time travel

Want to spend a few minutes traveling back in time – or at least see what you might have looked like had you lived in a different era? Then check out this site and get ready to laugh! Here's a little taste of what to expect: (go ahead and laugh at me – I did!)

Here I look like old photos of my paternal grandmother!

Silly as it may look in 2008, back in 1990 I would have done anything for a mane of hair like this!

Via How About Orange's blog.

Seattle update

Thanks to Laura James Designs, I can now share with you what the Cecily Ink & Goosey Press booth looked like at last weekend's Seattle Gift Show:

Thanks, Laura!

Seattle Gift Show

In case you were wondering whether I dropped off the face of the earth, not to worry: I was busy preparing and exhibiting at the Seattle Gift Show!

Although I'm by nature quite a shy person (really!), I'm always surprised by how much I enjoy meeting people at these trade shows. I'm starting to feel like a regular, catching up with past booth buddies and making friends with new ones.

I had every intention of showing you pictures of my booth, especially since I shared a space with Goosey Press so my booth looked a bit different this time, but for some reason my camera deleted all the photos! Instead, I thought I'd show you one of my favorite baby lines, Bunnies by the Bay, as well as three fellow Portland artists.


Bunnies by the Bay always has an amazing booth and draws lots of ooh's and aah's as the crowd walks past. Their line is so cute - and soft! I know you can't tell from the photos, but trust me, your wee one would love to be swaddled in Bunnies by the Bay. I think they should release a grown-up line!


Across the corner from me was Carina with Crow & Canary, who reps some fabulous and unique stationery lines. Sharing part of her booth was Portland artist Marty with Letterary Press.


Naturally, I'm a sucker for anything letterpress and Marty's line was no exception. I especially love her somewhat wacky sense of humor that comes across in her cards – check out this birthday card on the left - too funny!


I also met Portland jeweler Laura with Laura James Designs, who made her trade show debut at the Seattle Gift Show. Her fused glass pieces are ultra-hip and modern – her black-and-white pieces totally caught my eye! As did Laura herself, who was a hoot to talk to and who matched her funky design sense with an über-stylish coiffure, courtesy of Susan at Rock Paper Scissors (who also does my hair so I can recommend her without hesitation!).


And finally, it was fun to see Erin again with Bath Gal. Her booth looked just as cute as ever and I love her displays that look like gift baskets – fuzzy pink boxes filled to the brim with yummy lotions and potions.

spoonflower

I'm so excited: I received my custom fabric from Spoonflower this afternoon! For those of you not familiar with Spoonflower, it's this fabulous website where you can upload your own designs and they'll magically turn it into gorgeous fabrics!


Well, it's not pure magic – I'm sure there's quite a bit of technical wizardry involved as well – but regardless of how they do it, the result is amazing! Other than a color shift in the chartreuse (turned out a bit more grass green), I'm tickled pink with my yardage!


Now I just have to figure out what to make out of all this lovely fabric... Ideas, anyone?! I've been thinking of pillows (yes, a bit too obvious, isn't it) or a small make-up pouch, or a pencil case, or a slouchy purse, or... If you have any thoughts, please feel free to share!

studio visit

I just had to post a link to one of Poppytalk's blog postings today – it features a studio tour of Hello! Lucky, a fabulous line of letterpress papers (and my neighbors at the National Stationery Show).


I absolutely love their space – it's such a great mix of vintage finds and clean lines! I just recently created additional space for an expanded shipping room but still yearn for a separate office like theirs, sigh...

PHOTOS COURTESY OF POPPYTALK/HELLO!LUCKY

word games

As a graphic designer, I deal with typography every day. I often have to work within the boundaries of a project, using certain fonts prescribed by a client's graphic standards or choosing fonts that complement their logo and other existing print collateral.

That's why I had a ball playing around on wordle.net – you type in a bunch of words and then sit back as the computer takes over, arranging the words in different sizes and angles on the screen. You can play around with different fonts, colors, and arrangements, even languages!


Here are two more examples pulled from their gallery where you can submit your own Wordles: