Crafty Project for Your Weekend: Papercut Le Cœur Valentines

Paper-cutting is my favorite art medium. I have been doing paper-cuts since I was a kid when I discovered I could make life-size dioramas of The Lord of the Flies characters in 9th grade. Needless to say, I loved making this Valentine for my husband a few years ago, and I'm so happy that he kept it, because I was able to make a pattern!


To make your own Le Cœur Valentine, you will need:
• 1 sheet of cardstock (this will be the base for your heart)
• 5 sheets of decorative or solid colored paper
• an x-acto knife or crafting scissors
• a pencil
• an adhesive. I used double sided tape, but a glue stick would work perfectly.
• the free Assemble downloadable pattern, available here.


Begin cutting out your pieces according to the diagram above. Use the piece of cardstock for #1, the largest piece. Trace each pattern piece from the printout onto the papers of your choice, and cut them out with your x-acto knife or scissors.



As you cut, begin to layer your pieces on top of each other. They don't have to be perfect, it's actually more interesting looking when each layer peeks out underneath the others. Use your adhesive to glue the layers together, according to their numbers. ex: glue 2 to 1, 3 to 2 and so on...


When you're done, turn over your heart, write a message of love, and give to your sweetheart. Happy Valentine's Day!

Those Girls: The Art of Being a Business Lady

Last week, we were lucky enough to attend a reading by one of my husband's literary heroes. George Saunders was speaking at the Town Hall in downtown Seattle: he read a hilarious, yet poignant new story and despite my hesitance to even attend, it was definitely a touching moment as it brought me back to my writing roots.

However, I had a run-in with a person that got me thinking a lot about different creative fields and their own subsequent "those girls." I sat behind a woman who made it her business to speak loudly enough for everyone within five or six rows to hear. It was obvious that the woman was a published author, but I couldn't imagine that she was incredibly successful due to her attitude about writing and her readers. She went on and on about how it "ruins her day" to call into or visit book clubs, and how that night's guest speaker's book was "meh." Her holier than thou attitude was incredibly off-putting, to me and many around us. So much so that we made it a point to get her name so that we could google her later. It turns out, that this woman (who will remain nameless) is actually the author of a very well-known and acclaimed novel on the New York Times Best Seller list at the moment, and her book was just optioned for a movie. For some reason, this knowledge made the entire situation even worse to me. I can't imagine being gifted such a marvelous opportunity to share my work with so many people who loved it, and be bothered. I vowed to never read her book and went on with my night.


Catty story aside, we all know that there are women like this in every field. You may have met them or worked with them, and walked away with this breadth of icky knowledge of their actual attitude towards their work, fans or otherwise, and wondered, "Why am I even working this hard when someone like that has earned everything I ever wished for and doesn't even care?" There have been many hurtful situations like this in my life, and I have to admit (embarrassingly) that I fell for it every time. I had a pity party in my house drinking wine, eating spoonfuls of Nutella and sobbing about how there just is no justice in the world and how "nice guys finish last" and "oh woe is me, please pass the Merlot." Shocking outcome: this didn't get me anywhere. We don't have to take this kind of behavior in any area of our lives. We don't need to lay into these people, nor should we brown-nose them. The truth is: we should be pleasant and ignore their behavior, and focus on our own goals and dreams.

I know what you're thinking, and I'm with you! At the aforementioned reading, we ended up behind this woman in the line to get our books signed and of course I did my best to embarrass my husband by proclaiming (loudly) "Ohhh greattt! Look who we're behind!?!" She heard me. And I didn't care. But let's be honest, that was rude. And incredibly unladylike, which brings me to my point.

In terms of traditional etiquette, beautifully defined by Emily Post: "The attributes of a great lady may still be found in the rule of the four S's: Sincerity, Simplicity, Sympathy, and Serenity."

Here are the Four S's personalized to my ideals:
Sincerity: Be honest about who you are and who you AREN'T.
Simplicity: It's not that complicated--hard work, integrity, kindness.
Sympathy: Helping others won't hinder your personal brand.
Serenity: Know that what goes around comes around--in terms of the positive and the negative.

