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magnetic clothespin tutorial

when baby sister was here, i created a little tutorial for y'all to whip up some magnetic clothespins. they're super easy to make, but if you'd rather i do them for you, we can arrange that, too!

to get started, gather all your materials:
   -clothespins
   -assorted paper
   -mod podge or glue
   -self-adhesive magnet roll
   -scissors
   -pencil
   -foam brush


choose your paper - there are tons of 12x12 papers out there with fun designs on one sheet, which lets you have different style clothespins that still match. then, trace around your clothespins and cut out your strips.

glue your paper to your clothespin with your mod podge. swipe a little more over the paper to secure. let dry, then do a few more layers of Mod Podge to really secure your paper.

when they're dry, roll out some of your magnet, measure against your clothespin, and cut strips. if your magnet's too wide, cut it in half to fit on the clothespins. peel off the backing and stick to the clothespins. let sit for a bit 'til the adhesive sets.

rock your clothespins on your own fridge, or wrap them up as a fun, quick, homemade gift. they're the perfect hostess gift!


or, leave the magnets off and use them for the hippest chip bags 

or clothesline around.

west seattle summerfest 2012

yo, yo, yo, i'm at it again. come enjoy the 80+ weather with a stroll around the west seattle summerfest, and while you're at it, stop by the art dive and say hello to li'l ol' me. maybe pick up some gifties for the besty, mama, or to restock the gift closet (do you have one, too?!)

k, see ya there!

monster mash birthday bash

in honor of sweet p's 3rd birfday today, let's take a little look see at the celebration! in february-ish, middle sissy tried to get out of sweet p what kinda party she wanted. after a little confusion, they checked out a party aisle and sweet p said immediately 'monstahs'. and, a theme was born.

now, since sweet p is a girly girl (her colors are blush and bashful), we couldn't just have any monster bash. mom was pretty specific about what she wanted, so here's the team effort invite complete with pink monstah. (hard to tell, but their eyes are blue to match sweet p.)

the party was at a park shelter, where we had plenty of room to string up a banner.

and set out snacks and cupcakes(!) adorned with round toppers.

you know no party's complete without a fun party hat. who wants to help me make it more acceptable in the adult community?!

mom wanted some fun activities to do during the party, so we made monster faces and the kiddies played 'pin the eye on the monster'. (sweet p was NOT into wearin' a blindfold, tho!)

mom put together a make-your-own-monster kit to say 'eye hope you had fun'. inside? homemade 'play-doh' in the party colors, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and monster stickers.

see? there's no running and hiding from these monsters. cute-as-can-be! i love little green guys chiclet teeth! hee hee!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET P!!! roro and UW love you and i'm so glad i got to celebrate with you!

taking the plunge

'member this?

what'd you guess it was? were you thinking cannonball? maybe bride and groom? how about pool time? if you'd guessed any of those, you'd be on the right track, because it's all of the above, and it's from baby sister's save the date!

y'all, it might be the cutest dang thing evah. but, we can't take all the credit for the idea. while spending all day stopping by pinterest one day, i came across this (using this link cuz the photog's blog keeps redirecting.) on baby sister's 'someday' board. 

and, an idea was born! see, baby sister and her fiance both swam for the LSU tigers. so, seriously, how could they not do something similar? armed with dress and suit, all they needed was a pool and a photographer. well, lucky for them, our papacito just so happens to have a pool (in the perfect shade of blue) and one'a them fancy cameras that can take 4+ pics in like 2 seconds. (just a weensy important when water's involved!)

are y'all thinkin' 'quitcher yappin' and show us already!" ok, ok. here ya go...

was i right about cute? and, those pics couldn't have turned out better. these are first take, y'all! can you believe? let's take a closer look at those facial expressions.

pure giddiness right there, folks! kiddos are excited to be married! and, that cannonball picture might be pure perfection! i hope it gets framed!

now, if i'm being honest, there was a smoochy picture of the lovebirds that i reeeeealllly wanted baby sister to pick for the back, but alas, it's client's choice. we kept the back sweet and simple, leaving all the deets for their website. i love how it feels like a movie poster!

to ship them off, they got the wraparound treatment. i really don't know when i'll get tired of this label style.

see what one little idea can do? these maybe mighta been the easiest design i've ever done. i've said it before, and i'll say it again, good images make the best designs.

better give a shout out to the ol' man for takin' such fantastic pictures. (silly guy wanted credit on the save the date!)

can you guess?

just for you, my 3 readers, here's a little sneak peek at a design i'm working on. have any ideas what it might be? care to venture a guess?

good luck!

some assembly required

more like 'all assembly required'! 

this is what's goin' on around here right now as i gather all the items for baby sister's bridesmaid cards. oh! if you think you're on the list, stop reading now! good thing middle sissy gave up the interwebs for lent.

last time we chatted, we were thinking of one of these ideas. 

well, after wasting time doing research on pinterest, the design has morphed into something that will resemble this.

cute little envelopes for sweet sentiments and such. yummy washi tape to hold everything together. stickers, ribbon, punches, paint swatches, doilies.

