The Studio Creations

Happy Easter

2011-04-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

I know Easter is really not about the eggs, but how can it not be when you have these precious little things laying around?

Martha Stewart went above and beyond when creating these.

Beauty to my eyes.

Hope you all enjoy it!

grass inspired

the graphic designer's egg!

Inspired by India

2011-04-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

So for my new project in school, we were assigned to design tea boxes using some sort of "out of the ordinary" structure inspired by a different culture/country.

I've always loved the beautiful colorful fabrics and jewelry from India. I'm also very inspired by the very spiritual and holistic way of life they live. So I figured, why not?

As I was searching for imagery to start conceptualizing, I came across this beautiful blog by Emerson, who took these gorgeous pictures that are so inspiring. I thought I'd share it with you all.

Emerson Made, the brand created by Emerson, sells very unique items from skirts to big flower brooches that I'm dying to get a hold of!

Hope you all enjoy it.

pictures by Emerson

scarf by Hermés

Alice + Olivia

2011-02-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

Hi peeps,

Hope everybody had a wonderful V day and that you got to enjoy such special day with your special one.

I've been having a mellow extended weekend since I no longer work in the service industry and I now am officially a FULL time student.

Having said that and being the procrastinator that I am, I had a little extra time to take a look at some of the looks from Fashion Week at Style.com.

I love a lot of the collections I saw, but I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE the Alice+Olivia one in particular. I could literally see myself wearing every single look they showed. It's such a feminine and romantic collection.

As an unemployed student I'll keep dreaming of them....

Here are some of my faves: (and a few from uber talented Jason Wu)

Alice + Olivia

Jason Wu

All pictures by www.style.com

Happy V Day!

2011-02-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's everyone!

I found this adorable picture (by dottie angel) that I wanted to share today.

Holiday Sale

2010-12-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend, The Studio is going to be part of a wonderful Holiday sale at Clay Space in Brooklyn, NY.
If you're out and about come visit!
You'll see great ideas for your holiday gifts!

Clay Space holiday sale

Clay Space is located @1205 Manhattan ave Greenpoint, suite 2-4-1

Obsessions

2010-10-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Because I have absolutely no time to write elaborate things, I thought I would just share my new obsessions with you guys:

- My Pictorial Webster's - a Visual Dictionary of curiosities by John Carrera - That I wish I could just stare at all day and night (Pictures by Vicky - her blog is great by the way)
- And 1800's to early 1900's type. I just ordered a copy of Type: A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles and I can't wait to receive it already! I collected a few pictures online to show you why I'm having an anxiety attack! (Here are some more great pictures and description)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
xoxo

Picture of Pictorial Webster's by Vicky

Type: A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

T&T - year 2

2010-10-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

I know the subject today is not so design related, much less The Studio's business, but I really felt like sharing this very special day that was my 2nd anniversary!

Last Friday my husband and I took the whole day off to celebrate OUR day, and it was great. So here are some pictures of what we did together. Things we rarely do these days because we are so busy.

Next week I hope to have pictures of my newest projects to share with all of you, and hopefully get some feedback on them!

Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

xoxo

The beautiful autumn bouquet my hubby gave me

Message in a bottle in a shape of a heart. My gift!

I can never not cry when I read his cards!

On our way to lunch!

The place for lunch! If you are ever around Brooklyn Heights you have to try out this restaurant. Not only the food is superb, but the view is gorgeous.

The view

Us!

The beautiful centerpiece

DESSERT!!! We were fighting for the last bite. Pistachio ice cream with dark chocolate cookies! To die for!

Us and the view

Posing for the photographer on Love Lane!

On the way home

Mi amor

Dinner at Jack and the Horse tavern

The car

In line to see Too much light makes the baby go blind! Hysterical!

Our ticket!

The theater and the end!

{ The Saga of the first month }

2010-10-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

A cup of coffee to wake myself up in the morning, and a cup of tea to make me go to sleep!

As I mentioned on my last post, literally a month ago, I took on the adventure of going back to school. I thought: You know, I'll do school work Monday through Thursday, make nice soaps on the weekends, update my blog and my Etsy shop on Sundays along with my usual "cleaning day" and life would be busy but great!

Wrong! I was totally wrong.

School is great and yes, I'm learning a lot of good new things...but let me tell you I was not expecting to have "brain pain" like I do every night!!! It literally hurts when you have to think so much and so deeply into details of every single thought you have.

