Recent Design: PS Rowland

A couple of months ago I got a message on Facebook from my friend Pam who revealed to me that she was getting her book of poetry published! I was super excited for her, and that excitement grew when she asked me a bit about my design services and my perspective on author’s websites. We talked a lot about it and in the end, she hired me to design her brand new website to be released with her book. I was honored.

It has been such a great project and, as with every one I undertake, a learning process. Pam knew the feel she wanted for her site and we nailed down the colors based on the sweet sunflower picture we used for the background. We focused a lot on navigation and ease of use for her readers and I think we accomplished that. I love the final product and how well it matches Pam’s personality and her poetry.

Here is the final product. Click through to view it live at psrowland.com!

Here’s what Pam had to say about the process:

"As a new author I was in need of a professional working website. I did a market search, and consulted with many web designers. It was a mind boggling daunting process. I then remembered my friend Shaina was in the biz. So I contacted her, and wanted to jump for joy for how easy she made it for me. Her upbeat, "can do" attitude was refreshing. Her calmness when I was frantic was very soothing. Her artistic qualities, and thought process made it a breeze. I love the soft romantic feel she gave to it, which is perfect for the poetry I write. The ease of use for readers is the best. I've already received SO many compliments. I chose the PERFECT person for the job, and would HIGHLY recommend her for anyones needs. Thanks Shaina!"

Thanks so much Pam for trusting me with this project and working with me to make something beautiful. I hope that it continues to fit your needs as your readership expands with the publishing of your book. Congratulations and thanks for sharing this part of your journey with me!

Want to learn more about Pam? Follow her on FB and see her brand new book of poetry available for purchase here.

Now & Then

I recently fell down the rabbit hole online (through Pinterest, of course!) and came across this really great meme called Now & Then. Some of the ones I saw were srslyliz, bedsidesign, and fernaly. I thought I was a super cute way to look back and see how some things change and some things stay the same… and might give you a little bit of insight into my personality.

Here is my take on Now & Then. I thought back about 10-12 years ago when I was 16/17.

Some of the things that stayed the same…obviously my attraction to Christian Bale (from Little Women to Batman!), trying different things with my hair, my love of music and watching shows about families, music and spies.

Things that are different…the way I approach each day has changed, and I also don’t have time to read my Nancy Drew books much anymore. My perspectives and priorities have matured a bit I think. But that comes with getting older.

Such a fun way to look back, right?!

Did you learn something you didn’t know about me?
Try this post idea yourself and share your link in the comments. I’d love to see your Now & Then too!

Shaina learns Brush Script

I have been completely smitten with Kal Barteski’s script art for a long time…she turns simple words into magic with her brush. And so I was so excited when Studio Calico made the announcement that Kal was teaching a class for them called Life : Scripted. I was not missing this opportunity!

And let me tell you, I have not been let down. Kal’s love for this art and the supplies she uses to create it just ooze out of her. And she is a great teacher. I watched her do it and felt like I could do it too. So I got my supplies out and ready and for the first time dipped my special bamboo brush into gouache and then touched it to paper.

Too much water…making the paint was too lean. So I loaded up again and got so excited when the color looked just like I wanted. Attempt number two:

And then once I got the feel for water to paint ratio figured out for my brush I just kept drawing lines…line after line after line. Big fat lines, skinny little lines, some really dark, some lighter…all fun! I just felt my smile getting bigger and bigger on my face.

Then I tried diagonal lines and swirly lines and shapes. I was getting the feel for my brush and loving it!

And then it was time to move on to letters. I was trying to connect them, not connect them, use thin and thick lines, focus on the shapes and just get a good handle on how the brush works on actual shapes. I did lowercase and uppercase and this is my absolute favorite page of uppercases. I added a heart at the end cuz it made me so happy.

After pages and pages of letters and lines I wanted to try my hand at my One Little Word for the year: THRIVE. I wrote it a bunch, using different types of letters and combinations. My first page of “thrive” was my favorite in the end.

I added some drips for good measure and they made me extra happy. In the end I’d used tons of gouache and tons of paper. My whole office was covered and it just made my day! My plan is to use my scripting in my Project Life for 2014. Been waiting for this class to share those pages so they would be complete.

I am so glad that Kal and Studio Calico came together to offer this class. I know that this is something I’m going to fall more in love with the more I do it. I can’t wait to practice and practice some more and really learn my brushes and the shapes that I like.

