Paper Source : inspiring

This weekend I ventured over to Paper Source in Minneapolis. I needed to pick up some envelopes for a client and get some sample swatches of paper colors. It is always so inspiring to walk into that store. They had their Easter products displayed right inside the door, reminding me that that holiday is indeed this weekend already! Spring has come up fast!

I was in heaven walking among all that gorgeous paper there :) viewing things online just isn't the same as actually seeing the colors and textures in person. I had to restrain myself from snatching up one each of all of their in house stock.

My husband joined me on the excursion and this pregnant couple couldn't help but look at the cute kids and baby products they have there. My favorite was Edmundo the Elephant he was so soft and squishy.

Of course Jason gravitated towards Gulp the monster puppet. Watch out little Baby Brennan!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable/relaxing weekend! Good start to another week filled with fun invitation creations!

~Erin
www.erinriescreativity.com

Lil Jade's 1st Birthday Invitations

Today I am working on designing some invitations for the cutest little 'almost 1 year old'! The request was something colorful and fun but not necessarily baby themed. On the reverse side of the invite it will list the details for the 'parenthood' party that will be going on congruently as the 1st birthday party! What a great idea!

So here is the color palette

and the pattern.... party like but not baby like:)

I found this amazing twine on Etsy that I could resist. I think it will go perfect to wrap around the invite and can be used for other elements at the party as well!

Bet you can't wait to see the final product! I will post them after all the guests receive theirs in the mail so as to not ruin the surprise. I was also creatively thinking the above pattern would make great paper to make these fun party decorations out of...... hmmm like that idea Kelly?? :)

back to designing....
Happy Friday everyone!
~erin
www.erinriescreativity.com

Abigail: birds in flight

Birds are so cute when they are standing stationary on a branch, but have you ever noticed how graceful they are when they are flying overhead? I referenced some images of birds in flight and did a few line drawings of my favorite wing spreads. Put that together with some nice vibrant colors and patterns and you get .... Abigail :)
~erin
www.erinriescreativity.com

Pretty Penny

Pretty pinks and peaches and purples is the inspiration for my pretty penny pattern!
I fell in love with this color palette that I put together from a variety of images I had pinned (I LOVE PINTEREST)

I referenced my trusty flower book and searched for some gorgeous blooms to draw. And put it all together with a little hint of yellow green accents and this is what I came up with.

If you have any suggestions for the next variety of flowers I should draw or a color combination you would like to see let me know!
~erin
www.erinriescreativity.com

You're Invited

I just have to share these unique wedding invitations that I spotted on one of my favorite blogs (Style Me Pretty) ... I think wedding invitations are quickly becoming an over the top obsession of mine! ... well designed and creative ones that is!

In these I love the use of untraditional wording. The words that are called out and large leave no confusion about what information you can find on that piece of the stationery. Plus who doesn't love the color combo of teal and red! Not to mention, check out the tattered yet perfectly coordinating envelope all of the collateral comes mailed in! (well designed Groom!)

Let me know if you or anyone you know would like to discuss custom wedding invitations! Color, Color, and lots of pretty elements would make the best invitations to entice your guests to come to your Big Day!

~erin
www.erinriescreativity.com
and now on FB so 'Like' me :)
http://www.facebook.com/erinriescreativity

Project: Embroidery Kits

My embroidery kits came just in time to sit outside on the deck or by the lake on a perfect cool (NOT HUMID) day! My first attempt at embroidery turned out fairly well!
Does the art look familiar???? These are my patterns and birds licensed by Dimensions Crafts!
They are now available at retailers such as Michaels and Joanne Fabrics around the United States. Check out stores near you! (for locals they have been spotted at Joanne's in Woodbury and Roseville and Michaels in Eagan)

(they are displayed by the other sewing, embroidery, needlepoint kits)

Go buy one and try your hand at this craft:) Afterall the level of difficulty on the packaging is 'easy/beginner'! ENJOY

~erin
www.erinriescreativity.com

Hello Eloise

I just wanted to post my latest and greatest little pattern collection. This is Eloise. I was inspired by gorgeous anemone flowers. You might ask where the name came from.... well to be honest I struggled with what to call this collection (it was named 'newest pattern' for quite a few days). About a week ago I watched the movie Love Happens and absolutely loved Jennifer Aniston's character....AND i thought her name in the romance tale fit this pattern perfectly :) Eloise

  

There are endless color combinations with this collection. I can easily change the colors to make alot of colorways for each of the patterns. Eloise would look great on lots of products don't you think???

