Categories Archive
It is starting to cool off a bit in Northern California and I’m craving a good Pumpkin Spice Latte! I want my whole house to smell like Fall and pumpkins, so I recently ordered several candles from Wax Cabin Candle. I light the Pumpkin Horchata candle and it smells like someone is baking a yummy cake in my house, I love it! I also ordered a few of their other best sellers – Lavandou Fizz, Cozy Cabin and Brunch. I have always loved anything Lavender and it makes me feel like I am having a spa day. Since there is very little travel going on right now, Cozy Cabin made me feel like I was in a log cabin in the woods 🙂 The great thing about these candles is that they are 100% soy wax grown in America and they are hand poured in New Jersey. They last a long time and smell great! They have a nice selection of fun boozy candles and even Mandles (candles for your man). Wax Cabin was kind enough to offer our readers a discount code to get 15% off your order. Just use code simonandkabuki15 at checkout. Check out their whole selection here Wax Cabin Candle Company. They make perfect Christmas gifts for you or your family and friends! Happy...
Giveaway time!! I’m so excited to partner with One Tribe Apparel They have the cutest boho clothing and accessories! We are giving away one pair of their super comfy harem pants and one of our elephant digital prints. With every order you make with OneTribeApparel.com, they donate to the Elephant Nature Park, how cool is that?! Wouldn’t these cute pants make the perfect beach outfit? THE PRIZES: 1 winner will receive one pair of harem pants from One Tribe Apparel and one digital print from Simon+Kabuki. Head over to Instagram to enter. THE RULES: 1. Follow @simonandkabuki and @onetribeapparel on Instagram 2. Like the post 3. Tag a friend! Each tag = one entry! Maximum of three tags per account! 4. The contest will run from 6/6/18 through 6/12/18 at 12AM EST. 5. Winners to be announced by 6/16/18 6. This contest is not affiliated or sponsored in any way with Instagram. Good...
Are you ready for graduation season? It’s almost here, time to start ordering announcements and invitations! We have a great selection of cards on several sites. Here are just a few of our new cards, just click on each card to order. You can also find a large selection of Simon+Kabuki cards at Picaboo.com. If you are looking for some great gift ideas, check out our Etsy Shop, click here. To see all of our custom cards on SimplytoImpress.com click here. To see all of our custom cards on PhotoAffections.com click here. Time flies when you are having fun! This year I have two graduates – one from college and one from high school. We have a big party planned for the two of them, should be fun! Happy shopping! ? ...
Check out our newest Simon+Kabuki Prints. We’ve added lots of fun new digital prints. You can download a high quality JPEG to print at home, online or through most office or stationery stores. These are perfect for last minute gifts or to decorate your own walls. We will be adding new stuff daily. Any requests or suggestions? Sign up for our Mailing List to get 15% off or buy multiple prints to get a great discount using the codes below. Coupon code: BUY2GET1FREE – Simply add 3 items (priced at $5.50 USD each) to your cart and enter the code for your free print. Coupon code: BUY4GET2FREE – Simply add 6 items (priced at $5.50 USD each) to your cart and enter the code for your free prints. CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR PRINTS...
I love journals. I have four on my desk right now as I type this. One for work, one for personal, one for home projects and a new one that is pristine still. Maybe I have a problem?! I think it might be a designer problem but I could be wrong. I bet I am not alone in my love for lists, jotting down notes, wishes and hopes. Are you with me? We’ve been busy at Simon+Kabuki designing new personalized journals for an adult line on Frecklebox.com. Some are sassy, some are sweet, some are retro but they are all super useful and would make a great gift for yourself, a graduate, a friend or a special teacher! Right now if you use the code “Friends” at checkout you can get 15% off! Hurry up and order, this offer is good through March 3. Check out our journals by clicking HERE. ...
We have some new submission for art prints over at Minted.com. We’d love to get your feedback and votes on our new prints. Several of the images are from Erin’s fantastic trip to Italy last summer. I’ve posted several above but if you click HERE you can see and vote on all of our submissions. Thanks for the support!...
By now you may have wandered over to our new website, if not please head over there and check it out pronto, www.simonandkabuki.com. We hope you like it and find it easy to navigate and find your favorite art. You can see some of our newest collections and products under what’s new and we will be updating the other sections throughout the year. You can also sign up for our monthly emails so you can stay up to date on the S+K brand or follow us on Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook. Hope you find the new site as great as we do! If you have any questions or comments we’d love to hear from...
