I have a modest stack of these valentines now listed in the shop. $5 for a pack of 24. For Moulin Rouge fans on an inkjet printer strike, like me. : )

The latest issue of LA Times Magazine had a neat spread on vintage matchboxes. I was easily able to locate the article online, so now I share with you.

And my sense of humor must be very primary, because I’m seeing that “Bullock’s Tea Rooms” matchbox and thinking of the word “bollocks,” which is a very funny word to me, especially when said in a British accent. Kai is in a potty-mouth phase right now, though fortunately most offenses have been done at home. Pee-pee, poh-poohh! would come out of his mouth at the most random times, and then I have to try real hard to contain a giggle so that I’m able to keep up the appearance of being a perfect example. Hopefully I’ll be more mature when he learns wiener, otherwise I don’t stand a chance.

A little last minute, like many things, but a new card design for the shop is in the works. I’ll also soon be listing these cards from last year, precut and professionally printed. I’m sort of on an ink cartridge strike right now (replacing ink every couple of months is kind of ridiculous, and I’d rather spend the money on sushi or downloading Battlestar Galactica episodes because I’m too impatient for my Netflix, you know?), but the cards are still available here.

Hope the free download makes up for the wonky blog as of late. Ryan moved everything to a new server, and the blog said, no way –  I am now going to bombard all your reader subscribers with random comments. And then I said, oh no, how could you? Can we just go back to the way things were? So I think things are now on the mend.

Over the next few weeks, I am participating in the online Poppy Talk Handmade Market along with dozens of artists, crafters, and designers. Make sure to check it out — it’s a great way to get some Christmas shopping done in one place for one-of-kind items by independent artists.

In other news, I am hurting to do some Christmas crafting but must tackle an amazing load of freelance work right now. A blessing, really, but life suddenly got exponentially busier. Paper chains, advent calendars, and pipe-cleaner garlands, I will get to you I will.

And lastly, Dax ate his very first (vegan) cupcake a couple weeks ago. Poor child of mine. Never knew what he was missing, and it showed when he went for seconds and thirds. He is his mother’s son.

Winter is very, very far away from the California coast. Just last week we were at the beach. But I can dream about bundling up in layers of tights, boots, scarves, and mittens and walking through crunchy white snow. It seems like an entirely different life when I was a little girl growing up in Chicago, but I will always remember the snow. And the wonder I felt seeing the year’s first snowflakes fall out of the sky.

Care to download my free snowflake notecards? These are little, one-sided flat cards that would fit into an A2-size envelope. For personal use only, of course.

{top photo via Feaverish}

Our next big Relief Society activity is only a week away and my mind has been pretty preoccupied with all the party details, so I wanted to design an invitation that had no post-printing work involved: no folding, ribbon tying, stuffing into envelopes, etc. The result is a full-color, double-sided, 5″ square invitation.

And big props to my darling friend Angela who happily obliged to get dressed up and nails painted red (and hands dirtied with pumpkin guts!) for our little photo shoot.

A roundup of things that stood out to me this week:

Pretty plates – I know exactly where I’d hang these in my kitchen.

Typographic calendar – Love the design, love the concept.

School and office supplies – This store makes me wish I can rummage through my grandma’s old house and take home with me items I took for granted growing up.

Vintage circus posters – Isn’t the typography rad?

This dress – I’m a sucker for clothing with animals printed on it. P.S.: The price tag is ridiculous.

And last, but not least, my ultimate favorite thing this week:

Testimony about the Book of Mormon (QuickTime video) – This year marks the 10th year I’ve been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This talk by Jeffrey R. Holland touched me to the core and was especially poignant because the Book of Mormon is very dear to me, and was instrumental in my decision to join the church. Hearing his testimony made me recall all the feelings I had when investigating the church, and rekindled that same fire I felt reading the Book of Mormon for the first time. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.

{Pic of Kai above trying to hop into some beached kayaks at Harbor Cove}

I celebrated the completion (for now) of my store by indulging in cupcakes from Vanilla Bake Shop that Raya picked up from LA. Not only are they “Mmmm! Ishes!” as Dax would say, but their mini cupcakes will compel you clap your hands and say yay.

And. This is the most awkward segue ever. But now I’m going to tell you to enter the giveaway for my goods at Simple Blueprint: two winners, any item in my store for your choosing. Good luck, and huge thanks to Joanna for being a kind host!

ENTER GIVEAWAY!

Hello, I’m back. I ducked in last Friday to slap on an “open for business” sign, then quickly left. I had been glued to my computer for so long, my hands were beginning to lose their unique human properties and nearly fused themselves with the keyboard and mouse. Scary.

I owe Ryan majorly for a couple of late nights he spent running the press and cutting my stationery down. And for adhering to an unreasonable production schedule that only a wife can get away with. Also, a huge thanks to Raya for taking product shots of my prints.

So I’m going to switch gears now and share with you a free download. This evening, I was working on an “e-” version of a save-the-date card for an upcoming church activity (recycling an old illustration of mine):

And it came to mind that this would make the perfect Halloween download. So if you could use some stationery for a fall or Halloween-themed event, click here to download a printable PDF. The design has no text or copy so you can customize it for your own use.

Happy fall!

More products to be added to the shop over the next week!

I should be working. Instead, I am procrastinating by taking pictures of my work mess (it looked so pretty) and blogging it. But procrastination or not, I will be opening up shop next Friday. Yup.

