Lucky Mag Deal of the Day

 

We're doing a BIG deal with Lucky Mag today: HALF OFF our 2012 Letterpress Calendar! Just enter luckydaily3 at checkout before 11am tomorrow. Happy almost new year!

See the Lucky Mag feature here.

The Simple Things

Lots of Christmas toys in the living room & he wants to play with seltzer bottles in the kitchen:)

Vintage Hankerchief Calendar from Mink Press

I'm really into the gift of art this year. I've purchased & framed a few prints for my family and am excited to give them. But it's sort of a tricky thing to give because 1) art is personal and 2) not everyone has the wall space for it. But I couldn't help myself. They were too good to pass up. And I always think that if I can't get it for myself, then I'd like someone else to have it. Speaking of too good to pass up, how lovely is this letterpress calendar from Mink Press? I don't post on other paper goods often, but this one really was too good to pass up! I'd love to cut these vintage hankerchief prints & frame them after the year is over. I'd pick my favorite four & keep the square layout. How beautiful. This week, buy 2, get one FREE right now over at Mink Press.

L&H on minted: The Hackworth Holiday Card

From time to time, I get emails from customers about how they've used or given L&H goodies. The most recent one was from Katie Hackworth of H2 Design. She emailed me to tell me that she scratched her ow original Christmas card design in favor of my Handlettered Merry Christmas card on minted & was so pleased with the design & the ease of the process. Her card was so lovely, I asked if I could share it here. And luckily, she agreed! Isn't it so cute? I love the wallpaper backdrop & sweet family pile-together portrait. Well done, Kate! And thanks so much for letting us all see!

And for those of you who still need to send out your cards, minted is now offering 15% off your order with code SLED15. Click here to check out the L&H collection.

Meet a Mintie

 

This page from my sketch book (showing the 2012 letterpress calendar beginnings) and a few other pics on minted's column, "Meet a Mintie" featuring moi right now:) Big thanks to Natasha - for the interview & for getting me to join minted this year!

 

From the Desk Fridays: Holiday Cards & Tags

We're getting close to sending out our L&H holiday card. I decided to go with my favorite design from my collection on minted: Handlettered Merry Christmas. The second image above has some Sharpie embellishment:)

I thought I'd also share the gift tag I'm using this year, which I created through minted as well using my Merry Merry design. I wanted to add something to the gift that would make people smile. And I think this itty bitty tooshy does just that! :)

psst! - minted is offering 2 great shipping deals through tomorrow! Get free 2-Day shipping on orders of $75 or more. Use code GIVE75. OR choose a free upgrade to 2-Day Shipping when you spend over $45. Use code GIVE45 for that one. See the L&H Collection here. (Promo ends tomorrow, Dec 17)

Christmas Mantle Teasures

My three siblings & I recently divided up some Christmas decorations that belonged to my parents. My mom especially loved Santas. And because of that, my dad did too:) They loved & collected these hand-carved Santas - beautiful works of art that I never appreciated until recently. I brought home three of them last week & promptly put them up on the mantle. Last night, I added a few wooden ornaments & some Swedish wooden trees from my parents, as well as some pine cones and a strand of shiny silver bells that was a gift from a friend. I love our mantle of gifts, treasures & memories - and understand how my parents felt all along - that these are far more than simply decoration.

Hello Again. And Let's Get Our Holiday ON!

I've had a pretty rough November, to say the least. So I'm glad it's December & that I can focus on the spirit of the upcoming Christmas season - my mom & dad's favorite holiday. I know why they loved it (a time for all of us to be together & celebrate that togetherness) but I'm hoping to share with you over the next few weeks how they loved it - the hand-carved Santas they collected & adored, the lights they wrapped & wrapped & wrapped around trees, the ornaments they kept for over 30 years. They loved finding, decorating and preserving their Christmas treasures. And I'm hoping to share how I'm keeping these things (and therefore a piece of them) alive by bringing them into my own home. Until I get into it, I thought I'd quickly share the two gift tags I did for minted were just launched yesterday. Find them amongst my holiday card collection here. I purposely included non-traditional colors for both, but specifically the Chevron design so it didn't expire on December 26th. I also made sure to include the red & green color combo for people like my sister Kim, who can't get enough of it:)

See you again soon. And thank you for supporting me in this incredibly difficult time and being patient with me while I use this platform a bit to work through it.

