A FRESH PERSPECTIVE

HOW ABOUT YOU?

A WEE BIT LATE

Please excuse the short hiatus, friends – I'm back! You haven't missed much though.. my maternity leave is over, I started a new job, bought a house, began major renovations and Layne's now a toddler. NBD.

I'm sorry, okay?! Here's to a new year and better blogger!

INKLING

WANT. NEED.

MINIMALIST MUPPETS

ELEVEN MONTHS

Okay, she can stop
growing any time now..

BEE NICE

I thought I'd share the envelopes I made for The Elevated Envelope exchange. With the "summertime" theme in mind, I focused mine on the oh so under-appreciated bee! There's been some scary stuff circulating about the decline of our world's bee population. A third of our food supply depends on pollination and for some reason they are disappearing. Not cool.

I had wanted to try papercutting, so I decided to cut a honeycomb pattern out of the envelope. This revealed the yellow card inside. I lined the envelope with watercolour stripes and punched out the flight path of each bee. My note on the card included a few ways to help save our bees:

- Stop using insecticides
- Plant Bee-friendly plants
- Support your local beekeepers
  (or become one yourself!)

 I also added a beehive magnet and a minicard with my Etsy shop address.

I loved making these! And loved receiving others even more! Our lovely host, Tara, has been posting all the beautiful envelopes here.

so. much. fun. :)

2012 PRINTABLE CALENDAR

This calendar was a popular item last year in my Etsy shop so I brought it back for 2012! It is provided with two months per page. All you need to do is print and make one cut down the center of the page. You can keep the calendar for yourself, give it as a gift, or do both – as many times as you like! 

WORDS TO LIVE BY

TEN MONTHS

I have never realized before how fast 10 months goes by. And I don't understand what I did with all my extra time before Layne. I'm going to need a faster camera in order to get pictures of her, in the meantime, cookies will work ;)

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS

9 MONTHS

Oh wow, I'm just now realizing that I haven't shared Layne's 9 month picture and we're quickly approaching the 10 month photoshoot. Shame!

She's moving on up.. off the floor ;) This little girl has far too many other things to do than lay on the floor and pose for the silly pictures her mom takes. So here we are in her rocking chair, where we've spent countless hours these last 9 (er, 10) months..

PANTONE'S FALL COLOURS

“Designers take a painterly approach to fall 2011 by artfully combining bright colors with staple neutrals, reminiscent of how an artist would construct a stunning work of art. Much like a painter's masterpiece, there is a certain romance to this season's palette.”
– Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®

Oooh, which is your favourite fall colour? You can take Pantone's survey. (I bet you can guess mine!)

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

I added a new item to my Etsy shop! This Printable Grocery List makes your shopping easy by organizing the items according to supermarket departments. No more zigzagging through the store scrambling to find the items you need. I originally created for personal use but I thought there might be others that would appreciate it as well. You, perhaps?

YOU ARE INVITED

Have I mentioned I love weddings? True story. I have a few friends getting married and my obsession has resurfaced. They are just so beautiful and fun. And the invites, oh the invites.. how beautiful (and fun) are these?!

Viewfinder invitations

Storybook Invitation

Watercolor and calligraphy

ELEVATED ENVELOPE

I'm excited to be part of The Elevated Envelope in the coming weeks. This is an exchange hosted by Tara Bliven of Ephemera Press. In her words: "Wouldn’t it be fun to be pen pals with incredibly creative, talented, smart strangers? That’s The Elevated Envelope in a nutshell."

So I have to come up with handmade envelope design that embody this round's summertime theme and create them to send out to other participants. I've been having fun with it lately. I love anything that gets me off the computer and working with my hands again. Plus, I can't wait to see the envelope's I receive!

If this is something you think you'd be interested in participating in, keep an eye out for the next round (Tara's thinking maybe January) sign-up here.

SUMMERTIME

Ok, so apparently the sun in the sky directly effects my time spent blogging. I've been slacking, friends. But I'm back! This photo is a valid depiction of what I've been up to :)

(via)

NUMBERS FLASH CARDS

As promised - I added the numbers version of Printable Flash Cards to my Etsy shop. 


Flash cards, again, are a great resource for little ones during many stages of development. This set can be printed for yourself or for others, they can be framed as artwork, used as a set, or given as a gift. Along with the rest of the items in my shop, these cards can be used however you like, as many times as you like! 


Feel free to contact me with any questions or special requests :)

IN THREADS

I'm mesmerized by these embroidered paintings by Daniel Kornrumpf. Yep, embroidered. I can't imagine how long this would take but it's worth it.  I would love to see the textures in person. Equally beautiful is this wedding invitation by Rifle Paper Co and his book cover designed for Penguin Books.

I may have to try this embroidery thing out. Tomorrow.

    
(via Cup of Jo)

EIGHT MONTHS

Layne's SO not into lying on her back anymore. Or staying still for any time at all really. She's on the move this month - not crawling yet, but she still manages to wiggle her way around the floor somehow. Her new favourite things are clapping and screaming as loud as she can.. YAY! This kid could not be any happier :)