9 Ways to Make Your Walls Happy

via bates mercantile co.

 

I Am An Illustrator

Hi there. It's me. Pam.  Again, today is supposed to be link party day here, but I just don't feel very much in the mood.

I'm struggling a bit with the link parties because they are meant to be a way for fellow artists and crafters to reach new people and lately it seems like the participation is getting lower rather than higher, and that I have to almost beg people to participate, which defeats the purpose and just bums me out in general. 

So, instead today, I am answering the call from Andrea from Strong Southerly to see more of my stuff, especially since she answered my call for more elaboration on the 'dunny paper' story. If you don't know what dunny paper is, read this.

As I indicated in the title of this post, I'm an illustrator.  That's just one of the assortment of hats I wear but it's one I really enjoy.

To that end, I can help make your walls pop and here's 9 ways just to prove my point.


1. Chevron V. Circles: this print is one of the first illustrations I created for Bates Mercantile Co. when I opened our shop on etsy.  It's been shipped all over the place, including Onga Onga, New Zealand. I had to throw that in there....I mean, Onga Onga? What a great name for a town.

 

 

2. Bon Courage: Everyone needs a little luck and courage now and then.  I did a little research while designing this illustration and found out that the French consider wishing someone good 'luck' almost rude, as if they couldn't do 'it' without 'luck'.  Who knew. Instead, Bon courage.

 

3. Hello Chevrons: Need I say more?

 

 

 

 

4.Close To The Edge: If you don't like Kurt Vonnegut's writing, I lay odds there is a quote of his that will speak to you.

 

 

 

 

5. Dream Within A Dream: Because, we've all had those dreams.

 

 

 

6. Hey It's Going To Be A Great Day: An attitude adjustment reminder we can all use now and again.

 

 

 

7. Everything Was Beautiful: I think we all make this wish from time to time for many different reasons. Sure would be nice. Again, Vonnegut.

 

8. Peacock In Blue: It's whimsical and who can't use a little whimsy. It's based on Scandinavian design. There, I gave you two reasons for this one.

 

 

 

 

9.  Live To Create: If you're anything like me, this is what guides you most days. If you're not like me, you can still probably appreciate what creativity brings to our lives.

 

 

 

Bonus!

 

10. Grow Love: When you purchase this print between now and May 3rd, the entire purchase price will be donated to Bucks for Bauman, a fund set up to support Boston bombing survivor Jeff Bauman who lost both of his legs. You can make a difference in someone's life and you'll have a nice reminder for doing so.

 

 

All of these illustrations are available as archival prints, meaning they are museum/gallery quality and will last longer than you or I. They are also available in various sizes. You can see more of my work in our shop.  Did you know I design logos too? Maybe I'll share some of those next time, but you can see those at Bates Mercantile Co. as well.

 

Hope you're all having a great day.

 

If anyone has feedback on how to make the link party work better for all who participate, leave a comment or drop me a line.

 

The sun is shining here and it's about time. Still a bit brisk to say the least, but we'll take it.

 

What's shaking in your corner of the world?

 

Ciao for now,

 

 

In The Works

via bates mercantile co.

Remember That List I Told You About?

You guessed it, it keeps on getting longer and longer, even though I am diligently crossing things off. I will say this, it's getting longer with really, really good stuff so that makes it 'not so bad' after all.

I've been busy designing and was able to add two new typography illustrations to Bates Mercantile Co. in the last two days.

The first, is a quote by me, myself and I. I've been thinking about home a lot lately, what with friends moving near and far, and others being displaced by Sandy. It's just been something that's been rattling around my brain. All of these friends, though they are not currently in 'their old homes or new homes', seem to find a way to be at peace with that. Perhaps this is why.

via Bates Mercantile Co.

People's resilience never ceases to amaze me.

The second was inspired by a fabulous quote by Kurt Vonnegut. 

via Bates Mercantile Co.

LOVE that quote.

