Studio Pebbles

Back-To-School for Mom | Kids Artwork | Target Inner Circle

Welcome Back everyone! 

This is one of my last posts in my "Back-To-School for Mom" #BTS4MOM series with Target® and Target Inner Circle. If you've been following along, so far we've covered Must Have Tech Tools, Making a Creative Command Center, and Creating With Printables. Today we are going to talk about Organizing and Archiving Kids Artwork and my last post will be about exploring third-party printing and Target® Photo Center.

Also, today I'll reveal the winner of my $200 Target® Gift Card Giveaway, and next post you can enter to win a few printed items I designed courtesy of Target® Photo Center! 

This past week was a big one for our little family, as we finally sent Maggie off to her first day of Pre-School. Mommy was a bit emotional, Maggie was ready and raring to go! It has been more of an adjustment for me, I think, than it has been for her. She gets to spend all day learning and playing with other kids and having a ball, and I am home in the peace and quiet, where- to be honest- I find it a bit hard to stay awake. :D 

When I surveyed my Mom friends about the areas they needed help with as part of the #BTS4MOM series, one ongoing project popped up with just about everyone: What to do with all the artwork and little projects that our kids bring home from school? I thought today would be a great day to review some options. 

Step One: ORGANIZING

I have a box in our hall closet filled with artwork and keepsakes Maggie has made over the years. For now, because she's just starting Montessori school, I haven't felt a huge push to get her creations cataloged or purged, mostly because I only have one box full. However, I know the day is coming soon, so I researched a few ideas. 

First, I do think it can be challenging at times to find ways to hang kids artworks in our homes that blend with our surroundings while still highlighting the pride you and your child feel about their work. For some, it's as simple as slapping it up on the fridge with a magnet. But, if you're like me (above), that fridge can get cluttered pretty quick. So, I looked to Pinterest to find some practical ideas that can replace the fridge gallery, and here are my favorites: 

1. Simple Clipboard Display //Ashley Ann Photography // I am a big fan of simple. I love this idea as a quick way to set up a display for kids artwork. You can leave the clipboards plain, like this example here, or you could paint them in a bright color, or cover them with fabric or scrapbook paper. 
2. Curtain Rod + Clips // I Heart Organizing // This is another great idea, and I've seen a lot of different takes on this- but the use of small cafe rods and curtain clips is so smart. It's easy to find rods like these nearly anywhere and the end result looks sophisticated. I used a hanging display similar to this over the window when Maggie and I had a shared office/playroom. 
3. Chevron Painted Clip Frame // One Krieger Chick // I think this is so cute! I love the shaped frame and the pattern, and think it looks perfect grouped with other art on a wall. 
4. Chicken Wire Wall Display // Slightly Cosmopolitan // Pure genius! I saw this and immediately started looking around the house for a place to put something like this up. If you don't have a big wall like this, you could add the chicken wire behind a wooden picture frame for a smaller version. Depending on the frame, you could make it look really modern or vintage and rustic. 
5. Tall Deskside Pinboard // Cupcakes For Breakfast // If you have a home office area, or a desk for your Creative Command Center, I love the idea of a nice tall bulletin board like this one. I can just imagine my daughter craning her neck to look up and see her art hanging up high and feeling so proud. 
6. Shrink Art Frame Display // Tampa Bay Times (AP) // This is a great idea too! You can photograph your favorites and upload them to PicMonkey and make a collage, then print it onto card stock and mount inside a frame. This would be a GREAT gift idea for grandparents, especially with a little photo of your child included in the collage. 

Display areas like these work best in partnership with another system, like the file box that I use. You can rotate artwork out as new projects come in, keeping an upper hand on clutter. One Mom in my survey has a great system that she uses for multiple kids: Each of her children has a big plastic art bin that she keeps in the garage. As their projects come in, they are dated and labeled, and filed away until the end of each school year. Then, she sits down with each kid to review what they would like to keep and what can be tossed; that helps keep the amount of art in check, while making sure favorite projects are kept and cared for. 

Step Two: ARCHIVING

When it comes to saving these treasured collections, I am a big fan of making art books; they are organized, compact, and there are a lot of different ways to customize them to your child and personality of your family. Here are some of my favorite types of books and archiving ideas: 

So far, the one that ranks at the top of my "To Make" list is this "Mini Masterpieces Photo Book," by Paislee Press available from Shutterfly, which you can find on the Target Photo Center website. 

Photo by Liz Tamanaha for Paislee Press

An 8"x 8" 20-page Hard Cover book starts at about $24.00, which is a great price! This photo book was specially designed to... " let your child's artwork take center stage...feature a picture of your creative child in action and include an artist bio next to a gallery of their most inspired work. Use specially designed pages to trace handprints or add more art to this very special photo book AFTER it's been received."

