My Home Office

I thought I'd share a peek into my office. I use the term "office" very loosely. Rob and I live in a very small rented cottage. This means that my "office" has been relegated to a 48" x 24" section of our living room. Despite the limited space, I did get a window for my office. The view isn't fabulous {I see directly into our neighbor's trashy yard}, but the light is fabulous.

Here is a photo of my desk. If you click on the photo, you can view it in Flickr. In Flickr, you can see some of the notes I've added.

I am a Mac addict. I've had a Mac for the last 14 years. {gasp! That makes me sound really old.} I do the majority of design work on the iMac. The Macbook is more for when I or Rob goes out of town. After my last couple of trips, I've started to feel naked without a computer. Neither of these computers are what one would call Design Supercomputers. The iMac is a refurbished model that I bought directly from Apple. The Macbook I bought used from another designer. Both computers are running Adobe Creative Suite 2. I do the majority of my work of my work in Illustrator and InDesign. Yes, I am aware that there is an Adobe Creative Suite 4. CS2 works well for my purposes. If the Adobe fairy would like to gift me a copy of CS4, I would happily accept.

Here is a full view of my "office". Again, if you click on the photo, you can view it in Flickr. In Flickr, you can see some of the notes I've added.

We couldn't find a desk that would fit in the space. So, Rob built one for me. I love that all of my equipment is easily accessible. We plan to paint the black shelf to silver to match the legs of the desk. I love my inkjet printer and my Craft Robo cutter. My color laser printer? I would love to upgrade it. For now, I have a plain barstool to sit on. I'm in the market for a new drafting chair. There it is.... my office in a nutshell... Or should I say shoebox?

Tips, Tricks, and other Useful Tidbits of Information

This blog is primarily for showcasing my design projects. Because it takes several weeks for these project to come to fruition, I've decided to share information regarding the creation of stationery to fill the gaps. Topics that I will cover will range from different printing techniques, types of paper, and tools that I find helpful. I am by no means claiming to be an expert on any of these topics. In my explanations, I will explain topics based on my professional experience and offer links to other sources of information. I hope that this will help my clients and others have a better understanding of what goes into the creation of stationery.

Holiday Cards: Anne & Rob

Every year, I design our Holiday cards. And every year I want to kick myself. Don't get me wrong. I love making them. It's just that sometimes the process takes a wee bit longer than I plan. I'm just glad I was able to mail these out before New Year's. From the responses that I've received from my recipients, it was well-worth all the late nights.

I was inspired by these images:

© 2008 Hazelnut Photography


© 2008 Shine Pet Photos

Here are the finished product.

Front of Envelope


Back of Envelope


Holiday Card


Card as it is pulled from it's holder


Interior of Card and back of Card holder