365 project: February

My project 365 theme for this year is US. Meaning Clark and I. I want to take 365 photos (one each day) of us/what we are doing/ eat/ liking/ watching/ etc. So don't worry all the photos won't be face shots. Anyways here is February:

1. We got a new/ bigger TV and we are watching the Office on it. 

2. Went for a Sunday jog with our pup before we settled down for the Super Bowl. Go Hawks.

3. I like Oats N' Dark Chocolate and he likes Dark Chocolate Cherry.

4. Just hanging on the couch.

5. Another one. Last minute photo.

6. Late night post office run and there might have been ice cream involved.

7. On the bed. Pretend you don't see extra pillows stuffed under there. #ineedabedskirt 

8. Close up photos from a day we shot outfit photos.

9. We had cheeseburgers for dinner. Yum.

10. It snowed again!
11. And we played in it because Knox loves the snow and Clark got work off.
12. We ordered in pizza. Thin crust Hawaiian!
13. Clark and I pulled the mattress out to the living room and camped out and watched Into the Wild.
14. These are my favorite Valentine's Day candy. My mom sent them over -thanks mom.
15. I love this photo. Knox looks so sweet.
16. I am working on temporary tattoos, testing them out. Hopefully soon to come to the shop.
17. Outfit photos. I love this photo because you can see the camera in Clark's sunglasses.
18. Walking around the block. Love the sunny day and exercise.
19. Cold Stone date.
20. Finishing up the Butterfinger Hearts and being silly.
21. Vans. Mint green for me and Orange for him.
22. Our trip to Yates Mill.
23. Sunday morning pancakes.
24. On the couch at the end of the day.
25. Our laundry.
26. Socks. Short white for him and long black for him.
27. Snuggle time.
28. Making no bakes last night. (So technically not from today, I wanted to get a pic this morning but forget. Sorry)

I am happy with how this project is going and it is fun to see little snaps from each day. Not all days are glamourous and filled with adventure but that is okay. View January if you would like. 

Lake Wheeler

Okay, these are some of my favorite photos ever. They are taken with my iPhone on a great day. Like I stated in my last post we headed up toward Raleigh last Saturday to check out Yates Mill. Once we got to Yates Mill we noticed that Knox couldn't get out of the car because it was a nature preserve so only service animals were allowed. So instead of staying we headed back to Lake Wheeler which we had passed a couple miles back. I wanted to make sure that Knox got out and got some play time.

We stopped at the lake and it was such a beautiful day. There were a few different areas that one could stop at. There was people fishing on the shore and there were even houses along the lake. The area that we stopped at had a lot of people and seemed to be the main recreational area. There were families picnicing, fishing, boating, feeding geese, playing with their dogs, playing on a jungle gym. We headed down to the lake shore and threw sticks in the water for Knox. Not very fare, of course, because he isn't too sure about the water yet. 

It was really a great trip and even though my big plans don't always work out the detour plans are pretty good as well. And I realized sometimes it is okay not to have the big DSLR camera with me all the time because the best camera is the one you have with you. Have a great Wednesday. 6 days until my mom comes to visit. #imexcited

love, Carlee

Yates Mill

This past weekend we took a day drive up to Yates Mill just below Raleigh NC. I had seen this photo and realized it wasn't to far away from Fayetteville and thought a fun day drive would be awesome. There were also trails around the pound and beyond that we could take Knox on. Well... come to find out once we arrived that since this is a Nature Preserve animals weren't allowed even on a leash. :( Since we had driven about 40 miles to see what this place was about I at least wanted to check out the mill. So Clark and I took a very short walk to the mill only to find out it was gated off and closed to construction. Ahhhhhh what a bust!

I took some photos anyways and was very disappointed. Clark says we will go back during the summer when it is open to check it out. So we got back in the car after about 10 minutes and headed 2 miles down the road to Lake Wheeler (I am gonna post a few photos tomorrow) and Knox got to play and run around. There were people having picnics, fishing, and going for paddle boat rides it was nice.

It seems the last couple of adventures Clark and I have gone on lately have been rather uneventful and not in a good way. For Valentine's Day we headed up to Raleigh, I wanted to check out the Farmer's Market which I have heard rave reviews about but it was rather non existent and really few vendors because of snow that has happened a few days before. I then set my sights on checking out a State Park which was near our hotel and that was also closed. So instead we ate a nice dinner and spent the rest of the evening walking around the mall. I am hoping that my next few adventures are a total win and hopefully with spring coming everything will reopen and resume as normal. Happy Monday.
love, Carlee

Jacket & Scarf: Marshalls

Pants: Old Navy

Tank & Bag: Target

Boots: Cathy Jean (Seattle WA)

Sunglasses: gift

22 before 23

The photos below are from a walk Clark, Knox and I took around the neighborhood the other day. I loved the photos and wanted to share. My list is below that. Enjoy.
love, Carlee

1. Travel to 2 new states I visited: Florida, Arizona, and Texas! Florida post and when we went to the Hoover Dam/Arizona! 