Too much work and not enough play makes me dull and grumpy, so I am super excited to attend the free screening of Coco Before Chanel at the Skirball next Wednesday. Free! Raya is coming with and hopefully some other girlfriends of mine. I just need to lay the pressure on thickly and/or bribe with free babysitting. Yes, I think free babysitting will break them.

Thanks to Rubyellen for the heads up about the event. She’s also doing a giveaway (ends tomorrow) for free tickets to the Skirball, so if you’re local, make sure you click your way over to her blog. Last year, we took the boys to the Noah’s Ark exhibit and they loved it.

I’ve decided I’m going to start designing and selling stationery again. I tried to stay away, but I just can’t help it. I’m aiming to reopen Ambrosia Paperie in mid-September with brand new products, so I’ll probably be losing my mind and possibly hair over the next few weeks.

A friend of mine recently shared a tip from Dr. Sear’s The Discipline Book that uses a ticket reward system for young children, as an alternative to a star chart. Our method differs a little from Dr. Sears’ in that we use the tickets in conjunction with 1-2-3 Magic, and Kai’s ultimate goal is to have three tickets at dinnertime, but I think it’s working. Score 1 for mom! (Or -1 for that awful run-on sentence.)

I designed these with our objective of three in mind, but if you’re interested in downloading what Kai dubbed ‘Happy Tickets’ click here for the PDF file.

Further showing off some handmade goods, since I’ve nothing better to do this fine Sunday afternoon. I ought to be sleeping with the rest of the household, but Ryan’s beastly snores have caused me to flee the bedroom into the comforting arms of my second lover, the computer.

Another stab-bound card, this time for Father’s Day. A last minute idea inspired by my three-year-old’s persistent, “go get ‘em!” attitude. If I continue to use Kai’s soundbites as greeting card material, my next one will read “I’m going to kill you!” In all-caps. Blazing red. Superimposed on top of a photograph of someone to be revered and respected, like the Pope. (And there was some dispute today on whether he said “kill” or “shoot.” It was indeed “kill.” And it was said very loud during a very quiet sacrament meeting.)

I think I sound grumpy, so I should attempt a nap again, or bake some cookies.

And nail polish color of the week is purple.

{Headband pic by sis-in-law Anna}

This is the wedding anniversary card/booklet I made for Ryan. Was very fun to create because I haven’t done Japanese stab-binding since my book-arts class in college (explains my crooked stitching, ha). And it’s especially cathartic to create something tactile with your hands, as opposed to clicking around with a computer mouse and designing on a headache-inducing computer screen.

I printed out my design onto a leftover 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of Eames architecture paper I had on hand. Note: This Eames paper is very soft and tissue-like, so if printing on an ink jet, make sure to use the fine or photo setting. I didn’t, and as a result, my small copy plugged up and bled a little. The two booklet pages fit on the one (and only, arg!) sheet, each page measuring 5″x7″. The very last page is just a 5″x7″ photograph spray-mounted onto kraft-colored cardstock for sturdiness.

I think stab-binding looks fairly impressive and intricate, but it really is one of the simplest methods of bookbinding. There are a bunch of great tutorials out there on the interwebs, including Melissa’s, who is a pro at book-arts.

My latest design for an upcoming Enrichment activity; a Saturday morning committed to making quilts, quilts, and blankets. Hence the loads of fabric I bought yesterday.

One of the things I really wanted this mother’s day was to make a Lizzie Fortunato-ish necklace or bracelet. Of course that entails me going to the craft store alone and some quiet time piecing my spoils together. Heaven! So here is my knock-off prototype.

And here’s the real deal.

And lastly, mother’s day isn’t quite over for me yet — I’ve asked Ryan to take me to Sprinkles this Friday. I hear it’s supposed to change your life. My own homemade cupcakes are pretty kick-a*$, so I better not be disappointed!

{images via Lizzie Fortunato Jewels and Refinery 29}

Wrapping up the artist interviews this week is my friend Raya Carlisle, the creative mind behind the blog The Paper Pony. Out of all my blogging friends interviewed, Raya is the only one I actually know in person, so I can tell you that she is every bit as beautiful as her work is!

Describe to us your work:
I’m a wedding photographer by profession, but love all types of art: painting, drawing, collaging, sewing, design…I could just make things all day.

I’ve learned that being a stay-at-home mom and business owner/artist does not have to be mutually exclusive. How do you maintain a balance between the two?
Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they hear a child screaming (always out of joy, of course, ha) and a dog barking in the background. I talk a lot about staying at home with Baker and just try to make it part of my story. Thankfully I’m in an industry where it’s all about connecting on a personal level with my clients so I think they can appreciate that I’m a mom first and photographer second.

We as mom’s are always producing: a clean home, food for our families, fun activities for our kids, so for me to have some time to produce for myself is so refreshing and I crave it. I’ve have definitely thought about quitting my photography business on those days where I just don’t know how I’m going to get those photos edited or answer those emails, but then I go shoot a wedding and I get a renewed sense of fulfillment and confidence from doing something I’m good at and that I love.

Thank you for sharing Raya!

(All images by Raya Carlisle)

A new day, and another lovely mother and artist to interview. If you haven’t already been acquainted with her, let me introduce you to Melissa Esplin of the fabulous blog IS-LY!