"Sense"-ational Sunday {night}...

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know, I'd love to read them.

I SEE: Bye-bye hair...a whole new Meg!

So, I went with Meg & my Aunt Carol to THE BIG hair cut. Meg went to my Kelly for the first time & did the big chop. WOW. She looks FABULOUS. We're all loving the new "do"!!!

I HEAR: Silence
I really had to think about this one. I've been concentrating on the catalog so hard I haven't been turning things on - no radio, no music, no tv in the background...just quiet. This week I heard nothing.

I TASTE: Cupcakes from Stein's
Stein's bakery is, like, one of the bakeries in Dallas. Really established, great reputation, great cakes & baked goods and conveniently right by my hair dresser. So, as a treat I picked up some cupcakes to get me through the weekend. They asked if I wanted them to add Sprinkles (sounded festive) - why not? Sure I said. They went in the back (to the magic sprinkle area I presume and came back with boxed cupcakes. Low & behold when I got home...not only did my cupcakes ave sprinkles - they also had sponge bob rings stuck in them. Bizarre, but tasty.

I TOUCH: Computer keyboard & paper
I've been setting up the summer catalog for Luxe. I must say I think it's looking pretty sharp. Every ounce of me has gone into the catalog over the last few days...and since I'm blogging that means I got my *final* revisions finished for the day (well, final 'til the last round of proofreading tomorrow) and that means we're very close indeed.

I SMELL: Not Much
Allergies? Dust? Pollen? Your guess is as good as mine...

The Weekly Coop Report...
I realize I've been blogging the contents of the coop we finally got into on Sundays. If nothing else it's a great point of reference for me looking back over previous weeks. It doesn't really "fit" the sense-sational format, but I need/would love recipes each week for the fresh stuff so here goes...This week our box included: zucchini, iceberg lettuce, red potatoes, mushrooms, peaches, nectarines, cantaloupe, plums, pink grapes and blackberries.

Here's what I'd love - a new & easy idea for red potatoes. Oh, and what to do with like, 30 leftover full sized carrots...

Mission Possible & Previews...

All quiet on the blogging front. Every waking moment is working on our new catalog for CHA, and it's looking HOT {can I say that since I'm working on it? oh well, it is}. As I'm laying it out I'm overwhelmed at the timelessness & usability of our lines and how they all work together - I absolutely love Luxe, I really do. So if you're wondering where I am, think 48 pages in 4 days - that's my mission & it's totally possible.

So have you been seeing the previews on the Luxe blog? We're running every other day. Here are the first two...

"Sense"-ational Sundays...the Slow Food version

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know, I'd love to read them.

So much of this week's senses ended up about food. Maybe because I just finished all my weekly prep before I typed this, or maybe because all this fresh food has been making me feel better. Or maybe because I now have to solve a weekly produce puzzle I'm thinking about food more...

I SEE: The "blue sunrise" aka "Oh, I'm Stressed..."
I got a new alarm clock about a week ago, so I'm still figuring out all of it's bells and whistles. I'm blind as a bat without contacts or glasses, so I always pick out those goofy, oversized alarm clocks that look a little ridiculous just so I can read the numbers when I'm lying in bed bargaining with myself on how much more sleep I'm going to get. The clock is great, I can see it just fine, but this one I didn't count on...it's as bright as the flipping sun. I feel like that episode of Seinfeld with the sign for Kenny Roger's Chicken Roasters...I found the clip, but only with Spanish subtitles. This is what life has been like for me until I finally found the {hidden, I SWEAR} dimmer switch last night.


I HEAR: Audio Books
I've been sucking them in like water. I'm on my 4th in 2 weeks. They're great for housework - and I've been really domestic lately. I also have them running during physical therapy {5 more sessions left!}. I'm a HUGE fan of audible.com - they are THE place to download books!

I TASTE: Pasta Fresca
I got inspired from one of my favorite dishes from the Grand Lux Cafe. I made a batch with some of the random fresh veggies I had on hand and it was a knockout - so much so I made another big batch tonight to chill for me & Meg to take for lunches this week. You can throw it together with anything you like. This is what I did for this week...

