Terri Conrad Designs

I first "met" Terri Conrad via e-mail a couple of years ago. She had dropped me a line to ask about how artists go about getting good PR. I was happy to share what I know (which isn't much) and we exchanged a few friendly e-mails. In one of those casual e-mails she suggested that I think about licensing my artwork (which is something that she does successfully). For some reason, that really encouraged me. I can't say that I even did anything about it at that time, but I still felt encouraged that somebody (that I didn't even really know and who happens to be a talented artist) thinks that I COULD do it if I wanted to. It was always a dream and a goal of mine that I never really talked about much, so to have it validated from an outside source was, well...validating. And at the birth of our son, it was the perfect time to start seriously considering licensing my work (as opposed to running a handmade business and never having time to actually illustrate or design). Since that time, I have acquired one licensing partner who I love, Cardstore.com, and hope to find more equally great licensing partners in the future. I have always remembered Terri and when I recently saw her on Linked In, it was fun to reconnect.


So all of that to say that I am thrilled to be a part of an upcoming Blog Hop that Terri is heading up. You can read more about it here, but I (along with all of the participants) will be posting more information about it later this week. Be sure to check out Terri's lovely website and blog. I just love her work - especially her magnetic frames and wall tin plaques. (and the good news is that her online store is well stocked for the holidays)

Early Greeting Card Sketches

Designing Moms has an ongoing feature on the different sketchbooks from the contributing designing moms. It's been fun to see the original sketches from everyone and how they turn into a finished project. Today was the day that my sketches were featured - I just love being a part of a creative collaboration.


Anyway, as I was digging through old sketch books, I came across some of the very first illustrations I ever did with the thought of turning them into greeting cards. These drawings were done in about 2001 (even though I didn't start my company until 2004) - long before I was comfortable with Illustrator or Photoshop. Because I didn't have design skills on the computer, I literally used to make multiple photocopies of my line drawings onto kraft paper (and sometimes watercolor paper if I was feeling risky) and then re-color them in various color schemes. Sometimes I even turned them into greeting cards and gave them to friends. Looking back, it seems so old school - but at the time it was just a fun way to play around with color.


And in case you are interested, here are the sketches from my sketch book for my current handmade line of greeting cards that were featured on Designing Moms. You can click here to read the entire post:

Vintage Fall

I love fall - and it's especially fun to live in a new place that actually FEELS like fall. I don't just have to pretend it's fall by lighting my pumpkin scented candle (although I really should swing by the Aspen Bay Candles store soon to see if they have pumpkin).


I thought there was no better way to help celebrate the season than to share these wonderful vintage fall signage letters that I found on the Old Crow Farm etsy shop. Do take time to browe through their shop - they have alot of really great vintage finds. I especially love their wire organizational bins. (Maybe if I had cute bins, I would be more organized?)

NEW iSanctuary Website!

I am so excited to announce that the new (temporary) website that I did for International Sanctuary is now live! It was so much fun to design another website using Wix- especially for an organization like iSanctuary that I know and love. The iSanctuary product photographer and graphic designer, Mark Buxton of Bolt Advertising, will be designing the real website (as well as a new logo) which will be up and running soon and will be much better than the one I just did as I know that I am NOT trained as a web designer. I can do a clean and simple site - I just don't know how to do the flashy and amazing site that I know Mark will create. He does such great work (and is the nicest guy to work with from everything I hear) that I can't wait to see his finished product. In the meantime, I am happy that I could help make a basic and user friendly "interim" site.


Wendy has also added a lot of new things to the online boutique - so be sure to check out some new jewelry designs as well as a little card section with some of my designs.

iSanctuary Event at Little Building Cafe: Save the Date!

I am so excited because I just had a meeting with the folks of Little Building Cafe yesterday about co-hosting an event for iSanctuary. They are very supportive of the cause and have graciously agreed to hold an event at their location! I LOVE these photos that they have posted on their blog and wanted to share them here so you can see why it is the perfect location to host such an event.



So mark your calendars for Saturday, December 5th from 2pm to 6pm and be sure to stop by for the best coffee and baked goods in town as well as the opportunity to get all of your holiday shopping done as you "purchase with purpose." We will be selling handmade jewelry, handmade greeting cards, and other handmade gift items (all are very reasonably priced) with 100% of the sales benefiting survivors of human trafficking.

I personally can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon: sipping a cappuccino, holiday shopping, and helping the survivors in the iSanctuary program to build a brighter future.

Early Bird Special at Cardstore.com

It pays to start thinking about your Christmas cards a little bit early this year because Cardstore.com is now offering free shipping between now and November 7th for all orders over $50. And that's on top of the Friends and Family discount of 15% off of your entire order (just type in friend15 at check out through December 31st)

I thought I would share some of my new photo cards with matching thank you notes. To see the rest of my holiday collection (including kid's seasonal thank you notes), please click here.

Martha Stewart and Stationery Trends Magazine

I just got my Stationery Trends Magazine in the mail the other day and devoured it as usual. I particularly loved the "Designer Profile" with Martha Stewart - she has a new line of wedding stationery that is classic, stylish, and timeless. When asked about how, if she were a stationer, she would promote the art of written and printed communications and make it seem not just relevant, but necessary to customer lifestyles, here was her answer:

In the digital age, consumers are quite comfortable with written expression. After all, they are e-mailing, texting, and tweeting all day! Stationers must help them to rediscover the value of printed communications by emphasizing how wonderfully thoughtful and memorable a beautiful invitation or thank you note can be, especially in an era when communication is often so fleeting. It's worth noting that consumers are increasingly interested in farming and crafting and preparing artisanal foods. They are receptive to the idea that some things may take a little more time and effort and, yes, expense. But they are well worth it.

I couldn't have put it better myself. Thanks, Martha.
(maybe I should send her a handwritten thank you note...)