A Little Hut - Patricia Zapata: odds n ends

Showing posts with label odds n ends. Show all posts

2010

So much happened this year and yet I feel like I didn't do enough creatively. I was conscious of the fact that for most of 12 months I was holding back. Some of it was on purpose—certainly during the summer. I really wanted to be with the kids. I didn't want to be half there. When I look at the chronology of these photos I can see that it affected my work. But I'm perfectly fine with that.

What I'm not ok with is with the part of holding back that was born out of self-doubt. I second guessed myself a lot in 2010. The good thing about that is that I do have record of all my ideas that never surfaced publicly. I have a lot to start the year off with.

In light of all this, I think my new year will be all about just going for it. I will be fearless. This is something that I've been subconsciously thinking about in the last few weeks—Ali's One Little Word post cemented it for me. I'm really looking forward to what will be coming.

I want to sincerely thank all of you that have stopped by. I truly appreciate your encouraging words and generous support. As I write those last words they don't seem quite enough. You really don't know how your messages and comments truly fill me up. Thank you. Thank you. You're all awesome.

Be safe, be merry and I'll see you in 2011! Happy New Year!

xo
Patricia

2010

spring is in the air

The mundane part of my life (aka mountains of laundry) is keeping me indoors on the most beautiful afternoon ever. The sun is shining and the birds are signing away. The thing is, that if I don't take care of the work right now, I'll come up with some fabulous excuse to avoid it all. So here I am taking a tiny break which will be followed by a yummy "arroz con pollo" that I just made.

Tiny flowers from my little C.

Fear not, there's a slightly more interesting reason for me to post today. If you have anything that you'd like to ask me you can do so on Formspring. I'm curious to know what your questions will be, but also a bit nervous too. Be kind my friends (I know, you always are).

I hope you're enjoying your weekend and that it's more exciting than mine!

work + play

My crafty side was indulged yesterday by the filming a couple of segments that will air on Houston's Going Green with Yolanda Green. One will air this coming weekend (Saturday at noon and Sunday at 10am) and the other will air around Easter. I made 2 crafts for each of the holidays. Working in video is fun but boy is it tiring. Thank goodness for a patient camera man who put up with all the takes and retakes!

For Valentine's day I made my Egg Carton Heart and some 3D magazine hearts to be used for framing or as gift tags. There are no photos because my camera and computer aren't playing nice right now. I guess I'll just show you a completely unrelated photo from Friday. We were scribbling during a bingo game on Friday night at the kids' school.

And for those of you that are waiting to find out... Congratulations Jessica Jo! You are the winner of the calendar and Home, Paper, Scissors! I'll be in touch.

Let me know just say that I think this is the time that I've enjoyed all of your comments the most. I definitely think I need to do a grateful post again sometime. You shared so much and it was all so touching—thank you so much.

happy ending

This was a really great week. I can't even tell you why and I will never be able to. All I can say is that, it is confirmed once again, that things happen for a reason. They just do. It's really quite amazing how frustrating certain events can be and all of the sudden the clouds clear and you 'get it'—there was a reason behind it all.

Today I'm just grateful. So very grateful.

On an unrelated matter and just because I happen to be arranging some things and found an extra calendar, I've decided to host a small giveaway. January has come and gone and February is upon us, so I know that almost a full page is useless to you. To make up for that, I will also include a copy of my book and a small assortment of paper goodies.

Just leave a comment below and share what you've been grateful for recently. I know we all have something. The comments section will be open until Monday at 10pm EST. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday. (Make sure to leave me your contact info!)

Have a great weekend everyone!

applying the creative elsewhere

I'm not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, but as soon as I heard about the bloganistas, I thought I'd give it a shot. It's a Flickr group where bloggers will be posting an outfit once a week. Joining the group will actually help me out with a few of my resolutions for the year.

I'm meticulous with my work but not so much with my appearance. I don't think I scare anyone away but it's... well, just fair. Working from home has made me lazy and sometimes I really don't recognize myself. Motherhood has also made my style take a dive. I hate to admit that but it's true. I'm typically the last one to get ready when we're headed anywhere and I just slap myself together. No more.

My first bloganista outfit is here.

I've also decided that this will be the year when I will finally make something to wear—skirts are high on the list. The fact that my Mom has just purchased a serger has me really itching to get going.

So, I'll also be kicking the fear of my sewing machine to the curb. Anyone else trying something that gets them out of their comfort zone?

2009

This is a quick glance at what happened this year—a lot of fun ideas and memories. I think my favorite definitely has to be the publication of Home, Paper, Scissors. That was incredible. Even if I am lucky enough to get another book published, there will probably be nothing like the first one. It was a lot of work but I learned valuable lessons too. I'm so very grateful that I had that experience.

