Ever heard of lutterfu? Me neither til I came across this website earlier today, filled with templates and instructions for a snail-mail letter, envelope and seal all in one--write your letter on one side, fold inside-out along the pre-marked lines, seal with a stamp placed in the upper right corner, address and you are good to go!

I'm printing one out right now to test it. This is so cool!

UPDATE: I'm actually working with the original designer right now to make these available in my shop. So excited!

Time, why don't they sell THAT on Etsy?!

Time.

It used to be my best ally, now I feel like it's my enemy. I never have enough of it, and it drags on and speeds up whenever most inconvenient. My life-long strategy of deciding what would be the ideal amount of time to spend on something each day and then plunging right into said schedule does not serve me now--I'm officially an adult, with a 9-5 job and a husband/house in the evenings and weekends.

Not that I am complaining about Caleb's presence in my life. In fact, I choose to spend every spare moment with him because, well, I WANT to. But it used to be just me, my job, my cat and my hobbies, and now I'm trying to maintain that while also being married. And having a social life.

My new years resolutions have already fallen apart. And I think that means that I just need to rethink mostly everything. Not EVERYTHING everything, but close to it. Why do I spend my days at work filing another person's papers, and my evenings filing my own? Where's the joy, the pizazz, the energy of life in all that?

I know that since the bipolar finally crippled me to the point on non-functionality a few years ago that my life-living methods have had and still need a major overhaul. I am stable now, but drastically changed, somewhat for worse but mostly for the better.

Gone are the days I could cram full of "me-stuff." Gone are the days of working, working, working until I fell into bed at night. Gone are the days of giddy excitement or stomach-curdling disappointment at every small event.

I want to take all that was good about the old and toss everything else. I used to run myself into the ground with both quality AND quantity, fueled by the adrenaline and drive of a relentless need to pursue perfection in everything. I could feel opposite emotions at once, and choose which to show and in what way.

But I don't want that now. I want a little of only the best things, to enjoy rather than to be giddy or happy or "driven," to be able to relax instead of being wound so tight I had to either be full-steam-ahead or unconscious.

As you know, Caleb and I recently started up an online store selling my artwork and various derivatives of select pieces. And yet again, I approached it with the "full-steam-ahead or unconscious" mentality. And I've found myself more than once regretting opening the store, and then being surprised speechless at that regret. Regret opening the store? But that's been my lifelong dream since I was like ... five. Which tells me that the fault is with my methods, not my goals. Talk about a MAJOR wake-up call.

Slowly. Quality. Enjoyment. These are my new mantras. Help keep me accountable, will ya?

Peace,
Emily

OK, did I say Jan 1st?!

~Click image to see the beaded cards currently for sale!~

Yeah, sorry about that.

But being the genius I am I accidentally deleted the whole template, and too frustrated to start from scratch, I have been working with a graphic designer on Etsy to professionally remake this blog.

I've also come to the conclusion that my previous level of blogging was demanding too much of my time. I loved each and every post and didn't mind the effort it took to make them special, but the time--time, oh the time! The little white rabbit inside me has fallen down the hole, and I've rethought what, exactly, this blog is all about.

~Click image to see the snowflake items currently for sale!~

For now, this blog will feature occasional updates and behind-the-scenes on my current artistic doings. Hopefully at some point later in the year the artist interviews will return, but I will keep you updated.

Meanwhile, go check out our Etsy store to see the new beaded cards, the snowflake cards and the handcut orchid cards!

Peace,
Emily

~Click image to see the orchid cards currently for sale!~

Template Renovation: Please pardon our dust!

As we are revamping our blog template and posting schedule for the new year (see our Sabbatical post for details), please bear with any oddities you might encounter while browsing. The new template will be up and bug-free by January 1st! Meanwhile, enjoy these blog highlights from 2009:

[Interviews]

• Water-Droplet and Abstract Macro Photography with Malgorzata Krawczyk
• Pencil Realism by Linda Huber of ~Imaginee on Deviant Art

[Deviant Art Features]

• Star Wars, Edward, Spiderman, Joker, Snape, to name a few: Fan Art on Deviant Art
• Kittens! Because it's Thursday and I need a serious dose of cuteness

[My art]

• New art, a paper trimmer, new Thumper/Bambi greeting cards, and a secret!
• More "Ugandan Suns" and the debut of my tiny "Pond" series

[Tutorials and articles]

• Christmas For A Song, Part I: Paper Snowflakes Tutorial
• Fear is Art's Greatest Enemy: A letter to myself and others

[Poems & Etsy Features]

• A Poem Lovely As a Tree: birch bark on Etsy, with poetry
• These are a few of my favorite things ... Spats!

Sabbatical

Thought I'd start out with a goofy pair of pictures of me covered in silver ink. Somehow, no matter how "clean" the project I'm working on, I manage to make a mess. It's nice to know that some thing never change eh? :)

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post