Em's Pasta Fresca
1 box enriched pasta (penne or bowtie)
Boil, drain and set aside to combine with other ingredients cooked separately.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion chopped
zucchini julienned
yellow squash julienned
asparagus chopped (long pieces)
red & green bell pepper chopped
green onions chopped (long pieces)
1 can (drained) organic tomatoes with garlic
sun dried tomatoes julienned
chicken broth

Saute all fresh vegetables. Add canned tomatoes & sun dried tomatoes and add chicken broth until dried tomatoes plump up. Toss with pasta. Serve hot or cold with Parmesan cheese.

I TOUCH: Fresh fruits and vegetables
OK, the food has been great, but, honestly, the coop thing is a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, it's totally worthwhile, it's just takes more planning {but Matt & I like that kind of thing}. Today I spent about 3 hours prepping fruits and vegetables for the week.

Thanks so much for the beet recipes last week! I decided to roast them & put them in salads. And then forgot. And then they got disgusting and I kinda had to throw them away...oops. That's why I decided to go on a frenzy and cut, wash & cook ahead of time this week.

Here's the weekly coop report. My whopping $7 this week brought me: 4 peaches, 8 donut peaches, 4 nectarines, 8 apricots, 9 apples, 2 big bundles of green onions, broccoli, 4 ears of white corn, a ridiculous number of carrots {20+ full sized} & a full thing of celery {what is it - a head? a stalk? a cluster?}. And I still had some left over from the week before. I'm more focused than ever on trying to eat fresh & local. As a matter of fact, I'm planning on joining Slow Food...after the hustle & bustle of CHA has died down. I acknowledge fast food is sometimes the only option, especially when traveling - but after years of cooking fresher {when I had to go low sodium} and now with the coop, I find I'm really in line with the Slow Food movement & want to support it.

I SMELL: Applesauce
I got apples this week in the coop and decided to make applesauce. I boiled several apples in apple juice and added some splenda and apple pie spice. After a good while I smashed them with a potato masher. I love making applesauce. I used to do it all the time...but as I made it this evening I realized I hadn't made it in years.

...Coming Soon

Soon...less than 4 weeks away. I just had to share the new look & feel of the soon to be completely revamped Luxe website. It's been so amazing watching it come together.

So many evenings I have wanted to blog, but have let sleep get the better of me...today will be a quiet one. I have a nasty headache I can't shake & will be going out to dinner with family tonight so I must figure out how to get rid of it...

In full swing...mood swing that is

I got these magnets at Target a while back. I loved them...I had a project brewing in my head with them, but I haven't followed through on it yet. Stay tuned.

I'm having some mood swings with the hormones I was put on recently & have decided to just take it in stride and just laugh about it. I'm so glad I'm married to such a good sport who loves me just the way I am & keeps me laughing in spite of it all.

Hope this makes you smile & maybe inspires you to do a mood swing mini album {that's what I plan to do - although it will *probably* have to wait until *after CHA*}.

"Sense"-ational Sundays...

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know, I'd love to read them.

I SEE: Our Guest Bedroom
We've kind of let it evolve into our dumping ground for all the junk that has accumulated in our house. So our big project this weekend has been getting it guest ready again. It's not done yet, but it's emerging & will be done by tonight. Which is a good thing because my friend Martha will be staying with us Monday night...

I HEAR: Karaoke

Matt, Meg & I went to our favorite Mexican restaurant Friday night, Amigo's. It had recently expanded (again) and we sat in the new section...and *surprise* they had a stage, crazy fun lighting and karaoke! So - it had to be done! Meg did an awesome rendition of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 and I did Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot. It was so much fun. We'll be headed back up on a Friday night soon!

I TASTE: Chocolate Chip Waffles

Thanks to Meg. Meg wants to be a chef when she grows up & loves cooking. I've never mastered waffles, but after (yet another) tutorial I think I can swing it now. Meg made the chocolate chip wonders Saturday morning.

