Inspiration Post: Tasteful Teacups!!

Hey everyone!! I know it's a little LATE but I still pulled together a theme of favorite creative pieces to showcase in this month's "Inspiration Post." If you're unfamiliar with the blog, the "Inspiration Post," shows off some crazy imaginative creations that all have one general theme. The theme is personally picked out by me and June's muse of the month was "Tasteful Teacups!!"

Welcome to the tea party!! Being that I am a girl, I did go through a tea party phase with lots of mis-matched little cups filled with "tea" (water) that I would serve to my stuffed animal friends. My imagination has only grown since then and I've come across so many unique teacups and saucers I can't help but continued to be inspired. Whether you prefer handle or no handle, grab yourself a mini cup and scroll down (pinky out) through my collection of tea cup pieces!!

Handmade Stacked Tea Cups bookshelf - WoodCurve Etsy Shop

This piece of furniture is practically viral. I've seen it on a few different websites and blogs and it was even lusted after by recording artist Kerli. A real work of imagination meets functional furniture, this 1 piece bookshelf gives the illusion of a set of 4 teacups unsteadily towering on top of each other. The original design was created by design engineer Scott Blackwell whose Etsy shop is currently on hiatus due to catch up on the demand for his crazy creations.

"A Long Trip to Tea Time" art print - Marisol Spoon on Etsy

I LOVE the creative concept of this print of a young girl balancing a pink tea cup effortlessly a top her head. A task I'm sure I'd never be able to accomplish with the ADDED challenge of a ship sailing carelessly around the tea. The print is created by the husband and wife artist team, "Marisol Spoon." The scalloped edge and gold details of the tea cup and microscopic components of the ship are amazing!! And her extremely long neck and haunting eyes keep this piece unique and memorable. Purchase it on Etsy or see more of Marisol Spoon's pieces at http://marisolspoon.com/

 Bijotti&Ciciotti - "SoSweet Collection" Tea Cup ring

Why stop at  a simple tea cup when you can have an entire tea party on just one ring?? Handmade and on the tiniest of scale, this ring features a half empty tea cup complete with biscuit for dunking. It's sophisticated, dainty and much more traditional than the other takes on teacup pieces in this month's post but definitely worthy to include!! View the detailed listing and other fun jewelry pieces in Bijotti&Ciciotti's Etsy shop!!

Blaue Blume Tea Cup - Undergrowth Designs

Check out this twist on your typical porcelain tea cup!! An ornate heirloom fancy enough for any tea party, this completely original piece is only a fraction of the bizarre creativity that is the "Blaue Blume Tea Service," collection.  A prime example of re-imagining a simple subject matter, the contrast between conventional and elegantly odd make this tea cup special!! All pieces are designed by Tina Tsang and available to purchase on the Undergrowth Designs website.

sweet paul blog - Country Living Tea Time Clock

I'm not entirely sure of the origin of this piece but the concept was too fun to pass up. 12 different tea cups form one amusingly chic timepiece. I'm PRETTY interested in re-creating this sometime as a DIY gift. Supplies? Pick up 12 random tea cups that you fancy at a thrift store, purchase a set of clock hands at a craft store, SUPER strong glue and add a piece of wood to hold it all and VIOLA! Our final inspiration piece for June 2013!

I didn't intentionally grabbed 60% of this month's post off Etsy. I couldn't help myself!! Everyone on there is just so darn creative. I always have a tough time deciding on what pieces to feature so there's always bonus "Tasteful Teacups" over on the Pinterest board I dedicated to "Inspiration."  Follow http://pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ for sneak peak's at next month's picks and more!! Have a great week everyone!!

Inspiration Post: Ice Cream Cones!

Hey everyone! February is always one of those months that completely passes me by. Here it is already the last day of February!! Which means it's time for another "Inspiration Post," a once a month themed post filled with all sorts of stuff that keeps me inspired. February's theme is, "Ice Cream Cones!" showing off all sorts of creative interpretations of everyone's favorite frozen treat piled high in a crunchy sugar cones!

Ice cream cones are the easiest way to eat ice cream on the go; no spoon or bowl involved for this treat! I'm no stranger to embracing the cold confection in my artwork. Joy Cups are my favorite brand of cone and are made right here in my home state of Pennsylvania. Cones even have their own Holiday that celebrates the day it was patented back in 1903! I'm a big fan of desserts and just food in general so it was REALLY tough narrowing my choices down to a top 5 for this post. Scroll down to check them all out!!

