Monday is Open House Day

We "open our doors" on a weekly basis to give you a peek into our studio. To share our inspirations, aspirations, projects, accomplishments, insights from fellow entrepreneurs and coffee break musings so that we can connect with you when we're on-line.

Please visited us at our new address noted below. We would appreciate it if you'd subscribe to new our blog on your way out!

We look forward to seeing you there on Mondays.

STUDIO www.thumbprinttradingcards.com
SHOP www.thumbprintcards.etsy.com
BLOG www.thumbprinttradingcards.blogspot.com
MAIL info[at]thumbprinttradingcards[dot]com

A Walk in the Park

This photo, which was taken at the Seattle Art Museum's Outdoor Sculpture Garden, will remind me of the day Nicholas walked between JD and I while holding our hands.

I used to daydream about this milestone and it was a dream come true.

Thumbprint Trading Cards | Updates

Belated Happy New Year! I spent January working on several changes to Thumbprint Trading Cards.

There have been a few clarifications (on our website and on our Etsy shop) regarding our policies. We have also dusted and rearrange our store front.

Have a look!

Winter White Holiday Season

It is unusual for Seattle to receive this much snow. The first few days were gorgeous and it even kept my husband house bound for a bit, which my son and I loved. But then it snowed and snowed some more.

By the end of a week long stretch, we were less concerned about holiday packages arriving in the mail and instead keeping our fingers crossed that the snow shovel would finally arrive despite payment for overnight shipping.

Holiday Gift Giving

My husband and I will be very busy in the kitchen this December. We have decided to gift delicious treats to our family and friends.

Our favorite is chocolate dipped dried apricots. Dark chocolate dipped fruit will be finished with fleur de del while milk chocolate dipped fruit will be garnished with candied ginger.

Featured Artist at Art on the Ridge

Through the month of December Thumbprint Trading Cards is a featured artist at Art on the Ridge, which is a gallery and studio in Seattle's Phinney Ridge neighborhood.

For the holiday season we have packaged our social appointment and note cards with a matching key fob card holder. They make the perfect stocking stuffer and holiday gifts for co-workers and teachers.

You can learn more about Art on the Ridge by visiting their website.

Thumbprint Trading Cards | Third Friday Art Opening

Thumbprint Trading Cards had so much fun being off-line last week that we're doing it again at this week's Third Friday Art Opening in Phinney Ridge, Seattle! On Friday, November 21st from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM I will be joined by Seattle-area Crafters and Musicians at Art on the Ridge's Holiday Craft Fair.

Art on the Ridge is a gallery for Northwest Artists. They host new shows the third Friday of each month featuring different artists with a common theme. Art on the Ridge continues to make the art available for purchase in the gallery and on-linw for the month following the show.

We hope to see you there!

3rd Friday Art Opening is held at Phinney Neighborhood Association - 6532 Phinney Avenue North
Art on the Ridge Gallery is located at 9050 Phinney Avenue North

A Festive Affair

Our off-line debut was a festive affair! What could be better than being in the company of other local artists, fantastic patrons and live musicians all in an award winning store? Thank you for hosting us, Festivities!

Thumbprint Trading Cards | In-Store Event

Mark your calendar for Friday, November 14th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM!

Thumbprint Trading Cards is participating in our first ever in-store shopping event and trunk show at Festivities in Edmonds, Washington. Festivities, known for their home furnishings, antiques, home accessories and fine gifts, has been voted among the top five places to shop in Western Washington by King 5 News & Evening Magazine. Congratulations, Ladies!

In anticipation of our off-line debut, I have expanded our assortment of Playdate Appointment Cards to include limited edition note cards and appointment cards focused on making sure your next meal is topped off with a healthy does of friendship. Also available will be our charming holiday gift sets containing a Gift Certificate, one set of 18 Appointment or Note Cards and one Felt Key fob Cardholder.

Between the live jazz, wine, champagne and food [not to mention the award winning store, amazing artists and vendors], this is sure to be a terrific way to unwind.

Now doesn't that sound like a great mix of fun, shopping and socializing? It's right up our alley!

[Festivities is located at 111 Main Street, #101, Edmonds, WA 98020. For additional questions about the event, you may contact the store at 425.712.0342.]

Happy Halloween!

