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Sarah Jane

More updates on the newsfront: Sarah Jane is in Paris…again! L’affiche Modern (English translation is “the modern poster”) is a French fine art print e-shop with work from graphic artists, photographers and children’s illustrators. Their prints are for adults and children a like, and they are now selling 4 of my prints on fine art poster paper! I am thrilled! The company contacted me a while ago, and everything has finally gone through! (Sending contracts and proofs from Paris and back does take some time!). I love their designs! And I love that I don’t have to package and ship anything I sell! This is so the way to go! You may remember Lilipinso & co. who is also distributing some other pieces of mine…also located in France. I may just need to be making a trip out there sometime…any excuse I can get, right? Check out the site here.

This weekend, I was introduced to some great new ways to keep in touch on line. Though I have heard of Twitter for a while, I really wasn’t all that interested in finding out about yet ANOTHER way to kill time on the computer. Getting on the computer is hard enough around these parts! But after learning how it works, I have found it is even less time consuming than email, or blogging…and a great way to keep people informed about what is going on in your life…on your website…or blog. I am mostly going to be using it to keep you up on conversations that revolve around my studio, but I also want to keep in touch with you! With how busy we all are and yet how much we still want to keep up with each other, twitter is the best answer! Learn more about it here:

So, sign up, and FOLLOW ME (username: sarahjanestudio) And I will follow you back!

Sending happy tweets.

xoxo

Sarah Jane

This past weekend I was the luckiest duck. I was able to attend the first Startup Princess Retreat in Park City Utah at the Zermott Resort, and oh! What a blast! It was a small group of no more than 35 people, and honestly, felt like one big sleepover. Such amazing energy and charisma in this group: a fantastic mesh of fun personalities. I miss you ladies already!

Topic of the weekend? Social networking and marketing to women. Guest speakers came from all over:

Holly Buchanan: co-author of the Soccer Mom Myth, and founder of Marketing to Women Online; from Richmond, VA: fabulous presenter and got us all thinking about how we present our businesses to every type of woman.

Barbara Jones: Founder of the One2One network offering products that match your business in order to get feeback and increase your own social networking. Such an amazing background in the music industry, and such a doll! This woman is Gold!

Janet Meiners: SEO guru and writer of Newspapergirl; Such great info on how to get people to find you on the web.

(gwen with Kelly Anderson: founder of Startup Princess)

Gwen Bell: Social networking queen (voted one of the top 50 most influential people in social media); Member of the Kirtsy Team, twitter expert and social enthusiast. This woman has done it all. If you ever get a chance to meet this woman, do! www.gwenbell.com

(Me with Gabrielle…she has the greatest hair!)

Gabrielle Blair: Design mom and co-founder of Kirtsy. Need I say more? Just a doll! Shared her story about starting her blog and kirtsy and gave some fantastic tips on blogging. She is a gold mine of info and resources!

And all these women were just so open and shared advice with us one on one the whole weekend! We went from professional acquaintances to great friends in just an instant.

And those who attended shared nearly just as much. We had time to get to know each other and share ideas too. I met some awesome women with some amazing companies! I hope to be sharing more about them in the coming weeks, as well as some great info I gleaned from the weekend.

And especially, a HUGE thanks to my husband who watched the kids (fed them Baskin robbins, KFC and spent the day at the children’s museum) while I was with the girls. He is the BEST dad!

Biggest benefits: being in a close knit group with women just like me: social, creative, wanting to share their ideas with others. We were all just a bunch of humanistics, concerned mostly about building good relationships, which is what this whole blogging world is really all about!

Thanks ladies for an incredible weekend! Can’t wait to share more about what I learned! If you missed this weekend, I hear through the grapevine another is being planned for January! Get on board!

I have been waiting for this weekend for a long time…Startup Princess is having an all women entrepreneur retreat in Park City Utah this weekend, and I am ready to soak it all in like a dry sponge. The weekend’s topics: Learn the Magic of Marketing to Women Online. Speakers include Gabrielle Blair from Kirtsy and Design Mom, Holly Buchanan and Michelle Miller authors of the Soccer mom myth , Janet Meiners Thaeler and expert on internet and affiliate marketing. I am also so excited to meet some attendees there: Gwen Bell from Kirtsy, Marie LaBaron from Make and Takes among others. I plan on coming back with LOTS and lots to share! And if you are in Utah, email me. It may not be too late to come and join up!

Don’t forget! The BUY 2 get 1 FREE sale ends Saturday night!

Don’t forget to stop by the shop!

Much awaited: Cards are here! These packs were so much fun to put together. Most of my cards just come with cards and envelopes. These have an added bonus: pretty box and gift tags to match! I had a lot of fun making these! I wish you could just see them in person. They are just yummy.

