Snapshots of my California Christmas

Snapshots around the neighborhood where my family lives

44 days in California

I'm back in the motherland. The sun is shining. I'm back in my moms arms. All is well in the world today. 

It's only been three days but a lot has happened. I had a burrito which was amazing, and it was so spicy it almost brought tears to my eyes ( because it was spicy and because it was SPICY!). 

I went to Target - my favorite store - almost within a few hours of me landing. I was almost delirious. 

I also went Christmas tree hunting! Many more things but I'm so tired that I can't think right now. 

Here are a few snaps from the tree hunting- oh and a cute photo of my parents being romantic

x Lorraine 

Valentine's Day is already on my mind!

Being in the greeting card business means that before Christmas is even here - my mind is already on Valentine's Day! Here are a few new cards in preparation for V- Day 2013! Many more designs to come

X Lorraine 

Thank you for not believing in me

The other day someone said something really mean to me. I don't think they realized that it was a mean thing to say or maybe they did. Either way - I owe them a huge thank you. It reminded me that as a small business owner - work is never done. I can never really rest and enjoy a normal weekend like the average 9-5er's that work normal full time jobs. I hold the key to my success. I have the power to create, and bring in my own money. I do not depend on huge companies to support me. I have only myself, my supporting customers, and a few friends that are rooting for me as I push myself and become better every single day at what  I do.

For the people out there that think that what I do is still just a lowly hobby... or the ones that are angry at me for not conforming to a normal job like the ones they have... or the others that are just jealous of me for following my dreams instead of having a dead end job - thank you.

You are the ones that make me get up early every single day even though I don't have to. The ones that make me work from the moment I wake up to the time I sleep.The ones that remind me that every single day is to another chance to make something great and do exactly what I love.....without having to commute or get out of Pj's. The sky is the limit for me. There is no stop sign, and no telling how far I can go.

So go ahead. Call my business a hobby. I dare you. It's good for me. 

x Lorraine 

Snowballs and Pink Flowers a Treasury by BaysideWireDesigns

'Snowballs and Pink Flowers' by baysidewiredesigns

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SALE - Flower Brooch - Hand ... JumiFelt $29.00	Felt balls - 40 white merino... TheDwarfRam $12.80	Bloom - Soft Pink Vegan Mine... simplicitycosm... $4.99	Organic Winter White Hemp Li... BobkaBaby $60.00
Snowball Earmuffs by giZZdes... giZZdesign $26.00	Iphone 4 Case. Pink Peony. ... HipsterCases $22.00	Wool Magnets White, Set of 4 PariDesign $12.00	pastel pink oxford brogue sh... goodbyefolk $210.00
HandPainted Greeting Cards -... HandPaintedPet... $16.95	Big White Balls 6Pcs (No Hol... ThreeBlueBees $11.99	50% SALE Party in Pink Dress... VandaFashion $50.00	White Polar Bear Plush Toy, ... NataliBright $19.00
White Felt Wedding Garland (... Fairyfolk $35.00	Soft Pink Flower Ring Beauti... SpotLightJewel... $17.95	Bulb White on White Textured... TheHeadsCreati... $45.00	Pink romantic hydrangea whit... Kristybee $25.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Just wanted to share a beautiful treasury that I found featuring one of my iPhone 4 cases on Etsy. 

Happy Tuesday! 

What I'm Thankful For

in no particular order my sappy list of things I'm thankful for
(there are so many other things but I'm not writing a book here!)

1. My Mom - out of all the people in the whole world - she was the only person that supported me when I decided to leave everything - and move to Europe. This truly surprised me. I thought she would be the one person that would be angry, confused, or just sad. Almost 5 years later - her kid is still over here - and although she misses me - she is still my biggest fan. She has always allowed me to by myself, loved me despite all my mistakes, and she has never clipped my wings. Thank you mom, so so much.

2. My life - I'm guilty of waking up some mornings and thinking " Help, I'm alive" I tend to be a bit under the weather a lot. ( this is a nice and polite way of saying that I struggle with depression and have since I was a child ). I take for granted sometimes that I am alive! I'm so thankful to be alive even though I sometimes wish I wasn't. The world is so beautiful and there is so much I haven't seen and done yet. I am thankful that some stardust decided to mix with some DNA and create me. Thank you higher beings!

3. My talents - When  I was little I wanted to be everything ( writer, artist, vet, paramedic, architect, etc). I thought that I would be everything, and that I could be everything. Well .. I learned the hard way that I wouldn't be able to be all of those things. I tried and ended up with a lot of half accomplished goals. In the end  - as I failed over and over again - I learned one thing. Accept what I'm good at. What am I good at? I'm a creative. I'm good at art. I'm good at ideas. I'm good at dreaming. So I've embraced my talents and accepted that I'll never be a super secret lover agent man ( reference to Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block).  I am so thankful that I'm able to create art every single day and do what I love! I know that not everyone gets to do that - and I will never take working from home for granted. Thank you to everyone that has supported me along the way - and to all my lovely customers! I could not have done any of this without you.

