flatwear

2009-01-14T21:37:00.002-06:00

new blog home...

I have decided to move my blog and switch from blogger to wordpress.
Here is my new blog address:
http://kristielou.wordpress.com/

2009-01-14T15:35:00.002-06:00

random fun...

I was cleaning my hard drive today because when the backup runs on my computer it takes away all my speed and storage. I know weird problem to have. But I came across this photo that I scanned a while back. It is one of my most favorites!

The photo is of my mom (on the donkey/zebra) my grandpa and my great grandpa, circa 1965, Mexico. I think it hysterical! So fun.

2009-01-09T18:45:00.003-06:00

posting...

I have really been lacking in the posting department here lately. I must fix that.

It's 6:45 on Friday and I am sitting here at work. I am pulling a co-works email off the back-up because all their sent mail is missing. Now back-ups are a great thing but can be a pain for the person dealing with them. So what better time than to blog!

Lets see...where to start?

This week was work crazy but we had a very fun girl night on Wednesday. My house is a mess! I totally have to deal with that this weekend and also do a little design work at work.

I decided I really like the word "dwell" today. I don't really know why. I think I like the way it looks.

Katie & I went to lunch at Camille's today and we saw our pairs there...Bobbi & Carey. Which we all thought was hysterically funny. Artist, writer, artist writer. I kind of wish we could all just sit and chat all day long. You girls are the best.

I have on new black knitted uggs today that I kind of accidentally "won" on ebay. I though I was out-bid because I was not seriously bidding anyway and I "won"! But I do love them.

I have gained a couple new facebook friends this week (addicted). One classmate that moved away from our small town and I have not seen or talked to her in forever! Crazy how things connect back up.

Only two more back-up tapes to go and I can go home. Happy weekend!

2008-12-31T08:27:00.001-06:00

For Karen ;)

2008-12-25T10:47:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas

__________________

I think I got an eye roll from Santa!
Do you think he thinks my request is unrealistic?
(I wonder what I was asking for ;)

age 6 • Seward, Nebraska

__________________

Hope you have a blessed Christmas Day.

2008-12-22T13:03:00.005-06:00

done, done, done and done...

Since it was snowy and blowy all weekend long I stayed inside my warn cozy little house and accomplished a lot! It is such a good feeling.

• I finished two custom jewelry orders for a total of nine pieces.
(photo above: 7 necklaces for a January wedding)

• I finally put up the Christmas tree.
(I know I almost did not mess with it)

• Wrapped all the presents (for those of you who are or know designers this is not a fast process).

• Made 3 batches of required cookies to bring home for Christmas (the cookie tradition has been passed down to me now and I have to make them exactly how my mom made them). Also if you have ever made spritz cookies you know what a pain that is! Maybe someday they will make those easy to make.

Now all that is left is laundry and car packing and driving to Lincoln. All is well ;)

2008-12-15T17:47:00.005-06:00

art girl cookie baking...

Sunday was the first annual art girl cookie baking day (we might need a shorter name for that ;)

I think we made about a million cookies at least that is what it felt like. Here is how it broke down...
• 4 batches of dough.
• A giant bag of cookie cutters (thanks mom!).
• Sprinkles of all colors.
• Sticky yummy frosting.
• Talking & Laughing.
• Hearing Bobbi say "what is this cookie cutter" (about 12 times ;).
• Oh and one really burnt snowman. He is just kind of funny.

Here are the resutls...

To see more photos click here.

2008-12-12T11:47:00.002-06:00

catching up...

This has been a busy week. I am still recovering from our girl weekend and a cold. I think I am on the mend now ;)

The last two weeks have been busy at Paulsen (work). We have launched a new website, had a big party...the First Annual Paulsen County Fair and redesigned all our print materials. Katie and I have been working on this for months and it feels so good to be done. Everything is bright, shinny and new.

Tonight is our Paulsen Christmas party and Sunday is cookie baking with my art girls. I love this time of year. Oh, and I have completed almost all of my Christmas shopping without leaving the comfort of my house. Online shopping is the best!

2008-12-08T11:15:00.004-06:00

girl weekend of fun...

Bobbi, Cassie and I got up early on Friday morning to head to Minneapolis. Cassie was selling all her cool creative stuff at the No Coast Craft-o-rama. We had a great girl weekend and of course I did a little shopping for myself! (how could I not)

On Friday night Cassie introduced us to garlic mashed potato pizza. YUM!

I also bought this super cute print. I can't tell you how happy it makes me.

Thanks girls for another fun weekend!

2008-12-01T14:09:00.003-06:00

paulsen is sad today...

A really cool guy and a friend to all of us at Paulsen (work) rolled his car on Saturday and was killed on interstate i29. We are sad...

On Wednesday before I drove home for Thanksgiving I downloaded a new CD from Jeremy Camp. Little did I know that one of my favorite songs on the album kind of applies to how we all feel right now (lyrics below)...

"There Will Be A Day"

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that trys to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel your walking on your own
But there has never been a step
[ Jeremy Camp Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
Where you’ve walked out all alone

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing….

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face

There will be a day, He’ll wipe away the stains, He’ll wipe away the tears, He’ll wipe away the tears…..there will be a day.

We are going to the celebration of life service tonight.
We will miss you Chaddles (Chad)!

2008-11-26T08:12:00.002-06:00

happy thanksgiving and go huskers...

Dad called me yesterday and wanted to know if I wanted tickets to the Nebraska game on Friday. Of course I do!!! So after our thanksgiving festivities on Thursday (which include nintendo wii competitions) I will get to go sit in a sea of red and have the best hotdog in the world. I can't wait!

We play Colorado which is our traditional after thanksgiving day game. I wonder who I will cheer for someday when I live in Colorado...probably still Nebraska.

(I wonder if I need a cute new red sweater or something warm ;)

2008-11-25T08:13:00.003-06:00

crafting...

I made this scarf on Sunday (I am wearing it today ;). It is from Martha Stewart's site...usually her projects take about 4 days to complete, but this one is so easy and instant satisfaction! I will probably make a couple more to perfect the technique. It also helps to work with a boy scout leader to teach you how to tie the knots (thanks Mike!).

Here is the link if you would like to make your own...
http://www.marthastewart.com/good-thing/no-knit-scarf

Tip: The Martha directions say to use 1 1/2 times the length of yarn for the scarf you wish to make. I used a little over 2 times the length of yarn and my scarf is just about the perfect length.

Time to make: Under an hour!!!

2008-11-20T11:12:00.005-06:00

how do you know you live in south dakota?

The freezer at your work is filled with dead pheasants!

This has made me stop putting ice in my water. Who wants pheasant ice cubes? Joan sent out a mandate today to remove the pheasants. I hope they really do find a new home.

We may be the only advertising agency in the world with dead pheasants. I wonder if anyone has ever done a study on that ;)

p.s. take note that the pheasants are next to the cookie dough. Now that is who we really are!

2008-11-18T09:28:00.001-06:00

love

2008-11-13T14:16:00.003-06:00

lucky girl...

Last night this cute little girl was baptized and I was lucky enough to be one of her sponsors. It was fun to see her and her family and to be part of something so special. Thanks Rani!

2008-11-11T09:17:00.004-06:00

joining this century...

That's what the boys at work say about my new purchase. My old TV was "old school". My new TV arrived yesterday and it is pretty and skinny. Next purchase an apple tv ;)

Now I am ready for winter...

2008-11-06T20:40:00.003-06:00

bathroom complete!

