Guys Need Stationery Too - Classic Tartan!

Kiltish? Maybe. Ideas come from the strangest places, and this one came from my husband's Halloween costume he wore this year. He was a Scottish Highlander, dressed in a kilt and all! So the idea came to me that if he was willing to wear that costume he would probably go for plaid note cards. A thank-you note here and there always needs to be written and these handsome plaids work fine, for guys and gals alike!

Cookies, yum! A Cookie Exchange Invitation

I have a sweet tooth. It's dangerous to have cookies in the house. Or cakes or pies or brownies or... You get the idea. I was asked to create an invitation for a cookie exchange party and all I could think about while working on these was how yummy all those cookies will look and taste! I'm relieved to be surrounded by the paper and ribbon part of the party and not the cookies. I'd like to lose five pounds not gain five pounds!

Halloween Brownie Pops

They turned out lumpy yet yummy. I watched Martha Stewart make them and let's just say my experience was not the same as hers. Not that I expected it to, without a staff and all, so instead of painting tiny little jack o' lantern faces on a smooth orange surface I thought I'd make mine look like mini chocolate covered apples. No redeeming food groups here though. Just sugar! Happy Halloween!

Shower Season

There are seasons in life. I remember years ago when my husband and I went to LOTS of weddings. And then I went to lots of baby showers. Then there was a decade long pause, and now we seem to be going to more of these fun events. Since I love a party, and all the creating and planning that goes into them, I am really enjoying this season.

I decided to tweak an invitation that I did a year ago and sell it on my etsy.com site. A real "girlie" one for a lingerie bridal shower that I gave for the best friend of "the daughter". I look back on that shower with such fond memories. Someone else should have a fun time too so I hope my invitation inspires a really good party, and a wonderful wedding season, for a special bride!

I Like Orange... NOT!

It's just not my color. I don't decorate my home with it. I don't wear it. But there is that one time of year when I can get into it, a tiny bit. Halloween.

So when it came time to design an invitation for a pumpkin carving party I decided not to go with rust and peach tones (that I prefer) with some brown thrown in, I went full on black & orange and I actually like it! Well, I'll like it for two weeks anyway, then it's off my color palette again for fifty more.

Show Your Style

Boot Scootin' in 2007

Yes, I'm still in Christmas card mode. Did you get that family photo taken yet? The older "The Daughter" gets the more difficult it is to get a family photo for our card. And now that she doesn't even live in the same state it is ultra challenging. Two years ago, just before she moved, we thought we'd show our different styles by our choice of cowboy boots. Who else would have fancy teal green boots, but "The Daughter"!

Fortunately, a visit from Danielle caused this year's photo to be taken last week (so early compared to our usual) by our friend Sissel Byington and we even made her blog. You can sneak a peek of us here.

Get your photographer and show your style for your 2009 card!

Already?

Yes, we have to start thinking about our Christmas cards already. Last year my friend's asked me to design their card using a photo of them at a Norte Dame football game. So why not go with the college theme, create their own team color combination and "Team Mortensen" logo that looks strangely similar to Notre Dame's. Have you got your photo ready for your cards? Me neither. We all had better get on it. Now.

What Inspires You?

Too many hours spent on blogs that inspire me to throw a party! That's my addiction. And if I threw a party every time I saw a fabulous color scheme or fun theme, which is daily, we'd be in the poor house. The good news is they also inspire a new hanger or invitation for my etsy.com shop.

Gee Thanks!

A layered note of thanks. A narrow satin black ribbon makes a "t"... on a crisp white linen paper... on a green lokta paper... all on a lovely black linen card. "thanks so much" for stopping by my blog.

You Deserve a Blue Ribbon

Inspired by a delightful stay at the guest ranch in my last post, I created this note card. When was the last time you received a blue ribbon? It was 1984 for me and let's just say it wasn't for anything spectacular, but I do remember it. I did send a note of thanks to my inspiration IRMR on one of these cards and I hope it made them feel special... because they are! They deserve a blue ribbon. It will be on my etsy.com site soon.

Crisp Mountain Air

Home from vacation and I'm still thinking about the guest ranch that we stayed at in the central mountains of Idaho. It was so beautiful there and the ranch did everything just right. Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch is the place to go for relaxation or invigoration! We nabbed The Daughter and off we went! City people we are, but somehow when it comes to a vacation we often are putting on our cowboy boots and hiking boots. (Well, hiking "sandals" that double as river rafting shoes and biking shoes!) Wrap a log cabin around us, or even better a grand lodge built of logs, and we're at home.

A horseback ride with Wrangler Ben, enjoying the view to the ranch and the Sawtooth Mountains from top of the hill, and then from the front porch with a cool glass of tea to wash down the trail dust!

Not Spooky, Just Special

There's something about old cemeteries that I like. It makes me think about the lives that these people led and I don't even know them. Why do I care? I don't know, but I do. This old cemetery is in Idaho City, ID, population 100. They had their own Gold Rush in the 1860's but it is hard to imagine it today.

This old pine is younger than the gravesite!

The Big View, The Little Creation

The Deschutes River,

Mt. Bachelor, the little blooms of yarrow.

Francophile!

Definition - an admirer of France and everything French. That's my friend Jenny who just had a special birthday (you know the kind). She teaches French, and oh yea, she just taught a beginning Italian class as well! What a wonderful gift she has. I know a little French too. Very little. So with my limited knowledge I pulled together some stationery for her.

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Hang On

It seems a few folks like my hangers. Who'd a thunk? Well, I thought "maybe", with a shrug of the shoulders, so I put them up on my etsy.com site and they've sold! I never thought I'd be found at a fabric store so often... and actually like being there! (My mother will not believe I just said that!) Touching the ribbons and fabric are almost as much fun as paper. I need a few more colors in my collection though so I'm off to the fabric store again to add to the rainbow!