posy press design

october 1

2008-10-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

it's the first of october and 98 degrees here.
i've got loads to do today. friends to catch up with. birthday gifts to be made, bought and wrapped for the 7 kiddo birthdays this month. much cleaning to do. laundry. finishing off the first wholesale order i've accepted in ages. i was feeling so ready to tackle it all in my few free hours while lucy took her 2-3 hour nap. however, being as it is. no nap. instead tears. the AC is pumping and the only room it doesn't cool is hers. and the poor thing is just hot and uncomfortable.
after the dreadful waiting period, i make my way upstairs to console and face my destiny for the remainder of the day. not a bad destiny, just not the destiny i had pictured in my head. none of that stuff i thought would get done will get done. not this day at least. but y'know, that's okay. because we read stories, she gets a mani/pedi and strangely enjoys it and then more stories while lucy chats away with words that are only occasionally recognizable. then i remember a trick my mom used to do for us when the nights were just too hot to bear, and i run cool water on a fresh wachcloth. soon it's 4 o'clock and she's comfy & relaxed. i put her in her bed and rub her little cheek and watch as her eyes get heavier and heavier until she's dreaming. i so want to get my camera and catch a picture of this moment - but i know it will wake her, so instead i creep out quietly and rush downstairs to write in my journal. i so love these little reminders she gives me. to slow down and enjoy each tiny moment.

success

2008-09-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

a pictorial study of our farm visit, kicked off with a video:

lucy dances with the pumpkins

she gets brave and actually pets the small goats and several attempts at kissing the pig

ummmm, please notice cute little goat eating my dress

tractor ride farm tour {a big hit among all}

...and lucy and her cousin C ... happy as clams on tractors of their own

thanks for meeting us there sis!

and now, the rain is starting a bit! a perfect setting to get me in the mood to cut A LOT of vintage wallpaper.

hop in the car pumpkins

2008-09-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

how about a little trip to the farm?

i don't know about you, but i'm slightly envious of all the fruit pickin' going on around these blogs lately. sometimes when you live in a city, you just forget that you too could take a short ride to do your own fruit and veggie picking.
take note from all those portlanders...it seems they're off pickin' berries every chance they get.
i'm thinking sunday will be a perfect day for some pickin' of our own.

damn pigeons

2008-08-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

that's right. while some feel we are to love all god's creatures, i have to draw the line at pigeons {and cockroaches and rats, but that's another story.} while i was having a peaceful little hour of rest, working on this quilt, i was interrupted by the most horrible nails on a chalkboard sound EVER. A pigeon. on the skylight. moving it's creepy little toenails all over the place. then the thing tries to climb up the glass and this makes the first noise sound like a little piece of heaven in comparison. phew, after 3 attempts of climbing and falling, the dreaded little creature takes off. i've still got the eebie jeebies. back to that quilt, maybe that will help take the edge off.

and as of today, this here is our official one-and-a-half year old.
her first sentence was yesterday, when her dad asked what she was doing,
she said "I read books." i love my little smarty pants.
now stop growing up so fast, got it?

finally in the smock

2008-08-20T15:22:00.001-07:00

thanks to the angry chicken, i made lucy a few smocks last summer. this summer they are fitting her a bit better. the ric rac was added to cover some screw-up but i ended up liking it quite a bit. the pattern for this little puppy is out of her book bend the rules sewing.

{i shrunk the pattern down a bit.}

it's me again

2008-08-18T13:39:00.001-07:00

sorry old pal...i really left you high and dry, {AGAIN!} for what, somewhere around 3 months?

summer's been good to us, lot's of trips to the beach, park-hopping, water fun, visits with friends and a long stay at my mom's while we had some work done on our house.

after a trip home you can't help but start thinking about your life...where it's taken you.
i'm quite pleased with where we are. life is good. life is happy.
not all the time, but most.

here are a few pictures of our little one, who seems to help us keep everything in perspective.
it's just hard to not smile whenever she's around. when i think of sunshine, i think of her.

hope you are all well....it's good to be back!

summer dresses

2008-05-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

options from urban outfitters

a few things on the personal to do

2008-05-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

start waking up earlier to do yoga in the mornings
finish pre-wedding album
buy wedding album
finish wedding album
finish lucy's first year album
start lucy's 2nd year album
finish this quilt
finish this quilt
make lucy a few summer dresses
make myself this dress / top
make more books for the shop
make more photo albums for the shop
make some necklaces
start on handmade gifts
get a facial
take hideous nail polish off of toes

baby steps, so i'll stop here otherwise it will be too overwhelming, right? ;)
i think i can take care of the last two by this weekend...
thanks to a trip up north to cambria with 2 best friends!
i'm so looking forward to this girls!! woo hoo. after this little trip,
i'll probably be able to tackle the rest of the items on the list within the week of my return.
haaaaaaa.

love your buttons

2008-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

happy mother's day mom!

love your buttons....& go dodgers!
can't wait to celebrate this day with you.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

& as a mom i'm so thankful for
• an amazing kid. seriously, you make every day so much fun and bring me so much happiness it's ridiculous. i'll stop now, but please know that i could easily go on gushing and gushing for days.
• an equally amazing husband, again, i could gush & gush, but don't want to make all the other ladies all jealous and stuff. ;)
• family and friends, old and new. again, AMAZING.

xo to all the other moms out there.

monogrammed and everything...

2008-05-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

i just wanted to thank my btrs swap partner again for my amazing bag!
not only did she monogram it, but it also has a key ring attached!!
plus, she sent it about a week early so i could refer to it while
finishing up my partner's bag! ;) thanks so much kara!

here is a little sneak peak of my partner's bag...i hope she likes it half as much as i liked mine! {yes, people, those are pleats! my very first so i'm so very proud.}

final giveaway day!

2008-05-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

alright...straight to the nitty gritty today and hopefuly we'll be back to the regular programming with pictures after dsl man or woman comes tomorrow!

the final winner is anastasia!! yayy!! i had your address but had something sent back via post so can you re-send it to me when you get a chance just to make sure i've got the right one?
{amy@posypress.com}

have a wonderful weekend everyone and happy mother's day to all the momma's out there!
thanks again for visiting this past week!
xoxo,
amy and lucy the intern

giveaway day 8: thursday

2008-05-02T01:12:00.002-07:00

feeling a bit better and hope is on the horizon for restored internet but i have to wait until saturday morning for that. but that is super boring, so...

let's talk dream homes for a minute. i love looking at houses {remember looking at model homes with mom & dad when we were little sis?}
we used to run in and each pick which room would be ours if we had it.
we come across some great houses on our many walks around town...and i thought i'd start sneaking a picture of some favorites. here is the first for my little project dream homes...

i love how clean and modern it looks while the wood also keeps it homey and cozy-looking.

okay, now onto contest stuff...congratulations ikkinlala!
send me an e-mail with your address so i can send your package on it's way!
{amy@posypress.com}

it's the last day to comment to wrap up the week of giveaways...
thanks to everyone who visited...it was fun to see some new names around here!
i hope everyone that won a drawing enjoys their posted goodies.

see you here tomorrow!

giveaway day 7: wednesday

2008-05-02T01:12:00.001-07:00

alright...

me = still without dsl in the house and you guys are right...
it feels like the world is ending or something without all this information at my fingertips! ;)
especially when you get the flu on top of everything
and you would totally be able to watch Grey's Anatomy or Lost episodes
via the internet while child takes 3 hour nap and you can't sleep yourself for some reason, yet anything else seems just impossible to do. so instead, you are forced to watch other horrible daytime movies on HBO like the Lake House.
{alright, so it wasn't THAT bad.}

but, on the good side, i didn't have to run to kinko's with lucy on the verge of tantrums. thank goodness for free wi/fi in out town plaza. {thanks culver city!}
got me and the kid some fresh air as well which is probably a good thing.

and now, to linger a bit more on duran duran because i got some camera phone pics in my in-box

and then of course, it is without further ado
that i announce the winner
{along with a picture and i hope she won't mind}

{myself and tyler}

tyty...lucy picked your name!
of course i've got your info.
xoxo and congratulations!

try again tomorrow...see you here!

giveaway day 6: tuesday

2008-05-02T01:11:00.002-07:00

man, what a bad time for our dsl to not be working!

so, no pictures today...lucy drew her name at kinko's where we've made a quick stop to check e-mails and post.

we do however have great news..cindy YOU WON!

2 more days of giveaways folks!
you know the drill....just leave a comment on today's post to go into the drawing for tomorrow!

giveaway day 5: monday

2008-05-02T01:11:00.001-07:00

but first,
lucy and i are famous!
{if you are lucky enough to be stuck in traffic on your way to LAX, take a look and you'll see us on the side of the Bridge shopping center in a 'wallscape.'}

here it is in context:

now, i'm no stage mom, but i have to say that lucy was a fantastic actor.
i on the other hand need to start taking pilates and working on my posture a bit. after 2 hours of standing with the kiddo my back was not in good shape.
we each got paid $1.00 to appear.
we knew the photographer and art director for the spot.

but back to what you're here for...
congratulations megan!
send me an e-mail with your address as soon as you get the chance!

