Patty Rose Design

A Lovely Day

What a lovely day today.  Spent the afternoon with a wonderful friend playing with paper.  We started out with a little lunch of homemade tomato bisque soup, homemade croutons, a fruit tray and Pinot Grigio wine.  We then headed downstairs to the studio and spent the afternoon laughing and making our paper creations.  I so enjoy those times with her, a true friend and great company.  Spending the day sharing one of our favorite hobbies makes it all the better.  I made quite a few cards and enjoyed the slower, relaxing pace of the day.  Probably the last one until I leave for Europe.  So much still to do... 

After Kate headed home, I sat on the porch in the sun.  How wonderful the warmth felt on my face, it feels like a million years ago that it was summer.  I sat outside and had a hot cup of PG Tips, enjoying the birds singing and the fresh breeze.  The bushes and trees are budding with little bursts of green and plants are sprouting everywhere.  Spring has finally returned.  I finished out the day with a two hour nap and a movie with Mr. Rose in the evening.  A lovely day, indeed.

Here are the cards I made today and yesterday.

This one was for a wedding reception we attended on Saturday night...

And this one is for a close friend's upcoming birthday...

And a set of 12 cards for a gift...yes, there are only 10 pictured here, guess I forgot to photograph a couple of them!  My inspiration was a request for orange and some beautiful botanical paper.  I was certainly in the mood to spend some time creating and retreating from the fast pace of the last few weeks, so the cards flowed quickly which is always fun. 

So tonight I cleaned up the studio table and put things away.  It will be sometime now before I'll have creative time.  I'm off shortly for Europe and plan to find some beautiful French papers and notions while I'm there.  I plan to gather lots and lots of inspiration and hit the studio with fresh ideas and  some great handmade things for my Etsy shop.  Au revoir for now!

 

A Few Little Things

The Trip - Planning for the trip is in full swing.  I can't believe it is only 27 days away.  Lots of preparations required.  Pack this, buy that, copy these.  I'm beyond excited, however.  It has been three years since I took a real vacation and this trip should make up for that.  It sounds like a relaxed (otherwise described as a "loose itinerary" by my co-travelers who have ASSURED me that this is the best way) pace is planned.  I am going with it.  There will be plenty of time for reflection, relaxation, perusing and just plain decompression.  Long overdue...some of this ought to do it...

And a drive through here might do it...

Or maybe a ride on one of these will do it....


It's gonna be good no matter what!

The Art - I am so excited!!  I have finally starting building out my Etsy shop.  Please see the new sidebar at the top left of the blog.  Many more items to come.  Don't be afraid to contact me about making something custom.  Anything that you see in my Etsy shop can be recreated in a color or theme of your preference.  If not shown, my standards items are handmade journals made from recycled paper goods, 5 x 7 card sets (set of 6 or 12), 3 x 3 card sets (set of 4 or 12), necklaces, bracelets, earrings, handmade chintz ribbon and fabric flowers that can be used to embellish packages, clothing or paper arts.  Each item will be unique and one of a kind.  Everything will be beautifully packaged and shipped to your door.  Easy peasy.  I'm hoping I will find some wonderful things in Europe that I can use to make more beautiful items for the shop!  Making these things makes me happy!

A Special Present -   I received this very special gift from a friend.  I love it!  Dragonflies are my fetish.  I think it is so wonderful when someone remembers something special and presents you with something so meaningful.  AND, she ordered it from Etsy, so I also get to appreciate that it is handmade by someone somewhere, and by her purchasing it, another artist type like myself gets to do something that they love.  Thank you Aubra.  I know I've told you already but this is something that will hold a special place in my heart.

Wish me luck on my Etsy adventure!  Much more to come soon!

Setting Up Shop on Etsy

I'm so excited!  I am finally getting around to getting my little shop set up on Etsy.  Scroll down the "Typelists" section on the right and look for "My Etsy Shop."  I'm working on some jewelry, papercrafting, supply kits and home decor items that I'll be selling in my new shop.  Once a shopkeeper, always a shopkeeper, I guess.  Stay tuned.  Oh, and please be patient as this is SO time-consuming to get everything set up.  Not to mention how much time it will take to get the inventory up to a respectable level.  Stay tuned!