Paper Love

all things lovely & papery....

 Sweet Harvey

3 Girls and a Goat

 Ashley Pahl

 Fluid Ink Letterpress

 Montclair Made

Sweetness

an oldie but a goodie. jack's just a baby here, but it's still one of my favorites! 

"Mama, next year I'm going to get you so many Christmas presents. So so many. All the things you like.  I'll get you chocolate and fabric." 


This was his declaration yesterday. He went on to include books, sewing needles and exercise stuff... and an art project made from sticks. 


And you know my heart melted. 

{tell me the sweetest thing you've heard recently!}

Pre-Sale: iPad Covers Are Here!

So excited to share my new iPad covers! Been working on these for awhile...and finally came up with a design I'm really proud of.  I had an initial case but after giving it a trial run with my friend, I went back to the drawing board. The first one was just good. This one is great. 


As you all probably know, I run from any patterns and make my own designs (which is why it often takes me so long!)  and this little love case is one of those creations when upon completion I held it closely to my heart and then did a little fist pump, "oh yeah!" 


Here's your chance to scoop one up before I add them to my shop next month! I'm only offering 12 (and a few have already been taken) so this is just a limited time. 


I'd love to hear your thoughts & feedback too! 


order-> send a message with print preference to allisa [dot] jacobs [at] gmail [dot] com

To Make: Valentine Coffee Cup Wrappers

These are pretty much one of my favorite Valentines-y things out there - printable coffee cup wrappers from Eat, Drink, Chic.  It really doesn't get any sweeter than this.  Cute way to enjoy the day and sip some coffee together! 

Also, I gathered up some free printable valentine's cards last year that are still just as cute this year- perfect for the little ones or sharing note with friends: Valentine's Card Round-Up

My Etsy Shop vs. My Shop on Etsy

Which do you say?

"My Etsy Shop" vs. "My Shop on Etsy"
You might think it’s just semantics, but there is actually a huge, important distinction there.  
Let’s consider the implications of each;

“My Etsy Shop”- You are relinquishing the branding, identity, and power to Etsy.

“My Shop on Etsy” - You are taking control of your own space, your brand, and honoring the space Etsy provides.

Why all the nit-picking? Well, let me tell you. The handmade and small creative business community understand the dynamics of having a shop with Etsy. We get that it’s you. You design, make, create, and do it all.  And let me just say unequivocally that I love Etsy - it’s given me an opportunity I might not otherwise have known.

But there is a world beyond Etsy-dom.  (truly, I’ve seen it!)

It includes family, friends, neighbors, a long lost high school pal, hair dresser, fellow parent at the preschool,  husband’s co-worker, dentist, son’s pediatrician, the local barista.....

These are all folks who have inquired into my business just in the last month. And each were mistified by the concept of Etsy. Yes, even now.  And it’s not so much that Etsy is a confusing concept or that these people are especially un-tech savvy. But the distraction comes from the co-branding.  Our business identity co-mingled with Etsy.

I’ve seen it in print too. In fact, I’ve written two letters to the editor of major publications for identifying handmade creations as “Etsy’s coasters” or “art print by Etsy.”  Meaning that the wonderfully talented and awesome artist just lost all credit (or potential sales & recognition) to Etsy.

So, what to do?

Remember to say, “My shop on Etsy.”  {with the emphasis on “my”}

Go ahead and love Etsy all you want (I do!), but love your shop enough to claim it. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic, tell me what you think!

{image credit, the lovely shop Cosas Minimas}

Chevron Love. More.

So much to love about chevron. I can't stop myself from browsing chevron prints... this watercolor painting from Sasha Prood is especially beautiful - really love the rough edges and white space. 


Want more chevron? Take a gander at my design study post with a lovely round-up. 

What design prints are you drawn to right now? 