**leave a comment for tomorrow's drawing! see you then...

giveaway day 4: sunday

2008-05-02T01:10:00.000-07:00

whew...so our first night away from lucy {together} was a success.
we had such a good dinner and visit with friends
and then went to the duran duran concert which was soooo much fun. Simon LeBon was cracking me up because he moves like a dinosaur...
it's like his arms are too long for his body or something.
thanks again mom for watching the little intern and
thanks to ty & gordo for the fun night out...
and we are soo getting you back when you least expect it.

and now for the good stuff...
yahhooo to twyla & lindsay!
please e-mail me with your mailing address at amy@posypress.com
as soon as you get the chance and i'll get your pack to you!

special thanks to cindy, megan and rosie
for being such loyal commenters...
i'm sure your time will have to come in the next few days!
and if not, i can't imagine not having extra packages
for such loyal commenters!! ;)

see you here tomorrow hopefully...you know the drill, leave a comment to be included in the prize giveaway drawing!

happy saturday!

giveaway day 3: saturday

2008-05-02T01:09:00.001-07:00

alright, so my able assistant refused to pick a name this morning and therefore delayed this post a bit. the good news is i think a few more people left comments.

and now another cute picture of, hmm, let's call her my intern instead for today. {cause i've got nothing to show you on the business/crafty side.}

thankfully, my business partner stepped up {thanks adam} and chose julia!
of course i've got your info. lady and i'll send out your pack soon!

if you didn't win today, try again!

all YOU have to do is leave a comment for a chance to receive the days giveaway, which is an envelope packed to the gills with stationery, cards, ribbon and more.

we're off now to santa barbara for the night to visit with best friends.
see you here tomorrow for the big posy press lotto. :)

giveaway day 2: friday

2008-05-02T00:54:00.000-07:00

thanks to everyone who popped in yesterday.
this is fun.

here's a sneak peek at part of your schwagg:

and now, the drum-roll please...
ooops, wait, first, a picture of my able little assistant

day 1 winner is:
dressmaker in training from needle & thread!!
*please e-mail me at amy@posypress.com with your name and address so i can send your pack on it's way!

'a post a day in may' via allsorts.
alright. i'm in.
{since it does rhyme with 'giveaway'}

spring giveaway week!

2008-05-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

thursday always was my favorite day of the week,
so what a great day to start posy press spring giveaway week!

it's spring cleaning around here...
time to clean out old stock to make room for new work!

all YOU have to do is leave a comment for a chance to receive the days giveaway, which is an envelope packed to the gills with stationery, cards, ribbon and more.

the odds are pretty good here people, you can enter every day if you like!
{don't be shy friends and family}

so, we start today {may 1} and go through until next thursday {may 8.}

*each days winner will be chosen out of a hat the following morning by my able assistant lucy.

before * after : toy chest

2008-04-30T13:24:00.001-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

what a fun project this was. we received the hand-me-down pooh toy box from our neighbor, and although pooh is fantastic, i wanted the toybox to go downstairs, so i wanted it to look a little bit cool. or hip. mostly, i wasn't really a fan of the primary color thing. i was patient with myself throughout this project. took it apart. cleaned it. sanded it. painted it. sealed it. the paint peeled and cracked. sanded again. painted again. phew. all in all it took a few days with one to two hours each day. and now, already, packed to the gills.
p.s. giveaways are on this girls brain so stay tuned...

2008-04-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

I was lucky to have jill of small stump as my swap partner
for my sister's shoe photo swap.
i love my photo...as well as the stickers and tag. thanks again jill!

also, perhaps this deserves it's own post...
but apologies if you left a comment and it is not showing up anymore.
most likely you also saw the random header that got switched out
for my posy press header.
i had to delete them after my little blog here had a hacker attack.
{thanks for nothing mr. or mrs. "SEO"}
anyhow, all is now safe and sound around here!
so please feel free to say hi.

women's auxiliary meeting OR

2008-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

i'm off and looking forward to tonight's women's auxiliary meeting {as my husband likes to call it} OR L.A. Biz Ladies meeet-up as most of us know it.

here's my contribution to the potluck table...such a great spring/summer recipe so i thought i'd share it with you. it's a very revised giada recipe:

orzo salad

1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1-2 cups of grape tomatoes {depending on how much you like tomatoes!}
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool.

Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve.

see the original recipe here

happy monday

2008-04-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

happy monday to you!
if you live near us, you too probably broke out the sunscreen,
shorts and flip flops as it was sunny and almost 100 degrees this weekend.
{lucy even put on her bathing suit for this years first swim.}

i got some work done around here and got a chance
to update the shop this afternoon.
let me know what you think since some of the new stuff
is a bit of a new direction for me.
i hope you enjoy taking a look!
here's a sneak peak of a few new items:

still breathing fresh

2008-04-11T14:36:00.001-07:00

i want to thank my sis for hosting this swap.
i've been keeping participation in things like this to a minimum
for the sake of time management, but like my sister,
i'm a sucker for some great shoe pics.
this swap brought me back to where i needed to be,
which is being more mindful of my projects.
putting a little more heart and soul into it.
i am SUCH an amateur photographer,
but have secretly dreamed of being a famous photographer.
i thought i would post my selections for the swap
since i am pretty sure my partner has received these pics by now
{and i am also pretty sure that she does not read my blog!}
like i said, i have no idea of what i am doing here,
but i love these pictures.
so thanks sis.
for bringing me back around.
xoxo.

* an inspired shop update coming monday.

my head is reeling

2008-04-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

i'm feeling especially inspired lately and am so loving/looking forward to a few things...
1. amanda's first book which i picked up yesterday out of sheer luck.
all i can say is, what are you waiting for...go pick up your own.
it is destined to become a manual of sorts around here.

2. the L.A. biz ladies meet-up via design sponge on April 15th.

3. my neice showing up this evening for a slumber party with us!!
i think i am going to take her on a sushi dinner date with her little cousin.

4. lucy's new tooth which made it's debut this morning.
{finally at 13.5 months!}
{it's the bottom right in case you were wondering.}

5. yee-haw for successful tax returns! DONE.

not to mention the fact that i already got to spend
a fun day with the sis and nephew this week.

hope you are all feeling spring like i am!

my week : in pictures

2008-03-26T15:50:00.001-07:00

decorative easter egg or poorly sewn hacky-sac?

2008-03-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

you decide:

i thought it would be funny to post the first egg
and then compare it to some of the last
{the hope, of course, is that i get better at
making them somewhere along the way.}
i made lucy some barrettes and stuck them in the secret egg pocket.

the pattern and directions for these can be found here.

semi-handmade gifts

2008-03-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

i think it is pretty inevitable that once you have your first kiddo,
and along with it comes a new group of friends.
i feel really lucky to have met some really nice moms
and that lucy has made some great little friends.
a few of them even share an interest in craftiness
which is a total bonus as far as i'm concerned.
this all means lots of birthday to celebrate
and i've been having fun giving a little bit of handmade.
i love that these gifts are so very appreciated and valued.
with a line-up of birthdays this summer,
i wanted something thoughtful and useful for the kids.
this is the first personalized bento box lunch bag gift
{with a matching bento box inside.}
i bought the lunch bag and bento boxes from Daiso / Super M,
but they would also be really easy to sew up yourself.
he also got a few packs of personalized stationery,
you know how i feel about that!

now i'm trying to finish up some easter crafts...
did you see these at sew mama sew?

night owl...whoo me?

2008-03-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

plenty to do with the extra hour around here...
i'm feeling like a night owl again, which is a good thing because i've never really felt like much of an early bird.
the birthday gift making is in full-swing batch-mode.
i'll be set for the next month or two.
the quilt above however, is a gift for my little family.
a little something for us to cuddle up with.
back to it, can't save it all for night!

i heart daylight savings

2008-03-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

VERY fun stuff on it's way to a dear friend.

ahhh, i really love the burst of energy that a bonus hour of sunlight can bring.
what amazing weather we had this past weekend...i love the longer sunny days of sundresses and flip-flops! happy monday...

my fortune

2008-03-04T21:14:00.001-08:00

*** a keeper ***

put the book down lady

2008-03-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

i can't stop reading the other boleyn girl
and it's a problem, because i've got loads to do.
at least i managed to vacuum and clean the bathrooms today.
i'm so close, but that sucker is long i tell you. 750 pages folks.
of course the first thing i need to do once i'm finished is go see the movie.
{.........and the to do list continues to lengthen..........}

i must finish soon, because i'm getting too excited to break out this puppy and make my first quilt on it.
i got her for my birthday {january} and have only used her once or twice for small projects.
she scares me a little.
it feels like driving some fancy sports car.
anyhow, she was needed.
my poor little Brother just wasn't able to handle the things i wanted to do anymore.
he served me well though, and i'll keep him around for some very important straight stitching projects.
before the Emerald, i tried to hand quilt the last gift and it took FOREVER.
quite labor intensive.
i enjoy the handquilting,
but i believe it is better suited as a long term project for me.
here is a pic of that last qiftie quilt, unfinished
{rats...didn't snap a pic of the finished version before i wrapped it back up again.}

2008-02-27T00:39:00.000-08:00

i don't know how he'll ever live up to this.
he is seriously screwed for next year.

actually, next year, he will stay up until the wee hours to make yet another amazing creation for his little birthday girl.
i don't know how he does it.

oh, and in case there was any question as to how lucy felt about the cake, take a little looksie:

in a blink

2008-02-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

and just like that she's already a little one year old.
if i could share everything i feel in this head of mine about this little girl, i'd be typing for days. she is my little sunshine and she really takes it with her everywhere she goes.
i'll share some snaps of her party over the next few days {including the a-m-a-z-i-n-g owl cake her dad made for her.} seriously, you are going to wish he had his own craft blog after seeing this.
happy monday.

brown paper packages

2008-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

if only she knew how to unwrap them.

the gift tags are available in the shop!

count down to party time

2008-02-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

the invite please...

the amount of pressure i put on myself with the invites for the family functions is hilarious. i often let the ideas linger in my head far too long, leaving maybe a 3 week window to mail the things out. i love how these turned out though, and, of course i'm having fun with all of the other little things for the party...goodie bag labels, cd labels for the goodie bags, bunting for decor. now if only rain wasn't in the stinkin' forecast.

to wrap up this post, thanks to some of my favorite ladies for leaving comments yesterday and having the faith in me that i would indeed be back. :) seriously, the fact that you even checked this space once you saw i had a new post brings a huge smile to my face.

hello again ...

