:: with a cherry on top ::

** edited to add this little bit of adorableness, intended to distract you from all the crankiness that follows below: after he saw this picture of me evan asked me to take a picture of him and his belly. so that's what we're going to go do. **

{ tele-flection: i couldn't resist snapping a quick shot as i walked past the TV yesterday }

damn. damn. damn. i am still pregnant.

i know i'm only 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant and i know i have no actual right to think that i've been pregnant forever and that i will be pregnant until i die a slow, painful, unwieldy death. but all i want right now is to be unpregnant.

and if i can't have that, then what i want second most is to curl up in bed with some distractions and my TV remote and stay there until the baby comes.

my pregnancy with evan was all roses and sunshine and i was all sweet-talk and long walks and happiness. i was, as they say, glowing. and my pregnancy with this one? it's more like shooting pains and uterine cramps and canceling plans and oh-dear-god-baby-get-out-of-me-now.

please please please!

:: holidays are in the air (and a note on black friday specials in the shop) ::

i listed some new holiday items in the shop today. the stuff i've been listing lately is a bit of a departure for me -- a lot more hand-illustration in particular and a new take on color combinations (see below) -- and i have to say i'm happy with the direction things are going.

today i added five illustrated holiday cards (pictured above) and two different gift tag sets. go check them out.

also, i'm not really having any big sale this weekend, but i am offering free secondary shipping on all holiday items in the shop. that means holiday items ship free when shipped with something else.

ENJOY!

:: Creative Commons ::

in light of all the food i'll be eating tomorrow (baby has dropped, making thanksgiving a much less depressing day for me), i thought these amazing photos by cathy cullis seemed just right for today's creative commons post.

both of these images are subject to the following creative commons license restrictions: you can copy, distribute, and transmit the work PROVIDED YOU attribute them to their original owner, do not use them for commercial purposes, and do not alter, transform, or build upon the work.

:: memo ::

in eighth grade i had this english teacher. one of those teachers who transforms your world view. a teacher who has you reading and loving and, gasp!, understanding shakespeare when it's not on the curriculum until ninth grade when your much blander teacher will give you the watered down, translated version of romeo juliet that you will listen to on tape and thoroughly despise.

one of the most memorable projects from english with this dream teacher was the poetry project, and one of the most memorable elements from the poetry project was the memo poem.

it was a poem in the form of a memo written to all of the things we were thankful for.

so today, in honor of (american) thanksgiving, my gift to you is a memo poem printable (the pdf file prints 3 memos to a page, each memo is about 3" by 7"). download it, print it out and have everyone fill one out at dinner. or use it as a thank you note throughout the year! whatever you do with it, i hope you enjoy it.

and know that i'm thankful for you.

:: orders out, shop in order ::

{orders assembled and stacked}

{sending out 28 desk calendars and some feelgood cards}

i'm not sure what it means that my shop is far more prepared for this baby's birth than any other aspect of my life. i've spent the last few weeks listing new items, preparing for the holidays, printing and cutting and assembling inventory, and getting everything organized for when i've got orders coming in and a newborn crying in my ear while i play with a toddler.

i'm hoping that it means i'm just naturally ready for the baby. this second time around maybe i'm just more confident that she'll come and it will be hard but not as hard as last time and we'll get through it. she's got some clothes. she's got a place to sleep. i'm pretty sure she's got diapers. maybe i'm just not as worried about the chaos in my real life as i am about the chaos in my business life.

or maybe it's just that i know that if i have chaos in my business life i'm going to have that much MORE chaos (and stress!) in my day-to-day life.

:: handmade holiday help - part II ::

okay, folks. more of my favorite handmade items for the holidays. some of these links will be for tutorials so you can make your own gifts. some will be to wonderful handmade things i've found on etsy or cosa verde or elsewhere. you can find part I here.

so let the round-up begin...

