Archive for the ‘my studio’ Category
Around the studio
No words today. Just pictures. These are little snippets of what’s going on in the studio right now.
Making. Planning. Playing. Creating. Feeling.
My happy place.
Lucky.
A bit of news: LUCKY magazine, the seasonal LUCKY KIDS insert to be exact, featured my blog in their best blog round up!
Wow. That was fun to see!
And what made me smile, is that the thumbnail image is my son’s head. He has a cute head. But he’s 5, and I don’t know if I’ll show him that his profile is shared with Jessica Simpson. Not just yet at least. Don’t want him to get any ideas, you know?
No, really…I’m really so flattered that they’d choose my blog as “The Best Blogs” in their Winter issue! Wow. Really. Wow. Thanks so much Lucky!
As part of the feature, I’ll be GUEST BLOGGING this week at LUCKY KIDS with a daily round up of handmade, creative, and great finds for the holidays. I used to blog more about my favorite things…but now thanks to twitter, pinterest, etc. I can post things like that there. So this was fun to put together! Come say hi!
And as promised, I can’t finish a post with out a sketch from my current sketchbook.
I’ve been thinking about cold bunnies lately. You?
Time to start making!
Today was one of those really productive days. The kids had a long drawn out daddy-kid date complete with petting cows, playing in a thunderstorm and swimming in the pool. Not at the same time, mind you. I, on the other hand, had the entire day to myself. This doesn’t happen a lot. And when it does…watch out! The Mama goes crazy. In the studio of course. With paper and ink. Don’t get any wild ideas.
On the agenda is illustration. The kind I can really only do with no interuptions. The kind that is like the dumping and explosion of ideas I’ve had in my head since the last time I had a visual dumping in my sketch book. It’s nice. And in short breaks I allow myself on these illustration marathons, I discovered (well, I actually did something about my long-time-ago discovery) Instagram.
Bing! Now I can keep you up to date a little better with what’s going on in the studio! You know…Peeping-Tom style. So if you aren’t hanging out with me on Twitter or Facebook, please do! I’m on there every day, with little bits and pieces of what’s going on behind the scenes. I’d love to show you pics of the new studio. The picture above is in the shipping room, which we are retrofitting for more fabric type stuff. More on that later…but speaking of fabric…
Some of you are starting to get it in your sweet little mailboxes! Which means, it’s time to start keeping track of each other’s projects!
Here’s some pictures from Heather and Megan from Quilt Story. They got theirs in yesterday, and Wow! They’ve already started quilting! It’s going to be so fun to see all your gorgeous projects. So, in preparation, I’ve added some FLICKR groups so that we can all keep up with the projects we’re making.
So, come and join here and be ready! Sign up and we’ll have a party. A really fun Children at Play sewing party:
Sarah Jane: Children at Play Flickr Group
Sarah Jane: Embroidery Flickr Group
Sarah Jane: Prints Flickr Group (for the non-sewing/art on the wall photos!)
So there is a list coming of all the stores you can find Children At Play...I promise. I am getting emails daily begging for a list of where you all can get it. I hope to have that in the next couple days! BUT….if you know of where, or if you are a shop…PLEASE comment below. So far, I know Fat Quarter Shop does, Hawthorne Threads, Hancocks of Paducah, and lots more…I just don’t know for sure yet. It’s shipping this week, and some stores have it, and some stores don’t yet. So if YOU have any more info…let’s share and be friends. Just comment below, and I’ll add it to my list.
Well, knock yourselves out and have a blast!
Wow. She has a Facebook Page.
Hello!
I’m taking a break from the creative “wow-ness” to say…Wow! There’s lots going on!
Wow….You know that line from White Christmas? When Bing Crosby is asked by Danny Kaye “What’s ‘Wow?’” And Bing Crosby says, “Somewhere between “Ouch” and “Boing-g.” That’s about how I’m feeling right now.
This fabric line is coming together, and there’s lots to do to show it off properly….but more on that later. Patience, patience!
