Holiday Check In

 Hi there kiddos! Just checking in mid vacation! I've been working non stop redesigning the website and blog, crossing my fingers that it'll all go up without a hitch on New Years Day! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, I know I did! There is nothing more fun than days full of family and delicious food! My biggest gift hits were "Sex Panter Cologne" a la anchorman for my brother in law and the little cord keepers I made that just about everyone got! I think the favorite gifts I received were my new camera lenses and camera bag, dodo case for my iPad, and the watch and sweater in this photo! Hope you're holiday was full of goodies too! What were your favorite gifts?

Christmas Cards

It's Christmas time! This is the first year (in 6 years of living together and 3 years of marriage) that I have gotten my shiznit together and am actually sending out Christmas Cards! I've been toiling away addressing them all and am anxiously awaiting the delivery of the cards I designed from the printer (it seems like it's taking forever and I'm worried they won't get here in time for xmas!) Everything else is ready so as soon as they come I'll be sliding them in the envelopes and they'll be out the door! But man my hand is tired from all this addressing!
From now until the new year I'll be taking some time off from the blog (everyone needs a vacation!) but I'll probably drop in a post here and there and will surely be filling up Instagram with lots of holiday photos! My plan is to give the website a much needed face lift over the next two weeks, so if all goes well, I'll ring in the new year with a new website! Happy Holidays everyone, I hope you'll be enjoying your family, friends, tasty treats and general holiday wonder as much as I will be!

Hand Lettering: Fit as a Fiddle

I've had a song from "Singing in the Rain" stuck in my head for what feels like weeks. One of the lines in it it "fit as a fiddle and ready for love" which is just kind of adorable and sweet.

On a personal note, for some crazy reason, when I got home from Russia, I decided that the way to beat jet-lag would be doing a project. A project that would keep me from taking naps. What project you ask? FINALLY FINISHING THE KITCHEN!! Which involves taking down all the upper cabinets, moving them around a bit, and building shelves so I can have an open shelving area, doing the tile backsplash, and touching up all the painting I did right when we moved in! Starting it with only two weekends before Thanksgiving has put me on a serious timeline! So this weekend I need to get busy! It's about 1/2 done and I'm getting pumped for it to be complete!

Travel: Moscow, Russia

So I'm back from my quick trip to Russia. It was very much like what I expected and at the same time, not what I expected at all. Winter in Moscow is grey. Very grey. The architecture was not at all what I expected. The city center is really amazingly beautiful, and the architecture is a lovely mix of styles, and  Red Square is pretty amazing. I missed a crazy protest in Red Square by just one day (it would have been a crazy story to have seen that!). I bought myself a beautiful set of Russian nesting dolls which are now living among with my other travel nick-nacks. I just have to say a little something about all these pictures too:

1. Saint Basil's Cathedral: thats me, I really cant get over how cool this Church is, I just love all the detail and color.
2. The buildings in Red Square are amazing, just look at that brick work! 
3. So I had to snap this pic, you can see a little rainbow hidden in the mural on that building. I like to think it's a little gay pride despite all the persecution going on there at the moment. 
4. I love the lamp posts on this street, I also love wide walkways like this where no cars are allowed. You never find streets like this in America, a place catering completely to pedestrians. 
5. Me and a co-worker getting a pic with Stalin and Lenin looks alikes, just because it's ridiculous that there are people dressing up to make money from tourists like us.
6. Spotted this man walking his dog with his itty bitty kitten sitting on his head. 
7. My perdy new nesting dolls! 

Baby it's Cold Outside: Off to Russia

I leave for Moscow, Russia on Sunday! It's a short work trip for Reebok (my day design job if you're just tuning in), it's a big market for us, and we're going to check out the area! I've never been and really don't know what to expect other then that it will be pretty cold and that I'll need to keep my political opinions to myself! I'll be sure to post pics once I get back on Friday! Have a great weekend!

Thank God it's Friday!