So yes, I haven't had a life, and not even 5 minutes to write a quick blog post, nor read one from any of my favorite blogs list, which is kinda sad. But I hope it's all for a good cause, and that in the end it'll be very rewarding.

A couple of great things that did happen last week in school: 1) I found THE MOST beautiful typography book of all times, and it's called "Phillips Old Fashioned Type Book". I took a few shots with my camera to show you guys some of the old type that back then was drawn by hand. It's 250 pages of pure art. I could just stare at these pages for hours looking at the details. Just beautiful...

2) I got to go to the Cooper-Hewitt to see the "Why Design?" Exhibit.

"Inaugurated in 2000, the Triennial program seeks out and presents the most innovative designs at the center of contemporary culture. In this fourth exhibition in the series, the National Design Triennial will explore the work of designers addressing human and environmental problems across many fields of the design practice, from architecture and products to fashion, graphics, new media, and landscapes."

If any of you that is reading this post right now live in New York, you HAVE to go see this Exhibit. It is probably the most intelligent show I've seen in a long time. The level of thinking that goes behind the development of each item or material is absolutely incredible.

I couldn't resist to buy these beautiful Japanese masking tapes at the museum store. They will look beautiful on my holiday cards!

I can't decide which one I like the best!

This is a special collection that Cynthia Rowley designed for Band-Aid that was also being sold at the museum. One dollar from the sale of each tin will go to Design Ignites Change, an organization that engages high school and college students in design and architecture projects that address social issues in their own communities.

It is a beautiful collectible item!

So stay posted because I really hope to have a little more time to share what I'm learning with you all, since I haven't been making much progress on my business side!

Have a great weekend everybody!
xoxo

Yes, I do!

2010-08-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

Gift basket for my friend's wedding

Here you can see their names on the products

An improvised basket that turned out pretty nice!

Since I started selling at Etsy, and by that I mean really selling, and not just having my shop name registered, I've been asked by a lot of people if I make gift baskets. YES, I DO!!!

I love making those. I can custom make them, and print names on the packaging as well, which makes it feel even more special.

The picture you see above is the first basket I put together for my friend's wedding (see pictures of the wedding bellow!). I was in Brazil and because of that I didn't have all the resources I have here. I bought the heart shaped tray/basket at a local market and just finished it with some of my mom's supplies. The lotion's packaging had to be improvised because I couldn't print on fabric there since I didn't bring what I needed with me (you can see the final lotion's packaging at Etsy). But overall, this is one idea for a basket. I'll be working on some new ones for a couple of orders that I already have (from friends) and I'll post new pictures as soon as I have them.

I just started school yesterday and I'll be overwhelmed with the projects I already have and The Studio, but I'll make sure to share it all with you.

The Wedding ceremony

by Marina Lomar (the website is in Portuguese, but you can see her beautiful pictures)

Love!

Enjoying the party!

Dessert table

Very special friends

Bride . Me . Groom

Have a great week!

xoxo

Lattes and cupcakes

2010-08-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

So this past week and this coming Wednesday I'll be subbing my good friend at Arlo's coffee shop.
(I work at Arlo & Esme on the weekends as a bartender until The Studio can be my bread & butter -don't ask me how I do it all because I don't even know.)

It's so much fun to be able to 1. have as many lattes and cappuccinos as I want 2. work in such a pleasant atmosphere with cool people 3. try to design on the foam (which I never get right).

I was looking online on how to do all the crazy designs you'll see in some of these pictures (that are not taken nor made by me - I really just grabbed them online and made it look prettier), and I found out there are even competitions on it! It's called Latte Art. Some of the videos will blow your mind. It looks so easy, but trust me, it is not.

Anyway, as I had my free time while sipping on some delicious Kobricks coffee I read about this wonderful designer Jessica (through my friend Rachel's twitter) that runs Volume 25. Guys you have to check out her stuff. She is incredible. She's already designing cards for the holiday and I want all of them!

Last week she gave out these graphics so kids can cut out and build their own cupcakes.
I don't have kids so I downloaded them for myself!!!! I love them! You too can do the same. They are the most adorable thing I've ever seen. I put some of the pictures here, but you can download the full thing at her website.

I hope you love it as much as I do!
Have a good week everyone (and check out our store, I'll be adding new products today! Oh and if you're around downtown Manhattan stop by for a coffee on Wednesday - 42 East 1st street between 1st and 2nd avenues).

Arlo & Esme

xoxo

First Feature! Yay!