{ps. loved hearing all your random facts on my 'learn random things about me post' - thanks for sharing all your fantastically wonderful tidbits}

Love Story {winner announced}

"Right now, this moment. When someone asks you and you immediately think back at what makes your heart happy, and I'm having that moment. That's because as years past, as marriage grows older and kids grow bigger, and dreams grow fonder I can say I'm in love with what I have. Leaving out anything that's not a sentiment. I simply love the moment when I can say I breath and feel the love I'm not only receiving back from but also giving to my dear husband of 18 years, my beautiful kids and my fulfilling creative business which is my dream come truth."  - Mayra




Congratulations to Mayra from In Flight Celebrations for winning our Mega Valentines Day Pack with gorgeous items from  Le Papier Studio, Merriweather Council,  Suite One Studio,  and Perideau Designs! Her story is incredibly wise and insightful - thank you for sharing!


I read each and every entry and was completely floored by all the tender stories of love. Stories of motherhood, sisterhood, soul mates, happiness from hurt, spiritual love, wise love of parents, and good old sweethearts. 


I decided it was nearly impossible to choose one and went the random approach instead ( so hooray to Mayra for being lucky #10).  And for those of you  who shared this giveaway, I added in an additional entry.


One of my favorites comments however, was from this guy:   

markjacobs said...

When I met you, Ms. Allisa Jacobs.

January 12, 2012 12:48 PM

{note: i removed this comment in fairness}

{photo courtesy pumpkin & butterfly}

Need a dose of goodness? Read some of the stories people shared!

Random Facts

{my first grade photo}

It's the bits of random that really tell us about other people. Not all the shine and sparkle - but those embarrassing, revealing, unique little quirks that set us apart. I love noticing these in others.

So, here's a few bits of random about me: 

• My name is pronounced uh-lee-suh   (been kindly correcting folks my whole life :)
• I read magazines back to front. 
• At five years old I put this on my Christmas list, "I want to dance on stage with Bruce Springsteen."  still hoping...
• In elementary school I wanted to be an architect.  I sketched books full of blueprints for deluxe log cabins. 
• I've been vegetarian/vegan almost entirely since 4th grade.
• I am mostly deaf in my right ear. 
• I climbed Half Dome in Yosemite. I cried the whole way, but made it to the top.
• I dream of someday owning enough land to rescue animals. 
• I have always set my alarm clock for odd numbers like 4:03 am. 
• I wave at other drivers when they do something nice. 
• Every summer I choose a nonfiction topic to read about like impressionist painting or apartheid-- though the last 4 years have mostly been business + babies. 
• I've attended over two dozen country music concerts. They make my heart smile.

So, please tell me something wonderfully random about you! I truly would love to hear.

A little glimpse...

 Been working hard to put the finishing touches on my wedding collection and personalized bags....in addition to a few Study Hall sessions and guest posts. Oh, and let's throw a newly crawling & teething baby into the mix. Party time over here!  I'm so excited to share my new items so I thought I'd give a little glimpse...

Monogrammed Hand Embroidered Zipper Bags

Clutches in Pretty Solids

Mixed with Gorgeous Prints

New Dahlia Flowers

...and Buttercups 

...and Peonies

Fold Over Clutches in Graphic Prints

For these new bags I've really honed in on the special requests I've received over the years, bridal wishes, colors that speak to me, and pushing my design techniques.  I'd love to hear what you think! 

Look forward to reporting back soon with more items, behind the scenes peeks, Valentines posts, and business tips. 

xoxo

Whew.

I love Mondays. It's a time to start over. This past week has been wild roller coaster. I cried a few times ...from joy to heartache to admiration to full-on motherly desperation; our baby started crawling (joy!), on Wednesday the boys officially ran circles around me (despair!),  reading the tender love stories you all entered (admiration!), and my four year-old inquiring again about life & death - quietly telling me he doesn't ever want to die (heartache!)...


But, this is what life is all about right? Ups & downs, happiness & sadness, good & bad....


All right, enough of the serious..I'm ready to embrace this week and all it has in store! 