It's done. I have finally had a my color fix. I am not really sure why I did not paint it before now and of course I forgot to take a before picture. The brown makes such a big difference. The bottom half was white before and the top was a strange blue. Someday the bathroom will have a major over haul but for now I am happy. Now the girls can come over ;)

2008-11-05T08:51:00.003-06:00

why...

Over the summer the girls at work stared a girl dinner night. Friday is my turn to host the dinner at my house (this is where the why comes in). Why am I so crazy that I have to do a great big project before people come to my house? Why do I think I need to paint the bathroom and completely redecorate it? Why am I worried that people will not think my house is cool/clean enough?

So I am a little tired today. I finished painting one of the colors at 12:30 am, I have to go home at noon to do a coat of the dark brown paint and then do another one after work.

I think I might be insane...
(but those of you reading this probably already know that ;)

2008-11-04T08:11:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Rani!

Hope you have a great day.

2008-10-31T15:22:00.004-06:00

birthday swag

I am the luckiest girl in the world with the best friends in the world!
Thanks to everyone for making my birthday so special!

2008-10-31T08:15:00.003-06:00

happy halloween!

In Paulsen tradition we are having a fun day. We always go out to lunch as a group also, so watch out Lone Star here we come.

I have posted all the Halloween Photos here...

2008-10-27T21:43:00.001-06:00

Happy birthday...to my little brother.
He is the big 3-0 today ;)

2008-10-21T20:25:00.004-06:00

i'm back...

Ok...so I am finally posting. I was so far north that my cell phone barely worked, no tv, no internet and only one radio station. I did actually pay $4.00 for an hour of internet on Saturday, but that did not give me enough time to post photos.

So here is the run down of the vacation...

• We stayed in a cute little cabin. Very rustic.
• Zero moose seen (although we spent an entire day looking for them).
• No northern lights :(
• Kayaking on a lake that looked like glass while it was 48° outside.
• A little bit of shopping.
• A little detour on the way to the north to Stillwater, MN. Very cool!
• We got kind of lost on a forest road.
• Beautiful fall colors.
• Cool weather.
• I saw Canada.
• Hiked to the largest waterfall in MN.
• Hiked for 6 miles up a mountain on Saturday (I thought my legs were going to fall off ;)
• Went to the moose festival in Grand Marais (no moose their either just a lot of shoppers).
• Collected rocks and looked for agates.
• Had 5 layer chocolate pie at Betty's Pies for breakfast ;)

Now back to civilization. I kind of fell like I need a Target fix now although getting away for the week was amazing!

Here are the photos from my trip...

2008-10-13T11:20:00.002-06:00

more fun...

Last week was a week of fun and this week is going to be awesome too. Last Wednesday we rented a photobooth here at work. It was so fun. We are going to use the photos on our new website. Above are some of the photos Cassie & I took ;)

This afternoon I am off to Northern Minnesota. I am the luckiest girl in the world. I will try to blog from there. My internet obsession might be limited. I will post photos when I can.

The goals for my vacation week are:
• see moose
• see northern lights
• see fall
• relax
• kayak in the cold

stay tuned...

2008-10-06T20:48:00.002-06:00

one day...two hats

I had the most wonderful surprise when I got home tonight. There is this really cool girl named Kirsten and she made me the most coolest hat! She is a super fast crafter and she does not even need a pattern.

I am the luckiest girl! I can't wait to wear my bear hat.

Thanks Kirsten!

p.s. it was a little hard to photograph my head, show off the bear hat and take the photo ;)

2008-10-06T13:11:00.002-06:00

what happens in an agency...stays in an agency

(well kind of)

My super cute hat that i bought from etsy.com (pictured above) came today. I LOVE it!

Pictured below is superman/senior art director Mike. You may not know it from this photo but he can actually bench press 420 lbs. Who knew he would also make a great hat model.

I guess this is what happens when we get back from design camp ;)

2008-10-05T20:45:00.005-06:00

We're back ;)

I have been back from design camp for little over and hour and just got all my photos posted to flickr. I decided if I did not do it right away it might not happen.

We had a great time! I LOVE Minnesota. I think I could live there. The resort was wonderful, the workshops were wonderful, the speakers were wonderful and the people I went with were wonderful and fun. Design camp is such a great weekend. I feel so creative right now.

Mae, Marnie, Mike and I had a great time. Lots of laughs, giggling, making fun of each other and just over all fun. There are so many stories to tell I don't know where to start.

I am so thankful we are able to go. We are so lucky. If you would like to check out more photos here is the link...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristieweiberg/sets/72157607772203834/

Design Camp is...

2008-10-02T07:28:00.000-06:00

Design Camp here I come!

2008-09-25T12:25:00.002-06:00

fall...

Since the cool girls are posting their next projects I will too. Above is my next project. My goal is to finish it before spring. Although I do need a Bobbi crocheting lesson first ;)

(Thanks B)

2008-09-22T08:52:00.000-06:00

Welcome fall!
I am so glad you are officially here ;)

2008-09-21T08:34:00.002-06:00

finally...

I have been wanting to sew these pillows for over a year now and I finally got to do it yesterday. Bobbi and I bought this fabric last summer for only 99¢ a yard (possibly the best deal ever!). We might have been the only people in Sioux Falls to buy it. But we could not have been more excited.

Finally project complete ;)

2008-09-17T07:07:00.002-06:00

it's bobbi's fault...

Normally I would not be on ebay looking at vintage Suitcases. But Bobbi has ruined me ;) I saw this suitcase the other day and no one had bid on it...so of course I had to. Oddly enough I am the only one who was bidding on it and i got it for $10. It is so cute I had to have it. I wonder what a girl does with a million suitcases.

2008-09-15T12:45:00.004-06:00

happy birthday...to my car

September 15, 2000 is the day my car came home with me. I know...how strange is it that a girl would know this. My yellow bug was and is my dream car, so September 15 is a very special day. If for some reason I ever have to get a new car, I am buying the exact same thing.

Happy 8 years!

(The photo above it my car in the happiest place ever. I am pretty sure she wants to live there too ;)

p.s. my co-workers think I am nuts for knowing my car's birthday...

2008-09-10T15:27:00.003-06:00

this week...

Saturday was a lot of fun at the Sidewalk Arts Festival...although it was pretty miserable in the afternoon. It started raining at about 2:30 pm and kept on going. Everything in the Flatwear Jewelry tent was wet. I think I finally have everything dried out. Maybe the next event I will do will be inside.

A special thanks to my wonderful friends (Janet, Cassie & Bobbi) who helped me on Saturday. I truly never could have done it without you. I owe you guys! Cass you're next ;)

I don't have much else to report on this week. I LOVE the weather. I even love it when its cloudy, windy and cold. I know I am just strange.

Other than that I have been working, thinking about making soup and visiting Cassie in her new house ;)

Tonight Janet and I are going fabric shopping and I am so excited. I have been thinking about sewing a lot here lately. Maybe its time to pull out the half-done quilt and finish it this winter.

Happy Fall!

2008-09-03T10:04:00.000-06:00

Fall is here and I could not be happier ;)

2008-08-28T17:54:00.004-06:00

most fun day ever!

Besides it being a million % humidity and super hot. The concert was the best ever! It was a super loud crowd and really good music and totally packed. I LOVE Third Day. Of course I had great company also ;)

Above is the one photo I took during the concert. I am pretty sure Mac is pointing right at us.

On a side note. Dad just saw me downloading my photos and saw the picture of Mac. He said...oh that's the guy with the voice I can't stand. WOW! I am not sure we are related!

Here are some of the things we saw...

