On the FRONT PAGE AGAIN!!!!

Yay! I am so thrilled that another set of my cards made it to the front page of Etsy! Woo hoo!

A few side notes...

I haven't posted in forever! I've been quite the tired and busy gal, getting ready to bring another little one into the world in January. I am almost 17 weeks pregnant already and time is just soaring by right now!

I am planning on saying "farewell" to Blogger soon and moving my blog to Wordpress! I am very excited about all that the future holds for me and hope that you will join me at my new home! The details about my new blog will be announced very soon (fingers crossed)!

If you are interested in learning more about Wordpress blogs, check out this handy-dandy article!

Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Peony blossoms are short lived, but there time here makes quite a lovely and dramatic impact. I literally savor every moment that their delicate petals are intact. One small bouquet in a room fills the entire space with their ambrosial scent. I love these extraordinary posies and I am very grateful they bloom in my garden from year to year.

Memorial Weekend

Good morning! My husband, daughter and I spent the weekend traversing the North Shore! Our adventures began in Aurora, Minnesota, took us to Duluth to one of our favorite restaurants on Lake Superior, then back to Aurora, for a night’s rest before heading way up the North Shore to Grand Marais, where we camped at Judge C.R. Magney State Park. Sofia spent her very first night in a tent and slept like a log.

The next day, we hiked up to the Devil’s Kettle (a scientific conundrum) and played in the waters of the Brule River. The water was pristine and of course my daring husband couldn’t resist jumping off the side of a cliff into the current of the river. Hooray, he made it back to shore!

In other uplifting news, I came home to a very exciting message in my inbox! My “hello lovely” cards were featured on the front page of Etsy! I could not have been more shocked or excited to come home to such great news!

Summer Splashes

Sofia's first official day of summer break from preschool was mighty exciting around here. With a record temperature of 95 and no air conditioning in our house, we spent most of the day in the kiddie pool. Almost nothing makes my little mermaid happier than splashing and playing in the water and almost any amount of water will do.

A look back in time, shows my babe happily playing in her pool ahem…bucket of water (2 years ago, age appx. 20 months).

Tips for Printing Custom Invitations from Jessica Wood {Fine Paper Goods}

Thank you for purchasing a digital invitation from my shop!

Here are some helpful tips to getting the very best quality print-outs:

1. Purchase a high quality paper from my favorite paper supplier, Paper Source.

Follow the link below to view an array of Eco-friendly, high-quality and gorgeous papers!

My favorite paper for printing invitations is the Luxe paper found at Paper Source. If your home printer works with 5 x 7 paper, I suggest using the Luxe 5 x 7 flat notes in white for printing your digital file. While you are at it, choose some A7 stylish European inspired flap envelopes.

2. Set your printer to "photo" quality. This will ensure the brightest, richest colors are printed on your invitations. Print your invitations!

3. The final detail that makes the invitations extra gorgeous is the rounded corners. I use the 1/2" squeeze punch corner rounder to round the edges of every invitation in my shop! It is available for $11.95 and adds a lovely touch to your custom invitation.

4. Mail your adorable and affordable invitations to your guests and look forward to your upcoming special occasion!

5. Questions? Feel free to contact Jessica (JessicaWoodDesign@gmail.com)

Hand-Made Mother's Day Gifts!

That special time of year is quickly approaching when you get the opportunity to give extra thanks to your mama for cutting the crust off your sandwiches, kissing your owies, and reading “Green Eggs and Ham” to you over and over again.

Here are some lovely, affordable and hand-made Etsy finds that are sure to let your mama know how much you appreciate her.

A gorgeous limited edition print from Gennine's Shop.

A set of wobbly bowls from AtlelierBB's Shop.

A fragrant hand-embroidered lavender sachet from Allisa Jacobs.

A yoga mat bag for the enlightened mom, by Virtuo Sew.

Teeny tiny caramel bars made by Havitconfections.

Herb garden markers by Just Potters.

A hand-illustrated stationery gift set, personalized with your mama's name by me!

Spring is in the Air

The office/studio/craft room is painted and I love it! I will post photos very soon. First, I should clean the place up a little bit!

In the mean time, here is a miniature recap of my day today. My little one was feeling slightly under the weather, so she stayed home from school today and recuperated with some Vitamin D therapy. I yanked at least 1oo dandelions out of my front yard and tossed them into our compost pile, while Sofia rode her unicorn and taunted our kitty with a tulip she plucked from the garden!

I also worked on spring inspired designs for my shop, so stay tuned for an upcoming shop update and special!

My Painting Challenge!

I have wanted to paint my home office/studio/craft room since I first moved into it over a year ago. I am finally getting around to it and finding it to be quite challenging deciding on the perfect color for the space.

The room is not tiny, but it has some space limitations. My husband and I share the space, so we have two desks, an area where I warehouse my cards, envelopes, paper and other supplies, a printing and shipping area, and a bookcase.

The space has two windows, one pictured (yes it really is that close to the floor) and another on the other side of the room. Huge cascading Oak trees in our backyard make the room cool and shady. The trees also block out much of the sunlight, so I think the room should be a lighter color.

