New website / New blog / Longest post yet

I'm finally done with my new website for my freelance design business! Well, I don't know if these types of things are ever totally done, its more like done-ish. And I also completely redesigned my logo since my last blog post about it. So I'm feeling pretty good, this was a huge project for me with lots of second guessing and commitment issues along the way. Not to mention a crazy learning curve of learning web design. Now I get to move on to the less agonizing, fun stuff like business cards, custom stamps, and new designs.


My new site does have a blog and I am going to be posting regularly about design projects, self-employment, inspiration, free fonts & design resources, shop promotions etc. over there. If you're interested in that type of stuff, please add it to your reader or sign up to get the posts automatically sent to your inbox (there's a grey link on the left side). At some point I am planning to start blogging more personal posts again, like knitting & crafty stuff, but those will be on a new personal blog that I haven't set up yet. Honestly, as much as I am looking forward to it, it is pretty low on my priority list right now. I am going to leave this space up until I figure out what to do with it, but all the blogging action for now will be coming from the Sibling blog.


There are quite a few other ways to connect with me and see what I'm up to, and I'm going to list them below. Everything I've read and observed tells me that part of the equation to success as a self-employed artist/designer is actively promoting your work and engaging with your audience. To be honest, constantly throwing up tweets, blogs and facebook posts about what I'm working on or what I'm trying to sell is not something I feel super comfortable with. I try to make it as un-spammy and genuine as I can, but I really hope that people will determine for themselves what level of "all things Alisa" they want in their lives and follow (or not) appropriately. Here's the break down:


Sibling twitter & facebook
design & studio related posts, shop announcements, conversations with you


Sibling blog (you can add it to your reader or have posts emailed to you)
all of the above but with more words and pretty pictures


Sibling newsletter (sign up box on the left side of the site)
an email once every month or two briefly announcing new products or upcoming events


Alisa's personal twitter
attempts at humor, phone pics of my cat and the sweater I will be knitting for the next 5 years, making friends with strangers, necessary daily interaction with the outside world from my home studio


Alisa's personal facebook
same as above but with the addition of adorable niece and nephew photos and no swearing


Alisa's Pinterest
everything inspiring I see on the internet


I want to say that I really appreciate the comments and encouragement you guys have given me in this space. It has helped me get a little more comfortable with sharing, something that I think is a struggle for a lot of creatives (is that a term I use now? Oh dear..)  I am not above asking you to keep me in mind and refer me if you or someone you know needs design services - I have an obligation-free form on my website that makes it easy for people to request an estimate, whether its a big project or a small one. Also, if you see something I post on my social media empire outlined above that you like, please share it. Shares and pins are super helpful when it comes to getting new visitors (ie potential clients) to come to my site; each of you are the first wave of the ripple effect.


Lastly, I am not down with all receiving and no giving. Spreading the word and supporting my friends creative endeavors is an activity I really enjoy, so if you're working on a cool project or have exciting news that needs some internet love, send it my way. I love hearing about what everyone is working on and I also love to share it. 


New year, new life. Cheers!

Needle felted toadstool ornaments

These are the ornaments I made for this year's freshlyblended Handmade Ornament Swap. I've been wanting to try needle felting for a while now and I'm really glad I did. These little toadstools were easy and quick to make, which was nice since I ended up making at least 20 of them.  I used this kit, which came with all the supplies and tools I needed. I think the toadstools are a nice continuation of the bavarian kitsch theme I have going with last year's cuckoo clock and 2009's accordion.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Etsy Sale

Just a quick heads up that on Black Friday (11/25) and Cyber Monday (11/28), all items in my Etsy shop are 20% off with coupon codes BLACKFRIDAY and CYBERMONDAY2011 respectively. Also, I listed some new holiday card designs. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Girl's Guide to Web Design: new session enrollment

The online web design class I'm taking right now just announced enrollment info for their next session, so I thought I'd share in case anyone was interested. The class is is structured so that you can go at your own pace, and right now I am about half way through it. Far enough to attest that it is so totally worth it for anyone (graphic designer or not) who is interested in learning to build websites or customize their blog. The class focuses on using the Wordpress platform and you can do as little or as much hand-coding/site customization as you want - no prior experience necessary.


For the new session, they are offering two different tracks at two different prices. You can get all the info and/or enroll here. If any of you have any questions about this for me, feel free to hit me up. This class has helped me a lot so I just wanted to share the love!

