Inspiration Post - Retro Space Astronauts

Hey everyone!! Every month I collect and showcase pieces I find online that I hope will inspire you to CREATE something great for what I like to call the "Inspiration Post." As busy as this month was, I ALWAYS find time to stay inspired. For May, I found myself constantly being pulled to all things space. This month's post is dedicated to "Retro Space Astronauts!!"

3-2-1 blast off (to the past that is)!! Space travel, anti-gravity, pets suited up in astronaut apparel, space camp?! When it came to the future, with a little imagination the possibilities always seemed endless. These aren't boring schematics from rocket ships, or museum quality photographs of the planets. These are imaginative and fun retro space travelers with unstoppable imaginations. Journey with these brave soldiers by scrolling down!!

Puffin Biscuits ad posted on Dying For Chocolate Blog

Is it weird that I have been a fan of this ad for many many years?! In fact it was one of my first desktop wallpapers on the PC I am currently writing this post from. "Puffin Biscuits," presents us with an atmosphere of flying buttermilk biscuits. The little boy in the ad dons an astronaut's helmet while the little girl looks on with wonder. Is he really an astronaut? Probably not but the imagination that went into this ad is admirable and the artwork is excellent. Those Puffin biscuits look good enough to eat!!

Explore the Universe poster by Moustafa Khamis on Behance

I originally came across this piece on Pinterest and it took me a bit to track down the original artist. Created by Moustafa Khamis, a designer and artist from Abu Dhabi on Behance, this poster is included in a set called, "Posters of a New Century." Although designed more recently, this as well as the other posters in the series have a very retro feel. With a simple color palette, distressed textured paper and clean layout this poster's friendly illustrated astronaut welcomes you to join NASA and see the universe!! I'm in!

Space Cat by Ruthven Todd - Image on The Toasted Scimitar blog

Not ashamed to say that I own this book. Yes, I am, in fact, ancient. I think it was something my library gave away when I was in elementary school. An original inspiration I absorbed into my brain as a young lady, it fondly continues to spark my imagination to this day! The first book in a series of feline space journeys, the book tells the story of Flyball, a cat who is rocketed into an outer-space adventure. Why can't they make more kids book like this anymore?!

1985 Astronaut Barbie - "Barbie Works" VOGUE UK Blogpost

I love Barbie. If you think she isn't a proper role-model for young girls, I think you are wrong. The woman was in space (and still looked stylish doing it). This photograph of the 1985 astronaut Barbie was grabbed off of VOGUE UK's blogpost titled "Barbie Works," by Lauren Milligan. In a hot-pink space suit complete with fish-bowl helmet and futuristic poofy-sleeves, Barbie looks perfectly content and ready to claim that planet in the name of Mattel! This girly and sleek re-imagined space suit is something I would definitely don myself!!

Collier's Magazine April 18, 1953 issue - image via PaulMalon on Flickr

And last but not least, an authentic piece of nostalgic space history, the April 18, 1953 issue of "Collier's" magazine. This was the piece that was the main influence behind this post and one of the first pieces I came across this month that really inspired me."Collier's Weekly," was an American magazine that roughly ran from 1888 to 1957. If you search for "Collier's Magazine Cover" you will be bombarded with brilliantly illustrated works of art similar to our space cadet above. This cover has it all!! A top-of-the-line ray gun, a crazy "space helmet," and a brave space traveler in awe at an alien species.  

That's it for this month's "Inspiration Post!!" If you're looking for MORE creative retro space travelers be sure to check out the Pinterest board I have dedicated to "Inspiration." The inspiration board always has extra pieces for each month's theme. What are you waiting for?! Rocket over to http://pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ to check it out!! Have a great week everyone!!

Inspiration Post: Crazy for CAROUSELS!

Greetings friends and welcome to the FIRST inspiration post of 2013!! Those of you who followed us last year know the inspiration post is my monthly chance to share with you themed things that help spark my imagination (and hopefully yours)! I've never outgrown my fascination with carousels. This month's theme, "Crazy for Carousels," showcases my love for the elegant and spinning amusement rides found all over the world!

Like most little girls I was OBSESSED and even own my own mini musical carousel that I received as a gift years ago from the San Fransciso Music Box Catalog! I still find myself fascinated when I come across one at a fair or amusement park and given the chance I would totally take a spin on one to this day. I could get lose all day showcasing the different types of crazy animal seats but I went with your classic pretty horse galloping on it's post for this set.