Fall is here!

Really cool sand sculpture. I kind of want one in my back yard.
Could this be the next Mike Dowling project?

2008-08-27T07:38:00.002-06:00

fun day...

Third Day + Bobbi + Carey = Wonderfulness

I can't wait to go!

2008-08-22T09:10:00.002-06:00

super cool...

This cool website makes me happy.
http://www.catherinesanimals.com/#mi=1&pt=0&pi=1&s=7&p=-1&a=0&at=0

2008-08-15T12:35:00.002-06:00

shinny pretty...

My old ipod officially died this morning. It literally came to a grinding halt. I did not know noise like that could come out of an ipod.

Here is my new toy. LOVE IT! I can't wait to get all my music on it and play with it and check email with it. I don't think it could be more perfect!

Happy ;)

2008-08-14T08:42:00.002-06:00

now available...

FlatWear Jewelry is now available at Your Daily Dose.

Your Daily Dose is a super cute coffee shop/pharmacy/gift shop in Harrisburg, SD. So if you are ever in the area stop by. I met the owner Janice at the Brookings Art Festival. She is really cool. I am excited to try something new ;)

Your Daily Dose
220 S. Cliff Ave. Suite 100
Harrisburg, SD
57032

2008-08-12T12:37:00.002-06:00

this...

This is what my ipod has on it's screen today. I am sad also. I have emailed Larry the Mac guru and am awaiting his response.

Does this ipod not know how much I love him? How I rely on him every day? How it holds my Third Day library including the new Revelation album that I listen to several times a day?

;(

2008-08-08T10:16:00.005-06:00

last night...

Last night I went to watch the Paulsen Kickball team (toe jam) play. It was fun and it actually was not 100° out! After I hurried home to watch Larry King Live.

Steven Curtis Chapman and his family were guests on the show. In May their daughter was killed in their driveway. I kind of feel like I know them even though I don't. My mom was a big music lover. We started out as kids with Psalty the Singing Songbook and graduated to Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman (I guess this was probably more me, than my brother ;) So I have been listening to SCC since the late 80's.

They are a strong amazing family. It was kind of hard to watch and yet I was glued to the show. I am still thinking a lot about them today. Their faith is so strong.

They have posted the segments on www.youtube.com if you want to see it.

Here is what Larry King said after the show...
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/08/08/lkl.about.thurs.cnn

2008-08-04T11:22:00.004-06:00

fish story...

I spent the weekend with my family at the Paulsen Cabin in Yankton, SD. My aunt and uncle have a new boat and my grandpa is celebrating his 79th birthday today, so we had a little get together.

On Sunday morning my brother caught an almost 5 pound walleye! So cool!! There was a lot of fishing all weekend and finally on Sunday morning the big fish was caught!

There was also a lot of eating, chatting, boating, kayaking and even a little shopping. I think everyone had a great time.

I have posted all of the photos to my flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristieweiberg

p.s. it was the worst kind of hot this weekend. i am so ready for fall!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-31T15:52:00.002-06:00

new glasses...

On the best girl vacation ever my glasses broke in half. I was so sad. They were my most favorite color combination. So today I picked up my new ones. They are similar in shape but as an added design flair they have real feathers pressed in the plastic (they are still a little blue and brown though). It makes a pretty cool pattern. So we will see how long these last me. I guess its a good excuse to get new fashion accessories ;)

2008-07-25T15:25:00.016-06:00

art girls adventure...

Being back in the real world is hard today. I miss the tress, lakes and cold weather of northern Minnesota. Bobbi and Cassie and I had a great art girl vacation. Here it is...

Day 1:

Leaving for Minnesota and of course I way over packed. So in an effort to fit everything in Bert (Bobbi's Element) I quickly re-packed into a smaller suitcase. And off we went. I still had more stuff than the other girls, but I did bring some camping supplies.

We had a great little lunch in Albert Lea, MN. It is a cute town with a lake in the middle. We ate at a little cafe next to the lake. It was yummy.

Next on to Northfield, MN. Northfield is a cute town with great downtown shops. They have a store called Digs. They have the best fabric ever! So we all bought cool fabric ;)

We then headed to Minneapolis. We camped in Amy's (Cassie's friend) backyard. We had a fun dinner at Chino Latino, watched the last half of a movie in Loring Park and met up with my cool friend Eric. He even gave us a tour of the agency he works at. Very cool!

Day 2:

The next morning Bobbi and Cassie needed coffee and we needed a little internet fix. Off to the coffee shop. Then kayaking! Yeah! We went to Lake Calhoun and rented kayaks. It was Bobbi's first time and she did great. I think she might even be addicted. After kayaking we headed north! We arrived in Duluth to find cool weather. Wow, I love that place. We took a quick tour of Duluth and headed north to Two Harbors.

I love Two Harbors. It's right on Lake Superior. We stopped at a little shop and we bought matching sweatshirts. We are nerds ;) Then off to our campsite.

We took a walk along the lake while the sun was setting.
This photo is one of my favorites. It was so cool to see the sun setting behind boat.

Day 3:

The next morning we started our big sight seeing day. We had breakfast at Betty's Pies. And yes, we ate pie. It was so yummy. Then we hiked it all off at Gooseberry Falls State Park. After a nice morning hike we went to the Split Rock Lighthouse. And then onto Grand Marais. Along the road there was an amazing flea market. We actually went there twice...on the way there and on the way back. They had tables and tables of dishes and shinny glass. We were so drawn in! I bought two pyrex bowls, some silverware and a couple old keys. I think I could have stayed there forever!

In Grand Marais we ate lunch at the Crooked Spoon. We all had fresh white fish sandwiches. We shopped and sat by the lake. It was beautiful. I also bought a lighthouse and a moose cookie cutter. I can't wait to use them.

Day 4:

The next day (Thursday) we headed home. First we stopped in Duluth. We shopped a little more and had lunch. Then the long drive back began.

I had so much fun. I think I might want to live there someday. And I have the best traveling friends ever! Bobbi and Cassie are the best! Thanks girls :)

I have posted all my photos on my flickr site.

(To read Bobbi's version click here)

2008-07-16T15:42:00.003-06:00

it's official...

So it only took me about a year, but my etsy site is up and running! YEAH! I am going to try to add more jewelry to it in the next couple of days. You can click to my etsy site through the images to the right...or the link is:
www.flatwearjewelry.etsy.com

Of course it did take me a little longer than it should have. A few hours after I had it live I realized I never set up my paypal account and then my account number was at home and I had to run and get it. It's never easy ;)

2008-07-14T10:40:00.002-06:00

the sleepy day after...

Well...I am sitting at my desk today and I am a little sleepy. The weekend was fun and overwhelming. I could have never done this without my amazing friends. So many people helped and I owe them so much!

Over all we seemed busy. A couple of times there was a line-up outside of the tent of people waiting to get in! Hard to believe. On Saturday Janet figured out that we were selling 4-5 pieces an hour. That felt like a lot. Sunday was a lot slower, but that was really nice because we were tired. Total pieces sold: 47. I have not added up the total money made yet. I was so tired last night, and I could not figure it out.

I had great booth neighbors. It's so nice to know that most art people are nice. The guy next to us was having fun listening to us. I am guessing he had not been next to a booth of really happy/squeal-eee girls before.

Overall it was a great weekend ;)

Oh...and the official Flatwear Jewelry website had been launched. This week I am working on opening my etsy.com so people can purchase online. I will let you know when that is up and running.

http://www.flatwearjewelry.com/

2008-07-12T20:12:00.002-06:00

the day...

