giggle giggle for easter!

sorry it's sideways - boo! i was taking photos and forgot to turn the camera back the other way :( still some of the cutest giggles we've ever seen.

more smiles, and drooly-drool

right brain or left?

have a look at this link. at a glance, which direction is she rotating?

if she going to the right, you're creative - if she's going to the left, you're logical.

right brain left brain test

and now, for a cool twist - stare at the girl for a bit. think of something logical (like a simple math problem), even talk about it out loud for a second. then think of something creative (blue plus yellow makes green), and watch her change directions! it's CRAZY!

i'm right brain all the way, it took me a while to even see the left direction.

i'm in love with the band two doors down

mystery jets!

need i say more?




p.s. once again, i'm very disappointed to learn that although this album is available in the U.K., you can't buy it here without paying to import it. anyone know how to buy in the U.K. store on iTunes? it always kicks me out!

let's move that down a little...

ok, i couldn't just leave a giant picture of a teenage heart throb at the top of my blog, could i? have to come up with something else.

i'm addicted to david archuleta

i'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but it's true. for some reason, i just can't stop listening, and i don't even mind it. what's the world coming to? i ask you!

inaugural joy

well, all election craziness aside, we have a new president! and i found what i thought was a really neat account of the day, by an illustrator featured in the ny times. i thought you might enjoy her illustrated story :)

christmas

i know it's a little after christmas, but OH, what a wonderful christmas it was!

my new hat

chocolate sculptures

i heart my coolest ever new toy! no matter my feet don't even touch the floor... :)

new graphic design blog

so, i've found that i have so much to say about graphic design, it's best to keep it separate. so, i've created a new blog for my business, called the designer's bag of tricks. check it out to see what i'm working on!

i'll keep this blog updated, but i'll use it more exclusively for the johnson fam. cool design for the new blog coming soon; for now i just wanted something there...

baby blessing

so i really have meant to post something before now... but it's been a crazy few weeks! thank heavens, i did finish the dress on time, and it turned out even more beautiful than i could have imagined.

row after row of pintucks, swiss embroidery, entredeux...

the blessing was beautiful, and we were thrilled to have so many friends and family come. after about 2 days of baking, weeks of sewing, hours of travel - you'd think the thing would last a little longer!

the spread - and all our wonderful family and friends!

with grandma whetten

love my daddy


with grandma johnson later that night - and i giggled for the first time!

insane insane (insane) i was INSANE!

umm, what was i thinking? this baby blessing dress is officially taking about 79 hours! her blessing is this sunday! how in the world am i going to get this all done???

i mean, it is exquisitely beautiful, even more beautiful than i thought it would be. it tickles my fancy to make something so pretty. but it also makes me happy to, you know, eat, sleep, and shower.

ok, pray for me...

i heart art nouveau

there is something about the art nouveau style that i just love love love... and it's not just because most of it is in french. i love collecting things in this style, and someday, i'll have a house full of it.

i love old things: old movies (totally on a gershwin musical kick right now), old music, old fashion (if i could get my hands on it...)

the best place to live...

so, we're planning to move to bellevue next summer, if you hadn't heard. a beautiful suburb of seattle, just across lake washington. i had no idea we had such good taste:

Business Week's Best Places to Raise Kids...Bellevue!

ouch! (a bad month for my left hand)

one of these days, i'm going to scientifically prove that babies suck brain cells out of their mothers when feeding.

case in point: recently, i steam-burned the back of my left hand, for no good reason except i wasn't paying attention. it hurt. and it peeled for two weeks. i was hoping this would be an isolated occurrence, but today i managed an iron burn on, yes, the same hand! just when i was finally healing up. you'd think i'd learn.

so, if you see me stumbling around, looking confused, or inventing new countries (this week's addition to the world: canadia. populated by the same people as norwegia), just remember that for every brain cell i lose, maddie's getting smarter (i hope!)

2 truths and a lie - london edition!

so, mandy tagged me to do this... i'm not including the rules, because honestly, if you don't know how to play this game, then you need to go to a couple girly parties. generally i stink at this, but we'll see how it goes:

1. i was stalked on the tube (london subway) by some weirdo guy one night, and had to lose him like they do in the movies

2. i was made, ummm, let's say very indecent proposals twice in one night by complete strangers!

