do you want to start your own paper goods business?

After a whirlwind holiday season, I feel like I can breathe and actually post something coherent. I hope you been enjoying the last few weeks of the year (I'm still kind of in denial that it's actually coming to an end!).

On December 12th I had the honor to be invited as a guest to one of Kari Chapin's Creative Live classes called Fast Start Your Paper Goods Business. If you follow me on any of my social media feeds you surely caught me waiving a flag about it that the days leading up to the presentation and the day of.

For those of you that don't know, Creative Live classes are free when they are streaming live and once the class is over you can purchase any one of them for reasonable fees plus added bonuses.

If you'd like to start a paper goods business and you're struggling as to where to start off (or you've already started and can use a bit of a refresher) I highly recommend Kari's class and books. Her teaching style is very friendly, approachable and she makes even the most daunting business tasks seem manageable and doable.

I've been a long-time fan of Kari's work and her contribution to the crafting community as a whole. I own her books and I still open them up to make reference to either the inspiring stories her featured artists offer or for her sound advice about one or another business-y things I'm not really good at. It was a real treat to finally meet her, talk to her and be a tiny part of her work.

I also have to add that answering many of Kari's questions made me finally put into words why I do what I do. The conclusion: I still love it, I still want to do it and I can't wait for 2015. New ideas are brewing!

Thank you so much Kari and thank you to those of you that reached out during and after the class. I appreciate all your kind words. They made my day. No. My month!

To learn more about Kari, visit her at the following links:
Website  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook

do you want to start your own paper goods business?

After a whirlwind holiday season, I feel like I can breathe and actually post something coherent. I hope you been enjoying the last few weeks of the year (I'm still kind of in denial that it's actually coming to an end!).

On December 12th I had the honor to be invited as a guest to one of Kari Chapin's Creative Live classes called Fast Start Your Paper Goods Business. If you follow me on any of my social media feeds you surely caught me waiving a flag about it that the days leading up to the presentation and the day of.

For those of you that don't know, Creative Live classes are free when they are streaming live and once the class is over you can purchase any one of them for reasonable fees plus added bonuses.

If you'd like to start a paper goods business and you're struggling as to where to start off (or you've already started and can use a bit of a refresher) I highly recommend Kari's class and books. Her teaching style is very friendly, approachable and she makes even the most daunting business tasks seem manageable and doable.

I've been a long-time fan of Kari's work and her contribution to the crafting community as a whole. I own her books and I still open them up to make reference to either the inspiring stories her featured artists offer or for her sound advice about one or another business-y things I'm not really good at. It was a real treat to finally meet her, talk to her and be a tiny part of her work.

I also have to add that answering many of Kari's questions made me finally put into words why I do what I do. The conclusion: I still love it, I still want to do it and I can't wait for 2015. New ideas are brewing!

Thank you so much Kari and thank you to those of you that reached out during and after the class. I appreciate all your kind words. They made my day. No. My month!

To learn more about Kari, visit her at the following links:
Website  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook

featured in made in paper magazine

I just received my copy of the new Made In Paper magazine—a sister magazine Mollie Makes and The Simple Things (both gorgeous UK publications)—and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's such an honor to be included in this first issue which is so full of fantastic projects and inspirational images.



My interview is one of several that include other artists that I admire greatly. I'm so humbled to be in such great company (no spoilers so you can see them for yourselves!).

The templates for several projects are included in the back in the issue including the templates for the pink flower I created for this issue (shown below).



The magazine will be available in the US at Jo-Ann's and Barnes & Noble and at some point in digital format in the Apple Newsstand.

Since I'm someone that notices these things, I also have to mention that I love that it's larger than standard magazine format (so great!) and it's printed on beautiful paper (feels like it's between a magazine and a book).



Look at just a few of the beautiful paper ideas that are shared in the magazine (top and bottom photos). Every single page of this issue has something fun to be inspired by. 

Thank you so much to the editors of Made in Paper for including me!

Follow Made in Paper at:
- Facebook
- Twitter

new work - eraser boards

I don't think I've ever mentioned this before but aside from paper there is another thing that I've always had this weird attraction to—office supplies. Pads, pencils, drawer organizers, pink erasers, wooden rulers, file folders—you name it I melt. If they look anything like Muji products or something more colorful, when I'm in the mood, then I'm in heaven. So, what to do when an eraser board looks so terribly boring? Design one yourself.

