Adeline's Daddy

I Was Tagged for Eleven Things

2012-03-01T17:59:00.001-05:00

Jesyka tagged me in her 11 things post from a couple of days ago, I'm settled in Miami and caught up on some projects, so I'm going to finally get this up... and here... we...go.

THERE ARE FIVE RULES:

1. Post these rules.

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you’ve tagged them.

11 Random Things

1. I am 34 years old but got ID'd for a rated R movie a year ago.

2. On the plane ride to Miami, I turned to the person sitting next to me and told her about 4 times that I needed to get something out of the overhead before I realized that she didn't speak a work of English. Afterward, I tried to remember some good French Phrases for the situation.

3. One time I was asked to go to Toronto for an art show, by a woman that had bought a painting of mine from a show in Pittsfield MA. She had a room for me to stay in, when I got up there and hung out with her, I realized she was wicked connected in the entertainment industry. She promptly told me that I was going to be on TV that morning doing a demo of my art process. When I got there it was basically the Canadian version of Good Morning America. I did some stencil art live on the air with the hosts and walked around all day being recognized by Canadians. Very surreal.

4. I prefer to write in pencil (a good pencil)

5. I love HGTV. I really want to rip apart my whole 1890's home and restore it. But, I know I couldn't get the whole thing done in one season. Give me a show.

6. I rarely ever read Fiction. I love reading, but more real stories and educational material. I feel sometimes I have some ADD type thing that keeps me from being able to focus on a non-fiction story.

7. I had a dream the other day that Addy and I were falling, I grabbed her and curled up into a ball around her so that she was insulated on all sides. When we hit the ground we were both ok.

8. I'm having a lot of trouble right now coming up with eleven random things because I did the rest of this post first, and now I feel like I have nothing else interesting to say.

9. How about... Many years back, my band played some dates on the warped tour (very small stage). I did have all access, and I was back stage walking somewhere (I forget, not important) and I looked over to see one of my childhood idols, Steve Caballero, an old school skater. I sat next to him, we bullshitted about his new macbook and a couple other things, kinda like NBD. I got up to leave I started to walk away, I stopped and turned and said "when i was 14, my first skateboard ever was your dragon pro model" He smiled at me, I turned and walked away.

10. I have always had perfect vision. But at my last yearly diabetic eye checkup, it was stated that I could benefit from some glasses for far way vision. I didn't really see how it could help. I have actually always wanted to wear glasses for the hip look, but that would be stupid to wish for. In any even I order my first pair of hip glasses, when I got them and put them on for the first time it was like night and day. I didn't realize how much my sight had deteriorated that year. Iy really did sharpen things up, and now I have an excuse to look hip and intelligent : )

11. Few people know that I, in fact, am Ryan Gosling.

11 Questions From Jesyka

1) What did you want to be when you “grow up” and why?

When I look back, all I remember is wanting to skateboard, but a little earlier I remember wanting to be a professional baseball player. This is strange now, because I have absolutely no interest is sports like that.

2) Where were your parents born?

My were both born in upstate New York, I think my mom was Hudson and My Dad was Catskill.

3) If you could dress however you wanted without regards to practicality, cost, or ridicule, how would you dress?

That is a tough question because although I do have an overall style, I definitely go with however I'm feeling that day. I would love to be Dapper as hell everyday with a bow tie, but that's not going to work when I want to wear a hoodie and a t shirt. I guess, given the premise of the question, I'm going to go with a hipster 1800's style, perhaps with a derby, maybe a cane... just plain fresh. I'm not sure if I would look good in it, but I like the idea.

4) Where was your first kiss?

Wow. I was at a girlfriend's house (you know young love), and there was a "party" going on there. Not a "party, party" but more of a daytime get together. I feel this weird early 90's middle school when I think back, listening to some MC hammer sitting around feeling awkward. I think the girl really wanted to kiss me just to get it over with as say that it was done. I was wicked shy about that kind of stuff back then and would have probably never initiated. When I was leaving she walked me out, we look at each other awkwardly, she leaned toward me and began to assault me with her tongue. I didn't know it at the time, but this may have been the worst kiss I will ever have. In any even, I felt cool that it had been done, I can go to the next dance with my hammer pants on feeling a little cooler.

5) What was your first car?

My mom gave me a 1986 Chevy Nova that had been my Step Dads car. It wasn't a badass Nova, it was one that was basically a Toyota. It did run forever though, it actually never died, I just had to retire it because of all of the structural problems that weren't worth paying to fix.

6) How did you meet your significant other?

Rachel came to a show on New Years eve that had a bunch of bands playing, one of which being mine. I had known of her and her me, but not in the way that we would say that we really knew each other. A little while after we were done playing I walked over behind her and tapped her on the shoulder and said "hey dude, what's up?". Pretty funny looking back. I asked her what she thought of the set, she told me that she didn't really pay attention and didn't see it. In any even I got her to hang out with me all night, and when the clock struck twelve, I snuck in our fist kiss... and the rest is history

7) Do you have an opinion on what order the Star Wars trilogies should be introduced to your children? If so, what order and why? (Tyler and I need other people’s thoughts on this one. ~.^)

I really haven't given it much thought, but I would say to start with the Old Time ones, just because I think they would go over better with young kids. So you could start with those and as they grow lead into the newer ones. I don't really think that a 4 year old is going to question why they are out of order : )

8) What style(s) do you think best describe you?

I am into style, but don't like to be over the top. Although I don't dress in such a "typical" way. Hmmm... maybe a fashionable punk/hardcore, artist with hipster tendencies? hehe.

9) What is your favorite comfort food?

I seriously could eat pizza every day, and probably do too often. Although I don't really need comfort foods in an Oprah type of way.

10) When you look at the moon, do you see it as a 3 dimensional object, or a flat disc? (sorry if this is a weird question, but it’s something I like to ask people. :) )

I look at in 2D for sure. I look at a lot of things as if I'm looking at it in photoshop or illustrator. The moon looks like a filled circle with some distressed overlays.

11) What is something that you have always wanted to do, but haven’t gotten a chance to do yet?

I have always wanted to do a "living tour" and sometime hope to in the future with Rach and Addy. What that is, is to live in different areas one after another, may a month or two in each area. I'm more thinking internationally, but could extend to some rad American cities.

My Questions for the @tagged

1. Name a song that would be on the soundtrack for your life

2. Pick a different first and last name for yourself

3. If you could live anywhere for free, where would it be?

4. Tea or Coffee?

5. If you could have any skill what would it be?

6. What book would you take to a deserted island?

7. Dream job?

8. small town or big city?

9. what is your favorite article of clothing?

10. What is your most cherished keepsake?

11. why would you be on a daytime talk show?

... tag you're it Craig (Just realized her already did it), Mandey (already did it too!) Lauren, Katie, Jess (not you too) Adriana.

We're almost off (and falling behind)

2012-02-28T22:51:00.001-05:00

I would like to apologize for missing "Blog Design Pointers". Due to the last minute trip... I have run into last minute organizing, along with finishing up what I had on my schedule already. I am going to move it to a different day this week, so check back. For now, I'll let you in on a couple of the last minute reasons I have missed some posts...

I have to bring all of my work with me including my computer. I had to order a travel case, and figure out the best way to get my whole set up down to Miami... I think I ready to get some work done... in the sun : )

Rachel decided that we should all bake a bunch of goodies to bring on the trip. I think we may need an extra piece of luggage.

I pulled out our bags and luggage. i feel like we've been organizing our clothes for days. I'm finally have all of my clothes jammed in. I put all of Addy's clothes right on top, hence the bright lively prints, those aren't my boxer briefs... didn't I mention those are my drawers of choice? AND, why not bring my straw hat, that's what people where in Miami, right?

I'm feeling a little beat, we have to leave VERY early in the morning. I just got everything organized with my brother to drop us off at the airport, I don't think he was too stoked when I told him what time we had to leave. Hey, I used to change his diaper, he owes me : )

I'm going to be doing a lot of work and a bunch of postings on our trip, so check back. If you don't already follow me on instagram, do so, because I'm going to be on there a lot as well. Next time you see me, I'm going to be wearing white jeans and a teal button up with no socks and loafers... be prepared!

Last Minute Trip (New Office for a Week)

2012-02-25T17:58:00.001-05:00

So, next week we are going to Miami to visit Addy's Auntie and Uncle. It was a pretty last minute decision. Mommy and I packed up any weather appropriate clothes that we had. We decided that we needed to take a fun outing to buy Addy a whole new wardrobe, which I guess could be called vintage inspired tropical toddler chic : ) We had to pick up this bathing suit...

Well, I didn't get a whole new wardrobe, but I did get a travel case for my computer. Although this trip is going to be fun and games, I still have a tone of things to get done, so this guys new office is potentially going to look like the for the next week...

...although, I'm not so sure that I'll be able to get my imac set up on the beach. I'm not sure about getting power... maybe there is a balcony off of the hotel... maybe I should use the laptop...

But I digress.

This is going to be Addy's first time in Florida, and I haven't been there since last time I went there on tour... come to think of it, I don't think Rach and I have ever been there together. I must thank my brother Adam for housesitting for us while we are gone (sucker). Don't be surprised if some of the new designs this coming week have palm trees in them : ) until then, I thought I would share a new simple sleek blog design that just went up this week. It's a brand new domain and site for Jenn, so stop by and say hi. www.thefortunateplight.com

A Side Note to an Instagram Post

2012-02-22T16:45:00.000-05:00

After I posted this on my Instagram account and received a couple of comments, my wife mentioned to me that maybe #3 almost comes across that I had a problem with drugs and alcohol when I was younger. I just wanted to state for the record that this isn't the case, I've never really done any hard drugs and only had a short stint with drinking. It is more of a choice that I made when I was 19 that I have still kept. It has always been about a choice for me, and I don't care much what other people do as long as it isn't destructive. One thing that has kept this in my mind strongly is that I have had to deal first hand with a member of my family being addicted to heroin and it has been tough. Being that I don't have much experience with drugs, I didn't notice many of the signs until it was too late. It is a very defeating thing to have someone you love fall into the grips of an addiction, and with every attempt you make it becomes more and more apparent that this thing is much stronger than you. After many, many attempts that often lead to destructive situations for me and my life, I decided that the only thing that could help was this person them self. And that was years ago and not too much has changed. Maybe at some point I will have this person back, but for now they are gone and they may never come back and it makes me feel even stronger in my personal choice to stay away from drugs and alcohol.

Blog Design Pointers 3

2012-02-21T17:07:00.000-05:00

Today's pointers are going out to Michele from her new blog Short Girl, Long Island. She needed help with her new blog, she wasn't quite sure where to start or how to get certain things set up, so... this is what she is working with so far.

My initial thoughts:
• She got everything set up and started posting, but it really almost look like an unfinished page, which can throw people off at first glance.
• I'm not a fan of having the Ads at the top of the sidebar. If you blog is new, just start building it up to the point that it can warrant having ads. Right now having text ads there almost gives it a vibe of a spam type thing.
• The colors and fonts end up feeling sterile.
• it's simple which can be good, but it just seems that it needs more.

Here are my pointers...

1. If the overall design is going to be simple and not graphic heavy, I would suggest having a nice clean font in the header and not have the background be too busy. The font that was used here is called Wisdom Script and can be found here.
2. I'm not a fan of script or handwritten fonts for the blog post titles. I would go with a cleaner legible font that is quick to read and find.
3. How about changing the body font to a medium gray? It give the overall feel a softer touch which comes across more pro looking.
4. I think you should have a profile image at the top of the sidebar that easily shows a little about you and is clickable to lead the reader to a page with an "about me" section. (Michele, write me through email if you would like this graphic).
5. I noticed that there is no navigation on your page. Navigation not only gives the reader more information and/or links to other social media for you, but it also gives visual interest to the overall design.

Daddy/Daughter Dialogue

2012-02-19T23:44:00.001-05:00

I'm not exactly sure why I'm still amazed each day, because it has already happened so many times... but how does a 16 month old out of nowhere pick up dialogue and vocabulary that you haven't focused on...

