Petal+Handmade=Love from PetalPetal designs

Friday, August 5, 2011

Who Is Art: Ruby Red Design Studio

The creative force behind Ruby Red Design Studio, Linda Misiura, has pulled together a collection of historical images and ephemera to craft an inspired line of handmade note cards and calendars. Vintage pictures from pre-1920’s books combine with modern font and style in a truly delightful way. Read on to learn more about Linda and Ruby Red Design Studio.

What inspired you to create a line of stationery, including note cards and calendars?

I love all things paper! Paper in notebook form, paper in wrapping form, paper in doily form... It's a bit of a difficult obsession to balance with my other obsession: being green. But because I see correspondence (actual handwritten notes!) as integral to any relationship, be it between friends or lovers or family, I wanted to create notecards that people could send any time, just because, even just to say hello. Finding mail in your postbox is just so much more exciting than opening an email. I wanted to encourage everyone to start sending the important people in their lives little hellos. The calendars I made as a gift one year and then they turned up in my shop! They make such excellent gifts for teachers and friends... And anyone! I've also customized them with logos so that small companies can hand them out as beautiful promotions.

Note and letter writing has seemingly all but died out, although I believe it may be ready to make a comeback. Do you hope to inspire others to continue this “lost art?”

Ha! Yes. I guess that I should have read your second question first! For me, it isn't really about bringing a lost art back to life, though I do believe that letter writing can be classified as such. I think its really, really integral that we keep the concrete. While Google has made it possible to keep every email you are sent, how many people go back and read them? Letters, notes, something you can hold in your hand... You're much more likely to pick that up and smile. I want my notecards to survive as mini pieces of art and as tangible testimonials to relationships. Other than paper and being green, i'm also a big fan of all things tangible, including wind and gossamer and prickly cucumbers from the garden...

All of your maritime images, from ships to knots to deep sea divers, were what initially really made me fall in love with your collection. Are you especially attracted to the sea and the idea of travel over the oceans?

Wholly and completely. Traveling lends itself to stories, and I believe that stories make the world go round. I've been fortunate enough to have traveled to the UK several times now and perhaps maybe the next time it would be lovely to make the trans-Atlantic crossing via ship! (Here I have to interject a new question for Linda: May I please come????)

There is a very scientific feel to many of the images you work with and almost a sense of discovery or investing the world, which you then turn into art. Do you view the natural sciences as art?

Everywhere I look, I see something beautiful or at least something I find visually interesting, especially in nature. I'm definitely a cloud watcher, and I tend to carry things home with me after walking my dog Lucy, like interesting ferns or twigs. Some of the things you see when you're just looking are simply incredible. We all need to slow down a bit, I think, and marvel at our surroundings.

I love that you walk a line between vintage and modern. What is it that makes you want to share these vintage images and bring them back to line in such a fresh, modern way?

First of all, I'm thrilled that you think the images are both vintage and modern! It's definitely my personal style and something I wanted to bring to my stationery line. It goes back to wanting to share little bits of discovery and also to my recycling habit: these pieces were created a long time ago, but they are still so fabulous! Why should they sit, forgotten and unloved? I want to share the intricacies and the history.

Do you have a success you would like to share with other handmade artists who may be struggling to continue with their work?

Oh, this is going to sound corny... but do what you want to do, what you really love. The first collection I did focused more on what I thought others wanted, and it didn't sell all that well. This one had more of me and my personal style in it and because of that, I think, it's finding a life of it's own. And! Don't be afraid to pursue many ideas at once... That may be a dangerous suggestion, but it's what's allowed me to support myself for the last two years.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself, your life or your work?

Until I got to this point, I never imagined doing this for a living. But now that I am here, I realize I was always going to be here. Like one of those corny posters on Pinterest that I love so much. If you have no idea what Pinterest is, google it! Truly, truly fabulous place to find beautiful things. (Wow, again I am taking over, but seriously - Pinterest is my FAVORITE right now!)

How can we continue to get in touch with you and your work?

Let's see: I'm starting a wedding & invitation studio, but the site is not live yet. You can visit my design site at www.rubyreddesignstudio.com and find me on facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Ruby-Red-Design-Studio/136992259657755. Anyone who likes me today will get a coupon for free shipping on their order!

For the complete Who Is Art series, click here or if your work has a story to tell, feel free to get in touch with us here.

Much (Petal) Love,

Brianne
PetalPetal and VintageChild:Modern
www.PetalPetal.com
www.VintageChildModern.com

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Fall into COLOR with VintageChild:Modern

To view the entire VintageChild:Modern Fall Collection, pop over to our Online Boutique.

Photos courtesy the fabulous Erin at Soulologie.

Much (Petal) Love,

Brianne

PetalPetal and VintageChild:Modern

www.PetalPetal.com

www.VintageChildModern.com

Friday, July 29, 2011

Who Is Art: Honey Cup

Melbourne web designer, Simone, recently made the jump into creating her own illustrated product line, Honey Cup, which is whimsical, sweet and just a bit childish, in the best possible way. Read on to find out more about Simone and Honey Cup.

First I have to ask where you got the name Honeycup for your new product line? It seems to fit it perfectly, even though I don’t know the back story.

