There are so many stereotypes designers fit into. I’ll admit – I fit in a few. But, for years I felt there might be something wrong with me because I felt I didn’t exactly fit the mold. Now I’m at the point in life where I can embrace my quirks and differences and still be {relatively} confident in what I do. Let me make it clear that I don’t have anything against ANY of these things; my intention isn’t to make people feel bad. It’s just a way for me to say…embrace what makes you different. Even if it’s a flaw. Embrace your limitations (see #1). You don’t have to do or wear or own any certain thing to be a creative person. Just be you. So with all that said, I’m a designer. And these are my confessions.

I don’t use a Canon or Nikon. I use a cheap Panasonic Lumix camera for all my photography.

I don’t drink Starbucks. Or any coffee for that matter.

I do all my design work on…wait for it…a PC! I don’t have anything against Mac, it’s just what I’ve always used. And it works for me.

I don’t own anything Eames. Someday though.

I don’t own a Keep Calm poster.

I can’t really bring myself to buy anything retail. Unless it’s a really good pair of jeans that fit *perfectly.* And then I’ll just wear those for ten years until they fall apart.

Speaking of clothes, I’m terrible at putting outfits together. I just don’t have the personal sense of fashion or creativity or boldness, or whatever to do it. Promise does though. So does this girl.

I didn’t go to college. Everything I’ve learned has been self-taught in the area of web and graphic design. This was an insecurity of mine for a long time. I was confident at the time about my decision not to go to college, but people along the way definitely made me doubt myself because I didn’t receive formal training. I’m over it now though.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. -Eleanor Roosevelt

OK, I broke the ice. Now it’s your turn to spill the beans!

If you’ll let me get a bit geeky on you, I designed what I wanted my blog to look like in Photoshop and then I searched for a bare bones theme that I could modify to fit my design. I ended up using the Ari theme from Elma Studio. It’s a great basic theme, very well coded and documented to go in and do your own customization. I also had a lot of fun integrating Google’s Font API. I used Arvo, Raleway with a sprinkling of Goudy.

Before

After

If you look around and see something that looks a bit wonky, just let me know! I’m terrible about doing in depth testing in all browsers. :)

There are hundreds of great inspiring and creative blogs to read, but do you ever wonder which blogs everyone else is reading? I do, which is why I have compiled a list of the top 150 design, inspiration, and DIY blogs – I call them all Makers.

The blogs are measured and ranked based on 5 criteria (Alexa rank, Compete traffic, Google Pagerank, Google Reader subscribers, Yahoo! inlinks). Scroll down to the bottom of the list to see specifics on how the list was compiled.

This list certainly isn’t perfect. Each of the 5 criteria have their quirks. However, I do think this mashup is a step in the right direction of creating better lists. Because of these quirks, one blogger has requested to be removed from the rankings, which is noted in the list.

I tried to scour and dig for the most popular sites out there, but it’s nearly impossible to know about them all. By all means, if you don’t see a blog on the list that you think should be there, please email me at info at evie-s.com

Have fun browsing! I’m sure you will find a bunch of blogs you didn’t know about.

>> SEE THE LIST

Want to brag about your rank or give some link love to the Top 150 Makers Blogs list? Embed the badge at the bottom of this page on your website.

EMBED A BADGE.

<!–Top Blogs Badge –><br /> <a href="http://evie-s.com/news/top-150-makers-blog-list/" mce_href="http://evie-s.com/news/top-150-makers-blog-list/"><img src="http://www.evie-s.com/images/makers_button.jpg" mce_src="http://www.evie-s.com/images/makers_button.jpg" style="border:none" mce_style="border:none"/></a>

I’m currently looking for some design work to raise money for a non-profit that my husband and I are working on. Most everything you see on this blog is designed by me, including the blog itself. So if you need:

• Logos
• Custom invitations
• Blog or website design
• Etsy graphics
• Party Decor
• Anything else you can think of!

