setting the stage

my computer desktop image is a photo of little lulu exploring the sand and waves on the cape in her pink wool dress, cable knit tights, fur-lined winter boots and preppy argyle skullcap. lucky for us, the weather was unseasonably warm in new england in november. so sweet.

i love clicking on my login icon each day and finding this innocent slice of baby heaven waiting for me each time. every now and then though, i wonder what background my virtual life might hold if i didn't always keep the precious little ones in the forefront of my mind.

would i choose something basic that came with my pc's operating system? nah. too generic for me. i'm not a rolling green hills gal. and i'm definitely not a caribbean beach set with palm trees and hammock kind of person either. the proof? i'm so beach inept that i spelled caribbean wrong when typing this post. maybe i'd be a neverending field of tulips person? but i don't think so. i do love fresh cut flowers, but my favorite color is embarrassingly earthy: brown. certainly not the bold statement made by vivid yellow buds.

so if i could create my own wallpaper, a sort of virtual stage for all of my creative endeavors, what might it look like? i've thought this over quite a bit recently. and i've come to the conclusion that it would be something architectural. with smooth clean lines. a pattern. in muted colors that would set the scene for a morning spent sipping hot tea laced with local honey, scouring etsy for gorgeous handmade goodies, and dawdling over the contents of a few of my favorite blogs. a girl can dream, no?

well, just this morning (while trapped in the house yet again due to major snow accumulations and in need of a serious creative outlet) i spent some time searching for my as-yet-undiscovered stage. and, you know what? after much time wasted visiting sites that offered free wallpaper downloads of every celebrity, animal, car, sport and cartoon imaginable, i finally found what i was honestly convinced just didn't exist. desktop bliss.

it's probably no coincidence that these are the exact same colors found in my photo of beloved little lulu. those soft coffee browns and muted baby blues get me every time.

not digging my part of the rainbow? that's okay. check out these other amazing designs... all simple, clean patterns. some with an understated preppy feel, others sophisticated with a rich, bold edge.

i know, i went a little overboard with the images, but can you blame me? they are gorgeous. and the good news? all of these patterns were created specifically to be desktop backgrounds by travis beckham, the graphics designer behind squidfingers. even better? there are over 150 designs in his collection. and they are all available for free download. visit his website at squidfingers patterns for super quick (no login necessary) one-click downloads.

i'll inevitably revert to my snapshot of lulu in the morning, but it sure was fun to play dress-up with my newfound kid-free design today. here's hoping you're inspired to find a little dream stage of your own!

setting your virtual stage

what you'll need: your personal computer and your creative energy.

1. search. for a photograph, a drawing, a pattern. whatever image sets the mood you want to start your day with. pour over your personal snapshots, try searching google images using keywords, or snatch up one of squidfingers designs like i did.

2. bask. in the joy of finding what you wanted. even if it takes a few hours or a few days.

3. set. right-click on the image and select "set as desktop background"

4. inspect your desktop. did the image turn out as expected? photographs will look best centered, while patterns will need to be tiled.

5. adjust. navigate to your computer's 'control panel' and change the picture position using the drop down list box usually available within the 'appearance' or 'display' menu. the list should include options like fill, stretch, center and tile.

6. bask. again. and sip that second cup of coffee while enjoying the new view.

what's the foundation for your virtual world?

regreet

i knew there was a reason i had to call uncle back in december. as if the holidays weren't crazy enough already, our whole family got sick again. it never fails. poor little lulu suffered through her second bout of croup over christmas, and the rest of us all had massive virus-induced colds that lingered for far too long. our plans with my parents, my husband's parents, and many beloved friends got totally thwacked due to our various illnesses, but such is life. the good news is that we made it through and are more than glad to be on the other side of it now. we're all finally healthy again (knock on wood) and now it's a new year.

yes, the new year. 2010. a fresh start full of hopeful promises, and a much needed clean slate. dear readers, i'm happy to say that luluandbug is back! and i think it's high time for a regreet on two fronts.

first off, no, i do not actually think that "regreet" is a real word. however, with all the retweeting that gets done these days, regreet feels like exactly the word i'm going for with this post.

and so, my first regreet is for luluandbug itself... allow me to re-introduce myself and this lovely little blog. i am amie. a gal who is a wife and a mommy. a lady with an unfailing type-a personality, and a creative streak that desperately needed an outlet other than yet another arts and crafts project forced on her kiddos. luluandbug is my free therapy, and i'm thrilled that you're along for the ride. thanks for stopping in, come back anytime, always feel free to comment or send me a note if you have feedback to share, and definitely pass luluandbug along to friends. i'm here entirely for your entertainment.

which brings me to my second regreet. i had intended to post this project at a much more seasonally appropriate time (like two weeks ago), but today i'm going with it anyway. as my final nod to the holiday season.

