Happy Holidays!

Where the heck has this year gone? Weren't we just picking fresh tomatoes from the garden, enjoying long, sunny days and having family BBQ's? Now a blanket of snow covers everything and I'm already thinking of goals for the new year. I am excited for what is to come. But as we head out West for the holidays, I look forward to seeing my peeps and a much needed break from the studio.

A very Merry Christmas and Happy 2010!

New product - Personalized Area Code Stationery.

Just in time for the holidays! These are in answer to the many requests I receive for custom Area Code stationery. They are a bit easier to make (not all the block printer's ink and mess) as they are printed on my high quality ink jet printer and then I hand stamp the telephone. I think they are a perfect gift for just about anyone.

You can find them in here: Jet Set Paper Etsy shop.

Love some good press!

My red JFK Jet Set Journal made it to the front page of New York magazine online! I had no idea they were going to be featuring my product, so it was quite a shock when orders started rolling in from seemingly nowhere. Love when that happens! And the article (ok, blurb:) is spot on.

Cupcakes!

Is it just me, or are cupcakes really "in" right now? And why wouldn't they be, they are little bits of goodness. I've come across so many recipes that have gone beyond the plain ol' chocolate or yellow types of yesteryear. So, here I go jumping on the cupcake bandwagon!

Recipe cards and set of FREE gift tags are here.

One year ago today...

...we were enjoying our first full day in Berlin. I still can't believe it's been a year. Time sure flies...

What's left of the Wall.

Berliner Dom

Brandenburg Gate

Who doesn't love a funny little truck, especially one that sells pizza!

Autumn Inspired :: Golden Tree Stationery

Inspiration ::

Result ::

New, in Etsy shop.

Figs.

Not sure how I got figs on the brain, but I did. There's something appealing about their shape and color. They have an exotic air about them. I printed the first image in a sage-y green then double bumped with a light eggplant color, it gives them a bit of a 3D look. Something different.

The note cards come in a pack of two with 100% recycled, kraft envelopes for $5.50. The tags are $3.50 for 5.

In the home studio with Holly Ward Bimba of Golly Bard.

As someone who runs a full-time, creative-based business from home, I thought it would be interesting to hear from others who also work from home. There are many positive aspects to being at home, but there can also be some drawbacks. On one hand it's so great to work in your pj's and on the other hand it's not so great to work in your pj's!

My second interview is with the very talented Holly of Golly Bard. When I came across a listing on Etsy, I was an instant fan. Her nature-inspired work is chock full of whimsy, textural detail and pattern all with a very organic feel. You can't help but be drawn into her lovely, unique world.

And away we go...

1. First, please introduce yourself.
Hello, I’m Holly Ward Bimba. I am a full time artist. I work from my home studio in Upperville, Virginia. I design my own stationery, do freelance work as well as create paintings for my shop on Etsy, Golly Bard.

2. Please describe your art; what is your creative process and what inspires you.
I paint with watercolor. It is my favorite medium. I am inspired by: natural history, the weather, insects, bugs, birds, patterns, wallpaper and anatomy. These days I find myself observing the world around me.

3. What is a typical day for you? Do you keep to a strict routine or is your day fairly fluid?
I get up really early. Tea or espresso is a must. I do my best painting before noon. I absolutely need natural light. I listen to music while I work. I usually make a big mess and my work sprawls onto every available surface. My dog actually keeps me on a schedule because she has an amazing internal clock! I try to paint every day. I take a break to walk the dog twice a day. I often bring my camera with me. In the afternoon I do office work and whatever else needs doing.

4. How do you avoid distraction (ie laundry, house keeping, errands, non work related phone calls, etc)? Or do you tend to give in?
Life interferes and I let it. That is the advantage of working from home. Actually, I am easily distracted. I love distractions.

5. Does working from home affect your art in any way?
Yes, I work a lot smaller. I also think I create more because I can leave things out and get right back to work when I am inspired. There are fewer barriers between my work and me.

6. How do you transition from "work" to "home"? Are you able to close your studio door and walk away for the evening? Is it easy for you to do?
It is hard to completely walk away. I am always thinking about something. I like to cook and so I usually stop work around dinner time. I love to read, go on outings with my hubby. I enjoy watching movies, and taking long walks. So I think I do find ways to break away.

7. Working from home can sometimes be lonely, do you miss working with other people such as in an office environment? Or do you usually interact with people (in person) during your day? Is this even an issue for you?
I love working alone. I see people, talk to people every day, so I still feel connected.

8. Please describe your studio space (is it a spare room in your home, in your garage, etc.)? Is it an inspiring space? What would you change?
It is a spare room in my house. It is tiny and utilitarian. I would love a bigger space with more light and storage.

9. In a nutshell, do you enjoy working from home? What has been your overall experience?
I love working from home, without question. I have projects that take me away from home and it is fun to get away. However, I am always glad to return home. It is a comfortable workspace and I work best from home.