Apple Pie

Just a few miles from Downtown Seattle is South 47 Farms. Their big draw on the weekend before Halloween is an offering of carving and cooking pumpkins. We went to the farm for another fall item, though - apples. From their modest apple orchard we were fortunate enough to pick to our hearts' content and gathered enough to bake one pie and then some.

Refrigerated pastry dough and apples in hand, I asked my Mother-in-law for her apple pie filling recipe. Thanks to the hard work of my husband and Father-in-law, we ate the most delicious apple pie I've ever tasted. It was so delectable, in fact, that I am sharing the filling recipe with you.

Happy baking and bon apple-tite!

Apple Pie

Ingredients:
• About 7 cups of apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and sliced into 1/4" pieces (enough to make a big mound in your pie tin)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to taste
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (any more would be overpowering)
• Good pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (leave this out if you use very tart apples, like Gold Rush or Northern Spy)
• 2 tablespoons of butter, cubed
• Pre-made two-piece pie crust, so you'll have a top crust (or you can make your own crust if you like. Show-off.)

Tools:
• Pie tin or pie plate
• Measuring cup and measuring spoons
• Very large mixing bowl
• Baking sheet (to go on the lower rack of the oven to catch any drips from the pie)

Preparation:
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and put the baking sheet on the bottom rack.
• Place the sliced apples in the pie plate to check that you have enough for a good mound.
• Transfer the apples to the mixing bowl and toss them with everything except the butter and the crust.
• Arrange one of the two crust pieces into the bottom of the pie plate, starting from the center and then pressing down so that it makes it evenly to the corners.
• Pour the filling into the crust-lined pie plate.
• Sprinkle the cubed butter all over the top of the filling.
• Arrange the other crust piece on top of the filling, crimp the pastry together around the edge, and cut a bunch of little vents in the top crust.
• Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
• IMPORTANT - let cool to room temperature for 4 hours. I know. If you don't, though, all the juice will run out and the pie will fall apart. If you wait, though, the filling will reabsorb the juices, and you'll get beautiful solid slices. Your patience will be rewarded.

Product Review | Cool Mom Picks

Our latest product review comes from Cool Mom Picks Associate Editor Julie Marsh.

"Much more than mere mommy cards, these two-inch square cards incorporate custom photos along with contact information--ideal for those of us who need a visual memory cue now and then. Designer/mom Chris Guillot consults extensively with each client to lovingly custom design cards that reflect exactly what you want--you, your kids, or even your business. The result: elegant calling cards that make a fabulous impression…"

To read the full product review, please visit Cool Mom Picks.

Product Review | Superdumb Supervillain

Our latest product review comes from superdumb supervillain.

"Thumbprint Trading Cards are a great conversation starter, for sure. Chris Guillot started the company after her son was born and she realized she needed to make mom friends. Thumbprint Trading Cards are sort of like mommy cards, but they have a unique 2" x 2" square format with rounded edges and a glossy, varnished look that set them apart from traditional business cards. You personalize them with your own photo and text, so they work as calling cards, business cards, gift tags, whatever you need them to be! Chris is more than happy to work with you to create something you will be thrilled to hand out."

Read the full product review at superdumb supervillain and enter to win a free set of Playdate Appointment Cards and a Key fob Cardholder in Black.

Happy First Birthday, Nicholas!

On the big day, we popped into Dad's office for a birthday lunch. Nicholas' first run-in with a cupcake wasn't successful [i.e. didn't end up all over his face]. That night we attended our bi-monthly PEPS meeting and he had a grand time playing with his buddies.

Later in the week, Nicholas got his first haircut. This decision about when to have his hair cut was hotly debated between my husband and me. I won't say who won that debate but I will say that Nicholas is stylin' a new do and had fun getting his hair cut. To celebrate this milestone and my own birthday, Nicholas had a second run-in with a cupcake. On his hands, all over his face, in his mouth, in his belly, up his nose. It was pure delight.

The week ended with Nicholas' party-turned-biggest-playdate-yet at Gymboree Play and Music and, you guessed it, another cupcake. Now I've lived the sentiment: to spoil a baby rotten.

So what now? Well, every bit of cupcake he shoved into his mouth proved to me that he is capable of eating chunky food. So believe you me, his veggies, proteins, fruits and breads will be in chunks from now on. The jig is up, Bubba! You're a big boy now.