2008-02-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

...or, aka, holy crap it's been a long time!
about 7 months to be exact.

\
mostly, i've just been taking time to enjoy my little girl and ease into this new life. who was i kidding when i told myself {& everyone else} that I'd kick up my business a notch when i had kids? it was sooo much easier to do it when i had the full time advertising gig. i mean, who wants to work when you can watch your kid cram cheerios into her mouth or dance to the same old song coming out of her favorite toy for the thousandth time? i feel so lucky to be able to stay at home with her. this year has been amazing just seeing her grow and learn. this thursday she turns one and i still can't quite believe i. how did it happen so fast?

it's nice to back here, but it was nice to be away as well. i was able to keep up with some of you...turns out all of those 5 minute intervals in between things was a perfect opportunity to space out for a minute and catch up on some bloggity inspiration which always abounds. and now, i think i'm ready to occupy this space again, so, i'll see you around!

warm wishes,
amy

very delayed felt club wrap-up!

2007-07-19T00:55:00.000-07:00

{my sis in the booth}

{the back of the booth! i'm on the left with my niece and my sis to my right.}

felt club was a very good time...and again, congrats to jenny who did such a great job putting it together. the crowds were crazy, a testament to jenny's AMAZING marketing & promotion skills. i never got around to taking any pics...but i found the above in the flickr felt club pool.

thank you adam, lucy, sis, o, mom, ilene all of my work friends and some new bloggy friends as well for coming to support me and hang out at the show. my niece o was such a help...she fanned me and the customers throughout the day, and kept me busy with her games of tic-tac-toe on the backs of my business cards. i think she rather enjoyed being my shop girl. {and it wasn't a bad deal for me either since she only charged $5.00 for the few hours she was there.} Lucy enjoyed her first craft fair...a lot actually, she was all smiles. i'll have to do another post showing a few treasures i picked up this time.

we're headed up north to a family reunion this weekend, so have a good one!

2007-07-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

dear martha-
i try to resist your oh so perfect nature. i thought it was really funny when you were in jail. i try hard not to buy your magazines whenever possible. {ahem, this of course went out the window during wedding planning a few years ago when it was an absolute necessity to have EVERY SINGLE ISSUE of martha stewart weddings throughout the year-and-a-half engagement.} {and of course, being an invitation designer, it really became a necessity that i continue to have every issue, as research of course.} {and fine, i do buy the regular martha stewart living when the 'good things' section entices me.} {i guess i also have a subscription to your Everyday Food, but that is also a necessity, as i need every bit of inspiration possible to get myself to cook.} But other than that, I really didn't care for you and your huge gigantically enormous and successful empire....
and then came blueprint, which gets better and better ... and i'll admit. i buy this one without even looking inside now.
but this is the kicker martha, i mean you've really done it. i have fallen hard for your papers and sticky-back ribbon tape stuff. i mean, how is a girl with an obsession to all things paper and decorative to resist. so, i'll just go ahead and say it, thanks for making these so that i may be able to cover my books and embellish their covers with your super cute new designs.

best regards,
amy

p.s. i'd appreciate it if you could stay out of the can for awhile to ensure that these stay in the stores and on your web site. maybe you could even come up with some new designs to keep you out of trouble for awhile.

p.s.s. Felt Club XL Summer Event, tomorrow. me and my books will be there. see you there?

it's official...

2007-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

i quit my job of almost 10 years and am now, officially, a stay-at-home mom. i mean, really, can you blame me?

of course, this means i am busier than ever. at work, i had time to read blogs and stay updated on all of the star gossip {sooo important, i know.} but these were the things i did during the downtime, or the lunches i so often took at my desk. i'm not finding so much time for these things now. i mean, i didn't even know salma hayek was pregnant until, like 2 week ago. :) of course, this is not such a bad thing.

i am slowly finding the time to do my own thing while lucy naps...i've been working on posy press again, as well as doing a bit of freelance work already. but i'm taking it easy too...lots of walks, visiting friends, taking time to make our backyard garden into some sort of garden {instead of the dust bowl it has become}, planting flowers for the front patio {note to self....buy potting soil before those suckers die in their store bought containers!!!}

soon i should have the store re-updated with many new stationery designs, as well as hand-bound books and fun paper goods. ahhh, it will feel good to have it up and running again. the store update should be all set for next week, but if you can't wait that long....come visit me at the XL Felt Club Summer Event this sunday. I can't say enough about this event...it is so well planned and organized and fun, if i didn't have my own table their i would easily choose to be there all day looking at all the talented crafter/artists booths and hoping to win the amazing raffle prizes that are donated. It's so easy to walk away feeling quite inspired by all the peeps there.
...and of course, if you do get the chance to go, please stop by and say hello. i always enjoy seeing new faces!

go go gocco!

2007-06-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

have you heard the news?
paper source is importing the larger size gocco for their shops! it looks like it hasn't arrived quite yet, but i think this will make a lot of people very happy!!

more later...but here are a few update pics of lucy, who is doing well at a bit over 4 months old :)

happy friday!

piles and piles...

2007-06-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

...for miles and miles.
handbound book innards

half finished canvases

inspirational books & mags

notecards in the works

i'm still here, just trying to work on product for the felt club...working it in whenever i get the chance. little lucy is quite the catnapper i tell you. fresh-eyed after only a half hour doze. so, everything happens in half-hour sprints. poor house. it's being taken over by baby apparatus + posy press piles.
ahhh, it can wait, now we're off to enjoy a bit of sunshine!

every kid needs her own stationery....

2007-05-31T15:38:00.001-07:00

i thought it would be appropriate for lucy to have her own personalized stationery, being that her mama is a stationery designer and such. now she can properly thank all the friends that have given {and continue to give} such amazing gifts...lucky little girl.

this week i started cutting in to some of my favorites from my fabric stash. it's always hard, that first cut ~ but what good is it if it just stays stashed in a box? now i'm all prepped and ready...patchwork and quilting projects are all at my finger tips. now what to do with all of that paper in the paper stash?

the first rule of felt club...

2007-05-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

...talk about felt club.

i'm quite excited to be accepted as a vendor for the summer felt club event. it's a really fun show with so many talented crafters, artists and makers. mark your calendars for the summer event: July 15th at the echo ex-plx.

see you there ;)

#1 student...

2007-05-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

{what henry's been doing in his spare time}

p.s. those curtains i mentioned in the last post, yeah, there won't be any pictures because i finished one side and hung them up to see how they looked...and well, they looked like crap. they were sewn just fine, but the linen looked horrible in her room once up in front of the window. plan b is now in progress...

sidetracked...

2007-05-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

this is what happens when you walk to trader joe's with some spare time. we have a pretty decent thrift shop in the center of town that we walk by all the time, but for some reason i rarely go in {i think we usually have the dog with us?} anyhow, that wasn't the case today so a-browsing i did go. from the top down: table cloth, wrap skirt and prairie style skirt. all in amazing condition.

i tend to find some good wrap skirts while thrifting, which i always love...they seem to fit me really well, but, i do admit i get a bit scared wearing them when they wrap in the back for fear of walking around with my butt exposed. i mean, one gush of wind is really all it takes to show the world your hiny. hmmm, i guess i just solved my own problem, i'll just start wearing a little slip underneath.

all the pics are taken on top of today's project: linen curtains for lucy's room. and vallen, talk about procrastination-these puppies should have been finished ages ago, i think i've been putting them off for fear of not really knowing what i'm doing. i'm really just winging it here. wish me luck...i'll post an after shot once they are hanging in her room which will hopefully be real soon.

ants in my pants...

2007-05-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

finishing a project feels so good. in the midst of making the 'ode to orla' quilt for lucy, i started getting a bit antsy. i wanted something finished and i knew the quilt top was going to take quite a bit more time, so in the mean time i made this simple little quilt. the whole thing is about 3 feet by 4 feet.

colorful, happy and simple. just the way we like things around here.

ode to orla...

