heading back to NM/TX usually throws you a curve ball in the ol' weather dept. you may have sun, you may have snow, there's definitely gonna be wind. well, i hoped and hoped this year for a white christmas, and looky what i woke up to this mornin'!
SNOW! my dreams of a white christmas come true. now i don't have to feel guilty for sippin' hot chocky in front of the fire staring out at that beeyootiful white stuff.
merry christmas to you, my three readers. i hope all your holiday dreams come true, and santa brings you a blanket of the white stuff too!
another whirlwind november/december is drawing to a close. i'm heading out to the post office to drop the last of the orders in the mail. i finished our card (!). and the elves are all getting ready for a much-deserved siesta!
and, the end of the holiday card madness means the beginning of holiday family madness - you better believe i packed my stretchy pants.
so, because we always say 'i wanna do this', 'i wanna do that', and never do, baby sister created a christmas to-do list pinterest board, and we've been fillin' it with all the fun stuff on the interwebs we think we could maybe accomplish.
see why i need the stretchy pants? i have a feeling the next 2 weeks are going to be a big eat-fest. and me spoiling sweet p and baby brother rotten rotten rotten.
as the last of the year's holiday cards fly out of the workshop, it always seems like i notice a theme, and this year is no different. last year everyone wanted snowflakes, year before that - bright, modern colors.
well, this year, the theme was...patterns.
i've had requests for plaid
argyle
chevron
and whimsy (read polka dots mixed with stripes!)
and, that's what makes custom so very fun. when someone has an idea, and you can make it come to life. stay tuned for more creative cards i was requested to whip up this year. man, you guys make my job fun!
if you're still wanting to order cards, you're not too late (yet). we can do a new year's card, or you can order a digital print over on the etsy workshop that you can print wherever you wanna.
k - gotta run! there are only 10 days til the fat man comes!
i got y'all a present! since it's the season of giving, and i'm in the christmas spirit, i'm takin' a break from the action around the workshop to give you a little prezzy.
look at that! 10% off orders placed by 12/11. that means new year's cards too. if you want 10% off, order by 12/11. so so simple! order up, y'all. there's not much time left before the holidays are here (why does december fly so fast?!)
if you needa take a look see at some cards to get the wheels'a turnin', check out this post, and the ol' website. or maybe you already have an idea whatcha want. i'm ready - throw it at me!
and, since we're talkin' gifts...you've bought all the gifts on your list already, haven't you? don't tell me - i'll just feel worse - haven't done one single speck of shopping (unless you count for mahself! whoopsie!). luckily, my famdamily decided no gifts this year! right, family? seriously - those people change their minds more often than... oh, nevermind.
hmmm - maybe those crazies who get their shopping done in july are onto something. who'm i kidding? never gonna happen.
there i go with my tangents again! what were we talking about? oh, right - gifts.
sheesh - december, you snuck in while no one was lookin', didncha? i'm givin' you a pass tho, cause i'm (shock of all shocks) just a smidge in front of the proverbial eight ball (eep! am i jinxin' mahself?).
k - enough with the tangent, and on to the music. christmas carols, christmas carols, lots of fun with chri...(name that tune!)
ahem. sorry.
this maybe might be a recyclin' of last year's playlist, with a sprinklin' of new tunes, too. a few of these ditties are kinda reachin' in the ol' 'carol' dept, but whatevs, they sound purty. and, it's chock full, peeps, cause ain't nobody likes a good christmas carol like moi. seriously.
what's your fave christmas song, cd, carol, etc, etc, etc?i have it on good authority the elf soundtrack is a must-hear, and i'm totally diggin' the sufjan stevens christmas cd(s).
i'm gonna let you in on a little secret...nuthin' lights a fire under my patootie faster than house guests. it maybe might be the only time i clean, but i'm not tellin'. after our "family" of 12 thanksgiving dinner, some dear (cheesy word, but packs a punch) college friends paid us a visit.
so, that meant the decor had to go from this:
to this in less than 12 hours.
but, i thrive on a challenge, and that was the fastest decorated tree on the planet, i'm sure.
so, yes, it is beginning to look alot like christmas around here. tree's up. outside lights are up. and, designs are flying out of the workshop. and, this little elf is feeling so, so blessed. y'all bring a tear to my eye every time the email bell dings. the support is overwhelming - thank you will never be enough.
let's see what's brewin' this year, shall we? you've got your humorous
you've got your adorable pictures
moving announcements
party invites
and, the corporate persuasion
that enough to get your creative juices flowing? need more inspiration? order up - it's less than a month 'til christmas. i know. I KNOW!