Emily Post's quote goes hand-in-hand with our previous post about "lighting others' candles." People don't forget the negative, but they don't forget the positive either. In our daily work (whatever it may be) an attitude of genuine respect and probity will move you to places that may not be where you dreamed, but will definitely be meaningful and real. We don't always have to be rays of sunshine (believe me, I feel like bottom photo of Betty Draper a lot of the time) but there is a decency that we owe ourselves and others in the pursuit of our goals, and especially after we reach them. There is nothing to regret when one acts like a "lady." Boys, just apply this in terms of the opposite. It's all the same.

Images via AMC//Mad Men

Will You Be My Valentine? // Valentine Picks from Assemble Shop

Looking for a gift for your sweetie? (Or looking for something to conveniently leave open on the computer screen for them to find?) Here ya go! Here are our favorite picks for awesome Valentine gifts. Hurry up though! Some of these are the last ones left in the shop--and I'm not telling you which ones!


1. Assemble Needle-Felted Sweets Crafting Kit, $30. One of our kits of course! We would never miss an opportunity to let you in on these gems, OBVIOUSLY. A sweetie for your sweetie! All funny-business aside, if you're wanting to learn Needle-Felting but want some one-on-one instruction, head over to Drygoods Design's workshop schedule where I'll be teaching this kit in their brand new Make.Do.Mend space. Sign up quick!

2. You Are My Sunshine card by Iron Curtain Press, $5. Our Favorite Friend, Rosanna Kvernmo of Iron Curtain Press has a knack for creating lovely, simplistic Valentines. We love this one.

3. Rosey White + Fuschia 'Dot' Earrings by Vivi Dot, $14. This isn't the only style, but it's definitely the most "Valentiney." Check out all of Vividot's awesome dotty jewelry on our shop.

4. This is the Moment Print by Jessica Swift, $20. A favorite of mine: this print is sweet, hip and oh-so-unique.

5. Me & You Pencils by Knot & Bow, $12. I love these! I use the Meatballs & Potatoes one for French class--no idea why. But as a pencil connoisseur, let me tell you that these are amazing. 1/they don't break. 2/they sharpen well (none of that giant wood splintery-up the side business that you get a lot) and 3/the erasers ERASE. Unlike some pencil erasers that will remain nameless.....

Got a question? Special order? Let us know!

Pictorial Peek: Nikki McClure & High Fiber Diet at the Bellevue Art Museum

Recently I had the opportunity to skip over to the east side for Free First Friday at the Bellevue Art Museum, and take a peek at the Nikki McClure and High Fiber Diet Shows before they were over! We had a great time playing with the imagination stations, marveling at McClure's exclusively paper-cut work and seeing friends' work on display. Here's a little pictorial peek!

Nikkie McClure:













String art at the Imagination Station!




High Fiber Diet:




My worst nightmare:




Awesome work by our pal and former building-mate, Moxie:




Quilt work by Favorite Friend, Luke Haynes:




Cardboard! Can you believe it?? Look:


Images: Andie Powers

Special Guest Post: What I Learned at Alt Summit by Brianne of The Ravenna Girls

We are very excited to have Brianne of the Ravenna Girls here to do a special guest blog post about Alt Summit. We were so sad that we couldn't make it this year, but definitely next, and Brianne's wrap-up is as good as a seat in the front row. Enjoy, and thanks Brianne!

[photo via Alt Summit Flickr. Text added by the ravenna girls]

Hey Assemble blog readers! My name is Brianne, one of the co-editors of a local Seattle design blog The Ravenna Girls. Andie and Emily invited me over today to share my experience attending Altitude Design Summit (Alt for short) in Salt Lake City last week.