“Winter Cheer” Stationery Set

“Handmade Just for you” Stationery set

“Wellesley and Winslow Christmas Post” Stationery Set

I hope there are more Holiday cards coming, but I as far as “sets” complete with gift cards, this is it folks!

And while we are on the subject of GIVING….

How about a BUY 2 GET ONE FREE sale? Sound good? It does to me!

Just purchase TWO products, and mention the THIRD product in the message to seller box at the time of purchase, and I will include it in your order! Quesions? I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks to those of you who have been so patient waiting for these! Happy gift giving!!!

Have fun in the shop!

In all the hustle and bustle of cleaning out closets and getting our place ready to sell, I forgot to mention this incredible Handmade Holiday Gift Guide over at Bloesom Kids (my FAVORITE blog by the way). She has included my Calendar…Thank you Irene! But all the other items she has included are so darling! So unique and great for you and the kids. Click here to get connected to list of items and their online locations! Oh, and check out her most recent post today…an OPEN house with the makers of LMNOP magazine. I love peeking into people’s homes! So much life and creativity here! But thank you Irene for the mention!

Remember the fun Addie and I have been having with Paper Dolls? Well, time to do some paper-dolling together. This is Mazie, named after my great-grandmother. Though I don’t remember her, I bet she was as cute. I may just get some paper dolls in the shop…all colored and ready to play with. But I thought I would test the waters first and also let you have fun coloring in all the details! Get some ideas on how they look colored here.

So have some spooky fun! This Mazie is a lot like my daughter…you never really know what she is going to wear…Especially for halloween. A vintage-y witch, a french Dutchess or Little Red Riding Hood. Have fun choosing! Download the Free HIgh-Res PDF file here.

Feel free to spread the word and tell your friends with a link here.

Happy Halloween!

Categories: just for kids, my art, updates
17 Comments

I am really excited about this print. I remember as a girl sitting at my kitchen window at the snowy forest behind our house so calmed by the misty gray that winter brings. I really love the magic in the winter forest…so delicate and quiet. But then the Cardinal would come and draw my complete attention. He was like a sign of hope. My heart would race, and I would beg him to say a while. It amazes me the God would be so creative to think of making a RED bird that loves to come out in the white winter. He is such an artist:)

And so, this new friend of mine gets to meet this little fellow and share a moment. or two. or three. Just a stare. nothing more is needed to be filled with warmth of the red bird.

So…A new print for the shop! And this same image is going to be used for my GIFT CARDS coming up!! I am so excited! I think these are so precious, and I would love to get one of these in the mail, or as a present!

The way these will work is simple:

When you order the gift card, you will specify whether you want this emailed to you or snail-mailed to you. I will then write, or email you, the CODE that the recipient will use when purchasing. To redeem the gift card, all your recipient needs to do is to email me at the email listed on the card, and I will fill the order!

Simple, eh? Hope so! (there are more details in the actual listing in my shop)

Ahhhh….though it is still fall, this print is making me long for the quiet snow!

In the beginning was my shop. And the shop was my world. And my world revolved around my shop. I didn’t sleep. I made art and art only.

And after two months was over, I crashed. And I cleaned my house. And I didn’t create art because I wanted to be sane…and have a clean house. And I got very sad.

Then one day, a blessed man came and said “I will take the kids out all day on an outdoor adventure and you can stay home and enjoy a quite house.” And I said, “Will you marry me?” And he said, “You already did.” And then I kissed him. And then I went into my studio and locked the door and barricaded it from all distraction (including food) and got to work.

And now…I have art. It doesn’t look like much when I consider I had a day all to myself. But art is SLOW folks. That is just how it is. And how it should be. And this wasn’t even done in a day. It was finished in a day. I may just need to call that blessed man back and tell him my children need a second all-day-outdoors adventure. And I know he will say “yes” because that is what married people do. They give lots and lots to each other. And then after I kiss him again, I will make more gingerbread waffles.

We also have “The Rocket Launch Club” print in the shop now, with (shhh…don’t tell) some free pdf downloads in the works coming soon.

And, in my efforts to get this in the shop with some other storybook dictionary prints, this one never ended up in the shop. But here it is now!

Well, there you have it folks! Whew! I can’t wait to get my hands into my sketch book again. Maybe I really DON’T care about a clean house….

Meanwhile: Visit the shop!

OK. Here is the chance of a lifetime. Mark your calendars and sign up for the Startup Princess Academy retreat featuring classes, workshops and networking with some of the most inspiring women entreprenuers. Here is what Kelly, founder of Startup Princess has to say about this event:

Women influence over 85% of all purchases, and they need to be communicated with in new ways–one size does not fit all. Please join us to Learn the Magic of Marketing to Women Online with TOP EXPERTS in a way that translates into MORE Consumers and BIGGER Profits! Be on the cutting edge in your campaigns to maximize your marketing budget for 2009 and learn how to create effective and free word of mouth campaigns.

