tank & tink christmas card shop opening nov 5th!

it's the most wonderful time of the year  & i would LOVE to design some holiday cheer to give to your family & friends!
year, cheer...totally rhymed there. :)
click on the button above to visit my christmas card shop for full details!
i will start taking orders tues, nov 5th.
i'm only taking a limited amount of custom christmas card designs this year,  so if you're interested in that, contact me asap as well.
merry almost christmas!

pssst.

happy may!
i've been up to a lil' something.
a brand new digital design site :)

happyhappyjoyjoy.

introducing...
tankandtink.blogspot.com



my very own lil' spot to talk design.
& show you my work.
& maybe post free monthly-ish prints? maybe. (let's not get ahead of ourselves.)
& not post pictures of my kids. heh.

take a peek.
tell your friends.
enter my snazzy giveaway
so you can get yourself a new blog header.
don't need a new blog header? use the amount as design cash! towards anything your heart desires [on my site, of course].
BAM.
giveaway ends tomorrow night. so hurry, hurry.
would love to know if it's easy to get around, too!

thank you, friends.
you're the best. always.
a big ol' awkward neck hug to YOU!

ps. i'm finally back to work after my design'n hiatus! but only til' the kids are out of school. soooo, maybe a month. lol. how is already summer?

*giveaway now closed!

some things.

business is booming. i'm almost booked up 'til february! & i need to update my portfolio desperately. [the thought alone gives me the willys. on my to-do list though]. but how cute is the vanilla tulip's latest design? love her. chalkboard is the new chevron, ya'll :) i'm thankful for this gig. allows me to have eden tearing things apart at my feet. hah! and have some extra cash to buy a new bikini in the middle of winter. missing summer SO bad right now.

speaking of business. i got the itch to re-do the walls of my bedroom the other day. so without leaving the house, i whipped up a new print, moved some things around, & voila. fresh new space. you want to see the print, you say? you want it for yourself, you say? okay, fine. here you go. i was totally inspired by a few prints i purchased from caravanshoppe recently. 5 bucks? huge print from staples for cheap? done. [that's the problem with having your hands on so many cute fonts. you see something, & you're like, i could totally make that...but that would be copying..and..and..ahs well. for the record, i did not copy this print. lol. just the saying from pinterest. so there.] save this bad-boy on a cd or stick. take it to staples & ask them to print it on their large format b&w printer. will cost you a whopping 4 bucks. mine is 24x32." but you can print whatever size you like!

for personal use only. download here.

some horrible quality iphone pics, just so you can see it in action.
plus, i made my bed today. it needs to be documented.

what else? oh! my devotional this morning was so good. a few goodies from yesterday to chew on.
life with me is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties.
joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of my will, when it seems not joyous.
joy is the daughter of calm.
joy is the daughter of calm! i like that. so much.

praying for more calm in my life. and more joy.

and todays was about finding rest in the Lord.
rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. psalm 37:7
God Calling. go get some. it's free!

and this.
so much to be thankful for.
even when my kids are still sick & i'm so stir crazy i could.....@#$%&!
even when i know i caught their stupid cold, but i'm in serious denial.
tim's finishing his last week of hazmat school this week. so happy!
and a&e go back to school on monday.
life is good. snotty, but good.

lazy sundays & christmas cards.

we're having the best lazy sunday today.

still in our jammies.

baby e quietly playing throwing all my cds at my feet.

girls' munching on popcorn in momma's bed.

just missing daddy, but he'll be home for a few days [in a row!] tomorrow morn. happy dance!

here's a peek at our christmas card this year.

the front was drawn up by my favorite new neighbor, heather.

i'm pret-ty obsessed with it.

that girl can do anything. talent, i tell you!

kinda want to blow it up & hang it over my mantle.

that i don't have.

but whatever.

so thankful for this little family of mine.

even more so after this tragic wk, right? so many tears, holding my babies so tight.

one more year down.

50+ more to go, Lord willing.

annnnd, NINE days 'til christmas?

can you believe it?

happy almost christmas everyone!

the weary world can REJOICE because of him.

XO

for you.

two 5x7" pretty prints for you to download.
why? because i like you.
and i was bored.
and Jesus likes you.
and why not.
who? you.
yes, you.

download awake my soul HERE.
download my cup runneth over HERE.

print, frame, & be merry :) muah!

oh, and let me know if this works. never done this before. hehehahoo.

pre-made blog designs :)

i've been a busy little bee the last few days designing these lil' puppies :)

pre-made blog designs!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

+way cheaper than a custom blog package.