There are a few ways you can digitize the artwork your kids bring home. One of the easiest ways I've found is to simply purchase a large white art canvas from the art supply store (like this one here) and use it as a background for photographing each piece. You can use your stand alone camera, or camera on your smart-phone. I like this process, because it's easy to whip through all the photography, and quickly upload it to your computer for editing. I like to use Adobe Lightroom for quick editing, because I can edit one photo to the exposure, color, saturation and sharpness that I prefer, and then quickly "sync" those same edits to all the photos with one click. If you don't want to invest in Adobe software, you can always edit the photos using the editor in PicMonkey, or make minor edits in the Shutterfly uploading process. 

If you'd rather not go through the photography process, you can scan the artwork into your computer using a scanner. The HP Photosmart 5520 printer has a great scanner that is easy to use. There are disadvantages to doing it this way; it is much more time consuming, and you'll still have to use the camera to photograph lumpy or three-dimensional projects. The upside is that you don't have to worry about lighting or whether or not your photos are in focus. 

Once you have your favorites uploaded into your computer, you have more options for creating and sharing. You can make the miniature gallery frame like the one above in the art display round up, you can print a favorite drawing onto an iron-on and make a custom t-shirt, or print some drawings onto card stock to make quick cards to send to grandparents. 

Another digital photo book option is through an app via your iPhone or Android, called Artkive. I personally haven't tried Artkive, but it also looks like a great product. The basic idea is that you simply photograph each piece using the camera inside the app, tagging the photo with your child's grade and/or date the art was made, and when you're happy with the amount of art uploaded, you can print the book.

According to the website, an 8"x 8" book is also approximately $24.00. This seems like the faster of the two photo books, but it doesn't offer the same level of customization and whimsy as the Shutterfly one, which might be an important consideration for those enjoying the book in future years. Also, there isn't any image editing option, so if crisp, clear photos are important, you'd have the additional step of using a photo editing app before uploading to Artkive. 

If all that digitizing is making your head spin, I'm always a fan of hands-on projects. For a custom design, I suggest putting together a folder of artwork using pocket pages and envelopes like those found in the line of Project Life supplies,

Project Life is a fantastic memory keeping system that incorporates simple pockets for photographs and other papers and small items that can be mixed and matched and moved around in a large 3-ring album. There are also notecard sets with different themes that fit the pockets, and there are countless designers that make Project Life compatible printables (myself included) that you can add to your albums. It's foolproof; and for art archiving, I love that you can throw the art pieces into the album and go back later and add photos of your kids or class pictures, ribbons, etc., when you have time; which could be at the end of each school year, if you really want to keep it simple!

And last but definitely not least, do what my Mom did: buy an adorable pre-made memory book, like this one by Illustrator Stephan Britt from Chronicle Books. 

You can't get any faster or simpler than this, folks! By the time I finished Elementary School, mine was bursting at the seams; full of art projects, homework, class photos, report cards, you name it! It wasn't nearly as cute as this version, but it did the job, and it's a great and practical option if this is the process you want to follow for archiving your child's artwork. 

I hope that gives you a few ideas and helpful resources to make the art collecting and archiving a bit easier. I would love to hear any other ideas you might have or other apps or suggestions, so please feel free to leave a comment to continue the discussion. Did your family save your art from childhood? Is it something you share with your children?

Last but not least, I'm excited to share that we have a winner for the $200 Target® Gift Card drawing. The contest closed on Friday at 1pm PST, and the winner in the drawing is: 

Congratulations Anika! You were commenter number 45, and the $200 Target® Gift Card is all yours! Thank you so much to everyone who entered, I wish I could send you all a prize. If you didn't win, don't forget to check back for my last #BTS4MOM post later this week to enter another drawing for some goodies I designed using Target® Photo Center, and readers will also get an exclusive discount code as well! 

-Jennifer

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Target® Inner Circle, all opinions expressed are my own. I was provided a gift card to purchase some of the items used in this series, however I have also contributed my own resources and time. Affiliate links are used for items that can be purchased online 

Back-To-School For Mom | Creating with Printables | Target Inner Circle

Hello again!

I’m really excited to bring you this post today! I’ve been wanting to share tutorials on my blog for a really long time, and I’m so glad this series gives me a chance to do so. If you’ve been following along, by now we’ve talked about the Hot Tech Tools for Mom, and Setting up a Creative Command Center, and now we’re going to put our tools and supplies to use and start using our printers and the internet to make the most of printables!

For today’s post, I’ve put together two video tutorials...and I’m a bit self-conscious about them because I’m a total newbie at doing something like this! I don’t know if I made something decent, or something terrible, but I figured I’ve gotta start somewhere, so you guys are my guinea pigs!

The first tutorial I made is for those of you who are not all that comfortable with the whole process of HOW exactly one “downloads” a file from the internet, and then prints it using their home printer. I really hope it’s helpful and that after you’ve watched, you’ll be instantly ready to download and print all kinds of goodies from the web!

In this video, I'll walk you through each step, including the proper software downloads for reviewing and printing files, to different file types and how to work with them, including zip files and .pdf’s, and my recommendations and settings for printing with an inkjet printer, and a quick tutorial on installing fonts.

If you’re ready to watch, grab your coffee, and here we go! (try not to laugh at my dorkiness!)  

