:: A Winter Welcome ::

WOW is the only way I can describe the weather outside today . . . I am sitting at home bundled up in my snowboard pants and a sweat shirt as I look out my studio window and watch the snow blow outside. The first snowfall of the winter for us here in Lethbridge was a pleasent experience, it dusted the ground lightly and was gone within a few days when the chinook winds blew in from the west. But today is a new day . . . my car is drifted in, I can see patches of my walkway in front of my house whereas other patches are close to 3' high . . . gotta love snowy and windy Lethbridge. If you have ever been to Lethbridge you understand what I mean (especially right at the moment). When wind and snow mix together it becomes a bloody nightmare! If the snow just fell and piles up that would be fine, I could shovel the sidewalk periodically and the walls of snow would build but at least I could get where I am going outside . . . the snow and I could coincide with each other peacefully.

This is not the case, I as dream of being in another place and time this is what I am challenged with:





I can honestly say the images clearly do not do the weather outside my window justice, but you get the idea. It's a blizzard with 45 km winds it is pretty much completely pointless at this point in time to try and shovel my walkway when the snow just blows right back over where it was shoveled 5 mins prior. However I am thankful that the snow here is light and dry and venturing outside does not leave me soaked from head to toe like my native Vancouver Island snowfalls.

To add the bliss I know as Alberta winters (sense the sarcasm) Brad's 4x4 which is our only mode of transportation during times like this is now in the shop with the motor being taken apart (with 36 hours of repair time ahead for Brad, did I say THANK GOD HE'S A MECHANIC!). Needless to say when it rains it pours . . . I know the blessings will come, until then I will pray the nothing else bad comes my way . . .

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

:: Its been a while ::

Hi fellow bloggers,

I am sorry I haven't been posting to regularly . . . it's been a busy couple of months. So is everyone as excited for the holiday season as me? Brad and I are going to leave Lethbridge on the 22nd of December to head to the beautiful Vancouver Island to spend this Christmas with my family in Duncan. I am very excited about it and have already begun to pray for good weather during our travels through the mountains. Driving isn't our first choice for transportation during the winter months but at this time Brad and I can't afford to fly so we going to make the best of it and drive the 16 hours. Who doesn't love a good road trip anyways.

In June when I was on the island for Mikey's Graduation I drove by myself to the island and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. It was nice to have 16 hours alone with my thoughts and I spent a good majority of the time listening to an audio book I had borrowed from the Library called "The Host". I the book was written by the same author as the Twilight series Stephenie Meyer and I am proud to report it was also an amazing book! I was hesitant to read it to begin with thinking I wouldn't like it's more futuristic plot line but I was astonished at how much I liked it, even loved it! I recommend it highly as a good read if you have read the Twilight series and are looking for a book that will even compare with the emotional attachment you had with the Twilight series this is the book to read. It has nothing to do about vampires or is even remotely similar to twilight, new moon, eclipse or breaking dawn but it is equally as engaging.



Here is a link to the book, if you are interested in learning more:The Host

Now that I am in the mood to talk about books A few other on my list to buy and or read are:

1. House of Night series (now in costco, the first 6 books in the series, apparenltly there are 12 in total), The books are called:

* Marked, 1st Book


* Betrayed , 2nd Book
* Chosen, 3rd Book
* Untamed, 4th Book
* Hunted, 5th Book
* Tempted, 6th Book
* Burned, 7th Book (April 27, 2010)
* Stolen, 8th Book
* Burdened, 9th Book
* Touched, 10th Book
* Cloaked, 11th Book
* Wanted, 12th Book

2. Listography, anyone who loves making lists like myself, YOU NEED THIS BOOK to create lists but in a memorable way.



3. 1000 Fonts.


I think everyone who has any interest in design should own this book, because all truly good design has good typography! you can have a beautiful magazine cover and add bad typography and ruin the whole thing. Brad often thinks I am crazy cause I can name most fonts i see used around town on tv etc. It is my personal goal to be able to learn a font a day for the next year. I know this may sound weird to most people out there but Typography is my passion and I would love to be more of a type naming genius then I can already be credited for! Show me a type and I'll give you it's name!

Well I think that is all I have to share at the moment, until we meet again please post book suggestions too and any comments on the ones I mentioned I would love to know what you who are listening think!

enjoi!

My Beautiful Babies . . .

So I recently borrowed my friends very expensive camera for some freelance work and I decided since I had it handy I would capture some shots of my growing family . . . aka my animals Georgia, Snaggle, Burton and our newest edition (she came with the addition of Brad aka the marriage lol) Shelby. Our 2 dogs and 2 cats.

