Working on it...

Hey guys! I'm working on some new product as we speak. Things just got a little busier at work (Which is good! KEEP FINGERS CROSSED!) so the new products are taking a little longer than expected. I'm so sorry! But hey, maybe the longer I wait, the sooner the economy will get better and you all can buy my goods, right? :-) Eh, wishful thinking. I know. But anyway, here's what's coming.

• recipe cards, both personalized and non-personalized
• wine tags
• book plates

The recipe cards will be up first... like... w/in a day or two. The wine tags and bookplates will be a little while, but I'll keep you posted!

Now, tell me something. I'm toying around w/ the idea of selling PDFs on Etsy. It makes both our lives easy. It's cheaper for you, and you don't have to wait for a package to be shipped. I don't have to hand-cut and package and ship anything, so it's easy for me. Would you be interested in this? Send me an email or post a comment!

I think I'll post a few items as both a ready-made paper good and a downloadable PDF and see how things go. If you have any thoughts or wishes, please let me know! I'd love to hear them, since you're the ones keeping me going!

Currently loving... Jaqk Cellars

I'm in love with Jaqk Cellars, a collection of wines from California wine country. I love it a lot. Which is kind of weird b/c I've never actually drank the wine. I've never ever seen it in the store. I've only stalked it online, drooling over all the pretty pretty on the website. I stumbled across it while on The Dieline awhile ago and immediately went to the winery's site. I signed up for receiving newsletters--why? I dunno. B/c it might enlighten me somehow? B/c on top of the other 1757 newsletters/email blasts/stuff I get in my email I need to add one from a random winery in San Francisco whose wine I might never experience? B/c the bottles are just really pretty? I like to be on top of things, which causes me to sign up for way too many newsletters that I think I might read. That, and b/c I like deals and sales and the best way to know about these things is through email blasts. Once in awhile, they come through! So anyway, I'm getting off topic.

JAQK CELLARS. It's hot. The graphics are gorgeous. Some are intricate, some are simple. Some feel old school, or like cut paper! Some feel sparkly and sprightly (the sauvignon blanc)! But I can't get enough! Just look!

You can probably see this larger if you click on it. So apparently two of the three founders for this wine place also started their own branding firm--Hatch Design. I'm going to call it a "branding firm" b/c I really don't know what else to call it. Their About Us page has a simple statement that ends with "Hatch Design helps new products and businesses get off the ground, and helps existing brands soar." Huh? Great. Cool. Love it....so what is it you do, exactly? Do they really design the stuff or are they a consultancy?? Do they sit around and talk about their feelings? Probably yes to all of the above. Nice work if you can get it, right??? Designer by day, sommelier/winery owner by night--SOUNDS LIKE THE LIFE TO ME! But whatever it is they do, whether they design stuff themselves or hire people like me to design things or just know when to pick a pretty picture, they did a fab job. And thanks to my penchant for signing up for newsletters, I received the glorious graphic at the very beginning of this post which inspired me to tell all you beautiful people about this delicious find! (pun not intended...or maybe it IS intended...I can't decide)

So for all you people who like a little more substance and not just looks, this brand is very smart. They actually have instructions online for playing certain card/party games (Texas Hold Em, Charades, Botticelli--whatever that is). Cool, huh? Way to enrich your brand and bring meaning to the brand name and graphics.

Alright, I just wanted to inform and inspire. That's what I aim to do! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and if you get the chance, DRINK A BOTTLE AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, kay?! Thanks, babes.