Carousel Cupcakes by We Want Cake on Flickr

I figured I would start things off with one of my not-so-guilty pleasures; CUPCAKES! Not just any cupcakes, Carousel Cupcakes . . . mmmmm! These elegant and joyful cupcakes were baked up by Flickr user We Want Cake. In her description she mentions they were for a little girl's birthday party but I wouldn't mind them at my own!! I love the muted color pallet and the details on each sugary horse is incredible!!

Carousel Illustration from Tumblr

I couldn't bring myself to NOT include it in my post because there is so much in it that inspires me! It's sparkly, full of bows, roses, jewels and stars without feeling too overwhelming. My favorite part is the use of varied types of patterns in a clever manner with a cheerful splash of purple and pink!! This illustration caught my eye when I saw it on Tumblr and unfortunately I have no clue who the original artist is. Being an artist myself, I try to be a stickler about that kinda stuff so if you know anything about this illustration please let me know in the comment section and I will include it in the post!!

Manish Aurora Carousel Dress on Katy Perry 

I had to add this outfit to my carousel post because it is so incredibly unique. This carnival inspired couture was created by Indian fashion designer, Manish Aurora for a collection he premiered for the Spring / Summer of 2009. Each piece has an imaginative circus flair and is a great demonstration of how inspiration can birth a unique and memorable work of art! I highly recommend you check out the full collection on his website at http://www.manisharora.ws/spring-summer-09.html

Carousel Dreams by MoogleGurl on DeviantArt

Another great example of an illustrated carousel horse titled, "Carousel Dreams," by DeviantArt user "MoogleGirl." The drawing features the traditional idea of a carousel horse with pretty pastels and subtle girly accessories. I love it's swirly, curly mane. This is exactly what I picture in my head when someone says "Carousel," so you better believe I find it inspirational!! If you like this style of illustration be sure to head over to her official website http://www.tastypeachstudios.com/ complete with it's own shop filled with goodies!!

Carousel Necklace by AnnMichTreasureBox on Etsy

And last but not least, a handcrafted necklace with a unique looking Carousel pendant. I like how this jewelry strays away from the norm. Although a more simple representation of a carousel horse, I find this black stallion with it's cotton candy colored hair really pops on the orange colored cameo background!! It's currently listed on Etsy in a shop called AnnMichTreasureBox!

Hope you enjoyed this month's "Crazy for CAROUSELS" post!! To check out some BONUS items I that didn't feature but still love I have a Pinterest board dedicated to JUST things of all shapes and sizes that inspire my artwork. Just head over to http://pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ and you'll even find a few pieces from my previous posts in 2012. Hope everyone has a great week!!

Inspiration Post: Sugary Sweet Wigs!

It's about that time again! Yep it's the end of the month which means another installment of "What Inspires Laura." A post dedicated to things that inspire me which I can only HOPE bring you, the reader some inspiration as well!!

This month's theme is "Sugary Sweet Wigs." I am a big fan of wigs and sweets so I was sure I could find some inspiration merging both themes together! And sure enough I did! Tons of beautiful yet delicious looking candy-coated wigs all OVER the internet! It was tough to narrow it down to only a top 5 but I managed!

Marie Antoinette Pink Cupcake Print

This is a print available on Etsy by shop owner LeilaniJoyArt. I am a big fan of the Marie Antoinette inspired hair. I mean, I've only illustrated my very own Marie Antoinette inspired party invitations before! Our girl is a bit of a rebel as she samples some sweets baring a lot of skin and showing off her "Sweet" tattoo in a perfectly pink bakery!! I love the added touch of texture by adding a real ribbon. This print is available for sale so if it speaks to you as much as it speaks to me be sure to purchase only on Etsy!

Bolli Darling - Cupcake Delight!

