1/31/12

{diy link love} heart paper punch paint chip garland

Valentine's Day is just around the corner so here's a super cute and extremely easy diy craft project—heart paper punch paint chip garland—from the blog grace and light. I'm planning to do this craft because it's just so adorable!




Image from the blog grace and light.

Details on creating this easy craft are located at this link: Paper Punch Garland—A Photo Tutorial.

Have fun creating. Cheers!

1/30/12

{color inspiration} pantone's solar power

Today's color inspiration is a bold and vibrant gold yellow called solar power from the Pantone Fashion Color Report for Spring 2012. According to Pantone, "Providing a jolt of energy, Solar Power radiates warmth and cheer." I have really been using this color quite a bit in my designs. I think it is quite sophisticated especially when paired with gray.










1/29/12

{weekend getaway} georgetown, colorado

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We went on a little getaway to Georgetown, Colorado to attend ice driving class. It was a lot of fun and always a great learning experience.

Driving on a frozen lake can be quite intimidating, but it is a wonderful opportunity to learn how to control your vehicle in icy conditions and what to do in the event it does get out of control. This is the third year we've attended and I've learned so much from these classes. I have even used many of the techniques in real life.

We had a great time and it was nice to get out of town for a few days. Here are some snapshots from our weekend.

{project 52} week 4: imperfection

Yay! I made it an entire month so far in the My Four Hens Project 52 photo challenge! This week's theme was imperfection. I chose to take a picture of one of the trees in my backyard. It grows crooked and has a kink in it's trunk and I absolutely love it's imperfection.

1/28/12

{valentine's day} love and happiness dots photo cards

These cute and modern personalized Valentine's Day photo cards by The Spotted Olive™ are a stylish and fun way of spreading the love to friends and family. Easily customize with your photo and name. Available in a variety of color choices.

Love & Happiness Dots Valentine's Day Photo Card photocard

1/26/12

{valentine's day} vintage cupid card

This elegant Valentine's Day Card features a vintage cupid surrounded by hearts and swirls on a weathered parchment paper background. Perfect for the one you love.

Vintage Cupid Card card


  • 5" x 7" (portrait) or 7" x 5" (landscape).

  • Printed on ultra-heavyweight (120 lb.) card stock with a gloss finish.

  • Each card comes with a white envelope.





  • Stop by The Spotted Olive™ today to see our selection of hip, modern and fun Valentine's Day cards.

    1/25/12

    {instagram snapshot} my new iphone case

    Today's instagram snaphot is of my new iphone case from my shop, The Spotted Olive. I am so happy with the way it turned out. I personalized it with my company logo and web address and have gotten a bunch of compliments on how cute it is.

    1/24/12

    {diy link love} paint chip art

    This week's diy link love projectpaint chip art—comes from one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess. I love this creative use of paint chips to make this fun piece of modern wall art. So bright, colorful and fun. Try creating different designs with the chips!



    Image from the blog A Beautiful Mess.

    Details on creating this project can be found here at this link: Modern Wall Art with Paint Swatches!

    Have fun creating. Cheers!

    1/23/12

    {color inspiration} pantone's bellflower


    I love color and purple is one of my very favorites so I was delighted to see a version of it called bellflower included in the Pantone Fashion Color Report for Spring 2012. According to Pantone, this "distinct ornamental purple exudes uniqueness and creativity" and I have to agree.











































    1/22/12

    {project 52} week 3: inspiration

    I'm so happy that I have made it to week three of the My Four Hens Project 52 Photo Challenge. I know three weeks isn't a lot but I often get so busy that I just kind of let stuff like this go but I am determined to keep up with this challenge and keep learning about my camera and become better at photography. This week's challenge was inspiration.

































    A walk outdoors surrounded by the beauty of Mother Nature always helps me clear my head and find my inspiration.