5 exchanges that happen just about every day between Me and my Daughter.

1. "Bah"

"what's that honey, you want to take a bath?"

"Bah, Daddy"

"you want to take a bath with Daddy?" *shakes head yes*

2. *As the bath is filling up* "tee" *holds hand up to mouth sideways*

"you want to brush your teeth before we get in the bath?" *shakes head yes*

3. "Honey, do you want a cracker?"

"Coo coo, coo coo"

"you can't have a cookie right now honey, what about a cracker or some kiwi?"....

"coo coo"

4. "Moufff" *runs over to the cat holding one of their toy mouses*

"honey if you chase them they won't play with the mouse"

*runs toward me, throws mouse at me* "moufff, meooowww"

"honey, I can't make the cats play with it, they are lazy"

5. *leans down in sitting position*

"poo poo"

"oh man"

"pee pee"

"ok, let's get a new diaper"

I love this girl so much.

Blog Design Pointers 2

2012-02-17T19:00:00.000-05:00

Back at it again. Today I have some pointers for Holly from hollyknitlightly and here is her blog...

Upon first visit my thoughts are:

• I like the idea of a different more creative layout, as in.. there is no header. However, it just looks like there was a header and now it's gone, there is nothing when you first visit the site that establishes the name or logo.

• I do like the color of the background, but maybe not so much for a background, I think it is too bold.

• The navigation for the site doesn't stand out very much which isn't great for having people learn more about the blog.

• Holy Moly, that topic cloud is HUGE!

Here are my Pointers...

1. How about a lighter softer background. I made it have a subtle knitted square pattern and is in a color that goes well with the yarn in your logo. Click here to download background pattern.

2. Why not have your logo in the top left of the column? A blog doesn't need a huge header, but needs a logo of some sort that you see when you first arrive at the blog.

3. I noticed that your profile information doesn't fit properly underneath the photo, the html is a little wrong. Below I have some code that you can put into your top widget to replace what is there for the profile image now. It will add the logo at the top and have the profile image below with proper text placement.

<div>Hey! I'm Holly & I love olives, sangria, David Bowie and sheep.</div>

</div>

4. Your navigation doesn't stand out enough, I would suggest some kind of bars that are the full width of the column in an interesting color with the text larger. (write me if you need help with this, I can't give everything away here)

Things just got real...

2012-02-16T10:37:00.000-05:00

I try to keep this blog lighthearted and not tooooo personal, so there are some things that don't usually come up. After a casual conversation with Kenny from smonkyou the topics of loving being a Dad and trying to be the best Dad we can be came up. It lead to something that we had in common that I don't often discuss. He told me of a feature that he was going to be doing on his blog and invited me to take part... that was about a month ago, and today is the day that it is up... and today is the day it got real...

So, stop over to his blog to check out the feature, and make sure you check out his blog on a regular basis, because he's rad. His own post on this feature can be found here.

Q & A: Fill in the Blanks Blogger Tag Game

2012-02-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

Tag... I'm it! It is my turn as delegated by Craig and Michael from The Hipster Dad.

1. I started my blog because...
Ever since I found out that Rach and I were going to have a baby, I wanted to immerse myself in all things baby. I got tons of books, bought baby clothes, tons of research online about this and that... and I stumbled upon a web of blog dedicated to parenting and life from each individuals perspective. I decided that it would be great way to document my journey and have a "journal" of this time for my Daughter when she is grown.

2. One thing I love seeing on other blogs is...
I love seeing other people's creativity on their blog. It's really great to see all of the interesting talents that people have. It inspires me to get creative.

3. Something I love about blogging...
I love meeting rad people. I seriously have met more likeminded, genuinely nice, interesting people since I've started blogging than I had in a long time before. I talk through email or ichat or phone to a bunch of fellow bloggers often and plan on doing a little traveling to meet many in person.

4. Favorite blog posts of mine are...
A little story about getting my junk crushed while Rach was giving birth
Video of some of Addy's first steps
I thought I was so clever, a Dr. Seuss type rhyme
A fairytale for Adeline

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I've never before mentioned on my blog...
Hi, I'm Don and I'm a sappy movie cryer. Yeah, put a movie in from of me with a heartfelt story, a sad story, a story of redemption, a story of a old guy and a kid flying around in a house held up by balloons... and I'm a puddle of tears.

6. My new favorite blogs to read are...
Being that I'm addicted to instagram right now and haven't been reading a ton of blogs, how about my favorite instagram accounts right now...
@deerjerk - I love her illustration style. She does wood carvings... so good.
@craignb - I kinda feel like he is a brother from a different mother, although he's probably closer to being my son: ) I like seeing what his day is looking like.
@jvdt - I love seeing shots from parts of the world that I wish I could visit more often. Paris and Norther France.... Please and thank you.
@localhoneybaby - I like seeing what my wife and Daughter are up to, even if sometimes all I have to do is turn my head a little more to the right.
...actually all of them, I love them all. ahhhh.

7. Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are...
I try not to state many strong opinions on politics or other touchy topics. I know it is important to have my blog reflect who I am and have my personality, I just don't think that my blog is the proper place to approach certain topics.

I tag Chelsey from the Paper Mama

Blog Design Pointers 1

2012-02-14T16:01:00.001-05:00

Judging by the influx of emails that I received last week, a lot of you are looking for a little help with the look of your blog. I have decided that I will be doing 2 per week (one Tuesday, one Friday), so keep checking back.

The first blog was submitted by Amy, She said, "I have a mom/family blog. I want a clean/ dreamy type look and I also just want something new". http://www.justanothermomday.blogspot.com/

My initial thoughts on the overall look of the blog are this:

•The title of the blog is very cute.

•There are too many non relating fonts.

•Needs more cohesive sidebar elements and spacing.

I have taken her ideas of a simple, dreamy type look and have these pointers...

1) For the header, to accomplish a more dreamy feel, I did a light cream overlay to make the photos have a softer feel and chose a cute script font called masana which can be downloaded here. If you like the header here, write me and I will send it to you.

2) Also, going with the concept of "dreamy" I've created a subtle background with a light blue/gray and translucent cloud overlay. I have added this to a new freebies download page which I will be adding more downloads to in the coming weeks.

3) I would suggest changing your sidebar navigation to be more cohesive with the rest of the overall look. This can be a good place to add some new colors, you just need to make sure it gels with the rest of the look. Also, I would suggest using a nice clean font to make it stand out and be very legible.

4) I think you need to have a consistent look with your social media icons. Refer to these two blogs that I have finished recently http://www.craftylittlegnome.com/ http://www.saturatedcanary.blogspot.com/

5) I've never been a fan of script or handwritten fonts involved in the content of a blog. I would suggest using a simpler clean font for the blog titles and info.

6) I noticed a strange look to your facebook widget, and I realized that the sizing doesn't match up with the sidebar that it is contained in (I think the widget is too big). Basically there are 2 ways this can be dealt with. Either you can make it more narrow so it fits inside the column, or you can make it span across both columns like the images above the sponsors section. Here is how you can adjust the size of that widget.

find the widget in your layout mode and locate this code.

</div>

as you can see the width="225" is stating that the width of that widget is 225 wide which is wider than that colum. You can adjust that number to be the width of that column and it will fit. OR, you can make it a larger number if you want to have it span both columns. ALSO, if you add height="anynumber" right after the width code you can add any number there to define the height of the widget...

I hope some of these ideas and pointers are helpful. Remember, the point of these posts is to help you get some ideas of how your blog can look better, please take some of my ideas and work on them and form them into your vision. I look forward to seeing what all of you come up with.

- Addy's Daddy.

Flashback Friday Video Edition

2012-02-10T21:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday @BellaBeanAz (Shannon) sent me a tweet asking if I still did Vloggin' Vednesdays anymore. I had almost forgotten about that video series that was so much fun, but so much work. It made me want to revisit some of those old videos. I've posted some of my favs below for those that didn't get to see them originally.

1) The first video is about a year old and it was basically just a day in our life. Pretty simple, but I love looking back to that early time in Dad-hood.

2) This video was a fun little video Rach and I did for a "how to" theme.

3) Pretty classic video about things that I do that get on Rach's nerves set to a law and order theme.

4) A family vacation video of us with Rach's Family. It starts out with silliness and goes to a place that bring a tear to my eye.

Work it Out Part 2

2012-02-08T22:25:00.001-05:00

So... we left off last week with me sending out the first draft. I wasn't 100% on it, but being the Brandilyn is such a sweet girl she said she loved it and the ideas. I had to step back and look at in in a couple of days and see what jumps out at me and what needs to be neutered (get it?) This is where we were...

... and here were my thoughts with fresh eyes.
• I'm not liking the layout of the header, I do like the feel and style, but it needs to be more balanced. It's just not a good use of that space. And I'm not crazy about the CAC logo, I think the idea is better than the execution.
• I think the idea of the orange sidebar is cool, I don't think it's going to fit this design.
• Adding an interesting but subtle background will do a lot for the overall feel and is doable now that I'm taking out the colored sidebar.
• Being that I'm going to add some hand drawn elements, I decided to make the buttons on the top hand drawn
• Add cat collar with tags hangin' off for social media links
• move the sidebar to the space between the buttons (my wife's idea)
• Oh my god Don, you are so clever... what about if there is a little simple hand drawn mouse that stays at the bottom right corner of the screen and as you scroll it moves down... brilliant, I tell you : )
I'm not sure if it's perfect, but it is much more appealing overall, we'll see how it sticks. This could be a keeper with just some more added embellishments.

Blog Design Pointers

2012-02-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

So, I've decided to start a new little series here that will happen once a week. If you are in need of some ideas of how your blog design and layout could look better just email me a link to your blog with a little info about you and your blog to adelinesdaddy@gmail.com with a subject line of Addy Daddy Blog Pointers. I'm going to pick a blog or 2 each week and do a consult and post some images. Keep im mind, I'm not going to do the design and layout for you, but help guide you to do some changes on your own. Hit me up, I'm here to help.

Illustration from Start to finish

2012-02-05T15:16:00.000-05:00

I was approached last week by Katie from Passive Juice Motel about helping her with an illustration/ logo that could be used on tags for her store and business cards etc. I've been wicked busy and backed up, but I really liked the imagery that she was describing... A fox, top hat, bow tie, monocle holding a tasty beverage. I took a quick look through her instagram account to see some of the dolls she had made and I saw these cute foxes.

I was thinking, "when I get to this it's going to be fun, I'll use one of her dolls for inspiration on the look of the fox" and I closed the screen. Later, after I had finished some other work (building a site, not all that fun) I grabbed my sketch book and decided that it would be fun to mess around with the idea for the fox illustration as I sat in the living room with my wife and daughter. I liked the way the sketch was moving.

I didn't notice at the time, but I had actually mixed up the name, I was thinking of some yummy passion fruit drink, but it actually is "Passive Juice Motel" didn't notice until I had sent the first draft and put up on instagram. In any event, I was excited to see where this was going to go once I started working it more in illustrator. SO... when Rach took Addy in to get her to sleep for the night I scurried into my office and scanned in my sketch. I really moved on it and was almost done when Rach emerged from the bedroom. I decided to be a good husband and stop for the night.

The next day I really wanted to see this thing done and previewed. It didn't take that much longer. She said they are going to be printed on a material like craft paper, so I set up the preview like that. The print was supposed to be just be 2 colors, but it was too much fun to color, so I had to send both.

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Hey, I cried during The Notebook...

2012-02-03T20:57:00.001-05:00

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Work it Out Part 1

2012-01-31T12:54:00.000-05:00

When starting a new blog design there is an email that I always send that describes the process we will go through along with a set of questions so I can get some info to get the feel and personality of the blog (and writer). Today I'm starting a new series of posts chronicling the process of the design for the Sometimes Sweet/Adeline's Daddy giveaway winner Brandilyn and Cats and Cardigans. I'll start by showing the questions that I sent along with Brandilyn's answers, then I'll show you a little of the though process and finally the rough draft.

