Meet Baby Abram

Things have been busy around our neck of the woods lately.  Saturday, November 19th was especially eventful.  At 12:51 in the afternoon the newest member of our family made his debut.  I'd like you to meet Abram Joseph.

He's the sweetest little bundle with the most delicious cheeks.  We can't get enough of him.  He was delivered at home so I have more stories to share, but I'll be saving that for another day (typing with one hand while a babe is in the other is tricky business).  I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving and have as much to be thankful for as me.

How to Be a Pirate

Halloween has always been a bit of a struggle in the costume department as far as decisions go.  There are just so many possibilities that Brady has never been able to decide on just one costume without a lot of convincing.  But this year there was one thing he definitely knew he wanted to be: a pirate. 

I really love making his costumes so we ended up doing a bit of creating and a bit of collecting.  Here's how we made it happen:

• Pirate Hat and Eye Patch: Borrowed from a friend


• Vest: Sewn from the Oliver + S book, Little Things to Sew


• Shirt: J. Crew, from his closet


• Pants: From his closet


• Sash: Cut from an old shirt


• Pirate Loot Bag: Sewn from this tutorial and stamped with a crossbones potato stamp


• Boots: Polarn O. Pyret


• Sword: Target

We also had a bit of fun making this amazingly fast and cute vampire pumpkin that I saw in Martha Stewart Living.  All you do is carve out the mouth area, wedge some vampire teeth into the hole, and add two red-headed pins for the eyes.  Easy and adorable.

For a few Halloween parties we had over the weekend, Brady also dressed up as the old man, Karl Fredrickson, from the movie Up, which was the greatest.  But he did that more for me than as his own idea.  I'll share pictures of that costume and how we put it together on Facebook later today.

How was your Halloween?  Did you or your children dress up?  What were your favorite costumes?

Back to School

Waking up at 6:30 this morning to make a special breakfast for the first day back to preschool was a pretty great way to start the day.  The house was quiet, the day full of potential.  And what better breakfast to have than a batch of homemade doughnuts with a side of blackberries?  I don't think any 4 year old could have wished for more (not to mention me because, of course, I had to help him eat them).  

As a back-to-school gift for his teacher we set aside some of the rainbow-sprinkled doughnut holes. Tossing them into a striped paper bag and adding a tag, we were good to go.  Oh, but not until after the obligatory picture on the front steps.

Seriously, friends: I have the cutest kid.  If it's back-to-school time at your house, too, I hope the year holds fabulous things for you.  And plenty of doughnuts.

Illustrated: Garden Pickings

I'd like to start sharing more of my illustrations with you here on the blog.  So, I'm starting up a new project: a weekly illustration to be shared with you on Fridays of something from my week.  This week was the first week that our garden really started to produce things.  After last year's "learning garden" it's so nice to be able to have a little harvest.  I'm really loving gardening; it's so rewarding.  There were a few peppers ready to be picked, a couple of fat cucumbers (not illustrated) and one lonely radish.  The radishes had a hard time in my garden for some reason...

Most everything we planted are things we're familiar with, so we'll be sure to eat it all.  But there are a few new varieties.  My dears, have you ever heard of a giant marconi pepper?  I don't believe I've ever had one before and I'm curious what to do with it.  Any suggestions?  

Have a lovely weekend!  I hope it's full of little, fun surprises.

What I'm Working on: The New Site

I have exciting news to share today: Lily Jane Stationery has a brand new website.  For some time I've been wanting to create a clean, beautiful site to house my shop.  I had to learn some coding but with a little bit of time, a whole lot of google and a trip to the library, it's all come together so nicely.  Hop on over and have a look.  While you're there, it's the perfect time to sign up for the mailing list yet, if you haven't already.  A new issue will be mailed out soon with sneak previews of fall products and an exclusive discount code.

BABY UPDATE: IT'S A...

Hello, my dears!  I hope you've had a lovely week.  I've been busy working on a web redesign that I'll be sharing with you next week.  I'm so excited to share it with you all.  But I also have one bit of other news before I run off for the weekend, regarding my little bean.  First, it's not quite a tiny bean anymore but is growing by leaps and bounds and a very accomplished (and strong!) kicker.  Second, it's a boy!

We're very excited to have another little boy running around our house.  Brady can't wait for him to hurry up and grow so they can play together.  He's already requested that I "make the baby bigger and take it out so we can play with it, just for a little bit."  We have a few names we're thinking about but haven't been able to agree on one just yet so I was wondering...do you have any suggestions for us?  What names for a baby boy do you love?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  See you back here on Monday.

What I'm Working On: New Business Cards

Recently, I set about designing business cards for myself.  I wanted them to represent everything that is Lily Jane: illustration, color, and slightly whimsical design.  The finished product turned out just as I was hoping and I'm happy to share them with you today.