    1/21/12

    {new product} messenger bags

    We are so excited about Zazzle's partnership with Rickshaw Bagworks and are delighted to announce that designs by The Spotted Olive™ are now available on Rickshaw Zero Messenger Bags. Our designs include stylish Chevron Pattern Messenger Bags, super cute Kawaii Messenger Bags and trendy Zebra Print Messenger Bags with more designs on the way.












































    The Rickshaw Zero Messenger Bag is highly versatile and great as a workday commuter, overnight or travel bag. Vibrantly printed on rugged polyester and designed with a unique custom accessories system. Handmade with a focus on environmental sustainability, this bag combines beautiful form, function and a small ecological footprint.


    • Water resistant, extra durable and machine washable.
    • Lightweight with large main compartment and 2 front pockets.
    • Velcro strips accessory system; Holds a 13” laptop w/optional sleeve.
    • Quick-adjust cam shoulder strap.
    • Handmade in San Francisco, CA with a focus on sustainability.
    I really love that there is ZERO waste in the production of these bags. Below is a video from Rickshaw Bag works talking about how the Zero Messenger Bags are made with out waste.



    Shop The Spotted Olive's designs on Rickshaw Zero Messenger Bags.

    1/20/12

    {font love} home sweet home

    The font Home Sweet Home is today's font love feature.I really like the darling cross-stitch look of this typeface. I think it's a fun typeface but should only be used in a very limited way. Great for one or two words or short headlines that you want to give a cute crafty handmade feel to.




    You can download a copy of Home Sweet Home from dafont.com. As with any font, please be sure to read the license for any restricted uses. Often times fonts are restricted to personal use only meaning you can not use them in any commercial projects. Enjoy!

    1/19/12

    {valentine's day} argyle love personalized photo cards

    Send you love across the miles to family and friends this Valentine's Day with personalized photo cards from The Spotted Olive™. Our trendy and stylish Argyle Love Valentine's Day photo cards are easy to personalize and come in a variety of color choices. 

    Argyle Love Valentine's Day Photo Card


    Stop by The Spotted Olive™ today to see our selection of hip, modern and fun Valentine's Day cards.

    1/18/12

    {printable freebie} love sweet love valentine's day subway art

    Happy Wednesday! We're spreading the love with this cute Valentine's Day subway art printable freebie that we created just for you to be downloaded for personal use. Download it, print it on 8.5" x 11" card stock or photo paper, trim it down and frame it. Adorable! We'd love it if you would leave a comment to let us know if you like this printable freebie.






































    DOWNLOAD full size version


    TERMS OF USE FOR PRINTABLE FREEBIES by The Spotted Olive™
    All printable freebies are copyright by The Spotted Olive™ and are intended for non-profit personal use only. Our printable freebies are not to be used for any profitable or commercial purposes whatsoever. We would love it if you would send people to visit our blog (http://www.thespottedolive.blogspot.com) to download their own copy of our printable freebies, but please do not distribute or post the files to any other websites or blogs. By downloading our printable freebies, you agree to all of these terms and conditions of use. Thanks so much for your support.

    {take action} stop sopa/pipa

    Tell Congress: Please Don't Sensor The Web


    PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

    {instagram snapshot} japanese gum

    I love instagram and thought it would be fun to do a regular snapshot feature of the pictures I take with my iphone and upload to the site.

    Today's instagram snapshot is of some Japanese gum I got at the Asian market. I have loved this gum since I was a kid living in Okinawa, Japan and am always thrilled when I can find some place to buy it.
     

    1/17/12

    {diy link love} vintage valentine tee

    I've been finding so many great diy creative projects on Pinterest and around the internet that I thought it might be fun to feature some of these projects on a regular basis.

    Our first diy link love feature is a vintage valentine tee from the wonderful blog The Princess Rose. This darling project can be made for littles or even adults. It's so adorable and looks super easy to make!



















    Image from the blog The Princess Rose.

    Details on how to create this cute diy project can be found at this link: Vintage Valentine Tee.

    I hope you will enjoy this new feature and have fun creating! Be sure to stop by and follow our boards on Pinterest. Cheers!!

