New look, new products!

You may have noticed my new blog banner (if not, scroll up, silly ;)), but did you notice my new shop banner? AJ the Purple has undergone a little makeover :D I've got a new logo:

I think it's pretty fun :) And with a new logo comes new banners :D I'm really excited! Soon, in addition to the new blog banner, I'll have a total blog makeover! But more on that later.

I'm also adding NEW things to the shop! I'm now selling COLOR prints!!! I'm so excited to be able to offer these now :D There are two already in the shop, with more coming this weekend. PLUS, I've drawn some new monsters. So keep an eye on my prints section!

 

Happy Saturday!

3 Things Friday

Happy September! (Yes, I realize it's the 3rd, but I've been busy!)
This week:
The good: I'm working on redesigning my portfolio and it's going to be AWESOME!
The not-so-good: My sister was in town briefly, but I didn't get to see her :(
The best: I finished two logos for two lovely ladies, and I'm so happy with them!

Pommes Frites is on vacation mode, but you should check out her shop & blog!
Assorted Musings offers wonderful goodies and insights in her shop & blog too!

Have a great weekend!!! xo

You Amaze Me, Pentagram

Pentagram is a design firm with offices in London, Berlin, New York, and AUSTIN! Their office is actually right next door to my father-in-law's (I believe they helped design his logo). But that's not why they amaze me. They amaze me because they make beautiful designs!

They create products, identities, and packaging...

They offer signage, architecture, and interiors...

And they design print, publications, and books!

(You may note that the last one is published by Phaidon ♡ Also, all photos from Phaidon's website)

And they are all beautiful. One day I'd like to be as talented as they. And that is why you amaze me, Pentagram!

Ties That Don't Suck

I saw these ties at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art yesterday, and was so pleased! They have tons of styles and are so neat :) They even have a unicorn one ♡

The topography and the wind turbines are my favorites ^_^ Which is yours?

Just stopping in...

...to say hi!

This is a busy week! Last night I did my first Craft Academy live video chat. There were some technical difficulties at first, but I had a lot of fun! I was really glad some people made it in :) [By the way, the 4th of July Party Packet is on sale! Only $10 for lots of fun stuff :D]

Today's list:

1. Bid for a small freelance project *nervous*
2. Prepare for Craft Academy video tutorials *organized*
3. Interview for graphic design position at a local magazine *anxious*
4. Record with Renée *fun*
5. Make salsa for 4th of July parties *yum*
6. Couch to 5K run *needed*
7. Etsy Austin Stitch 'n' Bitch! *excited*
8. Pack! *prepared*

The hubby and I are driving to visit my parents tomorrow in Fort Worth :) We're planning to stop in Waco (Texas Ranger Museum) and hopefully Dublin (mmm Dublin Dr. Pepper!!) on the way. Then Saturday we'll drive from their house to my sister's in Houston (she's having a party Saturday). And Sunday we'll come home to go to my in-laws' party (and maybe a couple others). *whew* It's gonna be a busy week!!

What are you up to?

Etsy Finds: Letters

You may have read my Sunday post on alphabet furniture. Letters were still on my mind, so I looked around Etsy, and here's what I found :)

Custom wood letters by JCBloomingBoutique:

DRINK by bijoucreek:

A metal ampersand (one of my fav symbols!) by projecteur:

Handmade XO letters by OldNewAgain (love their work!):

Large wood letters by Hindsvik (these are our initials, so I couldn't resist ^_^):

Letterpress block replicas by gfout:

And fun letters by compulsivecollection:

I have so much fun ^_^

What's your favorite letter?

You Amaze Me, Alphabet Furniture

For some reason, I'm completely in love with letters. It must be the graphic designer part of me. We have a couple 8" A's in our bookcases (for Alex & AJ), but I would love a whole display. Of course giant letters can be really cheesy (see millions of little girls' rooms), but they can also look quite stunning!

Check out this awesome letter bookcase by Pieter de Leeuw:

Or these great alphabet drawers by Kent and London:

Or this beautiful letterpress wall art by Andy Beers:

The Dharma Lounge - "Stand, Forget, Breathe, Acknowledge & Observe" - by Palette Industries:

LOVE this alphabet furniture by Set26 - comes in all 26 letters!

 

Is it a bench? A lamp? An art piece? It's Futura by Modo Luce:

I think I just need an entire house made out of letters. Don't you think? :)

Thanks for reading, and happy Sunday!

Etsy Finds: Greeting Cards

I searched Etsy high and low to find some awesome greeting cards! I love all of these for separate reasons :D

I love this Thank You Card by finedaypress for its simple beauty.

I love these Woohoo Greeting Cards by IttyBittyPress because they're exciting!

I love this Nerd Greeting Card by InvitaPaperStudio because I'm a nerd (and it has a great style!):

I love this Make a Wish card by craftedbylindy because it has cupcakes AND a polaroid!

I love this City Scape greeting card by blancucha for its modern, architectural design:

I love this Get well card by DankhCreations because band-aids are cute:

I love this Bling Bling engagement card by claireeyedesign because it's funny (and it rhymes!).

I love this You Rock greeting card by glademade because sometimes that's all you need to say:

I love this Sweet greeting card by LittleLadyCompany because it's short and sweet ;)

I love these Illustrated cards by SomethingBunny for the awesome illutrations!

So many lovely cards! Well done, Etsians :)

PS: Soon I hope to have some cards in my shop, too ;)

You Amaze Me, Wine Bottles

Today we're taking a look at beautifully designed wine bottles. I think everyone has chosen wine based solely on the label. I think Alex and I are even worse because we're graphic designers! One day we'll learn about wine, but until then we sit and ponder over which is the best designed label before we buy (haha). Check out these awesome wine bottles!

This first one is actually a concept design (by Death By Colour), but I'd buy it!

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As the wine disappears, the label becomes clearer! How neat :D

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Simple and beautiful:

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Clever promotional packaging:

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Prettyyyy and eco-friendly:

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Monster Vineyards by Brandever:

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Okay, the casing of this wine turns into a lamp. Awesome. Check it out here.

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Maybe I should just become a product/packaging designer. How fun would that be?! In the meantime, I am impressed and awed by great wine labels and packaging :)