Dot + Stripe

Hello, for the first time in a while!  I've been busy-busy with work (which is a blessing!), but I had to share my newest find: my china collection!

I never registered for "fine china" during the wedding months–I never found a set that really caught my eye.  Until now.   I found these lovelies at Homegoods this morning, and I scooped up every piece they had, which really wasn't much, BUT, it is a start.  It is Mikasa "Color Studio" bone china in Turquoise, and I was able to mix and match the polka dot pattern and chevron pattern.   Homegoods only had 8 salad plates and 8 teacups, however, after searching online, I found that they were available at the Mikasa site for about $10 more per set of 4 (not bad at all!).

Needless to say, I will be adding to the collection over the next few months, but for now, I'm excited to do fancy date nights and (small) dinner parties with friends on my new, lovely dinnerware.

Until next time!

xoxo,

Mitz

Work Tunes

Ever have those days (weeks!?) that seem so full, you can't even remember what you had for lunch that day, or if you even had lunch?  I have had an incredibly busy 2 weeks filled with work, family, and, well, work, and with that comes a lot of joy, as well as a lot of stress. 

Today, I had to crank some "focus" music to drown out the neighbor.  Enjoy!

New Year's Resolution: part 1

Happy New Year!  Hope you all have big plans for 2013, I know I do!

I am never good about thinking of a New Year's Resolution in advance; in fact, I normally come up with one about a month or two into the new year.  2013, however, is an exception!  My resolution is to keep my car clean, pristine, and clutter free.  For some of you, this may be easy-peasy.  For myself?  Not so.  I always tend to toss a few travel mugs, extra shopping bags, a change of clothes, a swimsuit, a longboard, a lawnchair, a battery pack, cd's from the nineties, an atlas, hair ties, sunscreen, advil, and the list goes on, in my car without ever removing them...I could probably put a child through college with all the random change rolling around on the floor.  Okay, THAT was an exaggeration, but still (darn tolls!).

SO, on that note, my car will now remain clean for 2013, and hopefully into the years to come. 

Before I actually get started on the insides (and outsides) of my car, I thought I'd tackle something small, like organizing my under-the-sink storage in my bathroom.  As you can see, a few Dollar Store bins and 45 minutes can make a HUGE difference.  I was able to organize all my makeup, medical supplies, and extra soap, contacts, and cleaning supplies for about $5.  I did end up tossing quite a bit of old makeup (sometimes I have a hard time parting with bright eyeshadows, old eye pencils, and lipsticks from years ago), but I kept the goodies, just in case!

I even screwed in a couple hooks on the door to hold my hair dryer and curling iron (genius, who would have thought of that?!  wait...every single person on Pinterest, that's who).  After tackling my under-the-sink area, I finished up organizing my mirror/medical cabinet above the sink and now feel like a new woman! 

I wish the best to you and your 2013; may your year be full of blessings beyond belief!

ps, could you please keep me accountable on the car thing? 

xoxo,

Mitz

DIY

Happy Friday!  I hope you are enjoying your Christmas season as much as me!  I always get into the crafting mood this time of year, and what better way to spend a Friday than with a trip to Michael's followed by a couple hours of nitty-gritty hands-on crafting? (If you have a husband, tell him to go see a movie...they will NOT want to be present...trust me).  Oh yeah, don't forget to make an obscenely large batch of hot chocolate ;)

Pictured above are some of my top DIY projects that are worthy of gift-giving.  I've sifted through the masses on Pinterest, and these ones came out on top because:

 1.  They don't have to be refrigerated or "used within a week".  Seriously.  Who is going to use body butter or sugar scrub or homemade face mask that needs to be kept in the fridge?  Very impractical.

2.  They don't take 10 hours to make from start to finish.

3.  They are actually useful and cute!

SO...Let's get to it!

