I woke up like this

New Art on Zulily!

I know I know its been awhile since I last posted. I am trying to do too many things at once and you know how that goes. I am going to be revamping this blog and my website in the next coming months so stay tuned. Right now I have a great sale on Zulily on some new and popular kids wall decor. I have been working with Zulily for a few years now selling my kids wall decor. They are a great flash sale site with lots of kids stuff as well as home decor, women's, and men's goods. Many of these designs are also sold in my Etsy shop and once I get my website revamped there as well. I have also been busy getting ready to post some YouTube videos so look out for those soon. I hope your having a great summer!!!!

Ellen

 

 

Summer Frolic with Ganz™

 

This week and next week in Atlanta Ganz™ will debut my ©Summer Frolic collection! Stop by Bldg 2 rm 1519 in the Atlantasmart and see the melamine dishes, stationery and tumblers. These so were so much fun to create and they will brighten up your day for sure.

Ellen

Originals and an open house

 

Hello all yes yes I know I have been a very bad blogger- sorry but work and family come first!! Anyway  I wanted to share with you another side of me. Here are some original paintings I have been working on for my dad's upcoming Open Studios this weekend. I haved always loved to paint canvas and its sad that I do not get to do it often. After I graduated Pratt I had a studio with a few friends of mine and could paint large oil paintings, but since then I had to just paint in my house so its only acrylics because of the toxic smell.

If your in the Boston area this Saturday and Sunday you should stop by my dad's studio Open House. My dad has been painting and creating as long as he has been alive I guess- his studio is full of paintings, sculptures, prints and all kinds of other goodies. I myself will have some paintings, pastels and ornaments there as well to sell. The building his studio is in is full of artists so it will be a great time to walk around and see other artists as well. You can check out my dad's work here!

I should be there on Saturday and there will be food and drinks there as well.... so come on down and take a peek at some great art!

 

Ellen

Bird Talk and Pumpkin Patch!

Yes folks its finally here!! Bird Talk!I have waited so long to get this it seems even though I really didn't but as you know from my website and biz cards and recent illustrations I am obsessed with birds! I will have my booth in the Licensing Expo filled with them.  

My head is swimming with the fun things I will be making with this fabric for that show in June.. Yikes did I just say June? I am so overwhelmed with work and meetings before that show that I think by the end of it I am going to have to take a week off just to recover.You can get my Bird Talk at many sites now including Fat Quarter Shop, and Fabricworm.

I also wanted to let you know that over at the Clothworks blog they are having a contest using my Woodland Friends II collection, you could get a chance to be in a magazine and win some nice cash too! Please go over and check it out. I am excited to get the fabric with the owls.. I have many plans for that one too. I can see a really cute kitchen collection with them as well as some fun goodies for my boys.

I recently received strike-offs for my other collection coming out.. Beetle Boy that I think you are going to scream when you see it!! I will be making a ton of things with this one.. I think its the most fun collection I have created to date. If you have a little boy you are going to want to have this one for sure!! I am not sure when this one will come out, possible late fall or winter but its worth the wait. Right now I am working on my 6th collection!! Wow I cannot believe I am on my 6th collection already, thats just crazy, anyway I am hoping to finish that up right before my show in Vegas. You see why I am feeling crazed, I am in over my head with work. If things continue this way I am really going to have to get an intern in here.

Well onto to some other fun products that came in a week ago as well....

Pumpkin Patch for Boston Warehouse.

This is a redo from a collection that I did for them back in 2005 which was one of their biggest sellers they decided to bring it back with a twist. This time there are salt and pepper shakers and fun bowls and a chip and dip plate. The old collection had drink stirrers and platters and candles which I still have in my office and attic for prosperity. I pull out the plates every year when I show them on my Halloween mantle.. remember this picture from one of my old blog entries?

This display I do every year for Halloween and at night the orange lights behind it give it a great glow. I make the picket fence out of black foam core, its very easy to do and the the branches are just spray painted black and put in containers full of sand. I add in some real pumpkins and thats it.. so much fun!

So there you have it folks.. this little bee has been very busy. I am going to be going to NYC next week for meetings with my stationery clients at the Stationery Show and seeing old friends at Surtex as well. I have a few other key meetings as well I am preparing for and hopefully I will come back from NYC with lots of good news to share. I never have a problem going to NY infact I am hoping to move my family back to the area in a year or two. That is our window to go back otherwise we will ride it out until the boys go to college and go back then. I am not sure how the boys will take it if we move but judging how easily they make friends I think it shouldn't be a problem. I have been back home for over ten years now and I finally convinced my husband to move back ( he loves it here) and I am working extra hard to make it happen. 

Okay I must get back to work.. I don't want to disappoint all my clients this week and next week.. I hope you all have a great day!

Ellen

   

New Products

I have a couple of new things to show everyone today, and I wished I could have done a post yesterday but with all of the excitement about Obama I just never got the chance. Here are some new cards I recently received in the mail. These are from a company called Pictura they are a Swedish company that does great cards. These are a part of their glitter line, I am sure I will be using allot of these soon with a whole bunch of parties coming up!

These next set of cards are from another new client that I love called Gina B Designs. The quality is great, the cards feel like they are almost hand painted on beautiful watercolor paper. I love the heart note cards with their touches of glitter, I am sure I will using allot of these too! I have more cards that they recently produced and as soon as I get them I will post them. I am sure you might recognize some of the art in that collection.

Since my life seems to be crazy I find I keep forgetting to post about projects that I wanted to share. I worked like crazy just before Christmas to make these next items for the boys. I had such limited time to do them but I think they came out great.

Here are some cute penguins I made using my fabric that was sold in Jo-Ann's this season. I specifically made the eyes looking at each other as if they were the boys looking at another in their beds. Since my boys wanted to share a room, I designed the penguins to be as if they were Colby and Hayden looking at another, so Colby is on the left and Hayden is on the right! I think they came out great for an amateur stuffie maker.

These other guys, my snowman took a little more leg work shall we say, and here is the reason why. You cannot see from this picture but in the back they have a musical wind-up that plays " We wish you a Merry Christmas". I had a hard time trying to find a wind-up that played " Frosty"! I cannot tell you. My oldest son Hayden has a snowman similar to this that as a "frosty" wind-up which was made by his nanny(babysitter) when he was two. Colby wanted one just like his of course forever and I did my best, but I could not find that darn tune anywhere!! It was worse than trying to get a toy they really wanted I tell you and next year I think I will have to forget about making handmade goods right before Christmas. Its just too much to do in such a stressful time.

Anyway getting onto another point, what did you think of yesterday and having Obama as our president finally? I was soo moved when the t.v. showed the roaring crowd of over a million people yesterday I cannot tell you. Finally someone who can give us hope and life us up to create a better life for everyone. My favorite line in his speech is when he talked about how over 50 years ago his dad could not sit in the same restaurant with white people but that now his son is President of the United States! Love it! Yes! Change has indeed come to America, finally!!!! Let's hope it stays that way from now on!

Here is to a new birth of this country and in all of us, may we become better for it!

Ellen