anastella.com

Yellow Stripe

It’s that time again, when everyone will be heading to the beach or the lake (if you’re not scared of them like I am) for the summer.   If you A) are lucky enough to have friends and family like ours who will let you crash at their vacation home, and B) have a mother who taught you never to go to someone’s house empty-handed, then you are always looking for things to bring as hostess gifts.   Of course there are the old standbys:  beer, wine, cookies, and candy.  But if you want something different, may we suggest a set of personalized note cards.  Our Beach Towel Stripe is a perfect summer style, and something with their name on it shows you care!  Choose one of four bright color combos, or get a multi-colored mix.

Here are some other Etsy finds that would make hostess gifts this summer…

Pure Ocean Salty Soy soap

Pure Ocean Salty Soy Bar soap from Oliba has sea salt, kelp, and coconut shreds to help get all of that sunblock off.  I’m sure it smells great too.

Seaglass Earrings

These beautiful seaglass earrings from Beach Glass Memories will remind your lovely hostess of the beach all year round.  And if you are planning to stay for a while, you can always spring for a necklace & earring set.

Flip Flop Coasters

And if you do decide to bring that bottle of wine, these flip flop stemware coasters from ircrafty will make the perfect pair.

Let summer begin, and have a great Memorial Day weekend!

I just posted a treasury on Etsy of fun zig zag patterened items, including this cute little guy.  Head on over and check it out!

I like to keep all of my to-do lists, random thoughts, and brilliant ideas in a notebook that I carry with me everywhere.  However, I get flustered when different topics and time frames are all mixed in together, and as my lists get longer, I feel like I need to add pages.  So, I started looking for a binder where I could add and remove pages wherever I needed.  I searched Etsy for a binder, and I found something even better!  See, the problem with a binder is that I can’t fold the cover back on itself.  But, with these ring-bound journals, I can fold the cover back, and add pages, and move pages around to suit my whims.  And, they are super cute!  I narrowed it down to these four, and weighed the pros and cons…
This one (from lauralou) is just insane (I don’t see Bo Diddley as a beach party kind of guy) and so much fun!  However, it definitely don’t fit in my purse.

This one (from BlueBeeDesigns) is cute and quirky, but I think it would get destroyed with the way I’m constantly shoving it in my bag and such.

This one (from CrownBindery) has a great motivational message, and a durable cover, and isn’t too bulky.

But ultimately I went with this one from Cluttershop.  It’s got a great cover made from a recycled book, and comes with a pocket.  It seems fairly sturdy, and the cover is hard so I can lean on it to write, which is a big deal for a lefty.  I can’t wait for it to get here!

Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle

Today we are being featured on a great blog called Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle.  In addition to the creative name, Jackie always manages to find different things that I haven’t seen on every other design blog already.  Believe me, it’s not an easy task!

We’re having a giveaway of one of our sets of personalized note cards, so visit her blog and look around, and don’t forget to leave a comment with which set you would like to win.

Etsy "Color Me Flower" print from Marnon

I just posted our first Etsy treasury.  A treasury is a collection of items on sale at Etsy, created by another Etsy person.  It’s not for self promotion, and only features items from other shops besides your own.  They only allow 333 treasuries at a time, so it’s a waiting game to get one.

I used the “pounce” feature, which shows shops with recently posted items and no sales yet, and I found some fun bright spring things.  Can you tell where my head is right now?

Check out our new designs posted on Etsy and 1000 Markets.  “Darling Damask” is show in in blue and yellow, or pink and brown, but can be made in any color combination to match your party.  It features a Damask/Brocade pattern, and is shown with script fonts.

This classic style is perfect for a tea party, baby shower, or bridal shower.  Or, add a picture of your newborn for an adorable birth announcement!

I just spent a LONG time updating our Flickr photostream.  You can see it at www.flickr.com/photos/anastelladesign.

There are a lot of items posted on there that aren’t on our website, Etsy, or 1000 Markets, and I still have a lot more photos to add and tag.

While you are there, take a look around.  There is a lot of beautiful photography and some great inspiration.  I recommend searching with a random word and seeing what comes up.

twitter

AnaStella is now on twitter.  So I guess now we’re a bunch of twits!  Follow us at www.twitter.com/AnaStellaDesign for quick updates, thoughts, and tips from us, 140 characters at a time.

Cherry Blossom Branches & Bird Wedding Invitation

This is our newest wedding invitation design, featuring a cherry blossom tree with two lovebirds perched on a branch.  It was designed for the wedding of our childhood neighbor, Pauline.  A description of the pieces and pricing is posted in our Etsy shop, and our 1000 Markets shop.  Let us know what you think of it!