Heather Ann Melzer

When work is fun

I had such a great time at Shutterfly this week.  It was inspiring, exciting, motivating, thought provoking and so much more.

My trip got off to a horrible start when I missed checking my bag by 5 minutes, so I had to be on standby for the next flight a couple of hours later.  That, coupled with my bag being put on a later flight than the one I got on and a shuttle bus driver that decided to give me an hour and a half long tour of San Francisco and all it's surrounding towns, meant that I missed the tour of the production facility, which is something that I really wanted to see.  I caught the tail end and saw how they bind the covers of their photo books, and that was amazing. 

Here are some of the highlights of my trip:

1.  Hanging out at the Shutterfly office

The office was super sleek and modern and cool.  The white walls were the perfect backdrop for the gorgeous photos that were displayed in acrylic frames all around the office.  The board room, where we met, had Saturday Night Live photos of celebrities that were amazing.  Love watching SNL to see those.  They also had tons of projects decorating shelves throughout the office.  Eye candy everywhere...

 

2. Catching up

It was so great seeing old friends and making new ones.  I had such a great time sitting next to my buddy, Kate, during dinner on Tuesday.  She had me cracking up and then force-fed me shrimp for the first time in my life (and it was good!).  It's amazing talking to other designers and store owners.  They understand the challenges better than anyone else and it's so great to share with them. 

I was also blown away by Stacy, who joined our team this year.  I've always wanted to look into her classes and learn more about them and I can see why they get the tremendous response that they do.  She's so inspiring, and thoughtful, and enthusiastic.  It's absolutely contagious.

Here's me with Kate, me with Alicia Bull of Shutterfly, and Kate and Amy.  And Amy posted a ton of pics here, too.

 

3. Learning about Share

Shutterfly announced during our meeting that they have this FABulous new tool called Share - which is very similar to a blog, that you can set up for FREE :)  You can make journal entries, add photos/videos, drag and drop the different sections wherever you'd like on your layout, and email photos directly to the email address you get when you sign up and they automatically post to your site!  You can also set up group permissions/passwords which make it perfect for teams, families, classrooms, etc.  Oh, and did I mention that you can upload files like word docs??  Seriously, so cool.  It's like a family-friendly version of My Space - love that.

4. Seeing California for the first time

Although we didn't have time/money to see the Golden Gate bridge, it was still very cool to see the towns surrounding San Fran and the mountains, too.  Coming from IL, where everything is as flat as flat can be, it's very surreal.  I did actually see the Golden Gate through the plane window on the way back, so I was very happy about that.  It surprised me that San Fran looked like an little island.  Wild stuff - very different from home.  They were actually in the middle of a heat wave, too, so the sweaters I packed were a bit much.

5. Staying at the Sofitel

It was my first time staying one of their hotels and it was gorgeous.  Made me want to redo my entire house in modern french style.  The clean lines were very soothing to me.  And the bed - my goodness.  I felt like I was sleeping on a poofy puffy cloud - heaven.

6. Surprising the girls

Before I left, I hid gifts for the girls in my closet and called them after bathtime and told them to find them.  They were glittery supergirl crocs that I ordered for them.  It was so fun to hear how excited they were.  I could hear Katie jumping up and down after she put them on as fast as she could.  Then I surprised them by picking them up from school when my plane landed last night.  Missed those little buggers.

Speaking of the little people, I can hear them yelling for the Shells & Cheese I promised them, so I better finish making those.

Have a great weekend!

Talk about throwin' it together

We had a very impromptu Movie Night on Friday.  We've actually had the movie for awhile, but I haven't had time to come up with a treat.  So, during my interview session last Friday I picked the brain of one of our Sr. Managers and he suggested Klondike bars and I thought that was perfect.  The girls had been requesting ice cream, so that worked just fine.  I picked up some gold wrapping paper, covered some bowls with it and called it a night - whew.

I feared the story was going to be a bit much for our little ones, but they were so into the animals in the story and were really too young to understand the whole "severing the soul from the person" thing.  Kenzie was not pleased with the "to be continued" ending, though.  All and all, it definitely kept their attention and they were, as always, obsessed with the villain (Nicole Kidman). 

And I have decided that I really do want a polar bear as a pet.  Could they be ANY cuter??!!  Tom disagrees - something about eating me in one bite or something.  Always so negative ;)

Here are some pics...

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day!  I had Tom pick me up a few train stops early on Friday so I could surprise the kids after missing their Mother's Day snack that afternoon :(  Being a working Mom is really tough on the emotions sometimes, although Dad filled in and I really don't think they minded at all.  They surprised me with these cuties...