I'm also extremely grateful for those of you that stop by. Thank you so much for another year of encouraging words and support. You are all awesome!

What are we doing for New Year's Eve? Nothing and I absolutely love it. I'll give all my sweeties hugs and kisses and that will be it.

Be safe, be merry and I'll see you in 2010! Happy New Year!

xo
Patricia

2009

checking in

How is it that deadlines always seem to accumulate into one big pile? I'm in the middle of sorting out my pile this week. Between project deadlines, all sorts of other things and being with the kids it's a wonder my mind is still running fluidly. I'm going down the list and tackling one thing at a time. The only thing I can do, right?

During a break I forced upon myself, I decided to take the kids to the Museum of Fine Arts. They were upset with me because I didn't take them to the pool (like we haven't already been there dozens of times) but I told them a change of scenery would be fun. They didn't believe me. But once we got there and started walking around the exhibits (and walked through the cool underground tunnel above), D turned to me and said that my field trip idea was the best ever. Does a Mom know her kids or what?

I've got to get back to the grindstone but I wanted to let you know I hadn't fallen (or jumped) off of any cliff! See you soon.

skipped town for a bit

Sometimes the best plans are the ones that don't involve too much planning. Last night we got back from a quick two-day trip to Austin. I went with the kids to visit friends and we had an awesome time. Sadly, I don't have much photographic proof of the experience. One of the highlights of the trip was feeding (from afar) deer that come to our friend's backyard on a daily basis. Yes, I took photos, but none are blog worthy.

Yesterday afternoon, I got to play with paper and a Cricut at Rachel's (Average Jane Crafter) house. Our kids got along great and played together while we sat at the kitchen table to experiment. I'm so used to working alone, that being around another creative person, that likes to jump right in, was such a treat. She opened up my eyes to so many other possibilities and new ideas started brewing right away. If you're curious and because she wrote about it so much better than I ever could, visit Rachel's post, about our crafty time together.

Lesson learned? I need to dedicate more time to creative afternoons with friends. For sure.

For those of you that know anything about Texas geography, I offer you an opportunity to make fun of me. Our trip back home was an hour longer, because as we were leaving Austin, I obviously made a mistake. It pissed me off because I rarely if ever get lost and knowing that I have an iPhone with GPS doesn't help either. Actually pissed doesn't quite cover it. This was our route towards Houston: Austin -> after a moment of @$# realized I was headed to San Antonio (awesome!) -> New Braunfels -> Seguin -> finally Houston. Talk about running in a big circle.

Now, I'm just doing the fun after-trip laundry and catching up. But it's all worth a little time away from the routine.

ahh, the weekend

Birthday party, housewarming party, watching some baseball and basketball, yummy milkshakes, a tiny bit of shopping and strolling. That sums it up.

Serendipitous photo - I just wanted to take a quick shot of the flowers for an idea I have. The kids were standing right next to me and the wind blew the balloons in my direction. It reflects how I feel about our weekend: happy and carefree.

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world. - Ada Louise Huxtable

• • •

Thank you to Irene for featuring my alphabet party sets, on Friday, on her Bloesem Kids blog.

Now, I must get ready for the filming of a local TV segment. I will be joining Sarah, who will be leading several of us in making t-shirt totes. Wish me luck!

Happy Monday!

four years

Last night I realized that I missed my blog anniversary. On May 26th, four years ago, I started writing this blog very tentatively. I felt rather silly and like I was talking to the wind. Little did I know, how my creative life would completely change. It has been a wonderful ride and I'm glad I've fought off the times (many times) when I've had the temptation of just letting it all go.

To celebrate, I've decided to host a small giveaway. I will select four winners at random. One will win this piece I created today and the remaining three will win a printable of their choice. The giveaway will be open until Monday at noon. Please make sure that you leave an email or link through which I can reach you. To make it interesting answer this: What has been your biggest accomplishment in the last four years?

I thank you all for stopping by and taking time out of your day to visit. To those of you that leave comments, please know that I read every single one and I take them to heart. You make me smile often.

Thank you. Thank you.

Have a great weekend!

simplicity and time

I've been working on several projects and it's frustrating that I can't show you any of them—at least not yet. What I can share are two tools that I use and work for me all the time.

The sketch that I showed you in my previous post (which actually makes me cringe a little now) inspired one of my latest designs. It also illustrates how I use the first of these tools—simplifying. I edited most of the image and concentrated on the basic tear shape. Reducing an illustration to a minimal expression almost always provides me with better results. I also find that the challenge of knowing how much to edit is half the fun.