4. Music - Not a day goes by that I don't listen to music. It moves me. Inspires me. Cheers me up. Hugs me when I'm sad. It pulls emotions out of me that I didn't know I had. It renews me. It calms me. It makes me still. It makes me wild. It makes me loud. It makes feel sexy. I makes me feel alive. It makes me feel awake.
It's my secret weapon. It's probably why I've survived some hardships that I have survived in my life. I'm so thankful that music exists in the world. Thank you to anyone and everyone that shares their beautiful music with the world.

5. My husband - How could I write a list of things I'm thankful for without mentioning the husband? I wish that I could go back to the day that he looked at me and said " you like me " and freeze that moment. I wish I could have known that in that single moment my whole world was about to change. I wish I could go back to our first date when he told me " this feels a lot like love" and not be so uptight about it. LOL. Yes my husband told me that he was in love with me on our first date - and I didn't believe it. I was thinking - yeah sure. American girl in Europe -  you're a Dutch guy thinking you're going to pull a fast one over my eyes. Not a chance buddy! Long story short - we're married now. In the start we both didn't think our dating would turn into anything - we didn't want to be serious. We struggled with a lot of things in our relationship and staying together every single year. It seemed impossible to mesh our lives together - and we had the big trouble with the legal issues and visas. We almost even broke up several times - because we didn't think we'd find a way to be together. I'm so thankful that he never gave up on me - on us. He was much stronger then me towards the end and I was ready to walk away from everything because I was so tired of long distance and fighting the government. He has pulled out of me qualities that I didn't know I had. In the last 5 years I have grown into a strong - independent - feisty women - who will stop at nothing until I reach my dreams. He has even taught me how to do three things that I never thought would be possible : I can iron decently now. I have learned that onions will not kill me. He has also taught me to cook! This man loves me just as I am - on my worst day... on my best day... I'm so thankful for that.


So - now it's your turn! what are you thankful for? This link party is hosted by the blog Rouge & Whimsy - make sure to click on the links below to find out what others are thankful for this year! 

Don't forget....

Just in case you haven't checked - I've been making collages and posting them weekly! If you look at the top of the blog under " Instagram " you will see my snapshots of daily life.. here and there.

The whole reason I got an iPhone 4 ( about two months ago I think) was so that I could get the amazing camera!

Taking photo's is one of my passions but it's hard to lug around a camera all day - every day - all the time. So my solution was my cell phone. 

I mentioned before on another post that I don't think my life is really picture beautiful - not compared to all those others on Instagram - BUT - it's my life so I'm going to embrace it! 

but mostly  I do it for my mom.

I'm posting the latest snapshots here because I wanted to say that a few cool things have happened.

the first - remember Lewis? The parrot I had to find a new home for? Well he's here visiting for a few days while his new family is on holiday! I've been getting to know his new " Mom " and she's pretty cool. 

She decided that I would be his babysitter! Even cooler- she will babysit Blu when it's my turn for holiday! 

The second thing - See that photo of my ear? yeah! I got a new piercing! I now have a double conch in my left ear. This is no easy thing - ouch! The first conch piercing I had took almost a year to heal and was very painful. So far this new one is going pretty well. Maybe my easiest piercing yet. I am a big fan of piercing - and if it wasn't for my husband stopping me - and my mom before that - I'd have my whole face pierced up. I can't help - I love it - it's addicting.

x Lorraine 

Mursblanc is on vacation.

I am famously known among people that know me to jump into things heart first and worry about how to fit the rest of my body in later. I do this with relationships, packaging, adventures in far away lands, and hair brained ideas. A perfect example of this would by my first shop - Mursblanc. I jumped in not knowing what I was doing or even how to really make art. I didn't know anything about the art of running a business or even how to create the things I wanted to create. I'm a trial and error kind of girl. I learn as I go. The problem with this way of living is that I tend to let other areas of my life fade to black - I waste a lot of money and time - and I create huge messes - and at some point there is a crash and burn. Whether because I simple move on to new exciting projects and ideas - get bored  - or life steps in and moves me to a part of the world were running a shop is - impossible.

Two years after I started my shop - Mursblanc - was at an all time high. I was finally making the sales. I was finally getting attention from the social media world. I was finally getting approached for wholesale deals. People that knew me were finally accepting that what I did for a living was a legit way of living- and finally referred to my " hobby" as a job! I was on top of the world.

and then.... I moved to Asia. For three months. My shop crashed and burned. Literally over night. 

