Happy Holidays, Everyone!

The day after Thanksgiving, we went to the most spectacular light show in Coos Bay. The marine flair to the decorations is a nice nod to the area... and a fun departure from the norm. If you're ever on the Oregon Coast during the holiday season, I avidly recommend a visit. Watch Good Morning America's feature on it here.

Nothing says, "Merry Christmas!" like a blue whale, right? Right?

Happy Holidays, everyone. Enjoy yourselves.

Teux Deux

Is your mind boggled by all you have to do in this last week before Christmas?

Me too.

So check out this cool new To-Do app, TeuxDeux. I started using it this week and my life has been the better for it. TeuxDeux is my two favorite things in a product: (1) Simple and (2) Free.

Can't beat that.

{discovered via Swiss Miss}

Don't Tell Me That I Won't. I Will.

I heard this new tune from Joss Stone on OPB yesterday. It was just what I needed.

I think it's the new Simple Ink anthem. Don't tell us that we won't. We will. :)

... And you will, too!

{There ain't nothin' you can't do... Don't let 'em get to you...}

Do The Deed

I stumbled across the Do The Deed campaign this morning. What a great a idea. Talk about true holiday spirit. Check out the campaign video above and go to their site here.

Sending a handwritten note on lovely letterpress stationery is a nice, inexpensive way to spread the joy, too. Just an idea. :)

Have a good weekend!

Good Tunes

I'm doing some printing today and listening to my new favorite album, Pacific Dust by The Mother Hips.

My husband first introduced to me to these guys (college comrades of his from Chico, CA in the early 90s) and I've always been a fan, but I'm especially smitten with this new album.

Living in Oregon now I don't often admit to my California Girl roots. (Yeah, us "Calis" are not popular here. Shhhh. Don't tell the neighbors.)

But, well, you can take the girl out of Nor Cal, but you can't take the Nor Cal out of the girl. The Mother Hips make me tear up thinking about my motherland sometimes. I miss that Pacific Dust.

If you're interested in some new tunes -- something totally fresh and different -- please check out The Hips. I'm betting you might just fall in love with them, too. (Go ahead. They're good guys. They won't break your heart.)

"Any legacy of mine's gonna be sunshine, and I leave it behind as a sign of my love for mankind..." ~ White Falcon Fuzz, The Mother Hips

Etsy Revival

I've always loved everything about Etsy -- shopping and selling -- and I'm glad to say that my Etsy shoppe is back up and running. I closed her down for a good long time while swamped with other projects, but I'm glad she's back. Just this week I've had some fun transactions with customers in France and Germany. Cool! (Oh, and I've spent some of that cash on a few great items from other Etsy artists. I'll post photos when the goodies arrive!)

There are just a few items in my shoppe right now, but I'll be adding more as time allows. Yeah, Etsy!

For the most complete assortment of Simple Ink products, please visit a retailer near you!

Lovely.

{Can you see my kite?}

Hoping your Thanksgiving was Lovely.

With a capital "L."

Off to Grandmother's House We Go

I'm thankful for many things this year -- top on the list is a job I love! -- but I'm also grateful that my parents chose to retire at one of the most beautiful beaches on the Oregon coast.

We're headed to Grammy & Grandpa's house today after work. Ooh can't wait.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. See you next week!

{images above from our last Thanksgiving at the beach: Big Sis walks the beach, Ben takes Teddy for a piggy-back, Niece Olivia Flies.}

Love for Nie Nie

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Today, I'd planned to write about printing a new design. But after seeing this segment on the Today Show this morning, my plans changed.

I followed Stephanie Nielson's story last year: a mother my age with four young children, nearly killed in a plane crash. I first heard about the Nielson family after receiving an email from a store owner suggesting I donate some Simple Ink goods for an online auction to benefit them.

Stephanie's blog, The Nie Nie Diaglouges, is an inspiring collection of creative thoughts and images about motherhood. I remember paging through the blog last year after receiving the donation request, so impressed with her creativity. At that time, some thought Stephanie might not survive her injuries. The money raised would go to a fund for her children.

This is why, when I strolled downstairs this morning and flipped on the TV and saw her there, I nearly fell to my knees. All these months later, I'd fallen into my routine and slowly stopped checking on her progress.

Now strong but still recovering from burns that cover 80% of her body, Stephanie is beautiful, inspiring. Graciousness embodied.

