Design*Sponge Summer 2011 Newspaper

Have you picked up your copy of the first ever Design*Sponge Summer 2011 Newspaper yet? I have mine and I can't wait to park it on the couch and dive in!

This issue includes...

• Beach home tours
• Designer interviews
• Driftwood-themed product roundup
• 3 awesome summer DIY projects
• Summer-themed crossword puzzle
• Short story (by Kate!)
• A summer music mix with CD art you can cut out!
• A map of our favorite water vacation destinations and favorites from 50+ other designers/artists

Design*Sponge is my favorite blog, so I was pumped to see that few of the small, 10k run were going to be available in Denver. See where you can pick one up in your city here!

Photo Journal: Aspen

The whole family packed up and headed out to Asssssspen early Saturday morning. The drive was a quick 3.5 hours, which included various stops to take in all of the beauty along the way. I was a bit bitter traveling up with only one bike, but Missi kept my hubby company on the trails. It was a weekend of celebration for the soon to be Mr. & Mrs. Luthis and relaxation - at least for me! The weather was a perfect 75 degrees, the food was delicious and we were with great company :)

Ahhhhhh, I miss the mountains so much. It's good for the soul! One of many, many family trips in the near future.

We're 1 year & 32 days old today!

Happy Birthday to sea | pea | tea! (belated by 32 days - whoops)

Well that snuck up on me. I can hardly believe it's been a year since we were settling into our new apartment in San Francisco and I was contemplating starting a blog. We were sad to leave Tahoe but SO excited to experience city life - and great eating! I can't believe how much has happened since then... we went on unforgettable trips to Hawaii, Cabo & Thailand, celebrated so many amazing people and events, I started my MFA in Graphic Design program, managed to get in some Tahoe skiing in, packed up our lives and moved to Denver, broke off on my own with Worboys Design, my hubby opened the new, beautiful CGI office downtown, and now we're just 6 weeks and 1 day (!!!) away from welcoming our first baby! Wow, just typing that reminds me of how blessed we are.

I've loved this blog for so many reasons... to be able to share the random thoughts floating around my head, all of the beautiful creativity that inspires me daily, a bit of my work and pictures from all that we're up to. Thank you to all who visit and for your sweet comments along the way.

This collection of photos are some of my favorites from the past year, that I've never shared on here. Missi so proudly marched around San Francisco and across the bridge with this sign around here neck.

We had the last photo made into a puzzle and sent it out to our families to announce the big news :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Hope you're doing something exciting. The family is off to Aspen for the weekend to celebrate the engagement of Janice and Ez-Dog. I plan to return with some great pictures. But until then... work, work, work!

Happy Friday!

Beatrice & Woodsley

Last night, the Cardinal Group (my husband's company) crew was treated to a ridiculously delicious 5-course meal at Beatrice & Woodsley to celebrate the closing of local development deal. I knew it was going to be a special dining experience when we walked into the restaurant, sans signage from the street. I was blown away by the rustic and modern decor in the upper dining area...

White curtains, birchwood, leather benches and rustic chairs... ugh, so amazing!

The wine cellar, where we spent the evening...

And the food... perfect portions with tons of flavor and texture. I went to bed dreaming of the Black Velvet Cake... whiskey-soaked chocolate cake with cocoa-cream cheese frosting and white chocolate raspberry cocoa nib gelato... mmmmmm

"Just as the room embodies the interplay of the city and wilderness, the menu reflects duality and is best described as new old-world rustic. Combining today's palette's with the traditions and flavors of Europe, the cuisine pays homage to the melting-pot of recipes and methods from the early formation of the collective American culture. Simple ingredients, carefully executed techniques, and an adventurous imagination culminate into the restorative qualities of food, drink and setting."

Beatrice & Woodsley | 38 South Broadway, Denver

{ Photo Credit: beatriceandwoodsley.com }

Baby Shower Festivities!

I still have a smile on my face after this past weekend's baby shower festivities in San Diego! :) Not only did I get to spend some much needed time with girlfriends and celebrate Baby Girl Woodcock, I was spoiled rotten at my baby shower on Sunday.

