Cool New Designs

I actually really love when people email me and say, "Hey, are you planning on designing __________ anytime soon?" It lights the fire and motivates me to come up with cool new designs.

These four images are a result of those very interactions. The gumdrops were designed for a holiday card (I plan on laying these out in a massively multicolored way for next holiday season!). The grasshopper for a business card. The scallop monograms for a customer who wanted a simple, pretty monogram. And the tea & treats for a baby shower invitation; the shower involved high tea at a fancy Boston hotel.

In all cases, I was excited about having these designs in my regular collection and offered to waive the custom art fee if the clients didn't mind having the images "go public." I of course also do complete custom, where the design is exclusive. Either way, if you have a motif you love and don't see it in my collection, email me.

Cool & Groovy Craft Fair

Not too long after my biz went live I started to learn about the world of retail shows, and my limited experiences have proved good learning grounds. My first show was Shecky's Girls Night Out in the South End in August, and I'm afraid the hype was greater than the return, as far as I could perceive from sales and follow up. I had some fab girlfriends with me that night and they all seemed to be in agreement that my posh paper didn't seem to fit the overall gunning-for-free-drinks mentality of the event (although I should say that I did meet many lovely people there who were very interested in my product).

I had a much better return and general experience at Watertown Faire on the Square (an impressively large town celebration) this fall. Not only did the sales match Shecky's (but at a trivial table fee), but the vibe somehow was a better fit, maybe because there were lots of families and it was fun to have my husband and daughter cruise around with another set of our friends, and stop in and check on me. Anyhow, suffice to say that at present, I have decided to focus any show efforts on events of this scope.

Next weekend (Saturday, Dec. 8, 11am - 3pm) I'll be showing at the Cool & Groovy Craft Fair at the Peabody School, 70 Rindge Avenue in Cambridge. It should be a low key, family friendly event and feel free to stop by! I'll have single and multicard packs of my designs (including the awesome new holiday foldover cards!), Japanese paper glass magnets, and gift tags. I may have a few fabric gift items for sale too, if I can get my act together by that point.

Honored to be Included

This month, I was honored to learn that my work was included in the Cool Mom Picks and Pinks & Blues 2007 Holiday Gift Guides.

I should note that I was totally oblivious to the concept of "advertorials" (paid features that tend to be constructed to look like objective reviews) before I launched my own design business and Boston Mamas, and truly, the concept depresses me (I don't even want to think about how many things I have purchased in the past based on what I *thought* were real reviews). Anyhow, as such, I run Boston Mamas completely advertorial-free, and kudos to Cool Mom Picks and Pinks & Blues for running features that are completely objective.

Oh, and for full disclosure, these sites are cool enough that I'd happily give them that shout out even if I weren't included in the feature!

Click here for all press mentions.

Holiday Cards at Maxima Gift Center

I have long loved Maxima Gift Center in Arlington so I'm thrilled that they now are selling my holiday cards! This lovely store is packed to the gills with great gift items for big and little people so be sure to hit this store on your holiday shopping circuit.

Click here for the full list of Posh Peacock retailers (other than, um, the site itself).

Cute Favor Idea

I recently put together assorted blank notecard + gift tag goodies for the upcoming escape being hosted by the Manic Mommies. I thought these looked super cool finished with the personalized sticker I typeset for the event; drop me a line if you are interested in pricing for party favors. I can adjust the card quantity to fit different budgets.

New Gift Tags Are Here!

Just in time for the holidays, the new gift tag collection is up! There are two styles available; ribbon tie tags (shown) and glassine envelope tags, and they incorporate some of my favorite Japanese, Nepalese, and traditional decorative papers. All tags are $1 and ship free!