I briefly touched on DPI and printing sizes in the video, and I just wanted to reiterate the details in case I wasn’t clear. This is really one of the most important things you need to know about pixels and JPEG sizes and printing:

• 300 DPI to print to size:  When measuring pixels to determine sizes, remember 300 pixels = 1 inch. 
  If you are printing an 8”x 10” print, then the pixel dimensions you need to your print to be are: 8 x 300= 2400 and 10 x 300= 3000 which is 2400 x 3000. This is the standard printing formula that you should use whenever you’re intending to print a project.
• When printing something that needs to be a specific size, always make sure your printer dialog box is checked to ACTUAL SIZE, and NOT “scale to fit.”

Are you ready to download and print a file? Great!! I thought you might want to try it out, now that you’ve got these hot new skills, so I made this printable just for this post:

Let's step it up a notch!

Next, we're going to move on to making your OWN custom printables and crafts, without having to buy or learn design software!

This next video is going to walk you through using a FREE web-based design service called PicMonkey.com. PicMonkey is a site I use to make collages and round-up images for my blog, because it’s super fast and easy…and since I’ve had the chance to play with it a bit, I realized that it’s really a great tool for anyone to use to make print friendly items! 

Here we go:

(Boy, can I ramble? I hope that all made sense...)

Picking up where the video stops, everything printed out just as it should have, using my HP Photosmart 5520 Inkjet printer, and now I’m ready to use some of the tools from my Creative Command Center to slap these cupcake toppers together:

1. Grab your printed sheet, paper trimmer, 2” circle squeeze punch, tape and a package of cake pop sticks, skewers, or toothpicks.
2. Trim off the white edges of your page and cut the tags into strips.
3. Trim down each tag using the trimmer.
4. Place your squeeze punch over the circle image and check to make sure it’s centered.
5. Oops! Not centered? Go back and trim a bit off the bottom of each tag.
6. Slide the tag back into the squeeze punch, where it should now be centered and punch out.
7. SQUEEZE!
8. SUCCESS!!
9. Line up your tag on your stick of choice.
10. Hold your tag in place firmly so it doesn’t shift…
11. Flip it over and tape in place with some clear tape. (You can hot glue it as well, but seriously, tape is fine.)
12. YUM! Your topper is done and ready to make itself right at home in the top of your cupcake!

Any time I get to buy cupcakes to stage a photo, it's a good day in our house. In fact, not only was Maggie excited to get a hold of one of these, but when moving them from the table to the counter, one slid onto the floor...and was promptly gobbled up, wrapper and all, by Drake. :)

Well, if you've made it this far, and especially if you sat through the videos, I would love some feedback, and if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask! And...don't forget...there is still time to enter the $200 Target® Gift Card giveaway, you can find more details here. 
-Jennifer

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Target® Inner Circle, all opinions expressed are my own. I was provided a gift card to purchase some of the items used in this series, however I have also contributed my own resources and time. Affiliate links are used for items that can be purchased online 

Back-To-School for Mom | Creative Command Center | Target Inner Circle

Welcome to my second post in the Target® and Target Inner Circle “Back-To-School for Mom” series!

Last week, I shared some of my favorite high-tech tools for Mom, and today I’m going to help you set up a “Creative Command Center” in your home!

I’m lucky to have an amazing creative space for my projects; however, just because I have that space, doesn’t always mean that it is the most convenient place for me to get crafty. We live in a three-story town-home, and my office is on the top floor, when I’m in the main living area with my daughter during the day, it’s less likely that I can get much done without having to run up and down the stairs or find a way to entertain her in a room where most of the stuff is totally enticing and off-limits.

The answer for me, and I’m sure many other families, is to have some kind of mini office in your living area. I chose to create my “Creative Command Center” in a small section of my kitchen.

It’s still a work in progress, but so far I have one large drawer to keep a few very versatile tools on hand, along with some simple supplies. My counter and wall space is available for my HP Photosmart 5520 printer, a multi-functional drawer organizer (which doubles as a catch all and charging station) and a few bins and baskets for artwork, papers or mail that come into the house.

My drawer is stocked with my recommendations for a versatile selection of tools and supplies almost EVERY Mom will find handy to have on hand, regardless how “crafty” she is or wants to be. And best of all, everything is available at Target® so there is no need to spend extra time or money finding these items at a specialty store.

• 12” premium portable paper trimmer from Fiskars.
• 2” (extra large) circle squeeze punch, also from Fiskars.
• simple paper hole punch
• one ream of 65lb white cardstock
• one package of 4”x 6” photo paper
• glue stick/ felt pen combo from SMASH by K&Company
• mini stacking color ink pads, also from SMASH by K&Company
• multi-phrase rotary stamp from American Crafts
• 6”x 6” scrapbook paper pad
• pencils, scissors, tape, glue sticks, ruler, twine/string, and washi paper tape
• Scotch brand Self-Sealing Laminate pouches in a variety of sizes.

With these tools and supplies, any Mom (or Dad) can take a few minutes out of a busy day to make or print something crafty!