Sounds perfect right? Well add meeting these FABULOUS WOMEN to the mix:

Barbara Jones, Holly Buchanon and Michelle Miller and my personal favorite who I can’t wait to meet in person:Gabrielle Blair (aka Design Mom). Now picture that with 3 gourmet meals, slumbering in an amazing resort, and a chance to rub shoulders with women as passionate as you are, and voila! A perfect getaway. But more than that: Much inspiration and information. And from personal experience, these retreats are 450% better than just reading a blog or book. Trust me.

To view the agenda click here

To register click here

See you there!

Just when you thought I would never post new art again….We are on our way to some pretty great activity going on here. I am hoping to have a big shop update on Friday…but in the mean time…feel like making some homemade vintage-y rockets? Yes? Great! But first, you gotta join the club.

Wow! Thank you for all your WONDERFUL responses! ! So many of your suggestions I already have plans for, and many of them, I had never even thought of…so thank you!!! I am so excited to get cracking on new products and designs….I am just itching!!!

Random.org selected four random winners for me.

And the 4 calendars are going to: (drumroll please)

Rebecca, Elizabeth, Sarah and Kathleen. You have all been sent emails and your calendars will be on their way next week!

Thanks again for all your wonderful support! Be watching soon for a buy 2 get one free. I can’t say when…it will be a surprise, but I am giving you heads up to be on the look out:)

No, it isn’t my birthday….it is Sarah Jane Studios 1 year anniversary!! WOW! I still can’t believe the shop has been going for an entire year! And what an amazing journey it has been the past 365 days! I truly believe that what you feel most comfortable doing as a child, you will find yourself doing as an adult…or wish you were doing, which if that is the case listen to your inner wishes! That is what I did. If you asked me when I was 7 what I wanted to be when I grew up, it was to be an artist and a mom, and maybe even have a shop. And presto: 22 years later, that is what I am doing! No…It hasn’t been easy…but it has been SO rewarding on so many levels!

So, the actual anniversary of my shop opening was on Oct. 4 (but I have been sick as well as husbandless the past several days which means ZERO mommy time) But we can’t have a birthday without a celebration!!! I just feel so grateful for the past year…the friends I have met, the support you have given…it is truly overwhelming sometimes. Thank you!!

This year’s present…in honor of the 12 months that have transpired…I am giving away 4 of my new calendars from my “month by month” series.! Yes, they are finally completed! I think you will just love them. These calendars are really more like a piece of art for your wall, with a few numbers that happen to be on the bottom. Just darling!

They will be in the shop by tonight for only $24. They will make the perfect gift, or mini art peice for that empty wall next to your phone or desk. Each page measures 8.5×5.5 inches and is completed with green grosgrain ribbon perfect for hanging!

But for you, my dear friends: A free gift from me!

To win a calendar, all you need to do is:

• enter a comment below with a suggestion for something you would like to see in my shop for next year
• Your name and a way to contact you (email, or blog link)
• Comments will be closed on Oct 10th at Midnight EST
• Check back on October 11th at to see the 4 lucky winners!

Thank you so much for all your support over this past year! I have loved getting to know you, and if I haven’t met you yet, pop in and say hello! I am nice…I promise:) In the mean time…Happy commenting!

I know. It is only October. But last year I PROMISED myself (after many sleepless nights) that I would do Christmas in September. Um….September, what happened to you? You could have warned me you were going to be in an out in a flash (how rude!) October is now all I have before the made rush of activities, baking, visiting, (packing and shipping) and of course…ENJOYING THE SEASON!!

So, in my efforts to really be PREPARED for the holidays, I made myself a little ELF to remind me that October will no doubt rush as fast as September did! And, I am determined to make a HANDMADE CHRISTMAS this year. That is right. No last minute stops to Best Buy, or surfing AMAZON. We are making and giving from our hands this year (and hearts) or supporting handmade from our dearest friends. And in order to do that, I really must get started today!

This little ELF friend of mine (doesn’t he have the greatest hat?) will be soon available as a set of cards to let your family and friends know that you spent time (not money) on your Christmas gifts this year! I should have these in the shop soon, but I want to get them perfectly ready just for you…I am adding in a few little extras! So, Merry Christmas…Think Handmade…Happy making!

I never intended to go a week without posting. It just happened. Thanks for checking in while I was out.

