Today Becky of Oh Geez! Design is visiting us to let us in on the story of her business and creativity plus offer a fun giveaway to OMHG readers. Becky is as cheerful and sweet as her designs and I hope you enjoy getting to know her and her work!
Hi Becky! Thank you for visiting us and sharing your business-please tell us a bit about yourself and Oh Geez! Design.
Hey Jessika! Thanks so much for having Oh Geez! on Oh My!
Oh Geez! Design is a small design studio located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. My main “creation” is a line of fun and whimsical greeting cards, and I also do freelance design work for other small local businesses. I love the creative freedom that comes with working on my own line of cards, and it provides a good contrast to the design work I do for other clients. I share my studio, which is the corner of the laundry room, and the rest of our home with my boyfriend Rob. We spend most of our free time hiking, gardening, and soaking up as much sun as we can.
How did you get your start creatively? Did you always want to be a designer or did you find your passion somewhere along the way?
I would credit my creativity to my parents, who raised my three sisters and I, on a farm and ranch about 30 miles from the nearest town. We grew up building playhouses, painting barns, working on 4-H crafts, and making handmade cards and Christmas gifts. I think it took a lot of creativity on their part to keep us all busy and entertained! After high school I had originally wanted to be an advertising copywriter, but while taking classes in college I realized a large advertising firm wasn’t ever going to be the right fit for me and I became more interested in graphic design and illustration.
We love seeing where or how makers make-can you give us a peek of your studio or process?
My design process is always changing, sometimes it starts with a line of text that I know I want to use on a greeting card and other times it starts with a simple illustration and it expands from there. Some days I don’t even pick up a pencil but other times I sketch out every detail of a card, it just depends on my mood. I think that cards should be just as fun to give, as they are to receive, so I try to remember that when I am working on a new card design. Listening to some vinyl is also an important part of my design process!
This month we are getting back to business for our theme on OMHG, do you have any tips and tricks for keeping motivated as a small business owner?
One of the most important motivators for me is watching the reactions and expressions when people pick up one of my cards and read it. I love to see them laugh and tell their friend to come over and read it. Many times that same person doesn’t even buy the card, but I know they will remember it and that I made them smile. That keeps me going on the “not-so-good” sales days. That and the neighbors’ llamas and donkeys roaming outside my studio window!
Becky is also offering a giveaway of a $50 gift certificate to the Oh Geez! Design shop on Etsy!
Enter this giveaway:
- To enter leave a comment about what you would buy with your $50 and/or your favorite items in the Oh Geez! shop.
Get extra entries by leaving a separate comment (1 comment=1 entry) if you:
- Like Oh Geez! on Facebook
- Follow Oh Geez! on Twitter
- Add Oh Geez! Design to your Etsy favorites
- Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook
- Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post
This giveaway closes Wednesday, September 28th at midnight EST with the winner announced at the bottom of this post the following day. By entering this giveaway you are agreeing to the Oh My! Handmade giveaway policies.
This giveaway is closed! Congratulations to:
Llamas, and donkeys, and greeting cards, Oh My!
Thanks for the great interview Jessika!
Becky, I just love the ‘peace’ card sets you make, plus the beautiful design of the fir trees on Your Christmas cards. you do beautiful work!!!!!
Congrats on the interview, Becky! I would probably get the “How Ya Doin?” cards and the “How Are Ya?” cards, so that I can send them out during the 52 Weeks of Mail event! 🙂
Congratulations on the interview, very nice! My absolute favorite is “Please pass the Peace” I love the design, the play on words, and the versatility of the card. I would buy those for sure, and probably an assortment of general cards to give as gifts! : )
Fun interview; it was great to learn more about you Becky! I’m sooo in love with your different sunshine cards. So, if I was lucky enough to win I think I’d snag a bunch of those. Love the idea that, in a way, I’d be sending sunshine to all my friends and family through the post!