We have several new products that just launched and a lot more in the pipeline. Our agent just returned from the Licensing Show and is meeting with a company about a possible bedding line. So exciting! Hope it goes through. For the last year or so we’ve been working on new check and accessories designs and new phone and tablet cases. Here are some of our fun new designs. The cases can be found here and here. You can find all of our check designs at...
Are you going to SURTEX next week? SURTEX, May 18-20, is the big art and licensing show held in New York every year. We have lots of new stuff that will be at the show, new design collections, bedding, dishes and other fun stuff. Our agent, Jewel Branding, just did a huge overhaul of their website and now you can register to see all of our portfolio in one place. Check out their site if you get a chance, it’s great. You can also see our new brand sheet below. We hope you have a chance to swing by and say hi, check out some of our new art and pick up a snazzy little S+K note pad. See us at Jewel Branding, Booth 406, May 18-20. ...
My daughter went away to college and when she didn’t move back home after the first year my sons went on a campaign to put a pool table in her room. So we did. After 4 years away, she came back home for a few months until she could afford her own place. Since her old bedroom is now the Pool Room, she moved into our guest room. With her effin’ cat. Who tore up the carpet trying to escape. This is how a lot of my home projects start, with one repair that snowballs into a total makeover. I figured if I have to replace the carpet, I might as well paint while the room is empty. And now that I’m painting a new color I’ll have to get new bedding. And since I’m starting over, I might want to rearrange the furniture because I haven’t hurt my back lately. The afternoon sun shines on the bed so this room might have to double as the Afternoon Nap Room. Now I just have to redo the attached bathroom, stay tuned! ...
We’ve decided that when our lease is up at the end of the summer, that we will move our office to our homes. Erin and I live within a mile of one another so getting together for meetings and brainstorming will be easy. Most of our corporate clients no longer come to our office. We either go to them or everything is done by email. Our licensing manufacturers are all over the country and world so we get together with them only occasionally at trade shows. It’s a changing world we live in. One of my problems with moving my office to my house is that I won’t have a dedicated room just for my office. I will need to have a multi-tasking area, like the corner of my bedroom or my living room. It will be a big adjustment but will also save us some money (rent, insurance, phone bills, etc.). I’ve just started thinking about some space ideas and also getting to the difficult task of cleaning out an office that has accumulated 20 years worth of stuff! Here are some ideas that I really like. I’ll keep you posted with before and after pics when I finally get around to making changes at home. And check out my Pinterest board for my...
I love scouring Etsy for fun one of a kind gifts. Here are a few of my favorite finds. I know the state necklace and poster are trendy items right now, but don’t you love the added pop of turquoise?! Decorating with books is super easy when they come in color coordinated sets, you could even add some of those lovely butterflies to them. Love the spring colors on the bobby pins, check out her site for even more colorful jewelry. And who doesn’t like kitties? And you know I couldn’t leave out mini terrariums! Hope you enjoy and get inspired to search out some fun finds yourself. California Necklace Book Bundles Handcut Butterflies Flower BobbyPins Kitty Bracelet...
For an elegant graduation party why not throw a black and white party. Hang pom poms and lanterns from the ceiling or trees. For an easy and fun decoration print out pictures of your grad that you can also give as favors when the party is over. Simon+Kabuki Grad Invitation Pom Poms Cookies Simon+Kabuki partyware...
We are working on several new floral collections. Here’s a sneak peek of some bits and pieces. We were going for a vintage lace and floral look on the patterns below. Kind of reminds me of wallpaper in my grandmas house. With the floral above we were thinking we’d mix it with fun sayings and stripes, chevrons and polka dots. I think they’d be perfect for a new card collection. They are still a work in progress. What do you think, any...
Tiffany Blue and gray make for a super stylish bridal shower. Hip invitation, feminine dishes and colorful desserts bring it all together for an elegant and modern soiree.S+K Invitation Dishes Cake Cookies Straws Pom...