2. Travel to another country. Puerto Rico, Bahamas, somewhere in the Caribbean. I would love to go to Europe but I don't think it is realistic for this year. (No) 

3. Submit my Children's Book to a publisher. (Nope) 

4. Double my current viewers/followers here on the blog and instagram. Right now Blog followers are at 493 and instagram followers are at 257. Write now my blog followers are at 523 so I only gained 30 followers this year, definitely not double. But I am okay with that, I feel like I gained some quality followers and blogging friends!  But for instagram my personal instagram is now at 322 so a gain of 65 and I started a new business/blog instagram @littlesloth_ and that has 526 followers so I definitely doubled my instagram followers. YAY!

5. 2,000 Etsy Sales by this time next year. YES!!! I actually hit 2,000 sales on December 10th so 2 months early which I am really proud of:)

6. Have my products in 10 stores. No but I do have my product in a few stores which is a growth from last year. 

7. My own Little Sloth website (.com). Design and code it myself.  www.littlesloth.com

8. Continue and finish my 365 project for each month. View January here. View february. March. View April. May. June is here. View July. View August. September. October. VIEW ALL HERE!

9. Collect souvenir Christmas ornaments from vacation spots. This is something my mom has always done and I would like to start this myself. That way when Christmas comes, the ornaments on the tree tell a story of where I have been and what I have seen. YES view the instagram photo of my ornaments. 

10. Do a 5K or 10K. I should honestly just sign up for one right now for May or June that way I know I am gonna do it. I am commitment issues... well with races that is. Did a 10K in Fayetteville NC on June 7, 2014. View post and Clark and I did another 10K in August.

11. Start to expand Little Sloth with more products other then just greeting cards. I have a few ideas in the works but I don't want to share too soon. MUGS!!!!

12. If/When Clark gets deployed this year, write him a letter every single day. (Didn’t get deployed, so that is a win!)

13. Go camping. Labor Day camping trip to Jordan Lake. 

14. Go to at least one craft market. I am thinking Rock and Shop Market. (Nope)

15. Attend a military ball with Clark. Here

16. Go to a Durham Bulls game. Post on it here. And then we went again.

17. Go to a concert. Florida Georgia Line and Nelly: June 12, 2014

18. Get and keep alive air plants. Nope, I feel like I am more than okay with no doing this one as it might have been a little bit of a filler goal. Hate those.

19. Practice hand-lettering and calligraphy.

20. Paint a big abstract painting. This one is from last year that I never did. Abstract painting 1 and 2. 

21. Get a disposable camera and take one photo each week until it is done. This way I will have a 28 or so photos from 28 weeks and hopefully each one is totally different. Roll number one. #2. 

22. Design and offer free printable designs. Maybe gift tags or labels. (Nope)

Updated February 2, 2015

Blue and White

This wall is one of my favorites in Fayetteville. I like a good statement wall like the sun wall.  I have already taken photos in front of this wall before, I just think it is so fun. I always look for a good wall. I am so glad that the weather is warming up here, I hope it stays consistently warm around 65-70 that would be perfect and would hopefully jump start spring.

These photos were taken over the weekend on the way to the dog park. I made sure to wear leggings and my older boots because the dog park can get super messy, especially with all the snow and rain lately. Needless to say, don't wear nice clothes to the dog park. Speaking of dogs, I didn't know were Knox was at and I found him sleeping on our bed. He looked so sweet and cute.

This week has seemed to fly by, I guess it was a short week with Presidents Day on Monday. I am excited for the weekend, I am hoping to go do something fun. Maybe see some of North Carolina that I haven't even if that just means a hidden lake or river. This the weather warming up it will be nice to great out of the house on the weekend. I hope everyones Thursday is fabulous and productive.
love, Carlee

Leggings: Nike

Boots: old

Socks: H&M

Shirt: American Eagle

Coat: Target

21 before 22 revisted

These are some lost photos from over a year ago. I took them when my mom, little brother and I visited family on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound in Washington State. Both of my parents actually grew up on Whidbey Island, what a beautiful place. 

* You can view the original 21 before 22 post here.

