Absent But Not Forgotten

It's been far too long since I've written a blog, paid close attention to my Etsy shop or kept those informed as to what is new and exciting.

I can't believe it's been 3, almost 4 long years. I've been absent from all of this but I certainly have not forgotten about all of you. It's time to share again.

Since my last blog my twins graduated from high school and are now in their 2nd year of college. I have climbed almost every mountain that has been placed in the Adirondacks.

I decided to bring more of nature into my home so we transformed a Tudor Style house into a great Adirondack Camp.

My family has also grown. This past June we decided to bring in the sweetest little girl.  She is a beautiful Teddybear Goldendoodle bringing joy each day to our lives every single day. Bella was a Southern Bell and is now a Yankee Doodle. She loves to hike with me and truly loves nature.

Each day there has been a new adventure in my life. My shop is being looked afer with TLC and I've stocked it with all new items. You'll see merchandise that is a staple in my shop and along with new items I'm introducing. Nellie and Ruth Designs will aslo have a web site in 2018, which is very exciting.

I invite you to stop into my shop to see all that is new and continue to visit my blog to hear about all the new adventures that will be happening.

Barbie

Wedding Wishes

For a Special Bride & Groom

I have the best customers in the whole wide world.

Today, my customer from England, surprised me with the beautiful photos of her reception room.  Last week I created Wedding Wish Love Notes for her and she wanted to share with me how she used them on her tables.

Whenever I get a special request, or custom order in my shop, I'm always curious how my customers are going to use the pieces they order and what the final look will be. With the wedding being tomorrow, she has truly shown me just how appreciative she is of my work by taking the time to think of me and sharing with me these photos. 

When my customer first contacted me, we didn't have a lot of time to work with. She first wanted to know if I could make the quantity she was looking for and I told her yes, most definitely.  Then she wanted to know if she would be able to have them in time for the wedding, which was only 10 days away.  She informed me she lived in the UK and my answer was still, yes.

Papers had to be pulled (so she could decide the color pink she wanted) and she asked if they could be customized with her name and date.  Again, I told her yes. I normally stamp the top of the envelope with a 'Love Note' stamp and had never run these through my printer, I wasn't sure just how it was all going to transpire.  I love a good challenge and knew if there was a will, there'd be a way to give her just what she wanted.  I learned a long time ago; give the customer what they want, not what you think they want.
 

As you can see from the above photo, these wonderful Love Notes are printed with Mr and Mrs Silk, along with their wedding date.

They were all created in one day, beautifully wrapped and carefully packaged, and sent via 3 day mail. She received them with 4 days to spare and was so excited when they arrived on her doorstep.

When someone asks me what I create on Etsy, I tell them 'SMILES'.  I love what I do. I love spreading love between people. I love helping others create memories through my paper products I make. I love that others love what they receive in the mail, but for me, it's all about making others happy.

With our crazy world and all that is happening out there, we all need to keep spreading the love and keep putting smiles on peoples faces.

Peace & Love to all ~

Barbie

A Paper Garden In Full Bloom

I must admit, this Manila Envelope Gardening Photo Journal makes a perfect gift for a loved one or to keep for yourself holding all your wonderful gardening photos, seed packets, plastic flower tags, newspaper or magazine articles, brochures or any other item you want for a keepsake.

I have published each page for your viewing. In my Etsy shop, you can only post 5 photos, that is not enough to get the overall feel of my work or what you would be getting if you were to purchase this book. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back and I invite you to take a walk through this beautiful garden.

Front Cover

Inside Page - Note how the left hand side has an overlay page that swings open to the left. The white spaces are for photos of your garden, special flowers, family members or however you want to use this book.

3 Dimensional nature embellishments are throughout the book for depth and interest. Butterflies and birds are constantly in gardens and you will find both on many pages. 

I love adding accents to photos. I feel they add a little more interest to the overall photo. Here a 3D bird sits amongst  beautiful blossoms.

I decided with this book to add more journaling pages. The inside, front cover, opens up into even more space for just that. The decorative tea paper shown above was too pretty to cover up for photos. I love the idea of someone making notes on this paper in-between all the cup of tea sayings. The overlay opens to the left and contains two small flaps to journal and there is a secret pocket however you'd like to use it.

Small tags for notes

Each page is labeled with a month tag. Small embellishments of bird postcards enhance the small envelopes housing journaling tags.

Each item has been inked to make these items appear old and distressed. I am a very detailed person and love creating eye catching details to each page.