Hmmm, well I wish I could give this amazing story about how I searched high and low for the name, but to be honest… it was as simple as, I needed a username on Etsy and so I quickly looked at some objects on my table which consisted of honey and a cup and joined them together.

Actually though, I think I have a natural talent with names. I always get asked how I come up with names. Granted, Honey Cup isn't particularly ingenious, but I always seem to choose the right name for the right moment. So I guess I am lucky with names!

I really love the name 'Honey Cup' and think it suits my illustrations perfectly. I also love my real name, Simone :) I just scored honeycup australian web domain the other day, that was lucky too!

 You recently decided to put all your creative skills to (very good) use through your sweet illustrations. What prompted you to finally branch out into something that was fully yours?

Umm desperation…ha ha! I am a freelance web designer by trade, but to be honest I am not very good at designing for others. I hate people looking over my shoulder and telling me what and how to design. I'd worked in a few advertising agencies and they were just too cut-throat for me. I am much better being in control of my own work, so basically I had to find what works for me, so I can survive this world!

But to be honest the 'Honey Cup' illustrations were not my main focus to begin with, when I first went on this personal artistic journey. I actually did them just as a bit of fun and didn't take it seriously at all.

My main focus was ammiki.com (curated gallery) and my messenger bag label, called Nomuu. But I began to notice that I was really struggling with the bags, in terms of people being interested. And yet in the background, people were blogging about my illustrations.

At first I was like, "No this is not how it's meant to go, my bags are meant to be the main focus!!!, but then I was like "You know what, this is how it's meant to go - ha ha". The universe was certainly telling me something, thank goodness I payed attention. Illustrating Honey Cup characters suits me so much more.

Who are the little creatures you draw? Do they all have little stories that you dream up as you work to bring them to life?

I wish I could say that I spend hours thinking up whimsical stories about these characters (just like Beatrix Potter), but I don't. I wish I did, that would be lovely.

Instead, I literally sketch out the characters, leave a whole pile of sketches in a drawer for a few months and then decided to colour them in a few months later, when I was feeling stressed and just needed to not think of anything. It's kind of like meditation for me. All the noise from the outside world switches off and I am just concentrating on bringing the illustrations to life. I do at times feel the colouring and texturing part takes a life it's own. I don't feel like I am completely in control of it.

I always envisage the scene to look like X, but it never turns out that way.

I love the Bird Bunny Creature illustration. I may be looking too far into it, but it almost feels as if the underlying sentiment is that we are being called back to the earth a bit, to get back in touch with nature and simplicity. But this could just be because that is how I am feeling at the moment. Do you have a message you hope to convey through your work?

Yes! At first I read your sentence, and I was like, "Na, there's nothing deep going on", but actually you nailed it. I am all about getting back to simplicity and nature. I'm all about observing the simple things in life that we tend to not pay attention to and being grateful for them. But I am not sure if my illustrations articulate that message exactly. I do hope they make people smile and feel happy...even if it's just for a fleeting moment.

I have not yet had the opportunity to visit Australia, although it is high on my list of dream spots to explore. Do you feel that living in Australia has influenced your work? Would you be drawing the same creatures if you had been born and raised anywhere else on earth?

Hard to say. I live in Melbourne Australia. It's a very artsy city. Our state is well known for it's arts and culture and so I would say, yes it has had some influence over me.

But for the most part I think creativeness was in my genes. My mother is quite a good painter and my father sings (operatic) and worked for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra when I was a child. So I was surrounded by amazing musicians and creatives as a child. That was a really magical time for me to be honest. Such fond memories. Imagine a child surrounded by orchestral music every week. Pretty cool for a kid!

However, just the other day I was thinking that it was actually my father that may have influenced me with my illustrations. I remember when I was bored as a child, or even when my father was bored, he would sketch out really quick quirky characters and then I would copy him. I've been meaning to ask him to draw me some!

Anything else you would like to share about yourself, your life or your work?

Well, maybe some personal insight for those that are trying to find their own creative path.
It ain't been all smooth sailing for me! I've tried lots of things to get to this point, it's been quite a journey. It's been quite a fascinating journey to see it unfold. If you told me five years ago, even six moths ago, that I would be illustrating cute little characters, I would have laughed. I couldn't see at the time that the simplest and most innocent thing suit me best. I was trying to do "big things". However, I'm learning now that, smaller, simpler things suit me much more. I still at times try to think "big", but then I have to rein in my thoughts.

I would also say, try lots of things, make mistakes, try again and never give-up. See everything as a journey, one that you can learn from.

The next thing I need to tackle is really believing in myself and my work! I am not quite there yet!

You can keep up with Simone and all of her pursuits at the links below. Does your work have a story to tell? Contact Brianne here with interest in becoming a featured artist.

My blog: ammiki.com/blog
Twitter: twitter.com/nomuu__
Facebook: facebook.com/nomuu

Much (Petal) Love,

Brianne
PetalPetal and VintageChild:Modern
www.PetalPetal.com
www.VintageChildModern.com

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Inspiration Boards: Say Hello

Our Who Is Art series is back tomorrow with a lovely interview with Simone of Honey Cup. In the meantime, enjoy this sweet collection she curated, including our VintageChild:Modern Floral Rabbit.