Christmas in August....for reals!

The Mailman is a pretty popular guy at our house. Small white and blue trucks, and big brown trucks usually bring my kids screaming to the front door with high hopes they will get something. Usually it's not for them, but this time it was.

And guess what he brought?

A Christmas Goodnight just came in the mail! The first sample copy was wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper by my editor (how she got some in August I have no idea) and looky-looky!

It's always a bit surreal, these moments. Children at Play fabric was such a whirlwind...it was created fast and produced fast to make it in time for Spring Market. This book on the other hand, I started 2 years ago, exactly. I finished it a year ago, so getting my fingers on this is rather sweet. But honestly, seeing my children's reactions for the first time is precious.

This is a OH SO VERY candid moment of me reading it the first time. Precious. Not exactly promo material, but maybe this will give you an idea how little eyes see the book.

It was so magical and hilarious to witness their reactions. This lasted for like 12 minutes, but I love you all, and am only showing you 1 minute:) So sorry about the quality. I need to hire a movie-techie-elf. Someday.

But really you guys...I love this. I love illustrating. I LOVE the world of books, and I really, really hope to keep my hand in it. Working on this book was an amazing experience, one where I knew I was where I belonged!

But to keep illustrating books, I need your help:)

To give you a little scoop on the world of publishing, authors and illustrators get to publish more books based on how well their previous books have sold. Meaning, you could have a really awesome book, but if just your mom and your cousin purchase it, the chances of you getting another contract are really slim. Sad, but true. It's just how the publishing world works.

I'm not asking you to go buy millions of copies (although, that would be really cool, and I'd mail you some of the to-die-for Swiss chocolate my brother just brought home from a trip to Geneva). But, you can help your local libraries, bookstores and communities be aware of it so that they can buy it. I have a little PDF download here that my amazingly wonderful editor put together, and if you print it off and hand it to your librarian or local bookstore, you can make sure that your favorite local book places will be carrying it.

And if you DO want to get your hands on a copy, you can pre-order it here, here and here. Did you know that by pre-ordering it, it tells the Harper Collins Publishing elves that they need to get more out by Christmas? (And shhhhhh...secret: It's a steal of a price to pre-order online!)

So, print off this info sheet and make sure your library will have it, or local bookstore, etc. (I'd especially love to see us all supporting our local bookstores this Christmas!)

I'll be posting more about the making of the book, and other really fun facts as we get closer to the holidays. Although, right now, it's really feeling like Christmas!

To print A Christmas Goodnight info sheet for your local bookstore or library click here

To Pre-order on Amazon click here

To Pre-order on B&N click here

To pre-order at a local bookstore in the USA click here

Merry Christmas!

xo

sarah

Taking the leap.

What a week. What a day, really. Well, what a year! Ok, make that nearly 4 years.

Let me back up.

It all started in my little apartment. Kenneth and I were trying to figure out how to make ends meet. Things were looking pretty tight, and I had 2 babies in diapers. I had to do something, and to put a really long story in a nutshell, I got on my knees and prayed, then got to work. In 3 months time I had taught myself how to use photoshop, scan art into a printer and create digital prints. I even overnighted myself a fine art printer, and 2 days later I opened an ETSY shop. That was 1417 days ago. Last night, I sold my 10,000th sale on ETSY (to this lovely lady no less) and I find myself so incredibly sentimental. I'm just speechless. Really? I remember being so overwhelmed with the thought of leaving my babies to go work, when instead I was able to create this at home business where I have been able to stay at home. It's such an incredible blessing. Thank you!

