heysusy

Moving Day!

2011-12-01T14:13:36-05:00

Well, the day has finally come when I can show you what I've been working on over the summer, and into the fall. My new Susy Jack* website is now live, and starting with my next post, I will have a new home for my blogging, also.

Starting on Monday, I'll be posting over here at my new blog, exclusively. I'm thrilled to finally have my blog, shop, and studio in one venue. I hope you'll come and visit me often... I'll be posting more of my own work in style, pattern design, product design, and lifestyle, and of course, waxing poetic on paper clips and top hats, now and then.

See you on the flip side...

Can't wait. xo! S

Lucky You Lucky Me! { Hello!Lucky Holiday Giveaway }

2011-11-09T12:00:00-05:00

I know, I know. "What??? Two giveaways in a month?" But, I tell you, it's true.

This summer, I was lucky (pardon pun) enough to be one of several great artists to create a collection of customizable holiday photo cards with Hello!Lucky. The designs launched a short while ago, on their newly redesigned website.

There are seven styles to pick from - each one is fully customizable with photos, message, font and font color, and there are four panel accordion and two-sided flat formats.

So, to celebrate the launch of the H!L Holiday Shop, we're offering a giveaway of a $100 gift certificate to spend at Hello!Lucky - to enter just leave a comment below!

ps. If you like the Confetti card, stop in at How About Orange to download matching printable gift tags!
pps. to read more about the inspiration behind the designs, visit the Hello!Lucky Blog!

ppps. we'll close the contest on Saturday M

A winner will be selected on Saturday morning!

Website Redesign - Sneak Peek

2011-11-02T10:36:16-04:00

Hello, all. Now, I'm not one to get too excited about things until they happen-- preserving my excitement is something I've gotten really good at in the course of owning a business-- But, now that we're onto the testing and tweaking phase of the new Susy Jack website, I do think it's time to share a snippet or two.

Susy Jack's new home, I hope, will be a place where my products and my blogging will live side by side, in a unique space. The concept I've been working with is of creating a "home" online - and the visualization behind it has been thinking of the type of space I'd love to walk through in reality, with my customers and visitors. What kind of space would I want us to be in together? And what would our conversation be like there?

It's been amazing to work with this idea in mind, to create a site that focuses more on where my designs originate from, opens possibilities for designing in new categories, and offers an improved shopping/browsing experience for my customers... something more than a "look" - an experience I can share.

While I can't reveal the whole launch, I thought I'd post two functional elements I've added in which will be great additions - a magnifying zoom which I hope will enable visitors to "feel" the quality and detail of items as they browse (so important for smaller, more delicate pattern work, and faster than all that clicking through); and, an improved account setup...which I hope will be more convenient and easier for those of you who order repeatedly.

Finally, one of my personal favorite touches are the little rollovers for the account info area...fun details like the key in the image above. The horse above the cart (see below) being possibly my favorite of all.

OK - that's it for now...more to come very soon. x Susy

Credits
All design - created by yours truly
Ecommerce and web development - I am working with Aeolidia (who are great btw)

Crystal Vision

2011-10-25T10:15:29-04:00

I find crystals so inspiring... Don't you? Here are three images from my archives which I find particularly great. Lately I'm finding myself more and more drawn to natural geometries.

Today I hand off my final edits for the new website, and continue with some product development I have going on for launches next year.

ps. In case ypu didn't enter yesterday, don't forget the giveaway, which ends tomorrow. Win a gorgeous new writable calendar for 2012!

2012 Susy Jack Grid Calendar Giveaway

2011-10-24T11:27:11-04:00

My 2012 Calendar Collection is now in store, featuring a new, writable grid style available. It's full of color and pattern, and has a handy grid and notes column for writing in your to-dos. I've wanted to offer a writable style for a long time,and I'm so happy that this is the year! In celebration, I'm offering a giveaway. For full details about this item, please click here!

TO ENTER :

Simply "like" our new style on facebook and/or retweet it and leave a comment below. : )

The winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday at 12 EST 10/26, and will receive a 2012 Grid Calendar.

Keep on Dreaming

2011-10-21T09:25:30-04:00

It's been long time, I know, but I thought I'd pop in for a quick post to let you know what I 've been working on while I've been away from my blog.

The next phase is on it's way. With it, the end of this blog (probably in the next couple of months) and an updated home for me on the internet. I'm excited to say that susyjack.com will have a completely new design, which I have created over the past several months with Aeolidia's help, and it will house my shop as well as my blog.