1. Get Married
July 5th, 2013

2. Go on adventures to new places
I am currently living in North Carolina which is someplace I had never even been before so I would definitely say I have been on many adventures to new places.

3. 500 Sales on Etsy
This actually happened on October 29th 2013. So I was really happy about that because I was ahead of my goal.

4. Do an exercise a day each month.
This did not happen. Although it should have...

5. Make a beautiful home for Clark and I
I think this happened but I am always in the process of making a warm and cozy home. View our bedroom tour.

6. Grow my blog. 1000 followers
So this did not happen. I think part of the reason was I changed my blog name and web address so even some follower I had before were lost. But I am proud of my blog and shop that are growing organically. Which I have learned is the best way for them to grow.

7. Start taking business classes
I have taken a business law class.

8. Paint a big abstract painting for my home
No, but I did find an awesome one at Goodwill for $7 and is now hanging above our bed.

9. Build a frame for my scratch off map.
I actually found a frame from Michael's that was just the frame and no glass and it was like 60% off so it was perfect.

10. For the next 3 months, design 3 or more greeting cards each week. 50 listings by June.
This might have happend. I didn't keep track of it as well as I should have. But I am proud of what I have listed and the number.

11. Get pretty mugs
This might have just been a filler goal. But I did get the prettiest turquoise mug ever from Goodwill.

12. Publish Children's Book
Nope, I did a lot of research this past year about submitting manuscripts to publishers. I just need to take the leap, make sure to put my best foot forward, and try.

13. Celebrate big/special days with Clark
Yes! We got to celebrate his birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and now my birthday together. It is a nice change from last year.

14. Design a Valentine's Line for Little Sloth 2014
Yes. I had about 24 cards total in the shop for Valentine's Day and I designed 17 new ones for this Valentine's Day. Sure not all were great sellers so I probably won't relist them next year but some did awesome!

15. Learn how to coupon well
Well I do use coupons when I have them and I am buying that item. But I learned that a lot of times coupons are used on things people don't really need. And we try to by stuff we really only need.

16. Don't eat after 8 pm
This didn't happen. Since getting married my eating habits kind of got out of whack which isn't good.

17. In October, design a Christmas line for Little Sloth. 15+ cards
This happened. I actually designed 19 cards. About 7 were popular.

18. Deal with being away from Clark better. Step back from situations when needed.
Yes. I was with Clark alot more this year since we got married. But even I think I did a lot better at this goal.

19. Cook more. Try different, new recipes
This did happen. I haven't really shared it here on the blog but I have tried fish tacos, homemade french fries, pizza, baked ziti, etc.

20. More photo shoots. Friends/family, build portfolio.
This didn't happen. I think it could have if I really put my mind to it. But as of right now my life is going in another creative direction and that is where I am going as well.

21. Travel
I would say this definitely happened. I drove across the country with my best friend, drove through South Carolina and Georgia to see Clark at Airborne school, Clark and I have gone to western NC and drove through the mountains and also seen the coast and the Outer Banks.

*Early next week I will be sharing my 22 before 23 post. Stay tuned for that.
love, Carlee

Winter wheat

So I am not really in a wheat field but I thought it kind of looked that way so that is why this post is named winter wheat. Anyways these photos were taken yesterday and I am so glad almost all the snow has melted off the ground. I am SO ready for spring and for the plants to start budding with new greenery and for pollen to fill the air. I guess the weather is suppose to be a lot better this week with highs in the 70s. Isn't that crazy, one week 5 inches of snow and the next 70 degree weather. Yay for North Carolina... I think. 

This outfit was an easy one to put together. I saw this post from Veronica yesterday and loved her outfit. I thought I have a variation of most of those pieces, I can put that together. So that is what I did. Super cute and comfy. And perfect for a day of grocery shopping and cleaning the house. 

In other news, I have just released 13 new greeting cards in my shop and I am excited about all of them. I am still working on new mothers/fathers day cards. I love trying to come up with unique cards for moms and dads. So if you have a burning idea, I would love to hear it. Below are some of the new cards you have find in the shop. Go to the Little Sloth shop so see them all. 

Have a great Tuesday. I am tackling a big to-do list today. 

Outfit details:

Boots & Cardigan: Target

Jeans & Jacket: Old Navy

Scarf: present

Tank: Forever 21

Card stock water-marbling

This project was 100% inspired and taken from Elise and her project that she did a couple of weeks ago. It looked and sounded easy enough and I wanted to give it a try. I love paper goods and products and I thought cards with nail polish water marbling on them would make a great thank you or just because card for family and friends. I really like the way they turned out although I don't think I had the best technique. 

