Make A Statement

I'm so excited that my line of statement necklaces are finally available in the shop! It seems like forever ago that I started working on them and now I can finally share them with you all. The first prototypes were made right before we moved from San Francisco to Seattle so each of the different necklace shapes are named after memorable places from the city by the bay. Some are places I'll never forget, like the Conservatory of Flowers where Duncan proposed. Others hold special meaning like Lexington, the street that our first apartment was on. The 'dots' are all attached to laser cut, sustainable, bamboo pieces that I dreamt up and Duncan made a reality. He officially earned his VP of Product Development title with these! If you want a chance to win one of these new necklaces hop on over to enter Taza's Rockstar Giveaway before December 3rd.

PS- Hope you enjoy the mini holiday blog makeover. I'm too busy prepping for a show to decorate our house just yet, but Dot Girl couldn't wait a minute more to get into the holiday spirit.

O is for Overindulging & Oregon

I spent an amazing long weekend in the sticks of Oregon with Duncan and his family. We rented a house about 30 miles East of Salem and had a fantastic time. After dealing with our first ever frozen pipe on Wednesday morning we hit the road at about 1:30 for our four hour and forty minute drive. Four hours and only 100 miles later we finally got through traffic and made it to our destination in eight long hours in the car. I woke up early on Thanksgiving ready to get started in the kitchen. We cooked and drank and played games all day as we waited for the turkey to be done. We overindulged a bit on the pre dinner drinks because the turkey just wouldn't cook fast enough! I later realized that the oven door didn't latch all the way shut which is why it took a good two hours longer than expected.
The rest of the weekend was filled with Uno, Scrabble, Apples to Apples, hot tubbing, walks in the snow, movies, crashing on the couch with the animals and prepping for a Vivi Dot holiday show I have coming up next weekend.



It was a cozy weekend full of too much wine and food and just the right amount of family time- just how I like my Thanksgiving!

Snow Day!

It's a winter wonderland in my neighborhood! So pretty and peaceful. I love it!

Would You Like That Gift Wrapped?

My love of gift wrapping was inherited from my Mom. I knew how to create crisp corners and fancy handmade bows out of floral ribbon before I hit my double digit years. It was a running joke at my friend's birthday parties that the gift I brought could be spotted a mile away. My family is big into stocking stuffers too and we individually wrap every tiny thing that goes into them. The only sales we religiously hit on December 26th are the ones where we can stock up on fancy wrapping supplies at 50% off. Okay, I think you get it - we're into wrapping packages!

Unlike my Mom who has a boxes full of holiday wrap, bows, ribbon and gift tags I always end up scrounging for supplies. Now that Duncan and I don't plan on moving for a while I think I can finally warrant stocking up on some pretty, festive supplies. I think it will be fun to share with you my purchases as well as creative, eco friendly, and money saving alternatives here on the Dot Girl Blog as the days quickly countdown to Christmas.

I'll start off this 'Would You Like That Gift Wrapped' series with some of my all time favorite places to shop for gift wrap supplies as well as some fun new finds.

Target - I just spotted some incredibly cute holiday paper in the $0.99 section of Target. Unfortunately, it was when I was in Las Vegas so now I'm just hoping they have the same thing at the one I go to.

Daiso - Oh how I wish there were a Daiso in Seattle! Just about everything there is from Japan and costs $1.50. They have cute wrapping paper, but my $1.50's add up the fastest in the stationary section. Watch out for cute gift bags in varied sizes and adorable gift tags and cards. Lots of them have fun little sayings translated into English that almost make sense. That's the fun part!

Ikea - If you're willing to brave the crowds or are already there for other reasons Ikea usually has cute bags, tissue and wrapping paper at affordable Ikea prices.

Happy Tape - Japanese washi tape has changed me forever! More on that soon.

Paper Source - I could live inside a Paper Source store and be happy forever. So much cute stuff! Their paper products are really high quality, but you pay for it. I plan to share my tips on how to make the pricier stuff like this last so you get more for your money.

I love a good bargain so it's tough for me to spend a lot of money on paper products, especially when they're mass produced. I'd be happy to pay more for these handmade options though!

Ink + Wit - 'luxe gift wrap offset printed on durable 100% post consumer recycled paper' = SOLD! (found this shop via SFGirlByBay)

Alexander Girard - Handmade wrap so pretty it could be framed! (found this designer via Creature Comforts)

Viva Greetings - 'Letterpress Wrapping Paper with playful phrases in english, spanish and spanglish are perfecto!"

Here are some of my gift wrap creations from a few years back.

Contact Paper Branch with Holiday Berries and Leaves

Snakeskin Paper Christmas Tree

Festive Robots

Rudolph

Where do you get your gift wrapping supplies?