Hi Becky, the shop looks great!! You are sooo creative and channel this ability well thru greeting cards. I love them all. Way to go on a rockin’ interview!!!!!
‘Tomatillo’ does awesome work and I’ve used her designs and illustrations for quite a few projects. It would help pay for my next crazy logo idea I have.
T
Congratulations on the interview. I would buy as many of them as I could with the $50 gift card. I love them all, and excited to see what comes next.
I always get a kick out of your I Love You More Than…Cards!!! ToO FuN!!!
Especially the pickles one!!!
I also like Oh!Geez on FB..:D
I also am sharing this on my page!! 😀 HollyCraft
great shop! i love the I love you more than cheese and please pass the peace cards. so cute! 😀
i added the shop to my etsy favs!
i follow on twitter. alli_cat_08
LOVE the cards! Yes, rural living sure gives us a way to express ourselves while trying to stay entertained, doesn’t it? Great interview, Becky!
Sis, next year you need to come to DC & make a showing at Crafty Bastards (first weekend in Oct)
Congrats on the feature here. Cant wait to see what you love me more than next 😉
Becky for President! Just wanted to let you know that I love you more than cheese…and that’s saying something.
I just discovered Oh Geeze! 2 days ago…I would go crazy with $50!! My favorites are I love you more than bacon and I love you more than cheese. SO funny and just the perfect sentiment 🙂
I would buy a sample of everything – or at least as much as I could. I usually keep cards around because I may need one in a pinch or I just really like it – both applies to Oh Geez.
But I do really like this – http://www.etsy.com/listing/57488442/postcard-set-pass-the-peace-by-oh-geez
Like on Facebook – Veronicas Handmade-ForYou
Posted to Facebook on http://facebook.com/msveronicas
following on twitter – @msveronicasetsy
Hearted your Etsy Shop:-)
I’m http://msveroicas.etsy.com
Great work on the feature!! There are designs on your Etsy that I hadn’t seen yet- the kiss the cook and the bbq one. All of the designs are great…..I would pick out some of the newer ones you have. Look forward to seeing what you come up with next!
Amazing! You are so talented Ms. Becky! Keep up the great work!
My faves are “I love you more than…” Great cards and interview!
Great interview! I love the cards- Becky is a designer favorite for my husband and I. Howdy!!
You can’t beat an “I love you more than cheese” card! I was just thinking I needed to order afew. Congratulations on the feature!
no, I love YOU more than cheese!
Lovely! I’d buy one of each, I think!! The “I love you more than…” would be SO fun to mail for Valentine’s Day and I love the joy & snowflakes cards, too.
I love you more than ice cream… hmmm, this card would have to be reserved for a very special person!
I love the cards in the Oh Geez shop. I could go on an absolute spree there, choosing the “just right” card for each person in my life.
Thanks for the giveaway.
I favorited this shop, and will surely be back.
I love all of the vine design cards. I would get sets of the greeting cards, thank you cards, and the best wishes. The Halloween cards are cute, too. Thanks for the giveaway!
Loved this feature! Becky is very inspirational & her creativity rocks! I would spend my $50 on the I love you more than…series, the howdy cards, the thumbs up cards…actually what card would I not buy is a better question!
I love her joy christmas card a lot!
I Like Oh Geez! on Facebook
I am Following Oh Geez! on Twitter
I Add Oh Geez! Design to your Etsy favorites
I tweeted about this giveaway
http://twitter.com/#!/jrwarfield/status/118750029639974912
I facebooked about this giveaway
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71005186
I love the sunshine Thank You!
Becky!!! Love the shop!! Congrats on the interview!! I like the “Love you more than” series!!! Also the Christmas Cards are adorable!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!
Thanks for all the awesome comments, shares, likes, follows, tweets, favorites and hearts!
I love the Please pass the peace postcards! great designs
I hearted the shop on etsy!
I love all the “i love you more than…” cards! so funny! and please pass the peace 🙂
i like oh geez on facebook
i added them to my faves on etsy
and shared the giveaway!