happy holidays

I know it's a week early but because of upcoming travels, I wanted to wish everyone an early Happy Holidays!

As you check back here, please don't be alarmed if you don't see any regular posts for a little while.

Since shutting down Cecily Ink, I've started several new creative endeavors (such as my illustration etsy shop and vintage assemblage etsy shop) while continuing to grow and service my graphic design studio.

With so many interests, I jump from typography to illustration to Etsy round-ups to shop reviews to photos of my pets! I think it's time to focus my energies a bit and figure out exactly where to take this blog. So while I'm on hiatus, please feel free to share your thoughts of what you might like to see here in the future.

Until then, best wishes to each of you!

and the winner is...

Congratulations to: Jenn and Sinnicism!

Please send me your mailing address and I'll get this fun dayplanner popped in the mail to you straight away! (please email to defteling[at]hotmail.com)

For those of you who didn't win, remember that I have an Etsy shop where I sell limited edition prints (both matted or framed) and I'll be adding new illustrations in January!

more giveaway goodness

Gentle reminder: midnight tonight is the deadline to enter for your chance to win one of my 2010 dayplanners! Just click here and leave a comment.

In the meantime, there's a fun give-away over at Crow and Canary where you'll have till next Tuesday for a chance to win this pretty letterpress print Nik Bresnick of Bittersugar:

Good luck, everyone!

my Crafy Wonderland treasures

This past Sunday was Crafty Wonderland's Colossal Holiday Sale and I had a colossal good time!

As much as I dislike crowds, I must admit it was inspirational to see such a great turn-out for this event. Not sure what the final numbers are, but by 2pm, over 4500 crafty, artsy, and indie fans had crossed the threshold and were doing their best to boost our local economy!

It took me over three hours to make it all the way through the 200+ vendors and I must say, I was a bit sad when I got the end of the very last aisle... oh, well, time for round two!

It was a great mix of artists but here are my top faves from this year's show:

Faune Yerby's work caught my eye when I very first walked through the doors. She collages her photographic images in a really nostalgic way that totally fits my taste for vintage chic. Although her pieces consist of numerous small photographs, they all work together to create a larger image that pulls you in to tell a story. You can find more of her work in her Etsy shop here.

Next up is Lisa Kaser. I had not seen her work before and I absolutely fell in love with her whimsical style and quirky characters. I came home with the two prints above: "Spring" on the left and "I'll cook for you" on the right. I've already framed them and just need to find the perfect spot to hang them! You can check out all of Lisa's work here and purchase prints at her Etsy shop here.

I've admired Johanna Wright's work for quite a while (see last year's blog post here) and decided it was finally time to add this print to my collection (yes indeed, I'm actually starting to run out of wall space now!) She also just released a new book she's illustrated and I have a feeling this whale is part of that story. Check out her website here and Etsy shop here.

Last but not least, I was thrilled to see Lori Shippy again at this year's show. She and I did a little trade last year and I ended up with two of her small white birds that I absolutely adore (see blog post here). This year, I added one of her black crows to my collection, and it's already found a home in the upstairs hallway. I also love Lori's giving-back philosophy: 20% of all of her profits go towards building wells in Togo, West Africa! See more of Lori's work on her website here and her Etsy shop here.

giveaway » 2010 dayplanner

Last night, the time had finally come to pick up my Defteling Design client gifts at the printer and boy, am I pleased with the final result!

The black binding really emphasizes the black lineart illustrations and the colors just pop off the page. Tomorrow is my time to play Santa (no, I'm not dressing up!) and deliver/mail out my gift to my various clients.

Since posting sneak previews, I've had several requests to purchase a dayplanner, which unfortunately, I'm not able to sell. However, don't fret: I've decided to raffle off a dayplanner for two lucky winners right here on my blog!

All you need to do is leave a comment below and you'll be entered to win! If you repost this on your own blog, leave a second comment with the link to your blog and double your chances to win!

The winner will be picked and announced next week Thursday (enter by midnight PST on Wednesday 12/16). Good luck, everyone!

open for business: my new etsy shop!

