hello there.  normally friday would be "feature fridays", but today and for the next 5 weeks, it will be food+foto fridays!  "why?" you ask... well... let's take it back over a year ago.  i love reading blogs... one blog takes you to the next and so on and so on and before you know it, you're following a ridiculous amount of blogs and then you wonder to yourself.. why am i reading all of these blogs?   i have so much stuff to do... kids to take care of, a house to clean, a business to build.  {oh, ok.. so maybe that's just how it goes for me}.  so anyway, last year sometime i stumbled upon "the blah, blah, blagh"... written by a witty blogger known as "miss b."  upon reading a few of her posts, i was hooked on her humor, sarcasm, and photos.  it turns out that miss b. is also the founder of the bright side project - where wonderful giveaways are up for the taking!  {alright, cut to the chase already}  so, miss b.  occasionally hosts web sessions called souvenir foto school to encourage you to shoot {with a camera} and see the extraordinary in the ordinary {as miss b. likes to put it}.  the first time i joined, i wanted to learn a few photography tips and to practice taking pictures in the hopes it would improve my blog and product photos.  i enjoyed it so much that i've joined again.  this time around, the subject is food and miss b. is encouraging all of her "students" to post their photos on their blogs.  for six weeks, our assignment is to take photos of food.  it's getting chilly here in the midwest, so i've decided to concentrate on soups... presenting food+foto fridays: week 1: tortilla soup.  {if you want to join miss b. and her students on a food+foto adventure, click 'here' to sign up}

i've been a busy bee lately, but today i want to tell you about the queen bee... the queen bee market that is.  in early october, i had an interview feature over at oh my! handmade goodness {read about it by clicking 'here'}.  a few days after the feature was posted, i received an email from a woman named mique.  in her email, she said she read my feature and laughed aloud because she had a babysitters club and sold candy from costco in junior high and high school, just like i had! {again, you must read the interview to understand what i'm talking about because if you haven't, you're probably confused right about now}  it turns out that mique is the talented woman behind the blog 30 handmade days, a blog filled with crafty inspiration.  along with being a busy mom and a successful blogger, she and her sister host a handmade art & craft fair called the queen bee market.  mique asked if i would like to have a penelope's press product in their swag bags... i of course said yes!  i got to work and letterpress printed 110 mini holiday gift cards for the swag bags and shipped them off in the mail.  if i was in warm san diego {and not chilly chicago} i would totally check out the show, so if you're in the san diego area this weekend, swing by the hilton del mar for the queen bee market holiday show!

alright, so the title of the post is a little misleading.  yes, i was punched and kicked multiple times last night and for the past several days & nights, but by the little tiny baby growing inside of me.  if you're a blog reader and you don't know me personally, i have a "bun in the oven"!  yep... we're having baby #3! which will probably explain my blog absence as of late.  i do apologize profusely blog reader.  {are you thinking to yourself, "where do you find the time to have two active toddlers, one more growing inside of you, and you just hit your 2 month mark on etsy yesterday?"}  ahhh... blog reader.. that is the golden question i continue to ask myself.  there is so much to blog about and so many photos and projects that i want to share with the blog world, but excuse me if i disappear here and there.  in the spirit of the new baby's up and coming arrival... here is a new card that i will be listing in the shop soon...

STIZO is known as a "media mercenary" and "visual assassin"... i know him as vince...  i've known him and his wife since our college days and he is one cool cat...  a hubby and father to two super cuties, this maven has talent bursting from his pores.  among his many talents, he is a trained graphic designer that hand paints sneakers... say what?!  yes... he hand paints custom sneakers... like this...

so when vince asked me to letterpress print his "Certificate of Authenticity" that will accompany each custom pair of shoes... i was more than happy to oblige.  i tried printing on heavy duty 220lb lettra and good old chipboard... the blind deboss of the logo turned out better on the lettra...

you know you want to get some custom sneakers for yourself and your children this christmas!   you should visit his blog, facebook fan page, and myspace page to see all his work... it's crazy good!

a few weeks ago i had an etsy order for personalized notecards.  shortly after, i received an email from the buyer, kate passaro... she said she was excited to receive her order and that she was a photographer and wanted to know if i wanted photos of my product.  i of course happily agreed.  just last night i received an email from kate with the photos she had taken and oh my!  i have a humble little camera and i think i have a pretty good eye so i've always thought my blog pictures and etsy product photos have been pretty decent... but when i saw kate's photos.. i was blown away!  kate transformed the notecards into glamour and sophistication!  visit her site today by clicking 'here'.  thank you kate!!  go visit the etsy shop if you want your own personalized notecards!