This past friday I spent the entire day with really talented, and creative people. Women entreprenuers (most who are in the ’start-up’ phase) all gathered for this fabulous Start Up Princess event called TOUCHPOINT in Salt Lake City, UT. It was wonderful to be so enlightened and educated in an environment that was focused on WOMEN in business. Cause let’s be honest…girls are a whole lot different than guys in this field:) I met so many great people with GREAT ideas and GREAT businesses. I met Jodi with Baby Bambu, Rebecca with Cap trappers, Chantelle with Zoom concierge services, I met the talented Ashely from Isabella’s umbrella. I met Kelly who markets her husband’s art just to name a few.

After this meeting, I felt motivated to discus in my blog some more of the “business” aspects of what I do…not because I have oodles of knowledge, but I find that there are so many ‘unspoken’ and ‘behind the scenes’ with how to start a business selling your craft. And from the readership I know about, I know a lot of you have ETSY shops, or want to get started with something similar.

And if I learned anything from the all day conference on Friday, it is networking and connecting is that greatest way to learn! In the beginning, when I was starting my ETSY shop, I would email people doing what I wanted to do, and what I thought was ‘harmless’ info that I needed, was almost like held secrets for others. I am of the philosophy that there is enough success to go around in this world. So, why not share and support each other in the mean time? I felt so supported from the other women on Friday who seem to be facing similar problems and who have similar motivations and goals.

So, I am adding a new section to my blog called “A bit of biz.” And that is what they will be. Bits. Cause that is all I know right now. Just bits. But, so far they work for me, so I thought I would share:)

Categories: A bit of biz, on being an artist, updates
5 Comments

They are here! Another bookplate (which I wish you could see in person…they are DARLING!) and 2 more cards for the shop: “I love my sister” and “I love my brother.”

I also have both of these prints for sale together as a set like the other elephant and giraffe set. So fun! Oh…and there is more coming soon! I am signing off to get back to work! xoxo sarah jane

Hi all. Check this out:

SUPER cool new design online magazine: Design this design that. The entire edition is dedicated to illustrators. I’m on page 58-59. Some are new to me, and some have been my favorites for a while. Have fun reading!

So yesterday I picked up the mail on the way home: ho, hum, bills, yucky junk mail…Oh WOW! My art is up and running in France! Lilipinso and co. is a children’s wall art company, and their stuff is SO fun and whimsical. I was so flattered when they contacted me about licensing some of my prints. Their work is all reproduced on canvas, and looks stunning. The catalog is chalk full of artists who I wish I could just hag out with in their studios. Very French, very European…I love it. Here you can see my LOVE bunnies, as well as my other French animal prints.

I love how they made vinyl stickers with my little ‘love’ bunnies. These prints have been in the shop for a little bit, and they are just my favorite. They look SO great on the walls. They haven’t been as popular for some reason (maybe it is the square shape…harder to find frames) but I just love them.

And you can even see the pictures for display in one of their display rooms. I was so happy they picked mine! The photo doesn’t really show you very well, but they look super-duper cute!

Here is the link to the website, and here is the link to the new 2009 Catalog (I’m on page 10). They don’t have all their new work up online yet, but the catalog is available on their site. Have a look…and start wishing you were living in France. (I do!) Happy Wednesday!

OK. So just when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with how to be a great mom AND a great entreprenuer/artist, I am reminded of this GREAT event coming this month. Startup Princess is an organization I stumbled upon last year, and WOW! I am so glad I did. This online magazine and organization designed for women in start up businesses, is designed to help and support women in all stages of their business. Whether it be a service, or creating children’s art work like me…there is SO much support here! Articles, network contacts, you name it. They have done away with monthly meetings, and are now hosting a few big conferences every year. The next one is SEPT 26 in Salt Lake City, UT and will feature a new favorite speaker of mine, Heather Madder. Life balance, workshops, networking, one-on-one mentoring…all there is so much support and “feasting” to have that weekend! So, if you are in the area! Come see! I am planning to be on a “raising your children while running a business” panel as well. Click here to register.

And, I will mention this as it comes up later, but in NOVEMBER, there is an overnight retreat in Park City, featuring my very favorite Gabrielle Blair from the ever popular Design Mom. How fun is that!

In case you were wondering, I was not asked to advertise…I just really believe in this group, and their efforts to support women with their dreams of staring a small business. Horray! Have fun meeting new friends and I just might see you on the 26th of September! OH…and be the first 50 to sign up…there is FREE one on one mentoring. I’d love to see some of you there! If you are coming, let me know!! It would be so fun to have a meet up!

EDIT AND UPDATE: I was just reminded that if you sign up before the 9thyou can get in for $99. Sign up  after the 9th and it is $119, or $139 for late registration.  And be sure to mention my name at the time of registration! Thanks!