Categories Archive
The countdown is on for SURTEX 2016, May 15-17 in New York. Our agent will be there showcasing all of our new work. We hope you get a chance to stop by and visit – Jewel Branding Booth 417. We have lots of new greeting cards, great patterns for fabric and our super Sassy Sayings Collection. That’s a tongue twister 🙂 Check them out, I think they’d make great wall art, cocktail napkins, journal covers, the sky’s the limit! What do you think? #surtex #surtex2016...
Did you know there was an entire month devoted to letter writing? Me neither! It’s an annual effort to promote literacy and celebrate the art of letter writing. Letter writing is a way of preserving history. We all know that everyone has a stash of special letters saved. I still look at all of my notes/letters passed during high school and college. I love getting letters and packages from people it is so fun. I know we can all send email thank yous and party invites but isn’t getting something in the mail so much more meaningful? I always have my kids send thank yous after Christmas or their birthdays. It’s fun to add in pictures or drawings as well. I know my parents love getting hand written notes from their grandkids, they keep them on the frig for all to see. Here are some links to note cards we’ve designed: SimplytoImpress.com Tinyprints.com Invitationbox.com...
Our Eat at Moms dishes were a big hit at stores. And now we’ve been asked to design a new collection along the same lines. We are working on that now and it’s looking pretty sassy! But we are super excited that our Eat at Moms collection is also coming out as a fabric line. Now you can have a super coordinated kitchen! The fabric line should be in stores (Hobby Lobby) in 2014. It’s always fun to see a design collection across multiple products. Check out some of the fabric swatches...
I know all of you creative types know about Etsy, but if you consider yourself “creatively challenged” you may not be aware of the best place to shop in the entire internet Universe. (It might be tied with Zappos, which has more hot shoes than even I can keep up with). Etsy is like Amazon but for super cool, handmade stuff. I was searching the internet for sarcastic phrases last week because SOMEONE ACTUALLY PAYS ME MONEY to do stuff like that and I happened to come across these amazing handmade earrings that say “In one ear, out the other.” As luck would have it, I have my credit card number memorized in case of an emergency, and well, duh. So I sent in my order and commented to the ArtistQueenOfAllThingsResin that these were the best earrings ever. So I was already excited when my package arrived (quickly and inexpensively) and then I opened it and first there was this completely fabulous pillow box with a lucky number attached AND A BONUS NECKLACE with my second favorite word on it. Did she read my mind? No, because the necklace probably would have said f*ck instead of duh. But still. Oh, AND there was a coupon for my next purchase. So if you are looking for a gift for you mom, your sis, your friend or yourself (but not your mother-in-law) go to Etsy. And start with Resin8ingDarkness because if this post entertains you, then so will the jewelry in this awesome...
We were recently asked to submit designs for a sign company. Our agent will show our presentation to multiple manufacturers and often we don’t hear anything for quite a while. It can be frustrating and difficult to wait since we are so impatient! I was the type of kid that unwrapped my Christmas presents early then rewrapped them because I could not stand waiting. So you can imagine how difficult it is for us to sometimes wait a year before we actually hear any news, whether good or bad. Sometimes things that we’ve completely forgotten about come back as a nice surprise. So we probably have another few months of waiting before we hear if any of our signs were picked up, but if they were chosen at least you can say you saw them here first! Retro Tin Signs based on our Retro Lane Design Collection, which has also been used on greeting cards and journals. We designed a line of Eat at Mom’s signage to go with our Eat at Mom’s Ceramic Collection that is currently sold at Hobby Lobby and other retailers. To see the full set of dishes click...
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. I’m going to date myself here but when I was in college studying graphic design, we still went to typesetters to set our type. I graduated in 1990, and computer typesetting was just around the corner. My first job, I had to figure out what type size, leading and typeface I wanted to use and let the typesetters do the rest. It was more time consuming and maybe less creative. Now we have so many font choices on our computers and can try whatever we want over and over again. This can be a boon and a bust. Finding the right fonts to fit your design can make all the difference. The fonts above are all the same size but totally different personality. Pinterest is a great place to see awesome type examples and how the perfect type can make or break your project. We had a lot of fun doing the Christmas coasters below, mostly coming up with cheesy jokes but also finding the right typefaces to fit the design and the feeling we wanted to evoke. This video is a great introduction to typography plus it is beautifully designed! I hope this gets your creative juices flowing. Great typography will set your project above the...
I love adding pops of color and bold graphics to a home. The key to achieving the perfect balance is to keep it balanced. If you are looking for an easy way to add a graphic pop, try painting a wall with chalkboard paint. It allows you to change it up whenever you want, like with the seasons or holidays. Another great idea, add a large letter or monogram to the wall. You could even take a sharpie to a kids room, just make sure they don’t see you doing it or you’re in trouble! Have an all white room? Adding a few bright colors will make it come to life. If you’re still not sure about what to add or afraid to make a commitment with paint or furniture go for a big graphic canvas. You can find tons of great ideas on Houzz.com and...
Our Typografeast dishes are finally in stores! Yeah! I know that they can be found at Hobby Lobby. Here are some pictures from the Atlanta Gift Show. There are approx. 40-50 pieces. I love the teapot and cookie jar. So exciting to finally see the finished product. We also have some new cards out with Leanin’ Tree as well. ...
We are busy preparing some new collections for the Licensing Expo in Vegas next week. Our agent Jewel Branding will have lot’s of fab new stuff so swing by her booth and check it out. One of the fun new collections we are working on is all about shoes. What women doesn’t own a ton of shoes?! How come it took us so long to crank this one out? A girl can always use a new pair of shoes to brighten her day. Once when my husband was helping me pack my shoes to move, he kept asking if all of my black shoes are moving with us or going to Goodwill. He just couldn’t understand why I needed so many shoes that were all the same color. Silly men! We hope you like the little sneak peek of our S+K Shoe collection to see more of our work email us, visit our website or visit Jewel Booth in Las...
