Urban Comfort

A Giveaway from Smile Brilliant

It's December, my favorite holiday season of all!  And In this season of giving, I thought it only appropriate to start the month with a giveaway, made possible through the generosity of Smile Brilliant. 

When Smile Brilliant approached me and asked if I wanted to try out their custom-fitted teeth whitening trays and gels, it was a no-brainer.  I'd had great results with the single professional whitening I'd tried in the past, before my wedding, but it was pricey (to the tune of $600+)!  Since then I've relied on whitening toothpastes and the occasional whitening strips, but there's nothing better than having a tray that fits your teeth perfectly and allows the gel to penetrate fully and evenly.

That's where Smile Brilliant comes in. They've taken the middleman out of the experience, an economical approach that allows you the convenience of customized service right from your own home, without the hefty price tag. It's easy - the Tray Creation Kit contains impression material for you to make your own dental impressions along with postage paid envelopes for you to mail your impressions back to the lab. In 2-5 days, your custom trays are created and shipped back to you. Just like that. 

It might sound complicated to make dental impressions, but don't let your fears get the best of you. The company includes detailed directions and the process was really quite simple. Make a mistake?  No worries. You have an extra pack of impression material should you need it. Turnaround was really quick and the resulting trays fit like a glove. Then it was on to the fun part, the whitening!

I've had problems with tooth sensitivity in the past, so I used the Desensitizing Gel before the Whitening Gel. I didn't have any issues with sensitivity and found it quite easy to keep the trays in for an hour at a time. You can keep them in for up to 3 hours, but I found an hour to be a more practical chunk of time (since it's nearly impossible for me to go more than an hour without talking). And after a week of use, I can definitely see the difference!   

But what I really love about this service is that it's not a one-time deal.  My trays can be stored in their case, ready for the next time I want to whiten.  I can also order refills of the whitening gel when I need it. It's a great deal, bringing professional whitening back into the realm of possibility for the average consumer. Because honestly, your smile is out there all the time (at least I hope it is). Why not give it a little TLC?

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

So here's where you come in - Smile Brilliant will send a Tray Creation Kit (complete with Desensitizing and Whitening Gel) to one lucky reader. 

Click through the Rafflecopter link below to enter.  The giveaway is open for 2 weeks, after which the winner will be posted here and notified by email. Good luck!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway from Smile Brilliant

 Don't forget to check out Smile Brilliant on their website for detailed information on their products.

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I received a complimentary Tray Creation Kit from Smile Brilliant. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

What's your personality type?

My childhood best friend's father died recently, unexpectedly.  I was caught off guard when I heard, the way you are when someone seems too young to have died or you're suddenly aware of the passage of time. It had been many years since I'd last seen him, at the funeral of his daughter, where I was rendered mute with grief. It had been a number of years since I'd seen him before that as well. 

But I should have told him what a simple and profound gift he'd given me back when I was just a teenager, fighting to figure out who I was and what place I held in the world. It was the time of giant, boxy computers, when technology wasn't yet part of the consumer's world. I couldn't Google questions and get a plethora of answers, those I had to muddle through on my own.

I suspect when he offered to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test to my friend and I, that he was trying to make sense of us, what was intrinsic to us and what was sheerly teenage madness. It was one of the tools he used to place candidates in the right positions at Exxon.  Surely he'd had success with seeing how personality typing fit into the workplace, why not use that magic power to understand two impetuous, semi-hostile, risk-taking teenagers.  Why not?

We each plowed through the computerized test. There were no obviously right or wrong answers, just preferences. If you took it instinctively, going with your gut instead of pondering the answers, supposedly you would gain insight into how you viewed the world, which generally informed how you behaved in the world - the people, the experiences, the careers you'd be drawn to, the risks you were or weren't likely to take.

My friend was an ENFP.  Straight up, no ambiguity, and heavy on the feeling side. Sounded right.  Then it was my turn, and my friend's father looked excited as he headed toward me, a sheaf of papers in hand.  I was an ENXP - a rarity, he said. I'd scored almost exactly the same in the Feeling and Thinking categories (with an extra point, I think, in the direction of feeling). It was a bridge, a natural checks and balances that would allow me to see both sides of an issue, to empathize with two different viewpoints, and more importantly, to find balance within myself.