For example, I thought it would be cute to make a photo note card for my daughter’s lunch for her upcoming first day of pre-school. Because she can’t read quite yet, I wanted the photo to be the little happy reminder of Mommy’s love for her and our fun summertime memories.

First, I pulled up a photo on my iPhone of the two of us from a train trip we took over the summer, I edited the image for color and clarity using the PicTapGo app, then I used PicFrame to make a double print on the 4”x 6” photo paper (using the 3:2 ratio option in the app and selecting a heart as my photo shape.)

Then, after saving this to my Camera Roll, I loaded my HP Photosmart 5520 printer with 4”x 6” glossy photo paper and used the HP ePrint app to print the photo directly to my printer from my iPhone.

I trimmed the photo into two equal sized squares using the paper trimmer, folded a sheet of the 6” scrapbook paper into half to make a little note card, and taped the photo inside using a piece of washi paper tape.

Inside the card, under the photo, I inked the phrase “You Are My Fave” using the roller phrase stamp and mini-ink pads, and signed it “Love You, Mom” with felt pen. While I was at it, I grabbed a photo made with my instant camera, and made an extra note for a later date.

Adding this little extra personal touch was something so easy and quick…but admittedly, if it wasn’t for putting together the “Creative Command Center” it probably wouldn’t happen. I had the proper tools and supplies on hand, and the space on my table to put it together. I didn’t have to hunt all over the house or drag out my craft supplies from a closet or bin, or disappear into my office upstairs- it was ready, organized (mostly) and convenient!

One of the things I love about Target® and I learned during my experience at Media Day in NYC last October, is that Target® is committed to help its shoppers save time and money when shopping- they don’t want to waste your valuable time.  One of my goals in sharing this series is to give SIMPLE ideas for making crafty time easy and fun, because I don’t want to waste your time either. And I also don’t want to waste your money, so I recommend these particular tools and supplies because they are practical, perform well, and can all be used together in a variety of ways to make something special that won’t take more than a few minutes. For example:

• Use the 2” circle squeeze punch, the scrapbook paper, hole punch, twine/sting and felt pen to make a tag for a gift or a sweet treat.
• Make strips of white paper using the paper trimmer and card stock, then ink phrases using the stamp and inks and glue onto toothpicks for quick cupcake toppers.
• Use one of your instant photos, or a printed photo, some card stock or scrapbook paper, a laminate pouch, hole punch and twine/string to make a quick photo bookmark- or download a printable pre-made bookmark design and customize it.

In my next post, I’m going to show you how to download free printables from the web, and print them at home on your printer. I'm also going to share a tutorial using a design site called PicMonkey, to walk you through the steps to make a set of chalkboard style cupcake toppers- in under 20 minutes!

To get you ready to follow along and help pick up the supplies you need for a well-stocked “Creative Command Center,” Target® and I are giving you a chance to win a $200 Target® Gift Card!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, including your first name, email address, and a favorite quick craft idea you like, or practical tool or supply you would recommend. The contest is open to entries until 1pm PST Friday, September 20th. The winner will be announced via my social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, using the hashtag #BTS4MOM so if you are not already following me, please take a minute to do so!

Next week, I'll be back with more "Back-To-School for Mom" posts, including some tips on putting together a quick creative cart for your kids, organizing and preserving art projects, and a review of the Target® Photo Center with an exclusive reader discount and some of the custom printed items available from Target®. 
-Jennifer 

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Target® Inner Circle, all opinions expressed are my own. I was provided a gift card to purchase some of the items used in this series, however I have also contributed my own resources and time. Affiliate links are used for items that can be purchased online 

Back-To-School for MOM | Tech Tools | Target Inner Circle

It's here, Friends. The end of Summer.

I'm sure you're feeling just like I do. A new school year is a sneaky reminder of how fast time flies by, making you wish you could hold on to your little ones just a bit tighter. At the same time, you're relishing the anticipation of a break from 24/7 parenting to enjoy some time to yourself, connecting to other adults and pastimes you enjoy; or maybe just taking a nice long nap. My Maggie will be starting pre-school in September, and it feels really bittersweet. I'm going to miss her like crazy but I'm also counting on some guaranteed free time to get a jump on finishing work projects and prepping our home and lives for the new baby that will be arriving shortly. 

Here in the Pacific Northwest, most of us Moms are still racing around last minute trying to complete school supply shopping lists and getting haircuts and new shoes for the kids and re-adjusting sleep schedules in anticipation for next week....which brings me to the start of my "Back-To-School for Mom" (#BTS4Mom) series with Target® and Target Inner Circle®! 

Target® is helping me bring to life some sanity saving projects and gear us Moms up with some of our own Back-To-School supplies! Hopefully when it's all said and done, we'll be feeling a bit more empowered and prepared for the year ahead. 

