i am mine.

There are moments in life where certain music seems so relevant. Needless to say, I'm learning a lot these days from artists like Brooke Waggoner, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Foster The People, Kings of Convenience, Wilco and Paul Simon.

You know, I am so grateful for the point of life which I'm at. Maybe I'm behind—maybe I'm not. Either way, I am mine.

all i've ever known

People often ask me, "How does it feel to have four brothers? Did you ever want sisters?" While I would have loved to have had a sister, growing up with four brothers couldn't have been more ideal for me. I'm proud to say I have the most handsome, loving, caring and personable brothers. My brothers = my best friends.

Harry and Cole are the young tikes—13 and 14 years of age. (I promise little Link loves them! His face just doesn't show it in this picture.)

Harry is one-of-a-kind. He exudes love and kindness. He would do anything for anyone and has the sweetest, most tender heart. He is also wonderful at sports and does the silliest, most quirky things, such as: teaching himself to whistle, hula hoop, and walk on stilts. This past few months have been rough for Harry, since losing his best friend, our Gramms. Don't worry, he's hanging in there though.

Cole is all about sports, girls, hip hop, design and fashion. He is definitely an entrepreneur. He buys a huge box of candy bars and sells them to the kids at school. He also often calls me up with ideas for new t-shirt designs that he needs help executing . I love that about him—he's a definite go-getter. Not to mention, one of the smartest boys I know!

Meet Mason and Ashton—24 and 27. I'd dare say I have the most handsome brothers in the world! I'm right between these two and we are all 18 months apart. (Best thing ever.)

Mase is spicy. He has the kindest heart, but definitely will not stand for anything he doesn't believe in. I love that about him! I've been so impressed with Mason's growth and transition from boyhood to manhood. He's the sweetest, most loving husband to Chelsea and soon-to-be father to Urban. (Yep, that's right, two nephews in one year!) Mason is also my best friend. We can talk about anything. He is accepting of all people and the least judgmental person I know. Mase will always take the opportunity to let you know how much he loves you. Always.

Ashton is the oldest, and boy did he lead by example. Ashton is the best father to Linkon, husband to Lacey, brother to me and son to my parents. He constantly makes me laugh! Our favorite thing to do is joke around as if we couldn't care less about eachother. You might often hear us say such things as: "Hey, leave me alone." or "Get over yourself!" It's all out of love. Ash graduated about a year ago in International Business and works in Provo until they eventually relocate for his MBA. For my sake, I hope they never go too far. I could go to Ashton for anything at anytime. He's one of the most christ-like people I know.

It may appear that Harry is my favorite, which is true. (Along with the other 3.) It just so happens that he's the only one that will take pictures with me!

Harry's first dance! Such a handsome guy. And yes, no worries, he did dance with his crush—twice. I made sure to get the lowdown. 

Our best friend, Gramms.

I'm the luckiest. Seriously. I have the best of all worlds! I'm so fortunate to have four best friends, and know that we're stuck together forever.

beauty.

I have so much to be grateful for right now, and I'm realizing that. It's so humbling to go through moments in life where you are reminded of the many ways in which you have been guided to be in a certain place, at a certain time. I feel so small, but we aren't we supposed to feel our smallness at times? I believe so.

This summer has been a truly wonderful one. It's included great friends, amazing family, a goodbye to gramms, new orleans, new york city, washington d.c., boston, bear lake, tennis, heartache, sadness, liberation, happiness, growth. Quite noteworthy, i'd have to say. I expect it to continue in such a way, and can't wait for what the duration of 2011 has to offer.

In essence, I just want to give thanks for the beauty in my life. Surely, you've been a great part of it.

(photo taken by yours truly, last weekend at bear lake)

a noteworthy year in design.

