He has long done artwork on my cintiq using Adobe Illustrator, so he was able to draw a little logo (I added a little bit of shading and helped with the kerning) but he did SUCH a good job! He’s also started a series of Weepul art prints that he’s going to sell as well.. things like drawings of Katniss, Peeta & Prim from The Hunger Games as Weepuls. It was important to him that 25% of all orders be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s hospital too! This, after a particularly touching story he saw about some kids there a while back.

I think it’s all so great and super adorable & I love seeing him excited about using his talents in a way that will not only benefit St. Jude’s but also allow him to know with certainty that everyone can make a difference, no matter how old (or young) you are! What a good boy…and what a proud mama I am. If you want to support a great cause and give my sweet boy a big smile, head on over and place an order! He excitedly checks each order to see where his creation will be heading and thinks it’s super cool that they’re heading all over the country! Each Weepul comes numbered and with a teeny tiny birth certificate (so cute!) The packaging is minimal & gorgeous.

My favorite part are the descriptions he gives… like this one:  ”Sunshi loves to lay in her hammock in the sun while eating fresh fruit and listening to Metallica and Nirvana. She can’t wait for her next adventure!”  Kids are so rad.

To go with my sons Muppet Valentines he wanted to make some Muppet Weepuls (remember those!?!) After some initial tries and due to time constraints, we decided to scratch making Muppet themed Weepuls and made regular old Weepluls instead.

As we made them, a google eye made it’s way to rest perfectly on top of Lew’s eye and by complete chance, we saw a fun way to add to the Muppet Valentines! We decided to add google eyes to all of the Lew Valentines as well as the Beaker ones. We even had the perfect sized pom poms to put on Lew as a nose! If you have some of these things laying around, you may want to take a little bit of time to ‘add the love’ as we like to say! It was a really great project, no need for perfection, just simple & fun!

Question #1: Will I be selling Justice League invitations/posters etc. with the characters I designed any time in the future?

The quick answer is, no. I would love to, but to be honest, I’m pretty sure I’d have to purchase a license to sell products that are clearly depicting licensed characters from the Justice League. I would really love to offer them to you for purchase and I *am researching how much it might cost to buy a license, however, I have a sneaking suspicion, that it’s a pretty high number and will not be worth the relatively small volume I’d be doing. As I mentioned I *am looking into it though and would love any input from you if you are a license genius!

Question #2: Do you have pictures of the finished ferris wheel you talked about in this post?

Yes.. I’m sure somewhere in the archives I have them, but they weren’t good and I don’t think I ever got a picture of the ferris wheel filled up with cupcakes. It was just such a rushed mess that day. I really didn’t get any good shots of it. I also wanted to re-mount it in my new studio, so it’s not even up at the moment as my walls are still bare. So, it may be a while but, I’m workin’ on it!

Thank you so much for your emails, and again, I apologize that I can’t personally reply to each one, but I *do read and appreciate them! Thank you so much!

These cards/ribbons are really special. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love getting a card in the mail and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to get awards.. so putting the two together with all the gold and silver and the beautiful texture of the ribbon… well, it’s impossible NOT to love them! I will be taking better pictures with a borrowed camera this Wed. (I have yet to replace my broken camera so these were taken with my phone, doh!) and I’ll be sure I take a picture of the blank card attached to the back of the ribbon; it’s so great, it’s a small blank card where normally a coach would write what your race time was or other business like that but for our ribbons, it’s just a blank card for you to write a special note to your special person, it’s just one more thing that makes these so cool! Wherever the ribbon goes, it goes with a handwritten note from the giver… so sweet! I wish I could reach through the screen and bring you into my studio right now so you could see them in person and run your fingers over the gold and silver printing! Every detail is perfect!

I would love to hear your thoughts so, tweet me, FB me or comment here and let me know what you think! And, don’t forget to spread the word and order your very own ribbon right HERE! xoxoxo

P.S. We’re working on our Everyday Hideaway blog and website, but you can bookmark us or add us on Facebook, right here!

I wanted to pop in and share some valentines with you! My son is a creative boy and he loves all things Muppet, so naturally, when I asked him what sort of thing he’d like to do for his class valentines he wanted Muppets! It’s really no wonder since (if you remember) my husband and I have long loved them too!