This was my second year at Alt and the experience felt totally different from the first. You can read my 2012 recaps here to get an idea of what the true newbie experience was like. This year was less about learning blogging knowledge and much more about making real connections and doing some deep thinking about creativity and our brand. So without further ado, here were my most important takeaways from the conference:

[Photo by the ravenna girls. amazing gold fascinator on Kelly of Studio DIY]

At Alt summit, everything is over the top. Fashion (polka dots everywhere!), makeup (Rockin the red lips), and business cards are all bright bold and beautiful. But the thing is, you don't have to look bold to be bold. This year I actually spent very little time planning outfits and accessories, and chose to be bold in the confidence of knowing that in this big sea of talent, each fish has their own important niche. As long as you find the confidence that you belong and that you do fit in, your own individual boldness will shine through in all that you do.

[Photo by the ravenna girls]

One of the most inspirational and helpful sessions I attended during the week was called "Finding your Voice" by Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks. She spoke fiercely about fine tuning what your "brand" represents by finding your true personality and point of view. I feel like the word BRAND gets thrown around with reckless abandon lately but as bloggers we need to remember that even if you don't feel like you have a brand in the traditional marketing sense, you do have a unique voice that is responsible for creating your community. For Danielle and I at the Ravenna Girls, establishing a community is the most important part of blogging for us, so I loved hearing Karen talk about turning occasional readers into FIERCE SUPPORTERS by creating a unique and safe environment for people to open a dialogue about life and design.

[photo via Alt Summit Flickr. Text added by the ravenna girls]

On Friday morning of the conference, you have the choice to attend small round tables instead of large learning sessions. This year there were several amazing roundtables, including those led by friends of Assemble, Melanie and Sandra. Going into Alt, I had been having a couple month struggle with motiviation and the end result of blogging, so once I spotted that Tiffany's roundtable was called "Growing and Maintaining a Small Blog with Pride", I knew that conversation was timed perfectly for me. There were about 12 women at the table, and we had a really lovely conversation about taking a long hard look at the realities of each individual blog, establishing what would make you happy, and working toward that place in a really authentic fashion. The realities of blogging these days are that not everyone is going to have an uber-blog. And actually, thats great. For Danielle and I, we have passion in our careers (that are not blogging), and we don't have the desire to give those up. The goal is not to grow to a place where our blog is going to be full time. This roundtable gave me the opportunity to talk through some of my ideas of where we actually feel comfortable being, and then finding pride in the creative project we're a part of, no matter how big or small. This year, this round table on the pride of your own creation was really the transformational moment for me. Gave me a chance to look beyond traditional blog growth strategies and focus more on creating an authentic solid content.

[Photo by the ravenna girls]

Last fall our etsy shop was connected with the lovely folks at Bing for a small blogger partnership at an event here in Seattle. A couple weeks before the conference, they contacted us again about providing a large batch of our colorful woven bracelets to be a part of gifts that were given out at one of the keynotes during Alt. This was by far the largest order ever for our humble little shop, and it was so moving to see people appreciate our products on such a large scale. This opened my eyes to the importance of nurturing successful connections. I think it is in all our natures to always look for the new and exciting connections, but for me Alt this year was about seeking out a lot of friends I made in 2012 and really spending quality time with those people. Strengthening those existing connections into truly meaningful relationships was really the keystone of Alt 2013, and I think this is a reflection of where the larger blog community is heading.

[Photo by the ravenna girls]

Authenticity was a theme that kept coming up over and over through the conference. Establishing trust with your blog readers, and being true to your own design were hit home by almost every speaker. Stefan Sagmeister talked about going with your gut, Karen talked about what you like and WHY you do it, and Katie showed us all how her brand of happy has helped her be successful. Not everyone is going to love what makes you real, but you'll find true creative power in staying true to what makes you YOU.

[Photo by the ravenna girls. Styling by Nicole Gerulat]

This year, I didn't attend every single informational session. I sat out of several because I was in the midst of a deeper conversation or I had just made a new friend. The one thing I did make sure to get to , though, were the Saturday Design Camps. These are smaller group sessions focused on a new creative skill, and are the most hands-on part of the conference (super important for makers like me). I took a tabletop photography and styling workshop led by Nicole Gerulat of Nicole's classes and I feel like I learned an amazing amount in such a short period of time. It also gave me a chance to play with the new camera lens I got for Christmas, instead of procrastinating any longer. I cannot wait to apply this to our DIYs and to our product photography. I think coming out of Alt with a new tangible skill is a really cool thing since a lot of the other concepts can be pretty high level.

