Wednesday, February 27, 2008

newest addition to the portfolio

i have had my nose to the paper, so to speak, for the past couple of weeks working with a bride who is having a nature inspired ceremony in august in an open chapel on the top of a mountain in the woods.

the ceremony sounds so beautiful and we decided that the beauty of the space will clearly speak for itself, so the best we could do was highlight that beauty in her invitations.

we are still working on the design for the invites, but here is the final save-the-date. i think it turned out just lovely.




the text is digitally printed on cream cardstock that is smooth as butter. this is mounted on a dark gold metallic cardstock. finally, i stamped two skeleton leaves in the corner using a deep gold metallic ink. the envelopes match the cream cardstock.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

just call me the urban crafting cowgirl


i have a new chair in my studio. it looks, uh, a bit odd...but i can forgive it that since it is is such an amazing chair.

basically, the saddle design, forces you to sit upright so that you aren't slumping your back. and since it is adjustable, i can match it to the height i need for typing on the laptop, and then adjust it back to the height i need to work on paper crafts.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

sitting in saratoga springs

DH is a graduate of skidmore college in saratoga springs, ny. a few times a year, he travels out to the college for some meetings and i usually join him so i can sit in my favorite coffee shop and do work.

the first time i was here, a few years ago, it was a snowy, cozy day. the shop was smaller then; busting from its seams with college students, parents with rosy cheeked toddlers and townies; all sidling up to the bar for steaming cups of lattes, hot chocolates and the occasional bagel. at the extreme risk of over-romanticizing, it felt like the air was spiked with an intoxicating combination of comfort and possibility that morning.

since my last visit, the place has been renovated and they have taken over the space next door. the extra room was needed but i can't help but feel a little less enchanted.

oh well, at least in the new space there are outlets at every table.


--

if you are in or near saratoga springs today, i will be in the back corner of UncommonGrounds working until 3:00.

enjoy your saturday.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

happy valentine's day!

(here is the other card i made for the weddingbee valentine's card swap...


(no kitties were harmed in the making of this card)

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

valentines

i participated in the weddingbee valentines card swap this year. i ended up making about 10 valentines, using two different designs.

the first one used a quote i saw in a recent 'real simple' magazine that stated the human heart beats 100,000 times daily.



the sentiment says 'hope this valentine's day someone makes your heart skip a beat'

i ended up making a few versions of this card using different colors of card stock and varied sayings. the one i made for DH says, 'looks like mine just skipped a beat'.

further along in the process, i made a card with a line of tiny cut out hearts with one 'missing'; the inside of the card had the missing heart and i used the same sentiment, 'looks like mine just skipped a beat'. i didn't get a picture of it, which is frustrating because i actually liked it more than the one above...but hopefully you get the picture.

tomorrow i will post the other valentine design i sent out.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

sunday afternoon project

my studio space has a small closet that i have used for the past year as a dumping ground for anything and everything that i just didn't feel like looking at anymore.

last week, in preparation for the cable guy (long story) i had to clear out the closet, so DH and i decided it was as good a time as any to look into getting some shelves.



i had visions of something with many more bells and whistles, but when it all boiled down, full sized, straight shelves were exactly what i needed.

now i can casually toss things i don't feel like looking at into a much more organised space.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

in memoriam

a close friend of mine, who was the matron-of-honor in my wedding, asked me to help create a memorial card for a close friend of hers who's father passed away unexpectedly last year.

she wanted to send a card, but she wanted it to be something a bit more than 'just a card'; something that would show she was thinking of her friend and her friend's family.

when i started LimoncelloSTYLE, it never occurred to me that my services could be used for anything other than the items surrounding social events; which tend to fall more towards the upbeat end of the emotional scale.

i was honored that i was asked to help with something that was so personal and meaningful and i found it a humble reminder of the importance of using our gifts.


the picture on the card is a satellite image of the family's farm that i altered in photoshop.

Friday, February 1, 2008

training wheels

1 brief stop at joanne fabrics to pick up fabric scissors and a spool of white thread

+

2 minutes removing cardboard and tape from machine

+

10 minutes of setting up and loading a bobbin

+

20 minutes of setting up and loading the spool of thread

+

4 years of home economics with mrs. lynch albeit 19 years ago

=


one happy husband who is overjoyed that the velcro strips on the laundry bag are finally reattached after 15 months of being broken (which thereby caused havoc every time the bag fell to the floor).


gotta start somewhere!




this was my test 'hem'

i <3 valentines

i just received my valentine from miss penguin over at weddingbee as part of their valentine card swap. it is so lovely i just had to share.






i am pretty sure the box and the card were gocco'd, which just makes me covet one even more! underneath the quilled paper hearts (which all have valentines messages) are necco candy hearts.

-- pay no mind to the fact that all of my pink necco hearts are mysteriously missing : ^ ) --

what is your favorite candy heart color?