I did a quick search at a few local shops and then a little online search to no avail. This always seems to be the case with his valentines. One year he wanted Ben10 valentines (this was before they had ever come out with them), another year, he wanted Happy Pets (I’ll have to dig up those files to show you!) and now, The Muppets. I find it hard to believe that they are not putting any valentines out there this year especially with the movie and everything, but the only thing I’ve seen are some vintage cards.

I was disappointed at first, but I am pretty glad it turned out this way now, because I’ve had a lot of fun designing these cards!

I decided to keep the cliche valentine sayings out of the actual cards and instead added the valentine-y part to the header. That way, the cards could really be used at any time of year!

We’re going to place the valentines into a simple little clear bags that I already had from Michael’s, then we’re going to add some kind of treat (perhaps Swedish Fish for Lew Zealand!) and top the bag with a cute header that I created to match (featuring Kermit!). I like these bags because they are big enough to fit a variety of treats wether you decide to do candy, small cracker jack toys or something useable like a notepad and small pencil or something.

Here’s a photo of Lew in the bag and with the header card but with no treats in the bag yet (still have to decide what we’re doing and buy those).

I made the headers coordinate with the cards, here’s a preview of them, there’s a place to write who the valentine is to and who it’s from.

So, here are the downloads for you to enjoy! I put them separately in case you only wanted the cards or, you could really only use the headers as well and just put candy in the bag sans the card. Whatever you fancy!

Muppet Valentine Cards (2176)

Muppet Valentine Headers (2112)

Enjoy folks and drop in and let me know you used them, I’d love to connect with you!  xo, Mariah

I also wanted to give you a sneak peek at a doll I designed for a sweet client recently. The doll is designed to be printed at SpoonFlower and then sew up into a cute little toy! I’ll post more on this as soon as it’s available for you!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone! xo

In an environment with so many card choices, we believe ours are very distinct. Our cards are a Christmas card and a keepsake ornament and all in one! Each ribbon includes the offset printed linen backer card, beautiful metallic printed ribbon with attached ‘signature’ card, a high quality tassel, and a coordinating open ended #10 envelope.

We love bling in our house, so the gold and silver add the perfect amount of Christmas sparkle. Your friends and family will cherish their beautiful ribbon and be happily reminded of your love every year when they get their Christmas decorations out, a truly special gift! I know you’re going to love them! These special gifts sell in sets of 8 for $40.00.

We are launching our website in early 2012, until then, if you’re interested in purchasing these beautiful cards, we will be listing them in our Etsy shop December 1st! We are also taking wholesale orders, so if you’re a shop owner and you’re interested in getting more information, please contact me right here!

Thanks for your support & love, Mariah

I didn’t note it, but also on the first of November I also went back to strict Primal/Paleo eating/living. The Primal lifestyle had become pretty much the ‘norm’ in our home last January.. but I screwed up, got a little sugar in me and it started the wicked cycle I had worked so hard to stop. I began eating sub-standard food regularly and continued for a good long time. My insulin resistance made things worse as you might imagine. During this time, everything swelled back up.. my PCOS symptoms became once again, unbearable and life was.. for the most part, pretty miserable.

On the ‘up’ side, it was made crystal clear just how awful eating processed ‘food product’ makes me feel.. I’m NOT exaggerating. Once I began eating the ‘standard American diet’ I instantly felt sick, low energy, just plain horrible. So, the good thing about going way off the reservation is that it also became crystal clear just how great I feel eating and living Paleo/Primal. It’s night and day. Truly. If your health is important to you, you really ought to take a look and see what it’s all about!

So, I dropped some weight, and am feeling phenomenal once again, whoo-hoo! I will not make the mistake of thinking that I can have ‘just a little’ bit of sugar again.. don’t get me wrong, if your body works normally and you don’t have the problems I do, you could probably get away with it here and there (if you even want to) I just have to be more careful than most.

OK.. on to the good stuff! I wanted to share some really cute photo’s that were sent to me by a recent client. Just look at Kelley and her super sweet family!

I created some sweet little lion invitations and party stuff for Kelley’s little guys first birthday party! It was such a fun job and also it will give you a sneak peek into what sort of Christmas Cards we’ll be selling VERY soon! The invites are printed ‘award’ ribbons, like the kind you get at track meets when you’re a kid. On the backer card, behind the ribbon, I typed out the details for the party and the stuffed it all into a pretty open ended envelope. I loved them! I mean, how could you not love that silver printed lion! I also created some super cute coordinating cupcake wraps, picks and a few other things, it was a great job and I was happy to be able to do it for such a cute little guy.

