picture perfect

Annnnnd Christmas is underway.

I took attempted to take the family photo for the cards this weekend. Tell me. What is it about photo taking that makes children turn into raucous fiends?  My children behave better when getting their inoculations. No kidding.

So of about 30 pictures that I fired off in rapid succession before the whole crew mutinied on me, I got one. One messily photo. And the Bird isn't even looking at the camera. She's taunting her brother.  And Frankie looks all disproportionate and weird with a pumpkin coming out of his neck and fruit snacks in his hand.  And the Boy, well... just look.

But I was over perfect a loooong time ago. And just like last year, I'm sending out this photo in hopes that people will see us for who we really are and love us anyway.

pink

Pantone colors for Spring 2011

I'm not gunna lie. I think I have an eye for good design.  It's the consolation prize God gave me after he realized I had no talent whatsoever in the performing arts department or the math department or any other department for that matter.  He dug out the wand for design and dinged me on the head and said, "Go forth and beautify the World my child."  I'm pretty sure that's how it went.  

Pantone will announce the official color of 2011 later today. I guess they have all kinds of smarty pants analysts working around the clock to figure out what the hot designers are using.  Turns out it's "Honeysuckle" pink. That's #e76589 for all you fellow designers and hot pink for all you non-designer types. 

I personally endorse this decision. We could all use a little more honeysuckle in our life.

Now let us look at the Christmas cards I will be sending out this year. The very cards I ordered just days before Pantone leaked their color choice.

ruby press

Exactly.

Sometimes I tickle myself pink with my design prowess.

Now we'll see if I can get my smug self to actually get said cards in the mail in a timely manner.  God didn't ding me with the organization wand.

paperedtogether- "favorite thing" #6

Remember a few posts ago when I was rambling on, as I tend to do, about quality Christmas cards and how they are hard to find? Well, all I had to do was click through my Etsy favorites to find exactly what I was looking for. Paperedtogether products give me the same rush of endorphins that I get when I eat really good chocolate.

Letterpress is a 500 year old relief printing technique, in which a raised, inked image meets paper with enough pressure to produce a print. Letterpress offers a tactile and nostalgic feel that cannot be achieved with any other printing technique. When combined with soft printmaking papers, letterpress printing conveys a beauty and elegance that is simply luxurious. -Krista Stout

Paperedtogether is a small Minneapolis letterpress shop owned and operated by, Krista Stout. Here are her thoughts on her work:

I love the slow, mindful art of creating each design, mixing inks, preparing the press, and hand-printing each card one at a time. my designs are inspired by timeless, simple vintage images & enlivened by modern colors.

I'm guessing that most of you haven't purchased your cards yet. I find that most people procrastinate even more than I do, so I think it is fair to say that chances are, you are still shopping for the perfect set. Well, look no further. Click on over to the Paperedtogether shop and poke around a bit.

Also, for your enjoyment, Ms. Stout has offered up, an exciting opportunity to win one of her 2009 letterpress calendars. Come one, come all. Leave a comment and be in the drawing on Dec. 15th! It retails for $35. You lucky readers, you.