Groveling and a Project

Oh hey, it's only August. I only haven't updated since June. No biggie, right?

(Please forgive me. Please. PLEASE!)





So what's been going on? Pffft, a lot. I recently accepted a new position at a fantastic small agency in Columbus called Mlicki. I wrapped up my work with another great Columbus agency, Ron Foth Advertising. In the meantime, I've been working with some wildly cool freelance clients. I have one big project finishing up in a few days, so you just wait!

These are super fun die-cut cards I had the pleasure of working with Igloo Letterpress to design. You can find the butterfly here and the birdie here. They also come in 10 packs. Awesome. We're working on a few other things with these little guys, so don't think you've seen the last of 'em.

How is everyone? Still kickin'? Here's hoping. It's summer time. Go jam to some Pete Townshend.

LITTLE AVIARY WEDDING PREVIEW

1. Accordion Fold Invite / Extra Info / Perforated Reply Card (holy moly, right?)
2. Vellum Origami Inside Envelope
3. Thank You Card
4. Envelope (more colors available)


Finally. I've been wanting to create a wedding line for... oh... three years now, but the hectic school schedule and heavy workload have held me back from really giving it a shot. I've got plenty more to show you, but for now, here's a peak of the first invitation suite from Little Aviary.

Shoot me an email for questions / pricing. I do custom invitations too. FREE air high five for anyone who recognizes the movie the bride and groom are from.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND

Every time I have a reason to send out a thank you (which is often... I have much to be thankful for), I absolutely MUST design a new card. So! Here is this week's thank you card! Super fly!


Things I am Thankful for Today:
1. Puppies
2. Kittens
3. Blueberry Muffins (we've eaten nearly all of them)
4. Unicorns
5. Books
6. Sisters
7. 90's Alternative Rock

POSIES FOR APRIL

Hello all! I hope your Easter was wonderful! This was the first year I didn't get to go back to my home town to see my family, so in that respect, I was really missing them. On the other hand though, Mike and I learned that we cook a mean ham and that potato flakes, while a good idea, will never compare to the real thing.

Without further adieu, here's a piece for an invitation suite I'm working on. The posies are watercolor I scanned in and the type is simple and modern. My plan is to launch a line in late May, but if anyone is interested before then, please feel free to shoot me an email.

AVIARY LETTERPRESS NOTEBOOKS

One of the many things I've been working on lately is this series of mini books. They're tiny (about 3.5 x 5'') and are (in my opinion) damn cute! I printed the covers in letterpress (at my dear Igloo Letterpress in Worthington) and then digitally printed and glued the blue strips on top. They read "Good Ideas Can't Be Caged", "Onward & Upward", and "Prepare for Lift Off"-- all as a sort of homage to my upcoming graduation. It's time to spread your wings, dear Rachel ( eh eh?).

If anyone is interested in having a set, let me know in the comments! I'll shoot you an email when they go on sale!

POSTCARDS

I've been working on a series of postcards to share with you at the Little Aviary etsy shop. Instead of making you wait until they're all finished, I thought I'd share a bit of the progress with you! When all is said and done, there will be 5 designs all based on different favorite motivational quotes of mine.

This one reads, "Do not ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

Do you have a favorite quote you'd love to see made into a postcard? Leave a comment- I need a few more ideas!

WHITE IORA - SIMPLE & CHIC INVITATION

I can't recall if I've ever mentioned this, but I would love to design wedding invitations. I needed a mental break from course work last night, so I created this simple invite. In the future, I'll be designing the rest of the suite to sell, but right now it's just this little guy! Hopefully after graduation, I'll be able to launch my invitation business (White Iora) on the web. If anyone happens to be interested in getting wedding invitations designed by me, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email at quailcreative@gmail.com

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week thus far. I'm gearing up to drive back to my home town this weekend and hang out with my family. I absolutely can't wait!

REPURPOSED CHILDREN'S BOOK

I mentioned a few days ago that I've been interested in repurposing damaged and unappreciated books into things that can be loved again. When I found this classic children's book sitting sadly in a trash pile, I knew it had to be saved! About half the pages on the inside were torn or cut apart, rendering the book unreadable. The other half of the pages were perfect though, so I carefully pulled them out of the book and made them into a small stationary set to be used once more.

I was worried people might be upset or insulted by me pulling books apart, but I truly make sure that the books I use are beyond reading or donating condition before I do these things.


Tomorrow is Friday and I am oh-so-excited! I think next Monday I'll share my Valentine's from the past few years with you all!

I LOVE

I'm a bit obsessed with this sort of pattern. My notebooks are filled with mindless doodles of it, and my portfolio contains at least one other instance of it... so I've decided to embrace it! And hey, they're a tiny bit reminiscent of bird feathers (right? ...right...) so it'll kind of sort of go well with the whole "Little Aviary" / "Quail Creative" thing. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

I love love, and this whole Valentine's Day phenomenon has given me a chance to take a tiny bit of time off from school work and create some fun little pieces of art. So last night I finished this little guy up and put it up on Little Aviary's Etsy. I may make it into a card series, depending on this week's school work load (last semester = butt kicking frenzy), but until then you can purchase the print here on Etsy.


Lastly, thank you to all the wonderful blogs out there who have posted about Little Aviary, Quail Creative, and me! It's been so encouraging to see people enjoying bits and pieces of my work. Until next time, dear friends. Happy Tuesday.

BALLOON ALPHABET

So! The balloon alphabet is finished, and let me tell you, it was a labor of love! I'm planning on putting it in the Little Aviary etsy shop when I launch a bundle of other things in early January, but if anyone is interested, comment here and we can get you one right away!

This series is going to be made into posters you can purchase. They're a perfect gift if you're going to a baby shower or if you're setting up a nursery! I think I'm going to make them into shower invitations or possibly baby announcements as well. When you purchase one, you'll let me know what color scheme you want, and what letter (or letters) you want. Should be fun!

Here's the whole alphabet that you can choose from...

LITTLE AVIARY ETSY SHOP!

I had a bit of free time tonight (I'm lying about the free time) so I decided to join Etsy and attempt to start selling some of my designs. I've been wanting to for a veeery long time, but I never had the confidence (or time) to sit down and do it.

I bought my domain name last week (a story I'll save for another time) and I think it's time to bite the bullet. Just in time for Christmas, right? And honestly, I've been trying to add to the "Get Rachel Through Her Last Semester in College" Fund. I've made it this far, and there's no way I'm not going to graduate in May just because of money issues!


Right now, I'm only selling the "Little Bit of Happiness Cards" (more photos in the previous entry), but after finals week, I'll start adding more to the shop. I've got some neat ideas up my sleeve, so be ready!

You can find my new Etsy shop Little Aviary, here.

A LITTLE HAPPINESS, PLEASE

Yes, I've been completely AWOL, I know. There is no excuse. This has been one of the most difficult (yet exciting) semesters of my life. I'm attempting to pull myself together for my May graduation (by the way I'm SO EXCITED about that). I've been working on some amazing projects though that I know you're going to love.

So please, I beg of you, bear with me. I have some marvelous things to share with you in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I've brought you this tiny project. I (like everyone else) have been loving the bunting flag trend, so I decided to do a quick and fun project with them. I have a weird feeling I recently saw a project like this, but I can't put my finger on what it was or where it was from... I know it will come to me eventually! Ah well... on with the show...





I love how a simple fill in the blank can make a card instantly more personal (and more fun!). I think I might sell these in the near future.