Michigan Holiday Cards ~ now taking orders

I just finished designing five new holiday cards, including this Michigan cookie card. All of the cards will be available to purchase individually at Detroit Urban Craft Fair, Tiny Expo in Ann Arbor, and in my Etsy shop. However, because I am only printing a small run and there are so many of you out there who are passionate about spreading the mitten love, I decided to make larger batches of this specific design available for order. These cards are designed and produced in Michigan and printed on Michigan-made paper from French Paper Co. They are priced at $4 each and the special pricing for larger quantities listed below is only available if you order by 11/19.


If you would like to order, you can email me at alisa.bobzien@gmail.com by November 19th. Please be sure to include the quantity you would like, shipping address and the email address I should send the paypal request to. I will ship your order via USPS with delivery confirmation on or very near December 1st. The 5.5" x 4.25" cards are blank inside and each comes with a coordinating red envelope. If you will be attending DUCF or Tiny Expo, you are welcome to pick up your order from my table so you don't have to pay postage - just make sure you specify that in your email so I can invoice you properly.


Quantities (red envelopes are included):
8 cards: $20 + $5 shipping
25 cards: $45 + $7 shipping
50 cards: $80 + $10 shipping
75 cards: $100 + $12 shipping
100 cards: $125 + $14 shipping
over 100: email me for a custom quote


Anyone who tweets about these and includes a link back to this page gets an extra 10% off the special pricing! Make sure you mention 'twitter' when you email me.

Introducing SIBLING

Let's take a second to clink our imaginary champagne glasses and have a toast! After much (too much, way way too much) deliberating, I have settled on SIBLING as the name for my design studio. Not only does it fulfill my list of requirements for a business name, but it also references an important part of my life - middle child syndrome. Most people have only heard about the negative symptoms middle children often exhibit, but they also tend to be independent, easy going and extremely creative. Being the most middle of 5 siblings has played a pretty big role in shaping the way I communicate, relate to people, solve problems and thus, the way I design.


So SIBLING is going to be both the name of my freelance business and also my etsy shop. I will probably be in a transitional period for another couple of months and am hoping to start out the new year with my new name, branding, website, etc. SIBLING will have its own blog for design work on the SIBLING website, and this blog will transition to more personal and craft related posts. For now though, I am still going to post everything here. 


The logo is almost finalized and I'm just trying to decide between fonts. Feel free leave a comment and weigh in, especially you design peeps. I really appreciate it.

Font: Archer | I love this font, especially the 'S'.
However, Archer is everywhere and has a bad rep for being overused.

Font: Gotham Rounded | Modern &  friendly

Font: Knockout | I have loved this font for a long time so I know it has staying power for me.
This font family includes over 30 styles which makes it ultra useable.

Ornament Swap reminder: Last Day!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to sign up for the 6th Annual Handmade Ornament Swap! For those of you who don't know what it is, its a holiday event during which you make 10 handmade ornaments and mail them to your swap partners and then you receive 10 handmade ornaments in the mail. One of my favorite aspects of this swap is that its international ~ last year I received a tiny crocheted gingerbread house all the way from Poland.  Poland has awesome postage stamps.


Anyway, if you are crafty you should sign up and tell your crafty friends. All the info you need is here: http://alisabobziendesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/announcing-6th-annual-holiday-ornament.html

What's in a name?

I've been fielding a lot of questions lately from friends and family about my progress setting up my freelance business, and this week I've been forced to acknowledge that I've hit a major roadblock: the name.


For a lot of people starting their own business, the name is the first thing they think of. How I only wish that were me. Every couple of days I have a new idea for something that "just might work", start to get excited about it and buy the domain name quick before someone else does. Then I ask for honest feedback from my friends, family and design circle and the layers of doubt set in as I start to think about all the reasons that name might not actually work. This has been a cycle that has been repeating itself for over a month now, and the emotional agony is starting to wear on me and those closest to me, who have been so patient with my constant need for feedback.


The most important quality I am looking for in a name is authenticity. It needs to be approachable without being cute and have the ability to grow with me as my taste and style evolve. It needs to be professional but not corporate and something I can say out loud a hundred times a day without feeling ridiculous. It also should be simple and easy enough to spell, pronounce and remember. (Is it just me or is this starting to sound like that song from Mary Poppins?)


I'm not gonna lie, there is a huge part of me that just wants to say screw all that and use my sister's Harry Potter tribute idea - The Ministry of Graphical Arts. It's brilliant, right? But I don't need brilliant, I just need good. I woke up today and had a gut feeling about what that choice was; if I still feel the same tomorrow, I probably will just go for it. 


Has anyone else out there struggled with this? How did you decide? When did you know it was time to commit? Is there anything you wished you had done differently during the decision process?

