Little Pick me Up!

Been sort of depressed lately, and needed a little mood booster. With that said, when I'm feeling down I watch this. Enjoy! And with that, the Merriest of Christmases to you!

Cookie Monday!

Monday is Cookie Day here in Hagen-land. In lieu of this, I have been tweaking my classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, and testing them out on my "food critic" (yeah right!) Husband.

I have finally perfected my Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, and I would love to share it with my lovely readers! Here goes!

2 1/4 All Purpose Flour 

1 tea. Baking Soda

1 tea. Salt

1/2 tea.  Ground Nutmeg (thats right suckas!)

1/2 tea. Ground Cinnamon

1 Cup Shortening

1 Cup Butter - Softened

3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar - Packed

1 1/2 tea. Vanilla

2 eggs

12 oz. Baking Chips ( I like Ghiradelli 60% Cacao, but any Semi-Sweet Chips works)

Cream together the shortening, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla.   In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add one egg at a time to the sugar mixture, and mix well. Slowly add the dry mixture to the batter, about 1/4 cup at a time, making sure it is blending well. After all the dry mixture has been combined, add the chocolate chips.

Refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. While oven is heating, make 1/2 in. balls of the dough, and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. The cookies should look pale in the middle, but lightly browned on the edges and bottom. Let cool for 5 min. on the cookie sheet, then place on a rack to complete cooling.

Now stack them up on your counter top and take pictures of them err ... umm I mean ... eat 3 or 4 with a nice glass of milk. So tasty!

Hello Christmas!

So, after mourning my loss of Thanksgiving for a few days, I picked myself up by the boot straps (okay, a little dramatic) and dug out the Christmas decorations.  I must admit, I feel way better!

Shaul's sis Tiffany lent us her tree this year, and I managed to scrounge up enough stuff to call it decorated. I must say that I'm freaking awesome because it only cost us $6 to decorate this tree! Everything else I made, or stripped from something else I bought ages ago (note the strands of Capice Shells - They were snipped of one of those tacky curtain rods you hang in your doorway!)

The garland I dug out of my Mom's trash last year, and the yarn hanging from it I bought last year at Unique Thrift Store in Aurora, and re-dyed it. Since its not the softest yarn, I had no plans with it, so for now it looks great with the garland! I love decorating with yarn! :) (Sorry about the cluttered kitchen shot, not my proudest moment!)

Finally, the paper trees are something I made the other day while Shaul was working and The Honey-Facer was napping. Not at all how I planned them, but I'm still relatively pleased. I don't even know what that means, I just really feel its like something grown-ups say.

Later!

I heart Thanksgiving!

Oh why is it over! 

We ate Thanksgiving dinner with Shaul's family and our friends Jesse and Renee. So fun and especially tasty! (Note the pumpkin pie ... made with a real pumpkin!) Friday we headed up to the family cabin for the weekend, where Harpsicle had his first sledding experience. 

Oh Thanksgiving please come back!

Saturn Flowers

Here is my first attempt at redrawing all of my little doodles. I like to call these "Saturn Flowers" because I think they kind of resemble Saturn's Rings. I think they could make a really great textile, or just one of them would be a super cool logo. I used an adaptation of one for my new banner, and I'm totally digging it!

On a more personal level, Harper had his first bad accident tonight!  He tripped and hit his upper lip on the corner of the coffee table (OUCH!). It was so heartbreaking. And Scary. His mouth was full of blood, and it was gushing everywhere! Luckily no stitches. So we cleaned him up and let him flip the light switch a few times, and he was back to his old self! I'm still shaken up though!

I'll try and post one more time before Thanksgiving, and then we are going up to the Cabin for a few days of board games and internet-less-ness!

Amy Butler's Midwest Modern

I have such a girl-crush on Amy Butler! And I especially love her book Midwest Modern!

