handmade:modern by elizabeth rosemond (the blog)

shop talk | the google project

Yes, you read that correctly. Google.

I spent a little over a week going back-and-forth with a gentleman who found me on Etsy. He needed some custom stitched Moleskines for a compnay function. No problem.

I had no idea it was for Google until he sent me their specs + requirements. After a few rounds of editing, here's what we came up with:

This was a challenging task for my small shop. I needed to crank out 60+ notebooks and secure their delivery in less than a month. Done and done.

Thanks, Google. It was fun :)

To all of my fellow crafters/makers/artists: Keep going. Even when you doubt your skills at every turn and wonder if you should close up shop, keep going. You never know who's watching :)

xo,

e

 

hello saturday

Clearly, I lied here when I said I'd have a Wellness Wednesday post up this week. In truth, I did draft one. I rambled and moaned about my weight loss (or lack thereof). By the end, I was frustrated and irritated, so I decided to keep it to myself for awhile :)

BUT, today is Saturday! I took my husband up on his offer to keep an eye on the littles so I can have a break. Amen. 

Last night = a little shopping and sushi (so good)

Today = a walk, testing out the "best cold brew iced coffee in Dallas", tacos (!!!), catching up on a big project, some business planning and some basketball watching.

Exciting stuff, right? It is, though. When you have 2 little ones underfoot (not to mention the big one on my back, asking for $$, food and rides), it's difficult to form complete thoughts, let alone run a business or take a shower without an audience ;)

Have a great day everyone! We are expecting weather in the high 80s today, so I better get to walking before it gets too hot!

xo,

e 

monday monday* | stuff to share

* yes, i'm aware that today is tuesday. it's taken me more than 24 hours to complete this post. i have so much going on that stringing more than one sentence together is painful ;)

Hiya!

I hope you guys are having a great Monday. Our air conditioning unit downstairs (where I spend 90% of the day with the kids) is broken. It's only 82 degrees outside, but I'm sweaty and restless. Even though I have a large project (my first wholesale order!) to work on, I've been online a ton. Since I'm feeling inspired, I thought I'd share :)

• even though I didn't participate in a Week in the Life this year (I never finished last year's), I loved looking at Ali's completed album. She's seriously a class act
• my favorite online supplier of washi tape will be having a huge shop udate in a few weeks. in the meantime, they're having a special preorder party (their tapes tend to sell out super fast). check it out.
• i've seen a ton of craft rooms online, but this is my all-time favorite. seriously.
• i'm in love with this post by Ez. i'm slowly working my way through all of the contributing articles (check the bottom of Ez's blog post). 
• i've been obsessed with korean tacos lately. we used this marinade to some with strip steak on Mother's Day. YUM.
• i can't wait to try these quinoa collard wraps. maybe this weekend.
• i recently bought this shirt. now i want one in every color. no joke.
• woodgrain wrapping paper? yes, please.

I think I hear the littlest Rosemond stirring upstairs (long nap today!). Join me tomorrow (Wednesday, not Tuesday) for Wellness Wednesday.

xo,

e

project life | march 2012 | part one

 Hey everyone! I'm popping in to share the first part of Project Life for March. 

The beginning of March marked a turning point in my health. The doctor prescribed a second round of both antibiotics and steroids and I finally started feeling better. 

My husband surprised me with a birthday dinner at The Keg with our friends (we've only made a few here in Dallas, but they're all golden). We stayed at a hotel that night, so I got a much-needed night's sleep. In the morning we went to brunch. YUM.

My insert this week (above) included my birthday cards and am awesome paper napkin (part of a gift from my friend Bertie).

The day after my birthday celebration (on the 4th, my actual bday) we decided to celebrate Lauryn's 4th birthday (her bday is the 10th, but Corey was going to be traveling). While I took Lauryn to her soccer game, Corey went to the bike shop and grabbed her a beautiful previously loved mountain bike (long story, but I originally bought this Radio Flyer at Target. MAJOR FAIL). The stitched #4 tag is from a set I created. You can grab one here.

I used one of Becky's 12x12 pouches as an insert this week (I can't wait until the new pouch sizes come out this summer!). I used thickers to label the pouch, then threw in all of Lauryn's cards.

Nothing too exciting here ;)

But THIS? This is goodness. I took Miss Lauryn to American Girl as part of her birthday present. We gave her a Bitty Baby for Christmas and I thought she'd like to pick out a little something for her. The horrible photo above of the right hand side of the spread is from our Afternoon Tea at the Bistro. SO.MUCH.FUN. At only $10 per person, we're definitely doing that again. The pink sticky note on the bottom right pocket is a reminder to reprint that overly-yellow Instagram photo. But you know what? I'm going to leave it as it is. It's one of my very favorite from the day (she's in bed looking at her babies enjoying their new bed).

My insert is simply a Design A page protector cut in half. Lauryn eventually settled on the sweet trundle bed (which came with two mattresses and bedding, which is why I think she wanted it).

I nearly had a heart attack when I saw these Bitty Twins! They look like a little Lauryn and a little Michael. They're the same size as the Bitty Baby (vs. the full sized dolls), so everything Lauryn already has will fit. Hello Christmas ;)

I really never thought I'd become that mom, blogging about American Girl babies. And yet, here we are ;)

Have a great night!

xo,

e 

 

Not familiar with Project Life? Learn more here. Check out all of my Project Life posts here: 2012 | 2011 

 

 

 

 

 

shop talk | MOO business cards

confession = i have a tendency to be a little cheap.

Maybe cheap is a little extreme, but I'm definitely frugal when it comes to my business expenses. After all, I run a very small business.