I'm going to post a sneak-peek here shortly. I wish I could show you more, but my policy is not to reveal anything til it's 100% there.

This photo seemed appropriate: Via my lovely retail customers Mac and Murphy. Thanks for the smile! Meow!

When you care enough to send the VERY best.

2011-08-18T10:28:28-04:00

Hi Everyone. Well, today I turn thirty six!

I thought you might enjoy a photo a card my Mom sent me which I opened this morning.

It features a foil stamped message and rhinestone decor element which she has...um...redesigned. Damn, it made me laugh. You know, I feel so grateful to have people in my life who not only make me smile, but let me laugh with them, and who just plain "get it."

Truly, this photo up here sums up my personality to a tee. I'm no shrinking violet, and nowhere near perfect. Often I feel that I am too outgoing and overexcitable. But, I do love my life, and I love what I am, even though my own antics make laugh and ok sometimes cringe. While at times I wish I was more graceful, younger, less brassy, more this more that... in the end, I know none of that really matters. What matters is having love in your heart, humility in your soul, and an openness to letting life teach you about it's many unexpected wonders.

So, on that note...Happy Birthday Everyone!

Love, Susan

A poem I liked

2011-08-10T07:51:51-04:00

Here is a poem my mom gave me over the weekend that I thought you might enjoy. It is about something very simple, and simply expressed, but It made me think.

When I was a kid, my mom would come and wake me up at about 3 in the morning to go look at the stars. I would wake up and think she was nuts. But out I would go. Now, I am so glad she made me look. The sky has changed because of us, and it is not as dark at night, and you can't see as many, anymore. But I remember how it used to look, and I'm happy to be one of the people who was able to see that.

More about Robert Francis - and links to more poems and books - here

Working to get calendars out to the printer today... and press releases sent for the winter. More news on new designs to come. I'm very happy to see that the little snippet I posted on facebook got some nice comments and likes. I've been working really hard, so that feels good.

Fabric Prints

2011-08-05T10:04:50-04:00

Here comes the weekend...and I am going to be heading upstate tonight, for a few days with my family. I'm really looking forward to it. I had a very busy week...visiting Printsource, preparing and sending holiday gift guide pitches, and working on a major revision to my website. In related news, I've been sampling some fabric printed with my designs, and I'm really enjoying the process. Up here are a few test prints. These are not quite right yet, I am still working on scale, color, and other details in terms of product...but I think they look pretty good so far, and I wanted to share them.

I have to say, seeing my designs on textiles has ben a longtime dream of mine. Now that it is slowly becoming reality, it's taking some adjusting to. But it's very exciting for me. I feel a bit self-conscious sharing these, but even though that's the case, I wanted to share my excitement with you.

Have wonderful weekends all! Here is to making dreams happen, even if it takes a while. x S

ps. have some paisley.

Swatchbook

2011-07-26T10:42:29-04:00

Happy Tuesday all. Just thought I'd share some pattern work, today. Things are moving right along here in the studio, and I am in the process of designing, organizing, and working on some aspects of my business that I am excited about.

Next week, I'll be attending (not exhibiting--attending) Printsource here in NYC, which is one of the premier surface design and textile design tradeshows in the industry. It occurs a couple of times each year. I'm really looking forward to it. The past couple of years have brought some amazing pattern and licensing opportunities, which I didn't plan on when I started my business -- and it's an area of growth that I've greatly enjoyed, so I am going to head over and check out the show this year. If any of you are attending, let me know!

More soon. x S

To Heaven in a Handbasket

2011-07-25T10:45:09-04:00

A line I've always liked for it's color choices has expanded. Serena and Lilly started with baby bedding and now...well...I think the garage may be the only area of the home they aren't extending into. Unless you need a Moroccan pouf or two as decor for your garage. And hey, who doesn't, really.

My personal favorite product of theirs are their Senegalese baskets. These are lovely for so many reasons -- fair trade, made of recycled plastic -- and sold in sets OR singles for storage. But, I think my favorite thing about them is the way they use color in a new and innovative way. The classic shape and construction of the basket is brought to a new place with colors that *almost* fight with one another...and contrast in a really interesting way. These have an edgier feel than the rest of their line, and I also like them for that reason.

See all the varieties here

Weekender { Spinning Yarn }

2011-07-22T11:00:25-04:00

Good Day! Just popping in, as I have a design-day planned and need to get on it.

I hope your weekends take you to many weird and wonderful places...real or imaginary.

