Wood Carved Blocks - Just Something I made

I recently made my niece some custom wood-burned blocks for her 1st birthday using my trusty wood burning tool and some pre-cut wood blocks from my local craft supply store.

My original intention was to decorate each block with one letter and add one or two designs, leaving some sides bare on each block. Somehow they just did not feel complete, so before i knew it, my birthday present was belated, but I had all 6 sides covered!  

Each woodland themed design you see is my own, which I first sketched on paper, then on the block, finally burning with a wood burning tool (similar to a soldering iron).

The font for the numbers and letters shown in the above images is Cooper Black, a serif font that should come standard on your PC or Mac.

I hope my niece has a ball (or a cube) with these blocks!

 I also hope to reuse some of these designs in other projects soon!

Alere Modern!

I was recently invited to expand my online sales to Alere Modern, a very cool online boutique which offers a great selection of handmade luxury items. Alere Modern is different than other marketplaces for both the buyer and the seller. Its invitation-only policy guarantees a high quality customer experience, and its unique business model requires much less work on the part of the artist, allowing us more time to work on new designs.  I am super excited to be a part of it, so I hope you stop by!

San Diego Photographer, Josh Cartmell

 While looking for a local photographer to shoot a few artist's profile pictures of me, I stumbled upon Josh Cartmell of Image(inary) . We quickly set-up a shoot location and time via email, and next thing you know, Blamo! I had several great artist profile pics to choose from.

Josh was super nice, and did a great job of making me feel comfortable in front of the camera. You see, for some reason I tend to freeze up like a deer in the headlights when I see that big ol' lens. Hence my lack of success as a teenage model. :D

Josh also not only made sure I was booger-free for those close-ups, but he did his best to make me giggle so I looked a little more human and a little less cybernetic-organism.

In all seriousness, Josh was open minded when it came to trying new ideas, and as you can see, very creative with his photographic compositions.

Umbrellas helped shade my pasty white skin from the sweltering hot sun that day. And they looked pretty cool too.

I really couldn't be happier with the photos, so if you are in the market for some professional portraits or are looking for a wedding photographer, I highly recomend you contact Josh over at Image(inary) .

Thanks Josh!

Perfectly Parisian

I was fortunate enough to catch the eye of one of the editors over at San Diego Magazine. Pretty flattering to be in the company of Anthropologie, Crate and Barrel, Z Gallery, DWR, etc.!!!! From the March issue.

Be My Valentine?

Are these cards enough to convince you? Pretty Please? :D

Happy New Year! Bonne Annee! Bueno Ano? ...

Yeah I can't remember how to say it in Spanish :) But you can save 20% off this month at Simply Pretty Prints with the following coupon code.

SPP2012

Whishing you Happiness and Health in this Happy New Year!

-Sarah

Christmas Wiener

What gives a warm and fuzzy holiday feeling more than a Daschund wearing a sweater? My little fashionable weiner is an original design of mine, comes in 3 configurations, and is printed on high quality card stock using my new Konica Minolta laser printer (more on that later).

To Craft Show or not to Craft Show? A Realization.

Last Year I sort of swore off craft shows. Why you ask? Don't get me wrong, for the buyer, they are an excellent way to find unique gifts at reasonable prices. For the seller however, they can be a lot of work with little return. Even at the good ones, it's hard to offset the cost of the entry fees, sales commission, table rentals, and the countless hours of preparation and transportation of all my breakable houseware items. To top it off, I had an item stolen at the last one I did. An item so special to me, it was marked "not for sale". FINE. NO MORE CRAFT SHOWS.

 Fast forward one year to the 2011 holiday season and I am in a bit of a funk. Aside from one or two things, I haven't listed many new designs. To be honest, I haven't even had much holiday spirit. Needing some inspiration, I decided to hit a few local boutiques on small business Saturday. While perusing the aisles, I felt the glimmer of excitement I once had discovering new treats while meeting my fellow vendors at craft shows. Not only did I find many unique gifts, I recognized many Etsy seller's items on the shelves. How awesome to see these artists' handmade creations in the flesh! At one location, a vendor was carefully restocking her shelves with her husband as I browsed her darling laser cut ornaments. With a sparkle in her eye, she stepped aside and struck up a conversation as I made my selection. Then it really hit hit me. THIS, this is why I do craft shows. It's discovering something new while meeting new people with a common passion. It's the excitement of knowing that a stranger might choose to spend their hard earned dollars on my creation. So there I was, now wanting to participate in some way in a Holiday Craft Show on November 26th, with surely no way to do so.

Enter Melinda of Dress and Nest. Like a little Handmade Holiday angel, she sent me an email with a last minute invitation to participate in The Perfect Winter Pop Up Shop. With music, drinks, and shopping, not only does this sound like a great time on a Saturday night, but it may be that kick in the pants I was looking for. And the bonus? Tables and linens provided, and no entry fees or commission taken! Only a donation of five $5 dollar drink tickets for five lucky visitors. It's win-win. Thanks Melinda!

Hope to see you all there!

Naughty or Nice?

Have you been naughty or nice this year? Well, if you've been a little of both, this pair of hand painted coffee mugs is for you! Perfect for a large cup of coffee or tea, hot cocoa, hot buttered rum, or your favorite hot winter beverage!

HOLIDAY SHOPPING COMMENCE!

Actually, it's a Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday sale!

THIS THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY TAKE AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF ALL ITEMS! USE COUPON CODE "TURKEY" AT CHECKOUT!

Cup Sighting! Brittany Lynn Photography

Local photographer Brittany Lynn has used some of my cups as wedding photo props! I just love this idea :) For this great shot and more, check out her facebook page. Thanks Brittany! 

Gifts for Pet Lovers

After receiveing a custom inquiry from a local pet store owner, I put together wholesale info for a series of Pet Related Designs. Hoping she loves them! Here is a Sneak Peak:

Curate Your Home with REDNOOK

Looking for something new for your home at unbeatable prices? Perhaps you need a new bed, or are just looking for some accent pillows. Take a look at REDNOOK, a website that features weekly events at discount prices on big brands to handmade art. You'll need to create an account and login to browse and purchase, and once you do you may just see someone familiar at the top of the page :)

New Stuff!

A quick post to show you the latest spin on my garden markers. Now available in my shop!

Home Office Upgrades

The picture of my ideal home office is slowing evolving. No peacock blue chairs or giant yellow and grey artwork. In fact, the only items I have from "take 1" are the desk, the baskets, and the "Live What You Love Poster". I'm going for clean and crisp with pops of color. So what better way to start than with white? At least I convinced myself of that last weekend when I ordered these latest additions:

The 24" BenQ LCD monitor pictured above from BenQ.com

The genuine leather desk chair pictured above from Amazon.com

And finally, this Logitech wireless mouse also from Amazon. Now I just need a wireless keyboard to match :D

Stay tuned for stage 2 of the office home makeover and the final results!

New Screen Printed Mugs!

I'm super excited to share my new screen printed mugs! Professionally printed in the USA and available in my shop and for wholesale, individually or in pairs. More designs to come soon!

Turquoise Delight: Tuesday Treasure

Looking for gift ideas? Check out this collection!



Wedding Party Loves Life

I was recently asked to create a custom design for a wedding party. The bride picked the colors and asked for either a tree or a flower. Knowing aspen trees grow in her area of the country, I sketched up one and added an inspiring phrase chosen by the bride. Expressing my creativity makes me love life. How about you? 

Tuesday Treasure

A well curated treasury. Get more details here!

New Cake Platters!

Recently added cake platters now in my shop!