tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365217502023-11-16T09:36:55.380-07:00lingismynamelingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-28569873539386962962021-01-30T01:14:00.000-07:002021-01-30T01:14:00.431-07:00How I Support My Twins' Bilingual Mandarin Chinese & English Speaking<p>Welcome to my blog! Or back to my blog, depending on how long you've known me =p This blog has always been a snapshot of my life & things I'm working on so in that vein, what is my life right now and what am I working on? Mostly supporting my (almost 3yo) twin girls' bilingual Mandarin Chinese & English learning (primarily speaking at the moment but starting to do alphabet & some Chinese characters) with my English-only-speaking husband. We live in a small college town in Northern Colorado, far from family back in Canada. I always knew I'd raise our kids bilingually, but I never imagined how invested I would be until I was stumbling along in the first months of motherhood in an English-speaking dominant community.</p><p>But a little background about me first. Ling is my name ;) and I was born & raised in Canada alongside my brother by parents who emigrated from Taiwan. My parents made it a house rule that we only spoke Mandarin with them. But they never said my brother & I had to speak Mandarin with each other so we spoke English with each other growing up. I attended Saturday Chinese school up to grade 10 and watched Chinese soap operas for the subtitles with my mom as a kid. My maternal grandmother would tape shows for us on VHS & mail to us every so often, until we got a satellite dish. Our family visited Taiwan every 2 summers up until my college days and throughout college I had nearly weekly calls with my mom & the occasional email to my parents to keep up with my Mandarin Chinese. For roughly the last decade my Mandarin + Chinese exposure has been severely lacking and limited to those calls and emails with my parents but the interest to improve my Chinese has always been there from the seeds my parents helped plant and that is what I hope to pass on to my girls! </p><p></p><p>As you may have seen in my IG stories, I have so far helped my girls become nearly equally fluent in both Mandarin & English through <b>talking all.the.time. </b>What are their language capabilities currently? Here's a little audio clip of E. pretending to read the Nian story in Mandarin on her "iPad" (she's holding a mirror).</p><p><iframe width="100%" height="100" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/975607390%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-4eSJXCnAgAl&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ling-wang-796889470" title="Ling Wang" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Ling Wang</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ling-wang-796889470/reading-e/s-4eSJXCnAgAl" title="Reading E" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Reading E</a></div><br /></p><p>And here's a clip of O. pretending to read a Frog & Toad story in English (she's just randomly flipping through the Frog & Toad book in her hand) with E. in the background finding the basket she was looking for and saying, "就是那個背包“ [this bag right here]. You can also hear how I recast what they say. </p><p><iframe width="100%" height="100" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/975607381%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-MSUvrOv5fwJ&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ling-wang-796889470" title="Ling Wang" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Ling Wang</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ling-wang-796889470/reading-o/s-MSUvrOv5fwJ" title="Reading O" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Reading O</a></div><br /></p><p>Here's a breakdown of all the language my twins hear throughout the day that brought us to this point:</p><p><b>Narrate everything possible.</b> I did this a lot more before they could really talk but nowadays I mostly parrot back what they do/say to help them learn vocabulary + proper grammar and/or pronunciation. Dad does this in English when he's present. When the girls were 1 year old, I happened to read Thirty Million Words by Dana L. Suskind. That book really drove home the point for me that the single most important thing I could do for the girls was to talk & read A LOT, so that's what I do! It's a point that my speech therapist friend always shared with me too but didn't sink in until reading this book. I parrot them and say a lot of things twice because I translate everything between both languages when we're with an English-speaker. When I record videos for family, I will also translate my conversation with the girls into English for the 老公 and other English-speakers watching the videos, as you heard in the audio clip. Except when Dad is talking with them, I try my best to not interject with translations so that they have uninterrupted conversation in English. However if I have something to add to the conversation I will translate what I say into Mandarin. I will also give the girls the language they need to tell Daddy about stuff that stands out in the day I'll say 跟爸爸講的時候要說 _____ [when you tell Daddy you say___]. Then when they tell him at a later time, if what they said is not enunciated enough, I'll parrot their English to model the correct pronunciation so Dad can understand. </p><p><b>Read. Then read some more.</b> Dad reads English books to them and I read Chinese, or else I translate English stories into Mandarin on the fly (except most rhyming books). In the last 6 months I've shifted away from this a bit in order to turn up the English input since we lost a lot of outside English exposure (play dates + music class + library story time) due to pandemic lockdowns. If I read English books as requested by the girls, I will still discuss it in Mandarin. Other reading sources: Digital books by <a href="https://madeleineeditions.com/" target="_blank">Madeleine Editions</a> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(no affiliation: happened upon their books when they offered their books for free during the initial covid lockdowns)</span> </i>that are effectively story books with little animations and narrated by a native speaker. It's the tiny bit of non-video-chat screen time I allow them on occasion. Some weeks they will get 2-3 of the stories per day, some weeks they don't ask for it at all. The book needs the user to turn the page so they still get that tactile book-reading experience. We also have <a href="https://www.lelechinese.com/" target="_blank">LeLe readers</a> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(not affiliated: it's what I bought after reading <a href="https://chalkacademy.com/lele-chinese-reading-pen/" target="_blank">this blog</a>'s review)</span></i> plus reading pen that will "read" to them from tapping the words, though they're not going through those with any consistency right now.</p><p><b>Play Chinese & English audiobooks + songs.</b> The girls currently fall asleep at nap (if I'm lucky) & bedtime to a playlist with Chinese books or songs, though the playlist has changed a lot over the last 2 years from Mandarin song --> Mandarin + English songs --> Chinese audiobook --> Chinese songs --> English audiobooks --> Chinese & English audiobooks --> Mandarin songs depending on their requests. </p><p><b>Video chats</b> with my mom 外婆 in Mandarin, my maternal aunt 二姨婆 in Mandarin, & their grandma 奶奶 in English. Calls with my mom are nearly daily during weekdays but for shorter chats. My mom will sing or read to the girls on the very rare occasion. She's averse to reading as it was never part of her childhood or parenting so I really mean rare. Calls with my aunt are weekly-ish and typically a short conversation. Calls with grandma 奶奶 are roughly weekly but for longer hangouts where she reads, sings, or engages in the girls' play. <br /></p><p><b>Improving my own Chinese. </b>You might be wondering how I have the vocabulary to talk so much given that I came into this with very stunted Chinese and literacy level of a 2nd grader in Taiwan. Me from 2 years ago would wonder the same! It felt so overwhelming before but I just started small with the help of google translate when narrating life. Tulip 鬱金香 & dandelion 蒲公英 from our walks. Or <i>hey google, how do you say 'broccoli' in Chinese?</i> while I'm cooking. Lots of "hey google" in the beginning. When I'm stumped on translating something to Mandarin I will tell them that I'm learning with them too and look it up with them in google translate (they love the written input mode and ask to practice writing the few characters they know with a lot of assistance from me) or I say that I will look it up another time when I need more than google translate. There's also a lot of me telling them months away that I've been saying the wrong thing in Mandarin this whole time but I learned the proper way to say it now and just switch over! I am constantly telling them that I'm learning with them! But through reading Chinese books to the girls is where my Chinese really picked up. I try to buy books with zhuyin phonetic annotation as I'm not very literate in Chinese. I also just picked up a <a href="https://www.jojolearning.com/products/youdao-chinese-english-translation-pen" target="_blank">Youdao dictionary pen</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(not affiliated: I happened to buy from them)</i> </span>for help reading the stories without zhuyin phonetic annotations. There's room for improvement in the pen but that's a subject for another day. It does enough of what I need for now.</p><p><b>Make friends with other Mandarin-speakers.</b> That's been tough to do locally as the local Asian population is 3% and I literally just started to get out more with the girls and make other mom friends months before the pandemic hit. BUT! Through library story time I found another Mandarin-speaking mom with a child just a half year behind the girls. They share similar sensibilities as us with covid precautions so we've been meeting for (masked!) outdoor playdates the last few weeks as the weather allows. </p><p>What's really helped me feel empowered to do all this are the people I've met along the way. The Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChineseAndEnglish4kids/" target="_blank">Raising Bilingual Children in Chinese & English</a> has been an invaluable resource to commiserate and share in this journey. It is also where I found the following blogs <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(linked below)</i></span> run by moms also on this path who share so many resources for parents like me. So if you find yourself on a similar path, I highly recommend checking out their sites at the links below! </p><p><a href="https://chalkacademy.com/">https://chalkacademy.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://spotofsunshine.com/">https://spotofsunshine.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mamababymandarin.com/">https://www.mamababymandarin.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.guavarama.com/">https://www.guavarama.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://motherlynotes.com/">https://motherlynotes.com/</a></p><p>That about sums up all the language input my girls hear that has helped them become nearly equally fluent in both Mandarin & English just 3 months shy of their 3rd birthday. They started speaking a few words closer to 2yo so everything they say now has really blossomed in the last 6-ish months. I still maintain a heavier emphasis on Mandarin but reading English books and conversations with Daddy lately seem to have helped bring their English closer to their Mandarin fluency in just a few months time. Kids truly are little sponges!</p><p>If you have any other questions about how I support my kids' language learning, feel free to reach out in the comments below :) I will probably follow this up down the road with how I'm supporting their reading and writing as we are just starting to be more intentional about teaching the alphabet + Chinese characters. Thanks for stopping by!</p>lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-2594990322095196922016-12-13T07:58:00.000-07:002017-02-10T17:23:41.044-07:00Rudolph<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today's post is brought to you by my Christmas countdown series I'm hosting on Instagram. Head on over to check it out if you haven't been following along so far :) You can find it under the tag <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/lingsxmascountdown/" target="_blank">#lingsxmascountdown</a>. </div>
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And if you're confused as to why I'm doing this series, here's a quick overview: last year I created a cracker-sized piece of art each day in December leading up to Christmas as a fun little spontaneous project. I enjoyed and learned so much from it that I thought I'd continue a tradition of pushing myself creatively with another Christmas countdown. This year has a unifying theme of holiday-related trivia for each day and an associated illustration or gif and today's trivia is about Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. </div>
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was not actually part of Santa's original team: retailer Montgomery Ward commissioned Robert L. May to create a story for a booklet to be handed out for their Christmas shopping season in 1939. They had previously purchased & handed out coloring books in past years and decided to create them in-house that year. More than 2.5 million copies of the Rudolph story were distributed in its first year of publication. </div>
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If you right-click on the image, you can download it and/or send it to print so you can actually color it :)</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJLGLIsUxkscoPTwKzVYhGxqgZaGYzWR8FqNVGjhPxjCgUvb8NuYDfDlhobTY8FwynzkuaKr2wVWbecQR4bdLLXxJjxznzkfIfm2FdRpDLADglIjFN06hFaK9SRbT4e26qIUNRQ/s1600/Xmas_13_Rudolph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJLGLIsUxkscoPTwKzVYhGxqgZaGYzWR8FqNVGjhPxjCgUvb8NuYDfDlhobTY8FwynzkuaKr2wVWbecQR4bdLLXxJjxznzkfIfm2FdRpDLADglIjFN06hFaK9SRbT4e26qIUNRQ/s640/Xmas_13_Rudolph.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-23906747981102093412016-12-04T11:33:00.000-07:002017-02-10T17:23:41.037-07:00Christmas Countdown Day 4This year's countdown has got me feeling crafty, hence <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lingismyname/" target="_blank">today's post</a>. I was inspired by the story of Teddy Roosevelt's son hiding a Christmas tree in a closet and thought I'd make a little diorama to channel the feelings Archie Roosevelt must've had when he snuck around decorating the tree 😊.<br />
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When I got to thinking about how to construct a little tree, <a href="http://www.designmom.com/2016/12/diy-paper-bottle-brush-trees/">this post</a> from Design Mom stuck out & while I have a die cutter, I remembered I had bits of felt pieces I saved from another project & thought that there must be an easier, faster way to make a similar type of tree with stacked felt. And thanks to the internet, <a href="http://www.hellowonderful.co/post/EASY-DIY-FELT-CHRISTMAS-TREE-ORNAMENT" target="_blank">I found an example of one</a> nearly identical to one I imagined in my head :) <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(PS: you should check out her other <a href="http://www.hellowonderful.co/category/Holiday" target="_blank">holiday crafts</a> too. So many cute things!)</i></span> Mine is smaller, though, as I got lazy & didn't bother with the largest set of squares but I like my tree's diminutive size at 2.75". I didn't have any brown felt so I just tightly rolled up a strip of brown paper for the trunk. But with no star beads around for the topper, I made a star out of paper and painted it gold with some Finetec gold. Folded paper stars were probably the first craft I ever made growing up: does anyone else remember folding them up and filling a wishing jar? <a href="http://kao-ani.com/throwback-thursday-luckpaperstars-tutorial/" target="_blank">Here's a tutorial</a> on how to make the stars. I decided to add a few beads for decoration since Archie's tree was decorated :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqDOZ8BZjwjMRKH1Yxi9WTp98clOAZu6j3DrwK491FcWzMR46u4Qzy15f-8OYuFKaLpFFRpUlhb1ZrSf97q6OEz7Kx40Lggf6as7lFGjjWc-XSumvsbzQ8UlXE1xoHSfqEw8h_A/s1600/xmastree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqDOZ8BZjwjMRKH1Yxi9WTp98clOAZu6j3DrwK491FcWzMR46u4Qzy15f-8OYuFKaLpFFRpUlhb1ZrSf97q6OEz7Kx40Lggf6as7lFGjjWc-XSumvsbzQ8UlXE1xoHSfqEw8h_A/s640/xmastree.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The little tree could be made of any colored felt if you want it to have more contrast against your tree as an ornament. I happened to have scraps of this avocado-green felt so that's what I used. The possibilities are endless!<br />
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For my little diorama, I made a "closet" with some cardstock folded according to <a href="https://youtu.be/HvZa9yaiOu8">these instructions</a> and inserted it through another piece of cardstock so it appeared to be a closet along a wall. I stuck one bulb from a string of lights inside the closet to give it a glow.<br />
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Lego-Marty-McFly is standing in as Archie here.<br />
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-735979990906558472016-11-30T07:21:00.000-07:002017-02-10T17:23:41.051-07:00Christmas Cracker recap 18 through 25A few thoughts that hang over me before the 2016 countdown begins: Will I be able to top my last project? Where will I get more clever and fun ideas like these?? Why did I go and commit myself to another countdown series?? These thoughts or similar ones are always nagging at me when I work, but doing work is how I keep those nagging feelings at bay! Oh, the cyclical madness! <br />
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Before I carry on panicking about this year's series, which, for the record, I am still conceptualizing (!), let's see how I rounded off last year's countdown, shall we?
