Oh, this is my dream...

...my sister in law Courtney just brought this to my attention, this is my dream (I think it's hers as well!)...

...check out this fabulously organized work room that has everything at your finger tips...

http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/-081393

...bliss...

Come and knock on my door....

...so I spent this weekend in San Diego (well, Carlsbad) with two of my best college friends, Jen and Trinity. Such a great time, and completely relaxing! We got caught up, played with Jen's 16 month old, Robbie, and went to the beach...what a life...although I always say I want to move back to New England, San Diego would definitely NOT be bad either! But, I really can't complain, I have an incredible life in San Francisco (it just needs to be a tad warmer, lol!).

...ANYWAY, I am writing about this trip for two reasons...the first is that I received a TON of encouragement for my recent projects from my friends. They saw Mary's Bachelorette Party gift bags on Facebook and were very excited about them. I was encouraged to go into business, and I told them that was my intent. It's just so nice to hear encouraging words when you are trying to get something started and you're not sure if what you are doing is going to be taken seriously...I guess it is! Thanks Jen and Trin for your encouragement and support!

...the other reason why this trip was relevant was because the three of us decided to go to the movies on Saturday night (we were laughing comparing what we would have done out on a Saturday night together 10 years ago! We were all so excited to go to dinner and a movie and be back home and in bed by 10!), and luckily, none of us had seem Julie&Julia, a movie that I was really interested in seeing. Apparently we ALL had really wanted to see it, so it was really great that it was still playing! So we went to the movie, which I really enjoyed. But, the point of this whole thing is that I was really impressed by this young woman's determination and commitment to this project of hers. I could relate to her in parts of the movie, with her late nights, messy kitchen, and somewhat neglected husband. Even though I am just starting out, I have already had quite a few weekend days where I stayed in the kitchen ALL DAY making goodies, frosting goodies, packaging goodies. Then there is the labelling, packing, shipping, etc. It's quite an involved process. But, for her it paid off and I am hoping that if I stick with this it will pay off for me as well. She was able to change her life and do something that she really loved, I hope I can do the same.

...I guess the point of this entire entry is that I am very encouraged to continue what I am doing, and I want to thank all my friends and family who are so supportive and encouraging! I mostly want to thank my husband, who has been very patient so far and such a great taste tester, proof reader, and general reviewer of all things Woods!

Thank you all!

Another Bicycle Built For Two...

...here are some more images of the Bachelorette Favor Bags! Enjoy!

A Bicycle Built For Two...

... so my sister-in-law (the one with whom I made the dinner party place cards) has about a million friends. This is because she is such an amicable, warm, funny, caring, awesome person! My husband often jokes that he thinks I like his sister better than him, and perhaps that's why I agreed to marry him...

...anyway! One of Courtney's million friends is getting married soon. Courtney organized and threw a bachelorette party for this friend. She wanted to have some party favors, so she asked me to put together some bags for the event.

...what was IN the bags? Well, here's a list:

A bottle of water (important to stay hydrated when out partying!) with a personalized label (see photo)

A champagne glass personalized with every guest's name and yellow ribbons tied around the stem. This is an easy, inexpensive, creative and fun way for guests to keep track of their glass during the party.

A packet of "morning after" necessities: Advil and Rolaids... packaged and tied with a ribbon and homemade tag

A homemade Whoopie Pie, a yummy goodie for after the party! It was packaged and tied with a ribbon and homemade tag.

I also made tags for the bag.

Since the bride and future husband enjoy cycling together, I did a cycling theme for the bags. Her wedding colors are yellow and gray (a GREAT color combination!), so the bags were also themed around her colors, with yellow and gray ribbons, yellow bags, and gray and white tissue paper.

Giving (and getting!) party favors is always a fun thing, but I think it's even more fun and more special when they have meaning. Why do the "same 'ol, same 'ol" when you can make it really about the guest of honor?

All the tags were made just by using different color and patterned paper and layering them to make them interesting.

Here are the photos!

Hmmm...what to do with these...

...so I walk to work everyday, which is very pleasant. I work about 4 blocks from my house, and could argueably have one of the best commutes in the Bay Area. I get to walk, it's not very far from home, and the weather is never very extreme, so it's usually quite nice... to be home from work 15 minutes after you left? Bliss!

...anyway, I digress. So, part of my walk everyday is by the Flower Market, which is San Francisco's wholesale flower "district". It is about 1 block away from my house. I always enjoy walking by in the mornings, because the nurseries and farms are doing their deliveries, and you can see the florists carting all these great flowers around and into their shops. I walk by all the back doors to the shops, so I really get to see what is being delivered. It is very interesting to see what is in season and you can definitely tell when it's wedding season!

...ANYWAY, as you might imagine, there are always "remnants" of the morning's deliveries that linger on the sidewalk and on some carts as I walk by. Sometime's there'll be entire bunches of flowers thrown away...apparently not making the cut ( no pun intended). I often feel sorry for these poor flowers and want to take them home (they look perfectly fine to me, but then again, I'm no florist!). Most of the time, however, there are just interesting bits and pieces strewn on the sidewalk.

I have found it very interesting to "document" these bits and pieces and have been photographing them as I walk to work... I am thinking about using the photos in a collage of color perhaps for some gift bag tags or something. But I also like the backdrop of the sidewalk...very urban...Maybe I'll just make them into cards somehow.

...but I'm still not sure what I should do with these photos...

I'm still obsessed with whoopie pies...

...I know, I know, the summer of 2009 should be known as The Summer of Whoopie Pie Love... Ever since I figured out how to make the pies, I have been slightly obsessed with all the events where they can be brought out and shown off.

So, you've seen these for my niece's birthday party, and I decided to do a little mock up of how they would look as party favor for a slightly more sophisticated party...perhaps a wedding? I was also playing with the the colors of Raspberry and Sage-ish green/ I think they are a fabulous combo, especially with the chocolate brown color of the pies...

Here are some examples!

Long Time, No Blog!

Hi Everyone!

I know it's been a while, but I have been keeping myself really busy with baking and doing out of town wedding gift bags!

However, I am very excited for the long weekend and a chance to catch up and post some great stuff I've been meaning to show everyone.

Stay tuned!