super sweet.

Baskerville Coasters

if I had an unlimited budget...

i would get this.

Vote!

one word

one word. gentle.

what a rush I got from randomly finding this site... words just kind of poured out, then a small blank pause... and gushed some more. It is strange how quick jumbled thoughts start to reveal a deeper meaning once read back to yourself again. It is amazing how a little site like this can make you really want to do it every day!

maybe this is the daily kind of inspiration I need :)

Twit, Twit, Twitter!

I have a twitter page! follow me to see what I am up to :) I also have a permanent link over on the side of my blog -->

Baby Announcements or Invitations

Aren't these announcements adorable? I had a lot of fun designing these! I really like the geometric pattern. It adds so much detail to it!

They are now in the shop!

Let It Snow!

Okay, well maybe not literally... I mean it is only October. But I do love a white Christmas :)

A new holiday design,Let It Snow Note Cards, is now in the shop! I finally came up with a cute enough snowflake to use it in a design!

Craft Show this Saturday

If you are in the TC area, stop by for some fabulous crafts! Lots of people from the MN Etsy Street Team will be there as well!

2009 Calendar Poster Pre Order- SALE

This 2009 poster calendar is also in the shop! This calendar is much more subdude and delicate. It would make a beautiful statement in any room!

Also, the first 10 sold will be for the introductory price of $15.00!

2009 Calendar!

The calendar is in the shop! Now you can see what I have been slaving over! The first 10 are on sale for $15.00 and after those are up the regular price is $18.00.

Get it while it's hot!

Poppytalk Handmade Market!

The new market is up! And guess what? I have a spot this month! There are a lot of cool designers in the mix so be sure to check it out!

GORGEOUS!

This little tree in our yard is practically glowing. This is one of the only trees in our yard that have turned as of yet. I wonder why this guy is in such a hurry?

I love the fall colors, what amazing inspiration.

What to wear this week- These boots are made for walking!

and that's just what they'll do, one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over YOU!

This morning I had a craving to look at some new boots, and with the fast changing season way up here, I better start crackin soon! I love boots for the simple reason of layering. It looks good AND is practical when you are stomping through 3 feet of snow!

Nordstrom's Boot guide is pretty nifty, I will admit, that most of the boots on there are way out of my price range, but they do have a good variety of prices and styles that are more affordable.

Shop away!

I am on Indie Parade!

It looks like you can kind of vote or give the product 5 stars to give it a good rating. I would appreciate if you would give me a good rating! At first I didn't realize that the stars are click able and accidentally only gave myself 1 star! ooopps! Vote right here.



I am also working on some new business cards! Let me know what you think of these designs. I was thinking of doing a bunch of patterns and mixing them all together. Hopefully I won't get bored with them!

What to wear this week- Scour the sales rack!

Lately my favorite stores (which are not so cheap) have been having AMAZING sales. (blame the economy of course) so if you are able to go out there and purchase some new fall fashion I totally recommend j.crew. This weekend, I had to completely restrain myself from filling up my online shopping cart with huge, huge deals. So instead, I suppose I can have my fashion fix by showing you all a few of my favorites from the sale section. Go ahead, treat yourself to a little something fabulous! Just tell your man how much you saved ;)

cotton and cashmere sweater $49.99

jeans $49.99

Joelle blouse $19.99 (was $98!!!)

dog polo $19.99 (okay okay, but come on, so cute!)

warm up with a cute jacket! $199

brown suede shoes $99

Friday Finds (on Etsy)

Ahhh, it is that time of year again. Time to start going on trips to look at the fall leaves and bake apple pies. That is the inspiration for this apple inspired post today. I invite you go check out some of these shops for some really great products. Who wouldn't want to divulge into a caramel apple from Double Dipped Sweets or wake up to the smell of caramel apple soap in your shower from Savor? If anything is a must have, I personally think it is the black apple print. I recently received it as a present and it is beautiful. You can see all the texture and detailing from the original.

L-R, Top-Bottom:

Apples and Pears baby blanket by spudandpeanut $35.00

Lucy on a Windy Day Print by theblackapple $18.00

Apple of My Eye Notecard by JustAnotherDay $3.00

Caramel Apple Soap by Savor $5.25

Apple Slice Towel by 15PiecesofFLair $6.00

JonahMacs 12x12 original by kre8or $98.00

Anitque Brass Floral Apple Locket Necklace by BINAGEYER $25.00

Apple Jacket - Hand Knit Red by jacquelineknits $12.00

3 Caramel Apple Gift Basket by DoubleDippedSweets $28.00

A few of these things together would just make the perfect themed present!
Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Front Page!

Woohoo! I made the front page of etsy yesterday! I didn't get to see my overtake of the front page but Kelly of kellybot on etsy let me know of my wonderful surprise and took a screen shot of it for me!