Enjoy!

~erin

www.erinriescreativity.com

Project: MY Sketchbook

Well the deadline came and went.... and i managed to finish something of a sketchbook to send in for the Sketchbook tour . I crammed it all into one week of rushed creativity (I probably shouldn't admit to not doing my most quality work but honestly the deadline definitely snuck up on me!). Weddings took up my priority after i signed on for the sketchbook project months ago and i regret not being on a more regimented schedule with it..... but there is always next year which I will be participating in full force for sure :)

First let me explain, I have always had trouble keeping a sketchbook. I like to write my ideas down and creatively brainstorm, but when it comes to sketching and doing quick renditions etc, I am no good. I think I just like to completely finish a piece of art so the thought of just quickly getting it down on paper is a little frustrating to me. My sketchbooks usually end up being mostly a process book. Showing how i got from my creative idea in my head to the final painted or carefully drawn out piece rendered on the computer. Gathering my inspiration for design and color and putting it all in one place is satisfying for me.

With that said it was no surprise to me that that is precisely what this little sketchbook project ended up being for me. I gathered a bunch of resources and did some drawings on vellum paper (that way if i didnt like how it was looking, i could just start over on another piece of vellum instead of being tied down to using one of the 'good pieces of paper in my sketchbook'). I then used pens and inked over the pencil renderings so they were 'erin stylized'.

The next challenge was to get some color into the designs.... afterall i am PASSIONATE about color. So I roughly painted the sketchbook page with watercolor and/or colored pencils. I did some research on color combinations and then applied them so that they were balanced through out each design.

The Sketchbook Theme I chose was INSIDE/OUTSIDE so I tried really hard to figure out how to incorporate that into my idea without just drawing stuff inside and outside. So I concentrated on spaces. The flowers represented the outdoor spaces. The other geometric renderings were the shapes that i saw in some of the references of indoor spaces that i collected. I broke the space down into shapes, lines and textures. I absolutely love looking at spaces in everyday life like that. Paying attention to how each object interacts with one another and how the colors play off each other.

I think, if i would have allotted myself a lot more time, that this book could have been a really unique piece of art for me. So I am promising right now to devote A LOT MORE time to my 2012 Sketchbook Project! :)

GO VISIT MY SKETCHBOOK while it is on tour .... see the above website for more details!

I have alot of new projects on the horizon for the next month, but if you know of any other artist related projects I could participate in let me know! Otherwise feel free to challenge me to a project idea of your own! I am feeling the need to be creative. Just message me your thoughts and suggestions.

~erin

Inspired: by holiday penguins?

Ok I am not really inspired by these cute little guys, but I sure am seeing alot of this motif around this holiday season! They are great for decorating because you can have penguins out all winter long.... since they are not really Christmas specific :) Here are some great ornaments and plates that I found while browsing some of my favorite stores websites.

clockwise from left to right: Iced Penguin Ornament, Glass Penguin Ornament, Penguin Friends Dessert Plates, Felt Penguin Ornament, Skiing Glitter Penguin Ornaments, Teardrop Penguin Holiday Ornament

And how cute is this wrapping paper from Paper Source! It would look great under a tree decorated with silver and white ornaments.... maybe some sparkly twinkle lights :) I love making my wrapping paper I use to wrap my gifts match the colors on my tree. Just looks so pretty when everything coordinates.

well time for another day of work..... get out there and check out all the penguins!
~erin

Project: My Wedding Invitations

I am going to post photos of my pride and joy... my wedding invitations! I had so much fun designing, creating, and assembling them. And thanks to Jason and Impressive Print for doing all the printing!