2007-05-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

a quick little top i made for lucy...good old orla kiely. i mean really, such an easy design that works in so many ways! the quilt top is something of a monster for me, each little leaf is embroidered on for reinforcement. i think i started this when lucy was about a month old. i am getting close...just teetering back and forth on how to finish up the stem before i block it out. any ideas? just a simple embroidered stem or should i add an additional fabric stem?

now a matching bag for mom?
haaa haaa haaa, he he he.
a girl can dream.

a comeback...

2007-03-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

i mean really, it's been ages. i thought of posting so many times, but then either got distracted or figured my time would be better spent doing something else. so here i am again, giving it a spin...after all, it's not as fun when i can't share with you what i've been up to on the arts & craft front.

i'll start at the very beginning, these are some pictures of lucy's room, which i love. {i wish it were mine actually!} lucky for me i spend a lot of time in here. we've since added some artwork from lucy's cousins on those clips.

lucy is just shy of 3 months already, and as they all say it's going remarkably fast.
i'll post some more projects i've been working on throughout the week!

little lucy...

2007-03-01T23:23:00.000-08:00

lucy entered the world right on time on her due date
{so unlike her parents who run perpetually late!}
born on february 21, 2007 at 6:14 pm and weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces.
she's got 2 little dimples and it's been hard to take my eyes off of her.
we're all doing well and are so amazed by the amount of visitors and support that has come our way since her arrival.

thanks so much to all of you who saw my sisters post and have already sent e-mails....i've been a bit slow on the e-mail train since her arrival! i am so grateful for all of our family and friends and of course you!!

more pics of lucy and her nursery to come
{while i try and figure out how to use blogger on my new laptop!}

{de}lurking

2007-01-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

a week late, but {de}lurking nonetheless. and in perfect time, as I've been so disjointed from here lately, it's about time for me to re-introduce myself.
I'm amy. Today is my 33rd birthday. I am due to have my first kiddo in 4 and a half short weeks. I'm rather shy...or better put, a bit hard to get to know at first. I am a better listener than talker. My family {which includes my dog henry} and friends are very important to me. My sister is Jen of scissorspaperglue. My mom still lives in the same house we grew up in. My dad passed away suddenly of a heart attack when I was 11. I think this has a lot to do with my independence. I love it when people tell me I look or remind them of him. I have had the same best friend since 6th grade, and I have known her since pre-school. I need to work less and travel, relax and make more. I need to say no more often. I need my own time and space or I go nutty. I have lived in California my entire life, but dream of someday living in a another state or even another country. I manage a small in-house art studio for a large advertising agency. I have worked at the same agency for over 9 years. I met my husband here a bit over 8 years ago. He is a writer. A really talented writer who amazes me and makes me laugh every day. In 2001, I began posy press doing small production runs of paper goods in the likes of cards, stationery, bound journals and albums. In 2004, posy press began designing, printing and producing custom wedding invitations. I still love and enjoy posy press. I love to learn and try new things. I am nervous at how my life will change once I am a mother. But mostly, I am excited at the possiblity of the change it may bring.

now you....

time to listen

2007-01-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life lets you know when it's time to take a break....and that's exactly what life is telling me right now.

My posting will continue to be quite infrequent, probably until around March or April. I'll be putting my energy into tending to friends, family and myself in the mean time.

Happy new year to each and every one of you!
I hope this year brings you all much peace, love and happiness.

happiest holidays!

2006-12-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling quite grateful this morning. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that all of my projects, jobs and responsibilities are wrapping up quite nicely for the year...and now I am feeling so good and relaxed and ready to enjoy a nice holiday break from both the full-time job and posy press work.

posy press has had such a great year...all the holiday shop orders were sent out as of 12/18 and now the shop is officially closed until January 3rd. I'm just about finished with the last wedding invitation suite of the year {and actually the last until after baby lowrey is born!} I am so happy to be ending on this note with this particular wedding package....I am so pleased with how it is turning out! I should get the final pieces from my amazing letterpress printer on the 26th/27th. I'll post photos of the final suite once they are finished, but above is a version of the layouts.

Which brings me to my amazing letterpress printer, who is my little secret. Since I can't print while pregnant, and currently don't have a spot to print right now anyhow, i feel so fortunate to have found my super secret printer. He does such a great job, always charges me very fair prices and always engages me in a conversation that lasts atleast a half-hour. Yesterday when I saw him, I realized how much he reminds me of santa claus.

Thanks to all of you who support me in every single way. Whether it's by commenting on new designs, purchasing posy press goods from the shop, being patient with me, putting up with the messes i create and so, so , so much more.

Happiest of holidays to all of you....stay warm, safe and cozy!

Until 2007 my friends!

thinking ahead

2006-12-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

Felt Club: XL Holiday was such fun and a great success! I want to say thanks especially to Jenni who did such a wonderful job of planning the event. All of her hard work and press paid off...I was amazed at the crowd!
It was great to visit with some talented artists and crafty folks I hadn't seen in a while like Cathy of California :: Jaime Zollars :: Sidepony {kim...thanks again so much for manning my booth and giving me a bathroom and shopping break!}
I also got to meet some new folks in person like briana of idea du jour :: Lisa of Nice Clutter :: Caroline of remabulous and the gals from skylight books.
Thanks to my friends and co-workers for coming to check out the event and hugest thanks to my adam for putting up with a messy house and busy, busy wife, yet still coming along to help me out {xoxo dear.}

**********************************************************************************************************
.....thinking a lot about those less fortunate than me.....thinking and praying for dolly {my mom #2} .....preparing for baby lowrey.....yoga.....celebrating christmas this saturday with the cousins & family.....playing with all the christmas decorations.....taking the time to gift wrap all of our holiday gifts~oh how i love to wrap a gift!.....heading up to santa barbara to meet up with my best friends for a holiday girly gift exchange party.....taking a few days off work to straighten up the house and finish up the holiday shopping.....making a few last minute handmade gifts.....resting.....
**********************************************************************************************************

2006-12-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

My heart continues to hurt for kati, her babies and her family as soo many others have shared.
Many people have posted ways to help, I thought I'd post them again here:
gift basket :: art/craft fundraiser :: donation

2006-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

A few of you have requested pregnancy photos, and we still haven't really got any of me standing and just posing, but my frend tyler took this one and you can kind of see the belly. {at 28 weeks} Here Henry and I are showcasing the rug and wall color for the baby's room. We should be moving along to the painting stage in the next few weeks. It'll be time to officially put all of my stuff away by then. We decided to be surpirsed so we are keeping the room light aquas and greens.

This weekend was really fun....thank you so much to everyone who came over for the trunk show! I only wish I had more time to visit with all of you. This saturday is the last of the holiday events that i'm doing, but I'm really excited about it. If you're in or around L.A. make sure you check out Felt Club: XL HOLIDAY this saturday {12p-7p} and make sure to stop by and say hello!

Like many others in the blogging community, i'm thankful to hear that three members of the kim family have been found and am holding out hope that james kim will be found safely as well. Let’s hope he returns safe and soon to his family.

2007 calendars

2006-12-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

I'm all finished with the posy press 2007 calendars and am soo happy with them!
Get them while they're hot here!

...and, for a bit of entertainment, here's a look at the spare-bedroom-soon-to-be-baby's-room.

Holy cow is right folks. Sure, some of the furniture is out now, and there isn't a thing in the closet, but I'm seriously working on putting together many many stationery sets, books and albums, etc. many of which are half-finished for the remaining 2 craft shows. See, I told you I've been working hard. The hardest thing to believe, is this is actually looking pretty darn good compared to a few weeks ago. Now, you can compare this "before" picture to the soon-to-be "after" picture, and we'll all feel so much better when that day arrives. We might even have to have ourselves some sort of mini-celebration. Cheers to a happy healthy weekend.

xoxo

push on...

2006-11-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

It's a busy week around here, getting ready for 3 upcoming trunk shows, boutiques and the like. I've been teetering back and forth on whether to push on and crank more out...or just start cleaning it all up and start getting ready for the holidays ourselves {and the mess is driving me crazy!} I mean really, my sis already started gift wrapping for christmas! I always feel like I'm on track and on schedule and so how does it happen that i always end up going crazy toward the end? Is this just my nature?

I did find time to get to this though....
Shari of The Glass Doorknob is featuring Handmade for the Holidays this week where she is interviewing & featuring handmade designers. The interviews are entertaining and inspiring and all of the designers shari features have truly amazing things in their shops for the holidays.

shop update!

2006-11-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

hooray...the posy press design shop's been updated with all sorts of cool gifties!
{and it's got a new banner to boot!}

next week i'll have one more update for the holidays which will include:

vintage wallpaper packs with new designs/patterns
new vintage goodie boxes!

happy thanksgiving again to everyone!

What are you thankful for?