Today was so busy and fun! It felt like we were busy all day. We are very, very tired. I feel like I can't even move. We started setting up @ 7 am. We left the park at 8 pm. Tired girls...

Here are a few photos of the booth. We start again at 10 am tomorrow. I hope we will fell like we can do it again after a good night rest. Oh, and we are waiting for our pizza to be delivered ;)

2008-07-10T16:09:00.002-06:00

God loves me...

Look...Saturday is going to be 79, breezy and cool. This seriously could not get any better...Yippie!!!!!!

2008-06-30T09:04:00.003-06:00

it's official...

FlatWear Jewelry is booth #22. Yikes! Thanks to everyone who is helping or coming. I could not ask for better friends ;)

The official website is: http://www.bsaf.com/

2008-06-28T10:43:00.001-06:00

it feels like fall today and i am almost done dremeling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-25T14:45:00.003-06:00

new obsession...

I keep seeing cool pyrex everywhere! I LOVE it! I am going to start a collection. I think I will just look for it on garage sales and thrift stores to start with. It is all designed so beautifully!

Jewelry update:
One more day of dremeling and I should be done with that part. YEAH! On to the drill press and the polishing and then the fun part of putting it all together. I am getting closer.

2008-06-18T21:36:00.002-06:00

it's working...

After my second trip to the sporting goods store I have jewelry polishing right now! On my first trip I purchased the case tumbler in the photo above. I know I looked totally out of place in the ammo aisle in Sportsman's Warehouse. Two guys tried to help me. I did not actually admit to them that I wanted to use the tumbler for jewelry. However, I did purchase the wrong "media"...which is what does the polishing. So after trying it the first time I read the back of the package and realized I had the wrong kind. So tonight I went to Scheels. I casually made my way to the gun area. First I had to look at shoes, then clothing, then kayaks and finally the guns. I found the media really quickly and I thought I was going to make it out un-noticed. Wrong! Just as I was grabbing it off the shelf the Scheel's guy says. Do you know what you need? Well...yes I actually do this time. He gave me a very stern look and walked away.

The minimum time suggested for polishing is 2 hours. I took a sneak peak after 1 hour and it is one its way. This is the best news ever! Thanks Bryce!!!!!

On a side note. The brand new air conditioner I had installed exactly a year ago is not working. It is currently hotter in my house than it is outsite. I guess I will have to call them tomorrow :(

2008-06-16T09:20:00.003-06:00

the weekend

Today I am recovering from my travels. The weekend always goes so fast when I go to Nebraska. The driving, the visiting and this time the jewelry making.

We were able to squeeze in a kayaking evening. Above are photos of my new kayak. I had no plans of purchasing a new one. But it was on sale, it is sky blue and my other one is already sold. And I just really thought it was pretty.

News on the jewelry front...
Saturday was a jewelry making day. I did get a lot done. I am super excited about a possible polishing time saver. My brother had a great idea...he told me to get a case cleaner (these are normally used to polish ammo cases). I did a little googling this morning and found another lady who used a case cleaner on jewelry. So I am off to Sportsman Warehouse today to purchase one. If this works, all the polishing will be done automatically. I can just start it and go. No more polishing by hand. I am so excited!!! This could save days and days! I will keep you posted :)

2008-06-11T06:55:00.004-06:00

officially one month to go...

The Brookings Arts Festival is exactly one month away. Sometimes I have to talk myself down from complete panic. It is kind of scary...making something and putting it out there for the whole world to see.

2008-06-06T13:37:00.004-06:00

i get to be my own girl...

When ever I get time to myself I call it being my own girl. I know it sounds stupid, but having time to myself to so wonderful! No deadlines, no job numbers, no time sheets. So this weekend is full of time to be my own girl. I am officially done with work until Monday morning. It is now 2:39 pm on Friday and I am at home. Better yet it feels like FALL!!!!!!!!!!!

Those of you who know me, know my obsession with fall. Since memorial day I have started my official count down to fall. So today makes me happy! It also makes me think about Colorado. I guess I am just weird that way.

On the agenda for the weekend is house cleaning and jewelry making. I can't wait!

2008-06-02T17:58:00.004-06:00

weekend...

Well the weekend brought an unplanned trip to Minneapolis. Yeah that sounds cool...except I had to go there for work. Saturday was a beautiful day and I spent most of it at a printer, starting at 7:30 am. Lucky for me a I had a cool travel partner. Sarah (better know at work as Winkel) and I decided after finally leaving the printer that we were tired and we would not drive home. That ment...ikea. I LOVE that place! We didn't get there until 7 pm and it closed at 9 pm, we made it most of the way through. Oh course I bought stuff and wanted almost everything I saw.

Now its back to work. All I have to do is make it until June 16 and maybe I can have a life. That is when the really big campaign launches that I am working on. Only 2 weeks to go!

I am off to Target to purchase a new blow dryer. My most favorite blow dryer ever sparked fire yesterday morning :(

2008-05-20T18:02:00.004-06:00

new music...

I think I need to be stopped! In the last 2 weeks I have bought 4 albums off itunes. It's my way of bribing myself while I have to work. This is how it goes in my head...

well if i have to work tonight/weekend i might as well have new music to listen too. that will make me feel so much better and keep my mind on happy things.

I think itunes is loving me right now! And I probably need to seek help.

2008-05-13T21:09:00.002-06:00

anniversary

Today is my Paulsen Anniversary #11. Wow I have been working there a long time.
I must be getting old ;)

2008-05-01T14:34:00.004-06:00

memories...

Today I was ready etsy's blog section of their site AND they had a post about Harry Whittier Frees. He was a photographer and children's book author (1879-1953). I recognized his photography. When we were little we had some of his books. I think they were my moms when she was little. I have not thought about these books in forever! The photos were so cool/odd and none of my friends had books like these. I guess Harry is becoming famous again. Some of his images have been re-printed in a book.

It's amazing that you can see an image and it can take you to another place. I am going to have to find these books next time I go home.

(Bryce do you remember these?)

* you can read about Harry Whittier Frees here.

2008-05-01T12:53:00.002-06:00

best ebay purchase ever!

These arrived today. They could be the best group of spoons ever. I can't wait to make them into jewelry ;)

2008-04-28T21:08:00.003-06:00

my grandpa...

Well, I am at work again and I am finding everything distraction possible. So I thought I would introduce you to my Grandpa Jess. Today he had surgery to get a pacemaker. He is doing well and should be out of the hospital tomorrow. He is 87 but you would never know it.

He is a pretty amazing guy (although I could be a little biased). I fell so lucky to have him. He has remodeled every house we have lived in. He served in WWII in Europe, delivering tanks to the troops (he has some pretty amazing stories). He saved our house from being burned down when my mom tried to make him homemade donuts (grease fire). While I was growing up he had a cabin/house on a lake in Missouri. That was the coolest thing...to visit him and swim.

And if anyone is wondering where my chocolate addiction comes from. It's all his fault ;)

2008-04-23T21:40:00.002-06:00

i heart target...

I know this blog has kind of become a place to showcase my shopping addiction. But seriously this is the best deal I have ever found!

Tonight after work and dinner Janet and I were walking around Target. We didn't really have a purpose for being there. We ended up in the electronics isle. On the end they had a clearance section. I found this great speaker for my ipod. Normally this speaker costs $150.00. I got it for $37.89!!!!!!

