Let the Pick-Pocketing Begin

For a Saturday I was surprisingly proactive today. I am still currently obsessing over little handmade journals/sketchbooks. For me it doesn't get old, because each of them are one-of-a-kind. I enjoy finding the perfect little things to include in them and of course the paper selection. All of today's journals utilize my absolute favorite Neenah Environment Desert Storm paper.

I incorporated some fun, new elements into the above journals. For starters, I started playing with die-cuts of different shapes and sizes. There are some hand-colored features as well as little embellishments. Also, for one, I unearthed an old sketch and included it. Another thing I did was play with my inner-pocket placements. Each one also features a special little envelope hidden somewhere toward the middle with either a blank card or illustration. For a more detailed view of these, please visit my etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast

In case I take the day off tomorrow, have a wonderful Sunday!

A Special Message For Stephen

In regards to yesterday's post, here is a picture of the special message in Braille from Anne to Stephen.

It was a true pleasure to do this card for her, and I think I have a new email pen-pal. :)

At a Loss For Words

Today has been one heck of a day. I received a tweet from a friend saying that she had seen my Braille Valentines in etsy's 'Handpicked Items' section of their page. If that wasn't cool enough, I hopped back on my computer to find that 3 sales had been made in the short while when they were featured.

I emailed both customers - just a note of thanks and appreciation for checking out my listings. What I got back was so amazing. The first woman, Anne, emailed me back to thank ME. She said she had never been able to find a card to give to her friend before, because he is blind. She was so excited that I had made something to speak to a different, untapped audience. She even shared his story with me, a complete stranger. Anne also asked if she could pay me a little more to include a personal message. Honestly, I couldn't do that. I was just so touched by the whole thing that I included her message at no extra charge. It just made me feel so happy that she can give her friend a card that he can read.

My second customer, Bek, was wonderful as well. She actually entered my etsy shop based on the Braille Valentines and then continued to shop around a little more. Bek shared with me that her son has Asperger's and that he has taken a particular interest in Braille. She said that one of my valentines was perfect for him right now, and she can't wait to give it to him.

I am beyond humbled right now. A lot of people are successful on etsy everyday. I like making things and posting them just to get out there. If people like or appreciate what I make, then that is a bonus for me. It just makes me feel really honored that I was able to give them something they couldn't find before.

Thank you, Bek and Anne. :)

One thing I do with every order I fulfill is include and handwritten thank you. I package it right along with the item. It may not always be a fold over card...but with every order that ships the recipient receives a personal thank you from me. They get the email immediately, but I think it is just a nice little extra to take the time and give really excellent customer service.

I have a lot on the agenda that I would like to accomplish this weekend. Be on look-out for more various Braille greetings and new handmade cards.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast

I Love You Like I Love...

Today I thought it would be fun to honor food. It is my favorite thing in the world next to my family and friends and dog. There may be some other things I am leaving out, but food is definitely at the top of the list with those other things. I love to cook. I love to bake. Sometimes when people tell me about something they ate I can taste it. I love the way food smells - a garlic punch in the face, brownies in the oven and any citrus fruit. I really could go on and on.

For this project, I thought it would be fun to drag out an old friend, Color-Aid. Anyone who went to school for art or design knows what I am talking about, that fat cardboard box filled with a plethora of chalky paper pieces. Fortunately, I held onto mine even though I have been graduated for quite a few years now. The box is destroyed, however most of the paper in it is in great condition. I even have some scrappy bits from old projects.

Now that I have detailed a food and paper passion, I will just go ahead and show you what I made.

I love you like I love...

...cookies!

I am making a whole line of culinary loves. You better believe there will be some meat in there (and some veg for the non-carnivores). All of these will soon be available in my etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

Also, if anyone out there has some old, neglected Color-Aid paper I would happily accept some donations! Thank you :)

Finally, I've Been Bitten Again...

...by the creative bug! It feels good to have some kind of motivation back. I have spent months of unemployment wanting to do things but just feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities and other lame excuses. I normally cannot concentrate at a cluttered desk, but I suppose this is image is a positive one:

There's lots of crap everywhere, I know. But this morning this desk was absolutely clean and clear. As much as it sort of pains me to leave this mess, it also inspires me to keep making more things.

While I was I was upstairs right now sleeping with my husband, I had to make just one more book. I experienced slight withdrawal when I stopped earlier this evening to break for dinner. I was actually going to bed for the night...but then I passed my desk and decided to make just one more for tonight.

I wish I could take credit for this awesome birdcage lady illustration, but I cannot. It is a stamp that I embellished with some hand-coloring and metallics. The cover stock is recycled Neenah environmental paper (my favorite hands down). The first liner page is hot pink Indian script. High quality Mohawk recycled paper fills in the middle along with a text weight piece of the same Neenah paper as the cover. I also included a little envelope in the center for more tiny storage in addition to the inside cover pocket. Finally, the binding technique is the same as the previous books listed in the post below.

Thanks again so much for taking the time to gander at this. As promised, more items similar to these will be in my etsy shop later this week.

Bears, Books and Binds

Today was quite the productive one. It's always nice to reflect back and know that I did something worthwhile. My friend Sarah called me up and asked if I would help her with some self promotional pieces. She came equipped with some great paper and energy. (We notoriously don't get things done together). Anyhow, we decided to go with a journal/sketchbook. We made a few just to start. but I think they turned out pretty good:

The one with the bird in the jar is mine. I recently filled my prior book.

This is a look inside of one of the books that Sarah and I worked on. It is nice and thick and lined with some specialty map paper. It also features an inner side pocket perfect for business cards or other pocket-sized info. The binding is a very simple technique using one piece of thread and 3 holes.

Finally, I also worked on some more valentines. My good friend Nick asked me to contribute some pieces for an event his film company is holding downtown. I decided to make some more grizzly cards:

Please check out Nick @ www.rubbishisgold.com

Please check out Sarah @ www.sarahjulie.com

And finally please check back often with my etsy store as I will be adding more new items like the sketchbooks shown above: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

Pizza Time

Wow. I have done a pretty good job of neglecting posts this week. At least that means I have been productive...I think. Anyhow, we had Phil's parents over yesterday for a dinner and game night. We decided to make homemade pizzas. This is something Phil takes very seriously, and he makes all of his dough from scratch. He of course made his signature taco pizza with seasoned ground beef, taco sauce and Mexican cheese blend:

I decided that I wanted to make one too. Sadly and ashamedly, we used to be really bad at letting food go. A ton was being thrown out every couple weeks. Lately, I have been making brand new dishes out of leftovers, and we have been more successful with using up ALL of our food in the fridge. But getting back to the pizza...We had some fresh basil that was about to turn, week old spinach and marinara sauce (that I doctored up) from a few nights earlier. So that is what went on to the dough:

It was even more delicious than we anticipated. The marinara had a ton of flavor in itself, and then I just mixed it with a little bit of pizza sauce to ensure full coverage. I did a chiffonade (rolled the leaves up and then cut them into little ribbons) with the basil so as to not overpower any other flavors. FInally, I did a sprinkling of minced garlic over the whole thing and topped with mozzarella cheese. 

Molto Bene!