Guess who designed this month's calendar? Here's a hint ...And then of course we have the beautiful letterpress calendar from Linda & Harriett. I love the little brown squirrel ... perfect for fall!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
green wallpaper
{photo courtesy of madison & grow}After seeing this, I wanted to pick up a copy to see the article first hand ... very exciting Nicole ... I love what you've done! And love the ode to grandma too!
While perusing the magazine, I found this is beautiful wallpaper ... and eco-conscious to boot! My fav is 'Elizabeth in Bougainvillea at Night.' It's pricey ... but pretty!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
it's a cooking party!
Looking for a creative birthday party idea? Look no further ... my girls just received this awesome invite to Master Jack's 5th birthday party ... with a cooking theme!I love it! And am super impressed with Jack's moms handy-work! *Big sigh* ... I, in fact, used to be the recipient of her handy-work until only a few short months ago, when Heather decided to trade in her full-time life of paper to be a full-time mommy. But I suppose that's another post ...
Jack has been in love with cooking most of his {soon-to-be} 5 year old life. If you have ever read Taste of Home, Jack is their little chef spokesperson ... complete with his own column!
I love, love, love this invite ... Jack? Consider this our RSVP ... we'll be there!
pitter-patter
{photo courtesy of decor8}
{photo courtesy of decor8}I get all swishy inside when I see a lovely home office ... and aren't these the loveliest? I enjoyed reading this post, because along with the great tid-bits of advice, Holly offers up some great eye-candy!
I've got just one question though ... who the heck has a desk that stays that picture-perfect?!?
Monday, September 1, 2008
winner, winner!
I have been completely overwhelmed at the generosity and sense of community surrounding the Nielson family! There were over 300 auctions set up to benefit this family in need ... some of which are still live. So there's still time to head over and check it out!
I bid on a couple of items myself and am super excited that I 'won' the bids! I'll update you on what I've won when I receive the items. Both are personalized and handmade, so it may be a while ... but totally worth waiting for.
And thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who bid here!! Unbelievable ...
Debbie, looks like you are the proud recipient of a box overflowing with finest paper has to offer! I promise you won't be disappointed!
The top of this post includes a couple of buttons ... one to make donations directly to the NieNie Fund, and the second, a link to stay updated on the Nielson's recovery.
God bless you all for caring ...
Friday, August 29, 2008
mini-me!
So this is me, although, I don't really wear midriff bearing tops {anymore!} ... and ... my waistline isn't really that tiny ... and ... my lipstick doesn't usually stay on all that well {that is when I have time to actually put lipstick on}.But ... I do pull my hair back {too often}, mom's do rule, I do support breast cancer research, I do prefer being barefoot, and I don't know ... I argue that a good string of pearls can be worn with just about anything!
This is too much fun and something you've got to try! Design-her Gals will entrance you for hours! You can make all kinds of fun things, stationery, note cards ... makes a great gift item, and you can even sign up for a membership to be able to print your creations at home.
The best part? 5% of every order goes to the Gal to Gal Foundation supporting stage IV breast cancer patients and their families. I love great products with a purpose!
weekend greeting winner
First ... wow! a great big thank you to everyone who bid yesterday! It's so awesome and inspiring to me to know that so many people ... strangers ... from all over the world are connecting for this family.
And now for the winner of last week's weekend greeting ... Meghan! Meghan, please email me your contact info by Monday and I'll get your lovely WC card out to you then. Have a blast at your reunion!
I have a soft spot for you, as I recently {well, a couple of years ago now} went to my {ahem}, 20th reunion. I did not want to go, but then a piece of me was very intrigued to see what was up. My 'Romy' and I were total BFF's {the original} since 5th grade, but somehow sort of went our separate ways after high school.
We kept in touch through Christmas cards and {my} birth announcements, emailing occasionally ... but when the invite for the reunion came out, we decided we needed to go. We were total 'Romy & Michelle's' ... I kept reminding her we didn't have many friends, who would we talk to, why are we going ... but it ended up being a great night. And I guess we had more friends than I remembered.
And I guess in the bigger scheme of things ... I'm so thankful that I wasn't one of those girls that ... 20 years later, is intoxicated and still dancing on the table!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
silent auction for nienie
{photo courtesy of blue lily photography}This is NieNie ... Stephanie & Christian Nielson. They need our help. I recently mentioned Design Mom's idea for a silent auction to help raise money for the NieNie Fund. The photo below is what bwp is offering for our silent auction, hosted right here. {find rules at the bottom of this post}.
This is a gift case filled to the brim with yummy goodies from the likes of susyjack*, Linda & Harriett, Dutch Door Press, Pink Loves Brown, Linea Carta, Jack & Lulu, Kate Spade ... just to name a few. And the approximate value is $150.00.