This is right at the top of my best shopping ever list. Although it is hard to beat the dress I purchased at JC Penney's for $2.50. I think it was normally $70.00. My friend Mae told me...they practically paid me to take the dress out of the store ;)

2008-04-21T15:10:00.002-06:00

progress...

On Saturday I cut apart 300 pieces of silverware. Quite a feeling of accomplishment and a large bruise on my leg from the bolt cutter ;)

I have some really great pieces that will make cool jewelry. The sugar/jelly spoons are my favorite. If anyone finds a sugar/jelly spoon at a garage sale I will pay a finders fee :) Below are photos for reference...

2008-04-16T22:07:00.003-06:00

i made it...

Well it's official. I am going to be selling my FlatWear creations at the Brookings Summer Arts Festival. Let the creating begin :)

The festival is July 12 & 13.

On a side note. I am sitting in a super cool hotel in Kansas City. We just got back after having a fun time at the NAMA (National Agri-Marketing Association) show. We went out to eat at a cool place called: 7.

Now I am so ready for bed.

2008-04-13T09:08:00.003-06:00

hope...

Finally the sun is shinning and its going to be nice outside. Yeah! I feel like a new girl. I can handle anything now :)

Yesterday I cleaned my house and re-arranged a couple of rooms (I can not put into words how badly I needed to clean). That is the best feeling. It makes me feel like I have all new stuff. Love it! I worked a little also. Is it bad that my muscles are sore today from cleaning & moving furniture? And tried to upgrade a new operating system on my laptop. Of course it did not work and now I need a bigger hard drive. So what was going to be a fun new toy is now going to cost me even more money. Oh, well...

On Wednesday I am going to Kansas City. The National NAMA awards are held there. NAMA is an award show for ag marketing. I am excited to leave the office! It will also be warmer there and my grandpa lives near by. If I am lucky I may get to say a quick hello. My grandpa is so cool, and I don't get to see him nearly often enough.

Next Sunday is going to be a yaking (kayaking) day, hopefully. I have been waiting. My kayaking shoes came last week (cute & comfy). My kayak was purchased in Denver in September. So I have only used it for about 10 minutes before it had to be put away for winter. I am so anxious to use it. So hopefully dad can come to Sioux Falls, hopefully it will be nice and not windy. It will be so much fun.

Well I better start working so I can leave on Wednesday :)

2008-04-08T16:35:00.005-06:00

in love...

Today things are a little slower around here :) I actually had a little time to breathe. Mike returned from his mini vacation. We went to grab some food for lunch and took a little detour to a music store. Music stores use to be a normal thing for me. My parents had me start piano lessons at the age of 5, the clarinet/guitar in high school, and the sax in college. My mom loved music so much (even though she was totally tone deaf). I took piano lessons every year until I was a sophomore in college. That was when art officially took over. Anyway...Mike's son had an electric drum set so now he wants one. I guess I didn't really realize how familiar a music store would feel. So I hovered in the digital piano area while Mike checked out the drums. I was so in love. I have wanted a digital piano for a long, long time. Right now I have a traditional acoustic piano, which is never in tune (maybe its time to sell it). So the sales guy starts talking to me. I am so hooked, if he was a little pushier I probably would have left with one today. But now I am thinking it over. I do think there was a sign from God involved though. They were playing Third Day in the store, could it get more perfect! They totally have my business now! Mike says you need to wait 2 weeks to make sure it's really what you want. Right now I just want it.

Sometimes the obvious things never occur to me, today I realized that I did not take 13 years of piano lessons for nothing. I should really make playing the piano a priority or at least play it more often. And possibly buy a digital piano.

2008-04-06T10:01:00.003-06:00

again...

It's a rainy gray Sunday and I am at work. I need to stay focused badly. I have lots to do. But blogging sounded like a great distraction. The shoes pictured above arrived at my house on Friday. Of course I ordered them on line. So Cute! I can't wait to wear them. I actually saw them in an ad while I was getting my hair cut and colored. I ordered them from www.piperlime.com (zappos did not have my size). Anyway, piperlime is super cool (and a cool name). The have really cool packaging and print materials. I am now in love with them.

So I guess I will become focused now. Or maybe I will see what new music I can buy on iTunes to make the day go faster :)

2008-04-02T16:34:00.003-06:00

make it go away...

I have so much work to do, I can't even figure out where to start. So blogging is probably a good choice. It is pretty bad when it's Wednesday (I just had to look that up on the calendar) and you are so happy that you still have Saturday and Sunday as days you can count as work days. There is a big meeting on Tuesday in Denver and a really big pile of projects to accomplish. I wonder if next week will be any better...

I wonder when I am actually going to loose it...I am sure it will all be fine once I get a few projects done. Right?

2008-03-30T16:09:00.005-06:00

avoiding work...

I am at work and doing a really great job of avoiding what I need to be doing. So far I have finished revisions on 8 jobs and have totally run out of steam. I have one big project to finish and I am completely distracted. So far I have caught up on all the blogs, looked at the new releases on iTunes, checked out etsy.com & ebay.com, and my favorite distraction...shoe buying. I just purchased these super cute shoes from landsend.com. They are going to be my kayaking shoes. Having the right shoes for kayaking is so important. Your feet have to get wet, the banks of rivers/lakes are rocky/slimy and then your feet need to dry out. I think these are going to be perfect! And they are cute. Now if it would just quit snowing, I can maybe go kayaking some day. So I wonder what I can do next to avoid working...

2008-03-26T15:58:00.004-06:00

easter & a road trip

I know I am a couple of days late but I do have to post about Easter. I left Sioux Falls on Saturday morning and arrived in Lincoln, NE at about 12:30 pm. Our family was having Easter dinner on Saturday night so everyone could attend. I was in charge of dessert. I made fancy chocolate mousse with whipped cream (not from a can or container) with crushed Oreo's in the bottom of the fancy goblet. My aunt was the hostess. After dinner we played games on the wii. Oh, I am so addicted! I LOVE guitar hero. I kind of want to buy one, but they are kind of expensive. It was a fun pre-Easter evening.

The next morning dad and I decided to go see the Sandhill Cranes. They migrate from Mexico to Canada and make a stop over in Nebraska. They stop at the Platte River from March 1st to April 1st. So we packed up the truck with coats, cameras and munchies and headed to Grand Island, NE. It was a little cold and windy that day, but we survived.

The cranes sit in the fields all day and eat the grain that is left from the harvest and at night they come and roost in the Platte River. Well, technically on the sand bars. We staked out our viewing station and took our place at 7:00 pm. It is kind of a weird to see 300,000 birds fly over. They also make a cool cooing sound. If you would like to watch them land you can do it on the National Geographic website. They have a Crane Cam. Here is the link http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/cranecam/ viewing hours are between 6:30-8:30 am cst and 7:00-9:00 pm cst (yes I am a nerd). It really is an amazing site.

So that was my Easter weekend. It went super fast, but it was fun :)

2008-03-17T08:02:00.003-06:00

crafting...

Yesterday I made a quick trip to Michael's (craft store). I usually forget out Michael's because Hobby Lobby is so close. However Hobby Lobby is closed on Sunday and I needed supplies.

Well, I think I have a new love for Michael's. They had a lot of really cool stuff. One of my favorite things was a whole line of really cool products from Martha Stewart Crafts. Now, normally I am a little annoyed my Martha. Everything is just too perfect in her world. But her paper, ribbons and boxes are beautiful! I wanted to buy everything! She has this really cool ribbon that has an adhesive back. Brilliant!! Here is her website if you want to check it out... http://www.marthastewartcrafts.com

On a side note they had a whole book of Amy Butler paper. She is my most favorite fabric designer. So of course I bought the whole book. I don't really know what I am going to do with it yet, but there are a lot of possibilities.

