Introducing...

...Beacon Hill. I was so happy to check out Jenny's blog tonight and see that her new shop is up. I featured the cute wallets from her other shop last week when I was working with her on the designs for Beacon Hill. I just love all of the bright prints she uses!


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Blue Bird Sing Me A Song.

I got this lovely print in the mail today from the wonderful Lyse at ImagineStudio. She sent it as a thankyou for featuring her shop awhile back. Wasn't that nice of her?! I had a terribly difficult time choosing just one favorite print from her shop, but I am glad I decided on this one. It will go nicely in my office. Now to find a frame and some wall space...


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MacraME.

The way macraME photographs her whimsical owl necklaces is great. With so many things to find on Etsy, photography is so important, and a little creativity can go a long way. I know I couldn't resist clicking to get a closer look.


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Jalex Studios.

I am loving the modern lines and mixed wood textures in these pieces from jalexstudios.


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For the Love of Raku.

After taking one ceramics class in college, I have so much respect for artists who work with clay. I can handle a variety of mediums, but clay was so hard for me. Of all the beginner techniques I learned and projects I made in that class [most of which look like they were made by a five-year-old] raku firing was by far my favorite.

I am certainly no expert, and I really only remember it involving metal trash cans, flame resistant coats that looked like shiny silver spacesuits, and my clothes smelling like smoke the rest of the day, but the results were so beautiful. So today I am featuring a collection of stunning raku work by Etsy artists.

[From the top]
1. Prism of Color Vase from Bzpottery
2. Iron Earth Raku Pendant from MAKUstudio
3. Super Crackle Decorative Bowl from joeconardcreations
4. Raku Texas Plaque from LivingWaterPottery
5. Peace Raku Wish Jar from fehustoneware
6. Skeleton Beads from pinkee
7. Raku Vase from elmstudio
8. Raku Fired Clay Shells from RedCrowArts
9. Erin Beaded Ring from Insunlite
10. Gold Laced Bottle from lambdapottery
11. Rainforest Raku Pendant from MAKUstudio
12. Lovely Black Earth Raku Necklace from rakucreations
13. Raku Vase from natureofclay
14. Raku Fired Oak Leaf Dish from RedCrowArts
15. Raku Flower Jar from njema
16. Raku Rose Hip Beads from Jubilee


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Pretty in Plaid.

Inspired by 13 years of Catholic School...

[From the top]
1. Tartan Booties from frostingcouture
2. Plaid Perfection Satchel from madebyhank
3. Lawn Chair Plaid Macbook Cover from blytheking
4. Tartan Flower Head Piece from portobello
5. Vibrant Tartan Upcycled Lug from refreshaccessories
6. Deluxe Slim-Line Wallet from sewlutionsbyamo
7. Vintage Tartan Sugar and Cream Pitcher from PeppermintPixies
8. Holiday Jumper from kirstinflo
9. Autumn Scarflette from MPsen
10. Mad for Plaid Kool Kids Legs from mamarunswithscissors
11. Handbound Tartan Journal from Highland Books
12. Tartan Plaid Scrabble Tile Pendant frm thegildedlily
13. Vintage Plaid Bermuda Purse from inwiththeold
14. Upcycled Khaki Plaid iPod Case from thejunebride
15. Navy Checker Moleskin Case from blytheking
16. The Vespa Skirt from annkent


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oodlesNoodles.

This just caught my attention on the front page and I had to share.

Earth-friendly contemporary wall clock by infinityarts.


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The Dreamy Giraffe.

How cute is this little print from thedreamygiraffe? Sometimes I feel like I can take on the world with my scissors and glue. It's been awhile since I've been crafty. Lately the only thing I've been glued to is my computer.

I bet you didn't even know I started off on Etsy selling handmade owl cards and tags and such. Once studio71design was born, I didn't have time for both. I'd like to reopen thecraftyowl shop eventually but right now there just aren't enough hours in the day.


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Cloudburst.

Stunning work from Yellena. I would feature every print in her shop if I had time..


