Lora & Tim :: Bermuda 2012

Just about this time last year, as New York, New Jersey & Connecticut were feeling the sting of Hurricane Sandy, Mr. B & I were boarding a plane for Bermuda. We met Lora & Tim through Mr B's work & quickly the 4 of us adopted each other as friends. We were psyched to get the invite to their wedding...Bermuda in November? Yes, please!

Adding to my delight, Lora asked me to help with some of her wedding pieces. Here is what we came up with…

The illustrations: Lora sent her wedding invitations through Paperless Post, using Starfish and Shell by Virginia Johnson. She wanted to continue with the whimsical sea shell illustrations so, using her invitation as inspiration, I created watercolor illustrations of other commonly used shells to use in her pieces, like...

Weekend itineraries: Each guest found this packet waiting for them in their rooms. Local information & maps, as well as details from the bride & groom on the what-when-wheres of the weekend.

Wedding programs: 4.25 x 11 inches - tall & skinny, but packed with style & information. These (and the itineraries above) are digitally printed on 110lb Ecru Felt paper.

Thank You notes: I am so proud of these I could burst! Pink cards with starfish illustrations on the front. Coral envelopes lined with custom liners that I printed digitally & put in myself. Plus!! A great new address label that wraps around the envelope.

Table numbers: Not exciting, but essential. They were printed on the same ecru Dutch felt paper as the programs & itinerary sheets. They helped tie all the pieces together & added to the the beachy-chic decor Lora had going on.

Guest book: Prepare yourselves folks…Tim & Lora went for a message in a bottle theme for their guestbook. We made custom notepads and placed a sheet at each place setting. Guests were then instructed to give Lora & Tim some marital advice to read on a future anniversary. On the way to the buffet, they dropped their messages into an enormous bottle…it was functional & a sweet little piece of decor at the same time, especially as the table was decorated with wedding photos from both of their families.

Tim & Lora, Congrats on your 1 year anniversary!!

Come back tomorrow for more from our trip. Bermuda is beautiful and I couldn't resist the opportunity to post more!

PS for some reason Blogger is making my digital files like that notepad SUPER dark… {fuming…}

Tuesday Talk :: Nightly Doodles

It's Tuesday, November 5th…Election Day!! And since it is also the first Tuesday of the month, it's time for Tuesday Talk.

{Jen's selfie!}

This month I present Jenipher from Nightly Doodles. She is a fellow Etsy team member. She is an illustrator. Her shop motto: Encouraging and Silly Artwork for Children…I guess that means I'm a child at heart because I love her whimsical style & encouraging words.

Let's chat:

Hi! Introduce yourself:

Hi I’m Jenipher! I have a business called Nightly Doodles, where i doodle vibrant colorful, encouraging doodles to brighten you day! Like the perfect New Yorker, I’m a lady of many hats. In addition to “Nightly Doodles”, I have a jewelry business called “Cherry Runway”, do social media for two businesses and babysit.  TA DA!!!

{Achievement Card, Graduation card, "I'm SO proud of YOU", Hand drawn typography cupcake greeting card.}

Your Etsy profile says you love cupcakes. Yummmmm! Where do you buy your cupcakes? Favorite flavor??

Anything with chocolate mint is my GO TO flavor, for just about anything in the whole wide world, lol. My fiancée and I pretty much are always on the lookout for cupcakes, so I can’t give you an exact place where I buy them. Billy’s Cupcakes, in NYC, is really good though! Also Raphsodic Bakery in Orlando Florida,  is amazing!

Tell us something NOT in your Etsy profile.

I’m writing a book! :)

My goal is to have a super honest, encouraging, vibrant book for ladies mostly, in a zine type format to promote more towards teens to help them feel less alone. Right now I'm thinking quick sad or funny, truthful stories about my life and lots of my new "lovely girl" drawings. Think: getting made fun of, then 10 years later being told I am strong and impressive for still "waiting" for the right person. Or not realizing I literally wasn't dumb until 2010. It’s essentially a colorful book about taking hurts and finding joy!

{Love Notecard, 4 1/2 x 5 1/2, Sappy, Romantic card (Cream, Black and Aqua) "I'll Stick with You".}

When did you start doodling?

In 2010, while going through a hard time in life, I started a doodle project called "Nightly Doodles". I have continuously drawn one doodle just about every night and posted it to various web pages to inspire others and keep myself accountable. I am really proud of how those 'Nightly Doodles' have grown into hangable artwork, tote bags, and even baby onesies! My drawings are mostly whimsical punny doodles and happy, encouraging words of wisdom and that EVERYONE [especially women and girls] NEED to hear!"

...affirming people is very very important to me. My drawings are my small contribution to make the big world a better place; one smile at a time. I really do hope the messages I share inspire people to feel like they are NOT alone and help them through hard times, just like they have helped me.

