Friday, March 27, 2009

Robin's Egg Blue - Etsy Treasury




























My treasury this week features a quintessential spring color. It's similar to Restoration Hardware's oh-so-popular "silver sage," but here it's traditionally called "robin's egg blue."

Featured:

mnemosynedesigns

pixiepotions
forgetmenotdreams
frenchsugarvintage
Cheerupcherup
SimplyDaisy
thebackporchshoppe
WildArtDesigns
royaloakcottage
misskrisstudio
annechovie
jzroszell

Friday, March 20, 2009

A year ago...

















Happy first day of Spring!

I have to say, this week has been really hard for me. I'm missing my daughter like crazy. Last year at this time we had just recently found out we were expecting, and our lives just couldn't be happier. In early April, we visited the cherry blossom festival in D.C. with some friends, and I was filled with inspiration and joy! The picture above was taken during that trip. It brings back a flood of great memories.

I'm really trying to find comfort through this whole thing. A few friends have referred me to a great blog written by a woman who also lost a daughter last year. Her story is so heartbreaking, and yet so hopeful. If you read it, you'll be addicted to it just like me: Bring the Rain.

Right now, I'm working on wedding invitations and also trying to come up with some ideas for Mother's Day cards. I look forward to sharing some of those projects with you in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

logos, advertising, invitations... a design frenzy

Business is surprisingly booming for me lately, despite this crazy and unstable economy. I'm not sure, but I think the reason is that companies have discovered how to stay afloat in hard times— they market and market and market some more. If nothing else, you've got to keep the customers thinking about you.

A large chunk of my work lately has consisted of identity projects—new businesses looking to brand themselves, or established businesses aiming to shake things up. Here are a few of my latest logo designs : three photographers and one exciting non-profit (about which I will probably make an entire blog post later). Two consist of vintage graphics combined with other unique elements, and two are more modern illustrations I created from scratch. (click the image for a closer look)


















I've got more on the docket too! If you're interested in logo design, please contact me via my website or convo me on Etsy.

Along the same lines, I've realized *I* need to continue to market myself. I'm trying to get my Etsy shop off the ground, so I've started looking for venues to advertise and network. Craft Cult gets a ton of hits, so that was my first choice for advertising this week.




















And I've been spending spare seconds adding a few new things to the shop. Most recently, I took my stippled cupcake drawing and created a birthday invitation with it. It has a nice vintage feel, especially with its deliciously textured paper.


Tuesday, March 3, 2009

My Vintage Etsy Treasury




























I secured a spot on Etsy's Treasury today. My list is called "Vintagey Feminine Neutrals." I'm in love with every item I put on there! I'd seriously buy every piece.

Featured:

Turtle Papers
Gorgeous Redhead
Trendy Knitting
Lisa GoLightly
Ludwigas Linen
yumi yumi
5 Dollar French Market
Precious Meshes
Vintage Scraps
Bliss Candles
Alicia Bock
Callooh Callay

Although everyone complains about how difficult it is to get on the Treasury, I've somehow actually always been lucky enough to get in on the first try. My trick is to have the title for my treasury typed and copied so I can press "Ctrl V" as soon as an opening shows up. I scroll down to the bottom of the treasury page and keep myself situated there, watching it like a hawk, until I see the list drop below 333.