I’ve gotta go, but I will leave you with a peek at a couple of PDF cards that will be in our little shop that we’re getting all set up for you! I’ll be sharing our Ribbon Christmas cards (Just like Bradens!) and the link to the shop next week, so if you’re waiting to order your Christmas cards, it’s ALMOST time! Squeeee!!! I’m so excited!

I hope you like them!  Have a great week! xo

All of the area’s I struggle with; budgeting, shipping, meeting with clients etc. she is fabulous at! Leslie started her career in retail and shortly after moved over to the corporate side, working as a buyer for a major department store. I am so excited to have her knowledge & expertise on board in creating this new company!

Below you’ll see the logo I’ve created for our company. Our company is called, Everyday Hideaway, a name I sincerely love! It’s about creating a cozy, magical hideaway for your everyday life… something with a little bit of curiosity and a lot of comfort & beauty.

We are also launching, EH party, as in, Everyday Hideaway party. EH party will focus on stationery & party goods while Everyday Hideaway will be your source for cool & interesting home goods! Do you remember the photo’s I shared a while back? Those are for EH party! So exciting!

We created EH party in order to offer some high quality, high style party goods but also, to fund Everyday Hideaway. Let’s face it, I know my way around stationery and it’s something I’m good at, so if we can do that for a while and pour all the profit into Everyday Hideaway, we’ll be well on our way to creating the gorgeous home goods unlike anything else currently on the market!

We have seriously considered getting a small business loan but I’m so draw to the exciting interactive funding avenue offered over at Kickstarter. I think that whole thing is pretty darn cool.. how fun to be able to be an integral part in growing a business and get super cool gifts for doing so! It’s ultra rad, I mean just look at all these cool ideas!

Would you invest in a great company (a-hem, perhaps Everyday Hideaway) if it were on there? I know I could come up with some killer  ’for your support’ gifts and of course for a large pledge, you would not only get the satisfaction of knowing you are a huge part of funding something really special but you would also get one of the first cake stands as a gift! (Eep! Did I spill the beans! Yup, you heard..er.. read it right, I’ve designed some really gorgeous cake stands (!) and those are definitely what we’re set on having manufactured first!) Here’s a sneak peak at two designs:

I want to offer the ‘Candy’ stand in three colors: pink & white, aqua & white and a beautiful soft gray & white. I really want to get these made! We have found and talked to a manufacturer here on the west coast. All we’re waiting for is the money… it’s frustrating because I know people will love them!

We are, at this point undecided on which approach to take but I’d really love to hear your thoughts.  Would pledging $25, $50, $100? more? be something you’d ever consider doing? Keep in mind that not only do you get to be an important part of something really neat, but you’d also get something super cool in return?! I know I would .. but .. I’m slightly biased. *wink*

While we ponder the best solution to the funding, we’ve been working hard on getting a good variety of products ready for EH party! A large amount of EH party goods will be PDF style to keep costs down for us but also for YOU and to give you more control over how you want to style your parties!  I’m excited to show you all the goods!

We’ll also be revealing some VERY special Christmas cards SOON! So if you have not bought yours yet, hang tight a little bit longer and you’ll be able to order them from Everyday Hideaway! Trust me, you’re going to LOVE them!

Oh yeah, and I just created a FB page for us too, not much there now but soon it will be a great place to interact with both myself and Leslie and tell us what you want! One of the benefits of having a small company is that we can listen and act quickly based on what our customers are looking for, so come join us and tell us what you’d love to see! Talk to you soon! ~m

Here are the important things that are happening:

• Starting November 1st, I will no longer have internet or cable. We are canceling both. [hang on, let me recuperate from saying such a horrible, horrible thing out loud...] [.............................sigh.............tear..........]
• This state of no internet or TV will last a minimum of 6 months. No real reason for the 6 month time period, it just seems like enough time to break some bad habits and GSD… plus, it will give me time to get rid everything that we won’t take when we find the perfect little home in some magical little city in CA (did I mention that we have intentions of moving around July 2012?) and I KNOW we can’t take all of this with us, nor do I want to… we’re sticking with William Morris (see below) and getting rid of nearly everything!  BTW, do you know an inspiring California city to live in???
• I’m terrified of getting cabin fever because TV and internet have become an abnormally huge part of my life… I mean, I had breakfast with Shaun and Guster this morning, went to bed after a visit with Heidi & Tim…..still.. we’re doing it…pulling the plug, bitin’ the bullet.. breaking up, and in turn, we’re letting the fresh air in.. laying in the sun, playing catch like we used to… perhaps partaking in some Canasta…

