Cards of the Week - A Quick Study

{Hi Sewn Card (3) by A Quick Study}

Happy Friday! This week COTW will focus on ONE person - meet Zoe of A Quick Study.

Zoe is a fellow exhibitor on PaperNStitch & as I was going through the shops last month, looking for material for the COTW post, I found her. I wanted to post every card she makes. Hello?! Did you see that first picture? It's a hand embroidered hi! It's adorable. Check a few others out and then we'll hear from Zoe!

{Zig Zag Running Stitch Sewn Card (single)}

{Thanks Sewn Card (3)}

I could post her card collection here. No lie. Like this card...and this card...and how about her notebooks??

But, let's get to our guest. Zoe!

I’m Zoe, mom of two very little boys and multi-faceted designer. By day, I design curricula and professional training for new teachers, and by (late at) night, I design branding, graphics, web sites, and of course embroidered and block printed/ stamped paper goods.

How & when did you start making hand made crafts?

I’ve been crafting forever, and actually first learned hand embroidery from my elementary school librarian, but I started doing hand-embroidered paper only within the last 6 months or so. I sort of stumbled upon it by accident. I spend a lot of time on the phone for my day job, and I have a hard time focusing unless I can keep my hands busy. I started poking a pattern into an index card using a pin, which led to the idea of embroidering the pattern. I loved the resulting textures and patterns, plus the sort of mathematical process of figuring out the holes required for each design, and it just exploded from there!

That sounds like fun! I get why you love it. What will we find in your Etsy shop?

My Etsy store, I think like most, is a continual work in progress. I currently sell my card line and my embroidered notebooks, and am continually thinking about new designs to add to those products. I’m also in the prototyping phase for a bunch of related but different products tending more towards the home goods realm. I like to think my products make life a little more genteel and refined while staying modern and fun, so you’ll see products that are geared towards classic activities like letter writing using traditional stitches but executed in bright, modern colors and blown up to emphasis the geometry of the designs.

I love what I'm hearing! Can't wait to see what's next! What is something we won't learn from reading your Etsy profile?

My dad is a master carpenter and furniture maker - he makes really beautiful custom furniture and is also great at home carpentry like cabinet making. I grew up listening to the whine of powerful saws in his garage workshop and playing with scrap wood. I think I get a lot of my crafty tendencies from him, along with a love of power tools (especially my compound miter saw).

Last but no least, who do you {heart} on Etsy?

There are so many! One of my longest-standing favorites is YellowMonday - I have three of her prints in my house and I just love them. I also love AmandaGentry but haven’t been able to justify buying any of her ceramics yet, although I drool over them regularly.

I hope you guys will go check out Zoe on PNS & especially on Etsy. She also has a blog! All kinds of subjects covered - crafts, time management...something I bet she is great at with little ones running around, a full time job AND her hand made business, blog, twitter, etc, etc, etc... Zoe, my hat off to you girl.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Cupcake Toppers Too Cool for School

{We Heart Pabst Cupcake Toppers}

How cool are these? And don't they look like they know how cool they are???

I'm working on a project right now - custom party decor for a set of 9 year old twins birthday party. Cupcake toppers are on the brain! The project does not require anything as sophisticated as these, but I wanted to share them. How ironic are they?! Hipster cupcake toppers! Ha!!!

They are by Mates Rubbish on Etsy. They have a fun shop full of illustrated characters & other party pieces. Check out their other cool (and non-ironic) toppers here.

Heeeeyyy, Boo, Boo!!

{Windsor Picnic Basket Set on RueLaLa}

Let's all go outside for a picnic! It's Spring - the weather is AWESOME today. What better excuse do you need? Ok, how about this picnic basket then? It is enough to get me moving for sure.

If this one isn't your style, there are plenty more to choose from on Rue La La - but hurry! Only 2 days left on their sale!

Cards of the week - Bunnies

This week I have been combing the internet for cool cards with bunnies on them. Not just your garden variety Easter card, but something else...Bunnies with a twist.

{Keep Calm Bunny Greeting Card by African Grey}

Here is a new take on an old design, by African Grey on Etsy. The Keep Calm and Carry On message {and countless knock-offs of it} have literally been seen everywhere. I don't know what it is, but I love to see this cute little bunny there, holding the poster. It actually makes me feel calmer, just looking at him. So cute.