 One thing I did have trouble with is the water temperature. The nail polish kept hardening at the surface. I tried warm, hot, and cold water and they all seemed to do the same thing. I looked it up later and room temperature water is ideal (haven't tried it.) I did get a few cool resulted mixed it with a lot of trial and error. 

Another thing I found is gloves are a must because this can be very messy. Elise said to use gloves but since I didn't have any laying around, I just passed and then spent about 15 minutes scrubbing nail polish off my hands with nail polish remover when I was done. So if you can use gloves do it. Anyways go check out Elise directions for more information on how to do this. That is what I followed. 

I am excited to have some unique/ one of a kind cards to send out as thank you notes or for a occasion when I need one. Since I design greeting cards professionally it is nice to just do something for fun. 

love, Carlee

February twelfth

Yesterday was my birthday. What a good day. We have had great snow storm here in North Carolina. The last three days we have been completely snowed in. Clark has gotten work off and I only left the house earlier today to go to the post office. My birthday was great, there was a few other things planned but the snow changed that and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. We played in the snow, made a nice dinner together, ate ice cream cake; it was good. Here are a few snapshots from yesterday.

And speaking of snow, it is still coming down like crazy right now as I type this. Geez, I thought hoped spring was on the way. It has felt like a 7 day snowy vacation here in Fayetteville, NC. Enjoy your Thursday.
love, Carlee

Snowing again

It is snowing again here in North Carolina. We woke up to cold weather and there were threats of snow on my iPhone weather app and also on the news channels, but I kind of assumed it was just a threat but around 8:30 am this morning it started to snow pretty hard. And of course I was excited! I thinking I might have brought the snow with me from Washington State. ha. But I don't really mind because it is so pretty. But on the other hand, I am ready for spring and it is hard to drive or go anywhere because North Carolina isn't prepared for the snow so no snowplows. This means I will probably be cooped up in the house for the next couple of days. 

At least while I am in the house I have the Olympics to keep me company. I have been enjoying watching the Olympics so much. Clark's really likes watching curling and so we got to watch the USA men and women's team play yesterday, unfortunately they both lost. But let me tell you, curling is a very weird sport. It is like a mix of golf, pool, ice skating, and sweeping the floor. Okay maybe that isn't accurate but it looks really difficult. 

I got my haircut yesterday and although it doesn't look much different. (These photos don't show much difference.) But it feels so much better, lighter and healthier. This was the first time I got my haircut since being in North Carolina and I had to find a new salon and sometimes that can be nerve racking. I mean I wanted a good hair dresser. Well I found a great salon called Salon 360 here in Fayetteville and my hairdresser was Jessica, she was awesome. And I will definitely be going back to her. So I am glad I had a good first experience. It's Tuesday but here in the snow standstill of NC it feels like the weekend.
love, Carlee

Jacket: Eddie Bauer

Shirt: Target

Leggings: Nike

Scarf: Old

Boots: Famous Footwear

Orange Sun

I noticed this awesome wall when I was driving onto base the other day. So on Sunday when Clark and I were headed to the commissary to do some grocery shopping I knew I wanted to stop and take some photos. Because what an awesome wall. It is sort of in an alley way but I like that someone spruced the wall up with a bright orange sun.

This is really a basic outfit for me and as you probably have noticed a variation of this outfit is usually what I am it. What can I say I know what I like. This cardigan is one of my favorites, it is thick and comfy, I am actually wearing it as I type this. Even though this is the type of outfit I usually wear, I would like to get out of my comfort zone and try some new things and add some new pieces to my closet. I actually haven't been shopping in forever. I usually go into shopping excited about buying some new pieces then end up thinking 'do I really need this.' And not purchasing anything. That is usually why you see a lot of the same pieces here on the blog. But I would like to add a few new pieces, I am just one of those girls that need to LOVE the piece before I buy it. I am not into wasting money. 

Anyone else watching the Olympics? I have watched Ski jumping, downhill skiing, figure skating, Cross Country skiing, and Biathlon. One thing I love about the Olympics is that it is usually playing all day so you just get to keep it on the TV all day and catch bits and pieces. I will be honest, I am much more of a summer Olympics fan. I love gymnastics and beach volleyball.  But the country pride and coming togetherness of the Olympics is really amazing for all the countries. One of the ski jumpers has competed for 7 Olympics and is 41 years old that is absolutely incredible! Just saying. Have a happy Monday.

love, Carlee 

Pants & Tank: Marshalls

Sweater: Forever 21

Boots: Cathy Jean