rubber soul blog

just one more, k?

card by kathy nakata

yes, i know christmas was a whole 4 days ago, but we just had to share one last holiday card with you because this is irma, and well, we named her after our mother who this drawing shows a very striking resemblance to. irma always made our christmases something really special and wonderful, and her trees were always so very sparkly and full of love. 

here's hoping your holidays were lovely, and that many new wonderful memories were created. thank you for the visit!

'tis the season to be holly....

does this look familiar? i'm guessing a lot of you look just like holly right about now. it's the home stretch....you can do it! just don't forget to pause, breathe, enjoy and smile....like holly here. :) 

we wish you many lovely memories of a very happy, love-filled and joyful time in whichever holiday you are celebrating this month. our best wishes to you!

peace and love,
the rubber soul crew

many many thanks

many many heartfelt thanks to everyone that came to the shop today to make cards for the residents at our local nursing home here in poulsbo. a very special thank you to the woman that was there right when the doors opened and helped get the day off to the right start. and i must add two more special HUGE "thank you"s - one to the beautiful woman that brought a along a bag of cards she made at home to contribute as well as make more cards at our table today, and the very lovely woman that traveled all the way from bellevue (that's 2 hours away!) to create and contribute with her generous hands and heart. each one of you that attended really made our day. thank you thank you thank you. xo

in the spirit of giving

every year, sixteen of them now, rubber soul has sponsored a day, just before christmas, for our customers to drop by and make cards for the residents of our local nursing home. we are holding the event once again this saturday, december 19th from 10-6. we have lots of different stamps, papers and inks available for use.  all we need is you. this is always such a great day - we love seeing all ages of giving souls side by side, creating from and for the heart. so for you local folks, please drop by if you can, and help us put some smiles on the faces of the residents at the Martha and Mary nursing home. hope to see you saturday!

stencil 101

hello! how's everyone holding up amid the holiday frenzy? it seems to me people are a lot mellower this year than year's past, taking it a bit slower, appreciating the little things more. and, there seems to be a lot more crafting going on this year than i've ever seen, which does my little crafty heart real good :)  

last year at this time i was knee deep in gift-making projects, and one of them was making groovy tea towels. i did lots of tie-dying. lots. and no two were the same. each one was like a fresh new palette to go crazy on. every rubber band, pot, pan, pushpin and clothespin were employed, and towels were hung on makeshift lines all around the house to dry. 

but you know, i couldn't just stop at the grooviness of the colors and patterns alone. they still needed a bit more rock and roll, so i used some of my favorite stencils from the awesome ed roth book, stencil 101. 

 

 

i love this book. it houses an array of original stencils - from sparrows to headphones to an urban-cool boom box. there are 25 total stencils, easy instructions, and lots of inspiration. i had so much fun adding that extra something to the tea towels, but have also since used the stencils on gift wrap, t-shirts, and soon some journal pages. 

 
a foam brush, fabric paint, and some push pins was all i needed

 
do you remember these? :)

so whether you're looking to add that extra oomph to something, or are looking for a gift for your uber cool friends, i full-heartedly recommend this fun book. thank you so much for dropping by!

a sneaky peeky

here is the post where we mercilessly tease you with our sweet new valentine release, to be revealed at the end of december. oh yes, while you've been baking and wrapping and hanging the stockings by the chimney with care, we've been all about the squishy love over here. the designs sure are a fun collection, and we can't show you a whole lot yet (well really we can, but we love building the intrigue!)

there may or may not be a cute love pup 

 

and there may or may not be some new monkey business

 

but if there is, you'll be able to see these little darlings in their entirety, in just two more short weeks. 

in the meantime, fa la la.....

brrrrrrrrrrr......

it's quite cold here in poulsbo washington this week. we can't seem to get the temperature in the store above the 30s, which means i'm quite bundled up in the shop today. fingerless gloves and a fuzzy hat are keeping me warm, but perhaps the choice of chuck's today wasn't the smartest thing :)

 

i thought i'd do a quick little post - because i think that's all my icy fingers will allow today - on a very timely card. this holiday deliveries stamp is one of my very favorite from the new ward jenkins holiday collection. and this card couldn't be simpler, yet has such a joyous feel to it. a little bit of watercolor, a quick hand-drawn line for the hill, and a bit of glitter glue is all that is needed. i can't get enough of this little winter tree either - i've been using it on everything! 

here's wishing you a good day, and that you are finding a comfortable stride in the holiday frenzy. thank you for dropping by!