the workshop's been abuzz. i've been printing, cutting, scoring, folding, gluing, taping, stringing, punching. no surface is safe. and, i'm just about done puttin' it all together to ship off to baby sister, so i get at least a little element of surprise! ha!

here's the most amazing thing: i only had to buy the doilies to make those (in the words of sweet p) so, so tiny envelopes. and, i got them at the $ store! can you believe? i had everthin' else floatin' around in the workshop. ok, maybe it's not that unbelievable, but i was pretty amazed i found so much cute stuff in baby sister's colors. (um, do you see that true love ribbon? adorbs!)

once baby sister puts them all together, i'll be back with a look at the finished product. i kept a few pieces secret, so y'all didn't see it all.

my stipulation for making these was that baby sister had to assemble them herself. i hope she bought the big jug of sangria - she's gonna need it!

cupid, draw back your bow

i've been doin' a little updatin' to the ol' etsy shop just in time for that little chubby cherub to deliver.

say i love you with one of the basic LOVE cards.

hows about gettin' a little more graphic with you rock my world.

or, get super wovey-dovey with the beautiful scripture from solomon.

there is also the custom order (you know how i love those). if you have a special sweet nothing that you and your honey share, or if you want to order up a pack of cards for all the sweethearts in your life, give me a shout.

ah, love. ain't it grand?!

you gotta know when to fold 'em

it's no big secret around these parts that i do love a folded card. and, i try to convince everyone to order them. i've prolly tried to convince you. they're awesome - and they generate oohhs and aahhs aplenty whence received. (i've been watchin' downton abbey)

so, you can imagine my excitement when not one, but two of you lovely peepsies ordered folded holiday cards! woo to tha hoo! and, y'all, those cards were so dang cute. and, creative. now, before you say 'modest much?', i can say they're dang cute and creative, because the only thing i did was put idea to paper. 

let's take a look...

see how they changed the lyrics to a favorite christmas carol to fit the haps in their lives? uh, cute! and, baby boy tucked into brightly colored christmas balls? uh, double cute! and, how instead of the 2-pg, front and back, 8 pt font christmas letter (yawn), they highlighted monthly events? cute! cute! cute!

let me just put this out there - when professional pictures are involved, it's hard to mess up the card. now, when you special order paper, then it's printed and cut wrong, that could maybe mess up the card. but, i wouldn't know anything about that. and, these pictures? awesome! they could be models! and, i seriously wanted to trade mama's boots for the cards, but alas... she had ideas, and i ran with them - in our shoes with tidbits from the year for each family member - love.it.to.death!

and, on the back, a take on the lululemon manifesto trend. i daresay (downton abbey, again) celebrate with vino is my fave! you're not surprised, are you?

the mother figure decided she wanted in on the folded action this year. at first i told her no, because i already had something in mind for her. but i started movin' the design around and realized i could make a folded card work. and, voila... (or, viola, if you're like me)

now, when it comes to middle sissy's cards, i like to push the envelope. it doesn't do wonders for the old pocket book, but my ulterior motive is that bunches of peeps will see my logo and come'a orderin' something of their own. (secret's out)

since i had some special paper left over, i decided on a funky fold. middle sissy wanted to focus on what i call 'the scripture of 2011' - glory to god in the highest. so, we did a take on that for the front, and featured the full scripture on the back. and, we filled it with pictures and pictures, because they went sans-letter this year.

in full disclosure, middle sissy's card, and my personal card were printed the 19th of december, scored and folded at 35,000 feet, and put in the mail on the 21st of december! you know what they say about the cobbler's children's shoes...

which leads me to the cobbler's card. to say that i run out of steam by the time i'm ready to design my own maybe might be the understatement of the century. i might whine so much, i resemble a 2-year old. but, once i get it together!, i can usually pull a rabbit out of the hat.

we were lucky ducks to have had perfeshunal pictures taken this year, and, man, they made designing the card easy! a little list of bright spots, and done. i even got a few compliments!

since i don't see my addiction to folded cards waning anytime soon, and, since our card has been folded 3 years in a row, i'm really gonna have to pump up the volume next year! sheesh - i better start brainstorming now!

so very grateful

(the voices in my head just had an argument about the correct spelling of grateful. greatful. grateful. whatevs. you know what i mean.)

ok, maybe i sound like a broken record here, but i'm go'n (inside joke) say it again - custom is amayyyzing! (oprah voice). take this little ditty por ejemplo.

i may never be able to get over the awesomeness of this photo shoot. but, i digress. look - you pick a theme. you rent some costumes. you get your pictures taken. and, then you have rosita whip up the most creative moving announcement/ holiday card on the planet. (ok - the odds of you renting costumes are prolly slim, but you're catchin' my drift, right?)

i mean, seriously. we've settled? pure genius!

and, how perfect a segue are these cards to talk about things for which i'm grateful (greatful?)? it's always nice to write it out, in case i need a reminder later.

i'm thankful that the lord has provided me with a wonderful family, friends who are more like family, and a husband who puts up with my crazy, indecisive self. this year has rocked me, my hope and my faith to the core, and i'm not sure what i woulda done without mah peeps.

