Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was pretty quiet. A planned weekend in the country visiting friends was hit on the head on Friday when my husband came home from work feeling terrible. Let's just say 4 hours in a car would not have been a pleasant experience for any passengers! We did however, have a lovely picnic at the botanical gardens in the city yesterday.

The lovely Amanda over at Calico & Co. is featuring Buttercup Ink in today's Monday's Spotlight. If you aren't already a daily reader I'd suggest you get involved! A beautiful blog about all things design! Don't forget the code word to receive your free gift with any purchase from my Etsy shop!

Well, the sun in shining so G and I are hitting the park!

V xx

What's been happening at Buttercup Ink HQ?

Sorry for being a little quiet on the blog front this last few weeks. I've been busy talking with retailers about stocking Buttercup Ink products. It's proving to be a difficult time as the gift trade fairs have just taken place in Melbourne and many retailers have finished with their purchasing for this year. I've received lots of lovely feedback though so all positive! Looking forward to being in a position to show at the trade fairs next year.

I've also been working on my Christmas collection and newsletter. I'll share more with you in the coming weeks. The Christmas collection is going to be fun and non-traditional. No greens and reds! It still amazes me that 90% of Christmas cards in Australia have snowmen!

My parents also booked their next trip to Melbourne and are coming for 5 weeks in October. Really looking forward to seeing them. They last saw Gabriel in March so will get to see all his new tricks! We're going to go up to Noosa with them for a little holiday in mid November so I've been busy organising that too. I could sure do with a little sunshine right about now!

V xx

Custom christening invitation

I've just finished work on this custom christening invitation. I just love the buff yellow and soft grey tones. Spring is most definitely almost here!

V xx

Wholesale catalogue now available!

I've been hard at work this last week getting my wholesale catalogue finalised. It's published on issuu. Check out the link in my sidebar >>>.

I've got a few retailers interested already which is really exciting. My first order is for Redbird Books - a beautiful new book/gift/coffee shop in Seddon. More details to come!

If you are a retailer and are interested in stocking Buttercup Ink products just drop me an email. I'd love to have a chat and show you some samples.

Have a great Thursday!

V xx

Business by Design Market

Last Friday was the Business by Design market at Fed Square. It was a really good day but man are those things exhausting! I made a couple of sales on the day with the note cards, particularly my emergency cards, being the best sellers.

It was great to be able to talk to people about my designs and also got a few enquiries about some custom wedding stationery.

Being a cold, windy Melbourne day, there wasn't as much traffic through as hoped for - a common feeling amongst other stall holders. Never the less, it was a great day and has definitely allowed me to see what customers are drawn to within my collection.

V xx

Stationery Swap!

I received my little package today from my partner in the Calico and Co. Stationery Swap. I was so excited! My secret partner was Samone from fabulous Red Letter Studio here in Melbourne. I think you'll agree my cards are kinda special! I just hope my recipient likes hers as much!

Amanda at Calico & Co. is also having a birthday swap. It's just so nice to get something non-junk and non-bill-like in the mail! I'd recommend you get involved! Thanks again, Samone!

V xx

The art of typography

Typography is a major part of my designs. I know other designers out there will relate to this but I can honestly spend an eternity searching for the perfect fonts to use in my designs.

Often there is a frustration designers experience when a client says, "I don't like the font. Can you change it all to Times New Roman?" Little do they know that you've spent a week trying to find the ideal font that works perfectly for their project! I'm learning to become less precious when it comes to font selection and will accommodate the client if they aren't going to budge - even after my rationale spiel about why the particular font has been chosen.

There is one exception... I will NEVER use Comic Sans. Never. Not even if my life depended on it!

There's a great article here all about fonts... enjoy!

Almost there!

I've been a busy bee these last few days and have just printed and cut my last item for my market next week. Just need to get my display sorted now. These markets sure are hard work. I don't know how all you regular market goers do it!

I wanted to share with you some of the inspiring displays I've come across...

Abbey Christine

Steppie

Sew Trashy

Lockette

Images from Craft + Show Designs

V xx

Magnolia Square market this weekend

I'm so excited about his weekends Magnolia Square market at Malvern Town Hall! I've heard so many great stories about it but never made it along before. It's a pop up market that they take to Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney over the course of the year. The focus is quality crafted products across many categories including clothing, accessories, gourmet food, stationery and homeware. Think I should give myself a budget, got to the ATM and leave my dear friend, Mr Visa at home! Otherwise it could get messy!

There's also a great blog called Magnolia Square Snippets.

Has anyone ever been to Magnolia Square before? I'd love to hear about your fav purchases!

V xx