Yet more time away

Once again, my world has gone crazy. I'm attempting to get as much done as possible over the next couple of weeks in preparation for Jr. to arrive, leaving me little time to post. So, I'm signing off for a couple of weeks, returning in early March for a couple of more weeks (hopefully) before Jr. makes an appearance.

Thank you everyone for checking in so often. For your blogging enjoyment while I'm away, here are a few blogs I've been enjoying lately:

• Crafting an MBA
• Shop Etsy
• Letterheady
• Paperiaarre
• Graphic-ExchanGE (okay, not really a blog, but oh so pretty)
• Crafting a Green World (it's a good blog, but gets repetitive fairly quickly)

What are some of your favorite craft and design blogs?

I Heart Handmade show just in time for Valentine's Day

If you're going to be anywhere near Bellevue, Washington this Saturday, stop in and check out the I Heart Handmade gift show. There will be some great artisans and crafters there selling their wares just in time for Valentine's Day.

Boxes 'n' things

As noted in my last post, here are some images of some items I took over to Black Door Studio last week:

Coral entanglement keepsake box (6” w x 6” l x 2.875” t)

Copper red floral keepsake box (5" w x 8" l x 3" t)

Gold and green floral keepsake box (4" w x 5" l x 3" t)

Flower dragonfly keepsake box (5.75" w x 5.75" l x 2" t)

Cherry blossoms blank card and matching custom envelope

I've stopped calling my boxes gift boxes, and now refer to them as keepsake boxes. It's amazing to me what a difference a description can make. Gift boxes imply one-time use, while the boxes I make are sturdy, made from acid-free matboard and will last. They're great for display on a shelf and to keep miscellaneous items - photos, keepsakes, collections of plastic miniatures... many things.

Find Corbae at Black Door Studio

For those of you local to the Seattle/Everett area, I'm excited to announce that you can now find some of my boxes and cards at Black Door Studio in Everett! If you haven't checked out their retail store and studio space, it's well worth it!

Black Door Studio
237 Elm Street
Everett, WA

Facebook page

Web site


I'll post some of the new items I've made for the store in the next couple of days.

And if you're on Facebook, did you know that Corbae has a fan page? Yup... Check it out.

New year - what's the word?

A friend of mine started a tradition a few years ago that I've completely co-opted. Instead of coming up with a list of new year's resolutions pick one word that will help define the experiences you want for the year. I love this idea as opposed to a list of resolutions I probably won't keep. A single word to push me to focus on what I think is important for the year.

I don't remember every word I've picked over the last few years, but do remember "Bold" and "Create". I think I used something akin to "Do" a few years ago as well.

For 2010?

I've chosen "Learn" as my guiding word. I'm excited about this and am already thinking about all of the things I want to focus on learning:

• I'm going to be a new mom. Being a parent is going to be a daily exercise in learning new skills and patience.


• I want to enhance my design skills on the web side. The basics? No problem. But I want to learn to do thing so I don't feel held back when designing for the web.


• I want to expand my knowledge of papercraft - always!


• I want to read, read, read.


• I want to relearn drawing by hand, so I don't feel so bogged down when I want to produce a sketch.


• I want to learn more on the technical side of renewable energy to understand available technologies better.

But, it's all about learning.

What's your word for 2010?

Happy Christmas to all

After some serious scrambling, I managed to get my holiday cards out in the mail on the 23rd of December. At this point, I think they might be New Years cards.

This was my first attempt at using my die cut machine (KNK Groove-e) I purchased way back in late June. It definitely takes some trial and error to get the hang of it. But, luckily, the software is compatible with Illustrator, so so far I’ve only had to learn the basics of the cumbersome software that comes with the cutter. I can do all my actual drawing in Illy.

I’m happy with the results, if more time consuming than I’d hoped. Everything was done with papers and coverstock I had on hand, using up extras of papers I purchased for other projects. The design was originally freehand drawn, then scanned, and finally traced in Illy. The card is two sheets – an overlay with the diecut pattern and an internal coverstock card, attached to each other via a string binding.

Enjoy! And for those of you who celebrate Christmas: have a safe and merry one! For those of you who don’t: have a lovely, quiet 25th.

