My Artwork Can Now Be Found On Checks!

 {Just Dandy checkbook cover and checks}

 

I am SO excited to share with you today my new licensing partnership with Check Advantage! Starting today, my artwork can now be found on checks! I've designed 6 collections featuring some of my favorite and best-selling artwork. The fun thing is that each set of checks comes with four designs, and you can get checkbook covers and labels to match! EEK!

I have wanted to design for checks ever since I got my first checking account when I was a teenager in college. I think that was one of the first times I saw and understood how artwork could be applied to product. I would check out every company I could and review all of their checks in hopes of finding ones that I loved. So when the opportunity arose to work with Check Advantage I was IN!!
Now, I just need to decide which ones I'm going to order for myself....


Which is your favorite set?
The juicy colors against black with All Dolled Up?
Retro 60s tribute to mod with Just Dandy?
Outdoor picnic inspired designs in Field Day?
Vintage Tablecloth feeling vibe of Prairie Park?
The cross-stitch and crochet homespun feel of Hope Chest?
Or the sweet vintage feel of Flea Market?

My Global Bazaar Fabric Collection Photo Shoot

My latest fabric collection 'Global Bazaar' with Blend Fabrics started shipping in January.
Woo-hoo! 4 weeks later, I FINALLY got my photos from my Global Bazaar photo shoot back last night, and I'm just dying to share them with you! If you follow me on Facebook, you've probably already had a chance to check them out on my website. However, for all of you who visit my blog, I wanted to share some of my favorite photos and a bit about the day.

 

My vision for my Global Bazaar photo shoot was to have a teepee on a beach. That's where it all started. From there I decided to cover some vintage suitcases with my fabrics from this collection to round out the theme, make some pillows, borrow the gorgeous quilts that were made by Metropolitan Quilt for Blend Fabrics, create a backdrop out of flag tape, and bring one of my living room chairs to the beach. What a day!

 {Vintage suitcases I covered with my fabrics}

I found these suitcases on CraigsList about a 2 hour drive away, and my husband and I took a morning to drive and pick them up. I covered all of the hardware with masking tape, and I spray painted the edges and the handles black. I then covered the suitcases with my fabrics using (original, matte finish) Mod Podge, a foam brush, and (multiple) fresh blades on an x-acto knife.   

{Close-up of my Global Bazaar fabric collection}

As I was determined to finish all 3 suitcases in one sitting, cutting around the hardware just about put me over the edge! It took me 6 hours to complete this project, and I must say that they are absolutely GORGEOUS in person! The Mod Podge dried completely clear. They still feel like fabric to the touch, as I didn't put a sealer on them since they're for decoration not for really traveling. 

 

Also, doing a photo shoot on the beach...in Seattle...in February was not particularly genius because of how cold it was. My poor models were freezing but I must say that they constantly had a smile on their faces and were having a blast! Whew!

For this photo shoot, I decided to keep it smaller than my previous ones, for many reasons. One being that this year, I'll have 3 fabric lines coming out with Blend Fabrics. Three!!! With 3 fabric collections vs. 1 this year, I need to conserve my resources and my energy to be able to do photo shoots for each. Speaking of which - I am in need of sewers who can help me out...but that's another blog post.

 {Victory Patterns 'Roxanne' and 'Simone'}

In keeping with a smaller shoot, I sewed two garments this time, and excitedly used patterns from Victory Patterns. I LOVE Victory Patterns due to their fashion forward styles. The garments fit like regular clothes too, which is dreamy. The garment on the left uses Victory Pattern 'Roxanne' and the garment on the right uses pattern 'Simone'.

 

I LOVE the back of the 'Simone' high-low hem dress with the contrasting pattern! I used my Global Bazaar fabrics: Global Bazaar floral Red, Chimera Gray, and Hand-drawn Stripe Red for piping.

The collar on this 'Roxanne' top is to-die-for! What a great sewing pattern!
For this pattern, I used my Global Bazaar fabric 'Dancing Geos Blue', along with a black sequin fabric and a solid pink cotton.

 

Above is a bolster pillow that I created (and hope to put together a free sewing pattern for you...).

I must say that I'm quite proud of myself for creating everything for this shoot on my own. Although, I know now that next time I will definitely need some help! It's just too much to do it all and be successful at running my business (& preparing for Surtex!) as well. I hope to blog soon about how much I need you. Stay tuned!



I hope you enjoy these Global Bazaar photos and that they inspire you to use my fabrics for your own creations! If  you'd like to see more photo's, I've uploaded them to Flickr, and also created a slide-show on my website for you to watch. Please do share what you create! I'd love to see!

