it's christmas time:

happy monday friends!
i love this time of the year, don't you?
it is officially starting to feel like christmas time.

hope you have a lovely week!

( image credits: lpnphotography + darling dexter )

weekly giveaway - lisa leonard:

i want everything from this lovely shop. i especially love lisa's custom pieces. this week you have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from lisa leonard to pick whatever your heart desires! lisa also keeps a pretty blog here!

win: $50 gift certificate!

Hello! Please tell us a little about you and your shop! Hi Danni! We create custom hand-stamped jewelry using sterling silver, freshwater pearls and lots of love and care. We want our designs to be very unique--things you can't find anywhere else.

What sort of things inspire you from day to day? I am inspired by blue skies, green grass, rolling waves, my kids' smiles, a cup of coffee (or two) and general loveliness and happiness.

Can you offer any helpful advice for friends wanting to start their own business? Start small and build. Use the money you make to reinvest and grow your business. Try to avoid debt. Be unique and never be a copycat. Be genuine. Have fun doing what you love.

Favorite inspiration links/blogs/etc:
tara whitney | smile and wave | bluebirdbaby | the best days of my life

Visit lisa leonard and leave a comment
with your favorite item from the shop.

( EXTRA CHANCE TO ENTER! )

wait! there is an opportunity to gain one extra entry:
simply twitter, facebook, or blog about this giveaway
and come back and comment with the link :)

please check back next week to see if you are the lucky winner!

giveaway ends on monday, december 7 at 8am, pst.

---

ps: the giveaway for last week's giveaway from yokomono studio is:
#136, congrats to sublime design! please email me with your info! :)
winner chosen by random.org!

weekend deals:

sorry this is a bit late but you still have a couple days to get
score some amazing deals!

1) tulle: 50% off everything on their site!

2) muntedkowhai: tiffany from the lovely muntedkowhai is
having a moving sale - just in time for ordering gifts!

3) chronicle books: family + friends holiday sale -
35% off all purchases + free shipping! promo code: FRIENDS.

4) and furthermore: free shipping on all clocks this weekend only!


ruche is also having a 15% off everything sale! love this shop!

and lastly, oh, hello friend is having a small
give-thanks sale, 20% off everything - check it out :)

have fun shopping!
see you monday!
xo.

thankful:

what i am thankful for:


my Savior.
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that
the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but
because by it I see everything else."
- C. S. Lewis
(image source: j.a. smith)


my family.
who love me and support me,
they're always there for me.


nicholas.
i could write a billion words on him.
but i am so blessed that i get to be his wife!!!


simple reminders.
(image source: breathe. )


love. without it, where would we be?
(image source: kattenmeisje)


travel. and the opportunity to escape to beautiful places.
(image source: cachemireetsoie)

post is inspired by lindsey, greatfull day:
who did a whole series on 26 days of thanks.

what are you thankful for?

give thanks.
hope you have a wonderful day
dear friends!

weekly giveaway - yokomono studio:

I met Yoko at the summer at Renegade craft fair in San Francisco. I was fortunate enough to be next to her and be introduced to her amazing shop! Her work is quality and each print she picks is so beautiful and unique. Her and her husband both were such down-to-earth and friendly people, her husband was also there at the show with her all day: reminding me of my supporting man always helping out. ;) Anyway, today you can win your choice of Polopolo Multi Pocket Pouch or Dokodemo Bag-in-Bag!

win: YOUR CHOICE!
Polopolo Pouch or Dokodemo
bag-in-bag, up to a $35.00 value!


Yoko has also kindly offered a 20% discount off
your entire purchase from yokomono studio!
Excellent for gifts for friends or yourself :)
Enter this code and use it till the end of November!

Code: OHHELLOFRIEND20

Discount: 20% on ANY purchase
Valid through: 11/30/2009

Hello! Please tell us a little about you and your shop! I'm a Japanese native and have been living in the Bay Area for about 15 years. I'm married with an 8 year old daughter & a little mutt dog named Lulu. We live in Berkeley, California.

Yokomono Studio specializes in modern bags and home accessories with a Japanese aesthetic. Blend 2 parts mid-century modern with one part functional Tokyo subway system and stir! All Yokomono Studio items are conceived, cut, sewn, and stitched by me in her Berkeley, California studio. My one and only goal is to create unique, well designed, handcrafted items that make their owners happy. Yokomono Studio was opened November 2001 -- she is one year old this month!

How did you get started sewing? I've always liked making stuff. My earliest "creative" memory is of sewing stuffed animals when I was around 10. After graduating from college and embarking on a wildly uncreative life as a software engineer my daughter came along. As I imagine is the case with a lot of new mom's, this sparked a creative re-birth. I started making clothes for her and bags for me to carry around all of the requisite baby stuff.

Please tell us about all your beautiful fabrics and prints! Where do you gather the inspiration from? My fabrics are made by a small upholstery fabric maker in the U.S. That's why all my fabrics are very sturdy. I select the prints that fit my taste from their collection. Whenever I go to Japan, I pick fabric there too. Inspiration might be too strong a word but I really enjoy combining the logic and simplicity of the so-called "mid-century" aesthetic with my own ingrained Japanese design sensibilities.

It's not easy to find the fabric that has clean modern/retro color & style, and I spent hours sourcing fabrics. I wish I could design fabric, but I'm not talented in the graphic design field. I cannot even draw a thing!