I asked some Mom friends what back-to-school season is like for them, the highs and lows, etc., and I discovered that with the exception of a few things here and there, most of their answers were the same:

• The result of getting everyone out the door on-time, fed, dressed and prepared for the day is an energizing feeling. If you can accomplish that first thing every day, you're already winning at life. 
• Caring for our families is fulfilling and we enjoy making an extra effort to show our kids that they are special and loved. 
• We rely on our mobile and tech devices to keep us connected and organized.
• We hate packing lunches. 
• An afternoon shopping at Target® alone is on par with a day at the spa. 
• We all need something for us that recharges our batteries: a glass of wine, a good book, coffee with friends, going for a run or my favorite- crafting and creative time.

I want to help my fellow Mommy friends make the most of their favorite daily moments and try to make the not-so-favorite tasks a bit more pleasant, so with those things in mind, I created the a Back-To-School for Mom shopping list: my "Tech Tools That Rock" round-up of favorite digital devices:

1. iPad // 2. FitBit Zip // 3. Orla Kiely for Belkin iPad/iPhone cases // 4. Portable Hard Drive // 5. Nook e-Reader // 6. iPhone // 7. Polaroid Instant Camera // 8. Griffin Stylus // 9. Roku // 10. HP Photosmart 5520 Wireless Printer //11. Belkin iPad case with detachable keyboard // 12. App Store Gift Card

I picked each one of these items because they are all little sanity savers in one way or another. The only items I left off this list are a Laptop or Desktop computer, because I assume if you are here reading this post, you probably already have one and are computer savvy enough to navigate the world wide web. The other item I didn't exactly include is a digital camera...and I'll get to my reason behind that in a moment. 

Sadly, even though it is 2013, I also couldn't find the one item that would do the actual job of grocery shopping, ushering the kids through the morning routine, packing a nutritious nut-free brown bag lunch while simultaneously cooking dinner and doing the dishes and laundry.  

Mobile Devices + Accessories:

There is a good reason we Moms rely on our mobile devices for so much. They are the ultimate accessory for keeping us productive and sane! Everyone should have a smart-phone and/or tablet to help get through their busy days. I have both an iPhone and an iPad and recommend these as my tech choices because I love how they perform along with the plethora of reliable app options.

To soup up your mobile experience, I also recommend trying a few great accessories- I particularly LOVE the Orla Kiely for Belkin cases- a  Target® exclusive- so much so that I bought the case before I bought the iPad. I also have another one that serves a dual purpose: The Belkin iPad case with detachable keyboard. Having the keyboard to use on the go for emails, blog posts or other text intensive tasks that can be completed without having to haul my laptop with me, is a worthwhile time saver. I also recommend a stylus for note taking or drawing, and an App Store gift card to give you permission to buy a bunch of fun apps to try out; most of them are free, but some are a couple bucks- so Treat Yo'Self! 

I use my mobile devices for so many things, I can't begin to cover it, but I know my fellow Moms will appreciate the two things that I love using my devices for the most:

Aside from the benefits of all smart-phones (email, messaging, GPS, calendars, etc.) with my iPhone, I don't have to carry a stand-alone camera. I take a lot of photos and I love the quality of the pictures I take on my iPhone. It's an incredible convenience to be able to edit my photos on the go with apps like PicTapGo and VSCO, and share them instantly with my family and friends using social media apps like Instagram and Facebook. I can even upload them directly to photo processing services, like Kicksend and pick up my prints at Target® in about an hour, or use the HP ePrint app to print them out when I get home. 

Secondly, being able to use Pinterest on the go is a seriously wonderful reason to have a mobile device in and of itself. I could turn this whole series into a love letter for Pinterest, and if you aren't using it by now, do yourself a favor and sign up. Nothing says quality time to me like an hour or so at Starbucks, sipping my favorite coffee treat, listening to the sounds of adult conversation, while browsing Pinterest for dinner plans, lunch ideas, blog articles on parenting tips and INSANE amounts of creative inspiration and craft projects to bookmark. 

Fun + Functional Tools: 

The other items in my round-up are a combination of fun and/or function. We've got the technology that you don't really need, but will really enjoy having and some items that you really do need, like an external hard drive (for backing up your digital photos) and a versatile and user friendly color printer.

I know a lot of Moms struggle at finding time for regular fitness and health as their days get increasingly busy. The FitBit Zip activity tracker is a great tool for overcoming the guilt of not being able to get to the gym because it tracks your daily activity and syncs with your PC or smart-phone. You can utilize the food diary to track your calories consumed along with your calories burned. It's a great way to sneak fitness reminders into your day. I don't have one now, because being 6 1/2 months pregnant, I'm not able to focus on weight loss- but I'll be getting one as soon as the Bean is born! 

A couple other fun items to buy for yourself (and maybe share with your family the odd time) is an instant camera, like this one from Polaroid. I have a similar one and I love the novelty and instant gratification of it. It's great for parties, or for making little mini photo books of daily adventures or vacations. It's 100% fun and the credit card sized photos make for adorable lunch notes to send as a surprise for your littles. 

Need some entertainment that doesn't involve taking pictures? A great item to have, if you don't already, is an e-Reader, like the Nook or Kindle. Being able to instantly download just about any book and start reading is a MAJOR sanity saver for just about everyone I know. And it will also work with most libraries so you can borrow books as well!

