Tuesday, November 19, 2013

UPPERCASE Issue 19



This post is LONG overdue, but as I sat in my studio this morning with Issue 19 of UPPERCASE Magazine next to me, I thought it was time I got to it! A few months ago, in response to a call for letterforms inspired by office supplies, I submitted the letter 'O' created by erasers I had collected since childhood. It was a fun project to work on and a trip down memory lane. I can't tell you how excited I was (and still am) that it ended up in the issue! Check out page 75 if you have it, or see a video of a flip through for all the amazing submissions here.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Oh so inspired by...

In the past I've mainly posted on things about my work and life; however, I've come to realize that so much of what affects my life are things that surround me. Things I am inspired by. From time to time I'll start sharing things I found that caught my eye, made me smile, or are just simply beautiful. Hope you enjoy!

Pop and Soda

Joel Penkman

Kip & Co via Miss Moss

Leslie Grow

via here


Friday, October 11, 2013

Thought of the day...


With all the daily to-dos, it's so easy to get caught up in wishing things were "better." This thought came to mind and inspired me to create this poster to remind myself and share with you. A very Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends and family. Wishing you much love and joy this long weekend! xo, Val.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

So Thankful


Thanksgiving (for us Canadian folk) is coming up this weekend! I have so much to be thankful for, both in work and life. For a limited time I'm offering my favourite thank you cards in a box set of 6 for $20. You can also custom make your own thank you box in the online shop here.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

In the Press!



This post has been long overdue, but I'm still excited to share it with you. It's always a thrill to see my cards in the press. I feel very grateful to have two of them in the lovely Summer 2013 Issue of Stationery Trends! The Bow Ties card was chosen as part of their cover story "Design from A to Z," and Birthday Cake was part of their Fresh Picks section. You can shop both cards online here.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Making it

This weekend is Whole Foods' Living Naturally Fair on Robson Street. As a vendor, I was asked if I wanted to donate a gift basket, where proceeds from the draw would go towards the Whole Kids Foundation. It was fun to put together a few box sets of cards, but I have to admit, wrapping it with the plastic wrap was ALOT trickier than I thought. Perhaps it had something to do with the square box rather than the usual round basket? It took me several tries and a bit of luck to finally get something to look presentable. Here's a before plastic wrap and after pic.


If you're local to Vancouver, the fair is at 1675 Robson St, Vancouver B.C.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Summer in Instagram - Part II

Labour Day weekend is over, and even though it's technically still summer, it really feels like fall. I woke up this morning to grey skies and pouring rain, which certainly didn't help matters much.

On a lighter note, I had a wonderful long weekend, including a day trip down to Seattle to check out Bumbershoot. I've known about this festival for years, but this was my first time attending. Highlights for me were Tegan and Sara and Death Cab for Cutie. There was also a booth screen-printing bags with the cute Bumbershoot image. Unfortunately I had to ditch the line-up, so I wouldn't miss Mates of State. It was bag or music, and the latter won.

As promised, here's a recap of my summer from the past month via Instagram. The pics are mostly photos of my trip down to LA. It was a great, but very busy week, and I don't think I realized what a special vacation this was until I was reminisced about it back at home. Do you ever have vacations like that? I hope you enjoy the photos! thanks, Val. 

Santa Monica Farmer's Market
A little fun at The Grove
Delicious bowl of green noodles at Sapp

Stopping at La Jolla en route to San Diego

Korean Friendship Bell

 
View from The Getty Museum

 
 
Balboa Park, San Diego

Macarons at Bottega Louie

Madang 621

Pork Belly's

Riding along Venice Beach
Hello Seattle!
Death Cab for Cutie at Bumbershoot

Friday, August 30, 2013

The Summer in Instagram - Part I

I realize I've been M.I.A. on this blog for most of this summer, but it's been a very special and memorable one, so I thought I would share some snapshots from my Instagram here (lately I've been finding myself using this social media the most). There's been some traveling, plenty of eating, and most importantly, time spent with family. Here's Part I. Part II on Tuesday will be on posts from my recent trip down south to California, and what I hope will be a relaxing and fun filled long weekend. Hope you have a great one, wherever your plans may take you!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, June 24, 2013

City Notecards


Back in April I posted on my new City Stamps set and mentioned that the idea for them actually came from designing notecards (see here). I'm happy to say that the notecards are now done! This collection was inspired by my love of travel and the handwritten hello. My idea was to create notecards that could be used from your home city, but also as gifts to others, whether it is a city they love, or one they have traveled to. I’m always excited to receive something in the mail from a traveling friend, and also to send one back home when doing some traveling of my own.

I first showed these notecards at Got Craft? and it was great to get direct feedback. They come boxed in sets of 8 or individually. In case you're wondering why I chose these five cities, I shared the significance of each in the City Stamps post

You can get these cards in my online shop here. To celebrate the start of summer, I'm offering 25% off until June 30, 2013. Use promo code CITY25 at checkout.