ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Taking a much needed trip for Mr Squareview's birthday.  Greetings from "sunny" Amelia Island, FL!

THE PERFECT WORKSPACE - 99U ARTICLE CAME AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME

EINSTEIN'S OFFICE, PRINSTON, BY RALPH MORSE 1955

I'm so happy to report that my little shop's growth for August has been incredible. I've sold more items this month than I have in several past months combined. My studio's growth has been exciting, challenging, fun, and fulfilling!

It has also taken up a boatload of space.

As a result, I'm quickly outgrowing my designated home office space.  I've mentioned Mr. Squareview's obsession with organization in the past and quite frankly, my little office gives him heart palpitations every time he's near it.  Something has got to give.

Luckily for me, I ran across a helpful article from 99U that will help me get moving in the right direction.  It starts:

The spaces we occupy shape who we are and how we behave. This has serious consequences for our psychological well-being and creative performance. Given that many of us spend years working in the same room, or even at the same desk, it makes sense to organize and optimize that space in the most beneficial ways possible.

Check out the full article here.  Happy office organizing, everyone!

MUSIC MONDAY vol 58

Mr. Squareview just introduced me to this band over the weekend and I'm an instant fan.  I give you Ola Podrida with Staying In. Not much of a video as it's just the song over the dude in the laundry mat, but it still worth a listen.  Enjoy!

NEW IN THE SHOP: WEDDING SAVE THE DATE STAMPS

You've set the date, now it is time to ask your friends and family to save the date!  I know there are so many brides (and a few grooms) who want to add a little handmade touch to their big day.  That said, they don't want their wedding to look like it was put together by small children.  Instead, they want their day to still be classic and elegant.  In my experience,  DIY touches that are both classic and elegant are a bit hard to find.

I designed a few save the date stamps with these brides (and grooms) in mind.  Classic, clean and elegant. At approximately 3 x 4 inches, these stamps will fit comfortably on a A2 card.  The stamps are also perfect for the more unconventional save the date ideas.  Botanical paper, handkerchiefs, linen bags, the options are only limited by your imagination!

You can find these save the date stamps in the shop.  

MUSIC MONDAY vol 57

I'm a new fan to this band.  They are called Say Hi to Your Mom (how fun is that?).  I give you Let's Talk About Spaceships for your listening pleasure.  Enjoy!

MUSIC MONDAY vol 56

Lollapalooza descended on Chicago this weekend. Mr. Squareview and I didn't attend as we're old fogies and the idea of spending several hundreds of $ to spend 3 days trapped in Grant Park (no matter how good the music) did not float our boat.  That said, the line up was awesome.

There were tons of new acts that I would have liked to see in a different venue, but there were a few that I briefly considered hanging up my old fogie status so I could see.  Namely, New Order & The Cure.  These bands were primary players in the soundtrack of my teenage years and I've never seen them in concert. Hopefully someday I will, especially as the band members are getting up in years.

Today, I'll give you a couple of beauties from their past.  Joy Division (New Order's predecessor) with one of my all time favorites Love Will Tear Us Apart and a hilariously lip synced version of the first Cure song I ever heard Boys Don't Cry.

Enjoy!

HAND LETTERING WITH SEAN McCABE

IMAGE FROM SEAN'S SITE FOUND HERE

I'm super excited! Why you might ask?  I just enrolled in Sean McCabe's Skillshare Class called Digitizing Hand Lettering: From Sketch to Vector.

I've been secretly tinkering around with a sketchbook for the last few months in an attempt to improve my hand lettering.  I'm making progress and it was time to up my game and move what I put in the sketchbook into the computer.  I searched  the trusty interwebs and ran across Sean's class.  I've been a huge admirer of his work for a while now &  I can't wait for his Obi Wan Kenobi like lessons.  Squee!

If you're interested sign up here.