The holidays seem pretty far off still … but it’s not too early to get thinking about holiday cards!

New in the shop, available individually or in packs of 8.

I wrote earlier about the art of the note Gocco swap at cloth.paper.string … here is what I ended up making:

My intention was to make something in which it was very evident that a human hand was involved … I’ve gotten in such a habit of ‘cleaning up’ my drawings in Illustrator, and I’m not sure it’s a good one. So this is rows and rows of loops, handwritten with my Gocco pen (first experiment with that - up to now I’ve been photocopying my drawings and then burning my screens from the copies). So there you have it! I am really happy with them and I hope my swap-mates are too. Their sets have been trickling in (and what great sets they’ve been) and I hope to post a ‘group photo’ when they’ve all arrived. (More photos on Flickr.)

Just a quick note about these great bookplates I saw today on Etsy, by decoylab. There is something so special and warm about these illustrations … they remind me a little of vintage children’s  illustrations but of course they have a style & feel that is totally their own.   



photo : decoylab 

I’ve signed up for an exciting swap over at cloth.paper.string …  for art of the note, participants in groups of ten will exchange sets of original gocco’d note cards (52 people have signed up in total)! Paper/stationery fiend that I am, I can’t wait to see what my swap-mates produce, and I’ve already started some sketches for my contribution.  I’ve been doing a lot of ‘cute’, and I’m thinking something more subtle is in order … 



(A doorway in my neighbourhood.  I somehow didn’t even notice the horse when I took the picture, I was just looking at the numbers!)  

p.s. There’s a giveaway too, until end of the day Wednesday July 30.

Trying to do something a little different for the photos in the shop. Finally we had a bit of sunshine but it still seems a little dark … some day I will get the hang of this!

A few weeks ago I sent off a small packet of gocco-printed scraps to Holly of decor8 for her “Inspire Me” project, and today she’s posted some pictures of the all the amazing contributions she received! I don’t even know where to start … there are some great looking fabrics from Pixie Dust Decor and Hable Construction … stacks of lovely paper scraps (including lots by M. Patrizio [see also so softies]) , and make-your-own gift tag packs … but I think my favourite thing is the way the paper packs are colour-themed (if you look closely you can see my little elephant on a round piece of scalloped cardstock in the neutrals pack, and some pinwheels on blue in one of the lavender packs - it’s so fun to imagine where all these little pieces might end up, and they’re in such good company!). If I was entering I’d definitely be crossing my fingers for a yellow-green one … oh did I mention you can win one of these beauties? Get going!

Speaking of being inspired, I definitely am … here’s a little hint of what I’ll be up to this weekend (okay, the paper is really the hint, the candy is more about motivation!)

Oh those Lab Partners have done it again!  New in their shop, a summer-y gocco series in crisp blue and black. I love the whale and the constellation + balloon … I think I may need to get the whole set!

 

photo : Lab Partners 

more about Lab Partners

Here’s a sneak peek of a shop update that will happen later this week …