Holiday Sale!

For the first time since I've had my etsy shop I've decided to have a store wide sale. I'm offering free shipping for the long weekend. Starting today, black friday all the way through cyber monday. Weather your a neighbor in New York or on the opposite side of the globe in Australia, shipping is free on all items including; illustration prints, tags, cards, mini prints, notebooks and bookmarks.

I've also added more prints to the sale section of my shop, available for only $14 a print. That's 30% off the regular price. Happy shopping!

All photo's are items available in my shop.

New to my shop: Lined Ladies Tags

As promised I turned my "Lined Ladies" into gift tags and have added them here, in my shop. Just in time for holiday shopping (and gift wrapping)! I love these little doodle illustrations, and think the tags came out super cute. I just may have to use these on all my gifts this year. I'm kind of obsessed with them at the moment.

Big Love for my Design

Ginnifer Goodwin purchased my coat design! (I previously blogged about my winning design here) Ginnifer is the adorable actress who plays my very favorite polygamist wife on HBO's series Big Love and stole every scene in He's Just Not That Into You. She seems like a real girls girl and has a great sense of style.

She always looks polished and Audrey-esque with a little wink of whimsy. Here are some of her best red carpet moments. (In my humble opinion) I'm so excited Ginnifer of all people has purchased my design and I can't wait to see her in it. If you should come across a photo of her wearing it, please send it on over to me!

Doodle darlings

I thought I'd should share some of my line drawings with you. Since last week I featured the lovely line drawings of Garance Dore, I thought maybe this week I'd pull out some of mine. My illustrations are a little different from hers, not as loose or quick, they're a little more detailed.

As you may have guessed by the title of my blog I love to doodle. I find doodles from my old school days in notebooks, binders and even old textbooks (tisk tisk I know). These girls are typically the look of my doodles. Simple line drawings of girls, almost always with long flowy hair and flowers scattered about.

I'm thinking they could be really cute on gift tags. They'd be very simple and go nicely with winter white and silver wrapping. Maybe I'll work on those tonight and add them to the shop.

Leap of Faith | Anna S by Waldemar & Max

ThePhotographyLink

Anna S by Waldemar & Max for Dealer de luxe magazine.

Spotted: Rebecca

While thumbing through bridal magazines I spotted my Rebecca illustration! She was hiding inside Brides New York, the Fall/Winter issue, on the "Style Review" page. The editorial isn't about me, or the sketch, but its exciting none the less, so I thought I'd share it with you. (I previously blogged about iBridalGown here.)

Ryan Korban

Alexander Wang's interior designer has just launched his own website featuring a beautiful portfolio. Ryan Korban uses "accessories for the home", such as art and books, which help to create his signature luxurious yet sophisticated aesthetic.

Winter Lux

Fun Fashionable & French

I have quite the girl crush on Garance Dore! I love her style, wonderful street fashion photography, incredible job with jet-setting life style, and her illustrations of corse.

For years I've been visiting her blog, but it's just this year that I'm able to read it, since it's now being translated into English. Garance's blog features delicate girlie girls who ooze fashion in an effortless and totally enviable way.

She has a great sense of humor and her writing is very casual and relatable. It's as though she's an old friend dropping you a friendly hello and sharing her findings. These are some of my favorite illustrations from her blog. Her work regularly appears in Vogue, and more recently on a limited edition run of t-shirts for the Gap.

You can read more about Garance and her boyfriend, Sartorialist author Scott Schuman here.

Illustrations by Garance Dore.

Fancy Farmgirl

About two months ago I was contacted by the lovely Charity from the River Cottage Farm out in Ohio to create a "farmgirl" illustration for her new line of bath and body products. Charity asked that the illustration be a very girly and fancy farmgirl, who brings style to her homestead. Charity's vision included a country floral print, pearls, flat shoes (because farming in heels just doesn't work) and a chicken!

