Weekly Wrap-up: Printing & Design

My sweet, loving family may soon be hating my choice of career. Seriously. My husband woke up during the week with a terrible nightmare about having to use the paper cutter to cut stars, and is now eyeing the contraption as if it was originally designed to be a torture device. My daughter takes things much more in stride, happily telling me how it's easier to keep going if you just keep talking ... and talking ...

In short, it was a busy week. After making my post last month about pricing and how badly I was actually losing money doing the work I do, I've gone through everything from inside-out and while I still have several things to implement, I'm feeling much better about the situation. In fact, there are a series of about 30 new, unique products set to come out in the next few weeks.

Yup. 30.

And I've got a brand new cutter plotter arriving on Tuesday so that I can get all the gorgeous prints out the door much more quickly - and with machine precision cuts, too. This will be awesome on all the products that aren't press-printed, which are growing rapidly.

While my camera is still MIA (how do you lose one of your most prized possessions?), I'm hoping to have some actual pictures up in the near future ... it's great to have family willing to loan you a camera when you need it, even if the picture quality isn't the best.

So, a quick rundown on projects for the week:

1. Bella Baby - I got the chance to check out the products being sold by Bella Baby before I even started on the project, and I was excited. Adorable little hair clippie cards and single-fold hang tags were the result, created to match Bella Baby's existing look. The color combos are fantastic!

2. Sunsong Designs - A newly created business, this project was for a logo set of recycled stickers. The finished design is just stunning, and turned out beautifully striking because of the color patterns that seriously jump out.

3. Katy Cornelius - This is one of the most dramatic designs I've had the chance to do so far. Based on the Build-Your-Own Dark Spark cards, Katy wanted something geared toward her work as an on-set chef. So much fun! This one involved Thank You cards, business cards, and promotional teas created from 100% organic hand blends that she can give to her customers. A great lady to work with, and with her eye for detail I can just imagine what a fantastic job she does!

4. Maxine 50 - An elegant little Etsy Trio (shop banner, avatar, and custom order graphic), I love how soft and almost magical this set looks.

5. Anti-Aging Medi-Docs - I have to admit that my original concept for this logo included a splashing bouquet of white daisies with purple centers peeping out the top, but a simpler look was wanted. The colors are just too cool, and the final look is clean.

In addition to the fully completed projects, I've been working steadily on 3 different Custom Etsy Kits, a new logo for one of my EcoEtsy team mates, putting final touches on a set of business cards, and am gearing up for some more Custom Etsy Kits this week along with a couple new print orders. Ahhhh it will be fantastic to put the new time-saving toys to use!