Simple Pleasures

The end of May is always my favorite time of year. Late spring and summer weddings are in full swing keeping me happy and busy with work. The streets are bustling with laughing kids running off to the nearby park. The house feels fresh and cool at night with all the windows open. And, my favorite flower, the gardenia peony, is in full bloom.

Peonies have such a short season; two or three weeks of their sweet scented loveliness and then they're gone. Keeping me waiting a full year to have the true pleasure of coexisting with them again.

So, as soon as their buds start opening you can always find me eagerly waiting in the wings with a vase and scissors in hand. And, that's just what I did this morning. I decided to take advantage of my favorite flowering plant and today's sunshine and snap some pics of my new line of wedding confetti. It'll be a few days before I edit all the pictures and have the listings set up in the shop, but I thought I'd share a few snapshots of what I did on this very happy morning.

- Kate ♥

About:

Birdcage Cards is a stationery shop full of pretty little paper goodies and, aside from my beautiful family, I always say it is the current love of my life. With a background in Anthropology my deep love of tradition and the art of making have helped to lay the foundation for my craft and, in turn, this little paper goods shop of mine.

Making everything from custom confetti and cake toppers to hand printed social stationery the old fashioned way, by hand with loads of patience and care, is my way of preserving an important way of life - one that is infinitely more personal and meaningful than anything that has been mass produced in a factory. 

One of my simple joys in life is the smell of paper: old, new, printed on, or plain. I can often be spotted slipping into a bookstore just to get a quick whiff of a new book. So, its not much of a stretch that my love of folk art and paper have evolved into a bit of an obsession with me. I love taking a group of materials and transforming them into something else. Scissors, paper, ink, and glue is my kind of chemistry set. And Birdcage Cards is where I get to share all those hand crafted paper concoctions of mine with the world.

Over the years as my craft has grown this little paper shop of mine has evolved into a whole lot more than just hello and I couldn't be happier (and busier) because of it.

Hope to see around the Birdcage Cards' shop and blog again real soon! 

lots of love, 

- Kate ♥

Proper Puppies

It's quite possible that my love of this video has a lot more to do with my childhood memories of the huge family gatherings we had where cousins would pair up and put on their best peanut butter and jelly sandwich making skits in the backyard than my actual love of dogs. But, either way the silly girl in me can't help cracking up at this video.

Hope you have a laugh or two yourself.

 -Kate ♥

Choose How You Live and Love

Mr. Happy Man from Matt Morris Films on Vimeo.

When I found this documentary I couldn't not share it. It's the absolute perfect film to set the mood for a holiday focused on love. Love thy neighbor. Love thyself. Love thy world. Choose to see the positive; to live a life filled with love and kindness. Now that's the kind of Valentine's Day message I can really get behind.

Happy love day all.

till next time,
-Kate ♥

In The Works...

...and on my table. Every time I glance down at the pretty violet colored ink stains on my hands this afternoon I can't help but smile with my whole heart; thinking of how this bright and colorful order of folded lace doily note cards will soon be dry and headed off across the country to serve as favor tags at a loving couple's wedding. It's just such a remarkable thing to be able to create something from nothing. Something that will carry a special role for a truly lovely occasion.

Yeah, I'd say the month of love is off to a great start ♥

So in Love

What is it about women and our adoration for all things miniature? It seems as if any ordinary object can be made absolutely adorable by shrinking it in size. Ever notice when you're in line at the checkout that all those little doo-dads by the register are tiny? Tiny containers of breath mints, tiny notebooks for your key chain, mini erasers shaped like a house. If they were normal size half of us wouldn't even look, but somehow tiny almost always equals cute.

Maybe its a maternal thing. Babies, kids, puppies, kittens - all tiny. All cute. But whatever the reason I honestly don't mind because I'm too busy being smitten with those tiny cute things.

above: Small Scalloped Tags

With Gratitude

I'm feeling the Etsy love right about now. Especially since my Woodland Gift Tag Set was featured in yesterday's Etsy Finds email geared towards a DIY Holiday wrapping experience. Which, you all know I love.

