WORDS FOR THE WEEK

I just love this quote.  Thought it deserved to be painted and shared. 

XO

BTS: SHANNON KIRSTEN x HALLMARK COLLABORATON + AN INTERVIEW

I'm so excited to be featured on Hallmark's blog Think.Make.Share this week! You can read the little interview on our collaboration and my art / inspirations in general.  It was so much fun to work with Hallmark on this collection.  The final printed product turned out beautifully.  You can shop these four cards just in time for Valentines Day at your local Gold Crown store and online at www.hallmark.com 

XOXO

HAPPY LONG WEEKEND

Thank goodness for Friday. I hope you all enjoy this long weekend, I know I'm looking forward to relaxing and maybe working on some fun personal projects.  I've been paining so many new things lately, things that just inspire me and that I've been wanting to try.  I plan to start adding some to the shop soon, like this cacti and some of the other florals I've posted on instagram. I found some vintage botanical books at an estate sale last week and have been using them for inspiration! 

Happy Labor day weekend! 

XO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY ETSY SHOP!

photo by Michelle March

photo by Jose Villa

 photo by Best Photography

 Photo by Michelle March

 

 

It's my little shops birthday today! I thought I would share a few significant photos to celebrate, especially my wedding suites that have been so beautifully photographed over the years.  I owe so much to the talented people (other photographers, planners, cake artists, florists) who first got me involved in styled shoots.  When I started out I was mainly doing custom wedding work. Being published on wedding blogs brought so much exposure and new clients to my little baby shop.  I can't believe how it has grown since beginning this journey. Before I go all nostalgic rambles on you,  I am offering 20% off today ONLY.  I rarely do coupon codes but this is a special day!  The code will be valid today only and can be used for prints, cards, and notepads (sorry, custom orders and wedding suites do not apply). Enter BDAY20 at checkout to receive the discount. 

Now, if anyone wants to hear a back story on the shop / beginnings of my illustration career then read on... 

I opened my shop when I was still in art school in 2009.  My mom's friend told her about Etsy, that's how I originally found out it existed. As I hopeful, budding designer I immediately created my own account. I believe it was called "SKCdesigns" back then. haha. Let me back track by saying that in school I was majoring in fashion design.  It's a funny thing because what I took to immediately was fashion illustration and the production side of things (fashion shows, photoshoots, styling).  Upon taking my first textile design class I truly fell in love.  While learning Adobe Illustrator for the first time was beyond frustrating and time consuming, there was something so special about creating patterns that would be turned into fabric that would be turned into beautiful garments... We all know I love wearing/creating a good floral print, so you see how this all starts to tie together.  Pattern making (CAD, ugh) and sewing were unfortunately not my strongest suits in school, however I enjoyed making bathing suits and thought this might be calling, so I did what any hopeful would do and slapped those babies on Etsy along with a few fashion illustrations (insert a million laughing/crying emojis here).  I didn't think much of the shop then. Social media wasn't big yet (no instagram and for awhile I just refused twitter and Facebook because I thought it was weird, lol). So I didn't really have a means or know how to get much exposure (not that my bathing suit collection needed any).  As school came to an end and "real life" was upon me, I knew art/fashion was my calling but I hadn't quite pin pointed it yet.  I took a job freelancing for a major department store doing some textile designing right after graduation.  Again confirming that I loved this side of fashion and I also LOVED doing this from home, as I only had to present designs in their office every two weeks. After that I accepted a design position at smaller apparel company.  Fast forward through eight months of misery.  I knew that I was not meant to be artistically confined to a box in a cubicle while commuting and working weekends.  My mental health, social life, and creativity were suffering bad. With the support of my family (and many promises to them about how hard I planned to work) I quit that job and never looked back. I began vigorously researching and painting...planning and painting, painting, and researching some more. I started my blog (all hideous content at first, obviously) got a Facebook business page and just began posting random artwork and photography.  Jumping ahead, I helped a few friends with wedding stuff and took the time to create some suites to add to my etsy shop.  A few cards here and there. But mostly I just practiced and played with different mediums.  I doodled, sketched, lettered, and tried everything under the sun to find my voice.  Slowly but surely, through much trial and error and a few big fails, I found it. Then after that, people started noticing.  I did a couple styled shoots that got published and more brides started to find my shop. I got asked to do more styled shoots, thus sending even more brides to my shop! I felt inspired again and began painting whatever I wanted on the side.  Slowly some prints crept into the shop, I practiced with lettering quotes that inspired me, really anything that inspired me I painted. This is still true today although I've learned to curate and learned much more about branding in the past couple years so not everything I doodle makes the cut anymore. 

