my newest obsession...

I am in designer heaven right now!
I recently stumbled across this website and I am completely in love.
One of my favorite things about design school and working for a design firm was the opportunity I had to make color boards {or mood boards} ALL the time.  There is just something so satisfying about putting together a board.  It's where the idea in my head becomes a real life vision, and it was one of my favorite parts of the design process.

This was my first attempt... {the Vintage Inspired bedroom}


...followed shortly by a second attempt... {the Shabby Southern room}


I am completely obsessed!!!  The program is a work of layering genius and I can't seem to get enough.  I honestly wish this would have been around back while I was in design school.

What I love {and think my design loving friends will love too} is this:

• every item you find and "pin" to your board keeps the link back to the original site where you found it... making it super easy to reference for a client.
• the program itself is super easy to learn and use.
• you can make 2D and 3D boards, which makes your design concept very easy for a client to envision.
• it gets the creative juices flowing... or at least it does for me.
• it's FREE {and who doesn't love free}!
• and finally... you can download the jpg file of your board and send it to a client. {absolute perfection!}

So there you have it... I confess to having a major obsession.  The fact that I walked away from the site long enough to blog about it is a major feat!

Check it out... go do it... now!

i'm back...

I love to write...
some of my favorite classes in college were the writing classes.  My love affair with writing keeps me coming back to the world of blogging over and over again. Does anyone actually read this... I don't know, but I do it because it's something I love to do, which is what really matters after all, right!?

Anyway, these pasts few months I've spent on hiatus have been renewing, refreshing and rehabilitating all in one.  It's been a bit of a bumpy ride, but in hindsight, a bumpy ride worth taking.

I rediscovered the joys of laughing as I took a lesson from this little guy as he took his first ride on a swing alone.  He laughed and laughed {one of those deep belly laughs} like it was the greatest thing he had ever experienced.  I just can't get enough of this little boy!
I need to laugh a lot more, just like this...

Then I rediscovered my love for beautiful places on a recent trip with my family to see the Brigham City temple.  This is probably one of the prettiest temples I have ever visited.  I was amazed by the intricate interior details mixed with the simplicity of the architecture.  The over all design, inside and out, was incredible.

I also rediscovered the joys of family as I spent an afternoon in Park City with my dad.  Lunch, Main Street and the outlet stores shopping for biking gear... yes, you read that right... shopping for biking gear.  Now this is when I wish I had remembered to take a camera with me, but my dad has taken up biking, so we went to the Izumi outlet store in PC so he could find a pair of riding shorts.  All was well until he burst from his dressing room wearing said shorts, while skipping around and singing a song about "men in tights".  $#!*&@#!!!  ...and of course there were other people in the store at the time.  I almost died.

And most recently I rediscovered my love for creating.  I'm not so much a crafter, but I do love creativity and artistry.  I found this lovely project and tutorial on a favorite site and decided to try it out.  I rediscovered why I love making things with my hands... it's incredibly therapeutic and it's always fun to learn a new technique.

Finally, I rediscovered authenticity.  Friends, family, neighbors {basically everybody} are always telling me that I should blog about tutorials, open an Etsy shop or do design work on the side {which is so sweet, kind and flattering btw}.  Maybe someday... but for now I'm enjoying life as a wife, mama, sister, daughter and friend.  My love for design and beautiful creations will take me somewhere wonderful someday, I know that, but for right now I'm loving right where I'm at. 

I recently discovered this wonderful creation by a friend of mine {she always makes the cutest things} and I wanted to share.  Words of wisdom for sure and something I need to read every day.  Now to find a frame and a spot to display it...

xo, Heather

friday flashback to 2009

Cleaning up my blog this week and I came across this post and it made me smile like no other...
All I can say is I'm one lucky mom... so blessed!

"Freshly Fallen" flowers are my absolute favorite!

friday flashback... 2007

{Disney World in Orlando, Florida}

One of our favorite places to cool off… Blizzard Beach. 

brrr... sounds kind of nice right now during this heatwave and all.

5 years just flew by.... I can't believe this was only 5 years ago, and yet, I can't believe this was only 5 years ago! Where did the time go?  I remember thinking if I could magically pause a moment in time, this would be it.  This is a time I will treasure forever... just us girls. :)

KayKay 12, Cam 9 and LilMissy 5

Makin' a splash...

{at the splash pad}
I kind of feel like splash pads are a hidden gem.  They're close to home, the kids get to cool off and play in the water, it's fun for any age, and they're FREE ---- and who doesn't L.O.V.E. free?!
This pad is particularly great because it's not super well-known {yet}, so it's not super crowded {yet}.
Z couldn't get enough... there was a point where he was freezing cold --- you know, teeth chattering, shivering cold, but that little boy did not want to quit for anything!  LilMiss was a great sport and toted her little brother with her everywhere...

Taking time to "warm" up and dry off at the playground...
{Z wasn't interested in the water-less playground}

My little gymnast and her pointed toes... cute.

Probably one of the best ways to spend a hot summer day...