Election Night Bingo: Midterms 2018

I’ve always been a political nerd. When I was little, my parents took me with them to vote and talked to me about the importance of voting in elections. I remember being in middle school and looking forward to turning eighteen so I could cast my own vote. I voted for the first time in the 2000 presidential election (in Florida no less!) and in every election since. Two years ago, I started a little tradition with Election Night Bingo 2016 – and now it’s time for Election Night Bingo: Midterms 2018 edition!

It has been a long couple of years and the world feels like a very scary place these days, but we can do something about it. We can choose leaders who share our values and will pursue the right policies. We’re lucky enough to live in a place where we get to choose our own leaders and help determine the kind of country we live in – and it’s never been more important to exercise our collective voice. If you voted early, good for you! Otherwise, let’s all go vote on Tuesday and play Election Night Bingo: Midterms 2018 edition together in the evening!

If you’ve already voted or know you’ll definitely vote on Tuesday, work on making sure your closest friends and family will vote! Create a voting squad. Start a group text with at least five people or DM at least five people on Facebook or Instagram – either local or across the country. Check in with each other on Tuesday. Does each friend know where their polling station is? What time is each friend planning to vote? Have they seen a sample ballot? Do they know about the candidates and issues on the ballot? Be sure to check in with each other after you vote so you can send virtual high-fives – whatever it takes to get out the vote!

I’ll be watching the election results closely on Tuesday night, hopefully with a cocktail in one hand and my bingo boards in the other to help with election night anxiety! You can grab the printable bingo boards right here, print them out on letter size cover weight or text weight paper, then trim down to size using scissors or a paper trimmer! There are four different game boards, so you can play with a small group if you’re hosting an election night party with friends â€“ or play twice with your significant other if it’s just the two of you!

While I’m hoping for as many Democratic victories as possible on Tuesday night, this midterm election night bingo is meant to be non-partisan so that anyone can play along. I tried to incorporate buzzwords that you might hear from the pundits on any network, including the names of states with key House or Senate races, election terms, and keywords from some current policy issues.

Voting is both a civic responsibility and an immense privilege, and I sincerely hope all of you will be voting on Tuesday (if you haven’t already). Our government is in need of some serious checks and balances, so if you’re not sure who to vote for, I encourage you to vote blue. If you’re normally Republican, instead of staying home, I encourage you to vote as an act of protest against Trump’s hateful rhetoric and bigotry. The New York Times has a couple of awesome maps of the most competitive House races and toss up Senate races. Here are a few of the Congressional races that I’ll be following most closely on election night (and the candidates I’m rooting for):

Andrew Janz, California 22nd (running against incumbent Devin Nunes, a Trump enabler)

Harley Rouda, California 48th (running against pro-Russia incumbent Dana Rorabacher)

Ammar Campa-Najjar, California 50th (running against incumbent Duncan Hunter – indicted for campaign finance violations, among other violations)

JD Scholten, Iowa 4th (running against incumbent Steve King, one of the most hateful and racist members of Congress)

Amy McGrath, Kentucky 6th

Andy Kim, New Jersey 3rd

Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey 11th

Anthony Brindisi, New York 22nd

Danny O’Connor, Ohio 12th

Joe Cunningham, South Carolina 1st

Lizzie Fletcher, Texas 7th

Gina Ortiz Jones, Texas 23rd

MJ Hegar, Texas 31st

Leslie Cockburn, Virginia 5th

Abigail Spanberger, Virginia 7th

Richard Ojeda, West Virginia 3rd

 

p.s. For any readers with eagle eyes, yes, I’m aware of the typo in one of the boards and fixed it already!

Friday Faves

Happy Friday everyone! Andrew and I hosted our very first cocktail workshop at Red Barn Mercantile last night – it was SO much fun! If you’re in the DC area, we’re planning to do more very soon and would love to have you join us! You can sign up for the Liquorary mailing list right here to make sure you don’t miss out on any upcoming events! Also, our vintage glassware will be available for sale at Red Barn Mercantile all weekend. It’s going to be a perfect weekend for a stroll down King Street in Old Town Alexandria, so I hope you’ll go check it out!

Liquorary Gold Cocktail Glasses

Currently loving all of the jewelry in this Etsy shop!

Did you see that JCrew is having a 40% off sale on all sweaters and coats?? Thinking about this lavender mock turtleneck sweater, this chunky knit sweater, and this super cute ruffle neck sweater. Ooooooh, and this colorful wool parka!

The perfect fall boot.

