merry christmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!
Luke 2:10-11

joy to the world (2011 christmas cards)

Can you hear that? It's yours truly heaving a big old sigh of relief.

The gifts have been bought, our six night stretch of social events is behind us, we've finally made peace with the fact that amidst our kitchen reno there will be no Christmas tree (but there IS a nativity set, which is way more important), and most importantly the cards have gone out.

Ah yes, the Christmas cards. All 125 cards for my design business clients and vendors, 75 photo cards for family and close friends, and of course the inevitable 100 cards that my in-laws ask me to do for them. And then there's the batch that were not yet addressed which my husband thoughtfully mailed for me. The first day that they started coming back to me, my little heart skipped a beat when I thought that someone else also thought to send out teal envelopes at Christmas. Not so. And so began another afternoon of card assembling.

Last year's cards were all about rich materials and metallics. This year, I wanted to make them a little more fun and light-hearted. Attached to the cards are some gift tags which you can slip over the neck of a bottle (or hang on a gift). But the real gift is a donation I make on my clients' behalf to a worthy cause. Because seriously who needs another canister of mixed nuts?
 

I look forward to designing these cards all year. In fact, I just may have plans for next year's cards already. And secret decoder glasses *may* be part of the package. But truth be told, I want my dining room table back. It's been covered with paper goods, cutting tools, envelopes, ball-chains, and drywall dust (thanks to a well-timed kitchen reno) for the past month.

So in celebration of having the cards in the mail (and hopefully in many of your mailboxes by now), I write this post.

What about you? If you could have a hanging wine card say anything you wanted, what would it say? Come on... dish! The top submissions will be created and sent to those who submitted them in a care package by yours truly. Once I've recovered from Christmas, that is.

Cheers!

shut your pie hole (and other MYOB cards)

A dear friend of mine (let's call her "Sassy") and her husband have chosen to grow their family through adoption. Recently, Sassy posted the following message on her Facebook: "I love these cards! I needed them last week when a cashier asked me, "What happened to his mom? Did she just leave??" Her post was accompanied by a link to the cards immediately below by artist and adoptive parent Jodi Queenan: (To my designer friends, please excuse the indiscretionary use of Zapfino. This post gets better, I promise...)

My immediate response to Sassy, who I have named appropriately, was that she needed something a little "sassier." If you know Sassy, you'd understand that cards with birds, hearts, and kindly-phrased sentiments on adoption would not be the first thing she might dole out to a prying cashier. I decided to whip together some modified cards for her (not available for sale – please note that these are intentionally designed to look like the original cards by Jodi Queenan, and I am in no way claiming creative license to them). Because truthfully, getting Sassy to laugh is on my weekly bucket list.

Behold, I share with you the Sassy-inspired "MYOB" cards... complete with grocery bag mini envelopes to discretely hold (and seal) your special message while you make your exit. With a smile on your face.

All of this has of course gotten me thinking about a whole line of passive-aggressive notes that could be handed out in similar situations by not only adoptive parents, but by parents with large families ("Are they ALL yours!?"), mothers of children with abnormally large heads ("Did you deliver him naturally? Once you've had a baby like that, you're NEVER the same..."), and of course to parents who insist on showing off their extraordinary parenting skills while your toddler chooses to forget his words and simply grunt ("Haven't you heard of the Elimination Communication Method? Our Anabelle has been potty-trained since she was THREE months old!). Myself, I've personally found myself in two out of three of these scenarios: I have just one child who looks like Charlie Brown, and still wears diapers at 2 years old.

What about you? If you could have a passive-aggressive note on hand, what would it say? Who would be the lucky recipient? Please share your comments... the lucky winner(s) may receive custom notes of their own. Grin.

guess whooo!

Guess whooo's having a baby? (hint: it's not me!)

My good friend Jeanne is having her first baby this June. I may not be much of a baker, but I can make a mean baby shower invitation. I decided to have some fun with the scratch-offs and woodland creatures. Each of the invitations requires the recipient to scratch the tree stump to reveal who the shower is for. They were mailed in gorgeous chocolate brown envelopes from Paper Source with a shiny penny inside for scratching!

Isn't this cream felt-finish paper gorgeous? It handled the ink beautifully, and gave the invitations a lovely, natural quality. Delish!

As for the cupcakes, I'll be commissioning the ever-so-talented Diana Gawet from DG Cupcakes to make these charming treats. I can't wait to see them!

Have a hoot today!

tiny cards

I hope that you had a fabulous holiday!

This afternoon I happened to spy some great lighting conditions in my oh-so-favorite green room, and I quickly started snapping. It was quite a scene, as it always is when I'm trying to make the most of good light. If you were to turn your head to the right of the frame, you'd see stacks of paper, fabric, tins, and more... the aftermath of each shot quickly set aside. Complete chaos is created in order to capture a photograph with any semblance of order. Go figure.

I'm used to working fast. I'm a working mom with a two-year-old, so free time is not part of my vocabulary. Add to that the short days and sunless winter weather in our beloved state of Michigan, and my photo shoots usually happen on my way out the door to work, or in between pouring bowls of cereal and re-filling the aforementioned toddler's sippy cup. Today though, it just so happened that the optimal lighting conditions also lined up with naptime. In other words, the stars aligned.

Here's a sneak peek at some tiny cards I'll soon be posting to my Etsy store. They are 2" x 3.5" tent-fold cards paired with darling coin envelopes, and will be available in sets of ten. I'm still looking for some good names for them, so feel free to throw any thoughts my way. :)

Have a light-filled day,

shine on.

I love to combine unconventional materials with paper. Every year, I send a hand-made card to my clients for my design business. By hand-made, I don't mean rubber-stamping and glitter. This year, however, there was a glue-gun involved. And round mirrors. And gold paper. Really, what's not to love about that combination? If you're looking for a way to add interest to your cards, sometimes it's as simple as a trip to the craft or hardware store... and looking at everyday things with a fresh pair of eyes.

Truth be told, I spend months thinking about my cards, and then another month putting them together. They're a labor of love, and I take great pride in them and in what they stand for. You see, every year in lieu of a client gift that either gets consumed (can you say chocolate, cheap wine, cheese and empty calories?) or tossed, I give a donation to a charity on my clients' behalf. For the past two years, this has been Highland Park Community Outreach in Detroit. They provide free programs and support to kids in an impoverished neighborhood of Detroit, and offer free sports camps and clinics to teach teamwork and other skills. They truly shine in a place where there seems to be little hope, and bring joy and truth to the lives of many kids!

This Christmas and in the year ahead, may you shine in your own world as well!