Crazily enough though, I almost missed the inclusion all together. I spent the night at my sister's house, which I looove doing. I'm sure for her it gets tiring, but for me I just love waking up to her busy house with kids running about, eating breakfast, and getting ready for school. But, with all that activity I chose to rather quickly scan my morning emails and I almost missed that one of my handmade goodies was featured in the Etsy Finds email. Needless to say its been a very happy day with much to be grateful for. And with tomorrow being our American Thanksgiving gratitude sounds just about right.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving surrounded by those you love most.

til next time,
-Kate ♥

Bad Days Don't Last Forever

Yesterday was a no good lousy terrible horrible rotten bad day. I woke up tired and stayed that way all day. So, when I pulled my car into the driveway in the evening and backed into the garage frame smashing up a section of my little car I shouldn't have been too surprised, but I was. I even had a good feel-sorry-for-myself cry while I took off my coat and boots in the back hall.

But, the nice thing about bad days is that they don't last forever - just 24 hours to be exact. And they are often cured by a late night cup of hot cocoa and an extra two hours of sleep the next day. These two things will prove to be a sad girl's life saver. Well, that and extra marshmallows.

Brown Paper Packages

It snowed here the other day. It melted when it hit the ground, but still...it snowed. I love the snow. I can't imagine having winter without it; the two are synonymous. For me they have to be, because if winter's not cold then what would happen to all those cozy indoor holiday traditions? Would they loose their magic? Because they do have have it. There is a tiny bit of magic woven into the fabric of our holiday traditions.Holidays can bring about a lot of pressure. Scheduling in your family time with your spouse's family time, digging out all the decorations that don't seem to be in the same spot you put them last year, frantically trying to finish up all those handknit scarves you're giving to all the women in your family, mall parking - 'nuff said. But the thing about all of those stressors is that, when you live in the moment, you'll find they're really part of the joy of the season. We can't manufacture time, but we can make something out of it.One of my favorite things to do is to weave some of that magic into each and every gift I give. I may not make all of my gifts by hand, but it doesn't mean I won't spend hours dressing them up and grooming them just so. Most people see gift wrapping as a tedious chore that's rushed through the night before, but not me. I cherish that time spent wrapping. I see it as a luxury; a chance to sit and immerse myself in the moment. I get to re-look at my purchases and envision how their intended recipient will use it, wear it, love it. I get to surround myself with my favorite things - scissors, paper, glue - and turn a white shirt box into a masterpiece. And that smile that lights up someone's face before they've even unwrapped their package - well, that's just plain old magical.

For more handmade holiday traditions, including cute printables and yummy recipes galore, take a wander through some of my EtsyGreetings team member's blogs by clicking either arrow above.

til next time,
-Kate ♥

Pink Confetti and Elephant Dreams

Things are busy busy here in my workshop. I've been filling one custom order after the next and, seeing how winter wedding season is almost upon us, many have been of the snowflake variety.

Last night I worked in to the wee hours of the night getting this fun confetti order ready to ship out in the post today. Don't you just love those sweet colors?! And, so focused on my snowflake crafting task was I, that when I finally drifted off to sleep I dreamed of cutting happy little pink snowflakes to throw up in the air at an elephant parade. Sort of like this one, and this one, oh and this one too only brighter and in the daytime ♥

Wonder what dreams may come tonight...
elephant dream by ybryksenkova

Alone Doesn't Mean Lonely

I love this video. Actually, I adore it. Her words rang so true to me. The whole time I was watching this I felt my chest grow warmer and larger. My love for humanity just filled it up.

It is a precious and beautiful thing to be a part of this world - and there truly are so many different ways to be a part of it. Thank you to my sister for showing me this little gem ♥

DIY, Your Own Way

Why should you buy everything already made in someone else's vision? Why not have a little fun and make it yourself? As a paper crafter and artist I sometimes take for granted that not everyone has the means - or quite frankly, the time - to make their mailing tags by hand, but that doesn't mean that they don't want to embellish and decorate a set of those tags 'til their hearts content.

So, with that thought in mind I lovingly handcrafted and pieced together some basic kits for the shop. I like to think of them as a do-it-yourself for paper enthusiasts. Use each kit to decorate gifts and enclosure cards oh so stylishly, write fun little lunchbox notes, make quirky to-do-lists, embellish journals and scrapbooks...whatever you create just be sure to have fun with it and, most importantly, let your creativity guide you.

