https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog.atom 2015-01-06T14:41:41-06:00 havenpoolsandpatios https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/new-prints 2013-09-23T10:26:41-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:36-05:00 2 https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/2015-des-moines-farmers-market-winter-market 2012-07-30T14:43:56-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:38-05:00 2 https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/renovations 2012-07-05T10:12:04-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:39-05:00 2 new built-in bookcase in living room[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_1866" align="alignnone" width="540"] new built-in desk, no I don't have the horrible before photo…[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_1867" align="alignnone" width="540"] Here is where the old microwave currently sits and will soon go on craig's list![/caption]   [caption id="attachment_1868" align="alignnone" width="540"] Here is where the new microwave/hood combo will go, Chris was able to save the little side shelves and add another one on the top to tie-it in well…gonna be great![/caption]    ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/happy-early-letterpress-fourth-of-july 2012-07-03T10:11:57-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:39-05:00 2 www.rosemaryraedesign.com[/caption]]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/happy-mothers-day-a-little-lullaby 2012-05-11T07:32:02-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:40-05:00 2 See below lullaby… 2) I've gotten more understanding and A LOT less judgmental about kids and what their moms let them do. We've had quite a few moments that I am sure someone in Target has moaned and said, "Why can't she control her kid better/why is that kid dressed like THAT?" Well, now I'm "on the other side," I TOTALLY get it…hey, if she's quiet and being polite, then it might be okay to let her walk around eating a sucker, while wearing a mis-matched shoe combo with crazy ratty hair. 3) Contradictory I know, but I think I've gotten both impatient and more patient. Some things that used to drive me nuts I can stand longer and some things that the kiddos do makes me want to fly-off-the-handle even more quickly! I gotta work on this… Okay, enough already anyway as my babies are getting older this little Traditional Lullaby makes me tear-up EVERY. TIME.…read on… [caption id="attachment_1765" align="alignnone" width="540" caption="Traditional Lullaby"][/caption] Bless you this Mother's Day! [caption id="attachment_1782" align="alignnone" width="540" caption="My Babies"][/caption]]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/opening-of-downtown-des-moines-farmers-market 2012-04-30T13:43:28-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:41-05:00 2  ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/happy-friday-way-ahead-of-my-time-just-kidding 2012-04-27T13:38:36-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:41-05:00 2 As you know, been busy finalizing things for national stationery show, but I think (fingers crossed) that I am mostly done. A few final things like extension cords and little give-a-ways to get ready but for the most part the big stuff is done. I have some custom work and as usual most of these are gifts so I can't show them yet but I will soon. What do you have planned this weekend? Tonight my parents are taking the girls out so A + I can have a date. Trying to decide what to do on our date and what to wear! On another note, one of my normal blog sites I usually hit gave me a laugh and made me feel way ahead of my time. She highlighted the Hotel San Jose in Austin, Texas. We've stayed there a few times (even when we lived in Austin) just about a decade ago…yep, way ahead of my time! Ahh now I'm daydreaming about a visit to Austin! (see the post here: http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2012/04/27/nm-best-of-2/) Have a great weekend…]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/farm-fresh 2012-04-25T15:49:27-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:41-05:00 2 Howdy, the latest view from the press…I also have some without Iowa.]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/true-grit 2012-04-19T15:43:06-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:41-05:00 2 [/caption] Hello! Today I thought I'd give a little look into my creative process. I've had different people ask me how do I come up with ideas for cards, prints, etc. and usually I just want to say something brilliant like "well you know, Michelangelo just lived it, he couldn't NOT create," but we all know that isn't really always the case for me. Usually I am just inspired by small pretty mundane things. So here is the inspiration for this card… I've been thinking a lot lately about what it is to be a Momma. Late nights, early mornings, crabby afternoons or after work hours, the list could go on but among the hilarious and day-to-day thoughts on motherhood, I often think about two of my friends (A,C) and family member (R)  who over the past 1-3 years have really had some True Grit in the arena of Motherhood. I