Happy. New. and Year.

I had so many expectations for this first post of 2014 that I found myself a bit tongue tied (keyboard tied?) about it all. So instead of trying to write some masterpiece of sorts, I'm just going to ramble a bit to get over the hump of starting a new year of blogging. 

Have you picked a word for your year yet? I love this tradition, but my word has not presented itself to me as of today. The finalists include: clarify, clarity, build, nourish, love, patience (my kids suggested patience - hmmmm...) produce (as in vegetables and to make things) and live. I'm going to give myself another week or two before "committing" in the hopes that the right word is obvious before then. One of my favorite new-to-me artists announced that her word of the year would be "snickerdoodle" - that sounds like a fun direction to consider also.

I have a list of things I want to do this year and I plan to post them here for accountability. Coming soon. I'm also very excited about getting back to blogging. I think I have two readers left (hi Elizabeth! hi Joe!), but with any luck, I'll get that number up to at least 10 (five hundred percent bigger - wow!). Ha! We'll see. I'm definitely bringing back Studio Tour Thursdays - can't wait.

These photos are of a recent paper haul I made in Chicago. Paper Source is opening in St. Louis this April - I can hardly wait. Happy New Year! xo

Happy Christmas!

It's Christmas and we have received so many holiday messages from friends and family - long epistles about health and joy, short wishes hoping that the holiday is "quick and painless", lots of editorializing about whether to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Goodness. Here is wishing you pure goodness this winter season. And joy. And health.

If you are feeling overwhelmed this morning, I hope that you will just remember one of my favorite quotes (or Hallmark sentiments...I honestly don't know or care, I just love it) - how do kids/friends/people spell love? T-I-M-E. In these coming days, I hope that you are giving yourself the gift of time with the people who you care about the most.

From our family to yours - happy day. xo

Velociraptor Book Journals

Well, I have a story. I have been selling my ephemera journals on etsy for a few years now and honestly, they just don't get that many views. When I can show my books in person, people connect with them and it is so fun to see. But online - hmmmm - not so much. So I was telling my family how I needed to rename my collage books with all the surprise papers and I may as well name them something crazy because I won't get fewer views with a fun and crazy name.

 And Joey suggested that I re-name them Velociraptor Journals. And then we had a very animated discussion of what this would look like and how I would market them. And Joey (should I remind you that he is 13?) got totally excited and all my kids were on board. So what else could I do?

Viola. Velociraptor Journals - same great quality writing paper and same diverse, fun selection of surprise papers inside all with a different name. And a different label designed by this one:

I have a few left from my Black Friday sale - in my etsy shop! xo

Flowers to the People!

Just a little note that my Upcycled Book Journals are now for sale at Flowers to the People on Cherokee. Flowers to the People is a sustainable flower shop owned by Bridget Weible - her work is great and her shop is filled with gift items all made by local artists. Cherokee Street is so fun at this time of year - a perfect place to buy local, have a great meal and spend time with friends!

Flowers to the People

2317 Cherokee Street

St. Louis

Black Friday Sale!!!

Black Friday Sale - November 29th

My Home

3070 Hawthorne Blvd.

St. Louis 63104

Hope you'll join us!

So much to share...

Lots going on over here and my little blog has been neglected to say the least. I didn't post about Faith's 15th birthday, so I'll put her first. Let's call this photo, "Predriving Teen with Huge Potato"?

We dug our sweet potatoes yesterday and had our biggest harvest yet. The soil just keeps getting better and better.

We had so many that David and I loaded them into a wagon and walked our block giving them away. We still have plenty to get us through most of the winter. And talking to neighbors was a great way to ring in these shorter days - the "rhythm" of which I do not always embrace.

It's November and I'm now getting ready for my Black Friday sale. I'll post the invite to that tomorrow. If you live in St. Louis, and like to shop on Black Friday, I hope you'll pop in.

Life is very good, but busy in ways we have not been prepared for. Having a kid in elementary, middle and high school is challenging (the schedules alone - oh my!) in many ways and we are missing some quiet family days over here.

My business has about three directions in which it can grow, and I'm still discerning all the possibilities. And did I mention that all of my kids have Celiac Disease? This means that our kitchen life has changed significantly - again, all manageable, but still feels quite big.

And finally, I think I went through a little creative crisis this year - spending more time quantifying my work and where is compares, what is is worth, rather than just enjoying it. My blog life just disappeared and this is probably the biggest factor in this.

So after the new year, I am planning to re-vamp this space completely. I want to post about my creative process without worrying about the product. I want to bring back Studio Tour Thursdays - I know my friends are missing it and I love doing it. And I want to bring a food component to this blog since our family has converted to being gluten free - I won't be posting as an expert or a "foodie" - I'll be posting as a student and a person who is "in it" in real time as we learn and make changes and grow. Thanks for checking in. xo