Previously I posted the colors and the initial drawings of the art that I used for all the wedding collateral. Here is what the art looks like with color applied to it.

Here is what our Save the Date looked like.... setting the mood/inspiration for the wedding to come!

So with these patterns, flowers, and frame, I created our invitations. I gathered my inspiration, analyzed what I liked about other invitations I saw, and noted what I didn't like. From that I began figuring out the amount of pieces I would need to convey all the information and how all of those pieces would be tied together. I began by looking at envelopes and in the end fell in love with some box mailers from Paper Source. Since it was a box it had to be sealed somehow so I designed a label that would wrap around the box in the top left corner and the bottom right corner. Here is what all the cool boxes looked like before i hauled them to the post office! (yes it is one single ram stamp on there :))

So now that you have seen what housed the actual invitation, time to share the good stuff. Upon opening the box the invited would see a layer of lace. Under that lace was a portfolio pocket enclosure, that Jason and I folded and glued together. A very thin delicate red twine was wrapped around that. We also placed a 4x6 engagement photo underneath it all for a little something extra for the guests.

 Our wedding theme has been 'The Adventure" This is a song by Jason's Favorite band Angels and Airwaves. It is also the song that I walked down the aisle to played by a stringed quartet! Which was by the way soooo beautiful. Anyway.... I incorporated the lyrics throughout all of our wedding collateral. Bits and pieces of the song words were used in the invitations. I wanted the invitations to reflect our personalities and to reflect my design style (yet be different from anything i have done previously). I also designed them ot be rather informal :) Here are some photos....

So let me know what you think!!! And if you like my style and design... contact me and maybe i can offer you my creative services for your invitations!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!
~erin

Color: MY wedding color palette

As I am tagging and viewing wedding photos on a certain social networking site tonight I thought I would start sharing my creative design process for our wedding. I will start out simple with the basic components that I built everything else from :)

The colors:
I gave all involved a key ring with paint swatches that jason and i gathered at the hardware store. Everything was to evolve around that color scheme. Here are the names of the paints we picked out (i always wonder what you have to do to become a professional paint color namer?)
The reddish oranges-
-Firemist
-Rosita
-Rosa Azores
-Rosa Flmenco
-Delta Clay
-Burnt Red (ok this one is not that creative)
-Candy Corn

The teal accents-
-Lucky Shamrock (the name is deceiving... it is not a shamrock color at all)
-Palmetto

Now that you are visualizing what they might look like according to the paint swatch names... here are the equivalents i used to design based on those paint swatches (these are not in order as listed above).

Not quite the normal fall colors but a little more modernized twist and the teal accent goes so lovely with the reds and the oranges!

The Drawings:
With that color palette and these drawings below (by me:)) I created all of our wedding collateral

 It was killing me to not share all of this process and my pretty designs sooner but I didnt want to ruin the surprise for everyone who was actually invited to the wedding. So now that you know what the foundation was for 'print identity' of my wedding, next post I will show you the beautiful stationery pieces I am so very proud of!

~erin

Inspired: by AUTUMN

Wow has it really been a month since my last post? huge apologies from me! Now that I am almost back to everyday reality after my fabulous wedding, I will definitely be posting more frequently again.

Besides all the gorgeous colors on the leaves.....

 

you can really tell autumn is here when you see gourds like these EVERYWHERE. Now if only i could think of a tasteful way to use them to decorate (besides putting them in a bowl:)). The colors are amazing and the shapes are.... well odd.

I saw these pumpkins and the above gourds at a stand along the highway on my way to southern MN yesterday to visit a vineyard. They had any size pumpkin there for only $4. (Too bad my husband wasn't along to pick out our pumpkins to carve this year cuz that price was a steal!)

Well I just wanted to get you thinking AUTUMN today :) cuz I know I am!!!!!