Have you seen the new Anthropologie holiday collection? Everything is so cute! I especially want these fluffy white faux trees and this faux wreath

So many amazing and strong women running for office around the country

The final call to save the world from climate catastrophe. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, especially in the context as a mother of two little girls and thinking about the world as they grow older. Are you taking personal steps to address climate change? I know most of this is happening at a level way above the individual household level, but if you have any advice or tips to share I’d love to hear it!

xoxo

Friday Faves

I Am A Voter / Sophie and Lilli

Illustration by Sophie and Lilli

Happy Friday everyone – let’s talk about voting. Are you registered to vote? Need to confirm that your registration is still valid? Click here and take care of it RIGHT NOW. It’s super easy. You can even request an absentee ballot if you won’t be able to make it to a polling location on Election Day! The voter registration deadlines have already passed for many states, but if you had been registered to vote and discover that you got kicked off your state’s voter roll, you still have options. Just go to your local polling location on Election Day and request to vote by provisional ballot. With voter suppression efforts across the country and especially in Georgia and North Dakota, it’s super, super, super important that every American over the age of 18 votes in the upcoming elections. It’s our most fundamental civic responsibility and it’s never been more important to make your voice heard.

Oh, and by the way, the whole idea of voter registration is voter suppression. Let’s get rid of it and automatically register everyone to vote.

Here are a few easy ways to help support local campaigns in these last few weeks before the mid-term elections.

Between Brock Turner and Brett Kavanaugh, when do girls matter?

How Iceland chose to clean up it’s financial crisis

Everything you know about obesity is wrong

I love the idea of Open House Sundays

DC friends! My husband is teaching a fall cocktail class at Red Barn Mercantile! You can sample three delicious fall cocktails and learn how to make them for yourself back at home. Come join us!

It’s finally sweater season! I’ve got my eye on this cozy popcorn stitch sweater, this adorable Madewell sweaterthis polka dot sweater, and this classic crewneck from Everlane.

Loving this new wood mirror at Target!

My heart goes out to everyone affected by Hurricane Michael in my home state of Florida today – especially the folks living in the Florida panhandle. For those of you looking to help out, the New York Times wrote an article with ways to support recovery efforts. Please help support recovery efforts if you are able to do so. Every little bit helps!

I Believe Women

I usually try to end the week on a positive note, but I don’t know how to do that this week. I watched Dr. Ford’s testimony yesterday in tears, followed by more tears today as sexual assault survivors bravely confront Senators only to be told their pain and experiences don’t matter. I’m heartbroken. I’m angry. I’m dumbfounded that anyone truly believes that Judge Kavanaugh is the most qualified person to serve a lifetime appointment to the highest court in our country. We can do so much better, and I personally think the Administration could nominate someone much more appropriate. But at minimum, we owe it to ourselves to require our elected officials to hold themselves, and this nomination, to a higher standard. The full Senate vote has been postponed to allow for a full FBI investigation, so now is the time to make your voice heard! Today I’m partnering with three talented designers – Ladyfingers Letterpress, Boss Dotty, and Jennifer Vallez – to offer printable versions of their artwork to help you express your views to your Senators. Call, email, write letters, join a protest, or march yourself down to your Senator’s office if you are able to do so!

Boss Dotty / Believe Women

Artwork by Boss Dotty (available as a card here!)

CONTACT YOUR SENATORS

This is really the only thing we can do right now. You can look up the address and phone number for your two senators here. This is particularly important if you live in a red state or a swing vote like Alaska, Maine, North Dakota, and West Virginia. Senator Flake has said he will vote to confirm Kavanaugh, but perhaps if enough of you reach out we can change his mind. Phone mailboxes for many Senators are full, but you can also email your Senator directly by clicking the contact link below each Senator’s name on this page.

It’s best to keep things short and to the point when contacting your Senator. Include your name and exact address, then tell them exactly what you want them to do. For example:

My name is Sarah Smith and I’m a constituent at 109 Main Street, Townsville, California. I’m calling to urge Senator Feinstein to demand that the Senate delay any vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh until the FBI investigates the serious and credible sexual assault allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. Law enforcement must assess these claims before Kavanaugh can be appointed to a lifetime seat on our nation’s highest court. Thank you for your time and attention.

or

My name is Sarah Smith and I’m a constituent at 109 Main Street, Townsville, North Dakota. I’m calling/writing to ask Senator Heitkamp to vote NO on the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh’s open partisanship, flagrant disrespect for many Senators, and basic dishonesty disqualified him from ever serving on the Supreme Court. The American people deserve a better nominee for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in our country. Please vote NO on the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh. Thank you for your time and attention.