While I didn't immediately get some sales, I did get a TON of new hearts... which I am hoping to lead into holiday sales (gosh is it already that time of year!?) And I did get a sale later that night of some other cards. Being on the front page doesn't happen all that often for me, but when it does, it is a great rush to be featured!


Thanks!

Good Design- Tea Forte

This weeks good design is being brought to you because I LOVE TEA. And after chatting with a few fine folks from the Minnesota Etsy Street Team about tea, I needed to just write about it for a bit while I drink it!

The new packaging design for Tea Forte is absolutely and simply stunning. It really brings the idea of high end gift giving to a new level. Now, I enjoy loose tea myself, the packaging alone for this tea makes me want to try it. Of course, I am a sucker for great designed packaging. Designers do what they do because of shoppers like me! I simply love the clean architectural presence of these little tea bags. AND, not only did they come up with a great product design, they came up with accessories for your tea. They have specific cups and holders to fit your special little tea bag. This tea product manufacturer was serious abut making a whole market for its product! I could spend a long time on their website filling up my cart with o so delicious tea products!

The Dieline Blog (a HUGE favorite of mine) has some great comments about this new tea product and its packaging. I invite you to read here!

Throw a Party!

AND when you do, use these awesome dinner invites I just created! Simple and modern, these invites were designed after my brand new silverware. (yay wedding presents!) Don't you just love the color combination of aqua and red. I seem to not be able to get enough of it in my designs! What are you waiting for? Pick up dinner invites just so you have a reason to party!





PS-When throwing your party give the recipe of one or two of your dishes to the guests with the matching recipe cards also in my shop! Sure to please any guest that comes by to eat!

What to wear this week- Inspired by Mad Men

I just looooove the Mad Men series. absolutely. love. it. Not only is there amazing emmy nominated writing. Each week captivates us while the plot thickens and each character becomes more undone. Not only is the writing and talent amazing for this show but the set design and fashion is so hot right now. I have been a big fan of vintage and retro inspired looks for some time (hello retro ladies!) and thought I would bring some fun fashion your way this week inspired by the character Jane.
















For a fabuous party try this white dress by Nine West or this dress by Issac Mizrahi (both under $100!) top both looks off by wearing a cropped cardigan over the dresses!
Wear to work looks from pencil skirt to beautiful silky blouses from New York & Company

Enjoy!

Friday Finds (on Etsy)

Every Friday will now feature my finds from indie arts around the world. I will have a theme to tie in all the great things I feature!

This Friday I am featuring a few artists that I did a card swap with. The theme is Red and Teal Greeting Cards. They all look so lovely together!

L-R, top-bottom:
tatsuko-Happy Doxie

Winemakerssister-Red and Aqua Notecard Set

Ink Spot Workshop- Chocolate Daisy Personalized Note Card Set

Just Another Day Desigs-Red Poppy Notecards

Lucky Duck Designs- Heart in the Window Anytime Card

jmillen- zinnia swirl in turquoise. 5x7 matted print

What's New page complete!

I finally finished my 'What's New' Page on my website! I am going to highlight new products as I create them and also show a bit on my process of how I create. I will be changing the page out about every two weeks as I get new looks and different seasons come upon us! Let me know what you think!

Good Design- New Nano!

Holy shmoly. When I saw these on the apple site I just fell in love. Don't you just loooove the RICH, BRIGHT, IN YOUR FACE colors of the new nanos? If I weren't so obsessed over getting an ipod touch I would get this beautiful blue nano... or quite possibly this kelly green... OR the bright orange color. dang. so cute!

In the future, every Wednesday will be dedicated to finding good design in the world. It might mean product design (like these fabulous little nanos) or graphic design, furniture design ect. If you have something you think is a fabulous design feel free to leave a comment or email me!

New Invitation Design

Since I have more time to work on things I have been busy creating new designs for my wedding invitation collection.

Here is one of the first ones I printed up, the Luxurious Peacock Invitation. The peacock feather was first drawn by hand and then scanned into the computer before coloring it. I think the large illustration creates a dramatic effect. I love the simple turquoise paired with the navy blue of the backing and envelopes. Of course, like all my invitations, you can customize your colors to best suite your wedding!

They are available in my shop now.

More to come!

What to Wear this Week?

Happy Monday Everyone!

Every Monday I will be posting a bit of fashion to start out your week! I am going to do my best to bring you fashionable ideas that are for the budget conscience! It is a huge pet peeve of mine when I look on the internet, read the fashion mags and find something that I just adore only to find out that it costs more than $200!!! Yikes!

So today I bring you fashion from the always trendy but never burns a hole in your wallet H&M. I love all the new looks, especially the layers and coats. Their pallet this fall is so rich and luxurious. You will definitely look expensive wearing a few of these pieces to work or out on the town! And living in Minnesota, you can NEVER have too many coats to keep you warm.... or looking good!

