Workout Motivation Throw Pillows

I was recently inspired to create a collection of typography pillows with motivational quotes targeted  towards the health and fitness crowd. The series was created for athletes and people who make health and wellness and going to the gym a priority.

Truth be told, I designed these inspirational pillows for myself. I needed a good, old-fashioned talking to and organizing and creating these pillows did the trick. For some reason, I had fallen off the workout wagon. My motivation lagged and I couldn't seem to get back in gear but doing this project lit a fire under my, well, it got me jacked up to hit it hard.

Today is a New Beginning

Whether you are a runner, swimmer, cyclist, triathlete, weightlifter, cross trainer or a Zumba enthusiast, my hope is that these typography motivational pillows will inspire you every time you see them. Also, these would also make a great gift for anyone who is looking to put more focus on their health and more effort into their workouts.      

You can easily change the background color to match a specific decor. If you’d like the typography to be another color or a different font, feel free to contact me either here or via the “ask the designer” link on the product page. Now, stop reading this and hit the gym. :-)

Better Sore than Sorry

No Excuses

Every Damn Day

I Will Not Be Stopped

Click the pillow for buying information and pricing. Click here to see the entire collection of motivational typography pillows. 

Thanks for taking a look.

 

Sassy, Snarky Coffee Mug Gifts

Click for product

Let's face it, there certainly are sexier gifts than the lowly coffee mug. Even so, there's something fun about receiving one, especially if it's got a sassy, snarky message. I got a clever mug for Christmas and it quickly became my favorite; the mug gives me a smile every time I reach for it.

In that vein, I've rounded up some of my favorite sassy, snarky coffee mugs. Next time a gift-giving opportunity arises, consider giving the gift of snark.

Here are a few of my top picks: 
 

Link to mug

 Maybe you have a friend who, as much as you hate to admit it, is always right. My brother-in-law is that way. In fact, my husband says my BIL is the smartest guy he's ever met. Because of that, what do you think we gave him for his birthday? That's right, this funny "Let's just agree I'm right and move on" mug. It was the perfect birthday gift.

Link to more snark

 Because my husband and my BIL have fun sparring, I wouldn't be surprised if this funny mug doesn't show up at our house for my husband's birthday. The caption reads "I'd agree with you but then we'd both be wrong." You know this would be a good way for my BIL to retaliate.

Click here

Speaking of gifts, this "I love you more than coffee but never BEFORE coffee" mug was in my stocking one holiday. Of course I wasn't offended because the feeling is mutual!








You get the idea. These mugs are not high on the design scale but some of them are pretty funny.

Click here to see more sassy, snarky, funny coffee mugs.

What's New Pussycat?

I've missed you guys.

I haven't blogged here in a long time. In fact, I haven't blogged anywhere in a long time. Aside from a handful of private clients, my online writing has taken a backseat to my new love, design.

Because I'm spending loads of time and energy on this new venture, I've restructured this blog and will use it to showcase my work and interact with you. When I show you products and images, I'd like to hear what you like and what you don't like. And why.

Let me know what you think. Let me know if you have ideas, tips or suggestions. Don't be shy.

Oh, the name of my primary shop is Fat Cat Graphics. I'll introduce you to that shop and others in the posts to come.

Thanks for sticking with me through all my crazy, creative phases.  

I Am a Child of Wonderful Parents

I am from what the media calls a traditional family. My brother, sister and I grew up in a loving and humble household with both of our biological parents. Our wonderful biological parents. 

According to the Washington Times, families consisting of a married couple with children under age 18--traditional families--have not been in the majority since 1967, but we never knew that.

Mom & Dad, back in the day

Giant bonus points for the fact that my parents are open-minded and all-inclusive. We mixed it up with every type of person, every type of family unit. We hosted foreign exchange students from various countries. When kids weren't getting along with their own parents, they’d crash with us until the storm blew over. Our house was the holiday go-to place for people who didn’t have anywhere else to go. Our doors were open to anyone at any time.  My parents always had food, jokes, an empathetic ear, a warm make-shift bed or a funny story to share with whomever needed it. We never gave any thought to differences, to privilege, to haves and have-nots. We were blissfully unaware.

I don't mean to give the impression that it was all Ozzy and Harriet at our house, it wasn't. My siblings and I gave my parents plenty of trouble growing up. We're all strong-minded, opinionated and curious. It couldn't have been easy for them. Still, they doled out the right amount of discipline mixed with respect and love. We always knew they were in charge.     

Mom & Dad now

It’s only when I went away to college that I realized how different my parents were, that we were in the minority. We still are; my mom and dad recently celebrated their 62st anniversary. 

My brother and sister are both happily married with families of their own, doing their part to keep the traditional family going. 

Even though we've scattered, we take every opportunity to congregate as a family unit. We do it out of love and also out of fun. We genuinely have fun together. Loud, raucous, unrestrained fun. Those of you who know us *in real life* could probably tell some tales! 

Yep, I am a child of wonderful parents.

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This post is in participation with the Group Blogging Experience, and this week’s prompt is children and/or parent(s).  If you want to blog with us, go to the GBE2 Facebook page and request to join the group. Everyone is welcome.