The biggest problem was that Asia has a bad rap on Etsy. I won't really get into the details of this because it's a touchy subject. Basically the world didn't trust me anymore because my shop was located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

The second issue was - shipping! It was a nightmare. I asked my new friends in KL for advice and how I should go about with mailing my art prints to anywhere - and they laughed at me. All of them. They said that KL was known for the worst and most unreliable postal system. Shipping time would take anywhere from 14 days to Never to arrive. 

The third issue - I couldn't find the supplies I needed in KL to actually create my prints. Paper sizes were different, unfamiliar brands, and it was impossible to find quality shipping supplies.

I tried to find solutions to my problem. I asked friends and family to print and ship for me. This worked for a little while - but because my heart wasn't into it - my sales slipped. I sold a few prints here and there but now my " job" was nothing more then an impossible hobby.

I moved back to Europe and tried to pick up where I had left. I thought it would be easy and everything would go back to the way it was. Wrong! I was sluggish getting back into the normal daily routine of living - I'll have to write a blog post on the what living in KL was like. I was lazy about creating new art. I was bored with promoting, and blogging. 

I had given up.

Where am I going with all this? oh right. Today I took Mursblanc offline. The shop is closed. Etsy has this neat little button that allows me to take my store offline and go into " Vacation Mode" this means that my shop is still " alive" but it's closed for now. I have been going back and forth in my mind of what to do with my shop - and because I can't make up my mind  - I closed it. I need sometime to figure out what I want to do and if I want to keep making art prints.

Mursblanc was my pride and joy. I'm so proud of myself when I think of everything I accomplished and how many of my prints are hanging in homes around the world... 

but I can't give it my full attention right now. I have two other shops that take a lot of my attention and that are doing so well! Better then Mursblanc ever did! These shops take up all my time, and I have other ideas and big things coming that it's not fair to let Mursblanc  crumble to the ground.

So for now - Mursblanc is closed. I have hopes of opening the shop December 1st -  for those customers that would like to purchase Christmas gifts - but the future of Mursblanc remains - unknown.

Sometimes we have to let go....

X Lorraine 

Tree Stamp Gift Tag Tutorial D.I.Y. by elSage Designs

Ever wonder how to make your own stamps? Well it's super easy! I found this cute tutorial over on Vimeo by Elsage Design. I posted it here for you. 

The bright side of winter

The best thing about being cold all the time - is trying to stay warm! I'm obsessed with hats, mittens, wool, leggings, boots, etc. Since moving to Europe back in 2008 my collection has vanished! I found this one hat hidden in a secret compartment in one of my old suitcases. It has made my day and now I'm craving some new "friends" 

I wanted to share a few of the cute finds I've found: 

I have to confess - I bought this! I'm stalking my postman until this beauty arrives!

You can find it here: 

http://www.freepeople.com/accessories-scarves-ponchos/fairytale-scarf/

http://www.freepeople.com/nov-12-catalog-items/foxwood-beanie/

http://www.freepeople.com/accessories-gloves/contrast-cable-long-glove/

These are all available now at : http://www.freepeople.com/

Stay warm! 

x Lorraine 

Monday - and future plans.

oh hello Monday! I knew you were waiting for me but I just kinda forgot. The weekends always go by so fast don't they? There have been a lot of things on my mind lately and I thought I'd just share those things with you.

1. The Holidays and spending time with family. I'm planning a trip back to the states and I'm trying to get as many days into this trip as possible. My first plan was to spend two months in California - with a small trip to the east coast to visit Chicago and a really important person in my life. Things have changed - as life steps in - like it always does - and I'm not going to Chicago anymore. I'm pretty bummed about this but everything happens for a reason. Not going there anymore - has caused a sadness in me - and it almost feels like a break up... but Chicago was never mine so it's the most bizarre feeling. Instead I will spend this time back in the States with my family - my true loves. Being separated from them is really hard - and going home is always bittersweet. It's the knowing that I'll leave them again....

2. Texas. I won't say to much here - but I will hint that a possible move to Texas is in my future. (HINT)

I used to live in Texas - and I loved it there. Maybe it's because I had my high school years there - or maybe it's because Texas brought out the dreamer in me, and the people there were amazing. I can honestly say some of the most influential people in my life - reside there. I'm still working out if this is the next adventure in my life or not. I love Europe but I miss America! Stay tuned.

3. I'm going to be working on restyling all three of my shops. They seem a bit messy to me and I've really neglected my Mursblanc print shop. I got so busy with my greeting card shop and the iPhone cases - that the print shop has really suffered. I plan to change this pronto and I'm working on some new prints. I'm be sharing them soon maybe in the next three weeks. 