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_kF7_nNKBe/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 21 <3 holding a very special someone in my heart today. Wishing everyone safe travels this holiday. #backtonaturefoods</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-12-21T18:29:23+00:00">Dec 21, 2015 at 10:29am PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_pLztwtKIx/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 22 (a day late) :p lookout for day 23 later today :) #backtonaturefoods</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-12-23T17:56:54+00:00">Dec 23, 2015 at 9:56am PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_qbNzHtKPZ/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 23! Dedicated to my niece Mataya & her favorite teddy :) Also, I have gift-wrapping on my mind. One more to go! #backtonaturefoods</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-12-24T05:30:46+00:00">Dec 23, 2015 at 9:30pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_spR0ZtKOR/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 24! Season's Eatings everyone! #backtonaturefoods</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-12-25T02:12:08+00:00">Dec 24, 2015 at 6:12pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_vB-qCtKMs/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Last #christmascracker! I'm all out of ideas for the season :p Thank you to everyone who followed along throughout this project! I had a lot of fun with it & hope it brought a smile to your face, if not a laugh :) #backtonaturefoods</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-12-26T00:26:27+00:00">Dec 25, 2015 at 4:26pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-77948687275175795912016-11-29T09:56:00.000-07:002017-02-10T17:23:41.058-07:00Christmas Cracker recap 9 through 18Today we're looking at days 9 through 18 of my 2015 Christmas Cracker Countdown. I had never created a gif before this project but I was feeling so inspired and motivated to try something new that I ended up becoming a bit obsessed about them towards the second half! I definitely wished I spent a touch more time on some of them to avoid awkward-looking mistakes, but alas: I needed to maintain the timeliness of this project. Lessons learned for next time though :)
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_FfvycNKOy/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 9! Who would've guessed today we'd see autumn-like temps :p #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-09T21:18:28+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 9, 2015 at 1:18pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_IMa3UtKFb/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 10! Seriously: can someone come trim my tree for me? K, thanks :) #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-10T22:27:18+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 10, 2015 at 2:27pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_KSgzTtKI3/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 11! Today we have lower case holly, not title case Holly. When Holly mentioned she was waiting for me to make a holly, I thought she was asking I make a cheese cracker portrait of her. Turns out she was referring to the holly with a lower case "h". Oops! #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-11T17:59:01+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 11, 2015 at 9:59am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_N4OFrtKDO/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 12! A bit late, but better than never! Enlisted the 老公's help w/ After Effects on this one :) #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-13T03:26:14+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 12, 2015 at 7:26pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_PoenONKOi/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 13! Get your fill of candy in before the new years resolution kicks in ;) #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-13T19:47:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 13, 2015 at 11:47am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_SbafWtKHl/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 14! I may be a little obsessed with making gifs now... #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-14T21:50:44+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 14, 2015 at 1:50pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_VPGz5tKBX/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 15! Oh how I wish I could harness Enzo to a sled! I think it every time it snows, especially today on our walk when he insisted on strangling himself in order to prance through the snow -_- #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-16T00:00:54+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 15, 2015 at 4:00pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_Xih0ktKFN/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 16! I don't think I can stop the gif-making o_0 #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-16T21:29:06+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 16, 2015 at 1:29pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_a4hQrtKEI/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 17! You can tell we're getting closer to Christmas with how late my posts are :p Reflecting on the state of the world and all the broken hearts out there & wishing this for everyone. <3 #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-18T04:38:59+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 17, 2015 at 8:38pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_djTYDtKMZ/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 18! Happy weekend everyone :) #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-19T05:31:18+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 18, 2015 at 9:31pm PST</time></div>
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lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-90888825720257110502016-11-28T08:06:00.000-07:002016-11-28T08:06:08.445-07:00Christmas Crackers recap 1 through 8Late last year I was stuck in a creative rut and I needed a way out. Having read many articles/posts and listened to many podcasts about how to get out of a creative rut, I knew I needed a daily creative project of some sort. As it happened, through my snack du jour of cheese + crackers, I stumbled into one of my favorite little personal projects ever, which I titled the <i>Christmas Cracker Countdown</i>. It was the perfect project because a) it was small (canvas size was a 2" cracker) and created the day-of or the day before I shared it so there was no time for my inner-perfectionist to fuss b) it was promptly gobbled up after its creation so there was no waste c) I learned something new! Though what I thought was a low-commitment project turned out to be a very intensive affair because of point c); hA! But I am so glad I followed it through and finished the series because it was so much fun!<br />
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Before we get into the countdown for 2016, I'll be rounding up the 2015 series over the next few days here to help refresh your memory or in case you missed some. Curious about what's in store this year? I can tell you will not involve cheese & crackers this time but I promise to keep it as light and fun as possible :)<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-wvZxjtKGk/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">It's a Christmas cracker countdown! Starting today, I'll be sharing a cracker-sized design to get in the Christmas spirit :) #adventcalendar #countdowntochristmas #christmascracker #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-01T19:51:13+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 1, 2015 at 11:51am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-zmUPctKKf/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Christmas cracker day 2 :) #adventcalendar #christmascracker #countdowntochristmas #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-02T22:29:32+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 2, 2015 at 2:29pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-122k9tKBP/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 3! I originally just made one stocking but that just seemed lonely so I made it a friend & hung them on a mantle. I've officially decorated more in the virtual world than in real life! #adventcalendar #countdowntochristmas #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-03T19:32:31+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 3, 2015 at 11:32am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-4h-uEtKN5/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 4 :) it's been too warm for a snowman here so cheeseman it is! #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-04T20:27:51+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 4, 2015 at 12:27pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-7MDlitKE8/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 5 :) hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-05T21:14:00+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 5, 2015 at 1:14pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-9X4B8NKIc/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 6! Now I need to go buy more jam to go with all my "mistakes" :p #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-06T17:35:45+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 6, 2015 at 9:35am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_ASuxWNKIw/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Made a #Hanukkahcracker for day 7! Happy Hanukkah to all those celebrating :) This is my first attempt at an animated gif. #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A video posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-07T20:48:31+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 7, 2015 at 12:48pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_CW8wDNKOs/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#christmascracker day 8! I created an 8bit-style design a while ago & got inspired to dig it back out when I heard Ian & Ron were heading to the hills :) #backtonaturefoods</a></div>
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A photo posted by Ling Wang (@lingismyname) on <time datetime="2015-12-08T16:03:52+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 8, 2015 at 8:03am PST</time></div>
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lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-22570752611868186252016-11-26T13:42:00.000-07:002016-11-28T07:18:24.768-07:00Good Things Take Time<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclosure: As part of an affiliate program, I make a small commission on purchases made through various links posted on this site.*</span></i><br />
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Earlier this month I was excited to announce that my Bright Starburst design made the cut for <a href="http://shrsl.com/?f749" target="_blank">Minted's 2016 letterpress holiday</a> card assortment. And it was <a href="http://www.minted.com/julep/2016/11/25/2016-holiday-letterpress-challenge-special-prizes/" target="_blank">just announced</a> that it won the best Faux Full Bleed award! Now that my <a href="http://shrsl.com/?eyqw" target="_blank">Bright Starburst design is available for sale</a>, I thought it would be fun to look back at where this design began :)<br />
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Over a year ago I came up with the idea of a graphic starburst to highlight a holiday greeting and I remember at the time how proud I was of the design. I learned how to create a uniform starburst shape and played around with the lettering. But it didn't make the cut and frankly rated poorly.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/28/17/28/52/8f1ea9e7988b5acb1359797586484195" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/28/17/28/52/8f1ea9e7988b5acb1359797586484195" width="285" /></a></div>
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In spite of that, I persisted with the design in the following holiday challenge. I knew my concept was solid and with some distance from the design, I could see that it needed far more refinement than I initially thought. I saw that the starburst rays were messy around the lettering and looked like it was hiding behind the lettering rather than shining as intended. Also, the greeting on top wasn't feeling balanced with the word "bright" and the starburst design. I worked on expanding the rays out further & changed to a different script style type with more curvy flourishes to balance out the harsh lines in the starburst. Again, I was feeling great about my design and was *sure* it would make the cut.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/05/05/16/45/54/5e78760af98ffbda9f519610303f102a" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://cdn4.minted.com/2016/05/05/16/45/54/5e78760af98ffbda9f519610303f102a" width="285" /></a></div>
Unfortunately it did not and again I was devastated! <i>How could I put in so much effort and not get anywhere??</i> I thought. But again, I believed in my concept and was determined to get a win out of it! Looking back I can now see the awkwardness of the starburst rays competing with the harsh edge of the dark photo.<br />
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When the letterpress challenge came around, I was immediately inspired by the faux full-bleed award in the challenge brief and felt even more confident in my concept than when this first started. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Full bleed photo means the photo is printed to all the edges but here it is an illusion of that effect with a white gradient to fade into the background behind the letterpress element).</span></i> I obviously had that effect going on in the first iteration, but the actual design still needed more work. The photo I ended up using had the most perfect subtle burst of sunshine in the background to complement my design. I also changed the top greeting to a condensed serif so it would compete even less with the rest of the design and I lightened up the starburst rays to give the word "bright" even more pop.<br />
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<a href="http://shrsl.com/?eyqw" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://cdn3.minted.com/files/mintedProductsImages/MIN/HLE/ZYV/MIN-ZYV-HLE-001HOLIDAY_A_PD.gif" /></a></div>
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As a self-taught designer, all those little incremental changes took time for me to see but at last it worked out and I learned so much more. There were definitely times when I questioned if I should take the second loss as a clue to just move on to something else but my heart was set on seeing this on Minted so I trusted my gut.<br />
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If the process has taught me anything, it's that I can't grow complacent in my work, I need to keep pushing myself, and that sometimes good things just take a bit more time. It also taught me how much manual work it can take to make something look random! If you'd like to see the rest of the pieces that I designed to match this card, <a href="http://shrsl.com/?eyqw">click on through</a>. There's a matching envelope liner & free recipient address printing! Even a matching postage stamp! And more starbursts! <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Hint: all those little dashes & lines in all the starbursts you see were hand-drawn & placed by me.)</span><br />
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I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving! On the holiday and outside of the holiday I am always <i>always</i> grateful for my family and friends who continue to support my creative endeavors, including the culinary ones that don't quite turn out ;) Thank you.<br />
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<i>PS: Get 20% off <a href="http://shrsl.com/?f7or" target="_blank">holiday card</a>, <a href="http://shrsl.com/?f7os" target="_blank">gift, and art orders</a> over $150 or 15% off any order with code BF2016 until Sunday, November 27 at 11:59 PM PT! </i><br />