Ice Cream Skateboard sold by Raskulls

I first caught a glimpse of this skateboard at Toys R Us and I'm pretty jealous that I didn't think of it! The concept is extremely clever. 3 scoops of adorable ice cream are about the same shape as the deck of a skateboard so why not just make them INTO a skateboard?? I have no idea how to skateboard but I would buy this in a heartbeat. I like Raskullz choices in eye catching sports equipment and I even doodled up an  illustration just for fun featuring their helmets once. You can purchase this board for yourself off their website: http://raskullz.com.

Ice Cream Social Logo by The Mahoney Design Team

This logo makes it's way around Pinterest quite often. It's a great example of typography as well as logo design AND is an actual ice cream cone so I had to include it. The design is so simple yet so brilliant!! The logo itself was designed by "The Mahoney," am online design portfolio for Patrick Mahoney. The other designs included on "The Mahoney" website are just as impressive as the logo so I urge all you design nerds to check it out at http://themahoney.com.

Unicone Print by Dea Vectorink on Etsy

Ice cream cones, unicorns and rainbow sprinkles all in one print?? An ode to the waffle cone and to one of my most favorite animals of all, this print has it all! I love the artistic style, the strawberry soft serve mane and the little details such as the teeny tiny little hairs on the unicorn's muzzle. Created by Dea, a tattoo artist from Germany, it is currently available on Etsy for purchase in the Dea Vectorink shop! If you like this print the shop also carries a few other pieces featuring cupcakes, cookies and other sweets!

"scary ice cream boy" by Annette Ellis on Flickr

I have no idea what the origins of this sculpture / statue is but you can photos of it all over Flickr by searching "Ice Cream Boy." And while many contributors and commenters describe the little guy as scary, terrifying and even disturbing I like him!! If you think about it the statue did it's job, it got people's attention!! It's just too bizarre to pass up for my "Ice Cream Cone" themed inspiration post.

Michael Miller LLC Ice Cream Fabric sold by JeanMariesFabric on Etsy

And finally we have a patterned piece textile from Michael Miller LLC and sold by the yard by JeanMariesFabrics on Etsy. The print is just an entire repeating pattern of ice cream cones. The vintage looking illustrative quality of the cones with a retro geometric pattern really appeals to me. Not only that it features different types of cones like strawberry and chocolate soft-serve, scoops of vanilla with sprinkles and even mint chocolate chip!

Are those gears in your brain turning now?? I hope this post inspired you to go out and create something wonderful. . . . or maybe it just made you want to eat ice cream!! Either way I hope you enjoyed this month's "Inspiration" post!! Hungry for more? I have a Pinterest board dedicated to "Inspiration" which always features pieces that I love but didn't make the cut. Just head over to http://pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ to check it out!! Hope everyone has a great week!

Snazzy Face Painting Las Vegas - Banner Sighting!

Hey everyone!! Since I posted about the new grand opening and cartoon brand identity created by yours truly for the awesome bakery, Cakalicious I thought I would post another one of my client's successful signs!!

Nearly a year ago Alyssa, owner of Snazzy Face Painting Las Vegas has an idea for a logo that stood for her as an artist but also the love she has for the city she calls home. We worked one-on-one together to create a cute and completely personalized work of art she could use for her business. I was happy to find out at one of her most recent events she brought along this banner:

The banner was used at a recent event she worked in February at the Sketchers Outlet for their 2nd year anniversary! Snazzy Face Painting is fun for almost any occasion whether it's indoors or out!! Visit their official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/SnazzyLV) to check out photos of some of Alyssa's happy and snazzy looking customers! 

Be sure to "like" them to keep up to date with all their events and help spread the word about a great new business!! If you have a logo of your own that's been swirling around your mind or sketched out on a napkin be sure to contact me at violet-ink.com/contact to make your big idea a reality!

"Thor Walrus" Acrylic Painting

Hey everyone! Time to play catch up and post some of the projects I worked on in 2012 that were made especially for the Holidays! A great perk of being artistically talented is that you can give gifts that you can BE SURE no one else got, because you made them yourself!!

