Remember Snow Ice Cream?

March 1 and here we are with 4-5 inches of snow instead. Of course that is a lot for us here in the middle of North Carolina. I understand that they were pummeled with over 9 inches in parts of the Northeast. What I love about North Carolina is that we will enjoy the snow today and in a week or two we'll hopefully have springlike weather.

My kids are out playing in the snow and I'm enjoying the coziness of looking at the beautiful landscape from inside! I'm going to enjoy some hot chocolate and the beauty of the snow on the tree branches outside my window. There was a recipe in the paper this morning for a hot chocolate that you make from scratch and whip up in the blender. Sounds much better than that powdered stuff.

I also saw a recipe for Snow Ice Cream. I remember making it with my mom when I was a child. Do you think it's safe to eat these days? Here's one by Paula Deen (gotta love her but does it snow much in south Georgia?):
Ingredients
8 cups snow, or shaved ice
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Place snow or shaved ice into a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately in bowls.

Campaign for Creativity

I saw this ad in our local Skirt magazine and thought I'd share this inspirational website. We all need a little positive thinking, faith and inspiration during these difficult economic times. I just loved her tag line....live a life inspired. dream with possibility.

http://www.donnadowney.com/

We got Press!

I was very excited to get my newest Greetings, Etc. magazine yesterday. It's always fun to see new trends and great products. If you love paper, you know EXACTLY what I mean. All those fresh colors and articles about the industry.

I was even more excited when I saw that we were mentioned with a shot of one of our note cards. They had asked me to send some high-res images of our 'pig party' note card so I thought it might be coming. However, I opened the February issue and no mention...assumed we'd been cut. SO...i was delighted when I saw us in the March issue. Yeah! Here is the invitation version of the note card that was in the magazine. We also have an adult version with cocktails in the pigs hands...um...i mean hooves.

February Birthdays & 'Mompreneurs'

We have a few February birthdays in our family - my husband, mom and brother-in-law. We threw a little surprise party for my mom and went to a Bobcats game for my husband's birthday. Of course, we also had plenty of valentines to make for the kids for school. Cupcakes & Cocktails provided the teacher valentines but my younger son wanted 'Ugly Doll' valentines so I bought them at the bookstore!

As lovely as February is, I'm really ready for March and the spring weather that comes along with it!

The Charlotte Business Journal had a feature last week about 'Mompreneurs' in Charlotte. It was an interesting article about how women are finding a balance between taking care of children and fulfilling their own dreams. The article featured a women who owns Mod Memento, an online store where she sells beautiful digital artwork. As a graphic design student I took a few typography courses and it is fascinating to see someone create beautiful art with it! I'm not a digital artist so I love to see the work of those who specialize in that area. Take a look.... http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6197235

Happy New Year!

I hope all had a safe and happy new year. Here in the carolinas the Panthers are the big news as they move along in the NFL playoffs. We had a busy holiday season, a couple weeks of rest and now are ready to begin our new year with fresh designs and new products. Our holiday stickers flew off the presses and our customers used them to personalize gift baskets and presents. Our baking stickers were a big hit this year as many people chose to give homemade personalize gifts. Maybe this recession is a way for us all to re-prioritize our values and focus on what is most important to us.

It's Been a Long, Long, Year

Hello,

It's been a very long year. However, I am happy to back and glad that 2008 is almost over. Here it November 1. My younger son raced from house to house trick-or-treating. It was all about quantity and counting the loot. This was the first year he took a pillow case instead of his cute little pumpkin bag. It obviously didn't hold enough candy! My older son chose to hand out candy at a friend's house. He was borderline on the whole trick-or-treat process down to the very last moment - am I too old to trick-or-treat (12) or should I just hand out candy? He dressed up in what I would call a semi-costume and decided at the last minute in what was probably a group decision. So, Halloween over - Thanksgiving upon us! It seems like when you have kids, the whole fall season just runs together beginning in October.

January & Red Wine

We've been busily working on our new catalog for 2008 - I know, I know, it's already here. We've got a few new designs and I'm busy working on more. December was so busy that I just didn't get them finished for January 1, 2008.

When I was younger I really disliked January and the cold winter months. Now it seems like December is SO busy that January is sort of, well...refreshing. Once I get this catalog finished I'll definetly be ready to curl up with a cup of green tea, a good book and my grandmother's quilt. Of course, a nice big glass of red wine wouldn't be bad either ...antioxidents either way, right?