So, Quilt Market is coming up oh so close. Will you be there? I’ll give you updates on my booth closer to the event, but if you are…yay! It will be a party.
To get ready for the first peeks of fabric, and designs coming out, I’ve gone and made myself a Facebook Fan Page. I know…I’m old school. I haven’t had a page till now. So (and insert silly chuckle here) “Wanna ‘Like’ Me?”
Sounds so Junior High. It kinda is. But I do look forward to getting more personal feedback from all you Facebookers. There’s lots coming up that I want to post about, and I want to get it all out there. So, thumbs up?
I took some pictures of some particularly clean spots in my studio. Notice how you don’t see any floors or table shots? Eh-hem. Purposeful photography here folks.
So, a sum up (especially if you are viewing in a reader) here’s all the places you can keep in touch with all going on in the next couple weeks (and longer…it’s just that there is a lot to show in the next coupla weeks!)
- Facebook Me here.
- Pin me here
- Tweet me here
- Flickr me here
- Send me chocolate here.
- Just kidding.
- No really…I could use some double dark just about now.
Ok! Back to the Studio!
April Showers & Advice.
Thanks so much you guys for filling out the survey! (I’m going to have it open until Monday, so come on over if you haven’t filled it out.)
So many great suggestions, so thank you!
Some of you suggested I offer a discount for the “Month-by-Month” prints in the month that we’re in!
Brilliant.
Every Month I’ll be offering the corresponding print 25% off ($17.50).
So, welcome April. We’re a little late. But better late than never!
(And a little about this print: It’s perfectly easy to take the text off the print as well as to make it an standard 8×10 size. Just mention it in your order!)
*And if you are in Utah this weekend, please swing by the BIJOU MARKET. I’m slashing away tons of stuff: Framed prints, Frames, and lots, lots more!
Moving.
There have been some changes around the studio, and since I’ve been running around I haven’t even had a moment to blog about them!
Where do I start….
The Short Version:
Sarah Jane Studios is now an in-home, 4 person operation…the 4th person being my lovely husband-manager.
The Long Version:
18 months ago (or so) I was at a point where I had to make some big decisions. We were trying to sell our condo, we were living in very tight-spaced temporary housing, having our 3rd baby, house hunting with the intentions of moving into our first home at any moment. I was also illustrating my first book, going through post-partum depression (though I didn’t realize it) and a whole bunch of other little things that all added up to having zero (no make that negative) time to run Sarah Jane Studios.
I really didn’t want to quit. But my family (and my sanity) came first. So I was ultimately willing to. But then I had an idea that saved the day. I hired Emily….the queen manager who came in and basically took over the management and business side of it all. And it was amazing. She ran the show, if you have ever emailed me and gotten her, you know she held the reins and made this studio run. She did such an amazing job while I moved, remodeled a house, had baby #3 (and Ooooooh…she was so cute! I digress….), finished my first picture book and designed a 20 design piece fabric line. She ran it all. Not only that, but she moved Sarah Jane Studios over to her home where she set up an entire shipping room. It was the best set up!
But, the time has come for me to bring Sarah Jane Studios back home, and make it a family operation! Emily kept this business going when my only other option was to quit. And I am so incredibly grateful! But my husband and I have moved everything back home and are planning on growing Sarah Jane Studios together! I’m really excited…as it gives me more excuses to spend time with my favorite person. He’s pretty wonderful if you ask me. So, you may have already noticed an email from him…but if you haven’t….please say hello!
With the transition of switching Kenneth in and moving the shop, PLEASE forgive us if we’ve missed an email, or messed up an order. There have been a couple hiccups…and hopefully we’ve worked out the kinks! But please tell us if we’ve goofed….little mistakes are always bound to happen during transition times!
So, that’s the story. Then end.
But on a more personal note, I just have to say how blessed I’ve been to do this all.
