the winsome press.

I’m so excited to tell you about my new creative project, The Winsome Press. This is a new thing that my friend Kelly and I have been working on for some time now. It started last Spring when we both wanted some motivation to make more art. We started giving ourselves weekly project ideas, which later morphed into a decision to focus on getting better at painting with watercolors. Over the summer we both practiced watercolor painting and it was fun! We learned some things and enjoyed being more creative. Somewhere along the way we were asked to participate in a craft fair here in Wichita and we decided to start an etsy shop. So now we have The Winsome Press. This is a way for Kelly and me to paint and be creative, and also to share our creativity with you! You can take a look at our etsy shop here. 

I had a fun time kicking off our new business at Craftacular, a handmade market, in Wichita a couple weekends ago. I was unsure how this would go. Would it be worth all the effort? Would anyone buy anything? Josh helped me with the set-up and display quite a bit; during the first hour we debated over where I should stand and how much I should talk to people. Do people want to chit-chat while they’re shopping? The first hour was a bit slow, but eventually more and more people stopped to look at our art. And finally, someone bought something! I told myself before the show that if one item sold I would be happy.  That first purchase boosted my spirits and I felt more confident to greet and talk to people that walked past or stopped to look at my booth. I ended up having a great time chatting with shoppers and other vendors. I was especially blessed by visits from family and friends who came by the craft fair. 

It was a good experience to participate in a craft fair, but now Kelly and I are focusing our attention on the online marketplace. We look forward to sharing more about our creative process with you here on my blog in the weeks to come. And if you’re interested, check out our etsy shop!

summer so far.

So far our summer has consisted of:

Lots of Legacy work to prepare for camp (for me) and lots of gardening with GardenWorks (for Josh.)

A visit from my family.

Elise's birthday celebration with a surprise party, homemade pizza and cake, croquet, and contra dancing.

Legacy Camp. This was challenging, but wonderful. I taught a paper crafts class and a film photography class; I also led a small group where I got to connect with a group of four high school girls.

A visit to friends on the East Coast. Josh, Mikey and I stopped in Virginia to see Michael and Kelly, then headed down to North Carolina together to see Niquita and Jordan.

Hanging out in Greenville with family and friends.

We're busy, but enjoying summer. Hope you are too!

............................................................................................................

A quick reminder that my etsy shop is going out of business! I am extending my final sale to July 4. Read here to find out why I'm closing down shop and to see what's next for me.  Thanks for all your support! 

autumn cards for sale.

Find them here.

reminder: summer sale!

Just a reminder that there's a summer sale going on in my etsy shop and it's ending July 31. For 10% off everything in the shop enter PEACHYSUMMER13 at checkout. All shipping prices have been changed to account for my recent return to the USA (woohoo!). That means cheaper shipping for all you Americans! I am also happy to do custom orders, so if you're interested click the "Request Custom Order" button and let me know what you're interested in.

summer sale in my etsy shop

Friends, because I love summer so much I am having a summer sale in my etsy shop!
For 10% off everything in the shop enter PEACHYSUMMER13 at checkout. This coupon expires on July 31.

Just a note about shipping:
After July 11, I will be in the USA, which means shipping prices will be much cheaper to customers in the U.S. and South America. I will change the shipping prices upon returning to the U.S.

I hope you're enjoying summer! I'm off to Bergen, Norway for a few days. Are you planning any summer getaways?

i love tiny things (like pocket sized notebooks).

Josh has this idea that I think miniature or tiny things are automatically cuter than their bigger counterparts. Maybe this is true, but maybe not. I think it definitely applies to animals, babies, shoes, notebooks, and food. Bigger things can be cute too, though.  Josh is cute and he's not exactly tiny. So I don't think his theory totally holds up. However, I can't deny that I love tiny things and I'm a big fan of pocket sized notebooks.  They're small and cute, but also the perfect size for lots of different things. Several years ago my mom gave me some moleskine pocket sized notebooks to paint. I was hooked. Ever since, I've been using these tiny notebooks as a canvas to draw, paint, write, tape and stamp. I sell them in my etsy shop and I use them myself. Here are some of the many uses I've found:
1. My very own dictionary.  When I was studying/living in Costa Rica I was constantly writing down new Spanish words into one of my moleskines.  The process really helped me learn new words.  Sometimes it's funny to look back and see all the random words I jotted down or to remember at which point I learned these words.

2. To-do lists.  I usually carry at least one notebook with me in my pursue or backpack, so I can jot things down right when I think of them.   As long as I can remember my mom has written at the top of her to-do list "To Do's," so apparently I write that too.

3. Notes.  My kindle is not a good place to take notes about books I'm reading, so I use one of my moleskines instead.  A while ago I was reading a book by my Grandpa Matt called "Symbol and Ceremony."

4. Workout record. It's easy to take this notebook with me to the gym and record how far I ran and what type of exercizes I did. I'm not training for anything right now, so I don't need a formal workout tracking method. This works because I can still see my progress and it's motivating to add another entry to my list. 
5. Prayer book.  One of my moleskines was made especially to be a place for me to write down prayers, worries and anxieties.  On one particularly stressful day last summer my mom shared Philippians 4:6 with me, which was really encouraging. Shortly after, I made a notebook in the hopes that by writing down my worries and prayer I could begin to trust God more.

6. Travel journal.  Josh and I will be in France this week. We have extremely limited room in our backpacks (they're stuffed with camping gear), so I am taking an ecosystem pocket sized notebook along in place of my normal journal. 

