stinkerpants design

Hey everybody!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and aren’t having TOO hard a time adjusting to reality again!

I am really excited about a big ‘ole project I’ve been working on since mid-November.  It’s taking a LOT of time and energy, but I think it will be worth it, and I think you guys will be really excited to see what it is, too (I hope, at least!). I should be able to reveal what’s going on in a couple of weeks (I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag too soon!), so sit tight.

I actually have a lot of cool things planned for 2010.  I can’t wait to share everything with you guys when plans get more settled.  In the meantime, how about a fun project from last year?

When I was contacted by W & M last year, I immediately loved them.  W’s got one heck of a sense of humor, and both of their personalities immediately jumped out of their emails.  I wanted to be their BFFs (but I’ll settle for Facebook pals, hahaha).

W & M wanted to play off the theme “Opposites Attract” for their Save the Dates.  Although they met when they bought identical townhomes, their personalities and interests are totally different.  The theme made for a really fun project and a super cute Save the Date.

I drew W & M in front of their individual townhomes  with objects that describe their interests on either side.  And, as you can see, W’s sporting his motorcycle leathers (and I love M’s dress, don’t you?!).

W is a total adrenaline junkie.  He loves motorcycles and sports of any kind.

M on the other hand, is more my speed.  She’s into reading, shopping and an awesome collection of high-heeled shoes.

The back of their card features their cats, which are hilarious.  One is totally tiny, and the other is gargantuan and sleeps in really strange positions!  Super cute.

I love drawing custom illustrations for people with big personalities.  It makes brainstorming for the right idea really fun, and the end product is always super unique.

I don’t know about you, but the month or so leading up to The Holidays seems to go at WARP SPEED.  I always think, “I still have time to get a gift,” and then before I know it, it’s too late to order something online.  This is especially true for people like my husband and my father, who are notoriously hard to buy for because they seem to have everything.

An awesome gift for people who are hard to buy for is a family portrait. This year, I worked on several family portraits as holiday gifts, including this super cute one of the P Family:

The daughters split the cost of the family portrait as a gift for their parents.  What a thoughtful idea!  I’m sure their parents will love it (and I can’t wait to hear their reaction!).

It’s too late to have an actual portrait finished by the holidays, because the design and printing process can take up to six weeks.  But it’s definitely NOT too late for a family portrait gift certificate!  I will work directly with your friend or family member to create a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork of their entire family (or of anything they want, actually).

The Family Portrait gift certificate is $300 and covers both the cost of the drawing and printing in any size they want on high quality art paper or canvas.

Each gift certificate is printed on thick, beautiful art paper and presented in a fun, colorful envelope.  I’ll send the gift certificate to you, or directly to the recipient.  And for those of you who are SUPER late?  I can send you a full resolution image of the gift certificate to be printed out on your home printer and presented to your loved one moments later. I’m Jewish, so feel free to contact me as late as Christmas morning–I’ll have the image to you in no time.  ;)

See?  Last minute gifts can still be thoughtful!

A few months ago, my friend N (same N who told me about the chicken article!  She has my back!  Thanks N!) told me of an animal rescue in need of some help.  Hopalong & Second Chance Animal Rescue is an awesome animal rescue here in the bay area; but they don’t just rescue animals.  Their mission is to eliminate the euthanasia of adoptable animals in NorCal, and they offer spay/neuter services, after-school programs, and community education about the necessity of spaying/neutering and the need for animal adoption.

As you guys know, I’m a BIG animal fan.  Our furry children are all adopted from various humane societies, and I feel very strongly that people should support shelters instead of breeders.  So when given the opportunity to donate my illustration and invitation services to a VERY worthwhile organization, I jumped at the chance!

Every year, Hopalong & Second Chance Animal Rescue hosts a fundraiser called the “Fur Ball” (which seriously couldn’t be a cuter name!).  This year’s 5th Annual Fur Ball featured invitations, RSVPs and ads by Stinkerpants!

Because the organization is moving, we decided to do a “moving” theme for the drawings.

I love this little kitty, throwing balls out the back of the moving truck for the dogs.

You might remember my sharing a little snippet of these drawings a few months ago…I’m glad I could finally share the whole thing!

This past week has been mighty eventful press-wise for Stinkerpants Designs!

I was really excited to get an email from the awesome Moya Stone, who wrote about an event for an animal rescue that I created invitations for (more on that this week!).

Right after that, I discovered that I’d actually been featured on the Examiner.com website late last month for my “Will You be my Bridesmaid?” cards!  Sweet!!

Also last month, Dana from Brokeass Bride did a write-up on me, which was really sweet.

But to make it even sweeter, she also put the awesome post up on Elizabeth Anne Designs!  And then in the “posts you may like” area, I noticed that the lovely Kasia made a little mention of my Bridesmaid cards back in October.

I am obviously beyond flattered and excited!  Thanks you guys!!

Last year was the first year I did custom holiday cards for clients, and I had a great time drawing Christmas trees and santa hats!

I’ve never been one for holiday cards myself–I’m admittedly much too lazy to put together a newsletter like my hilarious friend Kathy (maybe I could pay her to do one for me?)–and I figured that people would be bored to get a photo and nothing else.