'Tis the season for holiday craft fairs

Now that pesky Halloween is out of the way, I am happy I can finally let loose the full-force of my holiday mania. It's not that I don't like Halloween, I just feel neutral about it. Two years ago I realized that coming up with a fabulous costume idea and then executing it wasn't worth the disproportionate amount of stress it caused me, so I gave myself permission to skip this holiday. Plus, I hate scary movies, I'm afraid of the dark and I don't even really like candy. So now I just dump a mini bottle of Hot Damn in a mug of cider, look at everyone else's brilliant costumes on facebook and call it good.


On to bigger and better holidays - Christmas. I know even the mention of Christmas this early sets some people into a rage (I'm looking at you, twitter stream ) but I fall into the very small portion of the population who starts listening to holiday playlists while browsing flickr for photos of snow-covered alpine chalets as soon as November hits. I blame this on my parents who rarely got our tree up before Christmas Eve.. what can I say, with 4 children and an assortment of pet rabbits, turtles, chickens and a goat, they kind of had their hands full.


So, yes, it may only be November 1st but my holiday preparations are already in the works and I'm excited to announce that this year I will be a vendor at two of my favorite local craft fairs - Detroit Urban Craft Fair (Dec 3 + 4) and Tiny Expo (Dec 10). Mark your calendars and click the posters below for all the details you need to start planning your handmade holiday shopping strategy.

       

(PS - If you are also getting excited for the holidays and love handmade, you should think about joining this holiday ornament swap - its my favorite holiday tradition!)

Announcing the 6th Annual Holiday Ornament Swap

It's the most wonderful time of the year - the 6th Annual Holiday Ornament Swap is here! 

As many of you probably read, Nicole from freshlyblended is taking a break this year so I will be filling in as your host (Hi, I'm Alisa, nice to meet you!) Because this is my first time as a swap coordinator, I am moving it back to swap-bot to keep things simple. Other than that, the swap will be run pretty much the same as it has in recent years. Also, for those of you who are wondering, even though freshlyblended isn't hosting this year, Nicole and I decided to keep freshlyblended in the name so that everyone would know it is still the same swap.


To sign up, go to swap-bot and search for freshlyblended Holiday Ornament Swap 2011 (if you are a first time user of swap-bot you'll have to create an account). Please make sure you read through all the guidelines before you sign up. Another good thing to do before signing up is to check your calendar and think realistically about if you will be able to create, package, and mail 8-10 ornaments by December 7th. 


Here are a few of the crucial details you need to know:

Sign up deadline: Nov 7
Swap buddy lists emailed to you: Nov 8

Mailing deadline: Dec 7

flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1833514@N22/

twitter hashtag: #ornamentswap


If you are in need of inspiration, you can check out photos from past swaps here and here.

Feel free to email me (alisa.bobzien@gmail.com) with any questions, concerns, hosting tips, or just to say hi ~ happy swapping!

It's a damn fine day at Hello Kiddo

Just wanted to share this adorable appreciation photo from Hello Kiddo, one of my etsy customers. It's always so fun to get a peek at where my prints end up. Also, if anyone knows where I can find a lamp like that, hit me up, I want it!

Progress Report: Funemployment

I thought it would be a good idea to check in and let you all know that after three weeks of being home by myself every day, I am still sane! In fact, it suits me quite well - I'm a homebody by nature and I tend black out into my own little world when I am working on projects I'm excited about. I do miss drinking my morning coffee to the chatter of 8 hilarious/inspiring/sassy/disgruntled/hungover designers, but luckily those designers also happen to be my friends, and I think the near total dismantling of our team has strengthened those bonds even more. 


In between lunch dates, happy hours, and a flurry of emails soliciting advice and feedback, I've been keeping busy with logo project for my best friend's business, an online web design class (which I love so far and highly recommend), meetings about a new design venture, and the naming and branding of my own freelance business. It's too soon to post specifics about a lot of these, but I am really looking forward to sharing them when they are ready. I also just found out today that I am going to be a vendor at Detroit Urban Craft Fair in December, so I am going to be working on some new merchandise for that.


(I feel like this is the part where I should post a photo of me looking cute and productive in my home office. In reality, I am wearing an outfit that is equal parts pajamas and knitted winter accessories while talking to my cat who is ignoring me... nobody needs to see that.) 


I also need to give credit to my friend Amanda for coining the term "funemployment", which I have been exploiting full force on twitter. If people can get rich and famous for making up words, I nominate her. #besthashtagever

Liberty Local, this weekend!

