How to have winter fun in June:

Well … all you have to do is to design for stationary! I am slowly getting used to the "design schedule" for Holiday cards. This year I didn't feel as much disconnected with the rest of the world as I did last year. And all that snow even had a cooling effect on some very hot June days :-)

The designs shown here are submissions to the current Minted Challenge for Holiday Cards. Like always with Minted comps votes and likes are very welcome! Please just click on the images, that'll lead you directly to my submissions on the Minted page. Thank you so much! Voting ends on Friday evening, July 7 … already … it's almost too late for vote asking … 

And here's a bit more about my designs:  

" A Holiday Stroll 1"

 

" A Holiday Stroll 2"

The two cards above both feature details of one of my watercolour paintings.

"Angel Duo"

Whereas the sketchy pen + ink and crayon angels were done as part of an advent challenge a while ago.

"Anatomy of a Snowflake"

The snowflake design is for a corporate Holiday card. It was inspired by old anatomical/ botanical  drawings and provides a lot of room to add the company highlights of the year and a thank you + holiday message to the clients.

"Wish upon a Winter Star"

The inspiration for the two snow bunnies wasn't forest animals, but my own cat. I watched him observing and admiring the first snow of winter through the studio windows, obviously planning some mischief (he just loves snow!).
I painted this little winter scene with gouache and silver gouache.

"Christmas Ballet All Stars"

And finally a Christmas Ballet card that is just a bit silly :-)

I hope you'll like my card designs. And now, back to summer!!!

New stationary designs

Lately I haven't had much time for creating due to family health issues … but somehow, in between things, I managed to do some work for the "Better Together Minted Greeting Card Design Challenge". Would have loved to do more … Oh well ok, I think in times like these the most important thing is to somehow just keep working – in order to keep one's creative muscles relatively fit and healthy.

Today I'll show you some of my submissions to this challenge. It is a contest for both copy and design. One could either work with own copy, or choose copy submitted by another artist and create for that. Something that I loved to do!
Votes and likes would be very welcome! Voting already ends on Monday evening, 15th of May (mid european time) – sorry for the rush! I simply didn't manage to post my designs earlier … Thank you so much for voting and liking!

Lovely Day Flowers

"Lovely Day Flowers" – watercolour floral design  for a birthday card with copy by Jennifer Lew: "Front: Make today lovely/ Inside: Happy Birthday".

"Walk in Flowers"

"Walk in Flowers" is a 21st birthday card featuring a shower of watercolour petals based on my own copy. Front: "May you walk in flowers and dance in the rain." Inside: "With lots of love on your 21st birthday!"

"Sunny Road"

"Sunny Road" is a another 21st birthday card based on my own copy: Front: "Wishing you … wind in your hair, joy in your heart and a sunny road to life's adventures." Inside: "Happy 21st Birthday!"

"Entwine"

"Entwine" is a wedding card design based on a copy by Lisa Sunday Rinella. Front: "Lifes entwine, dreams melt into one another, joy is on the wind." Inside: So happy you found each other." I immediately fell in love with Lisa's words and together with my watercolour details this card makes one of my fave submissions.

"Emerald Isle Blessing"

"Emerals Isle Blessing" – this one is special to me because the copywriter, Mariecor Agravante, chose my photographic art print out of the bounty of designs that are already for sale on Minted and wrote a copy for it specifically to go on a card together. Front: "Emerald Isle Blessing", Inside (excerpt):  "May the mists of the Eirinn isle, bring a glow to your dimpled smile, … And may the wings of Irish laughter, Uplift you now and ever after." Thank you so much, Mariecor!

"My own kind"

"My own kind" – here's a mixed media botanical design that I used for a mother's birthday card featuring copy by Kate Ross. Front: "You've always taught me to be my own kind of beautiful." Inside: "I'm so grateful for you, Mom. I celebrate you on your birthday and always."

"Always Love"

 "Always Love" – this sympathy card features my own photography. The copy is by Courtney Crane. Front: "Though there is loss …, Inside: "love always remains. Thinking of you with heartfelt sympathy."

"Galactical"

Finally this is a card to send to a loved one: "Galactical". It is based on a copy by Frooted Design. Front: "The moon is way too close." Inside: "Love you to the furthest galaxy and back!"

Want to see more? You can have a look at ALL submissions (3752!) to this challenge over here.
And you can find ALL OF MY submissions using the filter "Sorted by artist" and then hop over to page 71. Thank you!

For your notes

One can never have too many notebooks! I am a bit of an addict when it comes to journals, notebooks, sketchbooks … anything book-like and bound with nice papers and a beautiful cover really. So it was clear that I had to jump on the new Minted challenge about stationary gifts (personalizable notebooks, calendars and wrapping paper): the "Wrap it Up" Holiday Quickfire Gifting Challenge.

