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Tacoma, Washington

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Meet the Artist: Malia Isenhart of Cheerful Ink

March 2, 2015 By Jennifer Luna Leave a Comment

I started this “Meet the Artist” series awhile back as a way to feature some of the amazingly talented artists I’ve been meeting through the shop. Today’s artist, the darling Malia Isenhart of Cheerful Ink, was introduced to me via one of our wonderful customers.

Malia Isenhart of Cheerful Ink

The customer came in after a holiday party where several artists had gathered to share and sell their homemade goods. She said, you just HAVE to meet this gal I saw today who sells these adorable cards. Obviously we like adorable cards, so I told her to have her come down to the shop and we’d love to meet her. Shortly thereafter, Malia and a friend stopped in with a big box of her whimsical cards and art prints. We fell in love with her artwork immediately and bought some right on the spot. We took some of the art prints to a holiday expo the following week and sold out within the first 30 minutes!

Malia Isenhart of Cheerful Ink

Cheerful Ink designs are whimsical and playful and reminiscent of childhood experiences. Malia says “It’s those experiences that speak the loudest to our hearts because deep down we’re all just grown up versions of our childhood selves.”

Here are a few of my favorite Cheerful Ink greeting cards…

Happy Birthday Flower Card

Party Without Cake Julia Childs

Don't Have to Be Rich to Sparkle

And some of my favorite Cheerful Ink art prints…

Braver Princess Print

She Is Fierce art print

Anatomy of a Diaper Bag Print

Get to know Malia a bit more with our interview below!

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a kid, I idolized my first grade teacher and wanted to be just like her. I loved the idea of being in charge of a classroom. I am the oldest of six, so I had lots of experience setting up my pretend classroom and bossing around my siblings.

What was your first job?

My first job was as a dishwasher for a small greasy spoon in my neighborhood. I was only 16, but I remember the line cook would take long smoke breaks and put me in charge of the kitchen! I was terrified that someone might actually come in and order something because I had no idea how to make anything! Luckily, no one did. They are out of business now.

What are your best or favorite sources of inspiration?

I am a mom of two kids under three, so I spend a lot of time in front of Sesame Street and other kids shows. I also love children’s books. When we go to the library, I check out most of the books for them based on what illustrator I want to learn from. I also love Pinterest for sourcing fresh ideas. I know some artists steer clear of it, but there’s something so inspiring about seeing all of the things I love in one place!

Best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Lately, I’ve been quoting my mom a lot. She always said, “Just get out and get the sky over your head.” As a working mom, its such good advice. Life seems easier to handle because problems seem smaller. Vitamin D and fresh air do wonders for the soul.

What are 5 things/products that you can’t live without?

  • Diaper wipes (they are gold to me, besides their obvious use, I use them for everything: cleaning counter tops, taking off makeup, wiping faces, hands, car interiors) I carry a Costco sized brick of wipes with me everywhere I go.
  • Dry Shampoo Hairspray (showering and shampooing have become a luxury! I recently found a good one for brunettes called Batiste)
  • Kind Bars (the sea salt dark chocolate is my favorite)
  • My iPhone (I have a serious instagram problem; I’ve taken it off my phone and put it back on at least 35 times).
  • A fresh pack of black Micron pens

Who are some of your favorite artists/designers?

I love Richard Scary. Nobody draws animals in clothing better than he does.

Marla Frazee’s illustrations are so fun and playful. I love her storytelling as well.

And right now my three year old and I can’t get enough Mo Willems.

What are your favorite colors right now?

I love mid-century colors (is that a thing?) seafoam green and orange and bright candy red.

What are your favorite mediums or materials to work with?

I am usually using pen and ink and then editing on my iPad with a stylus.

Coffee or tea or…?

COFFEE. All. Day. Long.

Favorite type of food?

Indian

Favorite social media channel(s) and why? (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Wanelo, etc.)

Instagram. I love the chance to look at people’s lives (even if it’s filtered and perfect:) It’s also been a great way to meet other artists and build working relationships that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. [Find her @cheerfulink]

Can you share some of the big ideas/dreams/goals you have for the next few years that you’d love to accomplish?

I would love to write a children’s book in the next 5 years. I know that’s a long time, but I really want it to come from my heart as I develop as an artist and mother. Other than that I just want to keep getting better at what I do! It’s such a fun outlet for me and I am so grateful to have the chance to share it with people.

Click here to view all of Malia’s work that we carry in the shop.

Thanks, Malia!

xoxo

Washington State Print

Filed Under: Designers We Love, Meet the Artist

Emily Ley Simplified Planner 2015-2016 Update!

January 16, 2015 By Jennifer Luna Leave a Comment

UPDATE: Click here to see all Emily Ley Simplified Planners we have in stock!

WOW. That’s all I can say about the response to the 2015 Simplified Planner by our friend, Emily Ley. Not only did we sell out super fast, but we are STILL getting frantic calls and emails months later from people desperate to find one (sorry, as far as I know, you’re more likely to find a flying unicorn at this point!)

simplified-planner-emily-ley-smaller-size

The GOOD news is that Emily has announced 3 new editions, with 2 of them beginning on August 1, 2015! (The other is the regular version dated January 1-December 31, 2016.) She’ll reveal the new cover options (available for all styles) on April 29th, and you’ll be able to buy the academic versions starting May 6th (we’ll have all in stock online and in the shop!) You can see a sneak peak of one of the new covers in the image above. 🙂

AND just announced today, they will all be a slightly smaller size. The current planners are 9″x10″ and the new ones will be 7.75″x9″. I think this is a big improvement as the current size is just a tad too big for some purses and diaper bags.

simplified-planner-emily-ley-2015-2016

All 3 of the new Simplified Planner editions will be available in 3 new styles (I can’t share yet, but I’ve seen them and they are ALL adorable!) and will have 8 NEW features (I know the image above says 7, but I’ve heard there are 8!).