My Dad, Griffin's Pop

 

If you check in here often, you may have noticed my silence over the past couple weeks. My dad has been battling lung cancer for the past nine years and recently found himself in a fight for his life. So I, along with my stepmother & siblings, went to him and was with him until the moment he passed, yesterday morning, peacefully and without suffering. I'm feeling lots of things, but perhaps more than anything at this very moment, I feel grateful for the goodbye - something I did not have with my mom 13 years ago. My heart is heavy and aches already for his company, for our pb&j lunches, for his incredible stories, but I'm comforted knowing he's not suffering anymore. That he is in a better place. And that he's with my mom once again.

I've been lucky enough to have Nicole holding down the fort here at L&H and thanks to her, we'll be having a big sale after Thanksgiving. I might choose to stay silent for just a bit longer, but because I love this blog & the relationships I've formed through it, I wanted to let you in on what's going on with me. So, for now, be well, have a Happy Thanksgiving, and I'll be back soon.

xoxo

Liz

(Above is a chalkboard drawing my nieces & nephews did for their Pop:) 

L&H Sale on MYHABIT

The chic & hilarious beauty buff Eva Chen has curated a sale on MYHABIT. She asked us to participate, and as a special offer, we've included a gift set that includes two notepads & three note card boxes. A $66 value for $36. (Psst, you'll also find our 2012 Letterpress Calendar on there for a mere $20.) Head on over to MYHABIT to purchase. Sale ends this Friday.

L&H in Lonny Magazine

Thank you, Lonny mag, for featuring our 2012 Watercolor Calendar in your beautiful gift guide. We're honored.

L&H Birthday Calendar at Anthropologie

 

It's a very exciting thing to have interest from an Anthropologie buyer - or any buyer of a establishment where you actually shop, not to mention one you admire & feel inspired by. I remember going to the flagship store in my hometown of Philadelphia when I was in middle school and thinking, knowing, that they had the coolest stuff I'd ever seen. And I still think that. So, it's a real honor for me to now have our Birthday Calendar in Anthropologie. I just noticed that it's up online and should be in stores now, too. (Think it's time for a field trip. I mean business trip. Definitely business.) I like what they said in their description of the calendar online: "We think every day should be a celebration." You said it!

 

[images courtesy of Anthropologie.com]

Holiday Card: Campbell Raw Press

I love this letterpress holiday card from Campbell Raw Press. The simple lines & blind letterpressed snowflakes feel so peaceful. Such a nice little reminder of what the season should bring to us all.

My Little Lobbie

Griffin's first costume was not really suitable for the frigid weather, so we stuck our little man into this hand-me-down fleece lobster suit, complete with claw mittens. Perfectly warm & soooo snuggly.

Treat Yo Self

The love I have for Aziz Ansari cannot be denied.

Treat yo self to another take here.

Holiday Cards: 15% off

Psst. Minted is taking 15% off your holiday cards if you order by October 31. Just use code MERRYAFF at checkout. And the best part is, you can buy them now & upload your photo later. Genius.

The samples of the ones I designed came in the mail last week. The one above is my favorite.

Go see more here.

Good Shirts

Wants For Sale was started in July 2007 by Christine & Justin Gignac. All of the paintings on Wants For Sale are the price of the actual item shown in the painting, whether that’s “A Slice of Pepperoni Pizza” for $3.00 or “A Gold Watch” for $287.19 - or a "First Night in Vegas" for $299, shown above.

Needs for Sale is its charitable counterpart where the items shown are donated to charity. Good Shirts is a collaboration between UNICEF, BBH New York, and Threadless. The design on each shirt symbolizes the type of aid UNICEF is delivering in the Horn of Africa. T-shirts shown here are Therapeutic Milk for $85.75, Deworming Tablets for $36.10, and Cargo Flight for $300,000. 100% of your donation will go to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to support life-saving relief efforts for children. Pretty great concept. See all 12 shirts for sale here.

[images courtesy of Wants for Sale and Threadless]

Winners & Congrats

The Rikshaw Seahorse Sundress goes to Heather!
The Letterpress Calendar goes to Jodie D!
The Watercolor Calendar goes to Sarah H!

Congratulations to our winners. We'll email you for shipping info.

Thanks to everyone who participated! We'll be doing more giveaways leading up to the holidays, so be sure to stay tuned.