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New Blog.

I made another separate blog today to post my work as I complete new designs. It's too hard to keep updating the samples in my custom listings, so I think this will be a better way to show everything I've done. I'm still in the process of putting in all the projects I've finished so far, but after over 100 posts I'm exhausted. The rest will have to wait for the weekend. I also plan to customize the look of the blog to some degree, but obviously haven't gotten that far yet.

[They are in almost chronological order, organized by client / project. I'm going down my Etsy sales list in order, starting from the first sales.. I got from page 14 to page 6 tonight.]


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TaLaisa is Amazing.

I got both of these gorgeous pairs of earrings in the mail today from one of my favorite clients and now friend, TaLaisa. I can't say enough great things about her. She is so fun and easy to work with, and I love all of her jewelry. I am still amazed that she took time out of her very busy schedule to make me a thank-you gift for working on her designs.

Go show her some love, she deserves it!

Thank you, TaLaisa!


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Holy Cow.

I found myself in two treasuries in one day! My week is getting infinitely better as it comes to an end. Thank you so much TinyArtbyJMullin and tanyap!


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Krista Peel.

The bold simplicity of Krista Peel's paintings is so effective. I just love work like this that seems almost abstract up close, and so perfectly creates a recognizable image from a distance. Perspective is everything. Her use of color is wonderful as well.

These make me wish I had more time to paint.


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Free PDF, Darling.

I love this palette [called Darling] and this sheet is yours to download here. Happy crafting!

I love to see all of the projects you make using my little designs, so send me links or pics if you want.


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300.

So now I can share my sales goal for this month without jinxing it [because I just reached it! with six days to spare!] :

T H R E E

H U N D R E D

S A L E S.



woohoo!!

I'll upload a celebratory freebie PDF here later this evening. Leave a comment if you want to make a suggestion for the freebie design or color palette and I'll see what I can do. ; )

Thank you wonderful Etsy friends! You're the best!


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Jenny Hofer Designs.

These Little Wallets from Jenny Hofer are so bright and fun! She uses such great fabric in her work. I've been working with Jenny on designs for another shop she is opening and she has been really fun to work with.


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CozyMoments.

I got 2 jars of this body cream in the mail today from CozyMoments. I immediately tested out the Pumpkin Frappuccino scent and I am obsessed with the smell. I literally cannot stop sniffing my hands. I put it on at 2:00 this afternoon and it still smells wonderful. When Randy came home from work the first thing he said to me was "you smell like cinnamon."

Now I almost can't wait to run out so I can try some of the other delicious scents..


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Elsita.

I am in awe of the intricate detail in Elsita's gorgeous papercut prints. So stunning! She must have a lot of patience and a very steady hand.


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Nano Love.

I surprised Randy with a black one of these yesterday. After our traditional month-iversary dinner, we stayed up playing with the new toy, going through almost every song in my iTunes library so he could put some music on it to get him through the workday. [I think he was probably tired of me singing almost every song in my iTunes by the end of it] This thing is so tiny! It makes my regular iPod look like a giant.


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I've Been Featured!

Go check out Ashley's Heart Hugs blog to play along with her Etsy-Inspired challenge. The winner will get any 3 PDF sheets from my shop! You just have to create a card inspired by my pendant square designs and link to a photo of your creation in the post comments.

Thanks for the feature, Ashley!


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The Fall Palette.

Fall is officially here, and you'd never know it by the Tulsa weather this week. It's 81 degrees at the moment.

But looking at this print [available at TinyArtbyJMullin], I can almost feel the cool, crisp air that I know will arrive eventually.


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Cecily Ink.

I love love love the designs in this calendar from Cecily Ink. Is it really almost 2009?!


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Quickie.

Sorry for the lack of updates the past few days. I am so so busy all of a sudden. It always comes in waves. Which is good. I'm grateful for lots of business. But it's also stressful when it comes all at once! I'm just trying not to get buried [therefore, not listing any new custom packages in the shop until I get through a few of these orders, but always taking custom requests by convo]...