In a recent blog entry about returning home after a year in the hospital, she describes sorting through her craft room and finding a To Do list from days before the crash, a menu for that week, and notes about an upcoming yoga class.

She writes, "I left my house at 8:30 am on Saturday, August 16, 2008 and never returned."

With Thanksgiving almost here, Stephanie reminds us all there is to be thankful for. I, for one, am thankful that she's back.

Little Boy Cars

Over the weekend we worked on a little remodel in our son's bedroom. Yes, the momentous switch from crib to Big Boy Bed. Exciting, indeed.

I mention it here because of these darling little sheets which are a central component to the big change. My little guy is, shall we say, OBSESSED with model cars. I know, I know, you're thinking, "My son (nephew, brother, grandson, etc.) likes little cars too."

No. It's not like that.

It's a clear, clean obsession. Some children have a blankie that soothes them, some maybe a teddy bear. My child has a yellow Hot Wheel he clutches to his chest while he slumbers.

I digress.

Back to the sheets. Aren't they cute? And so much like the Pottery Barn set for which I just couldn't bear to plunk down $50. Needless to say, I was thrilled when Grammy found these for a fraction of the price at T.J. Maxx. Go Grammy.

(I'm getting to the point. I promise.)

My heart also sang when I saw these little sheets because they reminded me of a long-ago-filed-away sketch I'd done of little cars like these. My plan was to create a custom stationery set for a my friend's son. Can't you see it... a row of little cars running across the top of the card with "Aidan" or "Benjamin" or "Your Buddy's Name Here" all in letterpress. And I'd forgotten about it until I saw the sheets.

The press is ready, the sketch is out = cuties coming soon.

{If you look closely at photo #2, you can see Ben's profile on the pillow... deep in concentration lining up his Hot Wheels on the windowsill.}

Carol Hannah is My Winner

I admit to still (after 6 seasons) being a Project Runway fan. I just eat up every minute. Watching creative people produce spectacular things just with fabric, needle, and thread is riveting.

That said, last night's finale diappointed. Although all three remaining designers created impressive runway shows, there was a clear winner in my eyes.

And she lost. (sigh.)

Above are a few images from Carol Hannah Whitfield's final runway show. Are they not fabulous? (And she has an Etsy shop! Check out those cool belts!)

Well, what did you think? Did you think "Mean-a Irina" deserved her win?

Snowflakes

My last post revealed that I can, well, sometimes resent the snow. There can be a lot of it here in Bend. And I'm not just saying that. I mean A LOT.

However, when I'm not dwelling on the sheer volume of it, I can appreciate its beauty. The snow where I grew up was much, shall we say, "wetter" (thus the nickname, "Sierra Cement") than here. It fell in globs, not whispering flakes.

In Central Oregon the snow is more like dry powder -- so much that you can see the individual crystalline shapes of the flakes as they fall on your jacket.

It was that first experience actually seeing the intricacy of little snowflakes with my naked eye that inspired one of this year's holiday cards. Well, that and Eckhart Tolle. I discovered The Zen proverb on the front of the cards in his A New Earth.

Everyone needs a little Zen in her life... especially around the holidays... right?

Snoopy Doopy

Ben pulled this old book of Snoopy cartoons off the shelf today and begged me to read them. At age three, I thought he might not appreciate Snoopy's sometime-nuanced humor, but he giggled right along (whether he got it or not).

When he turned the page to the cartoon above, I noticed that Snoopy and I have the same feelings about winter's arrival.

I feel ya, Snoop. I'm not ready either.

New Amy Butler Rugs

How beautiful are these new rugs by Amy Butler? I have snippets of her fabric decorating my office... how I'd love to add a rug!

{found originally via Poppytalk}

Use What You've Got

I'm listening to the audio version of this book as I pack up some wholesale orders this morning.

Originally, I picked it up at the library because Barbara Corcoran (you may recognize her from Shark Tank or her appearances on The Today Show), is actually a personal friend of my godmother, Enid, who worked as a broker in Ms. Corcoran's real estate empire for years.

Enid has told me many funny stories about Barbara (should I call her that?) and, in sum, she's clearly one of the smartest, funniest, spunkiest women you'd like to know. Not to mention, it's inspiring to hear how she started a billion dollar empire with only $1,000. Yep, $1,000 she borrowed from a friend.

And how much to I love her title: "Use What You've Got: And Other Business Lessons I Learned From My Mom."