Each animal has such a wonderful personality I wanted to capture each of them just the way they are today so I can always remember each one of them. Here are the photos:

Burton
Burton is a purebred Beagle. Good-natured, full of energy, great with people, LOVES TO BARK (not a good thing, for us and neighbors), always can count on him for a good cuddle and to sneak up onto the bed numerous times during the night even after being constantly pushed off. Burton lives to the tune of his own drum, often reminds me of myself . . . he is not very obedient, loud and doesn't take orders without a little bit of a fight, but at the same time he is sweet and so darn cute it's hard to be mad at him for long.



Shelby
Shelby is a purebred Border Collie. She is very shy and passive except when it comes to sharing her food. She is strong and happy and listens very well without having to ask twice. She is smart and protective and just a very easy-going dog. She is Brad's farm dog who has adapted to our home life in town very well and I think she enjoys having a place to finally settle down at.



Georgia
Georgia is a beautifully coloured orange cat. Contrary to the name Georgia is a BOY. And he is also an American! My mother spent 5 years living in Atlanta, Georgia on the East coast of the US, while living there her friend saved 2 kittens from getting put down and my mother always being creative with the names of things named them Georgia and Snagglepuss. I asked my mom later "Why did you name the boy Georgia mom?" and she replied "after the red Georgian dirt Steph." To this day I still don't quite get why we just didn't just call him Dirt then . . . anyways Georgia is a "simple" cat, I think his name has left him with some issues and he does funny things all the time which I can't explain. He is my little mountain lion. Georgia likes to cuddle and is the friendliest out of all the animals. He has no fear and will approach anyone to say hi. He is a great cat, when he has to go pee he goes outside, when he needs to seat he lets me know and when my car rounds the courner to park in front of the house after work he always comes running to greet me. I love this cat!



Snaggle
Snaggle is the little sister to Georgia. She is my princess. It is hard for most to beieve but her and Georgia are in fact from the same litter, however are polar opposites, she is white and small and he is huge and orange. Snaggle despite her not so pretty name is a delicate and gentle cat. She is friendly when she is similar with you and is easily frightened with new people and new things going on around her. The photo below sums up the essence that is "Snaggle". I was trying to get a good photo of her but instead am left with the photo below, although blurry I think it is perfect. Snaggle was afraid of the camera and every time the flash went off she bolted. She is a very good-natured cat, she is kind and sweet and like to cuddle and be held on her own schedule and not yours. She is the hunter and always leaves "presents" on my front step. And I can always count on her greeting me at my car door after work too!



Enjoi.

Baby Naomi

October 6, 2009. Naomi Lynn Gary was born.

I am blessed to be an aunty again! (My twin cousin and maid of honour Erika welcomed her 4th child) I know this post is a little late but like I said in the previous post life has been a little busy.

While I was in BC to see my grandpa I was also able to meet for the first time my very newborn neice Naomi Lynn. Erika Gave birth while grandpa was in the hospital and was actually on the same floor too so when I arrived on Wednesday October 7th, I was able to also slip in and see her too. I am happy I was able to share in her arrival with Erika and Reed too. God has good timing I guess. Here is a photo my aunt Joanne took in the hospital the night I arrived when I met Naomi for the first time:

My appologies . . .

I am sending my sincere appologies out to all of my blog followers, It has been to long since my last post! But here I am now and I have a lot to share with you.

It has been a long month to say the least. I have been emotionally and physically exhausted, and I would like to share with you some of the ups and downs of the past month.

Well at the beginning of the month work was busy, we had just put our publication SAM to bed and then I had a huge advertising campaign that had to be completed in one day. We had not planned the ad campaign to be designed in one day but due to the publication taking up a bunch of time and me myself planning to head back to the coast for thanksgiving, time ran out and I had 24 hours to complete the campaign of aprox. 48 ads! Yes I am not kidding 48 ads!! (I have talked more about the ad campaign and the publication in my previous posts)

I didn't think it was possible but Jana and I completed the campaign, I had to pull an all-nighter and almost cried from exhaustion but we did it and I can now add "48 ads in 24hrs" to my list of accomplishments, although i don't want to ever do that again and I mean NEVER!

Anyways now I have my designs on the sides of buses, bus shelters and billboard from here to Edmonton and I feel a little proud ...

So after the ad campaign was completed I was off to the coast for Thankgiving and to more importantly see my Grandpa.

I had planned my trip to BC about a month prior after finding out my grandpa had in-operable liver cancer. They had given him six months to live and I really felt like I had to get there as soon as I could so I booked my trip, only to receive a call 3 days before I was to fly out to BC that my grandpa was hospitalized and he wasn't going to make it too much longer. I have thanked God everyday since for giving me the guidance and opportunity to come sooner then Christmas (which is when Brad and I had originally planned on going to the coast). When I flew in on Wednesday evening I rushed from Victoria straight to the Cowichan Valley Hospital in Duncan so I could say goodbye to my gramps. And I am more then happy to say I was able to do that, when I arrived at the hospital I was able to hold his hand and he said "I am glad you are here now I can go" then gramps went to sleep. I didn't get the hear his voice again as we all sat beside him for the next day and a bit, we shared memories and spent some really great time as a family together. Then Friday morning he left our world to be with the Lord. I am really going to miss him . . .

