Rustic Fall Invitations

A few months back, I did this watercolor email save the date for Joel and Jazmine, my most country friends.  This organic handmade style carried through to their invitations, but with colors shifting from spring to fall.  Their wedding came just on the cusp of superstorm Sandy, and was the last beautiful weekend in the area, with leaves bursting with every color.  Their invitation fit right in!

Art for Hurricane Relief

As many people know, the East Coast was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy two weeks ago.  Here in Jersey City, we lost power for days, some for weeks, and had severe flooding, down trees, live wires, and other scary things.  It was the worst storm the area has seen in centuries and has certainly made me more empathetic to disaster victims.  Personally, I didn't get it nearly as bad as some others, which I'm grateful for, but there are lots of people whose lost homes, cars, and even loved ones.  Houses floated away—that's insane!

To raise money for hurricane relief, I'm selling these prints out of my studio shop.

All proceeds will go to the Red Cross of Northern New Jersey.  The 8" x 10" piece was created from linoleum block and hand printed, so each is unique.  For only $20, it's a great way to show your support, make a donation, and get a little something to take away. 

You can order with PayPal using the email address stillstrongnj@gmail.com.  Or visit Studio Heart to Hand for one click ordering.  

Thanks for all your support as we continue to rebuild!!

Here's a few more pics of the details.

A little line art street art

It's been a while since I've posted about street art, so two super cool and super different pieces.

The first is the latest mural on the Houston/Bowery graffiti wall.  Very Asian influenced (the artist is Tokyo-born Lady Aiko), I love the girly but edgy color palette.

I'm also picking up little Lichtenstein

Smooches

At the other end of the spectrum is this poster sized line drawing of some guys jammin'. It was spotted adhered to a wall in downtown Jersey City; artist of course, is unknown.

Love the fluid lines, oh and don't forget to vote

Funny how these pieces are so different in scale, subject, and line style, but both use lots of white space and defined black lines (though the first are actually made up of many small shapes). 

DIY driftwood jewelry holder

Several months ago, I went trolling around the New Jersey side of the Hudson River bay on the hunt for driftwood.  Among the discarded styrofoam cups and syringes was a gem of a piece.  At about 2.5" x 1" and about 2 feet long, it had just the right amount of wear that I knew I'd one day find a purpose for it.  That day turned out to be last Saturday, when I finally used it to create this jewelry holder.

Making it was a piece of cake! Read on to learn how.

Things to love: hand-carved wooden stamps

I pulled these super cool wooden stamps out of the clearance bin at one of those Tibetan new age hippie shops on Bleeker Street.  They would be great as stamps or even displayed on a shelf.

Can't wait to use these!

A Graphic Pattern for Autumn Save the Dates

When the bride told me that she wanted something bold and that she "hated flowers" it was certainly a breath of fresh air.  While there's nothing wrong with script font and a floral design, being able to do something different once in a while keeps designs from getting stale.  She knew what she liked: a pattern, Fall colors that don't scream "Fall", and the letter P as a monograph (both their last names being with it).  My job was make these things work together to create something cool.  The result uses mature Autumn colors to create something that's a little modern and a tiny bit rustic, with one big graphic statement.

I'm really into double sided printing right now.

A close up of the big P and banner.

Invitation suite is currently in progress!

A classic invitation set

This traditional and elegant wedding invitation suite was created for Lydia and Rodrigo, a sweet and social couple living in Washington DC. 

For who don't know, DC is prep-city, but a pretty awesome place to hang out nonetheless.  Lydia and Rodrigo both grew up in the area and with their wedding at a country club just outside the city, this style fit perfectly with the scene.