Where can I buy the large round balloons?

I get this question a lot! Any Party City has them. Just ask for the 36″ round balloons. They don’t last a long time like normal balloons so make sure you get the helium gel and blow it up right before you need it.

Where can I get temporary wall paper?

In my last apartment we wallpapered the entryway and hallway with temporary wallpaper. I discuss this here.

How do you balance work/life?

I don’t! I am awful at balancing everything. I’ve talked to a lot of moms and I still haven’t met someone who has it completely figured out. Our schedule varies depending on mine and my husbands projects and freelance jobs but usually we have a babysitter for 3-4 hours a day. My husband has a flexible work schedule so we’re able to depend on each other when we have due dates or project deadlines. As a family we try to be aware of everybody’s needs and make sure everyone is healthy and happy. I love being a mom and I find having a career really fulfilling.

I am interested in being an Event Planner. Can you give me advice?

Sure! I started working an internship at San Francisco City Hall in the Events Department during college. After college I moved to San Francisco and was able to get a job with a connection I made during my internship. I’m a big believer in getting amazing internships, it leads to so many doors being opened. I wrote a post on advice to myself in college right here.

I’m visiting San Francisco. Can you suggest places to see, eat, and stay?

Yes! San Francisco is the best. My San Francisco guide is almost done. Look for it June 2012!

I’m visiting Paris. Can you suggest places to see, eat, and stay?

Yes! I’m still getting to know the city myself. I just moved here in February 2011. But here is a guide of suggestions from a friend Kristen Brewe and read about my Paris discoveries right here.

I’m trying to grow my blog. Can you give me some advice?

Sure! Some general tips. 1. Blog everyday or if less be consistent. 2. Don’t worry/think about monetizing for a year or two until you have great traffic. Instead be passionate about creating really great content that people want to read. 3. Get involved in Social Media: twitter, facebook etc 4. Always link to sources and photos where you found things and don’t steal content. 5. Be really nice and generous to other blogs and readers. 6. Get a decent SLR camera and 50mm lens. 7. Learn the basics of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. 8. Learn the basics in coding. 9. Create ORIGINAL content (don’t just repost other people’s ideas–come up with things people have never seen.) 10. If you are ever feeling insecure or sad about your blog just put your head down and work. I only feel like that when I haven’t been working hard on my own projects.

What Camera do you have?

We have a Canon 5D Mark II. And we use primarily three lenses. The 50mm f1.4, the 24-70mm and the 16-35mm. We probably don’t need a camera that nice but we both use it for work so somehow it got justified. I can’t take credit for any of the good photos though, my husband took a lot of photography classes in art school. I prefer making the content in the photo pretty rather than dealing with f-stops.

Your son Roman was born with a cleft lip, any advice?

I’ve been meaning to write a post on this. We found out at an ultrasound that my youngest son Roman would be born with a cleft lip and palate. Adjusting to that news was the hardest thing I’ve gone through. It was stressful financially and of course worrying if he would be ok. Luckily things have worked out for him. He had two surgeries in 2010 and has been healing great so far. He will need future surgeries as he grows but gets a nice break for a few years. If you are pregnant with a baby with a cleft lip I promise everything will be just fine. I did posts on this topic here.

How do you guys make money?

I get this question a lot! I make some money from advertising on Oh Happy Day but most of my income comes from writing for other websites and projects that I promote on my blog like letterpress. It took a long time to get to a place where we were working for ourselves. We drove a 2001 Honda Civic for years and years (we don’t currently have a car.) And we lived in a one bedroom apartment where our kids slept in a closet. We work really hard and then we try to take smart risks that feel a little scary in order to grow.

How were you able to move to France?

Moving to France all depends on the kind of visa you need. If you stay longer than three months then you need a visa. Visas that allow you to work in France are much more difficult to get. Since we have jobs that allow us to work from anywhere we applied for a Long Stay Tourist Visa. It was fairly easy to get. We just had to prove that we had jobs that could sustain us and do the paperwork.

Can I repost your photos on my blog?

Yes! I’m so happy and flattered when people want to share or feature my work. Feel free to use a few photos with a credit and link back to the blog post. I ask that if it involves DIY instructions please don’t repost the instructions or people have no reason to visit the original post!

Can you put me on your blog roll?

I am always looking for new blogs to put on my blog roll. Please submit the url to me at hello@ohhappyday2020.wpengine.com with BLOG SUBMISSION in the subject line if your blog meets the following criteria:

1. You’ve been blogging regularly for more than three months
2. You produce original content and/or link to where you found things

Can I do a giveaway on your blog?

I’ve never done a giveaway on my blog!

Can you do a guest post or interview on my blog?

Sometimes! It depends on what my schedule is like. If its something that will take me less than 20 minutes you’re more likely to get a “yes” out of me. If I say “no” its just because I need to be cuddling with my little guys.

Do you do letterpress?

Yes! I run a small letterpress company out of San Francisco. While I’m in France my studio manager Alexis Birkmeyer is running the press but I’m still doing most of the design work. We specialize in letterpress with hand details like watercolor, and hand painted edges. Email me with details for a quote.

Can I advertise on your blog?

If you think your company is the right fit with Oh Happy Day send us an email for rates and press kit.

Can I send you a free product to try out?

Thank you! I don’t accept free products. I do sponsored posts but they are part of an advertising plan and are clearly marked as such.

Are you Mormon?

Yup.