I have a hard time believing any one reading this doesn't already know about Liberty Local Handmade Craft Fair this weekend, but I am just so amped up for it that I can't keep my cool! I've got some killer new shirts to sell, all the prints from my Etsy shop, and these sweet chalkboards that I've been working on all week. I drilled, sanded, scrubbed, primed, painted and printed these puppies all by hand and I've hauled them from the lumber yard to my apartment to vgkids and back to my apartment. They are a labor of love (but mostly labor.) I'm planning on doing some real product photos soon but I just wanted to get a sneak peek posted here before tomorrow.

 (This is a message for Sol, who is the king of leaving his dirty dishes behind.)

The fair is this Saturday and Sunday. You can find all the info you need here. Don't forget to bring $1 for admission, which will be used to support Ann Arbor Art Center programs. You should also check out the photo albums on the facebook page if you want to see what other vendors are going to be there, it looks like this show is going to be super quality. Hope to see you guys there, bring your friends!

New shirt designs & pre-sale info, hell yeah!

* UPDATE 12/19/11* The Hell Yeah and Constellation shirts are now available on etsy - get them here!

Announcing two new shirt designs! These designs were inspired by two of my favorite things about Michigan - the summer night sky and the enthusiasm of all the awesome people who choose to live here. They are $24 each will be available for purchase October 8 & 9 at Liberty Local, which I hope all you A2 people are planning on attending because I think it is going to be quality. I have no idea what to expect in terms or turnout or how many shirts to print, so I am taking pre-sale orders for those of you who want to guarantee a shirt in your size. Pre-orders can be picked up at Liberty Local, or I can mail them to you. XS and XXL are available as pre-sale orders only. A size chart and all the info you need to order is at the end of this post - the cut off time is this Sunday night (10/2) and we are placing the shirt order on Monday.

The shirts are unisex Alternative Apparel crews, which I like because they are comfy and have a nice fit. The sizing is more equivalent to mens sizing and they do run a little small - I wear a size small, if that information is helpful to anyone. The Constellation tee is printed on dark grey and the Hell Yeah tee is printed on grey heather. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Pre-sale Info

If you would like to pre-order your shirt(s), please email the following information to alisa.bobzien@gmail.com. I will then email you a paypal invoice for the cost of the shirt ($24/shirt plus an additional $4/order if you need it mailed to you). Once I have received your paypal payment, your order is complete and I will send you a confirmation email.

1. Which shirt(s) you want, size(s) and quantity. The options are Constellation, Hell Yeah Navy, and Hell Yeah Brick. Sizes available are XS - XXL.

2. A valid email address that you check regularly

3. Whether you will be picking your shirt up at Liberty Local or need it mailed. If you need it mailed, make sure you include your shipping address. Orders will be sent out on or around October 10.

Thanks for looking, hope to see some of you soon! 

I can't wait for Monday morning!

I'm serious. Tomorrow is going to be the best Monday morning I've had in 6 years because I don't have to go to work. What makes this particular Monday better than all the other vacation and holiday Mondays, is that there is no day looming in the future that I have to return to my job because I got pink-slipped.


Actually, there was nothing pink and no slip, but I definitely lost my job. My position and 13 others in our office were eliminated on Thursday due to "company restructuring". It wasn't a complete surprise, the company has been for sale for almost six months so we all knew it was going to be a possibility at some point. And I, for one, couldn't be happier. 


Don't get me wrong - I completely sympathize for my former co-workers who are feeling lost and worried. All of them are extremely talented and hard-working people who definitely did not deserve to lose their jobs. What I am excited about is that this is exactly the push I needed to jump head first into a successful career as a self-employed freelancer. This is a goal I have been seriously talking about for a while, and dreaming about for even longer. I know I should be feeling more freaked out by the uncertainty of the next year, but for some reason, I'm not. Maybe I am still in shock, or more likely it is the fact that the majority of my close friends are self-employed and seeing how successful and fulfilled they all are gives me confidence that it's totally doable if you are passionate and work hard.


So that's the plan so far - be passionate, work hard, and figure out the rest of the plan. I have a lot to accomplish in the next couple months, including naming and branding my business (finally!) and preparing for the upcoming holiday craft fair season. I will continue to post here about my work, events and inspiration and you can also find me on twitter (@alisabobzien), which I am totally addicted to. Lastly, if you or anyone you know is in need of design services, please keep me in mind. 


All together now, CHEERS!

Other things we did in Chicago

It doesn't feel quite right to post today without mention of Troy Davis' execution last night. I hope that if you haven't already, you would take some time to examine your own beliefs about the death penalty and voice your opinions to our leaders and lawmakers. That being said, I really am trying to keep my new goal of posting more often, and there are a few more things we did during our trip to Chicago that I wanted to share. So here they are, in list form, because Liberty Local is coming up and I still have a ton of stuff to do!