+installed in less than 48 hours.

and you get yourself a new pretty, molly-fied, little blog that no one else can have. ever.

BING. BANG.

[oh, and, you're able to add-on whatever you'd like for just a bit more...

nav bar, pic of yourself, you name it.]

go take a peek at the rest to see how it all works.

click on the blog design tab right over there ---->

then, pre-mades.

gee, thanks.

i'm so bossy, i know.

:) 

don't see one you like now? i'll be adding more+more as we go! YAY!

i'm working on pre-made single blog headers & social icons next :)

happy, happy! joy, joy!

i just love designing this stuff. makes my heart so happy!

the first two people to email me for a pre-made get 10 bucks off! that's a whole new blog design for SIXTY DOLLARS! 
*update* no mas. thank you to my first 2 orders :)

don't walk. run!

man, i feel like that mattress man on that commercial. feels so good.

ps. also, for all you grammar peeps, is it pre-made? or premade? or does the dang word not even exist? it's really bugging me. and the internet is no help. i'd like to rename it all together...ideas? suggestions? i think it's just a word made up by stupid blogger people (myself included) ;) lol.
pps. designs for blogspot only. sad face.

the joyful shop.

secrets out, you guys.

today, the joyful shop opens for business!
happy dancin'!

SO many lovely prints to be gawked over.
so many wonderful gals, working together for this great, great cause.
so excited to be apart of this.
God is so, so good.

so many so's :)

so, while we're talking about so's....

+read about this new adventure HERE!
+go to the joyful shop & buy a print!
100% of the profits go to joyful life library...
which then will buy some books, supporting critically ill kids & their families in the hospital!
+and then, go give heather, the founder of all of this, some hugs & love. it's her boy samuel's 5th birthday today! he's celebrating in heaven. and i'm sure Jesus has an extra big cake for him. can you even imagine? whoa.

3 things to do.
go do it.

a&e had to spend a scary 5 weeks in the nicu when they were born 8 wks early. so, as you can imagine, this cause is very near & dear to my heart.

thanks for listening, now go spread some JOY!

so much to say.

you guys.
i have so much to tell you about.

like how i've been in maui for 6 days with just tim (just tim! and me! on the beach! in maui! best trip ever! get ready for a million pics one of these days) & am having major being-home-again withdrawals.

how i've quit breastfeeding eden & my hormones are actin' a fool.

how one of my headers was featured in artful blogging magazine? nat! say what? pinch me, please.

how summer is quickly coming to an end & school starts in 2 weeks. pretty sad about that.

how i'm so in love with my husband. maui will do that to you. i'm twitter-pated with that boy.

how it's a hundred friggin degrees here. my airs already blasting at 8 in the morning. & i'm totally wishing i could've lived on maui forever+ever.

oh wait, already said that.

how i'm up to something with life made lovely again. excited for you to see!

how eden turned nine months old a few days ago! ohdear.

and
and...

i have so much to say, but i don't know how to say it.
do you ever get there?

so instead i sit here staring at the screen.
with a million posts in my head.
and a million ideas swirling around.
staring at my two full buckets of laundry that need to be started.
listening to the quiet of kids still sleeping.
and almost wanting to cry...
wondering how..., why God is blessing me SO so much lately, when i totally am undeserving.
& out of nowhere, too.
[but then again, we never are deserving, are we. dirty, rotten sinner, i am. that's the beauty of our God!]
like an, oh-my-gosh, this-is-really-happening, pinch-me-quick, kind of blessing me.
over+over again.

how i want to give back, but have been feeling stuck.
stuck in this blog.
stuck in my business.
bored with a capitol b with it all.
annoyed with a lot of social media shtuff lately. & the love/hate relationship i have with it all.
[but that, my friends, is for another day.]
do i want to make prints again?
should i stick to blog/card design?
should i move to maui & drink piña coladas by the pool everyday of my life?
are we gonna move somewhere?
where?
do you like to hula?
should i continue taking a break, & continue praying about where God wants to take me/us with it all?

am i over thinking things again??

yes, yes i should.
and yes, yes i am.

see?

no words.
well, some words.
but mostly just a lot of food for thought.

feeling happy though!
with a very full & grateful heart.
feeling a little wild, too. lol.
God is taking our family on a wild adventure, and i'm in the front seat of the wilderness van with my binoculars trying to see what's ahead. when really he's saying, trust me. i've got this. just ride in the stupid van, molly! and look around you! take it all in. BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

er, something like that.

