Time Flies

My baby is 6 months old. Where did the time go? He is snuggly, sweet, and oh so happy. Well, except for the night I hosted a Bachelor Finale party. I think he was cutting another tooth.

And as many of you recalled by cry for help here, he started sleeping from 9pm to 5am! Happy mama! Although that whole daylight savings thing sort of messed us up. Ick. Kids are tired for school and parents are grumpy in the morning. How did your kids do with daylight savings? (My fingers are crossed for you that they are fairing better than mine and, um, me).

Carina

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Photoshoot: Take 1

If you have ever wanted to see behind-the-scenes of a CG Photoshoot, look no further than the makeup strewn desk and light cords in the photo above. Things are down to the wire with the new website. We will be spending the coming week trying to finish up photoshoots for all the products. I’m hoping this is the only shoot that involves me and I can be behind the camera for everything else.

I can’t tell you how excited I am for the new site! Fingers crossed we can make it happen. When I look at the week and I see every second filled in, I tell myself to breathe and take it one day at a time.

More pictures to follow!

Carina

PS. Today’s the last day to get entered into the So Noted giveaway on Facebook. Make sure to enter by leaving a comment!

 

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Our New Office

Our tiny home had finally forced me to consider other options for all the inventory and tchotchkes in my office. So I started looking for space in October. I finally settled on an “in between” office…something small, affordable, and well, across the street from my house. I don’t know how long I can be in this space, but it is perfect for now.

Josh and I have been moving boxes for nearly two months now and trying to settle in. He finally finished building the last shelf today, and I’m hoping to get the CGTV channel set up so we can beginning filming again.

It’s been nice to have a quiet space to work (Although as seen in above picture—sometimes much of the family is trompin’ around this place. I’m trying to check the Art of Digital Design 2 forums in the picture). Josh and I switch off days in the office.

And, about that… You might be hearing from Josh once-in-a-while on the blog now too. Josh has officially joined my company and is taking over a couple of divisions (namely sewing pattern distribution and this). I sort of reached my breaking point in December after I had pulled 3 all nighters and averaged 2 hours of sleep a night. Between the baby and the growth at CGInc, I knew things needed to change. So we took the scary leap, and Josh left his law firm. My New Year’s hope is that we are stronger as a family and get to spend more time with our kids.

Because of this, I hope to be blogging a little more as well as letting you in on our day-to-day happenings. Things are always crazy around here as we juggle the company and the kids, but good. Oh so good. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Want to follow Josh on instagram? He’s @joshtgardner and he’ll probably catch me scratching my head over the computer or giggling as I try to record a new class (and thereby, having to re-record the segment).

From a very excited mommy designer,

Carina

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Braided

I braided Felicity’s hair today. It’s a rare feat because I’m so enamored by her curls that I hate putting it up.

So here it is and you can be amazed (as I am) that this child is 1/4th Chinese. Who would have guessed I could get two red heads?

To get this “do”, braid a side-french braid and then tuck “up” the remaining hair on the side. Flissa’s hair is pretty long so there was a lot to “tuck up.”

I’m kind of digging the back bit all braided up these days. You can see I don’t get super precise about my braiding—I sort of let it all be loosy-goosey.

I think I may also try to bring back french twists…

Carina

 

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2012 Recap Via Instagram

Finally getting around to my recap of 2012! I decided to do it via Instagram instead of blogposts this year because there are so many things I captured on Instgram that I didn’t put on the blog. Follow my Instagram feed by searching for @carinagardner. You can also check out these photos (comments and likes) on the web at http://instagram.com/carinagardner.

(from left to right, top to bottom…read my comments at http://instagram.com/carinagardner)