My birthday is January 1st and most people know I hate winter, so turning older in the middle of winter usually equals me feeling like I need to slather my whole body in wrinkle cream and self tanner. Usually I do neither, too lazy I guess! But I am always looking for the miracle cure for several of my ailments. I have this little squint line between my eyes from playing and watching soccer in the sun. I think I’ve tried every miracle wrinkle cream out there to no avail. I’ve tried blurring it, filling it and retin a-ing it. I’ve also tried the brighteners, not really sure what bright skin should look like but I guess in the dead of winter I am looking for some sunshine to beam out of my face, at least that way you won’t see my little squint line! I can’t really complain this winter because it was 76 degrees yesterday, hardly winter. There are a few things that I’ve tried and loved and here is the short list. What about you – any miracles you’d like to share?! 1. Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder – I hate gray hair!! So annoying to have to constantly color your hair. If your hair is dark like mine it is even more annoying because the gray is so obvious. I’ve tried lots of different things to get another week out of a dye job. Nothing worked great until I bought Bumble and Bumble hair powder. Other powders leave a white residue, this does not and it covers the gray really well. It is messy and...
Each year I struggle to get my kids to cooperate and take great photos for our Christmas card. I love candid photos with a slight blur. To me those seem magical, but I can hear my mom bitching when she gets the card that the photos are blurry! 🙂 So there must be a little of both and some fun thrown in. Collage or multi-photo cards are great for that or if you lucked out and got the best picture ever go with the single stunning photo card option. Here are a few tips to get you on your way and a few of ours that were captured this year.. 1. Location, location, location – If you have a nearby stream, park or forest even the Christmas Tree farm use that as your backdrop. 2. Get in close, especially if you don’t have a great background. Close ups, especially of young kids are adorable. 3. Take action pictures, like jumping, kicking through leaves, swinging one child between parents. 4. Sharing a moment like reading, hugging or kissing makes a sweet image. 5. Use non-standard posing – take a shot of everyone laying head to head on the ground or a photo from below with your kids looking down at you. 6. Be Spirited – Are you the family with all the sports nuts? Dress everyone in sports gear. Love pets? Make sure the photo reflects your furry friends. 7. Take individual and group shots. That way at least you have something to use no matter what. And take lots of pictures, you can always toss later but getting everyone...
What kind of Christmas tree do you have? Is it classic/traditional, filled with lots of red and green, or vintage, filled with lots of glitter and retro ornaments, maybe whimsical, with bright fun colors and lots of white, or maybe a specific theme like coastal, filled with ornaments from the sea? I think mine is vintage random. I love all the old glittery glass ornaments but I also put up the ones the kids made or ones with sentimental value. I wish my house was big enough for several trees, it would be fun to have different themes. I’d love a wild and whimsical white tree, like something out of Dr. Seuss! Here are a few to get you started thinking!...
If you celebrate Hanukkah then this year you get a special treat because it will start on Thanksgiving. This hasn’t happened in over 100 years! If you’re looking for that special combo holiday card (come on, I know you are!) then check out our Thanksgivukkah card from SimplytoImpress.com. I read a really good description about Thanksgivukkah on Kickstarter. It was for a Menurkey, you know a combo menorah + turkey, duh! You must check it out because who doesn’t need one of those, and the kid who invented it is pretty cute and they raised $48,000 already. I think I need to give my kids a kick in the pants and get them inventing some weird stuff we can sell for millions. Anyway here is what all the hoopla is about (the math gives me a headache!): “The reason Hanukkah and Thanksgiving will overlap this year is because the Jewish calendar repeats on a 19 year cycle, and Thanksgiving repeats on a 7 year cycle. You would therefore expect them to coincide roughly every 19×7 = 133 years. Which is correct – the last time it would have happened is 1861. But Thanksgiving was only formally established by President Lincoln in 1863 (which is why it has never happened before). It may not happen again because the Jewish calendar is very slowly getting out of sync with the solar calendar, at a rate of 4 days per 1000 years. This means that while presently Hanukkah can be as early as 11/28, over the years the calendar will drift forward, such that the earliest Hanukkah can be is 11/29. The...
This weekend we were on the soccer field at a Halloween tournament. So fun to see all the costumes. My daughter’s team went as Where’s Waldo and came in second place. My younger daughter got super inspired and decided to go home and make herself into a sugar skull. I thought she looked great! It’s also time to start carving pumpkins. You don’t want to do it to far in advance unless you want a moldy pumpkin on Friday. We plan on carving on Wednesday. I looked at Ray Villafane’s website for some ideas. What an amazing artist! Check out some of my favorites below. Looking for something easier or less messy. How about spray painting on letters or designs? Or use an old lacy stocking to cover the pumpkins. You can even cover them in fabric like we did last year. Check out the directions here. Pinterest is also full of some great ideas. Have fun and don’t forget to cook your pumpkin...