This bowl was one of the first projects I pitched for my book. It didn't make the cut because it was determined that I needed something more colorful. I reworked it with different paper and found that I preferred leaving gaps between the strips of paper. That's how I ended up with the three bowls that are on the cover. I built them in a different way than my first bowl which also allowed me to experiment with a new technique. All around a win-win situation.

The passage of time is something else that I include in my design schedule. It involves walking away from a piece (for several days if possible) and coming back to it with fresh eyes. It's such a simple thing to do. The fresh view usually confirms that my design needs minor tweaks or that the idea isn't feasible at all. Discovering the latter isn't exactly fun but it's better to rework something than to show a poorly executed piece.

Today I happen to be staying away from some work for the above reason. We'll see what happens tomorrow when I take a look again.

39!

My husband has been teasing me all week because he knows that the knowledge of getting ever so closer to 4-0 isn't too thrilling to me. But if I'm honest, I really am OK with it. Life is good. I can't complain. I realize that even though there are so many things that I'd still like to accomplish, that I'm in a good place right now. I'm doing what I love and there's always room and ideas for more. I'm always moving forward and that's what counts.

Today will be all about getting one big thing off my plate and then some relaxing time by making something. I don't know what yet but I want it to just be something for fun.

I'm really looking forward to tonight because the whole family will be going out to eat. It will be a real treat because schedules and distances rarely gives us the opportunity too see each other on a weeknight. After dinner, my parents will take care of the kids, and the rest of us are going out for a little latin dancing. My feet may not be too happy with me in the morning but I know we'll have fun.

I didn't have a photo planned for today so here's another sneak peek of a project from my book. It seemed appropriate for the day.

Thank you to Adele for inviting to an interview for her Paper Cuts series and to Jessica for the lovely post about my hurricane cover project. Thank you ladies!

Have a great weekend everyone!

how we handle the sour notes

I found this list when I was digging through a box in our closet. It was given to us during our pre-wedding, one-day church retreat. It's a list of things to keep in mind when you're in the middle of an argument with your better half.

1. Don't call each other names
2. Don't involve others in your argument (mother-in-law, brother-in-law, etc)
3. Don't bring up old stories/complaints (stories that are more than 48hrs old shouldn't be brought up again)
4. Stay on the subject at hand and get to the point.
5. No low blows allowed - such as rubbing in character flaws.
6. Don't go to bed upset at each other.
7. Maintain a sense of humor. Laughing can be the best remedy.
8. Hold each others hands and look into each others eyes. Make the choice of love.

What have we really done? Have we followed these rules?

1. Yes. We've never called each other anything hurtful.
2, 4 and 5. Yep. No problems there.
3. This was a hard one for me to get used to. It REALLY works though. We've stuck to it all these yrs and it help a lot. If MrZ or I have a gripe and we don't bring it up in 48hrs = tough luck. This has forced us to be really good about solving things quickly; there's no pile up, hence no unexpected explosions. I think this rule has the best long term results out of all them.
6. Not always. MrZ gets over things so quickly, which is kind of maddening in itself. I need to stew for a bit before I'm officially over it.
7. Yes. We've actually burst out laughing in the middle of a so-called argument.
8. No not really. The last thing I want to do is hold my Mr's hands when we're in the middle of it.

I'll add one that we stick to...
9. No arguments in front of the kids or anyone for that matter. It all stays between the two of us.

Any rules you go by?

Something pretty to end on a good note. These are the lovelies we see in our yard once a year. This weekend I will definitely be getting my hands in some dirt. Our yard is desperately calling out and I happen to find weeding relaxing if you can believe that.

it's a spring thing

Every year, around springtime, I get the urge to do something with my hair. Typically it involves cutting a good portion of it off. I know the time has come when all I do is pull my hair up day after day after day. If I ask Mr.Z what he prefers (long/short) I always get the very diplomatic (smart?) 'you look great either way' answer. He'll won't admit it, but I know he does prefer it long.

Our opinions on graying hair are another matter. His mother has a very pretty full head of white hair. He thinks that it would work great for me too. Ummm. No. I love my MIL dearly but I'm not her. That's my blunt and maybe not so smart (but won't change) answer to that one.

So this is what I look like today. The flip on the bottom is just my curly hair trying to rebel the straightening I tried out for today. The look completely changes when it's curly.

For the record, I'm terrified of dying my hair. I've never done it and there are more than a few dozen gray hairs all over my head. Not sure when I'll get up the courage to get them taken care of. On the flip-side, I'm very low maintenance in the beauty department and the idea of having to keep track of roots just sucks the will power out of me.

back... again

I'm so excited to start a new week. The last few days we have been trading germs around here and our spring break was very uneventful. I'm ready to get going again.

