the peacoat papers

farewell, peacoat. you've been good to me.

I have been blogging for about a year and a half here at The Peacoat Papers, but have never been able to stretch my wings the way I wanted.  This blog started as one thing, turned into another, but never felt quite right. 

With a new name, a new look, and ideas I’ve sat on for far too long, I hope you enjoy my latest project.  Please click through to Hollywood Housewife!

(psst...make sure you update your bookmarks, re-subscribe, and change your settings if you link to me from your blog.  Many thanks!) 

 

rocky mountain high

 

This is the view out our balcony door on the annual family ski trip.  

So you'll forgive me when I say I taking the week off of blogging.  I have family to love on, all this beauty to take in, and mountains of preparation for peacoat's migration to the new and improved space next week.

That's right, peacoat is officially making the Big Change next Monday, January 11.

Please stick around - you're going to love it. 

christmas cards '09 - the big scream

I can't say our decorations are all put away, but Christmas '09 is definitely over.  Which means there is no reason to get excited about going to the mailbox for fun holiday greetings. 

There seemed to be a lot less cards out this year, did you think?  Or maybe our family just got cut from everyone's list.

Every single year I swear that I'm not going to do Christmas cards next year.  They're a big ole pain, and I start off whistling and chipper and end up grumbling and annoyed.  This year was no exception. 

But in the end, I'm happy with the way they turned out.

Conceptually, I always start with a picture.  It's the most important part.

Then I choose the paper, which sets the color scheme.  I usually go with Paper Source, since they have a good weight to them and a fantastic color selection.  

I went with green and gold.  A nice combination, I think.  But tell me something: why do the cards come in packs of 20 and the envelopes in packs of 10?  This is completely baffling to me.

Next I sit down and hand write the highlights from the year.  It's my modern version of a Christmas letter.  It usually takes me several tries to get the spacing right without any mistakes.  I'm proud to say that this year I did it on the first take.  

Even the Kinko's guy was impressed.

The Kinko's people think I'm crazy every time I wander in with a new project.  I utilize Kinko's a lot.  This year I had them copy my hand-written words into the inside of each card.

In the meantime, I've ordered these stamps from Zazzle, and hope fervently that people notice them.  Would I notice a fancy (funny) stamp on an card envelope?  I'm not sure.  Zazzle leads me to believe other people appreciate such nonsense.

 

The inside is the hardest part.  Every year I try to do something original.  This year I've been in the mood for spray paint.  

So I made a stencil.

I just took a piece of heavy white cardstock and wrote the words Merry Christmas in thin block letters, then used an exacto knife to cut out the letters.  To be precise, you have to be very careful.  It takes longer than you think.

I left the "A" without the little triangle-y part.  It was going to be too hard to keep it in, so I decided that it added a little charm.   

I tested out the stencil using the same weight card stock as the cards will be.

It looks pretty good.  So I set up my "station" and do my first run on the Kinko's-printed cards.  I use newspaper underneath, and rocks to weigh it down.

 

I get about thirty done until the stencil starts to curl under the moisture of the layered spray paint.  It's tacky, but not super wet, so I put it under a heavy book to flatten out overnight. 

That was stupid.  The next morning I woke up to this.

 

So I had to start over with the stenciling/spray-painting.  My Christmas cheer was starting to wane.  

On the second stencil, I added an exclamation point so it said, "Merry Christmas!"

I still had 100 cards to spray, so I took a break and worked on the envelopes.  I stamp the front with a little red ornament stamp next to the address, and this year I embossed the return address on the back myself.

Because I make a lot of custom cards, it becomes really costly to have the return envelope printed every time.  So this year I invested in a desk embosser from Paper Source.

After I get all 130 cards sprayed and dry, I attach the picture to the front with double-sided tape and add the photo corners.  This usually means I sit in front of the television for hours on end watching a marathon of something-or-other.  It takes For-Ev-Ah.

Almost as long as hand addressing each card and writing a personal note inside.

Are you gouging your eyes out yet?  I'm not.  I actually like this kind of thing.  

In the end, the card looks like this:

 

 

See the paint on the edge of the card on the left?  Or how the stencil bled a little on the "M" and the "A" ?  I don't sweat those kind of imperfections.  It lends itself to the handmade look.  

I got good feedback on the cards this year.  Sometimes that makes it worth it.  But most of the time I'm way over it by the New Year.  I've got to figure out a way to make it easier, yet still be original with at least a trace of homemade. 

I guess I've got a year to figure it out. 

2009: list of bests

(You can find 2008's list of bests by clicking here.)

 

 (holding Pigtail, looking back...)

I had a fabulous 2009:  I got pregnant.  I spent the summer at the lake.  And since I was pregnant, I didn't have to suck in my stomach all summer at the lake.  I had a baby.  And life changed for the better. 

There were a few other details in between:

Best Reads: Fiction - The Likeness by Tana French, Non-Fiction - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  Honorable Mention to Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy.

Best Television - Glee.  Love it, love it, love it. 

Best Film - Where The Wild Things Are, but I might be a little biased.

Best Music - I didn't buy much music in '09, apparently.  Heck, I didn't even listen to much music in 2009.  Does that make me sound hopelessly boring?  I was introduced to Bon Iver, but it came out in 2008.  So does that count?  I don't think so.  Let's remedy this in 2010.  (But here are 20 songs I love, and 20 songs that mean something to me.)