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<i>If you don't have your photo ready, just go through the personalization steps and at the end when they give you an overview of your customized card, click on "Buy no, personalize later." (example below)</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZo3OdKqaC8iB7p5bl8zY1Xt8Vqgv18nkQpWF9Qdjniygx_GsVsQVOBAGvx_GZfjz6086cS5Ms1gTdLHQFFhiKBcr7mrle_YMBhMvNoGwEgZsm8UajZ4SqjsXEOdMgIlEzG9WylA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-25+at+4.19.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZo3OdKqaC8iB7p5bl8zY1Xt8Vqgv18nkQpWF9Qdjniygx_GsVsQVOBAGvx_GZfjz6086cS5Ms1gTdLHQFFhiKBcr7mrle_YMBhMvNoGwEgZsm8UajZ4SqjsXEOdMgIlEzG9WylA/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-25+at+4.19.59+PM.png" width="320" /></i></a></div>
<i>This way you can take advantage of the sale price but you don't have to finalize anything until you're ready :)</i><br />
<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-12264646114241536382016-05-06T12:42:00.000-06:002016-11-28T07:18:37.562-07:00Holiday Spirit?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGjyZqF8ZafkaQA4vPG9abBTWoa0BznAUC8xQlJ5fE_ka1mINRDmRYvgYQYe1eg2VBdKiZsM-Tu0ck9qPU8mPeJZLW2IETk-YTtK0dSDtyH0LJhBM_25fFjRdhLsL37wErUrTOw/s640/GROUP_HolidayCards.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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Hi blog-world! It's been a while, but I'm back today to share with you some holiday card designs I've been working on. As a stationer, I am forced to be in the holiday spirit despite the beautiful spring weather. But at least Colorado weather is unpredictable enough that we can still get snow in early spring :)<br />
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I had a lot of other work on my plate in the midst of <a href="http://www.minted.com/store/lingismyname" target="_blank">Minted's</a> <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/273">holiday photo card challenge</a> so I didn't have enough time to execute any designs from scratch. But I had <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2015/06/christmas-in-june.html" target="_blank">some designs</a> <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2015/06/letterpress.html">from last year</a> that didn't make the cut so I decided to re-work those instead.<br />
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Truthfully, I was heartbroken nothing made the cut last year. I felt SO good about them all! But guess what? What I think is good is always improving & changing as I am continually learning & growing in this field :) The year-break from those designs was good for me to gain some perspective and I *truly* believe they are much stronger pieces now than they were last year. Whether they're good enough to make the cut is another question but I feel good about them and my place with my business in general that if they don't make it, I am prepared to launch them myself. So keep a look-out for when they are available for purchase later this year!<br />
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First up is <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/371264" target="_blank">last year's "Geo Frost" design</a> that I turned into <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/605974" target="_blank">Geo Knit</a> this year. I built out the pattern some more and the intent was to echo the idea of a geometric abstraction of a knit sweater pattern. I also went with a bolder serif-type to balance out the thick lines in the pattern and decided on a kraft-paper background to add some warmth to the geometric pattern.<br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/605974" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/05/03/17/04/27/20362a9ffdddc18bb56f54a9a842879c" height="460" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/610968" target="_blank">Holly & Pine</a> was one of my favorites because it incorporated some watercolors I painted. But <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/380106" target="_blank">looking back</a>, my critiques of it now would be that the graphic is too small and does not do much for the overall card. As a result, this year I decided to blow it up and really feature the type & watercolors. I also picked a full-bleed photo to help achieve that effect. And I changed out a sprig of holly for some pine cones I had painted at the time but never used.<br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/610968"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/05/06/16/58/58/5d89f36876c767dadd36b764594a6f8d" height="640" width="456" /></a></div>
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I remember when I first designed "<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/608678" target="_blank">Bright Starburst</a>" I was so proud of the starbursts I created and that was the only thing I obsessed about. But <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/394485" target="_blank">looking back</a>, my critiques would be the mess of lines within the type as well as the tight-vertical feel of the type. Also, the starburst is kind of hiding when it really should've been the star. So this year, I changed the type to one with more horizontal lines, cleaned up the starburst within the type, and really expanded the starburst. I hand-placed a lot of those lines to get that "random" effect. With some input from other Minted designers, I also scaled back the stroke weight on the lines to make the starburst feel lighter and more delicate. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/608678" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/05/05/16/45/54/5e78760af98ffbda9f519610303f102a" height="640" width="456" /></a></div>
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...and that's a wrap! You can rate the designs by clicking on the images and selecting the score you would like to give it. It will automatically advance to a random design after you rate one. As a reminder, 1 is for <i>MEH</i> and 5 is for <i>YES, that is awesome! </i>:) Please also spread the love and <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/273">check out the other 3000+ amazing designs</a>! There is also a separate voting group for designs with <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/275">foil-pressed elements here</a>. A quick way to rate designs is directly from the challenge link by hovering your mouse over the "rate it" box and choosing your rating or else go and click "vote" at the very top of the Minted page and it will take you to the blind-voting system that hides designer information so as to not bias you in any way. The more you rate the more fair the system is, helping to preserve the meritocracy at Minted! </div>
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Cheers :)</div>
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-32677491372189935052016-04-22T14:49:00.002-06:002016-04-22T14:49:53.634-06:00Earth DaySince it's Earth Day, some of you might be wondering how we can tread a little more lightly on this lovely planet of ours. So today I would like to talk to all the menstruating women out there or anyone else who's curious about the one thing that has significantly reduced my impact on this planet: the menstrual cup. I'd also like to talk about it in an effort to end any stigma that's still associated with periods and/or talking about them :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Disclaimer: The following is for informational purposes only and is not offered as medical advice, nor does it substitute for consultation with your physician. If you have any gynecological/medical concerns or conditions regarding the use of internal feminine hygiene products, I encourage you to consult your physician.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizY0b1wOmdVBuXDMXPaUtN3tOs5zYnoli2aoxvI0uEXrz-4pnCfGjMP8u1YJpMJoV-usMTr2OkS4AHZVFRiOofIcHG5KsVaH7Btt9mmOlBu5cKA3JoXhCZnGtaICgTHTxoNXfqgA/s1600/IMG_20160422_140311795_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizY0b1wOmdVBuXDMXPaUtN3tOs5zYnoli2aoxvI0uEXrz-4pnCfGjMP8u1YJpMJoV-usMTr2OkS4AHZVFRiOofIcHG5KsVaH7Btt9mmOlBu5cKA3JoXhCZnGtaICgTHTxoNXfqgA/s400/IMG_20160422_140311795_HDR.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
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I've been using one for 9+ years now and have not looked back. Tampons never worked for my flow for the same reason pads were really gross-feeling for me so switching to a menstrual cup has felt revolutionary for my periods! Most menstrual cups are made out of non-absorbent medical grade silicone that collects your flow until you're ready to empty it. Instead of dealing with changing tampons or pads every couple hours or when you accidentally leak, the menstrual cup can cut down those <a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/aint-nobody-got-time-for-that-gif-hfvihQ6LF9x2o" target="_blank">emergency bathroom runs</a> to virtually none! For example: I empty/re-insert the cup once in the morning & once at night. On my most heavy day(s), I will empty once or twice midday just to ensure no leaks. Instead of letting my period control my day with tampon or pad changes (sometimes the flow comes in spurts and overloads your disposable product: ladies, you know what I mean), I can plan for when and where to manage my period stuff because the menstrual cup just keeps collecting until I'm ready! Silicone menstrual cups can be disinfected by boiling in water for a few minutes, in case you're wondering.<br />
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Full-disclosure: I do use a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturallyHip" target="_blank">reusable & washable pad</a> for my heaviest day(s) because sometimes I get so into my work that I forget to empty midday and leak a bit and also for when when I was first learning how to properly use my cup. But I have been considering trying out <a href="https://www.shethinx.com/pages/home" target="_blank">THINX period-proof panties</a> as the pad can get uncomfortable when I'm active. Washable pads and absorbent panties are also great Earth-friendly alternatives for women who cannot use the menstrual cup for whatever reason.<br />
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Other than saving you <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/18/period-cost-lifetime_n_7258780.html" target="_blank">an estimated ~$2k in disposables</a> over your lifetime, (I've spent ~$130 over the last NINE years between 2 menstrual cups and a week's worth of washable pads), here are another set of reasons to try out a menstrual cup:<br />
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<li>You don't need to travel with a suitcase full of disposables or worse: finding a pharmacy in a foreign land.</li>
<li>If you're an outdoorsy person: same as above but you also get to skip packing out used pads or tampons! Just be prepared with hand sanitizer and extra toilet paper and/or a bit more drinking water for rinsing and/or wipes. </li>
<li>You're saving the planet! According to <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2010/03/greening_the_crimson_tide.html" target="_blank">this article from Slate</a>, the average woman throws away 250-300 pounds of sanitary products in her lifetime. A menstrual cup could reduce that to ZERO! </li>
<li>You may never worry of leaking overnight ever again. Everyone's body is different and some have reported leaking overnight even with the cup, but I, personally, have never had an overnight leak using a menstrual cup. <a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/aint-nobody-got-time-for-that-gif-hfvihQ6LF9x2o" target="_blank">No more emergency laundry situations</a>! </li>
<li>You get to learn more about your own body and take charge of your menstrual health! You might learn about an irregularity in your flow. You might learn that you have a tilted uterus. And, if you're trying to have a baby, knowing about what your flow is like can give you a glimpse into your fertility. If you are seeing an acupuncturist or fertility doctor, they will almost definitely want to know details about your flow that you've discovered from using a menstrual cup. Being able to quantify your flow and any changes in it is, in general, a very useful thing to know when discussing your menstrual health. </li>
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There is a bit of a learning curve when first trying it out, but that's where you learn about the intricacies of your body and flow :) Also, different brands have different shapes so you might need to try out a couple before you find one that suits you. I used a Diva Cup for many years and always had leak issues, so recently I bought a Moon Cup and found the thicker rim provides a much better seal for me and thus far FAR less leak issues. They <i>do</i> cost more up-front compared to a small pack of tampons or pads, but they are WORTH IT: it's equivalent to roughly four or five packs of tampons or pads but lasts FAR longer than 4 or 5 cycles!</div>
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Have I convinced you yet? I'm going to assume I have, so YAY! You can find them for <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=menstrual+cup&tbm=shop" target="_blank">purchase online</a> or places like Whole Foods or check your local holistic health shop, which is where I found the Diva Cup 9 years ago. When I first looked up menstrual cups, I was digging for information in discreet online forums and the only other reference was the product website. Menstrual cups have definitely become <i>way</i> more accessible and mainstream, which makes me so happy to see :) I'm sure our planet appreciates it too!</div>
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If you have any questions about menstrual cups, feel free to write me at "my blog name" [a] gmail.com </div>
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Happy Earth day :)</div>
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lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-17588781996141457882016-01-20T11:18:00.000-07:002016-11-28T07:19:11.718-07:00Birth AnnouncementsIt's been a while since I last participated in a Minted challenge but for the latest birth announcement challenge I thought I'd at least re-submit the few from the letterpress challenge last summer that I felt really good about but didn't make the cut. Of course I couldn't just re-submit without reworking things, since they obviously could use room for improvement if they didn't get picked originally! Links to the designs you can vote for are the images themselves. You know what to do once you've clicked through ;) Thanks in advance!<br />
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Watercolor butterflies was my favorite from the last challenge that I was really sad about not getting picked. But now that I've had some distance (time) away from it, I do see that the white cutouts (which were necessary for letterpress constraints) were clunky and took away from the softness of the design. Also, it was a real challenge getting the background to blend with the photo and thus wouldn't be very accommodating to any photo without a smooth neutral background. On the left we have my re-design for this current challenge! I used a rose gold foil for the butterflies and framed the photo with the watercolor instead of trying to blend it together. I think I like this iteration much better: hopefully the votes reflect my perceived improvements :)<br />
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<img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/07/01/16/28/23/ad17d5c8dae07a01bbb550170d9e1842" height="400" width="285" /> <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/507150" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/01/19/06/01/51/017b0582e3c67eb6bab737d4e99c8046" height="400" width="287" /></a></div>
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Framed dewdrops was another design that I was really hopeful for, but didn't make the cut. Looking back at it, I can see the dewdrops could use more refinement around the text so that is what I focused on in the update on the second one below.</div>