So the following week was spent planning and preparing for the memorial and celebration of his life. It was a hard week but I am truly blessed that even though it was a time of great loss God blessed me with the opportunity to reconnect with my family on my dad's side. I was able to remember how much I really and truly love my family and how blessed I am to have each and everyone one of them in my life. God is amazing and I was reminded of that.

I built a slideshow for my grandpa's memorial and I would like to share it with you now, he was a good man and I was not surprised so many people got up to speak about his and remember him at the memorial. He will be missed by many . . .

:: Exciting Projects :: SAM

As most as you have probably already gathered I am a designer or an "artiste" for those of you who know me well, so bare with me as I have been writing a lot about work latley and design projects I am working on currently. Lately I have had the opportunity to work on some really great projects, some of the projects have become like my children and one in particular I am expecting in the mail anyway!!

In a designers life there are moments that are like Christmas at least a half dozen times a year and I am hoping today or Monday is one of those days. I am awaiting the arrival of SAM. SAM is not a person but rather the magazine I just spent the last solid month working on. SAM is the premier addition of the University of Lethbridge magazine, SAM is the new university magazine replacing or rather combining 2 previous publications that came out quarterly and annually into one super magazine that comes out three times a year. But this is the very first issue!! And it is due to arrive in the mail anyway! I cannot describe the feeling I have when the box arrives and I life the publication out off the box!! It's a make-my-day kind of feeling and it's exciting!

This publication is very exciting to me for many reasons . . . The photos are amazing and I had fun art directing with Rod Leland (www.rodleland.com) the publications feature photographer, we did this shot at 10:00pm at night in the coulees south of Lethbridge at the astronomy centre and all I can say is it is awesome!! Great work Rod! Secondly the publication is also amazing because I had the opportunity to have an old and very talented friend (Dale! www.dng23.com)from the coast do some custom illustrations for us for the Epigenetics section of the publication. and Thirdly I am reminded of all of the talented and remarkable people I have the chance to work with here at the University every time I open the book.

SAM rocks! I will post a link to the publication one we have it online! so stay posted! Until then here is a tiny sneak of the cover! with a painting featured from or University of Lethbridge Art Collection.

Going Provincial!!

As a kid I always wanted to be an artist, then in high school I defined it more specifically to a "Commercial Artist". The in University I realized I wanted to be a "Designer" and not a "Visual Artist" I wanted to be the designer behind magazine layouts, kick-ass advertising campaigns and truly great logos. And in the back of my mind I always had a little wish list of projects I wanted to work on throughout my career as little one offs just to say I did. Things like, design a giant check, create a billboard, make something with a die-cut, use metallic ink, embossing, and foil stamping, design an entire magazine from scratch, and design the side of a bus!

The best part about looking back on my short but sweet career so far is that I have to start a new list of "to-dos" already. In the past 4 years I have been able to check all of the above off my list and on the 19th I am going provincial!! I love my job! (most days)

On the 19th of October we are launching a advertising campaign for the recruitment department on campus working with Pattison Advertising my design will now be spread through southern Alberta on the sides of buses, on bus shelters and on billboards! (I had already completed campaigns in Edmonton and northern Alberta in previous years)

So needless to say It is pretty exciting to be able to drive to Calgary and see stuff you have designed. I am truly blessed.

Everyday I am thankful that I had a teacher named Mrs. Faulks in High school that taught me to follow my passion and that Art didn't just have to be a hobby. She inspired me and molded me into the artist I am today. Thanks Mrs. Faulks!

Chester Creative on Facebook!

Hi everyone!

I wanted to send out a quick and shameless self promotion for my freelance design business Chester Creative! We are now on Facebook, so become a fan!! Try this link or search for "Chester Creative" on Facebook.

I am currently working on collecting all of my recent work into one place and thought I would start a page on Facebook for my business while I work on updating my current website/portfolio (www.chestercreative.com). I hope to keep my Facebook page updated with my recent work in the meantime, so please take a peak and let me know what you think and if you know someone in need of some design work pass along my name.

I know this is shameless self-promotion but I would love feedback, support and to pay off some wedding bills ;) God-willing I will continue to pursue my passion and the talents God gave me.

Thanks for Listening!

Enjoi

Goodbye Summer of 2009 . . .

This summer was a summer to remember for me and my family. So many things have been happening and/or have happened in the last few months, that it seems like someone has hit fast forward to the summer of 2009.

Brad and I have been married 51 days today, can you believe it! I spent the last year planning our wedding and on August 9th it was all over. Now we are married and adjusting to married life as best as to be expected. I love the guy but I do feel like a babysitter somedays ;) Everyone says the first year is the hardest and now i kinda can agree although I can't really say it's been hard yet just more of an adjustment and training period ;) Other then the dirty piles of clothes, open stale bags of chips and cans everywhere I guess I have very little to complain about so far ;)

All-in-all married life is good! great even just wish I could now hire a maid!