After doing holiday cards like these last year, though, I’ve changed my mind:

S & H bought their first house a couple of years ago, so I drew them in front of it.  And of course, their adorable kitty Lola!  S said that her family loved the cards, which are more unique than your average Christmas card.

I’ll be doing Chrismukkah cards to send out to our friends and family this year, featuring our whole family: dog, cats, chickens, etc.  I’m excited!

Hey, how about a few more cards?!  I thought so.  :)

I’m not sure how you guys feel about this, but I think traditional wedding gifts are really weird.  Who the heck wants paper?!  That’s totally not romantic at all.  Here’s a card to help you cheat a little on your first anniversary–after all, technically this card is made of paper.

I am a firm believer that a sweet greeting card given at a random time helps a relationship stay strong.  When we first met, Y noticed that I always save the best part of what I’m eating for last.

Cinnamon toast is the perfect example.  You know how the best part of cinnamon toast is the part where there was a little too much butter, so it’s extra gooey?  Well, I eat the crust first, then work my way in a circle until the only thing left is that delicious gooey bite. Y told me he loved me enough to give me the best part of the cinnamon toast.  I told him I’d rather share it.

Thus, this any-occasion card:

And because I think deer are pretty much the cutest things ever (especially fawns), here’s a sweet deer-themed anniversary card.  Simple and to the point.  :)

I’ve got a lot of new greeting cards to go up in the shop this week, and I’m excited to share them with you!  First up are more bridal party cards.  At popular request, I’ve recently added a “Will You Be My Maid of Honor?” and “Will You Be My Matron of Honor?” to the shop to compliment the funny “Will You Be My Bridesmaid?” cards that everyone seems to love.  :)

I also added a flower girl card:

And the latest (and I think final, unless you guys have suggestions!) is this cute little ringbearer card:

There’s also a card to give your new in-laws, thanking them for welcoming you into their family:

And a great “day of” card for your new husband or wife: the “On this Day” card.  There are three different versions–one featuring a bride giving her heart, one featuring a groom giving his heart, and one with a plain heart, just in case you don’t like the people.  :)

Everything is live in the shop now!

It’s no secret that I love animals, nor is it a secret that I love drawing them.  I also love people who want to include their pets in their wedding invitations, Save the Dates or thank you notes.  When R & B contacted me, they wanted unique save the dates and wedding invitations featuring themselves and their dog, Diva.

Diva has got to be one of the cutest dogs I’ve ever seen, and she’s the first pit bull I’ve ever had the privilege of drawing.   Check her out:

R & B are people after my own heart: Diva is loved unconditionally, and I could tell while drawing her that she’s as sweet as can be.  Plus, her smile made ME smile, which is always nice.

R & B will be having a wine country wedding, and wanted something fun for their Save the Dates.  How cute is this pose, with B crushing grapes and holding R in the air?

This is one of my all-time favorite Save the Dates.  I love drawing dogs!

Custom drawn Save the Dates are a fun way to excite people about a wedding.  The vineyards are a common theme for my clients (partly because I’m located in the bay area, right near the California wine country areas of Napa and Sonoma), but it’s easy to spice things up and make the vineyard setting totally “you.”  I think B, R and Diva did a good job of that.  :)

I’ve been asked a few times recently if I offer gift certificates.  The answer (up until yesterday), was “no, but I should!”  Apparently, people *really* wanted them after I started talking about the Family Portraits, which have a set price.

Yesterday I created some gift certificates and uploaded them to the shop.  Other than the family portraits, most of my products have variable costs, so I wasn’t sure what increments to offer.  Right now, I have $25, $50, $250 (the cost of a custom drawing), $300 (a family portrait), and $500 (a round-about cost for design fee, printing and envelopes for most simple projects).  The gift certificates are also good for use in the shop.

Each gift certificate is a fun “mad lib” style note with all the information your loved one will need to redeem it. It is printed on thick, high-quality paper and comes in a fun colored envelope for a sweet presentation!

As you may recall, last week Stinkerpants & Elizabeth Anne Designs joined forces for an awesome giveaway!  And although I announced the winner on Facebook and Twitter, I’ve got to do it here, too.  :)

The winning entry was a tweet from the dear @abbyroad, who has two super cute pooches that I can’t wait to draw–and because she wants me to do a Family Portrait, I definitely get to!  Yay!

The response for the  Family Portraits, by the way, has been totally awesome!  How exciting!

On my blog post announcing the portraits, Rachel and Katie both asked about the pricing structure and when I’d be adding it to my shop.  At the time, I thought, “I’ll make a new post to answer that question!” and then suddenly it was September 3rd.  Sorry for the delay, guys!

Family portraits start at $300 and include printing on thick acid-free art paper, which is ready to frame.

Actually, when I say, “starting at,” I should really say, “for most people,” because unless you have 13 cats and a dog like my newest client (super excited about that one!), $300 is it. ;)

I hadn’t even thought to add it to the shop (thanks for the suggestion, Rachel!), just because I work so closely with my custom clients that I prefer they contact me.  However, most of my custom work aren’t set prices, either, so I decided to add it!  Well, sort of.  ;)  It’s in the shop, but I still ask people to contact me if they’re interested.

Hopefully that answers all the questions, but leave a comment if you have another one, and I’ll answer you!

Thank you so much for all the support, you guys.  I seriously feel so loved.  I’m at 199 Facebook fans, too, which is awesome!  Thank you!