Looking for your opinion....yikes!

So, I have been struggling with a question for a little while and would love...no, I NEED to hear your opinion!


I recently changed my shop banner from this...

to this...

because I am focusing my shop on more adult (less juvenile) items and more on my artwork/ art jewelry. So, I thought the new banner has more of an artsy/ edgy feel while maintaining some of the cute that was in the other. Someone suggested that my blog banner had more personality and I agreed. Now that I have changed my logo and banner, I am wondering if my target market (you) will respond to it as well. 


Let me know which you like better and why! I am too close to it to have really good perspective and I really want to know what you think!!!

Thanks!!!!!

It's Baaaaaaaack!

For anyone out there who has known me for several years, you know that I have had a few different entrepreneurial enterprises. As a graphic designer, I started off ten years ago just before the birth of my first son with my own little graphic design company. Yes, it was just me, and some might call it freelance, but I took it very seriously and created an award winning logo and identity suite for myself. Although all alone, I mostly worked for small businesses instead of just working for other design companies. I had a great time and working with these small clients, primarily working to make branding for them to help their business grow. Over time, my husband joined me as the writing half of the team and our company grew even more.

After a few years, we came up with the ultimate design project, a local family magazine that we started up creating the content, selling the product, running the show. As time went on, the magazine was sold to a larger company, and my hubby stayed with them as editor as I began pursuing my art/ illustration/ portraiture career.

That little design company was named Wowhouse Design. Well, since I have had some requests to do some new branding for small companies, and have been mulling around using my graphic design abilities at a different Etsy shop, I have decided to take the plunge and start a new Etsy shop creating stellar custom logos and adorable digital photo cards. For a while, the shop will be pretty sparse. I have a lot of other more pressing projects to take care of at this time. But this spring you can be sure to see some great Easter & spring photo cards for you to print at your local photo finisher (or Snapfish, or wherever) and custom logo packages for my fellow small business friends. I am excited to bring this other side of my personality back into the marketplace! Hope you are excited about it too!!!

What's been going on...Part Two

The other relief effort is To Haiti with Love.

To Haiti with Love is a project through AimeeAsher spearheaded by Tammy DeYoung. She generously asked artists to help create cards for this kit and 16 artists put in their effort and love to create 41 printable all occasion cards, envelopes, digital scrap kit and more. The best part is 100% of the proceeds (after paypal fees) will be given to Food for the Poor.  Visit http://www.foodforthepoor.org for more information about this charity and their work in Haiti. 

This kit is beautiful and full of cool stuff to use in your scrapbooks and for gift giving. I see this as a total win/win! You get to help the relief effort, but at the same time, a card is always at your fingertips when you need it. Just print it out, and use it! How many times have you needed a card and not had the time to run out and pick one out? This kit is a great tool for a busy mom.

There is more information about the kit at http://www.aimeeasher.com/shoppe/newproducts.php

Please go check it out today and support relief efforts for Haiti!

What's been going on...Part One

So as you know, I have been extra busy with a variety of projects. I am working on illustrations for I Love You More, A Lowcountry Tale, a book by Kelly Connell Brown. Hopefully this project will be finished soon allowing us to publish this spring!

 I created two cards to enter into the Etsy / Cool Mom Picks Valentine’s Day Card contest benefiting the Children’s Heart Foundation. Although my designs didn’t get picked, I think they are really great, so I am offering them at my store. Please check out the winning set at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39557184

and check out my two entries at: www.scribblesandnibs.etsy.com

 Also, I have helped with two charitable efforts over the last week for Relief for Haiti. One is the Hearts for Haiti store to which I donated a couple of items, www.heartsforhaiti.etsy.com. I am amazed and happy to report that as of 1/30, Hearts for Haiti has raised over $23,000 after fees for Doctors without Borders! Isn’t that just phenomenal?

Later today, Part Two….To Haiti with Love!

