Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!

From our family to yours, we wish you the best holiday season ever, and a prosperous New Year!

Santa's The Star

Using my collection of vintage turn-of-the-century Santa postcards, I had copies reduced and made these charming Santa gift tags. They are little mini collages and incorporate hand stamped images with sentiments of the season. They're perfect for packages, wine bottles or even ornaments for the tree!

These tags are available at http://www.fishintheatticstudio.etsy.com/

Vintage Ephemera Makes Great Cards!

Birthday Boy Greeting Card
I couldn't resist this adorable baby boy blowing out the candle of his first birthday cake. He came from a watch ad, in a 1940's magazine, that I recently purchased on Etsy. I had him color copied and reduced in size, at the local printer, then incorporated him into this cute card that I am selling on Etsy. I have an extensive collection of turn-of-the-century vintage ephemera that I've been using in my work, but just recently began buying mid-century ads for their retro appeal. Keep following to see what other finds I turn into greetings!
www.fishintheatticstudio.etsy.com

FALLING LEAVES AND MANY THANKS

This is a card I designed for the Stampsmith blog. The image is of a park in Paris, where the autumn leaves have already fallen. It is a photo stamp, which is made from an original photo, this one a vintage scene. The image is made into a rubber stamp, which can be inked and impressed on paper. The skeletal leaves are also stamps that were embossed in copper.

IS IT HALLOWEEN LOVE?

I got inspired by this Stampsmith image when I was searching for a Halloween card idea. What if the picture of this amorous couple wasn't all that it seemed? What if he were really someone dark and sinister? Is it love or just another pain in the neck? I guess we'll never know for sure!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Visit and view my post on The Stampsmith blog:

www.thestampsmith.blogspot.com

Paris Inspired Cards

For my guest artist submission to the Stampsmith blog, I designed a trio of cards inspired by the vintage style "Paris" stamp plate. I selected the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, and stamped each one with a different ink color. Then I color coordinated the cards using the three colors: eggplant, cranberry and mustard.

A young romantic couple smooches at Notre Dame Cathedral!

The Eiffel Tower, as seen through beautiful iron gates, has a majestic quality all it's own!

A vintage image of the Arc de Triomphe looks as grand then as is does today!

The Stampsmith blog:
http://www.thestampsmith.blogspot.com/

The Stampsmith website:

http://www.thestampsmith.com/

A Birthday Card with a Jolt!

I created this birthday card for The Stampsmith blog using the "Coffee Gal" stamp. She is the epitome of the 1950's housewife, with that June Cleaver twinkle in her eye. The background paper screamed 50's to me, with those starbursts that were so popular in wallpaper, drapes and clocks. She's got her morning java, and she's toasting your birthday with "Here's mud in your eye!".

Visit The Stampsmith blog to see more:
http://www.thestampsmith.blogspot.com/

Guest Artist for The Stampsmith!

I have been asked to be a guest artist for The Stampsmith blog, during the months of September and October. I am very excited to participate with such a great team of artists!

The Stampsmith, carries an exquisite line of rubber art stamps, including many vintage designs. Artists worldwide are featured on their website. Estelle, the owner, happens to live in nearby Huntington. She generously supplied me with stamps to create artwork to post on their blog. Here are just a few samples of cards created with these stamps.

" Wedding Bells" shows a romantic vintage couple who look like silent movie stars.

"Just Married" features an adorable newlywed couple in their old "jalopy"!

The Stampsmith blog:

http://www.thestampsmith.blogspot.com/

The Stampsmith website:

http://www.stampsmith.net/

HALLOWEEN GREETING CARDS

Here are a couple of Halloween cards I created last week for sale on Etsy, and the witch already sold!
Dreamy Witch Card
Monster Baby Card

Birthday Butterfly Girl

Over the summer, I created a card for my daughter's friend's birthday. I often use a rubber stamp that resembles my daughter when making cards or goody bag toppers for school. It sets them apart from everyone else, and there is no mistaking who it came from. The card recipient was a seven year old girl, so I created this adorable butterfly fairy who happens to look like my daughter.