I simplified the Lily Jane monogram, colored it white and set it against a patterned background of botanical illustrations.  The opposite side has a mustard yellow background, my logo and all of the contact information.  They're really lovely and I'm so happy to have them close at hand and ready to go.

DIY Gift: Homemade Ice Cream

Here's a simple and easy DIY idea for a summery gift everyone is bound to love: homemade ice cream in a jar.  All you need are some supplies that are probably already in your cupboard: a mason jar, a small square of fabric, some ribbon or twine, a tag, and a freshly mixed batch of your favorite ice cream.

Make the ice cream according to the directions and then pour the soft-serve-staged goodness into a clean, empty mason jar.  Put the jar in the freezer for 2-3 hours to allow the ice cream to ripen, or freeze completely.  When you're in need of a gift you can pull it out, place a square of fabric between the lid and the ring, and finish it off with the twine and a tag.  Or, you can always just grab a spoon and help yourself...

Here are some amazing ice cream recipes:

• Strawberry Ice Cream (as pictured above)


• Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream


• Mixed Berries Sorbet


• Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream


• Mango Ginger Frozen Yogurt

What are your favorite frozen treats to make for summer?  

 

What I'm Working On

Hello, my dears!  This week has been a busy one and I'm excited to share with you one of the things I've been working on.  I've introduced a new product to the shop: party kits!  They're full of everything you'll need to put a lovely party together - invitations, goodie bags, bunting, cupcake flags and thank you cards -all packaged together in a kraft box.

There are currently four themes: circus, water, shower and woodland.  I'm kind of in love with that little elephant up there.  

Which one is your favorite?  What theme would you like to see in the future?

Best Project Ever

Hello, my dears!  How are you doing today?  Is the sun shining where you are?  I've opened all the windows in our house and am enjoying the softly warmed breezes floating through the rooms.  After a long rainy season it's like learning the joy of just breathing all over again.

My loves, I have to apologize for leaving you for so long.  It's been a bit of a struggle for me to get everything done of late because I've been busy working on the best type of project.  Care to have a peek?

Yes, there's another little one on its way to our home!  Which means I've been spending alot of time the last few weeks doing absolutely nothing but growing this little bean.  It's worth every bit but definitely sucked me dry of all my energy.  Luckily, we've turned the corner into the second trimester and I'm feeling much more like myself again.  I'll keep you updated with little peeks as we go along.  The new baby is due to make its debut on December 3rd.

Are any of you out there December babies?  How did you feel about having a birthday in the midst of all the holiday merry-making? 

Damask Wedding Invitations

Hello, my dears.  How are you doing today?  I hope the sun is shining where you are.  Rays of light are peeking through the clouds here so I'm taking advantage of it while it lasts, shooting photos of some of the projects I've been working on lately.  Today's project is one I'm particularly excited about because it's my first of it's kind: wedding invitations!

My cousin, Dani, asked if I would be able to design something for her and her fiance, John's wedding.  I was thrilled with the chance and got right to work.  She wanted something that was elegant and traditional with clean lines.  She was also drawn to damask patterns.  She told me that her wedding flowers are calla lilies so I decided to design a damask pattern around a single lily.  The pattern was then printed across the bottom of the invitation.

They were so much fun to design but the best thing is that Dani was really happy with the way they turned out.  Nothing could make me happier than that.  

I'm currently looking to build my portfolio with more wedding invitations and would be happy to offer a deal to the next two or three people I design invitations for.  If you know someone who is getting married and think they might like my style, be sure to point them this way by sending my an email at lilyjanestationery at gmail dot com.

What I'm Working On

WORK:  This week I had the pleasure of designing a baby shower invitation for a good friend whose sister (who I am also friends with) is having a little boy!  Have I told you yet how much fun I have doing custom designs?  It's for a casual, informal get together so I wanted the invitation to reflect that: fun and laid-back.  If you like this design, I have good news: I'm working on more varieties of it right now and they'll be in the shop very soon.

THE HOMEFRONT:  Craig took a little business trip out east this week (so we feel for you, everyone who is buried in snow!) and came back with presents.  He bought me this seed organizer from my favorite shop, The Daytrip Society.  Which means this weekend is the start of planning my summer garden!  Has anyone else started buying seeds yet?  What are you planning on planting?

SOON TO BE:  As I mentioned earlier today, I have some Valentine's tricks up my sleeve.  Specifically something for the little ones.  Keep an eye out...it's coming next week!

DIY: Glassine Birth Announcements

Just a little while ago I came across a challenge to create a DIY birth announcement.  A new packet of glassine bags was sitting in my cupboard, just itching to be used so I put them to work in these very easy, but very sweet birth announcements.  

