Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Working on a Christmas greeting card for a company...

For the past 2 weeks I have been working on creating a Christmas greeting card for a company. I used the Cleveland skyline as a background while showing in detail their new digs.

2,800 greeting cards will be mailed out by mid November! It is now at the printer. I can't wait to see them...

Sunday, October 13, 2013

More Cleveland greeting cards at CLE Clothing...and bar codes needed

I just had to photograph my cards at their displays. 
Now I need to add bar codes to my cards!!!
Must learn-must get on with today's technology!

--The bar code scanner was used for the first time in Ohio;
 the first item to have one was Wrigley's gum--



Thursday, October 10, 2013

Cleveland Cards will be at Mac'sBacks on Coventry!

Stopped yesterday to drop my catalogue of Cleveland cards & Suzanne immediately placed an order! I will be dropping the cards on Monday. The #10 red envelopes are in transit as I write this.
Better get some ink too....


Friday, October 4, 2013

Blogging is tough! New Browns card

I am supposed to blog at least every other day and look for other blogs & communicate with others...
It is time consuming, but I know this is the way to market oneself. 
I guess I'll get the hang of it. I do want to add great images & interesting stories.

Today I stopped at CLE Clothing store to drop more cards. The store looks fantastic with more items added. There's a table full of the Browns stuff--that's where this card is going! I guess I should have left 4 sest instead of 2. 
Here's the new design for the Bird & the Browns card---what do you think?


Monday, September 23, 2013

No more craft shows for me...

Listening to records is back in vogue. I saw that Urban Outfitters is selling records from new groups!
I hope this could happen to the stationery business...

It is hard selling cards nowadays. I cannot pay the fees to enter shows & make money. It seems the younger generation is not interested in the art of a handwritten note. If they knew how romantic it is to write love letters & send them by snail mail!

Sending a handwritten thank you note to a prospective employer will separate you from the rest that emails. So go ahead and support the card designer & the post office: buy cards & write!





Friday, September 20, 2013

Travel lists


I just bought this book at R/S Room Service on the West Side-W.25th St.
For people who love making lists: this book is to fill out everything that I have done, visited, etc... in my travels. How many museums I have visited, churches, I can't remember all of them now, but I have seen MANY!!! I wished I had this book when I started traveling...




Thursday, September 19, 2013

Getting ready for the Sparx show on Saturday!

I have been printing & cutting cards like crazy! TomorrowI have to package them & get them all organized into my red suitcase. I haven't count how many designs I have, but it is getting up there!
Tweet&Flora's new line of birds and I love my city of Cleveland cards
You would think I was born in Cleveland, heheehehe!


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

A banner to help

I designed a banner for this fundraiser event. I received this warm letter from all of the friends who planned this in honor of their soldier friend who died. It was an honor for me to do this to help them out. 
So many times I see those commercials about soldiers coming home with missing limbs that it breaks my heart.



Monday, September 9, 2013

Nature Center at Shaker Lakes will be selling my bird cards!

Nature Center at Shaker Lakes will be selling my Tweet&Flora bird greeting cards in the near future!



Last Thursday I visited this wonderful spot. I met with the persons responsible for sales and they both loved my cute designs. They are now waiting for a complete catalogue of my bird greeting cards; I must have at least 60 designs! They loved in particular my "Birds of a feather, flock together" which was inspired by my friend Tammy of Heights Flowers Designs.


The bees were quite busy there. Ever since I moved here, I love to visit the place, knowing that back in the early 1960's a highway was planned to destroy this area--smack in the middle of Shaker. What were they thinking??!!

Funny thing is that one of them mentioned that my bird drawings kind of look like Charley Harper's illustrations. I discovered this Ohio artist after I drew my cardinal. Charley Harper designed this poster to celebrate The Nature Center's 25th anniversary. The original painting is there. I had to buy the poster. It will be placed on my art wall in my living room.



Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Selling Cleveland greeting cards & bird cards at Sparx Sept. 21st!