Yesterday, we went to a delicious brunch at a new Italian restaurant in town and then all came back to our house and played for awhile before Tom and I grilled up some mini burgers, rosemary potatoes and corn on the cob - yum!  I think I gained back a few inches this weekend  between the grilling and margaritas (hmph!)  It sure was tasty, though!  These might have had something to do with it, too...

Tom's brother graduated from law school last week, so the girls and I made some cupcakes for him on Saturday, complete with paper diplomas.  Kenzie and her new 'opposties are hilarious' mindset was very amused by singing "Happy Birthday" to him all afternoon.  Crazy girl.

Saturday morning was absolutely perfect.  We started with a trip to Starbucks, then to Kmart to look for pots (I scored a cute one, along with some flowers), and then we headed out to my favorite nursery where found the most beautiful potted flowers for our urns and a butterfly bush for the deck.  The girls ran around like maniacs, as usual, and were playing with one of the nursery workers, who was attempting to spray them with the water hose he was using to water the plants outside.  We saw miles and miles of flowers inside the greenhouse, and I actually took a minute to stand there with Jack and stare out at about a million geraniums.  It really was breathtaking.

Here's one of our front porch urns in its freshly filled glory...

and on the other side of the steps, my peonies are about to burst - eek!

I swear something strange is happening to me.  This year I'm all about cooking and planting and I've also had this insane urge to start sewing.  Just when you think you have enough hobbies.  I guess it wouldn't be so bad if you were willing to give up some old ones, but that I'm not willing to do :)

Speaking of my favorite hobby, I'm headed here tomorrow to visit my friends at Shutterfly to talk all things digital.  So excited to see the gang again, AND for my very first visit to California!  I'll definitely try to check in with some pics while I'm there.  For now, it's back to work, laundry and packing! :)

PS - I extended my 40% Off Sitewide Sale through tonight at midnight, so don't miss it!

Live Action Melzers

I finally had a chance to play around with my Mother's Day present.  Some thoughts on it:

1. Vimeo was able to upload the videos in HD format, which is very cool, but I found you really need to have a steady hand (or a tripod) to keep the video from being super jerky.  Tom said that has to do with it being an HD recorder. 

2. The colors on some of the videos we took were really off, but these seem to be ok.  The image quality on the zoomed shots were really bad, too - I'd only shoot closeup and in good light with this camera.

3. It took me quite a while to figure out how to get the videos off the card and into my Picasa.  I ended up having to plug the USB cord from the camera into my computer and turning the camera on, then Picasa picked them up.  It wouldn't automatically pull them from the card. 

Let's start with a video of my parents, Tom, and I having some fun with Jack...

(You can watch them in HD on Vimeo's site by clicking the "HD is off" button and then clicking the link)

He's so adorable - I truly can't stand it.

And how about an interview with crazy Kenzie.  Trying to pin her down and have her seriously answer a question is impossible, as you can see.  I love how she answers every question the exact opposite of how she would on a regular day...

Katie, however, is very cooperative (and adorable)...

Have a wonderful Mother's Day everyone!

Spring rocks

I always thought Fall was my favorite season, but Spring is giving it a serious run for its money this year.  I think having a horrible winter and 3 kids that want OUT might have something to do with it.  The 10 minutes of silence we get while the girls are outside playing before they come running in to tattle-tale on each other are pure bliss - lol.

Yesterday truly was a perfect day.  We slowly got moving in the morning, started working in the yard, went to Red Robin for lunch, and then leisurely perused the flowers at Home Depot.  We came home with some geraniums, phlox, mandevilla, and a hosta (my first ever) and I got to work on planting them on the deck.  We also cut the grass, fertilized the lawn, edged a few beds, and weeded some before I swept the deck, put out the umbrella and arranged my pretty little pots.  I ran out to Kmart to look for some more cute Martha pots, but they didn't have much of a selection at our store yet.  I might have to try another store this weekend.

I'm seriously into the container gardening thing this year.  We've done it the past couple of years, but everything seems to die out by the time the summer heat comes.  We are really terrible at keeping things watered and I don't think we've ever "fed" a plant - which Martha says is crucial to keeping them alive.  I'm really going to work on them this year and hopefully add on to what we've started.  It makes me SO happy to see life out there.

I was going to finish up some other layouts I had started, but these new pics I took this morning in the rain (with a jacket over my head!) were too pretty for me to pass up.  I used one of my new Quick Fills (that comes with a paper template and sample layout idea that I followed here) plus some paper from my Easter Double Feature Kit and my White Out paper pack, as well as some ribbon from Gina's latest.

We also planted some rosemary and basil yesterday in some cute pots I won at Pokeno last year.  Tom used some with dinner last night - how fun.  We'd love to have a real garden someday.  Someday when we have kids that can really help us with it.  They were too busy playing to help me out yesterday and they still ended up covered in dirt and mud by the end of the day.  Ah, to be a kid.