4. Loss. I've had some losses recently and the one I want to share with you is - I lost Lewis. He was my little green parrot. Don't worry he's very much alive and I think he's happy. I had to find him a new home because he turned aggressive and was fighting with my other parrot - Blu. This was no easy decision and it ripped me to pieces. Blu and I have been very depressed by this and we have spent most days refusing to leave our cage - and we've both cried dinosaur tears. The last couple weeks have been dark for me and I'll admit I've been depressed. It doesn't help that other things haven been going on - and the cold weather is here. It's gray and dark and rainy most days. Which pretty much covers my mood! 

5. On moving on. The bright side is that I've allowed myself to really be down. Really hurt. Really feel the pain of everything. Now today is Monday. I've decided that I'm going to jump into the things I really love to help save myself from unhealthy thoughts and habits. I'm going to work out - I'm going to eat better - I'm going to create new art - I'm going to build epic playlists - I'm going to bond with my bird and learn how to train her better - I'm going to read a lot - I'm going to catch up on all my favorite trashy shows - I'm going to organize my life - I'm going to rebuild friendships that I've neglected - I'm going to be happy - I'm going to work on this blog- and I'm going to live. I've already started and the last couple of days I've started taking photographs again and getting out of the house. 

Lewis on his last day with me

x Lorraine 

Now in the shop - iPhone 5 cases

Finally! I can now let you in on what else has been going on this month! Along with the new hometown line - I'm so happy to tell you that now in the shop - iPhone 5 cases are now available! 

For now they are only available in black and white.

Cheers November! 

X Lorraine 

Introducing the " Home Town " HipsterCases

So the last month I've been feeling distracted and in a kind of daydreaming mood. I've also been busy planning a trip back home to California! The holiday season is basically here - so that means I can bury myself into the arms of my family and drive them crazy with love. Anyway - because of the daydreaming, feeling lost, and the dawn of a new adventure - I haven't been in the creating mood. 

The weather is changing here in the Netherlands and this always causes me to feel a bit sad, and I blame it on the lack of color! So I thought I'd add some color in my life with my new Home Town line. You won't find any boring color schemes here. Hope you like them! oh and if you don't see your State yet - I'll be happy to make it for you. These are totally customized and the colors can be changed to fit you - as well as the heart location. 

X - Lorraine 

I miss you most at night

I made this card because I miss someone I love, and mostly at night. Night is the time when I feel most awake.. most inspired.. most alive. It's the time when I'm most creative, most talkative, and most in love. I think it's because when night settles.. the stars shine and the moon gives a glow that makes you feel like dreaming. For those of you lucky enough to be with the people you love.. go outside tonight and take a walk under the moonlight. Or if you're like me and can't be with your love -  look up at the moon tonight and smile knowing that at least it's the same sky we share. 

X Lorraine 

Instagram and my not so beautiful life

For longest time I have wanted an Iphone. Not because it's a cool phone and not because everyone has one. I wanted one for only one reason - I wanted to be able to use Instagram. There is something so lovely and nostalgic about the photos that are created by others, and I wanted to be part of it. I was taking photo's with my Samsung Android phone and sharing them on Facebook. So Instagram was the next logical step. Besides all my friends were doing it (smile). 

Once I finally got the Iphone - which was only about 2 months ago - something happened that I wasn't expecting. I got extremely click shy - and couldn't think of anything to take to photo's of. I found myself taking the standard cliché  food, coffee, and feet shots. How boring, right? I also discovered that my life isn't as interesting as I thought! Big shocker. So I didn't really use Instagram much, and my new shiny white Iphone became just another fun gadget. 

Also - I wasn't really into using Instagram because my normal daily life isn't that beautiful! I don't have this gorgeous house filled with beautiful lovelies. I don't make arty meals and display them on delicate plates with silk napkins to wipe my polished hands on. I have houseplants that misbehave, I eat pretty normal food, and although I love beautiful things - I have never actually liked "stuff" - I've never been in any one place long enough to even start collecting beautiful things. 

To be honest I still even have most of my clothes in a suitcase and if I had to move tomorrow - Everything I wanted would be able to fit into a small weekend bag, and of course I'd grab my birds! 

Anyway. So I have been using Instagram. I decided to embrace that it might not be that impressive - but it's my life. My story. It's not that beautiful - but it's real and it's me. 

So I'll start sharing. If you look at the tab on the top of this blog for " Instagram" that is where I'll be posting my photos. I tried to catch up a little bit and put up some a few collages of whats when been going on!

and here I just posted the two latest Instagram photos. Lewis and I saying hello, and a pile of cards I printed two days ago.

X Lorraine 

will you be my boo?

Happy October! The month of orange and black is finally here. I have three cards in the shop to celebrate Halloween this year. I hope you like them! I'm going to be adding a Halloween special in the shop today. Buy two cards in the shop and get a free Halloween card of your choice. Why am I being so cool and nice? Because it's Halloween! The one time of the year where large doses of sugar are allowed. So I'm giving you some sugar.

You can choose between these three cards:

First Option

Second Option

Third option.

X Lorraine