it's been awhile.

i know, it's been awhile since i've posted any books. shame on me. but here are a few of my favorites that i've recently completed. above jane's mom is the one who ordered a book from me, and she was kind enough to send me some fabric (all the way from australia) from the wedding dress. they wanted something very earthy and natural, but elegant.

kelly must have some really great friends because one of her bridesmaids purchased a book from me to give as a gift! another great friend designed the invitations and the pattern you see on the cover and front panel. she was nice enough to let me use her designs so that it would match the invitations.

lindsey was also wonderful to work with! she sent me ribbon all the way from the UK to use on her book. she also emailed me some design elements, which i turned into vector art for her book.

things have certainly been slowing down since 'wedding season' has passed. it has been a nice change of pace though, compared to the craziness of this summer. i have really enjoyed spending a quite evening with doug - watching a movie or cooking dinner, going christmas shopping (or just window shopping) together.

i just wanted to say thanks to all the wonderful brides who ordered a book from me this year. without you, doug and i would not have had such a lovely vacation this summer, i was also able to get some new and much needed equipment, and it also helped out when we went christmas shopping! etsy has really opened my eyes to the world of handmade - and just how passionate so many are about their art/craft (not that those are the same thing...). i will still be taking some orders for custom books - i don't plan on doing quite as many at a time as i did earlier this year. that just about drove me mad! however, i do enjoy creating - and will continue my etsy shop, at least for the time being. i am waiting to see what happens after doug gets out of school...

i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas! i know i did. i will be posting some new year's resolutions here pretty soon... have you written yours yet?

randomness.

i've seen this on a few other blogs, and thought it might be cool to share a bit about myself... the things i've done are in bold... apparently i need to get out more often.

1. Started my own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band - does marching band count?

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than I can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sung a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched lightning at sea

14. Taught myself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

18. Grown my own vegetables.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught myself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - there are things that i will always pine for that i can't afford... but will it make me happy? no

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had my portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - well, tried at least. i should get an 'a' for effort...

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check - it was just the one time.

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - several, actually.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had my picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life.

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a lawsuit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Ridden an elephant

 

card crunch

i have a very hard time making decisions on many things. stationary is one of them. i changed my mind so many times when trying to figure out what i wanted our christmas cards to look like. i then decided that i was quickly running out of time and that i'd better just make something. well, here's what i came up with. now... doug looked at me kind of funny when i showed these to him, but he does that a lot... and besides, i think they are kind of cute. they are simple, colorful, and clean. what more could you want? and besides all of that... i used all leftover materials that would probably otherwise go in the recycling bin or the trash. so there.

at the hodgepodge.

just another open house at the hodgepodge! dinah had her annual christmas open house on saturday, december 6th and i was able to stop by and help for a few hours! i miss being there and was excited to join in on the fun - even if it was only for a little while. don't we look sweet in our matching aprons and pionsettas?

back row: jen (bellah), dinah, jen (boyd), joanna

front row: amanda (me!) and callie

photo courtesy of jennifer bellah

for those with tiny spaces.

for those with tiny spaces, and large imaginations. merry almost christmas!

by Jane of All the Luck in the World out of the Netherlands

image from poppytalk

redecorating?

thanks grace (at d*s), for posting this awesome website, modgreenpod. they have gorgeous fabrics, and this nifty little interactive room decorator. here's me playing with it above and below. you can even decorate the cat. now, if only i could convince someone to let me reupholster our furniture with this sweet fabric. especially since the wallpaper would certainly be out of the question... 

pooch purse.

my pooch is a little too large to carry around in my purse... but this adorable little puppy purse is easy to maintain, no messes to clean up, and doesn't bark at strangers. love it. wouldn't it be the perfect accessory (and conversation starter) to take to your next holiday bash? this is going on my wish list. doug? are you reading?

canine clutch and photo by TsuruBride

you should be concerned about this...

i love buying handmade items. i love making things for myself and for others. this is definitely a growing trend, especially in our current economic situation and eco-friendly mindset. however, i would like to bring to your attention  a new product safety regulation that will affect all manufacturers, including handmade that sell in the US. you can read up on it here, here, here and here.

i learned about this is from constantly reading the etsy forums. it is of major concern especially to those who sell items intended for use for children 12 and under. this includes toys, clothing, basically any kind of furniture, jewelry, anything child related. even if you are reselling something that you did not make, as in vintage, it will require testing. these new regulations require that each product be (destructively) tested by a third party, even if your raw materials have already been tested previous to you purchasing them. and, it's not just a one time testing. for example: if you knit five scarves that look exactly alike, but the yarn in each is from a different brand or dye lot - each one has to be tested. different colors of the same item must be tested. this will pretty much eliminate any ooak (one of a kind) items. fines are upwards of $10K for noncompliance for each instance... and testing must be completed by feb 9, 2009.

there are many other confusing details on this new law, but since i don't speak legalese, i won't pretend i know what they all mean. please read up on this, especially if you sell, or plan to sell handmade items in the future. also, if you plan on buying any handmade items! this could possibly destroy our little handmade world if all the little guys start getting prosecuted. many are signing an ipetition or contacting their congressmen to make their voice be heard. 

what many others are not realizing is that this extra cost of testing goods will affect the prices you pay on these manufactured goods. feb 10th is becoming known as 'national bankruptcy day'. 

the really sad thing is, many have not yet heard of this new regulation. please pass this on to others who may be unaware. i can only hope (as many others are) that this will all blow over and there won't be a significant change in the world of handmade. i will now get off my soapbox! enjoy your weekend...

awesome shirt and photo via deadworry.

love me some popups...

like many designers, i am having a hard time deciding on a design for our christmas card. of course, doug is asking why do we even need to send one out??? but i think it's a nice way to say 'just thinking of you' during the holidays. i have just about decided to skip the computer graphics this year and go with something simple and handcrafted. i have plenty of leftover decorative paper from my books, so why not? this card above is my first choice... the trees are so simple and don't require large bits of paper. (all photos/projects from martha)

this ribbon card is next in line. i also have tons of leftover ribbon that would be perfect for this project. hmm, reminds me of some other stationary that's sewn together... katie? perhaps you could use some of your leftover invitation material for some awesome xmas cards...

this is probably not something i would make more than a few of, but just had to throw it in the mix. but how awesome would it be to open up a card and see this? reminds me of the good ole college packaging days. am i the only one that misses playing with paper in class?

oh christmas tree

putting up our tiny christmas tree last week made me think of past christmases before i got all grown up... my family always purchased a live tree from a local store and i remember the fresh smell of pine needles that filled our home after we brought it inside. my family stopped putting up live trees not long after i moved out of the house, and it kind of makes me sad. i know that's not quite as eco-friendly as i would like with cutting down the trees and all... however, i would love to keep that tradition, but the man i married is allergic to many things, including evergreens. plus if i really wanted to, i could just decorate one of the many we have around our current house. 

so here is our little christmas tree, ready for the holidays. i bought it when i moved into a small efficiency apartment and haven't had the heart (or the room really) to get a bigger one. it doesn't hold nearly as many ornaments as i would like... but hey, it works! (and yes, that orange madness is our living room...)