I finally got this book from my local library (I ALWAYS check books out before I buy). Let's just say this book has definitely made the "must purchase" list. Here are a few reason's why:

1) It is full of incredibly original design.

Plain and simply said, She designs what she likes. There is so much freedom in design that is made for one's own pleasure, not to simply make money.

2) There are TONS of beautiful photographs showcasing her designs in everyday use. 

Her equally talented husband, David Butler, shot all of the photographs for the book. Most of which are of their own home.  Bottom line is, I admire a designer who loves their design so much that it has a prominent place in their own home. Amy's fabric is on hundreds of surfaces in their home, which says so much more than any "set" could.

I took a few low quality snap shots of some of my favorite patterns ( I could LIVE in those bottoms!), and one of her beautiful sitting room. Please enjoy, and please find a way to thumb through this book on your own. You will understand, and perhaps even share my new crush! : ) (ps I love you Shaul!!)

New Banner and Cross Fit

Short post today. Basically (pathetically) I'm too sore to type! Shaul and I have been sucked into the Crossfit abyss. Crossfit is a workout system based on military training. I know it sounds silly, and most of the time I feel like an idiot doing it, but dang it works!  I love how my heart pumps the entire workout, its so intense!

So this is why Im so sore today: one set consisted of a 1/4 mile run, 12 pull ups, and 21 squats with weights. We had to do 3 sets. It took me 20 minutes to do the whole workout. It felt awesome to be completely done so quickly, but my body hates me today! I seriously feel like every fiber in my legs is screaming at me when I take a step. Needless to say I'm on the slow train today!

Oh and I have been going through my sketches and getting excited about archiving some of this stuff! I redrew a doodle that I made this weekend while at the conference, and used it to make my new banner! What do you think?

Doodles and Estes

So for those of you who know me, you have probably recognized that I doodle on everything. Constantly. I can't help it its in my blood. So I have decided to turn this "thing" into something that may actually help me grow as an artist. My new goal is to go through my sketch books / church bulletins / receipts and redraw anything that I think has any potential. This could take me months, or six minutes. I'm not very sure ... hopefully I have more than one good thing! Friends, you better ask me if I'm doing this! I need some... um... guidance when it comes to sticking to something! Surprise!

This weekend went really well.  It was fun to spend time with Shaul without the distractions of the computer (although he practically had to pry mine from my white-knuckled hands before we left). I really missed Harper, but I know that staying at Grandma and Grandpa's is like a weekend at Disneyland. But, I must say it was really nice to pick him up and give him a squeeze when we got back.

I brought along the camera, after clearing off the card, replacing the batteries and cleaning the lens, and then failed to take one snapshot! So, no pictures to post of our weekend in scenic Estes Park, you guys will just have to imagine them yourselves. And nothing naughty you pervs! : )

Mitten Swatch - Beatrice

I thought I would give you all a little break from all the design posts lately, and show you what I'm knitting! YAY! Now bear with me non-knitters!

So I love the idea of designing patterns and sharing them here for free... easier said than done might I add. Last Christmas my Mom (is it weird that everyone I know has a website??) gave me some GORGEOUS wool, almost all of which I have yet to use because its so beautiful the way it is, I honestly can't imagine it any better! I know that defeats the whole purpose of knitting, but lets not go there for now.  Anyways, back on track.  I decided I need some super warm mittens (henceforth called "Beatrice") since I plan to brave out the winter here in Denver. Yes I know its not extreme here, but I am more of a sand and surf gal, and none too excited about the impending freezing-ness. Once again, back on track.  I want something cabled, so I swatched this up. I'm happy with the overall look of the cable, but not sure if I like how chunky it looks. I'm afraid it might be too stiff to wear. I may try again, but with one strand of yarn rather than two at once.

Shaul and I are headed to Estes Park for a conference this weekend, sans Harper, who will be staying with his paternal grandparents. I'm really excited but will miss the honey-facer! More about that on Monday!

Its time to brand Bloom!

