Sorry I've been away...

So, the new year has come and already January is almost over! I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted! It isn't that I haven't had anything to post about, or that I've forgotten, just not enough time in a day it seems. I think that is the same story of most people who are self-employed. Or most people for that matter.

It's been a busy several months, and I don't feel like that will change any time soon. I do have lots of fun things that I need to photograph and share with the world, but with as gray as it has been here lately, not sure when that will happen. That's the trouble when you live in NE Ohio. I feel so behind... I'm still trying to figure out what my New Year's goals are! I do know that one goal is to commit to posting here AT LEAST once a week. I would love to do it everyday, but I don't want to over promise, especially to myself. I just end up feeling bad. So after being away for several months, I think once a week is an excellent goal.

Well, I hope everyone has had a wonderful January and beginning of their new year! Here's hoping to see you all once a week!

fabric bowls

I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to make on of these fabric bowls!













You can make one though. Find complete instructions here.

Perhaps when I am done programming 3 websites, finishing up tons of wedding collateral for a friend/client, preparing for the semester to start and all of my other freelance projects I can make one too!

Yikes, it sounds like even more when I write it down. Oh well, one day at a time ; )

(Images from Imagine Fabric.)

my absence

Sorry about my absence lately. This summer seems like it has been one big project after another! I am busy this week preparing the syllabuses for my classes which begin next week! I can't believe the fall semester is here already. I have done several projects that I want to share, but haven't had any time to take photos yet!

Here is a little eye candy to tide you over until I can get back to more regular posting. It's a great childrens book by Werner Design Werks, using letters to create the animals! So great!

a bit of a break

It's been a while since I posted because my husband and I took a little staycation last week. Nothing too exciting, though we did enjoy a Dave Matthews Band concert at Blossom. A good show. I also went to the Cleveland zoo with my twin nephews, very fun!

Posting will likely be sparse for the next couple of weeks as well. We are having a house warming party in a couple of weeks and I am trying to get a lot of stuff done between now and then. Painting, cleaning, organizing... it is going to take up almost all of my time. So until next time, hope everyone is having a nice summer and wish me luck on all of my house projects : )

fabric envelopes

Found this diy post on design sponge for making fabric envelopes. So cute, can't wait to make some! I think I'll add some stitching though. I think a zig-zag across the bottom would be great!

These could really dress up an office, or be wonderful to hold a card or gift tag for a special gift.

lacking inspiration

I seem to be having one of those weeks where it is impossible to get started. I have tons of projects going on and ideas for several more, yet I can't get motivated to work on any of them. I tried giving myself some time off, spending that time out in the sun doing a bit of yard work, but that didn't seem to help. I made a to do list as well, hoping it would help me find a place to start. I think I am just lacking inspiration.

Perhaps next week will be different... I hope.

photography help & new (to me) blog

I was browsing my usual blog reads last night and came across this post that I thought was very helpful. Full of tips about taking photography for online shops. I thought it was a great post and introduced me to a new blog: mint... very fun!

lighted pennant garland

I am loving these pennant lights from once wed. They seem simple to make and would look great in any backyard or porch. Just think of how much fun you could have with different types of paper and fonts punched out. Can't wait to try and make some myself! For complete instructions click here.

bridal shower invitations

I recently had the pleasure of designing some bridal shower invitations for one of my dearest friends. You may recall the silhouette from this post. They will get more use in the wedding invitations, but I was super excited to use them for this "something blue" themed wedding shower!
The invitations consisted of a flat card with all of the particulars, a lined envelope and an envelope seal. All personalized just for Laura! Enjoy.

nature inspired etsy finds

I am feeling a bit outdoorsy today as I sit on my back porch doing a little web programming. So I thought I would poke around etsy and see what I could find to enhance this feeling, as it is such a beautiful day here (even if it is a little on the cool side.) Here's just a few:

a log print by gollybard

some green felt garland by anastasiajaminhome


tree ring paintings by focuslineart

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

my little collection

Well, here is the first peek at my little collection of mail clippings. It is interesting to start seeing the colors and patterns that happen upon my mailbox.

cards

I'm just loving these beautiful cards by A Little Hut—designs by Patricia Zapata! They are so simple and lovely. I love her exploration with projects and how she talks about her process on her blog. Check it out!



