Stinkerpants

New Bridal Party Cards!

October 27, 2009 in Cards & Notes • Wedding & Engagement

I’ve got a lot of new greeting cards to go up in the shop this week, and I’m excited to share them with you!  First up are more bridal party cards.  At popular request, I’ve recently added a “Will You Be My Maid of Honor?” and “Will You Be My Matron of Honor?” to the shop to compliment the funny “Will You Be My Bridesmaid?” cards that everyone seems to love.  :)

I also added a flower girl card:

And the latest (and I think final, unless you guys have suggestions!) is this cute little ringbearer card:

There’s also a card to give your new in-laws, thanking them for welcoming you into their family:

And a great “day of” card for your new husband or wife: the “On this Day” card.  There are three different versions–one featuring a bride giving her heart, one featuring a groom giving his heart, and one with a plain heart, just in case you don’t like the people.  :)

Everything is live in the shop now!

Things I Have Learned from Swine Flu

October 16, 2009 in Miscellaneous Ramblings

(image source)

Things I have learned this week:

1. My parents, who I’ve been visiting in Oregon, are awesome.  I’ve been here almost two weeks and I’m not even remotely sick of them!  I wish they lived next door to me!
2. Good deals can be found at boutique shops–I found a pair of $225 jeans for only $50!
3. I am one of the lucky few who has the side effects of “excitability” and “trouble sleeping” from Codeine.
4. A shot of alcohol really works to cure a cough.
5. Swine flu is extremely contagious, and pretty hideous!
6. If you happen to catch h1n1 while traveling, you are not to get on a plane until your fever has been normal for 24 hours, meaning your trip to Oregon can be suddenly rescheduled to last almost a week longer than you were expecting!

Yes, that’s right folks: I came to Oregon to visit my parents nearly two weeks ago, and I am STILL HERE.  Why?  Because I caught swine flu.  I’m not sure whether it was the airplane from San Francisco or the germ-infested clothes hangers at the Lucky Brand outlet, but those little h1n1 buggers got me.

For the past week, I’ve been feverish, stuffed up, coughing, exhausted and pretty much incapable of taking care of myself.  Luckily I wasn’t in Mexico (where I joyfully caught E.Coli), but at home where my mommy could take care of me.  I feel very lucky for that–a trip ruined by swine flu could easily cost you thousands of dollars in plane tickets and extra hotel nights while you try to recover (not to mention the fact that you probably couldn’t pay somebody to risk infection by bringing you sustenance).  But I digress.

Now that I’ve survived it, I’m actually glad I got h1n1.  After all, I no longer have to worry about getting it! Yay! How’s that for a silver lining?

I am the first person that I actually know who has had h1n1, so I thought the chances might be good that I’m the first person that a lot of you guys “know” who has had it.  So here are a few facts:

• I am young, eat well and exercise pretty regularly.  This thing knocked me on my ass.
• I think I had a pretty mild case.  My fever never got higher than 102.5.
• It started in the mid afternoon on Sunday.  I felt tired and had a tickle in my chest.  By Monday morning, I had a fever, chills, a raging headache, terrible body aches and a cough.
• My fever started to go away on Wednesday night.  I was proud that it was hovering around 100° for the next 24 hours, but terrified that it would “come back with a vengeance,” because apparently swine flu comes in waves.
• My cough got a lot worse (and it’s still bad) but my fever never returned.  I have now had a normal temperature for 24 hours and am planning to fly home tomorrow afternoon.
• My doctor said that there have been no outbreaks of seasonal flu yet this year, so if you’ve had the flu, it was probably had swine flu.
• My parents, who are both over 60, felt a little under the weather, but never got sick.  This might be because they’re over 60.
• This sucks, but it didn’t kill me.

Now that I’ve had it, I have to say:

You may think the world is overreacting to swine flu, but at the end of the day YOU DO NOT WANT H1N1, so wash your freaking hands and stay informed.

Also, if you have any risk factors, ESPECIALLY if you are pregnant, do NOT think twice about getting the vaccine.  You need it.

Now, not to freak you out or anything, but a few months ago my dad (who is a retired OB/GYN) recommended that people who are planning to get pregnant wait until the flu season is over.  He said that there’s no way of knowing how bad this will get (nor what the effects of the medications/treatments could be on a fetus), but there’s one thing we do know: pregnant women are at high risk. Y and I discussed it and agreed that delaying any plans for a few months is definitely worth it.  After all, what’s a few months?  I still stand by that decision and urge you to at least think about it.  The CDC has not made this recommendation, but please keep in mind that making a decision like that would be both a public health AND a political decision, which could cause mass panic.  I think it’s best to play it safe in any way that you can until it’s clear what this outbreak is going to look like.