Paper Back Book Pages - A Matting Alternative

Just popping in for a quick DIY photo matting alternative. I recently framed a bunch of etsy purchases for our upstairs bathroom. I bought precut matting for most of them, but there was one that required a creative solution. I could have gotten a mat custom cut, but decided to try something new. I purchased a cheap paper back book at Goodwill. I made sure it had a warm hugh to the pages to compliment the photo. I also made sure it was in pretty bad shape overall so I wouldn't feel too guilty tearing it up. I simply ripped strips of the pages and layered them over each other with Elmer's Spray Adhesive (one of my favs). I placed this lovely photo from The Light Fantastic smack dab in the middle and she was ready for her frame!

Baby Girt's Coming Soon!

My older sister, Emily, is five weeks away from welcoming a baby girl. They haven't decided on a name yet, but in the belly she goes by Girt. My Mom and I flew out to Las Vegas last Saturday to attend a shower and help Emily and Bryce prep the nursery for baby Girt's arrival.

Emily's coworkers threw her a wonderful shower with some fun activities, beautiful food and a crazy number of gifts. The cake and cookies were from Freed's Bakery and they were picture perfect.

Mom brought some pics of little Emily (holding the dog).

There were lots of tiny little girl gifts and many great 'must have' baby supplies from knowledgeable mommies.

It was great to meet so many of Em's friends.

Sunday was all about the nursery. Emily decided on a wall decal from Simple Shapes to dress up the room without having to repaint. Here are the progress photos:

Do not try this at home.

Emily's feet started swelling up like crazy so she was relegated to peeling the stickers off of the paper backing.

Mom took over for her.

Ready for the little one!

We're really excited for your arrival 'lil Girty!

Polaroid Necklaces by Vivi Dot and OurCityLights

When I first dreamt up the idea for a Vivi Dot Polaroid Necklace I instantly knew who I wanted to collaborate with. Diana of OurCityLights takes the dreamiest photos that I knew would be the perfect centerpiece for this completely new item. Duncan and I designed the polaroid frame that's laser cut from sustainable blonde bamboo. Diana's prints hover in the middle and their warm vintage effect feels right at home inside. I had the hardest time narrowing down the prints, but finally decided to launch these beauties with the following Our.City.Lights favorites:

Ice Cream

Downtown Anaheim

Photo House

Book Lover

Each Polaroid Necklace Pendant comes attached to a 17" antiqued brass chain with a lobster clasp. Are you just dying to know how they hover inside? Okay I'll fill you in... We designed another little laser cut piece to attach everything together that's made out of delrin which is a really thin, but sturdy plastic (think guitar pick).

And there you have it! Jump on over to the Vivi Dot Store to buy yours today for $24 and receive a matching post card print with each necklace order!

Our Negative 1 Anniversary

One year from today Duncan and I will be getting married, making it our -1 anniversary today. I wish I could skip all the work and just jump to 11/5/11, though I know I'll have an awesome time planning too. Thinking of where I'll be a year from today is beyond exciting. The work will be done, it will be the day to let loose with all of our friends and celebrate big time. It will be my favorite time of year and we'll be headed off to a warm sunny honeymoon in a few days. When we return we'll be just in time for an even better time of year, Thanksgiving and Christmas!

While I'm on the wedding tip I should mention that the lovely Junia did an extremely flattering post about our upcoming wedding over on Sitting In A Tree. Check out the 'Vivi Dot Gets Engaged' post!

I love you Duncan and can't wait to be your wife!

Booze Filled Beverages for Fall

Unless you're a new blog visitor you already know how in love I am with fall now that I'm living in a city that actually has seasons. It's cold outside and toasty indoors so I've been craving delicious food and beverages to go along with this cozy atmosphere. First up is a Pumpkin Martini. I initially tried out the recipe I found on eHow, but that version was a tad to heavy on the vodka for my liking. I tweaked the recipe just a bit to focus on the tastier ingredients and ended up with what I think tastes like a spiked pumpkin spiced latte. Here's what you need: Shake the following in a cocktail shaker with ice to make two chilled servings:
1 oz Cream Liqueur
2 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 oz Pumpkin Liqueur
1 oz Milk

Garnish your drink with bit of whipped cream, a sprinkle of pumpkin spice, and a cinnamon stick! If you have trouble finding the pumpkin spice liqueur you can also use a pumpkin syrup (like Torani).

Olive can never resist being the center of attention at a photo shoot. See what I mean.
Next up we have an even easier treat for grown ups. The Trader Joe's Apple Cider is a delicious place to start. Simmer it over a low heat with 3 cinnamon sticks, a whole nutmeg and a handful of cloves. Heating it slow will allow the spices to open up and give it an even more full, fall flavor. Add a shot of brandy for the adults and you have a wonderful fall beverage that will keep you warm on the inside and leave your house smelling amazing.