Come here often? OR Bloglessness of the Long Distance Runner

Well, hello, there. Long time no see, eh?

When last we met in April, I was crowing about having run 6 miles. That was pretty cool. Then I finished a sprint triathlon in May. Very cool.

If you've been following along here for a while you know that when I do things I tend to, well, DO them. So, I got a little caught up in running and swimming and whatnot. Last month I finished my first half marathon, and now I'm training for a full marathon in the Spring. For reals. And though I've been crafting and cooking and writing (you can read about my swim-bike-run exploits here; other stuff isn't quite ready for prime time), just like always, there were inevitable trade-offs. Work greedily gobbles up most of my free time, leaving little time to sit back and appreciate time to draw, daydream, write, think, and laugh. Over the last few months I realized that under these conditions I could either live my life or I could photograph it. I chose living it. That didn't leave much in the way of pretty pictures for the blog.*

But now that another semester is behind me and my evenings are my own again, my sweet blog has been calling out to me, begging to be revived. In particular, some of you have been asking if/when another calendar would be available.

I have good news and bad news. So the good news is that there is a new calendar. The bad news is that it is based on the same drawings as last year—if, like me, you loved those drawings, there is no downside; if, on the other hand, you are sick of them, I guess you're out of luck (that's the bad part).

© 2011 Cameron Blazer // Cottage Industrialist

The printable calendars are available here 

Alrighty, then. You've got 21 days to plan your collard feasting for 2012. Get cracking!

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*Does that sound defensive? I don't mean for it to. I've written three different long, drawn out posts explaining why I took an unplanned break from blogging; how I want Cottage Industrialist to change and grow; and the responsibility I feel to portray my crazy, happy, frustrating life honestly. But every time I have written those posts, they sound like defenses against an argument no one is making. If I want this space to grow and change and be a little different, I only need to make it so. Right?

Resolved: A calendar, the seasons, our food, and a plan (of sorts)

Updated on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 7:03AM by Cameron Blazer

Happy New Year!

I love New Year's Day. New Year's Eve, not so much. But New Year's Day I love. Especially when it falls on a Friday. Other than the long weekend aspect, I love, love, love the food. In South Carolina we traditionally eat pork, collard greens, and peas and rice (or Hoppin' John) on New Year's Day. Like many food cultures, each of these foods symbolizes a hope for the new year—for plentiful food, money, and luck.

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Free Card and Tiny Envelope Printables Galore!

Who doesn't love a nifty envelope? These days security envelopes are all the rage in crafty circles, and it's not hard to see why--they combine good, clean design with a little mystery.

In the spirit of that mystery and the fun that comes with surprising friends and family with a surcee or two at the holidays or any other time, I came up with a set of gift cards (or calling cards or charade-clue-cards or whatever else you want them to be) and tiny, matching envelopes that feature two of my favorite fabric patterns. And because I can't ever leave well enough alone, I went wild and added 4 new colorways to each pattern.

I designed the cards to be compatible with Avery pre-cut business cards (look for products 5881, 8373, 8869), but I printed mine on plain-ole cardstock and just cut-em out. I've included cut lines to make it a little easier if you go that route. If you want to type a message on the cards, you can use the fill-in-able fields in the PDF--whatever you type in one field will automatically show up as the text in all the others.

But, really, it's all about the envelopes, isn't it? These are just the right size to enclose a single card or a store-bought gift card. And they come together in a jiffy. Just cut around the edges, slice into the slit marked on the big flap with an x-acto, and tape the two side flaps to the big flap. When you're ready to seal the envelope, the top flap slips into the cut you made in the big flap. Fun!

Each card file contains 8 cards, 4 in each pattern. And each envelope file contains 2 envelopes, one in each pattern, and some strips of patterned paper that you can use to enrobe a tiny box, hang an envelope from your christmas tree. We used these at my house on Thanksgiving as place cards and napkin rings.

I meant for us to tuck cards into each envelope with a word or two about what we are all thankful for, but we never got to it. C'est la vie, non?

I've grouped each download into the colorway to which it belongs, each inspired by my dreams of Morroco (nope, never been there, just dreams)--download one or download 'em all, just remember these are for your personal, non-commercial use only.

Fez: Download the printable cards. Download the printable envelopes.

Marrakech: Download the printable cards. Download the printable envelopes.

Casablanca: Download the printable cards. Download the printable envelopes.

Byzantine: Download the printable cards. Download the printable envelopes.

Tangier: Download the printable cards. Download the printable envelopes.

Wasn't that fun?

If you haven't already entered my Holiday Fabric Giveaway, there's still time to enter--get crackin'!

A Holiday Fabric Giveaway

Have you heard of papernstitch? It is a curated exhibition of handmade and independent design and craft. And this month, I have my debut fabric exhibition there!

Visit my exhibition on papernstitch!
I have been designing patterns for surface design for a long time now, and I have never found more satisfaction than seeing my designs come to life on fabric. Rather than set up an Etsy store to sell these fabrics, I am able now to sell them directly to my friends and family far and wide thanks to the merchant platform provided by Spoonflower. And because I can sell them directly, I do not have to process the fabrics or ship them myself, meaning that buyers get the same price I do! So cool! And even better, any design can be printed on any of 5 fabrics in cuts as small as 8x8"! Have I mentioned that I love Stephen, Kim, Gart, and everyone else at Spoonflower? Well, I do.

I heart papernstitch! I heart Spoonflower! I...am getting carried away, no?

Still, since I'm in a spread-the-love kind of mood, there's something in it for you...

Cottage Industrialist Textiles Holiday Giveaway:

Here's the deal--I'm giving away 2 yards of quilt-weight fabric in any of my available designs (to be chosen by the winner). Enter to win three (!) ways. 1) Visit my exhibition on papernstitch, and take a look! Leave me a comment there on your favorite design (you'll need to sign-in, so I can be sure to get your email address); 2) Leave me a comment on this blog about your favorite design from the papernstitch exhibition; and 3) Spread the word: tweet a link to this giveaway with this link: http://cottage-industrialist.com/holidaygiveaway. Entries will be accepted from now until midnight EST on December 11. I'll pick the winner at random and post the results on Monday, December 14.

And for all who celebrate it, I wish you a happy, healthy Thanksgiving.

And stay tuned...later this week I'll be posting a fun printable featuring designs from some of my favorite fabrics!

Geek love: just because

Because today is Thursday. And because I am a geek.

© 2009 Cameron Blazer // Cottage Industrialist

I designed this geek love printable last year and sold it in my short-lived Etsy store. To, like, one person. But I know there are other geeks in love out there. So. Have at it. The download includes the folded card and envelope shown above, a plain graph card for you to get creative with, and graph wrapping paper (shown below).

© 2009 Cameron Blazer // Cottage Industrialist

Download the whole package here. Instructions for printing, cutting, folding, and gluing are included.

As always, please be nice. Do not sell, modify, or redistribute for anything other than personal use. And if you'd like to link to the printable, please link to this post!