Because, isn't it so true... Mom is the smartest person we know.

Vandercook Model

File this under the heading: "How Cool is That?"

As a bona fide paper geek, I got such a kick out of stumbling across this all-paper model of a Vandercook letterpress in honor of the company's 100th anniversary. This press is an exact model of the fist press I ever used... *hug*.

Kudos to the very talented team at Logos Graphics who created this baby! How cool is that?!

Heard, Understood, Acknowledged

On this Veteran's Day, I suggest reading an editorial written by David Ignatius in the Washington Post, Standing Tall in Harm's Way.

Today, because I have no family member or close friend currently serving in the military, I'll be thinking of this mother, highlighted in Ignatius' column:

"... I saw many images that conveyed the pain of long and repeated deployments. One I remember vividly was a noncommissioned officer at an air base in the Gulf. She was talking by computer with her kids, trying to help keep things together at home and school just a little longer. "Mommy will be home soon," she kept saying. "Mommy will be home soon." But that homecoming is probably still months away."

We're thinking of you, Mommy. And of the many Fathers, Brothers, Sisters and Sons separated from their families today. And of my Uncle John, my father's only brother, who we lost on his third tour in Vietnam years ago. I never knew him.

Back to stationery tomorrow.

{photo courtesy of Getty Images}

Philosophy for A Good Life

I've been a bit buried in the rudimentary steps lately (packing orders, returning phone calls, meeting obligations). Hearing this quotation today, repeated by Quincy Jones (original author unknown) on XM Radio, snapped me out of the routine for a moment.

Philosophy for a Good Life:

Love, laugh, live and give.

Watch your thoughts, because they become your words.

Choose your words, because they become your actions.

Understand your actions, because they become your habits.

Study your habits, because they become your character.

Develop your character, because it becomes your destiny.

{photo of my long-suffering orchid in the kitchen, currently back in bloom.}

Back to Work

I... um... have some glittering & assembling to do.

In addition to these reprints there are some exciting new designs coming soon too!

Shades of the Ritz

Those of you who know me well know that I'm not a Ritzy kinda girl.

Seriously.

But this week's stay at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel - thanks to Jeff' conference - was one I'd happily repeat. Some of the opulence bordered on the ridiculous (see photo of gilded fire hydrant above), but hidden within the extravagance ran a clean line of simplicity. I particularly loved the bunched lilies repeated down every hallway. The tangerine-colored flowers were all bound with tangerine-colored wire and stood at an interesting angles.

Simple. Elegant. Creative.

It was a good reminder that beauty - and good design - is so often in the details.

A (Not) Real Housewife of Orange County

We're in Laguna Beach today and everything could not be more beautiful. Thanks to the business conference Jeff is attending, we're staying at a lovely hotel here and, well, we've been joking about going from dancing hippies in Golden Gate Park one day to circling among The Real Housewives of Orange County the next.

In places like this my gut often screams, "I don't fit in!" (if Laguna Beach is a Mercedes convertible, Bend Oregon is a Subaru Outback; yesterday's dancing hippies were more my speed), but thanks to all the sweet smiles of passersby and the restful beat of the waves, I've muffled my gut reaction to something closer to, "Just relax."

Off to meet with some new retailers... and sneak in a little more beach time. Home tomorrow (and friends tell me there has been snow already); better make the most of today.

Hardly Strictly SF

On our way south, we stopped off for a short time in San Francisco to hit the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

Free Show + Beautiful Weather + Golden Gate Park = Lots of Folks.

But, despite the crowds that at times brought me too close for comfort with my fellow bluegrass fans (in Ben's words, "Mama, I can't see you under all the people!"), it was seriously good fun. More than anything, it reminded me how I love and miss the Bay Area. If only I could box up the Eucalyptus trees and bring them home. Then I'd miss them less.

Maybe I'll have to settle for sending that stationery design of Eucalyptus leaves to press sometime soon.

Yes, that'll have to do.

California Dreamin'

We're headed to southern California today for about a week. I'll be trying to mix in as much family time as I can during a mostly-work kind of trip. We stayed at this same stunning location two years ago... the above is a photo from our hotel room during that visit, which seems like yesterday. How time flies.

Beautiful beach, here I come!

She's Here!

Yay, she's here! I'm smitten with my new little table top Kelsey press. I certainly won't be cranking out thousands of greeting cards with her help, but I sure will be able to have some fun. The project ideas are welling up in my brain more quickly than I can write them down...