Yeah, it was just one of those weeks! I am just SO VERY GLAD it's Friday! "Thank God it's Friday" just wasn't a strong enough sentiment this week. The past month has been nuts, I hurt my back (which sadly is not healing at a pace I'm happy with) had TONS of work, basically every hour of ever day was full, and the hubby was traveling for work quite a bit, so by the time this week rolled around, I was loosing it! Now, for the time being, I actually have a few weeks of relative calm on the wedding and event front! Which means I can finally document all the work I've been doing the past month, catch up on my home DIY projects, send out some past projects for submission to magazines and other blogs, do some fun little wedding projects and maybe even have time to cook and eat a real meal! Hurrah! I am planning to SLEEP in tomorrow! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Hand Lettering: Luck Favors the Prepared

All the women in my family are amateur hoarders. Not hoarders in the scary sense, there are still clear pathways through their houses, but every storage space is packed.  The hoarding tenancy lessens with each generation, My grandmother and great aunt could not go into a Christmas tree shop and leave without a basket full of tsotchkes. My mom on the other hand cannot part with old furniture, tools, scrap metal, or a broken window that could have a second life down the road. For me, hording manifests in things I could make awesome. If inspiration hits, I almost always have all the necessary tools and objects to create something fun. That being said, I could really use more storage space! As Edna Mode from The Incredibles, would say, "Luck favors the prepared." Come the zombie apocalypse, we'll be able to hold our own because of everything my family members have saved!

It's My Birthday!

It's my birthday today! WOOHOO! I'm turning 28, which means it's only two little years until I'll be 30! For some reason, this birthday I have been thinking about the things I have accomplished, experienced, and seen, as well as all the things I have yet to do. 

I am fortunate enough to have  fallen in love with my best friend and high school sweetheart and get married at 25, we just bought our first house this year, have two crazy dogs, great families, friends and jobs.  I started my own business and blog doing what I love. I've been lucky enough to travel all over the world for work and for pleasure. I've seen almost every big city in Europe, been to a large part of Asia, visited many of the biggest and best destinations the US has to offer, and more. I've been sky diving, white water rafting, horseback riding, rock climbing, surfing, and cliff diving. This year I did my first pull up and lifted 150lbs over my head by doing crossfit.  As I look back at all these things, I realize just how fortunate I am and how much I have to look forward to. This little montage I made displays just a couple things I'd like to do before I turn 30. I'm generally not a fan of the "bucket list", it tends to put too much pressure on doing thing within a certain timeline, so I look at this as more of a wish list for the next couple years. That being said, setting goals and making plans allows you to realize how blessed you are, and how much the world has to offer.

Boston Marathon

When I was growing up, my dad took me to the marathon almost every year. We would go to Wellesley, the halfway point of the marathon, and cheer for the runners as they passed by. So every year, when the Boston Marathon comes around, it warms my heart a bit, it's a memory of happiness and city pride. The bombings yesterday at the finish line of the Boston Marathon broke my heart. It was supposed to be a day where people from all corners of the earth come together to demonstrate perseverance, and even more people come to cheer them on. Instead it was interrupted by an act of terrible and unnecessary cruelty. My heart is with the city of Boston, the marathon runners, law enforcement, firefighters, spectators,  those injured, and the families who lost their loved ones.

This quote brought me some comfort in the midst of this tragedy. "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping'" -Fred Rogers

"Boston, we love you more than ever"- I just wanted to design something to show some Boston love.

Potato Time

Ever get that feeling that you can do anything and everything? I've felt that way for about three weeks, going non stop, working full time designing shoes, working another full time job in the hours not spent in the office with Wouldn't it be Lovely, blogging, working on the house, tearing apart the kitchen and putting it back together, painting and designing other rooms in the house, not to mention spending time with Chris, the dogs, family and friends. I haven't wavered, tired, or even felt the need rest.... until about 6pm this evening. I handed off some save the dates and a second draft of a birth announcement  and all of a sudden it hit me. I'm exhausted. No working for me tonight, I'm planning to sit in front of the TV like a potato. Hoping to feel rejuvenated and ready to go again tomorrow!
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Welcome Lovelies!

Hello! My name is Caitlin Spaulding, and this is a blog about all the wonderful things I love about design. I am an event designer with a focus on weddings and all that makes them memorable and lovely. My husband and I are also new home owners, which means I am always working to make our home a place we love to spend time in. This blog is a place to share inspiration, process, projects and ideas. Here you will also find snippets from fashion, home decor, DIY projects, doggie delights and more. Come on in and enjoy!