1. February 2012 | Logged into Instagram for the first time. Captured a newly finished quilt using my Dress Up™ fabric collection.
2. Felicity piecing a little Dainty Blossoms™ quilt.
3. Made a cameo in Where Women Create Magazine
4. Featured as one of Utah’s Top 40 Entrepreneurs
5. March 2012 | Pregnant and wielding a drill on my tradeshow booth.
6. April 2012 | New 5D Mark II for all the photoshoots
7. May 2012 | Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City. Starting to look a lot more preggers here.
8. June 2012 | Press checks for Carta Bella’s Paris Girl (just our second line!)
9. What’s this I see? A few CG sewing patterns in Material Girls Quilt Shop?
10. July 2012 | My tradeshow booth retooled for Summer CHA in Chicago. 5 weeks to go until baby arrives.
11. August 2012 | Songbird™ hits my bed
12. Last minute nesting. Staple gun + fabric = new chair.
13. Baby boy is born!
14. September 2012 | Strike offs of my April 2013 line Remember
15. Happy 12th anniversary to us!
16. Fall has come and we cart ourselves off to Cornbelly’s
17. October 2012 | I brew and brew for the little witches
18. Charlie and I pose for a mirror shot
19. I decorate.
20. I force small children to pose.
21. I take many photos of baby boy and force instagram followers to coo.
22. I decorate some more.
23. November 2012 I visit Snow College to talk to their Entrepreneurial Program. So honored!
24. My line Happy Little Moments™ for Carta Bella ships!
25. We eat turkey as big as Siri.
26. Lindsay and I start to make Christmas stuff.
27. I tease everyone with the hint that I am working on secret stuff. Still secret.
28. December 2o12| I sponsor a Smashball.
29.  Family cuddle session
30. Just cause she is so pretty
31. Proof that I do something neat to my hair once in a while.
32. More photos of my new baby. Inevitable, right?
33. Spotted from CG and PY patterns
34. Ya, I know.
35. January 2013 | Starting the year off right by finally going on vacation. Dumbo is happy we came.

XOXO—Carina

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Finally Christmas

We FINALLY put up a tree. With one week to go, we are finally feeling the Christmas spirit here in the Gardner household.

Two exhausted parents sat by as their 5 and 8 year old decorated the tree. However they liked. So that made for bottom-heavy decorations. And a lot of pink. Josh says that it’s the most authentic tree we’ve ever had. I think he’s right. Maybe we parents should stay out of the way more often.

We didn’t even bother to put the lights on the tree (or turn the lights on outside that have been up all year for that matter). We did, however, plug the lights in so Charlie could see them.

Wishing you a Very Merry Holiday this year! I know I’m going to make the most of this coming week of Christmas!

From Christmas-slakerville,
Carina

 

 

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Witch and Wizard Party—Kids Halloween Party

Saturday I threw a Witch & Wizard Party for my kids. I have to admit that I didn’t come up with the idea. My niece Caroline gave Siri a card inviting her to a pretend witch party a couple of months ago(which btw never happened). But the idea got stuck in my girls’ heads, and they asked if we could have a witch party. How could I say no?

This party was relatively easy to plan and prepare for. I used a few of my own ideas as well as ideas I found online. I’ve given you links and recipes here in case you decide you want to have your own witch party.

(WARNING: This is a photo-heavy post and if you show your kids, they WILL want a Halloween party too!)

The main activity for this party was potion-brewing. “Making potions” has been a popular activity in our family ever since Siri read Ivy and Bean. There is something so magical for kids about mixing, pouring, stirring, and imagining up spells! Grandma and cousins all have been into the “potion-making,” which has sometimes resulted in the most amazing messes. If you want an activity that your kids will completely adore, you will want to try potion-making at your party!

DECORATE
I basically created two areas for this party: the game area and the potion brewing station. The games were played on a quilt under a tree in our backyard and the potion station was on the patio. Here are some of the highlights:
1. My new favorite idea: Using wrapping paper as a table cloth. I used a black and white polka dot that I found at Home Goods. The great thing about this paper? Also great for other parties that are not halloween themed.
2. I purchased a couple of skulls from my local craft store to place on the tables for added “spookiness.”
3. I dislike silk flowers except at Halloween. These black hydrangeas were cute on the food table.
4. I used my Carta Bella All Hallow Eve’s Line for place mats. Easiest place mats ever! Add a Swizzle spoon (usually for cocktails…I got mine from the World Market) and a green glass bowl (aka caldron) from Tai Pan Trading and we are ready to mix!
5. I used glass vases I had from around the house and mixed in some little bottles with corks from Michaels and more green bottles from Tai Pan Trading.  I placed them all in the center of the table with the skulls and some flowers.
6. I set up a quilt and decorative crepe paper balls (purchased at Tai Pan Trading) under a tree for all our games and activities. Plus, it felt way more witchy!
7. I used a number of different food colorings to make the potions more inviting. Just pour a single drop of food coloring at the bottom then pour in water.
8. This fancy feathered own is a witch or wizard’s best friend. Purchased at Michaels.