• Color Blocked wooden spoons: easy, cheap, and everyone can use them.  Did I mention that they are easy? 
• Leather pouch:  easily customize the size to accommodate an iPad or a stack of business cards.
• Felt trivet :  customize the color, shapes, and stitching, and try something outside the box: think neon, geometric patterns, navajo prints, faux bois, monogramming, etc.
• Herb mug:  everything tastes better with fresh herbs.  Plant some in a personalized mug or hand-painted pot and be sure to pass along the directions explaining how much light and water they will need!
• Mix CD: yes, I know it isn't 1995 anymore, however, who doesn't LOVE getting new music?  Put together a customized list and don't forget to go all-out on customizing the cover!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

xoxo,

Mitz

leather case via martha stewart
herb mug via Laura Parke
color block spoons via A Cozy Kitchen
felt trivets (pictured is via Tereforma) via Design Sponge
CD case via Honey Bee in the City

Typographic Poster

I recently had the opportunity to help my sister out with a gift for her husband: creating a typographic poster based on one of his favorite quotes (by Matt Batterson).

Light Bulb!  Find your loved one's favorite saying or quote, create a similar typographic print, frame it, and gift it!  Need help designing a poster for your friends and/or family?  Contact me:

mitzidickdesign[at]gmail[dot]com

xoxo,

Mitz

Nate & Amber

nate // amber - steamboat springs, co from Velare Imaginarium on Vimeo.


Another wedding post?  Yes.  And it is totally worth it.  One of my best friends from back home recently got married in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in late September.  The autumn trees and rolling mountains were breathtaking, as were each and every wedding detail.

Watch and enjoy!

Wedding Pics

I've mentioned this before, but I am so bad at actually getting pictures out to show our friends and family, so, this post is MUCH overdue.  Our wedding pictures...yes, old news, I know.  Here is just one quick snapshot of the day!  My mom and I had a fantastic time planning all the little details for our Palm Springs desert wedding, and the day couldn't have turned out better.  Well, maybe minus the desert rain.  But it's good luck, right?

We had the wedding at Korakia Pensione, an old spanish mission turned B&B.  There was plenty of bougainvillea, mountain views, white stucco, and (real) antique furniture, so we didn't have to decorate much, except for the table tops.  Simple burlap runners adorned the reclaimed wood tables that were surrounded with mismatched chairs and benches.  We picked up succulents at the flea market a few days prior to scatter alongside candles and flowers on the tabletops, and we placed one cake on each table as it's own centerpiece.

I designed, printed, and trimmed all the programs, menus, and placecards, and my mother made all the table runners (white and burlap), my hair piece (which included a piece of lace off of her wedding dress), and arranged the flowers herself!  Our photographers were spec-tacular, too: Jonathon Marrs and Josh Ferdaszewski of Atelier Pictures.  They made us laugh all day and helped keep things flowing on schedule.

Have a wedding coming up?  I'd love to design your invites, menus, placecards, etc!  Email me for a quote:  mitzidickdesign[at]gmail[dot]com.

Crafty Anniversary

Dylan and I had our 1 year anniversary this year, woohoo!  Over the past year, however, I have been (very) bad about getting any pictures printed from our wedding or honeymoon.  Enter: Pinterest.  I keep seeing these posts about getting "architectural prints" made at Staples for around $3, SO, I went for it!

I popped a picture into photoshop to get the right shape and to make it black and white (the architectural prints only come in black & white for cheap...not color!).  A few days later, I grabbed a frame to put the print in (24x36), and voila–a trendy piece of art to commemorate our anniversary.

If you want more specific instructions on setting up your picture for architectural prints, there are plenty of step-by-step instructions available through Pinterest

*the picture was taken in Tamarindo, Costa Rica on our honeymoon–we were hiking over a bunch of lava rock (low tide) to a different surf spot about a mile away. 


xoxo,

Mitz

Thanksgiving

 

Seasons greetings!  I hope your Thanksgiving was stress-free and full of starches!  I had the privilege of hosting my first turkey-day bonanza, and I have to say...it was pretty easy.  I was in charge of the bird (yes, me, the vegetarian...I buttered that thing up Paula Dean-style and added some homemade rosemary salt & sage), and I made a few sides while friends and family brought the rolls, potatoes, mac&cheese, green been casserole, and vino!

