Hello! 2011 is well on it's way, and I'm putting all the calendars on sale starting today! They have been $24, and now they are marked down 50% to $12. These calendars turned out so well...and make a perfect collection of some of my favorite prints from the shop! You can get them here. Enjoy!
Will I see you at Alt Design Summit?
I'm hiding up there, can you see me?
News just in: I'm speaking at ALT DESIGN SUMMIT this month! I spoke last year, and it was an amazing experience. The first year that all design-blogging people had a chance to meet together, take classes, visit and learn from one another!
This year, I'll be speaking in a round table setting, on building online sales and licensing your designs.
What is Alt exactly? A place for all who love: design/social media/style/creative ideas all wrapped up in one. From the ALT site:
"We've created a place where design and lifestyle bloggers in all their forms— foodies, photographers, travelers, product placers, adventurers — come together, share ideas and connect with marketers. There will be discussions on how to grow your site, how to fund your site, how to keep your site above the fray."
The list of speakers is amazing. These people are real you guys...not just blogs we read every day! It's so fun to be with each other in person and glean from such amazingly creative people. You can read up on the speakers here.
You can read up on the amazing schedule here. There's be talk about:
Design & Style online
Photography for your site
The business of blogging
Marketing
Freelance
One of my favorite people will be instructing classes on Photoshop and Illustrator.
There's even a sewing class.
And not to mention really awesome food.
And really just have a chance to learn, be inspired and get ideas about how to grow those creative ideas inside that head of yours.
So...I hope I'll see you! Registration and info here.
Jan 19-22 Salt Lake City.
See you there!
Back with color.
{via Room Seven}
Happy New Year! Merry Christmas!
It's been a good break. You? I hope you're as refreshed as I feel. It's been a bit busy over here, which I never like over the holidays: namely lots of deadlines which I hope to talk about soon! But it's been wonderful to have everyone home. I always hate to send kids back off to school!
I'm back blogging again! I've missed you all. It's good to be back.
So....I've had my hands and head full to the brim with fabric. Color. Design. Color. Design. It's invigorating. Different enough from illustration to have given me a proper dose of all things COLOR. It's been so refreshing to think of colors and how they work together to make you feel a certain way. So, since I can't post what I've come up with so far....I'll post some color inspiration that I am currently enlivened by:
{From Craft & Creativity's Flickr Page: Pip Studio Wallpaper}
Have I told you my infatuation with all things Dutch and Scandinavian? Maybe not. Since I was 16, I was a gonner with anything that had a connection to the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark...you name it. They are two technically different areas, but something about the way they celebrate color and how they push the limits against white (interesting for a territory dressed in snow so much of the year!)
So, it's no wonder that I have always loved Pip Design Studio and Room Seven: Two of my favorite places to get inspired. Both from the Netherlands.
Can you tell I like Red and Pink? Always have, always will.
It's interesting: I'm not always looking at style, but color and how it influences everything else. I always love looking at how the two elements of design work together.
I'll have to share with you more inspiration as I go. This is just a small part of what's getting my juices going lately!
Anyways, happy 2011 and can't wait to stop in more and say hi!
Ta-ta for now,
Sarah
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
I'm running out of pictures to post with my camera broken...but this one fits perfectly for today.
We are all just a bit silly over here: the children are wildly excited about Christmas, and I'm wildly trying to get ready for it!
But things are a bit more calm today. We are snowed in and trapped in a winter wonderland. I don't think it's going to stop snowing until wednesday. I don't even care that my car got stuck today trying to get to my house, and that I had to walk a quarter of a mile to get home...all with a baby in tow. It's the best feeling to walk into a cosy house when the rest of the world is perfectly wintery white!
Well, with Christmas here, I'm going to be blogging quite a bit less. I may pop in here and there, but nothing regular till the new year. But I'll have lots to post about when I get back!
Happy Christmas everyone! I'm wishing you the best of Christmases....lots of time with your families....and lots of wonderful memories!
Love,
Sarah
**It's too late now to order before Christmas, but don't forget the 2011 Calendars we have in the shop still!
Lots of love.
This week has been awesome. Full. Busy. Crazy. Wonderful. Sentimental. Magical.
I'm realizing it's Wednesday and I've not even visited the blog to stop in and say hi! Well, I have a few good reasons.
First. The stomach flu. Have you had it yet? It started with the baby, and has been passing itself very generously up the line. Thank you, stomach flu. We've had enough, and you can go home now.
Second. Weddings. My husband's baby sister (well, not so baby at 25) is getting married this week! She's in for a gorgeous white, winter wedding. We're so happy for her and her husband-to-be is just as great. Our kids are big fans of them both, and as they live close to us, we have been so lucky to watch their friendship turn into this! Weddings are wonderful, aren't they?
Here are some engagement pics by Tara B. Photography. Aren't they a darling couple?