    {color inspiration} tangerine tango

    Pantone's color of the year for 2012 is Tangerine Tango. This bold and sassy orange-red gives a burst of energy to decorating and design projects. I love it's vivacious and daring character. It's a fun and vibrant color and I look forward to incorporating it into more of my work.




    Chevron Pattern Rickshaw Messenger Bag in Tangerine Tango
    Chevron Pattern Rickshaw Messenger Bag rickshawmessengerbag

    1/15/12

    {project 52} week 2: life

    This was the second week of the project 52 photography challenge that I signed up for and I was totally stuck on a picture to represent the theme of life. After much agonizing, I settled on this one of my dog Zoe in the snow. I took it on one of our walks this week. I decided that instead of trying to be deep or clever with my picture that I would be real. Besides my hubby, my three dogs and snow this time of the year are part of my everyday life and I thought this picture represented a big part of my life. Cheers!

    1/8/12

    {new design} elegant class of 2012 graduation announcemnets

    The new year is in full swing and it's time to start thinking about those milestone events for 2012 like graduation! The Spotted Olive™ is pleased to present one of it's latest graduation announcement designs to honor and celebrate the class of 2012 graduates.

    Front
    Elegant Class of 2012 Damask Graduation Invitation invitation


    Back
    Elegant Class of 2012 Damask Graduation Invitation invitation


    This design is available in a variety of color choices and papers stocks. Easily customize with your personal details and photo. Shop Class of 2012 Graduation Announcements & Invitations.

    1/6/12

    {project 52} week 1: resolution

    I received an amazing camera for Christmas this year and need to learn more about how to use it and photography in general so I've decided to take the plunge and join the M4H Photography Project 52 Photo A Week Challenge.

    This photo challenge involves taking a photo a week based on a theme. The first week's theme was "Resolution." One of my new year's resolutions is to learn about photography and how to learn to use my new camera. I've always just been a point and click girl, so I've got a lot to learn. Here's my first submission. It was taken with my iPhone 3, but subsequent photos in this challenge will be taken with my new Canon Rebel T3i.
























    I hope this will be a fun challenge that I can keep up with,  learn a lot from and discover a new creative outlet that will be beneficial in my business as well as a fun hobby! Cheers!

    1/5/12

    {early bird sale} personalized valentine's day cards

    Hi Everyone! I hope your new year is off to a great start. So far so good for me.

    I'm already thinking about Valentine's Day and have some new designs for The Spotted Olive's Valentine's Day card line in the works. It's hard to believe but it's just around the corner!



     
    Right now if you want to get an early bird start on purchasing your Valentine's day goodies, you can save 25% on Valentine's Day cards, flat cards, postcards, photo cards and invitations with coupon code: CARDSINSYTLE at checkout.


    25% of the invitation, greeting card, photo card and/or postcard net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying invitations, greeting cards, photo cards and/or postcards are purchased and the coupon code CARDSINSYTLE is applied at checkout. The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). Offer is valid through March 31, 2012 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

    1/2/12

    {holiday} new year's day fondue party 2012

    Happy New Year! Hope the first day of 2012 was good to you. We had our traditional New Year's Day Fondue Party today. It was a great time full of fun, good company and delicious food. It's always a nice way to start off the new year.
































































    The menu consisted of Neuchatel cheese fondue with bread and honey crisp apples for dipping, broasted potatoes and green beans plus Toblerone chocolate fondue with french vanilla snowman marshmallows, fresh pineapple, banana and mini angel food cakes for dipping. It was so good and I am so full!

    {top photo: neuchatel cheese fondue; left photo: my father-in-law toasting to the new year; right top photo: dipping pineapple into the Toblerone chocolate fondue; right bottom photo: fresh pineapple; bottom left photo: Toblerone chocolate fondue with french vanilla snowman marshmallows; bottom right photo: mini angel food cake}

    Wishing you the most wonderful new year. XOXO