May 2011 - Veda House Veda House

mary poppins style suitcase

friends of veda

That’s really the only way to describe the gift I received in the mail from the sweets girls over at School of Vintage. On Tuesday afternoon our delivery lady at work plopped off a decent size box at my desk and I had no idea what the contents inside could be. I usually have a pretty good idea of things I’ve ordered, but this time I was stumped. I opened the box with lightning speed and inside I found a avocado green suitcase with silver closures. OHHH myyy!!! An avocado green suitcse!!!

I was in heaven, but still had no idea where this beauty came from. I had not ordered a suitcase, so I instantly new it had to be a gift. I opened the suitcase to find it loaded, I’m talking LOADED, with vintage home goods and a sweet card sitting on top. I opened it up, read it, then jumped up and down when I saw that this gift came from the girls at School of Vintage.

They had sent me this package as a thank you for my recent company rebranding work I did for them. I took on their rebranding project because I was really excited about what we could achieve, but never did I assume there would be payment associated with it. These girls blew me away with their gratitude for the work and their extremely generous gift they sent me as a thank you.

I know you’re all curious what was inside, so I’ll share. Inside the suitcase was a deer figurine planter, a green and white mid-century water pitcher, a yellow kitchen apron, a set of vintage pattern napkins, a candle holder, a milk glass bread pan, and a green and white pyrex casserole dish. OMG right???!!! That’s what I call Christmas in May.

Thank you sweet ladies!

friday finds & favorites

FRIDAY FINDS & FAVORITES

[vimeo 23566391 w=515&h=290]
Amazing video with a guy wear amazing glasses. Not to mention these bags are gorgeous AND handmade!!!

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I need to get my hands dirty soon. All these screen printing and letterpress videos are sparking a fire in me.

1. Thank you Scott for capturing these lovely two in Amsterdam. Loving their style.( the Sartorialist)
2. I must try this DIY project. Chalkboard print lids for organization.
3. This fashion blogger from Northern Ireland is just plain adorable. Love her red hair!
4. The Mini Zine Video tutorial on A Beautiful Mess blog this week is great. Elsie has a bunch of great guest bloggers while she’s off enjoying her honeymoon.
5. My dear blogger pal Jenny over at Freckwonder Blog is having an online garage sale in hope to live in a minimalist way.
6. Vintage Camping Engagement photo session = LOVE.
7. My favorite Etsy Shop this week: Cloth & Patina.
8. Just discovered this Online magazine (Pure Green Living). It’s beyond perfect.
9. This vintage swim suit on the Friendly Fox Etsy site is a winner. Love the color.
10. Check out the book review over at Sometimes Sweet. Book is Matched by Allie Condie.

Happy Friday dear friends. I’ll be heading home (Fort Wayne, Indiana) for the Memorial Day weekend and I’m pretty excited about it. I haven’t been home since Christmas and that means I haven’t seen family for almost 6 month. Yikes.

I’ll be spending the entire day Saturday at my parent’s house, Sunday will be an entire day spent at the lake house, and Monday will be spent with the boy’s side of the family. It will be a busy, no-stop go go go kind of weekend, but when you only have 3 days to visit almost every family member you have, that’s what you’ve gotta do.

I might be taking a blogging break over the weekend if I can relax enough to disconnect from the computer. We’ll see how it goes.

Talk soon.

time to start photographing

veda news

Wowzers. Time is flying by and fortunately things are getting done in a timely manner. This weekend I’ll be traveling home to Indiana ( a 7 hour drive) to spend time with family and to shoot half of market203 product. We’ve gathered over 200 products, so we definitely have a lot to do. I’m hoping for decent weather because I will only be photographing in natural light because I feel it produces the best photos.

I’ve been gathering props to accompany the products and the images above are just a few of the items. Finding props is actually really fun, but keeping things simple is key. I look forward to seeing family and getting the daunting task of photographing hundreds of products started.

value of a lookbook

ART & DESIGN

I’ve been pulling images from all the image collection sites, trying to establish what the look/feel I want market203 to have, the story that brings my brand to life. My goal is to release a lookbook with the launch of my shop. Read more below about the value of a lookbook!

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Lookbook: a collection of photographs compiled to show off a model, a photographer, a style, or a clothing line. They can also be used as an artist’s portfolio.

To me, a lookbook is a piece of collateral that is used to help define a brand and bring that brand to life. It tells the story that the artist hope the consumer will fall in love with. They get consumers jazzed about what that artist will be launching in an upcoming season or what a store will be offering as product.

One of my most favorite things to do is keep my eye out for the upcoming season lookbooks. They are essentially mini books and I can appreciate the amount of collaborative work that goes into making a lookbook a reality.

a collection of clippings

DIY

I can confidently say that I know I am not the only one that “hoards” magazine clippings of all things cool. For the longest time my clippings were kept in a large envelope and never really looked at once clipped. What a shame! My little system needed a little change and I thought putting all magazine clippings into a hand-made book would be the best way to showcase my inspiration and act as a easy tool to reference in a time of no inspiration.

After cutting several sheets of heavy stock gray paper and assembling them with metal rings, I now have a place to put all my clippings. The images you see above are just works in progress and the entire book will be filled over time. I got my binding idea from Elise. Go check out her mini books because they are adorable and amazing.