Textile Art Yarn Paintings by Mandy Besek found here (Note: I've silhouetted them on white to get the full visual effect of the yarn's form on the page).

BAG HAG

2011-07-20T10:03:36-04:00

Hi All. A short post today. But if looking at this bag makes you feel as good as it makes me feel...well, I think I've done my job.

Found here!

Delicacies { Lace Eggs }

2011-07-19T14:20:26-04:00

I thought these handmade decorative lace-etched eggs were a really fun follow-up to the antlers that I posted on Friday. There is something so interesting about the choice of an egg for something so intricate and painstaking as this lace carving...the contrast is really quite striking!

Found here. You can also watch a video of these eggs being created by artist Beth Ann Magnuson here - not only does she carve them, she hand-draws their designs. I highly recommend it!

Makers Mark { Rachel Rose }

2011-07-18T10:03:38-04:00

You know how sometimes, you see something someone made and it just says "Hello!" ...And it just looks so RIGHT to you? Well, that's how my mind responded to Brooklyn-based Rachel Rose 's creations when I came across her shop over the weekend on Etsy. The combination of these hand-created ink dot pattern explorations and the simple standard template for the shirt itself really delights me.

In other news, I worked on a little sewing project of my own this weekend, which has been a longtime dream. I am learning to make my own clothing. I have always wanted to be able to make my own clothes, because I can almost never find what I want in stores. So, I hope to share a little more about that later in the week, or next week.

Enjoy your Mondays All!

Weekender { Headgear }

2011-07-15T12:56:59-04:00

I would love to meet the animal who grew these... Perhaps our paths will cross in a dream... anyway, their twists, turns, and graceful shapes of this antler sculpture art seemed like an appropriate send off to le weekend!

These naturally shed antlers are lovingly painted by Cassandra Smith and available via her Etsy Shop. I think they would make a great decor item for a coffee table -- so they could be seen "in the round". What do you think?

Have a wonderful weekend, and to those of you who commented, tweeted, and facebooked about the Susy Jack and Blue Sky Target items yesterday, a huge thank you. Your support means the world to me, and makes me feel so good!

x s

New Susy Jack at Target!

2011-07-14T10:41:19-04:00

Good Morning, All!

I'm back with some happy news. The Susy Jack for Blue Sky Home Series has just launched at Target. I couldn't be more thrilled about the way the products look, and beyond that, they are super useful-- geared towards that tricky intersection where home, life, family, and work meet - one of my favorite spots to design for, as some of you know!

My own favorite features of this line are it's durability, upbeat mood, and stylish combination of brights and neutrals. The sizing of the calendars is also fantastic, with handy portable and larger versions.

There are a few other samples of to-do pads and shopping lists - so I'll post images of them when I receive them.

Anyway, if you are popping by a Target, I hope you will check out what Blue Sky and I have created together. The line can also be purchased at the Blue Sky website.

Top: Warm Tone Hanging Door List Pads and Dry Erase Weekly Calendar - love the grommet detail!
Bottom: Cool Tone Purse Planner, Wirebound To Do Agenda, Dry Erase Schedule Organizer and Note Caddy
Below: Warm Tone Purse Planner, Wirebound To Do Agenda, and Oversize Horizontal Planner.

images via Blue Sky, by Ken Greenlee

Water Lilies

2011-07-08T10:29:40-04:00

Just loving the colors in these beautiful fashion watercolors by Cate Parr of Silver Ridge Studio.

I particularly like the one on top because it has a mood...and goes a little beyond just a picture of a pretty face. I also really like the pieces where she shows the full figure of the model, or part of the arms... with a kind of watercolor filigree.

Lots more here in her etsy store - plus some lovely originals, and affordable art giclees.

Have wonderful weekends, all! x s

Decor J'Adore

2011-07-01T09:22:05-04:00

Normally I try very hard not to post things from Anthropologie here. Not because they are not beautiful, because they are...but because I want to show you guys that I try a little harder to post things from places that are not the usual suspects, and since Anthro gets a lot of blog play, I feel like that territory is already covered. Hopefully, you know what I mean.

But, the other day I did come across this shelf set, which I think is wonderful, and because of it's simple style, I thought it fit right in here at my blog. Actually, I think whoever is picking the furniture for Anthro these days is doing a great job. They have some really great pieces that are very simple - not over-ornate or too thematic. I also thought this couch was great. The colors are different, and I like the way the design uses the contour of the couch. By NY textile artist Fred Shand.

