh-my-so-wonderful costumes for Halloween on Pinterest can be found thanks to Jordan Ferney at Oh Happy Day! 

Source: ohhappyday.com via Chris on Pinterest

 

 

Party planning guru Kelly Lanza at Studio DIY has loads of ideas at her Happy Halloween boardon Pinterest. If you have taken an Alt Design Summit class, then I'm sure you have met Kelly—she's amazing!

Source: studiodiy.com via Chris on Pinterest

 

 

My party planner and decorator friend Kathy has a tip for preserving pumpkins and gourds on her Fall in Love board, plus some lovely window displays. And if you are hungry, check out her Boo! board.

Source: mybakingaddiction.com via Kathy on Pinterest

 

 

Looking for pumpkin carving and decorating ideas? Check out Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins! via Better Homes and Garden. They even have a stencil gallery!

Source: bhg.com via Chris on Pinterest

 

Looking for invite ideas or printables? Sweet party ideas at Halloween and some lovely Printable Paper Goods via Kristen Magee at Paper Crave.

Source: kbecca.com via Chris on Pinterest

 

 

 

Hello, October!

The sunflowers are bold. The apples are crisp. The pumpkins are perfect. October is the month to soak in all the delicious beauty of fall harvest time. Check out the farmers market in your neighborhood and stock up on all the lovely colors of fall! 

 

 

If you are looking for a farmers market in your neighborhood, check out these links for local listings of family farms, organic food growers and farmers markets: Local Harvest; USDA National Farmers Market Directory; FarmersMarket.com.

 

 

Image: Graphic by me, Chris Olson, and features the lovely photo by D. Sharon Pruit. Feel free to Pin it Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks! 

 

 

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Summer Love

Summer has to be the most difficult season to say goodbye to. I love beaches, barbecues, and bike rides. Pools, picnics, and popsicles. So even though summer officially ends today, I think I will keep my summer attitude all weekend long.

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Image: LIFE IS SWEET graphic is by me, Chris Olson. Feel free to Pin it Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks! 

Go Outside! The National Day of Unplugging Begins at Sundown

If you are like me, then you probably will have a hard time "unplugging" and living offline for 24 hours. The National Day of Unplugging runs from sundown today, Friday, March 23, to sundown, Saturday, March 24. It's a day to recharge without technology. Instead of connecting on Facebook, pinning or tweeting, we are challenged to connect with each other off screen. Here is how it all started according to the National Day of Unplugging Pledge on causes.com:

With roots in Jewish tradition, this modern day of rest was developed by Reboot as a way to bring some balance to our increasingly fast-paced way of life and reclaim time to connect with family, friends, the community and ourselves. Shut down your computer. Turn off your cell phone. Stop the constant emailing, texting, Tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you. Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat Together. 

Ironically to find out more about the annual tech detox day you will have to go online... You can check out the National Day of Unplugging  pledge or go to National Day of Unplugging 2012 « Sabbath Manifesto or like the day on Facebook.

Here is my compromise. I know I can't go cold turkey and avoid all tech. Instead join me and spend more time outside—with friends. And why not. It's the first weekend of spring. That's a good enough reason to leave my laptop and iPad behind and enjoy the beautiful world outdoors.

That's me in the photo above enjoying a walk with one of my favorite four-legged friends. So go soak up some Vitamin D outdoors. Find a friend and take a walk. Enjoy!

Image above by me, Chris Olson. 

Spring Ahead: Daylight Saving Time Begins Sunday

Daylight saving time begins this weekend. Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, March 12, 2012. 

A bit of daylight saving time trivia

Leaving out the plural "s" on daylight saving time sounds strange, but according to the grammar experts at The Washington Post the term is not plural.

Daylight saving time is NOT observed in Hawaii and Arizona.

In case you were wondering... The clocks featured in the image above: Retro Turquoise 9 1/2" Square Wall Clock via LampsPlus.com, Black Wehrle German Commander Alarm Clock via Crate and Barrel, Dropped Numbers 23" Clock via CB2, Wooden Hedgehog Wall Clock via The Land of Nod, and Tangerine Creamsicle Modern Wall Clock (sold out) via Uncommon on Etsy.

Image by me, Chris Olson.

Brrr! It's cold outside

 

Time to  build a nest or play outdoors?

 

Photos by me, Chris Olson.

Winter blues (the happy kind)

Looking for a pop of color for a winter weekend getaway? Check out this fresh wave of blue via Ann Taylor (pointy flat), Talbots (knit jacket), Boden (mariner stripe sweater), Jason Wu for Target (blue dress), Garnet Hill (beach towel and swimsuit), Boden (blue floral dress), and Garnet Hill (retro sailor tee).

 

(Fashion mood board by me with images from Ann Taylor, Talbots, Boden, Jason Wu for Target, and Garnet Hill.)

161 Days Until Summer

 

Was it a warm day where you live? Today the temp hovered around 60 degrees in my neighborhood. The only evidence of previous snow storms are tiny drifts protected by the shade of trees. The calendar says it is January 10th, but it feels like summer. The countdown clock tells me 161 days remain until summer arrives on Thursday, June 21, 2012.

Collage art by me, Chris Olson.

The last colorful splash of fall

The nights are getting colder and colder here in Colorado. We've already had our first snow. The black bears wandering the 'hood at night are feasting on crab apples and seeds in the bird feeders before the big freeze and hibernation begins.

Here are a few images of the last colorful splash of autumn in my backyard.

 Photos by me, Chris Olson 

Halloween at House 8810

House 8810 online store has loads of fun Halloween goodies. Check out two of my faves below:

Halloween towels

Halloween masks

Photos: House 8810 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Colors

 

Fall colors photos by me, Chris Olson

Sand between my toes

The summer heat wave is here. Time hit the beach, sit back, and relax.  

Doodle above by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Daily doodle: baby bird

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.
It sings because it has a song.  

~Chinese Proverb

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. Illustration by me, Chris Olson.

Valentine doodle: Love actually is all around

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around." 

~ The Prime Minister, the movie Love Actually

 

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Illustration: Chris Olson © 2011.

Postcards from winter: Goodbye January

Today is the last day of my Picture Winter class with photographer Tracey Clark. The month-long class has been a blast. Daily class prompts inspired me to get outside with my camera. I think this chilly month zipped by thanks in part to this wonderful class. 

Photos: Chris Olson © 2011.

Daily doodle: snow globe

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Snow day

Weather never takes a vacation, but it might give you a day off.

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

The great Pup-kin

"On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises from his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys to all the children." --Linus

 

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Love notes

Time to savor the remaining warm summer nights and do some star gazing.For more doodles by me, click on Momathon doodles.

Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010

Feels almost like spring

 

When a warm March day tempts us to wear shorts and T-shirts, spring has to be right around the corner. Today is one of those days. Walking my dogs up the "big" hill by my house, my feet feel lighter than usual. No coat is needed. Sandals are almost appropriate. My dogs are smiling at the prospect of an extra-long journey to the ridge high above us and the view of the city below. I'm not sure they ever really marvel at the view. More likely it is the gentle breeze that is a constant up there and the fact this is the epicenter of all the sounds and scents in nature. At the top, the dogs lounge in the tired, brown grass from last summer. Together we survey our surroundings and consider where we might go next.

(Image above is © Chris Olson)