don't want to give out all the specifics, but all three of them are mommas to kids with special needs. I can't tell you how many hours, days, months, weeks and years they have spent on appointments, researching, watching their children undergo tests, conversations with specialists, doctors, advocates, healthcare workers, nurses, physical therapists and of course the dreaded insurance companies, all while trying to care for their spouses, other children, mountains of laundry, and go to work. They never cease to amaze me in their joy, hope and stamina. So as Mother's Day approaches, think about who you can encourage. I'm gonna let those Super-Mommas know that they aren't alone in this journey; that they are beautiful, amazing, and stupendous women especially if they could see what I see… Momma A reminded me about this in a recent email: "My new song about ______ is from Nichole Nordeman and Amy Grant based on the story of Ruth and Naomi in the Old Testament, "I'm With You."  It is not really about our relationship but the chorus always makes me laugh, or cry, depending on the day.  "You and me, Me and you, where you go I'll go too, I'm with you, I'm with you.  Till your heart finds a home, I won't let you feel alone, I'm with you, I'm with you."  Really, I just love the reminder in the song.  The love Ruth and Naomi shared is a reminder of God's love for us and that God will never leave or forsake us.  He is with us all day, everyday." Good stuff huh? Hats off to you Mommas…watch your mail you three…]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/give-mom-some-love 2012-04-10T07:52:58-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:42-05:00 2 ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/ode-to-the-bicycle 2012-04-05T08:12:01-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:43-05:00 2 [/caption] Hello friends, it has been far too long saying hello. Been swamped with work (a good thing), went out of town on a little spring break (another great thing) but alas got a bit slowed down on things. I'll be shooting more this week and next of latest projects but thought you'd enjoy seeing an addition to the limited edition prints with this new one…]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/post-from-the-edge 2012-03-20T20:01:54-05:00 2016-08-12T13:48:43-05:00 2 Hello friends! Sorry it has been awhile. We've had quite a bit of deadlines and birthday celebrations lately, how about you? This past weekend my daughter turned four! I look back and think about how much has changed and been accomplished in four years and it is exhausting…yep, parenthood in one word, EXHAUSTING. Before kids I always thought these parents were complaining about something so trivial (Take a nap already!) but now I totally get it. Seriously it has been a joyful and good four years. C has an energy level that sometimes seems to unable to be extinguished…but man I love that girl. We had a big Carnival party (games, popcorn, prizes and of course hot dogs!) and the attendees and weather couldn't have been better. We also seemed to have an impenetrable pinata, Andy had to take a few cuts after about 40 kids (age 2-7) took two turns each! We finally broke it and it was just a candy free-for-all! The kids all seemed to have fun. Alas, I don't have any photos since I was busy running the gig. It was a lot of work, but worth it! You can see from the above photo I've been surviving on quite a bit of Trader Joe's Coffee. C has been busy painting (no, that isn't blood on paper in the top part of the photo) and riding her new bike (in the livingroom due to rain!) We were also able to get C these fantastic personalized CD where they say your name in every song. My aunts and Grandma got one for G's birthday and so C not to be outdone requested some CDs with her name in them…highly recommend for any kid. You'll now know what we're listening to in the car if you see us singing around town while driving. I've been printing away new cards from the 2012 collection (in the photo not trimmed out yet) and I've had a few quick turn around jobs so good to have a few out the door and others just rolling in, a few more regular design jobs besides letterpress so always good creative work…I'll work on photographing new cards, I just have a few pressing things on the list before I can get to that. I know it is supposed to be spring break but I'm using the break from the classroom to the fullest, filling it with all the things I need to do before May arrives and Trade Shows + Farmer's Market Season kicks up. I'll be posting dates soon for the Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market. Until then, this Girl Has Got True Grit!]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/wired-running 2012-03-09T15:09:19-06:00 2016-08-12T13:27:10-05:00 2 Hello friends, sorry the postings has been spotty lately…lots of projects in the works. I thought I'd take a break and just show you a video of a press in action. It is hard for me to stop and film things so I put the hubby on to it…here is the 1916 C&P running at a slow pace. Happy Friday and I hope you have a great weekend, I have a feeling with the weather being nice the weekend is going to fly by! How about you?