My favorite new feature is that every page will have color on it. She’s also tweaked the page layouts to make things simpler and easier on the eyes to digest all the info.

simplified-planner-emily-ley-2015-2016-colors

Click here for a FREE printable of the new pages (the ones in the new planners will be dated of course).

Another fun new release (purchased separately from the Simplified Planner) in May will be gold foil magnetic page markers! They fold across the top of the current day’s page so you can always quickly find where you need to be. They’re made thin so they don’t stick out, but thick enough to see easily.

simplified-planner-emily-ley-magnetic-page-holder

Okay, lots more information to come over the next couple months as Emily gives us sneak peaks of the new 2015-2016 Simplified Planners. Be sure to follow her on Instagram here. (By the way, if you don’t follow her yet, she’s about to have TWINS! She’s sharing her journey on Instagram and it has been a joy to follow along.)

The Home Base Binder by Emily Ley

Also, if you’re a fan of the Simplified Planner, you should really, REALLY check out the Home Base Binder. It takes planning and organization for your home to a whole new level (a good one!). So much good stuff inside, as well as a massive library of free printables to download and add to your binder (choose only what you need…and they’re FREE.) Click here for all the details on the Home Base Binder.

Emily Ley Simplified Journal

If maybe you’re a fan of Emily’s, but aren’t into the organization and planning part, maybe you’d love her Simplified Journal. The Simplified Journal is designed for 100 days of journaling, prayers, letters to little ones, brain dumps, big thoughts and great ideas. It’s beautiful inside and out. To see sample pages and more details, click here.

If you’d like to join our newsletter list and be notified when the new Emily Ley Simplified Planners go on sale, just fill out the form below!

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(All images provided by Emily Ley.)

Filed Under: Agendas and Calendars, Designers We Love, General News

Meet the Artist: April & Tim Norris

December 14, 2014 By Jennifer Luna Leave a Comment

One of the best parts of this little shop of ours, is getting to meet and know local artists and helping spread the joy of their work around town and across the interwebs. In the past month or two, we’ve met a couple of new local artists from Tacoma and fell in love with their work! The first is Tim Norris and his wife, April.

April and Tim Norris

Tim’s background is in architecture and design, which is clearly evident in his city map prints. He has a passion for people, places, and “making stuff,” he says. So, together with his talented wife, April, they make these amazing art prints that we carry, along with furniture and other design work that encompasses music, art, technology, and lifestyle.

While we’re obviously partial to the Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and Seattle area, Tim also makes his “Heart for a City” prints for many other major cities. (If you’d like one for a city not on our site, just shoot us an email and we can let you know if it’s available!)

Tacoma Heart Map Print

Seattle Heart Map Print

Gig Harbor Heart Map Print

Our most popular print in the shop is definitely this new one that just arrived of all the neighborhoods of the Greater Tacoma area, including our neck of the woods, University Place:

tacoma-neighborhoods-map-print

And here are a few other pieces by Tim and April that we love as well, all available as 12″ x 12″ prints and as greeting cards (cards are not available on our site but can be ordered and delivered or shipped! Tacoma Heart for a City print cards are available in the shop.)

2 Mt Rainier

Print

Processed with VSCOcam with x1 preset

To see all of the work by TMN Creative, click here.

All images on this post provided by or created from the copyrighted material from TMN Creative, Tim Norris, and Paper Luxe and are not to be used, printed, or sold in any way without permission.

Filed Under: Designers We Love, General News, New Products

1Canoe2 Extra Large Wall Calendar

November 29, 2014 By Jennifer Luna Leave a Comment

I’ve been in love with this extra large wall calendar since the second I laid eyes on it! From one of our favorite vendors, 1Canoe2, this is more than just another pretty calendar. It’s gorgeous. It’s gigantic. It’s a statement piece.

The best part about this calendar is that there is a beautiful extra page (see below) that can be hung after the year is over that says “There is Joy in Every Season.” And the calendar comes with a unique wood and wire hanging feature.

XL Wall Calendar 1Canoe2

XL Wall Calendar 1Canoe2

XL Wall Calendar 1Canoe2

XL Wall Calendar 1Canoe2

XL Wall Calendar 1Canoe2

Filed Under: Agendas and Calendars, Designers We Love, Holidays

Beautiful Bridesmaid and Maid of Honor Cards

October 29, 2014 By Jennifer Luna Leave a Comment

There are so many creative ways these days to ask your girls to be a part of your wedding party (umm, seriously…read this post.) I’m particularly a fan, though, of the good old-fashioned hand-written note. One written on a beautiful card from the heart that your bridesmaids and maid of honor can keep as a memory of the occasion.

We’ve started collecting “Will You Be My Bridesmaid?” cards and “Will You Be My Maid of Honor?” cards in the shop, along with flower girl cards and other wedding party cards. Below is a collection of my favorites. Click on any image for more info.

And if you’re a designer and have cards you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment with a link to your work!

Sugar Paper

Will you be my maid of honor card

Will you be my bridesmaid card

Rifle Paper Co.

Rifle Paper Co Will you be my maid of honor card

Rifle Paper Co Will you be my matron of honor card

Rifle Paper Co Will you be my bridesmaid card

Will you be my flower girl card

Parrot Design Studio

will you be my maid of honor card

will you be my bridesmaids card

The Social Type

Will you be my bridesmaid card

1Canoe2

1canoe2-bridesmaid-card

1canoe2-bridesmaid-card2

9th Letterpress

9th letterpress will you be my bridesmaid

9th letterpress maid of honor card

9th letterpress will you be my flower girl card

Filed Under: Designers We Love, Weddings

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