If movies are your thing, but you can't leave the house for Redbox or the movie theater- it's time to get a Roku player. A Roku is a wireless streaming device that connects to your television with an HDMI cable and allows you to view Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Facebook and other internet based services on the big screen. There are other brands of streaming players available, but I recommend Roku first because it has the Amazon Instant Video feature, which allows you to rent new release movies instantly. 

Last, but not definitely not least, an item that I consider both fun and functional, is a great wireless ink-jet color printer, like the HP Photosmart 5520 All-in-one. I am a printer geek, and the 5520 is one to add to my favorites list. It's not too big, it's fast, the photo quality is fantastic, it works with the HP ePrint app so I can print wirelessly from my iPhone or iPad. 

As a graphic designer and crafter, my number one Back-To-School wish for all Modern Moms is that everyone has a quality printer they know how to use to make the most of the creative tools and products that can be found online. As Moms, there are numerous times when this comes in handy: last minute decorations for a school project or bake sale, birthday party decorations, teacher gifts, family calendars and chore charts, art prints for your home, and printables for back-to-school pictures and memory keeping...the list goes on and on. In fact, it's such a passion of mine, that I am going to talk a lot about printing in my next post. 

Next up in the Back-To-School for Mom series, I'll walk you through my new Creative Command Center, give you some printing tips and tricks, and share a couple favorite and simple creative projects you can whip up with your printer and a few multi-purpose craft supplies- all of which you can find at your local Target® or Target® Online! I'll also be sharing a special discount my readers can use in the Target® Photo Center for the month of September, and give you a chance to win at $200 Target® Gift Card! 

What are some of your MUST HAVES for Back-To-School? Do you have a favorite app, website or software you think other Moms would enjoy or should check out? I'd love to hear your thoughts on technology and parenting, or anything else you might want to share in the comments below.
- Jennifer

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Target® Inner Circle, all opinions expressed are my own. I was provided a gift card to purchase some of the items used in this series, however I have also contributed my own resources and time. Affiliate links are used for items that can be purchased online.

Random Favorites + A Bittersweet CHA

I had so much fun putting together my Fall Favorites round-up last week, I thought I'd keep going! I guess that's the secret to blogging, right? Keep posting stuff! :D In a renewed effort to maintain momentum and not make it overly complicated, here are some recent pins from Pinterest that have really pushed my inspiration button and why: 

1.//  Whale Typography:  I really aspire to think like this. I love finding art, and especially typography, that shows confidence in thinking and an exceptional creative result. 

2.// Pink + Orange Bowl:  I would love to replace all my dishes and pottery with color block pieces like this one, it's so modern and fresh. 

3.// Bedroom:  Right now we are trying to figure out what to do with the rooms in our house and how to make space for baby and a growing little girl. I am done with staring at a bunch of toys in my living room, so I am really thinking it would be good for Maggie to have a big girl room and give the bean her nook...but people...that would mean my office would get the heave! I don't think I can do that right now. Instead, I think we're going to try to reorganize the living room and get the toys into bins and put them into our closet armoires (since she'll be doing preschool 4 days a week) and then makeover our bedroom into a dream space like this with room for a bassinet and rocking chair and call it good. 

4.// Rolling Pen: Love this new typeface from the amazing Alejandro Paul at Studipos. It's on sale right now, so you should probably go grab it before it's like, $100 :D

5.// Colorblock Dress: Again with the colorblock; but I am also a HUGE fan of the shape of this dress- I've been living in T-shirt dresses all summer with my pregnancy, and I would love this dress and wear it like crazy because pockets! And that necklace is sick. I am all about statement jewelry. Just love the whole look and wish I could teleport it straight to my closet. 

6.// Yarn Art: Another reason why I wish I had a lot more wall space. This rocks! I have this from Target that is going in my kitchen/dining room and I'm thinking I might need to spray paint the letters different colors like this. 

7.// Desk + Lamp: I have a lamp just like this, that doesn't seem to fit in our house, but I love it too much to get rid of it, so this makes me think that if push comes to shove and I do HAVE to move my office space...maybe I could really minimize my needs and do something like this. It would suck though, no bull. 

8.// Baskets: I'm getting these. Don't know where or how I'll use them, but eff it...I love. 

(Photo from Craft and Hobby Association) 

The Summer 2013 CHA (Craft + Hobby Association) Trade Show is kicking off this week in Las Vegas, NV and just like a lot of you, I am excited to see all the new designs and collections debuting, and am wishing I was there in person to see it and touch it and soak it all in...

However, I have bittersweet feelings about this particular CHA show, because it is the one where I was going to be debuting my very own line.

(I should note, before I continue, that I have heavily debated sharing this- but what I have to say isn't going to throw anyone under the bus- it's just about life, experience, and feelings. We've all been there at one time or another, I know you can relate.) 

In January, I went to the Winter show in Anaheim to reconnect and meet up with my peers in the craft industry, and it was wonderful to come back to a place that I missed so much in all the business of raising an infant. It was a great show, I met with a lot of wonderful people, had a fantastic time with my friends and was excited to have some doors open for me and some production design opportunities to look into. 

