our hearts are full, and now it's time to give our thanks. one of my personal missions this year is to send more letters. for little things + big things, for thoughtfulness and everything in between. every time i walk past the packs of thank you cards at Target i peek in and see what new designs they have. i won't lie, i buy them when i find a pack that i just can't live without, even when i know i could make something similar myself. but time always escapes me, so occasionally i give in and say, "fine! i admit it! i don't have the time!" in the post-holiday/new year spirit, i've been cleaning and reorganizing my studio. i needed a quick creative break, so i decided to whip up some quick thank you notes for the boys to send for their many awesome gifts they received. and because i want to foster the idea of others sending more mail, too, i'm sharing the file i made right here. i printed ours on some pretty and shimmery blue paper i had, and i have to say, i think they turned out pretty cute.

Posted by Unknown at 10:55 AM 0 comments  

I'm working my little fingers to the bone in my studio preparing for the fall Horseshoe Market. I'm super excited to be back in the craft market circuit after a tiny hiatus to have some babies. My studio currently looks like a mentally deranged crafter has taken up residence here; lots of scraps and way too many projects going at once, lots of swear words on paper. I love it. I love my space. See you Saturday!

Posted by Unknown at 2:15 PM 0 comments  

I think I maybe forgot I have a blog? I've been so incredibly busy that that sounds like a logical excuse, it's just still so lame of an excuse.

Hoping to make some big comeback one'a these days. We'll see, right?

Posted by Unknown at 3:03 PM 2 comments  

come check out my sale!

Etsy Buy Handmade presentsforpirates

buy two sets of stationery, get the third set of equal or lesser value free! holla!

shop to your heart's content throughout the merry month of may!

xoxo,
man

Posted by Unknown at 5:33 PM 0 comments  

KnitsYoursKnotMine was awesome enough to include me in this treasury, hangin' with my gnomies!

thanks, sabrina! you rock my socks!

xoxo,
man

Posted by Unknown at 3:17 PM 0 comments  

rachel was kind enough to feature my treasure map note cards with some other piratical listings on her blog, in honor of her son learning to say the word "pirate"! three cheers for daniel!

Posted by Unknown at 4:50 PM 5 comments  

dear manufacturers of 12x12 paper,

please cease and desist manufacturing paper. i have enough already and am not strong enough to resist the temptation of buying more. i need to use all the beauties that i already have, so back off.

dear paper handling clerks at michaels, jo-anns, hobby lobby, etc.,

please do not manhandle my individual pieces of paper like you are wrangling an alligator to it's death. they are sweet, innocent, defenseless pieces of paper who i'm certain mean you no harm. be kind. be gentle. put on your white gloves before you touch my paper and give me a nervous breakdown.

dear joann.com,

please find my two orders that i placed online THREE WEEKS AGO. what? seriously. whatever weird way you shipped them, no one can find them. i wish i'd known it would take this long, so i could have built my own machinery from scraps to manufacture my very own products that i tried to buy from you.

dear my homemade chocolate chip cookies,

please stop tempting me to eat two of you every day.

dear soon-to-be-born my goddaughter baby mckenna,

i cannot wait to meet you and dress you up in skull and crossbones gear and and black tutus. it will be just lovely.

xoxo,
man

Posted by Unknown at 9:37 PM 3 comments  

amid some health issues i've been experiencing lately, i was referred to a chiropractor/nutritionist tonight and i quite enjoyed the experience, i must say. he was a super nice and enthusiastic guy and i felt more like we were going to figure this out in the first five minutes then i have by any of the five, yes FIVE, doctor's appointments i have had in the past month.

in addition to the adjustment that he did, we did some acupuncture! it was weird and wild and not nearly as bad as i could have ever guessed. he was nice enough to use the smallest needles on this acupuncture virgin.



this was on the ceiling, which normally i would be tempted to disregard entirely. but since i had a slightly panicky, wanna run and get these needles outta me feeling, i took the 30 minutes to actually read the poster and spend time thinking about each phrase. i got an amazing, surprising sense of peace and calm today. it was awesome, and i'm feeling so good right now. about my health, and my life and my being.

which really is incredible, seeing as how i just had a needle jammed into my skull by a stranger.

Posted by Unknown at 8:17 PM 3 comments  

i have had this camera for who knows how long and i have only begun to start learning how to use it.



john took this photo of my brother-in-law and me in our backyard. i think it's delightful.

Posted by Unknown at 9:04 PM 2 comments  

it's not that i haven't been crafting and creating, i just haven't had anything intelligent to write up here. i don't know why, really. maybe because i'm not nearly as funny as i think i am? perhaps.

a friend of mine has a very sick friend and she asked me to make a journal for her. behold, my latest project:



yes, it's just a journal. but look closely and you will see how i have used old pieces of scrap paper with printing on the other side in an effort to be a greener citizen.



so i folded all the pages and the spiral bound the unfolded ends so that if you don't want to ever see the printed pages, you don't have to! huzzah.

i am going to be making more of these in various sizes in the near future. why? because it feels *so* good to recycle.

Posted by Unknown at 4:58 PM 2 comments  

bad news: it's apparent you need to cutback on your visits to starbucks when the girl at the drive thru window asks if you have done something different with your hair because she didn't recognize you.

good news: your new hair cut is cute and she likes it!

(i'm just trying to help bolster the economy. amanda FTW!)