Below is my solution to write my 'must be done today' to-dos. If I see them in front of me they really get done. These are really sturdy and they can be hung or kept within reach on your desk.



Are you a paper/pencil, digital or eraser board to-do lister? I'm actually a little of each depending on what it's for. Paper/pencil is for right away or if I'm on the phone, digital (or online) for work and like I said eraser board is for 'musts'.

For now I have very limited stock of these two designs in my shop.

home, paper, scissors in the news

I was in the news today! Here is the video. I tried embedding it in this post and I was having technical difficulties.

I got to watch the segment with the kids as it ran on the news. They were sooo excited. I love sharing all of this with them.

Wouldn't you know that the day the segment was shot I was having one of those horrible bad hair days that only happen when you least expect or need it. Oh well.



The internet is slow as molasses around here so you'll excuse me if I keep this brief.

Ta-ta!

nominated!

I'm so happy to be included in the latest book club group at Craftevolution. What a surprise and an honor! Two more fabulous books are included and I'm excited to see the outcome. I always feel weird about asking for something like this, but if you feel inclined to vote for me, you can do so on the right hand column here.



Friday Tidbits
Today these links are for those of you that need more paper related ideas.

Paper Crave: There's so much inspiring work to see here. Kristen also happens to be having a giveaway of two signed copies of my Home, Paper, Scissors book. All you need to do is help her out by filling out a quick survey to participate.

Folding Trees: There are so many paper crafts here. Grab a cup of your favorite drink and some paper when visiting!

Happy Friday and have a great weekend everyone!

the fate of crafty synergy

I've been thinking about this for a long time and I finally feel comfortable enough with my decision, to make a formal announcement. Crafty Synergy will no longer be updated. As it is, I haven't updated it in a while. A long while. I loved working on CS and I thank every single person that participated. Thank you, thank you! The blog wouldn't have existed without you.

The plan is to move forward. My original idea will continue, but in a different format—a PDF zine. The spirit of the zine will be the same (the promotion of artists and crafters) but the plan is to take everything a few steps further. I'm very excited about this new direction.

After going back and forth many times, I've also decided that I will be offering reasonable advertising opportunities to small business owners, that sell handmade goods, who are interested in reaching a broader audience. I realize that the first group of brave people that are willing to take a chance on this project deserve a break so I will offer FREE 1/4 page advertising to the first 10 people (EDIT - all free spots already taken!) that email me and reduced rates for anyone else that is interested. If you are willing to jump in with me for the inagural issue, email me at {info at alittlehut dot com} for more details. The first issue will be published on July 30th.

I have another opportunity for those that would like to participate in a different way. Each month I will be posing a question for readers to answer. If you are so inclined I'd like you to email me your answer {info at alittlehut dot com}. Use "Zine Question" as your email subject and include your name and city/location with your answer. Do not post your reply in this post—email me, please! I can't wait to read all your answers. The rest of you will be able to read them in the first issue of the zine.

The question for this month is:
What is your biggest incentive to make something by hand?

By the way, the zine will not be called Crafty Synergy. It's a very simple name that I will unveil on the publishing date. I can't wait!

fulfilled

There are times that I feel so accomplished and fulfilled with my work. This week has been one of those times. I worked on a new corporate identity for an interior designer and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. I'm finishing up a couple of other challenging projects and an interesting one came in today. It's been non-stop around here.

I've also been busy on the A Little Hut front. My shop has been updated with some gift tags and tealight covers that match the flats that made their debut recently. The tealight covers almost didn't make the cut. I'm not sure why I kept going back and forth with them, but they stayed.



I feel so in tune with this new collection of graphic images. I think that's why I'm really thrilled with it. I'm also proud about the fact that this is the most environmentally friendly product I've ever made. ALL the paper is FSC certified and produced in a paper mill the uses hydrolic energy. I've also saved every single scrap of tiniest cut paper because I have plans for it too. No paper is going to waste.



Tomorrow will be time to catch up on the house chores that seem to magically pile up (le sigh). I'm trying to avoid wasting the weekend away on any of it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

drip dot swirl

I love great mail days. Today, I was giddy to get my copy of Drip.Dot.Swirl. by Von Glitschka. He is an illustrative designer that I admire very much. His talent is only equaled by his generosity and humor. The book is a must-have resource of 94+ diverse patterns that just seem to just pop off the pages. I can imagine using them in so many ways. I am guilty of not having Von's first book, Crumble.Crackle.Burn, but that will be corrected as soon as I head over and order it. I don't know what has taken me so long. He's working on his third book now and I'm sure it will be another must-have.