Top on the list, some little custom thank you cards for Ben. His 3rd birthday is next week and, with the way his grandparents dote on him, he'll have some serious thank yous to write. Happy October, everyone!

Bringing Home Baby

Today is an exciting day here in Simple Ink Land... we're bringing home a new press! A local studio is liquidating some of their presses and, thanks to my beloved mentor, I'm thrilled to be the new owner of one.

I'm off to pick up baby this evening... more photos tomorrow!

Winter Wedding

This wedding invitation for a winter ceremony here in Bend just came off the press. I love how it came together. Printed in silver and cranberry inks, it makes me feel ready for the holidays on this cold, blustery day. And the thick Somerset paper makes me happy no matter what is printed on it...

...The branch image is actually from a photo I took last winter while I was sitting in the car waiting for my husband to run an errand -- goes to show that you never know when inspiration will strike!

American Craft Retailer's Expo (ACRE) 2009

Even though a few months have passed, I'd be remiss if I never mentioned ACRE. My first-ever foray into the huge world of wholesale trade shows, I admit to being a ball of nerves in the final days before the show opened.

However, despite any anticipatory jitters, it was a wonderful experience. The organizers were top-notch, the other artisans were way fun, and the retailers who came to shop exceeded my expectations. I'm already looking forward to next year.

There's a lot of doom-and-gloom spread about the economy these days and not enough talk about the talented store owners not just staying afloat in these times, but thriving. There may not have been the volume of shoppers seen in previous years, but the ones present were the cream of the crop.

So, if you're an artist considering participating in a wholesale show or a retailer thinking of attending, my advice is to go for it. There may not be the masses you're used to seeing, but there's a silver lining to everything.

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

On a personal note, today the youngest of my seven (yes, seven!) nieces and nephews turns two. Very exciting. Happy Birthday, Isaac Henry. We love you.

Retailer Spotlight: Bartleby's Letterpress Emporium

Attending my first-ever trade show this summer was... well, it was many things. (More on that coming soon.) But one of the absolute highlights was meeting fellow letterpress printer, Marty Brown, the brain behind Letterary Press. I'd been a fan of Marty's work for some time (having first seen it on Etsy), and meeting her in person did not disappoint. Funny, smart, creative, personable. I could go on.

A few months ago, Marty shared that she would soon be opening her own retail space in Portland, Oregon as a complement to her work at Letterary Press. And, as of this month, the doors for Bartleby's Letterpress Emporium are officially open! And this is no average stationery store; Marty has her beautiful Chandler & Price presses on display along with all of the fabulous paper goods. Run, don't walk, letterpress fans!

This may be the perfect excuse for a jaunt to Portland soon...

Congratulations, Marty! It's an honor for Simple Ink to be a part of Bartleby's.

Library Pick: Half the Sky

My resolution of the month has been to turn off the TV. (Okay, okay, I'm still watching the Grey's Anatomy premiere tonight.) But, most evenings, in lieu of an hour or two of spaced-out viewing time, I'm plugging into our wonderful local library.

My pick for this week is Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, just out this month.

The authors argue that the key to worldwide social and economic progress sits cupped in the hands of women. They offer ways we all can help draw out this powerful potential. Among them is a personal favorite: support a woman in business. With loans as low as $50, women in many countries can start businesses of their own, leading to a cascade of improvements in their own lives, the lives of their children, the status of the communities, and so on.

To make your own loan, go to Mercy Corps, BRAC, or Kiva.

Holiday Cards

It has been hot, hot, hot here in Bend this week, but my mind is on snow-covered branches.

I'm just itching to unveil the new boxed sets of holiday cards I've printed for this year; I've wanted to produce boxed sets like these for a long time, and the feedback I received at ACRE finally put me over the edge. They're going to look so pretty all boxed up and ready to go... I can hardly wait!

Here's a tiny sneak peek...

Central Oregon Day

It's easy to become blase about the place you live. At first you see the beauty, all it has to offer, but after a time the rudimentary details take over. What's the quickest route to the grocery store? Could the bike lanes not be just the tiniest bit wider? Why is that one street always flooded...?

But on Saturday a simple walk (a stone's throw from my home) reminded me of Bend. The real Bend. The Bend that makes living here more than rudimentary. What makes it exceptional.

Glad to see you, Friend.