I had way too many ideas. And not enough time. I could easily have come up with more, but I finally ended up with 15 notebooks and 4 wrapping paper designs. Only ;-)
I will share my faves here with you. Like always with Minted comps, votes are very welcome – thank you!! Voting is open until September 23. (To vote, please just click on the image, that'll lead you directly to my submission on the Minted page.) To look at/ vote for ALL of my submissions, feel free to hop over here to my "Voting Now" page.

Ok, here's some of my ideas! Starting with a pretty "everyday" notebook inspired by Eastern European folklore:

"Folkbird"

What about journaling all these precious moments, practising a bit of mindfulness? This notebook featuring a watercolour painting could be the right fit for that.

"Floral Moments"

Recipes journals are an essential too. My design features a root pattern made with handdrawn and papercut elements – good food for your soul!

"Soul Food Journal"

 For all travellers! This actually is one notebook out of a series of four, all featuring my watercolours and a rather classic design inspired by old travel journals and maps. You can find the other 3 on my "Voting now" page.

"Wanderlust Notes – Distant Horizons"

Certainly, pirates need to take notes as well! For that, this playful journal for kids and the young at heart is best!

"Pirate Clouds"

Finally, here's two wrapping paper designs for the holidays.

"Little Forest"

"Winternight Lace"

Hoping that you'll like my submissions! Thank you so much for looking and voting :-)

Reverting back to winter … and loving it!

Firstly I'd like to share a new (wintery) win:

Pretty chuffed that my little winter birdie made it into the top 30 winners of the Minted & Pottery Barn contest for kid's wallart! ! (Only just … on the 27th… but in nevertheless!) It will soon be available as art print – and hopefully will sell well in the next holiday season!
And I only learned later on that this was the biggest contest Minted ever did with over 600,000 votes!!! and more than 7300 submission :-o Good that I didn't know before entering … prob wouldn't have dared. So double happy over here now! You can see the gallery of all top 30 winners here.

And secondly here's more Christmas cards coming up! I have entered these designs into the current stationary challenge for holiday cards on Minted, so votes are very welcome, as always :-) Thank you so much!
(Just click on the title of the image, that'll lead you to my submission on the Minted site).

"Starlight Angel" (foil pressed)

"Watercolour Prayers" (non foil)

"The Journey" (foil pressed)

I hope you like them! Motifs and lettering were all done in brush and ink, which develops into one of my fave techniques at the moment.
Please feel free to have a look at all of my submissions here. Thank you!
And you can have a look at the foil pressed version of the Holiday card challenge here and at the non foil version here). 

Spring sunshine mixed with Christmas carols

It's kind of weird to work on Christmas designs when Spring is finally here! But that's what I did last week.
There is a new challenge on at Minted, for Christmas cards. In fact, there are more holiday challenges coming up, so this blog might look a lot like Christmas in the next weeks …

This first holiday contest, the “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful” Religious Christmas Photo Card Challenge is for designs with religious or spiritual themes and greetings. The cards will be personalizable with the customer's name and own photography. There is a foil pressed and a non-foil version of the challenge.

I felt this was not an easy brief but an interesting one. While I am not overly religious I liked the idea of working with a spiritual text. Back to the basics, so to say!
I had to whipe off the dust of my calligraphy brushes – it's been a while that I worked on handlettering and calligraphy – but after some trials I really got into it. I aimed for cards that have a fresh, spontanious, expressive and uplifting look. Here's my three faves! (All photos are courtesy of Minted.)

"Bold Brush Hallelujah"

"5 Blessings"

"Bold Night Divine"

I hope you'll like them!

Votes are very welcome :-) You can vote for the designs in this blogpost just by clicking on the title of the image – the link will lead you directly onto my submission on the Minted page. You as well can have a look and vote for all my designs (6 of them) here on my voting page. Voting is open until Tuesday, April 19. Thank you so much!!!

Revisiting an old love

This week I've done my first two stationary designs since 16 years! It was a lot of fun! Have to do this more often.

Guess what I did it for? Yes … they are for a new Minted challenge: the "Sweet Celebrations Quickfire Kids' Birthday Party Invitation Challenge". This blog is becoming a kind of Minted blog lately ;-) I am still pretty happy that I started working with them and I love how the challenges make my creative muscles stretch!

The brief is for all kind of kid's party invitations really. But it mentions some special interests:
photo card designs (as well as having personalizable text areas they are as well customizable with people's own photos) and designs for autumn birthdays. I love all things spooky! So here are my invitation designs:

"Spooktacular Wreath"

"Spooky Gallery"

I hope you'll like them! And like always, votes are very welcome! (Please just click on the title of the images, that'll lead you to my submissions on the Minted site.)
I am curious really if I can manage to get into the Minted Stationary Collection as well …???
Voting is open from now until Tuesday, March 29. Thank you so much :-)

P.s.: And now you wonder why stationary is an "old love" of mine? I used to do a lot of stationary designs when I was living in London around the year 2000. I was freelancing for Camden Graphics (which is now a part of UK Greetings). It was a fab time and I loved to work in their Islington studio. Oh sweet memories :-)