Shop Re-opening

I'm excited to announce that the shop will be re-opening this Friday, August 12th!  Thank you to everyone for being patient while I've taken a break + revamped the shop. 

I've made some changes to shipping + wrote up a blog post about it here.

I've revamped some of my old products + I'm currently working on new products. I am not currently selling sticker packs, but you can find individual vinyl stickers. Let me know if there are any past designs that you would like to see in this bigger size.

You can also find my fabric fat quarter samples. All of the fabric is 100% cotton and printed through Spoonflower. In order to be able to sell a design on Spoonflower, you have to order a sample, so I don't have more than a fat quarter on hand. Instead of just letting the fabric sit around my studio, I'm putting it up for sale at the price I paid for it as a designer.

This Friday, Saturday + Sunday only, save 25% with the coupon code "OPEN".

 I also have a special on cards, for a limited time only:

Thank you again for your support over the years! xoxoxo

Shipping Changes

With my shop re-opening soon (I'm shooting for Friday, August 12th), I've been in the process of re-thinking everything. One thing that always seems to shoot me in the foot is shipping costs. With the price of shipping continuing to rise, it seems crazy to continue only offering USPS First Class with tracking on most of my items.

I decided to test out sending stickers + cards USPS Standard. This means I put a cute stamp on your envelope and you don't get a tracking number. I have used this method in the past for my Sticker of the Month Club, and never had any issues. This is cheaper for me and for you, since the items I sell don't weight much.

This is great news for international customers, because I can use a global stamp. A global stamp cuts the cost from an average $6+USD to $1.10 (or a couple dollars depending on the weight).

I know some people need to have a tracking number for their own piece of mind. I am making the option available with an add on listing or in special cases a custom listing.  I will be using tracking on prints + fabric sales, since I can not easily replace those items.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns with these changes. And as always everything will be packaged with care + love! xo

PS Make sure to sign up for my newsletter to receive a discount code to help me celebrate! http://eepurl.com/Lglmj

August Goals

 Seems like July flew by! August is here and I'm ready for fall! I decided to make a few business goals this month to help keep my focused + motivated:

1. Make preparations to re-open my shop. I don't think I will be opening this month, but I will be sending out a newsletter to announce the date. I'm already taking steps to get ready (like re-ordering business cards, and taking product photos.).
2. Blog. I am a super inconsistent blogger. It's not my main gig, and I would rather be making cute things....but I know blogging is an important part of running a small business. So if you have any post ideas you would like to see, let me know.
3. New Designs. I've been working on a portrait series, and even considering offering custom portraits (which is really scary). I'm working on the logistics + examples right now. I'm also working on more card designs. I haven't decided whether or not I will be carrying stickers, unless I outsource printing + cutting.
4. At least 2 new fabric designs for sale on Spoonflower. I've been focusing on making fabric designs using my old sticker designs. This takes time, from the pattern stage to buying a sample and making sure it's perfect. I've loved seeing all the things people make with my fabric!
5. Find a printer for prints. I've had a hard time finding a printer for prints. I use Moo for my greeting cards, but I can't seem to find a reasonable printing company for prints. Let me know if you know of a great company!

What are your goals for this month?

Book Club

Bookworm is one of my most popular prints. Turns out there are a lot of us bookworms out there! It's been a while since I've had any prints for sale, but I keep reworking this cutie. I thought it would be fun to show all 3 versions. I'm sure this won't be the last time I update her.

Version 1: This was offered as a brooch, sticker set + prints. This is the second series of paintings that I started selling when I first started out.

Version 2: This cutie is part of my Pastel Girl Gang series that was sold as cards and vinyl stickers. I'm kinda obsessed with pink hair and big glasses....

Version 3: I just re-painted her again yesterday. My style has been evolving as I've been trying to sketch daily (even if I don't share it + as my arthritis-y hands allow). I'm not sure if she is my favorite yet, but you can find her in my Society6 shop as a print.

Also in my Society6 shop, you can find the Book Club print on phone cases + mugs! I made this fun print for the Novel Tea Book Club in the form of stickers, but thought it was too cute not to turn into a pattern. Look for it on Spoonflower soon!

Frida

Last night I decided to start painting this portrait sketch of Frida Kahlo. It has been a while since I've painted anything and I felt a bit out of practice.

Truthfully, I've never been into the un-erasable images in Frida's paintings and often found her work a bit creepy. Recently, quotes and images of Frida have been popping up everywhere. I tried to watch the movie Frida with Salma Hayek, but stopped it after the bus crash scene.

Since today is Frida's birthday I decided to watch a documentary on YouTube. I enjoyed hearing about her life from her students and art historians. I found her very interesting. After watching the documentary and learning more about her motives for painting, the images in her work made more sense. The things that I found creepy before, now told a story about a woman's very painful life.

If you have time today, watch a documentary or check out her artwork and appreciate the life of a very passionate woman who painted her life experiences. Happy Birthday Frida.

Working

This year, I have sketched more than ever, even though no one has seen most of it. Mostly working through defining my style + technique. I'm having a hard time deciding what direction I want to take my work in and my theory is sketching something everyday will help me. I love working with watercolors and I want to improve my skills there, but I also want to try new things.

I signed up for Kelly Rae Roberts Unscripted, which is like a weekly artist date with her. It was nice to see her process and how she recommends the 3 second rule to make a decision so you don't keep second guessing yourself. I have been thinking about doing more original pieces using acrylics or even gouache.

Speaking of painting, I have an amazing easel I can't wait to bust out + I found an old drafting table in my garage (aka Narnia) that just needs to be sanded and painted. I'm currently working on a tiny table that leaves little room for drawing or painting with my computer set up on it.

I'm hoping to just start painting some of my sketches, even if that means having to rework them later to practice some skills. Look for some work in progress shots soon!

What are your favorite mediums to use when painting?

Crochet Crush

Lately I've been taking a break from social media + my shop. (I kinda need to do this a lot lately) I've been spending my time watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries + making granny squares. Thanks to the power of YouTube, I have finally taught myself to crochet! It has always been a dream of mine to make an afghan.

My daughter requested I make her a Twilight Sparkle granny square, which turned in to her picking out this pretty yarn and me working on my very first afghan. I'm excited to make this for her since I never finished knitting the baby blanket I tried to make while I was pregnant. >_<

Here are a few of my favorite crochet YouTube channels (so far):

Potter & Bloom
Jayda in Stitches (which is where I learned how to make a granny square.)
Vickie Howell (where I learned the basics!)

Do you crochet? What are some of your favorite resources + books?