The Sound of Silence

It has been five months since I wrote Sleepless in Seattle, describing the sleep challenges that we [Baby, Mom and Dad] were having. April seems like ages ago and, in the life of my nearly one-year-old baby, it was. May and early June were huge challenges. He was waking several times between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. July was tough too. During those three months we were traveling a lot, we hosted guests on several occasions, and the little man got sick a couple of times to boot.

By mid-July [around nine months old] he started sleeping through the night. We traveled to the East Coast and during that trip he actually began to sleep pretty decently. When we returned home, it took him a few days to transition back to Pacific Time, but even that process went pretty smoothly.

Here are some of the things that helped us [all three of us] get through these last five months:

· The transitional object a.k.a. lovey [Nicholas' is a tiny square piece of fleece with knotted fringe edges] stays in the crib. It's there when we put him down and we put it in his arms if he doesn't grab it right away. Otherwise, we were misplacing it.

· We have a pacifier baby on our hands. We keep several lined up near the crib so that, if he starts fussing in the middle of the night, we can just stagger into the nursery and hand him a pacifier. This saves us the hassle of searching for it and keeps two of us [the baby and the sleep walking adult] from getting too wound up.

· When we travel or have guests stay at our house, we recognize that our little one doesn't respond easily to his night time routine so we take a little more time to hold him before he is put in his crib. It feels like a small step backward but it helps him unwind and relax.

Now with his twelve-month birthday around his corner, I'm waiting for the sleep disruptions to occur for the two weeks before and two weeks after his birthday. As usual, we'll see.

Product Review | Pink with Sparkles

Our latest review comes from Pink With Sparkles creator, blogger and Mama Princess extraordinaire – Dawn Gardner.

"Setting up a playdate on the fly has just gotten simpler. Now every mommy & tot duo you meet will be blowin' up your cell to holla at you.

Every mama knows it's no easy feat to find the perfect playmates for your kidlets. You need to be prepared in a pinch to not let a potential pal disappear without throwing her your digits. Thumbprint Trading Cards has a simple solution for setting up playdates at your crib or theirs…"

To read the full product review, please visit Pink with Sparkles.

Thumbprint Trading Cards | Temporary E-mail Workaround

Dear Thumbprint Trading Cards Customers and Visitors,

It has come to my attention that several messages to info@thumbprinttradingcards.com have bounced back their senders. I apologize for any inconveniences this has caused. I am currently investigating and working on an e-mail/IT solution.

In the meantime, I am posting a temporary e-mail workaround in the event that you are the recipient of a returned message. I will post here again once this issue is resolved.

You can send me an e-mail [a.k.a. conversation] through my webstore. I will be checking my conversations for any incoming mail.

Again, I apologize for any inconveniences and thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,
Chris Guillot

Credits

You know that part of a magazine that talks about the photo session that led to the front cover? It discusses what the model was wearing upon arrival to the set, what he or she had for lunch and listened to while working. It provides the name of the styling team: wardrobe, hair and makeup. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Well that has never happened to me. No one has wanted to know what I wore on set or what is in my iTunes library. Since I only wear make-up when I'm getting dolled up, there's no need to provide credit there. I have self-love and I have self-confidence but I'm just a regular gal. You know what I mean?

But there are times when my eyebrows look so good that if I was in a magazine and there was a section talking about my styling, my aesthetician, Kate Thorbeck, would be credited. Kate is the owner of Surya Spa in Magnolia. I met Kate many moons ago when she fixed my poor brows that had been ruined by a horrible, horrible, horrible waxing experience.

After a recent visit to see Kate, I decided to create an occasion to credit Kate for my excellent eyebrows.

Eyebrows: Kate Thorbeck, Surya Spa
Photo: Emerald England, Emerald England Photography and Graphic Design, LLC

[While this photo was taken a year ago, it's the closet thing experience I've had to a "fashion" photo shoot.]

Website Re-launch! In 3-2-1. Blast off!

I am extremely thrilled to announce the website re-launch of Thumbprint Trading Cards at www.thumbprinttradingcards.com. Thumbprint Trading Cards help you put a face with a name in a high-impact, no-technology-required kind of way. As a double-sided calling card or business card, it makes exchanging contact information on the fly simple.

Our website soft launch was in May 2008. This re-launch brings with it e-commerce capabilities, an extensive FAQ and additions to our portfolio.

For those of you who are new to Thumbprint Trading Cards or who are good friends of the company, please visit our site!