I have pulled a tag to show the size - these measure right around 2.5 inches by 3 inches 

I enjoy stenciling and have created a 5 x 7 Garden Notes using a beautiful bird cage scene. The small brown notebook tied together with beautiful ribbon opens for more writings 

Notebook contains 4 pages

A garden saying adorns the front

Again, I have created an extra page insert for photos and journaling. 

Mixing papers gives books depth and interest. These papers all coordinate and look beautiful together. The month tags were made from scraps, along with the flowers that attach to them.

I always try to add a saying on vellum paper somewhere in the book. In my Christmas albums I use many more to really set the mood. I felt the small bird and fruit embellishments could do that in this book.

Glassin bags are wonderful to house photos or notes. I have added 5 x 6.5 inch notes, which have garden quotes on them, inside each bag. The tags of happiness keep the bags in place and can be moved to turn the glassine bags from page to page.

Small tags are placed on the bags for more note taking 

I love tutorials and found a wonderful one to create this 6 x 6 inch photo holder. This is cool for the small flap stays down with a craft magnet. It's sturdy and you can store 3 x 5 photos inside.

Close up of top flap and coordinating paper 

Beautiful glitter embellishments to accent plain papers

A small bird is ready to fly up and take that wonderful, delicious piece of fruit right from the tree.

Wherever you see a paper clip, take it off and you can use your page like a traditional manila envelope to store larger items in. These are great for 5 x 7 photos, newspapers articles, thin magazines, etc.

I love adding tags to journal on behind a photo spot. This way, you can journal about the photos without writing all over your page.

I love these stand alone photo holders. These are made from one piece of paper, folded in a way to create a wonderful pocket folder. I have placed interior cards that can be pulled out, using the ribbon, to journal on. If you don't want to journal on them, you can add photos or whatever else you like. Maybe a pressed leaf from your garden.

Journaling paper that sits inside the pocket folder.

Above are the two pocket folders with gardening embellishments 

Each pocket folder has a place for photos or other items you want to keep.

No matter how you use this Gardening Journal, it will bring great joy to you or a loved one. They will have a gift that no one else has for I never create the same journal, each one, like my children have their own personality, design, flair, color and interest.

Each time I create a book, I always say how this one is my favorite, so I have a lot of favorite albums. I never create a photo journal I wouldn't use myself and have decided when I do create one, I always keep in mind that if it doesn't sell in my shop, I can use it down the road or save it for my future daughter in law. When an album does go to a new owner, I am very happy and sad at the same time.

Just like a garden, I create a design I get excited about working with, I sow these books with great love, enjoy choosing papers and color that flow just like the flowers I place in my garden and sit back and admired each page as it appears in full bloom.

I hope these photos help you decide if this book is right for you or a loved one and if not, I love to take on custom work, creating a very special book for you or a family member. Thank you for walking through my Manila Envelope Garden Photo Journal with me.

Happy Gardening ~

Barbie

A Paper Garden - Day 2

The colors of nature

Todays share is about color, texture and a new tutorial.

I had to share this photo with all of you today. This moth was sitting in our driveway yesterday morning. The colors of nature are just amazing. When I first started creating this new gardening journal there were a lot of muted pinks, mauves and browns in it. The fact I antique all the edges of my paper I had no idea working with these colors. Some people wouldn't care for the combination due to the brown theme.

Most gardens have very bright colors. Purples, yellows, reds, white and a variety of green.  In my garden I tend to lean more towards muted colors with a splash of white. Most people would view this moth as brown with not much color or interest. I find her to be absolutely beautiful. A perfect color combination. Just like the color combination in this book. By observing nature I get a better understanding how muted, mundane, not very interesting colors make up a beautiful item when placed side by side.

I found a wonderful tutorial on a 6x6 album holder and decided to try my hand at it for this book. In choosing colors, I wanted to go with something lively, something that would stand out and be noticed. Going back to the moth, I decided to stick with a brown theme and embellish with brighter pieces. The exciting part about this is the front flap. It stays closed with the help of a magnet. On the large envelopes I always use decorative paper clips to hold down the flap but when you have a folder on a page that needs to be adhered to the paper you can no longer think about using paper clips.

The magnet gives this 6x6 holder a very clean look. By using a clean background, I am able to get a few very texturized embellishments on the front. Just like in the garden, depth and texture is a very important thing to add interest and beauty to your space. I love layering papers to give them depth and the embellishments always add that special touch. While working on you projects, always remember the color outside your window, leaning more toward them and not the bright colors in your head.

Thanks for reading and remember, my doors are always open at Nellie and Ruth Designs on Etsy. Stop in and say hello ~

Barbie