Project We Do II

This week I was asked to do some more sketches for the Birthright Israel NEXT, NY Project We Do website. They're super tiny on the actual site, so I thought I'd post them here for you to see a little bigger. Each illustration is an icon to coincide with an explanation of the different elements that make up a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony.

I've also designed the invitations for the wedding and now that they've been mailed out, and guests have seen them, I can share them here with you. The cute part is the bottom of the invite. It has the bride and groom illustrations that match the one's that drop down throughout the website. I chose this font for it's rounded and playful yet casual cute look.

Halloween's Approaching

So I've decided to take a look at my Etsy shop to see which of my fashion illustration prints could be costume inspiring. My very favorite, although probably the most costly to pull off well is Marie Antionette. I'd love to get fully decked out in such an elaborate period costume. That dress, tall platnium wig, feathers, and lace, what more could a girl want from a night of dress up?

Throughout the years some of my favorite Halloween memories have been when I dressed up as part of a group costume. As a kid I was once part of Alvin and the Chipmunks with two other friends. I got stuck being Simon cause I was the tallest and had glasses, but have fun memories of it none the less! Then in college for a friends costume party, I along with 4 other friends, was Madonna through the years. We each chose a Madonna to be: "Like a Virgin" Madonna complete with white lace bustier and boy toy belt, "Frozen Madonna" in geisha garb, "American Pie" Madonna in a western shirt and cowboy hat. Such a great group costume.

The point of this long tangent is that I found a group costume idea in my shop: the fab four from Sex and the City as seen in my They're Back print. This wouldn't be too much of a stretch for most NYC girls who try to be them every night, halloween or not. (I guess it's that age old saying "life imitate's art, which imitate's life", right?) But if you really went all out and got the appropriate wigs, outfits, and accessories, it could be great. You could even include your boyfriends, gay husbands, and friends by having them join you as Big, Harry, or Stanford.

The last illustration I've picked as possible costume inspiration is Cleo, my modern day Cleopatra. First Marie, a French queen and now an Egyptian pharaoh! Maybe I need a spa day or something, I swear I don't sit around dreaming of being a royalty, they just happen to have fabulous wardrobes.

Too Cute

Seeing the latest Gap ad campaign really reminded me of my Little Sisters print (shown above). The grey and yellow color scheme is still going strong, and I'm loving it. The pink tulle skirt from the collection is a wonderful compliment. As my customers know I wrap all my orders in with a pink tulle bow.

I'm normally not a huge fan of celebrity collections or designer lines at lower end, mass market retailers but there's always an exception to the rule. How ridiculously adorable is this collection from Stella McCartney for Gap kids?!? It will be available in stores November 2nd, prices will range from $14 to $128, and if I was a petite size zero I'd be running over there. (Ahh, if only!)

Fashion discussion panel with. . .

Ashley Olsen! It was a trill to hear Ashley speak fashion, and to see Mary-Kate, who was a few rows up from me supporting her sis. I am such a fan of The Row and Elizabeth and James, their two fashion labels, and I absolutely love their sense of style. (The pic above is a tear that I used to have on my inspiration board at work. I can't believe I was able to find it. I LOVE this image. Everything from the way the dresses compliment each other to the fabulous dramatic eye and nude lip. Even the set is stunning!)

Last week, in midst of my computer dying on me (which is why I didn't blog about it until now) I headed across town to the 92nd Street Y for a discussion about "The Future of Fashion" with Ashley Olsen, Isaac Mizrahi, Robin Givhan, and Cindi Leive.

Robin Givhan, Washington Post fashion critic, provided the most food for thought on the topics discussed. There was one answer of hers that really stayed with me. The question posed was: "why do people love to hate fashion"? Robin said "it's partially cultural, that in this country fashion is not thought of as fine art. It is not valued, and is not thought of as being in the same category as say painting or sculpture. Fashion is also a woman's industry. No one would say that spending thousands of dollars on season tickets for football is ridiculous, but a woman spending serious money on a gown is frivolous!?!?" Amen Robin! :)

I'm an Etsy Guest Blogger!

I've been so excited about this day, and it's finally here! About a month ago the lovely Etsy staffers offered me the opportunity to write a guest blog post. I was trilled to be asked while completely terrified about what to write about and if it would be what they had in mind. It was suggested I write about my custom bridal illustration process, but I had just blogged about that here in a 3 part series. And if I was writing all about my illustration process then how would I feature other Etsy sellers, which is one of the goals of the Storque (Etsy's Handmade Blog).

Since the majority of my custom work is for weddings, and purchased as wedding and anniversary gifts, I decided to blog about other unique wedding gifts. I named my post "The Wow Wedding Gift" and featured other unique Etsy handmade wedding related items from engagement gifts, bridal shower gifts, and bachelorette accessories, to wedding gifts and fun guest favors, like the custom fortune teller shown below.

Pulling together this post was a fantastic experience and I enjoyed working on every element that went into it. Browsing through my favorite sellers, designing the header image, and writing the actual post while thinking about all the wedding's I've been to and gift's I've given over the years, I loved it all. So now that my guest blog post is now up and live on the Etsy Storque (Wouldn't you know it my computer went and died the very same day my guest blog went up, so that's why I'm just now blogging about it!) I hope you check it out and enjoy it! I certainly enjoyed writing it and searching for the perfect "wow" worthy items that I'd love to give.

Sellers displayed in this post: Brooklit, Stepanka, Rainsend, LuckyMeBeads, LittleRetreats, MichaelAngela, PalomasNest, KatsKrafts, DesignsByMama, FernAnimal

Mini Prints!

I've finally added a listing to my shop of all my fashion illustration prints in "mini" form! The listing I've set up here is for a set of 3 mini prints, to your choosing. I've been meaning to do this for a while now and finally took the time and made them, along with new bookmarks, cards and tags featuring my illustrations. My shop is stuffed, I've never had this much up there at one time before. I like it, and it's motivating me to make more!