I'm so excited, I finally have my new Etsy shop up and running, stocked to the brims with matted and framed prints of my new illustrations!

I start by hand-drawing the illustrations in pen and ink. After I scan them, the real fun begins: digitally adding color, textures, and shapes! I love playing with scale and transparency, drawing some of the background illustrations (like the bee in "Taste of Summer" below) really large, only to reduce them once scanned. That makes the illustration more realistic-looking which is a nice contrast to the more loose style of the main drawings.

I purchased a new fancy-shmancy printer that uses archival inks that are guaranteed to last over 100 years! Yeah, none of us will be around by then so I guess that's an easy sales pitch to make... Regardless, the print quality is amazing and I use acid-free, fine artisan papers and conservation-quality rag mats so the prints should definitely last a life-time!

Look for new designs to be added in the new year! Check it out here: alexwijnen.etsy.com!

holiday studio sale

I'm so excited about this weekend's studio sale at Stubborn!

Mel Stiles has been one of my long-time favorite jewelry artists (I own three of her gorgeous necklaces, I just can't get enough!) and she's opening her doors for a holiday studio sale this Saturday and Sunday!


Besides stunning jewelry, Mel will also be selling oh-so-cool purses and darling ornaments – so grab your list and head on over to the Stubborn Studio Sale this weekend!

Oh, almost forgot: I'll be there, too, for part of the time, selling some remaining Cecily Ink cards and gift wrap at rock-bottom prices ($1 per card and per sheet!).

Not only that, I'll be debuting my new line of illustrations that I originally created for my day planner client gift. I'll have both framed and unframed prints available (stay tuned for my Etsy shop Grand Opening in the next day or so!)

S T U B B O R N Studio Sale
Saturday Dec. 5 + Sunday Dec. 6 • 11am to 3pm • snacks & drinks provided • kids welcome!
2928 NE 11th Ave • Portland OR 97212

house present

I know 't is the season to buy presents for all your family and friends but I recently bought a present for my house. Okay, so it was really a present for myself but definitely in honor of our house: a set of bowls that together make up our house number, 1848!


Gleena Ceramics can customize numbers up to 49 - what a great gift idea for a birthday (or a house warming gift). Check out more of her great creations at her website. (photos below from Gleena's site)

Another house gift was the table runner you saw in my photos. It came all the way from Japan via Kalla's etsy shop. Love all her graphic printed fabrics, pillows, tea towels and more. (photos below from Kalla's site)

day planner goes to press

Last month I shared a few sneak peeks at some illustrations I've been doing for my 2009 client gift for Defteling Design. Well, today the project actually went on press – and I'm thrilled with the results!

After checking (and re-checking) the mocked-up proof, the full-color images are printed on a huge 6-color press at Brown Printing, one of the collaborators on this fun project.

The cover was up first. I incorporated one of my favorite illustrations (July) for the cover, which will then be printed with a solid blue on the back and folded in half, so that the yearly calendar to the right becomes the inside left front cover.

When it was time to press check the monthly divider pages, I was ecstatic: so much goodness, so much richness and texture! I know, I designed it so why am I all freaked out, but it was just so shocking (in a good way!) to see them all lined up like this. I brought back an extra press sheet so I can hang it in my office.

Next are the two-color weekly planner pages and then it's off to the bindery for black wire-o binding. I can't wait to hold the finished planner in my hands! And yes, I haven't forgotten about the giveaway. Stay tuned, I'll post the giveaway as soon as the planner is all done!

etsy roundup » plushies

As a kid I collected stuffed animals like there was no tomorrow! I felt this strong urge to give every critter that crossed my path a home. The result was a bed overflowing with soft plushies of all varieties – at times there was barely room for me to go to sleep!

Although I've given up my collection long ago, I haven't lost my soft spot for stuffed bears, rag dolls, and other cozy creatures. Here is a collection of little darlings that are looking for a new home – maybe yours? (click on the image to link to their Etsy store)