I’d love to be your girl for the job. Just email me at info at evie-s.com with the details of your project!

From left to right:

Business cards by cameron moll // cards by King Muck Shanty // cards by mr. keasone // cards by sassen

hairdresser identity by Alexis – Love that you can mix and match to make each one unique// Identity for a wine museum – built a font from wine stains [ Via Graphic Exchange ]

To get your own custom stamp, just send in artwork to Stamp Asylum. I’ve worked with them before and they do a great job turning your original design into your very own stamp.

[ via naldz graphics ]

1. How long have you been creating art and design?
I suppose I’ve been interested in creating ever since I found a box of crayons but it became more serious after I got into high school. At the time I was very focused on painting/fine art but when I began college I decided to major in graphic design.

2. What are your sources of inspiration?
Oh there are many things! I love mid century design, folk art, the work of Matte Sephens, Blanca Gomez, the mountains & trees, architecture, vintage type, WPA posters, children’s book art, most things that came out of the 50′s, and on and on. I try to find inspiration from things that aren’t in my field as much as I can (such as nature or architecture) to help me be creative and find my own voice.

3. I see you are opening a new studio space and stationary shop. Congratulations! What products will you be offering for retail?
Thank you! It’s been so exciting (and liberating) to move into my studio from our small apartment. I’m planning on selling a line of greeting cards, recipe cards, art prints, wedding & event templates, and other misc. paper goods at the studio shop. I’ll also be opening an online store that will carry the same items. Both should be open around the end of July.

4. I know it’s probably hard to pick, but do you have a favorite out of the work that you’ve done?
I hate to pick favorites but I do have a soft spot for the Carly & Daniel invitation. I think it’s because it’s a bit different than my other invitations and when she first emailed me about her wedding and ideas I felt like I knew exactly what I would illustrate for her. What popped into my mind mind is pretty much how it turned out so that was fun. It just clicked.

5. I noticed you primarily use gouache to paint your illustrations. What are some other tools/supplies/mediums that you primarily use for your work?
Gouache is my primary medium. I absolutely love it and it really changed my style when I began painting with it a few years ago. Before then I mainly used watercolors (and still so sometimes). I also love working with cut paper.

6. Can you briefly describe your process for creating a new work of art?
I typically start by just brainstorming about the project and trying to find inspiration from what the client likes and wants. I then draw up a few pencil sketches for the layout, style of the lettering, and illustrated elements. This part is really important as I usually hand draw or paint everything in the final version so it saves a lot of time to get things set before then. Once the sketch is finished I use that to create the final illustration and then transfer it to the computer for some post work.

7. And lastly, a fun question! All artists have their quirks. Name one of yours.
I asked my husband to think of a quirk and he said that I’m shy. I don’t think that’s really a quirk though. I’m going to say that it’s how much I love figuring out how things work such as how traffic censors work and how tunnels are built (most have to do with roads and transportation because I collect curiosities while I’m driving and then go back and read howstuffworks.com).

Thank you so much for sharing Anna! Best wishes on your store launch and we look forward to seeing more lovely work in the future.

From left to right:

Faux Cross Stitch Yo-Yo // cross-stitch motif // darling card [ Via Smarts and Crafts ] // We Make Sense poster // Bargello Chevron Pillow //Needlepoint Book Cover

Have a great weekend everybody!

Anyway, I transferred my CRAFTS lettering using graphite transfer paper on a vintage linen handkerchief and used embroidery thread to outline the design. Then I used a scalloped rotary cutter to create edges around the design using Martha’s tool from her craft line. I also used her paper and shape punch to create the starburst. Then I put it all together and took a photograph. Once I got a photo I liked, then I went into Photoshop and added some more details.

I’m happy with the result and would be thrilled to win, but I’m not getting my hopes up. It would be cool to win the Encyclopedia of Crafts book though.

You can see full-size photos of the project here. I’d love to know what you think of it!