Until next time, be sure to share your love.
- Kate

Careful It's Hot

This year my long summer days were happily full of personalized requests and custom invitations. Last week I finished up the season's final order and immediately found myself immersed in a slew of handcrafted requests for Autumn and Winter weddings. Truly, I feel like I've somehow jumped from cool pink lemonade to hot apple cider in the blink of an eye - and I think I burned my tongue!

So, with the end of summer having somehow rushed by unbeknownst to me, I thought it necessary to slow down and reflect on some of my favorite summer projects for Birdcage Cards. 'Cause ya know, sometimes a girl just needs time to adjust and reflect. Here's a tiny sampling of what's been keeping my workspace aflutter...

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all you moms out there are busy being pampered and loved today - well, realistically at least the latter. It's a tough job being a mom and holidays tend to create more work for you, even if it's a holiday in honor of you - go figure. So, here's wishing all you dedicated hard working mothers a lovely day filled to the brim with with all the love and patience that you've dolled out to your family over the years.

Image above: the two variations of Mother's Day cards I made for my own mom, grandma, and sister this year! And, since the women in my family are such avid readers I made sure that each card came with a matching laminated bookmark. After the card has been long gone and recycled they will still have that little reminder of my gratitude for them floating through the pages of all the lovely books they read. Now, isn't that sweet?

Teacher Appreciation Sale

In honor of the upcoming Teacher Appreciation Week kicking off tomorrow from May 2nd to May 7th I've joined together with some of my Etsy Greetings team members and offered a sale in the shop this past week! In case anyone forgot today is the last day to pick up any set of stationery at Birdcage Cards at 15% off. Simply use the code EGteach at checkout to get your 15% off. It's a great time to grab a set of pretty stationery and give a little gift to that special teacher in your or your child's life and let them know that you truly appreciate all that they do.

Studio Snapshot

Today is all about multi-tasking. Although, really, what day isn't? I just got back from an extra long weekend at my sister's in Canada and now I'm jumping back into work.

Today is Etsy's Success Symposium and I'm hoping to pick up a heavy handful of handmade business tips throughout the day. So, I've been tuning into the livestream videos from the comfort of my beloved antique spindle legged desk in my sun-porch studio while putting together a kit of D.I.Y. Valentine's for my sister to easily assemble with my 5 year-old niece. Don't you just love a mom who takes the time to teach her children the value of crafting things by hand?!

Upcycled Tags

Remember those interesting sized kraft paper scraps? Well, voila! I turned them into pretty little thank you tags now in the shop.

In the Works and On the Table

It's been a busy month for both me and Birdcage Cards and its only half-way through. *breathe*

Here's a little sneak peak inside my workshop and a look at what's on my cutting table right now - custom bag toppers for the lovely Etsy shop Lolli Luscious. These cute packaging toppers have been producing some interseting sized scraps and I'm feeling a new project coming on. Maybe some handmade tags?

A New Year's Eve Post

Pretty cool huh?

Head on over to Etsy to check out the post yourself. You know it made my day.

Gettin' into the Swing of Things...

For those of you who may have missed my twitter and facebook ramblings it's been a bit chaotic on my side of the world lately. My father underwent surgery right before Thanksgiving and is still recovering from the physical tolls of it. I had a blast participating in the LabRats' trunk show in Etsy's virtual labs, but I spent a lot of time editing pics and getting my shop ready for it. I've been sending out paper goodies in the post left and right and running myself haggard shopping for excellent presents.

And now, with December 25th right around the corner I must admit to finding myself blindly running through the motions of Christmas rather than truly getting in to the spirit of things. That is, until this past weekend when I decorated the tree, strung up my favorite white lights, watched 3 silly holiday movies via the Hallmark channel and Lifetime, and baked sugar cookies from scratch with my mom, sister, and niece - and of course, ate said cookies

It seems that a lot of sparkle and a little sugar was just what was needed to make a cold season feel all warm and cozy again.

{top photo: little treasure via ChelseaVictoria}