Happy creating!

2008-03-14T08:12:00.004-06:00

best night ever...

For those of you keeping up last night was the Third Day concert. WOW! They are the best.

Bobbi and I arrived early to get good seats. Of course we had plenty to chat about so the time flew by. We sat about 4 rows from the front. Perfect! We had a great view of the bands.

I was so excited to see Third Day. I probably squealed. Ok, I know I did. They really are the best band ever! It felt like as soon as they started to play it was over. It went way too fast. It was amazing.

Below are photos of Bobbi and Phillip, and Third Day. I am also going to post a few video clip (Nicola this is for you.)

2008-03-11T07:51:00.003-06:00

best day ever!

I am planning on Thursday being the best day ever :)

2008-03-02T10:42:00.003-06:00

blogging...

O.K. so I guess I have ignored this blog long enough. I have been in the work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep mode. I need to break out of that badly! This weekend I have been cleaning my really dirty house and doing a million loads of laundry.

Friday was the deadline for the Brookings Arts Festival (http://www.bsaf.com/) AND I entered! I am a little scared but if I am accepted it will be fun. I will need to start making jewelry now. But I think I am ready for it. I should know by April 15th if I made it in. I will let you all know.

Today is my mom's birthday. I miss her a lot, but I feel so blessed to have had a mom like her. God really gave me something special. I have learned so much from her :)

Well, thats my rambling post for the day. Happy Sunday!

2008-02-13T20:11:00.003-06:00

doilies:

I am generally oblivious to Valentines Day. Every year I receive a card from my dad, on exactly Valentines Day. And I never remember to send anything. It just seems to pass me by, until I get the mail and realize once again that I have sent nothing (guilt!). I am usually all about holidays. So this year I am on top of it. I made cookies last night from my Grandmas recipe. Dad has fond memories of these cookies from his childhood. I hope mine are close. I even shipped the cookies today to arrive at his place of work tomorrow. Wow, I finally made it!

When I was at the grocery store buying supplies I was drawn to a package of doilies. Oh course I had to have them. They are very nostalgic for me and they were perfect to decorate the tupperware I sent the cookies in.

Doilies remind me of grade school. We always had to take an empty cereal box to school as our Valentine Mail Box. Then we would decorate the box. Then everyone would put the cards in the boxes. Oh, how I loved decorating those boxes. I remember lots of doilies ended up on those boxes. It even seems like sometimes there was a prize for the best box. I guess I was practicing for my current job even though I didn't know it. I kind of wish I was still in grade school :)

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-06T16:32:00.000-06:00

happy

I am so busy at work I can't see straight. However I still seem to be able to shop. Do I have a problem? Probably.

Today while shoving Culvers chicken strips in my mouth at my desk. I took a few calming moments and shopped on etsy.com. The best website ever! When things actually settle down I plan on opening my own FlatWear shop. I will keep you posted. Anyway today I found these really cool vintage beads. I bought 6000 beads for $70.00 and they are from the 1940's!!!!!! This is so cool. What a perfect addition to the vintage silverware. And 6000 beads does it get any better than this? Oh, and they are actually in their original packaging. This might be too cool to open.

2008-02-01T20:43:00.001-06:00

Relaxation...

Well I have been back to work since Tuesday and it has been totally crazy! It barely seems like we went to Mexico at all. But tonight I finally was to upload my photos tonight so I can re-cap the trip.

Day 1

We started out early on Thursday morning. I took dad as my guest. Its fun to be able to do something for him, since he does so much for me. Flying is not my favorite thing but I did better this time. That is until the return trip from Denver to Sioux Falls. Horrible turbulence. I was never so ready to get off of an airplane.

We arrived in sunny, humid Mexico at around 1:00 pm (I hate what Mexico does to my hair!). Gathered our luggage and headed to the resort. Of course it was beautiful. Everything there is. Since we started going to Mexico a couple of years ago, we have discovered that they have the hardest beds there. We have named them the "Mayan Beds". When we arrived at our room we found our comfy "Mayan Beds" waiting for us. We quickly put on the summer clothing and went to the beach.

Day 2

On day 2 we got up early and headed to a little town down the beach called Bucerias. It is about a 45 minute walk down the beach. It was really fun. We ate at a cool restaurant on the beach, went shopping in all the little Mexican shops and had a great time. I bought a really cool silver ring. While we were eating lunch a little Mexican guy with a creepy puppet and a creepy singing voice came into the restaurant. We paid him to sing to one of our co-workers who is deathly afraid of puppets. It could not have been better!

We then headed back to the resort and sat on the beach for the rest of the day. Oh, the life.

Day 3

We decided this would be our excursion day. They usually have quite a few to pick from and they usually are not cheap. A group of 10 Paulsenites chose to go Whale watching and snorkeling. I was so looking forward to this. We boarded a 60 ft. sailboat and left the marina.

The first thing we saw was a huge group of dolphins. They were swimming around the boat. They were beautiful. Next we spotted whales. They turned the boat toward them so we could get a better look. One of the whales started slapping his tail against the water. I have a not so great video of that. I will try to post it here...

The voyage took about 3 hours to get to the island where we were going to snorkel. We should have all taken a hint when the first thing the guys told us about was Draminine. I was feeling ok until we got closer to the island. The waves were bigger and the boat was bouncing around a lot more. The island was supposed to be a place where you could snorkel or soak up the rays on a white sandy beach. In reality the island was a rocky place covered in bird shit. The smell was so bad that if you were not sick from the boat already you were now. It also turned out that there was not a white sandy beach in sight. I was feeling not so great and it was cold so I decided not to snorkel and stay on the rocking boat.

After snorkeling the guys fed us lunch and we took the 3 hour trip back to the marina. On the way back they decided to put up the sails. Oh this will be cool. Well...the problem was we were not moving anymore all we were doing was bobbing up and down. And that is when I fed the fishes. I was not alone. Since we are all creative people we like to give creative titles to things. This trip quickly because known as "The Vomit Voyage to Bird Shit Island".

We did actually get to see the whales and they are amazing! And we have a really great story to tell. I am not sure I want to be on a boat for 8 hours again. But time will tell.

Day 4

Our relaxation day. We got up early and went to the beach. Dad and I went kayaking to try to get closer to the dolphins. Of course they did not seem to be around when we went out. After our kayaking adventure we relaxed on the beach.

It is Paulsen tradition to play volleyball and group game on the Sunday of the trip. Volleyball started and the guys were so competitive and rabid that the girls just ended up watching. Next was Paulsen Family Feud. It was actually pretty fun. I was #1 to bring an extra suitcase for shopping, #1 for being the most burned on the first day (I wasn't at all. SPF50) and #1 for complaining about the food (the food was much better this time). All in all it was a fun day.

That night a group of us decided to go into Puerto Vallarta for dinner. The resort gave us some suggestions and made us a reservation. We were all feeling brave for going out at night. When the cab arrived we found out it was going to be a lot more expensive then we thought. So we had him take us to the boardwalk. Its where all the tourists go to shop and eat. When we got there someone told the driver to take us to a good restaurant. We then went up the biggest hill ever. The van we were in barely made it up. It was a little scary. When we arrive at the location, the driver gets out and we all follow. Although some of us were a little unsure about where we were. We went in and down a flight of stairs and out onto a deck with the most amazing view. We were over looking the town, the bay and all the lights. This was the restaurant. It was beautiful!