Dance School Treasure Boxes

My younger daughter attends Steppin Out Dance Studio, owned by the lovely "Miss Kathy". When she learned of my creative endeavors and saw some of my card designs, she commissioned me to make a gift for each of her three graduating seniors. We agreed upon a decoupaged wooden box, where the girls could keep their treasured possessions.

I hand stamped various papers and book text with images that related to dance, and inspirational sentiments relating to their future journey in life. I then decoupaged the paper to the top and sides of the boxes, which I had painted in different colors. Finally, I antiqued the surface and applied a light mist of fine glitter. Miss Kathy was very pleased and has encouraged me to set up in her lobby, a display of my work.

California Dreaming

We took the kids to California in August, starting in San Francisco and making our way down the coast to San Diego. One of their favorite days, of course, was at Sea World. Both got to experience the dolphins up close! Overall, it was an exhausting trip, but worth every minute.

Summer Synopsis

Welcome back! Today is the Autumnal Equinox! It seems I took the summer off, although that was not my plan!

We kept pretty busy between camps, beach jaunts and vacation. My little one went to dance camp and culture camp, and the latter was featured on our local TV station, News 12 Long Island. My older daughter attended marching band camp, as an incoming freshman. She plays the flute, and in addition to football games, she will be performing at the Newsday Marching Band Festival at Hofstra University. It features the best local marching bands and will be available on YouTube.

In July, my husband decided for his birthday, to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. So we parked in Brooklyn, and walked across to lower Manhattan. We had a great pizza dinner in Little Italy at Lombardi's, the oldest pizzaria in the US. Zagat's says, "Best on the planet."

My very own Cinderella!

My daughter graduated from middle school on Tuesday, June 24th, and on Wednesday the class had their 8th grade dance, which was held on cruise boat off the south shore of Long Island. It was not supposed to be dressy, but we suspected a lot of the girls would dress up anyway. This was an opportunity for her to have her first cocktail dress and high heeled shoes. So, I took her shopping at the local department stores, and pretty quickly, she found two dresses she liked. We took both home to decide which she preferred, and even enlisted friends in the decision making. Between coral and blue-green, most chose the coral, so that became the one. When the day came, she had her hair curled and her nails done, and when she donned that dress, she became a beautiful princess. Of course, in my opinion, she was the most beautiful young girl there! She and her friends had a great time, despite the rain, and I think it will be a night to remember! In September, she's is off to high school, and many more adventures!

HERE COME THE BRIDES!

It's June and wedding season is upon us, so I decided to make some cards featuring brides. This one is particularly cute because she's holding a Coca Cola bottle and the sentiment reads "Cherish true love". But, does this refer to the marriage or the drink? It depends on the giver, and can mean whatever they wish to express to the recipient!

Queen of the Yard Sale!

Last weekend, on a beautiful sunny Saturday, my seven year old daughter and I went to a local church yard sale. We browsed around from table table, until she was able to find some books that she liked. She's a new reader, and she's building her library of books.

At one table I saw a old wire egg basket, the kind where the handles fold down, and the rim fold down like petals. At the same table I spotted an old game from 1960 called "The Barbie Game: Queen of the Prom". The colors are vivid, and the graphics have a sketchy quality, so typical of the period. The playing cards depict beautiful party dresses and evening gowns, handsome boyfriends named Ken and Poindexter, with crew cuts and thick glasses, and club activities like drama and scholarship. You could land on "He criticizes your hair-do, go to beauty shop" if you're not lucky, or "He asks you to go steady" if you are. I couldn't resist buying it for $8.00, plus the egg basket for $1.00. I hope to incorporate it into some of my work.

Well, this started our season of yard sale cruising, and you never know what great treasures we may unearth. Keep you posted!

You're never too old to make new friends!

I made a new friend today, and it's an interesting story!

Not long after I opened my shop on Etsy last October, I was browsing the feature that allows you to find other sellers in your area. I found one located here in Northport, a stay-at-home mom with young kids who was also trying to turn her creative passion into a business. I contacted her and we e-mailed several times. She was wondering if I had any tips on getting that first sale on Etsy. I shared what I thought was helpful, and shortly thereafter we lost touch.