Drip.Dot.Swirl. includes examples of how the patterns where applied by ten designers and illustrators. I am flattered beyond belief that Von invited me to be part of the group and that I was able to add my small contribution. I took some pictures of a couple of spreads but they don't do the book justice. So, I'll just show you some old images that I believe I've posted before.

For more information regarding this book visit Vonster Books.

• • •

I've been a little MIA because we've been busy with the kids and I've been working on projects I can't show you just yet. It's so hard to keep quiet! I'll share when the time is right. Promise.

Admittedly, I've also been away from the Internet because of mental overload. Sometimes I just need to get away from it all—like I need to hit the reset button. I find that this creeps up when I'm concentrating on new work. I feel the need to simply absorb my own avenues of inspiration, be that through my sketches, my photographs or my surroundings. Do any of you go through this?

Tomorrow we're headed out on a short road trip to see how they make ice cream at Blue Bell. I hope it helps us put up with this insane heat. I can't even imagine what July and August are going to be like.

what I got in the mail today

I've waited for today to come for a long time. It's finally here. I don't know exactly what to say and I find myself unexpectedly choked up a bit. All I can coherently say is that I'm really happy and proud. I think I just need a quiet moment to sit and read it as if it were the first time I laid eyes on it.

So. Very. Happy.





Home, Paper, Scissors can be pre-ordered now. It will be published on August 18th of this year.

• • •

Thank you Natalie for posting our homemade paper project on Craft yesterday!

four years

Last night I realized that I missed my blog anniversary. On May 26th, four years ago, I started writing this blog very tentatively. I felt rather silly and like I was talking to the wind. Little did I know, how my creative life would completely change. It has been a wonderful ride and I'm glad I've fought off the times (many times) when I've had the temptation of just letting it all go.



To celebrate, I've decided to host a small giveaway. I will select four winners at random. One will win this piece I created today and the remaining three will win a printable of their choice. The giveaway will be open until Monday at noon. Please make sure that you leave an email or link through which I can reach you. To make it interesting answer this: What has been your biggest accomplishment in the last four years?



I thank you all for stopping by and taking time out of your day to visit. To those of you that leave comments, please know that I read every single one and I take them to heart. You make me smile often.

Thank you. Thank you.



Have a great weekend!

airmail

This post is a quick break from a project that has kept me busy since late last week. It's been a constant chipping away day after day (even while having family over for a barbeque on Sunday) and I'm a bit worn out. The good news is that the client is happy with my work. We're not done yet, so, I may be scarce around here for the next few days.

Backtracking a little, I did start the weekend on a great note. I visited Sew Crafty, Friday night, for their Spring Bling event. I met some lovely people (Sarah, Amie, Erin, Lisa) and had a wonderful time. It's always so energizing to be around creative people. I have awesome news too! I will be teaching a paper craft class at Sew Crafty in the near future. Stay tuned for details to come.



This is a little something I worked on over the weekend and between client approvals. I always need a fun side project to work on because it gives me mental breaks. I specially need the breaks when the project is very 'corporate' and on the dry side. This new printable PDF set is now available in my shop in two color options: blue/red and orange/gray.

My main objective was to come up with a small box that would be suitable for small gifts and in particular for gift cards. Sure, you can always tuck those plastic "credit cards" (like my little C calls them) into a regular note card but a box makes your gift more memorable.



I have no idea why the airmail theme came to mind. I know it isn't groundbreaking at all, but I do have some nostalgia attached to it. When I was little, my parents and I believe my grandmother, used these envelopes quite frequently. I still remember how it felt to hold them in my hands. The paper was thinner and it had a particular crinkly sound when handled. Some of the first letters I received from friends, came in airmail envelopes. They were always such a great sight to see in the mailbox.



I wish I still wrote letters the way I used to. I love technology and all it's conveniences but the joy of sending and receiving a hand written note of any kind can never be replaced.

the chosen five

I'm rather quiet about my graphic design work here. I'm not sure why. But it still is a big part of what I do. My design business was my first venture into going solo and the reason why I stayed sane a year after quitting my full-time job. I still enjoy splitting my time between Zapata Design and A Little Hut. It keeps me balanced.

