Chirping for moolah

Erin custom made me this lovely wallet out of some recycled fabrics. Anyone who knows me knows that I love birds and bright, bold colours, so this was perfect. I love how it turned out, and hey, it’s deserving of a post du jour.

It’s NUTTY (and banana flavoured!)

In late January, I received an e-mail from a woman named Heather in Oregon who wanted my font Chiquita Banana for the word “nutty” on a rubber stamp design.

Heather mailed me a card that uses the stamp that she envisioned. I like it a lot… and I must say it makes Chiquita Banana look good. I designed the font in fall 2005 and I never was completely satisfied with how it turned out (and neither were my prof, considering that she gave me a C+ on it), though I could never fully articulate why. Now I’ve seen the font become popular on digital scrapbooking websites over the years, but this is the first time I’ve seen it on someone else’s work and look good.

On another note, I suggest you check this out — the animation to uh, promote the font.

¡Feliz cumpleaños y felicidades!

Daniela’s birthday party was on Saturday evening, and I didn’t want to show up empty handed. I never learn: I always make cards at the last minute, and this is no exception!

I knew that I wanted the card to be bright, fun and written in Spanish (Thankfully, she taught me some quick phrases a few weeks before when I was making another card). I also knew that I wanted to use some sort of flower motif. Anyway, this tutorial gave me the solution I needed. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I was supposed to glue down alternating points, so I spent much time fixing the mistakes I made. I hope she likes it!

At Daniela’s party, a few of us decided to play the game of Life. We didn’t remember the rules, so we made them up as we played.

Here we are, all just steps away from getting hitched (with the exception of Christian and Derek). I was the green vehicle, and when I eventually reached the red space, I chose to take advantage Canada’s same sex marriage laws — and so I "married" a nice lass! My career card indicated that I was an artist, so I decided that I’d make my living painting my wife. How convenient!

…but it’s not Christmas!

Since Mom’s been at home on long term sick leave, she’s been spending her hours indulging in her hobbies. One of them is making stained glass decorations, and this is the beginning to what will become a wreath. It still needs to be soldered however.

In the key of raspberry sweetness

I really shouldn’t make birthday cards at the last minute because what happens. I think it turned out all right, with all considered. The card is for my friend Teizein, who turned 23 on the 13th. She’s a happy go lucky person, and I thought this would suit her personality.

Here is Teizein and her boyfriend, Simon. A big group of us ate dinner at Spring Rolls, an Asian restaurant which has multiplied all over the GTA in the past five years.

Doesn’t this look like a treble clef? (Or something equally cool?) Some chefs truly understand that presentation counts when it comes to serving desserts, let alone good food. To be honest, I don’t know what was served in this plate — I think it was Teizein’s dessert of birthday goodness.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Sarah!

While Thursday was Sarah’s birthday, a few of us celebrated on Saturday evening.

If time permits, I like to make cards for my friends on special occasions — and so here is the card I created for Sarah. I was very rushed; I only had an hour to get this done. Because I collect anything and everything, I had the resources to create it. The card was made using an old calendar (from a collection of several), star sequins, decorative scrap paper, a watercolour set, an embossing pen, and last but not least, a frog sticker.

Of course, when I design cards, I think of the recipients’ personalities. With regards to Sarah, she spent her summer working at a resort in Lake Moraine, surrounded by mountains and the crystal clear lake (obviously). Oh, and she loves frogs. As for the question mark…

…I just couldn’t write the traditional “Happy Birthday”. Sarah has made it clear that she wants to learn Spanish, so I figured that the card would be a great start for her learning. The problem was that I too did not know any Spanish at all. But of course, with the clock ticking, I needed to find a friend who could help me out — so I called up my lovely Ecuadorian friend, Daniela to translate. (Thanks!)