Anchor Blues.

I love everything about this gorgeous suite at Smock. Gift cards work, too.

Spotted on Paper Crave. Images from Smock.

On a lighter note...

If I had 20,00 euros just laying around I'd totally pick up this darling anchor wrapping paper from minimega.

They also have the cutest posters (they would be great in a kid's room!) and journals.
I think I'd need one of each (and definitely a few of these!).


Images from minimega.

Valentine's Galore!

I've been a slacker this year regarding Valentine's Day - I still have some to finish and send! If you're anything like me and plan on doing some last minute crafting this weekend, these links will definitely help!
Happy creating!

Check out papernstitch's Weekend Links: V-Day DIY Edition for all sorts of crafty goodness
(I especially like the papercut template over on kind over matter!).

Everybody likes garlands! Especially a mini-heart garland from I Art U.

Twig & Thistle's Naturally Sweet Valentine Stickers have been making the blog rounds. Only natural I'd post 'em, too!

For general lovely inspiration, check out these gorgeous hearts from A Creative Mint.

Always appropriate in our house, some Valentine ideas for the nerd in your life.

A cute little printable card from on hand modern.

I haven't met a person yet who didn't like cupcakes. And cupcakes with heart toppers? Even better!

Lovely printable cards from Dizzy Wizzy.

Post-its and stamps: All you need to create these darling Post-It Love Notes from eat drink chic.

Making something sweet for those you love? You need these DIY goodie bags from WhipperBerry. Or these brownie bags from Twig & Thistle.

It's always good to have crafts for the kids - and aren't these coloring pages from Feeling Inspired just oh so cute?

Eat Drink Chic offers up some darling Valentine ideas. You've got to check out her Je t'aime mini cards and coffee cup wrappers.

For the not-so-sentimental among us, head on over to mmmcrafts for a  valentine schmalentine printable card.

The perfect wrapping solution for your Valentine gifts from Kellie Medivitz.

Also making the blog rounds, Kate Spade's e-valentines.

And to catch all the things I've missed (and maybe some repeats...) head on over to poppytalk's Best of the Web for V-Day.

Can't get enough.

First there were stripes...  (You may remember similar straws from my birthday celebration) -

Well, now there are polka dots! In red...

And orange...

And other fun colors. With lots more stripes.
I seriously need to have a party.



Straw photos from Bake it Pretty and Garnish.
Originally spotted on Duet Letterpress Blog. 

Papercutting, Stop Motion, and Books

I watched this several times and saw something new during each viewing.


This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

Happy Happy New Year!

We're officially in 2011 now and today is a gloriously typical winter day in Southern California, with rain rain rain coming down. I was lucky to get out with Sammi this morning for walk in the drizzle before it started coming down in sheets that blow sideways.
The hubs and I are enjoying a mellow day inside with coffee, hot chocolate, and some weekend crafts. He's working on plans for a shelf to go above my desk and I just finished up this baby shower banner for a friend. Isn't it cute? It also includes baby's last name (not shown) and I'm sending it to her with some twine and mini clothespins to hang.

I'm off to relax and enjoy my last day before I head back to work early tomorrow morning. Have a wonderful day!

Blog Love: Letterpress Tags

Remember when I told you about those free letterpress tags that Melissa was sending out? If you thought I was kidding, you were wrong. 
Not too long ago, a lovely padded envelope came popping through my mail slot (yes, I really do have a slot in my front door!) and it was absolutely filled with letterpress tags! I was completely overwhelmed by Melissa's generosity. She included a gorgeous set of holiday tags - just in time for my Christmas packages! - and a huge assortment of tags that are perfect for birthday gifts or everyday occasions.

Melissa, a huge heartfelt Thank You to you!! And congrats on the birth of your little goober any day now!


Images by me. Please ask first and credit when necessary. 

Favorites for your Friday

If you follow me on Google Reader, you've probably seen most of these in my shared items. If you don't, well, here they are.

Stripes, stripes. Gorgeous stripes. 
And chevron stripes!
Cute little gift tags.
These are absolute perfection and they want to live on my feet.
Great free font.
Caroling gift tags.
Creamy stripes on a bag.
A gorgeous giveaway.
Way. Too. Cute. 
Love this colorful collection.
Festive freebies.
Weekly wrap - loving the pink!
Stocking stuffers galore!  
Spruce up your gift for the holiday hostess.
You'll never need to buy another gift tag.

*swoon*

Letterpress love.
Gingham letterpressed envelope liners with simple Thank You cards.
Lovely lovely lovely.

Found at Stripe & Field, also available in Mustard and Blue. Spotted on eat drink chic.

Forced Laziness

I have a 'To Do' list a mile long and was in the middle of getting things done when a certain grey cat decided he wanted to use my lap as a bed. In an effort to practice patience, I let him... and now I'm stuck at the hubs' desk. My feet are freezing but my lap is warm and I just can't bear to disturb this cuteness. What better opportunity to clear out my Google Reader!