Today marks a year and a half since that fateful night I met Randy. Such a fun and random night that, at the time, I never would have guessed would lead me here. I am a lucky girl.

As I wrote in his card [that he will find later today], "the best things are found where you least expect them..." but more on this later. ; )


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What A Catch.

I did this silhouette illustration from one of my favorite photos of Randy that I took while we were fishing in Kansas. He hates when I take pictures of him when he's not looking, but those usually end up being the ones I like best.

I'm considering offering custom silhouette portraits in my shop as a less expensive alternative to these. Until I get around to setting up an official listing, if anyone is interested, convo me on Etsy or leave a comment here with your email address and I'll get in touch with you!


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Shop Love.

I know it's probably silly to get so excited about shop hearts, but one of my goals for the month was to reach 500 hearts. And today I finally did! Yay!! Thanks for the love, folks.

Now let's see if I can reach my sales goal [which I'm not telling, so I won't jinx it, but I'll let you know when I get there]...


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Ellemenopee.

Colors. [Letterpress type photo] From thetypejunkie.

Windmills of poems and lace print. From LilyMoon.

Square Wordy Bangle. From peaceofpi.

I guess I've got letters on the brain. I'm making some alphabet pendant squares and thought I'd share some of my favorite wordy finds. Enjoy!


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Framed.

I still haven't found just the right frames to hang my Jen Oaks prints. I saw this one at Target, which would be perfect, except they only seem to make it for 4x6 prints and I need 5x7 frames (or bigger, so I can mat them).

Has anyone seen anything similar to this for 5x7's? I like the idea of hanging them together as a set. I even have a place reserved on my office wall. The tricky part is that one print is facing the opposite direction from the other two.

I might be able to get Randy to make one for me out of wood. Although unless I pay him, it might not be finished for another year. Or, ever. I'm thinking it would be easier to just find one somewhere, but I'm not sure where else to look.


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Littlebrownpen.

Anxiously awaiting autumn? Get in the spirit of the season with this fun fall stationery. You can find this and many more printable stationery templates at littlebrownpen. Nichole is one of my favorite bloggers and she has a fabulous eye for design.

[P.S. Nichole, I love your new photos and shop banner!]


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Perfection.

This coat from Makool is sooo adorable. I don't think I can pull it off [red is not my color at all]. But I still love looking at it.


The winter coat search continues...


[And oh my gosh the weather here has been perfect. We have the door wide open right now and for once in my life I'm not too cold or too hot. Love it!]


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Because I Gave Up On Ever Getting a Treasury.

I love that completely unrelated items can look so beautiful together in treasuries. Since I don't have the patience to wait for an actual treasury to open, I sometimes play with the Poster Sketch tool to get my fix. Or make a color-inspired blog post.

Today's features brought to you by the color aqua-seafoam-mint-blue-green. Yes, that's a real color. And I love it!

Featured shops, top to bottom:
Timber!
Inspired Jewelry by Ann Burke
joom
Jamn Glass


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Feeding My Addiction.

Wendy at Besem Natural Scents is too sweet. She sent me this amazing lavender soap as a thanks for my little blog feature of her shop. It smells incredible. Thanks Wendy!!



...And so much for breaking my soap addiction.


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These Make Me Wish...

...I knew how to crochet. I found them while pouncing and got excited, but it is the pattern for sale and I have no clue how to crochet. I tried to learn how to knit once and failed miserably. Never tried to crochet. These are on my long list of things I'm determined to learn before I die, but probably not before I'm 30.

Check out sylver for tons of adorable crochet patterns. Her baby moccasins are just precious.

Does anyone want to make these for me? =D


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Savor.

I think I read the description on this Ginger Icing bath cream from Savor three times trying to figure out if it was edible. I'm a little disappointed it's not. But also glad to know I can enjoy something so delicious without gaining a pound.

