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

A Paper Garden

Photo Journaling you garden from April - October

I have found I love creating these manila envelope photo journals for my shop. This particular design is for a person who really loves their gardens as well as the birds who visit each day. I'll be posting on a regular basis the progress of this book. I think it's important for my potential customers to have a good idea what the inside of my books look like. 

I have a tendency, like most people, to create what I like and hope I have touched the heart of another who thinks like me. To me that's a very scary idea; I can't imagine anyone who thinks like me. But if you do, you are living a wonderful life allowing very little to get in your way.

This photo journal is more about journaling than it is about the photos. Oh believe me, there are lots of places to place your photos, but being a gardener myself, there is a lot to write down each month. What flowers have bloomed, what small little critters may be invading or just visiting, when you fertilized or just to write your own thoughts of poetry or what have moved you while sitting in your garden.

The above photos are of the first two pages. The above page shows a secret pocket, small flaps for more notes and two pages where you can write your thoughts and notes. I had a really hard time covering up the Tea paper with 4 x 6 photo spots, so I'm leaving it just as you see it for the new owner to do as they like. The papers in this journal are absolutely beautiful.

In this photo journal, I am also creating all kinds of small little notebooks in it for quips and personal quotes and notes. As I create more and more books, I'm finding I'm becoming a bit more creative. I love all the books I create, even the simpler ones. I find there are those who like a really simple book, a book with more photos than journaling, more places to journal and less photos; but whatever your style, I'm sure I'll have a book for you.

I hope you've enjoyed what you've seen and I'll be posting more photos as I go along. Be sure to stop in my shop to see all the new items I've been listing.

Happy Gardening this Summer ~

Barbie

Treasury Tuesday

Paris in spring is always magical

A wonderful Treasury created by Katrina Hagler from modernarras

Merci Katrina for including my Merci Love Notes !!

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTg2OTYzNDZ8MjcyMzYxNzkyMw/paris?index=1&ref=pr_favetreasuries&atr_uid=



Merci Beaucoup ~
Barbie

Treasury Tuesday

Blue Skies, White Daisies and Tropical Reds

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MjQ2MzE2MzR8MjcyMzQ5OTUxNw/springtime-blues?index=1&ref=pr_treasury_more&atr_uid=

Barbie

Treasury Tuesday

A fun, dark and magical Treasury

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MjQ2MzE2MzR8MjcyNjAzMjIxMA/magic?ref=pr_treasury

Barbie

Finding Treasure

I really enjoy creating a 'Treasury' on Etsy. For those who aren't familiar with Treasuries I'll explain what they are.

A Treasury is when you feature artists and their work, so shoppers are able to see all the unique items that are for sale on Etsy.  With thousands of artists out there, it's sometimes hard for people to figure out just what they are looking for.  Like Pinterest, you can spend hours on Etsy, but when you seek out and explore all the different Treasuries people create, it sometimes narrows down items and helps the buyer find a shop they may not have run across if they were just casually browsing.

Everyone wants to be on the 'Front Page' of Etsy and through you accomplish that through a Treasury. I've never been on the front page and I'm always hoping my picks will catch an eye and they'll choose my items to be front and center, but believe me, it's hard.

I most enjoy it when I go back to see how many views I've had, how many clicks my Treasury has received and how many people have 'favored' it.  I'm thrilled when an item comes up missing from my Treasury, that means someone out there purchased the item.

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MjQ2MzE2MzR8MjcyMzQyMjAyOQ/simplicity?ref=pr_treasury

Through the process of creating a Treasury I have not only peeked into others stores, but I myself have found items to purchase and other shop keepers have found me and made purchases in my store.  It's a wonderful way to not only introduce other stores but for people to stop in your shop to see what you have to offer.

I have incorporated the link to each Treasury so click on them and it will take you into the world of Etsy. You can then look around at other Treasuries, click on one of my pictures to see the item up close and personal and find so many beautiful items you may not have ever seen before.  Enjoy and have a very creative day, I hope I've put a smile on your face ~

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MjQ2MzE2MzR8MjcyMzM1NTc1NQ/natural-love?index=4&ref=pr_treasury_more&atr_uid=

Peace & Love,

Barbie

No More Shoeboxes

How many people save shoe boxes? Are you one of those people who throw your cards in a shoe box?  I have to admit, I do and then they get thrown in the cellar or the attic, often forgotten about, only to be found years later.

I recently had a request for a Wedding Card Album.  I wasn't sure what it was and I'm grateful to my customer for sending me a photo from Pinterest. I fell in love with this item and knew I needed to incorporate it in my shop.

When I get a special order, I go above and beyond to give my customer what they want.  I found out my customer's future sister-in-law loves Tiffany, what women doesn't like items from Tiffany? I decided then I wanted to use a blue paper to match the color blue that Tiffany uses for their boxes.  Low and behold, I did find Tiffany Blue card stock and ordered it right away.

If you're crafty, this is a DIY project you can make yourself.  For those who haven't a clue, the time, or the patience to create a Wedding Card Album, you can find them in my shop for a very reasonable price.

I am grateful my customers give me creative license when it comes to projects.  A lovely girl contacted me wanting 3 albums. She requested one album have the initials of her and her fiancé on the top half of the album and the other 2 albums were to be left blank at the top. She had such a lovely photo of her and her fiancé on her Etsy site I wanted to incorporate that into one of her books, making it very special for her.

When shipped, the ribbon is wrapped around the album for safe travels and the Bride can then tie her bow once the album has been filled with her Wedding Cards.

Getting to know my customer can be a challenge at times. but the more info they send me I can really get into the grove. Both of these customers sent me images of their bouquets, the colors of their wedding, the Bridesmaids dress, their boards from Pinterest, etc.

These albums are a wonderful way to store your cards and display them for years to come without being hidden away in an old box collecting dust.

Peace & Love,
Barbie


REVIEW from my customer::
I absolutely LOVE these customized wedding card albums! I wasn't sure what I wanted and she totally guided me and created works of art! The attention to detail is apparent and I can't wait to fill them up and display them. The packaging was beautiful as well that they were shipped in I was so impressed. I highly recommend this seller and will definitly be ordering again!

A Little Bit of Love

Small, sweet and compact. These mini Love Notes are perfect if you want to give just a little bit of love to someone special.

Many people say, "It's the little things you do, that make me feel special" and a itty bitty note filled with words of love would definitely make someone feel special.

Gifts of love come in all shapes and sizes, just like these notes, however, many gifts come in very small packages. When you're giving jewelry, the box is often tiny. A small porcelain figurine comes in a little box. Sweet treats are placed in a small box or bag. So why are we attaching large greeting cards to these gifts?  

A mini Love Note will not overpower the gift you are giving, it will only enhance your gift. By giving your loved one a mini Love Note, they will see just how special they are because of the little things you do for them.

Barbie