Learn more about the KNK from the online expert - Sandy McCauley

Custom boxes as gifts

I love making custom boxes for gifts. The packaging becomes part of the gift itself. I've had people tell me that they display their boxes long after the gift itself is gone. They use the box for regifts (which is my favorite use for them), with the boxes often reappearing year after year within a family. Not only can I customize the size of the box to fit the contents, but I can customize the paper and design to fit the recipient(s).

But, of course, making these boxes is time consuming. I wish I could take the time to make them for all gifts, especially at Christmas, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. So, I often pick one or two gifts that get a custom box, rotating through family and friends.

Here's one I made for a gift of wine this year:

When it was done, I used a lovely red ribbon to tie it closed. Green and red – hard to get more Christmasy than that.

Interested in a custom box for your gifts? Email me or convo me via my Etsy store.

Viney sketch

I've been enjoying drawing some more abstract patterns lately. When I draw, I'm very slow and get frustrated quickly. But, for some reason, I don't get irritated when working on something more abstract like the above, even if it takes as long or longer than sketching a realistic scene.

To draw the vine pattern above, I freehand sketched the pattern, then scanned it in and redrew over it in Illy, giving me vector art I can resize, change color, etc.

Tone on tone patterns

Woven window christmas card - red. Available in my Etsy store.

One of my favorite techniques is to create a subtle pattern using weaving as a source for the pattern. By using the same paper, but weaving it together, I can create a textural effect without overwhelming a simple design with something busy. One of these days, I'll take some weaving classes to expand my pattern repertoire.

Holiday show fun

Booties from Joy Bilee. Etsy shop: www.joybilee.etsy.com

Admid a very busy weekend, the hubby and I stopped into the 2009 Etsy Rain Holiday show. It was quite probably the perfect size for an arts/crafts fair. It was big enough for some good meandering, but small enough that I didn’t start glazing over halfway through the exibits. We found some great treasures for holiday gifts and I met a few people I’d only emailed in the past. The photo above is the one thing that we bought for “ourselves” - cute, fabric baby booties for Junior. Who doesn't love crazy cat fabric?

While wandering, I made two observations though. One - I felt bad for the jewelry vendors. There were just too many of them, probably almost half of the vendors, for their wares to stand out very much. And the second observation - I was reminded once again that packaging and good merchandise display can make all the difference. I definitely glossed over displays that were too crowded. Showing everything in hopes of attracting a variety of buyers can backfire by creating a “mess” that no-one wants to delve into.

Most memorable line heard from a vendor? It’s a tie between:

• The woman who crochets wire into art and jewelry made the comment that her stuff was not inspired by war after I'd made the comparison to it looking similar to chainmail.


• The overheard story of the little girl who wanted her dad to “buy her a rainbow” after seeing a shank of hand-dyed wool.

But, it's not even Thanksgiving

I know, I know, it's not even Thanksgiving, but I've begun to post some holiday cards and items in my Etsy store.

I think my favorite word used around this time of year is "Joy". Go ahead, say the word out loud. You can't help but smile a bit. It's a word that hasn't lost its meaning as a polite phrase like "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays". We can say "Merry Christmas" and not really think about what we're saying, but I think it's much harder to wish someone joy without consciously thinking about what we're saying, which puts meaning behind the words.

What's your favorite holiday word?

Links to holiday items posted so far:

• Winter night holiday card (set of ten)


• Copper evergreen holiday card (set of five)


• Star field holiday card (set of ten)


• And many other boxes that would be a wonderful way to package those holiday finds.

I'm back

After a series of adventures in the land o' pregnancy – nausea, dehydration, hospital stays – that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, I'm back! I'm so lucky to have the husband, family, and friends that I do. They've been exceedingly supportive and understanding.

Junior's doing well. He's on track to be born in mid-March. And all the tests say he's healthy. Yay!

So, expect posts from me in the coming weeks.

I'm restarting with an announcement for a holiday craft show coming up. I'm not in it, but you can be sure I'll be there admiring all the pretties (and purchasing some too). If you're in the Seattle area I definitely recommend it. The show is the EtsyRain Holiday Show. They have an amazing line-up of artists and crafters this year.