P.S. I won't be posting again until Monday because me and the hubby are going on a short weekend trip to Virginia. Happy 4th of July (everyone in the US that is) ; )

new exploration

So this afternoon I was taking a break from all of the design work I have been buried under and decided to take a look through a book I had received for Christmas, but hadn't looked at yet. My parents bought me a copy of "How to be an Explorer of the World" by Keri Smith and somehow I have managed not to even crack the thing open until today. The book is filled with all sorts of ideas and "projects" that are supposed to inspire and allow you to open up and see your surrounding, or at least that is my take. As I was flipping through and reading pages here and there, I decided to start my own exploration. I've decided to collect a small scrap of mail everyday (except Sundays and holidays). Hopefully there will be something interesting everyday, but I think that is part of the exploration, finding the interesting parts of the uninteresting. So here it goes, I'm going to try to do this for at least a month and see what kind of paper scraps I have accumulated. Maybe I'll keep it up for longer, or perhaps I'll come up with a different group of things to collect and study. Maybe at the end I'll come up with something to make out of the scraps... who knows. I'll be sure to scan them in every now and again to share the patterns, colors, etc. that I find.

Letterpress goodies

I found some letterpress cards on etsy today that I thought were fun and beautifully printed. They are handcrafted by a husband and wife team who run the letterpress delicacies shop. I especially liked these 3:

sew crafty card

it's so good card

howdy partner card

Sorry for the absence

Well, it seems like an eternity since I posted. I have been so busy with design work lately that I couldn't seem to find the time to sleep, let alone post.
So I will try to be more regular, but am making no promises : )

Anyway, I found some wonderful desktop wallpapers on kindred. All beautiful and from a variety of artists. I am currently using this one by sugarloop! Enjoy!

I'm back...

After what seems like an eternity, I finally have internet again! It was such a long drawn out mess, but it is all under control now and I should be back to more normal posting as of today! Hooray!!! I'm so excited to be able to join the world again.

In my virtual stroll today I found that Helen Dardick from orange you lucky has posted some free bookplate downloads. So fun, thanks Helen!

still working on it... part 2

Well, I thought I would be back up and running on June 1st and back to regular posting. Unfortunately that is soooo not the case. So, please bear with me for just a bit longer. I hope to be back to normal towards the end of this week, but I guess at this point I can definitely not make any promises. It's quite amazing how phone and cable companies can get away with such poor service and attention to detail. I could never get away with that in my business... but I digress.

Hang with me just a bit longer : )

still working on it...

Well everyone, I'm still fighting with the powers that be to get some internet at my new house. I've been told it will be available by 8:00pm tonight, but we'll see. So my little blogging vacation will have to continue on for a bit longer. I'm hoping to be back in the swing of things by June 1st.

Hope to see you all back here then!

posting will be sparse...

Well everyone, I am just popping in quickly to say that posting around here will be pretty sporadic for the next week or so. On top of trying to get ready for the big move this coming Saturday, the internet at my house is down. Apparently the cable company is rebuilding the network in the city where I live, and when they came to do my street yesterday they completely messed up our signal. Terribly inconvenient timing! I could go on with a bit more ranting, but I'm trying to let it go since I will only have to deal with this company for a couple more days (hooray!). So I'm busy trying to pack everything up and trying to get as much done on the new house as possible before moving in on Saturday.

Wish me luck!

image via veer

Rachel Ann Austin

I found Rachel's lovely paintings via Modish and wanted to share them here too. I love the mixed media quality of the paint and oils over maps. The texture looks amazing and I bet it would be even better in person. Plus you can't beat the vibrant colors! Beautiful!

You can check out more about rachel on her website or purchase some of her lovely yet affordable art from her etsy shop.