Still at work filling the store with some of our Everyday is a Holiday classics. I'm so happy to be making our diecuts again. We just got so wrapped up in doing other things that the diecuts kinda fell to the wayside...but after lots and lots of requests (which I appreciate so so dearly!!) we got to work on a batch of some of our favorite diecuts which are ready to ship and listed now!! And we'll be adding lots more of 'em to the shop real soon. I was a collector of vintage diecuts long before we even started making them and I've got some super faded/brittle ones that I don't even want to hang up...I keep them in a flat box and visit them every once in a while. My old ones are mostly ice cream and milkshakes...VERY hard to come by old cakes and cupcakes. So I guess you could say I made them out of necessity. For years we were making ornament sized cupcakes and cakes...and it was one of those "why didn't we do this sooner?" moments when we decided to make them super big...like real deal diecuts...which were engineered to grab your attention from afar..."hey...all of the sudden I want a slice of chocolate cake!"...says the woman as she strolls past the window display at Woolworths. And our diecuts are absolutely perfect for that purpose...we've got a ton of bakery owners for customers. BUT of course the majority of our collectors are just plain old civilians like us. And come to think of it...in the home, I think I like diecuts even more. Doesn't it make sense to have a giant cupcake just floating on your living room wall!?
For a while we've been wanting a tiny video camera. Just something simple...we were considering a Flip. But it's not like we told anyone that we wanted one...so it was a huge surprise when Aaron opened up this gift from his brother on Christmas. It's perfect...exactly what we were looking for. It is a Sanyo Xacti We've had some ideas on the back burner and we're gonna play around with this little guy for a while to get used to all the ins and outs. Once we've got the hang of it you guys will be seeing some of the footage right here on the blog...should be fun fun fun ;)
And speaking of videos...I adore the etsy channel on youtube. If you're not a regular viewer already then I suggest you grab some tea & cookies and prepare to smile BIG! The vids are just so fun and inspiring.
Here is a vid featuring one of my FAVE gals in blogland...Dottie Angel...and her oh so lovely "mossy shed"... I love her and her world so so much!! Press play below and you'll be enchanted too!
(Be sure to pause my music first. Located wayyy down at the bottom of this page)
Now let's meet another Design Team member shall we? This is highlight number 3...our friend Natalea ( pronounced like the regular Natalie...but as Natalea told us..."her Dad was being creative" :) ) We got to meet Natalea at Silver Bella...where we also learned how to pronounce a few other gals names. It's so funny when your online relationships crossover into the 3D world...you suddenly have to SAY the things that you've only TYPED up to that point! We had a short list of gals who we just could not wait to meet in person at Silver Bella and when Natalea approached us we were so THRILLED...we had been talking online for a looong time.
Natalea Kandefer
Meet Natalea. She dabbles with lots of mediums but her biggest love is creating with paper. She's been published in Art Journaling, Artful Blogging, and some other art zines as well. She primarily focuses her creative efforts on art journaling and mixed media works but she's always thrilled to try new mediums and loves to expand her creative palette. She's into lots of styles...from sweet & whimsical to dark & contemplative...whether it's music, fashion, or mixed media. Art that incorporates a bit of each is what really makes her heart sing!
Besides trying to live each day Artfully, she teaches English as a second language to refugees, reads fiction obsessively, enjoys sand & snow as much as she can, crafts with her five year old daughter, eats lots of sushi, and tries to be as fun as possible.
We are so thrilled to have Natalea as part of the team! I adore her art journaling and look forward to seeing what she can do with our designs! :)
You can see already if you check out the pics of Natalea's work and then look back at Chelsea's & Jenn's stuff...we've already got a pretty diverse group...and we're only halfway there!
Alright...for me, this is a short and sweet post. I'll be back soon with more Artful thoughts from our cozy nest and a spotlight on Design Team member #4 !
Love ya lots! xoxo, Jenny