wantist...

I am wondering around the web late tonight and found WANTIST.  This site is so fun to browse...it spotlights super cool places, products, food, games, household things: basically - lots of things that could be gifted to well-deserving people in your life.  Very hip, unique gift ideas for all.  I love stumbling upon sites such as this.  It makes the lost hours of sleep so worth it.

Idaho Rehearsal Dinner...

 So... I have been putting this post off for a couple of months.  This Idaho Falls rehearsal dinner in that I helped with in July was not the greatest experience. Even as I gather these few photos - I wince a little as I review it in my mind.

The Dinner was to be held out on this lovely patio across the river from the Idaho Falls Temple.  BEAUTIFUL!  Big, spacious, classy patio with globe lights, couches and a fireplace.

Well, around 3:00 pm the wind started to pick up.  And it continued to pick up.  Tablecloths were blowing up - centerpieces were tipping - favor boxes were tumbling off - paper lanterns were destroyed - candles couldn't be lit - place cards could not be set.  The sign-in table even blew over.  The hostess (MoG) was insistent that the guests be seated outside.  The whole reason she booked the venue was for the Temple view.  Was she actually trying to control the weather?  Well...that was super fun.  About 45 minutes before the guests were supposed to arrive, she conceded, and the hotel staff hurriedly moved the tables inside.  But not into the ballroom - no!  The dozen tables were set up in the walkway between the ballroom and the windows looking out on the patio (and the Temple).

The guests waited patiently for us to finish setting up and trying to recover the decorations that had been ruined by the wind.  It finally became this:

But without the lights, the fireplace, the fresh air, the paper lanterns, etc.  The place cards didn't even make it back on the tables. :(  There was major chaos because everyone was trying to help - which was nice - but I no longer had any control over what went where.  The Sign-In table was cramped and up against a wall, the Seating Chart was not where anyone could see it, and the table with the framed Chinese Calligraphy Scrolls that I had hand-painted (for the family gifts) were right at the front where everyone else could wonder why they weren't getting one.  Ugh... 

After the 'hostess' went up to her room to regroup (cry), it went fine and nobody cared except her and me.  She was mad, I was mad, the hotel manager was I don't know what...trying to be accommodating.  One of the lessons I learned:  try not to put yourself in a position where someone can blame you for the bad weather.  Another...Accept and Allow!  Bad weather doesn't define a person, right?

Container Therapy

Almost anyone who knows me is painfully aware of my container dependence disorder (CDD).  If a container is cute, classy, unique, functional, elegant, and/or sometimes just tiny ~ I am inclined to purchase one or several.  Not necessarily harmful or destructive you say?  Well you wouldn't think so except for the fact that my searching/browsing/purchasing habits are not tied to a need.  It is a 'want' and a 'have-to-have' urge that drives me.  I confess that I am in possession of a certain quantity of empty (albeit, spectacular) containers of all kinds.  I should probably add to my 'life list' an entry that reads: ...find functional uses for containers in collection.  Sigh...   Back to why I am posting.  And why it is linked to my food category.   My most favorite and beautiful jars are these.  I am in love with them!  And I will preserve just about anything to use them.  I call it Container Therapy.

 Watch for photos of my 'made from scratch' Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Thai Peanut Sauce that I will be bottling and delivering to my sisters, friends, and anyone who would like to purchase a jar or two.

Word Art

I love fonts.  I have almost 7,000 of them on my laptop.  It's a sickness.  I also love to design with words.  My 'quotes' file is jam packed and I love collecting and bookmarking ideas for designs. If I had unlimited time, I would love to play with and make things from these ideas.  A few years ago I started making these word collages for some of my family members:

I gathered words from siblings &/or children and then, with my Illustrator program, choose 3 or 4 fonts and 2 or 3 colors and started placing the words like a puzzle.  They turned out to be really meaningful, personal gifts that could then be framed as a piece of art.

A couple of months ago, I came upon an interactive site called WORDLE.  I wish I would have come up with it.  It allows you to enter words (as many as you want) into a form and then when you click the 'GO' button, your words become a really cool design piece.  You can then choose to randomize the document and it will switch it up with different fonts and colors.  I did learn a couple of tricks as I was playing around on the site such as: the word(s) that are repeated become the largest, and it's a good idea to keep a copy of your text just in case you want to try a bunch of different designs.

Here are some of my favorite creations that others have posted from the site:

And here are a couple that I did on the site:

This is text from one of Elder Uchtdorf's talks

This is text from 'A Proclamation to the World'

I love them!!  I will definitely use this amazing site for some of my 'word/font/quote' projects.

The Perfect Gift

I love to find that perfect gift. 

Whether it is a hard to find quirky accessory or a silly reminder of a private joke.  Or it could be that perfect piece of vintage memorabilia or sometimes a fabulous, unique gourmet food item.  I find joy and satisfaction in the hunt.  I love to browse sites that get my brain thinking of all the cool stuff out there waiting to make someone's day.


spoonsisters



hip and humble

see jane work

see jane work

the cocoa room

curiosity shoppe

farmhouse wares

museum of modern art store

etsy

Here are some groovy sites, each with plenty of inspiration on your quest of The Perfect Gift:
kaboodle,  spoonsisters,  hip and humble,  museum of modern art store  (MoMA),  think geek, curiosity shoppe, etsy, the cocoa room, see jane work, farmhouse wares