2006-11-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

The short list by Amy Lowrey.

healthy friends & family :: caring, supportive & generous friends and family :: happy & relaxed husband :: no more strep throat :: a happy dog :: smiling niece and nephew :: mom’s new library :: kicking babies :: healthy babies: twins ethan & ryan, sadie, taj, carolyn :: catching up with far-away friends on the phone :: spending christmas at home this year :: celebrating christmas with dolly and ty in december the way it should be, instead of in february like the last 2 years {what a disgrace!} :: the onset and preparation of christmas {which I think I enjoy more than the day itself!} :: a good movie at the theatre :: hand-me-down baby gear :: reading books on the couch with adam :: christmas shopping from indie designers :: supporters of posy press :: bean and cheese burritos :: california rolls :: the container store :: a clean house :: work slowing down :: safe travels for loved ones :: online art/design/crafty community :: inspiration :: my crafty hands :: old friends :: new friends :: handmade gifts :: hot beverages on cozy nights :: my sewing machine :: christmas tree lots :: the cute little city we call home :: my aunt lynne for hosting the best thanksgiving celebrations year after year :: chilly nights :: pajamas :: this space where i can share my thoughts & ideas and connect with all of you . . . happy thanksgiving!

posy: holiday edition

2006-11-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

nothing like 2 days at home with strep throat to make you stir crazy...thank goodness for henry and 16 candles on HBO to bring a little bit of sunshine in. it was driving me crazy sleeping, laying around and feeling like doing nothing, when there is soo much stuff I could have been doing. and fun stuff to boot. that's right...it's time for serious art/craft show extravaganzas and all that goes along with them!

Here is where posy press will be selling some goods this holiday season:

Southern California
posy press n' friends holiday trunk show
Sunday, December 3rd
11:30am ~ 4pm in Culver City
{please e-mail me if you are local and you'd like the address for this event!}

Felt Club: XL Holiday Edition
Saturday, December 9th
12pm ~ 7pm
4315 Melrose Ave. @ Heliotrope
{@ The Ukrainian Cultural Center}

I'm quite excited to be included in the first XL Felt Club Holiday Event, especially since I wasn't able to participate in this year's Bazaar Bizarre which has been the most amazing craft fair i've been involved with so far.
Baz Biz just happened to be taking place on the same day we celebrate christmas with my mom's side of the family this year...it was a tough decision, but...just kidding...I wouldn't miss out on spending time with all cousin mooklettes no matter what was going on!

Northern California
I will have an event going on in the Bay Area as well but am still awaiting all the nitty gritty info. {and sadly, I will not be personally attending this one!}

*and of course, you can still find me at the online posy press shop...where several goodies perfect for stockings and gift-giving galore will be landing on Tuesday for the holiday shop update spectacular!!

2006-11-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

hope you're having a good day!
{and here is a special birthday picture for you ... from henry.}

{re} fresh

2006-10-30T11:29:00.000-08:00

hi folks!
I'm officially on board...October really is the fastest month {adam always tells me this and i now I officially concur!}

A lot has been going on around the good old posy press household...mostly the cleaning out of the room which contains all of my supplies, tools, equipment and inspiration. The job began to officially take shape this weekend...and I'm proud to say, there's been a bit of progress. My goal is to have the room all cleaned out by Thanksgiving. Then the real fun begins...

painting the walls a calm new color and freshening up the white paint, putting together the crib, finishing up some more pillows, wallpapering the nook with this which finally arrived and is soo great! I still kind of can't believe that we will have a little one in our house by February...my how things are going to change in our world!

Our ultrasound last week showed signs of a healthy little baby...and the doctor commented "Well, atleast one of us knows what this little baby is going to be!" Ahhh...for that minute, the torture! But we held out ... and now it feels a bit less torturous {i think because i believe by now the doctor has forgotten the sex, and now, once again, nobody knows!}

As I've been cleaning out, I've been preparing for the holidays by jotting down homemade gift ideas, sorting out what I'll be selling at the upcoming art/craft fairs {more on those later this week!} This time of the year is when the ideas start bursting out of me. It's been hard to hold them back and clean out rather than tackle them straight away! Add that to my excitement for our holiday decor this year, and I'm in trouble. {here is my WIP for those stockings I mentioned last week!}

...and speaking of art/craft fairs...I'm so entirely excited {and completely jealous ;) } that my sister and her bloggin' friend are making their way up to Portland for Studio Craft. Not only will they be able to meet all the great people participating in the little sale, they get to hang out in Portland for 3 days! My fingers are crossed that sis will be getting a bit of her own holiday shopping done while here!

Geez, sorry for blabbing on today! That's what happens when I've been to busy to post for the last week!

i've always been a daydreamer

2006-10-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know what is going on with me, but I've been daydreaming about anything but work lately. This is of course is problematic, because most daydreaming occurs while at work.

Instead, i'm thinking about christmas stockings, holiday decorations, cozy clothes, warm jackets and sewing. I can't stop thinking about sewing. Maybe I just need the change of pace...away from the paper goods for awhile. Or, uh-oh, maybe it's the ability to start a new collection of fabrics? I've been pretty good in that arena actually, trying to use what i have before re-stocking. Maybe the weather just lends itself to sewing more this time of the year. It sure is nice to imagine myself drinking hot tea or cocoa and listening to some good music while sewing away...making beautiful things for myself and friends. Of course, that never happens. Fabric gets thrown all over the room, threads pollute the floor and the space where the sewing machine is such a mess that you wouldn't dare find a place for a mug of hot cocoa, and if you did you'd probably spill it all over your freshly washed, newly ironed fabrics . . . but the daydream sure is nice, isn't it? Maybe once i get a bit more comfortable with the whole thing this can happen.

I forgot to snap a photo of my WIP today {perhaps tomorrow} which are the christmas stockings that i'm making for us this year. This will be the first christmas that we've ever celebrated at our home. We've never needed stockings in the past. I think it's about time our little family got our own stockings. These were my gift to adam for our anniversary. I figured, it's the 'cotton' year, so I'll be quilting stockings for Adam, Henry, Myself and a few extras for any additional family members that enter our life in the future. {Because it is important that the stockings be a 'collection' of sorts, matching in theme and style. and yes, because I am a dork.

At any rate, I was invited to participate in a christmas ornament swap, and couldn't refuse due to my current holiday spirit. The little banner they made for the swap is what ultimately did me in, do you see how cute it is? You should play too...take a lookie here for all the details {hosted by cake + pie and freshly {blended} ... nice work girls!

2 down...

2006-10-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

...and atleast 60 more to go ;) !
happy anniversary dear!

{that's rain, not sweat...oh yes, it POURED on our wedding day {no back up plan "it never rains in Santa Barbara in October!"}...we were drenched by the end of the reception, but wouldn't have had it any other way!}

pictures-shmictures

2006-10-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

man, bad day of photo taking around here. I took 7 photos of the above invites...and this was the best version. my hands must have been a bit wobbly on the others. these are some cute baby shower invites for a friend of a friend. the requirement was to include palm trees and tropical vibes. and...ahhhhh, feels good to finish up a project one step at a time! Also finished up these, but didn't want to post a picture of them because I'd just have to blur everything out as I had to in the digital image!!

this weekend I'm taking mu husband for a surprise get-away for our 2nd anniversay {which is on Monday!} should be fun, even if it does rain on us...which seems to be the trend for our wedding date. {more to come on that on monday!}

thanks for all of the nice comments this week...it's nice to be back posting regularly again!
hope you all have a great weekend!

ahoy there matey!

2006-10-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

here's a rather poor picture of the latest quilt I am giving as a gift {with the matching stationery} to new little baby carter. i figure he needs a little blanket for strolls along the harbor and such being a little newport beach baby. These quilts keep getting smaller and smaller, but I think I've nailed down the final size with this one, and from here on out, I'll just refer to them as "stroller blankets." :) have a nice tuesday!

let the pillow making commence!

2006-10-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud! These are my first pillows...EVER! I didn't even make the optional home-ec animal pillow, i opted for drafting and woodshop or something instead. {sis...didn't you make a shark pillow?} These are currently resting downstairs on the little love seat. soon, some of them will go upstairs...but of course...only the favorites will be curated to go into the future nursery.
I also finished one gift quilt, which I will post tomorrow and love! I also pieced together the rest of the quilt tops, but have yet to actually quilt/bind them up. it gets a bit tricky trying to quilt when you're sewing machine doesn't have a walking foot, but I made the best of it and no major snafus so far.
The rest of the weekend was great...rather leisurely {except for adam who cut one of our trees into firewood}...the only plans we made were to meet up with some friends who recently moved to Seattle. We spent Sunday morning visiting with them {Bill & Barb} at Bill's mom's house over delicious eggs, bacon, bagels, fruit...i love a brunch and a visit!

'heart of screenland'

2006-10-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

new limited-edition studio journals in the shop!
and that makes 2 shop updates in 3 days...yowzas!

last night it was chilly enough to wear my jacket while i walked the dog and it was so comfy. i love our little neighborhood. it was soo calm and i loved looking at all the little houses as we walked on by. this morning i was thinking the same thing...happy to be in a neighborhood where we can safely walk day and night and where the grade school crossing guard knows me {and henry and adam} well enough to tell us that we just missed the "treat lady."