Here's a cute little list of some of my favorite recent blog posts from around the web:

Make your own Tiny Birch Bark Canoe

Gorgeous Holiday Gift Wrap Goodies

Win a pretty print from Pamplemousse

Sanitize your toothbrush for just $30

Lovely blog posts to help you get inspired for the holidays

Spotlight: little ellie - win a pouch!

Do-It-Yourself Doily Garland

I seriously love Amy Atlas. Holiday Perfection

A cute little dusty mantel

Great gift idea: Christmas Bundt Cakes

Take-Along-Treat #5 from Leo on the Loose: Peppermint Bark. Yummmm!

I'd love to host a Winter Ice Skating Party!

Music to Create To: A Holiday Sampler

A must-read, great message

More gorgeous printable freebies from a favorite blog

*Drool*


Happy reading!

25 Days of Freebies!

Benign Objects has a fabulous project going on over at her blog. She's running 25 Days of Freebies from all over the web! Currently on Days Three, Four, and Five, the posts started on December 1st and will run all the way until Christmas. So fun!

So far we've had:

Gift tags (you can never have enough!)

 

  

Sweet Printables

and Happy Holidays Cards

and more to come!

Head on over to Benign Objects for details - and be sure to subscribe to her blog to see her updates for the rest of the month!

Images via Benign Objects.

Free Letterpress!

Wait, what? Free letterpress??

That's right! Melissa of The Handwork Chronicles is sending free letterpress gift tags to whoever wants them. Seriously, it's that simple. Head on over to her blog to check it out.

While you're at it, take some time to browse her shop. It's worth the time!
Aren't her Woodland Creatures and Farmyard Animals card sets just darling?

Images via PaperInkPress.

Let the Holidays Begin!

Thanksgiving is officially behind us (other than the leftovers in the fridge) and driving home in the rain tonight was the final push I needed to get into a winter-ey mood. I think I'm ready to pack up the pumpkins and pull out the pinecones for some holiday cheer. 

To help kick-start our crafty Christmas season, hop on over to Mae for some free, printable holiday wrapping paper. She has downloads for two different sizes (and a totally cute blog!).

Happy Wrapping!

Image via Mae. First spotted on Twig & Thistle.

Thankful for...

Thank you so much to Twig & Thistle for posting the link to these lovely "I am thankful for..." printables over on Silverbox.
Head on over here to print and make your own.

Images via Silverbox.

Intro to the C&P

I used a Chandler & Price (C&P) machine in my Monday letterpress class to make some Thank You cards recently. I think our machine is a bit newer than the one in this video from Keegan Meegan Press & Bindery but the process is very similar. The machine was a bit intimidating at first with its spinning wheel and clunking plate but once you get in the rhythm and stop worrying about losing your fingers, it's nice to flow with the process. 


Keegan Meegan Press & Bindery from ::MAGNETIC ARCHIVES:: on Vimeo.

Video first seen on The Handwork Chronicles.

Free DIY Downloads from West Elm

First spotted over on Amy Atlas, these downloads from West Elm are just in time for holiday entertaining!
I'm partial to these cologrful tags from their Graphic Suite:

And these darling animal menus from their Animal Suite:

Click here to hop on over and check out the entire collection!

Sneak Peek!

We're having a rootin' tootin' birthday party soon to celebrate my 30th and I've spent my Veteran's Day getting some little details taken care of.
Signs!

Silverware!

Savory favors:

More to come in just a few weeks!

Pumpkin Party Invites!

I can't believe I never posted these! With some help from The Hubs I was able to edit the photos so our address isn't displayed to the world.
The invites were completely hand-made from paper I had just laying around my craft supplies. The orange and white pieces were leftovers from a previous project so I just cut them down to size and rounded the corners.
I made the banners using scrapbook paper cut into small triangles and then glued on - simple as that! I used alphabet stamps for the "Happy Autumn" once the glue had set. They took a while to make so it was probably a good thing we were only sending out about 20 invites! The idea had settled in my mind so there was no going back, even though the application of the idea was going to take forever. In the end, it was totally worth the work!
I made two different designs - orange on white and striped on orange. 

The orange was definitely my favorite! Our Pumpkin Party was simple and so much fun - we'll have to do it again next year!

Seasons and Flowers

I'm telling you - I'm addicted.
A few more calendars I'm loving (spotted over on Design*Sponge):
Nature's Splendor Seasonal Calendar from Hello Handmade Paperie:

Wall Calendar from Amy Marcella:

Item links take you to image source!

The Countdown Begins.

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!

Can you believe we only have two little months until 2011?
Y'all should know that I love a good calendar and Oh, So Beautiful Paper has one of the best calender round-ups you can find on the internet. They just posted Part Five but you can find Parts One through Five right here.
A few of my favorites (so far...):

Mid-Century Modern Letterpressed Wall Calendar from Pistachio Press:

A Year in Caps from Heather Lins:

Red Shell from Wiley Valentine:

CD Case Desk Calendar from Alex Wijnen:

Also, if you haven't already, don't forget to head over to i am a greedy girl and sign up for the 3rd Annual Calendar Swap. You can click on the image below and it will take you right on over to her blog where you can sign up. How easy-peasy is that?? Ta-da!

Item links will take you to image source.