Thursday, May 28, 2009

i'm very happy







these came in last night, and it was a nice surprise. i've been waiting for this item to be produced for so long, and i'm sooo glad that they turns out so well. these notecards has the color and paper quality exactly how i imagined it should be. they're up on etsy and you can get it in a pack of 4 of only popsicle or breeze or mixed colors.

Friday, May 15, 2009

happy friday!


top: preview of my illustrations for summer cards. 
bottom: grandma's apple tartelettes photo taken from  tartelette.

happy friday! i'm taking a week off this coming week for 2 reasons, national stationery show in new york to hopefully find items to round up my collections, and separate myself from the day to day grind. hopefully this trip can refresh me so i can come back charged! with that i leave you with the preview of my work. it's the sketch illustrations for social cards inspired by summer. also, a great apple tartelette recipe from this blog that i look at not only for the recipes but also the beautifully taken photos.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

communicate slowly

image: GARDEN personalized flat note card via 175designstudio's shop

the act of writing down on a note card and then sending it out via traditional mail is the type of ritual with a certain emotional satisfaction and joy.

i grew up with pen pals, sending out letter to people, and then receiving replies. these days what i see in my post box usually are bills, dvds, and/or promotional coupons. even with bills there just have been less of it since mostly i use electronic bills. but once in a blue moon, i would receive a paper invitation. mostly for weddings, but sometimes there are for birthdays or other parties. for me, opening that envelope is a joy... it's a tactile thing that i can see and touch. like opening a gift. and what i love most about it is that when the time comes for the party, i can grab it and then head out and have the address and information in my hand. of course, during holiday time, to my delight, i sometime see greeting cards filled with the notes from my friends, whom usually i have scarce contact with. 

the advantage of using electronic as the means to communicate is it's cheap, fast, and convenient. but that's what it is, it's cheap fast and convenient, with less emotional rewards. it's like eating a frozen dinner as opposed to cooking dinner. it may be not from scratch, help may be used using everyday conveniences, however, for people who are dear to you, seeing you taking a bit of time to prepare a meal is surely a joy to see. this for me describe my feeling receiving a nice card to text messages or emails. it's more intimate, more involved, and more effort appreciated.

this GARDEN personalized note card with envelope surely bring that taking the step to send out someone a note, to say thank you or just because, an easy thing to do. this card comes with a kraft envelope is sold in a set of 25 for $35. buy it online in my  etsy store. it's personalized with your name on it and it's also a great gift item. the paper is using 100% recycled with 30% post consumer. 

let's slowly communicate with people who are dear to us!

++sharon++

Thursday, May 7, 2009

touch of [white]

the reason i love print is because i'm able to touch it. while gadgets interest me, i think i'll have a hard time replacing books with a reader. i will miss things like the way paper make a sound when flipped, or the look of ink on paper, or the weight of a book. and these senses for me is heightened when things are done by white on white.

it's been quite sometime that i'm obsessed with white on white. always love it. this combination intrigues me. the 'void' of color (white is a color, but for print, white is not color since it's usually meant the paper's color unless it's a reverse color or print on a color paper using white ink... but i digress) can be replaced with texture. it's interactive, because the void of color creating a prominent texture.  

wall pop by Genevieve Bennett

image taken via The Urban Lifestyle blog

there might be not too many things that are done this way, and i had a hard time finding it today. however, these 2 examples above express what i love about this combination. the way it plays with light (for wall pop) and the use of different 'white' creating a very warm feeling (the room). i'd love to have rooms like that at home, but being accident prone, i don't think it's a good idea. ^^

++sharon++

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

kimchee and the likes


image is taken from Cultured.

i was going through my email, and saw one from Daily Candy.  Usually I just read the article a bit then move on. However, this morning, when I saw this picture, it took my attention because I was surprised by the packaging. It's unusual to see such packaging for a kimchee product. It's nice to see something that's unusually nice packaged in the realm of grocery items. I love the straight black lid with the clean bottle look. The label is simple, but it has the feeling of high end without trying too hard. What intrique me is the juxtaposition of old world food (kimchee) and modern packaging. It's not easy to find this type of packaging in the US grocery. So I'm really hoping that there will be more and more interesting packaging to come! ^^

++Sharon++


Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Nice review...

175DesignStudio's etsy store was mentioned by WHATdesigners.com blog. Thanks Lesley for such nice review! ^^ Click here to view the video.

++Sharon++

Friday, May 1, 2009

i can't help it


image courtesy of joya shop. fragrance diffuser set.

i wasn't supposed to post anything today, but i can't help it after seeing this candle. it's from Joya. I love love love the wonderful ceramic packaging. A cool japanese origami feeling with a flair of drama. ^^

++sharon++