It may sound a bit simplistic, but knowing my personality type gave me the confidence I needed to trust myself, to know that I wouldn't veer too far off in the wrong direction. But it also gave me the insight to understand how those around me view the world, how to bridge the gap between our perspectives instead of stubbornly insisting on my own viewpoint. Magic, hoodoo, who cares? It's worked for me, and I'll take all the tools I can get in this life. 

I use it to relate to my husband, who is almost exactly the opposite of me. I use it when considering how to raise my son, integrating his view of the world and how he relates to it, trying to offer him the perspective that will seem most natural to him. And I've used it in my career, knowing that certain opportunities wouldn't be good choices for my long term, despite the pretty packaging (also known as simply trusting your gut). 

At any rate, I share this personal story because I think that personality typing is a great tool, at any age. I Googled Myers-Briggs a few days ago and it's much easier to take now than it used to be (yay, technology). It's about $50 to take the original test, though you will get detailed analysis when you go that route. I did find a couple of other sites that offer similar versions of personality tests.  I took both and actually got just about the same score, with a very slight preference for Feeling over Thinking, which almost aligns with my original results (and underscores the fact that personalities don't change much). I've linked to those sites below, along with a few other resources.  

I hope you'll see for yourself, because honestly, a little insight can go a really long way.  Thank you, Larry, even though I never told you.

 

Click through links:

Background on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator from Wikipedia

The Myers & Briggs Foundation

Take the Myers-Briggs test

Take a free, mini test at 16 Personalities (offers a sliding scale for answers, which may be preferable for many people).

Take a free Jung Typology Test at Human Metrics

25 Struggles Only ENFPs will Understand from Thought Catalog  (Additional lists for other types are available here as well)

Nurture by Nature: Understand Your Child's Personality Type - And Become a Better Parent  by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger

 

It's been a great tool in my life and subsequent testing has been consistent, but not everyone agrees --

A contrary viewpoint, to round things out, from Vox 

Does It Pay to Know Your Type? from The Washington Post

 

 

 

A Sweet Giveaway from Sucré

 

 

I know it's been quiet around here again. There are weeks when assignment deadlines simply get the best of me. To make it up to you, however, I have a sweet giveaway from Sucré for one lucky reader.

Sucré is a local confectionary here in New Orleans, and it's been a favorite since it opened in 2007. I remember my first visit, consumed by handmade chocolates with regional flavors. Then I had an obsession with the gelato, followed by the homemade marshmallows, and finally, my current obsession - the macarons. 

The good news is that you don't have to be a local to indulge. Sucré has expanded their operation and ships within the United States (with all confections continuing to be made in their New Orleans location).

Which reminds me - I know a lot of people like to order King Cakes for Mardi Gras, choosing to be a New Orleanian wherever they are. Sucré makes the best King Cake I've ever eaten. Usually I suffer through dry, underwhelming cakes or toothachingly sweet, overstuffed versions, all in the name of tradition. But one year a friend brought me a King Cake from Sucré and I've never looked back. The only problem I have with it is that it disappears quickly and I have a hard time sharing it with others.

Back to the giveaway.  Sucré willl send their Signature Macaron Collection to one reader in the contiguous United States, selected at random. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your name and email address.  Entries will be accepted until Tuesday, October 22, 11:59 PST, with the winner announced on Wednesday, October 23.

That's it - no trick questions, no clever comments required (unless you're feeling clever, that is).  I'll be back soon, if not this week, certainly next.

The Signature Collection includes 15 macarons in the following flavors: almond, chocolate, strawberry, bananas foster, hazelnut, pistachio, pecan, and salted caramel.  

To see the rest of  Sucré's offerings, visit their website at shopsucre.com.  Also, you can find out more about their King Cakes here. 

Flower Kit Giveaway Winners

Time to announce the winners for the flower kit giveaway.  The random number selection goes to Adrienne M.  The comment winner I selected is Mrs. Charlemagne.

Mrs. Charlemagne said:

Forget-me-nots. They're small and delicate and dreadfully old fashioned. They speak to me of a simpler time when small flowers were just as meaningful as a dozen roses. 

Lately I've been immersing myself in a decidedly low-tech environment which has stirred up a lot of questions for me - what do I need, what do I want, what's meaningful...you know, all of those light things, so Mrs. Charlemagne's comment resonated with me. Thank you.

