Brilliant Blog

I came across this little gem of a photo blog the other day.  Had to share.  It's so adorable and inspiring.  

For more pictures visit the blog at: Milasdaydreams.blogspot.com

Steel My Button

I've been working on some projects with various Mommy Bloggers (update on that to come soon).  They all ask for these things called "Buttons".  Buttons are basically tiny ads that link back to your site.  You see them all the time.  In fact right now you see them along the side of my own blog. The key to these buttons is capturing someone's attention and making them want to click on it to see more.  Let me tell you, trying to do that in 150px by 150px space is not easy.

This is what I have come up with: 

And by all means -- please steal my button and add it to your own blog or site.  Message me if you need the code. 

Skårt Licenses

Skårt's accoustic guitar design has been used to create the movie poster for an amazing documentary called Happy on The Ground.  

The movie chronicles the lives of a talented group of teenagers through 8 days of an extraordinary music camp hosted by the Grammy Foundation. 

The producers of the film are still trying to raise money for finishing funds.  Please click here to see the preview and if you like what you see, maybe you will want to contribute to help get the film (and the poster) out there. Just $10 -- gets you a copy of the poster!!!  

"What do you do?"

I am attending a wedding this weekend. I know there will be a lot of old friends to catch up with and a lot of new people I will meet. I am kind of dreading the inevitable question, “What do you do?”

It’s not because I don’t love what I do, it’s just that I don’t really know how to exactly put it in words.

How do you explain that one day you are laying down grass for a movie star to lie on, while the next day you are suspending a rock star by her ankles from the ceiling. Do I go into detail about my one day jaunt up to Alaska to create a tea party for a certain political family?

“Set Designer, Prop Stylist, Art Director” Unless you are in the business it’s hard to really explain what it all means. And now I have new job titles to add to my list like Artist and Entrepreneur. How does "Purveyor of eco friendly art for children" sound? Maybe I will use this wedding to test out different answers and see what feels the most comfortable.

In the meantime if you would like to know more about what I do when I'm not printing and imagining new and brilliant Skårt designs , check out the videos below for a little behind the scenes footage of some of the most recent shoots I’ve worked on.

Choosing Colors

One of the biggest and unexpected challenges I am coming across is choosing the colors. Once the design is completed I will often spend hours on the computer playing with different color variations to try and decide which color to do my first prints in.  And of course, often what looks good on the computer screen will look completely different on wood.  The possibilities can be endless.  Pink on pink, pink on yellow, green on espresso wood, green on natural wood, lime green, hunter green, seafoam green ...   So many choices.

I chose the color combo for my dancing Robots of a lime green and baby blue on dark wood. When I delivered the Robots to one of the stores, the owner loved them but then suggested I do them in yellow with glowing red eyes.  "Well, that might look cool", I said.  And the color door reopened. Hustle-bot might also look good in Aqua, or, what about Aqua with yellow eyes, or red eyes? 

When choosing colors I  have to consider what is "in" right now in kids' decor.  Tiffany Blue is IN, Purple is OUT?  What will match the hot new bedding?  What is Pottery Barn Kids or Land of Nod highlighting for the season?  

I have found a big help in choosing my initial color scheme is matching to fabric.  That is how I came up with the Pastel and Vibrant versions of my Safari Baby series.  I chose to match the colors to Alexander Henry's 2d Zoo Fabric.   By using the colors in the fabric it gives me a basic palette to go by.  Of course custom color requests are also always welcome.

And if you are looking to decorate a room in this theme you should check out Etsy because there are many other talented artists using this fabric to create wonderful decor accessories.

Custom Crib bedding by Fingers and Toes

Mobile by EvenEden13

Canvas Growth Chart by Giraffes and Stuff

Chenille and Flannel Baby Blanket by The Red Pistachio

Little Hooter Owl by Cut Sew Repeat

Nursing Pillow cover by MollyAnneMake

Everybody Loves Babies

In honor of mother's day I thought it appropriate to spread the word about this little documentary getting a lot of buzz.  The film is called Babies.  The premise is to simultaneously follow four babies around the world from birth to first steps.  The children come from Namibia, Mongolia, Japan and the US.  It looks like a fascinating peek into the trials and tribulations of motherhood around the world.  All you mothers who think you have it so tough where you are, try washing your baby while there is a goat drinking the bath water!  

You can find out more about it here.  Happy Mother's Day! 

And you can watch the trailer below (the goat scene is at the very end): 

The new face of Skårt

I am learning that good pictures are even more important than having a good product. Although I've known this all along, I am still finding it hard to capture the essence of my art. Everyone says that the pieces look better in person.  The subtleties of the wood grain and texture in my work seem to get lost in a picture.  I am not sure if there is a solution to this. Perhaps more professional photographs would help.  Selling in stores rather than online is another solution that I am exploring.       

One thing I have noticed in my Etsy store is that the one picture I have up with a "model" gets more hits than any of my other items.   It makes sense.  Louis Vuitton doesn't just put up pictures of their bags, they have celebrities modeling them.  Nike doesn't just show a pair of shoes on a platform,  they put them on Athletes.    

While on a trip to Montreal I borrowed a friend's baby to do a little photo shoot.  I would like to introduce you to baby Ella -- The newest face of Skårt.  

I've also asked  friends and clients to send me their pictures (and/or post them on the Skårtshop Facebook fan page).  

Here are a few more of the Skårt Angels.... 

Next step is to find a celebrity baby ....  Any suggestions?