I TOUCH: Microplush
We've discovered the best blankets ever - microplush! We bought a twin one for our guest bedroom a few months ago, but Meg has totally claimed it for her own when she's here. So we went and bought another for the guest bedroom. I am sure before the year is out we will break down & get a queen size one for our bedroom, we just need to find a color that will work with our bedding.

I SMELL: Home Cooking
We have (for the most part) stuck to our guns and cooked at home almost every night. Having the produce has been wonderful. This weeks coop selection brought us: watermelon, nectarines, cantaloupe, cherries, lettuce, yellow squash, beets, broccoli & mushrooms. Now, beets are a mystery to me. Can anybody tell me what to do with them????

Lips on fire and other various topics...

I blame Pam Lambie. Posting about her s'mores & her gas stove. Sounds harmless - right? Well, I brought home the s'more makings & Matt said "not safe in the house-blah-blah-blah". HA! We showed him! He went to bed early & Meg & I headed to the kitchen to make our s'mores. Pam used bamboo skewers - which I had, but I thought "no, those could catch on fire and be unsafe" so I got out my metal fondue forks. Well they work GREAT....UNTIL you put a marshmallow in your mouth and blister your lips.

Metal + Fire + Mouth = Stupid

Bless her heart. Meg is the one sporting a serious case of marshmallow face. However I'm the idiot who gave her the metal branding fork. So sorry. It's pitiful & hilariously funny at the same time...

*warning - real life update*
So, I try not to get into nitty gritty stuff on my blog, but I've been skirting around something that's been going on. I'm "officially" premenopausal & am going through a LOT of physical & hormonal changes. I'm dealing & upbeat and kind of relieved. I'm younger than average, but when you consider the stroke it makes perfect sense.

*OK - back to your regularly scheduled programming*
Ever since I got back from Japan I've been really attracted to overly cute motifs - they're HOT over there! Think images that are very pop culture oriented, lots of iconic shapes with little eyes and smiles. I wanted to try making something myself and ended up with this card...


Kawaii huh? (Kawaii, pronounced like Hawaii with a "K" is "cute" in Japanese) So I guess I only took close ups of the card...it said "you & me" up in the corner. I just used the simply luxe dot paper cut into a little blob & cut a freestyle stem from white cardstock. I added a little doodling & some googly eyes and - there you have it...too cute!!! (I'm in love with these little mushrooms now & have done cards like this with all six colors of the polka dot from simply luxe!

What else??? I'm dreaming of the Luxe website now...It's really going well. I'm SO excited about the relaunch sometime next month. We're seeing work from our new design team come in (we will share with a completely refreshed gallery when our site relaunches) - they are AMAZINGLY TALENTED. We are so lucky to have them! Also we're all getting in gear for CHA-S. Luxe is going to have some awesome releases. So much to do, but totally worth it!

"Sense"-ational Sundays...2 for 1 special

I did - I skipped a week. It felt downright wrong. I got phone calls - "Are you OK? What's going on?" Honestly...I just didn't do it. At the time I felt like I had sooo much to blog I didn't have time to type it all out and now, well now I'm even more behind, so I'm blogging anyway.

For the week I missed - I went to A-Kon with Meg & was going to do an entire A-Kon themed Sense-ational Sunday so here goes...

I SEE:
About 11,000 people...most of them in costume. They were trying to break a record for most people in one place dressed as video game characters. I have no idea if they made it...but it sure felt like it. I haven't been to a Kon since...well, I was 20 and I was in full costume myself.



I HEAR:

People everywhere. Selling comics & memorabilia, panel discussions on everything from fighting tactics to drawing manga. Laughter. Rolling dice on folding tables. I took this pic of dice from one of the gaming kiosks.

I TASTE:Ramune
Find it. Get it. Drink it. I had no idea...this refreshing soda is as cool as it is tasty. It's a feat of modern engineering. Each bottle is somehow sealed with a marble and comes with a tool to pop the marble down into the bottle. The bottle has a neck that leaves the marble suspended in the middle so you don't accidentally swallow it (always a good thing). It rattles around, full of tasty goodness...it's just FUN.