But with that blessing, has come many curses. Curse is a strong word. Let's call them set backs. There are set backs to having work in your home, especially the management of orders, shipments, supplies, boxes (Oh! The boxes!) deadlines, no vacation time and just a lot of work to manage. I'd be lying if I said it was easy. I've had the most loyal help and most wonderful team through the years, all of which have turned out to be some of my dearest friends! But even with help, Sarah Jane Studios has grown to more than I can really handle at home: both in the physical sense and the emotional. So, why not just get more help? I tried going in that direction, and right now, getting more help = more people in my home to manage, oversee and think about. When really, I struggle with having enough space in my brain to get the trash on the curb on the right night (oh ya...Kenneth does that). I've played the game of Tetris all summer, with knowing where to put the least amount of effort for the maximum amount of reward: a business (and life!) philosophy I strongly believe in. And the answer is,  to hand all of my products over to companies who can handle things better than I can, and thus free up my time for more mothering, housekeeping and illustrating.

I'm starting to feel free just writing this!

Wow. But after some long, long weeks and months of trying to figure out how to move forward with what I started, and what I want for my family, I have decided to use 2 incredible small companies to fulfill, print and ship all our products. That may not seem like a big deal to you. And maybe you don't really care, cause you will most likely not even notice a difference...well, except that my cute little hand written address label will be replaced with a digital one. Sorry. But it's a big deal to me, because I'm handing over a baby really. Something that I started in the middle of a crisis that has grown too big for my arms to carry.

And to answer any questions, Ann and myself are still who you will hear from just as normal. All will be the same. The products the same, the only difference is that my basement and garage will be a lot less full, and my brain will be a lot less cluttered! Which ultimately means more fabric, books and art for you, and more REAL living for me!

Wow. Big load off my shoulders. Something inside of women, well at least me, thinks that we can just do it all. Well, we can't. We should really be striving to do a few things really well. The important things. And managing a shop from home has come to the point of me not being able to be the kind of mom (or artist for that matter!) that I want to be. And while outsourcing isn't for everyone (It's not the best financial solution, that's for sure!) it is the best for us. And I thought you should know, since you've been the fire behind the machine.

So. Back to where I was. Are you still reading this? Hi there, if you are. Last night I made my 10,000th sale, and I made the final decisions to send my inventory far away (in the USA by the way!) and I'll be shipping it all off tomorrow!

So, what does that mean for the shop? By the end of the day today (August 11, 2011), all embroidery patterns and stationery will be unavailable for a week. Prints, posters and frames will run as normal.  So, if you need something before August 18th, today is your day.

I'm off to pack up my stuff! And I hope you know how awesome it's been to share this journey with you. It's a wonderful story, really. Lots of ups and downs, trial and error. Learning as I go. And this new transition is feeling great.

I'm off!

xoxo

sarah

PS: This picture is a favorite view of mine from where we live. I get the "big picture" reminder every day. So lucky!

Want some paper goodness?

So, today while I was browsing around the web, I hopped on to my favorite quilting blog, and found this darling idea of a friend I met at Quilt Market, who used the Children at Play catalog to make some darling sewn cards! What a great idea!

The catalog is super great quality, matte finish cardstock to be specific, eight pages of color images...and if I do say so myself, rather pretty:) My friend Melanie helped me lay them out in really nice, easy to cut out shapes! And while I loved how well it turned out, I never thought of selling them until I've been bombarded with emails asking about it. Well, I have about 250 left over. And I don't really need then any more. And according to Pamela, this catalog is much more useful in your hands than in my garage. Yes?

So, I've added it to my shop at an even $3. Have as many as you want! First come first serve.

Have fun with these!

In the shop here.

What you all are making

I'm starting to get the facebook posts and flickr photos with you sharing all your lovely creations with Children at Play! I'm having so much fun watching you create!

Left Column:

1) On Parade Dress

2) On Parade Pillow

3) Just Stay Little Aqua Blouse

Right Column:

1) Rockets Blue pants

2) Racer Stripe Green pants

3) On Parade, Playing Dolls, Just Stay Little & Dot to Dot outfit

4) On the Go Cream pants

Remember to post your images to the Sarah Jane: Children at Play Flickr Group. It's just getting started! I'd love to post more of what you are creating. I'll make a sidebar button one of these days...haven't figured out how to make one though. It's on the list!