On Saturday, September 21st, I will be selling all the designs for my Cleveland greetings cards. I currently have about 12 designs. 

I will also introduce my new nature Christmas cards and Christmas from Cleveland greeting cards. 
Birthday cards, Thank You notes, and blank stationery will be available. 

Also, I will be selling prints of the Cleveland city skyline and a composition of birds on birch trees titled BirdSong.

Location: Tower Press Building on 1900 Superior Avenue in Cleveland. The trolley will be stopping by...


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Talking cards, blogs, food & phoneography!

Today I had a delicious lunch at On The Rise on Fairmount while discussing tips on how to blog.

While searching for local blogs, I found This, That and the Other Thing blog
http://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2013/09/01/phoneography-challenge-nature-leading-me-on-photos-and-haiku/
discussing about a new term called Phoneography.

My friend and I had no idea what was that all about so we googled it.
Duh!!
Taking pictures with your phone! I am addicted to that!
Most of the pictures that I took in my Germany trip was with my iPhone! They do come out pretty good, I might say.

I prefer to take pictures of my Cleveland greeting cards & bird cards using my iPhone. My poor little camera is so lonely...
My son asked me last night why I took pictures of our food. I just can't help it. It looks so pretty that I wan to show it to the world! LOL!!!

Roast beef with Manchego aioli--yum!

BLT with spicy mustard

Sunday, August 18, 2013

A logo description from a while back!

I found this from About.com that I wrote back in 2010. http://graphicdesign.about.com/u/sty/shareyourwork/design_firm_logos/My-card-stationery-and-graphic-design-business.htm

I just re-did my logo, just a small change of the color boxes. Waiting for my new vinyl banner to come over in the mail.


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Sparx Sept. 21 event at Tower Press Bldg.

Oops! I forgot to announce the Made in the 216 Pop-up store last weekend!

Next event that I will be selling I love Cleveland Cards & Tweet&Flora bird cards at
SPARX on September 21, 2013

http://www.clevelandhandmade.com/market/towerpress/



Sunday, July 14, 2013

Licensing children illustrations for Esperanza Threads!

Just sending 4 images for their children's organic clothing line. This is very exciting!
Esperanza Threads is located in Cleveland. They are a Fair Trade organization.
This group trains people to sew so they can get their lives back together.


The organic cotton they use is grown in the United States and the garments are made in Cleveland.
Sister Mary Eileen of the Ursuline order started this program.

A few years ago I ordered organic onesies to sell them myself. This one has my favorite Pingquik. I am basically sold out of all those that I ordered!

Friday, July 12, 2013

Trolley card getting famous!

Fairmount Letters is selling my Cleveland/Ohio Love cards and one of the clients bought the trolley card for the President of the Cleveland Foundation!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

New York Trip

Trips like these inspire me and give me ideas to do other things with my products. 

I had a great time seeing my sister in Pawling, NY, college roommates, friends from way back from PR and one that left Cleveland for NJ. She still misses Cleveland. 
It was a shock to my son the amount of walking we did. We relied on the subway like never before. When I used to go with my grandmother, we took cabs.
The sad part was my American dad died the last weekend of June --so sad to die alone.


I had to see the 9/11 Memorial. I went up to the top several times since 1975. I used to stand on the bottom of the building and look how it swayed. My mom and I took the PATH from Hoboken and she was impressed at how many people were going up and down the escalators.



 Lost in Central Park...we found Belvedere Castle. I never ventured to visit Central Park because it WAS dangerous back in the 80's and early 90's.


My good friend Lynda Klich showing the book she co-wrote The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection.  I am definitely buying that book--the images are great!



Coolest green project is the High Line along 10th Ave. Perennials taken care by volunteers, spots to rest & eat while looking at buildings were once the area was ugly.

Le Pain Quotidien, I believe a Belgian yummy chain serves super fresh food: bread, bread and bread!

Extraordinary Fireworks in Ridgewood, NJ! Who knew?! Happy 4th!!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Marketing my Audubon-styled bird cards...

