Munchkin Land

I just found out I will be an Auntie! My second sister, Carissa (there are 4 of us girls) and her husband Ramon are expecting a baby in October. Though I was not there to see my family's reaction when my sister and her husband announced the big news, they did video record it. Our parents, her in-laws, and my grandmother were all present. Needless to say they were overjoyed, teary eyed, and VERY surprised at this great news! I wish I can be there to register for baby shower gifts and watch my sister try on maternity clothes :(  I have not been away for long, but just watching that video really made me miss home...

I can't wait to choose some pieces to knit for their little munchkin! Carissa's colors for the baby are, so far, chartreuse, chocolate, with hints of complimenting colors. This baby is going to be spoiled!

Amongst other things, a few of my friends are expecting babies as well... or knows someone that is. It's baby season- Welcome to munchkin land!

As part of Blushing Pearl's Privileged custom design service, Shortcakes will be a line of baby shower and announcements that can be customized- Perfect for welcoming a little one into this world! I have a few ready-made listings as well as custom options at the shop. Or take a peek at these...

{I am offering baby suites, this one with an announcement. So if you are planning a baby shower for a mommy-to-be, this would be perfect! Plan a shower, send an invite, favors with gift tags, send thank you's, and when the baby is born, send a coordinating announcement.}

{If you are planning a baby shower for a mommy-to-be, you can just get the baby shower suite..sweet!}

Contact Blushing Pearl for a fully customized design and pricing.

 

Keep on Truckin'

  *photo credit : elloh

Some days it's hard to keep going. I am not sure why. I have a lot of things on my goals list that need to get done, but I kind of feel stuck. Here are the main ones:

* redo my website

* "Privileged"- a custom design service that specializes in creating a fully customized design that would best suit you or a business. 

* "Bliss"- an exquisite line of wedding suite designs. 

* expand "Shortcakes", which is a line of baby announcements and stationery.

* find ways to pick up the business

The last goal is a bit tricky. How DOES one go about gaining more clients? I've been trying to pursue my dreams while making a steady income out of it. I am so grateful for the Indie Biz 2.0 support and tips. Knowing that others are in the same situation I am in helps ease the anxiety a little better.

Since working from home, I've been struggling with creating a habitual schedule where I would wake up early, catch up with emails, social networking, blogging. Then I would allot some time for new designs or printing in the shop. The one thing that I hate is I could be on the computer for HOURS, not designing as I should be, but being social. Very bad! I also have to make space for the household chores, like cooking dinner, walking the dog, couple time with the hubby. It seems that owning a business is a 24/7 deal, where as working full time is just "9-5" if you're lucky enough not to take your work home. I think too, I need to make some friends. I've lived in this new state for almost 1 month now. I am looking forward to taking a few Capoeira classes at a group in Seattle, make some new connections.

How do you stay motivated when things start to feel like they are in vain? I would love to hear everyone's ideas. Maybe we can motivate each other? It's a tough world out there for those of us pursuing our dreams!

Sparking Spring Creativity

It's spring time! Walking around I notice new buds sprouting on trees in colors of magenta and blush pinks, sunshine yellow and chartreuse. I have to make it a habit to carry my camera at all times- because you never know what you may find! The cherry blossoms are blooming and look like puffs of clouds. So much color inspiration around me, even a camera can't catch it's complete intensity!

Spring is here and so is this fresh new batch of creative inspiration. I came across The Inspired Room, "a happy mix of realistic ideas for decorating, simple homemaking, and inspiration for authentic living".

This is my new favorite blog. I love how Melissa, author of The Inspired Room, mixes her design consulting talent with everyday living DIY and decor projects. She even has a post with pictures of her very own decorated rooms in her home. It's different when you know the photograph was taken from a home with a family and can still look like it came out of a magazine. Did I mention she also does "drive bys" and takes photos of homes that inspire her? Melissa has a shop on her blog that has a few vintage items suitable for decorating your very own home, just like hers! I have my eye on the the vintage key/hanger and of course, the cupcake stands :)


*photo credit: country living via the inspired room, the inspired room

Making It Happen

I am in the process of organizing and decorating- one room at a time. I've somewhat put together the Blushing Pearl Studio. My hubby found this very vintage dresser at Good Will. I was very surprised he spotted this piece in the back of someone's truck, ready for drop off. Lucky me! I still have to put up book shelves and hang more inspirational pieces up. 

Studio Finds:

1. Aqua Lamp- TJ Maxx

2. Little Ball of Hand-dyed Yarn- Came with a gift wrapped purchase from Anthropologie

3. Love & Letterpress Coasters- A compilation of letterpress printed coasters themed for Valentine's day. This was a swap organized by Visualchemist. The top coaster was designed and printed by The Paper Studio.

4. Sugar - Screenprint design by Eight Hour Day

5. Daniella Chest- Pottery Barn... Doesn't this look like the dresser I scored from Good Will?? 

 *update

City Finds: Seattle

The weather in Seattle has been surprisingly favorable since I've moved here. Sunny days with crisp air. Everyone outside of Seattle talks about the rain and the overcast weather. I honestly don't mind it! (we'll see if my opinion changes after living in the rain a few months) My favorite American city is San Fransisco. It is such a beautiful city both in it's urban dwelling and outskirts. If only the cost of living in SF can be in my favor :(

Some friends came to help us move into our new home. Thank goodness they were able bodied individuals! It took 5 of us to haul my letterpress (Monster) up my VERY steep street into my garage. Under a very tight time frame (the POD had to be picked up the next day) we were able to stuff all of our belongings into the garage in under 3 hours... now for the unpacking. I just can't wait to get rid of these boxes!