(Photo above) Paper from All Hallow’s Eve is used as a place mat for potion brewing. (Photo below) The table is set with all the potions in the center of the table and food on a side table. Siri, Felicity, and Eva check out the bottles before the rest of the guests arrive.


EAT
There is nothing like kid-friendly food that is as fun to look at as it is to eat. Here’s what we had:
1. Bloody worm tonic. Recipe: Sprite + Maraschino cherry syrup + Pick with a gummy worm
2. Mummy hot dogs with baby carrots. The Mummy hot dogs are made from puffed pastry wrapped around hot dogs.
3. Witch Cupcakes. Idea from of Martha Stewart.
4. Candy Corn flower Cupcakes. This is a simple way to decorate your cupcakes with m&ms and candy corn.
5. Microwave Witch Carmel Corn (Recipe below) I used All Hallow’s Eve stickers on the bags.
6. Oreo spiders.

MICROWAVE WITCH CARMEL CORN RECIPE
Ingredients
4 Microwavable bags of Blast O Butter Popcorn
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margerine
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of black food dye
M&Ms

Instructions
Pop the popcorn using the instructions on the bag. Place all the popcorn in a large brown paper bag.

Over medium heat, mix all the other ingredients except the M&Ms. Once everything is combined,  cool for a few minutes (2-5 minutes).

Pour syrup over the popcorn in the bag. Roll down the top once or twice to close the bag, and shake to coat the corn. Dump the popcorn out onto waxed paper, and let cool until coating is set. Store in an airtight container.

GAMES
To make life easy, this party was kept simple by starting with games on the quilt, moving to the potion station on the patio, then having dinner (also at the potions table), and then ending with a movie in the house (we watched The Nightmare Before Christmas).
1-3. BINGO: We played Bingo using the Haunted Digital Bingo Card Printables and Candy Corn. Once you got bingo you could eat the row of candy corn!
4-5. TREASURE HUNTING: Yes, witches like to dig for treasure too! The tubs were purchased from Michaels (for 99 cents!) and sand from Home Depot. Rings, jewels, and other little trinkets were hidden in the buckets.
6-8. BOBBING FOR DONUTS: Hang a donut in a tree and the witches will happily try to eat them. This is a great activity to start with as guests arrive.

(Photo left-above) Felicity works hard as she “bobs” for her donut. (Photo right-above) The best surprise with when Grandma Mary showed up dressed as a witch as well!!! Best grandma!!

(Photo left-below) Gracie is still looking for treasure as the bigger kids play bingo. (Photo right-below) I call out the numbers for bingo as the kids place their candy corn. The simple decorations make this spot in the yard feel festive!

POTIONS
When I asked my kids what their favorite part of the party was, the answer was unanimous—Potions! To set up your own potions table, here’s what you will need:
Glass bottles (I used clear and green ones in different sizes)
Bowls or cauldrons (the green bowls were nice because they were festive but the kids could still see what colors they were pouring in).
Spoons for mixing
Food coloring (red, black, green, blue, yellow)
Other mix ins (At this party I bought Halloween sprinkles and candy like candy bones, orange & black sprinkles, gummy skulls, candy bats, and leaf sprinkles. We have also in the past used flour and sugar for making potions.)
A pitcher (to refill empty bottles)

As the kids mix the potions, the adults refilled the bottles (so keep the food coloring and pitcher nearby). I just let the kids dump their potions into the grass next to patio when they were ready to start a new potion (yes, it makes a mess but that’s why I chose things the kids would either eat, would wash away, or I could throw into the trash).

(Photo above) Siri is excited to start potion making. While “brewing” the kids were saying things like, “Will you pass me the dead toes, please?” (Photos below) Eva, Siri, and Felicity play on the blanket under the tree. My niece Lola mixes her potion.

(Photo above) Felicity brews a rather nasty looking spell! (Photos below) Felicity and Lola pose for my Instagram picture (@carinagardner)!

Hope you were inspired and you have a Happy Halloween!

XOXO—Carina

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Pregnancy Photos

I can’t believe that these photos were taken only 5 short weeks ago. I’m so happy I pushed us up into the mountains two days before I had Charlie to capture that large belly.

