Studio Pebbles

Woot! Technology! + Freebie

Hey y'all! 

I hope this happy hump day is treating you well! I thought I would pop in and write a quick post to say, first: "THANK YOU!!" so much, for all the supportive comments (online and in private) about my last post. Really, when something like this goes down, and it does for a lot of us in this industry/community...not a lot of people get to talk about it openly. Having the support and care and concern from the people I have met and connected with over the years is REALLY the big reason why I still love the paper craft industry...no matter how much I am in it, or how little time I get to spend in the midst of all the fun. 

So again, Thank you!

Second: a BIG EVENT in the Pebbles household...I finally broke down and bought an iPad! WOOT! We've talked about getting one for ages...and not just as a child entertainment device (which you know it is ;P) but as something to help with business and design productivity. I realize that iPad + Productivity might sound like an oxymoron, but so far, it's not too shabby! 

Even though I haven't had it for long, I have managed to spend a bit of time looking into some apps that I thought would be good to try for designing on the go...and I am so happy with these first few that I wanted to share them with you today! Keep in mind, these are "creative" apps...which may or may not be useful to a majority of people, but I like them for what I do. I will have more to share regarding universal apps in a later post ;)

PAPER by 53 | Free (in-app purchases)

This app was recommended just about everywhere I googled...it's a simple "notepad' sketching app you can download for free and use to hand write notes and sketches. If I can remember correctly, it comes with a basic pen or pencil and some basic color swatches, but all the tools can be purchased for a couple of bucks. The value I have found with it so far, is in making watercolor washes, which I can export to my camera roll and use in my designs. Winner!

Notability by Ginger Labs | $1.99

Notability is one of the top 25 paid apps...and I can see why. This is a note taking application with a TON of awesome features (are you a digital scrapbooker? Seriously, I think you could do it on this with some pretty decent results!) I love using it as a project planner, especially using it with inspirational images from my Pinterest boards. I will take a screen shot of something that might trigger an idea...then I can add it to my page, hand write (lots of tip options for the pencil tool), highlight or type notes, crop the photo, resize it, etc...I can even add voice notes! I am currently working on a couple of projects where this has already come in super handy. You can export your notes to Dropbox or Google Sky Drive, or email them as a pdf, etc...really, endless options. For me, it's like an "offline Pinterest/Sketchbook/Planner." I think this would be great for those of you who collaborate with others on creative projects! 

Inkpad by Taptrix, Inc | $4.99

Last but not least, is Inkpad; a vector drawing app for iPad which is similar to Adobe Illustrator. My biggest reason for buying an iPad was so I could design on the go. Turns out, it's not that easy. I guess if they just had Illustrator for iPad, it would be a breeze...but they don't...so you have to hunt and peck and test a few different apps to find one that works for your needs. I like this one so far, beyond others I have tried. I narrowed down my choices of vector apps based on which of them allowed you to import fonts into the app...this is not something many offer, believe it or not. I haven't done it yet (on my to-do list) but you basically just upload the fonts you want to use into a Dropbox folder, import them into the program and boom! I find, so far, that this app is easy to get used to and allows me to doodle and design ideas on the fly, and then export them either as a .pdf or .svg, which I can then open in Illustrator on my laptop, and refine from there. 

So there you have it...what I have managed to find so far, in the first week of iPad ownership! Not bad, right? 

I'm still looking for an app that will let me design hand lettered art that has a painterly and calligraphic feel...but what I have tested so far in the popular design apps have fallen short. I'm thinking it's back to the basic pencil and notepad for that. Damn you Apple! DO IT ALL!!! 

Thanks to my new tools, I managed to make a quick little set of 3"x 4"printable notes for you to download for free! Project Life compatible, of course...hope you like:

Enjoy!! 
xoxoxo
-JP 

(PS: The preview image on the download screen looks a bit wonky, but it should download fine...let me know if it doesn't. Also, since someone might ask, my iPad cover is Orla Kiely for Belkin from Target and I do use a stylus for my drawing, but I will be sharing that info in a later post...with more goodies and fun...so stay tuned! :D) 

Random Favorites + A Bittersweet CHA

I had so much fun putting together my Fall Favorites round-up last week, I thought I'd keep going! I guess that's the secret to blogging, right? Keep posting stuff! :D In a renewed effort to maintain momentum and not make it overly complicated, here are some recent pins from Pinterest that have really pushed my inspiration button and why: 

1.//  Whale Typography:  I really aspire to think like this. I love finding art, and especially typography, that shows confidence in thinking and an exceptional creative result. 

2.// Pink + Orange Bowl:  I would love to replace all my dishes and pottery with color block pieces like this one, it's so modern and fresh. 