We had a great dinner there and lots of fun. It turned out that the people at the next table were from South Dakota also. And we were soon connected. We knew the same people and one of the guys sells some of the products our client makes. It really is a small world!

Day 5

Time to go home: the day we had to pack our bags and fly back to the cold weather :(

It was a long travel day and we were all so tired afterwards. It was a great trip! And now we are back in reality.

I have posted all my photos on my flickr site. Enjoy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristieweiberg/

2008-01-23T11:08:00.001-06:00

tomorrow...

By tomorrow afternoon I will be sitting on a sunny beach in Mexico. I work for possibly some of the most generous people on the planet. The entire office & spouses/family/friends are headed south for 5 days. Its almost hard to imagine not having to wear the goose down poofy coat for 5 days.

Of course what is a tropical vacation with out a little anxiety. Flying is not my most favorite thing in the world. I am much more of a pack up the car and drive there kind of girl. Driving is exciting, you get to see everything along the way. Stop and get out and you can take way more stuff than you need. Also the wearing of swim wear around everyone you work with does not rate very high on my list. Just hoping everyone gets really drunk and does not remember what my casper white, fat body looks like!

We have been on a marathon of work and late hours, so once we actually get there and relax it will be great. We just have to make it through the day.

I do have a fun project to take up my air time. Bobbi has taught me how to make granny squares (with Vanna White yarn :). So cute. They look way harder than they are. Although I did make 2 of them totally wrong. But now I am on the right path and they are actually square!

So stay tuned for tropical photos and stories.

2008-01-14T20:45:00.000-06:00

pretty bird

I have been meaning to post this photo. Dad and I went to Palisades State Park the weekend before New Years day. It had snowed and it was beautiful. So we hopped out of the car and took a short hike. Well while we are walking back to the car we noticed this Cardinal. He kept going from one side of the car to the other looking at himself in the mirror. It was the silliest thing I have ever seen. I don't think he had seen himself before that day. And he was very impressed. I took a ton of photos, but this is the best one. At one point he even started pecking at the mirror.

Here he is in the tree patiently waiting for me to move away from the car so he can get back to the mirror :)

2008-01-06T11:36:00.000-06:00

am i turning into a grandma?

Yesterday I went "thrifting" with Bobbi. Where else can you get an entire bag of goodies for $1.25? So many cute things! I came home last night and made this cute wall hanging for my spare bedroom/workroom. It consists of a wall hanging with hooks from Hobby Lobby for $6.00. Embroidery hoops & vintage fabric from the thrift store. And a torn up old quilt I bought at a garage sale last summer. So fulfilling!! The quilt on the bed is a grandma quilt I found at the Goodwill in Lincoln. And the lamp shade is from Ikea. I think I might be 33 going on 80.

But the find of the day is this really cool vintage winter coat. It makes me so happy! The color, the fur...what could be better? I saw it hanging in the antique store and I feel in love, and it even fits! It was ment to be. I think I am in love...

2007-12-28T15:11:00.000-06:00

snow...

Well since I a kind of have a theme going with the last couple of photos, why ruin it? Today is beautiful in SD. I took a break from working and did a mini-photo shoot in the backyard at work.

2007-12-21T10:23:00.001-06:00

merry christmas

2007-12-17T09:33:00.001-06:00

winter wonderland

This is what my back yard looked like yesterday. It was beautiful!

2007-12-10T21:13:00.001-06:00

christmas spirit

Yesterday was a very productive day. I made 18 custom necklaces, shoveled snow, worked at work and then when to Target. That is where the Christmas spirit really began. I have two other fake Christmas trees but they are really big and don't have lights on them. So when I was in target I fell in love with this tree and it was actually one sale! Who ever came up with pre-strung lights on a tree is brilliant!!!!!!

I arrived home a little before 10 pm with my new tree. Oh course I had to set it up and decorate it the second I got home. I finished at about 12 am. I am crazy!!! But I feel very festive now. I have been playing Christmas music non-stop and finding just the perfect gifts. I love buying gifts for other people, but I can hardly wait to give them to them because I am so excited!

Oh the waiting...

2007-11-19T10:13:00.001-06:00

jewelry saturday...

Thanks to everyone who made Saturday so special!

Friday night was a marathon of jewelry making. A big thanks to Bobbi...who saved my life! I would have never made it without her! Friday night was kind of a blur. At one point B said...ok, we are quitting at midnight. This must be typical designer mode, never done ahead of time even when we try :)

Also thanks to everyone who stopped by on Saturday to chat and look at jewelry, you truly made the day special.

2007-11-15T15:30:00.001-06:00

how you know its a package from dad...

I received a box today and opening it made me laugh. I always know its from dad when it contains something from the ACE store and its wrapped in part of the Lincoln paper...usually the sports section.

Today the box contained a new soldering gun to finish our girl craft day art and clamp/holder, so we don't burn our fingers off and the sports section. He is the best :)

2007-11-13T21:11:00.001-06:00

Well Saturday is the day....the face the public and try to sell jewelry day. Scary!! I am actually taking a vacation day tomorrow to make jewelry. I am looking forward to it. Listening to my ipod all day and wearing my fleece crocks. I can't wait!

2007-11-09T13:03:00.000-06:00

concepting and a special k bar

Katie & I are the Kaladis concepting a new project. So far I think we have a pretty good solution. I think what really helped us come up with the idea has the giant special k bar I had. Yum! Although I am feeling a slight sugar rush from which I will be crashing in a few short hours. I guess I will enjoy it while it lasts.

Actually the main reason for the special k bar is my need to emotionally eat. This week has not been my best design week ever. Three projects this week have gone wrong...ah, the life of a designer. One project was to design an area of a client's homepage with a Christmas theme. The next day I made a few changes and we all thought they liked it. Two days later the client sent a finished design that someone in their office did and would like us to post that. Of course they would. Project number two started out with a Kristie/Katie combination and ended with two faxed drawings from the client of how "they" want it designed. Followed by a Paulsen project debacle, in which the whole office may hate me now. The good news is...in the real world these things/problems are meaningless.

Tomorrow is our first annual girl craft day, hosted by Bobbi. Well, at least there is one bright spot in my week. I am going home tonight to make munchies and dream of all the cool things we are going to make tomorrow.

2007-11-05T14:53:00.000-06:00

best commercial ever...

This one makes me laugh everytime. I love the way the squirrel dances. So creative!

2007-11-05T11:05:00.001-06:00

happy new computer day!

Today the art department has bright shiny new computers. This makes us so happy!!! The best part is the new keyboard. Brand new keyboards just feel good. The keys are new, no food is stuck at the bottom of them. I wish it could stay new forever. I am trying to make myself promise that I will not eat at my desk anymore. Wow, that is going to be hard.

Besides the keyboard there are lots of other cool new features. I am just a nerd and I really love the keyboard :)

2007-10-31T08:35:00.001-06:00

Happy Halloween!

This is what Paulsen Marketing looks like today :)

2007-10-29T10:00:00.001-06:00

best birthday gift ever...

Well it was a weekend full of Birthday celebration. My brother's birthday was Saturday and mine is Wednesday. My dad bought me these fleece lined cCrocs. I LOVE them. They are so warm and so comfy. I saw them in Colorado and then I had totally forgotten about them. I was so excited when I opened the gift. I did not want to put on real shoes to come to work today :)

2007-10-26T13:57:00.000-06:00

i heart fall!!!!

Here is the beautiful tree by Paulsen. It makes me happy!!!!!

2007-10-26T10:48:00.001-06:00

welcome Addison Rose...