I’m putting this out into the universe because I’m curious about recovery time for other mommys who have had C-Sections. How long before you feel like you have recovered? This time around I have a continuing pain on one side of the incision, and I’m wondering if this is normal. Any of you had this experience?

As we are all in babyland, I still have no real routine. Blogging is sporadic, working occurs in the middle of the night (the only time there is a quiet moment), the house is a wreak, and I feel pretty successful if I have managed to make dinner…so basically, things are pretty normal around here!

Here are some of the good stuff happening in the studio theses days:

+ I got strike-offs for my line Remember (coming January 2013) for Riley Blake. You are going to love! (Check the instagram feed in the sidebar to see a sneak peek!)

+ We are finalizing our Winter CHA line up at Carta Bella. We also will be showing our Valentine’s line soon!

+ There is a video that has yet to be edited on the High Tea Soirée Dress for CGTV. Hoping I will be able to get it up soon! If you need some Halloween inspiration, click on the link and watch Lindsay and I in costume!

+ I am gearing up to start teaching Art of Digital Design 2 again. I plan on starting the class mid-January 2013 with it going on sale in November. I haven’t taught it since 2011 so I’m excited to run it again!

+ We are continuing our $1 Sale at JessicaSprague.com on Wednesdays! New releases are on Mondays!

XOXO—Carina

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He’s Here!

If you follow on instagram (@carinagardner), you’ve already seen a bit of the boy, but here is the official blog announcement:). Charles Thomas Gardner will be called Charlie and is currently adored by all 4 other members of his family. Rosy (the cat) may be the only one who feels that his presence has been less than special (she may have realized she is a second class citizen after all).

I’m recovering and Charlie is healthy (and very snuggly!). We are trying to find a routine, and I’ll admit that the balance is going to be pretty difficult to find.

But we’re already back to work (Susan has been pulling some long shifts!) and I’m trying to snuggle, attend to business, and design all at once (which BTW means that many emails go out with all lowercase letters…I don’t always have a hand available to hold down the shift key).

Either way, I’m going to do my best to enjoy this very short period where this little one is, well, little.

From a happy and sleepy mommy,

Carina

 

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Remembering

Last night Josh and I pulled out the old video camera and watched my daughters’ first few hours of life. I’ll admit…I cried…a lot. It was one of those moments where your life is put into perspective and all you can do is feel grateful for what you have been given.

Seeing that miracle made the coming of the new baby that much more real. It also reminded me how special and amazing my two darlings are and how they’ve changed my life.

Past that, I was struck by how fast things change. Not only do I have an eight year old (!!!), but I can’t imagine anyone using that video camera anymore, can you (see above!)? Seriously, I had to dust the thing off when I pulled it out. In the video, Josh tells the nurse that we have to use a phone card to call long distance from the hospital (we lived in Minnesota at the time). What the? Was that really only 8 years ago? We weren’t allowed to use cell phones in the hospital and the cell phones looked well…um, ancient?

Despite the change in technology, some things don’t change. Like the way I feel when I watch my little newborn babes or the three-year old (who is now eight) tweaking her daddy’s nose. I’m grateful that we were smart enough to take all that video—and in the last couple of years—taking so many photos.

When I helped launch Carta Bella, I didn’t know that the unintended consequence of designing and art directing meant I would also be scrapbooking. I like to make sure our designs work. That means I personally print, cut, and glue most of the projects seen in the marketing materials at Carta Bella. The result is my own personal scrapbook getting built…slowly but surely. (PS the photo above is from our October release…consider it a sneak peek since I have been scrapping with it all weekend).

So as I finish up deadlines for production for October (trying to get ahead so I can take time off with baby!), I’ve specifically pulled out photos of my girls that make me happy. Lucky me for getting to work and play at the same time! My heart is full for all the blessings I have.

I hope you also get a chance to walk down memory lane soon and/or make some amazing memories in the upcoming future. I’m looking forward to doing both.

XOXO—Carina

PS: Do any of you know of a great service that converts all your old videos into digital format? I’m starting to see the necessity of this soon…

 

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Nesting

I begrudgingly decided it was time to get a new computer. Besides running really slow, it turns out my love for the 17″ MacBook Pro is outdated. So I settled on a 15″ that I was assured will make me faster. With baby boy on the way, I knew all the “down time” I currently spend just letting things “run” needed to end. So my “old” Mac and “new” Mac both went to the doctor for a data transfer this weekend.

