An Art Collaboration Project

A friend of mine, Mat Giordano, recently updated his blog to include information on an art collaboration project he was working on. The final piece will be seen worldwide; and the physical piece will be auctioned off for the children's orphanage art auction charity event in Houston, Texas.

I was really glad I got the chance to read about this in time to participate. Mat has linked to many collaborative art sites which will help get the names of participating artists out there. To see Mat's original piece, my submission and the submission of others, please visit This Blog Right Here.

Desirai.com v2.0

My website is finally up. For the next few days I'll be doing minor tweaking, probably nothing anyone will notice. Anyway if you haven't been to the new website yet please do so now >> Desirai.com

A Couple Of New Items

It's been a while since I've listed anything. I left all my stuff in Florida, you know, the important stuff like my digital camera, desktop, printer and all the paper I craft with. Luckily I've had John printing, cutting, scoring, and doing all my business shopping. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to keep up with any orders, so Thanks John!

Since I'm showing appreciation, I might as well thank the internet as well. I've been able to send John my new designs so that he can print, cut and photograph them. So thank you internet. All this thanks seems to be a cheezy yet perfect segue for introducing the cards I just listed. These Pink Bubbly Thank Yous come in a set of 4 but can be ordered in larger amounts.

In addition, I've been trying to get my Announcement and Invitation section going. It was for this reason I ordered myself a Gocco printing set. Unfortunately I had it shipped to Florida, and so it's sitting quietly in a box waiting to see me on my birthday. I have no idea how to use it, but you better believe I'm dying to learn. I plan on making lots of invitations with it but my immediate goals include designing some Christmas card sets.

Today I also listed some Save The Date Cards. I'm selling them in packs of 25, but of course larger orders are always welcome. The writing on the cards can be changed to say anything you want. I've got a couple of other ideas floating around in my head for Save The Date cards and will begin jotting them down as soon as I find my sketchbook.

db designs on Etsy Mondays

I was in the Etsy chat room not too long ago with a chat member who seemed to be overwhelmingly excited about a purchase she had just made. "I received my Monster Box today!" she exclaimed. Monster Box? What in the world...? No one in the room seemed to be familiar with what a Monster Box was, this of course prompted the showing of several pictures and a brief explanation.

The Monster Box in question was actually custom created by db designs. db designs is a husband and wife duo company. From what I have read on their website, there is almost nothing (art related) that Daren and Deanna Baker can't do. The Monster Box, which is exactly what it sounds like, a monster, that is also a box, can be used for storing things. The monster's head is hinged in the back allowing it to be flipped open.

"Ever since we were kids we have both loved and done art. Daren has been working with wood for over 20 years and I have been working with glass for about 15 years."

In addition to working with both wood and glass, this team also has quite the Graphic Design portfolio. db designs has even had their hands involved in a large number of video game related projects (I'm so jealous!!!), industrial design projects, and their artwork has been commissioned as well.

Their Etsy shop, which includes something for anyone who loves art, is still in it's infancy. However, with so much experience and such great products I doubt it will take long for the sales to begin pouring in.

"We make art that is intended to be playful and functional. Whimsy, color, fun and craftsmanship are what we pride our work on. We encourage you to wear, pick-up and play with as well display our work."

Boxes and Jewelry seem to be this team's specialty but they happily accept custom orders. The craftsmanship involved in their products is much too wonderful to pass up. That being said, I think I'd like a Monster Box for my birthday. :wink, wink: It's September 14th for those of you that didn't know (and for those of you that forgot.)

Some of the Baker's work can be found at a few local galleries and the Edmonds Saturday Market.

When asked if they had any advice for other sellers they said "We don’t have many answers…we are still trying to figure it out ourselves but one thing that has always worked for us is having faith in what we are doing…always do what you love and love what you are doing!"

To read more about db designs or to buy yourself a coveted Monster Box (their wish boxes are amazing too!!) please visit:

db designs on Etsy
db designs website

Sandy Photo Art (Lani Blue Cards) on Etsy Mondays

As a Graphic Designer I spend a lot of time looking at the work of other designers. I've also been trying to expand my shop to include invitations and announcements which is why I've been visiting a lot of stationery stores lately. While searching the internet and Etsy for examples I came across Sandy Photo Art AKA Lani Blue Cards.

