And the winner is . . .

me! Specialty Cards 4U took home a Louie Award (the greeting card industry's equivalent to an Academy Award) for our brown Eiffel Tower Pocket!

You can read all about the awards and other winners on the Gifts & Decorative Accessories website article announcing the Louie Awards. :-)

L'Atelier des Bijoux

Recently, I came across an incredible jewelry artist through the blog Scoutie Girl. Her name is Rebecca Fogle and she creates the most beautiful jewelry. I'm especially in love with her earrings. When I saw these, I instantly scooped them up:

They're perfect for me - simple but pretty. In addition to these pretty pink pearls, I ordered another pair of earrings just like these but made with gold wires and red/garnet stones. Rebecca takes special orders too.

I also love these. The color of the stone is so pretty and the wire wrapping is a neat touch.

Rebecca's work is gorgeous - you need to get over to her etsy site and treat yourself to something today!

A Shot of Color

Recently I was chatting with a few friends about being in a style rut - or, more particularly, a lack of style rut. However, one of my favorite ways to instantly spice up my look is to wrap a colorful scarf around my neck. It brings a bright shot of color to your face and a bit more style to any outfit. I went on an etsy hunt to see if I could find some vibrant spring colored scarves to add to my winter collection. I found quite a few.

Raspberry Pink Cowl from Lilibethsgarden

Cashmere lime green scarf from Strikk (to die for!)

Lightweight hand-dyed silk scarf from Eyzerdesigns in Australia

Textile Fetish ~ Made with Love

I have a confession: I wish I could sew. I mean, I can sew straight lines, but that's about the extent of my sewing prowess. That's why I love Textile Fetish and the talented lady behind it, Jennifer Ramos. First of all, let's talk about her logo - love it! (the dress form is one of my favorite images which might have a little something to do with it).

I own one of her kitchen aprons - similar to this one. Mine is a combination of sushi/fortune cookie fabric and flames. My neighbor teased me one day when she showed up and I was wearing an apron - I think she was just jealous. :-)

I also have one of her craft aprons - great big roomy pockets for holding all sorts of things. I tend to wander away from my work table and then am looking around for scissors, my glasses - pockets are great for this.

I also have a few of these card holders. If your wallet is like mine, you have 3 kazillion frequent buyer cards tucked into it. I took all mine out and now keep them tucked away in one of these little keepers (in a sushi print, of course). These make great gifts for teenage girls. I bought a few for my neices and they loved them - they actually loved the fact that they were made by an indie designer almost as much as the little pouch itself!

Valentines - Made with Love

February 14th is coming soon - do you have valentines for your loved ones?

Valentine's Day in our house is always fun. Since I design and create handmade greeting cards, my family can't simply head to the local greeting card racks and pick out a card for me. Oh, no, not in this house.




About a week before February 14th (sometimes just 12-24 hours before the 14th!) I catch my husband and kids sneaking into my studio with a "Oh, I'm not doing anything. I'll be back in just a little bit. Don't you need to go to the grocery or something?" That's my hint to stay clear.



I'm always treated to beautiful valentines from my family - and knowing that they made them with their own little (or big - yes, my husband makes me one himself) hands makes them even more special.

Basic Grey Paper

As I'm looking out the window at another day blanketed with snow (yes, we got about 6" more of snow last night), I find myself craving color. Bright, beautiful, scrumptious color! Basic Grey papers are just the remedy for my cravings.

Basic Grey - "Bittersweet" Collection
These colors of chocolate brown and deep pinks would be just perfect for some handmade valentines.

Basic Grey - "Marrakech" Collection
These color combinations have me dreaming of a romantic warm vacation spot. Greece, perhaps?

Rubber Stamping

Along with a love of paper, also comes a love of rubber stamping. I don't stamp as much as I'd like to - life gets in the way sometimes. :-) That doesn't mean I don't love collecting rubber stamps. I really like the rubber stamps from Art Declassified. My friend Connie is an "artist in residence" for Art Declassified - she creates the cutest/coolest stuff with their rubber stamps. (Check out some of her projects here) Here are a few of my favorites from their website.

Isn't this adorable? It's a rubber stamp made from a vintage photograph. So sweet!

I have a soft spot for any rubber stamp or ephemera that includes vintage post cards, stamps or post marks. Love the handwriting on this one!

And since I dream of travelling to Paris one day, I couldn't leave this one out.