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<a href="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/01/17/02/13/32/f3ea9953952d5b4417ae989f5db5b470" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"></a><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/30/02/19/07/11c51ecd3a04e13312827ff28019c56e" height="285" width="400" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/504438" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/01/17/02/13/32/f3ea9953952d5b4417ae989f5db5b470" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also re-worked it to fit one of the die-cut card shapes just in case it scores better ;)</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/507192" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/01/19/06/25/39/d8113a28f1522d4b526e0f9114cf7559" height="287" width="400" /></a></div>
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The falling sakura design scored really great! Best score I've ever seen, I think, but alas: they were only picking 50 and there were hundreds of designs. </div>
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And while I probably should've left a good thing alone, I thought I'd punch up the design with richer colors so it would pop more during voting. If anything, I am very curious to see how this coloring will score. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/505314" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/01/18/01/43/59/52af25f9ebb971fab81aa4a0a711882e" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hello Sunshine was my favorite cutesy design, but I don't think many people understood my intentions for the blind debossed clouds. </div>
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<img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/28/18/47/39/250b68fb324a30f6b9985c30a29e7c42" height="285" width="400" /></div>
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So for the redesign I went with the blue color I had scrapped in favor of the white. I punched it up with a bit more texture too. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/505326" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/01/18/01/52/32/98cbccd5e60291f37aab559006cd53ab" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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I loved my little lamb design and I didn't think I would ever touch this again but I resolved to rework it since it obviously didn't resonate with voters as much as it did for me. </div>
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I ended up simplifying the elements down to the stars and moon because <i>maybe</i> the sheep and the fence were just too much fluff on top of a cute pattern as is. Less is more or something like that? And I turned it into a multiples announcement. I'll be sure to bring the sheep back some other way though! I love them too much :) </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/506476" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/01/19/00/41/45/ef67510eea798d646b42f6c2f5e55156" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
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This last design, No Bounds, was inspired by the idea of all the ways families can grow. "Love knows no bounds" came to mind when I thought of the parents and children that are flown all over the world to meet their forever families and so sky-writing was a natural progression in my thought process. I was reluctant to let this one out into the world because something feels unfinished about it, but I thought it'd be better to put it out there and see how it scores before coming back to it. I feel like I simply need more time to mull this one over. I want to turn this into so many other things though! Like a wedding invitation, or elopement announcement. So I might secretly be rooting for it to flop :P Ahh, I know: I'm weird!</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/509670" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2016/01/20/04/40/27/160431c25f4b73a38036fb354b91db7e" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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Don't forget to click through the images to vote :D Voting closes on the 29th.</div>
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Thank you to all the eyeballs out there who gave me feedback as I worked on the redesigns < 3</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Ling</div>
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<br /><!--3-->lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-17654689432718155852015-07-23T20:46:00.000-06:002015-07-23T20:46:07.360-06:00Van Remodel - Part 5 (finished enough)Ian shared the van reveal on facebook but I realized I never followed up on my blog, which I assume some people were waiting to see. Sorry for dropping the ball! We were just so done with the van when we got to this point that talking about it any more was making me crazy. We got it to this usable state just under a year ago but still have not found the motivation to really trim it out as we've taken on other projects. I foresee us leaving it as-is for a while more =p<br />
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So... where do I begin. Let's take a tour, shall we?<br />
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First off, we have to <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2013/10/van-remodel-part-1.html">go back (1)</a> and <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2013/10/van-remodel-part-2.html">look at (2)</a> <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2014/04/van-remodel-part-3.html">where (3)</a> <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2014/06/van-remodel-part-4.html">we started (4)</a>:<br />
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It used to be a cushy passenger van with green carpet, two captains chairs in the 2nd row, a bench seat in the 3rd row, wood trim, limo lights, and a tv with VCR (I know you want that VCR). Ian built a bed out of 2x4 when we made our move from CA to CO, which satisfied our needs for a while but once he learned how to weld, his inspiration to transform this space took off!</div>
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He began with a full gutting:</div>
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We insulated the floors and walls, paneled it with 1/8" plywood sheets, and decided to cover up the large side windows for a) better insulation and b) ease of install. The greatest challenge in this build was the curves in the van. They were everywhere and inconsistent and a P.I.T.A. to work with. Ian rewired everything in the back and installed back up and rear view cameras, a ceiling vent fan, and an LED light on the wall. He welded & spray painted (some of) the bed frame & the slide-out frame to support the fridge, built all the cabinets, installed the vinyl plank flooring, and upholstered the overhead speaker paneling and a few doors. Oh, and he installed an extra battery under the van along with a solar panel on the roof and a solar controller on the wall behind the driver's seat. Of course, that list is a gross over-simplification of the huge scope of what Ian really did. </div>
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This is the view from the side doors. Note the passenger seat swiveled around. That was made possible by a swiveling plate that Ian engineered and welded. That was the first thing he welded for the van.<br />
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The bed folds back on Ian's side to allow for more walking room during our waking hours. The left side is where we put our clothes and packed sleeping bags.<br />
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The bed folded out & all made up. Ian's 6' and I'm 5'5" so I gave up some bed length for the cabinet. We left the small operable windows accessible in the back for circulation and for a little peep area to check for stranger-danger before we get up. We use bubble-foil insulation cut-to-size for covering the windows. We originally were planning on blinds of some sort but the foil has been enough for us so far.<br />
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Our sink cabinet. Most things you see on top are from Ikea, except for the single-burner Coleman propane stove. For our safety, if we ever use the propane stove inside the van, we have the vent fan on with windows open and/or the side doors are open for circulation. And we don't have the burner sitting on the dish drying mat you see here. So far it's all worked out. We also have a small fire extinguisher tucked behind the driver's seat. Safety first!<br />
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The fridge/freezer pulled out and open all the way. We mounted a shower grab bar on the door as our handle. The reason for that is because the original handles were just small plastic handles that Ian accidentally ripped off the old door panel one time, so we went with a beefier replacement with the remodel. It's a nice towel rack too =)<br />
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When the seat is swiveled around, the fridge can only be pulled out partway, in which case we can pop the lid out of its hinge to access the fridge.<br />
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Under the sink is a water pump, drain tank for waste water, and storage for our two-burner stove, propane, and kettle. The right side also has an access panel to get to the fuses that control the pump and inverter and other wiring.<br />
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The 16 gallon (60L) water tank is tucked under the fridge frame with a little access door to see how much water we have. We have a hand pump stowed in the van in the instance we run out of power or if the water's too low for the pump to reach.<br />
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Ian welded the bedframe so that there is unobstructed access throughout to easily slide gear in. The cubby on the left stores Enzo's food, treats, and brush along with extra wiper blades and a snow brush. The cut out in the flooring (a bit difficult to see, but it's there in the bottom left area of this photo) is for a concealed anchor plate where we can put back in one of our captains chairs should we have a 3rd passenger.<br />
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A view from the back. We store our camp chairs, camp table, climbing gear, kitchen bin and food bins underneath here with room to spare.<br />
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The cubbies here store a battery jump-starter, first-aid kit, solar shower, and shower mat.<br />
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The solar panel that powers our vent fan, fridge, LED lights, and water pump.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXcKm3NR3loqaqerKa7gWwBwkGqGAIDHww6DT6E-VlISIUPxrQdBvVUMQ7MkA5psCiHZtj3fT7TNFtK56FjhAetcYzBkZeh68vDcPipbbruslTjyt6XSPw3_EGsHkXmzZl8cnJQ/s1600/IMG_6988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXcKm3NR3loqaqerKa7gWwBwkGqGAIDHww6DT6E-VlISIUPxrQdBvVUMQ7MkA5psCiHZtj3fT7TNFtK56FjhAetcYzBkZeh68vDcPipbbruslTjyt6XSPw3_EGsHkXmzZl8cnJQ/s640/IMG_6988.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
The speakers and cubby that Ian built and upholstered.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBgscPfQkOioNUypvkyNVTnVum-RutxVESzUXoqjeArPjJxpxv-ZUGOiX1gE40388TcZ2qeIyqDX4h4sZ5tj0neq0vs7qb-KTdG80WIvyxbW-7sgYYXRu-Z7u5P3QE1LmTxogYg/s1600/IMG_6989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBgscPfQkOioNUypvkyNVTnVum-RutxVESzUXoqjeArPjJxpxv-ZUGOiX1gE40388TcZ2qeIyqDX4h4sZ5tj0neq0vs7qb-KTdG80WIvyxbW-7sgYYXRu-Z7u5P3QE1LmTxogYg/s640/IMG_6989.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The cubby has our vent fan remote, LED lights, and two USB charging ports. This is where we store our kindles, books/magazines, camera+accessories and other miscellaneous stuff.</div>
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And that's it! You probably noticed wall & ceiling joints with vapor barrier+insulation poking out the edges. That and 3 more door panels are basically the remaining things to be finished. Oh, and some covering for the roof over the front seats. Right now it's just bare metal with two jaggedy holes cut in the metal on each side. We were originally thinking of making a panel with lights but having used it without, we haven't missed it since we always have a headlamp around. I think if we ever finish the trim work, we'd just cover the jaggedy holes in the metal. </div>
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A few big things we've learned from this process that we'll do differently next time:</div>
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1) Start with a van with straight walls. </div>
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2) Install the flooring throughout and then build on top. As it is, Ian just put flooring down where you see it: he floored around the cabinets, which he regrets because of the dirt-trap the bare plywood floor can be and also because it's not water-resistant in the cabinets. </div>
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3) Start with a van with straight walls. Did I mention what P.I.T.A. the curves were?</div>
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A general source list for the major pieces:</div>
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- Counter top: $10 scrap board from Ikea's As-Is section. Probably a former desk or cabinet siding.</div>
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- Ikea FYNDIG single bowl sink</div>
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- Ikea TÄRNAN pull-out faucet (looks to be discontinued as of July 2015 when I just checked)</div>
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- Ikea RINGSKÄR soap dispenser</div>
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- Fan-Tastic vent fan with rain sensor</div>
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- ARB fridge-freezer 50 QT</div>
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- LED light strips purchased on ebay originating from China.</div>
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- LED wall light purchased on ebay also originating from China.</div>
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- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Polycrystalline-Photovoltaic-Battery-Charging/dp/B00HTSVDAM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1437703662&sr=8-3&keywords=100w+solar+panel">100W Solar panel </a> (I think this is the one we bought.)</div>
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- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/MorningStar-ProStar-Battery-Controller-30/dp/B0070OS4JS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437703753&sr=8-2&keywords=morning+star+charge">Morning Star solar charge controller</a></div>
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- TrafficMASTER interlocking vinyl plank flooring from Home Depot</div>
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Oh! One thing I recently purchased for the van is this roll-up over-the-sink dish drainer:</div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81C4EoAyvML._SL1200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81C4EoAyvML._SL1200_.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is coated with a heat-resistant silicone (up to 400F) so it can also be used as a trivet. It is invaluable given our limited/non-existent counter space. Highly recommend for anyone living in a small space! I normally have it folded in half over the sink so we can still use the faucet. </div>
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I have cushion covers in the works for the bed, but so far I've only cut the fabric: still need to sew everything. These photos were taken before I got to that. </div>