I found this lovely envelope + fastener tutorial over at Martha Stewart - I think it would be a really pretty way to make a love note or kid's valentine extra special. 

{{Oh, and speaking of valentines, have you seen my Mega Giveaway with five gorgeous valentine's inspired prizes from me & other lovely shops? Share your love story to enter. }}


Anyone else feel like starting over today? 
Wishing you all a very happy and meaningful week! 


xo

You Are So Loved - Mega Valentines Giveaway Pack

{UPDATE 1/19} Giveaway Closed! I really appreciate everyone who participated & candidly shared their love stories. I am so thankful for such a beautiful community. Winner will be announced soon. xoxo

You are so loved! 
My heart is so full of thanks and appreciation for my lovely readers & loyal customers, I'd like to share the love with an amazing giveaway pack with prizes from some of my favorite shops and friends.


Give to your dearest or keep for yourself...tokens of love just in time for Valentine's Day. 


Mega Prize Pack Includes:
Hands & Heart 8 x10 Print {$24} from Le Papier Studio  
Be Mine Embroidery Hoop {$25} from Merriweather Council
Ceramic Lovebirds {$25} from Suite One Studio
Bowl & Plate Set {$42} from Perideau Designs
Embroidered Heart Zipper Bag {$31} from allisa jacobs


How to enter? Simple. 


To submit your entry to win all these lovely items, I made it really simple: 


Declare your love story. Whether it's the bond between best friends, the moment you met your first child, finding a soul mate, repairing a relationship, or learning to cherish yourself - tell us about a time your heart was full of love. 

                                           {and}

Share the love.  Tell others they are loved by spreading the news.  Post this message on twitter  (just copy + paste):   


Mega #Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/megalove w. @allisajacobs @merriweathercouncil @perideaudesigns @SuiteOneStudio @lepapierstudio #youareloved


social media not your thing? share it your own way & let me know:  allisa {dot} jacobs {at} gmail {dot} com


Details:
Open internationally. We love our friends world wide. 
Winner is chosen by response & participation.  (I'll be grabbing a cup of coffee & reading each response. Also taking note of who shares the love.) 


Deadline: Thursday, January 19th at 6pm (PST) 
Each item will be shipped separately from the individual shops. Oh and do make sure there is a way for me to contact you!
_______________________________________________________________________


Good Luck & let the love story-telling begin! 

Lean, Mean, Creative Machine - Contributor Post at The Academy

I'm out & about again today....this time over at The Academy to discuss detoxing your business for the new year. It's not just your body + soul that needs a fresh start, your creative business is probably in need of a good clean up too. Check out my tips on decluttering, reframing your mindset, feeding your creativity, and banishing negative thoughts. Come say hello & share your thoughts on freshening up your business and creative life for the new year! 


{ps. I'll be back here later this week with a super amazing + lovely valentine's inspired giveaway. Collected a few of my favorites to share!} 

{rain drops by lulu beaucoup}

Make, Sell, Repeat - Contributor Post at Oh My Handmade

Hello! 


Today I'm busy chatting up life on the assembly line, er, I mean life with a creative small business over at Oh My Handmade.  My post, Make, Sell, Repeat, discusses that spinning productivity loop we can find ourselves on. Making and selling....but missing out on creative opportunities along the way. I include lots of of my favorite links to take a moment and pause - workbook pages, journals, article, and finding community.  


Please come by & say hello....tell me how you take a break from the never ending assembly line. 

{photo credit pearson maron}

Intentions for 2012

I've been planning to write down my goals for 2012. I actually wrote my to-do list to write down my goals. I scribbled down some notes and ideas for my goals. I took out the large piece of paper I use to proudly proclaim my goals. I even resolved to achieve my goals (wait, what?). 


But I haven't written down anything yet. 