I especially want to see more of your Boy creations. The boy collections were actually the top selling, and I'd love to see what you've created! Have fun!

xo

sarah

More influences from my childhood.

I'm wanting to keep sharing some of the influential books from my childhood, and to do that I can't leave out songbooks!

I grew up with music, books, pictures, and art all around me as a child.  My mother was a passionate picture book lover, and to this day won't let me keep some of my favorites as a child. But this book (probably because she doesn't play the piano any more) is one she did hand down.

The Great Song Book edited by Timothy John and illustrated by the legendary Tomi Ungerer.

Gorgeous art. I think I was 12 before I realized that Bethlehem didn't actually look like that magical snow covered German village. That's how much I believed in these illustration!

I love that this is a song book with the music right there to play for your children. We use this book all the time, and I love teaching them these old forgotten songs.

Do you have books that have been passed down from your childhood? What are you favorites?

**And on the news front, check out this fun award mentioned on Babble. I guess according to their ranks, I'm one of the top 50 ETSY moms this year, placing 2nd in the Artist category! Check it out here.  So flattering as I know there are so many amazing moms on ETSY. Thank you Babble.com!**

Doodling in color.

I think about color a lot. As an illustrator who takes drawing very seriously, color is something that has always taken second place. As I've grown as an artist, and forged my path for where my art wants to go, I've learned to apply design and color in balance with my drawing, and it's been so enlightening. Rather than thinking of the subject of the piece I'm working on, I've learned to think about color just as early on in the doodle stage. And because of the handy-dandy computer, I can play with color a lot faster and it's not as intimidating when trying to come up with color palettes.

This is a color palette I'm seriously in love with at the moment (well, for the past few months) and I can't get it out of my head. Gorgeous, isn't it?

{Bottom images: here, here and here. Also collectively found here.}

Forgotten books of poetry: Granfa Grig

I have so many books that have influenced myself as an illustrator, as well as influenced my mothering. I have been wanting to share them for a while, and I was SO happy when I found this favorite of mine at a used bookstore in Downtown Salt Lake City. Granfa Grig Had a Pig is a collection of mostly forgotten nursery rhymes, mixed with a few favorites, and illustrated by the amazing Wallace Tripp, who won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Picture Books for this book. And rightly so! It's full of illustration after illustration that completely take you right into the poems. My children can't take their eyes off the pictures, and it's sweet to see...because I would study this for hours as a child. I can really see how  this book has influenced my art as an illustrator. It's really fun to see that now as I look back.

In addition to the illustrations being completely gorgeous, there is a lot of humor in this compilation too. Even adult humor, which I appreciate since adults are ultimately the ones reading it! The choice of nursery rhymes are just wonderful (a good 80% of them I can't say I've seen in any other compilation) and my children have loved memorizing them.

It  makes for an increased vocabulary too, especially when they are so easy to memorize:

Peter White will ne'er go right

Would you like to know the reason why?

He follows his nose wherever he goes

And that stands all awry.

Memorization. Is it just me, or is that a lost art? Memorizing poetry? I think I have a blog post on just that.

My kids have shown trememdous growth in their reading and speaking skills since I've been offering them more poetry this summer. I could talk for hours on that subject...but 'tis summer and I must get outside!

If you haven't seen this book, you really need to. Ask your local library, or search through used and new listings here. It's out of print, and so far Amazon is the only online place I could find copies here.

I will be reviewing more of my favorite illustrated books (it's been a while!) and for more reviews, visit here.

{Winners from the Giveaway gave been announced and are at the bottom of the giveaway post. Thank you so much...this was so fun!}

Small and big.

I've been thinking of small things lately. Small little people. Small acts of kindness. Small carrots and other not-so-ready-to-be-picked items from our garden occasionally make it inside the house. All with the "Oops! Sorry, Mom" look on my kids faces.

Giveaway entries however were NOT so small! Thanks so much for spreading the word about the new things in the shop....really. It means so much! And since there are so many facebookers and tweets to collect, I'll be posting winners tomorrow.

Love to you all! Happy Monday!