On May 13th, I started this blog, and contacted as many people I could think of to share my stories, and hopefully, draw a following. Yesterday, I gained my 5th follower, and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was my long lost friend, Vera! She had kept our e-mails, and checked in to see how my shop was doing, and that's when she found my blog address.

To make a long story short, it turns out we live within walking distance, and our kids attend the same elementary school. We spoke on the phone for an hour, and I think we have a lot in common. We both became moms later in life, love gardening, cooking and baking. I've traveled her street many times, and know a lot of her neighbors. She house hunted near my home, and as soon as I mentioned the barn in my yard, she knew exactly where I lived. And of course, we share the same dream, of turning our creative passions into a business, which would allow us to remain home with our kids. The next step is to meet, and that will be another blog post!

So no, we are never to old to make new friends. They just might be right around the corner!

Please visit Vera's blog: Emily Lane Studio on my blog list.

Boys and Bucking Broncos!

Yesterday, I featured little girls in my work, and today it's the boys turn! I created two new cards for Etsy with a cowboy/western theme! Aren't they cute?

These cards are available on Etsy.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls!

For the last fourteen years, my life has been about little girls. So naturally, I'm drawn to beautiful vintage images of litte girls that I use in my work. Here are some of my girls!

These gift tags are available on Etsy.

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS UNITE!

Country Living Magazine's
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS SEMINAR

I'm back from Chicago and ready to report my findings!

First, let me tell about my trip. Using hotels.com I located what I thought was a reasonably priced room for Chicago, $108 per night, having stayed downtown for more. The description was for an older hotel from the roaring twenties, set in a neighborhood with shops, restaurants, and more. It got good ratings from visitors, so I booked. What I didn't know was that Oak Park was a little further from downtown than I had stayed before.

The Write Inn Hotel is set in the historic district of Oak Park, Illinois. It was built in 1926 as a SRO (short residency occupancy), and eventually evolved into the 65 room hotel of today. Oak Park has some of the finest examples of Frank Lloyd Wright designs in the country, as well as Victorian and Prairie style homes. Ernest Hemingway's birthplace is nearby and the Hemingway Museum is directly across the street from the hotel.

As I rode in the airport van I had hired for the round trip, I began to get nervous as we seemed to be getting farther and farther from the city. But, as soon as we turned onto N. Oak Park Ave., and I saw the "L" train, I began to relax. The description also said that the train was a short ride and about 9 miles to the Navy Pier, where the WE Seminar was to be held.

My first night, I took a short walk to the Avenue Lake Plaza District. I visited their beautiful new library, browsed in book stores, stopped in The Paper Source, a great stationary chain that we don't have here in NY, and had a bite at one of my favorite eateries, Panera Bread.

The next morning I grabbed a quick chai tea and muffin, and jumped on the green line heading for downtown. The very nice woman at the front desk gave me the directions to the Navy Pier, which involved one train, one bus and the free trolley, all for only $5 round trip. Time consuming, but a great buy for the money.

Country Living Magazine really puts on a fantastic seminar for women entrepreneurs. The Navy Pier was a new venue for the event, since attendance keeps growing each year by about 200, and there must have been 700 women, or more! They come from all over the country, all different backgrounds and all types of businesses, and all are there to launch a business, or take what they've started to the next level. I was lucky enough to meet three Chicago natives, Janet, Vicki and Mary, immediately after arriving, and we enjoyed the seminar together. I hope to stay in touch with these terrific ladies, and watch them "bank on their bliss"!

The guest speakers and panelists were interviewed by the editor-in-chief and other editors. Some of the speakers included: Rosanna Bowles, owner of an international tableware company; Margaret Josephs, founder of The Macbeth Collection, a designer and manufacturer of home and office accessories, desired by the likes of Oprah and Jennifer Anitston; and Mary Liz Curtin, writer, speaker and consultant specializing in the gift and home industries, just to name a few. To close the event, five of the women entrepreneurs featured in the June 2009 issue, spoke about the struggles and triumphs of starting their businesses, and inspired all of the attendees to keep at it as well.

When I leave this event, I'm always motivated to continue on my journey, to see where the road takes me, and to inspire others along the way! If you made it through this post, I hope it inspired you too!