Valentines: Love the Cards. Hate the Day.

Hi there. How are you?

Valentine’s Day as a whole has never been my thing.  Back when I was a single lass, Valentine’s Day made me feel sad and left out. Even when I was attached, when February 14th rolled around I was never interested in celebrating.

Matt and I even used to host “anti'-Valentines” Day parties and in our 10 years together, I’m not sure we’ve ever really celebrated Valentines Day or exchanged gifts.

Valentines Day feels forced and commercial, and puts unnecessary pressure on people.

Now that doesn’t mean I don’t like to celebrate the people I love, I just don’t think it has to happen on February 14th with grand gestures. But….

I’ve always loved making, giving, and receiving Valentines.

(This probably makes no sense, but it’s the truth.)

I looked forward to decorating my shoe box for exchanging valentines at school and in my early adult years, I used to send out valentines in lieu of holiday cards.

Over the years, I’ve made and sold a lot of valentines.

This “Smooch” card was one of the first things I made and listed on Etsy back in 2008.

My out of print “Just a Little Love Song” Beatles themed valentine collection.

“Valentiny” is also no longer in print.

The Collage Phase

These collaged valentines were some of the first things I listed in my Etsy shop when I launched it back in 2008. The “All You Need is Love” card was the first item in my shop to go viral on Etsy. Unfortunately, none of these cards are for sale any more. (If you’d really like one, get in touch! I could print them especially for you.)

The Pattern Phase

A few years later, during my pattern phase, I made “Sending my Love to You” and “Love You Mean it.” I still really love these cards and continue to sell them online and locally.

The “Better Together” card has a been a top seller for years. Click through to purchase.

The Bird Phase

You all remember this phase, right? For a couple of years, I drew birds almost exclusively. (You can read about how that all started HERE.) I knew this adorable pair of fairy wrens was destined for a card and it quickly became a best seller in my card collection. You can order this cutie right HERE.

The “You are Loved” card is good for any day you want to send some love out into the world.

The ballpoint Phase

Now, we enter my most current collection. Featuring a black ballpoint background, I made this "You are Loved” Card last year. It’s good for Valentines Day, or any day you want to send some love out into the world. (Read about how I create these ballpoint cards HERE.)

My newest valentine is just for the gals.

Do you Celebrate Galentine’s Day?

I just whipped up this card this past weekend. As my work mainly appeals to females, I thought it would be fun to create a “Galentine’s Day”card.

Celebrated on February 13, Galentine’s Day was created by Amy Poehler's Parks and Rec character Leslie Knope. (One of my favorite shows of all time!) Basically, it's the day to celebrate your love for your best girlfriends.

All of my cards are blank on the inside and are available in my web shop.

One last thing before you go…

Is there a sentiment you’d love to see me put on a card? Or a card for a certain occasion/event you’d like to see me add?

Do Get in Touch!

I’d love to add some more cards to my collection and I’m always open to new ideas. Just shoot me an email or leave a comment.

Ciao, Jen

Sketchbook Drawings Become Greeting Cards

Hi there. How are you?

Most of my studio time lately has been spent on the computer, turning my very popular multi-color ballpoint pen drawings into saleable objects. I'm in the process of designing a set of greeting cards that utilize these drawings as backdrops.

Here's how I do it:

This ballpoint sketchbook drawing became the backdrop for a greeting card.

Step One: Scanning

I scanned this drawing into the computer. In Photoshop, I took out a couple of stray lines and adjusted the color so that it would print as close to the original drawing as possible.

I made a few different versions of this card before I got something I liked.

Step Two: Adding Text

After cropping the background image to proper card size, I imported the file into Illustrator, where I added in the text. As you can see, I went through a few iterations before I got something I liked.

Step 3: Printing

This is the first time that I've printed cards "full bleed" (image goes right to the edge). I'm printing on an upgraded 92# cotton paper, which gives the card a more luxurious look and feel.  There's been a learning curve to get the colors to print as I'd like, but after much trial and error, I'm getting prints I'm pleased with on this new paper.

I've made 7 cards so far.

I've still got more cards in the works, but I wanted to share with you what I've made so far.

There are cards for happy occasions......

This modern, abstract Congratulations and Thank You are a stylish addition to your stationery stash.

And cards for more somber ones....

Send your sympathy or well wishes with elegance and grace. The abstract ballpoint pen drawings are sure to bring a little comfort to someone going through a rough time.

And cards for Mom and Dad!

I'm particularly pleased with my Father's Day and Mother's Day cards.

I'm excited about this collection and where it's heading. 

I'm planning on adding cards for graduation, for the holidays, a valentine, and a simple "hello."

For what occasions do you purchase and send cards?

What type of card would you like to see me add to my collection? Do tell!

I am looking forward to adding this card line to my wholesale collection, so I can pitch these to shops around the country! Until then, you can find them in my online shop, at 6Pence in downtown Carbondale, and at the Homestead Collective (inside Packrats) in Downtown Cobden, and also in my Etsy shop.

That's all folks. Until next week. Ciao!

Better Together

Hi there. How are you?

I've always had a lot of luck selling Valentines. Probably the best selling item I've ever had on Etsy was this Beatles inspired design that I made way back in 2008.

My now retired valentine card featuring a line from a classic Beatles tune.

Put a Bird on it

I've happened upon another winning valentine design this year. This time, it features birds.

My newest valentine features two adorable fairy wrens. Click to purchase!

Second time's the charm

I illustrated these adorable fairy wrens in 2014. It's certainly one of my favorite bird pieces. They're damn cute. Don't you agree?

These two lover birds have always seemed destined for a valentine, but it took a while to get it right. Two years ago, I made another iteration of this card. You can read more about that HERE.

Right before the SIU craft sale this year, I decided to rework this card. It hadn't sold in its previous form and I wasn't satisfied with it as is.  I changed the text to "Better Together", added the border and it sold like hotcakes! It was the best selling item of the weekend.

Though initially intended as a valentine, I could also see using this as an anniversary card. Really, you could even give it to your bestie!

The backside of all my cards feature my sweet little cardinal.

Getting Krafty

As seen here, all of my cards now come with kraft paper envelopes. I really like the way they set off the white cards. I don't know why I waited so long to do this. I love the look!

Shop Small

This cutie and a couple of other valentines are now available in my shop.

Shop small and shop often my friends.

Until next week. Ciao.