3.// Bedroom:  Right now we are trying to figure out what to do with the rooms in our house and how to make space for baby and a growing little girl. I am done with staring at a bunch of toys in my living room, so I am really thinking it would be good for Maggie to have a big girl room and give the bean her nook...but people...that would mean my office would get the heave! I don't think I can do that right now. Instead, I think we're going to try to reorganize the living room and get the toys into bins and put them into our closet armoires (since she'll be doing preschool 4 days a week) and then makeover our bedroom into a dream space like this with room for a bassinet and rocking chair and call it good. 

4.// Rolling Pen: Love this new typeface from the amazing Alejandro Paul at Studipos. It's on sale right now, so you should probably go grab it before it's like, $100 :D

5.// Colorblock Dress: Again with the colorblock; but I am also a HUGE fan of the shape of this dress- I've been living in T-shirt dresses all summer with my pregnancy, and I would love this dress and wear it like crazy because pockets! And that necklace is sick. I am all about statement jewelry. Just love the whole look and wish I could teleport it straight to my closet. 

6.// Yarn Art: Another reason why I wish I had a lot more wall space. This rocks! I have this from Target that is going in my kitchen/dining room and I'm thinking I might need to spray paint the letters different colors like this. 

7.// Desk + Lamp: I have a lamp just like this, that doesn't seem to fit in our house, but I love it too much to get rid of it, so this makes me think that if push comes to shove and I do HAVE to move my office space...maybe I could really minimize my needs and do something like this. It would suck though, no bull. 

8.// Baskets: I'm getting these. Don't know where or how I'll use them, but eff it...I love. 

(Photo from Craft and Hobby Association) 

The Summer 2013 CHA (Craft + Hobby Association) Trade Show is kicking off this week in Las Vegas, NV and just like a lot of you, I am excited to see all the new designs and collections debuting, and am wishing I was there in person to see it and touch it and soak it all in...

However, I have bittersweet feelings about this particular CHA show, because it is the one where I was going to be debuting my very own line.

(I should note, before I continue, that I have heavily debated sharing this- but what I have to say isn't going to throw anyone under the bus- it's just about life, experience, and feelings. We've all been there at one time or another, I know you can relate.) 

In January, I went to the Winter show in Anaheim to reconnect and meet up with my peers in the craft industry, and it was wonderful to come back to a place that I missed so much in all the business of raising an infant. It was a great show, I met with a lot of wonderful people, had a fantastic time with my friends and was excited to have some doors open for me and some production design opportunities to look into. 

A few weeks after the show, between our family trip to Whistler and my trip to Minneapolis for Target,  I got an email from a MAJOR scrapbooking company offering me the chance of a lifetime- MY OWN LINE, to debut at CHA Summer 2013!! I was so floored and so torn and so excited...(taking this offer meant turning down other opportunities, which I felt very conflicted about) but this was an amazing opportunity, one I would have never pursued on my own. I never knew just how much I wanted it, until it plopped down in my lap. 

Once I was home, the phone calls and emails started and I felt great about moving forward, even though we'd be extremely pressed for time in putting it all together. I can't begin to express how happy and excited I was, how proud my family was, and I really couldn't believe it was happening. I became a one-woman product research machine, my secret Pinterest boards were on fire, and I was buying supplies, getting ready for our development meeting, brainstorming and dreaming and loving every minute of the promise of what was to come. 

And then, just like that, for reasons that I still do not understand, they pulled the plug. 

Sometimes it sucks to be professional when what you want is to tell everyone how you got the shaft. I was devastated...and for a long time afterwards, angry...for getting my hopes up, for investing my emotions in it, for having expectations. I'm still not really over it. I want to be, but I'm not sure if it's my heart that's bruised or my ego...most likely both. I can't help but wonder a little bit if I could have done something different...if the stars were aligned in a more fortuitous configuration, if I had sacrificed a goat or something equally drastic to prove to the universe that I deserved this chance...if I wouldn't be writing an entirely different blog post today, sharing sneak peeks of a product line and celebrating my heart out. 

But... they say everything happens for a reason...two days after my final communication with the company, I realized that in all the stress and excitement, "things" were a bit late... and so I took a pregnancy test. We all know how that turned out. :D And hey, who knows, maybe there are better unknown things to come? I can only hope.

So, like I said, I'll be following all the show updates this week on Instagram and Facebook, and while it will surely be bittersweet, I still love this crazy industry and whatever small part I get to play in it, and I can't wait to see all the awesome new stuff and to cheer on those who are so well deserving of success! 

xoxoxo
-JP

We're Having A...

I've known the sex of our baby for quite some time, and went back and forth in trying to decide how to share the news with our friends- and really couldn't come up with any reason to make a big deal about it- so we just told our family (or, had Maggie tell them) and then told a few friends here and there...and now...