Then, this morning, I read Jessica's post at Oh My Handmade about intention and became clear. I've avoided any resolutions for 2012 because for me, resolutions lead to crazy-making.  I'm so hard on myself. Like super critical and guilt-inducing hard on myself. In moments of clarity, I see that I often set myself up for failure. I give myself crazy 'tests' that are meant to prove something (to myself) but usually just end up in guilt or disappointment or moments of 'now what'? (like: let's see how long I can go with not eating any sugar. any.) Resolutions become something that sort of loom over me, a daily measurement of success or failure. I don't want to live my year like that.


If I look back at this year it was one filled with high hopes, lofty ideas, big dreams, amazing plans...I started off the year with a big ol sheet of resolutions. Things I said I would do. I had to do. I must do. 


But....
morning (all day) sickness sidelined me longer than i expected.. 
my e-book changed direction and took ten times longer than I planned. 
i questioned what i was even doing. 
i longed for my special education classroom again. 
i spent hours looking at jobs...doubting whether staying at home was the right choice financially
our baby arrived and recovery was so difficult. 
he developed a swallowing disorder making eating traumatizing & breast feeding impossible. 
my older son had a sudden onset of seizure episodes.


basically....everything was different than I had imagined. 


Towards the end of 2011, all those resolutions now seemed sort of meaningless. I mean, so much had changed from last January to the birth of our son in June to a major refocus on health in August to renewal in November. There was no way I could hold myself to that same measurement stick....and, truth be told, those old goals seemed sort of silly. 


So, I'm not writing down any resolutions this year. And for goals, I'm just going to let them ebb & flow with our life. I'm taking Jessica's position and making intentions to embrace this new year. 


Would love to hear your intentions for 2012, please share what you've got in mind. 

{photo courtesy sweet blue, one of my all time favorite prints}

Valentine's Day 2012

Bringing back some of my embroidery for this one! Inspired by different color combinations and little details - tiny dots, textured fabric, and chain stitches. So excited to reintroduce my personalized embroidery...which I'll also be including on my new wedding collection coming soon!


With these bags & card cases I hoped to make sweet designs that show someone (or ourselves!) else how much they are loved. 


xoxo

Rethink

Rethink.

Reevaluate. Go over.Polish. Rearrange. Reassess. Reexamine. Review. Revise. Take another look. Replan.

It’s time to do all this.

Even if things are going just swimmingly. You’ve seen some success, you’ve got momentum, you’re just plain feeling good about business. That’s awesome.

But you still need to rethink things.

Why?

Because even in the midst of awesomeness, we can miss opportunities, ignore calls to creativity, and head down the wrong path.

{I know. I’ve done it.}

Last month on The Academy Blog I talked a bit about moving ahead without the blinders- taking a long hard look at your business. With the start of the new year, it’s a perfect time to reevaluate everything.

A few things to rethink:

Your Products.  They might be selling really well. In fact, they might be selling like hotcakes. But let me ask you a few things: Are you making what you love? Have you found your niche? Are your products focused?  Considering these points can help guide your product development in new, more meaningful directions.

Your Focus. What’s your point? Your end-goal. Are you focused on just selling...or the process of making, building, and growing? Sharpen your aim to include bigger things.

Your Time. For small businesses, efficiency is a major currency. We tend to get stuck doing the same thing, the same way. Try flipping things around, doing something different, taking a new approach.

Your Prices.  Think you got it all figured out? Hmmm. Well, pricing is an ongoing process and a topic discussed at length {take a peek at my post on Worth} but you’ve got to consistently reevaluate what’s written on your price tags. Ask yourself these things: Are my prices sustainable for growth? Am I making a profit or just selling things? Do my prices convey my worth?

Let’s start of the new year with a perceptive mindset and keen awareness to our business. Toss things up, flip it around, and let it fly!

What will you be rethinking in the new year?

{image courtesy one of my favorite artists: blancucha}

4

Happy 4th birthday to my handsome, sweet boy! Jack- I can't 


think of a better way to start the new year than celebrating your 


birth. 


I love you more than all the Legos in the world,

mama