starting fresh...

I am a blogging failure....I can only hope to reclaim my dignity a bit in the next few months. So, I'll start with some news.... I just completed an exciting round of designs for tiny prints, wedding paper divas and tiny prints corporate for the upcoming holiday season! (yes...you read correctly, HOLIDAY season).

Trying to get your brain to think of snowflakes and hot chocolate in the middle of the summer was a bit difficult, but I still managed to crank out some great designs! I've included a few that are live on the tp corporate site.


My snowy scrapers design (above) is available for purchase here


My seasonal flowers design (above) is available for purchase here

People/friends ask me where I get my inspiration for my work and where I come up with new design ideas... and quite honestly, ideas are everywhere. I have hundreds of pages of magazines torn out, photos on my phone from things I see out and about, clothing trends, interior design books, etc. However, for this round of holiday submissions, I created several inspiration boards...which means that I basically spent hours and hours compiling holiday images that I was drawn to or found interesting. I copy and paste the images together on a big art board within Illustrator and then print it out. I usually search for interesting font pairings, fresh color combos, original illustrations, phrases, etc....I use these boards to refer back to when designing when I'm feeling stumped. These images were pulled randomly off the web and unfortunately, I did not make note of the sources...If you recognize any of them, please let me know and I'll be sure to include the link.

i love my "job"...

Ok, It's been a while...I had every intention of posting more frequently. However, I've been super busy with my wholesale line, brides-to-be and their wedding invitations, my kids, my husband...and launching my new business venture name your design with my sister and business partner, Brooke Daros. We are finally up and rolling and the response to our canvas prints has been amazing! I get such a rush every time I see an order pop up in our inbox. You like us...you REALLY like us!

So, since we're talking business here...I thought I'd take the time to mention that my birth announcement design will be featured in the upcoming issue of PEOPLE magazine!!! Can you say 3.7 million readers? My peeps at tiny prints customized my damask birth announcement for none other than..Tori Spelling! We love Tori Spelling...so cute and what an adorable family she has! Have I mentioned lately that tiny prints rocks? Seriously, they have just redesigned their site with all these super innovative customization tools. Even if I wasn't one of their designers, I would still be "plugging" them. I am dying to see their entirely new 2008 holiday collection which should be launching shortly.

I'm rambling...but I'm feeling supercharged and inspired and did I mention that I LOVE what I do???

Although it feels like there's NEVER enough time in the day to squeeze in everything I need to do...I can't tell you how blessed I feel that I have the opportunity to be home with my boys, be their mommy and still work at something I have an absolute passion for. How did I get so lucky?

obama art

Happy Birthday Barack!

I have to admit, that in the 15 years that I have been legally able to vote, I have never been so inspired to get involved in the political process. I mean…I've got it bad...after the kids are in bed, my husband and I are glued to Anerdson Cooper 360 on CNN. I am proud to admit that Barack is definitely “my guy”, but whoever your candidate of choice is…this is certainly an amazing time in our history and I’m so thankful that my kids get to witness this! My four year old asks me at least once a week if “Arack Ofama” gets to go to the White House yet? How cool is that, that a four year old even knows OR cares who the next president will be? My 12 year old went to the campaign hq’s by our home and asked what he could do to volunteer because he’s not able to vote yet…..amazing.

It turns out that I am not the only person in America that is inspired by this race. There are artists all over the country inspired by this man and what he stands for. Seeing as I am from Chi-town, I was proud to see the work of Ray Nolan , a Chicago based grahic designer that started an Obama street campaign using posters that feature the image of Barack Obama. The posters have found their way across Chicago, New York and Detroit.

Starting on August 8th in LA, Nolan will debut his GoTellMama! general election Got Next Tour 2008 Art Series. A Traveling Art Exhibition of Barack Obama inspired works with stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Atlanta, Chicago and New York. The tour begins in July and runs through October. I can't wait to check it out in Chicago.


My favorite piece HAS to be the obama poster (that sold out in 15 minutes!) from the official Obama site. It was created by artist, Shepard Fairey. Shepard was interviewed , by Creativity online about his involvement with the campaign.

whooooo knew owls would make a comeback?

I just got the new PBK catalog and was LOVING the new bedset in the " Brooke" bedroom....love the birdies, owls, trees. When you have all boys, you can't help but envy the adorable girls rooms! For the "sewers" out there (how in the world do you find the time?)...I found a great free pattern from Robert Kaufman fabrics. Looking for a unique baby gift...I found these gorgeous cashmere blankets designed by Leslie Pitts of Lucky Jade, available at designpublic.com.

I was feeling so inspired by the owl theme that I designed a personalized owl canvas to add to my collection on nameyourdesign.com. Isn't she adorable?

le papier boutique blog..it's official!

After months of "fiddling" around, I've decided to make it official.... I guess I have a lot to share and say about my business, my family and the fact that I'm able to successfully manage both of them (most of the time).

Family and friends often look at my designs and ask, "how did you think of that?" or "what made you think of that color combination?" Well...the truth of the matter is, great design inspiration for me is EVERYWHERE! I don't know if it's just a "designer" thing...but no matter where I am, I am drawn to colors and patterns. At a family birthday party....I can't keep my eyes off the the gift bags. Out to dinner at a trendy restaurant...I can't stop looking through the graphics on the menu. Running to Target to pick up some "essentials".....forget about it! I'm immediately distracted...too much eye candy all over the place: displays, clothing, plates, vases, etc. etc. etc.

My eye for great design was definitely inherited....my Nana was always impeccably dressed and very "fashion forward". Her love for fashion and design was passed down to my mother, who translated her gift for design into a career as an interior designer. I was lucky enough to grab hold of the gift and turn it into a successful career designing stationery and other printed products.

I have binders full of "inspiration" that I pull from pages of my favorite magazines. Some of my favs are DWELL, the knot, Domino, In Style, REAL SIMPLE...just to name a few. It is my hope that this blog will serve as a platform for me to share some of my inspirations and great finds with you!