Since it is political debate season, year, month, whatever, I thought I would try to focus on something positive (stop laughing) about politics. No not the lies that are coming out of their mouths nor the attacks on each other, you would think they are all in middle school or high school, so cliquey! And are we not trying to teach our children to not bully? Hello presidential candidates and their PR firms lets cut the crap and lead by example. Enough with the he said, she said, you all need a time out. I digress… The real reason for this post was to take a look at some of the political posters over the last couple hundred years. It might be the one bright spot in the race for presidency. There are some pretty cool ones and it is fun to look at ones that were done so long ago. There are some good designers out there. I also like that lately people have come up with their own versions (as long as they are nice and tasteful. One great example of that is the Obama Hope poster. Here are some additional places that you can view more posters: Presidential Campaign Posters: Two Hundred Years The Library of...
I am about to geek out on my type obsession and my thing for clocks, you have been warned. I have posted before about how I have a clock in every room of my house. I am always looking for more ideas on how to incorporate type into my surroundings. I am also on a mission to schedule more free time and make this the most stress free summer of the decade (I know the decade just started, but still). I love clocks and these little gems from Soho Clockworks just make me smile. The birdhouse is my...
Last night I went to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie with my kids. It is a cute story but very short, perfect for youngsters. My girls are 10 and 12 so it is a little young for them but they have such fond memories of Winnie the Pooh that they could not wait to go. We did not stay until the end of the credits but I have since learned that there is a cute little ending, so stay put! We will have to rent it when it comes out. The stories by A.A. Milne are so sweet and the film adaption is great. The characters are cute and quirky just like your extended family. There’s Uncle Bob always asking about food, and the control freak Aunt Betty, the spastic cousin John, the know it all Uncle Sam, the mother hen and her spoiled brat, Mitsy and Kaily, the shy introverted cousin Mikey and the grumpy grandpa Dave. Just kidding these are not my real family names I changed them to protect them. 🙂 But the real treat of the film is how the story literally comes to life. The film is every graphic designers dream. I loved how they incorporated the words into the film and even used the letters as props. So creative! Winnie the Pooh has always been one of my childhood favorites. I even designed my son’s nursery in Winnie the Pooh. Now as an adult and as a designer I can see why I loved it so much as a child, it was my inner design diva shining through!...
Last week I went into the book store to buy a gift but I stayed to browse around looking at books. This time I wasn’t looking for a specific genre or author, just book cover design. When I go to the book store I’m like a kid in a candy store tasting everything. As a graphic designer, I can’t help being drawn in. I used to take my kids to reading hour and pass the time looking at the children’s book covers. If a book I see turns out to be something that I would like to read then score! I love reading and I have bookmarked many an online blog that I try to keep up with. But there is something about a book that you can hold in your hand put in your pocket and take home. Newspapers seem unwieldy and magazines feel too temporary. I like when a book cover catches my eye and piques my interest. That is a huge accomplishment when you consider the competition. Standing out amongst an immense crowd is no small feat (unless you are Lady Gaga at the Vatican on speech day). These sites showcase some of the best book cover designs. I know that looking at book covers online does not replace going to the book store, but it is inspiring and addicting. Pinterest Book By It’s Cover The Book Cover Archive Some that caught my eye: ...
The Academy Awards are coming up this Sunday. To honor this event I have collected some of my favorite movie posters that feature great typography. As you can see, I always like to attach my type addiction to any event, and this is a great one to do so. Movie posters are a great medium for conveying concepts to the masses and when great type is involved the result is fantastic. Here are some posters of (mostly) great movies and (some) not so great movies. Bear in mind the obvious fact that the caliber of some of these movies do not necessary match that of their posters, but check out how cool the type is. Having some movie buffs over for an Oscar party and have no idea what to feed them? I like these simple ideas from The Food Network. For fun appetizers, pretend your guests are coming to the movies and serve classic movie type snacks such as popcorn, Milk Duds, Junior Mints, and orange cream...
I have kind of an unhealthy addiction to type. Typefaces are like crack to me (without all the obvious wrong). I love the shapes, curves, and corners. I love the negative space around letters and numbers. I think there are some of you typophiles out there that agree with me. I also love type that is just for fun. Because all work and no play can make type suck really bad. I can sum it up here: “There are essentially two kinds of typography: The familiar kind for reading, and the other, simply for viewing, like a painting. Some say that readability is most important. There are really two important things about typography: readability and beauty; both are equally important.” -Paul Rand We have been inspired by the beauty of the fonts at Letterhead Fonts. These fonts don’t just include type in the traditional sense. Some collections include nostalgic themes, banners and borders. Combine them with bright colors and you have a fresh new take on the classic. Just for...
I have a tendency to be late. All the time. I think there was an unconscious effort on my part to correct this by having a clock in every room in my house. I never really made this connection until a friend pointed it out to me: how can you always be late when you have a clock staring at you from every corner of your house? Then it hit me. Yes clocks are used to tell time, but more importantly, they contain numbers. Being a type addict (or nerd as some would call it) lends itself to collecting clocks as decorations. After a while of collecting I decided that the clocks don’t even have to have numbers and in most cases the round shape is a complimentary accent to any decor. Even though I pretty much already have a clock in every room, I am always looking for new cool designs. Here are some of my favorites. I love the fishy the most but it will go into my son’s room. He won’t know it’s really for me. Clockwise (pun intended) from top left: Luggage Clock: Pottery Barn Nelson Ball Clock: DWR Fernando the Fish Wall Clock: DWR Oversized Old World Clock: Target Whatever Clock:...