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what I've been up to!

Global Bazaar Fabric Collection Sneak Peek!

On Sunday I had my Global Bazaar fabric collection photo shoot! If you've been following along on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you've had the chance to see some sneak peek photos already. Today, I'm including a few new photos that my photographer, Natalie, took using a super-old school Polaroid camera.

I can't WAIT to share the rest of the photos and story with you in the next few weeks! Please stay tuned!

My Hope Chest Scrapbooking Line on HSN!

Hi Everyone! I've got three BIG announcements to share with you today! First off, my Hope Chest collection just debuted as a scrapbooking line at CHA with Blend!

Second, it will be selling on HSN Wednesday, January 23rd during the Today's Special at 11:00am (EST), particularly at 11:40am (EST)!
 

 {Image from Anna Griffin, Inc / Blend}

This is the perfect opportunity for you to get some new papers and embellishments to scrapbook your life and adventures - especially if you loved my Hope Chest fabric collection! In addition, there's more fabulous Hope Chest stationery items on their way too!

  {Image from Anna Griffin, Inc / Blend}

And Third, the main floral from my Hope Chest fabric collection, Hope Chest Floral, Olive, debuted at CHA also as a line of travel bags! Three pieces of great news, yes?!? Now I need to book a flight somewhere so I can use said beauties!

You can find some of my current Hope Chest stationery for sale on Anna Griffin's shop, under Blend.

  {Image from Anna Griffin, Inc / Blend}

My good friend, Diane Kappa, attended CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) and took some photo's of the gorgeous Blend / Anna Griffin booth that showcased my Hope Chest collection. Didn't they do an outstanding job? Check out the plethora of beautiful projects they created!! WOW!

 {My Hope Chest Scrapbooking Collection Display at the Blend / Anna Griffin Booth at CHA}

Didn't they do an amazing job with the display?

  {Close-up of My Hope Chest Scrapbooking Collection Display at the Blend / Anna Griffin Booth at CHA}

{Close-up of My Hope Chest Scrapbooking Collection Display at the Blend / Anna Griffin Booth at CHA}

Below are close-ups of some of the projects. I just think they did an AMAZING job. Everything they touch turns beautiful, seriously!

{Project Blend made using my New Hope Chest Scrapbooking Collection}

 {Project Blend made using my New Hope Chest Scrapbooking Collection}

{Projects Blend made using my New Hope Chest Scrapbooking Collection}

 {Project Blend made using my New Hope Chest Scrapbooking Collection}

 {Some of the new Hope Chest stationery coming out!}

I'm just so excited for all of these gorgeous products to hit the market so they can bring beauty and smiles to the women's lives who encounter them. If these make your heart happy, be sure to watch HSN this Wednesday, January 23rd so you can add them to your paper-crafting collection! Hope you enjoy! Thanks!!

Hope Chest Stationery & Desk Organization Products!

 {Hope Chest Single Greeting Card, Happy Birthday}

I'm so excited to share with you today the rest of the samples that came in the big box I mentioned in my last post! My Hope Chest collection that is currently in fabric, is now also in stationery and desk organization products! I absolutely LOVE seeing this collection in paper form - especially when it's all decked out in glitter!
 

 {L to R: Kite Note Paper Holder, Single Thank You Greeting Card, Note Pad Set of 3, Watering Can Sticky Note Folio, Single Birthday Greeting Card}

There's quite a few items in this collection from note pads to cards and sticky notes, file folders, note pads, etc.! The colors are beautiful and the products are nice and high quality. I took the products out of their packaging so I could get non-glaring pics, but what's even more special (to me) is that the product packaging dons my logo on the front, for branded product.

 {Portable Note Pad, File Folder set of 12 of 4 designs}

I'm just DYING over this super-cute scooter! It comes in a lovely clear box and includes a set of 10 note cards, 5 each of 2 designs. What a great hostess gift, yes?

 

Seeing my logo printed on the back like a license plate is like icing on the cake for me. SO CUTE! 

 

I've already started using them and scattering them throughout my office. This collection of licensed product is seriously a dream come true for me. For those of you who know me, I love to organize, and I spend a lot of time in my studio. So to have a chance to decorate my space with my own products is truly super-special.

{Inside of Watering Can Sticky Note Folio}

I hope you get a chance to get your hands on some of these pieces, either as gifts for the upcoming holiday season or for your own personal happiness! I'll try to keep you posted on where you can find these.

If you are a store interested in carrying any of these lovelies, from Hip Holiday and/or Hope Chest, please contact Blend, the licensing division of Anna Griffin, Inc. at 888.817.8170 to place an order.