A few weeks after the show, between our family trip to Whistler and my trip to Minneapolis for Target,  I got an email from a MAJOR scrapbooking company offering me the chance of a lifetime- MY OWN LINE, to debut at CHA Summer 2013!! I was so floored and so torn and so excited...(taking this offer meant turning down other opportunities, which I felt very conflicted about) but this was an amazing opportunity, one I would have never pursued on my own. I never knew just how much I wanted it, until it plopped down in my lap. 

Once I was home, the phone calls and emails started and I felt great about moving forward, even though we'd be extremely pressed for time in putting it all together. I can't begin to express how happy and excited I was, how proud my family was, and I really couldn't believe it was happening. I became a one-woman product research machine, my secret Pinterest boards were on fire, and I was buying supplies, getting ready for our development meeting, brainstorming and dreaming and loving every minute of the promise of what was to come. 

And then, just like that, for reasons that I still do not understand, they pulled the plug. 

Sometimes it sucks to be professional when what you want is to tell everyone how you got the shaft. I was devastated...and for a long time afterwards, angry...for getting my hopes up, for investing my emotions in it, for having expectations. I'm still not really over it. I want to be, but I'm not sure if it's my heart that's bruised or my ego...most likely both. I can't help but wonder a little bit if I could have done something different...if the stars were aligned in a more fortuitous configuration, if I had sacrificed a goat or something equally drastic to prove to the universe that I deserved this chance...if I wouldn't be writing an entirely different blog post today, sharing sneak peeks of a product line and celebrating my heart out. 

But... they say everything happens for a reason...two days after my final communication with the company, I realized that in all the stress and excitement, "things" were a bit late... and so I took a pregnancy test. We all know how that turned out. :D And hey, who knows, maybe there are better unknown things to come? I can only hope.

So, like I said, I'll be following all the show updates this week on Instagram and Facebook, and while it will surely be bittersweet, I still love this crazy industry and whatever small part I get to play in it, and I can't wait to see all the awesome new stuff and to cheer on those who are so well deserving of success! 

xoxoxo
-JP

Organizing For Paper Craft Lovers

Hi Everyone!

Today's post is for my fellow paper crafters! I have been excited to walk through my office with you again, and share a few more details about how I have organized my tools and supplies. As you know from my Makeover post, Target supplied a lot of new items for my studio, and I highlighted those items in that post. In this post, I will talk about the items that aren't from Target and why I chose to use them or reuse them in my space.

First off:  I love organizing just as much as I love decorating, but when you've reached a point where you have so much stuff that all you ever do is move things around, it's time to purge. Pare down to the essentials and be sure that the things you make an active decision to keep have a designated space and don't clog up your life. That's a little bit of wisdom that works with any improvement project.

I buy a LOTof my furniture at IKEA or an IKEA piece from Craigslist. In fact, we don't leave the house for IKEA until we have searched our local Craigslist for the item we are looking for, by name. I can't tell you how many times the item I was planning to buy for full price, was listed on CL at a massive discount. It's great!

I love the look of white painted furniture, mostly because I am drawn to modern clean lines, and I also live in the dark and gloomy PNW, so I need all the reflective light surfaces I can stuff into my home. :P Also, I shop at IKEA because I can't afford to shop for furniture elsewhere. I have a very limited budget and I have collected a lot of the items you see here over time. 

I know a lot of paper crafters have seen the turquoise RASKOG cart, it's a great item to buy, if you can find them in stock. I like to fill it full of embellishments and Project Life journal cards and roll it up to my table when working. Currently it's still full of supplies for my December Daily album. I need to refresh it with some of the newer spring supplies, and put those older  items up on my art desk. 

To keep my supplies organized on the top shelf, I used a couple of different document storage pieces, and you can use similar ones. I really like these by Martha Stewart for Staples. I also have a Project Life organizing tray for my PL sized cards, and I used a couple of BYGEL hanging baskets from the kitchen storage at IKEA to house odds and ends. 

I'm actually contemplating putting this cart downstairs in the dining room and filling it full of craft supplies for Maggie and buying myself one of the 4-shelf carts like this one from World Market, for only $99.00.

 

Another popular item from IKEA is the EXPEDIT shelving unit, I think just about everyone who has access to an IKEA has one by now. If you're a scrapbooker, and you've been on the fence, I hope this little tip will help push you over! I bought a KVISSLE letter tray sorter from IKEA from their new collection of office accessories. I initially bought it for the top of my desk, but when I was playing around with arrangements in my office, I discovered that it fits nicely into the EXPEDIT cubbies.

The trays are sized to hold regular letter sized paper, but I wanted to see if I could use them for my 12"x 12" pattern paper. Guess what? They work great! Just flip the tray upside down, pull it out about 1.5" and stack your papers on top. I lined up my stack of papers with the front edge of the tray, and because the trays are made out of sturdy metal, they don't flop or sag when extended, even if you have a heavy stack of paper on top!