Bloom, our church in downtown Denver, is such a supportive community for artists.  I have met and enjoyed so many people who worship through the arts, and truly desire to make Denver a more beautiful place. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing community of friends and believers!

With that said, we had a meeting last night and we decided that the building we meet in, The Grant Ave Community Center, needs a little sprucing up. Since we don't own the building, anything we do has to be easily moved. Therefore, we decided we needed a few hand painted signs. So cool! So Lisa Gungor (amazing vocalist and worship leader), Dave Pendleton (portrait artist who paints unbelievable portraits), and yours truly are coming together to get some signs done! 

So here's what I have whipped up. Keep in mind these are very basic mock ups, so I need all the feedback I can get. Lisa and Dave create such incredible things, and I want to impress them... : ) argh I'm so lame sometimes! Anyways, I drew this tree with the intentions of using it for the new Flourish site, but just couldn't make it work. I'm glad I didn't because I like it for Bloom so much more. Hopefully they feel the same way. I would love to see Dave get it into his hands and make it incredible!

Sneak Peek of my Flourish Graphic Design Site!

SO.... I wasn't going to share this just yet, but I can't help it! AGHH!

This is the home page for my personal portion of the new Flourish Design Studio website. So completely different from Vanessa's site but so very very Emily.  The design element is something I whipped up in Illustrator (look familiar?) I guess you could call it my interpretation of a peacock feather, because thats what I was getting at, and this is what came out! I never have been good at literal drawing, but I think this works. I'm really obsessing with dirty yellows and yummy reddish purple. So beautiful! No more peeks now, you all will have to wait! : )

Sneak Peek of Vanessa's Flourish Photography Site!

I couldn't help but share a little something from Vanessa's photography website. This tasty morsel is her start page. What I love about this site is how much it reflects her as an individual and as an artist. She has such a love for that feminine vintage home-madey goodness, as well as clean modern colors and text. Vanessa has such a talent for all things creative, and does about everything she can to put her ideas to paper! She hand crafts these incredibly detailed scrapbooks, thoughtful paintings, and gorgeous photographs! 

So anyways, back to the site description : the photograph is just a place holder for now, but when its all built her favorite photos will run on a slide show in the frame. I think the frame screams of an old fashioned scrapbook. Also, its really hard to see in this tiny image, but in the background there are these beautifully dainty dahlias that i drew goofing around one day. So cool! Im really excited to get this site live!

Harper's latest pics from Flourish Studio

So best friend/business partner/photographic genius  (AKA Vanessa Kruse) was kind enough to take Harper's halloween portraits at a local pumpkin patch. They turned out so great! What a little man! We gave him his first ice cream cone for this shoot, which he promptly dropped in the dirt, and continued to eat grass and all. Now thats tenacity! 

Yay First Post!!

First post of a brand new blog! It feels like another adolescent dear diary moment. I love the crisp papery goodness of a new diary. Alas, this is a lot easier to share and oh so grown up. Maybe. Probably not.

So what's going on here do you ask?  Good question. Great question actually. I'm pleased to tell you that I have naught a clue, well maybe a few, but overall I'm excited to share whatever I want to with you on this blog. My adventures of -oh so- exciting graphic design, my knitting projects and disasters, and maybe even a cupcake recipe or two. Lets just call this the whimsical whatever I want blog. Only not so lame. Oh I don't know. 

Now let us address this "Beauty to Earth" gig.  My greatest and deepest desire is to do anything to make this place better, prettier, smarter, more loving and peaceful, kind and thoughtful, exciting, pure and childlike even. I feel called to all these things. Lots of times I fail - these things don't come naturally to a very self centered me, but there are some small glorious moments like when my son waddles over to me and says "book please" (sounds a lot more like "bobby") and plops into my lap. And I know this place got a little prettier. Even if I am the only one who saw it.

SO, to my followers, umm I mean Mom. Love you and look for more!