People ask me, “How do you do it? Design, illustrate, run a business, raise three kids who are home all day…”
Well, the short answer is: I don’t.
I don’t do it all. I’m with my kids all day, and stay up late at night. I don’t have a beautiful laundry room…although I dream of one. Currently as I write this, my sink is full of dishes and I have no intentions of finishing them tonight! But, I have a wonderful family and we all work together to make this happen. I’ve really had so much help. An amazing husband who helps with the kids, the cooking and the dishes when I need it. Friends who love to trade play dates. Family who support and believe in what I’m doing. It all adds up to just that: a lot of hard work and support along the way.
And while I’m on that note, I just have to say thanks to all you who have been with me from the start. I really read all your comments, try to comment back and email you when I can! I started this business with my blog…by just putting up my art to get some feedback….and so I am rather sentimental when it comes to the journey I’ve been on. I value your support so much!
Sarah Jane Studios has a lot of wonderful things coming this year….so spread the word and come back often. There’s new fabric (lots of it by the way), a book, more designs and other wonderful goodies to be had this year. I can’t wait!
And also, we really value your suggestions. A lot of you have taken the time to email and let us know what you’d like to see….and that means a lot. We love hearing your feedback! So thank you!
And yes…I’ll be taking pictures of the new space soon enough….still need to get that darn camera….
signing out…and back to work….
xo
sarah jane
Wall to wall bulletin surface
Over the Holiday, Kenneth and I finally got our wall to wall bulletin board up in the studio!
I’ve been tacking (and skotch-taping…shhh!) art to the walls since we moved in, and it’s been rather messy (when you’re working on a book, and you are taping paper up and down and up and down…art gets junked up fast!) I’ve been researching the best and most cost effective way to get a 4 ft. x 12 ft. bulletin board, and after a while of searching, I found it! Homosote.
Homosote is a ‘green’ product made from recycled paper, so it has a pulpy texture to it. You can read more about it here. I used the 440 Sound Barrier stuff. I think you can get cork surface and better looking tackable surfaces from them too, but the more basic board was what I found locally, and I wanted to wrap it in linen anyways. Builders use these boards for a boat load of things, like sound proofing rooms, etc. But I discovered online that tons of designers, artchitects, etc. use it to line walls to make a surface for mounting paper. Bingo! That’s what I needed. It’s super inexpensive ($30-ish for a 4×8 sheet) and thick enough to put tacks through (I got the 1/2 inch thick surface). Cork Board isn’t even that thick, and much more pricey when you want to get an entire walls worth.
(By the way…I’m not advertising or anything…just sharing!)
So, here’s what we did:
1. First, here’s a look at what it looks like. It’s like a perfect blend between cardboard and wood.
2. We needed 2 sheets, but not all of the second, so we cut it to size. Getting a little weight on there was helpful.
3. I covered the Homosote in linen, and ironed out the folds. Well, the incredibly-wonderful-man did. He irons too! The surface is fine on it’s own, but brown wasn’t what I was really wanted.
4. We laid the Homosote on top of the linen so we could wrap it like a canvas.
5. Staple guns are my friend.
6. When Ken drilled the board to the wall, we used these caps to cover the screws so that only the white cap would show, and not the screw head.
And now, I have a totally usable wall surface for laying out storyboards, colors, design swatches, to-do lists (no…scratch that) and the sort. Being a visual person, I need things in front of me to get the juices going. But not too much…I like clear space too. Can you tell?
You might think the studio is a bit sparce…well it is. But I am in no rush to make it perfect. It will evolve, but can I be honest with you? Life with 3 little children is so full and colorful (and cluttery and messy) that I crave clear white space when I create. It helps me dejunk from the day of noodles on my shirt and stains on the floor. It really does!
Here’s what’s on my board now. Nothing fancy…just what I am thinking about right now.
So. Studio space is coming together. Hooray!
Fabric.
I got something in the mail this weekend. I am so thrilled about some new items coming soon. Can you guess what this will be for?