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If you have any questions about process or resources, leave a comment below and I will do my best to get back to you. I hope this and my previous posts about our van remodel were useful! We gathered a lot of ideas from others who shared their van build so I hope this adds to that knowledge base =) </div>
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Cheers!</div>
lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-88661357084042114742015-06-30T11:19:00.000-06:002015-07-06T13:38:08.556-06:00LetterpressAfter Minted's holiday photo card challenge ended, I thought I was all tapped out of inspiration and was prepared to take a break. But then they had to go and launch a letterpress challenge and I just couldn't resist giving it a try. I started off just reworking a couple designs from the holiday challenge to be letterpress-ready and from there my ideas kept rolling. I ended up submitting 11! I've never hit double-digits before so these all feel really special to me. The design brief called out for holiday photo cards and birth announcements but given that I was tapped out of any holiday inspiration, I focused mainly on birth announcements.<br />
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First up is <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/392565" target="_blank">Geo Frost</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/392565" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/25/12/21/03/c2f04e58ea0bd5973ddaaa0a038da0ab" /></a></div>
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& Season's Eatings renamed <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/393207" target="_blank">For the Foodie</a>. I beefed up the line-art and the dots in the lettering.</div>
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<a href="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/30/12/04/04/aab49ea0eca27d87fdf4afa895c6a49c" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/30/12/04/04/aab49ea0eca27d87fdf4afa895c6a49c" /></a></div>
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For <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/392571" target="_blank">Floral blooms</a> I used a falling sakura graphic I created for a project years ago but never ended up using it. This layout was inspired by Minted's design brief looking for faux full-bleed photos. The idea behind that is that they can't letterpress on top of digitally-printed things so the idea here is to "fake" a full-bleed photo with a white gradient. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/392571" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/25/12/46/48/a04187d7809347c31aeb805e42b89a25" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/394485" target="_blank">Starburst</a> was inspired by <a href="http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/freebies/10-free-vintage-style-illustrated-light-ray-vectors" target="_blank">this vector pack</a> & the phrase "merry & bright". I created my own starbursts/light rays and played around for quite a while (this is what my work area looked like in the process)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXd7wDhYR2DwUsD8YmLxQnLheEu4GaoeST8BBukCzw4ELBuV59UwoQ5kUoaUd54Ea3aORQxHE0LvohtR2mFMfobLE7sJoL5I6kMIlwJcvhXmE1GqFOa0TBIYYYgtKynSw_0gUWFQ/s1600/desktop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXd7wDhYR2DwUsD8YmLxQnLheEu4GaoeST8BBukCzw4ELBuV59UwoQ5kUoaUd54Ea3aORQxHE0LvohtR2mFMfobLE7sJoL5I6kMIlwJcvhXmE1GqFOa0TBIYYYgtKynSw_0gUWFQ/s640/desktop.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">before I landed on this.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/394485" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/28/17/28/52/8f1ea9e7988b5acb1359797586484195" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/393557" target="_blank">Framed foliage</a> was a reworking of <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/294948" target="_blank">this old design</a>, which I was really hopeful for before (and I still think it's so pretty) and now I'm hoping people will see it in a better light this time! </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/393557" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/26/18/32/07/8da2cbc76b2026ebd887ad346ba3f76c" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/394551" target="_blank">Hello sunshine</a> was me trying to continue with those starbursts (because it seemed a waste to only use one of so many that I created!) and I ended up seeing a sun. And then I thought, "hello, sunshine!" which seemed like a cute phrase to welcome a baby & then I thought "ohmygosh, how cool would it be if clouds were blind-debossed" & then this happened. I tried using a blue background, which I really liked, but the polls seemed to really favor the white-on-white. The yellow bits and the clouds are meant to be letterpressed, but the yellow could also be digitally printed to reduce costs. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/394551" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/28/18/47/39/250b68fb324a30f6b9985c30a29e7c42" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/393727" target="_blank">Graph paper</a> was inspired by its namesake and the idea that if it could be letterpressed, it would have a really cool feel to it. I gave it a classic schoolbook feel to go with the graph paper theme.</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/393727" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/26/21/27/12/8620a118a0730abda19175cc277394e3" /></a></div>
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Continuing with the inspiration from blind-debossing, the idea for this started off with the clouds I created in Hello sunshine, which I then thought would work perfectly if little lamb limbs were digitally printed around the white fluffs. And then <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/395645" target="_blank">Little Lamb</a> was born. The yellow bits are also meant to be letterpressed, but again could be left digitally printed if needed.</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/395645" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/29/23/51/57/7618c943c1be2ba8443f13952caa23e1" /></a></div>
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Evidently I became obsessed with creating something that had a lot of texture if letterpressed. So for <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/395325" target="_blank">In a Galaxy</a> I started off just thinking of blind-debossing again with a moon-texture, but a little poll online revealed that my moon texture didn't make everyone immediately think of a moon, but rather just generic space-stuffs. So I embraced it and went as far as to hand-paint that watercolor wash for the deep-space background. The stars were created with the symbol sprayer tool in Ai. I have to give the 老公 props for helping me figure out the transition between the moon (or planet) and the background. For the longest time I was opposed to doing a background at all because of the awkward/harsh transition. The feathering effect was looking really cheesy so 老公 suggested a gradient on ring just slightly larger than the moon, which turned out perfect (in my eyes). </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/395325" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/29/18/11/49/ff6fca13709435531026aa26e7637585" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/395811" target="_blank">Framed Dewdrops</a> was, again, the result of playing around with an old pattern I started to create for another project years ago but never used. I felt like they would do well surrounding a rounded out photo, which led to this oval shape that gave me a bit of a vintage-y feel with the type & layout, yet it's combined with a fresh dewy pattern and color. Again, I think it would be really cool as a letterpressed card.</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/395811" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/30/02/19/07/11c51ecd3a04e13312827ff28019c56e" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/396727" target="_blank">Watercolor Butterflies</a> was inspired by this <a href="http://www.katespade.com/wing-it-leather-butterfly-clutch/PXRU5789,en_US,pd.html?navid=xsellPDP" target="_blank">Kate Spade clutch</a>. I sometimes look to my favorite stores for inspiration and Kate Spade often delivers with their bold graphic pieces. I loosely followed a similar pattern to theirs for my butterfly. It started out on top of just a plain faux-full-bleed photo fading out to white, but it was looking pretty boring, so I pulled out the paints again and created another watercolor wash. After a lot of playing around with the scale of the butterflies and the watercolor gradient, I ended up with this:</div>
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<a href="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/07/01/16/28/23/ad17d5c8dae07a01bbb550170d9e1842" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/07/01/16/28/23/ad17d5c8dae07a01bbb550170d9e1842" /></a></div>
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Thank you to everyone who lent me their eyeballs & gave their input: it was immensely helpful!</div>
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*fingers crossed" for some good news this summer/fall =)</div>
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xoxo</div>
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-75986007547781149012015-06-11T05:31:00.004-06:002016-11-28T07:19:11.727-07:00Christmas in JuneI don't know about you guys, but I'm super excited for Christmas this year! I know, summer JUST arrived: what am I thinking?! Well this year I decided to create some stuff for Minted's biggest challenge of the year: the holiday photo card challenge! I participated once many years ago and was completely intimidated and overwhelmed by all the amazing entries and also found it challenging to get in the holiday spirit in the springtime. But this year, with the crappy weather we got at the beginning of spring (note-to-self: don't plant anything until <i>after</i> Mother's day >.<), I found it easy to get in the Christmas-spirit and decided to participate.<br />
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First up is <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/371264" target="_blank">Geofrost</a>. I borrowed the "jewel" shape from my <a href="http://www.minted.com/product/holiday-party-invitations/MIN-RHA-HPA/geo-wreath" target="_blank">Geo Wreath Thanksgiving card</a> to create a frame for this one with a foil finish.<br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/371264" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/05/26/04/15/14/b65ca4355d47b5fa6bbe2f2272deb59e" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/377666" target="_blank">Season's Eatings</a> was inspired by the feast of the holidays. I ended up creating the lettering for "season's eatings" because I couldn't find a font I liked for it. Once this Minted holiday madness ends, I plan on turning that into a full display font so keep your eye out for that!<br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/377666" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/04/05/36/45/29404042cc1ebdee3b6ca81805feb8e9" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/380106" target="_blank">Holly and Pine</a> is the result of a few watercolor painting sessions. A simple illustration with clean text to frame out a large photo.<br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/380106" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/06/22/32/41/1f6d6bed27fbfd4027e47f6389e35c8e" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/384040" target="_blank">Newborn kisses</a> started out in a very different place than where I ended up taking it. It began as another lettering exercise:<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q5H1V2D1MH9GOp5F-Yb08Ai8Fr2lZaVmkzi7Wkxyh1e9AbM7DNS0tVlxmd77w5Vh7o0PVPQUg2GSOHFnbhZUIXHDHh80f4NqGKqnt-F5Oj6rgHpgl_RGJygWwrWUUCyky4yC6g/s1600/TypeSetting.jpg" /></div>
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While I really love how the ribbon"holiday" turned out, I found it too be too scripty for the look I was going for, so then I went & started to create another font. And yet again, no matter how I worked it, I just wasn't liking it. So I turned to my <a href="http://www.tylerfinck.com/guilder-font/" target="_blank">trusty condensed sans serif favorite</a> and ended up with this:</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/384040" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/09/22/23/30/cf0b87be519ea3b0e54192230614fd61" /></a></div>
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So the only element I kept was the slant. And while I didn't intend to channel an 80's color-scheme, apparently I couldn't help it. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/387138" target="_blank">Ribbon of Joy</a> was a last-minute design that I put together as a challenge to myself: <i>what can I do in 10 minutes?</i> And then plus another 20 in editing time ;) To be fair: I already had the basics of the ribbon done as a draft for something else that didn't get used. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/387152" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/06/09/22/34/29/1819bf0e8aa7b06b53a3ab38968e9417" /></a></div>
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I have always greatly respected designers who were <a href="http://jessicahische.is/" target="_blank">hand-lettering</a> and <a href="http://kellianderson.com/blog/" target="_blank">type geniuses</a>, but after all this: I have a whole new level of appreciation for this craft! So much more to learn! But this has all inspired me to try my hand at hand-lettering Chinese characters (speaking of which: you MUST <a href="http://vimeo.com/111818705" target="_blank">watch this</a>). I've got so many things I plan to create and want to create that I'm super excited for the next few months (years, even!). Stay tuned =)</div>
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But back to the point of this post: I hope you all take some time to vote! There is SO much great stuff out there that deserves to be seen, you guys! I'm just trying to ignore the fact that there are 4661 entries O_O You know..... my little bunch of 5 out of all those... not intimidated at all... But hey: better odds than the lottery...? Though I seriously don't know how Minted can choose: there are SO many amazing ones!</div>
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You can vote through the <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/217?sort=random" target="_blank">challenge submission gallery page</a>. Scroll down to see the submission gallery and hover over the "rate it" button below each piece. You can also click on each of my submissions to vote on larger images and it will advance you automatically to another randomly selected design after you rate each piece.</div>
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In the mean time, I'm going to go get started on voting myself. It closes June 22! Happy June everyone =)</div>
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xoxo </div>
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-11601315748490459182015-03-11T09:11:00.002-06:002016-11-28T07:19:11.712-07:00Double Knotted HappinessIt's been a long time since <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2014/12/minteds-to-have-and-to-hold-wedding.html" target="_blank">I last spoke of my wedding invitation designs</a>, but today I've got some news: Double Knotted Happiness made it as an editor's pick AND it just launched for sale so you can tell all your friends who are looking for bilingual invites about it! :p I originally submitted it with rounded corners, but I suppose squared off corners helps tie in with the other accessory pieces. Anyways, enough talking. Let's take a look at all the pretty-ness! <a href="http://www.minted.com/product/wedding-invitations/MIN-6S9-INV/double-knotted-happiness" target="_blank">Click</a> the photo to take a look at the matching RSVP, direction, reception, thank you cards, and envelope that I designed as well.<br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/product/wedding-invitations/MIN-6S9-INV/double-knotted-happiness" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn3.minted.com/files/mintedProductsImages/MIN/INV/6S9/MIN-6S9-INV-001_A_PZ.jpg?_=undefined" /></a></div>