Circular Shelf Bookcase Here
Fred Shand Sofa Here
Fred Shand's Site Here

Have a wonderful 4th of July Weekend, everyone! x S

Please Be Seated { angela angle's chairs }

2011-06-28T09:18:47-04:00

I came upon Angela Angle's interior design work on Monday and found it really interesting. There is something very different about the way she uses space, color and furniture. Do you see what I mean from the photos above?

I was especially taken by some of the concepts involving chairs. After all, chairs are for sitting. But they also have personalities of their own. She uses scale, color, and placement to create not only a somewhere to sit, but a new personality that is waiting for you to come into the room, and a feeling of a dreamily separate space, colored by memory.

More to see here. Also worth noting are her bedrooms - so simple, kind of hotel or summer house esque. Underdesigned but fascinating. I really like the way they feel.

Something Blue

2011-06-28T08:51:19-04:00

In bloom...

As a remnant of the past...

or from within...

Summer Lovin { flip flop bangles }

2011-06-27T10:05:18-04:00

I have horrible feet and the idea of wearing flipflops gives me hives.

However, I suppose I would wear these. Yeah. I would.

And the price is nice too. Only 9.50 for 10

Weekender

2011-06-24T14:58:11-04:00

Just a couple of quick sketches... I like the way they feel together Kind of fun and folksy yet modern in their color. These are grabs from my monitor. I think the top one would make great wrap or cotton fabric, and the bottom would make a really nice silkscreen for wallpaper - where the brown is kraft color/substrate, and the red and white are the inks on top.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Wood Works { parquet inspiration }

2011-06-23T11:46:28-04:00

I am not really a decor hound. But there are a few things that I am absolutely firm on about where I live. Wood floors are one of them. Walking on a wood floor after being somewhere with a concrete or wall to wall floor, to me, feels almost as good as walking on the grass after spending too much time on the street.

Add a great pair of artisan crafted boots to the equasion, and you have the satisfying, clunk, clunk, clunk sound that the cowboys made when they walked into the saloon in the old days. Now *that* is a treat to be savored!

While more appropriate for waltzing, rather than spurs a jangling, the pattern designer in me is totally in love with anything parquet at the moment. I just adore the contrast in the grain, and the lovely geometry in the motifs. It's such a great synthesis of the predictable and the natural.

More about the art of Parquetry Here

and it's sister: Marquetry, which involves curved wood Here

Enjoy!

****update**** forgot one! see below...this may be my fave!

Father's Day

2011-06-17T11:35:34-04:00

Well, Father's Day is coming up this weekend, so I thought I would bookend my prior post on Mother's Day with a little post about my Dad. See Dad? I told you I would!

When I look back on my childhood and days growing up, I often think how different my Dad was from all the other dads. Many of my friends' dads were very predictable and taciturn-- no, let me rephrase that-- they were downright BORING. But my dad was always an early adopter. He was always doing, saying, and encouraging the unpredictable... offering an alternative vision... and taking the road less traveled. Often quite literally.

There is always an alternative, and authority should always be questioned...if not, on occasion, disregarded entirely. Often, that is what our family chose, and we still do; and this stems directly from the Tao of Dad. While being different is not always the easier way, it is more fulfilling, and richer, and more amusing.

So, before you go doing what everyone else is doing, or doing something just because everyone else is doing it, consider the alternative. Before you go getting something new, see if you can fix what you have. You might not be able to, but it will make a hysterical story if you can't. Before you discard something old, look for the history in it. Before you pass something off as different, ugly, uncool, or even downright weird, ask yourself if that's really true, or if it's just new to your eyes. And...and this is important...don't let anyone ever tell you what to think. Because you can think for yourself, and it's more fun.

Thanks Dad. I love you!

Come Away With Me

2011-06-13T09:32:51-04:00

Image via Cuba Gallery

Greetings Earthlings...

Well I am back to my blog after a time away. You know...sometimes, the internet just overwhelms me, and I realize I am spending way too much time online, and not enough doing the things, and being with the people, that help sustain me. I start feeling kind of scattered and lost. And when that happens, I know it's time to hide for a while.

Lately, I find myself collecting lots of textures...an interesting thing for me to do since for so long, my design style has been about flattening everything out. Over the weekend, though I had a little cold, I assembled this grouping up here. The Scrummy surfer Baja look is trending pretty big right now...so I wanted to add some of my own picks. The trick with this look is to add the right notes that say one is AWARE of the trend, without looking like you've been sleeping in the same drug rug in a beach shack for 40 hazy nights. Although, actually... that could be fun, too.

