Need some sun!

View from my studio window

People, it has been snowing since Thursday. I haven't seen the sun in a week or more - that is way, way too long! Luckily I have a trip to the Dominican Republic (from now on we'll call it the DR) - my home land - coming soon and I cannot wait! I am craving to feel the heat all over and to see some blue skies for a change!

So, since I can't re-do my Etsy shop with well lit beautiful pictures, I have spent my time making new friends. Thank you to everyone who has stopped by my shop and is following me on Facebook.

As promised to my friends from Etsy Letterpress... here's the banner I designed. Please let me know what you think or if you would like to change anything. You are welcome to link your blog in the comments if you have a better idea! I would love to see what we all come up with :-)

Designed by Sara Tejada

Gift Tag Downloadables!

I made these beautiful gift tags for you. Just click on the link to download. Bold and Simple :-) Enjoy!

Baby talk

The other day I went to my cousin Kristy's baby shower and I got really inspired. No, I will not be making any babies of my own (happy, honey?) but the colors and shapes got me really inspired. And, to top it off, I found Three Monkey Clothes Diapers, this fabulous local shop that has cloth diapers with the most amazing color patterns ever! You must check it out!

So, taking advantage that we are stuck inside, thanks to the snow, I started printing some baby shower invitations. Once I get some good shots I will be posting them on my etsy shop. What do you think?!

 

UPDATE: you can now purchase these beautiful cards on my Etsy Shop!

New Designs

I have been thinking very hard of what my next step is. I need several card lines, and for that I need your help. I need your opinion before I go on a spree and order several plates, only to realize that no one likes the cards! ('cause that would really suck).

As I get to know my press, I have discovered what it can do and its limitations, and one of them is that I cannot print large blocks of ink. I made the mistake - though if I hadn't done that then I wouldn't know the outcome! - of designing and ordering a plate for a valentine's card that had bold text. I loved the design, but the press just doesn't have enough force to print them. So keeping that in mind (and please remind me, 'cause I like bold everything) most of my new designs will be outlines or really small filled areas.

For my first line I'm going with flowers - can you tell I can't wait for spring?

I added the "With Love, Me" for a note card effect. I'll go to print next week and I would definitely like to hear what you think!

I will be printing a few sets with colors I choose (Yellow, red, purple), but you can also order cards with the color of your preference!

My new home

Not even close! but it's fun to dream. Yesterday Adam's family and I drove all the way to Stowe, VT to see this year's HGTV Dream Home Giveaway. The wind was brutal, the snow was all over the place and it was bitter cold, but it was ALL WORTH IT! the house was absolutely gorgeous! I fell in love with it. Here are some pictures which don't make it justice but I wanted to share them anyways :-)

Part of the house. Aunt Sheri belongs there!

Guest bedroom

Downstairs

Living room. LOVE the fabrics!

Dorm like bathroom.

I have a thing for faucets.

Kids bedroom

This room sleeps 8 people!

Upstairs family room

Kitchen counter. LOVED the sink!

Entryway to the master bedroom bathroom

Master bed.

Pretty cushions.

Peonies are everywhere!

After braving our way back to the car Karen (Adam's mom) and I went to some local shops. I absolutely loved the feel of the town!

Things to do, local places to go

What a wonderful week we have had. Though Monday was bitter cold it is getting a lot warmer lately. It is supposed to go up to 50 degrees! We always have one of those in February, but then everything gets cold again. Hey, at least the heaps of snow are melting!

A little count on this week's events:

• Adam and I had a wonderful Valentines. We went to Xo on Elm St. - which, if you haven't been there... you must! their food is delicious and the atmosphere fantastic!
• For the past year I have been looking for a stationery shop in the area. My favorite one will always be Gus and Ruby in Portsmouth, NH. Now I have found Talk, Paper, Scissors, in Manchester, NH... which is this wonderful craft studio where you can go and craft, bring your materials or purchase them there. They also have complementary hot cocoa! yum
• And if you are tired of not having wild flowers around your house because of this awful thing going on called winter, then Talk Crafty To Me (don't you love the name?!) has a wonderful and inexpensive solution for you! Go on... enjoy it!

Talking about flowers, Adam surprised me last Sunday with a gorgeous bouquet of roses and calla lilies.

And regarding printing: yesterday I received a quick card order from Motorcycle Mexico, for their wonderful instructional video for people that are thinking to go to Mexico on their motorcycles. And here's what we did:

 I hope you guys have a great weekend!

Discovery

Something you should know about me is that I have a very sensitive nose. I can walk into a room and tell you exactly what you ate today, even if it was hours ago. I never wear perfume because plenty of people already do, and so when two perfumes get into the same room it just creates a stuffy cloud.

I think that is one of the reasons why I never really cared for flowers before. I never really paid attention to them or cared for them. Recently I have been discovering the beauty of them... and the one I'm really falling in love with is the Peony.

I have been stumbling upon them lately and I my discovery I found this amazing photographer, Sergio Mottola, who captured my heart with his photography. Here's a couple of pictures for a wedding he recently did. I'm in love!

{Photos courtesy of Sergio Mottola}

Baby Shower Time!

A while back I had written about making baby shower invites and I couldn't show you what they looked like then because we wanted to keep it a surprise for the mom to be. Well, today was the baby shower, and it was absolutely lovely! Here are some close ups of the invitations and the shower.

New Cards

The past week has been amazing. I had forgotten how much I enjoy designing. Though the work I was doing was more of production than actual designing but I got to try my hand at a few ads. I missed it so much! and I am sad the week is over.

Next Monday is a big day for me. No, not because it is Valentine's, but because I have an important job interview and I am really crossing my fingers for this one. Wish me luck!!

Here are a few shots of what I've been up to with inkprint... which one would you like best?

I really love you can see the "sand" (dust and scratches) from the old type wood. That is what makes letterpress so unique. Every card is different.

How nice it would be to actually get real mail? Friend's letters and a note to say "hello", "thank you", or simply "I'm thinking about you"... instead of the phone or electricity bill. Wouldn't that make your day?

Ps. I made my second Etsy sale!

Loving Life

For the past two days I have been working with New Hampshire Magazine's Bride as a freelancer. It is definitely a change to work on what you love doing! Now whenever 5 O'clock comes around I'm wishing for more time so I can keep designing! They have a fantastic design group and everyone seems to be always in a good mood (Except for the guy that found out he had almost a 1k worth of repairs to do on his car... but I don't blame him: car bills suck).

Even though I am pretty sure I am dying of the sneezes I can't wait for every morning to get my hands on some more designs. Tomorrow I will also be having a meeting with The Cigar Agency for some more freelancing jobs. Keep them coming!

So, with all this work to do, and the rest of the time trying to fight this cold I am left with no time to to print this week. I need to sit down and crank out some Every Day Cards designs!

In the meantime, I found this awesome cranberry and walnut muffin recipe by Mark, from Whimsy & Spice and I thought this would be such a lovely way to wake up your hubby this weekend (or treat yourself!)... yum!

Pictures taken by Jenna