I got these flowers (ahem... weeds from our obliging yard) from my sweet little C to make me feel better. She gives them to me with such pride and heartfelt emotion. Really sweet, mushy moment. Upon closer inspection, I was surprised at how pretty the flowers actually are. Each one is no wider than a penny.

Saturday we finally got some sun as we got ourselves out for the last weekend of the Houston Rodeo. This 'farm' was part of a cute set up for kids that helped them explain the cycle of planting, harvesting and selling a crop. We were among the least looking Texan families out there. There isn't a single cowboy boot or hat in this house. Some people look great in them. I think I'd look odd.

Today the kids went back to school and the house felt really empty. I didn't realize it would be so hard to jump back into my routine.

favorites around my desk

I'm cleaning up my studio today and here are a few things I could never get rid of.

- Sketch box :: It really is a recipe box but I use it for 2 minute sketch ideas. I make them whenever an idea hits or I do several in one sitting. These are separate from my sketch book because I don't thing about them. I just do. That sounds similar to what one would normally do in a sketchbook but somehow I don't feel so attached to them (maybe not bound permanently?) so the ideas just flow more freely. If I don't like it, it goes into to the recycle pile. If I do it stays in the box for future reference.

- Sketchbook :: I'm stuck on Moleskines. I love my black cover Moleskine but my cahiers (which aren't in the photo) are never far away either.

- Paper + envelopes :: Just got a new order and I love my new kraft envelopes! I've been wanting my card envelopes to be this color for a very long time but I had to use up all my previous stock first. I know kraft envelopes are everywhere but I don't care. Call this a small indulgence or a grown up version of a 2 year old "I want it!" fit. Either way I love them.

The paper will stay the same - a natural color with visible specs. Still love it too. I use French paper because of the quality and because of their focus on environmentally sound products.

- Small clipboard :: I use it for my to-do lists and it gets a lot of use. Who could ever get rid of a clipboard?

On an unrelated note :: If you've ever made anything using one of my tutorials as inspiration I'd love to see it. I've created a Flickr group for this purpose. I hope that doesn't come across as self-indulgent but I really enjoy seeing others' work. Some of you have been kind enough to email me photos of your creations - thank you! Now we'll all have a place to share. Care to join in the fun? Click here.

Since the tidiness in the picture does not reflect the rest of my studio, I must get back to work!

feeling thankful

- For yesterday's surprise lunch invitation from my DH. We used to get together at lunch more often but now that he works a little further away we do it rarely. As we were eating I asked Mr. Z why he invited me to lunch (just to see what he'd say) and without skipping a beat his reply was: "To thank you for everything you do." No teasing involved. He really meant it.

- For gorgeous weather even though I still consider it a bit cool for me (as those of you with snow call me a wimp!). The empty tables on the restaurant patio are proof that I'm not the only one that can't eat in chilly weather.

- For the simple pleasures that my kids enjoy. Free balloons at the grocery store are always a hit.

- For working from home and getting to do what I do every day.

- For being able to book our trip to join my brother on his wedding day. It'll have to be a quick one because the wedding is in April in Cancun and well that thing called 'school' gets in the way.

- For anyone that can tell me how on earth I found this photo/screen shot among my iphone photos. I think one of the kids did this and I don't know how. I don't really need to know but the curiosity is killing me.

- For very generous internet friends. This is a late one coming - so sorry Lori! I won her 500th post giveaway about 2 months ago. (I told you I was late - really, really late!) My little C and I split all the great magnets I won (she took the veggies/fruits/sweets to play restaurant) and I'm waiting to share this very cute birthday card with someone special. Lori also owns Fin and Roe were she designs and sells custom photo announcements. I love all her modern designs.

- And last, but certainly not least, for all of you that come and visit every day. I truly appreciate you taking the time to stop by. To those of you that leave comments - I read them all and they always brighten my day.

Happy Wednesday!

thinking

That's what I've been doing a lot of lately. I'm in the middle of some big decision making. It involves expanding and I don't know if I'm ready for it. There are a lot of doubts and questions. So, while the production work I'm doing is rhythmic, my mind is going crazy. It doesn't help that I'm coughing every 2 minutes (so over it!).

I was thinking that flowers will help calm the mood around here. Before you ask, you can learn how to make this flower in my book. Can you tell I'm dying to show more of it?

In other news I've registered for Mom 2.0 Summit which will take place here in Houston. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of people and learning whatever I can. Anyone else going?

And totally random... How cool are all these? Love them all.

Have a great weekend everyone!