If I had to pick only one thing to design it would be logos. They're challenging and entertaining at the same time and you never know what you're going to end up with.

I'm happy to report that these are the logos that have been selected to be part the first book of Initials & Crests in the new LogoLounge Master Library series. It will be published by Rockport Publishers next year.



Top (left to right)
Saratoga Springs - for a neighborhood in Phoenix
V Spa - for the Hilton Anatole spa in Dallas
Sumpter & Gonzales - Austin law firm

Bottom (left to right)
The Myositis Association - Washington DC
People & Partners - UK

• • •

FYI - I posted a new interview on Crafty Synergy. Come by and visit here.

thinking

That's what I've been doing a lot of lately. I'm in the middle of some big decision making. It involves expanding and I don't know if I'm ready for it. There are a lot of doubts and questions. So, while the production work I'm doing is rhythmic, my mind is going crazy. It doesn't help that I'm coughing every 2 minutes (so over it!).



I was thinking that flowers will help calm the mood around here. Before you ask, you can learn how to make this flower in my book. Can you tell I'm dying to show more of it?

In other news I've registered for Mom 2.0 Summit which will take place here in Houston. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of people and learning whatever I can. Anyone else going?

And totally random... How cool are all these? Love them all.

Have a great weekend everyone!

good intentions

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend! We sure did. Family and good food—what better combination.

Today the routine starts up again (a good thing in my mind) but I'm running around like a mad woman this morning. Orders need to be shipped out and work needs to be completed.



I was going to list some new artwork today but I've only had a chance to list two new Exuberant trees. A few more pieces will come tomorrow. In the meantime, and as my cyber monday offering (until 10pm EST), I'm offering a 2 for 1 sale on any of my printable templates.

Happy Monday!

holiday stationery for kids

I was on a roll and planning ahead so here is another holiday goodie. It'll probably be my last for a while, so fear not, I won't be bombarding you with more of these. I remembered the kids' tags that I started last year and decided to make a new holiday set. I did keep the snowflake though as a wistful reminder of winters long past. This Texas snow-less weather makes me sad for the kids. However as an adult I wouldn't look forward to the driving in snow thing.

Of course, in the 'real' retail world this would've been designed six months ago but in the time lines around here are off a bit. Ha! This new PDF set includes printable materials for four different letter-sized sheets (maybe for those lists), note cards (can be used as large gift tags), four small gift tag designs and a template for an envelope suitable for the note card (A2 size).



Yes, I did offer a similar set of tags as a freebie last year. Why are they in my shop this year? It's a long story and not a good one at that. I love sharing my work with all of you but there are those few that ruin things for everyone else. As you can tell, I don't want to go into detail because I've always considered my blog my happy place. I thought I'd mention this in case you were wondering about the change in 'philosophy'.

It is now obvious that I have revived my Etsy store again. I've stopped and started twice or three times before. I've never had that much luck with it. The stopping/starting probably doesn't help one bit. But I've always gotten noticeably more results through my regular site. I'm not sure what that means but I've decided that spending a bit of effort on Etsy won't hurt. This will be the last time I give it a shot (famous last words).



Speaking of holiday things. I'm in charge of coming up with a holiday craft for the kids to make during their Christmas party the last day of school before the break. For now I'm thinking that I want the kids to work on an ornament. I want it to last, so I'm not sure what material to use with just yet. I'll have to do a little craft research or come up with something myself. We shall see.

Gotta run. Little C has been home all day with a fever. Illness prone season has begun in this household. Yeah.

pods and seeds

I've been in a creative rut of sorts so I was so happy to get these new designs from Spoonflower in the mail yesterday.

Garden Seeds Little C said these looked like watermelon or pumpkin seeds.


Blue Mod Spoons


Floating Pods - I'm going to be using some of this orange fabric for a cushion. I've been using these pods shapes for a while. I really like them for some reason.


I'm working on a little something else that I may get done this week. I feel like I've been moving in slow motion lately. Very slow motion. Maybe it's the weather. After what seemed endless days of perfect weather it's finally rainy and gray here (ooh! the sun just peaked out from behind the clouds).

I was just thinking that I can't believe Thanksgiving is around the corner! Before you know it November will be over and my month of projects will be complete. I've gotten a lot done and a lot of good ideas for the new year.

