Kids Celebrate Big with Minted's Children's Invite Challenge

Have a Ball!

Minted's latest design challenge asked designers to create Children's Birthday Party Invitations. From the big first year to the sweet sixteen, the many entries are stunning. PLease take a moment to rate my deigns and those of my talented fellow designers.

Just click on each image to go to the ranking page. I truly appreciate your support. Thank you!

Soar With Me!

Talk About a Sweet Sixteen!

hey batter batter!
Monster Bash!

LOVE.

"All you need is Love. Love is all you need." -John Lennon

Just received these 5 X 7 LOVE prints from the printer. They are on lovely thick card stock and will fit in a standard 5x7" frame - the perfect gift for your special valentine.

Available here.

Love is in the Air!

Check out these classroom (or mailable) Valentines I designed for Brightside Prints. You can order them with a cute backer, but I would probably order them blank on the back and let the kids either write their classmate's name, or, if the teacher has requested unpersonalized cards to distribute, have them illustrate the backs for a more personal touch.

Brightside has a great collection of cards by it's awesome designers, so check them out and don't forget to use the code "hannah" to receive 10% off  your order.

I will also have the LOVE print available as a non-personalized A2 card or a 5x7 print in my etsy shop soon!

Delish Lunch Egg

After making a quesadilla for the boy I eyed the onion garlic focaccia left over from last night's meal and wondered how I could make it into a lunch in under three minutes. Turns out is was easy and delicious. I cut a hole in a slice of the focaccia, heated, oiled and salted, yes, salted the pan, laid down my bread and cracked an egg in the hole. After a minute I flipped the whole thing, but not before throwing some shaved parm down. While waiting for it to brown, I sliced tomatoes and tore off some cilantro. Flipped the egg/bread/parm mess onto a plate and topped with pepper, cilantro and chopped tomatoes. Mine was still yummy and runny in the yoke, but if that skeeves you out you can leave it in the pan longer. It was like a savory French toast. Not really lo-cal, but not the worst choice. If I'd had more time I could have sautéed some spinach and mushrooms as well.

Easy-Peasy Play Dough Recipe

3 cups flour

1.5 cups salt

6 teaspoons cream of tartar

6 tablespoons oil

3 cups water with food coloring mixed in

This play dough recipe from my kids' preschool is the easiest and most consistent recipe I've used. Throw everything in a large cooking pot, turn on the heat and start to stir. Keep stirring until the dough forms a ball and then a bit longer. Turn out onto a counter and enjoy the therapeutic deliciousness of kneading the warm dough smooth.

Happy 2012!

Dear Friends, thank you so much for your support and interest over the past year. I look forward to sharing this bright new year with you!

Why School Photos are Good

I attended a school that did not take individual student photos, and so the whole "school picture day" phenomenon is lost on me. I wasn't going to buy my kindergartener's photos because I believe that school pictures are archaic remnants of a time when people didn't have cameras, let alone cameras in their computers and phones. At one point in time that school photo was probably the only photograph parents had of their child each year-- now it is one of hundreds, if not thousands.

Still, I decided to spring for the basic package, having been convinced by friends that school pictures are a rite of passage and a fun way to measure growth over the years. Additionaly, my son was very excited about the photos and pored over the offered backgrounds and "pose styles". I appreciate ironic kitsch as much as the next person, but I finally convinced him to choose the blue background instead of the psychedelic rainbow backdrop (killjoy, I know).

On picture day, he put on his specially chosen shirt, yet for all my efforts, we could not get his hair to stay flat. He was unphased, saying "Mommy, that's just how it is." Oh well I thought, sent him into school and dismissed the whole event until yesterday when the photos came home in his backpack.

It took only one glance at his photo to convince me of the value of school pictures. Never in a million years could I have captured the awesomeness that is my son's Kindergarten photo and I have no idea how we will top this in years to come. The best part about the whole thing is that my son thinks the photo is hilarious. Instead of being mortified and embarrased, he is totally in on the joke. I think this speaks volumes about his self confidence and willingness to be different. And that makes me very, very happy.

The Perfect Time of the Year for Pinning

Holiday gift giving, making and baking is a breeze when you can browse pinterest for ideas. If you'd like to start pinning your own inspirations, let me know and I can send you an invitation!

