Author: Geri Jewitt

Monday, April 14, 2014

WASHI TAPE EASTER BUNNY STICKERS

Spring has finally flung (at least where I’m from up here in southeastern Canada) and with it comes new growth, flourishing nature, nourishing sunshine, a surge of ideas… and chocolate!

Of course, I’m talking about those wonderful little Mini Eggs from Cadbury. I can’t get enough. So, when Marisa of Omiyage suggested a post about cute little stickers made from washi tape, I immediately thought that I could make some tags for giving out bags of those wonderful little eggs (or you know, eat them myself and make cookies, instead!)

I created a lovely little original bunny illustration for some tags last year, and this year, we’re letting some gorgeous new washi tape take centre stage. We created 3 coordinating projects using a bunny silhouette and washi tape, including these Tags, a Greeting Card and some Place Cards.

They’re super easy to make and the beauty of using washi tape is that they can used year round, not just for Easter.

These little bunny stickers are so versatile that they’d make great little marketing additions for your creative business. Why not throw in some Easter-themed “extras” with your regular sales or use them for a special calling card for any tradeshows you might be attending?

To get started, you’ll need the following supplies:

SUPPLIES:

Sticker Template | Greeting Card Template
Permanent Marker
Parchment / Wax Paper (not shown)
Washi Tape (I used these, these and these little cuties from Omiyage for this post)
Tags | Cardstock (I use these from Omiyage)
Scissors / Craft Knife

Once you’ve gathered your supplies, print out your desired template above, then head on over to Omiyage for the complete step-by-step instructions to make the stickers. Add them to your tags, write your name and voila!

Don’t forget to pick up your extra Greeting Card template and if you’re planning an Easter feast for friends and/or family, set the table with these coordinating Washi Tape Easter Bunny Placecards.

Happy making and be sure to share your finished projects with us!

Geri

Monday, December 16, 2013

DIY WATERCOLOUR HOLIDAY CARDS

I’ve been making my own holiday cards for as long as I can remember; it started out as a creative outlet to the mass-produced alternative and has now become one of the things I enjoy most about the holiday season!

I always tend to wait until the weather changes and it actually feels like the holidays before coming up with my designs; I just can’t seem to get into the headspace earlier in the year – at least not for my personal holiday cards.

For this year’s cards, I really wanted to evoke the beauty that surrounds me out here in the country and I’ve been playing around with watercolours and so I came up with this simple, but beautifully effective design and I thought it would be lovely to share with you.

If you don’t already have watercolour cards, they’re quite easy to get at any good quality craft shop or you can make your own easily enough using watercolour cardstock. I used A2 cards, but you can choose whichever size you’d like.

I wanted to try to capture the misty, ethereal landscape that I often see out of my window every morning in the winter, so I kept my pallet quite muted. I mixed three shades of grey and tested them out first to make sure I was happy with them. I mixed enough to create 50 cards (I send a lot of them!)

Lightly brush the card with water and then simply play with the colours to get your desired effect. I did an ombre sort of thing by applying a line of graduating colour (from light to dark and top to bottom); then I lightly brushed a clean brush from left to right blending the colours to get the results above. But, really, the sky’s the limit, and playing around (on a blank sheet, of course!) can really create some interesting and unique results… happy accidents are never wrong!

Now, I happened to letterpress my muted greeting of “Holiday Moments” to evoke that misty feeling some more, but you can easily create your own holiday message with a rubber stamp or beautiful handlettering.

I also made some coordinating envelopes using a book of scrapbook paper that I had lying around just to give them a little bit of extra glam. That way, your recipients will know that they’re about to open something special!

And there you have it – a fairly simply, but effective handmade card!

Do you make your own holiday cards? We would love to see them & hear about your holiday card traditions!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Handmade Holiday Shop: CharlieBoy Press

Hi! My name is Geri Jewitt and many of you may remember when I used to be fairly frequent visitor to these here parts… well, I’ve been off learning a new trade and streamlining my business to better serve you! I’ve recently refocused my Design Studio (The Languid Lion) to primarily focus on branding and design solutions for small businesses and I’ve been working long hours and practicing, practicing, practicing to become… a letterpress printer! I’ve always loved the look of letterpress and have been told on many, many occasions that my designs would work really well with this ancient printing technique.

I’m so excited I simply sit around with a big dopey smile on my face – it’s. just. plain. awesome.

Many of you who follow the blog or my Instagram feed might also notice a frequent guest… my Charlie-Boy, a lovely Airedale Terrier who has changed my life in more ways than he could ever know. While my day job focuses primarily on designing for other people (which I LOVE, by the way), I created an outlet for making things that just make me smile – a shop filled with Airedale-centric letterpress & paper goods. It’s such a joy to take a quick photo of my funny, warm, loving, playful and mischievous Boy, write down a caption (usually I simply say it outloud in “his” voice) and then create something using that image. I kick it oldschool and print out the pic, draw my own version with my trusty pencil, vectorize it in Illustrator and then go to town creating! I currently draw, design, print, cut and assemble everything in my studio, but my Giftwrap Kits sold out almost immediately and so I’ve secured a local company to produce it for me – whew! I’ll be adding new stuff all the time, so check back frequently or drop me a quick line if you’d to see something specific 😉 My Boy has brought Richard & I such unconditional love & happiness that I wanted to give others a chance at that and so 10% of all sales from CharlieBoy Press will be donated to the Canadian Humane Society & National Airedale Rescue, Inc.