New! Finally!

I'm excited to say that this week I'll be uploading some of the new (and some of the updated) designs from the year so far. I'm working on some new dragons, and playing with text more than ever. The two newest monsters on the scene are sing song (below) and lovely dragon (above), both blank cards with text versions soon to be released. In fact, Lovely here has become part of my new logo and card back designs... seeing as how she looks pretty much the way I feel at the finish of every drawing. Sing Song is also a new card experiment: the dragon image cuts off at the left-hand fold and curls around the back of the card. I really need to get some photos of these, considering the new stuff is starting to pile up. Ah! This week I'm under the crunch of an art deadline at work... so if my sister-manager gets any photos, I'll be sure to upload those by week's end.

Speaking of busyness, the two of us just finished our first in-house crafty bake sale. Celeste (my sister) has had phenomenal local success selling her amazing cardamom bread and handmade granola, not to mention online acclaim with the launch of her new Etsy shop 70'sHome. The event was fun, with the possibility of growth in the future.

I want to thank our friends for their support! I expected to do more crafty things like this this summer, and wonder if my work schedule will permit. Hmmm... somehow I must make it work between the two responsibilities- it was so lovely to open our home, gather the bulk of our goods together in one place, and smell all of that incredible cooking day after day!

an example of one of my new card back designs... ooh, color!

Big Projects (and changes)

We've had some significant changes around here since I was last blogging (November?) in EiB, but many things remain the same: I'm still in Portland, still working full time (thankfully), still living with my sister and thus immersed in the growth of her twin boys, and still drawing.

Or, actually, I'm able to draw every now and again, which I can't say was the case last year. :}

Its now 2010 and spring here in Oregon. I'm writing from a rainy day, the boys are napping, the house is calm and breezy, and all around us I see the results of many efforts myself and my sister have been working on in order to prosper through creativity. We've been through some hardships this winter, and neither of us yet feel the periods of grace that come after a lot of hard work.

However, I have been away from Etsy for some, hmm, 3 months, and in that time have focused so much energy on bringing my shop, its appearance, and my products to a higher standard. I work in a downtown card shop and letterpress studio by day, so the influence of working among artists, watching customers react to cards & images including my own, and generally having grown since ouou opened in 2007 have all played a part in the changes I've been busy stringing together while absent from the www scene.


Right now the biggest and best difference in our work and home routine is that Celeste has offered to manage my shop during these crucial spring months. Crucial because in my day job I'm part of a team putting the finishing touches on our store's new website, and I'm not able to devote the hours to my Etsy shop I could when Etsy was my full time, or even part time job. The website will be up in May, and in June I need to take a look at my business and see where its growth is taking me. These months are also crucial because this is the beginning of craft fair season in Portland, and I'm sure much of the US. In order to get ready, compile new artwork for sale, and run my wholesale business, I needed some reinforcement. My heroic sister kindly tipped her hat for the job.

So, that's just my quick return post. :)