The River Cottage Farm online etsy shop is now open, complete with my farmgirl on all the labels and packaging. Not only do the products look cute, but they're made by scratch on the farm and packed with natural and organic ingredients. I love a good body scrub and can't wait to try the lip balms. Now for the big decision of which flavor to chose.

All photos by River Cottage Farm

Retail Therapy: Sterling Hoops

For YEARS I've been searching for these hoops. I first noticed them on Halle Berry. They must be favorites of hers because she's been photographed wearing them everywhere from the grocery store to the red carpet. What's so cool about them is that they have a post behind them so the hoop sits on your ear lobe and doesn't go through it. I love the graphic look of them and that they're a twist on a classic. It suddenly occurred to me to check Etsy for them, and voila there they were! India y la Luna's etsy shop is where I was able to finally find my hoops, made of sterling silver, and hand crafted by Gaby in Argentina, making them all the more fabulous...That and the fact that I traded some of my prints in exchange for them! Thanks Gaby, I love them!

Bella Swan . . . a Bride!

As you know I love seeing actual designer sketches. I'm also a big reader and major movie goer. So when I discovered that InStyle magazine reached out to some of bridals best and asked the designers to sketch what they'd envision Bella Swan wearing when she walks down the isle to Edward Cullen, I was trilled to say the least! In Eclipse the dress is described as a early 1900s design of ivory lace that compliments the antique ring Edward gave her that belonged to his mother. (Remember Edward is about 100 years old)

I may have to revisit Eclipse and Breaking Dawn to read all the characters thoughts and reactions to her dress and come up with a design of my own. In the mean time though here are the sketches the designers have created. Although I love all the designers, I'm not sure I love the designs.

At least not for Bella Swans wedding to Edward Cullen! (Omg, I'm such a cheese ball! I know.) But what can I say, I'm such a girly girl. I have to admit it, I loved the Twilight books, and I am completely in love with Edward Cullen!!! (Yes mom, I know, he doesn't really exist. Blah, blah, blah. Just like you used to tell me about Dylan McKay. But a girl can dream can't she?)

Illustrations shown, top: Christian Siriano and Erin Fetherson

second: Monique Lhuillier and Badgely Mischka

third: Prabal Gurung and Lela Rose

bottom: Zac Posen and Max Azria

New Print: Milie

Recently there's something a little out of the norm that I look forward to finding in my mailbox, the J Crew catalogue. This is not because I'm a big J Crew shopper, actually in last year or two I've bought only 2 or 3 pieces. (Their stuff doesn't really fit me) The reason I look forward to their catalogue arriving is because the designs, styling and art direction are so well done. I love the color palettes they put together and they way they style the models, layering garments so they look haphazard and thrown together, yet still come off preppy and classic.

After this last issue I decided to turn one of the kids looks into a illustration for my etsy shop. I really like how she came out so a few more J Crew inspired illustrations may be on their way. I'll keep you posted. In the mean time you can check out Milie in my shop.

Photo above: J Crew Nov. 2009 Catalogue

New Products in my Shop

Manhattan now has a Michaels Arts and Crafts Supply. As if it couldn't get any better it's located in my hood, on the upper west side! This may not be ground breaking news to others but for this crafter, it's HUGE. I will no longer have to figure out how to finagle friends with a car to stop in with me when we're coming or going from the long island outlets or a friends party. And I'll no longer have to run through the store with the pressure of knowing someone's waiting for me. (Because I much prefer to shop alone, especially when it comes to my arts and crafts supplies.) Yes, I'm a crafting nerd, and I know!

So here's the first, of what will most likely be many, new products to be added to my shop. I bought these two notebooks and with the power of twin tak (one of the all time best art products created) have added my Global Girl and Vogue Ready prints to the zebra and houndstooth wrapped covers.

I've also added a few more gift tag listings and hope to add more products categories soon for the fast approaching holiday season.

Catherine McNeil

models.com

Vogue Italia October 2009