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.