  ciao! -s    ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/a-carnival-a-little-late 2012-02-27T16:38:06-06:00 2016-08-12T13:27:01-05:00 2    ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/i-love-the-view-from-here 2012-02-23T16:14:08-06:00 2016-08-12T13:27:00-05:00 2 ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/valentines-day-feature 2012-01-28T09:19:06-06:00 2016-08-12T13:26:46-05:00 2 havenpoolsandpatios was recently featured in a Valentine's Shout Out at Boxcar, check it out here: http://www.boxcarpress.com/us/blog/2012/01/28/letterpress-cards-valentines/]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/more-2012-valentines 2012-01-12T16:38:58-06:00 2016-08-12T13:26:42-05:00 2 ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/reflections-expectations 2011-12-28T07:52:44-06:00 2016-08-12T13:55:54-05:00 2 1) RESOLUTION 1: really lovin' my girls and cherishing every day and moment with them, not wishing for something easier or better. 2) RESOLUTION 2: connecting more with friends in real ways…not just email and facebook but with phone calls and letters. Finding out what is happening in their lives so I can keep it real with them. 3) RESOLUTION 3: keep working superhard at the letterpress biz, even praying about it + reading The Good Book, but then knowing when to buckle-down or to let things go. 4) RESOLLUTION 4: this one is kinda small but can become a big deal: keep the closets and shelves organized before it explodes, I promise mr. mccoy I'll fix the pantry first! The coffee avalanche that occurs every morning HAS GOT TO STOP! 5) RESOLUTION 5: Bring in the fresh + lovely every day: be it a cool pin on pinterest/etsy/theweb, finding a beautiful keepsake from the great outdoors, rearrange something in the house, or a quick collage creation with c… How about you? What are hoping for, to do this year? IF you're anything like me…always looking out for the best that life has to offer! Here's to 2012, CHEERS!]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/holiday-traditions-the-tiny-baby-named-jesus 2011-12-23T09:44:26-06:00 2016-08-12T13:26:32-05:00 2 Every year there seems to be so much emphasis on the buying and giving of gifts that Andy and I hope to carve out a bit of reality and focus for the girls at Christmas. In our house we celebrate the birth of Christ as the centerpiece to our Christmas and faith. We hope to instill that in our girls. Some of the ways we do that is to anticipate the birth in several ways. First we make sure the fisher-price nativity set is out and the girls have a chance to see all of the people that God used that first Christmas. I love that they can play with it and it has a button with music so we can sing "Away In a Manger." This is such fun. Secondly we read the Christmas story in a Pop up book which makes it fun, engaging and has the actual scripture instead of some weird holiday story. Third we use an advent calendar this year we have one that uses stickers for each day and we have one with pockets that you can take out each day and add to the nativity scene. I know some advent calendars have chocolates or little gifts but I really want Charlotte and Gemma to focus on the birth and gift of Jesus then anticipating a treat each day. Finally, my mom began reading us this story when we were kids and so we read "The Crippled Lamb" by Max Lucado. It is such a sweet story and I tear up everytime I read it but it really is fantastic. What do you do for traditions? How do you celebrate the season? Have a very Merry Christmas!]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/holiday-traditions-part-iii-the-tree 2011-12-21T07:47:29-06:00 2016-08-12T13:26:28-05:00 2 https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/holiday-traditions-part-deux 2011-12-20T10:36:26-06:00 2016-08-12T13:26:27-05:00 2 ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/holiday-traditions 2011-12-19T08:21:49-06:00 2016-08-12T13:26:23-05:00 2 We decided from then on to add an ornament each year that "summed-up the year." So if we went on vacation somewhere or had an interesting experience we would try and find an ornament that captured that… Another ornament with a little history would be this little squirrel. When we went back to graduate school at The University of Iowa, we bought an old home on a busy street. Since the previous owner did not appear to like mowing the lawn, it was a little overgrown to say the least! These poor sweet squirrels thinking they were in a vast open field instead of tiny-in-town lawn would dive out from our crazy lawn into the busy street get hit and then flipped back onto our lawn. So the first few months we had to "retrain" the squirrels about our lawn via Andy mowing, so little by little we had a few less dead squirrels but that seemed to sum up the year that year. Sorry for getting a little long-winded, hopefully you have fun traditions too…tomorrow I'll tell you another one. In the meantime hopefully you are making things Merry and Bright around your house!]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/firehouse-friday 2011-12-16T08:03:32-06:00 2016-08-12T13:55:54-05:00 2 ]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/omaha-somewhere-in-middle-america 2011-12-15T14:47:46-06:00 2016-08-12T13:55:54-05:00 2

]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/a-little-bit-of-orange 2011-10-06T11:03:07-05:00 2016-08-12T13:55:58-05:00 2 Some woodtype fun!]]> https://havenpoolsandpatios.com/blogs/blog/direct-mail-piece 2011-08-18T19:07:13-05:00 2016-08-12T13:25:05-05:00 1 Currently I have been working away on a direct mail piece…here's a sneak peek! ]]>