Sandy Aichner is a photographer that went from selling her photos on Etsy to later selling designed invitations. "I'’ve been involved with photography since high school but really began a serious business about 6 years ago. I made my first card at age 6 but my first paid job was 4 years ago. I worked with my local hospital as a freelance newborn baby photographer and offered custom birth announcements as part of the photo package. This was so fun! There is something about creating a keepsake that will be part of a family’s history that makes me all warm and fuzzy." Sandy mentions.

"I am a part-time professional photographer and image-editing specialist. I specialize in family, nature, sports, and commercial photography and editing. I also work with my husband, who is a staff photographer for “Surfer Magazine”, shooting on location and image editing for him. My stationery design business, Lani (la-knee) Blue, lani is Hawaiian for sky or heaven, started in this past February. My photography clients had been requesting quality announcements and invitations for years and I realized that I just love to do it!! I taught myself Photoshop about 5 years ago to help my husband and I transition from film photography to digital photography easier. Long, story shorter, I’'m now a registered Photoshop addict...For now, my stationery business is part-time but I hope to build it into a full time lucrative business by next year."

Sandy's Designs are gorgeous and it truly surprised me to see that her sales were so few. I almost wished I was getting married in the near future so that I could order some.

In addition to selling on Etsy Sandy's photography can be found in Hawaii at the “Nohea Galleries of Hawaii”.

When asked what kind of advice she had for others Sandy said "do your thing well”, take the time do learn your craft. Quality is so important. Also, learn the business side of being an artist. Everything from setting your prices to make a profit to quality shipping practices to cut down on shipping damage costs. The little things are what you should pay attention to because they will get you in the end."

You can view and purchase Sandy's photos and invitations at:

Sandy Photo Art on Etsy
SandyAichner.com
1ike.com

Muttsy Wonder (Harrilu) on Etsy Mondays

I recently realized that the majority of my purchases on Etsy have consisted of cards, pendants, and soap. It seemed strange that my shopping habits would be so limited considering the limitless variety that exists on Etsy. Thankfully, my little visit to the Trashion Trunk Show has changed that.

While there were many varied and interesting art pieces, I found myself most attracted to the clothing; So much so that I actually bought myself a shirt. Embarrassingly, I removed the tag not too long ago and have forgotten the name of the artist. (I will do my best to find her so that I can edit this post to include her name.)

When I got home that night I found myself searching Etsy for clothing. I favorited a rather long list of screen printing artists; One that surely deserves mention is Muttsy Wonder. It didn't take long for these original hand silkscreened designs to catch my eye. My current favorite being her Blue Blossoms T-shirt (shown on the right~>).

Megan Mucci, shop owner of Muttsy Wonder and Harrilu is a full time professional that sells her items online, wholesale and at shows as well. A list of boutiques her items are currently available in, can be found at the Harrilu website.

Megan's items seem to appeal most to those who like modern design and comfortable clothes (Ding, Ding, Ding! Me! I refuse to wear stuff that isn't comfortable, I don't care how good it looks). She also carries items for pets, babies, toddlers, women and men. "I strive to create things with upscale quality that have unique modern designs that are flattering and fashion-forward. I do my best to respect the customer, (while) being as friendly as I can along the way. And, have fun while I'm doing all of it." Megan says.

"This sounds crazy -- but I didn't start screenprinting until May of 2006, right when I started Etsy. I have done graphic design and product design previously though -- mostly on children's products, so that part came naturally. The screenprinting itself I taught myself from a few books and Macguyver'ed the rest." She confesses.

Wow! Can you believe in just a little over a year Muttsy Wonder has sold 979 items on Etsy! This doesn't include her wholesale business or sales at shows. It's obvious Megan's work is a huge success and if you've had the pleasure of visiting her shop you know why. Mark my words, I'll be making future purchases at Muttsy Wonder; That Blue Blossoms shirt is destined to be mine.

You can purchase some of Megan Mucci's lovely designs at:
Muttsy Wonder on Etsy
Harrilu