If both of these ladies will email me with their information, I'll get their kits right out!  Thank you to everyone else who participated. I wish I had kits for everyone!

Witches' Ball

 

I've created a number of Halloween stories over the years, but somehow there's never been a witch involved. So when Ann Blevins, editor of Halloween Tricks & Treats, approached me with the idea of creating a witches' ball, I was eager to explore new territory. 

I had the luxury of complete creative freedom and we shot it in my home (that's my cat, Lucy, in the title photo), which means that it was chaos for a few days, but also that I knew exactly what I had to work with. The pale green of my living room inspired the accent color throughout the story, and my very old house lent a little atmosphere to an otherwise clean setup - which is exactly how I live, mixing old and new.  

I've included just a sampling from the feature. You can find the rest in the magazine, which is available on newsstands now, or in digital form through Zinio if you want it right now (see link below). I hope it inspires you to gather the girls together and cast a few spells of your own.

 

These invitations look harder to make than they are, thanks to pre-pleated ribbon and a downloadable template. 

Witch leg toppers are a cinch to make with striped straws and witch shoe cutouts.

 


What appears to be a bubbling cauldron of bones is actually a cauldron holding treat-filled favors for guests. But during the party the bones do double-duty, serving as a centerpiece for the table.

Photos by Brie Williams

Click on the magazine cover to find the issue on Zinio:

F

12 Free Fonts

You can find me on Momster today with a roundup of free fronts.

More Photo Textures

As promised, more photo textures to use with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. I should get more serious about this, however.  New Orleans is the perfect place to capture texture, color, and patina of all kinds. I'll keep my eyes open! In the meantime, I hope you find something fun to do with these.

Click on the images for full size versions: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine Printables

 

You can find me on Momster today with a collection of free Valentine printables.

 

Handmade Crafters Label Branding Kit

 

My friend Cathe Holden, from Just Something I Made, is one of the most generous people in the blogosphere and if you're not familiar with all of her wonderful creative goodness, you should be! She's done it again with a Handmade Crafters Label Branding Kit, a set of fourteen free labels that are customizable and printable. They're available in four colorways and you can use them to brand your handmade goods.

Custom graphic design costs a fortune and if you don't have graphic know-how (like myself), labels like these can free you up for the stuff you are good at creating.  

Thanks, Cathe!

 

 

 

 

Festive Fonts

You can find me over at Momster today, with downloads for free fonts.

Moody Texture Photos

I like to take photos of textures to have on hand for projects and I've gathered a collection that feels appropriate to the season. Just click on the photos for a full size version. Enjoy!

 

Texture 1:

 

Texture 2:

 

Texture 3:

 

Texture 4:

 

Texture 5:

 

Texture 6:

 

Texture 7:

Texture 8:

Texture 9:

 

Glittered Birds

I remember seeing a glitter painting feature in Living a while back and pretty much dismissing it. Truth be told, it reminded me too much of seventies crafting, and even as a toddler I was aesthetically offended by the seventies. Just not my decade.

But then I happened to run across this bird print from The Graphics Fairy and that feature came back to me. I love the tones in this image and I wanted to see if I could capture them with glitter, but soften the overall effect for spring. Two of the things that made a big difference - using iridescent glitter instead of opaque and leaving the background glitter free. That kept it from getting too heavy. Also, using a fine-tip applicator was essential to creating details - fine-tips are usually found in the glass painting section of the craft store or you can buy Martha Stewart Crafts glitter glue with a built-in fine-tip applicator.

In the end, I'm still not sure if I'm sold on glitter painting. But I love this bird image and thought I should at least share that with you! Click on the image for the full size version.

Happy Monday!

 

Thoughts for a new year

 

My year ended and started with a bang and I've been busier than I ever planned to be.  So I'll be back with some original material - once I do some paperwork, clean my office, kiss my husband, hug my son, eat a meal while sitting down, take a nap, relax with a well made cocktail, and prepare for the next round. In other words - very, very soon.

In the meantime, I love this little gem I found over at Idea Obscura. It's free, downloadable and can be printed at 11x17 inches. Thoughts to live by.

Font Fetish: Skinny Fonts

If December is the month for overindulgence, January is inevitably the month for paring down. To get the year off to a good start, I've compiled some free, skinny fonts for you - an entirely painless way to trim the fat.  

Happy New Year!