A few days prior to Thanksgiving, I made a run to Williams-Sonoma, which is (partly) why the day went so smooth.  I picked up a jar of the cranberry relish, a box of whole wheat harvest stuffing, a jar of gravy base, and their holiday catalog for table-scape inspiration.  Because I had never made any of these items before, I didn't want to mess them up for the big day (the bird was enough of a "first-time" experience for me), so this was all pretty fool-proof.  The day before, I slow-roasted a batch of carrots/parsnips/and onions. The day of, I made sweet potato casserole (my mother-in-law's recipe), and followed the directions on my box of stuffing.  

ALSO, I whipped up a batch of napkins from scrap fabric I had laying around, and I saw these teeny-tiny pears at the grocery store to use as placecards–cute and edible!  I hand-stamped each person's name on a piece of card stock and tied them to the pears with a piece of twine.  

A few things I learned along the way:

1.  A big chip/dip platter works well as a serving platter for turkey and cranberry sauce (see bottom right picture).  I didn't have a "serving platter" per se, BUT, I did have a silvery chip/dip set.  Easy!
2. Don't bother with setting water glasses/wine glasses on the table–it takes up so much space (see pictures...)!  We made a drink station at one end of the kitchen counter, which worked really well.
3. Get enough serving utensils–lucky for us, the spoons in our every-day flatware are HUGE, so we used them for everything.  Next year, I will certainly invest in another set or two of actual serving utensils.
4. Timing ISN'T everything.  We told guests that we would eat within a window (1.5 hours) and set plenty of snacks out for them (artichoke/spinach dip, blue crab dip, crackers, fruit, etc).  This way, we weren't stressing out about getting everything finished on time, and we were able to enjoy socializing without worrying about any timing expectations.
5. Clean as you cook.  If you have limited sink/counter/dishwasher space, you HAVE to do this–really, the turkey is in for a few hours...you have plenty of time to clean up, so no excuses!  Our clean-up afterwards took mere minutes.

All in all, everything turned out great!  And did I mention that we had Wick's Sugar Cream Pie for dessert?!  I was so happy to get the chance to host the holiday, and I am so thankful for each and every person who joined us.  Next up: CHRISTMAS!  

Oh, and happy Cyber Monday!

xoxo,

Mitz

Business Time

That's right, it's business time–a new set of cards for yours truly just arrived.  And, if you were wondering, YES, this design is available for purchase in my Etsy shop.   

I just realized that I haven't posted in (gulp) over a month, but as the gift-giving season approaches, I will be on my game–I can't wait to share all the neat gift ideas and finds with you, so stay tuned! 

In the mean time, I got an iPhone!  YAY, welcome to 2010, right?  My dad updated to the 5, so he handed me down the old 4.  Obviously, the best hand-me-down ever.  Now, no excuses for not keeping in contact with any of you the way I need to  (Amanda, we will still be pen pals...xoxo).

Peplum, please!

 

My love for vintage style continues this fall as I search for the perfect peplum top–how fancy?!  Not only will it pair perfectly with dark skinnies and patent leather flats (hello, Audrey), but also with pencil skirts and heels.

The grey and white bouncle shirt from Topshop (top left) is number one on my list because 

A.  It goes with any color bottom as well as loud jewelry, and can be layered with a blazer

B.  It has a pretty zipper up the back

C.  The textured tweed-esque fabric gives it an extra vintage kick!

What's your vintage-inspired must-have piece for the fall?  

from left to right, top to bottom:
1. Bouncle Peplum top via Topshop, $50
2. Black Sequin Peplum scuba top via Fashion Union, £18.00
3. Petite Floral Peplum dress via Topshop, $96
4. Red Textured Peplum skirt via Topshop, $68
5. Pearl Collar Peplum top via Topshop, $64 
6. Oversized Sunglasses via Kate Spade, $128
7. Idiom Bangle via Kate Spade, $58
8. Glittering Pearl Cluster earrings via Charlotte Russe, $5