QUESTIONS / ANSWERS
•What is the title of your blog as you would like it top appear in the design?
cats & cardigans

• for your blog makeover, do you want to keep any elements from your current look?
not particularly...i'm pretty flexible when it comes to changing things up. i've designed my blog myself using picnik.com, paint, and googling "how to.." so it's kind of a hodge-podge mess right now.

• do you have a color palette that you are leaning toward / any color combinations that should be avoided?
I always love blues and greens (especially pea soup green or turquoise), although i really can't think of any color combos i wouldn't like (maybe pink...i generally don't do lots of pink). i like crazy color combos, and i also like subtle, muted palettes. so i guess whatever you think will look awesome, i'd probably be cool with!

• is there any imagery or elements that you would like to see involved?
I am a bit of a crazy cat lady, so i'd be pretty excited about something cat-themed in the header (or really, anywhere else on the blog).

• what are your favorite things about your current blog design?
I like that it's fairly simple, but once again, i'm not terribly attached to any one thing on the blog and i'm ready for some change.

• what are your least favorite things about your current design?
I have like 12 different fonts going on; i'd love a more streamlined look in that regard. i'd also love more color and a little more personality. it feels very vanilla and messy to me right now.

• do you have a list of blogs that you would like to reference for design inspiration?
I scrolled through the "blog design" section on your blog, and seriously, i love all the blogs you've redone. my favorites are probably the Paper Mama, Small House by the Sea, and Nice Girl Notes.

• Is there anything special that you would like to add to your blog that isn't there already? Like buttons, links, navigation.
I'd love a nice, organized way to get to my twitter, pinterest, etc., similar to what you did for Nice Girl Notes (i love the little buttons).

• Please include anything else (including photos) that you think would also be useful.
I've attached the picture i have in my "about" button thing at the top right of my blog right now. i like that one to have on the blog as a "hello" kind of thing, although it definitely doesn't have to be as big as it is now.

THOUGHT PROCESS

I started by looking at her current blog to see what she has going right now and to reference her notes against it. IT's not offensive, kinda cute, but I do agree there isn't a cohesive feel to it. I see we have a cute stylish type and also a self proclaimed "crazy cat lady" so I'm envisioning so cool fabrics, sewn buttons, and of course some cat themed graphics. I don't want the cat themed aspect of it to overwhelm the overall feel or make it look frumpy, so I want it to be more subtle and mostly in the accents. So, here is the sketch I put together and the notes.

• The top section will be a fabric that is almost like a sideways button up sectioning off the header with fabric patches sewn on for the navigation and logo.

• The logo patch will be something similar to the sketch with an "&" symbol in cat nose with whiskers to the sides.

• there will be one sidebar to the right of the content, with a background color that goes top to bottom of the blog.

• for sections in the sidebar I'm thinking that sound cool cat oriented accents like a cat collar that wraps around it with cat tags hanging that will contain the social media links. Also other collars with bells.

• This is just the rough, so let me know if you liking it and I will do some more elaboration. Keep in mind that the Sometimes Sweet site started here and ended here.

QUICK COMPUTER MOCK

• Here is a mock of the feel and colors I was thinking.

Pin It

...next week, adjustments and reworks...

Designing for Bloggers.

2012-01-28T00:38:00.001-05:00

Lately I feel lucky, to be working from home doing something I love and being able to be near my wife and daughter all day... I'm not sure what I did to deserve this. Along with a ton of great projects, I am really enjoying meeting new people. When I do a full blog design for someone I really get to know the person in a way that I don't get with other design projects that I do. Ultimately I need to translate my impression into an online representation of them and their chronicling of life as they see it.

Earlier this month I was stoked to giveaway a free blog makeover with Danielle from Sometimes Sweet (I did her blog design, and it was one of my favorite designs I've ever done, and it didn't hurt that she is such a rad girl to deal with) The winning blog was Brandilyn and Cats and Cardigans. I've decided to share this process with you, you can consider this like a HGTV show but instead of me redoing her kitchen... I'm going to be putting in a granite counter top on her blog (not literally). So far she seems like a super sweet nice girl, I'm going to enjoy learning more about her. (posts coming early next week)

On the topic of blog designs, I finished up a couple this week, and I'm liking the way they turned out. It was great working with/ getting to know Krista and Samantha. I'm even starting another design for Krista's art blog soon. Check out their blogs, let me know what you think.

Pin It Full blog can be seen here

My Little Girl

2012-01-20T23:43:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if I have shared this before today, but about a year and a half ago when we were about to find out the sex of our unborn child, I was secretly hoping that it would be a boy, which I think is pretty common for a dad. In retrospect I'm not really sure why. I'm VERY far away from a macho, sports-loving dude, but I thought that I would identify more with a boy, because I was once a boy... what was I going to do with a little girl? What were we going to have in common? What was I thinking back then?

Obviously, I wasn't bummed that it was going to be a girl, I mean, it was our baby no matter what. But maybe I was a little unsure of how I was going to fit in. I thought that a mom was going to be so in tune with what a little girl is going to want at all times, but I see now that many times what a little girl wants... is her Daddy.

If I could go back and make the decision... I would have chosen a girl. I love this little girl so much.

It's So Much Harder Doing Things For Yourself.

2012-01-11T20:22:00.000-05:00

So, I have recently decided that I'm going to throw a new site/blog design project into my already packed schedule for myself. I've neglected mine whilst working on other sites every day. I'm realizing that it can be hard to visualize what you want to have made, especially when you are the maker. When I get a new client and send them out my questionnaire and get it back filled out nicely with direction, ideas, color schemes and personalty profile it makes it a lot easier for me to detach my personal expectations of what I want to end up with and think of what my client wants to end up with (with my interpretation and touch).

Taking on the role of the designer and client makes me really appreciate the people I have worked with over the years, because in some ways I am a terrible client. So, thanks goes out to everyone that I have worked with that have made what I do so enjoyable, because I know that it isn't easy. I hope to get my new sites up some time in the next month, including a new blog and a new design site. For now, here are a couple of rough drafts. We'll see how many times I change my mind.

Start of the design site..

Start of the blog feel...

My year in Instagram

2012-01-05T15:19:00.000-05:00

I was looking through my instagram account today (almost becoming an addiction). I noticed something about what what it says about me. At an earlier point in my life my instagram profile would probably show a much different year in photos. As I hold my phone in my hand and scroll through, I see a year that I am happy to have lived. It was filled with design work for old band friends and new bloggin' friends, great cups of tea that I've had, food I've enjoyed, places I've visited... but most importantly, the time that I have shared with my Wife and Daughter. Internet networking and iphone apps can be a trivial part of life, but my account is a reflection of the things that I have truly cherished this year.

Open Eyes

2012-01-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

Every day with my daughter seems to be better than the last, her developments, unbelievable intelligence, and playfulness are all contributing factors. A true gift from her to me that I am just realizing is the ability to once again see things through the eyes of a child... again.

Birds used to just fly by, now they don't without stopping to point and say "bird". Books are no longer just something to sit with quietly at night, they are for reading as a family, yelling together reciting our favorite lines and looking forward to the next funny rhyme.

Everything looks more alive, beautiful and hopeful than ever... especially when I use my newly reopened eyes to look at my family each day.

The Process: Concept

2011-12-16T20:08:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I started a new project that made me think of some interesting concepts. The Blog is for an author, she stated that she really liked the idea of vintage library themes and book related images. I decided to make the blog look like an opened book with a ribbon bookmark hanging down the spine, a library catalogue card for the navigation and paper bookmark for the social networking links. I foun a cool old hardcover book that I photographed for the main section. It's not done yet, but it's getting close. This is going to be an interesting one to develop and launch, I'm hoping to get it up in the next two weeks.

Some Choice Video

2011-12-07T11:49:00.002-05:00

Since Addy turned one a couple of months back things seem to be moving quicker than ever. I see her mind developing with each new experience. Each night we read books to her she remembers more and more and becomes more involved. She is becoming more and more of my little buddy. I have been taking more short videos lately with my phone, and I figured I would share a couple of my favorite recent ones illustrating some funs times we've been having.

A common occurrence lately is my wife practicing her vocal lesson for the week and having Addy have to get up on her lap and mess with the keyboard. A couple of hours ago I hear some loud Herby Hancock sounding jams coming from outside of my office. I hopped up to see what the ruckus was and saw this.

We went shopping yesterday, and like many outings to the grocery store (stuff we can't get from the farmers market) she has to help with the cart, and run through the isles... and rip her hat and scarf off.

She has her new favorite ball, it cracks me up to see her kick it. She also likes when I bounce it off of my head.

I don't know where this sound started, but kind of a pretty complex rhythm, maybe she is copying my beatboxing.

New Designs & Giveaway winner

2011-12-05T18:11:00.000-05:00

So, I finished up a couple more blogs last week, I'm almost getting caught up now : ) If you are in need of a new look I'm ready for you. It was fun working on these projects with Suzanne and Kim and getting there new look just as they want it. I've heard good things from them, and that is what I'm aiming for, I'm not trying to make a statement, I want them to have the look they want. Check out their blogs, they are both pretty great, one you would even say... is pretty swell.

Click here to check out Suzanne's full blog

Click here to visit Kim's full blog

ALSO, I need to pick a winner for the last Tea With Dads giveaway. After a 1-2-3 choice from my wife, the winner is Sara from Sarbear's Journey

Tea With Dads 4

2011-11-30T11:35:00.000-05:00

For the fourth and final (for now) Tea With Dads I was lucky to share some tea and dad talk with our Midwife's husband, Kevin, who is also a great dad and a super mello nice guy. It was only fitting for me to end up with an experienced dad that has already been through it all. I definitely learned some things, I wish that I could share more and had let the tape roll, our discussion went on for a while. Once again I am giving away a tea from californiateahouse.com, this week's flavor is Bedtime Chai, more details can be found here. Please leave a comment below to be entered to win, I will announce the winner on Monday. Thanks again for sharing some tea with us.

Part 1. In this clip, we talk being a Midwife's husband, The first five years & the toughest age

Part 2. In this clip, we talk Keepsakes, Birthing misconceptions and final thoughts

Special thanks to the Dads that have shared tea with me during this series and the sponsors (please check them out)

www.californiateahouse.com

www.designittogether.com

50 DIY Days of Christmas Guest Post

2011-11-28T17:02:00.000-05:00

If you head over the The Paper Mama Blog today you will see my contribution to her 50 DIY Days of Christmas series. This was definitely an awesome idea that Chelsey came up with and I'm happy that she contacted me to take part. In my post I show how to make a vintage style silhouette. Go check it out. Click here to visit the post.

I Love my Fam. Sale

2011-11-25T09:50:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Chelsey (thepapermama.blogspot.com) I have this awesome time in my life caught in an illustration that will live forever.

The Holidays are officially here, we've been looking forward to it. I think my wife was a little premature with the holiday season, I think it starts at Thanksgiving. She's already a month in at that point. In any event, we can both agree that we are in the holiday season now, so I have a supreme sale starting today in my store. 40% off anything and everything (that is left). Just use the sale code heartmyfam

(I'm going to be doing a full updated store soon with design sales, check back soon)

Happy Holidays from Mommy, Daddy & Addy.

Moms, I felt your pain (well, almost)...

2011-11-21T20:50:00.000-05:00

... Actually not really at all, but I thought I would share a little excerpt of our birth experience that my wife (and anyone that happens to be in the room) absolutely cannot get enough of.

So, I have been trying to write a birth story for a while now... the following will probably not make it into the final version:
... We have been in the birthing pool for about 4 hours, things have ben going very smoothly, the contractions have become stronger and stronger but Rachel is going through each wave with extreme strength... and a lot of the strength has been directed at my inner thighs. Let me explain, I am sitting behind her with her leaning backward into me. She is bracing herself with her hands behind her on my thighs, each rush directly corresponds with an iron fist clenching of my flesh. After each resting moment I would brace my self for the next one, at least subconsciously. I was entirely focused on Rachel and our baby that was potentially minutes away from being before us for the first time...