Enjoy!

Wedding Pics

Here is a collage of a few of my favorite pics! I will add some more throughout the weekend as well!

Our photographer is Marnie of Marnie Meylor Photography. Isn't her work amazing! I will post her info as soon as I get it all!

New Website

Okay okay, before I get to the wedding pics... I just have to share with you my TOTALLY revamped website! I designed and created it all myself so there are a few kinks to work out, but I am pretty proud of what I did in a day!

I got some really great feedback on it so far and I am busy making a few slight adjustments to the pages AND I have a stellar idea for the what's new page! stay tuned!

It's been a while!

Hello All!

It has been such a long time since I posted last. The summer has just flown by! What kept me from posting for the last month was my wedding! Now that all the planning is done, the honeymoon is over and the house is clean I can focus on posting every day! (a post on the wedding to come tomorrow!)


I am going to start featuring other designers and fun daily finds in a regular line up that I am working through, so if you would like to be featured sometime, comment with your info and I will take a look at your products!

I have been busy working on new fall items as well, so be sure to check back often with my product updates! If you are interested in getting my newsletter with updates and special discounts post a comment with your email address!

fruity!

I just finished listing a cute little series of single notecards with fruit on them. They each have different sayings for different purposes.

When life hands you lemons...
The apple of my eye...
The perfect pair...
Orange you just fabulous...

You can purchase these as single cards for $3.00 or just ask and I can sell them as a set of 6 for $10.00

Enjoy the weekend everyone, I will have much to share on Monday!

s.c.a.r.y.

how scary is this lovely creature?!

We found him one day after we backed out of the garage, literally missing him by a few inches. Lucky guy.... He must live at the pond next to our house... now hopefully I don't ever run into him in a dark alley way!

happy day to you!

Since the weather has just been so glorious the last few days I decided to list my 'happy day to you!' note cards! They are ever so cheerful! Wouldn't you love to receive one of these in the mail?! The note cards come as a set of 6 and are blank on the inside.

I hope that the weather continues to be great all summer (as I do have a wedding coming up!) because it is a great feeling to wake up every morning to the bright sunshine!

For the book lovers

For all the book lovers out there, or just the people who hate borrowing a book to someone and never have it returned, you can now put bookplates in your book with your name on it! They are in the shop already and come as a set of 6. You will receive 2 of each color and they are printed on handy dandy sticker labels!

Enjoy!

Small Bookplates $4.00

Retro Lady and Dachshund already on front page!

I was shocked to see that only 15 hours after I listed my retro lady & dachshund flat cards they made it to the front page! Big thanks to Xenotees for including my cards in her treasury!

Retro lady walking her daschund

A new design was introduced to the shop today! I just love making cute little clothes for this retro lady! Pretty soon here I am going to have to give her a name because she is popping up in quite a few designs these days (soon a few more will be introduced to the shop! shhh...!!) These retro flat cards come as a set of 6 and paired with a chocolate brown envelope.

You can find her here!

Have a great weekend all! I am off to do a TON of wedding things! Hopefully I can get quite a few of them checked off!

lurking on the blog

I just added this neat little feature from feedjit.com it will tell me where people are coming from to view my blog! You can copy/paste the code into your blog sidebars. easy peasy!

You can view mine on the bottom of my right hand side bar!

Objects of Affection Feature

I am quite surprised at all the lovely features I have been in lately! It is so nice of you all to include my products in your posts! (especially since my shop has been a bit dry lately!) Lani, of Objects of Affection, featured my retro lady invitations in her Wednesday Wishlist. Lani is also a seller on etsy and you can find her shop lanisvintage right here.

Retro Lady invitations can be found in my etsy shop!

Handcrafted Wedding Feature

Lynn, of Handcrafted Wedding, featured my red poppy notecards on Monday for her Memorial Day post. She writes:

"Today is the day the United States sets aside to honor the memory of people who have died in service to our country. This weekend I heard a beautiful poem that was written by Moina Michael in 1918 who is the school teacher that started the tradition of wearing a red poppy in honor of fallen heroes. It is called "We Shall Keep the Faith" . The last verse is what started the tradition.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields*."

I never knew that people handed out red poppies in honor of fallen heroes, but it now gives poppies a bit of a new meaning for me!

You can read the whole post here.

So you have a business eh?

For a while now, I have been really thinking about my product and where I want to take this small business of mine. I have some lofty goals to achieve and I sometimes get a little lost along the way. But today, I stumbled upon an nice little reminder from a favorite blogger of mine, Erin of Design for Mankind. She wrote a great post on creating business plans and if you are like me, you need things laid out in a simple fashion so you can take it your own direction. I really suggest anyone with an unclear view of the future sit down, take some time, and hash out a fabulous business plan of your own!

Image above is an ooak recycled notebook from my shop!