How did you decide that your doodles should be cards?

That’s super cool actually! I was actually posting little black and white pen drawings online, then dropping color on them with Photoshop, and a gallery owner approached me to encourage me to sell them! That gave me the confidence to apply for a grant… and I won! Crazypants!

{New York City, 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 card, ICON hand drawn illustration card.}

What do you love about stationery?

Oh man! I’ve ALWAYS loved stationery! I love that it’s an affordable way to support artists, and that it’s so easy to find something super special for someone you care about.

{Punny Birthday Card, Funny boat birthday greeting card, (lime, pink, purple).}

Describe your online store:

It’s a mixture of super cute, whimsical, some times funny/punny cards, prints and zines. When you go to my shop, you pretty much enter my brain. So … welcome! Would you like a cup of tea?

What made you want to join EtsyNY? How as team membership helped you?

I actually wanted to join the month I moved here and missed the meeting twice that year! I was crushed, but since it took so long to acclimate to NY life, I’m pretty glad I didn’t join until this year. Within two weeks of joining Etsy NY, I was accepted into the Spring Cavalcade AND Better Than Jam on Governors Island, which was a complete blessing!

{Maid of Honor card, Wedding, "Will you be my maid of honor", Sappy, Romantic, 4 1/2 x 5 1/2, Wedding Congratulations, (pink black and white)}

Tell me the best greeting card you’ve ever received!

That’s easy! In 2008, YEARS before my fiancée and I started dating, he sent me a beautiful Papaya card. When I opened it, he filled BOTH SIDES in teeny tiny writing with the most thoughtful and sweet letter I’ve ever received. Inside was also a “Good for one Wish” token which he then used when he proposed to me this past March! YAY!!

When you want to send someone a card, what do you send? Where do you shop for cards?

My shelf in the living room where I keep my Nightly Doodles cards? No, but really, I’m always on the look out for something unique or adorable. Or just artwork to hang in my apartment.

{Encouraging Doodle Dog, Funny Doggie, 8x10 art print, (Beige, Blue, Purple) digital illustration print.}

What are your business plans for the rest of the year? Any predictions for things to come in 2014?

I’m participating in Lilla Roger’s licensing class; “Make Art That Sells” in November. Hooray! But! My PASSION is with my book I'm writing! It's the book I wish that I'd had when I was a teen.

Jenipher! Thanks so much for hanging out in my little corner of the internet. You guys can read more about her book here on her blog. Also, if you want updates on how it's coming along, visit Jenipher on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. And!! If you like the examples of Jenipher's work in this post, then you'll want to run over to her Etsy shop for loads more.

PS I conducted this interview with Jenipher over the summer. She & her fiancé have since become husband & wife. Congrats to them!!

What's in My Stationery Stash: The tip of the iceberg

As promised in my previous stationery stash post, let's look inside my baskets to see what I keep around.

A looooooooong time ago, I came across these cards on sale at Hallmark. I bought 3 boxes!! I am still working my way through them. They are blank on the inside which makes them perfect for ANYTHING. I used them the other day for a thank you note & just for funsies grabbed 2 extras out of the box to send to random friends just to say hi. 

I've said before, if you see a card you like, just buy it. You'll find a reason to use it! The card above I bought in Amsterdam & I wish I'd bought a thousand of them. This card above sort of says "wedding" but I bought a bunch from this illustrator with all different pictures of girlfriends hanging out. This is my LAST ONE. I'm so sad. They have been great for all kinds of occasions. 

By the way, Amsterdam, in general, had amazing stationery & paper stores. If you go there, seek them out. You will not be sorry!!

So, clearly this is a baby-themed card. I couldn't decide what to get a girl friend a year or so ago, so I bought more than one card & thought I'd decide which one to send later. Plenty of friends are having babies these days, so this will not stay in the stash much longer I'm sure.

Oh...one of my favorites!! I picked this up at Black Ink in Pacific Palisades, CA while visiting family. GREAT card shop if you're in the LA area & head out to the beach. The card was made by Copper Willow & is one of a few in this size & style that I got. The rest have been used already!! This one is an anniversary card. The inside says: another year together. Happy Anniversary. It's a little difficult to see in the photo above, but the ink on this letterpressed card has a little metallic shine to it.

But wait! There's more! I seriously pick up cards...or make them for myself...all the time. But, that's enough for now. I want to keep you yearning for more!

Anyone keep cards on hand? Birthday? Thank you notes?? I would love to see & hear about them. Head over to Facebook & show me your goods!

Happy Halloween!

It is not the Halloween we were expecting here in New York, but nonetheless...Halloween it is! Hope everyone has a safe one...

Illustration credit: Me! Based on some pumpkin photos I took a few years ago.