Every year my girls jump from one costume idea to the next until a few days before Halloween, while my son usually throws it together the day before. Here are a few ideas to get you started just in case the princess costume is unavailable! They can all be thrown together with items you have on hand or a quick trip to Goodwill or the Halloween store. 1. Scooby and the gang. This is great for a family of 5 or 5 friends. We did this one year and found all of the clothing except Scooby at Goodwill. 2. Cruella Deville and Dalmations – My daughter’s soccer team dressed as this for a tournament. They won best costume. White shirts with black fabric paint, facepaint and pigtail ears. 3. Life Guards – If you can’t find a red lifeguard shirt just buy iron on letters at Michaels. Add a blow up tube around your waist. 4. Sugar Skull (I found this great tutorial by Jessica Harlow). You can also check Pinterest for lots of other ideas and color schemes. Pair with all black clothing or get colorful either way works. 5. Wind-up Doll – Use a toilet paper roll and some cardboard to make the wind up key. Any fancy dress will do, just attach the wind up key to their back. 6. High Tech T-Shirt (perfect for a teen) You must watch the video, it was started by an ex-Nasa scientist! Click on the title to see lots of other options all using a smartphone and apps. 7. Energizer Bunny – Just wear all pink, add pink ears,...
I love that you can now easily order die cut photo cards online. Here’s some inspiration for a couple’s shower in my favorite color combo – red and aqua. My brother and sister-in-law had a photo booth at their wedding and it was the highlight of the wedding. It was so much fun and the photo booth company made a photo book out of all of the images. It was a great gift for the bride and groom and would also make a great gift for the engaged couple, just ask the booth company to make two sets of photos (one for guests and one for the couple). The photo strips makes a perfect favor for guest to go home with. Invitation Pom Poms Paper Dishes Favor Boxes Cocktail...
We often get asked how we got into licensing our artwork. About 8 or 9 years ago a new company came to us and asked if we would design some stationery for their site that they would proof online and print digitally, a new concept. We were corporate graphic designers so we were used to designing and printing digitally and working pretty fast. We had always designed fun holiday gifts for clients and family/friends and had even thought about opening our own stationery store. We went as far as testing and printing some designs and getting prices for everything. We still have some of the stuff in storage (need to have a garage sale!). The timing was perfect and we gave it a try. We never imagined we could make a living doing it, we were doing it more for fun. That online stationery company was TinyPrints and the rest is history. From TinyPrints we expanded to other sites like InvitationBox.com and KodakGallery. With Kodak, we were their most successful designer outselling Martha Stewart! From there it was only natural that we expand our designs to other products. We found an awesome agent, Jewel Branding and began marketing to manufacturers. We had a booth at Surtex, the licensing show in New York, and go each year. It is a lot of work and design time but our product line is growing each year. It is exciting to see our stuff at stores and online. It is a long process before you are profitable and it takes many years to build up repeat customers but the sky’s the limit for...
I know it is still summer and school barely started, but at Simon+Kabuki it’s holiday time! Most of our holiday cards have been turned in and launched or they are about to be launched. Here are a few I thought I would share. I love that you can now get custom die cut cards fairly easily. These cards can all be found on SimplytoImpress.com. If you are like some of my friends you will have holiday cards ordered stamped and ready to go by October 31st, if you’re like me you will send them the week before Christmas! Enjoy! Sparkly Be Merry Merry Dot Frame Rosy Round Ornament Snow Dash Curved...
I didn’t even realize I was being a psycho until most of my so-called friends called me that when I told them my plans for not one, but two, dinner parties in three days. I was thinking it was super efficient to entertain a couple of days apart since I was renting tables, dishes, etc. Am I right? The first group were U.S. members of my husband’s cult board and the second group was the international cult board. I like to be compared to Martha Stewart (but with a pinch of Jennifer Aniston) as often as possible AND I just traveled to Italy where every meal is described by region, so I decided everything had to be local. I dragged my husband’s sober ass to a winery about 15 miles south of my backyard to pick out wine. Did I mention that he doesn’t drink and my favorite wine is Coors Light? Luckily we have lots of alcoholic friends who are willing to educate us. We picked out a Pinot Noir (which is apparently what the Kool Kids are drinking) and a Chardonnay for those who prefer beer and juice boxes. Of course we had to have wine from Napa Valley, since it’s a stone’s throw away and known around the world. I thought beer tasting would be a nice start (not because I was trying to get everybody wasted in case they were no fun) so I got local beers too, from hubby’s college town and San Francisco (also in the hood) and one from San Diego just because it’s called Arrogant Bastard. How could I NOT serve that? I...