(starting from large image and going clock-wise)
1. midair earrings from theintuitivegarden
2. pomegranate soap from anderson soap company (vegan friendly)
3. pincushion organizer tutorial (from oh fransson!)
4. cupcakes letterpress print from yeehaw

(starting from large image and going clock-wise)
5. plate transfer tutorial from design sponge
6. linen clutch with rose from quiltish (by alissa jacobs)
7. cashmere baby legwarmer tutorial from etsy's storque blog
8. mini file box made with vintage record album covers from freestyle gifts

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ETSY LISTINGS: if you click on one of these and it says "sold out," do check out the rest of the shop because more often than not the same item has been relisted. it's kind of a silly quirk about the best way for sellers to use etsy but it can be misleading and confusing.

:: background patterns ::

i've been getting a lot of emails lately asking for all kinds of sourcing information: where do i get this paper, where do i get that whatever else. and sometimes i don't mind sharing the info and sometimes i do. and sometimes i'm sort of insulted.

like my new patterns. that i drew in a sketchbook. and imported onto the computer. and worked very hard on. to create by myself. someone recently asked me where i found those patterns because she wanted to go download them for her own design work. and i responded nicely even though i kind of wanted to tell her where to find those patterns: IN MY SHOP AND PLEASE KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF, LADY.

but anyway, that's not the point of this post. in fact the point of this post is actually to share a resource i stumbled upon last night while i was not sleeping and wishing i didn't have pains shooting down my legs (a resource for background patterns that is oh so creatively called bgpatterns.com, but hey, at least it makes sense). i don't use it for my design work or anything, but it's a super easy tool for non-designers to use to create very cool background images for websites and other similar applications. and when i say super easy i mean SUPER easy. there's a library of images to use, some textures to play around with.

it's as easy as reading this blog post, just with a little bit more clicking. now go enjoy.

:: Creative Commons ::

[ Mad Hatter Tea Cups by thewamphyri ]

i was pleased to stumble upon this lovely creative commons photo the other day on flickr. i'm going to print it out and hang it in the baby's room, i think. the colors are similar to the colors in her quilt, and i love the movement. i think it's fun and seems just right for a kid's room, don't you think?

what will YOU use it for?

(please click through to find specific license restrictions for this image.)

:: some help, please ::

i've been toying with the idea of offering calling cards in the shop. it's something i intended to do back in the spring when things were a little bit slower in the shop and i had a bit of spare time still. but a custom order for some business cards led me to play around with some of the patterns i recently designed for my 2010 illustrated desk calendar and the next thing i knew, i had some calling cards mocked up.

but now i want to know: whaddaya think? not of the designs, per se, although i'd love to hear about that, too. but what do you think about calling cards. would you use them? do you currently?

:: ready ::

i distinctly remember saying once, after evan was born, that i missed being pregnant. i assure you right now: i will not say that this time. i am so freaking ready for this child to come. in my moments of greatest pain and discomfort i have considered reaching up in there and yanking that child out with my bare hands.

i was hoping that working on this sweet little baby's sweet little quilt would be a welcome distraction, but just pin-basting it last night i had to take two breaks. and it's only about a square yard in size.

if anyone out there knows how to remove one's own baby before going into labor, please let me know. i'd really appreciate it.

(p.s. can i just say how much better wood floors are than carpet? sandwiching and basting the quilt at our old place used to be a nightmare but this was super easy (except for the pains shooting down my leg and the fact that my belly was hanging down all pendulous over my pajama pants). hooray for hardwoods.)

:: handmade holiday help - part I ::

in the spirit of the upcoming season, and even more in the spirit of this post, i thought i would spend the next few weeks sharing some of my favorite handmade items for the holidays. some of these links will be for tutorials so you can make your own gifts. some will be to wonderful handmade things i've found on etsy or cosa verde or elsewhere.

so let the round-up begin...

(starting from large image and going clock-wise)
1. letterpress coasters from louella press
2. aquarium-themed magnet tutorial from the purl bee
3. book apple (from freshtea's flickrstream but find the tutorial here at cheeky magpie)
4. men's scarf from smitten kitchen originals

(starting from large image and going clock-wise)
5. faux bois tea towel from urbanposture
6. grey felt brooch from aaliciaaccessories
7. applique pillows tutorial from design sponge
8. wild grape jam from mirasol farm

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ETSY LISTINGS: if you click on one of these and it says "sold out," do check out the rest of the shop because more often than not the same item has been relisted. it's kind of a silly quirk about the best way for sellers to use etsy but it can be misleading and confusing.

:: Creative Commons ::

i've been amazed how much beautiful photography there is out there that's licensed under a creative commons license (meaning it's available for you to download and use (legally!) in various applications). i've been featuring images on my now-on-hiatus design blog but now i'm bringing that feature over to up up, the blog.

please click through to find specific license restrictions for an image.

[ snow cap by UNIFORM Studio ]

:: more new stuff ::

i really am a woman possessed these days. i've recently listed six MORE new items in the shop: five new personalized stationery sets and one greeting card. i won't link to each individually; suffice it to say you can find them all here.

:: by me for me ::

i sat knitting in my psychologists's office the other day. when he came out he asked, a little surprised, "you're a knitter?" and the thing is, apparently now i am. there's something about knitting (and, incidentally, watching crime shows (CSI, law and order, without a trace)) that soothes my anxiety and depression like nothing else. who knows. something about the rhythm, the way it requires concentration but also allows me to zone out. i used to find knitting stressful but this recent brain-hormone-mess-whatever has taken me and knitting to some new place.

so anyway, the newest thing on my needles isn't for the baby. it's not a christmas gift. it's a present for me. i'm calling it the flat belly sweater because it's a sweater for me for after the baby's born. not that my belly will be flat right away, but it won't be basketballish anymore, and that will be nice.

very nice.

i was 12 inches into this sweater last week when i had to rip it all out. the pattern is designed with negative ease (meaning the finished garment for your size will actually be smaller than your actual measurements so that it will be fitted) and i'm okay with the fitted look but i decided that right after the baby's born i might want something with a little more room. so now i'm almost back to where i was. i hope to have it done by thanksgiving. when it's done i'll post pics, although i won't be modeling it for awhile.

:: my little shop is growing up ::

as much as it's making me super duper busy and a little bit insane, i'm really enjoying putting new products in my shop lately.

(like these illustrated desk calendars)
(and these personalized gift sets)

it's fun to see ideas i've had for a long time finally come to fruition, and it makes me feel like my little shop is maturing and growing and that i am, too. (and the good news? i've still got some tricks up my sleeve so look for other fun new items in the shop over the next few months!)

:: work and packages ::

holy crap i'm exhausted. i'm one part pregnant one part overworked and the result itsn't too pretty. it's 10:18 pm on sunday night and i just finished the third thing on yesterday's to-do list. i just packaged and addressed and otherwise prepped a whole slew of orders that i had hoped to send yesterday. at least they're all ready to go now and i can start the week with a somewhat clean slate.

in terms of shipping anyway.

because i was also supposed to have a whole bunch of new items in the shop yesterday. and the list goes on from there. plus oh yeah, did i mention that we need to do things like find the infant carseat and baby bottles and stuff? cause there's that, too.

but really i'm just complaining because it's late. and i'm tired. and i wanted to spend some time this weekend working on small shop details, like packaging. instead, i gathered some inspiration in a few moments of down time. and now i'm going to share that with you. because as i always tell evan, it feels good to share.



1. New Product and New Packaging, 2. ▪ ▪ ▪ ViVá & Erva Cidreira, 3. 3 x 4 Doodler Crown Binders, 4. Packaging, 5. Pretty Polka Dots, 6. Soap Sack Soap Collection, 7. from http://gingeroni1.etsy.com, 8. Packaging melpdesigns, 9. Nice package

:: etsyversary week, day five: comments make me happy ::

your comments this week have been making me so happy, as your comments here on the blog always do. (i have a friend who wants me to make "will blog for comments" t-shirts - i think she's onto something.) so for today's etsyversary week free download i made some buttons for your own blog. you can download each of the three separately in two different formats, as shown below:

scrolly comment button: jpg || png
typophile comment button: jpg || png
dash-line comments button: jpg || png

i hope you enjoy and as always, feel free to share this blog post with your friends.

:: etsyversary week, day FOUR! ::

among the more popular printable items in my shop are my recipe cards. so for today's free diy printable i made an etsy-orange printable recipe card file for you. with the nice dark-and-light orange combo, they'd make a lovely hostess gift for thanksgiving, eh? simply download the file here then print, cut, and give.