Posted by Unknown at 7:36 AM 2 comments  

it has come to my attention that i am a bit of a grinch this year. usually i get excited for the spirit of the season, and this year, i just feel like it will be here and gone and then, well, we move on to next year. the last few years my enthusiasm has waned. i don't like shopping for the holidays; i bought about 97% of my holiday gifts online (mostly at etsy!) and was content to pay for shipping and not battle for parking spots. we have watched almost all of our christmas movies, and put up almost all of our decorations, but still, there is just a bit of a void that i don't know how to fill.

perhaps it's the lack of snow that normally signifies the coming of the season. and while i won't argue with being able to wear flip flops in colorado in the winter, i feel like the snow helps set the tone for holidays for me.

i dunno. i will continue to seek out the christmas spirit, and if anyone has any suggestions, i would love to hear them.

just don't nominate me for the cheermeister award. my lederhosen are at the dry cleaners.

Posted by Unknown at 8:49 PM 2 comments  

...alisa marie!

alisa, send me your address so i can mail this hot little darlin' to ya!

thanks to everyone for playing!

xoxo,
man

Posted by Unknown at 8:11 PM 2 comments  

i will be picking a random winner for the project book at close of business tomorrow (thursday night). close of business = when i go to bed.

leave me a comment about your current projects if you haven't yet for a chance to win!

love!

Posted by Unknown at 7:42 AM 2 comments  

so i'm cooking up a new project. i have a notebook that i bring around with me, but it doesn't do all that i dream a notebook should do. i always have inspiration for new journals or new cards or new projects, so my new project is a project book!



it's roomy inside, too. with a place to do a sketch and a place to write the specifics, it's all you little crafties could dream of!



and, since this is my first one and is kinda rough around the edges, i'm giving it away!

and, since there are only three of you who read my blog, that means your odds to win that baby are incredible!

just leave me a comment and tell me what new project you are inspired about for a chance to win!

Posted by Unknown at 7:22 AM 10 comments  

this today was kind of a doozy. not complaining. i have so much to be grateful for.

i started my day by getting rear ended on my way to my thursday morning networking group. it was a minor little fender bender. no one was hurt. the poor other gal was really upset, but i did my best to convince her it was going to be ok.

my mom told me the biopsy they did on her hand came back as a form of skin cancer. they will be operating on it tomorrow to remove it. she said it's nothing to be worried about. so i'm obviously thankful it's not worse.

and now, i just got back from the dentist from getting one of my cavities filled. it was no big deal, except for the part where they have this newfangled piece of rubber or something that they put over your mouth "to keep things dry" (?) and i almost thought i was going to have a panic attack. twice.

but now i'm home with my dogs and just trying to unwind and relax a bit.

and ultimately i am grateful for a day that was mostly just weird.

oh! i got this in the mail today that i bought from la loca!

Posted by Unknown at 4:17 PM 2 comments  

i saw this on her website the other day.

and i have to say, i think it's so amazingly stupid, and stupidly amazing. i love it. my husband said it makes him sick to his stomach. i kind of love that, too.

at any rate, if you value your time, probably don't watch it. but if you, like me, like to be amused by ridiculous videos that make no sense, well then, please, do enjoy.

Posted by Unknown at 12:55 PM 0 comments  

counting crows.

i am sad and happy today. an amazingly incredible woman and dear friend from my networking group passed away yesterday afternoon. she was diagnosed with cancer last year, and yesterday she quietly made her peace with this life here on earth.

she is one of the most dignified, graceful and compassionate people i will even know, and i am so sad for her family to be without her. and yet i am happy. happy for her, and happy for them, knowing that she is no longer suffering (although to see her you would never, ever have know what a fight she was putting up.)

all of us gals in this group do not think we would have it in us to fight that fight like she did, and we will all always remember her for that.

she will be so sorely missed and never forgotten.

Posted by Unknown at 4:20 PM 2 comments  

nicely stated, leona helmsley.

on that note, i met with my accountant today. and just like the last four meetings with tax preparers/accountants, i left feeling totally discouraged and depressed. just when i think i have a handle on my tax situation, i am off in the numbers department by at least $500. and that, my friends, turns me into a big, fat baby. i didn't cry this time at her table, but man, it was close.

and on *that* note, i find myself at the point where i have to decide if continuing on this crafty journey is right for me, financially, that is.

wish me luck!

Posted by Unknown at 8:25 PM 2 comments  

i have not been hiding out so much lately, it's just that i have been so busy i can hardly keep my head on straight. i am certainly not complaining; it's just been a whirlwind!

between taking all kinds of awesome custom orders for various old and new clients, taking the little doggie to the vet, and working 40 hours a week at my day job, i find myself kind of tired some days lately.

zelda is doing fine from her trip to the vet, but the poor girl has to be a conehead for 8 days! she's been a great sport about it; she just doesn't love it. can you blame her?



i was working on my to do list and it looked something like this:

make 10 custom cards for mary
make 30 custom cards for networking group
make 3 custom birthday cards
make 50 custom wedding cards, thank you notes, response cards, and direction cards for val's wedding
make 40 custom skully santa cards for holly
make k. grezz's receipt book
make renee more sample promo cards to send out
make pirate sketch book
make skully santa cards for etsy shop
make an "idea book" for etsy shop
make custom chandelier stationery for gemini5757
make proofs for september cards for realtor clients
make promo stuff for k. grezz
make 100 note cards for anne

i think that's it? i'm totally sure it's not! but that is ok.

i am busy, work keeps coming, and it is good.

Posted by Unknown at 9:29 PM 3 comments