Speaking of the little people, here they are in my office on Saturday morning, while I finished a couple of things for the site sale...

They're watching Disney channel on the TV that's up in the corner.  The life, I tell ya :)

Day off

So, did everyone have a good NSD?  I wish I could say that I spent the day scrapping, but since I was up almost the entire night again on Friday getting things ready for my Sale-abration (which is on through Mother's Day!) and I had the kids without Tom this past weekend, I was just doing all I could to keep my eyes open most of the time.  I did manage to squeak this layout out last week, though.  It uses one of Jen's cute new templates and some Gina and Jenn goodies.  Hoping to find some more time this week to finish up layouts with my new kit and quick fills.

Tom came back home last night and we all decided to take the day off today.  It's supposed to be 77 and we have so much yard work to do, so we'll be enjoying the weather and making the yard pretty.  Hoping to get some of my deck pots filled with flowers, too.  Can't think of a better way to spend Mother's Day then relaxing on a pretty and fragrant deck.

Speaking of Mother's Day, Tom already gave me my present - without the girls - without it being wrapped - lol.  It was a total surprise and I'm super excited to get it open and try it out - review coming soon :)

Ok, off to start our day - have a great one!

Happy NSD!

In honor of National Scrapbook Day, my entire shop is 40% off for a limited time!  This huge sale includes 4 NEW products: a brand new set of Antique Frame Quick Fills, an Easter Double Feature, a sketched out new alpha and a very cool new paper pack. 

Also, be sure to stop by here for a FREE May Desktop!

Have a wonderful day everyone! :)

May Day

I've always felt some weird kind of cosmic connection with the month of May, and May Day, in particular.  Maybe it's because it's my birth month or because it's the month where we can finally welcome Spring in Chicago without worry of a freak snowstorm (usually), or maybe I've just always secretly hoped to find a pretty Maypole that I could dance around - lol.  Seriously, there is something about that pole that I absolutely love - could just be all of that gorgeous ribbon.  I love the idea of leaving May baskets on your neighbors' doors, too - how sweet.  So, Happy May Day to you!

Of course, I couldn't think of a better month to celebrate National Scrapbook Day or Mother's Day.  In honor of both, I scrapped a little something for my self this week - a layout heavily inspired by Stacie Prinzo's beautiful layout.  Everything is from this pretty new kit, which is available starting today.

I pulled an almost all-nighter last night working on goodies for my shop.  I'm feeling it today, but I can't tell you how good it felt to finally get in a groove and make some things that I'm really proud of.  I've got lots more to finish up and package before I can release them in time for NSD weekend - yeahoo!

We did make it out to BR last night and, although the line was out the door, the firefighters serving the ice cream were very fast, so we didn't have to wait long at all.  $2.66 for 8 scoops of ice cream was the steal of the century, and for a great cause.  The girls loved our little surprise outing.

And my parents LOVED my rosemary chicken (that I seared with Su's help).  The garlic olive oil juice that the chicken cooked in was SO good.  Definitely my best meal so far.  Next up is a roast and then some pork dishes - otherwise I'm afraid I might start clucking - lol.

 

I was just telling my friend, Emily, yesterday that I did some research on food photography last week, since I was hoping to improve the pics that are going into my recipe album.  Three of the most helpful things I learned were:

1. Don't photograph food from up above.  Something about making it look flat and not as appetizing.

2. Don't use a flash.  I try not to in almost all circumstances, but when it comes to food photography, it flattens everything out and creates unappealing shiny spots.

3. Move around the food and take lots of pics at different angles.

I'm usually in such a rush to eat the food, that I take a few quick pics and I'm done with it.  So, I've been working on taking my time and trying to get a couple of good ones before digging in.

Tast-E

Rosemary week continues and these potatoes were sooo yummy last night.  I wanted to make them with meatloaf, but since Tom hates it and we had a few burger buns left, we grilled burgers instead.  I made about a pound of potatoes and we ate them between the two of us - sooo tasty.

Like that paper there?  Coming soon! :)

I've been working like a madwoman this week and only wish I had 24 more hours in the day to accomplish all that I'd like to.  Gotta do what I can, though!

So, what did everyone think of Idol last night?  I'm honestly growing tired.  I love the show and I know I complain about it every year, but how can you expect 20 something year old kids to sing such old songs and still sound "relevant" and "contemporary"?  David does it, because he actually has talent with arranging music, but it is, afterall, a singing competition, so should they really have to know how to rearrange old songs to make them sound halfway decent?  Irks me. 