Show details:

2009 EtsyRain Holiday Show

November 21st & 22nd, 10:00am - 5:00pm

Intiman Theatre lobby, Seattle, WA (map)

More information and a list of participants is available here.

Neglect

O' blog, how I have neglected you. The good news - I'm neglecting you because I'm pregnant. The bad news - I'm neglecting you because of all the first trimester nastiness sapping all energy and will beyond what's absolutely necessary. Everyone promises it'll get better. With that faint hope in mind, expect a lag until after Labor Day. Then, hopefully I'll pick back up with some semblance of vigor.

Design isn't just for advertising

Image: Winning design by Kyle Thompson over at the Dollar ReDe$ign Project.

As a graphic designer by day, I truly appreciated this opinion article by Allison Arieff over on the NY Times web site. Imagine easy-to-follow, well-designed forms; clear and precise info boxes for your mortgage; signage designed for easy reading (see an older article from the NY Times for examples of this). The article is calling for a national design policy, and while many rebel against this siting a loss of creativity, I think at a basic level it would do much more good than harm.

I think of forms first and foremost. Often relegated to a side task or to someone with no training beyond a good grasp of Word, I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to scream and then redesign forms in doctors offices, government agencies, court offices, grocery stores, banks, etc. A well thought-out and well-designed form always immediately jumps out at me, mostly because it's so rare. I wonder how many mistakes could be avoided with better forms that flow logically, offer the right amount of space for requested information, and have common sense explanations for terms that might be industry-speak. And while a national design policy can't do anything about those horrible forms at my bank, they can remind people that good design isn't just for advertising and brochures, but applies to everything. It can save time, money, and help avoid mistakes.

The winter queen would like white ferns

I've posted a new set of cards over in my Etsy shop. I really enjoyed creating this illustration of a fern frond. The fern image comes from a fern in my backyard and I love the detailed edges combined with the flat off-white color.

And, as I've said before in this blog, I do think packaging is an important part of the whole. In keeping with the light, neutral tones of these cards, I wanted to do something simple for the packaging, so created a pocket. I added just a bit o' shiny in the tie used to close the package.

Sail away, sail away, sail away

I will be taking a few days away from the blogosphere. Expect new posts mid next week.

Ode to the handwritten note

The NY Times has a great article on how stationary and handwritten notes are not dead. It's wonderful to hear the love in the voices of those who are quoted.

I do find it a little sad that it focuses only on high end stationary, which, for print and paper-philes like me is lovely to send, receive, touch, feel, drool over at De Medici Ming (store in Seattle), etc. But, I do wish the article made mention of the fact that hand written notes on any card, not just the expensive hand-engraved on french paper versions, are always well appreciated and are worth the time. Who doesn't love receiving hand-written notes in the mail these days?

Take my niece and nephew. My sister-in-law has always been wonderful about writing thank you notes. The notes are always timely, well worded, and much appreciated. As my niece and nephew have learned how to write, thank you notes have slowly started coming from them. It started with my sis-in-law writing the note and they would add a little picture, then their name as they learned to write it, and more recently they have written the notes themselves. Not only are they learning good manners, but I have loved watching the evolution of their notes, pictures, handwriting.

Where's that 40' x 40' studio I requested?

I recently purchased a die cutting machine. It's going to be great and save a lot of time once it's set up. Unfortunately, it's a bit larger than I'd expected, so I've been spending the last few days purging my office/studio of the piles that have built up since the last purge in 2007. It's amazing what accumulates if you don't keep an eye on things.

On a positive note - aside from the new die cutter - I did find quite a few single cards, one-offs, discontinued items, experiments, etc. Over the next few days I'm going to post most of them over in my Etsy shop as sale items.

Now to find just a bit more space.

It's amazing what color and a perspective shift can do

I posted a new set of cards over in my Etsy shop. Called “Wave hello”, I think it's amazing what putting a very similar cut pattern on a different color and lying it horizontal instead of vertical does to the image. Suddenly what looked like a creature from the deep now looks like the deep (water that is).

Dare not speak its name

More fun with security envelope patterns. I just posted this new card over in my Etsy store. Done freehand, using an exacto knife, the pattern came out very cthulu-esque. Does a message written in a cthulu greeting card need to make sense?