Toys!

So I've gone a little toy crazy!

I bought the Quickutz Silhouette!

It arrives in just a few days - I can't wait. I've been wanting a professional vinyl cutter, but I tend to bite off more than I can chew..

I'm going to start with this and see if I really need to move up. It comes with a holiday disc that looks just too cute! Can't wait to put up some holiday cheer in our house!

And I bought a soap and candle melter. It's been awhile since I've done either, but I'm looking forward to jumping back into it.

There are a couple Christmas gifts that I will be doing with these fun toys!!

Look out for some bath crayons to hit my Etsy store this season :o)

Time Waster?

Children of the 80's do you remember "Speak & Spell"? I love, love, loved it!!

And there is an online version of it. Only 1 mode works - the one where you hear it and then spell it. But it looks JUST like it! I'm fascinated!! I was feeling so proud when I get the words right too :o)

Come on, you know you want to check it out!

Speak & Spell

Cooking Time

Since having the baby I haven't been big on cooking, but I'm getting my mojo back! I have a gizzilion cooking books ( love Cooking Light and Rachel Ray - Yum-o!) and have dragged them out to find inspiration. Pot roast has become a 4 letter word in this house..

apparently I make it a lot :o)

And now that Isabelle is chowing down real food, I'm all about making it for her. Nothing like knowing where all her nutrition is coming from. I've done the fruity and veggie purees, and I'm on to new ground. I found an awesome recipe for vanilla biscotti!! It's perfect for her - slightly sweet, super hard for those chompers and fit just right in her hand.

If you want the recipe, just email me!

** and yes it's yummy in our morning coffee too :o)

Return to Blogger

I've taken a break from blogging. Business was crazy these past months and our baby Isabelle is crawling all over!

In the meantime I've taken up crochet again. I have to give credit to "Chicks with Sticks - Guide to Crochet" This book is awesome! Great instructions and modern patterns! I'm currently working on a hoodie for me. I'll post pics soon..

And my dear husband outfitted with me a screen printing setup for my birthday.

I can't wait to get started!

Onesies, tees, and fabric watch out!!

I shall return soon with pics and a tutorial!

You Can't Win Them All

So I didn't win the popular vote on Etsy. I lost to a tree stump :o) It's a tree stump pillow - pretty unique, so I'll give them points for that! Who knows, maybe I'll win the the judges vote. Either way it was awesome to be in the top 40 finalist!

But I did win at Junior League. I was honored with the "Hat's Off" award for my work on their Black & White Hollywood Night invitation. I'm so bummed I'm going to miss the event - it sounds like such a fun time!!

Vote for me and you could win!!

Wahoo! I had completely forgot that I entered my needle felted le lapin pillow in an Etsy contest.. well I made it to the 40 finalist..

Come cast a vote for me and you could win an Etsy prize too!!

Here's the link

I'm sooo giddy I feel like a little schoolgirl :o)

Help, I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!

Where oh where has been my blog mojo? It's been buried under a pile of work!! Finishing up the Black & White Hollywood Night Gala invites. Wow! Let's just say that took most of my brain cells :o)

To honor a dear friend lost WAY too early to cancer, I'll be adding "CANCER SUCKS" buttons to my Etsy site. Proceeds will go to Breast Cancer research. We are seriously losing some amazing people to this... and as Forrest Gump says, "That's all I have to say about that"..sigh, miss you Julia..

And I promise to add some fun tutorials soon!!!

Cupcake Topper Swap

So I've started a line of cupcake toppers and they are sooo addicting! So addicting in fact that I've created a swap over at Swap Bot. I've opened it up to newbies, so here's your chance!

The title is Handcrafted Cupcake Toppers - Newbies Welcome. The swap is a set of (8) handcrafted toppers to one partner. And this is international - how fun!!

Hope you'll come join us!!

Baby Fun

I must be better about blogging! I have to say this year has been such an adventure with having our first baby. I'm constantly drawn more to creating baby related items, but I'm sure that probably is not a big surprise! And I've been sucked into Etsy. Once you start posting on there, there seems to be a magnet to pull you in :0)

One of my newest items is the Belle Baby Combo. It comes with a nursing cover, 2 soft burp cloths, and a matching wipe case.

I had originally made the set as baby shower gift for my friend Brooke, and it got some attention that I decided to make more! I'll be posting more styles later this week.

We are also offering baby shower cupcake toppers! Of course we can do any theme, but those storks and baby carriages call to me...

A Coupon and ATC

In honor of my little munchkin turning 4 months this week, I am going to offer a discount on all Belle Paperie sales. Just mention "Isabelle" and receive 20% off the total. This will be good till the end of August. Not having a wedding? No problem, we do more than weddings! We can create party invites, personal stationery sets, and individual cards!



And I'm just loving Swap-Bot! I made my first ATC's for trade! Here is one of them:


Gotta love ATC's! They are a great way to inspire yourself for bigger projects. And I actually make mine on top of playing cards :-) So go join.. who knows you might ending up swapping with moi!