Congrats Rani & Ryan! She is beautiful and I can't wait to meet her.

2007-10-25T10:31:00.000-06:00

time machine chair

Well I guess I have been neglecting my blog. Starting today I will try to do better...

Tonight is the SDAF Chairity Acution. Every year crazy designers (us) make a chair and it is auctioned off. Well, we usually end up buying ours back. This years chair is a 2-year-in-the-making palooza!

We finished last night at 12:00 am. YEAH! I was sewing like crazy. But we made it and its fun. Even the control panels light up! That is so next level!

So...we will see if we end up buying it back tonight. We probably will...it looks pretty cool in our office :)

2007-10-09T08:06:00.000-06:00

design camp i love thee...

Well, the adventure began on Thursday afternoon. We loaded up the rental vehicle with suitcases for four girls and one guy (sorry Jon). We headed North to Nisswa, Mn. When we arrived at the lodge they did not have a reservation for us for that evening. They said we were supposed to arrive the next day. Crap! They were able to find us a room. Well, it was actually a condo. It had five bedrooms, a game room, a full kitchen and a really cool deck. We were all a little sad that it was only for one night. The next morning we got up and packed again (yuck) and registered for Design Camp. We had a little time so we went for a drive and went into town for a really quick shopping trip.

Design Camp officially began at 1:00 pm. We started off with a speaker. He was really cool. He is a poster designer and screen prints most of his stuff himself. He was cool! Here is his website. You can also purchase his posters there: http://www.thesmallstakes.com/

Next to a workshop. The one I have been waiting for the most! The workshop was non-computer aided book binding. Wow, this could be my new favorite project. I will totally have to do more of this~!

That night they were having a mixer dinner. We skipped this part. We went into Baxter to the Black Bear Lodge for dinner. It was fun! It was 3 Paulsen people and 2 HenkinSchultz girls. We had fun. When we got back to our cabins we went to Karaoke. It was fun, really packed and kind of hot in the bar at the Lodge, but fun none the less.

The next day was full of speakers & workshops. One of my favorite workshops was this a photography. Her name is Nanacy Bundt. She has traveled everywhere and had some amazing photographs. She was very creative and fun to listen to. Here is her website: http://www.nancybundt.com/

We had one more speaker on Sunday and then we had to head back to South Dakota. It was fun and we didn't really want to leave. Its so beautiful up there. I totally feel more creative now! If you would like to read Katie's account check out her blog: http://www.overcaffeinatedkatie.com/

I have also posted a few more photos on my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristieweiberg

2007-10-03T07:58:00.001-06:00

Well its back to reality this week. I was so busy yesterday that I did not have time to post more photos. :)

Saturday was probably my favorite day of vacation. We went to Estes Park. I LOVE that place. Someday I am going to live there. They were having an elk festival (I think they are cute!). This is the time of year the elk mate. So they are all over. The town was packed, but it was still totally worth it.

Sunday was the 8 hour dive back. By the time I arrived in Sioux Falls, I was a little tired of driving.

Next: Design Camp! We leave tomorrow. I just want to see more fall, but first I have to make it through today.

I have posted the rest of my vacation photos on my filckr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristieweiberg/

Enjoy :)

2007-09-27T11:17:00.001-06:00

I love this....

Yesterday was our Mountain exploring day. This is where I belong! It was cool & crisp. The farther into the mountains the more layers required. I love dressing for these outings. I call it my Colorado uniform. Jeans/hiking khakis; long sleeve white t-shirt layered with a short sleeved t-shirt; tennies/hiking boots; one of 3 poofy vests; a windbreaker and mittens if you are lucky. I love this state!

We stared out by going west of Denver, we didn't really have a plan. Exploring was all that was on the agenda. Our first stop was Central City. It is a really cute town, but it was filled with casinos. So we wondered around town, took a few photos and we were on our way.

Next stop was Georgetown, Co. When you go into town there is a beautiful lake, where the big horned sheep are supposed to be. Of course there were not any. I am not really sure they exist. We at lunch by the beautiful mountain lake. Next we went into town and looked at all the shops. I could totally live here. If I didn't love my job, friends & house so much. I would be here in 2 seconds. From Georgetown there is a scenic byway which is actually a mountain pass. It is the highest road in America. It was beautiful and there were lots of Aspens turning color. I think I might want to plant an aspen in my back yard. Beautiful!

We wound our way around down the mountain. Next we visited the town of Evergreen, Co. It was cute also. Then we were avoiding rush hour in Denver so we went to Red Rocks. So cool. The rocks are really, really red. I took lots of photos there. It is really more of a park when there are not concerts there.

I have posted all my mountain photos on my flickr site. Here is the address:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristieweiberg/
Enjoy!

Today I am hanging out uploading all my photos and blogging. This afternoon I am going to go shopping and buy a pair of black shoes that do not give me blisters. Its hard to look cute and comfortable at the same time.

Hopefully, on Saturday we are going to go to Estes Park (my fav!) They are having an Elk festival. They are all over the place. It will be cool to see. More photos to come from there :)

2007-09-25T10:18:00.001-06:00

on vacation...

Dad is at the convention center now learning about the Ace computer system, so I have time to blog the trip thus far...

The vacation adventure began by leaving Sioux Falls at 7:30 am on Saturday. I realized that morning that my camera was totally D.E.A.D.! Why does this happen when you are going on vacation?

I arrived in Lincoln and had lunch with my cousin and aunt. I then had to help my aunt pick out paint for a room they are remodeling. So I told her we should go to Barnes & Noble and look at magazines to see what kind of colors she likes. Well that lasted about 5 minutes and she got bored and she decided she was done and she just wanted to go buy paint. Great now we have no idea what we are going to buy and she has to live with her decision. I hate helping pick out paint when they have no vision!

That night I went to the new Super Target in Lincoln and bought a camera. I think its cool. It was on clearance. So that made me very happy!! Oh and I found a 2 gig memory card at Wal-Mart for $20.00. Yeah! Now I have to stop spending money!

Sunday morning was the departure day. We left Lincoln and headed west. We drove to Fort Morgan, Co and stayed the night. They had a Chinese restaurant named: Beautiful House. That made me laugh.

On Monday morning we left Fort Morgan and drove to Denver. It was raining like crazy when we got here. We found our hotel (thanks Mac the GPS), and checked in. The hotel is super cool! We are on the TV Mania floor (floor 14, room 1415-Katie). The elevator has famous voices that announce which floor you are on. There is a photo of Johnny Carson on the desk in the room. It is really cool.

Here is the room, already messed up though. I didn't get a photo taken right away.

It was kind of hard to take a photo of the bathroom. This photo does not really show how cool it is.

This is the alarm clock in the room. Cute!

This is one of my favorite parts. Its the menu from the restraunt downstairs. Its called the corner office. They actually have a whole section of the menu for dogs. Its a dog friendly hotel. You can actually order them room service!

This is the view outside our window. Can you see the mountains in the back? They are calling my name. Hopefully we will get to go west and check them out sometime soon.

We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Denver. I have never been to a Hard Rock before. Then we walked around downtown. There is a mile long outdoor pedestrian mall. It has a ton of shops. It feels like we walked forever!

We also saw this building being torn down. I just thought it looks cool, so I took some pictures of it...

We did try to go to the art museums yesterday. They are all closed on Monday. Frustrating!!!

Well, I think thats it so far. This afternoon we are going exploring again. The big part of the Ace show starts tomorrow. I might get to work on my jewelry website tomorrow, I really need to get that done!