I've run off with the Circus!

These last few weeks before the holiday have been super busy with jobs from My Other Career.  "I can't come to the blog right now because I've joined the circus" -- I bet that is one you don't hear everyday!  In my case, I didn't really join the circus, but for the last two weeks I have been building them.  Last week we built a big carnival set.  And then that was such a success that this week we were called in to change it up and build a circus set.  A lot of fun, but a lot of work.  Since I've been so busy with My Other Career, I have no new designs or Skårt stories to share.  Instead, here are some pictures from behind the scenes of the shoot:

We brought in a Ferris Wheel for the backdrop

Built our own food booths

Made giant, prize winning fruit! 

And even brought in a few animals (the elephant is fake, but the monkey was Real!) 

The Shipping Manager

I'm ready for the holiday rush! I ordered a few boxes that match the sizes of my artwork, so I don't have to go scrounging for ones that fit anymore.  But that means organizing and finding a place for everything.  Meet my new shipping manager....

Aside from his inclination to eat packing tape, he's a great assistant! 

Custom Orders

I just completed my first custom order.  It was for a friend who wanted to buy her niece something special for her first birthday.    She was going to buy something I had already made but then I asked her for a suggestion for a new series.  She said her niece goes to the family house at the beach every summer and loves it.  Something to do with the beach.   I came up with this cute little  series.   The first one is called "The Hamptons Beach" and the second one is called "Malibu Beach".  The ones I made for her were in pink to match the baby room.  I've created them in a multitude of colors to match any room.  (Teal is going in my bathroom).  There is a third beach to come.  How can I have a beach series and no palm trees?  "Palm Beach" will be created very soon!

From Baby to Boomer...

Last week I was representing all age groups at trade shows in Toronto.  

Skårt helped add a little fun to the Savvy Mom booth at the Baby Time Show.  If you look closely you can see my pink  Dandelion set hanging in their mock laundry room set up.   What was great about this set up is that not only did thousands of people see my art, but also, Savvy Mom decided to make Skårt Shop their pick of the week on their website.  Great exposure to moms all over Canada!

On the other end of the spectrum, I designed all the promotional materials for friends who have a great start up company called Linking Boomers, a social community site geared at the Baby Boomer generation.  Linking Boomers staged a major appearance at the Zoomer show. As you can see below, my banner was there front and center to greet people as they came through the doors.

Hot of the presses -- my new promo cards are in!

I have 1000 of these babies.  Now I just have to figure out where to distribute them. 

Happy Halloween!

Kids Deserve Art

It has been a busy few weeks here at Skårt Shop HQ 

-- There are no new designs or even silly doodles to share.  

But I do have this:

It's the new and improved Kids Deserve Art Website.   The site is owned and managed by my friend, Haley-O.   I have spent the last few weeks redesigning this sweet little online gallery.  

KDA is site Haley started about 4 years ago to showcase talented Canadian artists who create wonderful art geared towards children's rooms.  Right now there are three featured artists (one of whom is yours truly) More artists will join the ranks in the next few months.  All prices on Kids Deserve Art are Canadian dollars. It's great, because even though it's easy enough to order my prints from my website from any country I like the idea of having a Canadian presence.

 ...Especially since my Dandelion prints are going to be featured at the Savvy Mom's booth and the upcoming Baby and Toddler show in Toronto next weekend.