I TOUCH:
I hugged a storm trooper. And Darth Vader. And a Super Mario. And a Ghostbuster. I touched a lot of wigs & even tried some on. Miniature hats, comic books, swords & cash. Also train tickets - we rode the DART to get there and it was SO much fun to see people on the train in full costume!


I SMELL:

Food court. Nothing like standing in line for lunch at the Plaza of the Americas with a Grim Reaper, a medieval knight, a man on a leash and about 20 characters I couldn't even guess who they were.

That was a lot of fun. I took about 100 pictures that I will *eventually* get into a flickr album. Anyway...on to this week's update:

I SEE:
Two movies! This never happens, but Matt was on vacation & we kicked back and spent some time together.



I HEAR:
Family voices. A lot more of Matt this week for sure. Let's see, we had lunch with my parents one day, dinner with my aunt & uncle another. I had Meg a night & a day - since school is out she's working at Luxe over the summer & is staying with us and going in to the office with me. Our niece Kala (pictured)graduated from Richardson High School on Friday afternoon and we ended up having an impromptu graduation party at our house with Rusty & Dee, Kala and 2 of her friends, Aunt Mary & Olivia, Tracy, Amy & Haley. Lots of family time.

I TASTE:
Party nibbles. Since it was off the cuff, Tracy & I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up spinach dip & parmesan crisps, salsa & tortilla chips, baby carrots & ranch dip, sugar cookies & sodas. Rusty & Dee brought a stack Little Caesar's pizzas and festive balloons *poof* instant party!

I TOUCH:
My camera. And my computer keyboard. I've been working a lot lately on the redesign of the Luxe website which should go live before CHA Summer. I can't share anything big yet, but I did decide on showing a sneak peek of one little thing. I've been photographing all of our products to make the click-able buttons to sort to our products out by collection. It's been a lot of photography, but it's been really rewarding. I've built 32 of these so far.

I SMELL:
Fresh fruits and vegetables. HALLEUJAH! We have patiently waited and have finally secured a permanent berth in my aunt & uncle's neighborhood produce co-op. We are slotted for a half order a week, averaging $7. This week our $7 got us: spinach, 2 caesar salads in a bag, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, plums, pears, grapefruit & strawberries. It has us so excited about cooking fresh! My aunt & uncle have been this coop for years and we've always taken sub orders when someone's gone out of town...we're still pinching ourselves that someone dropped out and we got a space. Woohoo!

So...hope that makes up for the lack of blogging :)
Thanks for reading & check back soon!

WHO WON THE MIRANDA????

Good question...I have a winner :)
Congratulations to:

Tiersa McQueen said...

That's awesome! It really reminds me of Miranda!

11:47 AM

YOU WON THE MIRANDA! Please email your mailing address to emily@luxedesigns.com to claim your prize!

Now here's what we were so busy doing...we loved our participation in the Luxe and the City Celebration so much we decided there was a lot more we could do to keep the fun going!

FOR CONSUMERS:
We had so many emails from people who wanted to purchase the kits! Thank you for your feedback - we've listened! You can now buy all five Luxe and the City kits from our online store. Click here to purchase The Manhattan, The Carrie, The Samantha, The Miranda or The Charlotte. We're offering them for $16, and sweetie, you can't even get a buckle on a Manolo Blahnik for that.

FOR RETAILERS:
We just sent out a special Luxe and the City edition of our retailer newsletter outlining how stores can host their own Luxe and the City events. It was also full of great merchandising ideas and even a special offer especially for our retailers. If you own a scrapbook store and are not on our email list, or if you would like us to send our newsletter to your lss so they can bring Luxe and the City to you, please send the retailer email address as well as store name and address to emily@luxedesigns.com with "add to retailer newsletter" in the subject line.

FOR ALL OF YOU:
Thank you again for making this promotion so much fun! We hope you have a fabu-luxe weekend! Live LUXE!

We're Up to Something...

We're doing something FABULOUS since the response we got to our Luxe & the City promotion was so successful. As a result, we will not be announcing our winners until Friday since we need a little extra time to pull this off.

Thank you for your patience...can't wait to tell you what we're doing!