Cake. And Ice Cream.

Bea shared her ice cream cone tonight with our cat, Cake. Whether she wanted to, or not.

Rockin' Cancer With Attitude & Gratitude

I hate this t-shirt.


Let me clarify.


I hate that there was a need for me to design this t-shirt for a friend who has brain cancer.


Ugh. Sigh.


As if the diagnosis of cancer wasn't enough, this same friend has had to endure the tragic loss of her brother, father & mother - almost her entire family - in the last 10 years. And those of us that know and love the Jennings family - too many to count - are just shaking our heads right now wondering why this awesome family has had to go through so much heartache.


Seriously? How much can one person take? How in the world do you go on living a positive life when you're bombarded with so much negative?


Well, in the case of Gina Jennings, you rock it. With attitude and gratitude. Gina is (and always has been) a positive, smiling, upbeat person - with lots of style and personality. And she's not going to let cancer take that away. Not now. Not after all she's been through. 


Gina's friends and family have formed TEAM GINA to sell t-shirts to keep her hope and positive spirit alive. If you'd like to join the efforts, please contact Angie Jennings at angiejennings@cox.net and she'll hook you up with a shirt to show your support. (See the TEAM GINA Facebook page for sizes, prices & details. All money goes directly to Gina to fund medical expenses.)

Gina and her sweet niece, Abby. 

Colorful Cookie Combination

I love how the reds, oranges and brilliant blues of these sweets work together.


I made three, giant platters of cookies for an Open House party at Redbud Pediatrics this week, and they ended up being a feast for the eyes and tastebuds.


The orange circles are pumpkin spice cookies with brown butter icing (boosted to their orange-y-ness with a couple shots of gel food coloring.) The blue birdies are made with my Kansas Sugar Cookie recipe. And below the cookies, is a bed of red Hot Tamale candies.

Ride 'em Kitty Cat!

MEOW! Now that's what I call a fun feline. Eric's been carving away on this riding toy for my WSU friend (and fellow cat-lover), Andy. He and his wife just had a baby and I wanted to surprise them with a custom, kitty-cat-on-casters. 


It will probably be a year or two before Andy's little girl can take it for a spin around the living room, but I hope it brings her (and her parents) many hours of free-wheelin' fun.


And a million thank you's to Eric, for his hard work and talented hands. It's no wonder I'm always finding projects for him - everything he creates is wonderfulness and brings squeals of joy from me (and others.) 

Here's a look at how he carved & finished the cat riding toy. (I didn't get any photos of the sanding, but trust me... there was A LOT of sanding involved.)

A Postal Pussycat

While my mom was visiting us last week, she and our kitten became good buddies. I thought she might be missing her feline friend, so I mailed her a life-sized postcard of Cake today. This way, she can still enjoy her cute little furry face, minus the sharp teeth and claws.

Smiles Are Contagious

A few weeks ago, Dr. Rebecca Reddy asked me if I would help her decorate the exam rooms at Redbud Pediatrics for some Open House events in July. 


I put my kid-friendly, kitschy-design skills to work (with the help of my husband, of course) and came up with some fun wall art ideas. We installed most of them on Sunday, and they really do make you smile.


If you're interested, you can see everything in person this Saturday, July 14 from 9 a.m. to noon. Dr. Reddy and her staff are hosting a Teddy Bear Checkup. Show your child that checkups are fun! Bring your friends and your favorite teddy, doll or stuffed animal to Redbud Pediatrics for a checkup with Dr. Reddy.


But in case you can't make it, here's a sneak peek at the fun stuff.

Red clipboards line the hallway with custom, colorful posters.

Eric built this white, dry-erase birdy board with handy marker holder.

More custom posters hanging from a curtain rod and clip hangers.

Larger, custom posters on a white, wooden rail with metal bulldog clips.

White canvas covered with adorable, 1-inch Jane Jenni buttons.

Aren't these just the cutest? I love them all.

Custom faces for clocks that Dr. Reddy got at Hobby Lobby.

More cuteness from Jane Jenni with these 9-inch melamine plates.

I attached them to the wall with 3M Command Strips.

Redbud sign made out of cor-plast and corrugated bulletin board border.

Red, stair-step shelves that I repurposed from some SHELL gas station signs.
(They were the "L's"  in SHELL)