If you’re already pregnant or have any other risk factors, take care of yourself.  This article from the CDC is very helpful.

This thing is WAY more contagious than I thought it was.  A few weeks ago, my wise friend Rosie said, “I think we’re all going to get it–it’s just a matter of how bad.”  I now think she’s right.  That being said, I hope you all stay healthy!

Wow, I can see Russia from up here on my soap box (as my friend Aimée would say)!!  Climbing down now.

If anyone has any questions about what this was like, please feel free to ask me!

Save the Dates: R & B

October 6, 2009 in Blog • Weddings-Blog • Custom Weddings • Save The Dates

It’s no secret that I love animals, nor is it a secret that I love drawing them.  I also love people who want to include their pets in their wedding invitations, Save the Dates or thank you notes.  When R & B contacted me, they wanted unique save the dates and wedding invitations featuring themselves and their dog, Diva.

Diva has got to be one of the cutest dogs I’ve ever seen, and she’s the first pit bull I’ve ever had the privilege of drawing.   Check her out:

R & B are people after my own heart: Diva is loved unconditionally, and I could tell while drawing her that she’s as sweet as can be.  Plus, her smile made ME smile, which is always nice.

R & B will be having a wine country wedding, and wanted something fun for their Save the Dates.  How cute is this pose, with B crushing grapes and holding R in the air?

This is one of my all-time favorite Save the Dates.  I love drawing dogs!

Custom drawn Save the Dates are a fun way to excite people about a wedding.  The vineyards are a common theme for my clients (partly because I’m located in the bay area, right near the California wine country areas of Napa and Sonoma), but it’s easy to spice things up and make the vineyard setting totally “you.”  I think B, R and Diva did a good job of that.  :)

Hemming Your Jeans without Paying $20

October 5, 2009 in How To

 
photo source

I am recovering from the worst case of writer’s block EVER.  This morning I’m going to share a tip with you guys that I have found super helpful over the past few years–it’s also saved me a bunch of money.

I, like a lot of women, have an addiction to fancy jeans.  I really, really love them.  However, I am also short.  And after blowing a bunch of money on a pair of jeans, I really don’t want to pay an extra $20 to have them hemmed because I’m vertically challenged (is that fair?!  I think not!).  Now, many people might say, “if you buy your Citizens at Nordstrom, they’ll hem them for free!”  And yes, that is true–however, they will not preserve the fancy cuff or hem at the bottom of the jeans, which is part of what makes them so fabulous!  Instead, you pay $200 for jeans, only to have a crappy looking hem at the bottom.  In order to have them preserve the original hem, you have to pay $20 for a fancy hem (otherwise known as Original Hem, Fancy Hem or European Hem).  And despite what buying expensive jeans may indicate about my spending habits, I assure you: I am otherwise quite cheap.

Enter the DIY Fancy Hem.

A few years ago  I did a google search, trying to figure out how to do this myself.  I have since lost the incredibly helpful article, but not before I learned how to do it.  So here, my friends, is a tutorial:

Step One: Figure Out How Long You Want ‘Em

Decide how much length you would like to take off. I do this by putting the pants on and looking in the mirror to see how far they are to the floor, then pinning them over and over until they hit in the right place (it might be easier to get help, haha).  I have one pair of jeans for flats and one pair for heels.

Once you’ve decided how much you want to take off, divide that number by 2.

Step Two: Prepare for Hemming

Cuff the bottom of the jeans.  For example, if you want to take two inches off, fold the jeans up and measure 1 inch.  Only measure the light-colored part, not the actual hem.  Once you’ve folded them up, pin around the cuff, making sure to measure all the way around.  (Side note: I actually like to iron the fold, just so things are nice and clean, but that’s just me. )

While you’re pinning, make sure to line up your seams:

Step Three: Sewing your Hem

Make sure you put the needle RIGHT UP AGAINST the original hem–that way, things will fold in all the right spots (this might not make sense yet, but trust me–this matters).  Sew all the way around the cuff, making sure that you don’t sew your foot hole shut.

Step Four: Check ‘Em, Iron ‘Em Flat and you’re done!

Now flip the sewn part inside your jeans to reveal the old hem, and try them on.  Are they the right length?  Awesome.  If not, you messed up your measuring and need to start over.

If they’re the right length, awesome!  You can either cut off the excess (leave about a half inch in case it frays), or you can do what I do and leave it inside the jeans.  I’m a commitment phobe like that.  :)

Once you’ve got the right length, iron the seam into place so it lays flat, and you’re done!  Now you can save yourself $20 every time you buy a new pair of jeans.  Unless, of course, you are blessed to be taller than I am!