:: day three: hooray! ::

it's day three of etsyversary week, friends, and today i've got something a little different to share. download the file here and enjoy.

:: day two ::

today's freebie is a little desktop wallpaper to brighten your office or home. i have it available in two different aspect ratios: 1600px by 1200px and 1280px by 800px. go to "all sizes" above the picture to download the original size and set it as your desktop background. then bask in the bright orangey goodness.

(as i've said before, i've never been able to figure out how to make perfect wallpaper. when i design it in illustrator or photoshop it always looks gorgeous and crisp and perfect and no matter the type or size of file i save i never can get it as beautiful as i want it. but enjoy this nonetheless. it's still pretty darn good.)

:: halloween in pictures & words ::

[ can you guess which pumpkin is mine? ]

i've always thought halloween was fun, but man halloween was fun this year. evan, not quite two and a half years old, was so into it. he looked on the internet with daddy to find a pumpkin carving he wanted to do. he helped me draw the picture on the pumpkin (i.e. he held the pen with me) and then helped the entire time daddy carved it. he pulled out pumpkin guts and then basked in the spooky glow of his lit pumpkin when it was all done.

and the costume thing? so into it. he helped me buy the fabric and pick out the buttons. and when it was all done he kept giving me spontaneous hugs. he went as fireman sam, his absolute favorite TV character (leave it to our kid to fall in love with a welsh children's television show; admittedly he is a dead ringer for the red-headed title character) and here we are two days later and he won't take it off except to eat and sleep. he wore it to the library this morning, the grocery store this afternoon.

and then there's the candy. at each house he gave a confident little "trick or treat please" and then a kind "thank you" (sometimes at our prompting) as he watched more and more candy being dropped into his fire hydrant. (we only went to about ten houses but that's a LOT of candy for a two-year-old!) when we got home he piled his booty on the floor and chose a few pieces to try. he's never been into candy at all but he's definitely enjoying trying all the different bars and bites.

yesterday he cried a little bit telling daddy, "i want halloween to come back." so freaking cute.

** worthy of note: i made this costume using fleece. smartest thing EVER because it took a total of six or seven seams for both the pants AND the jacket. fleece doesn't ravel so you don't need hems. i highly recommend you consider this for costumes in your own future. **

:: one year ::

today is the one-year anniversary of my etsy shop.

i hope it's not overdramatic or strange to say that i'm finding it almost as difficult to reflect back on the last year as i found it to reflect back on my son's first year of life. so much happens and changes in a year. our orientations toward things and events and life itself change. we move. we rethink. some things we wish we could redo. some things we wish we could relive.

suffice it to say that it has been a good year and i'm really proud of my work. i'm continually astounded by how much i enjoy doing this.

so this week is going to be a little bit of a celebratory week. i've got freebies lined up for each day of the week, starting today. as you'll see, all of the freebies are etsy orange. i thought it seemed appropriate.

today's download is a pillowbox. the illustration is actually something i drew by hand for the new desk calendars and then digitized for printing.


use this pillowbox for small gifts, jewelry, gift cards, etc. it's super easy to cut and assemble and i'll bet you find yourself getting addicted to them.

to download and print this for yourself, click on either of the images above or click here.

:: a newsy november first ::

i don't know how many of you read my other blog, each penny pretty, but i've decided to stop writing over there for awhile. between trying to grow my little business and brainstorming new ways to bring in much-needed income for my family and oh yeah this little baby who ought to be appearing sometime in the next seven weeks, each penny pretty has fallen below the minimum priority requirement line.

but the good news is that some of the things i've been doing over there will be migrating over to this little blog. i still really love the idea of featuring amazing creative commons photos, for example, and plan to continue here with my weekly CC post. i've also got plans in the works to feature some more of my indie business peers here on this blog. my way of sort of paying it forward.

anyway, i just thought i'd share the news.

in OTHER news, tomorrow (nov 2) is the one year anniversary of the opening of my etsy shop, so look forward to a whole week of fun celebratory posts this week, 'kay?