This was such a great solution for me, and looked so great, I bought another one. Now I have the two side-by-side on the top row of my bookcase, yet I can imagine a whole EXPEDIT unit filled with these tray sorters and pattern paper and looking fabulous!!

The other item I use for storing my 12"x 12" papers are these 13"x 15" KASSETT file boxes. I cut priority mail shipping boxes in half, fill them with paper and put them into the file box and leave the lid off (I put it on the bottom) for easy access. These boxes get a bit heavy, so I put them on the bottom shelf and slide them out to use them. 

So that is a pretty thorough overview of how I store my papers and my basic embellishments. Now let's move onto my shelves and my desk and see what I have set up in those areas. 

My shelves are full of a variety of KASSETT boxes, some large, some small, and some flat. I know that IKEA has stopped making the skinny flat boxes, which is sad, because I was using them to store my most used acrylic and wood mount stamps; most used on top, less used on the bottom. My handle stamps I store in a vintage stamp holder. My copic markers are in the metal flower pot, and I have my Project Life album inserts in one of those large file boxes, and the other larger file boxes contain a lot of older products and embellishments from around 2009, that I can't part with. Most of the KASSETT boxes hold supplies of one form or another, broken down by size, material, and quantity. 

Under my standing desk, I have a row of 5 Y-Weave storage bins from Target, and these bins hold my punches, tools, stamp pads, hot glue gun and accessories and one empty bin for future items. I also have a very shallow height shelf that is the perfect spot for my guillotine paper cutter, score board, cutting mats, sketchbooks, and tin boxes (some old KI Memories holiday gift sets from Target) where I stash memorabilia and photos that I don't have another place for. Maggie's art work goes into a KASSETT box downstairs in the dining room. I also use some FLYT magazine files for my Thickers. In full disclosure, I have a HUUUUGE box of Thickers in my closet, so the ones on my shelf are my favorites. :D

Speaking of my closet...I don't have a picture of it, but I have two heavy duty sets of plastic shelving from our garage inside, and I use it to store boxes of miscellaneous craft supplies, fabric, paper and printing supplies, and craft tools like my vintage typewriter and my Cuttlebug. It's where my stuff goes to die. I purge my closet as often as I can, but it always looks a mess. 

Last but not least, my desk is where I keep a few essential items; my Epson Picturemate photo printer, my Project Life supplies, my Silhouette and my current craft projects. If you're looking for more great divided office organizers, I love this one from Land of Nod. Any other smaller items, like glitter, embossing powder, buttons, paint and brushes, etc, go into the cubbies of my vintage locker unit, you can find a photo of it in this post.

I hope I did a good job explaining everything clearly, and I hope I gave you some ideas that you can use in your crafting room, because I know first hand how hard it is to walk the fine line between having supplies at hand vs. your supplies having the upper hand. ;D

As always, if you have any questions on anything specific, please leave me a comment below and I will do my best to answer!

xoxoxoxo
-JP 

The Big Huge Awesome | Target® Inner Circle

Peeps!!! Are you DYING???

I am SO EXCITED to announce that Target® (Yes, THE Target!!) has asked me to be part of  Target® Inner Circle, a small select group of social influencers who get to bring you inside scoop and exclusive access to Target!!!

...and, as our first official activity, Target® is flying me to ...wait for it....

New York City!!!

(can you believe it??)

I will be there to participate in the Target® Media Day and 50th Birthday Celebration on Tuesday, October 16th!! (Yes...like, THIS TUESDAY!!) As part of the Target Inner Circle team, I will be spending the day mingling with Target executives, fellow media members, and celebrity partners! And I get to share it all with you!! We'll be getting an exclusive look at Target's unprecedented Holiday Collection, previewing upcoming plans and products and much, much more!! 

Then, later, I will be bringing my personal style into the equation in a variety of on-line activities here and on Pinterest, where you'll be able to join in and enter giveaways for the chance to win! Later this fall, I will also be taking a trip to Target's headquarters in Minneapolis to get a behind the scenes look at what makes Target tick! 

I have had a love affair with all things Target for as long as I can remember, back to the days when Micheal Graves made those hot looking kitchen appliances and told us that design was for everyone, everyday, at any price. How often do we all drop what we're doing to get to the $1 spot when there is a new batch of awesome stuff? Remember that Missoni collection? I personally include the day my Target opened their new grocery section as one of the better days of my life. And, maybe, just maybe (okay, more than maybe)...my weight loss goal isn't a number on the scale, it's "be able to fit into a Target size XL." I triple-dip love TARGET! This is such an amazing opportunity for me, and I am so humbled and honored to be included.  

And since this is as close to an Oscar acceptance speech as I will ever get, I have to say Thank YOU. The internet has been so good to me, it's where I found my husband, it's where I found my favorite hobby, where I continue to connect with my passion for design, it's where I make my living, and most of all, it's where I have met some amazing friends. Without my blog readers or followers on Pinterest, this wouldn't be happening. We all get to have different experiences in our lives, I feel like this one I get to do for US. I hope you will be excited to follow along! 

XOXOXO- J.P.