FIVE good reasons for this change: 

1) That last point, the one about being terrified.. that is really, really sad. Definitely NOT who I want to be. I am admittedly very hermit-ish (hermittish?) and I need to de-hermit and get out there.. with real people in my imperfect state… scary.

2) TV is the devil.. well, mine anyway.. .apparently… Project Runway, Rachel Zoe Project, Parenthood, Modern Family, Top Chef, Psyche… the list is has become endless… as much value as I think there is in the quite moments of these shows because it’s all based around real people in one way or another, I just need something else right now.

3) My son is 11.. I miss him already and I know from any mother of teenagers that I will lose him for a little while very shortly and he is so … darn it, I’m going to get mushy on you.. he’s just.. he’s growing up fast and I love being with him.. he’s funny and interesting and oh … blah, blah blah… I know, you don’t want to hear it… I just want to be sure that I pay attention to him (sincerely) and cherish the time I have with him before he gets to that point when he decides that mom and dad are so not cool. It’s not only hanging out with him either, it’s also making a home where he feels nothing but security & genuine love. It’s rough out there, kids are mean.. teenagers? meaner…I really want him to come home to a good environment.. and I hate to admit it (really, it’s hard to admit because it’s SO not who I want to be) but when that TV and internet are available to me, the time it takes to create that peaceful environment and plan special outings for our family etc. is compromised.. I know that I can do better. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all about having a clean house, its about putting the love into it all.. sometimes, that really is just making sure the laundry is done and ready for a weekend of camping or whatever… other times it’s neglecting the housework and snuggling in bed with a good book together.. my point is, if I keep up on the big stuff, putting off the dishes or the entire house for a day wont set me back too much, so when he needs me, I can be there without any  stress about the house or other nagging issues.. I can give him my full attention and really listen. Just like Gloria Dump..

Do you remember the movie, “Because of Winne Dixie”? It’s one of my very favorite movies.. Opal is adorable, and Dave Mathews is wonderful, but my very favorite character is Mrs. Gloria Dump.  Remember when Opal describes how she felt when she was talking to Gloria?  She said,

“I had been waiting for so long to tell a person everything about me, I couldn’t stop. I told Gloria Dump everything. And the whole time I was talkin’ … Gloria Dump was listening. I could feel her listening with all her heart, and it felt good.”

I want my family to know they can have that whenever they want to. I know boys don’t always want to talk to ‘mom’ but, I want to be there when he does and in the meantime, I want him to know with certainty that he is loved in every way I can.

4) That stuff I just talked about goes for the time with my husband too. I could really go on and on about this one.. but I’ll keep that stuff to myself.. the bottom line is, it’s important.. loving these two. The internet & TV.. not so much.

