Saturday, May 30, 2009

Etsy Hunting

Finding an artist for our blog proved to be more entertaining than we imagined. Neither of us had used Etsy's Alchemy feature before, so we thought we'd give it a shot. Here is our request:

I've just started a blog and would like an illustration done for the image header. I'd like it to be an illustration of a fox and squirrel. Somewhat more feminine, no words in the image, and prefer the squirrel and fox to be somewhat lifelike. The image can be a bit cheeky or subtly sarcastic.

The responses were plentiful and we were overwhelmed by the volume and creativity that flooded our inbox. The illustration bids ranged from pencil drawings to watercolors merged with digital illustrations in Photoshop. Based on a sample image sent to us by
OrigamiBoutique, that had us both rolling on the floor, laughing our tails (hehe) off, we saw our personalities in the image she created and our request was fulfilled! She met both the needs of our wallets and our wishes. In the end we ended up with not only the banner you see above, but three other images that will change with the season of our blog. :)

We regrettably could not use all of the artists that responded, but nevertheless want to say thanks for the bids. Check out some of their talent:
CityOfDionne
Run The Shop
Di Mackey
Little Monkey Doodles
Ollie Ollie
ParAmour Design

Until we meet again, happy Etsy hunting (hehe).
J & J

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Why does every little thing make us so happy?

We spend countless hours ooh-ing and aah-ing over little things that make us so happy. Instead of keeping them to ourselves, we decided to share them with anyone and everyone. You may not agree with us on all of our musings, but we certainly hope you're entertained, at the least.

Our initial inspiration came from Japanese Zakka artist Shinzi Katoh's collection of whimsical bento boxes, onigiri boxes, water bottles, pens, and
so much more. His use of color, quirky verbage, and original illusration sets him apart from other artists. You can check out his blog here, but make sure you have a good translator service available.


Until next time, J & J

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Under Construction

We're working on getting things going. Check back for our first post soon!

J and J