Just type up the announcement text using your favorite fonts and print it out straight onto the bag.  Then slide your favorite picture of your little one inside and seal it with a little piece of patterned tape.  I would mail these out in colored envelopes, too, of course, so everyone will know just what a special piece of mail it is as soon as they lay eyes on it.

What I'm Working On

WORK: This summer I'd like to participate in some of the local craft fairs and applications are due early.  The first one (Midway Swiss Days) is due this Monday so I've been busy putting products, photos, and paperwork together to send it all off in time.  I've also been finishing up a few products I'll shortly be introducing to the shop, including some wall prints.  I'm having way too much fun working these days.

THE HOMEFRONT: Thanks to one of my fabulous (and generous) friends, I'm finally learning how to knit!  And I've found that there are quite a few ladies in my neighborhood who also love making things like I do.  I'm having too much fun pulling and tucking the threads this way and that and having them consistently come out all beautifully woven together under my needles (well, most of the time...).  It's so thrilling to learn a new skill.

SOON TO BE: I have another project to share with you this next week.  An easy DIY birth announcement.  They're so easy and very sweet.  I can't wait to share it with you next week!

Have a lovely weekend, my dears!  I hope it's a cozy one.

DIY: Groundhog Day Cupcakes

"What holiday is next?" is a question I get asked quite a lot.  Brady's at the age where he's starting to understand holidays and the anticipation surrounding them.  And, of course, he's ready to party all the time.  So when he posed this question after New Year's I had to pause and think for a second...yep, Groundhog Day is next.  

Now, Groundhog Day doesn't carry very many traditions with it, beyond looking for good ole' Phil on the news.  But I thought that this year maybe we could do something a little more.  We've been reading The Big Snow at our house and on the last page the groundhog pokes his head out of the ground and sees his shadow.  Which gave me the idea to make Groundhog Day Cupcakes.

I designed the cupcake toppers and made them into a PDF for you to download and assemble.  Just print the groundhogs, cut them out and sandwich them together with a little glue and a toothpick in the middle.  And remember to save one of your groundhog paper trimmings.  You're going to need it if he sees his shadow this February 2nd...

If it happens to be cloudy on February 2nd and Phil doesn't see his shadow, you can always just slide the groundhog into a plain frosted cupcake.  They'll be just as adorable.  And such a great excuse to eat cupcakes.

What do you do to celebrate Groundhog Day?  Any predictions as to whether or not spring will come early this year?

What I'm Working On

WORK: The last few weeks the holiday rush has slowed down a bit and I've been able to get to work designing again.  My latest projects are these two cards, featuring illustrations of things that just belong together.  They were designed with Valentine's Day in mind but I think they'd also be great for a best friend or anyone you hold dear.

SPOTLIGHT: Have you seen the latest issue of Greetings, etc.?  Take a look at page 20 and you'll see my Ribbon Invitations!  It's Lily Jane Stationery's first magazine feature.  I'm flattered and pretty excited.

THE HOMEFRONT: It's been dinosaur week at preschool.  I've never seen my three year old so chatty about what he's done there...he is loving it.  So we're taking a trip to the dinosaur museum today to cap it all off.  

I'm also going to be finishing up the last of the New Year's purging; I've been going through every nook and cranny of my house cleaning out and tidying up.  There will be victory dancing when it's all done.

SOON TO BE: There's a sweet DIY project underway.  It involves chocolate and toothpicks and I can't wait to share it with you.  It's coming next week!

What have you been working on lately?  Any plans for the weekend?

You're My Darling...

Trips to the library are a must at our house.  It helps us get through the winter and I love finding old children's books to thumb through.  When I found this poem in a vintage book of rhymes I knew it had to be made into a card. 

Pretty awesome, right?  It's available now in the shop.  Just in time for Valentine's Day (it's just around the corner...can you believe it?).

It's a long weekend here in the US and I plan to enjoy every bit of it.  I've started a new book, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, that I know I'll be powering through (I can't seem to put it down) and we'll be trying to put a little work into some small projects on the house.  What are your plans for the weekend? 

Pinwheel Palooza

Over the past few weeks I've been working with a client in Australia who is hosting a pinwheel party for her daughter's first birthday.  It's summer in Australia and I can't think of a more lovely outdoor party for a tiny girl than a pinwheel party.  We started with the pinwheel invitations, in a pink and orange color combination (not shown here for privacy reasons) and went from there!

There will be pinwheels in the garden, hanging from the veranda, peaking over the frosted tops of cupcakes; even miniature ones frilling up the fronts of the goodie bags.  There are 130 pinwheels in all.  I couldn't have asked for a better break from winter than working on this summery fete.