i'm thankful i get to use my creative juices on a daily basis to create fun things to brighten mailboxes, walls, or even someone's day.

and most importantly, i'm thankful for you, my three readers. without you, rosita couldn't design and she'd have to go back to the corporate world. i'll never, ever be able to accurately share my appreciation, so just know i really, really, really love y'all.

now it's your turn - what are y'all thankful for this year? it's been a doozie, right?

ok - i'm off - i'm hosting thanksgiving for 12 people, and my dining room table is this sad state of affairs (yikes!):

picture this

i was just havin' a look see at recent blog posts, and i realized that in september, i haven't posted once about my designs. well, don't think that means i haven't been busy! now, let's remedy that.

call me a turtle. heck, call me a sloth, but i promise i'm adding items to the etsy shop. and, i'm here to show you the newest addition. these generated a ton of buzz at the summerfest in july, and when baby sister visited, she promptly added it to her must-have list.

it's a little desk calendar. isn't it cute?! it's packaged in a cd-sized case that flips out (not that flip out!) into a nifty little easel to display on your desk, counter, bedside table. for the fair, i made the calendar with only one image per month, but look, you can fit up to three per month!

all you do is send me the images, and i do the rest. i'll set it all up for you, then get your approval before i print away. of course, if you have specifics, we're all about that around here!

they're the perfect size for a stocking stuffer! and, great gifts for ANYONE on your list...particularly grandparents. you know memaw and papaw can't wait for a calendar full of your little rascal(s). (i can guarantee my mamacita's gonna want one.) or, how about the kiddos away at college to remind them of the lovely fam at home? your husband? kid's teachers? pics of your girl's trip for your BFF?

see - the possibilities are endless! and, at $20, they're a steal!

want one? or, how 'bout one for everyone?

alrighty then!! go here to get yours. (it's never too early to start holiday shopping!)

it's alive

y'all, rosita designs on etsy lives. ok, i know there are only four items in there right now, but it's a work-in-progress! and, if you think i feel like i just ran a marathon, you are right! setting up shops is hard work - who knew there were so many nitty gritty deets you have to cover? shipping policies, shop policies, five images, a snazzy description, pricing, a header, tags, details, details, details.

so, tell your friends, family, neighbors, everyone! then bookmark it, favorite it, add me to your circle, whatevs. i'm truckin' along, so check back frequently. (you know i'll add a handy dandy link over there to the right for you to clicky-click on.) big plans, peeps - invites, announcements, and gifts coming soon.

thanks for all the support and encouragement - i wouldn't be anywhere without you, my three readers! muah - love ya to the moon and back!

now, go shoppin'!

Surf's Up

one of my sisters from another mister added a bambino to her brood in june, and i thought and thought about what gift to give. checked the registry, added things to the cart, then promptly emptied the cart, deciding instead to gift them announcements made by moi. that's a good gift, right?

since mama's hawaiian, we had to bring some'a that flair to the cards. especially since this was big brudda's announcement three years ago:

i was thinking retro-ish, surfer sign-y, and luckily mama was on board, and even sent pictures of baby in a surfer shirt! so, this is what we came up with:

see the surfboard in the corner? and, the wooden "sign" feel? how it looks like the words are carved into the sign? i was so excited his shirt was turquoise and orange, because those were the exact colors i had in mind.

just another perfect example of how awesome custom is. ain't nobody else gonna have this announcement. insert the hawaiian phrase for too cute here!

What's Been Goin' On...

did you run, go turn on amos lee when you read that post title, too? sometimes the titles come easily, sometimes not so much. it was either this, or 'round here (which woulda had me groovin' to counting crows). more often than not, i scroll through song titles in the ol' brain card catalog to come up with the titles. anyhoodle...TANGENT. (my specialty!)

these days, the workshop's been open late, and these hands have been working overtime. and that, my friends, is a very good thing. here's a little glimpse into what's been flying off the press.

announcing babies (yep, another boy!)

parties for 5 year olds

parties for 40 year olds (amazing race/scavenger hunt, no less)

parties for the corporate folk

and, tons of folding

for parties for graduates

can i just say, i love me a tri-fold. and, if they weren't so dang time-consuming and cost-in-effective (just made it up), i'd pitch 'em to everyone. check out the real estate: 6 whole pages! i tried to talk baby sister into one, but she wanted nuthin' to do with all those pics. party pooper.

and, lastly, the goods went mobile again last night.

there wasn't a huge turn out, but i hear as the summer (what summer?) goes on, the crowds get bigger. so, i'll be out there again august 18th and 25th, if y'all are out and about. baby sister will be here and i'm putting her to work, but shhh, don't tell her!

p.s. it's middle sissy's birfday today, so head over to her blog or her facebook and give her some love. she's heavy and hot with bambino, so she'll be extra excited to hear from you!

p.s.s. i inhaled a leaf last night, and now i'm certain a tree's gonna sprout in my lung, ala grey's anatomy. (let the eye rolling commence.)