It’s been a long time since I didn’t have access to a computer. Maybe too long…because I managed to do some much needed nesting over the weekend. I have a major list of things that will absolutely NOT happen before this child arrives in a couple of weeks, but I also have a minor list that (hopefully!), I will on get done.

One of these “to dos” was to get curtains up in my kitchen. I made these ruffle curtains out of the Paris and Company fabric that I designed for Riley Blake (released out this last April (2012)). They are fun and pretty girly (Josh is dealing pretty well with this), and match the light blue chairs I painted for the breakfast nook.

I also managed to spend a good deal of my time catching up with the Olympics and Pinterest. My obsession for white colonial-style houses and lots of bright colors is evident.

In the coming weeks, I may be a little busy with our new adventure which may result in fewer blog posts. But my obsession with Instagram (follow carinagardner) should keep those of you who want to see the Carta Bella-Riley Blake-Jessica Sprague.com-Sewing Pattern-More Licensing(Yikes!)-Gardner Family-adventures in the loop.

XOXO- Carina

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Fourth of July 2012

We ditched our usual Fourth of July traditions to hang out at home. I’m going a little slower these days and a middle-of-the-week holiday seemed like a good excuse to stay at home, enjoy the neighborhood breakfast, and family BBQ.

Breakfast date + Dinner date = Lunchtime nap.

Other than napping, Siri and Felicity helped me make peach ice cream and shuck corn. Sounds rather summer-y, right?

We also decorated bikes to be in the two minute neighborhood bike parade. Crepe paper and my fringe scissors were a cheap way to get by (Yes, the bike below is NOT one of my kids’).

Hope you had a fab holiday too!

—Carina

 

 

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New Lines

Today I have been getting production files ready, getting ready for CHA, and a lot of other general fun stuff for Carta Bella. I also announced two new lines for Carta Bella. Go check out my blogpost for that reveal here.

In the midst of getting the new lines ready, I managed to take the girls to the park for a couple of hours. They have been asking since April to play in the creek (it was too cold then and I wouldn’t let them dip their toes in). So today was an indulgence.

To be honest, my only goal this summer is to get out for a couple of hours a day so that the girls and I can relish in our last summer of freedom (ironic because of my current working schedule). Either way, it’s our last summer of “big girls only” and I want them (and me) to really cherish it.

The girls playing in the creek today reminded me of growing up in Tennessee. It seemed like we used to play in creeks a lot and explore the woods behind our backyard. Oh, and catch fireflies at night. I tried to explain that to the girls the other night, and they asked when they would get to catch fireflies. I had to explain to them that we didn’t have fireflies to catch in Utah. It made me a little sad.

It also reminded me to lug my camera around a lot more this summer. First because I need to make sure the girls have photos of what we did this summer. And second, because I have an awful lot of scrapbooking papers to use up!

So here’s to fireflies and rambling! Hope you are enjoying your summer too!

Carina

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A Day Away

I am currently packing for our trip to Quilt Market and am running around (perhaps not like a chicken with it’s head cut off, but it’s close) completely nervous I’m going to forget something (as evidence of the lengthy schedule I’ve handed out to several family members). I’m only a day away, and I know the moment I get to Kansas City, I WILL have forgotten something, and it’s going to be just fine. But until then, I will worry.

I didn’t hop on here to tell you about my worry-habits or even to show off how cute my big girl is becoming (an indulgence on my part), but to tell you that there is a happy bundle of fabric being given away at Carta Bella. Expect a little from Samantha, Deena, and myself. It’s the final day of prizes going on at the blog and facebook since our launch a couple of weeks ago (my, how time flys!). Hope you get a chance to win it! I believe there will be another giveaway towards to the end of the month so you might as well join now!

Will be in soon to tell you all about QM!

Carina

 

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Easter Brunch

This morning we got the family together for a little Easter egg hunt and brunch. I was grateful for the beautiful weather and how excited all the cousins were to get together. It definitely makes me feel like spring is officially here despite the snow we had yesterday.

It’s a lovely end to the girls’ spring break.

Happy Easter!

Carina

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