Hello!  After a long hiatus from posting on my blog, I’m extremely excited to announce that I’m participating in my first National Stationery Show this May 19 - 22  (Booth #1767). This is a big step for me on the road of expanding my stationery and gift lines to stores across the country.  (To reps who may be reading: I’m hiring!  Please contact me to set up an appointment at the show)

Prepping for the show has so far been eye-opening and incredibly rewarding… and the show itself is still almost 6 weeks away.  The process also been very immersive.  I believe the best phrase to describe it might be “drinking from the firehose”.  I feel I’ve already learned so much from the planning process that even if I were to not be able to make it to the show it would have been worth all the time and effort.  (Mind you, I will get to that show even if I need to ride a tricycle across the country!)  My skills in logistics, delegation, organization, layout and design, working under pressure, and decision-making have all leveled up in a serious way.

I’ve also created many new products which I’m excited to share with everyone in the coming weeks.  My newest line of items focuses on bright, happy colors and themes with a looser illustration style.  I think the result is fun and gorgeous and can’t wait to share what I’ve done.

Concurrent with the show prep, I’ve also been doing very exciting illustration work with companies like Williams-Sonoma and La Brea Bakery, as well as some very cool small farms.  I’ll be posting updates on those projects soon.

I hope to see you at the Stationery Show!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my Hurricane Sandy fundraiser.  With help from your purchases, I donated $500 to the American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief Fund.

Together, through fundraisers like these and the help of generous matching donors, we’ve raised almost $10,000 for charities like the Red Cross and Save the Children.  Thank you.

Instantly add some rustic zing to your kitchen with these five new screenprinted chicken kitchen towels. I’m so excited about these new designs.  The artwork is big and bold, the fabric is super-absorbent flour sack, and the colors are fun and complement each other well.

Only $10 each, or get all 5 for $42.50 (save 15%)

These make such a terrific match with my block print Hen and Rooster wall art that I’ve put together some combo gift packs.  Click on the links to be taken to the store:

The “Betty” collection: Save 15%: Two Towels, Two Prints
The “Rosie Ann” collection: SAVE 25%: Five Towels, Three Prints

By popular demand, I’ve turned some of the images from my illustrated vegetables card series into 8″ x 10″ prints.  Now there are 5 designs to choose from:

Carrots, Strawberries, Eggplants, Cherry Tomatoes, and Winter Vegetables.

To assist those affected by the recent storms on the east coast, I’m donating proceeds from my Etsy shop to the American Red Cross.

~ For purchases over $25, I will donate $10
~ For purchases over $50, I will donate $25
~ For purchases over $100, I will donate $50

~ Fundraiser lasts from Oct 30 to Nov 12
~ Purchase amounts do not include sales tax or shipping
~ Updates and results will be posted on my blog, facebook page, and to my email mailing list.
~ I’m looking for matching donors– please contact me if interested.

Because of your generous support, the last fundraiser I held raised over $8,300 for Japanese tsunami victims and Save the Children. Together we can make a positive difference. Thank you.

Link to my Etsy shop

So you want to give a gift to a friend who you are pretty sure will like my work.  But you’re not positive, and don’t want to get them the wrong present.  Dilemma!

Enter the all-new Etsy Gift Cards! They are redeemable at any shop which is signed up to take them, including my Etsy shop.  Now your friend can browse my store but ultimately may choose to buy something else on Etsy that they like more.  Either way, everyone is happy. Holiday shopping = Easier!

Even if your friend doesn’t choose my work, I still consider it a great opportunity and privilege to be able to personally introduce my work to someone you think might enjoy it.  Therefore, I’d like to send you a free card that you can use to present an Etsy Gift Card to your friend.

Here’s how it works:

1) Convo me to let me know what general category of my work your friend would be most interested in (Farm, Dog/Cat, Circus, or something else?)

2) I’ll mail you a card from my collection (of my choosing) which I think would showcase my work well, with a hand-written introduction to myself and my work.