 

(To download, click on the name of the font)  Existence Light 

 

Raleway Thin

 

Quicksand Light

 

District Thin

 

Edelsans Ultralight

 

Title Font:  Lemon Chicken

 

Free Printable Gift Tag Roundup

Want to know why there haven't been any gift wrapping ideas on my blog? Because every gift I've wrapped is sitting under the tree, no ribbons or bows, no embellishment, not even tags. What can I say? This is what happens sometimes in the midst of holiday chaos. I sort of know who gets what package, but a little tagging might be helpful.  So here's a roundup of free printables I've found on the web (you know, just in case the gifts under your tree look like mine do).

 

Loving these tags from Whisker Graphics. Go here for the download.

 These tags from Paper Crave are available in 3 different colorways.

A bit of whimsy for those handmade gifts - from A Fanciful Twist

More pretties from Paper Crave

A nice, eclectic mix from Blush Printables

You'll have to supply the fabric scraps, but I love these tags from Inchmark

 

These lace patterned tags from Creature Comforts are perfect year-round.

 

And now, if you'll excuse me...I have some gifts to tag.

 

Green Bag Lady Giveaway

Remember Teresa, the Green Bag Lady I love so much? She's done it again! She has a "Take One, Make One" giveaway going on through December 17th, and she's giving away 100 bags made of Amy Butler fabrics (another of my favorites), along with fabric and a pattern for you to make another bag and give it away.

Something else I love - Teresa used fabric I sent her to make the handles for these bags. And it's such a small thing, but I love knowing that I've sent something out into the world to be used for good.

Get the details of her giveaway here. 

Green Bag Lady and more...

I have a few things to talk about today - First, I just want to thank everyone who has taken the time to comment on this blog. My Inbox has gotten a little out of control lately and I am behind on correspondence, but I want you to know that I read each of your emails and comments and I deeply appreciate that you've taken the time to express yourselves and make a connection. I'm slowly getting to know some of you and I notice when you make return visits (and comment), I read your blogs when you leave your blog address, and I marvel at the array of interesting, kind women who populate the Internet. Blogging is a wonderful creative outlet, but connecting with readers is much more satisfying than simply keeping track of the number of page hits. For that, I thank you. 

The second item on the agenda today is announcing the two winners of my inspiration box giveaway. The first winner is Jodi (#6), selected by a random drawing (I am not including the photo of the random number generator. You'll just have to trust me!).  The second winner is Pauline, whose comment I selected not because she said such nice things (which I appreciate), but because I find the idea of anyone discovering their creativity incredibly inspiring - especially when they didn't think the word "creative" applied to them:

After living for 48 years and saying, "I'm just not very creative", too many times to count, I've discovered I was wrong. I can be creative. Your blog is such a breath of fresh air. You have such a wonderful sense of style. I love to see what you do and use your ideas to help me find my own. I love to make little things to brighten the days of others - with paper and fabric scraps and beautiful little things. 

So Jodi and Pauline are the two primary winners in this giveaway, but because I had a manageable number of replies, I'm going to send a little something to each person who responded. It will take me some time to get through the list, so please be patient with me, but I will contact you in the order in which you commented (after putting together the boxes for the two winners, of course). 

Which leads me to the main part of this post. One of the respondents to my giveaway was Teresa, also known as the Green Bag Lady. Teresa mentioned that she'd like fabric, and of course I'm sending fabric to her because, quite frankly, anyone looking to change the world one bag at a time deserves all the support I can offer. Teresa is a college professor, a mother of three, and a blogger - and yet she's found the time to sew and give away almost 12,000 fabric bags! She doesn't make money from her bags - she gives them as gifts and asks only that you promise to use her bag instead of paper or plastic ones. 

She was kind enough to make a bag for each member of my family (mine is pictured above), and I love being part of what she's doing. I've had my reusable Whole Foods bags for awhile now, but I seem to consistently forget them (and then kick myself for doing so). Teresa's bag is so colorful and charming and just begs to be taken out. So far, I've managed not to forget to bring it along - and it feels really, really good! 

To pass on that good feeling, Teresa has agreed to give away a free bag to EVERYONE who leaves a comment on her blog through midnight (C.S.T.), September 4th. 5 winners, from a random drawing, will receive a bag similar to mine, made from Amy Butler fabrics (love Amy!!). A 6th winner will receive bag number 12,000.  Everyone else will get a bag of Teresa's choosing. Head on over to her site to enter. I think you'll be happy you did. (Thanks, Teresa. I think you're awesome!)

