It’s a blizzard!

I know, I know. I’m a bad blogger. What can I say? Facebook is where it’s at these days! Anyway, today we are snowed in. It’s Wisconsin and we’re used to this, but I also know enough to stay home. And the storm knocked out my TV.

I thought today was an appropriate day to share a collaborative project with one of my favorite wholesale clients, Driftless Studio. Owner Anne is a photographer and writer as well as a shop owner, so as you might be able to tell, she’s also supremely creative. She’s one of those people I love to work with… the kind that say, ‘I love this and this, can we put them together?!? And make it red and blue?’ And to that I say, ‘of course! I’ve been thinking about that for ages!’

The result is this awesome Wisconsin in winter card that has proven quite popular this season. I never did get it into the etsy shop, but shoot me a message and I’d be happy to get you some!

One month and counting

T-minus 30 days until Valentine’s! Just sayin’…

Gift guide: For the foodie

One of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received was a wok filled with all the equipment and ingredients to make a variety of Asian meals—all packaged up with a cook book to tell me how to make them. The giver of this gift not only gave me something I’d been wanting—the wok—they gave me the gift of a hassle-free cooking experience by doing all the legwork for me. It didn’t cost a lot of money, but her thoughtfulness really made a difference.

I’m planning to present a variety of gift guides filled with beautiful handmade things your loved ones will enjoy. I encourage you to plan ahead, put a little extra thought into your gifts this holiday season and make your gifts truly matter to those you’re giving them to! Happy Giving!

I love having unique recipe cards. They help me remember exactly when and where I came across the recipe every time I make it. I recently made these sets of Buzzing Bee recipe cards—and I created them so each individual card is unique. The bees are placed in a different position on each and every card.

The way I would love to receive this gift, especially from my mom or another family member, would be to get two sets: One that’s filled with the giver’s favorite dishes, and one that’s blank to fill with my own! There is something so special about having a recipe from someone you love written in their own handwriting. Package up your recipes with some of the supplies below!

These sweet measuring spoons from Beehive Kitchenware make doling out the right amount of salt much more fun!

These mixing bowls by Charm LA are an original design that makes pouring a breeze. What’s more, the beautiful ceramic pieces are both microwave and dishwasher safe!

Once you’ve measured and mixed, you’ll need something to bake those goodies in. These adorable vintage bundt pans from Curate & Love are just the thing!

Twelve (or more) Days of Christmas

Good morning dear readers! I have a confession to make: I haven’t sent out Christmas cards for two years. Somehow each December seems to fly by and before I know it, I’m heading to my parents for the holidays and my stack of cards is still sitting on the dining room table. But this year, in an effort to show how much I value those who make my life better, I’m going to try. I may or may not succeed 100%, but at least I’m making the effort!

Since I can’t send a card to each and every one of you (although if you email me your address, I’ll put you on the list!), my gift to you all this holiday season will be to give 110% on the blogging front. Truth be told, I’ve been saving up some awesome ideas for weeks now, so from now until Christmas, my plan is to post at least every other day (do the math, it’ll make the title of this post make more sense). From décor to gift ideas, I hope I can share a little inspiration and help thaw the brain freeze that can accompany trying to find the perfect present.

An aside: This year, I’ve chosen not to use the politically correct “holiday” in lieu of Christmas. Not because I’m ignoring the other holidays that fall at this time of year, but simply because that’s what I celebrate. Sometimes we take such drastic steps to make sure no one is left out that we end up over-generalizing or making the world feel like one homogenized landscape rather than celebrating what makes each culture unique. I hope you can use the ideas I write about in your own traditions this season, and please feel free to leave comments about how you’d use these ideas in your life!

Plum crazy

Happy Cyber Monday! Yeah, apparently that’s a thing. I know I should be more enthusiastic about the retail surge this weekend but I just can’t bring myself to do it! If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that “it’s just stuff.” (And definitely not worth pepper spraying your fellow shopper over! Seriously lady?!?)

However, I was excited about being given the opportunity to put together a beautiful little gift set for a fellow etsian. She wanted two of each of my botanically themed cards in different colors. I had most of the designs already printed in a couple different colors, but I did get to put in several hours on my press this weekend. The results are quite lovely if I do say so myself!

It seems that whenever I work on a custom project these days, the stars align, the humidity and ink consistency and pressure are all just right and I can’t help but print everything in sight. This weekend was no different, so while I was all inked up, I worked on a couple projects I’ve had swirling around in my head for a while. Turns out, they all looked good in purple!