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.