This week's card of the week is Thanks Vines, featuring hand-drawn vines. The card comes in two different colorways - a grass green and a medium blue.
One of my favorite things about designing cards is when I'm able to weave the illustration into the lettering so it's almost seamless. Here's a few shots when I first drew the design.
The drawing was done at a much larger scale (about 8" x 12") than the actual card itself (4.25" x 5.5"). Thanks Vines is available as a single card or as a boxed set of 10 cards. You can pick it up in the shop here!
Did you know Happy Cactus Designs can create custom personalized stationery using any of our patterns?
Here's an example of a recent design we did for Christina using our "Zinnias" pattern.
These flat note cards for Victoria used the "Corazon" print on the back.
Any pattern or floral design you see here on the website can be used to create a flat or folded note card. We have so many fun and beautiful fonts to work with, and also offer custom hand lettering. Check out more custom projects here. And don't forget, we're always happy to work with you on an entirely custom and unique project. Email us at hello{at}happycactusdesigns.com for more details on custom and personalized stationery.
Happy Cactus is celebrating its one year anniversary this month and I thought the perfect card of the week this week would be one of the first designs I ever did - the Garden Blues floral patterned note card. Before I ever thought of actually launching a paper goods company, I spent a lot of time doodling and drawing, making cards for friends and family members. A lot of my doodling gravitated to florals. I was thrilled with how this particular design turned out - from the whimsical flowers to the array of blues. It will always be one of my favorites.
I've decided to highlight a different card from the Happy Cactus collection every Monday. Each card has a little story behind it and I hope to share the inspiration behind the different designs. Up first, one of my favorites: the "Corazon" heart print card.
The design for this card was inspired by little Mexican tin hearts. I have picked up a few tin hearts over the years from Tesoros in Austin and during a trip to Santa Fe and love the look of these little decorative ornaments.
A collection of tin hearts via Flickr
After coming up with an initial design, I ended up using a light pink and punchier magenta for the heart and a turquoise blue for the teardrops that appear to bounce off of the heart. For the background, I felt that a very light blue helped the colors of the heart really pop off of the paper.
The card has quickly become a bestseller since it was released in May. I had one customer tell me how she likes the design's versatility. It can be used for so many different occasions - as a love note, a congrats card for a new couple, an anniversary card, or just because! The Corazon card is available as a single card or boxed set of 10 notes here.
We had a great time this past Saturday at our first Austin Flea. We loved meeting lots of other local Austin artists, jewelers, and crafters, and appreciated all of the shoppers who came out on a hot July day!
I thought I'd pull back the curtain a bit and give you a peek inside my creative process. Each of the cards you see in the shop is originally drawn by hand - by me! So just how does a design go from an idea in my mind to a sketch to a finished card? Here's a glance at the different steps in my creative process.
Doodling
I find myself doodling a lot. My sketchbooks are filled with random drawings and words. Some go nowhere, some turn into the cards you see for sale on this site, and some I revisit months later with renewed interest. Here's some recent sketches I've done.
Pen to Paper
Usually I'll take a preliminary sketch I've drawn and create something in ink. Sometimes I sketch out the design first in pencil; sometimes I just go for it with ink and hope I don't make a big mistake. Armed with some very fine black ink pens, I'll spend time drawing the motifs or patterns on drawing paper. I'm lucky to have a very steady hand.
Here's the original ink drawings for Thanks Vines, Busy Flowers, and Zinnias. With both of the designs for Busy Flowers and Zinnias, I didn't have a set design in my mind - each piece just grew as I went along.
Clean Up and Color
I scan my artwork and use software on my trusty computer to smooth lines, clean up mistakes, and color the artwork. I love playing around with different color combinations and seeing the different possibilities.
The End Result
The final products printed, scored, and ready to be sold!
We're busy bees running lots of last minute errands for the Stationery Show and packing everything up! With so many new designs debuting at NSS, we spent a lot of time photography products. Here's a few close up shots!