I'm really excited about a couple of things happening on the Muse in coming weeks.  I am currently pulling the next giveaway together. In case you missed the last couple, they garnered more than 27,00 entry points which means lots and lots of people entered, and they were so enthused about the giveaway that they earned extra entries by sharing on pinterest, tweeting, facebooking and visiting sponsor shops multiple times. This makes me happy, because it means you like what's in the giveaways and my sponsors get the exposure they deserve for their shops. It also makes me happy that I am once again blessed with the most wonderful sponsors. As expected, there will be a fine selection of items for you to try and win. I hope to launch the giveaway at the end of this week or beginning of next week, and I want you all to be here to have a chance of winning of course.  If you have a shop and are interested in becoming a sponsor, there are couple of spots left.  [Keep in mind that you get an ad on the Muse for the duration of the giveaway, as well as being featured in two sponsor spotlights, and many social media mentions too.] People have been jumping on the bandwagon, so don't hesitate to let me know that you are interested. We're going to make someone's holiday season a whole lot brighter. What's not to love about that?

You can also expect some tutorials for the holidays. I'm working with my blogging pal Kristen from Milo & Molly on some tutorial swaps and I am psyched. It sprung from an idea she had that I just had to steal...which was rerunning some past tutorials.  I think the holidays are the perfect time to do a little crafting to either create new decorations and get in the proper 'tis the season mood, or to create gifts that mean so much more because they're 'made by you'.  So keep your eyes out for the tutorials (I'll give you a more detailed heads up when my tutorial plans are fleshed out a big more).  If you have a blog and would like to participate in the tutorial post swap, drop me a line, while I'm still organizing things on this end. It's a way to give our followers more how-tos and fun information, while introducting them to each other's blogs. Win/win situation peeps. 

OK. I think that's it. I've got a few things to package up and ship off to customers.  Got the North, South, East and West of the US covered and New South Wales. Coolamundo.

Make it a good one in your corner of the world, and I'll do the same.

Ciao for now,

Work In Progress

 

At My Desk

It's a blustery Fall day, but the sun is shining after more rain overnight. So hoping the wind dries up some of the wetness. It is really blowing.

I'm at my desk today. One of the things I'm working on is my 2013 Desk Calendar Design. I have  ways to go, but I am making progress.

As you can see, it has a flower theme. 

They will be interspersed with quotes.

Hoping to make even more headway by the end of the day.

Did I tell you Gar and I did a test set up of our craft fair booth the other night? Well, we did. Verdict? It was looking pretty good. I think we'll be able to pull it together really nicely on Saturday. Now all we need is people to attend.

What are you working on today?

Anniversary of Sorts

Today marks 28 years since my husband landed in this country. By all accounts, it was a beautiful Fall day, much warmer than this (in the 80s as he touched down at JFK).

Sure glad you were able to tear yourself away from Dublin and make the big leap to live in the good old US of A.  Though we probably would have found each other some way, regardless.

Happy Anniversary Gar!

Have a great day.

Ciao for now,

What I've Been Working On

In the Office/Studio

Things have been busy around here. You can relate, right?  By day, I've designing brochures, and ads, and such for my Speakeasy clients. By night, I've been prepping stock for the craft fair Garrett and I are participating in next weekend.

1. I'm always working on new illustrations and right now I'm in the 'tweaking' stage of my latest, Ahoy Matey.  This will go in our etsy shop, and I'll also offer it at the fair, as an archival print. When I decide I'm done tweaking. 

2.  Add to that printing and cutting stationery. I got a good few packages put together last night. I'm including my old standbys like the Louis Louis pop art pink chair.

3. I'm also including new designs, like Under Foot which was inspired by woven rugs. This too will be available soon in our shop. It's just a matter of squeezing in time to list it. 

4. I've been making custom paper stars using my own paper designs. I'll let you in on a little secret....these stars are not something you can just whip out quickly. It's a process of printing, folding, gluing, attaching hanger, and drying.  I love how they turn out, so it's all worth it. [If you want to try some of your own, you'll find my tutorial here.]