Most of the moleskines I use myself are experiments and leftovers from what didn't sell in my shop.  Sometimes I paint over old designs (like on the Philippians 4:6 notebook) and I've tried taping the whole thing with washi tape. Recently I discovered ecosystem notebooks which are totally recycled and come in bright colors. I'm really glad to be using more sustainable products. I've sold a few in my shop and I am excited to use one myself for the first time this week!

Tiny pocket sized notebooks are for sale in my shop right now.  If you're in Oslo you can find me selling new designs at the artisan market in John Collets Plass on Sunday May 19 in the afternoon.

hand stamped cards in the shop.

Find them here.

handmade stamps.

For Christmas I received a really cool make-your-own-rubber-stamp kit.  During the past two months I have used nearly all of the rubber to make seven great stamps.  I'm saving the last bit of rubber for when I get an extra special burst of inspiration.  I love that I was able to make so many different stamps out of 4x6 inches of rubber.  The stamp I made are pretty versatile and can be used together, which I sort of planned.  To be honest, these are not the greatest quality stamps and since they don't have a wooden backing, they can be a bit tricky to use.  Their best quality is definitely that I got to design them myself.  They're not perfect, but I think that's charming.

I got excited one evening and made a bunch of 3x4 cards for project life.

If this sounds interesting to you, I definitely recommend this kit.  It's inexpensive and easy to use (with helpful directions) and the process of carving is rather fun.  In a couple hours the other evening I carved four stamps and made about 10 3x4 cards.  It's simple and inspiring!

Here's a little peak at some new items coming to the shop next week:

peachy press update.

After my long Christmas holiday, Peachy Press is back open!  I've added a bunch of fun new things that I really enjoyed making. More moleskines, of course, but also cards made with stamps that I made (!!!) from a rubber stamp making kit and ecosystem notebooks.  The arrow stamp and the heart stamp are ones I made myself.  Ecosystem notebooks are super cool and 100% recycled.  Read more about them here.  I hope you'll take a look around the shop!

Have a beautiful Wednesday.
(The high for Oslo today is 6 C/ 42 F.  That is SO warm.  It's been feeling like spring around here!)

two things.

1. Autumn cards are now in the shop!  Get them here.

2. I though some of you might be interested in getting my blog posts sent to your email account.  If so, just scroll down to the "follow by email" spot and enter your email.  I'm not totally sure how this works yet, so if you try it and problems occur, please let me know!

Happy Halloween!
(We're not sure what people do for Halloween in Norway, but tonight we'll be celebrating our friend Benny's birthday with a German meal at Christian Union.)

peachy press is open.

This little shop of mine has been an on-again-off-again sort of thing for the past few years.  And right now it's on!  Being unemployed in Oslo means I have time to devote to crafty and creative things.  I was invited earlier in the semester to sell my handmade goods at an artisan market.  That turned out to be a really great opportunity and it was encouraging to see that people are interested in what I make.  So I've continued to invest my creative interests in peachy press.  I hope you take a peek at some of the things I've made!

Some information about Peachy Press:

Being in Oslo also means that materials for my products and shipping cost more.  For this reason, I have had to raise my prices a bit.  This pains me, but I had to do it.  But, I will be back in the States for Christmas (in Seattle and Greenville).  If you are a friend or family member residing in one of these places and want to order something, I can deliver it to you during my Christmas break and will cut the shipping costs.  That means you might have to wait a while to receive your product, but you can also save 3-8 bucks.  If you are interested in this deal, you can do one of the following:

 -Send me an email or note on etsy saying which product you would like and that you would like to receive it upon my return to the USA.  I will then change the shipping cost and make it a reserved item for you.  You can purchase the product and I will hand deliver it to you sometime between December 14- January 10.

-Buy the product as it is listed on etsy and include a note that says you would like to receive this product upon my return to the USA.   I will hand deliver the product to you sometime between December 14- January 10 and will include your shipping reimbursement in cash along with your product.

-You can also do either of the following and request to have your item shipped through the mail to you from the U.S.  I will give you a reduced shipping rate and mail it to you right when I get back to the USA (around December 14).

OR if you are in the USA but not someone I will see in person, you can do this:

-Enter a similar note saying you would like to receive your product upon my return to the USA.  I will give you a discounted shipping rate, since shipping in the U.S. is much cheaper than in Norway and I will ship your purchase right when I get back to the USA (around December 14).

Also, FYI Shipping takes about one week from Oslo to the USA.

I know this is a bit complicated and I'm sorry, but I guess that is just what happens when you go overseas.  Things get a little complicated.  I hope you'll bear with me.  I've really, really enjoyed making things and I hope the things I've made can benefit you as well.

Have a lovely day, friends!

now in the shop.

The first of summer things are in the shop.  Take a look!

getting crafty.

Being back in the States and all I have had ample time to do crafty things again.  Quilting, paper crafts and painting have been my crafts of choice lately and I'm loving it!  I really missed expressing myself through the art of making things while in Costa Rica.   This blog started as a way to promote my etsy shop, but this past semester became more of an account of my adventures abroad in Latin America.  I liked the outlet this blog gave me to put my experiences and thoughts into words.  So I plan to use this blog as both a place to express my thoughts on life and a place to share the projects I'm doing and the products I'm selling in my shop.  For any of you who read my blog to know what I was doing in Latin America, I hope you continue to read because while I am no longer having new adventures abroad, I am still processing my experiences there and I will continue to have more adventures here in the mother land.

Here is a glimpse of the quilt I am working on.  I started last summer (I know, I know, I'm slow) and I plan to finish it this summer.  I love the bright colors and that I don't really have a specific pattern.  More on quilting later.

 And, coming soon, new paper products for my shop.