... A couple of contractions came and went, but the next one was noteworthy. I'm not sure if her aim was off... or very precisely on... but she applied a squeeze that would make Chuck Norris cry, a little ways from my inner thighs. That's right, she applied a death grip directly to my balls, I did not cringe, I did not groan, not even a furrowed brow, for I knew that my discomfort couldn't compare. I did enjoy telling the story afterward, and no one in the room had any idea, and Rachel didn't realize that she had done it... so she says.

It was a beautiful day, I kissed my Daughters head for the first time, I saw a side of my wife that made me respect and love her more than ever... and I learned what it feels like to get a vice grip to the nuts...

to be continued.

Modern Day Shoe Box

2011-11-17T22:56:00.002-05:00

I guess you would consider this to be the modern day equivalent to finding an old shoe box in a closet stuffed with past photos of yourself. An old external hard drive that I thought I had lost, and/or was dead... but I indeed stumbled upon it and was able to get it mounted and I'm glad that I did. They aren't 80's pre teen me showing off my ill sweat suit and sideways hat, but some go back 7 years, and it feels like forever ago. Like...

Rachel surprised me in early 2007 with a trip to Pittsburg so we could go to the Warhol Museum.

How about a kiss, later that year, at her Bridal Shower. (yes I crashed the party with flowers)

A video while we were in France on our Honeymoon. (excuse my curse at the end, I wasn't a dad yet)

Glad that I have this photo again to remind me of the best meal that I have ever had in my life (Giverny, France)

This old gem (sorry, only could find this edited version)...

Pictures we took of the first time we saw our house...

There are a ton of oldies and goodies on here, but the most important of all were... OUR WEDDING PHOTOS!!! My wife would have KILLED me if I lost them.

I think in the year since my Daughter was born I have taken more photos than the 33 years before that. I'm glad that I didn't lose this portion of our lives, it was great to open up that drive and re-explore those times again.

Co-Sleeping Smear Campaign

2011-11-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

This morning while watching the Today show there was a discussion on the Milwaukee Health Department public service ads regarding co-sleeping. If you haven't seen them this is what one looks like.

As an extremely caring co-sleeping Father that had spent a ton of time educating myself to make that decision... I am offended. My experience is that my Daughter has slept great since birth, has an extreme bond with us and feels safe and secure. Are these ads saying that my Wife and I are potential weapons to our child? Perhaps if we were heavy drinkers, into drugs or perhaps had some sleeping disorder, but we wouldn't have decided to co-sleep. How about an ad like this instead...

Design Update

2011-11-14T19:53:00.000-05:00

I have had a pretty busy design schedule lately. I was very excited to get the new Sometimes Sweet design done and up a couple of weeks ago and last week I had a couple more blog designs go up. I already have my schedule just about filled, but it is great to have worked on something and finally see it up live. Especially when about a month and a half ago the SS design was just a sketch in my composition book. (see below)

From this sketch, I worked it out... and ended up here...

Full blog can be seen here

I went to a talk give by Michael Bierut regarding his use of composition notebooks over his 30 years of design. It was an amazing presentation, I left there very inspired. The next day I bought 5 composition pads and have been sketching everything out in them since. From blog layouts, to a new desk that I built, to Tea with Dad's interview questions, the pages are filling up fast.

I wish I had started using them when I started nearly eight years ago... I guess better late than never. I'm going be excited to pass these down to Addy some day as a record of what her Daddy spent most of his days doing. I'm sure I will enjoy looking back someday as well.
Here are a couple of new finished designs that started in my composition book.
Full blog can be seen here

Full blog can be seen here
I will probably be sharing some more from sketch pad to finished design soon.

Tea With Dads 3 Giveaway Winner

2011-11-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

I was sitting in my office trying to come up with a clever way to pick this weeks winner, but I was at a loss. My wife and Addy have been out all day... I decided to call my wife and ask here to pick a number 1-12 in an unprovoked kind of way. A number flew right out of her mouth, a strange number, 12 which for some reason is unexpected.

Let me look at the entries, including the last entry received through twitter as the #12... that means the winner on the tea and print is...

Check your email! You've Won.

I have the next chat scheduled for this weekend, so be on the lookout next week for the next Tea With Dads. Thanks - ADDY's DADDY

Tea With Dads 3

2011-11-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

Today I'm excited to chat and share some tea with Kevin, a great Dad, amazing designer and just all around good dude. Kevin is co-owner and principal designer for Iron to Iron, and writes about design on his personal blog Encourage Others. We met indirectly through the blog world and his wife's blog JenLovesKev, and it just turned out that we live within 15 minutes of each other. Our families have quickly become very good friends... 2 Moms, 2 Dads & 2 one year old Daughters... and A LOT in common. I have 2 videos below of our tea time Dad talk covering topics from our Daughters dating to enjoying the first year.

We have 2 giveaways for this week:
•Another awesome flavor, Lemon Meringue Pie, from californiateahouse.com which we sampled this week and it is awesome. More information is available here.
•This week, we also are giving away a tea print from DESIGN IT TOGETHER. This is an awesome design, print and all things related company, located right in my city. These guys are awesome, be sure to check out their site and check out their store. And don't forget to check them out on twitter @DesignIt2gether

There are two ways to enter to win the tea and print:
1) Leave a comment blow with info on how to contact you.
2) through twitter: @addydaddyblog & @ENCRGothers are talking Tea, Design & Daughters today (with giveaway) www.adelinesdaddy.com

Video 1: In this video we are talking balancing a design business and a baby, fatherhood in the first year, and our future daughters.

Video 2: We tackle our future Dadding approach to dating, soundtrack to fatherhood and advice from the first year.

Thanks for joining me again as I share some great tea with some great dads. I'm going to be announcing the winner on Monday, don't forget to enter. Next week I will be sharing tea with an awesome Dad, much more experienced than I... and I look forward to learning from this dad-jedi master.

Tea With Dads 2 Winner! AND... about being busy

2011-11-03T17:35:00.001-04:00

So, I've been a little behind on almost everything that I've had to do lately. But one thing I just had to get done was prepping for our new fireplace that was to be installed on November 2nd (that was yesterday). It was a lot of work preparing the house, but it turned out awesome. Today Rach and Addy saw it for the first time, and they were stoked... I mean, look at this thing.

And one thing that definitely has been running behind is some things on the blog including my new "Tea With Dads" feature. But I have a new one that will be up early next week, and I am a little behind on announcing the last winner, but I had Addy pick tonight. (5 entries, 5 fingers)

The winner is comment #2, ERIK... a fellow DAD... what a fitting winner. Contact me to hook up getting the free tea.

Check back early next week for another "Tea With Dads" with a very special Dad Guest.

Building Stuff (in my house and online)

2011-10-31T19:10:00.000-04:00

Today was the beginning of the end for a couple of big projects that I have been working one. On Wednesday we are getting a fireplace insert put in a spot where I had taken down a mantle (see previous post) and I have prepping the spot for about a month. Today it was replacing floors near where the new mantle will be. First I had to cut out the old floor and get it cut nice and straight for the faux hearth.

Luckily Addy and my Wife are at Grammy's house tonight. Rach would not be too happy with the extreme mess that is going on in our house today. But, the long day of work felt good when the floors actually turned out great.

Now that I have some aches from my "This Old House" day. It's time to finish something up that I have also been working on for a little over a month. Time to hit the computer to build the new Sometimes Sweet Blog. I have everything designed and approved and ready to go up, so this may be a long night. I want to get it totally live tonight. I am really stoked to get this up and have all of you check it out. For now I'll give you a tiny taste.

Tea With Dads Part 2 (with giveaway! & video)

2011-10-26T13:57:00.000-04:00

Today we have a three-Dad chat over tea, with the little ones joining us for moral support. Today I'm Chatting with Thomas and Nathan... and it's all caught by hidden camera. Nathan is a musician and artist and teaches printmaking at SUNY. Thomas is a musician, producer, video game music composer and stay-at-home-Dad. Definitely a crew that you would commonly see at the Farmer's Market downtown on a Saturday afternoon. Today we are drinking vanilla cream earl grey, yet another awesome tea from californiateahouse.com. Be sure to leave a comment below or share on facebook to be entered to win a package of the earl gray tea and a special signed print (by me) that I will be posting an image of in a couple of days.

I have split out discussion up into a couple of Videos. In our first video we are discussing keeping your pre-baby identity and stay at home parenting (while our kids look on a mock us).

In our second video, we are talking father figures, having more kids & changing feeling toward pets. (and cats in diapers)

Thanks for sharing some thoughts and tea with us. Be sure to leave a comment or share on facebook to be entered to win this weeks tea and a signed art print (by me). The winner will be announced on Monday and will lead into our next installment on Wednesday...

Addy Takes Some Steps.

2011-10-25T13:07:00.000-04:00

Getting video of this is on par with Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or El Chupacabra. Although Addy loves to pose for the camera, and is very photogenic, she isn't a great performer of new tricks once the video camera is pointed at her. Usually it's a pause to look at the camera, stop anything cute that she is doing, and commence to grabbing at it. Today was different, we got video of her taking some of her first steps. She has taken a couple other short runs, so this isn't the very first ever, but it's pretty close none the less. She runs and walks like a champ, but rarely wants to do so without holding on to one of Mommy's or Daddy's fingers. This Mommy Daddy team worked it's magic this morning... and now we bring you...

Tea With Dads1 Giveaway Winner.

2011-10-24T17:06:00.000-04:00

If you weren't here last week, we are doing a series of talks and Giveaways called "Tea With Dads". All teas are provided by Californiateahouse.com. Today we are announcing the winner of The package of Jasmine Pearls. Part 2 of the four part series will be up on Wednesday with more Dads, More Tea, More baby talk, and More giveaways (and some video)... but now, without further ado...

AND THE WINNER IS...

Tea With Dads Part 1 (with giveaway!)

2011-10-19T13:16:00.002-04:00

I've partnered up with californiateahouse.com for a little series, in which I will be talking tea, and babies, with Dads. From a soon to be dad to an experienced Father, from giving advice to getting advice, I will be chatting over tea (presented in abridged form) and doing tea giveaways of some awesome flavors from californiateahouse.com. Today we are sipping and chatting with Russ, who lives with his wife across the street from me. He's a Nurse in his late 20's, a great guy and is having his first child in about 6 months, so he was the perfect candidate to start the series. Also, please leave a comment below to be entered to win a package of the Jasmine Pearls tea that we are sharing, which is also for sale here.

Interview Key: AD= Adeline's Daddy RS= Russell

AD: Russ, this isn't the first time we have shared a cup of tea, and you had told me that you began to drink tea a lot when you lived in Russia.

RS: Yeah, I lived there for about six months, over there tea is a national drink. They drink tea over there like we drink coffee here. And I brought that back with me.

AD: I know that would basically lead you more in the direction of black teas, but today I have a more flowery green tea, and I'm really liking the smooth, soothing taste, and aroma. What are your thoughts?

RS: Yes, this tea is much lighter and I haven't had too many flowery teas. This is nice, like you said it has a very soothing feel.

AD: It's pretty rad that this tea is actually rolled by hand into the pearls, you don't get that attention to detail with every tea.

AD: Let's say that this tea was a baby, what would you name it?

RS: Well, it actually could go with two names that my wife and I had discussed using. Violet or Daisy.

AD: So, you are saying that this tea would be a little baby girl? However, you could enjoy this if you were a masculine Dude?

RS: Yeah, of course. Here we are.

AD: So, you are mentioning a couple of names, which means that you are definitely discussing possible names. What is your process? Do you have names already decided? If so, you are way ahead of where Rach and I were at your stage.

RS: We actually decided to not know the sex of the baby ahead of time. But we are going to eventually have a girl name and a boy name on deck. Although, I'm a big believer in having the name fit the personality of the baby. When we lay eyes on him or her for the first time THE name may just come to us at that second.

AD: That leads us to the birth. You are going with a home birth with the same Midwife we used and in the house right across the street from our house where Addy was born. What made you decide to do that?

RS: No one in my family has had a home birth, I'm not positive where the inspiration came from. I know that you guys had a home birth, and it went perfectly. My wife decided right off the bat that that was the way she wanted to do it.

AD: I have only done the one home birth, which was a water birth, and It couldn't have been any better. I have never experienced anything that beautiful, and having the comfort of your home is great.

