Barbary Coast Brew Tags

David, a friend of mine from Capoeira, approached me with this fun project. He is brewing his own moonshine called "Barbary Coast". For those that do not know, "the Barbary coast was the section of coast line along the north east of Africa that was rife with pirates during the 1600/1700's. It is also what San Francisco was called back during the gold rush because there was so much crime". (David is from SF and is into the city's historical background.) I'm hoping he will send along a sample bottle of this brew!
Added, is a generic "Home Brew" tag for those who would like to use these tags for their own brew.

Eat Bridal Cake!

Fresh pressed :: Bridal Cake Suite  of shower Invite and matching thank you cards! This suite came out pretty sweet...hope the bride thinks so too. You can view the proof post here. As soon as the studio is up and running, I will be listing this custom suite on etsy for any of you soon-to-be "Mrs." If you are a bridesmaid or maid/matron of honor and are throwing a bridal shower for the bride, these make a very personal and unique gift. The bride may just want to save a set for her wedding scrapbook!

Valentine's Day :: Love it or Hate it

 Happy Valentine's Day! A day to celebrate the universal language of "love"...Many of my single friends dread this day and regard it as awkward, submitting to wallowing in self pity. I used to hate Valentine's day. I felt it overrated, with all the fatty chocolates, candies with corny phrases on it, red roses, etc. It probably still is, but "love" needs to be appreciated, couple or not. All you "singles", have a night out, give each other gifts of love that can be defined through the friendship you have. There are some people out there, who do not even have the luxury of a true, honest, friendship. 

Enough jibber-jabber! Forget the chocolates and over-sized cards..Studio Choo makes Valentine's day quite tasteful and needless to say, refreshing!
*photo credit : Design Sponge/Studio Choo 

Sweet Anonymity Design :: Business Card Proof

I officially met Andreanna of Sweet Anonymity Designs at one of our fellow Capoeirista's bon voyage gatherings. Andreanna (who's Capoeira nickname is "Grega") and I have probably played against each other in a Roda, being in the same Capoeira group, but never had a chance to talk. Sitting in the outside patio at a local bar in Eagle Rock called "The Verdugo Bar", we both started talking about what we do outside of Capoeira. Turns out, she is an artist and paints tile and found objects with very intricate and detailed line work. I suggested she open up her shop on Etsy-which are in her plans, but wanted to know more about how it works, etc. She is in the process of branding her artwork through website and business cards... which she asked me to do! Here are the proofs. The business cards incorporate her "bird" logo. Being an artist herself, Andreanna suggested a blind print (a colorless impression), which I am pretty excited to see printed. 

Update: Option C was chosen! 

Fresh Pressed :: Pick your own business card

Fresh Pressed :: Chosen from "Pick your own business card" listing at the shop, option 2! Here was the proof approved by the client. Interested in the other 3 options? Check them out in this posting. Different design styles for different tastes!

 

I've been thinking lately about redesigning an entirely NEW look for Blushing Pearl to go along with the new move. I'll be sticking to a color palette of "blush" -mauve pink, fog gray, retro peach, black, and gold...Still have not decided on what program I will submit myself to for designing the updated website (torture!), but this new look is ready to be launched! Before the makeover however, I decided to print some of these beauties for myself :)

 

Bridal Cake Suite

A bride on etsy contacted me about bridal shower invitations. I only had one design available, but she loved it! I custom-tailored the design with the bride's info and offered matching Thank You cards. I was able to create a "suite" that was 100% custom. Here are the proofs:

Getting Personal

Today is the first day of printing my final custom orders from Etsy ("final" meaning before I have to pack up my press for a big move). Vintage Gothic and Whispy Notes are all the rage this year! One client added her address to her envelopes. Both are packaged in a nice gift box and can be found at the shop.

 

On a side note, I did major damage today. To keep the momentum flowing, I continued printing, knowing I was tired and maybe should have waited until tomorrow. I printed and ended up tossing the project. It was a disaster and complete waste of time! I am re-printing tomorrow with more focus and attention... hopefully!

Still getting the hang of photographing my final prints. I bought one of those "soft boxes" on ebay. The cool thing is, it's a collapsible setup, therefore taking less room in my already small studio. I still end up adjusting the images in Photoshop, as lighting seems to be ok on the camera screen... but when uploaded to my iMac, looks darker. :( Maybe it's time to invest in a camera that's not just for "point n shoot" only?