Sara's Blog

Sure, lots of people go to the movies on Thanksgiving weekend…but how many people get to go with ALL their co-workers? Thanksgiving at HOTP means a very special tradition: Paulette treats all 54 of us to a movie AND treats every year. We pretty much take over the theater! Together we’ve seen Elf and all the Harry Potter films (so far). This year’s pick? Happy Feet. Who can resist singing, dancing penguins? I’ve heard good things about it and I can’t wait! Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

Christmas is right around the corner! Where did October go? If you're from a big family like me, that means planning LOTS of Christmas presents. Mine are mostly handmade. I love making things for people! (Lucky me, most of the gifts I get are handmade too!) I also love the presentation of gifts, pretty decorated boxes and bags. I give a lot of handmade jewelry, and I'm always looking for fun ways to wrap them up. This little pillowbox is perfect for decorating: Just ink the edges of a strip of patterned paper, wrap it around the box and secure with ribbon. A little gift tag and you're done! It’s a great way to utilize those leftover bits of paper we all save—this floral piece is from Flea Market Fabrics sarapapers™ (so is the tag) and the ribbon is from Cardmaker's™ Classic Ribbons. Happy holiday planning!

Funny things happen when you get on a plane with Paulette. This week we headed to Cleveland for a one-day conference…by the time our plane arrived back in Portland (at midnight!) we’d planned out three new product lines for summer 2007. I can’t say much (although I’m dying to!) but just to let you know I’m researching collage techniques for a new book and sourcing new collage-able surfaces. I’ll keep you posted!

Paper crafters know a good thing when we see it…sometimes, though, we find something really cool—but then realize we’ll never find it again! Sound familiar? Here’s what happened (and why I love being at HOTP): I discovered Stampendous had these cute little clear pails. Well, after searching online and at every store in town, I finally found them. I bought as many as I could and started decorating. (You know how it is when you get on a roll?) I brought some of my pails in to Paulette, who decided they’d be perfect for Paper Wishes…and voila! The Winter ‘07 issue carries these super-cute pails so you don’t have to drive all over town to find them. (Also, be on the lookout for one of my decorated pails in Somerset Studio’s Weddings III issue out next year!)