Hoping to share lots more of the process and progress!! Thanks for peeking.

What is a new form of art you want to try?
Have you tried Brush Script before?
Do you love it or hate it?

My Favorite Phase 2 HCG Recipes

Phase 2 of the HCG diet can be really difficult because the food choices are so slim. You can have 100 grams of protein plus one vegetable and a fruit per meal. I usually split up my fruit through the day, unless I want to count my tomato as a fruit and add to it a meal. If you’re creative you can create so many different meals, and there are lots of recipe suggestions to be found, even on Pinterest. Here are a few of my go-to favorites.

This pesto sauce is just amazing, and I can’t wait to add it to lots of different veggies in the future too. I mixed basil, garlic, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, chicken broth and a little bit of stevia in a food processer and added salt and pepper to taste. Then I cooked up the chicken with some onion and once the meat was browned I added the pesto sauce and water to the chicken. Let it simmer a little and then pour all of this over a bed of spinach. So full of flavor!

This one is super easy, and one of the cases where I counted a tomato as my fruit for the meal. It helps to have more than just meat and lettuce on a salad sometimes. This is 100 grams of lean ground beef flavored with Mexican spices. I love to mix up my lettuce a lot and this time I used Iceburg. Its got a lot of crunch and the moisture picks up the flavors in the meat very well. Chris adds hot sauce to his, but I can’t handle that stuff. For me all that its missing is some olives! wink*wink.

This is one of my FAVORITE ways to eat cabbage. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spread some MCT oil over a cookie sheet. Slice a heal of cabbage into 3/4” slices. Lay it out on the sheet and brush on some oil on the tops. Add seasoning (salt, garlic, etc.). Flip and repeat on the second side. Cook for half an hour and then flip the steaks and bake for another half hour. The edges will get dark and crispy. That’s my favorite part because it tastes so sweet. We pair this veggie with lots of different things…steak and grilled chicken breast are my favorite.

I love how easy this one is do at lunch time…quick and easy. I usually buy the tail off, precooked frozen shrimp and so you just need to run water over them and then give them a quick seer. I start my frying pan with the coconut oil and lost of garlic. I add the shrimp and it makes a bit of a sauce with the water from the shrimp. I throw this over a bed of spinach and I’m good to go. Super fast and super delicious.

So I’ve been on Phase 2 for 11 days and I’m down to 192.2 lbs, which is 17.8 lbs lost already! Feeling really good about my progress already. I drink a ton of water a day and triple-shot Americanos with cream are my jam! It feels so good to be the one cooking my food and making menu plans and shopping for real food. Not even 2 weeks in and I feel so much better. My energy is up and I’m sleeping better. I’m excited to keep watching the pounds drop and my smile get bigger.

What are some of your favorite healthy recipes?
I’m making a collection of them for our maintenance phase!

Another edition of the Hair Diaries

It felt like I just got my lavender hair done…but the length of my hair and how faded the color had become was proof that it was time to visit Hannah, my stylist cousin again. And this time I wanted something even more drastic! I wanted platinum and super short!

And we tried…we really tried. The cut is perfection, but after 1 bleach processing, a toner, and another bleach processing it still was quite yellow. I just have super warm undertones in my hair that do not want to let go! I’ve done a couple washes with my toning shampoo since then and it’s a little less yellow, but we’re going to have to keep working with it.

With at least half the hair and a scalp on fire I left my cousin’s house a happy girl. I just love drastic hair changes. I think it’s a integral part of my personality…and fortunately, Chris is always easygoing and lets me try anything.

Here are my before and after shots:

We watched Frozen and played with Harper while we did my hair. We talked about life and everything that’s been going on. Hannah has quit her job at the salon she’s been working for and is going to stay at home with the kids now. So we were talking about business ventures we could possibly pursue together…like hand lettered signs and art. Lots of possibilities in the future. I just love that girl. And little Harper is getting so big! Walking with help and not satisfied to just sit in one place anymore. lol. We had a fun day together.

So there you have it…the newest edition of the Hair Diaries. An (almost) platinum pixie cut. I can’t wait till there is a little bit of grow-out. I really like that look too.

What is your favorite hair style lately?
Are you brave enough to give it a try?
Check out my Beautiful Hair board for inspiration.