10. And the million dollar question...do you work in your pj's, shower and get dressed or something in between? (Please note, I'm currently in my pj's:)
I try not to stay in my pajamas too long, though they are cozy! The thought of someone coming to the house and seeing me looking so unkempt, motivates me to start my day, clean, freshened up, dressed. Much to my chagrin, the UPS man has seen me in my pajamas a couple of times. Oops.

Thanks so much Holly!

Please visit Holly's two Etsy shops, her artwork and stationery. And she blogs too!

Autumn Green.

In honor of Poppytalk's Autumn Colour Week: Tuesday - Green.

Brand, spankin' new products.

I've been tossing around the idea of custom moving cards for a while now. I jotted down some ideas a couple weeks ago, but they just didn't fly. So yesterday, feeling creative, I finally sat down and knocked out a few. Each image is individually printed with my hand carved blocks. I think they are fun and unique! They are available in my Etsy shop and come in a set of 10. But of course I can always do more.

I knew I loved Milwaukee!

This afternoon I noticed a bit more activity than usual in my Jet Set Paper shop. Typically it means that someone was kind enough to mention my goodies on their blog or website. So, I googled "jetsetpaper" and found the culprit! The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online has a blurb about my MKE Jet Set Journal! How fun is that? You can read it here.

Pie.

On my list of things to do this summer: Make a pie. Have I done this? No. But, did I make some new "pie" stationery? Yup. It's much less time consuming and has zero calories! I like that. This fun set of flat note stationery would make a cute gift for the baker, pie/sweets lover or sweetie pie in your life. It comes in a set of 6 with envelopes for $9. You can find it right here. And if you need some more pie, check out my fun pi/3.14 recipe cards. They come in a set of 5 for $4.50. I know, they are a bit corny, but, hey, that's what I do.

In the home studio with Marisa Haedike of Creative Thursday.

I'm so excited to introduce my new series "In the Home Studio with..." As someone who runs a full-time, creative-based business from home, I thought it would be interesting to hear from others who also work from home. There are many positive aspects to being at home, but there can also be some drawbacks. On one hand it's so great to work in your pj's and on the other hand it's not so great to work in your pj's!

I'm thrilled that my first guest is the wonderfully talented and super sweet Marisa Haedike from Creative Thursday. She paints, she writes, she sells, she podcasts and now she teaches! So without further ado...

1. Please describe a typical day. Do you keep to a strict routine or is your day fairly fluid?
Ah yes, the typical day that's never really typical. Although I try. I try to have a typical day. As much as I love the freedom of being an entrepreneur, I have found that having some structure is very helpful in staying focused. With that said, I do love to keep a certain fluidity to each day. Every day does include a latte in the morning and email, although I am in the process of limiting email time to twice a day and even going an entire day without checking at all on the weekend . It's so interesting to realize that as more of my life becomes expressed and shared online, now via blog videos and an e-course I am teaching ~ the more I recognize the importance of taking time away from the online world it to be in my actual life.

2. How do you avoid distraction (ie laundry, house keeping, errands, non work related phone calls, etc)? Or do you tend to give in?
Such a great question. I find that I give in when I am avoiding beginning a project, even if it is a fun project that I'm looking forward to. I seem to have a habit of wanting everything "done and in order" before I start. But since I know this about myself ~ sometimes I just gently push the contents of my often disorganized desk, put down one of my wood panels and start painting. The distraction factor or personal chores, errands and events is definitely one of the obvious challenges of working from home, but I still LOVE working from home. It's such a treat.

3. Does working from home affect your art in any way? Does it inspire it?
Well, I do share my home with 3 animals and since I paint animals, I'm sure their antics and cuteness inspire me daily. Also I'm happy at home for so many reasons, but especially because I get to share my life with the man I love and that happiness can't help but come through in my work.

4. How do you transition from "work" to "home"? Are you able to close your studio door and walk away for the evening? Is it easy for you to do?
Funny you mention a "studio door" because if I have one wish right now it would be for a studio door. My studio is actually somewhat attached to our living space. It is a sun room that extends past our dining room and also has a door that goes into our garden. While it is a beautiful, bright sunny space, it is wide open and connected to everything. I'm realizing that it may help me to focus better if I could close a door now and then ~ It seems that the animals we live with don't have any boundaries or understanding of "work" time when it comes to being let in and out of our home. But I say this as I write answers to your questions from my laptop on the sofa. You see, because of the laptop, I really work "everywhere" in the house so the walk away for the evening is a boundary I just have to learn to set and I will say I'm getting better at "walking away" all the time. It's so important to take those breaks.

5. Working from home can sometimes be lonely, do you miss working with other people such as in an office environment? Or do you usually interact with people (in person) during your day? Is this even an issue for you?
You know, I don't miss working with people in an office environment. I always found the time wasted in dealing with human dynamics and senseless meetings every day far outweighed the creative companionship that came from working with others at an office. Now I have the best group of creative friends and we make time to get together regularly. When we do meet with each other, it's in support of one another ~ and it's always inspiring and energizing. I'm the kind of creative person that can easily be depleted energetically by uninspiring social interaction so I'm learning to be more selective about my social time, instead preserving my energy and my time for my creativity.