5) Lately, I have been comparing myself to other artists, moms, you-name-it’s… a lot…and people have always done that but with the internet, it’s magnified… there are so many out there that really do appear to have it all together, while I sometimes often feel like I’m just scraping by.. seeing all these ‘together’ moms has the potential to leave me feeling like a huge failure. As I mentioned.. the internet sucks me in.. and once it does, the comparison trap is inevitable… I know this is more a problem with what’s in me than it is with the internet.. but, I just want a break from it. Also, as an artist, I need to create.. but for a while, I need to do so without the temptation to look and see what everyone else thinks about it and how it measures up.. It’s my heart out there when I create something and I always feel really good about it because it’s truth in it’s most raw form, but then I put it on the internet and if no one likes or  notices it, I feel horrible.. I know this is lame, trust me.. I know this… but I have discovered where this feeling stems from…it has recently been brought to my attention that I kind of hate myself.. harsh, right? I adamantly refused to even consider it.. at first.. but then I paid attention to my both my inner and outer dialog, and realized that it’s (sadly) very true. I’m an approval needer, people pleaser, please, please tell me you like me kind of person.. ugh. My defalt is: “Please.. someone, anyone… tell me I’m worth it. Tell me and make me believe I am worth something.” .. The good part? Things are changing.. now that I KNOW, I can make changes, I can recognize my strengths and  I can now say without fear that I’m a smart person and know that I’ll figure this out and overcome it! (The old me would never have said that, let alone mean it!) I’m also pretty sure that half the battle is realizing the problem. It took me many many years to realize this issue, and it’s only been about 2 weeks since I did but I’m now catching myself before I berate myself or out of fear withhold saying something etc… I’m feeling ok with myself for the first time in a looong time… another important step is that I’m saying no to projects that I just can’t take on and feeling good about it. This particular issue has become a HUGE one without my even realizing it.. and it began affecting my work. I was spread too thin because I could not say no, even jumping up to offer help when I was already strapped… of course I never saw it this way before, but after the comment made about my hating myself, it became crystal clear why I did this to myself.. I wanted approval and I would kill myself to get it. .. unfortunately, in the end I only disappointing people and myself because I was not able to get things done when I had promised them.. you know the rule of thumb to, “Under promise and over deliver”? – I did the opposite. I’ve done it  a lot. I simply could not say no and it really hurt me in the end by damaging my reputation. I have to deal with this. For the first time in a long time, I feel like it’s ok to love myself.. or.. I’m at least try to take action in making loving choices for myself… and that person; the tv, internet dependent one.. she’s not good enough because I have to believe that I *am worth something.. I *am valuable  (and.. I have to say it, “Gosh darn it, people like me!” hee!) Not because I’m perfect or more realistically, trying to give off the illusion of perfection.. but just as I am, I have as much value as the girl in line with me at the store or that  snobby blogger who consistently snubs me.. I want to believe that. I’m working on believing that. With humility and a good measure of grace.

So, even though we’re mid-season and I won’t know if Crosby and Adam will do well with their new venture or not, I just have to do this. I’m giving it up until I’ve got some things worked out.

The practical reasons for this post, are to let you know that:

• I will be taking on a full work load over at Aeolidia, so if you need any design work, now is the time! I’ve been working on projects with people on my own as well as with Aeolidia, but to simplify my life I’m no longer taking on private clients through my site at this time.  So, if you need work done, please contact Arianne at Aeolidia and let her know that you’d like to work with me. I’ll be unhampered with internet and tv leaving me pretty darn focused! I’ve been doing all sorts of fun projects lately from creating repeat patterns for fabric to cute PDF’s that clients can offer to their blog readers and as always logo’s, logo’s and more logo’s! I love doing it and really enjoy getting to know such great people!
• I will only have access to the internet/email (bi-weekly). I am pre-scheduling a couple times a week that I will get out of my cozy scarf & pajamas, put on actual clothes, cream on my face, at least a little bit of blush, grab my laptop and head out (into the fresh air and sun, where real people exist) to a Starbucks or a friend or family member’s house to chat and use their wi-fi.. thus de-hermit-ing (de-hermitting?) myself AND doing something productive. I will let you know which days this will be and if you happen to see me at Starbucks while I ‘get my fix’ please do come over and say hello!
• I will no longer be able to be reached at my personal email address. (duh) Please use my work address or contact me via my contact page ONLY.  For those of you who ‘know me’ –  just call me, text me or better yet, stop by! I *am attempting to be more social here! Ugh.. ok.. moving on…
• If you have emailed me in the last few months and not gotten a reply: I’m really, truly sorry.  I could try to explain, but if you replace the nachos with cereal and orange juice, it’s pretty much EXACTLY like THIS. And, I’m sorry. Truly. That was crappy of me. If by some chance you are willing to forgive and you really still want a reply, please try again… Your chances of getting a reply during the next 6 months is pretty darn good.. as a matter of fact, I’ll prolly type your ear off!
• I will continue to blog during this time!  Yep, I will pre-write my posts and publish them on said pre-scheduled days! I saw a blog once that had the little sign up stating that the writer was “blogging without obligation” and I’m sure you’ve noticed that I tend to blog that way myself.. I mean, life’s messy, you know? Alas, it has also been brought to my attention that some people don’t do things like that and they get miffed if you drop off on your blog and then step in and keep going a while later without explanation.. but rest assured and try not to panic should this happen! THIS is most likely the explanation and nothing more. K?