Our office/studio/craft room used to be used as my twin sister’s bedroom. (On a side note it was so fun living together our entire lives until we were nearly 27 years old. Hurry up and get your nursing degree and come back to Minneapolis sis!) The current color is lovely color for a bedroom; however, it is entirely too relaxing for a home office/studio/craft room, so it is time for a much needed change.

Because it is a shared space, my husband and I have to agree on the color. He likes blues and green. I like pink and purple. After purchasing 11 different sample colors over the course of the week, consulting various color psychology resources, searching many interior design blogs for inspiration, three trips to Home Depot and one to Sherwin Williams, creating a mood board, and painting various colors on the walls, I may have decided upon a color. If I still like the color in the morning (fingers crossed) I may actually paint my studio space.

Traveling Sale!

Beginning Monday, March 15th, 2010 (7 days from today), I will be traveling for 12 days!

I am offering FREE shipping on ALL CUSTOM INVITATIONS, ordered today, Monday, March 8th, 2010 - Thursday, March 11th, 2010. Sale does not apply to orders placed before today.

All items ordered between March 13 - March 27, will be shipped on Monday, March 29th.

Digital invitations will be emailed within 48 HOURS of purchase from March 15th - March 27th.

March'n in Minnesota

It's puddle jumping season here in Minnesota. The spring thaw has begun and my 50 cent garage sale polka-dotted puddle jumpers made their way out of the closet and into some chilly puddles. And please, if you happen to run into my three-and-a-half year old daughter and converse about her rubber boots, note they are NOT called boots, they are, "PUDDLE JUMPERS!" She will passionately remind you of this if you happen to make this mistake.

Sofia the Creative Director

My daughter loves to help me with my design business. At three-and-a-half years old, she has many creative specialties. She loves to place her pointer finger on ribbons, easing the process of tying bows. She adores climbing on my back while I am on the floor, chopping greeting cards with my industrial paper cutter. Her finest talent to date though is her ability to suggest layouts for product photography. She insisted that her puppy be photographed with this custom set of stationary. I think she is brilliant.

New Custom Stationary!

Good morning! I added a custom stationary gift set to my shop over the weekend. Mother's Day is coming up on May 9th this year and the set makes a lovely gift for the special lady that brought you into the world.

The boxed gift set features my "Flora and Fauna" design, printed on Luxe Fino Cover, a gorgeous textured paper. The stationary measures 5x7, with beautiful rounded corners and 12 chartreuse envelopes. The stationary comes in a dark chocolate box topped off with a pink satin ribbon, ready to be given to your mama (or yourself, your sister, your grandma, or anyone else that loves hand-made & unique gifts.)

Visit my shop today to purchase the lovely personalized stationary set!

Also, look for more new products available in my shop this week!

Etsy Treasury "Mango Berry"

Mango Berry Treasury

Check out these gorgeous items that my "Hello Lovely" greeting cards are lucky enough to by surrounded by in the Etsy Treasury, "Mango Berry." Etsy shop owner Itz Fitz included my set of cards in her lovely treasury! The Treasury is an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery of handpicked items. Thanks Itz Fitz! I am honored to be included in such a lovely group of artists!

Customizable Invitations

Check out the customizable 5 x 7 invitations that I added to my shop today!

Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

Often when I am feeling like I need a boost of creative energy, I sit down with piles of colorful wool roving, a small foam block and a barbed needle. The process of needle felting is simple and comes quite naturally to me. It is slow, methodical and meditative. I literally poke the wool with the special needle until it has woven its tiny fibers together creating a strong bond.

Unlike much of my life, the process of needle-felting is unhurried. One poke at a time until I’ve created something. I almost always make toys for my daughter to play with, but the creative possibilities are infinite.

In honor of Saint Valentine’s Day, I needle-felted this miniature bowl for the miniature love in my life.

The Lucky Winner Is....

The winner of the "Give-Away" in celebration of the grand opening of my shop is Chris. Chris was chosen at random by this site. Chris, could you please email me your contact information at JessicaWoodDesign (at) gmail.com and I will send you your two sets of greeting cards.

Thanks to everyone for participating and for all of your lovely comments!

For those of you that didn't win, you still have an opportunity to purchase cards in my shop!

Give-Away!

Hello! In celebration of the grand opening of Jessica Wood {Fine Paper Goods} I am giving away YOUR CHOICE of 2 sets of cards from my Etsy Shop!

Jessica Wood {Fine Paper Goods}

How to Enter:

Visit my shop. Choose your 2 favorite sets of cards. Leave a comment on this post with your name and tell me which two sets of cards you would like to have. The contest does not include custom invitations. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

Contest ends Wednesday Feb. 10 at 8pm EST - winner will be chosen randomly & announced on Thursday, Feb. 11.

Happy Go Lucky

Friday, February 5th, 2010, I will be celebrating the "grand opening" of my Etsy Shop, Jessica Wood {Fine Paper Goods}. In honor of the grand opening celebration, I will be hosting a "give-away" on my blog, that will include an assortment of items from my shop! Please tell your friends to check back here on Friday for their chance to win an adorable bundle from my hand-illustrated collection of greeting cards.

Warm and Fuzzy Thank You!!!!

I am feeling quite the warm welcome from Etsy. I will list a few more new items tomorrow! Thank you so much to all of the people that are supporting my shop and my work. I feel blessed to be able to share my art and passion with people from around the country!