1. Took Amtrak from Ann Arbor: cocktails, knitting, and a billion episodes of Friday Night Lights

2. Stayed at The Wit: got massages, had a fancy dinner, and started every morning with coffee in bed and my blogroll. Loved The Wit, want to move in.

3. Got to meet my baby cousin Joseph, who was 1 day old! Seriously adorable.

4. Meals with old friends! 

5. Surprise trip to Textile Discount Outlet in Pilsen: bizarre, overwhelmingly wonderful warehouse packed with thousands of fabrics. Didn't find a single one I liked, but Aaron scored some great leather on the cheap. If you are sewing a  quinceañera dress or drag costume, this is your spot. It's also just a cool place to visit.

Aaron, Greg and Peggy (my in-laws) - thank you so much for spoiling me with this getaway, it was the best way to start my thirties!

Renegade for a day

This was my first time attending Renegade Craft Fair and I loved it. Being sort of an indie crafts fair junkie, I had high expectations about the quality and variety of work that would be there and I'm happy to report that RCF was all I was hoping it would be. We did a lot of shopping, sweating, business card collecting and met some artists and bloggers whose work I've long admired (um, that would be you Rachel Denbow, Tad Carpenter and Laura Berger!)


I scored the earrings above from Another Feather, and then we bought a million hilarious greeting cards from various booths that I will probably hoard forever instead of giving them to the people they are meant for.  We also indulged in shameless collecting of cat art. The first two prints are from Laura Berger and the third one down is from Matt Cipov, who was really nice and gave us one of his a sweet sloth illustration for free.

This last cat isn't from Renegade, but we have a print of it hanging in our living room and it didn't seem right to post all the other cats without including Angry Sailor, the cornerstone of our cat art collection. He's by JillianEvelyn.

So, Renegade was the jam. I'll definitely be back - my goal is to be there again next summer but as a vendor! 

New decade, new decisions

Today I turn 30 years old. I have a lot of plans for my thirties and even more ideas. And Aaron and I have a lot of decisions to make. What do we want for the next phase of our careers? Do we want to start a family? Own a home? Start a business? Try living abroad? Where should we focus our creative energies? And most importantly, when should we start our alpaca farm??

These questions are obviously going to take some time to figure out, but I've been warming up by making a few smaller decisions.


1. I am going to become proficient in web design. Yeah, I know the basics (thanks to my friend Pete), but I need to be able to build a site quickly and confidently from scratch. So I signed up for this course, which I am really excited about. It seems perfect for print designers who don't want to get left behind (that's me). 


2. I'm going redhead. My appointment is this Wednesday - pics to come!

3. More blogging. This is more of a goal than a decision, but I'm shooting for at least 1-2 posts a week on a regular basis. It doesn't sound like much, but its a significant jump from 1-2 posts a month.


Cheers to the thirties and indulging in granny activities without shame! 

Cuckoo Clock prints

I finally got some new prints finished! I think I've mentioned my love all things Bavarian - accordions, lederhosen, alpine folk art, bier, soft pretzels - all that stuff minus anything that begins or ends with "weiner". My great grandparents emigrated to the US from Germany so I think this affinity might be partly genetic. Unfortunately, not a lot of German traditions got passed down to my generation, but my grandpa does still talk to his cows in German and his brother Elmer always wore a plaid hat with a feather in it.

I thought these prints would be cute anywhere, but especially kids' rooms so I decided to do two different color combinations and keep the inks nice and bright. You can purchase them here in my Etsy shop.

Craft City at Buckham Alley Fest

I just wanted to post a quick announcement that I will be selling my prints in Flint next Saturday at Craft City at Buckham Alley Fest. I don't know where my table will be located yet, but I do know that it is an evening affair from 6pm - 12am. Hopefully there's a good coffee joint nearby. I'm also looking for company - who wants to hang out in an alley in Flint after dark with me? Come on, it will be fun. Like the olden times when we were 15 and loved going to punk shows at the Flint Local, except we won't have to beg our moms for a ride.

This is the Craft City's first year and I'm looking forward to checking out the local DIY scene. I'm also excited to debut a new print, which I just finished designing and we are going to print next week before the show. It's a cuckoo clock (shocker, I know). I'll post some photos after they're printed.

Here are some more links with info about Craft City and Buckham Alley Fest - I hope to see some familiar faces there!

Buckham Alley Fest (adult spelling bee! somebody sign up!)

Craft City FB event page

Flint Handmade