One of my friends, if I haven't mentioned before, is a big fan of both the aquatic animal the "Walrus" and of the Marvel hero "Thor." In my head the only option for a gift was creating a Thor-Walrus. I found some source images of Walruses on the computer as well as of Thor's helmet used in the Avenger's film and combined them for something truly unique!

I created the painting with just white, black, brown and red acrylic paints. The paints weren't any special brand, just the craft paint you can pick up at Michael's Arts and Crafts. She really loved it!! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!!

Creating Automotive Ads

Hey everyone!! Just wanted to post on my blog about some updates I made to my site!! As you may or may not know, I got a fulltime job working at the newspaper. I get to create ads all day for advertisers, still have fun illustration work to do and I'm learning a lot about page layout and programs I never used before like Xpance.

I started out doing classified ads which include automotive. Although it may not sound like the most exciting thing in the world, especially to a fellow graphic designer, I have to say it is both challenging and fun.

You get ample room for space, some ads run as long as 21.5 inches. Wow! And full color.

Sure it's no cupcakes or rainbows or cute little fuzzy animals, it's something different. The difference it has from my usual work is what makes it challenging.

I posted two of my favorite ads in the Graphic Design section of my portfolio on my website (violet-ink.com).

Calling all Artists!! NEW Tracy Contest!!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let all my fellow artist know about the newest competition going on Tracy DiMarco's Fanpage wall... a drawing competition!!

All you have to do is pick a photograph of Tracy from on the albums, get out your markers, paints, crayons, colored pencils, whatever and re-create it!! Post your masterpiece on the fanpage and tell your friends, family, fans, everyone to hit that "like" button to vote for your drawing!!

Of course I entered:

Digital entries are not being accepted for this contest, so I drew it out in pencil and colored one of two ways I knew how, with watercolor paints! Please vote for my entry by clicking "like" at : http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=224149877603510&set=a.223887467629751.64175.113948348623664&type=1&theater

50% of the contest is the amount of votes and the other 50% is determined by Tracy herself!! The contest ends on July 4th so hurry and get drawing!!

"Octopus in Love" Watercolor Painting

Hey everyone just wanted to share another one of my creative gift solutions of Christmas for one of my friends.

James is a good friend of mine that I have known for probably 4 years and we met online back when Xanga was realllyyy cool.

But he likes Octopus and so we came up with the concept of "Octopus in Love." I created the cartoon octopus from simple sketches, scanned them in and printed them on some watercolor paper I had laying around my house.

From there I broke out my brushes (instead of the usual crayola crayons) and did something I dread; watercolor painting. I need the practice. I took my time and picked orange and brown colors I knew he and I both favor. For the background I just did a blue and green wash of paint.

I put it in a frame and ta-dah instant masterpiece.

Have a great day everyone!!

Valentine's Plans

New Years was a bore since it was freezing rain, and New Years eve I applied for a local job. I drove there in the snow, after a friend had told me that she went down and got her interview and everything in the same day. I saw the ad earlier, it's been run for two weeks, but because of my retail job didn't get time to go down until THEN.

Here all they did was have me fill out a job application, and leave. After I drug myself, portfolio, snow boots and all into their office. I was a little more than disappointed to tell the truth...I still have my finger's crossed though... :\

But regardless Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I was going to start making my own set of mini valentines, and then put those into little metal tins... and make a Lady GaGa valentine card for one of my friends.

Yesterday, I pulled a bunch of pictures off google, did some quick sketches, and I finally have a really good idea of what I'm going to do. But in the meantime I did a quick exercise in Illustrator and Photoshop, which is the picture featured above.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Rotti Your King is Dying

So my journey into watercolors continues. Today I went for the head honcho Rotti Largo:



Big improvement from my Amber Sweet.
I'm doing a biggg collage . . .picture thing. Rotti is the top and center. So I'm pretty sure I have to continue his arms and shoulders. Don't know if I want to do that on Photoshop or IRL with the watercolors.

I also got a new scanner today D: It epically scans at 300 DPI as a default! Very exciting compared to my old scanner.

And of course I figured I'd upload a photo of my working conditions here at home:



A little cramped eh? The DVD of course for reference and the apple well . . . for noms sake. :D