This summer My brother also started University at the University of Victoria and My twin cousin erika is expecting her 4th!

What is with this time of year and for a metter of fact this last year . . . I have had a running total of pregnant friends and as soon as one friend pops the baby out another is preggo. I think at one point in time I had 18 preggo friends now I believe the number has gone down. And a matter of fact it is looking good for the girls of the class of 2027, cause my friends have been having a lot of boys in the mix of it all. lets recap:

1. Alanna = Noah (Girl)
2. Alesha = Bensyn (Boy)
3. Jamie = Finley (Girl)
4. Ariel = Cameron (Boy)
5. Erin = Emery (Boy)
6. Chelsea = Aalia (Girl)
7. Sarah = Soren (Boy)
8. Mica = Daniel (Boy)
9. Lana = Daniel (Boy)
10. Kerry = Chloe (Girl)

Baby's still to come:
11. Jeanine =
12. Andrea =
13. Erika =
14. Caley =
15. Jana J. =
16. "Secret" =
17. Alisha =
18. Mia =

I will keep this list updated, as a few of the above are ready to pop and day! I guess I must be at the age in my life when all of my friends are having babies! crazyiness!!

:: Tis the Season :: The season of Premieres that is!

As I say good bye to summer, I look forward to fall for a few reasons . . . New school year rush of people, Lots of back to school events and TV SHOW SEASON PREMIERES!!!

I don't claim to be a couch potato but I do like the fall when all my shows come back again and I don't have to watch re-runs anymore. I often have a couple of shows I watch religiously througout the year, but this year with the addition of a PVR in our basment and an onslaught of new and fantastic shows I am forseeing a lot of gym time to make up for all of the show watching I have scheduled. I know it's sad isn't it . . . lol

Here are the highlights to all of the great new and old shows I have on my radar:

1. One Tree Hill: Season Premiere TONIGHT! More Info
2. Gossip Girl: Season Premiere TONIGHT! More Info
3. Vampire Diaries: NEW SHOW PREMIERED LAST WEEK THURSDAY. Ps. to all of the twilight fans out there you will LOVE this show! More Info
4. Grey's Anatomy: Season Premire SEPT. 24 More Info
5. The Office: Season Premiere SEPT. 17
6. 90210: PREMIRED LAST WEEK TUESDAY More Info
7. ANTM: PREMIERED LAST WEEK WEDNESDAY More Info
8. Criminal Minds: Season Premiere SEPT. 23 More Info
9. Degrassi: The Next Generation: Season Premiere OCT. 4 More Info
10. Three Rivers: Season Premiere OCT. 4 More Info
11. Private Practice: Season Premiere SEPT. 17 More Info
12. House: Season Premiere SEPT. 21 More Info

What do you like to watch?

:: Fab Finds :: Photo Editing Galore

So over the past few weeks I have been working on editing down and organizing the gazillion photos my photographer took for our wedding. I have been experimenting with different editing techniques I have found on other blogs and photography websites. and I have found a ton of cool and amazing things you can do in Photoshop to make your photos go from Fine to Fantastic!! My creative brain juices have be awakened and I have a sudden erg to explore deeper into the world of photo editing then I ever have before.

I have only done one photo edit that I am in love with so far, which seems like very little but I have been mostly reading and learning a lot and doing a lot of testing and playing around so far. And I thought I would share the fab finds with you!

Here is the before and after of the ONE photo from our wedding I have finished so far. I am going to use this photo to send with our thank-you cards which i am also in the midst of writing right now.

Before, unedited, straight from the eye of the camera lens (which I might add is a great photo, I just wanted to adjust the colours):



AND After:



I know the differences are subtle but I am happy with what I was able to do with the colours or the sky and the wheat without it looking unnatural.

If you are interested in learning some techniques yourself check out this webite cause she is amazing!:

thepioneerwoman.com

Fresh Fest 2009

So recently I have been doing a lot of fun freelance projects. For those of you who don't know I have my own business aside from my Full-time job at the University of Lethbridge. My business is called Chester Creative (and will not be changing even though I am now a Karsten. The "artist" in me will always be a Chester.) You can check out my site at www.chestercreative.com or become a fan on facebook (just search 'chester creative')

I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of amazing clients since starting my business officially in 2007. The best part about it all is that I have not had to advertise yest and all of my business has been through word of mouth which makes it that much better cause I get to work with people who know of have already seen my work and come to me because I am me and they like my work. Anyways I did have a point for this post . . . beside shameless self-promotion . . .

Recently I did up a series of posters for the Students' Union here at the U of L, and I wanted to share them with all of you for entertainment purposes, cause they are funny and quirky and just plain cute. and I love them! So for some visual treats today here you go . . . enjoi!