Surtex 2012 & NYC Recap

{Laura and I at Surtex 2012, Day 1}

I thought I'd post about some of the fab restaurants we dined at while in NYC, after the Surtex show each night. I had the pleasure of rooming with Morgan & Carrie from Ampersand Design Studio and Laura from Laura Parke // A Girl Who Makes, so most nights we hung out together in the city which was really wonderful.

I'm super thankful that the girls were 'foodies' because I would be just as happy ordering room service after a long day! BUT I had a blast and absolutely loved each place we went so I'm SO thankful those girls drug me out!

We went to A.O.C. which has a fabulous patio in the back which we stayed at for hours. We could barely see ourselves or the menu but thankfully our orders went in without a hitch and came out super tasty! Morgan took us to Extra Virgin which was the most wonderful, tasty place ever! I think we even ordered appetizers, dinner AND dessert it was that good. We did some shopping in Soho (Topshop being my absolute FAVE!) and stopped into a Herman Miller shop where I found and bought a pillow with a pattern on it that I had seen about 10 years ago, and have been searching for it ever since!

Before heading home, we all met at The Park and dined in their garden area which was just to die for! It was like we were in a green house with really high ceilings, trees growing through the brick floor and birds fluttering about (cute ones...not the seagulls we have in Seattle). The Park is right across the street from The High Line park which was so unique to climb up some stairs and find this pretty park and walkway right above the city streets. And lastly, I was able to hit-up Uniqlo for their Orla Kiely launch where I snagged a few T-shirts in her famous prints!

I had an absolute BLAST hanging out with and catching up with these girls! What a fun trip!! Till next year...

Surtex 2012: Year 2

 As I'm continuing with Surtex follow-up and chatting with companies about exciting possibilities, I thought I'd take a moment to fill you in on the show! First off, I must say that in trying to get my 3 suitcases under weight for airline baggage fees, I accidentally sent my camera with my husband to take home in his suitcase, so all I was left with was my iPhone for pictures. Sadness...

So, after flying in from Kansas City, MO on Friday night, it was time to wake up early and head to the Javits center for the last day of set-up. With 2 suitcases, a huge box, a tube full of banners and Starbucks in hand, we took any cab who would take us and headed to the Javits center to set-up my booth. My good friend Laura (Laura Parke // A girl who makes, from here) came to help me with the show and we were able to get everything set-up with a few hours to spare.



This year I was in a smashing new booth location #325 which was a 10'x10' booth, which means, more space to cover and decorate. With my booth design, I wanted to do something a little different and build upon what I did last year. I kept banners on the side walls, and also rented some shelves to put current and up and coming licensed products on. On my back wall, I created a layered and overlapping effect of my work, where I printed my artwork and photography showcasing my artwork over-sized onto large foam core boards and then created a few paper pinwheels to give the wall more dimension.

 {Hope Chest stationery & fabric}

{Hip Holiday stationery}

It was really fun to see all the products together on the shelves! I picked up my up and coming new stationery with Blend, the licensing division of Anna Griffin, Inc. which was absolutely delightful to see! My Hope Chest fabric collection which is coming out in July is also made into this beautiful high-end stationery complete with glitter, foil, die cuts...the works! In addition to Hope Chest stationery items is my Hip Holiday collection, which will also be coming out in my first ever Holiday fabric collection! I just LOVE this holiday collection and all the items it comes in!

{My awesome Wellspring licensed products!}

Also added to the shelves are a handful of the gorgeous metal products from Wellspring! I absolutely love these pieces and the colors they are in! My husband spray painted these 3-tier holders to take them from drab to fab.
 

 {Some of my NEW Stationery product coming out! Stay tuned...}

My new iPop magnets were sprinkled about, holding up the stationery on the magnet boards. There's a lot of new designs that just came out, that I'm excited to show you in the near future!

{Hope Chest display outside of the Anna Griffin booth at the National Stationery Show}

Another little treat for me was seeing this Hope Chest display with my designer bio on the outside wall of the Anna Griffin booth, to promote Blend's stationery items. What a treat! I love the butterflies and the kite they made! 

Ok, back to the show...Laura and I got in early opening morning (thank goodness!) and found my whole back wall to be on the floor! Gasp! Just when we thought we'd have time to eat our breakfast leisurely, we found ourselves in crisis mode repairing everything as fast as we could before the show opened. It was pretty stressful, but we were focused, amazingly calm, and just tackled it. I was completely overwhelmed by the kindness of so many of the other artists exhibiting who came over to see if they could help us, and bring us anything we needed. 
 