Stocking Treats: TJ's Dark Chocolate with Caramel and Black Sea Salt

Scrump. Perfect to accompany a gift card.

Microcosmos & Murmuration: Prepare to be Amazed

If you haven't already seen Microcosmos, the incredible documentary that follows insects and nature via up close time lapse photography, then you are in for a major treat. It's streaming on Netflix, so you really have no excuse. This video is similarly breathtaking. . .it captures a murmuration of starlings. Quite surreal:

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Photo Fun with my iPhone!

How much do I adore my new iPhone 4? So much! It's pretty pathetic that I derive so much pleasure from an inanimate object, but I really love almost everything about it. My only complaint is that it is hard to locate the ring. . . does anyone else have the problem? The phone can be ringing loudly and I will walk right by it thinking the noise is coming from somewhere else. My phone can throw its voice!

One of the things I am enjoying most is the camera and all the different apps that make it even more fun. I used the app Pic Collage to pull together some of the photos I have taken using Camera+, Hipstamatic, and Instagram (I mostly use Camera+, totally worth the 99 cents, Hipstamatic is the clunkiest and at $1.99 the most expensive-- still not too bad). I used the free app Labelbox to add the tape. You can also write captions on the tape which comes in a variety of patterns and styles. If you have an iPhone and like to take photos I highly recommend Pic Collage. Instead of posting a zillion pictures, you can pull together a collage to share on facebook or twitter or whatever social interweb thing you kick around on.

I also just purchsed the easy-macro lens adapter. I wanted to try a macro lens without having to remove my protective case and the easy-macro seemed like the best option. It is $17 including shipping (cheaper than any other lens) and I received it two days after ordering. It is basically a rubber band with a lens embedded in it so you can stretch it over your phone or ipad or whatever to create a macro lens. I've only played with it a little but I think it could be fun. As you can see from the sample photos I took, you have to get incredibly close to the object to achieve focus, and then, if you don't hold the camera super still, you lose focus as you click the picture. Still, it's a neat little toy and could create some cool patterns and textures for design work. You can pick up the half-tones in printed material and, believe it or not, that white textile in the bottom right is a sheet. Obviously, not a very high thread count, but still, not the burlap it appears to be. The very blurry purplish photo is the center of a coneflower, but I had nothing to prop the camera on and my hands shook, making the pic very blurred.

What apps are you loving?

Birds of Prey Birthday Party!

I designed this custom "Birds of Prey" birthday party invitation for a friend's son. It's a sweet deal since she is a cake baker and is going to make Theo's 4th Birthday Cake in December.

Even cooler, she made a cake to match the invitation!

If you are interested in one of Mary's cakes (she makes a mean cupcake too) for your occasion, check her out at Sweetlife Confections.

Happy Holiday Card Season!

Are you thinking about your Holiday Cards yet? Probably not, but we designers have been thinking about the, for months. Check out my selection of Holiday Cards on etsy and Brightside Prints, and coming soon on the new and improved Indigo Prints site.

INterested in a custom card? Now is the time to get in touch! Email me at hannahcloud@gmail.com

Brightside of the Road!

I am so excited to be collaborating with fellow Minted designer, Jill Means through her stationery shop Brightside Prints. I am delighted  by the selection of designs available and the reasonable price point. I am also happy to be in the very talented company of Brightside Prints' Partner Designers, including Palm Papers' Lauren Chism, and Hello Hailey.

Like Brightside Prints on Facebook to keep abreast of specials and new designs! Place an order in September and get FREE custom address labels!

Use the code "HANNAH" for 10% off any order! 

Missoni At Target: Like Locusts on a Tree

Rolled into Target around 12pm today, hoping that not everything from the Missoni for Target line would be gone. I snagged a few items. I'm happiest with the tights. Really love the shoes too, but may not "need" them considering they were pricey for a Target purchase. Apparently, the store had a line outside an hour before opening and everything flew off the racks and shelves within minutes. I knew I wasn't going to score big when I found the website overloaded at 7:30 this morning, so I'm happy with my items. What did you get?

It seems my Target wasn't the only one that faced Missoni Madness. Check out this article.