El Zorro

It really caught me by surprise.  I was catching up on reading some favorite blogs, and found this Animal Love: Fox post on Design Sponge.   The next thing I knew, I was entranced.  The first item that did it for me was the scarf.  Never mind that it was $85 (yes, was!  I just saw it finally went on sale- but is not available anymore.  Boo!).  Never mind that some of the other items were less than appealing.  My obsession with foxes began.

This is definitely something I wanted to keep quiet at first, for fear I might start receiving any and all fox items.  I honestly don't know how long this little obsession will last, but for now I am content with the two items I do have:

I absolutely could not resist buying this calendar set as a present to myself (Christmas money!).  I love the appropriate monthly illustrations and text.  The 4x6 card is on a magnet board right above the right compy so I can see it anytime from my seat.

 I found this little treat at Gingiber's Shop on Etsy.

Amanda gave me this towel for Christmas - and I literally shrieked when I opened it.  The copper color, the simple yet whimsical shape, the fact that I can hang it in my kitchen and see it all the time; I appreciate everything about it!  

Amanda purchased it at faces are funny on etsy.com.

Not going away anytime soon (Part I)

Yes, I am still obsessed with washi and decorative tapes.  Here are a few of my favorites for Christmas, since most of them I just acquired lately.  Shoutout to my Twin for giving me the black and white polka dot tape from Target!

 Adding a bit of dazzle to cookie exchange baggies; font: Bebas Neue

This is also a good time to rave about two other current obsessions: porridge papers and OliveBox.  I have mentioned the former before here, but OliveBox is a bit newer.  OliveBox is a monthly subscription for paper lovers...I could describe it, but it would be best to visit the website and read about it for yourself.  And I'll be posting about it in the future, I'm sure.

Because zig-zag stitching is much prettier than glue

Still obsessed

Still on a sewing/stitchin' kick!  To be honest, I did take a little break.  Because I could not get the machine to work, and I was getting the teensiest bit frustrated with it.  After a little sabbatical, I went in with a cool head and figured out the problem fairly quickly- and sewed these and a few other cards in one sitting.

Oh and as you can see, I am still loving the washi/decorative tape too.  If I received an envelope sealed with these colorful tapes, I would be smiling in anticipation.  It's the little things that count sometimes.

p.s. We decorated paper stockings at work today.  I am so used to incorporating stitching into my projects lately that I was tempted to bring my stocking home to add a little special touch.  Don't worry, I didn't succumb.  I made do with what I had there.

I love little touches that make something a little more special.  R and I co-hosted a jewelry party.  She did a beautiful job of preparing the food- scones, a cheese platter, beverages- and I provided the treat bags for the guests to take home.

Projects like this are so much fun because I can play on the computer, play with the sewing machine, play with paper and layers.

Continuing obsessions: sewing detail, chevron design

Correspondence Basket

I put together a "Correspondence Basket" for our church basket auction in September.  I wanted to include some watercolor pieces, but I have sold out of those cards- so I printed off some copies at home and added a little stitching detail.

Current obsession: striped bakers twine.  Rather than spend the money at a scrapbook store, I found a package of twelve colors at TJ Maxx.

I had a different post planned for today- but then my mother, one of my faithful blog followers (I have two), e-mailed me some pictures and included one of the card/packaging for her Mother's day gifts.  

So, thanks, Mom, for the photo of your Chevron card (and polka dot washi tape- another current obsession!)  Most of the time I am trying so hard to get the card made and mailed in time, I don't always remember to document- even though that is one of the main purposes of this blog.

Just like my last post, this one takes a winding little path.

Months ago I was playing with wedding invitation designs.  This is one of the samples I came up with:

I didn't get to see it used as a wedding invitation, but I have started using the Chevron design more for smaller projects.  It has really made a resurgence in scrapbooking, home decor and even nail (as in, manicures) design.

For commissioned work, I came up with this note card design.  The client wanted to give personalized note cards as a high school graduation present; and after discussing the project, this seemed perfect.  The design is clean, not too girly, but has some color.

I've since tweaked the colors and sizes for other cards, including a birthday tag and gift tags (Mother's Day and pregger roomie gift, both not pictured).

I'm working at saving time when I can use designs I already have versus creating something new, and utilizing Chevron right now when it is still so popular allows me to focus on those "something new" details for other projects.

If you give a mouse a cookie...

I sat at the computer the other night to print out a couple signs for church.  Five minutes, max, to type, print, cut and frame.  

As I saw the files I had left open, I realized I could print a sticker for a birthday present instead of making a tag.  So I wrapped, taped, typed, printed, adhered.

The table was a bit messy, so I started putting everything out in its place and realized I should just make the labels for my drawers I've been meaning to put up for awhile.  That also meant I had to rummage through the drawers and make sure each was properly labeled.

So I found in the "Scrapbook Paper" drawer something that didn't belong: a wrapped gift.  For the life of me I could not remember what it was, or who it was for.  

After I carefully used an X-acto blade to open the wrapping- then I sat down to the computer and finally made the signs.

Five minutes.

For a fun but simple card/tag, I combined two of my favorite things right now: Chevron design and washi tape!