[photo via Alt Summit Flickr. Text added by the ravenna girls. This installation was part of the #bingittolife project
where Bing took blogger projects submitted over last summer/fall and made them a reality.]

The most important thing I learn every year at Alt is that you can't do everything. The days at Alt are long and jam packed full of inspiration, but you really need to set aside time to reflect on what you've learned and how you've grown. If you find yourself worn out from learning and socializing, take advantage of the amazing setting at Grand America by taking a bubble bath, visiting the spa, or squeezing in a workout to get those relaxation juices flowing.

Alt is an amazing experience for those interest in the online design community. I met a ton of interesting folks who aren't bloggers, per se, but have online shops or other creative presence. So, you don't have to feel like you need to be an experienced blogger to attend. Its just a great source of creative inspiration and a chance to push yourself out of your comfort zone in the best possible way!

Be sure to check out our blog this week for more recaps of the week including my favorite business cards, Details on Stefan Sagmeister's speech, and more on my tabletop photography class.

[Also - you can find tons of other blogger's recaps of the conference on the Alt Summit blog]

 

Favorite Friend Friday: Graphic Designer, Michelle Beilner of Sparky & Marie and Jot Creates

Michelle Beilner of Jot Creates and Sparky & Marie is definitely one my personal favorite friends, as well as being a favorite friend of Assemble. She will most likely read this and roll her eyes, but besides being genuine, kind, and hilarious, Michelle is one of the most talented people we've ever met. Not only did she help us brand Assemble in the very beginning (the logo + all of those awesome little drawings of craft supplies on the website are her work), but she was also a writing partner on Neatloaf with us until we recently transferred to our own Assemble blog. These little projects are nothing compared to her real work, and we were excited to get to ask her a few questions about it:


Tell us a bit about Sparky & Marie and Jot Creates. What different types of work do you do for each?
Sparky & Marie is a brand of prints and patterns that are available for licensing. I work with an agent that handles the business side of things. I come up with the creative stuff, and they make things happen!


Jot Creates is my graphic design business–identity design, print collateral, packaging, web, etc. It’s something that I’ve been building since 2006. It’s been slow growing, but I’d really like to hire a young budding designer this year to get things moving up and up.


Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?
Specifically for Sparky & Marie–-60s and 70s pop floral prints are a ton of fun to look at, and I always have my eyes open when I’m out and about. I might find a flower on a walk, or something else lovely in nature. J. Crew catalogs have been bursting with fun color palettes for a while now, and the flea market is always a great source of inspiration. When I’m really in need of a creative jolt, my go-to place is Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles. There’s a Kinokuniya Bookstore, which I believe also has a location in Seattle. Their craft book section is awesome (even though I can’t read, I enjoy the photos). I also love the Los Angeles Flower Market. It’s a huge space filled with vendors selling flowers.

You have the sweetest ten month-old little boy at home--what's a typical day like for you as a designer and mom?
The baby wakes up at about 6:30am and he and his daddy start their day off with some one-on-one QT. I wake up at about 8:30am and by that time the little guy is ready for his morning nap. Once he’s down for his nap, I try to work--sometimes unsuccessfully. When he wakes we eat and play. I might try and squeeze in some emails and phone meetings while he’s awake, and at about 1pm he goes down for his second nap (the same work schedule applies for the second nap). After his second nap, we usually get out of the house for groceries, a good long stroll, or to see some pals. Bedtime begins at about 5:30pm/6:00pm with a bath, PJs, a feeding and cuddles. Once the baby is down for bed the work REALLY begins, and I’m usually able to cram in 3-5 hours before it’s time for my bedtime.


How do you manage to balance work and family time?
I don’t. It’s a wild juggling act! I have big dreams of “doing it all”–-being creative, managing two different facets of my business, managing the house, being a good partner to my husband, a good mom to my son, etc. I fall behind on many levels, but fortunately I have a loving and supportive husband, a very sweet son and a big number of others (mom, dad, sisters, friends) who love me despite all of my shortcomings.