My original intent was never to "start a business",  it was just to do what I love and be my free spirited self, while hopefully inspiring others through art and photography. I was literally livin' on a prayer and my dream for awhile. Over the past few years I've learned so much about business, patience, and dedication, all of which have helped me to turn this into my full time career. Etsy has been an amazing platform to connect me with all types of people, clients, and even press. All good things definitely take time.

"Jump. And you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall"

Thank you for stopping by and reading this today. Your support and kind words about my work here and on instagram always mean so much to me! Enjoy the coupon code and remember, it just lasts until midnight tonight!
XO

HAPPY FRIDAY + SOME LINKS

'feathers' now in 8x10 and 11x14 in my shop

Happy Friday! 

Some things I found and loved from the week: 

*This bikini!

*Local Milks' eggs, feta, and collared greens recipe. oh my.

*This proposal in Iceland, NBD. Eep!

*These metallic cords from West Elm

*I'm always reading travel articles, especially loved this top 15 most epic dives list

*This Camilyn Beth dress is my new favorite (every color please)

*These tattoos are amazing

*I bought this kaftan dress and I'm obsessed (it's currently on sale)

Have a wonderful weekend!

XO

LATELY : WORK, STUDIO, LIFE

A few miscellaneous snaps of what has been going on around here lately... 

Styling lots of products, some new and some old.  I've been enjoying styling and creating more intentional photos for social media and the blog.  I love how cohesive they are beginning to look, something I've been wanting to work on for a while.  It becomes to easy to take a quick snap and post but I've long admired the feeds and blogs that just flow beautifully together.  Speaking of instgram...

...Thank you for 10k! I hit 10,000 followers this weekend and just can't believe that so many of you enjoy scrolling my feed and sharing my excitement as I post projects (and sometimes travels with an occasion kitten photo, haha).  Social media and all it's done for my business really blows my mind.  I'm so grateful to be able to share and connect with clients, friends, and fellow makers through those little squares.  'ppreciate ya! 

I'm not usually one to selfie on there anymore but my friend and hair stylist Ali, did my hair lavender yesterday.  Pretty exciting since I've been the same shade of blonde for years now.  The salon she works at Acqua Aveda on Anna Maria Island also has an adorable boutique.  I couldn't resist this Minkpink shark print swimsuit on my way out the door yesterday. (Available online here)

Finally, a couple in progress studio snaps.  A cat print in the making because, duh. Below, a tentative design for some notepad style weekly planners.  What do you think of these? I am a list maker and it just seems natural for me to create some more products like this. Stay tuned. 

I'm trying to blog more but my head is swirling with projects and photos that need final editing and proofs before I leave for ICELAND in just a couple short weeks! Breathe, stay focused, hustle, and everything will fall into place. Right? RIGHT! 

XO 

HAPPY EARTH DAY

"I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world" 

Our planet is such a beautiful, precious gift.

Happy Earth Day! 

XO

NEW POPPY NOTEPADS IN THE SHOP (& MORE SOON!)

My photo of this design on instagram seemed to be a hit, so I've listed these fun notepads in the shop!  I've ordered printing samples of a lot of the floral photos I post over there… more notepads, new prints, and greeting card sets! I'm really thrilled to have found some down time last month to work on things I've really been wanted to do (aka more products and stationery).  It's easy to keep wrapped up custom orders, but the dream has always been to have a product line.  All good things take time, right?  Check back for more flower power soon.  xox 

{Shop these notepads here}

LATELY : STUDIO SNAPS // THINGS IN PROGRESS

A few snapshots from around the studio this past week.  Working on several color ways of this floral print for greeting cards! I made a pink one a while back and loved it, it was time to add more.  I also started on some holiday goods that I'm excited to have in my shop soon!  The little fruits will be turned into a print with a vegetable companion to match!  The others are just some preliminary paintings playing around with lots of color (with Twiggy who likes to help me).

xox