Do any of you make mini book? It’s pretty addicting!

first timer banana bread

DIY

As you all know my taste buds are quite under developed and I’m a the pickiest eater you probably will ever meet. The other day I was sitting around trying to come up with a recipe that was new to me and something I’ve never made before. I thought “hey, I love bananas and I love bread, I’ll make banana bread”. At about the same moment Michelle over at Oh, Mishka tweeted that she had just made some and was willing to share her friends family recipe. What a sweetie. For a healthier lifestyle check out these Alpha heater reviews.

Although it’s not the healthiest recipe, it’s sooo simple and easy to make.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
2 over ripe “Andy Warhol style” bananas
2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1 stick of butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cream: 1 stick butter and 1 cup of white sugar
2. Beat in: 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt
3. Mash 1 cup of bananas (2 should be plenty)
4. Add 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp baking soda
5. Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. (until wooden toothpick comes out clean)

*recipe makes one large loaf, two small loaves, or three mini loaves.

I’ll probably try these next (vegan banana bread , low-fat banana bread, and low sugar banana bread)

5.22.11

veda news

1^ OMG what a crazy week at work. It was one of the busiest weeks I’ve had in while. It’s odd to be crazier than my normal crazy.
2^ I’ve moved onto the 3rd book of the Hunger Games. I really enjoyed book two 2 and think it is going to be my favorite. Do you have a favorite?
3^ I will most likely be going “HOME” over memorial day weekend. Haven’t been home since Christmas. Should be a good time and who doesn’t love extended holiday weekends?
4^ Side note: I really need to start working out regularly.
5^ Side side note: Yoga classes are cancelled all next week. #pissed #offtoagoodstart
6^ I made banana bread for the very first time this weekend. Recipe on the blog tomorrow!

Happy Sunday!
*Have you jumped on the Google Friend Connect bandwagon? This is one of my favorite ways to find new bloggers to follow, so check it out!

photographing with props

Uncategorized

This weekend is going to be spent at home, getting at-home things done. Last weekend was a really productive weekend for makerket203, but not the domestic diva type stuff.

With most of my product bought for the initial launch at the end of June, I am now on the hunt for those little extras (props) that will make my photos unique to my shop and add a little personality to my items. I have a lot of personal items laying around the loft that will most likely make an appearance in the shop, but I’ve been collecting some imagery as a resource for me to reference. I bring all my image references with me the thrift/antique malls, so I now what to grab if I come across something and how much is a fair price to pay. Here’s my Etsy prop reference list. Doncha just love old crap!

Any photographing product secrets I should know about before I get started. Let me know!

friday finds & favorites

FRIDAY FINDS & FAVORITES

Some inspiration for your Friday!
[vimeo 22639018 w=515&h=290]
Holy moly this is a beautiful video. Makes me want to get back in the printing studio, like yesterday!

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Skinny Vinny Lookbook for spring. Adore!

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A video made by everyone. I kind of felt like I was part of a social experiment with visual/sound overstimulation.

1. I am in love with every single one of these mid-century art prints in the Pool Pony Design Etsy Shop

2. My favorite blog for the past two weeks – The Seventy Tree.
3. These are the classiest friendship bracelets. Love the other items in the shop as well, especially this chain necklace.
4. Everyone, please tell me they saw Miss Zooey in this new television trailer.
5. I really want to go visit Cari in Michigan at her little consignment/antique shop. Her show is one of my favorites on HGTV.
6. Play around with this online camera simulator. Teaches you a lot about your digital SLR camera and perfect for beginners.
7. This photoshop tutorial shows you how to had a soft sun glow and lens flare to your images.
8. Can I please have this chicks hair and skin tone. Pleaseeee.
9. I’ve kind of fallen in love with this blog. Talks all about roving from one flea market to the next.
10. Swearwords, an Aussie based creative agency has some really amazing design work.
11. Check out these eyeglasses prototypes made out of wood and metal.

DIY – product hang tags

ART & DESIGN

Here’s another little market203 update. I like updating you guys because it keeps me accountable to my shop launch deadline (end of June) and keeps me excited about the process.

Today I’m sharing with you my recent labor of love, the hang tags. I wanted hang tags that could double as thank you cards for each product purchased. The hang tags are made up of thin crate paper matte board, newsprint paper and natural twine. I wanted the tags to feel very hand-made, a bit grungy, and as environmentally friendly as possible. I ended up making a total of 150- all cut, hole punched, assembled and stamped by hand. (let me tell you…that process makes your hands DRY!)

I bought a customized rubber stamp online ($12) with my logo on it that I could use to stamp whatever I wanted. The twine was bought at a local craft store ($5), large sheet of crate paper matte board I had (free), notebook of individual newsprint sheets ($3), and little protective stickers that go around hole-punched holes ($2). That’s a killer price for that amount of hang tags created and I have a bunch of supplies left to make more if needed.

If you want to add a little hand-made touch to your small business, try something simple like customized packaging, hang tags, or thank you cards. I think it makes a large statement on a small budget.

Stay tuned for business cards!

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