I'm so addicted to soap, but I cut myself off since I know I'd order more than I could ever possibly use if I let myself go. [OK Randy cut me off. Whatever.] I will just have to indulge in the descriptions, imagining how amazing they would be if I could actually smell them.


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Just An Update.

I just got this journal in the mail. It's even cuter in person. I can't wait to start making to-do lists in it. And of course when I go to her shop to get the link just now I see Susie has added even more cuteness. I want it all!

I also got my new Applesac in the mail on Monday. Right now it's just sitting next to me on my desk looking pretty, since I haven't gone anywhere with my laptop this week.

I'm feeling unmotivated today, partially because the house is a wreck and messes distract me. I also have errands to run that I've been putting off for a week. Since we moved, I hate running errands. Probably a good thing in the long run, because I spend less money, but everything seems so far away from here it's such a pain to drive all over town to get soap and go to the bank.

Enough out of me, I'll post some more fun Etsy finds in a bit.


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Gearing Up For Winter. [And It's Not Even Fall]

I think I'm going to have to get one of dahliasoleil's awesome hats when it finally decides to get cold here. Do you hear this? I am actually anticipating fall/winter. If only for the ability to wear great hats..

And I'm loving these Cashmere Armies from my friend Ally at islelisten. Mmm cashmere..

And last, but definitely not least, how freaking fun are these furry boots?! They are even in my size. Lookout, Bigfoot, you've got competition. If you feel these are a necessity in your winter wardrobe, head over to valuevintage before they're gone!

Now I just need to find a great coat. Any suggestions?


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I'm So Annoying.

Yep, I made an obnoxious animated ad for Project Wonderful tonight. This one is up on We Love Etsy and maybe a couple other places, I already forgot what sites I bid on.

My advertising strategy: I'm hoping if you stare at it long enough it will brainwash you into clicking. Is it working? =D

[P.S. I really need to add some listings for custom web ad designs in my shop. Let me know if you're interested and I can always set up a custom listing. They are $20 for 1 animated ad, or $20 for any 3 sizes for regular ads.]


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The Early Years.

I've been playing with watercolors today and thought of this amusing photo of my early years as an artist. I'm still a bit ambidextrous, though I usually just paint with my left hand these days..


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ImagineStudio.

Stunning prints from ImagineStudio. These make me want to visit France.


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Logo Love.

Logos used to really intimidate me. I had to crank out quite a few for my Third Floor Designs internship/class my last semester of college for non-profit orgs in Tulsa. You can see some of those here. That class about killed me, but in the end it was a great learning experience. I feel much more comfortable with them now. I may have even started to enjoy the process. Shh, don't tell.

Above are a few I've finished recently for Etsy clients (though none of these are actually for Etsy shops..)


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Feral Empire.

Great color combo on this hand-stitched leather wallet from feralgirl. Clearly I'm a fan of blue, green, and gray (duh, have you seen my blog?).


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Up All Night.

Proof that I do my best work in my insomnia?

Or just that I really need to stop procrastinating.

I somehow got very busy this weekend and of course put off the big projects with actual deadlines until about midnight last night. I kept telling myself I just needed to get the little things out of the way so I could focus on the big ones. A logo I just found out about yesterday. And a direct mail piece for the senator I work for that was giving me serious designer's block.

So I think I sent the logo ideas sometime around 2am. I am competing for this job with two other designers. I didn't realize this when I first agreed to the project, but I guess that just makes me want it more. They will narrow it down to 2 today.

I stayed up until 4 in the morning working on the mailer. I finished and sent it about 15 minutes ago. To my relief, they love the design. I don't know why I was so worried. They've loved all of the other campaign pieces so far, but there was pressure on this one. It needed to be different. Out of the box. Glitzy. It's aimed at young people. Under 40, that is. I'm just glad the design is finished and I can stop stressing out. And maybe get some sleep tonight.


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RAWR.

I first saw these little creatures on stelabird's blog. After watching her cute video, I could hardly await the arrival of the Little Yetis and Little Bigfoots in her shop. Yes, I've been planning this feature for days. These are too cute for words.


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