RS: That's what we are hoping for.

AD: I'm a Dad, and have many cute nicknames for my Daughter as I assume you will too. A little Trivia for you: One of the most famous all knowing Dads from TV is Ward Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver. In which Ward called his little Boy Theodore by the Famous nickname "Beaver". Do you know how that nickname came to be?

RS: I actually do not know.

AD: Well, I looked it up... and it was revealed on the last episode that when Theodore was born that his Brother Wally couldn't properly pronounce his name. So every time he said "Theodore" it Sounded like he was saying "Beaver" and thus created a pet name and television history.

RS: Good to know, thanks for sharing.

AD: We are almost down to the bottom of our tea cups, do you have any soon to be dad questions or concerns that an old pro like me could help with?

RS: To be honest with you, I am overwhelemed. There are so many questions I don't even know what to ask.

AD: To be honest right back to you, I don't think there are any answers that really prepare you. You kinda have to make decisions as they come. Definitely read and study up, but whenever something comes up you will make the decision and deal with it. And until that time comes you don't even know the lengths that you will go to for your child. I have done so many things for Addy (some gross) that an 18 year old me would never think I would do. That is part of all of the things that will be thrown at you, at that second you will decide what to do. And that is part of what makes you a Dad.

I would like to thank Russ, for joining me for the first installment of Tea With Dads. I will be having my next interview up next week with a different Flavor, a different Dad, and more giveaways. Don't forget to comment below to be entered to win the free package of Jasmine Pearls. The winner will be announced on Monday.

Addy's First Birthday!!!

2011-10-16T21:37:00.001-04:00

Hand Cut Sign... ...Check.

Homemade apple crisp in half pint jars with ribbon... ...Check.

Chocolate chip cookies... ...Check.

Assorted Baguette Sandwiches... ...Check

A beautiful & happy wife because you made all of the aforementioned things and more... ...Check.

Yes, 'tis true, my wife and I worked our butts off to put together this Martha Stewart Oasis in the middle of the park. And it was worth every second. We had a great small group of friends and family with us on what turned out to be a perfect Fall day.

One Year ago I was in a birthing pool with my wife, I reached down to feel a silky soft head... moments later a tiny little person came out of the water and up to Mommy's Chest, my arms wrapped around her... I looked, there was the girl I have been waiting to see, there she is... My Adeline, Our Honey Honey. Happy Birthday from your Daddy.

When is a Baby a Toddler?

2011-10-10T23:02:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to figure this out, can my baby already be... say it isn't so... a Toddler? Well, to me she will always be my baby, but I had to do a little searching on the (oh, so all knowing) internet, to see how much longer they say I have. As with just about everything you look up using a google search, there are tons of answers, and a decent amount of them are pointing toward the beginning of *sniff, sniff, cry, cry* Toddle-dom. Let's talk this through, ok?

•I'm seeing some statements that it happens at the first birthday.... AHHH!!! wait a minute, Addy's first birthday is one week from today! We even had a shared birthday party over the weekend, for the big baby boom that happened last year in our hood. (thanks Jen, for capturing this)

•These "experts" are also saying that she is a toddler once she is walking. Let me tell you, she is loving running around holding nothing more than Daddy's Pinky. And, at the party over the weekend there were multiple times that she took 3 (unassisted) steps. So, not full out walking yet, so we are in the clear... for now!

•How about being a toddler when she speaks? Well, she is definitely very vocal and expressive, but What is the real sign that your child is speaking anyway. Is correct grammar important? I could possibly be safe in this one too, I haven't heard any verbs yet... mostly nouns... and it's mostly Dada, which rules!

•My favorite statement is the small number that are saying 24 months, that would give me one more year with wikipedia allowing me to call Addy a baby. Hey, who am I kidding, she is and always will be my baby. And I am loving every step of the way. If you asked me at any point of the last year what my favorite stage in Addy's life has been... I would have said "this very second", and I probably always will.

This Is Who We Are

2011-10-04T23:21:00.000-04:00

I recently overheard a friend and fellow new parent talking about things that she does to hold onto her pre-baby identity. I thought about that later on, and how important that can be. You never really can be prepared for how having a child with change your day to day life. In so many ways, Addy has made my life better and more enjoyable, and at the same time made it hard to do some of the things that formed who I was most of my life. You do need to set aside some personal time, but as Addy grows, I see more and more that I can share who we are with her. When I sit on the couch with her, guitar in hand, I'm not playing in a packed club late on a Saturday night... it's 10:00am on Wednesday and I'm strumming and my wife is singing "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" while Addy smiles and watches. I may be doing more Baby & Fashion Blog design than Hardcore band shirts and album art these days. I can, however, honestly say that where I am right now is the best place I've ever been. You know what... This IS who we are... and I Love it.

Pissarro Exhibit at the Clark

2011-10-02T21:38:00.000-04:00

Rachel and I have been talking about making it out to the Pissarro Exhibit at The Clark Art Museum since it opened back in June. All things Life and Child, have been keeping us away, but being that this was the last weekend and the Planets aligned for us, we made it out. It was a rainy Fall day, but beautiful none the less and the colorful tree lined drive was art in itself. As is common in our baby filled life we arrived and tended to her every need for about a half hour and then we were off to explore. Addy must now climb up every set of stairs (aided of course), and climb they did, excited to see the paintings that lay just out of sight.

I was slightly bummed when I was told that I couldn't take photos once we were inside the exhibit, but I did snap this photo right before we went in.

It was a great exhibit, I've always been a big fan of the Impressionists and this was great display focused on portraits and scenes focused on people. Addy really wanted to walk around the room, I thought this may be a distraction (and possible annoyance) for the very packed house of people intent on taking in this possible once in a lifetime viewing, but many were just as happy to see this cute kid walking around holding Daddy's hand and yealling, ooohhhing and ahhhing and in general hogging some of Pissarro's spotlight. We did have to make it slightly brief and kept moving to some of the other things that were being exhibited, and for Addy to exhibit her cuteness. We stopped at the gift shop at the end of the day and picked up a new set of board books for Addy. Pretty awesome.

After everything was packed up, we were about to leave I had to take a shot of part of the Pissarro bio leading upstairs, it described the day nicely... it was pretty...

actually, I would more likely call it...

Vermont Part Two

2011-09-29T17:18:00.000-04:00

... Following our first action packed day, we slept well. But Addy definitely let us know early that it was time to start another awesome day... in Vermont.

We were up quick fast and got a quick Breakfast. Back at the room, we packed everything up and got ready to check out. Although we were leaving the Inn, we still had a full day ahead of us before we head back to NY.

Goodbye room....

GoodBye Inn...

... Hello... Hay stuffed Wizard of Oz scene, complete with Yellow Brick Road.

A pumpkin amongst pumpkins.

I didn't quite get this photo op, were we supposed to be a second head? But what the heck, let's go with it.

We had never gone through a corn maze, despite our cornfield surrounded upbringing... better late than never.

...And back to NY we went.

Getting Old (Needing Glasses)

2011-09-28T16:16:00.000-04:00

Either because I'm getting old, or because I've had diabetes since 17... I could actually use some glasses. Nothing too strong, but it could just crisp distance objects. I've also thought over the years that glasses can be a good distinguished look. (not that I was hoping for my eyesight to get worse). In any event I heard about the hip glasses over at Warby Parker, so I decided to get the "home try on" package. The package arrived within 2 days, and I was looking out the window ready... I opened like a kid opening a christmas present. After trying them all on, I narrowed it down to 2.

The other pairs didn't fit my face style... but they did look good on some other faces...

Vermont Part One

2011-09-26T22:16:00.001-04:00

To our surprise, at a visit to Adeline's Grammy's house last week, we were given an envelope... with a gift inside. Our family had sprung for an awesome weekend B&B in Arlington Vermont. This was a gift to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary, so maybe you would think that just the two of us would go and have a quiet weekend... that's not how we roll. We packed up the car Friday afternoon with one big bag of clothes for Mommy and Daddy, a bag of diapers with wet bag and cloths, a bag full of toys and baby books, a breast pump and parts, & a bag full of Baby clothes... AND a Cute little Baby... we hit the road, destination The Arlington Inn. It was a short drive (about an hour and a half) we were blessed with a sleeping baby for the whole beautiful, hilly, tree lined ride! The Inn is beautiful, not unlike a home we would have in our alternate wealthy mid 1800's life.

We settled in, to our beautiful room, and got ready for our 6:00 reservations... fine dining with an 11 month old, we are brave! A little polish and we are good to go.

After dinner we went to the Northshire book store. This was one of the best bookstores I've ever been to, their kids section was huge and included a play area. We left with a book for Mama, a book for Dada, and 4 for Baby. Addy had fallen asleep in the car, so when we got back to our room, we quietly put her into bed for the night. Rachel and I sat up reading our books and taking breaks to discuss the following day, but didn't want to stay up too late... we had a ton planned. We were up and out to breakfast as early as allowed by baby. We all shared a nice meal in the Inn's Breakfast room.

Daddy changed Addy's outfit after breakfast, and was sure to make sure it matched his... and we put this day in gear... and we're off...

TO BE CONTINUED...

How to be in Love

2011-09-22T08:17:00.000-04:00

Along with the start of Fall comes another new year of Marriage. In my life, I haven't been around good lasting Marriages, so how did I end up with such a balanced, beautiful, loving, fun, & strong marriage? I guess it depends on your perspective as to the success of ones relationship, and this is how I see it.

• My wife and I spent a long time growing and maturing together. Even though when I first met her I had a feeling she was the one, it took 8 years of working through things and experiencing life to get to the eye to eye heart to heart that was needed for Marriage.

• We don't yell, or argue aggressively with each other. If we have a disagreement, we treat each other with respect and work through it.

• I have so many great memories of things that we have done together. weather it was going to shows together or taking a drive through the countryside, we have an appreciation for similar things and know that experiencing them together makes it ever better.

• Our hopes and dreams are shared. Sometimes we daydream together like kids, "when we are older will we live in the French, or English Countryside?"...

• Hey, I'm not going to front, I have one of the most beautiful women in the world as my wife!

• We could probably do a sitcom, seriously we have some funny exchanges. Humor really can be a glue that makes a bond even stronger.

• There isn't any question that I love my wife in the deepest realest way that I can. There isn't anything that I wouldn't do to make her happy, as she is what makes me happy... and another anniversary is here and times haven't faded, they are just in focus as they were on that Fall day in 2007....

... and each year is just going to get even better, especially now that we have this little side car on our journey.

Design Giveaway Winner!

2011-09-21T07:59:00.000-04:00

The winner of the blog design giveaway was just announced over at It's a Wonderful Life. Head over to see if you've won.

That Crisp Air

2011-09-19T15:37:00.001-04:00

The time has come again for the leaves to change color, a chill in the air brings out the scarves, apples are ripe for the pickin'... it's almost Fall again, and I'm STOKED. This weekend we went to the Martin Van Buren House which, sadly was the first time I went there despite it being within' five miles of where I spent most of my youth. I probably wouldn't have appreciated it when I was younger, unless there was a half pipe in the back yard that I could skate. In any event, 34 year old Me was loving this day. As soon as we got there, Addy and I took a little time out to hang with the Duckys.

"Ooooohhh, Ooooohh, Daddy... look at the sheep"

It was definitely a day full of things for Addy to see (Daddy and Mommy were ooohing and ahhhing and pointing too) Being that we were around our old stompin' grounds we met up with some family.... My mom and sister stopped by fresh after a volleyball game...

... Rachel's Mom and Brother decided to join in on the fun.

Mommy steps from behind the camera to take a nice ride.

This is definitely a great way to end off the summer and lead in the Fall. I know it will be only weeks until my wife brings out the holiday music. No, seriously I think I may hear some Jinglin' little dittys before Thanksgiving this year. And I can't complain, I think I sang "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reigndeer" for the first 5 months to get Addy to sleep. I may be getting a little ahead of myself. For now I'm looking forward to this weekend, I think we are meeting up with Jen, Kev and Rowan to do some apple picking... that will be the sign that Fall has truly arrived.