I guess this is the big public announcement! :D

The Pebbles family is bracing for a whole new adventure by adding a Baby Boy to our family! 

Frankly, I have to tell you- we were kinda hoping for a girl. Maggie was reeeeaaaaallllly hoping for a girl, so much so that when the ultrasound technician told her she was getting a baby brother, she gave her the ultimate stink eye, turned and pointed angrily at John and demanded, "YOU HAVE THE BABY!!" Of course, we are so very happy to have a healthy baby on the way, regardless of gender...it's just we had all the STUFF. And boy, do I mean stuff. And we knew how to do "girl," and kinda wanted Mags to have a baby sister...but oh well...boy it is! So it's a whole new ballgame for us, and we're getting excited! 

Of course, with that comes the natural inclination to want to start shopping for boy gear! First and foremost, clothes: kid can't go naked. You know I have been looking all over the web to find some "must haves" for The Bean, and it's been hard trying to find the "style" I want...basically simple, graphic, not too douchey. You know what I mean.... ;)

So in my searches, I found some fun stuff that I wouldn't hate to have and thought I would do a little "round up" of Fall Favorites for Baby Bean. Without further ado, here it is: 

1. Patagonia // 2. Seed Heritage // 3. J. Crew // 4. Seed Heritage // 5. Target  // 6. Seed Heritage // 7. BabyGap // 8. Target // 9. BabyGap // 10. BabyGap // 11. BabyGap // 12. Seed Heritage // 13. BabyGap // 14. BabyGap // 15. Old Navy // 16. BabyGap // 17. Target // 18. BabyGap

I found Seed Heritage from a pin of an adorable boy's sweatshirt on Pinterest, and about died when I found their baby stuff...so cute...a bit pricey- but I think I 100% HAVE to have that bear suit. It's just too adorable. And, thank you BabyGap, for apparently making a ton of stuff I want to buy. Of course, that's ME saying "thanks," not my husband...he'd pick another word to go in front of "you." :P

Anyway, we've got baby on the brain these days...as well as trying to stuff as much fun and sun into our summertime before Maggie starts preschool in the fall, and Mommy enters mad nesting mode and tears apart the entire house. :D 

I've got a ton of stuff to blog about too...some MAJOR fun posts coming for Target Inner Circle, and some crafty goodies and projects, decorating plans, and more stuff for baby! I am a busy, busy bee. YAY.  

I hope you'll come back and follow along! 
xoxoxo
-JP 

Summer Campout Printables

We've been having SUCH a great summer this year in the PNW, and that means spending a ton of time at the beach, at the lake and camping...all of our adventures have inspired me to sit down and create a set of printables! 

Summer Campout is a sheet full of tags and notecards perfect for Scrapbooking, Journaling and Project Life. The set also comes with a FREE mini add-on sheet that includes an additional notecard and extra tags. 

You can download it right now by visiting ShopStudioPebbles on Etsy. 

In addition to our new Summer Campout collection, I've also added 3 NEW printable sets to the shop! This Is Today printable notes, Oh Snap printable notes, and Vintage Alphabet mini tags are all new additions to ShopStudioPebbles on Etsy. 

And, to make it all a little bit sweeter, all the tags and printables in the shop are newly priced at $3.00! 
Hope you like them!! :D

xoxoxo

-JP

July Guest Designer for Chic Tags

Peeps! Look out your window for Flying Pigs! I done made some scrapbook pages! 

How lucky am I? My girl Veronica from Chic Tags sent me some of her AWESOME Road Trip line of products and asked me to be the Guest Designer this month for the Chic Tags blog! Of course I jumped right on that. Anyone who talked to me at CHA in January heard all about my love for her new line of products...and I can't help but cheer on a fellow Mommy and small business owner. Chic Tags, if you aren't aware, is run by Veronica Milan and her Graphic Designer hubby Albert, and they are truly a "Mom + Pop Shop" from California. She started selling her paper tags on Etsy, and now is wholesaling to craft shops and even Hobby Lobby! WTG!! I "met" Veronica here on my blog, waaaaaay back in the day, when I posted about "not enough booze in my Applebee's Sangria." Let's just say, she's a girl after my own heart. ;D

I really loved getting to sit down and play with paper and glue again...so Thanks V! 

 

I love that last picture of Maggie using her potty seat on our trip home from Hood Canal. Both the trip to and from we were dealing with something...mostly Drake barking his head off because he finally decided that since Maggie isn't a baby anymore, he should get to sit next to her in the backseat, rather than being confined behind the dog gate. We made up our own words to "Yellow Submarine" and just had an all around silly time on what normally is a pretty uneventful drive. I love times like these. 

If you want to get your hands on some Road Trip from Chic Tags, you can grab it and many other wonderful goodies in their online shop!

xoxoxo

-JP