The "treat lady" is a little old lady who power walks in her fancy track suits in the mornings, with her bag of dog treats to give to the favorite dogs that she encounters on her walk. if you really want to know, adam and i actually call her "grandma bacon strips", which i know sounds really gross and inappropriate, but the first few times we crossed her path about a year ago she handed out doggy "beggin' strips" treats....so, the name just stuck. anyhow...it makes me happy to think that we'll soon be walking a little kiddo around these streets, feeling safe.

i'm glad to be in our little culver city, where we don't need to get in the car all weekend if we don't want to. and it just keeps getting better and better, with delicious new restaurants popping up around our little town. they call it 'the heart of screenland' you know....and our claim to fame....the culver city hotel is where all of the munchkins stayed during the filming of The Wizard of Oz. :)

so this weekend, lots more walks and here's a wip...a few new quilts, {the one with the H is for Henry!}

party favors for grown-ups!

2006-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

I've finally put together some packages that I think a few of you will love!
Take a look here, they're like party favors for grown-ups!
I got soo much done yeterday, I need to keep the creativity flowing!
Tonight I think I may even try finishing up a few more things for the shop!
But first, a look at some WIP's for the week:

moki's initial swap!

2006-10-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

These are my contributions to moki's letter swap...i thought I'd stick to what I know best with some personalized stationery for my partners! I've received a few of mine already and I love them...I'll post them here or on flickr soon!

I'm looking forward to posting more soon...I've totally become a once-a-week-blogger, which I really don't like. I've been working on trying to wrap up many, many projects....and, unfortunately, turning down any new projects that come my way. It's tough saying no. I've always had a hard time with this! The truth is...some of the projects seem like such a great fit...but I know myself, and it's time to slow down 'round these parts for awhile. I'll resume taking projects and custom design requests next year around April for anyone interested :) {man, that sounds like an awfully long time doesn't it?} And that will have to start quite slow, cause who knows how it'll go trying to do custom design with a wee one.

but tonight...a girl's night out, cause that's really what it's all about....spending time with family & friends!
xxoo

WIP Thursday

2006-09-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

trees....trees...and trees. you'll see where they go soon.

finishing 2 custom goodie boxes
custom photo album
also working on my letters for moki's trade! I hadn't done a trade in a while, but my love of letters couldn't hold me back from this one!

In the digital world of posy press I am also quite busy!

set of 200 custom thank you notes
wedding invitation package for February wedding
baby shower invites
wedding shower invites
baby announcements
engagement party invitations
2 possible freelance projects for an amazing fragrance company

This is it for me for the rest of the year! I've got to start freeing up time for all the fun stuff I want to do for ourselves around the house and in the soon-to-be nursery. Which a WIP in itself, because what on earth will I do with all of my supplies and tools? As it is now, that room is our extra bedroom and my studio/office space. Sooo much work to be done and re-arranging of furniture before we even start on the kiddos room! I've got a little plan in my head, but will it work? Hmmm. Don't worry, I'll take before, after {and during} pics for your entertainment!!

Have a great Thursday friends!

hooray!

2006-09-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

it's been awhile, but finally some fun new things are in the shop!

best friends

2006-09-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

O + Henry = best friends

graffiti artist at work,
making her mark around the neighborhood with her pink chalk.

Unfortunately, O's brother C was fast asleep so didn't get to come along on our walk around grandma's neighborhood.
Other weekend highlights:

Safe & healthy arrival of new baby sadie
Sleeping in
Delicious egg sandwiches for breakfast
Spic n' span house
Planting new flowers
Delicious dinner out with friends which included discussion/persuasion of naming our first born "Tonto"
Sunday visit with Sis, O, C and mom

I'm looking to take some pics of some new merchandise for the shop, it's been ages since I've put some new products up!

greetings strangers!

2006-09-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

I've been quietly catching up on all of your blogs during my little break and scouring the internet for inspiration.
Among my scouring travels I came across a few fun items...one of which I had to purchase! I got the above wallpaper from a german site here. We talked a bit about wallpapering part of the kiddos room, which seemed like a bit much, but then I saw this pattern in the prettiest greens and fell in love. then I realized we really have a perfect spot in a bit of an alcove that would perfectly for a bit of wallpaper. Obviously, this may not mesh with this whole idea...but I'm alright with that. and how many adorable accessories can I make with that cute wallpaper...maybe even one of these that kristin posted about ... {for a toy box!}
I've also been hanging out with my in-laws and went to a baby shower with all my very best friends that date all the way back to high school {and grade school!} the mom-to-be is expecting twins, so we had a diaper shower for her. I officially made my first diaper cake along with the hostess kim, and once we got rolling, it was actually very easy. The little girl is kim's little girl syd...could she be any cuter? she's got a personality to go along with it ... such a happy little girl!

fabric re-stock

2006-09-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

I convinced myself it was okay to stock up on some new fabric after making 4 quilts--and i am so happy with the first contributions for my stash! I'm in love with this little bundle! This order is all from reprodepot {which most of you are more than familiar with!!} I'm very much looking forward to treating myself to a quilt or two and perhaps I need one of these to hang on the door?

smiling...

2006-09-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

...is what I did a lot of as I sat down last night after our weekend away reading all of your comments. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, ideas, humor and a bit of your time with me! I loved reading through them! I'll keep you updated on any progress, but it may be a while until we get to the room decorating phase {have to clean out that room first...yikes!}

Our weekend was quick & sweet as I met many of A's family members that I never would have otherwise. Above is a photo of where the reunion took place...it was a beautiful day with a beautiful setting...complete with paddle boat races, kids egg toss, sack races, BBQ chicken, hot dogs and ice cream bars!

We stayed in Santa Cruz and took a gorgeous walk from the rental house to the boardwalk one morning. At the boardwalk, we had fun watching the little cousins try out a few of the rides...some of their facial expressions were priceless!

My in-laws are coming for a week long visit on Thursday and I've got tons to do for work, posy and home...it feels a bit overwhelming, but, I know it will all get done once I prioritize my ever-growing to-do-list!

swooning over...silhouette wallpaper

2006-09-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

thank you thank you thank you for all of the amazing comments! It feels good to get the news out there...it felt like i had to hide some things from ya before I got that off my chest!

Our 3-day weekend zoomed by, but we did fit in 2 BBQ's, so it was a good way to bid adieu to summer. although, it feels like summer just began in L.A. with temperatures around 95 in my neighborhood!

We also fit in a trip to HD Buttercup and saw the most amazing wallpaper in one of the show rooms which the nice man who was working let me photograph!

The wallpaper was made by a japanese company and cost them tons of $$ {so the nice man told us.} He recommends painting something similar yourself, which was exactly what we were thinking. ;)

I've never been the biggest mural fan, but something like this on a wall or two would look so great in a kids rooms, don't ya' think? Adam loves the fireplace and i love the trees and the chandelier. obviously all 3 is supreme overkill, and it should be painted in a dark brown to stay on track with what we're kind of thinking for the bedroom. What's your favorite?

It will be torture for me to not be able to do this myself {my mom passed on the control freak gene with things like this..."hi mom!"...can't i just wear one of those masks and start painting?
Mati, Lisa, Emily...want to help? :)

whoops, almost forgot...i'm heading up to the bay area for a family reunion for a few days, so I'll be back in business on Monday! Three cheers for short work weeks...
hip hip hooray

WIP

2006-09-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hi gang-
I'm back with a few WIP's before I take off to enjoy a 3-day holiday weekend!

new stationery design
ready for packaging!

fabric cut and ready to make envelope back pillows...

vintage wallpaper adhered to heavy cardstock...
ready to finish being trimmed and packed into vintage notecard packages.

And, the ultimate WIP...
which may explain some of my crazy & erratic behavior as of the last 4 months

that's right...a little one is on the way. we've been taking it easy, reading up and pondering how life is going to change once lil' lowrey arrives. I had a feeling as soon as I bought new desks for the extra bedroom we'd get knocked up, and sure enough that's exactly what happened. so now, I've got baby on the brain and we're having fun and all are healthy.
soon the desks are moving out and the crib is moving in....

Feel free to leave any advice, I feel luckier than ever to have this blog community with so many other blogger moms who seem to be able to keep quite a bit of their creative spirit in tact. I'm truly most worried about the lack of sleep that comes with the first three months. man, do i get crabby without my sleep!

Have a great labor day weekend everyone! xoxo

an amazing vacation

2006-08-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

or, just a half busy/half lazy blogger. you decide. :)

So much has been going on that it actually just seemed like TOO MUCH if that makes sense, and the idea of blogging about it seemed like somewhat of a chore. Mostly because sometimes I have a hard time verbalizing what's going on around me. Do you ever feel like that?

While absent from blogging, my husband got a new job. This is very exciting, but also very huge for us, because we met at work and have since worked together for almost 8 years! It's strange not being able to drop to say "hi" if I feel like it and it feels strangely lonely. But I do have to say, it's fun receiving an e-mail or 2 from him throughout the day and quite nice looking forward to meeting up with him again in the evening.

Meanwhile, Henry being driven absolutely crazy by the possums in our backyard. So much so, that he wakes us up in the middle of the night to get out for a good chase. Needless to say, this has left us a bit tired come morning.

This is Henry in our bed. I tucked him in on sheet washing day. Poor dog. At least I don't dress him up like I used to with our childhood dog Staush. He even has his squeaky toy log in there with him. He'll probably start trying to work his way under the covers come winter...and it'll be all my fault.
As for the crafty update, I'll have some WIP's for you toorrow. I've been busy making new product, which should be ready to put into the store next week.