{Mr. Bunny Notecards by Bubbledog}

This little guy is cool. Maybe it's his tie. He's a kind of hipster bunny. I like that it's all in orange, brings in that carrot reference we see so often with rabbits. Bubbledog has a great shop if you like this little character. I'm crushing on her Happy Spouting Whale t-shirt.

{Rabbit Family Note Set by Zoetrope}

Fun family card! This would be great to send for thank yous or just a quick "hi from the group" type message. The good news is they are on sale! The bad news is that Zoetrope is discontinuing them. But no worries, if you miss these there are several other great cards in her shop. I'm digging these and these.

That's it for this edition of Cards of the Week! Hope everyone has a great weekend & a lovely Easter. May you find all the Easter eggs you basket can hold!

I Heart Moms

And now you can too :)

Presenting, from the K. Batty Etsy Shop: I heart Mom Mother's Day Greeting cards in 2 color combinations - teal with red & navy with gold. PLUS! Since Mother's Day is closing in on us, I'm offering FREE SHIPPING on them.

{I heart Mom - Teal & Red}

{I heart Mom - Navy & Gold}

Both color combinations have matching envelope liners inside white envelopes, are 4.25 x 5.5 folded & are blank inside for your message.

In past years I have had a hard time finding a card for my mom that wasn't super cheesey. So! I pulled out my sketchbook & went to work. I'm really glad to have these beauties ready for sale in my Etsy Shop...What do you think? Do you heart them??

Don't forget, there are also lots of great personalized gift ideas in my shop for Mom!

Over Coffee...

{Red Coral Wrap from Margaret Elizabeth}

I found this! Love this necklace. I have been feeling very preppy lately. Would love to pair this with my crisp white button down & navy pants. So sailor chic!

Margaret Elizabeth has lots of lovely things. If you have time, go check her out here.

Cards of the Week - Peacocks!

{via Veer}

When I was small, my mom & her bff dressed up their children & took us to a local farm for an Easter celebration. We have pictures of us all in the gardens, in our Easter finest, but the memory that sticks with me is that of the peacocks. I remember they were huge. Their tales were open like GIANT fans in AMAZING colors.

Here, they are high-impact design elements...

{Peacock Feather Graphic Card by Em and Bee}

The Peacock Feather Graphic Card comes in a set of 10 folded note cards by Em and Bee. I really like that you can choose your envelope color, although the kraft envelope the card is shown here with is nice because it doesn't compete with the colors in the feather.

{Peacock Card on Broadway Paper.com}

Peacock Card, on Broadway Paper.com, by Barbera Raidl in Chicago, is hand drawn and then silkscreened. The style of illustration changes up the usual way we see peacocks & feathers, but stays elegant.

{Peacock Feathers Enclosure Cards by Michelle Brusegaard}

Great color combo on this enclosure card from Michelle Brusegaard. The teal really pops on the white card & is complimented nicely by the chartreuse envelope. How often do you get to say THAT about chartreuse??

I have been saving these cards for WEEKS!! Super excited to finally share them. As I have been bookmarking cards for this weekly post & thinking about subjects to talk about, I have stumbled on cards with peacock feathers on a design element CONSTANTLY. It has been a party for my eyes!

Cards of the week - baaaaaaaaaaaah!!

{Lamb Table Confetti by The Green Grass Grows}

Spring is here! Easter is coming & so are all the fun symbols that remind us of it. Bright pastels arrive with bunnies, Peeps, sheep & more. April Cards of the Week posts will be honoring our furry friends of Easter.

Like Sheep. Baaaaaaaaaahhh!!! After this post from last week, you guys must have seen this coming...

{Mixed Animal Pack of Animal Notecards by rachellelevingston}

This stunning watercolor card is one in a multi-pack of 4x6 animal cards by rachellelevingston on Etsy. The others, 2 rabbits & a cat, are equally amazing. You won't want to part with them!

{Farmyard Animals by PaperInkPress}

Another set of animal cards, but these are a completely different style. Letterpress printing brings sophistication to the simple illustration. I think these are charming! Paper Ink Press has many other cards worth visiting her shop for.

{Sheep printable stationery by Happy Paper on Etsy}

This is a cool listing. Sheep Printable Stationery has the above sheep illustration on each piece. You'll be able to print out as many folded or flat notecards, gift tags, envelopes, etc as your lamb-loving heart desires - by Happy Paper from Argentina.