I have had the lovely opportunity of meeting some great designers this past year; how'd I get so lucky? James came to UVU to give a lecture, and I also got to be part of a workshop of about 15 students. He's got amazing insight as a designer, and helped me re-evaluate why it is that I love design so much, and what I really want to do with it. Above is a poster I designed to announce his coming to visit the school. It wasn't chosen, but boy was it fun to create and write on a bun with mustard and a tablecloth with marker.

Don't know who James is? Check this out.

This picture was taken a little over a month ago while in New York with UVU; we got to meet Milton Glaser! Boy does that man have a philosophical approach to design, which is so refreshing. It's nice to know that design doesn't just have to be decoration or ornamentation, but can be an instrument to change things for the better. I want to take this approach.

Don't know who Milton is? He designed this, therefore you do.

a cry for your help.

Guys, I'm enlisting your help: my great friends and the band Fictionist is in a wicked cool contest for Rolling Stone. They are one of the last 4 bands competing to play at Bonnaroo and be on the cover. We can help them, right? Just go here and like them on Facebook and give them a 5-star rating. It will take you all of 30 seconds! Also, if you're not familiar with their tunes, you can go to www.fictionist.com and get free music (4 songs I believe).

Really, I've never met better people and more passionate artists. They deserve a chance to show the world what amazing artists they truly are and share the mad talent they've been given.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! (vote today and everyday because voting for this round ends this week)

da capo: the repetition of a previous passage.

Here it finally is: the end product of what has been life for the past 9 months. My BFA show ended up being so rewarding, and I learned so much. From coming up with a concept, to researching exactly what it was that I wanted to do, to planning the design of it all, to producing each and every detail of the experience, and finally executing it. Seriously, I found it life-changing. I must say, I sure couldn't have done it without the help of many; thanks be to you if you did.

The gist of it: music has a way of taking us back to certain times and experiences. We can hear a song we haven't listened to in years and once we do, thoughts, feelings and memories come flooding back.

The experience: there were 3 booths that were covered inside and out with chalkboard paint. Each booth had only an iPod and headphones inside of it. People were able to walk in, choose a song from nearly 2,000 of the most popular ones from the last 4 decades, and listen in solitude. Afterward, they were able to document their memory through writing, drawing, scribbling, WHATEVER.

It was simply beautiful to see so many different recollections of memories. There were notebooks and pencils for people to take as they left. The notebook was entitled "repeat your passage." We need to write things down, so I guess that's what the notebook was meant for.

Enjoy!











A great big thank you to Joanna Libutti and Caitlin Connolly for taking my pictures. They are great friends and did more than I could have hoped for. By the way, check out Caitlin's blog to see her work and definitely visit her at the Beehive Bazaar this weekend!

laugh at parking troubles. just this once.

UVU Parking Classic from William McCrery on Vimeo.

Here's the updated version of our 2010 UVU Parking Classic. This was a class project I worked on with William McCrery and Audrey Moore, with my very own dad as the commentator. Boy was this fun! I lucked out and got to do all of the illustrations and part of the animation. Did we get an A? Yes. Do we need you to vote for us on this website so we can win a people's choice award? Yes. (No pressure though...make it your own personal choice!)

By the way, thanks to Bill this is the newest version. To see the very first one we did, go here.

must.blog.about.this.

I'm an auntie and I couldn't be more proud of this little guy: Linkon Ashton Casper. So precious. 5 lbs. 13 oz., 18.5 inches long, and strawberry wavy hair. Who knew that being an aunt could feel this good?



See the resemblance? He's the best dad. Seeing them together is priceless.



Now you get an idea of where all the amazing hair comes from. And the stunning looks.






Dying at this point...we'd yet to see him! Little Link is about to find out what the definition of the most amazing grandma truly is.

CONGRATS ASH, LACE AND BABY LINK! Love you like mad.

¡feliz cumpleaños!

i made these quirky posters in honor of my great friend Joanna and her birthday. this does her hair absolutely no justice, but I wanted to do my own take on this wonderful book that I found in NY. it turned out to be a super fun project!