Also, you can now buy posy press products online at petaline! They also carry a slew of other talented artists/designer creations...so go on over and shop your little hearts out!
Until tomorrow...sleep tight!

kindergarten

2006-08-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

just look here for the cutest kindergartener ever!
She looks so confident and ready {and darling if I do say so myself!}
Hope you had a great first day O...calling you soon!

WIP, check!

2006-08-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

gotta love it when you finish up the WIP before the weekend!
here it is, headed for one of my most favorite people in the world.
she should receive it just after her very first day of kindergarten.
unfortunately for her, she is receiving my first tote ever made, which I totally winged.
i am confident it will hold up for awhile, however, the straps are a bit long. it may just drag on the ground a while before whe grows a few more inches! :)
have a good weekend everybody!

piles and piles

2006-08-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in on the pile pics!

I love making piles and I'm quite good at it.
They make me feel neat with my slightly disorganized messes.
Although they drive me crazy at times, I keep piling them up again and again.

piles of stationery to be scored & packaged / pile of beads

piles of fabric

piles of half-made books / pile of school supplies for my niece who starts kindergarden on monday!

piles of stationery to be packaged / piles of clothes {and a very dirty flip-flop...ewwww, yikes.}

top shelf: piles of crap / middle shelf: kind of nice and neat / bottom shelf: pile of cello bags / piled underneath: tray of stuff to be put away

more piles here:

lisa s.

shari

julie

bugheart

good week, part 2

2006-08-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

A few other reasons why I've had a good week:

Adam and I did go to see Little Miss Sunshine and we really liked it. Such a good ending.
We also relaxed a lot just as I had hoped
We went for a walk in a nearby neighborhood with Henry and came across this Domino House which I had been wanting to see. I think it's funny that in the Domino article last month they said it was their perfect oasis, and then popped that for sale sign up 1 week after the mag came out. cool house, I was wishing they'd have an open house that day, but no luck.
A package full of goodies that I had sent to England and we thought had been lost finally arrived! turns out they took off the airmail sticker and slapped on it on the slow boat. atleast it got there...woo hoo.
Another amazing work day on tuesday when we had our quarterly equivalent of "employees of the quarter" {ours is called 'The League of Extraordinary Associates'}, and holy toledo I won an award! I was deemed a superhero of sorts called 'The Champion' and was gifted with a crisp $100 bill.
I got my domino magazine and another Marieke card sent thanking me for her treat box. Now I can have one hanging at work and one at home! {Do you see how neat her writing is? My husband thought it was a printed font!}
and, my bullet points are pink, which makes me really happy. :)

I'm hoping to ride this bit of goodness a while longer. now what to treat myself with that $100 bill? hmm......

it's been a good week!

2006-08-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Personally, i've had a really good week.
It started last wednesday, when i received a glowing performance review at work.
After work that day, i drove up the coast to surprise my best friend tyler for her birthday dinner.
I was able to stop by and meet my friend amy and sam's new baby boy while i was there and then got to have an amazing dinner with tyler, her husband gordon, friend amy and myself.
Later that night, we had the viewing party of 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'Project Runway', always a treat!
The next morning, the drive back to L.A. from Santa Barbara was a breeze, and it felt like I had taken a mini vacation. Santa Barbara has a way of doing that.
I'll continue with my week of fun tomorrow, below are some of the things I received in the mail recently which only added to the week of fun!

surprise mail package from my sis!

surprise mail package from marieke!

my purchase from ashley g.
I had to have this when i saw it, so i treated myself.
It reminds me of adam and I.

also treated myself to the cutest bobby pins from abby a bit ago.
i just love them!

and a trade with Allison of againnyc.
go take a look at her cute handmade handbags and such!

my love list

2006-08-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

Originated by Abigail, here's my own little love list.
i love:
patterned papers - ice blended mochas - giving & making thoughtful gifts - a good hearty laugh - summer dresses - california rolls - letters & images pressed into paper - flip flops - walks with adam & henry - journals - sleeping in - time with family - time with friends - alone time - toasted bagel with cream cheese - skirts - dreaming - the way i feel after yoga - my sewing machine - airports - a good movie - coffee with cream - containers - printing presses - the smell of ink - simple art works - my imperfect quilts - pedicures - lighting candles - making organized piles - perfect combinations of color - concrete floor - inspiration - relaxing with a good mag - vintage wallpaper, fabric, buttons & notions - finishing a project - thinking of what to do next - home.

a few other lists:
Abigail
Marieke
Anastasia

Etsy / Craft: contest

2006-08-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Have you guys heard of the contest by Etsy/Craft: Magazine?
Looks like fun if you like to give yourself challenges and deadlines
{but act quick because the deadline is right around the corner at August 21!}
Found via Modish.

off to print!

2006-08-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

WIPall set to go...a big package this one....invites, reply cards, announcements, thank you's and all of the matching printed envelopes. nothing says "ahhh, sigh" like a finished wedding Proof. The weekend will now be amazing.

I want to go see this tonight! We need to relax this weekend...lots of hard work this past week and now we need some serious R&R. Have a great weekend everyone!

the longest day of the week

2006-08-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

I'm officially titling Tuesday the longest day of the week. It just drags. I feel like my weekend was ages ago and that the next is ages away. Thank goodness I have a beautiful bouquet of flowers to look at all week...that's in thanks to my secret admirers...wink wink...xoxo. I'll probably take them home on Thursday to brighten up the homefront.

Finished up with some letterpress save the dates and flat printed accommodation cards were fixed to them with a grosgrain ribbon. Those are on their way to their new home. Not much else to report...except I still am NOT in the mood to clean the house...but it must be done, so tah-tah!

phew...

2006-08-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

holy crap that was a close call!
I finished the quilt the morning of the baby shower...nothing like a little sweatin' before a party. I love how it turned out. They are keeping the sex a surprise, so I went heavy on the green and orange with bits of blues and {a few} flowers. It's really hard to not include flowers. I made the photo album to go along with it...with a blue ribbon on one side and a pink ribbon on the other, that way she can just snip the blue if it's a girl or the pink if it's a boy. oh...so clever, huh? I loved the green dots fabric soo much, I'm sad I am nearing the end of it's stash. Now I'm revved up to do the next two for twin boys and perhaps one for myself in lots of greens.
The shower was fun...i love catching up with old friends, seeing my friend looking fabulous and happy and pregnant and of course being able to spend some time with my sis, mom, niece and ty....and i love watching people open gifts, especially baby gifts. I mean, you really can't go wrong, everything is always so darling and fun to see.

My mom spent the night afterwards and we had a funny night out at dinner along with the hubby and a friend. We went to sushi, and first adam broke his beer glass, then they brought us the wrong food, and then after I ordered my tea...I poured some soy sauce into it thinking it was creamer. The wait staff was laughing at me...turns out the waiter saw me do it and went back and told all the sushi chefs who were looking at me and laughing. THEN, we went to cold stone creamery where we had to wait in a really long line which went out the door....and a rat ran through the line outside! Scared the crud out of us. and then when we got to the front of the line, my mom lightly padded the woman next to her so she could read the flavor of ice creams, and the lady got really angry at her for touching her. Kept going on and on and really riled herself up about the whole thing. It was an odd night all around, but we laughed a lot, and that's what counts! :)

On Sunday we ended up going to MOCA to see the Robert Rauschenberg exhibit on Sunday. It was a great exhibit, many pieces I hadn't ever seen and I always love seeing their permanent collection. Even better that it wasn't sweltering hot and dinner went a bit smoother this night without any major mishaps {although they did add a bunch of random capers to our pizza which we thought a bit strange.} Happy monday all.

art for lunch

2006-08-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Adam and I went to Bergamot Station to meet my mom for lunch today. Adam had to check out early, but I lingered around to check out a few of the galleries since I hadn't been in quite a while. There was an artist I really liked named Nancy Monk, I found one link for her but it doesn't really do her justice. She had these tiny tree drawings that were just very precious. Tiny, metallic-y details. Very inspiring little things.

ready-set-quilt

2006-08-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

the quilt squares are cut for 5 mini quilts I'm making. The first needs to be finished, preferably Thursday night for a baby shower on Saturday, but knowing me, it may just get finished Saturday morning. I really am doing my best to stay ahead of schedule on this one. I'm at the fun part now, picking which pattern goes where. Maybe I'll be motivated to sew some quilt tops after Project Runway tonight. I get the east coast feed, so I'll be done watching by 8:00.

I'm quite excited for a few things I've got going on in this little head of mine. I'm in the midst of a major overhaul of all my vintage ephemera, trims and such...the stuff I've been stashing and hoarding away. I'm in full clean out mode, and have been putting together little kits to sell to crafters that can put them to good use. There's just no way I could ever use them all...and I'm not doing anyone any good by holding onto them, stashed away in some closet. They'll be decently priced as well...perfect little stocking stuffers and gifts for any crafty designer types. Also, I have some new stationery coming...I just noticed that Etsy knocked off some of my stationery listings so there isn't much to choose from on there right now.

I have another major project in the works, but you'll just have to wait a bit longer before I tell you all about it! It's quite exciting though! Thanks for the comments yesterday....it's nice to be back at it again after my unplanned mini blog break!