Stormy Weather Erodes Folly Beach

Hurricane Irene caused severe damage to our beach, completely eliminating parts of the shoreline. Even though she just skimmed by us, large storm swells destroyed sea turtle nests that were ready to hatch. Sand dunes are so battered that sea water flows into parking lots at high tide.

The ends of the island took the brunt of Irene’s force. On the west end of Folly, the County Park took the hardest hit. The park is still without water and power. High waves pushed water under the park building and flooded the parking lot. The boardwalk collapsed into splinters. For now, Folly Beach County Park is closed. 

The east end of the island—toward the Morris Island Lighthouse—was damaged as well. The last public access and parking lot is blocked and houses that surround the area are on ‘limited access,’ which means homeowners can come in to make repairs but are not allowed to rent the houses to vacationers. 

We walk our dog on Folly Beach every night. It’s heartbreaking to see the damage Hurricane Irene caused. Since the storm, we have to plan our walks around the tide table because it’s impossible to walk the entire beach when the tide is rising. Even though parts of our beach are washed away, we know it could be so much worse.

I hope our friends on the northeast coast are recovering. 

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This post is in participation with the Blogging for Fun group, and this week’s prompt is stormy weather. If you want to blog with us, go to the BFF Facebook page and request to join the group. Everyone is welcome.

Sell Already, Damn House

I am abundantly blessed. The word prompt for this week’s Group Blogging Experience is longing and when I search my heart, there’s not a lot of longing going on in there. I’m happy with what I have, I love the people in my life and I’m creatively stimulated by what I do for a living. I’ve tried to think of a deeply meaningful and profound way to approach the subject; maybe a patriotic post about longing for world peace, or a direct post about longing for a robust economic recovery, or a haunting post about longing for a lost lover…

Fail.

The only thing I am REALLY longing for is a new house. The house we live in has been on the market for 3, yes, 3 years. 3 years! We want to downsize our house and upsize our yard. We want to scale down, simplify. We want to organize our life to where my husband can retire soon. But we can’t sell this damn house.

Here’s why it’s bugging me to the point of distraction:

Strangers want to enter our house at a moment’s notice

We live in our house, it’s not a showroom. We have a cat and a dog that live here too. We’re not slobs but we’re not top notch, everything-in-its-place-at-all-times kind of people. When we get notification of a showing, I drop everything and clean like a maniac for as much time as I’m given. It’s mayhem.

At the advice of our realtor, we de-cluttered and moved personal things

The family photos, framed kid’s artwork, craft projects and cool stuff are rotting in the basement; most of it is ruined by the extreme weather shifts. We never dreamed the good stuff would languish in the basement for 3 years! It’s sad.

I want another dog

Yeah, I know. But I do, really badly. We have no yard here and we’re trying to sell the house so it just doesn’t make sense. The timing is off. Still, I want to rescue another dog, and I have for the last 3 years. We’ve always said we’d get a friend for Frosty when we moved. I’ve been waiting for a long time. It’s maddening.

I could keep writing about this but I don’t want to be a complete downer. For those of you in our predicament, I wish you swift and good luck. For those of you that pray, please send up a few. If praying is not your thing, please light candles or dance naked or do that manifest thing or send positive thoughts, mojo, juju, or anything else that may help.

I am longing to sell this damn house.      

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This post is in participation with the Group Blogging Experience, and this week’s prompt is longing. If you want to blog with us, go to the GBE2 Facebook page and request to join the group. Everyone is welcome.

Hurricane Irene is Growing Wild

My cousin, my mom and I are having a girl’s weekend at the beach. We’re mourning and celebrating the life of Aunt Dot—and having a big time. One thing we’re not doing is keeping up with the news.

If it wasn’t for Facebook and telephone calls, I wouldn’t know that Hurricane Irene is coming to the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina. So whether I stay at Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. or go home to Charleston, S.C., I’ll likely face an angry tropical storm, or worse.

Hurricane Irene is growing wild; she’s up to a Category 3 storm with 125 mph maximum sustained winds.

Over the telephone, my husband and I made plans; we try to have a week’s worth of supplies on hand when a storm is coming—enough to get us through a week with no electricity. He’s going to find candles and matches, our transistor radio, flashlights, and batteries. He’ll also get our canisters of propane filled, get a full tank of gas in his car and get cash.

I went to the grocery store here on OIB for basic canned food that can be eaten hot or cold. I also got peanut butter, fresh fruit, bread and water. We’ve already got enough dog food and cat food at home.

For now, my plan is to drive from Ocean Isle Beach, N.C to Charleston, S.C. tomorrow morning. When I get back to Charleston, we’ll fill the bathtubs with water and canvas the outside of the house. We’ll bring outdoor furniture, potted plants, yard art (not that we have any, ha) and anything else that can go projectile inside. 

So we’re as ready as we can be. If the storm continues to grow wild, on into a Category 4, we’ll hit the road and travel west. Wish us luck.

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This post is in participation with the Group Blogging Experience, and this week’s prompt is growing wild. If you want to blog with us, go to the GBE2 Facebook page and request to join the group. Everyone is welcome.