Dingbat

As I've stated before, I have an ongoing love affair with fonts. But I also appreciate the lesser known dingbat fonts. Unless you're a professional and have access to a large collection of design elements, these fonts can be a great asset.  I find them very versatile as they can be resized, colored, layered, or made into die cuts using digital cutters. Some of the applications?  Cards, custom rub-ons, fabric appliques, iron-on transfers, and stencils.

Something I like to do with silhouette type dingbats is to print them directly on the matte side of freezer paper (cut down to a regular paper size). If I'm using the dingbat as a stencil, I cut out the interior and iron the freezer paper onto the fabric I'm stenciling. If I'm making a cut-out, I print the dingbat onto the freezer paper, cover the freezer paper with another piece of paper or a pressing cloth, and adhere it to the fabric or felt.  THEN I cut it out following the outline of the dingbat. This is a great way to cut items like snowflakes and still retain the delicacy of the design. (I use sharp, fine-tipped scissors when I'm cutting designs like that.)

If you like the idea of custom rub-ons, simply print the dingbats onto rub-on transfer paper and you're set. It's a great way to customize notebooks or create designs on glass (or any other surface you'd normally be able to use rub-on transfers on).

 

Here are some I like (with links to download):

Butterflies and Butterflips

Avain

Postage Stamps

Sjonarbok Classic

 

JI Nature Bats

 

Flakey

 

Seeing Stars

Animals

Kids Written

{Image via iDIY}

Something for You

As I've mentioned in the past, my house looks like a bomb has gone off after I complete a crafting assignment.  Today was no different, as I shipped off another Christmas story and raced to put it all back together again so I could start another one tomorrow. And once again, I had the same feeling that's been nagging at me over the last year.  I have too much.  Abundance is a wonderful thing, overabundance just weighs me down - physically, mentally, emotionally.

I love that I have so many tools and materials at my disposal. I'm excited every single time a manufacturer sends me products or I have items left over from assignments; I love it.  Sure, I have a few things on my wish list (yes, I have succumbed to feeling like I need a Silhouette) but for the most part, all of my crafting dreams have come true.  It's time to spread the love.

I'm not talking about bulk giving - I do that once a year and I tend to give those items to schools or teachers since I know there's usually little or no budget for art supplies.  That feels good, but what I really want to give is pleasure - the joy of receiving a gift, the luxury of sifting through treasures that have been selected specifically for you. I want to find out what your interests are, what you wish you had more of.

I will select two readers - one selected at random, the other from a comment that resonates with me for some reason, and I will create an inspiration box of materials that I hope will help to further your own crafty dreams. Just leave a comment and tell me what you love to make or do (or what you want to learn to do) and what craft product(s) fill you with longing. I'll leave this open until September 1st and then I'll select the winner.  I don't know what I'm giving away yet - it will depend on who wins and what they're interested in. Surprise is part of the fun.

Ah, I'm feeling lighter already...Oh, and Merry Christmas, by the way, as I embark on my third (and final) Christmas assignment this year!

{Image via}

A Calendar

School starts in two weeks. I have already received multiple emails outlining parent meetings, volunteer days, fundraisers, play dates, meetings with teachers...and I am starting to understand that this whole school business is going to be more like a second job (or third, if you count parenting) and I am going to need a calendar. Not notes scribbled on pages in my notebook or entries on the calendar in my iPhone that I never check, not mental notes piling up like so many post-its, but a real live calendar.

I know, there are those of you who bought your calendars in October of last year and marked everything off and are sitting back, smug and self-satisfied. I am not one of those people.  In case you're more like me, I bring you free, printable calendars that will take you through the rest of the year. (And for those of you falling off your chairs laughing at the idea that I will fit all the ensuing responsibilities of the school year onto any of these dainty calendars, I beg you - let me live in denial for just a few more weeks.)

 

A pretty illustrated calendar from Gleaux
Download Gleaux Calendar

 

A friendly reminder for healthy living from Cottage Industrialist

Download Resolved August
Download Resolved September
Download Resolved October
Download Resolved November
Download Resolved December

 

 

Simplicity from Something's Hiding in Here (photo from Wren Handmade)

Download Vintage Wood and Lead Type Calendar