Love this creatively rough way accent a structural accessory: here and here
The geometric accent on this bag gives an urban edge: here
A really versitile and wearable way to channel the iconic Drug Rug: here
And,I can't figure out if I like the bottom or the top of of this huarache wedge sandal better: here

Grubby Mitts

2011-05-23T10:19:53-04:00

Happy Monday, All. Not a huge post for today...but hopefully a nice one all the same. I am going to be pretty busy this week doing follow ups from the Stationery Show and making sure all the New Product is ready to ship out on time.

But I really loved these little gems from The Lake and Stars...and consider this pattern design to be really interesting. Thumbprints -- perfect for underwear. But I can also see these as a really interesting exploration on...say...white denim jeans? I think they're at once really trend forward, quite beautiful and expressive...and yet pretty funny, without being overly ironic. What do you think?

Images found here

Collection News

2011-05-20T09:56:02-04:00

Good Friday Morning, Everyone. Well, what a week it has been. I have to say, I'm pretty wiped out physically and mentally right now, but in so many ways, this week has been a turning point. Up here are a couple of images of what I have been busy with.

The top image is a new pattern I've created for paper, called Kilim Weave, which was probably, to my surprise, the best seller. I wasn't quite sure if the paper market would really like the sort of tribal look. But, I really wanted to celebrate a design style that is so inspiring to me, and to adapt it for paper.

A little history on the Kilim shape -- it is actually, in weaving, the symbol for a star. At this point, I found that particularly inspring, both from a personal and professional standpoint.

The bottom is an image of my booth at the show

I've definitely got thoughts on the show, and on the state of business in general, so I hope to assemble them sometime soon. I will tell you that this year, the Stationery Show was different. I can't exactly figure out how...but will be thinking about that more.

Have wonderful weekends all. Anyone who came by at the show...thank you so much. It was a pleasure to see you, speak with you, and get to know you better. Susy

***update***
Perhaps you've been following this post over at Design Sponge...it's quite interesting, and is something I was thinking about prior to working on my collection, and to participating in the Stationery Trade Show.

I've never done this before, but here's a video I made on the topic. I highly recommend you watch the initial video on Design*Sponge first... and this one by Megan Auman too.

On Innovation and a Recent Trade Show from Susan Connor on Vimeo.

Showbound! { National Stationery Show 2011 }

2011-05-12T09:21:52-04:00

Well, it's that time again...

I have participated in the National Stationery Show for three years now, and this will be my fourth. I am so excited to debut my newest collection, Near and Far, and my trio of 2012 calendars. It's been amazing to see things really come together over the past couple of weeks, as the finishing touches are added, one by one.

Up above, images of the catalogs (Ignore the puffy hand. It's hot in here today and my knuckles are livin' large!)

Lastly, a picture of a special packaging design touch on the reverse of my new boxed notes - inspired by a conversation thread on Twitter about the changing relevance of the handwritten note in today's busy world. It was my opinion that the handwritten note is actually more relevant than ever because it is exceedingly rare, and that makes it more meaningful, and more of a style statement. Your thoughts?

I hope to share more images as the show progresses. I am heading over today to begin preparation on our booth.

Mother's Day

2011-05-06T11:36:03-04:00

Well, Mother's Day is coming up, and I just thought it might be nice to use that as an excuse to post a couple of cool mom photos. The top photo is of my mom removing a splinter from my paw in our back yard. My Dad built that picnic table. The bottom is of my mom on the back porch of our Turquoise Mansion.

I often sit around and think about my childhood. Sometimes, I stop and think, oh my gosh. I can't believe how great my mom was. She was different than all the other moms in town. She took charge. She got involved. She got her hands dirty. She was strict, yet loving, never trying to be my "best friend". Instead of buying me clothes and Barbies, she taught me how to make impressions of animal footprints with plaster. She made pinatas. She sewed our clothing. She made me a Tee-Pee. She indulged me, but taught me the meaning behind indulgence. She was down to earth and realistic. She taught me to look around and notice the world. Notice how other people feel. Include people. Be polite, but don't be shy.

She still is truly different. She goes to Socrates club and then out to gamble on the same day. She embraces life and has herself a good laugh. And with her, I have a good laugh, too. I am so lucky she is my mom!

Although I don't have kids, and don't plan to, I find that "motherhood" is really something we can all take part in in many ways; comforting, nurturing, and just being there for one another...accepting each other, and laughing together, are just a few.

Dad...you're next. So don't be jealous. I already have the photo picked out and everything.

Love, Susan