As you can tell the theme was Lemons, a fresh fantastic fruit.

:: Family :: All grown up.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I plan to get back on daily posting, as my mind has been filling up with many things to write about and share. The last weeks have been a whirlwind of good news, bad news, sad news, happy news and so forth. My mind has been working overtime at work and I am finding instead of being drained of creativity, my mind is doing the opposite, I have so many creative ideas floating around and post-it notes everywhere with doodles and scribbles and notes.

Anyways, I will be sure to keep you entertained for the next while you can be sure of that.

So this past week my little brother Mike started University (UVic). He moved in to Residence, left the nest and started what I expect will be some of the best years of his life. (They were for me, and that is why I love that I still work at a University and can feel somewhat still connected to that part of my past.)

For all of you who know me well it will come as no surprise that this week was an emotional week for me. I wish I could have been there to watch my brother start University and am sad that I missed it and reminded of how hard it is to live so far from my family and my brother Mikey. I haven't missed an important event yet until now, which is something I know I am going to have to learn to live with but it'll take time. Simply this week I missed my brother and my childhood home.

So my brother is all grown-up and I couldn't be more proud of the man he is becoming! I am as proud as a big sister could be of her not-so-little anymore brother!

So congrats Bro! I wish you all the best in the years to come, may you make great memories, challenge yourself, grow into the person I know you'll be, laugh often and take a big breath and enjoy University and working towards your dreams!

Love you Bro, your the best!

From little to big, where did time go . . .

The Big Day

So I know I have promised this and here it is . . . our wedding photos!! take a peak and enjoi! Thanks Michael Warf for doing such a wicked job!

:: Randomness :: All things new and exciting

So the last couple of days have been a whirlwind of sorts. Work has been super busy and so have side projects and to top it all off today I have to run home and prepare my kitchen for a NEW STOVE!! I know that you may be thinking, what is so good about a new stove . . . well have I got news for you!! After living with on fully functional burner and sharing that burner with room mates for the last 7 months, I am more then excited that by this time tomorrow I will be cooking on a fully functioning, 5-burner, convection oven, steam cleanable stove!! isn't it a beauty:



Yesterday was an interesting day too, I had a photoshoot at 10p.m. last night with Rod Leland a local photographer that has been working with Communications (the department that I work for at the University) for some time now. Right now we are in the midst of shooting all of the photos for the NEW SAM Magazine, which I am designing. It's a pretty exciting time right now as we all work on the various aspects of the magazine and I really get to see it "come to life" so to speak.

The photo shoot late last night went great and we ended up getting an awesome shot! You may be asking why a photo shoot in the dark? well Rod had a great idea and his photo is worth a thousand words . . .



And that is just the test and not the final photo! Isn't it awesome!! Great job ROD!! I love it!! To check out more of Rod's work take a peak here: www.rodleland.com (shameless friend promotion)

Last but not least I am also very excited that I get my Wedding photos from my wedding photographer and friend Michael Warf this evening!!!! Everyone keeps telling me to post more photos of the big day but I was holding off for the photos Michael took! So low and behold tomorrow I will post the photos so keep an eye out for the fantablous work of Michael Warf (another shameless friend promotion, check out www.michaelwarf.com)and the beautiful faces of myself and my hubby Brad!!

Till tomorrow,
Enjoi

Randomness :: Video experimentation . . .

So I found this application online, it's called Animoto. It allows you to upload photos, add music and merge it all into a pretty cool interactive video. I have uploaded a "short" below. They allow you to create a video short that is 30s long for free and after that you can purchase a 1-year subscription for $30 or pay $3 per full-length video. I am awaiting the photos from my wedding at the moment but once I have them I will be testing out the full-length video option. I am quite excited and I think it will make the perfect thank-you gift for my grandparents and other out-of-town family that couldn't make it to the wedding and for the rest of us sentimental people (my mom and me)as a great keep sake!

you can create your own video to, just sign up here.

Take a peak at my "short" i think it's super!

Randomness :: Reminds me of my Burton ;)

If any of you have had the pleasure of meeting my little cutie hell-child of a dog Burton, then you will find this even funnier then most:

Hyperactive Dogs Ruin Adoption @ Yahoo! Video

lol I am still laughing! Reminds me so much of my own life and my very cute but nutso dog Mr. Burton Karsten:

:: Randomness :: 3's of ME

So I see this circulating all over my friends pages on Facebook, and I thought why not post it myself during my downtime at lunch on a Friday . . . so here you go:

Three names I go by:
1. Chester
2. Stephi
3. Stephonya

Three jobs I've had
1. Art Director (Navigator Newspaper)
2. Green Thumb (Homestead Farm and Garden)
3. Senior Communications Designer (University of Lethbridge)