3) When you receive it, pop in the printout of your Etsy Gift Card into the envelope I’ll provide, and voila!  A personal introduction from the artist, ready for gifting.

Notes:

~ This card will NOT be blank, it will contain a message

~ I am not offering Etsy Gift Cards.  This listing is for a presentation card only.

~ I will ship USPS First Class Mail

~ Please leave enough time before the holidays to account for prep and shipping.  I’d suggest purchasing it at least 10 business days in advance.

~ If it’s too close to the holidays (or if you are purchasing overseas) I’m happy to send a personal introduction email to your friend

~ I can’t be held responsible if the card is delayed or lost in the mail.

~ This free offer is good only for shipping within the USA.

When I’m writing a thank-you note to a customer, adding a note to a gift, or just want to let someone know I’m thinking of them, I find that more is less.  Leaving too much space looks kind of lame, even though all you want to write is a brief but sincere sentiment.  But gift tags can be too small for the task.

To help solve this size conundrum, I came up with a new line of flat-panel cards.  Each card features a big illustration, leaving room for a short and sweet note (with a blank back if you want to write more).  I find them to be the perfect size when you don’t have/want to say too much.  Plus, they’re pretty.

I just finished illustrating 5 new designs, which brings the collection total to 17 designs!  Check out the collection on my Etsy shop.  It’s a notecard-designing party over here!

Come out and spend a day at the always-exciting Alternative Press Expo this Sat/Sun, Oct 13-14 at the Concourse in San Francisco.  It’s a fantastic way to see what’s new in the world of indie comics and artwork.  I’ll be at booth 624 (circled in orange on the tiny map below.  Bigger map can be found on the APE website).

Hope to see you there!

Alternative Press Expo
http://www.comic-con.org/ape/

Entrance Fee
$10 for a one-day pass
$15 for a two-day pass

Hours
SATURDAY, October 13
11am - 7pm

SUNDAY, October 14
11am - 6pm

Location
The Concourse
635 8th Street
San Francisco

La Cucina Italiana’s October issue featured my letterpressed pasta cards!

These cards venerate four types of dried pasta, humble workhorses of mid-week meals.  Each pack contains two cards each of Penne, Farfalle, Cellentani, and Radiatore (the only pasta on earth to be named after a radiator!)

La Cucina Italiana, with a monthly readership of over half a million, is “America’s leading source for Italian cuisine and lifestyle”.

Keep your eyes open for a new brand of hand-crafted, small-batch jams, chutneys, sauces, and baked goods from Valley Girls Foodstuffs of Sonoma, CA.

I recently had a great time working with Valley Girls to develop a logo reminiscent of a vintage produce label. Director Anea Botton and her group were very receptive and excited about the process. The end result looks way cool, in my completely non-biased opinion.  Go Valley Girls!  I can’t wait to watch how their business grows.

Anea Botton writes:

We are a collaboration with Sonoma Valley Teen Services (SVTS), a non-profit organization that provides skill based programming for teens of Sonoma Valley. Their hands-on programs are designed to reinforce and foster student’s academic and career interests through involvement with the community and local businesses.

We are driven by the belief that it’s important to be a “social purpose business,” a place where we can make a difference in our small part of the globe by reaching out to at-risk kids and young adults. We are on a mission to teach some old school but mad cooking skills to young people who might not otherwise have the chance to learn cooking methods their grandmas, nonnas and abuelas might have used. We also believe in teaching kids at a young age the ins and outs of running a business. They know that they are an integral part of how successful we can be.

Valley Girl Foodstuffs
valleygirlsfoodstuffs@gmail.com
http://www.valleygirlsfoodstuffs.com

Heirloom Food Expo
9/11/12 - 9/13/12
Santa Rosa fairgrounds

Sales help fund the Sonoma Valley Teens Services skills for life programs that benefit Sonoma Valley teens.