6. Please describe your studio space (is it a spare room in your home, in your garage, etc.)? Is it an inspiring space?
Minus the lack of a door and a little more insulation in the roof for extremely hot or cold days, I love my sunroom studio. Surrounded by windows, a slanted roof with exposed, white painted paneling and beams, it's cozy and inspiring.

7. Do you enjoy working from home? Would you change anything if you could?
I love working from home. I used to dream about it during my days spent in an office... it's a dream come true.

8. And the million dollar question...do you work in your pj's, shower and get dressed or something in between? (Please note, I'm currently in my pj's...LOL)
I was doing the PJ thing for a while, I mean who doesn't? It's one of the treats of working from home. But I found over time that I never felt "ready" for my as I mentioned before, non typical days. I feel better when I get up and shower first. A shower is a symbolic "clean slate" to the start of my day. It clears my mind. I feel fresh, awake and ready for what's next!

Thanks so much Marisa!

That time of year again.

It's mid-August in Pittsburgh. That means purchasing a full bushel of romas from our local farm market, spending a full day in a hot kitchen, roasting the hell out of 15 dozen tomatoes and then freezing the tasty treats for winter. This is precisely what I did on Sunday. And oh are they lovely.

This past winter, we went through every single wonderful Ziplock bag of tomatoes. We used them in soups, stews, chili and of course on pasta. It's a little bit of summer in the midst of a cold, cold winter which feels like it's never going to end. The recipe is tried and true. This year I used a melange of herbs from my garden. I chopped up basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and a few sage leaves in place of just using straight thyme.

I can't wait for winter! (Did I really just say that?)

Checking in.

I'm back from a fantastic week out West where I hung out with family and spent a weekend away with some wonderful friends I hadn't seen in years. I'm feeling rejuvenated and inspired. There's something about reconnecting with old friends that is so very good for the soul. We caught up on our lives, the good parts and not so good parts. We laughed a lot, I mean the kind where you either cry or pee your pants or maybe both. We ate, enjoyed a few adult bevies (really, just a few), went dancing, basked in the sun then talked some more. It was truly great.

I'm ready to jump right back into things and am quite excited about a new series of upcoming blog posts. As a creative type who has a small business and works from home, I thought it would be fun to see how others handle the pros and cons of working out of the house. There are mostly positive aspects, but negative ones can sneak in too. I will be posting my first interview early next week. Stay tuned!

Adventures in canning.

So, what do you do with a gabillion cucumbers and hot peppers from the garden? Well, you give some away, you eat some and then you make pickles. And pickles we made. Being new to the process, I let my husband take the lead as he has had some previous canning experience. What you need: jars (preferably Mason), cucumbers, hot peppers (optional), dill, garlic, pickling salt (which we couldn't find so we used Kosher salt), vinegar, water, a few large saucepans and a canning pot (or super large stockpot).

In a nutshell, you sterilize everything, make a brine, stuff the jars and set in a bath of almost boiling water. Then, place them on a kitchen towel and cover with another towel. Once cooled, they should self-seal and then store in a cool, dark place. We are still trying to find out how long they need to sit, our recipe didn't say.

I thought it was going to be a more involved process, but it was really quite easy and fun. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Garden goodness.

Oh I love this time of year! Our garden is starting to explode with goodies. We have amazing peppers such as Poblano, Hungarian Hot Wax, Jalapeno, Sweet Banana, Gypsy, Giant Marconi and Cubanelle. (We stuff them with cheese then throw on the grill...so good.) We have a million cucumbers which we are going turn into pickles. And of course many varieties of tomatoes which are just starting to ripen. We are also growing my most favorite thing ever...corn! It is so fun to grow and doubles as a very nice privacy screen.

Home Sweet Home

As a participant in Poppytalk Handmade's newest Marketplace "Home Sweet Home," I decided to list a couple new cards with dwelling motifs. You can visit my table here.

1. "moonlit yurt*" blank note cards, set of two for $5.50.
2. "new home" greeting card with "congratulations!" on the inside for $3.50.

*a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

Trunkt

I've spent the past two days updating my Trunkt portfolio, it's been collecting dust for a while now. I'm hoping it helps generate more traffic to my Etsy shop as well as creates some wholesale interest. If you're not familiar with Trunkt, they are a website dedicated to showcasing artisans and their wares from around the world. They've really done a nice job updating the site over the years.

Dads and grads.

I'm going to blame too much Twittering and Facebooking for my lack of blog attention. Yeah, that's what I'll do...

So, in an effort to get back on the blog bandwagon, I thought I would share a couple newish cards for the dad and/or grad in your life. The surfboard card harkens back to my days growing up near the beach in Southern California. And I just love an old school typewriter! They can both be found here and here.