2006-08-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

happy tuesday everyone!
mmmm, old books. i love the patterned paper of these books. I've been thinking of gutting them and making them into some lovely blank books, but I just can't seem to cut into them yet!

looky here... my niece lost her first tooth yesterday! I love that for her kindergarten pics she will be missing a tooth!
{it looks like I'm back in action with pictures today! hooray!}

vintage wallpaper packs are in the shop
AND
you get 2 yards of vintage ribbon thrown in free with your purchase!

have a good one everybody!

the spell is broken {for now}

2006-07-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

phew, finally, I've broken the spell of laziness {or, rather, much needed break?}
This weekend brought with it the return to design and craft {and cleaning of the house.}

uggg...so many pics to share with project updates, but it looks like I'll have to update later due to the blogger fussiness! be back soon!

one long &%# post

2006-07-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

not much designing or crafting in these parts...looks like i took a one week vacay without realizing it...it's feeling like full-swing summer, and I love it all {minus accompanying heatwave.} I'm missing the days of summer breaks, spending long days relaxing with friends and family {poolside or oceanside particularly!} so, i made my own mini summer break over the weekend...

actually, i started on wednesday by meeting up with my best girlfriends {and a best girlfriends 5-month old little darling, baby syd!} So great seeing old friends...I never like it when it's time to leave! Luckily, Ty and I had a slumber party after, enjoying a night of So You Think You Can Dance and Project Runway. Adam truly enjoyed our choice of shows for the evening. ;)

Thursday after work I headed to my mom's where my niece and nephew were staying while my sis met up with one of her blogger friends for dinner. O and C are soo much fun. I enjoy every minute with those two. We had fun playing in the backyard with squirt guns, chasing eachother all over. Making cupcakes {the Grandma's idea} and watching both of them licking the mixers afterward, getting more chocolate on their faces and shirts than in their mouths {and C telling me his was a sucker.} I documented the fun times and they are no where to be found on my camera. I know I got some with my mom's camera, so I'll have to save those for a later post.

Friday, more fun with kiddos, mom and sis in excruciating heat. I'm talking 110 degrees. Needless to say, we found ways to stay indoors. Saturday adam and I went to the beach with Henry where he even went in the water! He's not exactly a 'water dog' so it took a bit of persuading, but basically, he likes being wherever adam and I are, therefore, if we went into the water, so did he. the tennis ball helped out a bit too.

And now, making more of an effort to be more present this week around here and in the extra bedroom getting some work done...

5 things {with no pics}

2006-07-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

ugghhh, I am a total visual bore.

following suit from my sis,
here are 5 things i'm excited about {with no pics}

1. early dinner with best girl friends and new baby syd this wednesday.
2. attempting to sew a dress for my niece.
{don't get excited jen, i repeat, this is definitely just an attempt. but the pattern is bought and the fabric ironed and ready.}
3. finishing cutie baby shower invites for twins boys.
4. pre-work morning yoga.
5. getting gifts ready for upcoming baby showers and August birthdays!

"how do you do it all?"

2006-07-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

address labels for a friends baby shower

I was on my way out the door from work yesterday, when a co-worker stopped me for a bit of conversation. "you make jewelry right?" I told her yes and she went on to ask, "how in the heck did you have the time to do all the things you do?" If she only knew that making jewelry was the half of it. Jewelry making to me is the thing I do when I'm taking a break from all of the other stuff. It's the thing I can do while relaxing after dinner while half paying attention to some TV show.

To tell you the truth, sometimes I don't know how I do all the things I do. I know I am always a bit anti-social. Not that I'm a hermit or anything, but if given the choice of going to a bar or going upstairs to work on a project, 8 out of 10 I'm working on the project. And at times, I'm a super stress case with all of the projects I take on. I have really been trying to keep an eye on this. Take a bit more time to breathe a little fresh air! Wedding invites can be the hardest. I get a lot of requests to do wedding invites, and I usually ended up turning most of them down. Realistically, I can only handle 2 weddings at a time. It's unfair to the bride if I take on more than that.

I would say that about 10-15% of the paper projects I do are for friends and family. Free of charge. I use my time to do these favors because I can. And I enjoy it. The above labels go with shower invites for a friend that I've known since grade school days. She is having twins and I love that I get to design these for her little boys. I did her wedding invites too. I love that posy press will have a little spot in the baby books! {I just hope the ink doesn't fade too much!}

a girl and her dog

2006-07-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

adam took these before work this morning...henry is trying his hardest to get his share of honey nut cheerios. I suppose it was slightly cruel of me to hop on that little stool in the kitchen to eat my breakfast right there in front of him. I just wanted to spend a bit more quality time with him before i went off to work. It's too bad I hadn't brushed my hair yet or put on a lick of powder or lip gloss or something. meanwhile, i took about 25 pictures of a new necklace, and not a one turned out. maybe I should have adam give it a try?

I took a lunch break out of the office again today. Walked myself right on over to the MTV commissary with new {free} Glamour magazine in hand. Settled on some soup and crackers and found a nice little table on the patio. Ahhh...nice day again. . .

. . . AND THEN {and this is horrible} most annoying office man/boy asks if he can sit at the table with me. I am nice and say "yes" thinking that of course he can see I am reading a magazine and won't bother me with blabber. I am so wrong. He blabbers, asking me questions, I try to be nice and I just can't build up the courage to say something like, "Sorry to be rude, but I'm really enjoying reading this magazine quietly and enjoying the outdoors." He just keeps talking. and he's talking about things he shouldn't be talking about....being all negative about our company and stuff. So, I calmly put the lid on my soup and said, "well, I better head back. Enjoy your lunch."

On the one hand, I feel awful for being so annoyed , but on the other, this guys was talking #$% for no reason. Quite funny when I think about it now actually. better luck tomorrow!

2006-07-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

thanks for all of the comments on the last few posts...I'm not always so great at getting back to everyone, but just so you know, I love to hear what you think. and I love some of the ideas you guys passed on via comments and e-mail regarding the button baby gift. and of course, I love hearing that i'm not the only one in love with old buttons.

Speaking of which, shim and sons is hosting a vintage button swap, so if you'd like to trade up, take a visit for all the info.

Turns out I'm still at the same spot with most of my WIP projects from last week, which means that I've been relatively lazy once I get home from work these days. I'm pressing myself to make some headway so my WIP this week is not just a re-post from last week. {although that would be pretty funny, in a sad little way. It may actually mean that I wasn't such a nerd for the last week...holed up inside being anti-social, working away.}

It's too nice outside around here to be all holed up inside. Today I actually left work for lunch {which is very rare, unless i am going home to hang with henry at lunch.} yummmm, it was so good. Delicious turkey and cheese sandwich with mild peppers on crusty bread from the scrumptious Italian Deli {bay cities in Santa Monica for you local folks.} I could eat another for dinner.I did post another goody box in the shop {this one = all about pink}, and, lazy lazy me FINALLY mailed the 100 post mini mini mini's and winner goody boxes. So those are on their way...and winners, I think, will be especially fond of their little gifts! Thanks for your patience gals, until tomorrow!

buttons with meaning

2006-07-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

I've acquired some great buttons in the past few weeks...and not only are they pretty to look at, but they're buttons with meaning because they came from people I care about and they feel like they have a little bit of personal history. Sometimes this makes them harder to use...so I have to remember, that's what they are meant for. I'd love to make a few special things out of them related to their history.

I have one idea:
Some of these buttons were given to my mom from a lifelong friend to pass on to my sis and I. It just so happens, that the buttons belonged to her mother. Well, this lifelong friend of my mom's, happens to have a daughter, who is a lifelong friend of mine. confused yet? well, she's having a baby and I really want to include some of the buttons in her gift for a keepsake for the baby. I'm still not sure how I'll do this....but I'm thinking a framed piece of artwork for the babe's room with a few of the buttons involved. I also really want to make her a quilt {something I always WANT to do, but it's tough to find the time to make, especially when you are a bit sewing handicapped as myself.} Anyhow, that was the second thought, including a few of the buttons somewhere on the quilt. If you feel like commenting with an opinion, let me know what you think....I'm still working this out in my head!

Other buttons came from my awesome aunt sharon who you probably know if you read this because she is my uber-supporter! She passed them on to my sis and I recently and they belonged to my grandma & great grandma. I would love to make aunt sharon something incredible using some of the buttons, but nothing amazing enough enough has come to my head. Great Grandma was hilarious. She was Polish and had this amazing Polish accent. We would always make fun of her for making us the silliest things at Christmas. For some reason she liked me the most, and when she passed away she left me more $ than everyone else {sorry sis.}. We never really figured this out, but we think it was maybe because I wanted to be a tap dancer for a small period of time. I think it might be because I loved the little shorts she would sew to go under my dresses so I could hang upside down on the bars at school and my underwear wouldn't show. It's too bad we don't all get the chance to talk with our grandparents when we're older.

Yet another special batch of amazing buttons were just passed on to me by my mother in law. Her mom {nana} used to do quite a bit of sewing and had some amazing buttons. I never really got to know nana, so these feel super special and I'm not sure yet how I'll be able to use them. Maybe the "family" buttons from the grandma's and great grandma's need to stay in the family. Used, just used in a way we can appreciate them.

Funny how something so tiny & ordinary can be so precious.