5. Painted clipboards have been on the list too [like I showed you in this recent tutorial]. They're just fun. I worked on these on Sunday, which seems to be a good day for that sort of thing. You can just sit and watch the game, and paint away.

I know that some of you with etsy shops, are doing the fall/holiday craft fair circuit. What have you been busy making? I wonder if the rest of have plans to attending any fairs in the coming weeks?

That's it for the desk/cocktail table/kitchen table dispatch today (yes, I take over whatever space I need to work on these projects!).

In Case You Missed It

Yesterday marked the launch of the Mercantile Muse October Giveaway. It's in full swing and I don't think you'll want to miss a chance to win all of the wonderful handmade items up for grabs. $175 worth of handmade items, in case you were wondering.

In other news, the sun is shining! It's been pretty sparse here lately. The week has been soggy, to say the least. In fact, it's been so soggy, we had our first fire of the season last night, just to take the edge of the damp. The sun is a very welcome sight.

Enjoy your day.

See you on the flip side,

Things I Found & Overheard at the Party

via get lathered

Did You See This?

Every two weeks, Mercantile Muse hosts a heck of a party for a few reasons.

One, it's a way for those with online shops/businesses and blogs to link up and spread the word about their stuff.

Two, it's a fun time for those who link up and even for those who don't because everyone gets to have a look around, mingle and get to know one another.  You know, because it's a pah-tay.

Three, I'll be honest here.......I LOVE a good party.

I actually enjoy the 'clean up' after these parties, when I get to have a good look around and see what everyone left behind. 

Here's my picks from the most recent party (there's still time to link up if you haven't). 

1. Black and White Leaf Print Hobo Bag, via Oyeta

Love that print. Love the shape of the bag.

2. Vintage Wedding Week at The Sunshine Grove
Thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeremy and Natalie's story,

and the story of Natalie's grandparent's wedding and in

Cuba and the making of her Gram's wedding gown.

3. Rosekraft
What a lovely garden to walk by.

Rosekraft is lucky enough to do son a regular basis.

4. Dirty Girl Designs
Fabulous black and white dolphins. Did you know I was a dolphin?

No, not in another life. It was the school mascot for our college...

something about them being intelligent creatures.

5. Get Lathered
Shampoo that looks like a serving of summer sherbert. Sweet!

6. our picket fence
Jane Austen fans take note. An ever-so-charming Emma doll.

7. long eared designs
Want a hair-do that stands out for all the right reasons?

Top it off with a simple, feminine flower comb.

8. squirrel photo

There is something about the composition of this photo that I'm quite taken with.....pretty good pair of legs too.

I know many of you enjoyed the party too from your comments. Did you discover new shops and blogs at the party? Did you find new favorites? I'd love it if you shared them in this post's comments. It's think it's pretty interesting to see where the party led others. 

What's New

I've been able to add a few things to our etsy shop, Bates Mercantile Co. over the last week. Here's the latest.

Is it ok to really like my own illustration? I am framing this one and hanging it on the wall. 

Now this is love...... Oh that George Bailey.

via Bates Mercantile Co.

It's a Wonderful Life has a multitude of messages about what really matters in life and that makes me feel good inside.

In case you hadn't noticed, we've been in the midst of a photo challenge at Mercantile Muse for a couple of weeks. We have had some seriously wonderful submissions. You can see our previous challenges here. You can also join in if you'd like. There are 4 more challenges left and the next one is 'the color of love'. Get me your submission by end of day tomorrow (you can shoot me an email via the little button in right hand sidebar, just beneath my profile) so I can include it in Wednesday's Photo Challenge post.

If you found the Muse recently because of the August Giveaway, I'm so glad you did. Our sponsors this month and their prizes quite simply, awesome. $150 worth of some the nicest handmade stuff around. If you've been around here for awhile, I'm so glad you're here too. You guys all make this a happy place for me to be each day.

Did you guys know if you like this post you can share it easily? There's a bunch of ways right under the post....email, twitter, pinterest and more. When you guys tell two friends, and they tell two friends, our little community here on the Muse grows and that is always a good thing. Personally, I can't get over the interesting and talented people that hang out here. If I was a blusher, I'd surely be blushing.

