So I opened an Etsy shop last month! Etsy is an online site where you can buy and sell handmade or vintage items. I am focusing on paper goods, hence the name Penmanship Print. I am (slowly) learning the elements of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. So far, I think I am doing pretty good for a newbie. Of course, David has been called to the rescue on a few occasions. Right now I have a lot of notecards and a few miscellaneous lists. I would like to create some artwork pieces that can be framed and maybe a few designs for party goods.
I enjoy doing this in my free time and I see it as a bonus to be able to sell it. I am not out to make a living or even make a profit really, I just think its about time I have a hobby : )
Currently, my shop only sells the PDF version of the design. I thought about printing and mailing the actual product and how much extra time and money that would cost. I might consider that in the future, but for now, the PDFs seem to sell just fine. Besides who wouldn’t want free shipping, the ability to print as many times as desired, and direct inbox delivery?
Take a closer look at http://www.etsy.com/shop/PenmanshipPrint?ref=si_shop
This is such a powerful song. It is one of my favorites, especially in this Easter season. I encourage you to listen to it by clicking the button below. Rita Springer sings this version and I love it oh so much.
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Wishing you a very happy Easter!
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In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
Things have been fairly stressful in the Sproul house this week as we prepare to move on Saturday. As of yesterday, the new house has no toilets or flooring… so we are hoping for much energy this week to get things finished! Not to mention, I have most of our house left to pack still!
I emailed this little gem to David today in hopes of getting a laugh out of him. It did the trick for both of us and those in my office. Hopefully you find yourself grinning at its quirkiness : )
I love my mom. A whole lot. In recent years, she has become my best friend. Her humor cracks me up quite frequently. For example, I was sick about two weeks ago and text her saying I stayed home from work. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: “I am home today sick.”
Mom: “Food poisoning?”
Me: “No, I just had a sandwich last night from home.”
Mom: “Are you throwing up?”
Me: “Yes, I think it is the flu.”
Mom: “Be mindful that 26 years ago, you were the flu.”
Me: “Thanks, Mom. I am NOT pregnant.”
I just really love her. This conversation made me laugh for a few reasons. She is very straight forward about everything. Yet, reassuring me that she has been there before. Isn’t that what mom’s are for? An extra dose of reassurance?
I do wonder, however, if I will ever be able to just be sick without this lingering question in people’s mind of whether I am pregnant or not. Elizabeth pointed it out last weekend that being sick when we were single was just that we were sick and nothing more. Can’t married women just get the flu?!
This has been a difficult week. Everything in our lives is in a stage of change and transition. I am waiting for a response concerning graduate school, we are preparing to move, my car needs repair, finances are tight, friendship seem distant, and I am weary. While listening to the words of this song this morning, I sat still, hoping for something to miraculously change. In the midst of this storm, in this season of change and transition, I need to stand my ground, to lift my eyes, and be reminded that my help comes from the Lord. This song may be on repeat until I get to that point.
Welcome to February, friends! Let’s have a chat…
Today is Groundhog Day. And according to Phil (the groundhog), we have 6 more weeks of winter ahead of us. Surprise, surprise. Although, it has been an unusually sunny day here in the Pacific Northwest. If this blue sky is any indication of the next 6 weeks, I say, bring it on!
February is somewhat over-commercialized with the Valentine greetings, chocolates, and sweethearts. But I feel the color pink really gets its chance to shine. And because I love the color pink, I love February.
This is shaping up to be an incredibly busy month for David and I. We are moving to our townhome. It is only about a half a mile from where we currently live, but it is a move nonetheless. We are packing and preparing for a move in three short weeks. The unfortunate part in all of this is the work to be done on said townhome. We have a lot, and I mean A LOT, of work to do. It needs to be repainted, carpets cleaned, bathrooms resealed and floors removed. With renters in the townhouse the past 6 years, it has been somewhat neglected and needs a good clean. We believe this is the right thing for us to do, however. Renting has had its share of challenges and we both felt like this was good timing as our apartment lease is up at the end of the month.