2010-08-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been so hectic for me trying to get my shop set up, create new products, develop more packaging, and mainly trying to understand everything that goes behind the scene on how to make things work.

There is so much time that has to be put into a good description, good photos, tons of valuable information on each and every product, that my mind is going bananas!!!

I swear I have woken up in the middle of the night this week with nightmares about work! Everything is new to me, and I always worry about my own expectations.

So waking up today and seeing my first feature on a different blog was the best reward I could've asked for. I can't thank you enough, Joanna! This makes me wanna push myself to the limit, even if it includes nightmares and carpal tunnel!

Thanks all of you that appreciate my work, you're the reason for The Studio to be here.
xoxo

Happy Monday!

2010-08-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

by Simple Blueprint

I hope you all had a great weekend!

I took some time off and decided to be lazy at the park on Saturday. The weather was beautiful.

So I finally opened up my shop at Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheStudioCreations) - yay for that! But haven't finished uploading all the products yet. It takes so much time to write all the descriptions...

But as I was browsing my favorite blogs this morning I found this wonderful post on Simple Blueprint (where these pictures were taken from).Very inspiring ! Just what I needed to begin my week. Let's hope for lots of energy and creativity for the week!

Happy Monday everybody!

available at Etsy (Eva Juliet)

Incredible Night at Etsy

2010-08-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

picture by ecceprint's shop at etsy

I'm so glad I decided to go to the Etsy studio last night for the Craft Blogging Panel Discussion.

As you all know I'm new to this business and a lot of times I find it so hard to keep up with work, blogging, tweeting, "FB"ing, etc. So it was very, very helpful to sit down, enjoy some deliiiiicious beverages and snacks (yes, they had all that for us!) and listen to these amazing and successful ladies talking about the blogging business.

Better than that was to meet and chat with all of them (and some other incredible people that was in the audience) afterwards. I can't get enough of that place and the craft community!

Check out some of the work they are doing:

http://www.swap-bot.com/
"Swap-bot is a community where swappers can connect, share, and have fun. Swap-bot was originally created to be a tool used by blog owners to facilitate mail swaps with their readers."
http://www.rljart.com/blog/

That's Rachel's personal blog filled with fun pictures and stories!

http://www.tonyastaab.com/

Tonya is a party planner and she has some great tutorials.

http://indiebizchicks.com/
Crissy is great. Here she shares business and marketing tips for women that wanna make a living for themselves.

http://www.louisegale.blogspot.com
This incredible artist shares her portfolio and inspires us with her talent.

http://dianegellatly.blogspot.com/
Diane writes about holistic healing and wonderful things to fuel your soul.

http://www.thehoneypietree.com/
Check out her amazing quilt pieces and great GIVE AWAYS!!!

http://www.agasunset.com
Aga designs incredible jewelry using a Polish technique that is so intricate and beautiful.

Tonya's cupcakes!

Don't they look yummy?

Beauty to my eyes: The Dieline

2010-06-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

This coming Fall, I'll be finally going back to school for Packaging Design (it took me almost 29 years to decide!). I'm so excited I can't even describe it.

I've been obsessed with packaging for as long as I can remember.
"Pretty design" always helped me decide what to buy ( kind of awful, I know, but it's the truth). So, for that matter I've been following The Dieline for quite some time (www.thedieline.com).
"The Dieline is dedicated to the progress of the package design industry and its practitioners, students and enthusiasts. Its purpose is to define and promote the world’s best examples of packaging, and provide a place where the package design community can review, critique and stay informed of the latest industry trends and design projects being created in the field."

I love the work they showcase there. I picked a few of the latest ones that I thought were just beautiful.

Hope you enjoy it,

T

A wine label that double as a poster. No adhesive, just a rubber band,
so you get to keep the poster and return the bottle. Pretty smart! by Bendita Gloria

Packaging for Marypat Pastry Shop by Wallnut Studio

Student Spotlight: Michael Gump Jr. - Pure Bake Shop

Branding and packaging project for a pâtisserie in Monterrey, México.
by Anagrama (highly recommend looking at their portfolio -
Loved every single piece)

How much can you stare at this logo? I'm fascinated. Beautiful illustration.
www.aperfumeorganic.com

Topshop new makeup line packaging - feels as if they bought the
product and with a sharpie designed the rest of the packaging. Beautiful!
( The nail polish is my favorite)

Tea Bag coasters. How genius?
"Once you remove the teabag from its packaging and steep your tea, you can place the soaked bag on top of thepaper envelope to reveal artwork."
We're not sure how much water the paper could absorb, but who cares? We'll make it look prettyand then dump it, instead of just throwing it out in the first place!
by Yuree S Lim and Jleun Yang (no link)

I'm late, but I made it!