Learning how to Dress a Girl

2011-09-13T20:58:00.001-04:00

I've learned a lot in my first year of being a dad, but today I was reminded again, that I don't have much knowledge of how to dress a girl. I'm not the worst (these are my words), but have some strange choices (my Wife's words). Today around Noon, Rachel looks at me strange... "did you realize that you put Addy's dress on backward this morning?"

Let me explain myself here, I always look for a tag to make sure I know which is the front vs. the back, this one didn't have one that I could find. Why oh why do some dresses have the buttons going up the back and some up the front, you have to realize that this is confusing for a Dad. I guess I should have noticed that the label that said "Daddy's Girl" actually ended up on her back, I mean that's most of the reason I picked the dress in the first place, it should be proudly displayed out front for everyone to see. Sooo, in retrospect, my bad.

In any event after I got the dress off and turned it around, I was reminded of why I picked the dress in the first place, she looks so stinkin' cute...

... even though she was more interested in playing with the camera than posing for it.

So, Moms with Sons, are you experiencing any Gender dressing shock, or is this a guy thing? When I think about it though, guys clothes aren't confusing, I mean I don't think it's hard to put pants on straight, unless you are Kris Kross (if you are younger than 30, look it up). And, I don't think your little boy is wearing a bow tie or an ascot... At least buttons on jeans are always in the front... that's what I call consistency.

Giveaway with It's a Wonderful Life

2011-09-03T00:42:00.001-04:00

If you haven't seen yet, one of my favorite blogs is doing a design giveaway by Adeline's Daddy (hey, that's me). Head over to It's a Wonderful Life to check it out and enter. And while you are there, make sure you check out what's going on in the world of Allie, Henry & Garrison. Thanks so much to Allie for working on this with me... can't wait to see who wins. Attention future winner, It's going to be fun working with you on your blog... would you like fries with that?

Sleeping Alone

2011-08-30T13:24:00.000-04:00

Things were a little different last night and this morning. And, I'm not sure that I like the feeling. You would think having time to yourself and freedom would be welcomed... but there is something missing. Last night Rach and Addy had a sleepover at Rachel's Mom's (aka Grammy) House. I had some work to do at home, so I couldn't stay there. After we all had dinner and settled in, Addy had fallen asleep for the night. It was time for me to head home, I kissed Rachel and snuck into the room where Adeline was sleeping and gave her a gentle kiss, not to wake her. As I was driving away I had a strange sense, "this doesn't feel right", and I realized this may be the first night since Addy was born that we aren't all sleeping in the same bed together. I think, for some people, it would be hard to understand that I wouldn't want this time of peace, but I think those people may not be new parents. This illustrates how my life has changed, I woke up this morning and got out of bed by my own volition, but I wish that Addy had woke me up. I had no diapers to change this morning, and I missed it. Man, how being a Daddy can change you.

Reposition Gadgets on Blogger using CSS

2011-08-27T21:55:00.000-04:00

So, today I've decided to share a little trick for moving around gadgets on Blogger, which can be super helpful when you are working on fine tuning the design of your blog... or if you want to add something a little special (like the hearts logo with angled banner that trails off the page at the top left of my blog). I'm going to try to present this in the easiest way possible, and hopefully it will be useful to you.

First, find the gadget name:
•In the design screen right click on "edit" located to the bottom right of the gadget you would like to adjust and open in a new window.

•In the address bar there will be an address similar to this http://www.blogger.com/rearrange?blogID=3833409852568378890&widgetType=HTML&widgetId=HTML4&action=editWidget&sectionId=sidebar-right-2-2
what you are looking for is the widgetId name which I have bold.

Next you are going to go to template designer/ advanced/ Add CSS
•in the white box you will add this CSS and adjust (instructions for options are below)

#HTML4{
position:relative;
left:0px;
top:0px;
}
••#HTML4 - this will be the name of the gadget as we found in the first step (make sure you keep the #)
••position: - this option relates to where to position originates. Being that we are just doing a reposition, we are going to use "relative" because it moves the gadget in relation to where it originally is on your blog.
••the left and top options are what you use to move the gadget. You can put a positive or negative number in there to move it left to right and top to bottom. You can mess with the numbers which in the "add CSS" box and adjust values until you get it where you want it.

•If you would like to move multiple gadgets uniformly, you can add multiple IDs separated by a comma. like this:

#HTML4, #BlogArchive1, #Followers1, #HTML3{

position:relative;

left:0px;

top:0px;

}

If you have ever been troubled by the space between your posts content and your header, you can use this CSS to move your content up closer to your header buy using this code just like we just did for the gadgets.

#Blog1{

position:relative;

left:0px;

top:0px;

}

I just thought I would share this quick, I hope it is helpful. If you need blog help, contact me, and check out my blog design service.

Vloggin' Vednesday "Daddy Q & A"

2011-08-24T16:09:00.006-04:00

This week I answer some questions that we written in over the weekend. ***Bonus Below

***I had a question come in right as I was posting this video up, so it didn't make it on film, I figured I would answer it in text form at least...
Q: "I'm not sure what my opinion is on people blogging about the rather boring details of life with a kid... I mean, to us parents it's an incredible journey, but it isn't really a unique experience for a human being. Do you blog for your own sake, like people who keep diaries or baby books as a way to remember? Or is it for the audience? Or do you blog for Addy's sake, writing what you think she would love to hear should she ever read it? Do you ever feel like you're in competetion (not the right word but close enough) with other parents or bloggers or parent blogges? What if everyone in the world wrote about their life in a blog? Or do you honestly feel you're different? I don't understand this trend, but being the nosy-pants I am, I follow yours & a few others every few weeks. I even tried to create my own but cannot seem to find anything in my own modest yet enjoyable existence that I'd ever assume anyone else wanted to read... I find your day trips, vacations (hey we both went to NC!) and whatnot alluring.."
Sent in by Fullhouserocksmyworld

A: I agree with you about the parenting journey being an amazing experience for anyone that is
actively taking part.I am sometimes torn about what this blog does exactly. I do consider it to
be a diary of the first years of my daughters life, and mine as a Daddy. And some day this will be
an amazing thing to show Addy. Over the last year I have been gaining daily readers, I figured that
maybe it would be fun to add other parts of myself into the blog. So what tends to happen is me
trying to share things that I think are interesting or tips/ tricks or even parenting experience that could
help a soon to bee (or brand new) parent. It also seems that there are TONS of people doing blogs
about their daily life, and I have found a lot written by moms, but not as many by Dads, so that is
something that makes it a little different. I think that doing your own blog can in some ways make life
more adventurous, because of the constant need to write. It doesn't have to be crazy life changing
adventures, but seeing all of the fun, small, good things in life can make your life ever changing and
that can be adventurous.

- Addy's Daddy

Questions for a Daddy?

2011-08-21T16:48:00.001-04:00

This week for My Vloggin' Vednesday video, I am opening the floor for questions. If you are a soon to be parent and you have questions for someone that just went through the first year, if you are into design and have questions, if you are curious about anything (keep in mind time constraints)... leave a comment on this post with your question, and I'm planning to answer questions on my video this week. Be sure to include your name and blog so I can reference them in my answer. AND... don't forget to stop back on Wednesday for the video.

10 Things Addy Would Rather Eat.

2011-08-20T20:04:00.002-04:00

We are starting to get a little more aggressive with offering solids to Addy. She is ten months old now, and she is showing interest. However, she isn't always eager with what Daddy is making for her.... in fact I have a little list for you.

The 10 Things Adeline would rather eat, than the awesome food that Daddy has been preparing for her. (in no particular order)
1. Car Keys - I'm not sure if it is the clanking metal sound or the highly seasoned flavors that they have picked up by being in Mommy Bag, Daddy's Pocket and Countless random surfaces, she just loves to put them in her mouth.
2. Paper - This is the most common material that I have to reach my pinky into her mouth to fish out. Sometimes it seems that she has some type of top secret document that she has just read, and she now needs to get rid of the evidence.
3. Book Corners - Are those book corners made of pizza? because Addy can chow down a book slice like Daddy does an I Love NY slice.
4. Measuring Spoons - At the end you know exactly how much Baby drool there is. Commonly it's a tablespoon.
5. Bottle Cap - If she isn't having the Bottle full of breast milk, I guess the cap is a close second.
6. Cat Fur - She loves to hug her little buddies... face first, and usually sits up with a fur sammich.
7. Her Own Foot - "Hey, what's this attached to my leg?... yummy it's food"
8. iphone - Hey Steve Jobs, I have a new product idea for you. Non-working iphones for babies... and call it ichew.
9. ipod Ear Buds - Have you ever had your baby give you a wet willie... well I have.
10. Butt Paste Tube - Addy, have you ever thought about what happens with the stuff that comes out of that tube? Let me give you a clue, it goes on your butt...

Now, how about trying some of these sweet potatoes?

Vloggin' Vednesday "What's New"

2011-08-17T10:48:00.000-04:00

So, we have recently been trying to have Addy start to feed herself. It's been very slow moving with getting her to eat anything besides breast milk. I have vid for you this week of the messiness that ensued.

One year of Adeline's Daddy

2011-08-15T21:49:00.000-04:00

Today marks one year of Blogging as Adeline's Daddy. The first blog post was an introduction and announcement that we had decided on a name for our baby that was about a month away. Her name was Adeline and the rest is history...

Addy's Birthday is 2 months away. I can't believe how fast this first year has gone. Looking back at some of the photos really brings a tear to my eye, not sadness at the time that has gone by, but overwhelming happiness at the experiences that Addy, Rachel and I have shared. They are both asleep now, but I can't wait to wake up next to them tomorrow and start another Bloggin' year. Thanks for reading and following along. - Addy's Daddy.

Repurposed Old Ladder Pot Rack

2011-08-11T21:05:00.001-04:00

So, Rach has been busting my chops to get a ton of projects done around the house. Hey Mommy, I have some design work to do too : ). This wasn't even on the list, but I just had the idea yesterday. We have an old industrial workbench as an island in our kitchen, so I thought "Hey, that old ladder would kinda tie in nicely with the island... maybe as a pot rack". SO... I went to the hardware store and wandered aimlessly while I thought in my head how I was going to make it work. I left with $13 in hardware (6 feet of chain, 8 "L" brackets, and some "S" hooks), and headed home to get Manly... and this is where I ended up. The kitchen is almost done, thank god, but a Daddy's work is never done...

Vloggin' Vednesday "Strollers"

2011-08-10T14:56:00.001-04:00

This week's theme is "strollers". I put together a little review of our Uppababy Vista stroller and had a little fun with it. Which stroller are you loving? As you may have read on my guest post on The Paper Mama, becoming a Dad can make you have a new appreciation for the many makes and models of these little baby cruisers. Hope to hear from you guys too... Talk to you soon. - ADDY'S DADDY

Vlog Theme For Tomorrow.

2011-08-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is...

Tomorrow's Vloggin' Vednesday theme is "Strollers" let us know what you've learned / experienced. Reviews, Questions... Don't forget to get your vlogs together and link them up here tomorrow. It's been raining here all day, and I really wanted to do a video outside, so I'll probably get the video done tomorrow morning. So look for the post in the early afternoon. Don't forget to check out the Vloggin' Vednesdays page to see all upcoming themes, I want to see what you linked up.

Guest Postin' over at The Paper Mama

2011-08-08T10:15:00.000-04:00

If you head over to The Paper Mama today, you'll see me! I'm pretty honored to join the list of amazing bloggers doing guest posts for Chelsey while she is at the Blogher conference. I definitely was a little stressed about getting a great post together, and have it be interesting for readers that may not know anything about me. Hop over and check it out and let me know what you think... ALSO, I'm almost done re-designing the blog. I'm still considering any new additions and adjustments.. I hope you like it... BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE, I'm hoping to have the section for blog design up soon with pricing and packages. Let me know if you need some help - adelinesdaddy@gmail.com.

Couldn't pass it up...

2011-08-05T11:36:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago my wife mentioned our recent antique hunt on her blog. It's going to take some time to get all of our finds integrated with their new home, but when I got home, I instantly found a home for something that I couldn't pass up.