And WOW! the outpouring of love for NieNie has been overwhelming! I've read somewhere there are over 130 different auctions! Here are some I've found {please check out design mom for a full listing, including what everyone is auctioning}:KC Masterpiece
I had mentioned that if anyone wanted to host an auction, but needed something to auction, to contact me and I would send it to them. Katie contacted me and I've sent her these Snow & Graham goodies to auction on her site. {just an fyi, in case you're interested in some other bwp goodies!}
I had mentioned that if anyone wanted to host an auction, but needed something to auction, to contact me and I would send it to them. Katie contacted me and I've sent her these Snow & Graham goodies to auction on her site. {just an fyi, in case you're interested in some other bwp goodies!}Okay, and now for the rules to start bidding on {and hopefully win!} the bwp gift case:
1. Silent auction will start Thursday, August 28 at 6:00am {ct}
2. Auction will end Sunday, August 31st at 10pm {ct}
3. Opening bid must start at $10.00
4. Bids must be placed in whole increments of $1.00
5. You will leave your bids in the comment section
6. You must leave an email address. For security purposes, I suggest using this format; tracie{at}broadwaypaper{dot}com
7. I will confirm the winning bid {although it may be quite obvious!} on Monday, September 1 at 8:00am {ct}
8. The winning bidder must donate the amount bid to the NieNie Fund via a PayPal account already set up. I will forward you a link to their account ... once you've paid, please forward me the confirmation and I will send you your lovely package.
Whew! I think that does it ... sure hope I'm not missing anything here.
Let's all band together for a great purpose! And be sure to stop by some of the other auctions ... great fun for a great cause!
tony's table {three}
My girls go back-to-school today, so I thought this back-to-school display is perfect for today. Is this an awesome display though? Tony actually made a paper computer! The keys on the keyboard write out to say "the staff of broadway paper welcomes you." I love it!I'm also a fan of some of the other fun things displayed on the table. You can never go wrong with a susyjack* pencil holder. And I love all the task clips from Knock Knock. I'm loving the Orbit holder & other pencil {catch all} holder from Umbra {unfortunately, we don't have those online}.
So here's to school buses, gym shoes {the school now requires velcro gym shoes!}, sharpened pencils, and a fresh box of 24 crayolas!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
do it with hattitude
Say what?!? Have you ever heard of a hattitude party? hat+attitude = hattitude.
I spent the day yesterday with my dear friend, Marta, watching her getting pumped full of chemotherapy drugs. And I'm having a terrible time writing this post, as there are basically no words to adequately describe watching your young friend {mother of two small children} face something like this.
Marta was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer {Triple Negative} less than four months ago. Even though it was caught fairly early, she was diagnosed at stage three. And because of the very aggressive growth rate of this cancer, she underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction one month after being diagnosed. She's had some big ups and big downs ... but my goodness ... if attitude is everything, Marta is going to get through this with flying colors.
The reason for my post, is I'd like to give some suggestions on what you can do to help family, friends or even acquaintances get through a time like this. We all often feel helpless. And I would say, just do something ... anything. Any gesture is going to be greatly appreciated and needed.
But first let me tell you what the worst thing is that you could do. Tell the family, "call me if you need anything." Even though it's said with the best of intentions ... let me be the first to tell you ... you won't be gettin' a phone call!
So what can you do? Besides all the usual gestures {which are absolutely important}, you could set up a free website for your friend. CaringBridge offers and hosts a free website for patients faced with illnesses. It is an absolutely awesome way for people to stay in touch with the patient. The patient writes in her journal and friends/family are alerted there's a new entry, they login, can sign the guest book ... it's really just an awesome thing. Visit Marta's site here. And I promise, anyone can set up the site. There are easy peasy templates to choose from, you enter in a little information, download a few photos, it gives you a website address and you're all set. I promise the family {and friends} will be forever thankful!
Next ... go to a chemo or doctor's appointment with your friend. A spouse may not always be able to go, or someone may need to stay with the kids. And I promise you, your friend will love a little 'friend' time. Bring some magazines, some snacks, and spend your time giggling with your friend to keep their attention drawn away from what they're there for. You may not always have time to do this ... but just make it happen. It will mean the world to your friend ... and I'll bet you're the one who walks away feeling blessed.
Send the kids something to keep them busy while mom or dad aren't feeling well enough to play.
Send flowers on chemo day.
If you're not a phone person ... send a few texts now and then just to let them know they're on your mind.
Do a walk or run or triathlon in their honor. We did the Danskin triathlon for Marta this year and wrote her name on the back of our legs. She was honored indeed.
And so what's this hattitude thing about? Before she started her treatments, we had the best bash for her! Everyone brought something along to give her {gift certificates, scarves, blankets, lotions ...} ... there was a large table completely overflowing with gifts. The entire day was an absolute blessing to Marta and a great way to send her off before getting her surgeries and starting chemo.