2010-06-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hola everybody!
Sorry for being out of the loop for a while. I decided to take on a 9 to 5 temp job so I could make a little bit of extra $$$ to help out the business. It sucks because there is not much energy and time left for my creations, but what is another 2, 3 weeks gonna change in my life?

With that said...I haven't been checking my Twitter account very often. There is not much going on in my "Corporate America" life, and I don't want to just post uninteresting things such as "I just answered the phone and served coffee to this super rich guy".Nah!

But it just happened that I wasn't doing anything or feeling inspired, so I decided to check Twitter to see what's going on outside my cubicle these days.
I'm so glad I did because I then found out about The Score! swap in Brooklyn.(Score! is a roving pop-up free store). You basically join their e-mail list, gather stuff that you don't want anymore, drop it off when you come in, and grab as much as you can carry with you!
It was insane!!! What a great event!
The goodies kept pouring in and I didn't wanna leave. The entrance for 3 bucks (with rsvp) was the best money I've ever spent. I wish I had arrived there earlier so I could still grab some of Etsy's goodies. But I scored two amazing books I've been wanting to read for a long time and a vintage night gown that were worth the walk on a 90 degree day.

To join their e-mail list go to http://www.scorepopupswap.com/

Also, one of my favorite blogs is in need of our help. She needs lots and lots of comments on her post. (And she's giving away amazing goodies). So, please "let's help the sister out"!

http://thebrightsideproject.com/archives/4783

Till next time,

xoxo

4th of July treats

2010-05-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

So last week was pretty intense at work(bar) and that lead me to "no energy and time" for much soap and candle making.
I did come up with these little party give away, all natural Melt & Pour soaps, for the 4th of July celebration. They'll be on my etsy shop hopefully by the end of this week (that's the plan!).
Again, they can be done however you want it, in the shape that you want, for your perfect party.

Speaking of 4th of July parties, I was out for a few hours this past Saturday and I took a peak at Club Monaco's new summer collection, for those interested in fashion, and I have to say how much I love every piece. The all white outfits were extremely elegant and crisp, perfect for a summer party. If you think you can get away with it at a barbecue and not get messy, go for it! Otherwise save it for a nice cocktail party (or use one of their spring looks still available online).

Spring look

A little bit of The Studio

2010-05-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

My hectic desk!

Making wonderful scrubs

Nice batch of cold process soap

Melt & Pour cookie shaped soap. Perfect for weddings, baby showers or whatever occasion you can think of. They can be wrapped(I'll post a picture of that soon) or just "served" in a tray or a nice plate!

Same for this little guy here! All natural Melt & Pour soap.
You can also custom make it with a shape and color you have in mind.

The Beginning

2010-04-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

THE STUDIO CREATIONS was born inside my soul a long time ago, but it's doors opened in January of this year (2010).
The idea when I started the project was to diversify my Graphic Design portfolio and be able to get some freelance work while I tried to go back to school and finish my degree in Packaging Design.
The "problem" in the process was that I started having too much fun with it!

For as long as I remember, I've making "things" with my own hands. My mother is an incredibly talented crafter and I learned a lot of the basics with her.

I began making my own soaps a few years ago when I started to concern myself with what goes in and on my body. There are too many chemicals out there these days and I didn't want any more of it on my skin. I went a step further and started studying the power of Aromatherapy. This way, not only my products would smell good, but also BE good for me and all my friends and family (I didn't think of it as a business back then).
So at first, I'd give these handmade treats as gifts, along with a greeting card I would design. The response was always so gratifying that I felt I could probably try and turn this passion into my full-time job.
That's how THE STUDIO was created.
I absolutely love to learn how to make new things, and I love spending the time and making every single piece a unique one, be it a candle, a soap, a lotion or a card. The more I make, the more I wanna make. My Studio has endless possibilities of creations. I feel like I never want to stop!
Everything is made in my little kitchen out in Brooklyn Heights, NY, with a lot of care and love. (My neighborhood is definitely part of my inspiration!)
I hope you enjoy the bits of our lives (The Studio and me!) that will be posting here and please be a part of it! Your feedback is very appreciated!

Love,
The Studio Creations