I Love You More

I have many different projects on my plate these days, but one that is very close to my heart is a children's book by a friend of mine from high school. Well, actually, I didn't really know her in high school, but through the magic of Facebook, we have become friends. I Love You More is a beautiful and touching book for children that is a prayer from a parent and highlights the beauty of the South Carolina lowcountry. The illustrations are just getting going (and with some work will be finished hopefully soon!) They each lovingly capture a feeling of lowcountry life that those of us from there will cherish for ourselves as well as our children. Keep reading in the future, I am sure you will see more about this project as it unfolds!

Sometimes you just have to scrawl

Inspired by Artful Blogging, I started a notebook dedicated to sketches that were just for creativity's sake. No agenda. No product in mind. Just a place to create without judgment. This little doggie is one of my entries from last year. I found a photo of a dog in an ad and really wanted to use it as reference material for a sketch. That is my real handwriting. I even have a hard time reading it most days. Really, ask my husband... he thinks it is quite funny! The words are from some of my favorite songs. I am very inspired by music, but  probably don't listen to it enough. The first song is Fearless by Pink Floyd. It is very inspirational to me, about the struggle we all face when facing our dreams. The other is a CSN song, Daylight Again. The line "Daylight again, following me to bed," resonates with me for all the sleepless nights I have spent (but don't that much any more.)


I hope you reach for your dreams fearlessly today.

Art Rules!

Need I say more?? My new product line for this week is one I have been mulling around in my head for a while (I tend to do that) and finally was brought to life this weekend. My Art Rules pendants are individual pieces of art created on a little piece of wooden yardstick and then made into a pendant for art fans. A few pieces are mixed media and are individually drawn on before a coating of resin protect the art, some are hand burnished (love that wood burning smell) and then painted for a rustic and graphic look. Many more designs are on the drawing table...do you have any ideas for themes? I would love to hear from you! Do you like the painted one better than the mixed media, or are they both cool? Let me know your thoughts. I am thinking about dogs, and lemons, springy themes like beach chairs!
Hope this Tuesday is a good one for you and remember....Art Rules!

Hearts for Haiti

Everyone has been touched by the widespread devastation in Haiti. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon was quoted yesterday as saying that the situation in Haiti is "one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades." As usual, I am in awe of the work people around the world do for each other, as many people join together to raise money or work in Haiti to help people get back on their feet. In particular, looting and crime has made the situation dangerous as well as the desperate lack of clean water.

I am proud to say that through two small grassroots efforts, I am hopefully helping those in need. I want to introduce you to one of them today... HeartsforHaiti an Etsy shop helping to make a difference.

This comes from their shop announcement and will tell you a little bit more...

This is an Etsy collective of donated items from hundreds of Etsy shops to raise money to rebuild Haiti. 100% of the proceeds from this shop (minus Etsy fees and Paypal fees) go directly to DoctorsWithoutBorders (http://doctorswithoutborders.org ) in bi-monthly increments. This shop has permission to use the DoctorsWithoutBorders name and a separate bank account and Paypal account have been opened to maintain the integrity of this shop.

Items have been donated from many individual shops; each shop has included their particulars ( country, shipping time) in each listing. All items include seller-donated free shipping (most worldwide, see individual listing) because the need is SO great, we want you to buy and help support Etsians helping Haiti. The theme for the next few weeks is on heart items but we have more than just that. Know that your purchase in this shop not only gets you a great Etsy item but it also helps alleviate the needs in Haiti through donations to DoctorsWithoutBorders (MedicinesSansFrontiers ).



Please visit the shop today and help make a difference to those in need in Haiti.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartsforHaiti

Just When You Thought it was Safe to go in My Head...

So, all cutesy little puppies and kitties and stuff in there? Those of you who know me well will not be surprised that I have a weird and wicked sense of humor and sometimes it sneaks out. So, the last prompt word for Andie Illustr8tes was Love, and I chose the suggestion to go with it as Bites. I have actually come up with two solutions for this challenge, one cute, one not so much. You can decide which this is. I have no idea why this came to me, but I went with it. So far, my son has said, "Are you putting that in your Etsy shop mom? I mean, why would anyone want that?" and my husband has said, "I love it, but that eye. I mean, it just creeps me out." I would love to know what you think of the first installment of Love Bites. I'm thinking it will make a nice Valentine's Day something... what do you think? Part Two will be unveiled tomorrow!