(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!):
so, today marks the beginning of the end. a day i've been (obnoxiously) excited about for many years, but which also has a melancholy feel, because there's not much time left. only about 4 hours of time, to be exact. i'm trying not to get too down about it.
of course i'm referring to the opening of breaking dawn, the final twilight book made into a (horribly wrong) movie. sheesh, what'd you guys think i meant?
i'm so friggin' excited! as much as i lurved eclipse, i've always wished we'd only had twilight and breaking dawn. i don't wanna see my edward be mean and leave. i don't wanna see bratty jacob try to compete with my edward. i knowwwww i'm upsetting you team jacob's out there (lookin' at you, carrie).
but, back to the inappropriate overwhelming excitement brimmin' under my skins! i know i've bombarded you with my feelings before, but a girl needs to share!
now seriously, it's imperative you avoid thinking about things like they're 17/18, edward's a creepy old dude, he's a vampire! suspend your disbelief people - embrace that horndog of a teenager you were. it's all in good fun, anyway. (ok, those cray-cray's out there campin' out for days need to get a life!)
this is it! the wedding! the honeymoon! the crazy-as-hell half-vamp bebe! her hideous name! bella as vampire! (such a bad ass) i.cant.wait!
ok, let's chat... here's what i'm sooo hoping they did justice to: bowchikabowwow - let's just get that one outta the way up front - it's about time we get to throw off that veil of tension and get down to it! the wedding - the dress, wedding decor, music, flowers, the denali coven the honeymoon - refer to first point, feathers, broken beds, torn lingerie, ahem - is it getting hot in herr? alpha jacob - as much as he bu-u-uuugs, i loved when he broke pack and blazed his own trail the cars - these have been sadly misrepresented in past movies - step it up this time, why doncha? jacob/rosalie relationship - the comic relief this brought to the book in the heaviest scenes could really lighten up parts of the movie. i doubt they'll stick with it, but we'll see the birth - as gruesome as i've heard it is, i hope it more gruesome-r. that scene reads like a horror story, so bloody it up, man! renees-barf-me - gawd, if there coulda been a worse name, i don't know what it'd be. good thing she's amazing, and makes up for it. i'm soooo excited about her "ability" and hope summit has brought it (cuz they ain't done crap from the special defects perspeck yet - what the hay?)
now, don't get me wrong - breaking dawn was not a perfect read - having re-read it for the (ahem) 5th time in the last few days, there are entire sections that are completely unnecessary. (woulda reduced the size of the door stop substantially too).
when i got to "book 2 - jacob", i thought i'd throw it across the room - i didn't want to know what was going on in his mind (if you haven't picked up yet, i'm not a jacob fan - let's not even get me started on the imprinting). but, it worked - i'm not sure how else we would've seen the reality of the haps during the gruesome pregnancy.
ok, enough about me and my opinions - let's start a chat! you goin' tonight? you already went at midnight, didn't you? brat! what do you love, hate, love to hate - let's get this convo goin'!
time to get presentable - my team edward shirt; my lion/lamb jewelry - i have a wedding to get to!
soooo, apparently no-vember means no-blogging. whoopsie! y'all didn't even notice, didja? well, i can't promise i'm gonna stay on top of it, but i'm here today to show you the (little-too-much) fun, sorta-surprise partay i planned for mr man.
here's a little back story to set tha tone - after the fiasco that was nebraska, i knew i needed to pay mr man back big-time - he needed a party he wouldn't forget. and, in a light bulb over head moment, i thought...i should hire a band! well, long story short, i hired half of mr man's fave local band to play an acoustic set in our basement. wife of the year right here, peeps! heehee
with that outta the way, it was time to get down ta biz-niz. first task: invites. guess how old mr man turned?!
next step was to clean up that basement (oh, baby sister, if you'd only seen it - ya-ikes). cleaning up means shoving everything into corners, and covering it with black tarp, so that's what we did.
once we got a little breathing room (wheezing was more like it!), i got to setting up the partay space - food table, bar table, sink of never-ending beer, decor, mood lighting.
in an effort to be so creative (by surfing pinterest), i threw a '35' up on the wall and tacked up pictures of mr man thru the years (did you make the wall?). and, i adorned the party cups with more pics of the b-day boy. (no pic of that)
i sent mr man off so the band could set up for the surprise. i gave the ok for him to join the partay, and we serenaded him with happy birthday. i think he maybe mighta been surprised!
after a little minglin' and munchin', the music kicked in and those guys seriously rocked the party. (seriously - i was nervous the neighbors might wanna join us!)
after the band wrapped up, we weren't ready for the festivities to end. and, if you've been around here a while, you know it's not our party without a little karaoke and air guitar.
i set out to knock mr man's socks off, and i think i mighta. the band rocked. the party peeps rocked. mr man had an awesome time. and, we maybe mighta spent the entire next day on the couch. that, my friends, is my kinda party!
thanks to my best gal, carrie, for takin' pics so i could run around like a headless chicken.
so, sometimes i hear: custom is too hard. i don't want to think that hard. i can't afford custom. well, i'm here to tell you custom is not that hard, it doesn't require you to think that much, and yes, you can afford it.
now, even though i've said all that, i know some of you are still skeptics. so, looky what i did! i created some ready-made designs, just for you! the only decision you have to make is what pictures to use.