Soon to come..... all the postings about my wedding that I know you have been waiting to see! From concepts and planning, to stationery, to hopefully amazing photos from the talented Sara Jayne Photography

have a lovely evening!

~erin

Inspired: by photo books

Well, with all my wedding activities happening in these next few weeks, I seem to be accumulating a plethera of photos! Not to mention the amazing photos I will have from the day of my wedding which will be taken by the fabulous Sara Jayne (check her out! www.sara-jayne.com). So sometime after all of the festivities subside, I am totally creating a photo book from this website!!!!

www.blurb.com
I just flipped through a fellow artists portfolio yesterday who created her book with this site's software. The quality of the cover and binding was amazing! The cover had a very soft rubbery feel to it and it was not really glossy either! The color quality of the images she had in it was great as well as the quality of the paper it was printed on.

I am so excited to make my own photo book through this site!
check them out!

~erin

Project: miss Nora

I have been itching to draw and create a pretty new pattern.... and I finally found some time to do it! I present to you miss Nora....... ta da!

I love these round little balls of yellow flowers... i dont know what the name of the actual flower is (if anyone knows please inform me) but they are simply sweet! I toned down the shade of yellow a little with some neutral greys and taupes. The original drawing was unbelievably simple but i had a good idea of what I wanted to do with it once it was scanned in. This is the drawing...

The color palette was easy to compose because i am in love with these colors right now :)I think the color combination goes great for any season.
Hopefully this pattern will make it onto a variety of products so you all can enjoy it as well. Fabric to quilt with? maybe a greeting card or two? maybe some scrapbook paper and embellishments? What do you think?!! 

~erin

Project: my website

Now, I know you wish I was posting a link to my website I am creating.... but unfortunately it is not live yet. Still in the works! I have been working on uploading my patterns today (among the various wedding odds and ends I am doin... not to mention laundry and trimming bushes in my yard) ... yes a busy day! Thankfully the weather is gorgeous and is keeping me productive. Although Max is looking at me right now with very sad eyes thinking 'throw my ball already mom!'


I purchased a wonderful template from a company and bought my domain name about a month ago. I have been working on the layout and editing since. I really like how it is coming along and I think i have it organized well. When it is live I will post the link for feedback!
Here are a couple little screen shots from parts of it :)

isn't my little logo cute :)
and here is what the navigation bar across the top will look like... for now.

Hope everyone had a wonderful week! I am going to the Great Minnesota Get Together tomorrow.... aka MN State Fair. I will make sure to taste some food on a stick for you all.
~erin

Color: orange,teal.... and neutrals

Wow where has the week gone!???? I took a roadtrip down to Iowa yesterday to move my little sister into college for her first year and after that flat, uneventful, and rather boring drive back up 35 last night put me in no mood to blog about colors as great as these. So I am sharing it with you today instead:)

The products shown are from the company BlisslivingHOME. They make various home decor things in GREAT colors. I originally came across the photo above of the pile 'o their products on the front of a trade publication and I instantly LOVED the color palette. All of the different shades of browns and neutrals are accented by the bright orange and blueish teal. The colors almost look fallish but .... the grey brings it all back to be neutral enough to decorate with anytime!

check out their website for the other great colors featured on their products!
~erin

Inspired: by vintage lettering

Hello on this gorgeous monday! (I don't know what the weather is like where you are but it is absolutely wonderful here in MN) I thought I would share some recent findings briefly before i head out into the sun this evening.

I took a little outing on one of my lunch breaks last week and visited the Bachman's Garden Center in Plymouth MN. They just recently launched a whole new gift selection in their stores. The theme is definitely vintage. I mostly went there for inspiration for my wedding decor and happily left the store totally inspired by all of the vintage lettering i saw there.

hmmm what could I use these letters for?
and how cute is this pillow... not to mention it is my favorite number! I love how the 3 is tipped on the pillow surface!

It is so much fun to go poking around garden centers.... all of the organic and nature inspired things get my creative juices flowing. Also reminds me that it is time to weed my gardens and tend to my jungley looking yard.
Off to get some fresh air!
~erin