Any helpful advice for those wanting to start their own business? I think that being surrounded by good people who are constantly offering up encouragement is very important. When you first get into this you will likely be racked with doubts on a fairly regular basis. If not for the encouragement I've received from others I'm sure Yokomono Studio would have fallen by wayside long ago. This really goes hand in hand with the whole cliché of "believing in yourself". Cliché but nonetheless very very true.

Favorite Inspirational Links/blogs/sites:

Sub-Studio | Bloesem | Uniform Natural | Oshare Jikan - Japanese craft magazine * My favorite Japanese magazine, and I make my husband brings it back every time he goes to Japan for his business. and oh, hello friend. Of course! ;)

Visit yokomono studio and leave a comment
with your favorite item from the shop.

( EXTRA CHANCE TO ENTER! )

wait! there is an opportunity to gain one extra entry:
simply twitter, facebook, or blog about this giveaway
and come back and comment with the link :)

please check back next week to see if you are the lucky winner!

giveaway ends on monday, november 30 at 8am, pst.

---

ps: the giveaway for last week's giveaway from clockwork fantastica is:

#73, congrats to Tali Schiffer! please email me with your info! :)
winner chosen by random.org!

surprise baby shower:

ok, this is SO very long overdue but i just had to post this fun little story :) a couple weeks ago, we had a surprise baby shower for our dear friend, ruby from cakies! it was planned out perfectly. linda, helen, & ellen and i met and immediately had all sorts of ideas for how we would plan a surprise shower for ruby's #3 on the way. here's how it went:

classic face. she was totally surprised. and a little confused ;)


video capturing the moment. love it!


some of our decor!



so our 'theme' was school books - linda being a school teacher naturally came up with this brilliant idea. we had kids books that themed the food we got.


a beautiful hand sewn pendant banner made by helen like, 40 minutes before the shower. she is legit!


i love these action shots. linda is explaining to ruby
how we planned everything. helen's huge smile is
awesome as all the plans are coming out ;)


so cute.


linda, ruby, me, helen
(linda has the most cute engagement story: read here!)


ok, totally love this shot - i think rj took it.
it is such a blogger thing. all of us bloggers know.
we all had our cameras out.
between the 4 of us taking pictures, we probably have
10 pictures of each different food.
but i love the different takes on everything.


jenny took this image.. i love the foreground but
also nick and i are in the background on the phont
with his sister ;)

so that was our surprise party!
so fun.
and so lovely to plan something for
someone who is so amazing.
and i just met ruby through blogging!
i love blogging too.

i cannot take credit for all these lovely photos.
many are by: helen, rj, and jenny!

collections / business card round up #1:

business cards are such an important element in your business. you have 3.5 x 2 inches of space to make an impact. (well, not limited to that size!) ;) i asked 2 designers whose work speaks for itself: they know their design. ellie from mint + whitney from darling dexter: both amazing blogs full of daily inspiration. i asked them 2 simple questions: 1) the importance of a good business card + 2) how to design a good card!

read on :)

importance of a good business card:

whitney from darling dexter gave us her thoughts about the importance of a good business card: In this day, it's one of the last physical artifacts that you can give a potential client. Everything has moved online which can often get lost -- so to have a card available is crucial. Due to the size, it's generally something that can easily be stored so the chances of it being tossed are pretty slim. Most importantly, it's a great way to inform and remind a potential client of your who you are and direct them to your online presence.

ellie, mint design blog says: When you're trying to make a potential business connection, your card is the first "window" into who you are. A memorable card can make the difference between staying in someone's wallet or ending up in the trash! I don't think you need to spend a lot of money on cards necessarily, but a well-designed or unique card says a lot about who you are as a professional.

here are some lovely card designs for your inspiration:

100 layer cake. +


brckt.com +


michael b kenyon

source from here


the darling room


ellen jackson +


element +


francesca pasini +


creativesuitcase.com +


butter label +



grace bonney +


amelia lyon +


sassen design +


AIGA Knoxville +


Emerson Taymor +


lena corwin + (found via paper pastries )


somace design +

advice on achieving a well-designed business card:
ellie, mint says:

Definitely seek out a pro! Designers have training in typography, and even the simplest card deserves thought and attention by a professional. If you can't afford a designer, I'd recommend buying a well-designed template or going the completely creative route. (Moo has a great collection of templates for those on a tight budget). If you're an artist and don't need to hand out hundreds of cards, maybe a collaged or hand-stamped card is the way to go!

whitney, darling dexter says:

Definitely think outside of the box. There are so many templates out there to quickly get a business card made but they don't set you apart. Head to your local library or bookstore and see if there is a graphic design section. Usually there are great books on business card design as well as for other materials you might need for your business. It is such a small piece of paper (maybe paper? who knows the materials that could be used!) but it has to represent what your business is all about. Don't settle. This is an opportunity to grab attention, so pay special attention to detail and spend some time crafting the perfect card.

thank you for taking the time to offer us some professional advice ladies!

more business card posts for lots more inspiration:

903 business card photos available to view at daily poetics! they are all so creative. and some other places to gather even more business card inspiration: cool business cards from creativebits.org, 100 really creative cards from webdesignerdepot.com. 54 unique cards from reencoded.com. hand stamped business cards from paper pastries, and eco-inspired business cards from greenwala. yep, tons of inspiration and creativity out there.

happy friday dear friends! xo.