Chaos

I am officially changing Sassafrass Creations back into its original purpose. A cool website for me to showcase handcrafted items to sell. I can't believe I've been in business for 5 years!! I still remember the excitement of creating the site. Unfortunately I got caught up in making $$$ and lost sight of why I started it.

So for now almost all the retail inventory has been removed. I'm keeping Jing Jang - cause I love it, and ya'll do too! I had hoped to restock my Mama Coco, but their website has vanished!! I'll be stocking a few other retail goodies that I love and that are hard to find. If you have a favorite and think I should love it too, let me know!

The site looks pretty bare right now. I have the baby bundlers up and well be adding more stuff every week. I know I'll lose some of my customers with the change, but I hope to add new ones.. and it's a wonderful feeling to return to my dream!!!

Who loves Eyeko?

I'm clearing out most to all of the inventory for Sassafrass Creations. I'm going to be converting this website back to my original dream - a site to sell items I make and maybe a few manufactured goods that I love & want to share with ya'll.

And I'm selling the last of my Eyeko Fat Balm fruity flavors. These have been hugely popular and have become rare.. so I'm dishing them out on Ebay. It is an auction for the trio: raspberry, strawberry, and the refreshing minty! Get your bid in now.. after this we will only have 2 minty balms to sell..

The Belle Baby Bundler

I've been so eager to open up my Etsy store. My first items up for sale are the Belle Baby Bundler! They are SO cute! Perfect for new moms like myself and for newborn photographers - the photograph wonderfully!

And that has been my hold on.. I needed pictures, I needed Isabelle to model.. Isabelle was not wanting to model. I think she sees my camera lens more than my face, and she had enough! Finally today after a cozy nap and warm glass of momma's milk, I coaxed her into modeling..

Here are the results:

Black and White Night

Lucky me!!

I get to design SLC Junior League's Black & White Night

Save-the-Dates and Invitations!!

A touch of glam and class to go with their old Hollywood theme..

I can't wait for October! This is going to be too much fun!!

Swap With Me!

I have discovered Flickr groups this past week, and have become quite addicted! I've joined groups from craftiness to SLC residents to photo challenges. If you have a Flickr account (if you don't - why the heck not?) you must check this out!

While signing up for these groups, I discovered swap bot! What an amazing site! They have all kinds of swaps - ATC, fabric, and more!! So of course I'm joining those at a rapid pace too. So far I'll be doing an ATC and fat quarter swap. What fun - so exciting to receive something other than bills in the mail!!

I'm currently working on knitted baby sacks/swaddlers/papooses.. whatever you want to call them :o) I will be listing these on Etsy in the next few weeks. They are fantastic for photographers that specialize in newborn shoots and they're great of course for your favorite ankle biter!

And to top this week off, I will be designing SLC Junior League's Black & White Gala invitations and save-the-dates. We're thinking of going with a old Hollywood glam theme.. pics will be revealed soon...

Absent at the AZ Expo

For the first time, Belle Paperie did not have a booth

at the Arizona Bridal Fashion Debut.

It was a hard decision, but one that I think was for the best.

Belle Paperie is alive and strong,

so much so that a majority of the work coming in is from referrals.

When we were based in Arizona, it made more sense to present

at the expos. Many of the brides there feel a need to work someone close.

Now that we are in Utah, the clients we work with are ones

that are very comfortable working on the Internet.

We have clients from Washington state to Washington, D.C.

While I missed the excitement of the expo this past week,

I'm excited to jump ahead into this new chapter of the business.

We will be putting more money and effort into the online aspect,

and looking at additional ways to reach the local market.

At this time, we are considering doing

more custom birthday invites - a huge market in UT.

We thank you for your continued support

and hope that our absence was missed, but understood.

What's a MWAC?

What is a MWAC you ask.. It is a "mother with a camera" :-)

Before Isabelle was born, I splurged on a Nikon D80 and a few lenses.

Ironically, once she was born I found myself taking not the best pictures in the world.

I think they call it "mommy goggles".

I'm now aiming for 1 hour a week of dedicated photography.

Isabelle is usually the subject, but I will branching out soon.

While I know for now I'm truly a MWAC,

I hope that in time my skills will grow.

So I've created my own copyright logo.

Whatcha think?

Will & Tera

I have been asked by Thomas' best friend and fiance to create their wedding invitations and announcements! I'm so excited. I love doing custom stationery in general, but it is just that much more meaningful when I know the couple.

We will be doing an elegant Envelopment in lilac and cream. They are wanting to incorporate a few lovey dovey pictures of themselves as well.

Also, we are contemplating using a wax seal to add a final romantic touch.

Shades of purple are very popular this season!

Last spring we did a spectacular vineyard wedding invitation in shades

of purple and gold - too enchanting!!

I have also been asked to be a bridesmaid :-)

Even more reason for me to work on losing that baby weight.

Welcome

Welcome to All Things Belle!

I will be blogging about my various craft businesses:

Belle Paperie

Sassafrass Creations

.. and soon an Etsy Store!

I will post tutorials, coupons to my various sites,

photos, and whatever craft I fancy at that moment.

Welcome.. and enjoy!