CHEAP SPOOKS!

As of today, my Halloween Paper Pack is now 25% off! Cheap, spooky fun for you and your little one! (or just YOU and your scrapbooking/collage fetish!)

Included in the 15-piece pack:

~Orange and black patterned papers
~Black and orange construction paper
~Peanuts- and Winnie the Pooh-themed activity and coloring pages
~Vintage thesaurus and dictionary pages referencing Halloween-themed words, such as “fear,” “sorcery,” “frighten,” “ghoulish,” etc.
~Vintage French textbook pages focused on disguises/costumes
~Envelopes and gift tags featuring Halloween-themed stamps
~Fun Halloween stickers!

Will ship immediately so that you have it in time for the big 3-1!

Hurry! Halloween’s one week from today! Available in my Etsy shop HERE!

Paper Clips Journal – Version Française!

Considering my extensive French background and the bajillion French papers (vintage and modern) that I’ve collected over the years, I decided to create what I call The Paper Clips Journal – Version Française! Now for sale in my Etsy shop! It’s like my regular Paper Clips Journals, except even awesomer, because it’s French-centric. The result is a lovely compilation of mixed pages to satisfy anyone who has a bit of a French fetish, comme moi. 🙂

For most of my journals, I use an old postcard as a sturdy cover. For the V.F. (version française) edition, I’ll top it off with one of the fabulous French postcards from the collection I’ve accumulated from my many research trips abroad. In the V.F. journal pictured below, I used old black & white postcard of a Parisian lamp post that I got a few years ago in Paris (near the Centre Pompidou, to be exact). I slapped a red label on the front, and it’s ready to go!

Oh, and one more thing: If you ever order a Paper Clips Journal from me, make sure you always peek inside any envelopes I include. From flash cards, to stickers, to postcards, to decorative postage stamps (still very much usable!)… you just never know what you might find! I love hiding little prizes…

I had way too much fun compiling this journal and putting it together. Please order one so I can enjoy the h*ll out of making another. 🙂

Packaging is just another fun aspect of creating the journal for you. In order to seal the package up all nice-like, I plan on taking full advantage of the beautifully fun Japanese washi tape that I won in a blog giveaway last month.

See more images of this and other Paper Clips Journals in my Etsy shop HERE!

Words & Eggs is now on Etsy!

I launched my Words & Eggs Etsy shop a few days ago — a bit humbly and bashfully, I might add, because I feel as though I don’t quite have the technological capabilities that many successful shops have. Nor do I have very great (nor numerous) examples/images of my work. But, I have to start somewhere, right? Right.

And guess what? I’ve officially made my first Etsy sale! Granted, it’s a friend of mine who placed the order, but still. It counts. It’s an official order. I got paid for one of my creations, and it feels fabulous. 🙂

Right now, my shop contains only a few samples of my custom family trees, my lettering, and my Paper Clips journals (vintage and new papers compiled in a custom little book). In the coming weeks, I plan to add more samples of my lettering, particularly some calligraphy projects that I’m working on right now. I also plan to add some paper packs that will contain 20 paper items, from gift tags to vintage maps to pages out of French literature to swoon-inducing decorative papers from the Paper Source.

I’m especially proud of my custom family trees, for which I go old-school and use a pair of scissors to cut out each individual leaf from your preferred selection of colored/patterned papers, and then paste them on a tree base that I also draw and cut by hand. And then I letter all the names and package it for you with lovely Japanese washi tape (courtesy of happytape.com!) and a gift tag. Family trees make excellent birthday and holiday gifts! And there are plenty of options we can brainstorm… from Christmas “advent calendar” types of trees (25 marked days!), to friendship trees (all your closest friends!), to baby announcement trees (your new baby stats!), to anniversary trees (a branch or leaf for each year!)…. TONS of options. My custom family trees are reasonably priced, starting at $60 for an 11″x14″ tree; pricing goes up depending on your preferred size.

Feel free to contact me if you have any interest and would like to discuss!

But for now, here’s a little sampling of my work, which is all completely constructed by hand. You can see more images in my Etsy shop and over at my “Handmade By Me” Flick set. More and better-quality images to come soon, hopefully!

Paper Clips Journal

Early version of the family tree I made for my Grandma last Christmas -- each flower represented a child.

Wedding invitation addresses

Tree and leaf cuts

Paper Clips Journal

Family tree lettering (Note: I can do many other styles if you'd prefer script, etc.)

Wedding invitation addresses + paper leaf embellishment

Early stage of Zoldesy family tree (pre-names). Sometimes I like the trees on their own! Maybe I should offer those, too? Sans names?

Packaging - Japanese washi tape + gift tag with stamped owl 🙂

Paper Clips Journal

Wedding invitation address

Framed Zoldesy family tree (14"x18")

Visit my Etsy shop HERE!

Exclusively for Gram…

My grandmother (aka, Gram) is my favorite person on earth. This is not news. My mom, dad, and sisters have accepted this information and have learned to deal with taking a collective backseat. They understand. I mean, hell, Gram is pretty much their favorite person on earth, too. (E.T. is our favorite person NOT on earth. Duh.)

So, sometimes I send Gram little prizes just to remind her I love her and miss her and think of her constantly. See, Gram lives in South Carolina. And I… do not. Not even close. So… it’s hard. Did I mention she’s 91? Yeah. She’s fabulous. She still mows her own lawn. In her navy blue pumps.

I’m completely serious.

Anyway… so, she doesn’t get to see us very often, and “us” includes my baby niece and nephew (her GREAT-grandchildren) who live up here in Mass. with me. So, that’s sad. Really sad. So I periodically get pictures printed off and send them to her. And I try to find creative ways to do so, rather than just sliding them into a stiff photo mailer accompanied by a rather lame “hello” note. That’s so sterile and blah.

Gram deserves more excitement, don’t you agree?

So, this time, I decided to compile some cool papers, clip them together, and write her little notes throughout. It’s similar to the journal I made for my friend a while ago (pictured HERE), except it’s not a journal. It’s just a fun collection of cool images for Gram to enjoy. Mostly images that bear some significance to us and our family.

So I just thought I’d share them with you…

Index cards, kraft envelope, recycled Paper Source paper from my calendar, vintage misc. papers…

Pics!

French is a family thing. This page is from a vintage “Learn French” book that I got at a used bookstore a few years ago, for a dollar. People are crazy.

Gram has always had fresh fruit in a bowl on her table. Nous préférons les pêches!

Gram’s a big Obama fan! Nothing like a 91-year-old liberal! This is a sticker I got from MoveOn.org after the election

Wordshop Wednesday: Regional Assembly of Text

I’m starting to think that I need to move to Vancouver, B.C.. Seriously. If I hear of ONE MORE awesome design/stationery/type shop located in Vancouver, I’m going to pack up my belongings and head Northwest.

Here’s why: The Regional Assembly of Text, built and created by Rebecca Dolen & Brandy Fedoruk, who also designed every freakin’ awesome thing in the shop. Unbelievable.

I want it all.

But I especially want these little treasures (all photos from Regional Assembly of Text’s online store):