Etsy will be featuring collections on the home page from their newly designed gallery forum “Treasury East” all day Tuesday, April 27th. When the announcement reached TeamT International I thought to myself (and in an email to TeamT), “Yesss, I’m going to make about 37 T-Easts this weekend!!” Sarah of Sarah John Afana and Schemata challenged myself and the team to curate “about 37″ galleries by midnight PST on Monday.
These collections must have a theme or color or something, no willy-nilly thrown together lists of randomness and they must include at least 6 teammates. While many of the team members have curated some gorgeous and inspiring galleries, the contest for the “about 37” rests on the shoulders of Sarah and myself. We have certainly taken it to the limit with our treasuries! An ongoing list of our galleries can be seen below:
Sarah’s Galleries:
- Logically Circular
- Blue Jean Baby
- White Hot
- Let’s Go!
- Haaaavve Ya Met…
- Falling in Love with a Black Bunny in a Vineyard
- Counting Cats
- Poppy Fields Forever
- Peace and Quiet
- Take a Hike
- Refreshingly Delicate
- Don’t Wake Me
- Birds and Roses
- Fruit Salad
- Beautiful Blooms
- A is for…
- I Spy…
- Thinking Inside the Box
- Patina
- For Moms that Rock!
- I Love My iPhone
- Flutterbies
- What cha Gonna Make?
And mine…
- In Nature
- Land and Sea
- Game ON!
- At the Cotton Candy Stand
- Love at First Sight
- Would You Like Cream and Sugar with That?
- Knock Knock!
- At the Train Station
- Lazy Day
- Cornflower
- I Do
- S is for…
- Little Pinkie Running through the Field with Llamas Standing By
- Take Note
- I Can Read You Like a Newspaper
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow
- Lovely Bones
- Entertaining in Style
- Handle with Care
- Whiskers, Bandit, and a Game of Hockey
- Under the Sea
- Golden Glamour
- Bite Me
- Let’s Fly Away
Enjoy!
xoxo,
I’ve always been really inspired by color. I think it’s evident in my products that color is hugely a part of what DawnCorrespondence is all about. I believe that color has a strong ability to evoke all sorts of different feelings and moods. In fact, color always plays a strong role in how my designs turn out. Lately, my inclination has been to create products with primary colors. Separately, primary colors portray a much different mood than they do when they are all together. (i.e. red would mean bold, fire, confident, etc.; yellow could mean cautious, hesitant, sunny, etc.; and blue could portray loneliness, solitude, and water). Together, though, the primary colors evoke a much different feel. Together they take us back to our childhood days of coloring books, mega crayon boxes with crayon sharpeners, and playgrounds. Who wouldn’t love the look of primary colors?
In honor of my new obsession with primary colors, I want to show off some of my favorite Etsy sellers and their luscious primary creations or finds!
Clockwise from top left: Zwzzy, Pink Pooch Designs, New Moon Studio, 3dots, Hindsvik, Jess James Jake
So go ahead…borrow your little one’s coloring books and crayons for a while and get lost in your childhood memories! It may do you some good and freshen up your creativity!
xoxo,
- A dash of sweetness
- 2 cups of coffee
- 1 pretty address book
- 1 letter holder
- 2 fountain pens (preferably in blue ink)
- 1/2 a book of pretty stamps
- 1 package of pretty stationery
- Mix the sweetness with a cup of coffee to get energy flowing.
- Open the package of pretty stationery and get one of your fountain pens.
- Begin freely writing whatever comes to mind on one of the note cards for a friend or loved one.
- Fill coffee mug with the second cup of coffee for added energy as needed.
- Use the pretty address book to locate said friend/family member’s address.
- If fountain pen #1 runs out of ink, open fountain pen #2 to address the envelope.
- Adhere pretty stamp to the outside of the envelope.
- Place completed, addressed note card in the letter holder for the next mail pick-up.
- Repeat as many times as necessary.
- Admire your handiwork and what for the return letters to arrive in your mailbox!
Photos courtesy of (clockwise from top left): Whimsy & Spice, Downtown Roasters, Poe’s Prose, Hannah Bella Memories, Verde Studio, that’s me!, Second Seed, Rekindled Cottage
Enjoy!
xoxo,
Do you ever have random memories pop into your head and wonder how they got there? I had that happen to me and it turned out to be a really inspirational memory. The short story: One year I was visiting my sister at college. (Keep in mind my sister is 6 years older than me, so I was pretty young at the time). She had a night class she had to go to, so her boyfriend (now husband) spent some time with me while she was in class. We made dinner, and then, I assume in an attempt to keep me entertained, he and I decided to have a paper airplane contest. We each spent some time meticulously creating handcrafted paper airplanes, taking into consideration the wind that evening, where we would be flying them from, and what floor we would be flying them from. After creating our masterpieces, we went out on the balcony and let our airplanes go, with only the nighttime air to guide it to its final resting place. It took about 5 seconds, and that was that. Yet, that was the memory that popped in my head this afternoon. Why? I don’t know.
Of course I took it and ran with it. I began developing ideas of paper airplanes and how I could create some really fun stationery with paper airplanes in mind. (Side note: I ended up developing a really fantastic idea, so stay tuned to my shop for some upcoming paper airplane-inspired stationery!).
Thanks to my fleeting memory, I found these outstanding paper airplane items today! (I am drooling over that dress, by the way. In fact, I’m hoping it will be mine by the end of the week).
Clockwise from top left: Run Wild Horses, Green Post, Zoe Chen, Tea for Bini
Take some time out of your day today to craft a paper airplane! And I mean really craft a paper airplane! I guarantee it will be a fantastic stress reliever!
xoxo,
Today I listened to a story on This American Life that piqued my interest not only as an individual, but as a stationery designer as well. One of the main reasons I really got into stationery design was not because I loved the actual design part (which I do love tremendously!), but because I really enjoyed the relationship building that a single handwritten letter received in the mail could do. It’s amazing the stories you can find about how a relationship grew through letters in the mail. Whether it be an adopted child finding his mother, a wife sending letters overseas to her deployed husband, or a sibling staying in touch while away at college a handwritten letter can do wonders for those relationships. 
I digress. This afternoon I learned about Sarah York and her very unique pen pal relationship she built at the young age of only ten years old. It all began with a unique hat she saw Manuel Noriega, an alleged drug trafficker, murderer, and U.S. enemy wearing during a television interview. With no specific address to write to, she sent a letter to Panama, addressed to Mr. Noriega, telling him of her love for his hat. Long story short, the relationship grew over months and months of exchanging handwritten letters, until Mr. Noriega invited Sarah and her mother to visit Panama. The entire story can be heard here on This American Life, but what I found most intriguing about her story was what was underneath the surface of the story. While America was so concerned with what Mr. Noriega’s motives were, and continued to make accusations of him prior to having evidence or proof, Sarah and her family were simply building a relationship of kindness. They were never concerned about Mr. Noriega being a supposed murderer or drug trafficker. In addition, I find it very intriguing that the very first letter Sarah wrote to Mr. Noriega shaped the rest of her life entirely, whether she knows it or not. That’s the power a pen pal, or even just a letter written to a friend or loved one, has over shaping a relationship, and even an entire life.
I’m really interested to hear of any pen pal relationships anyone has had that you think may have changed your life. Feel free to share your stories in the comments section below, or you can email me your story at hello@dawncorrespondence.com and I’ll be happy to do a feature of your story!
Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say!
xoxo,