Today is National Wear Red Day! Ella friends nationwide are donning red to raise awareness about heart disease, and we invite you to join us.

Put on a red dress, t-shirt, shoes, necklace, lipstick, or ribbon—we know you have that! Then share a photo with us through our linky party (details at the end of this post). One random party guest will receive a Color Mists prize pack from Studio Calico and a red dress pin from the American Heart Association.

Heart disease kills one American woman every minute.* Who will be next? Will it be you? Will it be someone you love? Fight back by warning the women in your life and taking action together. The American Heart Association makes it easy, just click here to tell 5 friends what you already know: heart disease kills, but we don’t have to be its victims.

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to tell female friends and relatives you want them around for years to come. Share your love, appreciation, and admiration with one of these girly greeting cards, tags, or gifts from our Ella friends. Plus, download a free printable.

Card by Christa Paustenbaugh

Card by Jennifer Wilson

Card by Kelly VanDerMolen

Card by Grace Tolman

Card by Grace Tolman

Card by Grace Tolman

Tag by Shemaine Smith

Tag by Shemaine Smith

Jar of Hearts by Elizabeth Dillow

Free Printable by Audrey Neal [download available at end of post]

Show Us Your Red for a Chance to Win

To enter, upload a picture of yourself wearing red to your blog or any photo-sharing service; then link it up below by February 5. One random winner will be drawn from the entries below and announced the week of February 6.

* Statistics provided by the American Heart Association (AHA). To learn more about heart disease, risk factors, and prevention, visit the AHA at heart.org.

You love your family. You would do anything to keep them safe and healthy. What would they do without you? Probably, eat cereal for every meal, wear dirty t-shirts to school, and forget to wash behind their ears. But, seriously, what would they do if they lost you to a heart attack?

According to the American Heart Association:*
• Heart disease is the no. 1 killer of American women over age 20, claiming approximately 1 woman every minute.
• More women die of heart disease than the next five causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. In fact, 1 in 3 American women dies of heart disease.
• 90% of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a statistic: 80% of cardiac events in women can be prevented by monitoring and managing risk factors through diet and exercise. Controllable risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking (learn more here).

You can make small lifestyle changes today that will significantly reduce your risk of heart disease. Start by setting one simple goal. Choose from the list below, or visit goredforwomen.org to find out how you can live heart healthy at any age.

Start now!
• Learn the warning signs of a heart attack, and watch this video about a supermom who takes care of everyone but herself.
• Research your family’s history of diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and heart disease/heart attack. Heredity can increase your risk for developing heart disease. The more you know, the more you can do to reduce your risk.
• Find your numbers: total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, height, weight, and waist in inches. Use these numbers to complete the Go Red Heart CheckUp. You manage what you measure, so start keeping a log.
• Try a new heart-healthy recipe, or adapt one of your own using heart-smart substitutions.
• Increase your physical activity: recruit a walking buddy, try an exercise band routine, enroll in a workout class, or go outside and play with your kids.

I asked Ella friends to share what they’re doing to become heart healthy and reduce their risk of heart disease. I was amazed and inspired by their commitment, and I hope you will be, too. If you’ve made changes—or plan to—leave a comment so we can cheer you on!

Album Pages by Kelly VanDerMolen [click for larger view]

Kelly started this album to document her experience training for a walking half-marathon.

Layout by Elizabeth Dillow [click for larger view]

Elizabeth designed this layout as a reminder of the risk factor she inherited and her reasons for keeping it in check.

Layout by Christa Paustenbaugh [click for larger view]

Christa and her husband started running for sport, but they keep running to set a good example for their children.

Layout by Melissa Gener [click for larger view]

Melissa, a doctor and mother of two, started a weight-loss program three years ago and has lost over 58 lbs. She will be running her first 5K in March.

Layout by Robyn Schaub [click for larger view]

After almost giving up, Robyn signed up for a weight-loss program at work and has lost almost 35 lbs. She feels healthier, happier, and more confident, and she's proud of the example she's setting for her girls.

Layout by Audrey Neal [click for larger view]

Audrey's layout reflects on her father's early passing and shares the motivation she feels to keep her heart strong so she'll be around to see her daughters grow up.

Journal by Grace Tolman [click for larger view]

Grace created this health journal to track her important numbers and keep track of her goals.

Tomorrow is National Wear Red Day! Help raise awareness about heart disease by dressing in red and inviting your family and friends to do the same. We’ll be celebrating with female-friendly love notes, a linky party (show off your favorite red apparel), and a giveaway from Studio Calico. So come back, and join the fun!