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While I am sad for the other designs that didn't make it, I've got plans for them so don't you worry ;) I'm just so excited to be part of their growing collection of bilingual wedding invitations! Thank you to everyone who voted and for the continued support in all I do.<br />
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xoxo<br />
<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-61762921431905752072015-01-12T18:32:00.002-07:002016-11-28T07:19:11.723-07:00WorkHello 2015! And everyone who made it through the holidays =) Minted kept me busy throughout the holidays and over the new year with their <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/196?sort=createat" target="_blank">birth announcement</a> and <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/195?sort=createat" target="_blank">fabric challenges</a>, which I am here to tell you is open for voting/rating! I didn't submit as many as I would've liked, but I'm OK giving these other designs that didn't make it more time.<br />
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With the birth announcement, I was originally planning on creating floral designs but ended up with just one feminine one and two gender-neutral ones. It's funny where my process takes me sometimes. Let me introduce you to my latest creations =)<br />
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Le cahier - inspired by vintage school notebooks.<br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/295928" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/01/12/19/36/20/4e5ecab310cad9752eb0f846542d0782" /></a></div>
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Simply Framed - I actually started this design as a flowery one based on one I created for a client, but like I said, my designs end up taking on a life of their own. I used the same text layout as the one for my client but took it to a completely different place with the delicate border.</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/284238" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/12/30/17/18/22/9ce93cf14195e7ef168bcf3dd59c4e5f" /></a></div>
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Pretty Pink Foliage - again, this one began with elements from my <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/272320" target="_blank">Painterly Dew Drops</a> design and while I kept a similar color palette, it diverged quite a bit from there. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/294948" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/01/12/14/45/55/bad2f894cbd58ef4ab27b4c373f9a858" /></a></div>
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And on to the fabric! Like the birth announcements, I had other floral designs in the works but I needed more time with them so I held off on submitting them for now. </div>
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Speckled fabric print - it was meant to be a small delicate print. I don't sew (other than the odd hem or fixing a hole Enzo chewed out of his bed) but I imagine you could use it for anything! ;)</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/293386" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/01/12/00/13/36/a8be6f546f95fa66ce7fadc12603daf4" /></a></div>
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8-Bit Winter - Inspired by the classic PC game, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkiFree" target="_blank">SkiFree</a>! I was originally trying to model the game layout with moguls and trees and flags, but I was enjoying all the different characters I could create more than those other elements. Thus, I focused on creating skiers and snowboarders in all their classic forms eg. walking with their board/skis, falling on their butts, and bombing down the hill. I added in a healthy sprinkle of snow to break up the uniformity of it all. If this doesn't win, I still fully intend on getting it printed via other venues because I just think it's so fun. I imagine it being used for kids bedding, pajamas, and other things that my non-sewing self can't think of!</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/293700" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2015/01/12/03/05/18/e472dd88cda15b950572b0cd550e00e8" /></a></div>
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So that is what I've been up to lately. If you have a moment, please click through the links and rate my designs and rate some of the others while you're there too: there is just <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/294836" target="_blank">so</a> <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/295834" target="_blank">much</a> <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/293912" target="_blank">talent</a> <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/291658" target="_blank">out</a> <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/284876" target="_blank">there</a> that deserves to be seen! You can either go one-by-one or click to the overview pages for each challenge. The <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/196?sort=createat" target="_blank">birth announcements are here</a> and the <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/195?sort=createat" target="_blank">fabric prints are here</a>.</div>
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I am looking forward to a busy & productive year as I find myself in a very inspired place right now. Hope you all have had a great start to the new year! Wishing my friends with babies on the way a happy and healthy rest-of-your-pregnancy & a smooth birth! And congrats to the friends who recently had a baby =) Eeee! So excited for you all!</div>
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Happy 2015 xoxo</div>
<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-4869046684327031132014-12-08T08:56:00.001-07:002015-01-10T20:03:04.666-07:00What I've been up to...The last couple weeks I've been <span style="font-size: xx-small;">almost</span> completely consumed by <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/193?sort=createat" target="_blank">Minted's To Have And To Hold Wedding Challenge</a>, but in a good way! Never have I had so many ideas swimming in my head: I only wish I started on the challenge sooner! But even still, 5 entries is still 5 times more than the first time I entered one of their wedding challenges with my <a href="http://www.minted.com/product/wedding-invitations/MIN-K22-INV/only-fish-for-me" target="_blank">Only Fish in the Sea</a> design. In this challenge, I was determined to produce a series of bilingual Chinese/English invites after a <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/39755" target="_blank">series</a> of<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/39973" target="_blank"> failed</a> <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/40473" target="_blank">attempts</a> in the past. Looking back, I feel like I've come a long way since then. This time I started with 3 ideas and it quickly grew (or maybe that's spiraled out of control) into 5. I was focused on specifically Chinese/English because the wording and formatting for Chinese text is quite specific, especially when you get into formal wording. Plus I feel like I had to include the double-happiness character in there one way or another on them all. So without further ado, here are my 5 designs! <i><span style="color: #e06666;">Sidenote: voting has not begun yet but I will update you when it does with a look at some of my favorites from other designers. And here's a tip: if you 'like' a design, you can later filter challenge submissions by your likes so you can find them more quickly =)</span></i><br />
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Double knotted happiness - inspired by the knots found on traditional Chinese clothing. The knotted frame is shown in a rose gold foil texture, which if it gets picked to sell on Minted, would be actual foil when printed and not an illusion, in case you thought it was odd!<br />
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/269822" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/12/04/04/50/42/c493b1511df0f993ad231e699ecef526" /></a></div>
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Knotted frame - inspired, again, by Chinese knots, but also Chinese architecture.</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/271506" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/12/06/19/16/30/34972853c800fb8fba6a57d98f593209" /></a></div>
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Neon joy - inspired by neon signs found in many major Asian cities. This bright design was a very big departure from my original starting point. How far did I stray? Well when I went to export to JPG, my AI file was still titled "Sakura", hehe. </div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/273258" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/12/08/05/23/42/000cd0e3e3a34331650ad9377f49b82e" /></a></div>
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Painterly dew drops - after the <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/197663" target="_blank">last thing I designed</a>, I was still feeling inspired by wreaths and the round shape of the card. It was also a fun challenge fitting all that text into such a small space.</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/272320" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/12/07/19/35/26/65624b8d4ead4c26c338810120716331" /></a></div>
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And last but not least, Traditional Dress - inspired by cutesy things that we, Asians, love and traditional Chinese wedding attire.</div>
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<a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/271932" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/12/07/05/57/09/1a1c0fdd75c8e6497bb294e797e60d44" /></a></div>
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I must say that no matter how many times I enter these challenges, my heart always skips a beat when I share my work with the world: it is so nerve-wracking! But in a good way =) Neon Joy & Traditional Dress were the last-minute additions to the collection. From concept to final product, most of my time was spent on tweaking the text and consulting my mom on the wording to make sure it all made sense and felt right to a Chinese parent so I have to thank my mom for all her help and patience with me. Thanks 媽媽! And you'll all be proud to know that through this process, I finally learned the keyboard shortcut to switch between Chinese & English typing =p I always knew how to switch on my Mac but on the PC I don't know why, I just never bothered to look up the keys! Working in Chinese & English kinda forced it upon to me to learn though. </div>
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Phew. So that's what I've been up to lately, which would explain why you may or may not see a holiday card from us this year! 'Cause you know, carpenters never get around to fixing their own houses or something like that right? Well, apparently this stationer never gets around to her own stationery! nevertheless, I am going to try my hardest to get something of my own done because I'm still brimming with ideas!</div>
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Hope everyone else is feeling not as overhelmed by the impending holidays as I am and having a lovely December =)</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Ling</div>
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PS: I forgot to mention, only because they are as integral to my process as is using my computer, that I owe lots of thanks to my dearest friend Holly & my always-blunt-but-very-constructively-critical husband for all their opinions on the many iterations of these designs I spammed their chat windows/inboxes with =p</div>
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-11771304238924758362014-06-08T22:49:00.000-06:002014-06-08T22:49:02.176-06:00Van Remodel - Part 4We're getting so close I can almost taste it! A lot of behind-the-scenes work was done over the last month with plumbing, engineering a lock for the fridge slide, adjustments to the cabinet, and cutting the counter to size just to name a few. In the last few days, however, the results have been more visually impacting as the 老公 put in some intense hours of work to put the sink/faucet/soap pump in, installing the cabinet & countertop, securing my bed platform to the frame and wiring up the cabinet for a light are the big ones I can think of.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-_oV3VC5_FnEw0z9DkcRhrjaaLYZyoy3ZSByaRqUVQoXY4LEHnFz7lvJjye-lhwofaTQUKXQI8UV9Ma3BvaDs-G8S8MOpzqJ2VaGP88PnbUlJEoHvbJ_zDMFYrq3VASDveaMqw/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-_oV3VC5_FnEw0z9DkcRhrjaaLYZyoy3ZSByaRqUVQoXY4LEHnFz7lvJjye-lhwofaTQUKXQI8UV9Ma3BvaDs-G8S8MOpzqJ2VaGP88PnbUlJEoHvbJ_zDMFYrq3VASDveaMqw/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
I contributed greatly, as usual, with my insulating skills. I also had the task of creating a template for the 老公 so that he could cut a panel for the back corner. Making templates is something most who do conversion van campers don't seem to deal with, at least from my searches. Most people seem to have a vehicle with straight sides or straightforwardly curved contours so they can just slap paneling on without accounting for weird indents Our van has special curves and angles and we had to make cardboard templates for nearly every part of the walls. I feel that detail should not be forgotten in this project because it is so tedious but important and many things were contingent off those templates, which is why this has all taken so long. SIGH<br />
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Speaking of wall paneling, the 老公finished the wall paneling around the cabinet, so as of this moment we have walls on one whole side of the van! Whoo! In addition to that, he installed the solar controller on that wall panel (seen in the photo below on the right above the counter) so we can easily see what our power situation is. It's the little things, people!<br />
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You might notice some scratches in the face of our cabinet (or I might've just brought it to your attention and now you can't not see it), which is one of the most annoying oversights in this venture: the plywood was scratched up in many places when we bought it, but didn't see it until we got home and started cutting & so now they're emblazoned on the front. Le Sigh. We still need to seal the cabinet with something water-protecting so we'll probably tackle how to cover that up at that point. For now, it's in our faces reminding us to always double-check!<br />
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But on to happier notes: guess how much that "countertop" cost us? $10!!!! How? Because it's not countertop material! We bought some scrap cabinet siding from Ikea's as-is section and its length was PERFECT for our purposes. The 老公 only had to trim the back edge to get the depth we needed. Given its visual impact in the space, it was the cheapest thing we bought for the van. muahahaha. I am pretty proud of the find ^.^ Granted, because it's not countertop material we need to be a bit more delicate with it. I'm thinking we'll find something to re-surface it in once we ding it up enough. Of course it would be 1000x easier if I had thought to resurface it before all the fixtures went in and it got attached to the cabinet, but we are on a time-crunch & we're just trying to get it to a usable state for next weekend, so whatever.<br />
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With ALL that said, I know you were patiently waiting for me to just show you the progress already:<br />
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Isn't it so pretty?? Ignoring the missing chunk of ceiling panel & all those tools & random bits of garbage, of course =p<br />