Three places I have lived:
1. Sathlam, BC
2. Waterton, AB
3. Lethbridge, AB

Three Favorite Drinks
1. Arizona Iced Green Tea
2. Iced Tea (Canadian Style)
3. Water

Three TV shows I watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. One Tree Hill
3. The Office

Three places I have visited:
1. Atlanta, Georgia
2. New York City, New York
3. Las Vegas, Nevada

People that phone me regularly:
1. Brad
2. Dad, Mom and Mikey
3. Erika & Reed

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Steak & Potatoes
2. Chicken Stirfry
3. Creamy Curry Chicken Penne

Three pets that I've had:
1. Max
2. Ben
3. Burton

Three places I want to visit before I die:
1. Greece
2. Hawaii
3. Scotland

What are you 3's? Comment and let me know!

:: Randomness :: Vegas Baby!!

After the wedding Brad and I planned a "mini honeymoon" in Vegas. We want to go somewhere hot in the winter so we saved our time off for a longer honeymoon then, but we still wanted to get away for a little bit to spend time together and get away from the everyday and just enjoy being newlyweds for a few days. So we went to VEGAS BABY!!
I would hardly say Vegas turned out to be anything but relaxing but it sure was fun. We had a lot of things we wanted to do and see in Vegas we spent the majority of our time walking, driving and sightseeing in Vegas. Here is a list of what we did in 3 days!

1. Visited the Hoover Dam in our awesome (complimentary) convertible rental car!
2. Stood in 2 states at once (in the middle of the Hoover Dam)
3. Cruised the Vegas "Strip" at night. 4. Watched the Fredmont Light show in 'Old Vegas"
5. Went to the "Bodies" exhibit at the Luxor
6. Went to the "Titanic" exhibit at the Luxor
7. Say Cirque du Soleil - KA . . . can I say Amazing!
8. Swam in one of the like 20 pools at our hotel (MGM Grand)
9. Walked what I believe was like 2km to our hotel room at least 5 times a day in our huge hotel! that will teach me to forget anything in hotel room ever again! (we were in room 7-522).
10. Rode the New York New York roller-coaster.
11. Shopped at the Las Vegas Outlet Mall!
12. Went to Toby Keith's Bar, and rocked the dance floor when the live band called us the "newlyweds" onto the dance floor then we were later comped almost our complete meal and drinks!
13. Got a little tipsy on one of those huge plastic cups that i saw everyone carring around on the strip so I had to have one!! BAD IDEA I again know why I do not drink, my stomach and booze to not agree with eachother (I stuck to water and juice the rest of the trip!)
14. Peaked in at Coyote Ugly - Las Vegas and bought a shirt!
15. Ate breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe, Drank tons of Starbucks and enjoyed the famous Vegas Buffet at our hotel.
16. Rode the Monorail.
17. Watched the outdoor Pirate show at TI (Treasure Island) and watched some drunk teenager jump in the 'ocean' in front of TI and get grabbed and taken away by security
18. Got heatstroke and felt sick

and I did all of that with my wonderful new Husband which made it crazy but great all at the same time!! What a great time we had and we both look forward to going back soon to take in all of the stuff we wanted to do but just didn't have the time too this time around. I never thought I would say this but Vegas is not what I expected and was a lot of fun! I would go back again in a heartbeat!

:: Randomness :: I'm Back and a Mrs.

Hi everyone who is listening . . . I am sorry I kinda fell off the face of the blogging world for the last couple of weeks! I had a little thing called a wedding to attend too and the madness that follows and a honeymoon and so forth. But here I am back and back blogging! I would like to announce I am now Mrs. Stephenie KARSTEN, in God's eyes only (and my chiropractor's) at least until I get my marriage licence in the mail and change all of my identification etc. (which will frankly take months, as I have 26 years of ID to change.) Nevertheless I am now happily married, in love and loving waking up every morning to my wonderful husband Brad. Life is good!

Here is a little photo recap of the last couple weeks:

The beautiful centerpieces:




The wedding:














Well that is all for now until I get my photos all organized, but stay tuned I will post soon to share with all of you the decorations, the details and all of the other fun stuff from the rest of mine and Brad's wonderful day!

enjoi!

:: Wedding Stuff :: The BEST Wedding Entrance

I friend just sent this to me at work and I have to post it! As mine and Brad's wedding is approaching fast, I feel inspired by this video! It needs no introduction just watch . . .


Jill and Kevin's Unexpected Wedding Entrance - Watch more Funny Videos

LOVE IT!

:: Fab Finds :: Finger Drums

Okay So I found these cute little gadgets on www.thinkgeek.com and I just had to post them along with their demonstration photo which is super funny, or at least to me. To be honest it brings back some of the memories I have from University and some of the crazy things we had and did! Feast your eyes on these:



You can buy the Finger Drums here for $24.99 USD. Watch the supporting video, you may just LOL (Laugh Out Loud like I did, literally):

:: Fab Finds :: CableDrop Cable Clips

So it's been a while since I last posted, I have been busy doing wedding stuff as my wedding is fast approaching (only 11 days away now) and there are endless things I need to do.