3. somehow, the only italian guy in london managed to find me and steal a kiss while i was waiting for a bus. i'd heard about this, which was why i avoided italy! he seemed nice at first, suddenly got a little too flirtatious, and took off before i could slap him.

tag you're it (and make it good!):
aubrey
chicka
mandy lee
emma

my first foray into heirloom sewing

i love making beautiful things, especially when i get to put them on my baby. this is a photo of a dress i'm *trying* to copy, in a book by martha pullen. i'll be simplifying it and adding my own flare in places, mostly because the swiss embroidery edgings and insertions are so ridiculously expensive i couldn't purchase enough... so no "v" in the skirt, and a more simplified bodice, but otherwise pretty close.

it'll be in ivory imperial batiste, which i think will be so beautfiul! (unfortunately i learned too late that since imperial batiste is a blend, it won't hold pintucks as well... if you plan to do something like this, buy 100% cotton!)


the swiss embroidery insertions and edgings i bought, which cost $XXX.xxx ca*h he& roych (sorry, that's me choking, lost control of the keyboard for a moment).

stay tuned, i plan to post my exciting progress and the final product...

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ok, it's kind of amazing, the things you come up with while stuck in traffic for hours after a very long and tiring day, especially when you're dying of hunger. i tend to get a bit loopy, and strange things get very funny...

just for fun... baby announcement!

i had waaay too much fun designing this card... and if you weren't lucky enough to come to my baby shower and get one, i thought you might enjoy!

halloween

ok, you have to admit it: cutest baby smiles ever! i can't believe she's 9 weeks old today...

ummm... if you don't know who we are, you need to upgrade your pop-culture memory card! we were greeted by most people with open-mouthed stares and finger pointing...wonder why...

guess that firm... (we got a job offer!)

we officially have an offer - and not only that, it's the one we wanted. so, we're off to seattle next fall! we're a little excited, can you tell?

to figure out which firm it's for, you must decode a little big four slang below :)

seattle!!! (ok, and portland too...)

we're back and recovered from our fantastic trip to the northwest! fred had a great time at his 13 interviews (i'm not kidding, and that doesn't include a breakfast, 3 lunches, 2 dinners and a cocktail hour!), and i had a blast hanging out with maddie. we didn't get to see everything, but here are some highlights:

Seattle!!

so, seattle is where we really want to end up... i couldn't believe how courteous people were (shape up, utah! what's your problem??) we attended a ward in bellevue, and they were so uber-friendly! we hope to live in either bellevue or issaquah, just east of downtown seattle across lake washington.

downtown was fantastic, and thanks to fred's high-profile interviews, we got to stay 2 blocks from the heart of downtown in a beautiful boutique hotel. the shopping rocks, and the seattle center was walking distance! it's a truly amazing and beautiful city...

the space needle




the pacific science center

would you believe, i remember coming here 18 years ago with my family? the science center is one of my best memories of being a kid... so even though maddie's not old enough to care, i went for nostalgia's sake.

inside the butterfly garden - so full of butterflies you can get close enough to study them and watch how they fly.


pike place market

i love farmers markets, and this is apparently the oldest one in the country. found some very cool shops, and bought a children's book called "a giraffe and a half" by shel silverstein. check it out, it's as funny as it sounds!


ride the ducks!

tour downtown seattle and lake union on these WWII amphibious land/water vehicles! kinda strange when the vehicle you're in plows into the water and keeps going...


Portland

the international rose test garden

so beautiful - i love flowers, and i can't wait to live somewhere they grow so easily! i can't wait to try out my green thumb...






the japanese garden (most authentic in the world outside japan!)

we got to see it in the fall, which i think is one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. the grounds are so well kept, and the changing leaves are enough to take your breath away...

from underneath one of my favorite trees - such a beautiful canopy! this one i might frame and hang on our wall.




hmmm... baths are a little different when you can't bring your own tub!

cute face, poop face

a few of my favorite faces:

stubborn "i'm asleep, leave me alone" face




i love my daddy face

smiley face

poop face - proceed with caution!