Part 1: The Road Trip to California Begins

As promised, I've been documenting our move to California. It's day 2 and we made it to Kansas to hang out with my family. So far we've enjoyed 11 hours in a car, ice skating, tearing down wallpaper, painting my parent's kitchen, and lots of raucous conversation with my over-opinionated, fun-loving family. We're looking forward to at least 24 more hours of driving, possibly meeting a friend in Salt Lake City, and our brand new home sweet home!

If the rest of the trip is this action-packed, we'll be completely out of it by the time we hit California.

We made the mistake of a very early 5:30AM departure. Yowza!

A trip through Kansas City wouldn't be complete without a stop at Sheridan's.

My gorgeous sister is killer with a trim brush

My brother admiring his addition to my parent's home - a dimmer switch

And To All a Good Night

As most of you are already aware, it's been a ridiculously crazy holiday season in the Francesi household...and it's not even Christmas! We've gotten this far so dare I say we've nearly survived? Posting this requires me to admit yet another of my blunders. My blunder being that I didn't order nearly enough Christmas cards this year. So few that I was having to choose between good friends and family. Yikes!

That being said, I've decided to bite my tongue and post our card for those who weren't fortunate enough to receive it. I'm really sorry if you typically receive a card from us and didn't get one. I promise I'll order more next year!

Bringing Holiday Cheer...Aptera Style

One of my most favorite parts of what I do at Aptera is designing the Christmas cards, and I've been lucky enough to snag that gig three out of the four Christmas's I've been there. This year, we sent out a mass Thanksgiving card and decided to ramp up our efforts for an all-out holiday package for our "VIP" clients.

There wasn't a specific budget for the packages, but we wanted to stay as inexpensive as possible while still sending out something memorable...and what's more memorable than a four-pack of Aptera-branded beer?

All of the printing, assembly, and label-scrubbing was done in-house, so the only major cost was the beer.

Brooklyn Bride Holiday Handmade Card Swap

For the second year in a row, I decided to participate in the Brooklyn Bride Holiday Handmade Card Swap. Last year, I repurposed our personal Christmas cards and created a custom cut, typographic card. This year, however, I wanted to use materials that I had on hand. I printed my design on old magazine spreads, cut them into 5 x 7 pieces, and sewed them onto chipboard using red thread. My favorite part about these cards is that each and every one of them is completely different. Is it conceited to say that I'm completely obsessed with the result?

I've got a couple of extras on hand if you want one for yourself - just shoot me an email with your name and address. At the same time, I have to admit, it may be January before I can send them (we're in the middle of moving across the country).

Top Geek Inspired Holiday Gifts

Christmas is the time for giving and this year I'm inspired by all things geek! Just in time for Cyber Monday, here are a list of my favorites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Custom Binary Code Cuff Bracelet by Kara Wheeler Design

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Command Key Earings Capitola Girl

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cedar iPhone / iPad Docking Station by Wood Tec

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Geek Chic Necklace by Techno Chic

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Floppy Disk Mini Notebook by Fish Stikks

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Social Networking Coasters by Jolli Beads

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

And the list wouldn't be complete without a 13" Laptop Grey Felt Sleeve. Maybe that will be a Christmas present to myself?

13" Grey Felt Sleeve by Portel

New work: Christmas Party Invite

I had a blast designing Christmas Party invites for my boss again this year. Martinis and Mistletoe - what fun! For my fellow type nuts, the fonts used are: Buttermilk Bodoni

etsy love for christmas