=Mighty Tieton=

I may be able to stand living here after all! Our little family currently moved to the-middle-of-nowhere-Washington. Well, it's not that remote: the Yakima area. But after living in San Diego and Seattle, it is kind of an adjustment. But my husband and I recently discovered a flowering artistic community in Tieton, a town near the mountains. An entreprenurial venture called "Mighty Tieton" is working to "improve the economy of the town and region by combining its creative and professional talents and utilizing local resources to build successful businesses related to art, design, hospitality, and recreation.a small but growing group of designers, architects, artists, and creative individuals." Check out their website here.

I'm very interested in becoming part of all this, hopefully trying my hand in the printmaking studio Goathead Press. Also in part of Mighty Tieton is Marquand Editions, a nationally recognized art book publishing company that produces handmade art books. I was able to visit their amazing letterpress studio and Book Arts studio, which has a very hip little shop. The awesome limited edition letterpress coasters and handbound books sold there can be purchased on their website or Etsy shop.

:) tasty treats (:

How much fun would it be to make all these things out of felt! What a great gift idea for your make-believe-loving child: and no sewing machine required! Visit July Hobby's Etsy shop to buy these do-it-yourself patterns.

*** They're HERE! ***

Here they are: the print-it-yourself Valentine's cards and gift tags set! just one month before Valentine's Day! Available at The Paper Nut Etsy shop here.

~ more letters! ~

A handful more of my decorative letters! My apologies to those who are still awaiting F, H, K, L, M, Q, and V. Another post or two and they will be ready! I plan to first make the poster available as a digital print (much more economical, which I am sure is appealing to most). A version will be the pink-dominated color palette I've been showing, and another in more boyish hues.

[ in the works ]

My mother-in-law wants to make our next baby (which is going to be a girl) a quilt. So of course, I have to be the picky, pushy, designer and tell her, "Great! But I have to pick the fabric myself." A great source for fabric: QuiltHome.com. Above are the selection that I narrowed it down to (mostly from Heather Ross's "Mendocino" collection). I would LOVE to make an entire crib set, but I may be getting carried away. I'll be sure to show the final pics!

< shabby chic >

I got these quite awhile ago at a thrift store...somewhere. It's been long enough I don't even remember! But I love them. They are beat up in just the right way. They probably used to be part of a mobile or lamp base. I'm not sure what to do with them, but for now they are fun to play with.

* Wedding Suite *

A little while ago, I had the awesome privilege of creating this wedding invitation suite for a client, Bari Kessler, from the "Spring" collection in The Paper Nut Wedding collection. Thanks, Bari! (Printed by Tryst Press in Provo, Utah).

* Finalists *

...And there's the last two! These Valentines will all be set up as folded 3.5X5" cards with The Paper Nut logo on the back, part of a 3-page PDF. And some gift tags, too! It will be available early next week. I still want to print it out and make any final touch-ups.

( Snuggle Bunnies )

Another Valentine destined for the PDF. Stay tuned! They're almost done.

:: Love Note ::

Cute letterpress bird card from Magination.

...Here They Come...

My latest design for the Valentines PDF I will soon make available on The Paper Nut shop. So sad that I must resort to selling PDFs since I can't afford to print anything right now. Yet for Valentines, this actually seems appropriate. Remember how great it was to have 3 dozen flimsy little Valentines to pass out without abandon to every kid in your 4th grade class? We've all become so stingy with our paper greetings. I mean, how many email greetings did you receive over the holidays? Yes, good for the environment, but on Valentine's Day, it's time to use some PAPER. Chocolate, of course, is also good.

[ I am going to buy this... ]

This cute bag sold out by the time I found out of it (via an Etsy email), but I contacted the store owners and more are on the way! Eco friendly and, hello, how could I not own something with that squirrel design?

+ Be My Valentine +

I'm posting this to commit myself! I hope to make available a PDF download on The Paper Nut Etsy shop for a set of Valentines. Once you buy and download the pdf, you can print out as many as you want! Urge me on so I make it happen.

{ Latest Letters }

I've finally started working on my display alphabet again, destined to be made available as a silkscreen print. I've had so many requests for this to get done, so I hope to make it happen in the next couple weeks. Just have to find a printer! These are a few of the letters I've recently finished. Just a handful more...

- MooShoo Pork -

Cute little wooden things. You can have a custom set of nesting dolls made, too! Keep that in mind for a great gift idea.

.. Tasty Penguins ..

Um...cute! Alright, so I really don't like olives. But a lot of people do and YOU may be one of them. If so, try making these adorable edible penguins. Arrange them around an igloo cheeseball and I'm sure even people who don't like olives will just have to try one. Recipe by Valerie Cuff on AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 18 jumbo black olives, pitted
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 18 small black olives
• 1 carrot

Directions

1. Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.
2. Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

= My Latest Bedding Finds =

The online children's boutique, Dimples and Dandelions carries a lot of baby room furniture and decor. These are my favorites.