From the {Studio} Fridays: Paper Quilt #2

Here is the other paper quilt I made recently - lighter & brighter than the other one. The custom-made oak frame from Bellboy is gorgeous & a perfect compliment in color & in form. I think this quilt could look great in a lot of different spaces - in a nursery or above a guest bed are my first thoughts, but I think it could really cozy up an otherwise sparse dining room or add color & warmth to an entryway. For now, it'll be warming up my mantle:)

I hope to continue making more paper quilts. These first two are about 2.5' x 2.5' but I hope to make some that are twice as big, if not bigger. The challenge will be to find a space to fit it, but I can't get it out of my head, so it's gotta happen. Stay tuned!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Two Giveaways: Rikshaw + L&H

We don't do giveaways very often, but if it's good, I'm in! And today, I'm excited to announce that we have two great giveaways for you to enter. The first is this adorable girls Seahorse Sundress ($58) from Rikshaw Design. I'd love to give this to one of my nieces. It's so darn cute! To enter, first leave a comment below and then go 'like' Rikshaw on Facebook here. You have to do both to be officially entered.

The next giveaway is from us & our first 2012 calendar giveaway! Two lucky readers will win each win one of our 2012 calendars (one letterpress & one watercolor). You might already have one, but does your friend or co-worker or mother in law? Gifts, people. Gifts! Don't wait til December 24th. It's just not as fun then. Trust me. To enter, just 'like' us on Facebook here and complete the quick sign-up. (Your e-mail address will only be used for this giveaway and nothing else.)

For both giveaways, you must enter by next Tuesday October 25. We'll announce the winners on Wednesday October 26.

Good luck!

New Wedding Invites: Please Vote!

I recently submitted nine designs to Minted's Wedding Invitation design challenge. As you know, I've discontinued my custom invitation work, so for me to be able to offer new wedding work in this way is a real thrill. And since I sometimes feel like I work in a vacuum, it's also really gratifying to receive feedback from other designers during the voting stage and then from Minted's customers via sales. But of course, none of these will ever go on sale if they don't get the votes! So, here goes my shameless plug: if you like any of these invitations, please click on it to vote for me! And leave comments below, too! Would love to hear what you like! Many many thanks for your support in this new venture.

 

 

From the Desk Fridays: Work in Progress

 

 A few things I'm working on - trying out some colored pencil, some quilting & some stamping.  Stay tuned for more on all this next week. Have a great weekend!

 

[all images copyright Linda & Harriett]

L&H for minted & 15% Off

 

I cut back on custom work about a year ago to free up my schedule for other projects & parent-time. It's turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made, but I can't help but feel like I'm letting people down when they ask for custom work & I don't have anything to offer.

Until now. Thanks to some kind persuasion, I started submitting designs for minted's design challenges - a platform that allows anyone to submit a design to be chosen by the public, as well as minted's employees & guest judges. Five of my designs were chosen as Editor's Picks, all shown above. The bottom one came in #15 place overall. Everything I've ever received from minted has been beautifully designed & printed, so I'm thrilled to have joined the minted community to be able to offer my work in this new way. And as long as my designs keep doing well, this is where you'll be able to find me for custom work. Check out the holiday card selection by clicking on the image above or right here.

AND! Use code EARLYBIRD15 for 15% off when you order by Monday, October 17! Happy holiday card shopping & thank you for supporting L&H!

A Visit: Blue Hill at Stone Barns

John & I had our 5 year wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and to celebrate, we treated ourselves to a night away at an inn about an hour north of the city. On the way, we stopped at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. We've never toured the property before & it was fantastic. Almost every part of their farm is open to visitors, so you can see all the food up close - the arugula, the herbs, the pigs, the chicken & the turkeys (getting ready for Thanksgiving!). It was a great day - I'd highly recommend a visit. The night away was great as well - and also highly recommended:)

[photos: my new hot pink shoes!, the coop tower, library books, cuddly sheep in the pasture]

1st Birthday: A Few Pictures

Thought I'd share a few pics from Griffin's first birthday yesterday. It was SO much fun - for Griffin and his parents! We sang Happy Birthday in English & Swedish several times throughout the day (I couldn't help myself!), we opened gifts & made lots of oooh & ahhh sounds, and we ate (sort of) cake. The biggest surprise of the day came with said (sort of) cake-eating part. Not only did Griffin not face-plant into his cake like we thought (& were hoping for), but he barely got a thumbprint-taste of icing and gagged. Fruit didn't fall from this tree on that one. He had Cheerios instead. Icing gagging incident aside, a fantastic first birthday.

 

ONE YEAR

 

I can't believe it. My little baby is a whole year old today. We're celebrating with a few toys, some cake (for hands & face, mostly) and his new favorite thing: balloons.

I love you so much, Buster.

xoxo

Mommy