However in my moments of spare time I have found a few really need although probably kinda geeky things! The first is the fabulous CableDrop Cable Clips! I don't know about you but my studio at home is a mess! I have my computer set up there with numerous external hard drives, printers, speakers, scanners and the list goes on. I wouldn't go as far to say I am a techy or anything although honestly I probably am. I try so hard to keep the wires and things that need to be plugged in to a minimum but have come to realize that is nevr going to happen. I have our house set-up on a wireless network so I can use my work laptop anywhere in the house and I also have my Xbox 360 set up wirelessly and connected to my computer wirelessly so that Brad and I can Watch movies I have downloaded on our bigger screen t.v. downstairs (I have my 50" tv upstairs and Brad has our 61" downstairs in the "man cave" lol). Anyways I have come to accept my desk will never be as neat and tidy as I would like so i think these CableDrop Cable Clips are perfect.

Arn't they soo cute, and i won't have to worry about my cords falling off the back of my desk and getting wedge inbetween my heavy solid cherry desk and the wall! No more gymnastics to get the fallen cords anymore! www.thinkgeek.com sells them online for $9.99USD.

they can be used for other things too see:

:: Wedding Stuff :: First Dance Song take 2

Okay so I have had about a week to listen to both songs I had posted about earlier on here for our first dance song . . . and well I love the song Brad choose, and the fact that it represents the way he feels about me makes me get all mushy, so I think we have a winner and get ready for the waterfalls that will be flowing from my eyes ;)

Just thought I would update you!

:: In Love :: Typographic clocks

As many of you may already know I love Typography! and I also love home decor that uses Typography, for things such as wall art, clocks and other numerous things. Over the years I have been collecting images of clocks I love, in the hopes of one day having a clock wall with many beautiful and typographic clocks. I know that may sound kinda strange but these are the things i think about on an everyday basis and my excuse as always is "I'm an ARTIST!".

Here are some of the Clock I have found which I love!







If you love the clocks above as much as I do check out the following websites:

www.umbra.com
www.lumens.com
www.rigout.net
www.ochigo.co.uk

enjoi!

:: Randomness :: Home Trip June 2009

So recently I drove home for Mikey's Graduation! Can you believe it he is now a highschool graduate and this fall he will be a UVic engineering student! Where has the time gone! While I was home I also had time to catch up with long time friends and spend time with my favorite children in the world! . . . Simone, Levi and Mercedes! (My 2 neices and my one nephew all of which will be helping out at my wedding as my 2 flower girls and my little ring bearer boy!)

Here are some pics from the trip:

:: Mike's Grad Walk-up ::


Chris and Mike (on the right) "looking into the future".



:: The kids ::



Mercedes and I taking self-portraits



Simone (Oldest neice andf flowergirl)



Mercedes (Youngest neice and flowergirl)



Levi (my nephew and ring bearer)

:: Wedding Stuff :: The Favors

So I promised I would post photos of the favors we completed last night in Picture Butte! Thanks Ashley and Amanda for cooking us dinner and helping me (Queen of pickiness) finish up the favors in record time! I love you both!

Here is what the final products look like:



We (well I) decided to go with Jelly Belly beans in our colours (Blue/Teal, yellow, green and white) with mints thrown in just because everyone loves mints! I think they turned out great and am super excited to share them with all of our guests!

Let me know what you think!

:: Wedding Stuff :: 27 days and counting

So the countdown has really begun now! Under a month to go till I will be Mrs. Karsten! WEIRD! But good.

This week ahead is going to be a lot of fun! With Street Wheelers behind us (What a fun weekend!) now it is all about wedding stuff. Tomorrow I am going to Picture Butte to Bra'd sister's house to fill my favors (I will post pics tomorrow) and then Wednesday is the Lethbridge Family wedding shower, then on Saturday I have my hair trial, Make-up trial and my Stagette! So needless to say it is going to be a busy week!

To anyone who is reading, say a little prayer for me and Brad over the next month as things start coming together. All the big details were taken care of months ago but now it's all of the little things to remember (and there happens to be tons!)

I will post pics tomorrow of the favors (Which I love!)

Till then, enjoi!

:: Randomness :: Blog Name

So I thought I would clear up some questions about the blog name . . . At the moment I know the name may sound a little egotistical but that is not my intention. The name of my blog is based on a bible verse I hold close to my heart.

"²⁶God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.²⁷So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Genesis 1 : 26 - 27

I was (we all were) created in his likeness what could be more beautifully created then that!