i'm sure that every last one of you is far more organized than i. that you have already boxed up and stored away all those christmas decorations. and that the only holiday greeting cards left in your homes are the extras leftover from the batch you sent out to your friends and relatives. well, the "holiday" part of today's post will miss the mark for you. but for that one reader out there who is still clinging to those last few vestiges of the holidays. for that reader who may just perhaps still have all those greeting cards sent by your long distance friends and relatives, do i have a regreet for you. and, for all you smarty pants readers who already ditched the holiday cards, read on anyway... this project is really for all seasons.

the good folks at st. jude's have come up with a great idea. you send them your used (yes, used) greeting cards, and the children at their ranch will transform them into new cards to be sold the following year. a project for the kids that teaches them the importance of reuse and going green, and also puts a few dollars in their pockets. it's so simple: gather the cards, drop them into an envelope, and mail them off to be repurposed. fabulous. now, naturally you won't want to send them all of those adorable photo cards you received. because frankly it would be a little creepy to see the smith family photo show up on a "new" card. but you get the idea.

and where's the silver lining for those with no holiday cards left to share? the st. jude's ranch recycled card program accepts all greeting cards... birthdays, thank yous, get wells, congratulations, you name it. saved 'em up and send 'em out. and know that you're doing your part to save a little bit of ink and paper that otherwise would have been spent on printing brand new cards.

here's a photo of a few of our holiday greeting cards before they were stuffed into their envelope earlier today.



if you're interested in donating your gently used greeting cards (holiday or otherwise), visit st. jude's ranch recycled card program to read more and copy down their mailing address. the program is currently accepting used cards through february 28th.

how do you reuse in your home?

greetings

a confession: i still deliver handwritten notes through good, old-fashioned snail mail. i know i'm part of a dying breed, but i just can't give it up. i write them to send best wishes on birthdays and weddings and to send congrats on the arrival of tiny new babes. i write them to thank our friends and family for generous gifts received. and, on occasion, it just feels right to pen them for no particular reason at all.

yes, 99.8% of our family and friends are now on email. and that would be faster. but (for me) that usually feels like cheating. i feel much more invested in my wishes and thanks if the greeting comes straight from my trusty right hand and a quality pen. looking up a mailing address, embossing the envelope with our address, and adding a postage stamp are all part of the ritual for me.

for a long time, the only greeting cards i ever purchased were at a hallmark shop or grocery store. and i never thought twice about it. the cards served their purpose, and gave me a spot to add my own thoughts, and (at the time) that was my main objective. at some point though, that little gold seal lost its luster. i felt very predictable buying those products, and that just wasn't me anymore. i wanted something edgy. unique. something of value because of its intrinsic beauty rather than its overused poetry.

i've been searching for my new paper image ever since. i've used art gallery boxed notes displaying o'keefe and hopper. i bought cranes notes, which (for the record) i still think are great, but (for me) they are just a tad too formal for everyday use... an entire drawer of our office desk is dedicated to the good, the bad and the ugly of my search. most of my selections have been fun for the span of their 16 card boxes, but nothing has stuck for the long term.

and then along came this blog, and my understanding and appetite for blogs in general. and i stumbled upon this amazing discovery: the free printable. they are fresh. they are current. they are simple. and they are free. love it.

here, for your enjoyment are a half dozen of our favorites. we may not have created them ourselves, but with talented neighbors like these, why bother? we'll be glad to ride on their coat tails any day. and, yes, you caught me... they aren't all notecards, but sometimes a small tag is all it takes to deliver the perfect sentiment with a gift of homemade bread or jam. speaking of jam, we've added a seventh printable to the list just for those of you who make it.

p.s. don't be too surprised if you see this theme reappear in the coming months on luluandbug. we found so many unique printables (from recipe cards to seed packets) that we'll need a second entry to share them all!

1. eight small enclosure cards from whisker graphics (download here).



2. flower bouquet thank yous from susyjack (download here).



3. simple, retro postcards from the first lady of home making martha stewart (download here).



4. french style tags from the daily etsian (download here).

5. whimsical tags, circles and notepaper from aprintaday (download here).

6. in honor of the halloween season... theme notecards from insideablackapple (download here).

7. and the bonus entry. jam labels from domestifluff available for a dozen different fruit varieties (download here).

printables project

what you'll need: 8.5x11" cardstock (in the color of your choice), color printer, and scissors. a paper cutter is optional, but helpful for ensuring straight edges and providing help with folding creases.

1. download images

2. load printer with cardstock

3. print

4. use scissors (or paper cutter) to trim your cards, labels and tags

5. use your new notes liberally for birthdays, thank yous, and just because

have a favorite spot for downloading fresh papers? send it to us!