At first glance at the antiques center, it was just another interesting old time poster type print. But as I walked over to it to see more. I began to see an interesting theme. There was much reference to advertising and design and what I began to realize was done for a retirement present for someone that worked in the Con Edison building in NYC, I'm thinking this was done in the 30's? . If you are in the field of graphic design or advertising (or many other fields), that homage to the deadline ("sweet dead o' line) is a classic timeless stress that predates computers, email or smart phones... but will live on long after they are obsolete. Alright, now you have my attention...

I'm really liking the classic advertising type artwork, the subject matter, the historic nature, and reference to a field similar what I do, but in a time when things were done much differently... but wait.... what is this rhyming line at the bottom...

It has an interesting, cute old time writing style to it. It so cool to see that the person that was retiring always wanted to play the accordion, which is not common these days besides in some hipster music scenes, or maybe a VFW hall polka night. BUT WAIT... reference to the classic early 1900's barber shop standard that has my daughters name in it... SOLD!

And that, kids, is how it made it's way to our home. Good Night.

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

I Think She Likes Me!

2011-07-29T23:06:00.000-04:00

This may be a strange thing to hear, and it feels a little strange to say... but up until recently I wasn't sure if Addy really Loved ME, or just put up with me because I was always in her face. I'm not offended, I understand she is still getting her bearing in this world, I don't know if the concept of Love and caring has really set in yet. I mean, she is still trying to figure out if the fur that she just forcefully pulled from the cats back is going to taste good if she put it in her mouth. I will say that lately she has shown affection toward me, and what I perceive to be a preference for being in Daddy's arms to anyone else's (except maybe Mommy's). She has even willfully giving Daddy a kiss here and there...

When I think back to the day she was born, I was completely in Love the moment she emerged from the water and was pulled up to my wife's chest with me behind reaching to touch her head for the first time. It feels so great now when I walk in the room and she gets excited and jumps playfully into Mommy's arms looking back to me knowing that I'm going to come over and hoist her up in her favorite flying playtime. When she reaches over to grab my hand, I will hold it there until she let's go no matter what may come up. (I'll just have to put my shoes on one handed)...

Addy, I've Loved you since the moment I saw you. Thanks for Loving me back.

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

Vloggin' Vednesdays "About Tattoos"

2011-07-27T01:24:00.000-04:00

This week's theme is Tattoos. Tomorrow, my Brother is getting his first tattoo, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to talk to him about any questions or concerns he may have. I was slightly shocked a couple of weeks ago when my brother came to me and said that he had made his mind up and he wanted to schedule a tattoo appointment. I helped him hook up with an artist and get an appointment locked in quickly (He was booked out 'til October, but I have some pull : ) The following is a video of our discussion on getting a first tattoo.

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

Vloggin' Vednesday "Back to the Future"

2011-07-27T00:58:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, and this week we are walking around our little city, contemplating what it was like in it's late 1800's heyday.

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

Hearing Music Before Birth

2011-07-22T22:32:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, Addy was with my wife and I at a craft/art/indie rock show where I was selling some of my wares. I often tell Rachel that I feel like a carny, setting up and breaking down each weekend, from one indie craft carnival to the next (hehe). Lucky enough I had gotten a pair of kiddie headphones from my neighbor recently, so I could protect Addy's hearing. I don't think that she loved the feeling of having the bulky spaceship like orbs attached to her head...

But, thinking about it.... the sound may remind her of Mommy and Daddy listing to music while she was still in Rach's belly. She used to kick a lot when we played music, and when we sang to her... either because it excited her and she loved it, or she thought I was singing off key (hard to tell). I love sharing things like this with her, she loves the sights and sounds and is intent on sitting on Daddy's table and messing with the displays.

Usually we are doing the outdoor market, but the more enclosed space and louder music was cool with Addy...

... and anything is cool with Daddy as long as Addy is there with that smile.

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

The Paper Mama Blog Re-design is up.

2011-07-21T21:13:00.000-04:00

If you head over to The Paper Mama, you will see that her new blog design is up. (courtesy of yours truly) I'm still doing some fine tuning, and there are some more sidebar images that need to go up. But, I'm pretty happy with the way this turned out. I have a couple more that are in the works right now, so check back for some progress posts. I'm planning on covering the process when I do a re-design for my wife at Local Honey Baby (ewww, gross! free design work). In any event, if you would like to work with me on your blog design, or just a component for your blog... or anything design related, write me for pricing, I would love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by, leave me a comment, let me know what you think of the new TPM blog design.

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

Vloggin' Vednesday "Blog Design"

2011-07-20T01:00:00.001-04:00

It was a little tough getting this video together. When talking about design, sometimes I don't know where to start. I basically babbled my way through. I have a list of links below of blogs that I like the design of (I know there are probably a ton out there, but these are the ones I've come across). Let me know of the blogs that you are liking the design of, I'd love to see them. And don't forget to stop back to check out progress on some of the new blog designs that I'm working on. Thanks for stopping by, I'll talk to you soon : )

BLOG LIST

(a short list, I need to get around a little more)

http://candimandi.typepad.com/

http://encourageothers.com/

http://sometimessweet.blogspot.com/

http://jenloveskev.com/

http://katiedaisyart.blogspot.com/

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

What We Pass Along...

2011-07-16T00:10:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I heard my wife cracking up in the bedroom, I had to run in and see what was so stinkin' funny... Let me back up a little, and let you know that I have many laughs, many of which are ridiculous. OK, back to the story... I get into the bedroom and Rachel is there with Addy, who looks at me and gives me a laugh not unlike one of my silly laughs (I would describe it as a throaty almost machine gun like chuckle). Up to now my only baby mind conditioning was repeating over and over "Dada, Dada, Dada... honey, can you say Dada?" and I don't do that laugh very often (for respect of Rachel), so I'm not sure how she would pick this up. Is this a hereditary condition? I have felt such pride whenever someone stops and says how cute she is and I think that I had some part in that, and feeling so great about how agreeable and mild mannered she is... and hope that I am contributing to that. I wasn't counting on the fact that in many ways she is a mini me, it's amazing to see how you can pass things on to your child. Now I try to get her to do that laugh often, it's our thing, I love feeling the connection that is so natural between a Daughter and Her Dad. She has brought back so many things that Rachel and I may have become accustomed to about ourselves and each other... and made them new again.

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

Vloggin' Vednesday "Coffee vs. Tea"

2011-07-13T10:21:00.005-04:00

Here at Adeline's Daddy blog, we are at the forefront of investigative journalism. And have ended the Coffee Vs. Tea debate once and for all... And I got to film with my new exposed brick wall behind us (see post below) Don't forget to link up your videos below, I look forward to seeing them.

(disclaimer: there wasn't any hot liquid in the cups, of course)

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Let's Tear Down a Wall...

2011-07-11T18:49:00.000-04:00

Last week, I realized that I have taken a decent amount of time off from destroying things in the house and fixing them again (My wife's words). So, I recently decided that I'm going to work through my whole house one room at a time. Yesterday, I decided that the Mantle that Rachel and I have gotten sick of, is getting gone along with the plaster behind it, exposing a nice brick area... and why not repaint the room while I'm at it. We love historic architecture, but the mantles in our home are a little deep in color, and almost have a vibe that they were made in the 60's??? (even though they are from 1890).

Let's start tearing things down!!! arrrrrr!!!

It was cool to take the mantle down and see the guts of how they anchored it to the brick, there was a surprise hole that I had to fill in with some old bricks that I had in the basement. Let the real mess begin...

At this point, I'm sweatin' buckets. But I really needed to finish this whole project in one day because Addy and Rach are out of the house all day, and I don't want to risk any debris and dust getting in my girls' lungs.

The cleanup and painting took forever, and I am beat... but by the magic of the internet it only takes you a matter of seconds to see where I ended up. I'm going to call Rach now and let her know this post is up, she hasn't seen the room yet... these photos will have to do until she get's home.

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Dancing Before You Walk

2011-07-08T20:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we all left the house dressed in our Sunday best, to bring Addy to see her first Ballet. We realize that sitting in seats with an eight Month old for two hours of Ballet may not work out too smoothly, so we bought lawn seats and planned a nice picnic/ ballet matinee. We stopped at the coop, and the placid baker on the way to pick up essentials (three kinds of cheese, baguette, pastries, sparkling water & fruit salad). We arrived in Saratoga for the NYC Ballet performance around 2:00pm, and despite hanging back on the lawn to have a private little picnic, the view wasn't bad.

"Hey Addy, look...

So Pretty...

We were surrounded by little girls running and spinning, daydreaming that they were on stage with all eyes on them. Addy was their willing audience. She had a different dream though, she has to walk first before she can become a Ballerina... and she has really been determined lately.

Daddy scored some brownie points with his girls... just look at these faces.

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Vloggin' Vednesday "4th of July Weekend"

2011-07-06T00:16:00.006-04:00

This week I'm sharing some footage from the recently passed 4th of July Weekend. It was very mellow, but seemed action packed at the same time. The weather was great, a nice way to spend Addy's first 4th. Thanks for stopping by, I'd love to see some videos linked up below, if not, you can just lurk... that's cool too... Talk to you soon.

Please use the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs : )

It Don't Mean a Thing, if it 'Aint Got That Swing

2011-07-01T20:07:00.000-04:00

Tonight, Addy was gearing up to go to sleep an hour and a half before her normal bedtime. We really didn't want her to succumb to the sandman that early ensuring a frustrating bedtime routine for Rachel when it was time to call it a night. So, we decided to quickly gather up a bag... blankets, book, sophie the giraffe and rubber ducky, and head down to the playground in an attempt to keep her occupied and awake. When we got there, we decided that it was about time to try out the kids swing there that we have avoided so far as slightly worried protective parents. Today was the day... for her Daddy to push her in the swing and feel a warmth in his heart that he hasn't yet felt in the setting of jungle gyms and snotty nosed kids. As you can tell in the photo, fun times were had by all (not pictured, a beaming smiling Mommy)

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The Triumphant Return (kind of)

2011-06-28T22:55:00.001-04:00

So, as you may have noticed, I've been very behind with VLoggin' Vednesdays. I did put some new themes up last night, and I want to see some vids linked up next week! For now, I have a part 2 to our family vacation video from our trip the Outer Banks in NC. Thanks for stopping by.

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, Dads need votes too! : )

How To: Pacifier Illustration

2011-06-28T00:32:00.001-04:00

I was talking to my friend Kevin recently about some interesting things to add to the blog here. He suggested maybe a step by step process of one of my baby designs. So, here we go. I had an idea the other day for a new illustration to add to my line of childish tattoo style kids designs... a pacifier with clip attached turning into the text banner. So, I'm going to throw this thing together with a basic step by step.

First: brew up a nice cup of tea and clean up the pump and parts off of your space that your wife has left behind, as she had to rush and get your daughter into bed.

Next: I usually use a lighter colored pencil to do very rough sketch (in this instance pink) then add slightly more definitive lines with a pencil.

Next: Trace out lines that you want to keep on tracing paper with an art pen. I decided not to keep the rose or the embellishment scrollwork. I'll draw something in illustrator later.

Next: Scan the traced image, to get into the digital world.

Next: In illustrator, make the original sketch transparency around 50% and redraw the lines and shapes, fix curves to make it tight and smooooooth.

Next: Finish up shapes and color. I drew some rough stars in the background for texture. I think I may redo this... but you get the idea.

Last: Go to bed and cuddle your wife and baby... it's 12:30am and you are writing a blog! (I guess this last step is mostly directed at me)

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, Dads need votes too! : )

Want to Hear How Manly I am?...

2011-06-27T12:24:00.000-04:00

.... Then head over to BabyMooHoo to check out a guest post from Yours Truly. I was honored that Hilary thought I was man enough to take part, and to be on her cute blog. She wrote a great flattering intro, including mention of Vloggin' Vednesdays that I have been neglecting greatly the last couple of weeks.... so, I'm promising that I will be putting up new themes tonight, and will have a special "part 2" of my vacation video Wednesday. Thanks again for stopping by. Talk to you soon...