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So yeah!!! Front seats & one of the side door panels & handles have gone in since I started this post. While he did that, I got to work on food prep for our trip:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5buHp-8CSgVJ3f8TFGH_7oHi5lZmTSHL7EF2wExbP9qqFa8vOntRO5pplg_xIiV-b5TcQsSrOBQVnpHpmoj-0HSqj91J8aXK_ab2i5Dr3o_of7fpMAfvh5tcQ991BeAMl7EQBqw/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5buHp-8CSgVJ3f8TFGH_7oHi5lZmTSHL7EF2wExbP9qqFa8vOntRO5pplg_xIiV-b5TcQsSrOBQVnpHpmoj-0HSqj91J8aXK_ab2i5Dr3o_of7fpMAfvh5tcQ991BeAMl7EQBqw/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Homemade dried mango & fruit leather is the yummiest =) </div>
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Lots more prep to do before we leave but for once I finally feel on top of my tasks and ready for this trip!</div>
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-85037111749336432322014-04-28T18:32:00.001-06:002014-04-28T18:32:59.188-06:00Van Remodel - Part 3As many who've gone through home renovations probably know, nothing ever goes as planned and preparation is more important than the actual construction part. Our van remodel is one of those cases. To be fair, things have been mostly successful because of the 老公's diligent planning: it's just all taken a very long time because our van's many curves & angles are one heck of a building-challenge! We spent a good amount of time trying to develop a way to build window frames with curved corners and things were going well (<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=kerfing+wood&oq=kerfing&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.3023j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=119&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">we learned all about kerfing wood</a>), except that it was just taking wayyyy too much time and energy to get everything precise &, well, we wanted to move things along! We ultimately decided to cover up the non-opening part and frame up the vent/opening part in a simple box frame, which we admit is much more practical given that we never really "need" to look out the windows and that they're really just a big hole in our insulation efforts.<br />
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With that said, we've come a long way and I think we're on the home stretch to finishing this thing!<br />
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7 months ago:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgcE8QlCuNRls495cazQChwILrKMZze2GOgQDhEHAuxo5gzS-rjVEfam2Fd_QE0BBzIlmEqzgfmbwJyosU6MG92ok3IIne4K43JY3U-1L9he_g3r1K3nM34bNxb1wxIwMicqn_w/s1600/IMG_5577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgcE8QlCuNRls495cazQChwILrKMZze2GOgQDhEHAuxo5gzS-rjVEfam2Fd_QE0BBzIlmEqzgfmbwJyosU6MG92ok3IIne4K43JY3U-1L9he_g3r1K3nM34bNxb1wxIwMicqn_w/s1600/IMG_5577.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Today: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBI7FxThC1MdGvtdRZd8Fdj7vjynC7ZDcGPJywMm7C6VvLxBtaT6dqlthCXhsB3psZXFeWrU1wT-znGoYe0KzjrXwurI0Nou-oNXHo5-AplsQwvh09P5Mv5Ti6PzW4FE9fo77S_A/s1600/IMG_6848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBI7FxThC1MdGvtdRZd8Fdj7vjynC7ZDcGPJywMm7C6VvLxBtaT6dqlthCXhsB3psZXFeWrU1wT-znGoYe0KzjrXwurI0Nou-oNXHo5-AplsQwvh09P5Mv5Ti6PzW4FE9fo77S_A/s1600/IMG_6848.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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What the 老公 has done:<br />
- insulated the floors, walls, ceiling, wheel wells<br />
- installed sound deadener in doors<br />
- installed framing for the subfloor, walls, ceiling<br />
- caulk the windows to waterproof (we learned this the hard way after a rain storm & discovering wet-subfloor that had to be taken out, dried, & re-insulated!)<br />
- welded & painted the bed frame (partly installed here)<br />
- made new door cover panels & upholstered them<br />
- installed vent fan, solar panel, amp & speakers, winch to raise/lower half the bed, secondary battery<br />
- re-wired the van for all the above plus lighting, fridge, water pump, accessory outlet<br />
- recarpeted the front<br />
- built & upholstered the header storage above the front seats<br />
- installed floating vinyl plank flooring<br />
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*phew*<br />
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Many months were spent just plotting out the wiring and researching materials. And I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting many other little things, but as you can see: it's been a big undertaking! Minus a bathroom, this has basically been a smaller-scale whole-house renovation.<br />
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What is left to do:<br />
- finish insulating & installing the walls<br />
- install the remaining door panels & handles<br />
- install the fridge frame & water tank & pump<br />
- build & install cabinets under the bed & for the sink/fridge<br />
- install lights<br />
- install floor edging at the doors<br />
- sew cushion covers for the bed<br />
- sew curtains for the front & windows on the doors<br />
- re-install the driver & passenger seats<br />
- possibly cover the wall/ceiling panels in fabric? We'll see how we feel about the bare plywood first before taking on more work<br />
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Evidently the left-to-do list is almost as long as the what's-been-done list, but the bulk of the work was planning so I feel we're in good shape to see this completed in the next month =) Not that we have much choice given our City of Rocks plan for June...<br />
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This has obviously been the 老公's project but I <i>did</i> help out a little! I helped with the sound deadener, wall & ceiling insulation & installation, picking out flooring, & general input on the planning process :D Yup. I'm <i>that</i> helpful. The sewn pieces are my task as well so I'm not completely useless in all this.<br />
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老公 says he's learned a lot for when we need to convert another van, but the biggest lesson would be to start with a van with straight sides!<br />
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-57249835145062956202013-10-17T14:29:00.000-06:002013-10-17T14:36:04.745-06:00Van Remodel - Part 2A couple weekends ago the 老公 and I tackled the ceiling & the wall panels, but first we had to deal with an old leak. Back when it was raining cats & dogs over here, we discovered our windows were leaky so we sealed the windows with some silicone caulking on the outside. However, some of that water made it underneath the nice new floors the 老公 put in and made it further into the floors than he had originally treated for. So we had to take out part of the floor to get everything dried properly, which was annoying but 'tis life!<br />
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Here you can see how he insulated and built up the floor:<br />
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We then proceeded to cut 1/4" plywood for the walls. The 老公 began the process by making cardboard templates for the various pieces. Since the actual panels are much larger than any cardboard we had, he simply used the cardboard for templating the curves/grooves in the corners and measured/trimmed as needed for the other dimensions. I was on hand to help dry-fit the pieces & other small tasks but let's be honest: the 老公 is the power-tool-user out of the two of us. At one point he asked if I wanted to give the jig-saw a try, which resulted in nearly ruining one of the $20 sheets of plywood (not dire, but would be annoying to have to go back to the store and dig through the heavy pile to find another nice sheet!) Luckily the bad cut I made was in the perfect spot for another panel we had to cut later. I partly blame the person who drew the cut line though. You see, I know I'm perfectly capable of using the tools, I just don't use them with the same ease as the 老公! I'll stick to being the creative director on our projects ;)</div>
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So to summarize: the ceiling was insulated & the paneling cut & fitted for the ceiling and then wall panels cut for the back half of the van. We didn't install the wall panels yet because the 老公 still needed to run wiring for the lights and I still need to install and vapor barrier the insulation in the top section of the wall. Though after we wrapped up for the weekend, the 老公 went back and did all the wiring. =p We had put up the ceiling panel but then later took it down because the 老公 realized he needed a different gauge wire for the solar panel hook up. While he was hard at work, I researched methods to trim out the windows, which is proving more tricky than one would think! We've been lucky that many before us have converted their vans and have posted blogs/photos of their process that we can reference and get ideas for but it seems there are a very small number of converts out there with rounded windows like ours that need to be trimmed out with custom work! In my online search I came across 3 options: order <a href="http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=8242" target="_blank">custom window boxes</a> from a place like Van Specialties, DIY our own window boxes, or <a href="http://www.vantocampervan.co.uk/1367.html" target="_blank">mould strips of 2mm polypropylene</a>. In the end, we decided to go with <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=kerfing&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS447US447&espv=210&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=QUlgUt_7BsL4yQG29YDIDA&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=1264&bih=714#es_sm=122&espv=210&q=kerfing+plywood+for+bending&tbm=isch&imgdii=_" target="_blank">kerfing plywood</a> to get rounded corners.</div>
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After the 老公 ran the wiring, we planned out the lighting in the van. We decided on lights for the front seats, lights near the door step well, lights underneath the bed by the back doors, reading lights on either side of the bed, and overhead lighting. The 老公 ordered LED strip lighting for the overhead lighting and we probably won't use it all so I've been racking my brain thinking of a way to DIY our own casing for the LED strip light as all the ones available are expensive and would defeat the savings of "using what we have on hand". But then it came to me! We are thinking we will assemble some sort of track for it out of wood strips. </div>
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Anyways, here's the ceiling framework & insulated with the vapor barrier:</div>
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This is how the ceiling panel looked when we installed it and put in the vent fan trim.</div>
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Visible progress has been stalled because of the window trim issue: we need to make the window box trim first, then attach it to the wall panel, trace the opening of the window onto the panel, cut out the opening & smooth out, varnish the trim, and then install the panel with window box trim attached. We have faith that everything else will move more quickly once this window thing is figured out. </div>
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Once the walls are up, we'll hopefully have our carpet in for the front area, put the seats back in, install the bed frame, install the water tank/fridge frame, build out the cabinets, and install the sink. We intend to cover the wood wall/ceiling paneling with fabric but when that happens will depend on when we decide to place that fabric order & how long it will take to ship in. We are OK with doing that later if it means everything else is in place & we can use the van sooner! </div>
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Until next time =)</div>
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lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-26555328286928518932013-10-05T22:16:00.000-06:002013-10-05T22:16:13.300-06:00Van Remodel - Part 1As some of you may know, last month when the 老公 went to look for a space in the van for a second battery, it quickly snowballed into a full-out gutting of the van and complete remodel. Here are some before pics:<br />
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And then this is what I saw after the 老公 went out to the garage and didn't come back in over an hour.</div>
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Before any of this started, the 老公 had built a bed that fit inside the van with the back seats out. Yes, that is a queen-sized bed =) He put it in so that we could sleep in the van along our road trip move from the Sierras to the Rockies.</div>
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He had designed the bed to fold up so we could still fit the middle passenger seats in.</div>
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But after many road trips over the summer, he started thinking that we could do better in terms of insulating for better temperature regulation & more functionality of the space.</div>
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This is what our completely-gutted van looked like:</div>
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And of course he ended up finding space for the second battery underneath the van! </div>
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The irony was not lost on him. He welded a base for the battery to sit in to be strapped to that is attached to the metal supports for the door step. So now he knows where any future batteries can go since the metal supports are along all the door steps.<br />
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The main things we wanted to put in were the following:<br />
- ceiling vent fan<br />
- second battery<br />
- solar panel<br />
- insulation in floors, walls, & ceiling<br />
- bed that split-folds along the length<br />
- sink<br />
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And then when the 老公 wouldn't stop saying <i>"there's no reason why we couldn't..."</i>, the following were added to the list:<br />
- new door panels<br />
- re-cover the dash<br />
- fridge<br />
- new lights<br />
- new amp & speakers<br />
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Needless to say, there's a lot to do! Our goal is to have it in a usable state by Thanksgiving, so at least floor, wall panels, insulation, & bed would be installed.<br />
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We are currently at the point of insulating the ceiling, installing vapor barrier throughout, and cutting the paneling for the ceiling & walls. I feel like we're at the hardest part in the process because it's the point right before we start installing the "furniture" & the flooring, which is just too exciting to wait for! But alas, the more work we put in now will pay off when everything gets installed in the end.<br />
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-82710454391247649162013-09-13T15:26:00.000-06:002015-01-09T18:34:21.269-07:002013Wow, have I really neglected this blog since last December? Oops. Sorry!<br />
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Where do I even begin with the updates?? Well after Christmas we flew the 老公's family in for a week, during which we had rented a cabin at the YMCA in Estes Park (highly recommend!). There were lots of climbing trips throughout the winter, along with a handful of snowboarding trips.<br />
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Then we got a puppy!<br />
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He came to us with mange & the name Mike, but after a month in our care he was all healthy with a nice coat of fur and officially became ours in March under a new name! We named him Enzo after a character in a show the 老公 & I used to watch called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBoot" target="_blank">Reboot</a>. Apparently <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBoot#Main_characters" target="_blank">the character's name</a> origin was very fitting given the 老公's line of work =) And he's been growing like a weed ever since. We got him at 12 lbs and now he's over 60 lbs at 9 months! Not much of a puppy left in him now. His weight estimate is hard to pin down because he's a mixed breed and the adoption center did not know the parents so we have no idea what mix he is! But the vet guesses german shepherd/heeler/chow mix of some sort. </div>
