Stage 1: Pastel & watercolor
Stage 2: Photoshop and font
My current jewelry box
Draft new look
Branding
As an Etsy seller, one of the many things you need to deal with is branding. In my opinion, after having a desirable product and excellent photos, branding is what sets shops apart. I know that as a consumer, I appreciate and take notice of consistency of brand and a good brand can become instantly recognizable. Like many Etsy sellers, I don’t have a marketing background. As a result I simply channeled the consumer in me which helped me think about what I notice when buying a product.
Branding starts as early as picking your Etsy username. In my case I spent a long time thinking of names which drew upon what inspired me to be creative. The name “californiablue” just felt right. I liked the sound of it, and I liked the fact that it was all one word, all lower case. I sensed from the beginning that with this name I could possibly build a brand reflective of my inspiration and sensibility.
For me the next step was to create a logo for my packaging. I found myself using watercolors then pastels to create a fictional yet familiar California landscape. I then decided to stylize my watercolor/pastel with Photoshop. I am definitely an amateur when it comes to Photoshop, but I was able to play around with the filters feature and achieve a softer more stylized appearance. Next came choosing a font. I wanted the font on my Etsy banner, blog and packaging to be consistent. I had no idea how many fonts were out there! Dafonts.com was a great resource, and ultimately I selected a font called Powell Antique which was free :). My finalized logo appears on my boxes and my earring cards.
Even though I’ve been happy with my original logo I have felt that it was visually distracting when put alongside my products. As a result, I have been reworking my logo and feel that I’m getting closer to a simpler and better design. I’ve even played around with the spacing of the text in “californiablue”. The final image above is a draft of my new earring card. This card would be printed on a nice textured beige paper which will coordinate with boxes of a similar color that I purchased from Rio Grande.
I think the lesson I’ve learned is that branding is a work in progress, and it’s ok to modify and streamline it as you go along. Just as the style of your products evolves, I believe your branding needs to evolve as well. I certainly didn’t think when I opened my Etsy shop that branding was something I would need to be concerned with, but these days with so many talented Etsy sellers, I think branding can help set you apart.
New giveaway!
I have donated my Vanilla and Honey Lace Necklace to a wonderful giveaway sponsored by the gorgeous blog, Love. Obsess. Inspire. I am thrilled to offer this one of a kind necklace to this giveaway. Entries must be in by Friday, November 27th.
Click here to enter.
P.S. Yes, that is our cat Newbie in the background :)
This weekend I was introduced to the legendary Leonard Cohen. I am embarrassed to admit that I was completely unaware of this man and his extraordinary talents in songwriting. Within a few minutes of the concert I was immediately absorbed into his art. The concert lasted for over 3 hours, which in my opinion was an unbelievable feat given Mr. Cohen’s advanced age (he is 75).
This clip is from the performance we saw. It’s impossible to capture the feeling in the auditorium but this gives you a little peak. Enjoy!
Etsy artist of the week - Sweet Harvey Letterpress
category - illustration, letterpress
I recently discovered the whimsical designs of Etsy seller Sweet Harvey Letterpress. I was immediately attracted by their unique color palette, the originality of their designs and even the texture of the paper which seemed to pop out in the photos.
How lovely would it be to receive a Let it Snow handmade holiday greeting? I continue to be amazed at the beautiful work to be discovered on Etsy. Sweet Harvey Letterpress is a perfect example of the talent and creative energy to be discovered (I just love their robot card series!). Take a look at all of the wonderful options in their shop.
Warm toast
They say “happiness is a warm puppy” and I don’t disagree, but I would add “happiness is homemade warm toast”. We tried Mark Bittman’s Whole Wheat and Molasses quick bread this weekend and it is not only easy, but very tasty. I love that it is entirely whole grain, and the molasses gives it a wonderful sweetness. As Mark indicates in the recipe, this bread is best for sandwiches or toast. I think the test of good toast is the fact that it doesn’t need anything other than a thin layer of butter for optimal enjoyment. Yum….
Fall back
I can finally say that I am now acclimated to the time change we had on Monday. I know this is a sad admission, but I found the change really hard this time. It’s only one hour out of 24, so why should it make such a difference? It’s also bittersweet in that we have this additional hour, which is like a gift, and yet it now gets dark so early. I find myself looking forward to December 22nd when the days will start getting longer again.
The kitties were also confused about daylight savings. Their tummies, which are like little alarm clocks, are set to go off at two particular times during the day. The time change left the kitties confused and frustrated. Newbie, pictured above, had the best solution which was taking an extended nap. Everything always is better after a good nap.
Finished Product
I’ve been working on this necklace for a while. If you recall, I started out with a different version of my experiment with ribbon and beads. I received a lot of constructive criticism (thanks to everyone who commented here or on the Etsy forums), and I went back to the drawing board to resolve some of the imbalance that existed between the ribbon and beads. The goal was to come up with a necklace that showcased both components in the best light possible. I also wanted something lighter, more delicate than the original version.
So here you have it, the revised version. I’ve named it my Vanilla and Honey Lace Necklace. I’m inspired to start a ribbon series with a similar design with other rich colors. Would love additional feedback in the meantime!
A good slipper
Yesterday was an extremely windy day here. You finally felt that Fall was in the air. We even had to turn on our heat for the first time this season (fortunately it still works). Also, it was time to pull out my winter collection of slippers (yes I have a summer and a winter collection). For me, you can never have too many slippers :)
I absolutely love perusing the extensive variety of slippers from the talented Etsy artists. You will see many that will make you want to curl up on the couch with a good book and some nice tea. The beautiful slippers pictured are from Lavender Hill Knits from the Portland Maine area. With their chilly climate, you can be sure that they know their slippers!
Solo
Serenity
Red umbrella
August day
Etsy artist of the week - Honeytree Photography
category - photography
I love that special feeling you are left with after finishing a great novel or watching a great movie. Being transported to a fictional place is incredibly enjoyable and sometimes just what you need. For me, Honeytree Photography is a true example of this experience. Photographer Lupen Grainne invites us into her world through her pictures, and tells us a story without words. Even her titles of her photos are spare and invite the viewer’s imagination. Her photography ranges from gardens, to far away places, to her beautiful local surroundings in Sonoma County. In her own words, she describes her shop as “Photography - botanicals. vintage inspired. Europe.”
You will truly enjoy looking at each of her close to 150 photographs available in her Etsy shop. If you are like me, you will keep selecting favorites, only to find a new one that captures your imagination. Although these are photographs, I can’t help but think of them as paintings, too. Lupen has very consciously modified her original photos to communicate her unique perspective. It is as if she were picking up a brush and casting her signature stroke.
Enjoy your stroll through Lupen’s Honeytree Photography studio. You will leave refreshed and inspired.
More fall beauty from Portland
On our recent trip to Portland we unintentionally found ourselves in this lovely neighborhood which included this amazing street. Flanked by one way streets on either side, this gorgeous path is lined by trees in full fall splendor. We had never seen anything like this before, and I wondered why more streets couldn’t be like this one.
I can only imagine how fun this path would be on Halloween!