Third: On the wedding theme, Kenneth and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this week too! In fact, on his sister's wedding day. I've been thinking so much about her wedding, that I've nearly forgotten the significance of our own 10 years!!! It's seriously amazing to have this:
turn to this:
and this:
I won't spend time gushing here, but I'm so lucky to be married to my very best, best friend. So, so lucky!
Giveaway: Christmas is Here
Oh I am so excited for this giveaway!
Horray for another SIGNED Picture book from the lovely Lauren Castillo!
I mentioned this book last month as a new favorite Christmas book. Her work is so charming and simple and wonderful. I can't say I've ever come across another illustrator like her.
A little about Lauren: She graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003 and moved to Manhattan straight away. She knocked on some doors, and landed her first picture book (and my favorite of hers, actually) What Happens on Wednesdays. She now lives in Brooklyn, NY and is illustrating up a storm with CHRISTMAS IS HERE as her latest feature.
I first fell in love with her work when I noticed her buildings and cityscapes. Lauren has a way with illustrating architecture. It's almost as though the buildings come alive. These are some of my favorites:
And here are some winter scenes that I just love too!
So, back to Christmas is Here: I was so happy when I came across this Christmas Picture book, with text right from the Bible. What more do you need than that! You'll love this sweet interpretation of the Nativity story...and we love it too!
Lauren actually will be going to Romania very, very soon and will be giving 300 free copies of this book to orphan children along with her church group. It makes me so happy to imagine those children with an illustrated copy of the Nativity all of their own!
So when Lauren was willing to send me TWO signed copies of her books to giveaway, I was thrilled! Again...so tempted to keep one myself. But, 'tis the Christmas Season, and I'm feeling rather generous:) That, and my children have already loved up a copy of their own!
So, for the giveaway?
Giveaway instructions:
- leave a comment making sure to enter your name and email where it asks you to
- comments will be closed on Sunday Dec. 12th at Midnight EST
- TWO winners will be chosen to receive an autographed copy of CHRISTMAS IS HERE
- Winners will be contacted via email
- I'll ship them out Tuesday the 13th to make sure you get them for Christmas!
Best of luck!
Monday, Monday.
So, I've looked through my blog posts as of late, and I realized two things: This blog isn't sporting much photography or art lately!
Which is really ironic, because all I do is spend time with my children all day, and in evenings, all I do is design and illustrate! But then I remembered:
1) My camera is dying. Yes. A slow miserable death. And a replacement is not in the picture right now...well, the camera that I have been trying to save up for at least. So, thus the lack of photography. It pains me, because I really love taking pictures. And it's Christmas! It's very sad. I've got to fix that problem, and soon!
2) I've been illustrating up a storm, but nothing I am illustrating and designing I can show you! I hate that I have to be so secretive. But it's part of the job. I've been busy busy getting fabric designs finished, and working on other book ideas, etc. My sketchbooks are full to the brim! But I found a little snippet that showed up in my sketchbook a few pages back. Balloons are on my mind right now.
Well, happy monday, and I'm back to drawing, drawing, drawing! Oh, and there are some great giveaways this week...so stay tuned!
xo
sarah
Handmade Giveaway: MiniMe
Today's Giveaway is from MiniMe Paper Dolls.
MiniMe makes personalized paper dolls that you can customize to look just like your child! We are in love with these at our house. We have one for Addie, and she loves them. What I love about them, is that they are bigger than most paper dolls out there, which makes for really fun dress up play.
Just take a look at how darling:
Just perfect for stocking stuffers, or for those snowed in days!
Hannah, the designer and owner, has boy paper dolls, and some great winter outfits too! Check out her site to get the scoop, and her blog is darling too!
Thanks, Hannah for this awesome giveaway!
GIVEAWAY DESCRIPTION:
* One personalized hand drawn and digitally colored MiniMe doll with name stand
* 6 adorable outfits (Winter Line...or substitute this with any other season line)
* Amazing reusable adhesive strip so you have the option of playing with or without tabs!
* "All About Me" pages (four pages for your favorite girl to fill out and keep as a memento).
* A special "Keepsake Doll Set" that is signed by the artist.
* A CD with custom doll, outfits and "All About Me" pages for reprinting.
Does it get any better? And as a bonus, Minime Paper Dolls is offering this for all readers:
Buy ANY Doll Package (Ultimate, Standard, Print it Yourself) get a customized doll and winter outfits FREE, with a deadline of Dec. 15th for all printed orders, and Dec. 23rd for all PDF orders.
Giveaway instructions:
- Leave a comment making sure to enter your name and email where it asks you to
- Comments will be closed on Sunday Dec. 5th at Midnight EST
- ONE winner will be chosen
- Winner will be contacted via email
Best of luck to you!
*GIVEAWAY CLOSED*
Winner: Audra Costello!