By the way, take a wild guess how many sheep cards there are on Etsy? A lot. Pages, and pages, and pages...and pages. And since I've only highlighted my top picks here, there are obviously many amazing items that I left out. There was also plenty that didn't suit my taste {Thank Ewe? Ug.} but different strokes for different folks.

My usual Friday COTW post was late! I had this post all prepared, along with another one that I was holding & the whole weekend went by. Agg!! So, lucky you, reader, gets 2 COTW posts this week. Look for it on Thursday...

PS Something wrong with Blogger today. Click HERE if you'd like to check out the lamb confetti from the top picture.

Cutest. Sheep. Ever.

{Miniature Felted Sheep by ProjectsByCarm}

My fellow NewNew teammate - Projects By Carm - has adorable things in her Etsy shop. Namely, these 2 items for sheep. How. Cute. Are. These?!?!

{Hand Knit Felted Lamb}

{another view of the mini sheep. le sigh}

The knitted sheep are knit in pieces, then wet felted, stuffed & stitched together. She has items set up for the blue & white ones or can make the other tan/brown sheep pictured as a custom item. All of them are great & together like that, as they are pictured in a little flock, is really adorable.

The smaller felted sheep are needle felted. {Martha has some info on it if you're interested in the technique.} I want a bunch to put out as Easter decorations. Carm has had requests for them to be strung with yarn for Christmas ornaments. Also a good idea!

Stop by ProjectsByCarm & check out her other wool items. She has some great hats!

Paper as art - Flurry & Salk

{Owl paper sculpture by Flurry & Salk}

Last week I saw this post over at the Neo Traditionalist about paper wig sculptures. They are amazing, but my jaw hit the floor when I saw these animal masks! This is paper??

They are the creative invention of Nikki Salk & Amy Flurry at Paper Cut Project. Their website explains their mindset:

"Flurry and Salk's custom-made art installations are fueled by a love of fashion and an appreciation of the grace & nuance of this humble material"

They make paper look anything but humble. These are amazing...

{Lion}

{Cocktiel}

{Ram}

{Bear}

See all their creations in What. Their website lists exhibitions in the When section, but nothing in 2011, yet. I wish they had a mailing list because I want to know where & when I can see these in person!

PS The Neo Traditionalist is one of my fave blogs. Please head over there & show Katie Amour, the lovely lady who writes it, some love. She has just launched the 3rd edition of the e-zine, Matchbook. Kudos, Katie!

Cards of the week - Pink.

Hey Sports Fans! It's Friday, so you know what we are talking about on the blog today...Cards of the Week of course. As I teased earlier, this week's color is pink!

None of them are from Etsy this week. Shocked?! I was inspired by a Real Simple article, showing off cards from 12 online retailers...one of course was Etsy. Several other popular sites were listed, but these posts come from 3 new ones to me. Check out the article here for the others, which were all fabulous as well.

{Sorry, I F-ed Up, on RedStamp.com}

Sorry I F-ed Up by Whimsy Press, in Atlanta, GA, that I found on RedStamp.com. How funny is that???? And usually when you send an "I'm sorry" card, isn't that exactly what you're saying?

Red Stamp might be my favorite new site, card-wise. AND they have an iPhone app to send e-greetings which I snagged. **People in my address book beware! I will be sending you cute, stylish e-cards via text or email!**

{Hey Ladies, on GreerChicago.com}

Greer Chicago was also new site to me. I could spend hours on their site. They carry this fun fill-in invitation called Hey Ladies, by Snow & Graham, in the windy city, Chicago, IL. I hope you are familiar with Snow & Graham. If not - go check them out...when you are done here, that is...

{Madeline Congrats, on Broadway Paper.com}

Thirdly, we have Broadway Paper with this Congratulations card by Smock Paper, in Syracuse, NY. Again, if you are not familiar with Smock Paper, they are worth the time browsing their site - as is Broadway Paper.

What I am astonished by is that I saw that each site carries some of the same card makers, but didn't buy any of the same designs! Amazing! I hope you'll give these card makers some love by going by their websites for a look-see.

Have a great weekend!

COTW tease :: Pink on the brain

A few weeks ago, I posted about my girlfriend's baby shower & the invitations I was thankful to contribute to the fete. Well, Home Slice is about to pop in a few weeks {maybe earlier!} so she is going to need a birth announcement - stat!

I'm so flattered that she asked me to work on them with her. We are REALLY excited about the way it turned out {above}. It has pink on my mind...

Stay tuned for Cards of the Week!