My booth was across from Kate Spain and she and her husband completely saved my life! They brought over tons of 3M Command Strips for me to use to patch my wall back together. Which is a huge lifesaver because I had taken almost all of my adhesives back to the hotel the night before and didn't have enough to use for a whole wall. Note to self: Bring LOTS of extra 3M Command Strips and keep them throughout the show. OH, and another Note to Self: NEVER buy non-3M duct tape! In my mad-dash through Lowe's I grabbed duct tape not even thinking that there were other brands or qualities out there. Now I know! Non-3M duct tape is not very sticky and with the overnight humidity in the Javits center, it was just a disaster.

After the stressful morning of the first day, things went really well. I had a blast seeing current clients in person after months of communicating over the phone and e-mail, as well as meeting new clients with fun, new possibilities! I'm still working on follow-up and communicating with new companies and will be able to gauge the awesomeness of the show more after a few more months. Overall, I had a blast and am really excited for the potential.

I roomed with 3 other girls, my friend Laura and Morgan & Carrie from Ampersand Design Studio. I heart every one of these girls! We had a blast going to fab restaurants and hitting up shops after the show ended each night. More about that in the next blog post...stay tuned!

Off to Quilt Market and Surtex!

After my home being transformed into a massive craft room, I'm gathering up the salvageable pieces from my whirlwind, packing them up and heading out!

I'm really excited about this trip because my first stop is in Kansas City, MO to attend Spring 2012 Quilt Market for the first time! I've been wanting to go for years so this is long overdue. I'll be at the Blend Fabrics booth on Friday, May 18th for the day. Please swing by and say hello and check out the debut of my new fabric line 'Hope Chest'! This is seriously my absolute favorite fabric collection to date. The colors are dripping with yummy-ness, the fabric quality is to die for, and the collection has some really fun and unique designs that I'm hoping you will just love. (And I'm currently planning an awesome photo shoot for this collection that I'll be sharing in July!...stay tuned!!)

My next stop is New York City for Surtex. I'm SO excited about this show this year! I'll be featuring my new work, have portfolios stocked full of delicious designs (for licensee's eyes only), as well as showcasing products from my current licensees. I'll be in booth #325 - swing by and say hello!

See you soon!

In the Press: Art & Design Licensing Sourcebook

 {My ad in the Art and Design Licensing Sourcebook}

Huge thanks to the Art and Design Licensing Sourcebook where they featured my work and latest happenings in their Summer 2012 issue! I was pleasantly surprised to find my work featured 4 times on pages 27, 77, 79 and 81!
 
You can view their new Summer 2012 digital edition here.

 

{Talking about my work having a fresh take on florals, my industry experience and Surtex showcases} 

{Talking about my 5 new licensing deals including my fabric and stationery lines with Blend! Coming out very soon...}

The Art and Design Licensing Sourcebook is an industry trade magazine that is your desktop guide to ‘who’s who’, keeping you updated with all the latest trends, new properties, retail analysis and a plethora of information on new developments.

 

{Featuring my tasty collaboration with Lucks}

 

{Showcasing Wellspring's product launch with my artwork}

 

SO exciting!!

New Licensed Products! Cake Decor!

 

A few weeks ago I received samples of my licensed products with Lucks, who provides the baking industry with quality products and services that enhance the decorator's creativity. These Edible Image® Designer Prints™ decorations, come in a variety of cake decor options such as cake sheets and top of cake designs. I thought I'd share some of the gorgeous photo's with you of a handful of my licensed designs with Lucks {more to come!}. Unfortunately these cake sheets are only sold wholesale to bakeries and such, and are not available to the public. 
 

After I opened everything, I immediately contacted my good friend Laura Parke // A Girl Who Makes to see if she and her photographer husband Eric Linebarger would be up for doing a photo shoot for me. And to my super-duper happiness, they were excited and up for it! {thanks guys!!}

 

Laura did the awesome job of decorating the fabulous cakes you see in the photo's and applying the edible cake decor to them, and her awesome husband Eric Linebarger did the awesome photography. Don't you agree?

I met Laura when I worked at Hallmark Cards, and we became immediate and great friends. I truly heart this girl. I am very familiar with her mad decorating skills from the cute cupcakes she would bring to work and the stories she shared about her cake decorating classes from the night before.

Her awesome blog, Laura Park // A Girl Who Makes is one I highly recommend you check out and follow! She's such a crafty girl with a ton of awesome ideas, and this blog is her outlet for sharing lots of unique craft project ideas and how-to's! She also contributes to Design for Mankind where she shares (even more) DIY ideas! She truly amazes me with her reservoir of ideas and the passion she has behind them.


Thanks Laura and Eric for sharing your mad skills with me!!