One last thing, Crafty Synergy is still blocked by Blogger (it's visible but I can't post). I'm beyond frustrated so I may jump ship to another platform very soon. I'll keep you posted!

gifts in the mail

After making something or coming up with what I think is a great idea, I'm the type that wants to share it right away. My fingers itch to get on my keyboard and blog away. Not being able to mention projects just about kills me! That's why the unveiling is so sweet.



This is the artwork that I produced for the Nov/Dec cover of Wild magazine (distributed on Frontier Airlines flights). It's the first time that I have one of my paper illustrations on the cover of a magazine and I feel so happy about it—giddy happy—jump up and down happy. Ok, you get the picture.

The timing of this project was terrible. Remember the hurricane? Well the sketches and production were all completed during the aftermath. Yeah, real fun. The motivation to finish it, and finish it well, was what really kept me going.



Today was a great mail day. Not only did I get the Wild magazines but I also got the first draft of the layout of my entire book! It looks great and I wish I could show it to you (10 months to go for that). I'm so excited to see Home, Paper, Scissors coming to life!

Another great surprise to share today - The wonderful Nicole Lecht of FreshlyBlended included me in an article she posted on VenusZine yesterday. I'm very flattered by being in such great company. All the blogs she mentions on her list are some of my favorites too. Thank you Nicole!

My One Month of Projects is coming along. I'll reveal a little more about what I'm doing tomorrow.

By the way, those of you that think that I've forgotten about my Crafty Synergy blog please hang in there. I'm still waiting and my hands are tied. For those of you that don't know, Blogger has a block placed on it for over a week now. I've submitted the formal review form and still have had no success. I don't know what else to do and I'm very frustrated about that. I'll keep you posted.

back from maker faire

I got back this afternoon from my 2nd trip to Austin Maker Faire. I went without the kids and Mr. Z (it would've been just too much this time around). I missed them a bunch because I saw so much I know they would've enjoyed. This year I wasn't a 'maker' per se (no booth) so my experience was different. However, it was still a lot of fun because of all the people that I saw again and the new people that I met.

So serious looking. I promise I was having fun.


I gave a demo at the Craft booth on how to make a diorama (remember?). I'm really happy with an interesting variation that I showed. I'll be using for a Christmas mantel decoration piece. Stay tuned. There was also the added bonus of meeting some of my very friendly blog readers. Hello ladies! You can delurk now!

Just like last year there was so much going on everywhere. Actually, I think there was more. There was no shortage of creativity and the demos and maker booths were very inspiring. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a talker but boy oh boy did I talk yesterday! How could I not? Here are just some of the great people that I met up with: Tina Barseghian (Craft editor-in-chief), Rachel Hobson, Jennifer Perkins, Kathy Cano-Murillo, Lisa Chouinard, Amie Needham, Jennifer Ramos (my little C loves here new apron Jennifer!) and Elizabeth Soule. I know I left some people out. I was going to post a bunch of photos but I'm too tired to do that now. Maybe tomorrow.

Oh! I can finally publicly announce the name of my upcoming book: Home, Paper, Scissors. Love it! The book will be published in August of 2009. Can't wait!

back in more ways than one

We're back in business... sort of. As far as we know the kids' school still has no power so we're not sure when they're starting up again. There are still many homes and businesses in our area that have no electricity. We came back home on Thursday night and were lucky enough to get power two hours later. We were beyond excited.

Thank you to everyone that kept tabs on us during this whole thing. Your comments and emails meant a lot. Thank you!

It turns out that all our neighbors had fun while making lemonade out of lemons. While they waited for the power to return they had a huge grilled feast as meats thawed out, played Pictionary, drank wine, had the kids playing outside all day (what else was there to do-nice change) and in general had a wonderful time. The camaraderie has continued and today we all went to eat to a restaurant together—all 19 of us.



I managed to get a lot of work done during the weekend and finally made a decision regarding my pattern designs. I will be selling fabric produced at Spoonflower from my Etsy shop (which I had abandoned a while ago). I'm excited about this and I'm really curious to see how I do. I only have the gray fabric in the shop and it's still missing some photos to show scale. I'm still narrowing down the designs and color choices that I'll be offering so I hope to have everything fully up and running in about a week or two. But I just couldn't wait to share the news. Here is a small preview of a design in two colorways. The swatch on the left is the sample I got from Spoonflower to help me with color choices.