Thanks so much for being here.

See ya on the flip side,

Saturday: Week In Pictures

via batesmercantileco.

This Week Flew

Hey gang. Is it just me or did this week fly? Phew, it whipped right by in the blink of an eye. It was full. 

Got lots of work done, including shipping prints and products from Bates Mercantile Co. to far away places.

On my Speakeasy front (for those of you who don't know, I've owned my own pr/adv/marketing firm for 18 years) I spent time designing a new logo and business card for my client/friend Deb, among many other things.

Deb happens to be a fabulous photographer and will be shooting some of the G-man's Lia products next week.

Speaking of G-man's products, I added his small pedestal votive/planter to Bates Mercantile Co. this week (which you can also try to win in the giveaway). Love this one.

via Lia Artisan Concrete Designs & Bates Mercantile Co.

I also added this fabulous belt to our etsy shop...

via Bates Mercantile Co.

....and two new illustrations. This one makes me happy. I am not a morning person, but I've been known to say 'good morning sunshine' to people who are.  It's colorful, it's got dala horses, and it just makes me smile. I think it would be too cute in a kitchen, a kids room or nursery, or wherever for that
matter.

via Bates Mercantile Co.

This one makes me laugh. We've all said it at one time or another, but can you really imagine? It would be frightful.

via Bates Mercantile Co.

We also enjoyed part of Dublin family for a couple of days (more on that tomorrow).

Spent some time in the pool. Ah, sunset from the pool. What a way to unwind from the day. This shot did it's own thing, but I think it's pretty cool.

We got a little rain....ok, another lashing of rain. There was more last night, and it was a slower, steadier rain. Just what we needed.

Our brief encounters with rain made my phlox pop.

It also meant I didn't have to spend serious amounts of time watering everything. For this I am grateful.

Sunset Meadows

I get a better shot of Sunset Meadows if I actually get out of the pool.

I am eternally grateful for our sunsets.

I am also grateful that is the weekend. Working at my desk today. Gar's just back from errands and is about to start pouring some stepping stones for our friend.  Later will sure bring some pool time and 4th of July Chowda' from the freezer. Dang, I nearly forgot....I'm still hosting 'the party that wouldn't end'. It has been a busy week.

What was your week like? What's hot for today?

catch ya on the flip side,

Boomerang

via batesmercantileco

It Keeps Coming Back

One of my illustrations for sale in our shop, Bates Mercantile Co., is Boomerang. I sent a large print of this illustration off to Texas a few weeks ago.

via batesmercantileco

This got me thinking of zigzags and chevrons again. It seems to be a recurring theme.  I even found some ancient artwork of mine, so they've obviously been in my idea file for a long time. It's nice to see that the rest of the world has finally caught on to this fantastic pattern.

How cool is this floor?

LOVE the gold.

via design sponge

The simplicity of this design is perfect.

via oh so pretty paper

Back to my own chevrons. Here's 'hello notecards' from Bates Mercantile Co.

via batesmercantileco

via batesmercantileco

Then back to Texas again.....and boomerang.  My customer was nice enough to send a picture of her large print all framed and hung in her home. I LOVE that!!! Doesn't it look great??? What fun seeing where my work ends up. Such a hoot.

Today, I'll be customizing my Louis Louis print in new colors-- yellow and gray tones-- for a customer. Nice work for a rainy day. After that, back to my closet which I started cleaning out yesterday. It was frightful and luckily I made some good headway. Still lots to do though, so I'm not minding the rainy day. Gar's down in his basement studio working on some pieces for another order he got this week. Yay! Still doing lots of research on finding affordable shipping options for his work. Not easy when it's concrete, know what I mean?

via batesmercantileco

What are you up to today? Cleaning or do you have sun where you are and you're out digging in the dirt planting flowers or are you skipping any kind of work for a day of play?

Have a great Sunday in your corner of the world and I'll do the same in mine.