Favorite Design Inspirations of 2010

Here are a few new (to me anyway) places I have found inspiration this year:

Curlygirl Design Blog
If you haven't read Leigh's new blog yet - what are you waiting for??? Start from the beginning as she reminisces about her "Year of Creative Development" which includes taking every amazing art work shop in the country (and sometimes OUTSIDE of the country) and much, much more. If you need a creative fix, Curlygirl is your girl...

Where Women Create
I LOVE this magazine. I don't know why I had never ordered it before. Ever since my favorite magazine, Mary Engelbreit Home Companion, closed up shop, I have been looking to fill a void - and now it is officially filled. (OK - not really...I still miss you MEHC - please come back!)

Escape from Illustration Island Podcast
I love this podcast! I have recently started on a few new projects at night and these podcasts have helped inspire and inform. I like to fancy myself as an illustrator but know that I am really just a doodler with A LOT to learn.

American Pickers
This is my kind of reality TV for sure! I mean a show about hunting for vintage treasure? Seriously? What a great idea! Why didn't I think of it? I wonder if I can get some cameras to follow me around when I hunt for vintage fabric? :) Anyway, I think I also love this show especially because now that we live in Mississippi, I swear that we drive by some of the places that have been or WILL BE picked by the pickers.


So that's a wrap for my design inspirations of 2010 - my personal inspirations would be a whole new entry...ie: new baby, new home, etc...lots to be thankful for and inspired by... Anyway, I can hardly wait for what inspirations 2011 will bring. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ode to Family Christmas Photos...

I am still enjoying our "stay-cation" (with a little bit of travel mixed in...I plan to share more on that later) but I just couldn't resist popping in to share one last bit of Christmas 2010 fun...I just love Christmas cards (obviously) - I really relish in seeing what people come up with every year. Even though I am a card designer - it's the photos that I love seeing most. I just had to share two of the best personal family photo cards I have seen this season (by Cat of Cat Seto and Liberty of Libby Dibby). I think they are unbelievable - truly little family art portraits. You can read more about the inspirations here and here.




I am completely inspired to do something that creative and well executed as my family photo for next year - but let's face it...I am just thrilled if I can get both kids looking at the camera at the same time. :)

Happy Holidays

I am taking a blogging break and a break in general for the holidays. Branden (finally - after a very long season) has time off of work. We couldn't be more excited! We plan to spend lots of time together giggling with these two...



Merry Christmas!

The Making of an E-Card

How CUTE is this e-card by American Greetings? I thought that this behind the scenes view of the making of an e-cad was too fun NOT to share...

Click here to watch.

Early Christmas Gift: My 2nd Book!

I am so excited to see my second book, "Today's Top Stationery Artists 2" has just been listed on Amazon!

This follow up book to "Today's Top Stationery Artists" features over 50 all new top stationery artists. What is different about this book - other than the artists who are profiled - is that in depth interviews with some of the artists are included as well.

I really enjoyed curating the work in the book as well as interviewing and getting to know so many of the talented artists. It was a dream project and such an inspiration. I will keep you posted as soon as I know an exact release date.

Greeting cards featured on the book cover are by the following amazing companies (clockwise): Rifle Paper Co., Old School Stationers, Night Owl Paper Goods, Susy Jack, Inkjet Designs, Bobbin, Mr. Boddington's Studio, Cartolina Cards, and Fugu Fugu Press.

Shop Local: Kate Thomas

As I rush to try to wrap and ship all of our gifts back home, I came across a few stationery items I purchased from local designer, Kate Thomas, a few months ago. I just love her work and seeing her little gifts I bought for a few friends prompted me to look up her website. It looks like her online store isn't up and running yet, but I thought I would share a couple of images from her website, www.ktyazoo.com just to give you a idea of her style.


I first saw her work at this art show last year and then when I saw her booth at a craft show a few months ago, I knew that I needed to pick up a few gifts. I won't share the images of the gifts here, because chances are if you are a friend of mine, you will find one in your mailbox this Christmas. :)

Anyway, I just love Kate's work and can definitely see her illustrations and handmade products in stores nationwide. But for now, she is a little Starkville secret. :)

Free THS Cards and iPad Give Away

iSanctuary has moved from the 50's to the 20's thanks to their voters! BUT they still need us all to vote 3 times a day in order to get to 1st or 2nd place and to WIN a grant of $250,000 which would help survivors of human trafficking in an unbelievable way.

So to make it easy (and fun), YOU could win one of four iPads if iSanctuary wins the $250,000 Pepsi Refresh grant! Simply sign-up for a daily voting reminder at isanctuary2010@gmail.com, and if iSanctuary wins, you will be entered in the iPad drawing. It's a win-win!

Next, simply vote via text, facebook, and the website each day for a total of three votes. It takes less than one minute to vote in these three places and can really help change lives.

Text your VOTE
Text* 104818 to Pepsi (73774)

VOTE via Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/l/cb0f0H2ygDKKKW_xZBwlsvcjMuQ;bit.ly/hMpWhI

VOTE on the website
http://www.refresheverything.com/supporthumantraffickingsurvivors

AAAAaaaaaAAAAaaaannnnd....to sweeten the deal even more, anyone who tweets, facebooks, or links back to this blog post on their blog in the month of December (feel free to use the image above and this link: http://torihiga.blogspot.com/2010/12/free-ths-cards-and-ipad-give-away.html) will be eligable to win $100 worth of free THS stationery. It's definitely not as cool as an iPad, but it's what I have to offer. And maybe you'll win the stationery AND the iPad. :) Just send me an e-mail at info@torihiga.com to let me know that you have helped spread the word and I will put you in the drawing. (I will announce the winner the first week of January)

Happy voting, best of luck on the iPad drawing, and please spread the word to help GET THE VOTE OUT!

Team iSanctuary

Great news: iSanctuary is up for a $250,000 grant from the pepsi resfresh project! But they need our help - all we have to do is visit the website and vote for them everyday in the month of December. It only takes about ten seconds. You can even text in your vote. And it would be great to try to get our friends to vote as well so spread the word! :) The money will be used to help survivors of human trafficking here in the states. iSancatuary has been working with local surviors who have been rescued right here in the US. It's hard to believe that human trafficking happens right in our own backyard, but it does. And I am so glad to know that these young women have a place to get a fresh start thanks to iSanctuary.

Here are the details to VOTE:

Text your VOTE
Text* 104818 to Pepsi (73774)

VOTE via Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/l/cb0f0H2ygDKKKW_xZBwlsvcjMuQ;bit.ly/hMpWhI

VOTE on the website
http://www.refresheverything.com/supporthumantraffickingsurvivors

Also, I got the following message in my inbox and thought I would pass it on here:

Want to join the campaign team?
Contact iSanctuary Headquarters at 949.752.7788 or email info@isanctuary.org as teams are being put together to GET OUT THE VOTE! We are looking for 25-30 people all across the country that think they are crazy enough to join this whirlwind of a campaign to win iSanctuary $250,000.

Happy Voting!

Crafty Volleyball Players

I love that babies seem to bring out creativity and craftiness in a lot of people...even college athletes. Here are a few onesies that the volleyball team made for our baby girl. I had her lay on the pile of the onesies at two weeks old for a thank you note post card that I had made for the team via cardstore.com.




And here she is modeling the onesies at three months and most recently at four months. Wasn't that a thoughtful gift? Who knew that they had hidden creative talent?