Do you have any new projects that you are excited about?
Why, yes! On the Sparky & Marie front, I’m working with a company by the name of Trimcraft in the UK on a collection of Nordic-inspired Christmas crafting papers. On the Jot front, I’ve been working with a woman entrepreneur (website, packaging and print collateral) on a product that she is soon to be launching at the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago. Labels to help you organize your paint cans!


What is your proudest design achievement?
I’m not one to acknowledge achievements. There haven’t been achievements like design awards, or anything of the like YET, but Sparky & Marie prints and patterns will be featured in a kids print and pattern book by Bowie Style of the Print & Pattern blog. The book is due out some time this year. When Bowie approached me about including my prints, I was so happy. I love her blog!

What do you like to do in your off-time?
Of course I am always thinking about business related things, but a girl has got to get refreshed and feel inspired! These days: going for walks with my family, cooking recipes from Epicurious, going to the farmer’s market, and dreaming of buying our first home (hopefully in the next few years).

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Simple. Chicago. That’s where my family is. I do love what my husband and I have created in Los Angeles, but I miss my family terribly. Thankfully, we have very loving and wonderful friends and neighbors in LA.

If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I don’t like this question. Grr. I love food too much to pick one thing. Pizza is probably up there.

What's your dream job, besides what you are doing now?
I just told my husband this a few days ago and he said, “No, you DO NOT want to do that.” Oh, but yes I do! That is, I would love to have a shop in my neighborhood that sells handcrafted artisan home goods and offers the best damn gift wrapping you’ve ever laid your eyes on--gorgeous papers and the prettiest grosgrain ribbons. No wire ribbons!! I’d be like Mommy Dearest, but with ribbons.

You get to organize a dinner party, who is there?
Ira Glass (This American Life), Michelle Obama (First Lady), Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live), Jenna Lyons (J. Crew Creative Director), plus two of my professors from college who made me look at the world with bigger and brighter eyes--Ken Carls (graphic design) and Jerry Savage (life drawing/painting). Oh, and my husband would be there, of course! Everyone would really enjoy his fabulous collection of vinyl records and his charming personality. Also, everyone gets to bring their significant others, which means the President would be at my party too.

Thanks, Michelle!!

Images courtesy of Michelle Beilner.

My Favorite Crafting Tools

I thought I'd share some of my favorite crafting tools. When you worked in craft and design, you start to assume that everyone knows about every magical product that you do--but that's not the case! Here are my top seven tools:


1. My great grandma's vintage crochet hooks. I'm not the greatest crocheter in the world, but I love using these and knowing that they have been in the family for generations. My own baby blanket was crocheted using these hooks and I'm honored to use them again.

2. I know it's silly, but Vanna White's yarns are the best! Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand are worsted weight acrylic and come in the best colors. I'm allergic to wool, so this makes for the best blankets and scarves. I'm working on a special project right now. more to come!

3. The 12" Guillotine Trimmer, available at Paper Source. I love their description: "Inspired by the French with the best of intentions, only this time adapted to fit paper. A very cool way to trim large sheets of paper with a crisp, clean straight edge. Also available in 6", 8.5" and 12" wide base. Napoleon would be so proud!" Anything involving the French Revolution gets me going. I have two of these and neither have ever gotten dull. I love love love them!

4. Martha Stewart All-Purpose Craft Scissors. These are the sharpest, most meticulous scissors I've ever used. You'll want to have a separate pair for fabric, (and the odd bang trim!)

5. Rubber stamps! Some people swear by acrylic, but I love the feel of an old rubber stamp. Or a new one! Next week I'll use these Yellow Owl Workshop ones to show you a masking trick!

6. Versamark Watermark Ink Pad. Oh, how I love this schtuff. It creates the look of a colorless watermark when using stamps. Try it with embossing, and you get a colorless, glass-like surface.

7. The delightful, 1" Button Press. This machine began my official foray into my craft career, ten years ago. We still make buttons at Assemble today, and it's one of my favorite things to do. Besides, what's cuter than a button?

What are your favorite tools?