art and excitement

it's here, it's finally here! my copy of 1000 handmade greeting cards arrived last night and i couldn't be more excited. the book is gorgeous – it even has a great die-cut of 1000 on the front cover (designers love little touches like this).

and here i am on page 174, number 0582, in all my 3x3 inch glory. the color in the book is a bit off, but the card is a white card stock with a bouquet of white roses quilled on the front, tied together by a silver metallic quilled ribbon. i used to make a ton of these and sold them in various stores in atlanta. the line included white, red or a mixed bouquet of white, red and pink roses. they were always perfect for weddings. if anyone wants a tutorial, let me now and i can post one on here. if you want a copy of the book for your very own, you can get it here.

bright and shiny

here are some of the lamps i have in line ready to shoot. all will be available on my semi-ready etsy site – www.linwoodavenue.etsy.com. oh, sorry – not all. the orange one front and center is reserved for my bedroom. i just have to find the perfect drum shade for it! stay tuned.

create and work

i love looking at peoples workspaces, it is so inspiring. today i thought i would give you a peek into mine. one thing to understand is i am not a terribly girly girl, but my office is pink, all pink. i am surrounded by 3 men (well, one man and 2 boys to be exact) and i need to have some pink somewhere! my dream is to have an office in a small cottage in the back yard, but for now, i have to settle for our small 4th bedroom. i split my time between crafting and graphic design, so i have areas for each. my desk is from ikea and i absolutely love it. it is so light and open, plus you can store all kinds of things under the glass top which keeps the desk less cluttered.

on the other side of the room is my standing height work table. under the table and behind the curtains lives my enormous flat file cabinet full of paper along with shelves full of fabric. and i can't forget to mention the sliver of crystal chandelier which started it all. this was the first chandelier i rehabbed and is still my favorite one to this day.

i can't pass up these dollar milk glass vases and bowls at yard sales. they are perfect for keeping art supplies contained and i love their aesthetic. in another year, i will probably have 30 of them filled with creative trinkets.

your workspace as well as your home should be filled with items you love. every time i step into my office, i am filled with the desire to create...which is a good thing considering i spend a LOT of time here.

gifts and wares

santa must have thought i was very, very good this year. say hello to my new camera... new camera, say hello. i have been trying to make it through with my little pocket camera this past year, and it just wasn't cutting it. for months now, i have been wanting a digital slr and my husband heard my wishes. now all i have to do is read the 2 books as well as watch the 3 dvds it came with and i should be good to go :)

hopefully my etsy shop (www.linwoodavenue.etsy.com) will get on track with the addition of this camera. i think good photos of your work are so crucial for having success as an etsy seller. being a graphic designer, i believe everything is in the details. if your look is cohesive throughout all you do, you will appear much more professional. now, i just have to decide what background will work best in the photos of my wares!

thumbprints and icing

i have been searching for a good thumb print cookie recipe for years and have finally found one! i made alicia's thumb print cookies today and they are terrific. i used powdered sugar icing instead of the raspberry jam the recipe calls for. now i just need a good, not too dry, cut-out sugar cookie recipe. anyone?

tea and trees

this year, my friend kim and i made the cutest christmas trees. you can find all the directions here. the only thing i did differently was backed 2 trees up against each other. this made them appear more full. it is a great project for the little ones, but they do tire of it quickly. the top looked a little blah, so i pulled an ornament i made last year off the tree and placed it on this miniature one. and there you have it, a sweet little decoration for any holiday table.

art and innocence

a child learning to write can create works of art without them even knowing.

lights and books

i have finally gathered together all my lamp/chandelier images to submit entries to a new book. the book is tentatively titled "creative reuse". last year, one of my cards was chosen to be showcased in a book titled "1000 handmade greeting cards" - i haven't heard a thing about it since december '07 and the suspense is killing me. i mean, did the book idea get tossed into the trash, is it just taking a really long time to publish? how long does it take a book to get published - this i do not know.

i think i might add "publish an instructional book of my crafts" to my things to do before i die list. wouldn't it be great to have a book sitting on your coffee table comprised of all your original work. or even better - have a book sitting on a stranger's coffee table comprised of all your original work and ideas!

ornaments and hot chocolate

my girl friends and i have been getting together once a month to hang out and be silly. this month, i hosted a handmade ornament exchange and i hope it becomes an annual tradition. the group includes all levels of creative talent and i think all the ornaments turned out amazing. plus i am shocked we got such a great photo of the 5 of us! thanks honey :)

if anyone is interested in the stockings in the background. email me and i will get you in line for my 2009 holiday orders. i will post more detailed photos of them soon.

since it is the holiday season, i thought peppermint hot chocolate would be a great drink instead of wine. i used milk, hot chocolate mix and peppermint schnapps – they were so good! i think i will be having this every evening until christmas.