I had my interview for the graduate program at Northwest University this week. I really need to work on better eye contact. Perhaps that’s not the most positive take away from an interview, but it was all I could talk about to David once it was finished. I was told it would be an hour long interview in front of a panel. Instead, it was just me and the admissions counselor for twenty minutes. That’s right… TWENTY minutes. Maybe I could say it was 25 because I tried to make small talk at the end about good Kirkland restaurants. Anyway, whether she noticed I was staring at her bookcase for most of our conversation or not, I am sure that is not what determines my acceptance. Or is it? I don’t like talking about myself and I’m sure it could have gone much better. We will see. I should be hearing back the last week of March.
I’ve finished the first book in the Hunger Games series. I cried twice. I usually don’t enjoy fiction books. David says its because I didn’t believe in Santa and therefore have a limited imagination. However, I read the Hunger Games in 2 days and had a difficult time putting it down. I hope the next two in the series are just as good.
I think I have finally figured out the trick to beautiful curled hair. Though, in order to see my curled hair you’ll need to be at my house at 7:30 in the morning as it only stays for ten minutes after I’ve curled it. I’ve been rather disappointed at my hairs inability to curl.
Has there ever been a moment when you’ve said something aloud and mid-sentence wish you could take it back? This happened to me last weekend. Not a good feeling.
Tonight begins our weekend. I am so thankful to have Friday’s off with David. We are planning on spending the day cleaning out the townhouse. I hope to convince him to buy Chipotle for lunch as our little treat!
Christmas is just days away… hard to believe, isn’t it? Today begins our holiday vacation, and I am proud to say all the gifts are purchased and wrapped and the food is ready. If you know anything about our contribution to Thanksgiving this year, you know my role in the food preparations consist of salad or bread. Perhaps next year, I will be invited to sit at the adult table and asked to bring a main course…. but for now, I will do what I am told. : )
David and I are so thankful to have time off together, I know not everyone gets time off for the holidays. Our plans are to slow down and catch up with great friends and family. We have 5 or 6 trips planned to Puyallup and two trips to Snoqualmie to see David’s parents. After Christmas, we have some fun activities planned (finally going to the Seattle Science Center!) and we are hosting a “New York” New Years Celebration with some friends.
My best friend and her husband are staying at our house tonight and I can hardly wait for them to arrive! They drove up from Pomona, CA yesterday and are here until next week. The air mattress has been set up in our living room for days because I was just so excited they were coming!
So even though our break will be a busy one, I am really looking forward to it!
Wishing you the Merriest of Christmases from our house to yours!
Our First Christmas
I have been sick with a cold the last few days and stayed home from extra evening activities to rest. I think it has worked! Today I felt much better than yesterday, got my voice back, and wasn’t such a space cadet. However, I get antsy when I am home alone and needed something to do while I hugged my box of tissue and bag of cough drops.
As Pinterest has gained popularity, gift wrapping ideas aren’t hard to come by. A friend of mine pinned some cute Christmas stickers and I thought it would be fun to make some of my own using Adobe Illustrator. Plus, David and I have over 500 sheets of round stickers left over from our wedding (cheaper to buy in bulk!) so this is a great way to use them! They are about 2 inches in size and would look great on packages with ribbon. I printed a few sheets using different colors. The purple and blue scheme is my favorite of the bunch.
If you are local and want a sheet of stickers for your gift wrapping, let me know and I’d gladly print you a sheet. I will change the monogram for you, too : )
I have been very excited about making holiday traditions with David this year. And with the help of Emily at Jones Design Company, I started a new Thanksgiving tradition. David was a little confused when I asked him to collect branches in the dark, but I convinced him it wouldn’t look crazy. So at 8pm in the evening, he went out gathering branches while I made the thankful tags. Often my spur of the moment creativity sparks late at night and it just can’t be stopped! Big thanks to David for going along with it : )
Over the last few week’s we’ve written down things, people, and experiences we are thankful for and added them to the tree. I have enjoyed doing this together and taking time out of our day to really focus on the reasons we have to be grateful. I think it is something we should do more often and not just around the holidays. This would be a fun activity to do with kids, too!
Up next: Christmas tree traditions!
*You can download the tag template on the JDC website.
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