Tom was telling me that the show's ratings are down big time and that they're considering letting Ryan go, which I think is a big mistake.  Just let them sing whatever they want and I'm sure the ratings would go up.  Jumping off my soapbox now.

How about some crazy video of Jack not wanting to walk?  LOL  We actually took this last night and Jack was in a very spastic mood.  The end shows promise, though...

Walking practice from Heather Melzer on Vimeo.

PS - If you're anywhere near a Baskin-Robbins tonight - don't miss this!  I see a couple of scoops of Gold Medal Ribbon with my name on them!  Then again, yikes!

Loch Ness nonsense

Since we were too busy to get a movie night in last weekend and it was too rainy/snowy to play outside last night (don't even go there!), we decided to have a Monday Night Movie Night. 

The girls loved this one.  It was like E.T. replaced with the Loch Ness Monster.  A little scary in some spots, but they were ok.  They loved seeing the "water horse" grow up and kept yelling "he goes in the bathtub!!!", after seeing the scene on the main menu.

Ali's treat was so perfect, that I decided to go with it (that girl is insanely creative).  I picked up the cute plastic bowls at Target and filled them with blue Jello, Cool Whip (the girls new favorite) and crushed up Nilla wafers.  I explained to the girls that the blue Jello was water that was crashing onto the sandy beach and that the cool whip was waves.  The pistachio was the egg that the little boy found on the beach. 

"Can we eat it?" 

"I don't think a baby water horse would taste very good, but if you really want to try it..." 

"Ewwww, gross!" 

Oh, the fun we have :)

    

 

That's Jack helping himself to an entire box of Club crackers - his favorite ;)

Movie night started after I cooked one of the fanciest dinners yet (no laughing, please).  I have leftover rosemary and thyme from Sunday's dinner, so I'm planning to make the most of it this week.  It's amazing what some fresh herbs will do for a meal. 

I tried this recipe and was pretty convinced I was going to screw it up.  Not because I have horrible self-esteem or anything, but because my track record kind of speaks for itself - ya think?  Spinach is one of Tom's favorites, so he really enjoyed this one.  The tin foil package didn't puff up like it was supposed to (think I need some longer foil) but it still cooked beautifully.  I think it would have looked more appetizing if it were seared first, but I have no idea if it would still cook the same - anyone?

Of course, now that I'm cooking almost every night, Tom's complaining that he's gaining weight.  I fail to see how eating chicken breasts almost every night instead of an entire frozen pizza would be bad for his waist line, but what do I know.  I think he just needs something to complain about ;)

One thing I'm not complaining about it the fact that I scrapped TWO layouts yesterday!  Jen has some new templates coming out for NSD and they made for super cute/quick layouts - my favorite.  I'll share those later this week (along with that video that Tom didn't have time to upload last night with all of our movie madness).

Have a happy Tuesday - go David! 

PS - Has he lost a ton of weight since the show started, or is it just me?

A weekend of firsts

While Tom and his Dad wired recessed lights in the basement and Jack power napped, the girls and I worked on their very first scrapbook projects! :) 

I had their disposable cameras from Easter developed and put the pictures into 4x6 plastic albums ($1.99 at Target).  Then I removed the front and back cover sheets, cut new ones out of paper they picked and let them decorate them.  We worked on them for at least an hour and the girls had so much fun.  They were so excited to bring them to school today to show their friends and teachers.  I had originally planned to have them scrap each pic into a full Easter album, but that would have taken longer than their attention would have allowed, I think.  This was the perfect little project for them.  If only they had digital cameras that took good quality pics and couldn't easily be broken (still hunting for those).

The next first involves my handsome little man.  We happened to catch it on video, but it's on the real video camera, that I don't know how to get on the computer, so hopefully Tom can do that tonight.  Here are some pics of him from this past weekend to tide you over :)

 

He got his haircut on Saturday (kid needs it like once a month) and Tom spiked it with his hair gel.  He smelled like a little man! 

He has changed so much in the last week.  His little personality is emerging and it's so fun to see.  He's started shaking his head no when we tell him no (and he shakes it SO fast - flippin' hysterical).  He also LOVES to be outside and he watched his sisters play in the backyard for a long time before we bundled him out and took him, too.  (That would be a 24 month shirt he's wearing, too - at 10 months old.  Cra-z.)

Aside from the excitement, I went to a shower for my second cousin on Saturday and did some unsuccessful croc hunting on Friday (but now we have sizes down so I can order online).  We also tried a recipe for steak fries that turned out ehh.  We used the same spice mixture on some sirloin burgers, though, and that was dee-licious.  The angel food cake with cool whip and strawberries wasn't half bad either - yum!

Allright, back to work I go.  National Scrapbook Day is this weekend, so I'll be celebrating with new goodies in my shop and a nice big SALE - stay tuned!