The decor couldn't have been more beautiful...

Lunch consisted of all my latest "cravings"...

Homemade marshmallows?!

With silly (and disgusting!) games...

Every detail was so perfect and so special, including video messages from those who couldn't be there. And instead of cards, everyone brought books with sweet messages for Baby de Windt!

There's no question that I have the most amazing friends and family a girl could ever ask for. I can't thank you all enough for such a special day that I will never forget it. I love you all so, SO much!

(Can't wait to see pics from Michele's fabulous Safari Chic baby shower!)

Baby Shower Weekend!

My alarm went off at 4:30am this morning. I would normally dread waking up at that hour, but I couldn't have been more excited to get to San Diego for this weekend of baby showers. It feels great to be here without running around for work and with nothing on the agenda but relaxing and celebrating Baby Woodcock and Baby de Windt :)

I cannot thank you girls enough for being so incredibly thoughtful. You're amazing!

Bring on the babies!

Paint Your Own Ceramics!

When I came across this image from yesterday's DesignSponge post, I was inspired to look around for a ceramics studio. I've always wanted to take a pottery class or even just spend the afternoon in one of those studios where you make and paint your own pottery. While I'd never come close to being able to do some of the intricate designs by Shannon Garson, I should be able to recreate something close to this design of hers...

I'm thinking... a vase for my office, bowl for the coffee table, another vase for the nursery and maybe a mug or two (or 6). So... to my local Denver ladies... who's with me?!

Ceramics in the City: select an already made ceramic ($10-65 includes all supplies and glazing), paint your own designs and pick up 5-7 days later.

Pot-Luck Pottery: select your ceramic ($2-50 includes all supplies and glazing + $8 painter's fee), paint away and pick up a week later. They seem to have a better variety of ceramic items here.

Black multi-size polka dots with a solid sheer pink interior... shouldn't be too difficult right? We'll see. I'll keep you posted!

{ Photo Credit: designsponge.com }

Time out.

Today started out pretty rough. It was one of those days where you just can't get a break. Knowing that I have SO much to be thankful for, including a job that allows me to work for myself, make my own schedule, and do what I LOVE every single day, I couldn't even allow myself to complain. Instead, I gave myself a time out, went to the grocery store and made myself some cupcakes...

Nothing like a little fluffy yellow cake (zero effort, Duncan Hine's style) with chocolate fudge frosting and sprinkles to turn your crappy day around. I'd say it did the trick!

Back to loving life again :)

Design Your Own Cruisers!

Happy Friday All!!

While I can't believe it's already Friday, I am definitely ready for the weekend. All I can think about is turning in my final exam on Saturday, and doing absolutely nothing. Which actually means errands and catching up on some work. Blah! But I'm hoping to at least fit in a nice bike ride at some point.

We've been talking about getting some cruisers, since riding our mountain bikes around town with clip-ins isn't quite working out, so I was excited to see these Villy Custom Cruisers featured on One Kings Lane. You have to be a member to see their daily deals. Sign up here. How cool are these?!

Design your own, OK! Here's my own design...

Depending on what kind of accessories you add, they'll run you around $550. I'm thinking... early anniversary gifts?! Hubby... thoughts? :)

{ Photo Credit: villycustoms.com }

DIY Friendship Bracelets.

Are you sick of me talking about friendship bracelets yet?! WELL, I finally had some down time for a little crafting this past weekend and since I've been dying to try these DIY friendship bracelets (featured on my new favorite blog Honestly WTF), I gave it a whirl. Super easy and I'm LOVING the way they turned out...

The more I can add to my chunky watch, the better!

I'm not kidding when I say these were SUPER easy to make, and that's why I may have gone a bit overboard... I think I made about 25 :) The wax cord, leather cord and rhinestone chain were all found at Michaels and the brass ball chain and hex nuts were found at Ace Hardware.

Pictures and step-by-step instructions here. Have fun!