And if you get phone anxiety and want to get a message to your representatives out quickly, Resistbot is a texting service that will deliver your message for you. Text the word RESIST to 50409 to get started.

Jennifer Vallez Illustration / Believe Survivors

Artwork by Jennifer Vallez Illustration (aka Sophie and Lili)

You can download the postcards through the links below – a big thanks to these amazing artists for making these files available to us! There are several poster options along with printable postcards for writing directly to your Senators. The posters are sized as 11×17 and 12×18 since that seems to be the sizes most commonly used by online printing services. Just be sure to print on cover weight paper or card stock (I’d suggest 80 lb or above) so they’re sturdy enough to carry.

Boss Dotty Believe Women – postcard 

Boss Dotty Believe Women – 11×17 poster

Jennifer Vallez Believe Survivors – postcard

Jennifer Vallez Believe Survivors – 11×17 poster

Ladyfingers Letterpress I Believe Survivors – postcard

Ladyfingers Letterpress I Believe Survivors – 12×18 poster

Ladyfingers Letterpress / I Believe Survivors

Artwork by Ladyfingers Letterpress

To make the printable postcards:

Step 1. Download the printable Believe Women postcard file and print on any white or light colored card stock. The postcards are double sided, so be sure to follow the instructions for double-sided printing on your home printer.

Step 2. The cards are designed to be a quarter sheet of paper each, so you’ll get four cards per sheet of card stock. Once you’ve printed both sides, cut straight down the middle vertically and horizontally. A paper trimmer is easiest if you have one, or scissors if you don’t have one. 

Step 3. Write your text and address of your senator or representative. See the text above if you need a suggestion for what to write! Then add a stamp and pop into the closest mailbox.

Note: If you have any trouble with double-sided printing, just print the front side and cut from there. The back file helps provide a guide for your text, address, and stamp, but isn’t necessary for mailing.

VOTE

The only thing giving me hope right now is this banner from the Suffragette movement, via the National Woman’s Party. It’s a reminder of a time that women banded together to demand the right to vote. If you haven’t already, you can register to vote here. We still have a long way to go, but we now have a powerful voice as women. Let’s use that voice and our voting power to do better. 

National Womans Party Suffragette Banner

All artwork © 2018 Boss Dotty, Jennifer Vallez Illustration, and Ladyfingers Letterpress. All artwork is made available for personal use only and may not be altered, sold, or reproduced in any form. By downloading the files you agree to the terms of use.

Fresh and Modern Citrus Wedding Invitations

I know winter is technically citrus season, but these fresh and modern citrus wedding invitations from Lauren and Kari of Tied and Two are just so bright and cheerful – and perfect for summer weddings! This invitation features delicate citrus blossom illustrations on the main invitation, with a bold citrus envelope liner. I’m also especially digging those colorful envelopes from Cards & Pockets – the deep cobalt blue paired with the yellow and orange citrus is a match made in heaven! Doesn’t it remind you of the gorgeous coastline of southern Italy – or even the Greek Isles???

Fresh and Modern Citrus Wedding Invitations by Tied and Two

From Lauren and Kari: We loved working with Cari and Evyn and creating this custom wedding invitation design for their citrus-oriented Napa Valley wedding theme. The brides’ requests included warm colors, citrus fruits, and vintage illustrations. They also wanted to utilize minimalist design in combination with accent pieces to add great contrast and vibrance.

Fresh and Modern Citrus Wedding Invitations by Tied and Two

We combined vintage citrus illustrations with modern and minimalist typography. We also used colors outside of the invitation suite for the envelopes that gave the package a pop like no other, hence cobalt blue and deep orange envelopes. Other pieces for this suite included custom stamps, insert cards, and a custom-illustrated map. In the end, the result was a high-energy modern invitation set that welcomed their guests to the joyous occasion with zest and spunk.

Fresh and Modern Citrus Wedding Invitations by Tied and Two

Working on custom projects cross-country can be tricky, especially when working over the phone and email, as details may not always be articulated as quickly or clearly as they are in person. Thankfully, that was not the case with this project. The concept came quickly and we were all on the same page throughout the entire process. We are SO proud of the end result and anxious to share it with the world!

Fresh and Modern Citrus Wedding Invitations by Tied and Two

Thanks Lauren and Kari!

Design: Tied & Two
Envelopes: Cards & Pockets
Custom Postage: Zazzle

Looking for more wedding invitation inspiration? Visit our wedding invitations archive for more custom wedding invitation ideas!