I have done a few crawfish boil invitations, which is how Mary found me on Etsy. She had me design a custom invitation that had the same feel of this design, but was more focused on the fact that it was her son's first birthday. The invitation led to coordinating stickers and stationery, which came together perfectly. A crawfish boil for a first birthday?! What a cool kid. ;)
Lesa Abney and I were destined to be friends, I think. A co-worker told me about a stationery friend of hers, and I went to her blog to check her out, only to see that we were both working for the same stationery company (RIP Indigo Prints). We set up a wine date and after 2 hours of chatting we began to talk about our husbands.Our conversation went something like this: Lesa: "Steve went to UT." Me: "Oh, so did Carter." Lesa: "Was he in a fraternity?" Me: "Yes, he was a Sig Ep." Lesa: "Steve was a Sig Ep!" Well, I knew then that they had to know each other and sure, enough, our husbands were good buddies in college. Small world! A few days in NYC together, double dates and endless dinners and drinks, I feel like I've known Lesa forever. We have so many connections and things in common, I forget sometimes how it is that we came to know each other, but I am glad we did.
Okay, so all that to tell you that Lesa and I are buddies and so, when Lesa asked me to design her baby shower invitations, it was an immediate yes. There may not be a bigger honor than being asked to design for another designer. It's a big compliment, because let me tell you - we are picky customers.
Lesa's theme was 'You are my Sunshine' and she said to do whatever I wanted. So much trust and faith - I am glad I did not let her down. I enjoyed playing with a little type and hand drawn elements. She loved it, and that's all that matters!
They have since welcomed sweet Evan Kaye and she is 8 months old and a beautiful little model for Lesa's little shop Abneys and Toes. Her blog is also complete cuteness. I have been holding off on sharing them because I submitted an easy-to-customize version to Minted a few months ago. Well, it placed in the top 30 (not something that happens often) and it is now for sale here!
Like I mentioned in the last blog post, I've been sharing my Minted submissions on Instagram. I started printing them out and styling them a little and have had fun showing off some of my work this way. The thing about Minted is, the competition is very tough and just because it isn't chosen, doesn't mean it's not good. If they don't sell a design, they sometimes get lost in my file folders, never to be seen again. Sharing them with followers is the first step to getting them in my shop once the contest period is over. That's my goal anyways!
I have been tagging them '#minteddesignchallenge' and so if you are submitting to Minted, you should share your designs too - I'd love to see more than just my stuff with that hashtag.
Sidenote: Did you know that Minted prints out every design and puts them on a display board for editor's picks? Their offices are full of display boards and printed out designs. It can't hurt to print them out to make sure they look good this way, and you might as well snap a photo while you're at it.
Lately, I have been trying to figure out how to best use social media and blogging and am working to make it something I enjoy instead of something I feel guilty about not doing enough of. There's no doubt that both are good for your business, but let's be honest, it's a lot of work and as a one-woman-business, it's not always a priority. I am trying to find a balance between what I would like to do and what I am actually able to accomplish, so I have been planning for a little more consistency and organization. Basically, I want people to be able to follow me on all platforms if they want, and that means I want to make an effort not be redundant. I don't want to post something here, than the same photos on Facebook and the same photos on Instagram, every single time. I think a little overlap is good, but should be done sparingly, so I am planning to do things a bit more organized going forward, so you know what to expect.
The Blog Because photographing, editing, and post preparing can be very time consuming, I am going to keep blogging for the really good stuff. Blog-worthy stuff. What is 'blog-worthy' you ask? Stuff that has been photographed (no more digital image posts), real weddings, design and wedding inspiration, with some business and personal stuff thrown in.
Instagram For more of what I do day-to-day, you can follow me on Instagram. Minted design submissions, real wedding invitations (they can look very different than what is on my site), peeks at pretty paper and designs that don't get formally photographed for whatever reason. Instagram is just more fun and less pressure for the perfect photo and I'm finding it's a great creative outlet for me. It's a fun break to sit and style my designs. I also tend to share photos of my adorable dog… you've been warned.
Facebook Facebook will be a bit of a bridge between the blog and social media. Facebook will provide links to the blog and any other updates. My instagram feed is accessible through there and I have organized all of my Minted work by category. I am working to update my photo albums full of gorgeous images of Real Weddings, Showers, and Custom projects, so you can browse easily.
Minted I am pretty sure that Minted brings more people to me than I bring to them, but if you do find yourself on my site and want to check out my full collection, check out my Minted store front. All those designs are sold exclusively through Minted. I am not involved in the order process, but I do receive a commission on orders.
Twitter I am not going to lie. Twitter has kind of gone by the wayside for me. Since most of my social media is used for work, I find photos make so much more sense. Instagram is just more practical. For you Twitter people, I do link up Instagram with Twitter every now and again, but otherwise things are likely to be fairly quiet on that front.
That about covers everything, so you kind of know what to expect if you want to keep up with certain areas. To me, this seems like an attainable balance and I am excited to see how I do!
If you haven't been following Minted's beautiful new blog, Julep, then I would head there right now. Creative DIY's and inspiration from wedding to baby, it's quickly become a favorite for a quick fun daily read. Last week, Kelly Hall, a fellow Minted designer and a Julep contributor, did a post on an awesome welcome box she put together for her sister's destination wedding in Panama.
She combined stationery from a variety of designs that are all sold on Minted and she used my 'Palm' save the date and invitation accessories for the cover and inside. I love the coral colors, and the combination of designs is unexpected, but simply perfect.
Kelly has a great the eye for styling. Who thought a welcome package could look so chic!?
All photos from Julep.