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Then I went to see a fabulous lady get married!</div>
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Then we went to Tahoe with some friends for a quaint little reunion, where the weather was perfect & it was evident to us where Emerald Bay got its name. </div>
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And then we did some more climbing.</div>
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...and some more...<br />
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At some point I started a garden where watermelons grow.</div>
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Then I went climbing some more, followed by steamed bun making for the first time.</div>
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And then I went off to see another fabulous lady get married!</div>
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Followed by a trip further south to visit the sweetest baby ever</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxp2PohP1g3GYzM71wJuoBrzh8CL0V-XqpcSWh6wKvG_qRjr6o2_kquCbBgZw427_ZS_0emk8Qm-eef6eqBOYGd7xCHwCk1o0B1Xcnpi6y312r7_ohpFkT8HENl97paOowgcEUfg/s1600/dylan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxp2PohP1g3GYzM71wJuoBrzh8CL0V-XqpcSWh6wKvG_qRjr6o2_kquCbBgZw427_ZS_0emk8Qm-eef6eqBOYGd7xCHwCk1o0B1Xcnpi6y312r7_ohpFkT8HENl97paOowgcEUfg/s400/dylan.JPG" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
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...and lunch with my best friend for her birthday.</div>
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While I was gone, the 老公 got working on our camper van.</div>
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He's since gutted it, stripped the old wiring for the lights, added a second battery that will be powered by a solar panel, laid insulation and secured a sheet of plywood on the floor, and ordered a whole gamut of stuff to outfit the van. I will be doing a whole other series to document that progress, so for now I will just leave you a link to the <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lingismyname/camper-van/" target="_blank">Pinterest board</a> I started for the project to track valuable links I've found & pretty things I want to put into the space. This is essentially our vacation "home" so we are putting in the work & money to reflect that.</div>
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You might've heard in the news about some flooding going on in CO & I am here to reassure you we are dry and safe and should not be impacted other than having a soggy lawn from all the rain. The sun is finally out now though =) </div>
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Happy weekend for now!</div>
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<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-90651064076646998952012-12-21T16:56:00.001-07:002012-12-21T16:56:14.622-07:00SnowYesterday Ian & I decided to hit the slopes for the first time this season since it's been snowing fairly consistently all week in the mountains. We decided to go to Breckenridge & were planning on just parking in the free lot, but it was kind of a hassle with the shuttle so we figured we'd bite the bullet and see how much paid parking was. Given it was a Thursday, it was only $5 AND because of our timing, we somehow got ushered up to the very front of the lot that is right next to the gondola. Totally worth the $5.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9MCV-X3z0B32Vl4cu6HqfQg7FemIpq3b0aOzDya2_sq1NhoQaIseFsXvl2hVV8UBcE_uXz6vCUkdKJKjmR6LW55QMuHdo9pCST2EDDdhmRwwrklVMHxvTPkYw0vECWUAD9Cmug/s1600/P1090490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9MCV-X3z0B32Vl4cu6HqfQg7FemIpq3b0aOzDya2_sq1NhoQaIseFsXvl2hVV8UBcE_uXz6vCUkdKJKjmR6LW55QMuHdo9pCST2EDDdhmRwwrklVMHxvTPkYw0vECWUAD9Cmug/s640/P1090490.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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On one of the runs we ran into this tree that was covered in snow that was encased in ice, which was really beautiful.</div>
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It was an exhausting, but satisfying day out =) As for our weekend plans, we're considering doing some snowshoeing to break in our new snow shoes that we go at the end of the season last year. </div>
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Work is mostly wrapped up for the year so I'm trying to get Christmas stuff done while I still have a <i>little</i> bit of time before the big day =) Other than that, I think we're planning on a quiet holiday with some possible guest-room-painting. Hope everyone has a safe & happy holiday!</div>
lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-41338605362094972882012-10-22T13:04:00.000-06:002012-10-22T13:04:29.678-06:00Famous last wordsL: I'm going to stay [clipped] on your rope so I don't land in the cactus.<br />
Me: OK<br />
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2 seconds later...<br />
Me, swinging into the cactus: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LGesp1UKXXdcoH7ysLFr9P2J4mGbnNchLO9bSw5jIC_VBH2yo45YCwekaA_ONCI2XxazdcmZSEUcDwnbClIrtYrR4UoSeQrsR6DUk3Q4uxIjsqZNXNthZIMbWF1rCf7mFWy-Mg/s1600/IMG_3232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LGesp1UKXXdcoH7ysLFr9P2J4mGbnNchLO9bSw5jIC_VBH2yo45YCwekaA_ONCI2XxazdcmZSEUcDwnbClIrtYrR4UoSeQrsR6DUk3Q4uxIjsqZNXNthZIMbWF1rCf7mFWy-Mg/s640/IMG_3232.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was lowering L off his last climb and he was cleaning as he came down. While cleaning on the way down, it's often standard practice to clip into the other side of the rope, especially on an over-hanging route since you would otherwise swing out from the wall and not be able to reach the clips on the wall. In this particular scenario, the climb tops out nearly directly over the cactus and I was belaying between the cactus and the wall. Before L. unclipped the last draw he had to clean, he tells me he's going to stay clipped into my side of the rope so that he doesn't get lowered into the cactus. That all made sense for about two seconds before I remembered he's about 30lbs heavier in addition to the momentum of swinging out from the wall. As a result, I was pulled into that bush of cacti you see on the left. The bush was about chest high when I got pulled in. And if you know anything about cacti spines, you'd know that I felt every one of them that went in and every one of them that got pulled out. Luckily I was using a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigri_(climbing)" target="_blank">Grigri</a> to belay L, which helped catch him during all the cactus madness. Though my whole body was so tense bracing for the impact that I don't think belaying with an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belay_device" target="_blank">ATC</a> would've been an issue since Ian had to tell me several times to relax my grip on the break end of the rope. My climber's safety is #1, of course =p<br />
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I just can't get over how ironic the whole situation was.<br />
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On a more positive note: I led my first 10's outdoors!<br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117457950317508958323/albums/5802190664053725793?authkey=CMafhsOm47GzggE" target="_blank">See more photos from our weekend here</a>.</div>
<br />lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-85569300346809182622012-10-15T16:15:00.002-06:002012-10-15T16:15:19.325-06:00OctoberThe month isn't over yet, but I felt like I needed to write a little update because I feel like we've done so much already!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH67PKsHzzeSyTdqTzA4glkWvU17LLDXN8awaW25czcGhvr1dp96zCHCQN1Vf5zHI4IjF-nI_y_W8svZVD0uGrrCmtcs0TpOTtTEz8Z12qTzaVXdOlPlTFGdjFhaiGsgxFOpjWiA/s1600/IMG_3046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH67PKsHzzeSyTdqTzA4glkWvU17LLDXN8awaW25czcGhvr1dp96zCHCQN1Vf5zHI4IjF-nI_y_W8svZVD0uGrrCmtcs0TpOTtTEz8Z12qTzaVXdOlPlTFGdjFhaiGsgxFOpjWiA/s640/IMG_3046.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the beginning of the month we drove up to <a href="http://www.fcgov.com/naturalareas/finder/soapstone" target="_blank">Soapstone Prairie Natural Area</a> and I gave mountain biking a try after resisting to adopt another hobby for a while now (<a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2010/09/yosemite-x-3.html" target="_blank">I think</a> <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2012/02/shoeing-in-snow.html" target="_blank">I have</a> <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2009/12/snowboarding.html" target="_blank">enough</a>?). Well, kids, you can't say I didn't give it my all because I ended the day picking out cacti spines from my right hip/thigh! I came up to this dip and curve in the path and going by Ian's mantra of "just go for it!" I did and I ended up going into it a bit too quickly and ended up hitting the left side of the path where it curved up and bounced off the right of the bike into a field of cacti. I was really surprised how "softly" I seemed to land though, aside from the cacti of course. One minute I was going for this difficult section on my bike and the next I was half-lying in the field assessing what just happened to me. Ian & P. split off to a more difficult trail while R. accompanied me back to the car after my fall. Naturally, Ian ended his day a lot more gracefully than me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YEih_X0VuclEHgsyFKoPwwPcsS2I-sowWiY_u15prpZ6ZLcFRB8ClNYFGJij6jEp932dys2IT08JUwaEPFIt0Nw-pEOvxak0y45dHXLYQ4v0l4bkC88U0z-KGa3JJMD_RnB_tQ/s1600/IMG_3027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YEih_X0VuclEHgsyFKoPwwPcsS2I-sowWiY_u15prpZ6ZLcFRB8ClNYFGJij6jEp932dys2IT08JUwaEPFIt0Nw-pEOvxak0y45dHXLYQ4v0l4bkC88U0z-KGa3JJMD_RnB_tQ/s640/IMG_3027.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Later that week we celebrated our 3rd anniversary & Ian took the day off to spend with me. Of course, we had to take advantage of the fact he had spare time during work hours so we made ourselves productive and finally took the carpet we ripped from the office and other construction waste from his garage reno to the dump. After that, we went climbing in the canyon for the afternoon and came home and ordered some Thai delivery for dinner. Incredibly romantic right? Well, being the practical people we are, we were really happy with how we spent the day =)<br />
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As of late, Ian's been wrapping up his garage reno and has begun moving things back into place! It's all very exciting. <i>*cue the oooh's & aahhh's*</i></div>
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Yup... those are all his new-to-him toys =) There are still things that need to be done, but the bulk of the work is complete so this past weekend we moved on to our bedroom closet! We've been waiting for so long to re-do it and originally we had talked about enlarging the opening to the closet in addition to adding an organization system, but after noting all the things we'd have to do to achieve that and what we'd <i>actually</i> even gain from all that work, we decided it was best to leave the opening as is and just patch up and paint the interior and install a closet system to better utilize the space. This is what it looked like before we emptied it and gutted it (and before we painted the bedroom):</div>
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Luckily we just got some dressers and we've got the closet next door to use in the meantime so it's not a terrible inconvenience, but still: the plan is to get it done sooner rather than later! </div>
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We returned to the canyon for some climbing yesterday and, as usual, it was a gorgeous day to be out =)</div>
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So what's next on the agenda... we're heading down to <a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/shelf-road/105744267" target="_blank">Shelf Road</a> this weekend and thus our week will likely be devoted to prepping the van for another trip! We will be insulating the windows and adjusting the bed to give ourselves more space in preparation for the trip. We're trying to get in as much climbing as we can before snow season takes over our lives =)</div>
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Hope your month has been fun so far! </div>
lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36521750.post-60171671805997437012012-09-25T11:51:00.000-06:002012-09-25T11:53:56.424-06:00WeekendThis past Saturday we spent in<a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/vedauwoo/105744307" target="_blank"> Vedauwoo </a>with our friends J. & S. from the gym. J. has a lot of crack climbing experience so we sweet talked him into taking us out to show us how to do it without twisting our ankles. I did a few climbs but my afternoon was mostly focused on trying to get some good shots of everyone since we brought the camera with us.<br />
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It turned out to be a really busy day where we were. J. said he was surprised to see as many people as we did because it's usually the place you go to escape crowds. Might be because they had the same idea as us! There was at least 40 people in the area that we could see/hear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillIxa7ic_hJOp7fsUg-HiSa2H0b6C92z5FnkvuHKhiVwFaYMWKXQhBHW1K5PkHPqSCG8qt-nrKcYnnwFuEljUI5xD5vxO1dtJBmZoThvPNyC5CIfutekpK0bh74-1qUFat3KfeA/s1600/IMG_2929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillIxa7ic_hJOp7fsUg-HiSa2H0b6C92z5FnkvuHKhiVwFaYMWKXQhBHW1K5PkHPqSCG8qt-nrKcYnnwFuEljUI5xD5vxO1dtJBmZoThvPNyC5CIfutekpK0bh74-1qUFat3KfeA/s640/IMG_2929.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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The weather was perfect though. And I got in an 11 climb at the end of the day, which was really fun. The key to a good day in Vedauwoo, though, is properly taping your hands. I think the last time we were here, which is over a year ago now, I didn't fully tape my hands and it was an awful experience. But now I'm looking forward to going back and climbing some more! It certainly worked muscles that I usually don't get to with regular sport & gym climbs. <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117457950317508958323/albums/5791842701671880353" target="_blank">Click here for more photos.</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_hTbfGh7odHQfdTzBDcREPEdWxjxK6b2OU2IwL5Gcjb1RMkzjxdTDKCBITdwa8ObF4VDz_2krtl4tn_EWj0U9H4Ih2D5745-vcFRLYjYzGWplb0p7ovzvoTKRWI0fOL3m4eSuw/s1600/IMG_3015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_hTbfGh7odHQfdTzBDcREPEdWxjxK6b2OU2IwL5Gcjb1RMkzjxdTDKCBITdwa8ObF4VDz_2krtl4tn_EWj0U9H4Ih2D5745-vcFRLYjYzGWplb0p7ovzvoTKRWI0fOL3m4eSuw/s400/IMG_3015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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On Sunday while Ian went off to <a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/lumpy-ridge/105744228" target="_blank">Lumpy Ridge</a>, I made a trip into the city to meet up with my cousin, J., and to pick up a few things from Ikea. </div>
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Speaking of which, we just finished assembling the new dressers I got there so stay tuned for updates on our slow <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2011/11/paint.html" target="_blank">bedroom</a> <a href="http://lingismyname.blogspot.com/2012/04/bed.html" target="_blank">transformation</a> ;) </div>
lingismynamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16749548026748923770noreply@blogger.com0