For the past three years, I've been using Vistaprint for my business cards. I liked that they were cheap enough that I could change my design often and not feel like I was wasting money. I think that when you're starting out, Vistaprint is a smart choice. 

For the past three years, I've been hearing about (and drooling over) Moo cards. They've become the go-to printer for many bloggers, but I really didn't think I could afford them yet.

Back in February, Kal had a Moo giveaway (100 free business cards) on her blog...I WON! 

I was super excited and got to work right away. I knew exactly how I wanted my new cards to look, and Moo definitely didn't disappoint:

My photo really doesn't do them justice; these cards are gorgeous in person! They're thick and lovely. I didn't think I would like the glossier finish (I like to write little notes on my cards when I send out orders), but it isn't super glossy.

These are so much nicer than my Vistaprint cards. Moo definitely has a repeat customer, which is precisely why they do those giveaways (sneaky, sneaky!).

Thanks Moo (and Kal)!

xo, 

e

right now

listening: to the Whitney Houston tribute episode of Glee (my DVR hasn't been recording it for some reason). The a capella version of "How Will I Know" is officially my Glee favorite.

eating:  hard-boiled eggs on wheat toast

drinking:  COFFEE

wearing:  gym uniform (yoga pants, tank, cross trainers)

feeling:  stressed. I have SO MUCH stuff rattling around in my brain

weather:  73 and overcast (expecting it to be in the 90s all week) 

wanting: to finish up this large custom project. I've been working on it for almost a month. I'm ready to move on to something else (like catching up on Project Life + cleaning my studio!)

needing: for the dryer repair dude to show up. Stat. I have a little one to pick up from school in an hour.

thinking: about all of the laundry I'll have to do once the dryer is fixed!

enjoying: the fact that my husband has returned home from his business trip (he was gone for almost a week)

wondering: when I'll get back into the groove of blogging. I have about 10 half written posts in the queue and it's taken me half of the day to write this post and hit publish.

Happy Wednesday ;)

xo,

e

 

saturday morning

Saturday has to be better than Friday. Right?

Friday: 

• broken dryer
• cranky teenager
• cranky mama
• cranky toddler
• cranky four year old
• broken cabinet door
• totally unproductive
• not fun

Saturday (fingers crossed):

• decent weather (forecast = mid 80s; hoping for some sun too)
• clothes drying outside in the fresh air
• happy children dipping their toes in the kiddie pool
• no fights
• no messes
• healthy meals
• awesome coffee
• more awesome coffee
• liters of lemon/lime infused water
• extreme productivity (I might be pushing it a little here)

Miss Lauryn just told me "it's go time, Mama". 

Let's go! Have a great Saturday :)

xo,

e

prom night 2012

I remember my prom like it was yesterday.

It was held at a fancy hotel in downtown San Francisco. I wore a rented dress (I couldn't afford any of the dresses I loved, and I was unwilling to compromise). One of my aunts did my makeup and made us a salmon dinner.

My date and I fought the ENTIRE night and only danced to one song (picked a good one!).

Spolier alert - my date and I continued to fight for about four or five more years.

But last night, 18 years later, I sent our daughter to her first prom.

What I know for sure = my girl deserved this. Moving and being the new kid at school? A nasty (and rather public) breakup just before Christmas? Like water off of a duck's back.

After she hopped onto the party bus, it ocurred to me that I'll we'll have to do this all over again next year. Her boyfriend is a senior. She is not.

I'm not sure we'll be able to top that dress.

xo,

e

she

 

1. was the largest of all of my babies at 8 pounds, 3 ounces
2. slept in my bed until she was about 11 (when I met my husband)
3. is the reason why, at age 19, I had to become a grown-up
4. is the most resilient person I know
5. was the Maiden of Honor at our wedding almost 5 years ago
6. is finishing up the first year of a very special 2 year fashion design program at school
7. is very eager to start driving
8. was one of the happiest children I've ever known
9. is attending her very first prom Saturday night (her boyfriend is a Senior at a rival high school)
10. is kicking her ADHD in the rear!
11. had to see me through a great deal of heartache in years past
12. has her heart set on Southern University
13. is very creative
14. is adored by her siblings
15. walked in her very first fashion show a few weeks ago
16. is the oldest of 6 children (1 half brother, 3 half sisters and a stepsister)
17. is named after one of my very favorite bands
18. turned eighteen today 

Happy 18th birthday to my sweet, funny, gorgeous and sassy girl!

xo,

mom

custom | elise + chad getting married

I've mentioned this several times, but I LOVE working on custom shop orders. Helping customers design the perfect book = artistic satisfaction for me. 

Right now, I have a number of custom orders in my queue:

• unfussy journal for an international adoption (this has been completed + delivered, but I'm waiting for my customer to share it with her family, etc. before I do so here)
• a large coptic journal (the binding looks like this) to be given as a gift 
• 65 (yes, 65) custom moleskines for a large corporation (so excited about this, I'm really hoping I'll be able to share it with you down the road)

Today, I'd like to share a very sweet + special project.

Elise contacted me last summer (when I gave away an unfussy journal on Stephanie's blog). Elise loved the idea behind my kids' upcycled spiral notebooks and wanted to know if I could turn one of her favorite books into a guest book for her spring wedding.

This is what will be sitting on the signing table at her wedding in 11 days:

When Elise shipped the book to me, I thought the entire concept was just so sweet. As with most of my children's notebooks, we kept the story pages inside the book. Elise opted to have the story in the very front, rather than in the back:

After the story, came the signing pages:

We opted for a nice heavy textured cardstock in luxe cream. 

I hope she loves it as much as I do :)

I finished everything off with a stitched tag (now available!) in sapphire and yellow (her actual wedding colors).

Thank you Elise! Best wishes to you and Chad :)

xo,

e