:: Wedding Stuff :: First Dance Song

So as you may or may not know I am getting married in 31 days! Planning is in full-force and as most of you well know pretty much complete as I happen to be an organize-a-holic when it comes to event planning and even more so because it is my wedding day and the day I have been looking forward to for much of my life. So needless to say I want everything to be perfect!

For most of the wedding planning it has been a breeze to say the least, Brad has been very easy-going and supportive! Thank God for that!

We are at the point now where we are trying to nail down what songs we want to play for what parts of our wedding. The songs we do have picked out (Only 2 so far, one for the bridemaids to walk up to and one for me to walk up to) I LOVE and think capture who we are and what is important to us as a couple perfectly! I play them all the time and imagine what it is going to be like and the look on Brad's face the first time he sees me in my wedding dress! I love that part at weddings!

So here is the dilemma . . . . I thought we had choosen the PERFECT SONG for our first dance and then Brad put up another song up for discussion . . . . I know you may be thinking "okay so whats the big deal". Well we don't know which song to pick, Brad cast his vote for his song and I cast my vote for the origional song and we are deadlocked! I would love to say lets just pick another song that we both like but I just can't seem to let go of the origional song.

I know I am probably making a bigger deal out of this then I need to be but the facts are as follows: I am tired, worn-out and plain stressed out with getting ready and making everything perfect for the wedding. I want the wedding to be as perfect as it can be, including every single song! and finally I am emotional (as I assume Brides have the right to be a month before the wedding), picky, I just want things to be my way on my day.

I know it is our day technically but what Groom has fantisized over every last detail of there wedding for the past 26 years? I know I HAVE and I know if it were up to Brad we'd just elope! So the real question is: is it fair to settle on the details that do matter to me in order to let my wonderful soon-to-be husband get his way? I know the wedding matters to him as much as it does to me but do the details matter to him as much as they do to me? I'm gonna ask him!

I have set-up a vote on the right hand side of this blog for you all to cast your votes on which songs you like better, I have not listed them in any perticular order just so you won't know which song is my choice and which is his, so just vote for the one you like best.

Here is what I want for the song and here is what Brad wants for the song:

I want: 1. A song that will be uniquely us and I won't be hearing it someone elses wedding.
2. A song that makes me cry and really resonates with me
3. A song that doesn't require two-stepping (i have 2-left feet)
4. A song that is beautiful but not traditional

Brad wants: 1. A song that can be slow-danced to
2. A song that is romantic
3. A song that is true to how we feel about eachother

So as you can see I think we have similar things we want but also diffrent outlooks. So I would love to hear any comments and or suggestions!

Enjoi!

:: In Love :: Veer Merch

Okay so I promise this is my last post of the day, I have been meaning to get all of these posts up for months and finally this evening I put my foot down and decided to get the ball rollin'.

As many of you probably already know I LOVE TYPOGRAPHY and if you didn't know that well now count yourself as informed. I download typefaces all of the time and probably have over 5000 fonts on my computer. So yes we have established I love fonts and anything to do with them. I often find great fonts through a company called Veer (www.veer.com) and they also have Merch that any designer would die for too (although I do admit any non-designer may think it's a little geeky).

Like the above "KERN" Hoodie! hahah get it KERN! I love it!

Here is how they describe the Hoodie:

"Next time you have to explain kerning to a layman, you’ll have a live demo just a zip away. The soft navy blue fleece on this fitted, lightweight jogging jacket won’t pill. High quality twill appliqué means the white letters stitched in News Gothic Bold will stay in place, no matter how fast or far you race."

Do you have a yearning for Kerning? lol sooo geeky I LOVE IT! Enjoi

:: Fab Finds :: Mini Glass Mobiles

My friend at the office (Jana) found this cool little gadget on a site called Etsy (www.etsy.com) and she proudly displays it from her iMac in her office . . . . an I LOVE IT! It's a computer mobile made of glass beads and wire and she insists it "reduces eye strain". Which I can actually believe as it is sooo cute to look at why would you want to.

They range in price from $25.00 USD and Up depending on the size etc. and they are all one of a kind and hand-made in Portland Oregon.

Here is a little snippet from the artists shop page on Etsy.com:

"His name is Mobi - the mini mobil mobile!

I first made him as a gift for myself. Having lots of scraps around from making large glass mobiles, I was tempted to make myself a little miniature one for my car. The rear view mirror spins this little puppy like a gyroscope! Its so much fun!

They bring me smiles everyday - I had to share!

This one is a unique color arrangement - I thought it would be fun to offer these - SPECIAL ONLY THRU ETSY.COM - custom colors in the mini mobi!

This particular one is made of a funny glass that actually changes color. It looks kind of pink, sometimes green... I call it champagne - what it really does is reflect what ever spectrum of light it is picking up... so in the car it is absolutely amazing how it reflects the blue of the sky and the various colors of what is around you. I have one of these hanging in my car right now. I love it."

You can find out more information about the mini mobiles here on www.etsy.com.

Enjoi!