Best Party - Pigtail's Los Angeles baby shower was pretty spectacular.

Best peacoat Blog Post - getting sentimental on my 30th birthday with birthday rainbows and promises is my personal favorite.  You guys seemed to like Pigtail's birth story an awful lot.  (me too!) 

Best Hollywood Moment - attending Dancing With The Stars weekly to cheer on our friend.

Best Holiday - July 4th week at the lake.

It's been a wonderful year.  I have a feeling 2010 is going to be just as memorable.  I welcome it.

it was a wonderful holiday

I love Christmas at my parent's house in my hometown.  My mom makes her already-cozy home so nice for the holidays.  Beautiful decorations everywhere. 

This year there was something that stood out a little when we got in to town last week.  Can you spot it?

The very reason this Christmas was so special.

She is the only reason we spent Christmas Eve on a closed I-35 in the biggest blizzard Oklahoma has seen in decades. 

We white-knuckled it from our date night in Oklahoma City back to my parent's house in this ridiculous rental car that I nicknamed Santa's Sleigh.

But who's laughing now?  Santa's HHR Sleigh got us through the 4.5 hour trek - normally a 1.5 hour trip - with nary a slip or slide, while we passed literally hundreds of cars stranded on the side of the road. 

(This is no photoshop trick - it really is that shade of bright red.)

But wouldn't you make that journey back to this face?

I know.  Me, too.  

More family time is keeping me occupied during these last few days of 2009.  Sweet memories.

every part of this holiday is a gift

We had the most wonderful Christmas, with the best present ever.

Still recovering...

merry christmas!

The holiday stories already abound, including Pigtail's first airplane ride, a fabulous date night in Oklahoma City, and a treacherous drive through a major blizzard. 

Finally warm and cozy indoors, we enjoyed a White Christmas in my hometown.

Hope you are making a million memories during this holiday season!

(peacoat will return next week for it's last week...ever.)

shot through the heart (er, leg, but it felt like the heart)

(Welcome to my Mommy Monday.  This is where I tell you about every emotion of new mommy-dom.)

Last week I cruised into Pigtail's two-month pediatrician appointment without a thought.  My sister was with me, and we had plans to do a little shopping after we were done.

Then the nurse told me that after she took Pigtail's measurements, she would be coming in with a tray of vaccinations and she didn't want it to startle me.

Panic.

Even though The Gorilla and I had made the conscious decision to fully vaccinate on schedule, I was suddenly in a spiral of uncertainty.  Somehow I had missed the fact that these shots would start at the two-month appointment.  I thought I had another month.  But now we were in the brightly lit room, and Pigtail was wearing only a diaper, and my head was spinning. 

Had I done enough research on this?  Did I want my baby injected when she was so little?  My brain was blank.  The nurse - and later, the doctor - seemed to sense that I was bewildered at the appointment's turn of events, so everything was carefully explained to me and they were gracious with my need to exit into the hallway to call my husband.  Of course they were slow and patient with me, it was a big decision that these days is surrounded by controversy.

On the phone, The Gorilla reminded me of the multiple reasons why we had made this decision, and I was calmed.  Until the time came for the needle to actually enter Pigtail's leg.  I didn't look.  I stroked my baby's head and cooed to her until it was over.  She let out a scream that lasted a solid 15 seconds, and I scooped her up and kissed her all over. 

Within a few minutes, Pigtail was fine, but I was a wreck.  It was the first time I had ever seen her in real pain, however momentary.  I was shaking as we retrieved our car from valet, and dropped my sister off to shop while I went in search for chocolate to soothe me.

I really need to grow a backbone. 

photo by Mel B. via flickr

puppy chow

I love this little treat.  I don't care that it looks like dog food.  I actually kind of like that it looks like puppy chow, hence the name.

But man, is it messy!

Worth it, though.

I bought a cute bowl and brought it as a gift to a holiday party last night.  It was a hit with the caterer.  He asked me the secret.

I didn't know there was a soul in the world who didn't make themselves sick on puppy chow in December.  So in case you're like the caterer:

3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
8 cups Crispix cereal (Or Rice Chex)
2 cups powdered sugar

Melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter together. Pour over the cereal in a large kettle or bowl and stir well. Pour the powdered sugar into a large brown paper bag and add the cereal. Fold the bag to seal and shake well to coat evenly.

(instructions from my friend Abi, who reminded me about this snack.)

 

(This was not the bowl I presented it in to the hostess, by the way.)

What are your must-makes for the holiday season?

guest post at vanderbilt wife

I found the darling Vanderbilt Wife through Twitter late in the summer.  That is the biggest benefit to Twitter - meeting new and interesting people. 

I've been following her life in transition as she's currently going through a move, trying to sell her house, and this fall celebrated her daughter's first birthday.

I'm so honored to be guest posting over there today.  Click here to read about how this Christmas is different from every other holiday season in my life.

**

If you're here from Vanderbilt Wife - welcome!  Click around and get to know me a bit.  Then check back often - or better yet, subscribe! - because after the first of the year, Peacoat will be migrating to bigger, better things.  It'll be fun, you'll see.