Lastly ... in this book of all posts ... the television networks {ABC, NBC, CBS} are airing 'Stand Up To Cancer' on September 5 {7pm ct & 8pm et/pt}. Check out the website for more information. You can donate, launch a star, or honor someone. There's even a link for an evite {I endorse the evite for this situation only!} for a viewing party. With the scary statistic that 1 in 3 people will get cancer {one out of every three!!!} ... it's time to take a stand against this disease.
Monday, August 25, 2008
a little love ...
Saturday, August 23, 2008
seriously?
{photo courtesy of wikipedia}
So, seriously? Jerry Springer? That's our celeb sighting? Some old guy that hosts trash TV? And seriously? He's still on TV?
Yesterday afternoon we had lunch at The Ivy, with our heads constantly moving this way and that, trying to spot a celeb. There were paparazzi everywhere and you could tell they were standing on edge for something big ... word was that Johnny Depp was going to arrive, but we never saw nuttin'!
We visited Malibu, sat in the lobby of the Beverly Wilshire, Santa Monica, Rodeo Drive, Robertson Blvd., Kitson, Lisa Kline ... nuttin'!
Then last night we had dinner at Mr. Chow ... I was pretty sure we were going for broke when who walked in? Jerry Springer. The girls could've cared less. Me too for that matter. Try explaining to a 13 & 14 year old how the old man standing in the foyer is a celebrity!
Later as we were eating we could see flash bulbs going off outside the restaurant, but never spotted 'anyone' coming in. And as we left, ran into a wall of paparazzi again ... actually, one guy was parked outside The Ivy earlier in the day.
Unsuccessful in the way of 'sightings' ... but totally successful in the way of bonding. And I wouldn't trade that for nuttin'!
Friday, August 22, 2008
support for nienie ...
{photo courtesy of design mom}As is my usual MO, I can't remember where I first read about this ... but when I did, it touched me deeply. I've been seeing the news pop up on a few more blogs here and there and am amazed {though I probably shouldn't be} at how the blog community is reacting with love, support and most importantly prayers.
Stephanie {Nie} and her husband, Christian were in a private plane crash and remain in critical {burn} condition. Christian's flight instructor was killed in the crash. The engine in the plane stalled shortly after takeoff and landed in a wood pile. c jane has a link on her blog to the news story ... it shows a very vivid picture of the crash site that gives me chills.
I have my private pilot's license. My husband is a private pilot and to impress him during our days of dating, I decided to get mine too. I think a short skirt would've done the trick ... but no, that's ambitious me ...
The last flight I ever took {as pilot} was July 12, 2001. I took off from a small Wisconsin airport with the intention of flying to Madison. My mom, aunt and cousin were all on board. It was a super windy day, but the wind was right down the runway {no cross wind} so I thought I'd be fine. I radioed the tower with my intended destination and requested permission to takeoff. Once I received clearance, I headed down the runway ... just before takeoff speed {and before I was ready}, our little plane took off. The wind had gotten me at just the wrong time and put my plane in the air. I was freaked out ... big time! The stall horn came on, my heart was racing and I was freaking out. My instincts must have kicked in {or maybe is was the Big Guy holding me}, but I somehow knew enough to keep the plane level and stop climbing and fortunately, the horn stopped and I gained control of the plane and my airspeed.
My hands are honestly sweating as I'm typing this ...
Anyway.
Once I gained control of my breathing, I circled back toward the landing pattern and called the tower for permission to land. "That was the fastest trip to Madison I've ever seen," he said. I landed safely, parked the plane, thanked God, and walked away from that little hobby.
So that was pretty rambly of me ... it just scares me sometimes to think of the 'what-if' scenario. And to hear Stephanie's story ... it just makes me pretty sad, and I guess thankful all at the same time. Stephanie and Christian have four small children. They have months of recovery ahead of them. Their children are going to a different state to be with relatives while their parents heal ... please, won't you join me in praying for them?
I was excited to see this post today and decided for next week's weekend greeting, I'm going to do a silent auction too. I think it'll be an awesome way we can all show our support.
I also want to spread the word for any of you that have blogs that would want to host an auction too. {please email me if you would like me to donate a prize to your auction}. If you don't have a blog, or don't want to host an auction, please see Design Mom's post for some other ways you can help.
I don't know what I'm going to give yet for a prize, but I promise it will be greater than great! And instead of posting next Friday {for the weekend greeting}, I'm going to start the silent auction on Thursday. I'll let you know what the prize is and what the rules are at that time.
I urge, urge, urge you to get involved and help ... it's the least we can do.
another thank you!
Isn't this precious? We recently did a reorder from LobotoME, which included some new goodies {soon to be on our webshop}. And last week I received a special delivery tube, finely decorated with kid art ... nothing grabs your attention, or says 'fun' like kid art!So there's a little thank you note inside from Jenny, along with a clip and poster ... the tube masterpiece was from her little one to mine ... sweet!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