I have neglected my bird cards, but I now have an Audubon-styled bird cards that are great for stationery gifts or as single cards. Working the minimum requirement to start emailing the Wild Birds Unlimited stores I contacted last year----planning ahead for holiday gifts




Saturday, June 15, 2013

NOIS AT THE ZOO!

Tammy & I joined the group of fellow illustrators to do some animal sketching. It has been a while since I have done some good practice drawing. I am proud of my results! Then I stopped at Koko Bakery to buy Chinese mallorcas & ordered take out from Superior Pho where I left my favorite black ink pens...they will hold it for me.


Friday, June 14, 2013

Even more sales at CLE Clothing store!

I just dropped more cards & new photo glossy prints of the CLE skyline. We had lunch across the street and people just keep on entering & buying stuff! It is a great store for Cleveland & Ohio lovers. I saw a client buying my trolley - skyline card!




Thursday, June 6, 2013

More sales at C.L.E. Clothing store!!

These cards are selling out! I definitely have to get them professionally printed very soon or I am not going to be able to keep up with demand by myself---hehehehe!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

A lot is happening!

...but I need to get my TSH (thyroid under control)!

CLE Clothing Co. on Euclid & 4th is selling my CLE pride cards!!! Sooo happy! People seem to dig my designs. I will be working on prints of Cleveland landmarks plus cards. I just dropped another batch of cards before Memorial Day weekend.

Lake Erie Artists Gallery on Shaker Square is also selling some of the CLE pride cards plus my new Audubon styled bird cards. They sold out of the bird cards in one weekend when clients from Israel & Russia stopped by.

Fairmount Letters placed an order for CLE pride cards too! The owner is soo helpful and nice!

I have to say that the owners of these places are very supportive of me and of local artists. Like we say around here: Buy NEO!

The Nature Center is missing out!




Wednesday, April 24, 2013

C.L.E. Clothing Store

I just dropped some Cleveland & Ohio related cards at CLE Clothing store for sale.
Let's see what happens there... Many people were in at lunch & the place looks fantastic!
I will be there soon again to drop prints & more cards---then have lunch at 4th Street.

Friday, March 29, 2013

First Communion season in full swing

Just waiting for requests for my exclusive custom drawn girl & boy invitations from etsy & my son's school. I handed over 80 flyers to the school so I hope several of them will order cards. Their communion is in May. I donate 10% of the sale to the school--you would think that maybe I could get some clients...
We are now celebrating the end of Lent & Easter--I hope things pick up next week...
Happy Easter!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Waiting for etsy sales...

There is nothing like waking up from a quick nap to the sound of my iPhone's etsy shop cash register sound. A sale!!

I quickly log on & did the order for my client's son's birthday. I started switching some of my designs from print to DIY printable. Hopefully, I can get more quick sales.



Friday, February 22, 2013

Doing I love Cleveland stuff!

This is such a cool painting! It is at the Smithsonian.
I need to get images of Cleveland, Akron and Ohio that people would want to hang or send as cards...
Hmmmm.... get a book on Cleveland from the library!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Beachwood Unique Boutique February 10th

I am getting ready for the first show of the year for me. I will be selling new cards for the Cleveland skyline showing the elusive Lake Erie...
Sunday, Feb. 10th from 10am to 4pm at the Beachwood Community Center on Fairmount Blvd.


St. Valentine's cards, St. Patty's cards and I have to figure out what to design for Bar/Bat Mitzvah!! This is Beachwood after all, a large segment of the population is Jewish. So I better start cracking!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Business moving along...!

Ever since January 2nd, I have been receiving orders and inquiries! I am sooo happy!
 I have posted my First Communion invitations earlier and I just posted the Irish dancer personalized note cards.
Between subbing in schools & the cards, I am quite busy! There's always something to do, cooking, keeping house & helping my son with his homework...
So finally my husband's and my entrepreneurship are moving along!!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

New Year & new orders!!

It was great to receive 4 orders on the second day of the year! While at the beach, my etsy shop kept bringing  up orders! I hope it keeps going!