[how do you like that for an analogy? ha!]

oh, hey maui. what's that you say? you want me to come enjoy another magical sunset with you?
well, okay. if you insist.

squirrel!
:)

pssst.

get my free, 5x7" printable over on take the cannoli blog today. yup. FREE.

and.

i'll be back designing blogs & shtuff again late august.

get more info here.

off to palm springs for the day!

oh, yes.

the birthday festivities continue.

happy friday, all!

:)

sweet november.

it seems like i've been waiting for november for forever! and looky here :)

november means:

• little red cups at starbucks. 
• and that means, christmas is a' comin'!

see? audrey's already sportin' her christmas walmart shirt while we bake. lol. :)

• we get to meet our sweet eden girl. um, only 3 days. but who's counting.
• eden's coming in 3 days!!!!!! oh wait, i already said that.
• halloween is o-ver. i'm not your biggest fan, halloween. sorry 'bout that. buhbye.

last halloween. oct 2010.

this halloween. oct 2011. repeat offenders, say whaaa?! :)

• winter is coming. maybe? pretty please?
• christmas cards are just around the bend!
• speaking of christmas cards :) even though i'm not custom designing them this year [for obvious reasons, ehem, eden's coming! eden's coming! lol.], i know some pretty fab gals who are. wink, wink, nudge. so if you're looking for the perfect photo card this year, look no more. head over HERE and have a peek at my uber talented designer friends' cards. and, because i'm cool like that, i'll let you in on a little secret. katygirl is having a christmas card giveaway over at her blog RIGHT NOW! so, go already! win that card! [said in my best oprah voice, of course.]
• also, speaking of giveaways, another blog friend is hosting one for our new pre-made blog layouts! um, this would be an awesome win. go there too. and support my team at life made lovely designs while i'm out here lounging in maternity leave land...and heck, win somethin,' wouldya?
• thanksgiving. and my mom's turkey dinner.
• gravy! [yes, this deserves it's own bullet.]
• reflecting on all i have to be thankful for & making lists like these. [can't believe another year has come+gone! geesh.]

cousins! and the last of the mandatory pumpkin pics for the year. promise.

whew. did you get all that? did you cl-cl-click away on all of those pretty green links? did ya?
if you didn't, let me summarize for you....
EDEN'S COMING IN 3 DAYS!!!!!! (scheduled c-sec, folks. it's a b-e-a-utiful thing.) hahaa.

november, you are most definitely my very favorite month of the year.
at least this year anyway.

blog design special.

been dreaming of a new space to blog?

want to spruce up your header or, heck, the whole darn thing, fresh for fall?

NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!! :)

see more blog/business options HERE, or just

i have 3-5 spots available for next wk! first come, first serve :)
ONE WEEK ONLY!
(and even if you just want to add something small, like a few buttons, or a social media set, or a pretty about me picture in a frame,
come talk to me!)

XO, molly

katy & i had a little too much fun on google chat.

meet katy.

she blogs at scottyboy & katygirl.

you know her?

well, if you don't, you should.

 she has the cutest son, with dimples for miles. get it? miles? oh. okay.

and she makes the best faces, no?

we have a lot in common. like the desire to live in anthropologie forever & ever, amen. country music (wait, do we?) a love for Jesus. and a love for the people of bakersfield. wink. cough. [except she wears real glasses. and i wear fake, but whatever.]

well-ll-ll, her & i have been keeping a lil' secret from you.
tsk. tsk.

okay, i'll just say it already :)

we've teamed up with [the oober talented] heather, from life made lovely (formerly, blessed little nest), as part of her BLOG DESIGN TEAM!!!
[insert happy dance here!]

check out the new life made lovely design site HERE!

i'll still be doing my own blog designing & prints through tank+tink, too, but taking on some new clients from heather as well!
exciting, right?

yes. pretty. darn. exciting.

so, just call us the three amigos. 

the blogettes. 

alvin, simon, & theodore.

lucy, ethel, &....er, ricky?

or my favorite, the designers :)

i'm a blog designer now, mom!

just rolls right off the tongue.

p.s. it's heather's birthday today! you should go leave a comment on her blog & make her feel super special. cause she is :)

design portfolio.

[featured blog designs:]

[as you can see, the chevron print is quite the hot commodity right now. lol!]

 

[some of the blog headers i've done:]

[and some of my personal headers:]

[some of the life made lovely designs i've made:]

[other tid bits of work:]

[more blog buttons & what-not:]

[to see more of my work, just ask :) or email me at tankandtink@gmail.com to get started. thank you for choosing tank+tink!]

xo, molly