We took our friends around our new city. The one thing I like about Seattle is the presence of vintage structures- something Los Angeles demolished, but should have kept. I love taking photos of these buildings along with the city's street art, signage, and doorways. I find a lot of inspiration in these things, especially in the typography of old shop signs. In our city finds, I was able to come across a vintage letterpress, similar to mine, in an underground city tour. Sweet! Oh, and good thing Starbucks updated their siren logo.. Check out their original one below.

Back on Track

I am happy to announce the Etsy shop has reopened and we are back on track! After a few months of packing, moving, and now unpacking, things are finally settling. I am excited to get back to designing and printing...

To celebrate, I purchased a screen print from Eighthourday's shop to put up in the new studio! I also scored a vintage bureau from the local good will store. I'll post pictures of the new set up once it's finished. :)

*photo credit: eighthourday

Small Business Update :: 6 months

It has been 6 months since I've officially started my own business. I have high standards for myself and these past few months have been a roller coaster of emotions and experiences. Patience is definitely a virtue I need to work on. I went from working with a team of 17 other designers, to now only a team of just me. I love having the hands-on ability to control how and what I design. I am becoming more aware of the business aspect of my shop. Knowing what design works, sells, costing of materials, the value of my time spent in the studio, knowing the problems and trying to troubleshoot them...

{Indie Business 2.0}





I enrolled in the Indie Business 2.0 online workshop on indie businesses. So far it's been a great way to network with creatives like myself who would like to start their own business. With first hand experiences from Jill, Leigh-Ann, and Elsie, I am learning valuable lessons in running and maintaining a small business. I've been diligently taking notes and am excited to apply these lessons to my own personal business endeavor.

Here are a few Indie Business members and their links. Check them out and show them your support of all things creative and handmade!
 
{Kelli Trontell} Photograph
{Maria Mctighe}  Blog
{Lehua Ruble} Blog *heart on my sleeve*
{Moorea Seal} Shop
{Mandy Deitering} Shop
{Larisa Ayzoukian} Shop *ink and ivy*
{Catherine Realce} Blog *visualchemist*
{Nicole Underwood} Design Site




More to list! To be continued....

On Hiatus

 Just when things started to pick up in the studio, I am going to have to go on hiatus for about a month. :'( I am engulfed in boxes and packing the next few weeks, taking a road trip with a Uhaul to another state, and hopefully all of my life belongings will arrive to it's final destination on a POD safely. This is the very first MAJOR move I will be making. (College doesn't count!) I look forward to new beginnings and new adventures!

I am sorry for any inconveniences! Thank you to all my clients who have helped Blushing Pearl get started. As soon as I am settled with internet access, the studio will be up and running again...

Little Love Blue

The minute I came across Little Love Blue, I fell in LOVE. Call me a fool for all things cute and quirky,these handmade goodies got me good! Cary, the creative behind Little Love Blue, has a unique way of creating these animals. They are whimsical and fairy tale-like...taking me away to the "land of nod". She takes photos of farm animals for inspiration. If you have a chance, check out her flickr photos. Those animals are so loveable! I love fiber arts. It was my favorite studio course in college. Her pieces are made with a sense of delicacy and carefulness. Take a peek.. I have to say, the fuzzy ewe ,polar bears, and donkey are my faves!

*photo credit: littleloveblue/cary 

Custom Stationery and Hang Tags

If you don't know who In a card/Simplewear is, you can find info in a previous blog post here. I had the pleasure of printing custom stationery sets, business cards, as well as hang tags for simplewear onesies. (which by the way, are simply cute! Check out this cupcake set from her site) The logo was designed by Irena (the creative of In a card and Simplewear). More pictures here.

*Update ::  In a card launched Simplewear in a boutique called 34.fourteen. Check out her display here. I wish her the best of luck with this endeavor!

*If you are interested in creating a cohesive look/brand through letterpress printed calling cards, product tags, custom stationery, web banners, badges, or icons, Blushing Pearl offers "The Setup" package. Suitable for businesses on a budget! Contact me for details.

Love & Letterpress Swap

Just in time for Valentine's day, freshly printed coasters for Visualchemist's swap! Here is the post with information in case you missed it. The theme is "love and letterpress". I came up with a set of 4 coasters. On the back of each : "love, with tongues of fire, infinite as the sea" "I Love You". Each coaster has "I Love You" in a different language, with specific motifs from that country. I thought this concept could serve as a conversational piece as well. If you are curious about how to say "I Love You" in a language, the phonetic spelling is printed on the front. Now, try saying "I love you " in dutch- "ick-ben-verleaved-up-yow".

This was my first attempt at printing on coasters. The square shape was easy to set up and printing was fast. My only concern was, the more impression I wanted on the coaster, the  more the surface began cracking from the pressure. I would have wanted a deeper impression if it wasn't for this factor.

I can't wait to see what the other participants have conjured up!

* I have a few sets of 8 coasters that I may make available for purchase. Or contact me for individual quantities. These make beautiful accent pieces to your home and make great conversational pieces as well. These also make great, budget-friendly wedding favors.


**Update :: Received a package from Visualchemist. The Love and Letterpress goodies have arrived...I was amazed at the turnout! Included was a pamphlet debuting each of the coasters submitted with their press name.It's great to see what everyone's interpretation of "love" and "letterpress" is.