* Statistics provided by the American Heart Association (AHA). To learn more about heart disease, risk factors, and prevention, visit the AHA at heart.org.

February is National Heart Month—as in, the human heart—and we’re celebrating with three days of heartfelt stories and projects leading up to National Wear Red Day on Friday, February 3. This is a day for women nationwide to band together in raising awareness about heart disease and making personal commitments to improve their own heart health.

The term “heart disease” describes a wide range of heart-related illnesses, including those that lead to cardiac arrest. Heart disease is our nation’s no. 1 killer, causing 40.6% of all deaths—nearly 2,200 Americans each day.*

Most of us know at least one person affected by heart disease, and some of us are fighting our own battles. I invited Ella friends coast-to-coast to share personal stories about heart disease and other heart-related illnesses. Their poignant layouts reminded me of my own reason for taking up the cause.

One year ago, my husband and I adopted Daphne, a baby girl with half a heart. She lived just 58 days, passing away shortly after her second heart surgery. The causes of congenital heart defects are unclear, so it’s impossible to know whether Daphne’s condition could have been avoided. But most types of adult-onset heart disease are preventable, and my time with Daphne taught me to cherish and fight for more time with those we love. We must start by taking care of our own hearts; then we must ask our loved ones to do the same.

I hope these layouts will inspire you to join the fight against heart disease. It’s not as hard as it sounds, and tomorrow I’ll show you how to get started. If you or someone you love has been affected by heart disease, please share your story in the comments. And if you’ve created a layout, don't forget to include a link.

Layout by Rachel Gainer [click for larger view]

Layout by Katrina Kennedy [click for larger view]

Layout by Audrey Neal [click for larger view]

Layout by Kelly VanDerMolen [click for larger view]

* Statistics provided by the American Heart Association (AHA). To learn more about heart disease, risk factors, and prevention, visit the AHA at heart.org.

Do you know what I love about fonts? They all have their own personalities--and they're not afraid to show them. Some are simple, clean, and no nonsense. Others are complicated, messy, and falling apart. There's a font for every occasion and every emotion--you just have to find it. And that's the fun part! Here are a few tips to make choosing fonts simpler and faster.

Tip #1: Choose one hero and one sidekick.
Some fonts (the heroes) have a special talent for stealing the spotlight. They're good at drawing attention and making a big splash. Others (the sidekicks) are more subtle, doing the work without making a scene (most serif and sans-serif fonts fall into this category). Hero fonts don't like to share the spotlight, but they do play nice with sidekick fonts. When you're choosing fonts for layouts, it's best to call on hero fonts in special circumstances--for example, when you want to draw attention to a specific word or phrase in a tile or journaling. Use sidekick fonts for large blocks of text or in conjunction with a hero font.

For this layout, I used two fonts that came preinstalled on my computer. The bulk of the text is in Gill Sans Light, a great sidekick font. Since the theme of this page isn't obvious from the photos, I decided to use Brush Script MT to spotlight the word "ChapStick." I wanted the font to look a bit like the official ChapStick font, and this was as close as I could get without investing a ridiculous amount of time in the search (sometimes pretty close is good enough). By using my hero font for just one word, I ensured that it would receive the most attention, making my page topic more obvious.



Tip #2: Match your hero font to your page's mood or theme.
Just because a font is cool or clever doesn't mean it's right for a layout. As you're choosing your font (or fonts), think about what message you're trying to convey. Is your subject feminine or masculine? Peaceful or chaotic? Joyful or melancholy? What story are you trying to tell? When you look at a font, does it inspire the right emotion? Does it clarify or confuse your theme? Look for fonts that will help you tell your story.

There are thousands of free fonts online. Just type "free fonts" into your web browser, and you'll have your pick of dozens of great resources. But keep in mind, not all free fonts are created equally. Some may be incomplete, including only upper- or lowercase letters. Some may require special spacing adjustments to look right. Some may look great at large font sizes but terrible at small font sizes. Be sure you preview and test fonts (when possible) before downloading, and please use virus-detection software to protect your computer. 

Personally, I like fonts from dafont.com. I've found dozens of useful fonts on this website. Here's a little list of some of my favorites:



Tip #3: Search and download efficiently.
Most free font websites group fonts by styles or themes. Use these categories to speed up your search. Or, if you're looking for something specific, like a movie-inspired font, try typing a keyword into the search field. These tricks will make your hunt a lot simpler. If you stumble upon fonts you like--even if they aren't right for the current project--consider downloading them anyway. You'll build your font library and save yourself search time in the future. 

Most importantly, have fun! The best font is the one that inspires you!