merry stripes:
peace love joy:
warm wishes:
swirls:
you know all my designs are double sided, so you can use it to show more pics of your cutey-cute kiddos, tell all your peeps the goings-on of 2011, write a holiday rap, you name it.
to order yours, click on the image to head to the etsy (work)shop. of course, if you don't want to go through all that, we can chat. or, maybe you realized custom is the way you want to go? well then! let's chat about that!
november, seriously? i can't believe the holiday season is upon us. truly. where.does.the.time.go??? well, a new month means a new playlist. now, if i'm being honest, i had a hard time with the list this month. i didn't love last month's and i worry this is becoming more of a chore than fun. anyone really listen to these? (cue the crickets!)
anyhoodle - i found some new songs i'm liking, but you'll notice this here list is chock full of oldies. like, holy crap, my 20 year reunion is in less than 2 years, old. but, here's why. it's mr man's birth month (he turns old tomorrow), and i decided i'd use songs from bands we've seen in concert. then, i realized that you, my three readers, would NOT thank me for pantera and slayer songs. (yes, i've seen them.) so, i picked a few tamer bands and laced in some faves from my mix tapes i found in the closet.
*with the exception of custom canvases, all gifts are $25 or less. how awesome is that?!
some people start shopping for holiday gifts in july, some people wait until dec 24th. whatever people you are, check out some of these goodies, that are sure to brighten anyone's (holi)day! the best part is, you get custom fun without breaking the bank!
i always say, let's bring back the written word! ok, i don't always say that, but maybe i'll start. because, everyone loves finding something fun amidst the junk mail, so why not stuff some stockings with some fun notecards? personalized. thank you. an assortment. your choice.
have kiddos? then, i'm sure grandma and grandpa would LOVE this personalized desk calendar full of pictures of the little ones. no kids? i'm betting the hubs would love gazing at you instead of staring at that spreadsheet!
if photos are too personal, but there's someone on your list who realllly needs a calendar, i've got ya covered.
how about a little art to fill some wall space? dream up an idea, and i'll put it to canvas. or, have a favorite saying framed for a wall. personally, the crosses are my favorite (prolly the NM roots talkin'). or, there's always the ever-popular hand cut name framed up to match a room or nursery. (rosita updated her site so you can see all the workshop's goods)
if you're looking for more stockin' stuffers, magnetic clothespins are super cute and perfect for hanging fun things in lockers, or on the fridge. (a picture of robert pattinson, por ejemplo...)
and, every girl's crazy for a little hair bling.
many of these items are sittin' on my shelf waiting for the perfect home, or we can do a custom order. to receive gifties in time for the holidays, you gotta place that order before december 15th.
gift wrapping (with gift tag) is available on all items for an additional $2.
in case you were wondering, there are less than 60 days until christmas! yikes!! oh, yeah - and order your holiday cards! (do i sound like your mother? eat your vegetables!)
y'all, is there smoke coming out of my ears? cause this brain's had to do a lot of thinkin' recently. you see, i've been challenged creatively lately, and while the end product always makes me proud, the getting there can sometimes be quite the process.
here's the sitch - baby sister toots my horn for me alot. like alot, alot. mentions me on twitter. re-links my facebook updates. sends her buddies my way. the like. (THANKS! baby sister) so, when i received an email from her beau (EZ), i thought nothing of it. you know, maybe he wants some biz cards. or he's hosting a party for a friend. (pshaw - like boys host parties!)
uh, no. no basic designing here. when i opened that email, my jaw dropped open. dude wanted me to design his triathlon gear. all of it. shorts. tops. jackets. other tops. other shorts. say what now?
well, i thought, let's just put that away. then, i started hyperventilating. seriously. i mean i'd dabbled a little in t-shirt design. like, oh, telling the t-shirt company to center a logo on various sized shirts, and deliver them by x date, dabble. and, now he wants to be outfitted in rosita designs gear? i repeat, say what now???
after a good few days to process, and avoid the subject, i decided it was time to hunker down and get to work. well, lo and behold, it was pretty fun, and seeing the design come to life was really fulfilling! and, then seeing it worn for a race? ah.maz.ing!
here's what we sent off to the printer folks:
EZ wanted his gear to match his bike, so that meant red and black, so i started brainstorming ideas, and decided on a rounded square. then, as i manipulated the design, it started to feel to me like fish scales. which was perfect, since he's a past swimmer, and swimming is part of a triathlon.
he had his first race in the gear this weekend (the austin ironman - you go!), so let's have a little look-see at the gear in motion!
phew! i'm tired just looking at the pictures! great job, EZ! i hope you got a good long nap after that!
i also designed EZ a jersey and some shorts for baby sister. if they take a pic of those, i'll post about them too. while i don't think nike will be calling any time soon, it was fun being a "fashion designer" for the day!
i tell ya - custom rocks - the sky really is the limit!