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, Dad's need votes too! : )

New Store is up (15% off celebration)

2011-06-24T10:38:00.000-04:00

So, after much labor (get it?), I finally have my store up. You'll find onesies, rompers and nursery artwork, along with the cutest baby model you've every seen! I have some more stuff going up soon including some stuff for Mom and Dad. Because I love all of you so much, I'm offering 15% off for the first week!!! Use the discount code ADELINE at checkout. Thanks so much for stopping by, check out the shop here.

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, Dad's need votes too! : )

We'll sail belly up to the clouds...

2011-06-21T23:47:00.001-04:00

Rachel, I read your post today, and I thought I would add a yin post to your yang post...
First, I want to say "Holy Hell, can you believe we are parents ?!?" 11 years ago, you were my supportive awesomely cute girlfriend, now you are my supportive, beyond beautiful wife. Is there really a difference between, then,driving to a show with your hand resting on my leg with my guitar and amp in the back seat, and now driving with your hand in mine on a fun family day trip with our bundle of joy in the back seat? Back in the day, perhaps there was a time when it looked like rock stardom was in the near future, but I would much prefer where I ended up, sitting on our couch with just my Daughter as my audience staring at her Daddy. Remember when you surprised me for my birthday with a trip to Pittsburg so I could visit the Warhol Museum? And Phipps Conservatory? (picture above). That was the first of many surprise, awesome, thoughtful surprise trips that you put together for me. We truly have had such a great adventure together, and our parenting adventure has redefined what Love can be, to me. I love, love LOVE you dude! Thanks for sharing all the adventures with me. xo

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, Dad's need votes too! : )

Stacked to the Chin With Prints

2011-06-17T20:09:00.001-04:00

Today I got in 4 of the first baby design. Pretty happy with they way they turned out. I got different color onesies and rompers of each design. The stack came up to Addy's chin.

I had to spread them out on the couch and step back, it almost looked like a baby store.

I made a quick label for the weekend

I'm trying to figure out which I like the most. Design wise, I'm really happy with the "Babes in Troyland design. (not shown, but can be seen here) It probably doesn't make sense to you, it's a local thing, and you are way over there.

I will be at the River Street Fest in Troy NY selling these, some new shirts and hoodies for Moms and Dads, and artwork, if anyone wants to stop by and make my day. I'm going to have a new store up soon, so be on the lookout. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, Dad's need votes too! : )

Check Out Monkey and the Bug Blog Today!

2011-06-16T11:47:00.004-04:00

Rachel and I did a guest post for Monkey and the Bug today in honor of my first Father's Day. Thanks to Adriana & Tina for asking us to participate. Make sure you pick something up from Their shop after checking out the post. We can't wait 'til we can make the day trip out to Boston to meet up in person. It will happen soon, we promise.

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, I appreciate it.

Finally got them ordered

2011-06-13T23:05:00.000-04:00

Today, after stressing the details, and trying to narrow down what colors, what sizes, what styles, what, what, what... I finally put my first order in for my line of onesies and rompers for babies. This weekend I will be selling them at the River Street Fest in Troy, NY if you are around : ) I am hoping to get them up online for sale next week, along with Anchor No. 5 boutique. They should be in by the end of the week. I spent a lot of time sketching, it's going to be cool to see some of the designs come to life and modeled on Addy, I'll get some photos up of the final product as soon as they come in.

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, I appreciate it.

Settling Back In

2011-06-09T18:07:00.002-04:00

So, it's taken me a little longer to settle back in than I thought. I EVEN COMPLETELY MISSED VLOGGIN' VEDNESDAY. I have to put up some new themes, I'm so sorry if you stopped by yesterday expecting to see a new video. I'm trying to get back in the swing of posting more regularly, so here's a little catch up from the trip back home in the form of a thank you letter...

Thank You Rachel and Adeline...

For being the Wife and Daughter that I always have wished for.

For making a 12 hour train ride seem short.

For watching cities go by on the way home and looking forward to getting back home.

For allowing us to ride all the way home in the "quiet car"...

...without getting asked to move (I'm looking at you Addy)

For making every trip short or long... an adventure.

For being the Loves of My Life, no matter where we are.

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, I appreciate it.

Visiting the Elizabethan Gardens

2011-06-05T21:21:00.000-04:00

We are currently in Virginia Beach, Va, about to go to bed, we have an early train to catch heading back home. Right now, the sliding glass door in our hotel room is open, I can see and hear the ocean. We had a quick stop here on our way home from the Outer Banks NC. It was a fun trip, one of the highlights for me was visiting the hidden gem on the northern tip of Roanoke Island, about 15 minutes away from where we stayed. I will be showing a bunch of our trip, but for now I am going to show some of our day at the Elizabethan Gardens, it was beautiful.

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Vloggin' Vednesdays "Family Vacation"

2011-06-01T01:21:00.017-04:00

Coming to you this week on our first Family Vacation. We are a couple days in, so most of the video focus was of our travel day, which seemed like forever. Thanks for stopping by and checking out Vloggin' Vednesday, be sure to check out all of the links below, and thanks for participating.

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, I appreciate it.

Heading South.

2011-05-30T17:31:00.002-04:00

Our fist family trip is a family trip indeed, consisting of our little family unit and seven additional extra close family members. Addy's Aunts Uncles and Grammy. More coming this week from them, for now we are still settling in from our trip down. Mommy, Addy and I took the train down while everyone else drove. We didn't want to risk Addy needing us to stop often on the 11 hour drive, or just be miserable in the car for that long. This was her first train ride, and she was very intrigued...

... We made it to our first stop in NYC in 2 hours, no sweat. We were waiting right outside of Penn Station to meet up with my good fried Tony, who has been Living there for a while and is working on his hipster barber shop career...

... the 3 hours went by fast, and we were back on the Train, headed south. Quickly we passed the stop for Philly, Baltimore, Washington D.C. ... and Addy's nap times came and went, with only minimal actual napping going on. The crank level was surely rising, so I held her tight on my chest and walked back and forth up the train cars pretty much covering the whole length of the train, until she was out. I sat down and quickly fell into Daddy nap time...

... before we knew it we were at our stop, when I was gathering our things and a nice woman leaned over to me and told me she couldn't help but notice us with Addy and that we were doing such a great job with her. It was really nice to hear. We got off the Train and waited for the rest of the Fam that were pulling up fresh off of their long drive. We Spent the night in a hotel close to the stop. The next morning we were off driving in the sun along the coast and driving up the peninsula. We arrived at the house, We were all beat, but the house was amazing and the walk way leading to the ocean off the back was calling...

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Vloggin' Vednesday "Hidden Talents"

2011-05-25T07:51:00.000-04:00

Sooooooo... I had a nice script written for this week and a great premise. But, due to some "happenings" beyond my control. I couldn't get my video done. It's a shame, I apologize. It is my first week that I have missed, so I guess this is my "calling in sick" to Vloggin' Vednesdays day. Again, I am very sorry. Please link up your videos below still, and check out the linked videos below. And check back in weeks to come.

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Addy Daddy's "This Old House"

2011-05-22T17:24:00.000-04:00

I confess, I am an old historic home lover, and I love messing with things to make them "old" again. At times this can be a pain for my wife, but seriously, the old hardware on these old doors is awesome, why not get all of the old paint off of them to expose their late 1800's beauty? I've realized that there really isn't any end to little projects like this in 110 year old homes.
We have 2 pre 1890 2 family homes that we have bought and saved from years of neglect and layers of bad flooring dating back to the 40's.

Needless to say, I have a lot of experience working on old wood floors. So, when our friends were taking up a rug in their 140 year old home to get back to the old wood floors, they gave us a call. The process can be a pain in the cubes, but the reason for the renovation, just makes me want to do it. YOu could say it's a heart warming project. They have the same midwife as we had and are doing a birthing pool in their living room just as we had 7 months ago. Having the floors done will help the environment of the room to be the best it can be for them. And, who can deny helping these faces?....

We arrived at the house around noon and the ladies promptly left to take a drive (one was pregnant, one had a baby to watch, they were of no help at all : ). Thomas and I got right to work clearing the room out and tearing out the rug. When we started sanding Thomas took a shot of me...

...looking at it brought me back to the days of working on our house preparing it for Adeline's arrival. (don't tell my wife that I wasn't wearing goggles). I definitely know the feeling the Thomas has right now, the pride in preparing your home to receive your precious little one. You just want to do everything you can and have it done on time. They have about 2 months left, from my recollection that is the beginning of crunch time! You can stop by their blog and see their progress and wish them good luck here.

For now... this is Adeline's Daddy A.K.A. "your home improvement, floor sanding, light hanging... etc, bloggin' buddy" signing off. Check in next week, when I tear up all of the asphalt from our parking area and turn it into a huge green space : )

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Car Ride With Weezer and a Glockenspiel

2011-05-19T22:47:00.003-04:00

Last week I received a promotional CD from Rockabye Baby. I've been contacted from other companies about promotion, but I am picky as to who I will have on my blog. With that being said, when I went to the Rockabye Baby site, after they contacted me, I had a smile on my face that lasted long after I stepped away from my computer. So, no reason not to get a promo copy. What an awesome idea, by the way. When I received the album I actually listened to the Album (I picked Weezer) a bunch of times through headphones while I was working on designs, and hummed along. I had brought it out to the car for more listening. Which came in handy a couple of days ago. I was bringing Addy on a ride with me to the shop to pick up some paper work. She was not feeling it, pretty cranky and definitely needed a nap. I looked down, saw the disk, picked it up and gave it a try with her ( I know I had already gotten some enjoyment out of it).

It ended up being a nice drive, I sang along and hummed to her with the soothing music in the background... "oohh weee oohh, I look just like Buddy Holly"... I turned around and this is what I saw.

I turned back around and continued to sing along, this time just for my own pleasure. I must say I got this Album for free, but I think I may have to go and pick up another album... they do have a great discography. If you are curious or interested, they have a bunch of sound clips of albums. I found myself cruising around reliving my teenage years... but as lullabies.

http://www.rockabyebabymusic.com

http://www.facebook.com/rockabyebaby

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Vloggin' Vednesday "Waking Up / Going To Sleep"

2011-05-18T09:30:00.003-04:00

Hey, It's Vloggin' Vednesday again, and we just woke up (if you are reading this around 7:00am EST). I just make a quick video of us getting up and how our first 10 minutes of the day look. Thanks for checking out my blog, be sure to check out the linked videos below... and how about traveling a little lower and giving me a vote on Top Baby Blogs : )

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, I appreciate it.

Help Me Choose.

2011-05-15T18:46:00.000-04:00

I'm working on my new kids line of merch, but there are too many possibilities. This is the first 4 designs (more about illustrating them here), I'm not sure what colors and what styles to start with. Please leave me a comment with your top 3. I have a store that is going to be carrying them, along with my own online store that I'm started... and, if you are in Troy NY, anytime this summer you can stop by Tight Knit and I'll have a table. You can click on the images to see them a little bigger (sorry for the stupid watermarks, I don't want people to steal them before I get a chance to use them).

So far, Addy and Mommy Like...

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Up Past Daddy's Bedtime

2011-05-13T19:55:00.000-04:00

Rachel and Addy have gone to sleep, it's time for Daddy to make a mess...

I really need to get a good lamp for my work area, I tend to be most focused (and have more time) later in the night, but If there are too many lights on it makes it hard for Addy to get in a deep sleep. I have been working on some more illustrated designs, and had an idea of a new way to present the images...

I did the illustration, colored it and cut it out with an exacto. Then on a painted piece of wood, I used decoupage to finish it... in very low light. It is the first draft of the idea, but I think I can work with the new style. The following day I used some of wife's ribbon to set up some cute edges (not pictured). There is a great downtown shop, called Anchor No. 5, that carries stuff that I make, I drove down today and did a drop off of the 4 new kids oriented pieces along with some shirts and hoodies that I had left from the last market season. I'm going to stop down to the shop tomorrow after the farmers market and get some photos of the final product on display. Be on the lookout for that.

Please use the link below to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs, I appreciate it.