The higher the hair the closer you are to heaven so this girl must be straight up angelic! The photo is a costume by "Bolli Darling," an 18 year old company specializing in unique entertainment and fabulous costumes to add to delight to your next party! The site describes her costume to be "Inspired by Willy Wonka and traditional sweet shops." The wig itself reminds me a lot of an ice cream cone. Check out their website at http://www.bollidarling.com

Let Them Eat Cupcakes, Apples and Lychees - Rhondda Scott Photography Photoshoot

This wig isn't exactly stuffed with desserts much like the others on this post but it definitely fires up my imagination. The light pink tightly curled whisps look like cotton candy and I love the pastel lavender and white mixed in. Another Marie Antoinette stylized photo except more traditional with the long sleeves and the model is holding a cupcake so that has to count for something!! The full shoot can be viewed on the RScottPhotographyWeddings Blog here: http://rscottphotographyweddings.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/let-them-eat-cupcakes-apples-and.html

Will Cotton - Candy Curls Portrait

This is a long time favorite of mine, a portrait created by Will Cotton. He is the man behind Katy Perry's beautifully painted candy-candy portrait on the cover of her album, "Teenage Dream!" Even though it's not covered in cupcakes it's tangled with ribbon candy, sugar cones and tons of other candy-coated delights that sure look sweet! Get lost in a sugary paradise by visiting his website at http://www.willcotton.com/

Candyland Courtesan's Cupcake Wig

And now the holy grail of all sugary sweet wigs, a wig by Candyland Courtesan FILLED with cupcakes! A towering, elegant hair piece stuffed with feathers and cupcakes on top of ringlets of pink curls. Anyone would feel like a character straight out of the Candyland game wearing this!! The photo ads to the fantasy with a matching cupcake corset and sweet treats spread out on the floor. You can view lots more of their beautiful wigs on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/CandylandCourtesanWigs

That's it for this month!! Hope you all enjoyed the crazy candy-coated hairpieces. Halloween is just around the corner maybe you'll construct a sugar sweet wig of your own! Hope everyone has a great week and stay tuned for next month's inspiration post!

Inspiration Post: Cats!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to update the blog with something new. At the end of every month (starting out as just once a month) I want to post some things that inspire me that will hopefully also inspire you!!

This month's theme is cats!! I love cats. I have a cat of my own named Samus (yes after the video game character) and we have a total of 5 cats at my home! If that makes me a crazy cat lady then, oh well!

1) Cat Woman Drawing

I found this before on Google Images, and again uploaded on Pinterest. I'm not sure who created it but it is adorable! The stylized, cartoon nature is something that I am really into and inspires me when creating my own illustrations! If anyone knows who created this please contact me so I can link it back to the artist :)

2) Ryan Clark -"I Love Yarn"

Actually saw this image on Twitter. Not only is a good example of illustration it's an excellent example of typography. This type treatment is too cute!! You can view more of Ryan's art on his website: http://ryanvsclark.com/

photo via Alephbet website

3)"Three Little Kittens" a Little Golden Book illustrated by MASHA

We actually had 3 copies of this book while growing up and I still keep a copy in my room to this day! It's a classic story with illustrations of dolled up little kittens on every page.

photo via laura@popdesign Flickr

4)Jean-François Martin - Contes des chats

I don't know much about this illustration except that it what I believe to be a book cover. Another great example of not only illustration but also type. The piece itself only uses few colors to catch your eye displaying how less can be more.

photo via HawaiiKawaii blog

5) Kuma Crafts- Cupcake Cat Earrings

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/53680818

Unfortunately these earrings are something that are sold out at the designer Etsy shop named Kuma Crafts. The concept is short of genius. Kittens? Adorable. Cupcakes? Sweet. Kittens that are ALSO Cupcakes?!?! I think my head just exploded with awesomeness.

Tune in next month for another set of inspiring pieces. I hope they motivate you to create as much as they do for me!!

What is in a Name?

One of the hardest steps to launching your own business can be deciding on the name. As you know, I am owner and operator of my own freelance design business, Violet Ink Design. Although our brand has evolved from it's original design the name has stayed the same!!

So, where did "Violet Ink Design", the name, come from? Ever since I was a little girl I loved the color purple. So you better believe when I got a pen that wrote with violet ink, I was doodling all over my notebooks and school work with it.

I look back at those memories fondly. Who knew one little pen would form the foundation of my career!! I also stumbled across a short article about naming your own freelance business on a great site called freelance advisor. Check it out by clicking here: http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/getting-a-job/six-ways-to-come-up-with-a-great-company-name/

Out & About - Illustrated Recipes!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to update the blog with another project I ended up doing at my full time job at the newspaper. The newspaper puts out a magazine called "Out and About" every year that is freely distributed atarea businesses with lots of summer goodies and this year I was obviously a part of it! I did a lot of illustrations and content for the magazine but one of my shining pieces was the two recipes!

A Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake Recipe:

(the recipe can be found here: http://acozykitchen.com/stands-toasted-marshmallow-milkshake/)

And a recipe for an Orange Creamsicle Fruit Dip:

(the recipe can be found here: http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/07/orange-creamsicle-fruit-dip.html)

It was a tough choice when going through the millions of recipes online. I wanted something that was vegetarian friendly, fresh, fun and relatively easy for both kids and adults! I really appreciate both A Cozy Kitchen and the The Girl Who Ate Everything for letting me use their recipes in the magazine!

To view "Out & About" in it's entirety just click on this link: http://lebanondailynews.pa.newsmemory.com/special.php?date=20120601

Hope you guys try this recipes and have a great rest of the summer!

Lumpy Space Princess Plush & Wallpaper!

If you haven't heard of Adventure Time, it's a cartoon show on Cartoon Network and I love it. It's silly, the drawing style is simple, and it has a wacky cast of characters, cupcakes and candy, rainbows and SCIENCE! Basically a lot of things that I like.

Photo via Fred Seibert - Flickr

Sometimes when I feel like I need a new desktop wallpaper, I decide to sit down and my make my own. My wallpaper at work is a cartoon of myself of course but my home computer is the character Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time.

I created the illustration in Illustrator and finished it up in Photoshop. I feel like me and Lumpy Space Princess have a lot of common. We're both lumpy, have a temper, love purple, and talk with deep mono-toned valley girl voices.

I am also a big fan of the a store we have in the states here called, "Hot Topic." So you'd better believe I was excited find a Lumpy Space Princess Plush now in their shop!!

Photo via "Hot Topic"

It is 14" and about 32 dollars and you can get your own by visiting their webstore. I would love to purchase one and use it as a pillow! Also, I by no means, own Adventure Time or it's characters so feel free to use my desktop wallpaper on your own computer!! Hope everyone has a good weekend and catch Adventure Time sometime on Cartoon Network!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hey everyone! Thursday was my birthday I just wanted to briefly share some things of what I had been up to :)

First of all, the day before my birthday my parent's ended up giving me my present early since I was going shopping ON my birthday, just in case I wouldn't buy what they got me... and what they got me was a cupcake maker!

I tweeted about one when I had initially saw it. The thought of making cupcakes in about 5 minutes is a great idea. I suck at baking so much. I never know how much mix to put in the little muffin tins, or how long to leave them in. I don't have the patience to wait 20 minutes, and usually burn myself getting them out of the oven. This machine is a godsend.

I did make one batch of cupcakes in it so far. It makes eight little mini cupcakes. I made a recipe for exactly eight, and spooned about 2 and a half tablespoons of mix into each cavity. You check to see if they are ready with a toothpick, just like the real oven, and ta-dah!

It makes more than just cupcakes though. It has instructions for brownie bites, muffins, appetizers, etc. I could make pancake puffs! Oh and mini pies :D

On my ACTUAL birthday, I did go shopping. Here are the things I bought:

Timberland Boots with some financial help from my brother...

some cute argyle sweaters from Target. Argyle is one of my most all time favorite things :)

Amy Sedaris' craftbook at Books a Million! I had her cooking / entertaining / whatever book this is the second one of hers. She's a very funny lady :) maybe more about this book in another post...

and these plaid slippers from Aeropastale (not photographed because well, they're on my feet)!! Super comfy.

We also ate at CiCi's pizza which is super yummy :) especially the mac and cheese pizza!

I got little things here and there from my friends here at home too. Not to mention the nice birthday tweets, and facebook wall posts :) what a great birthday!!

New Additions to my Bookshelf

Hey everyone! This evening I went to Border's books in Reading and I picked up a few neat design-related books.

I was originally on the hunt for the first volume of Scott Pilgrim. I know, I know, it is bad to hop on the band wagon suddenly, but I really did enjoy the movie. I heard the movie did not make as much money as expected though, which is sad, so I urge you all to give it a chance! I think I would enjoy the comics. The bad news was though I think everyone else thought the same thing, they have every other volume BUT volume 1.

I ended up just pulling up my Amazon.com Wishlist on my HTC HD2 and went to town there. I could not find some of the books on my wishlist but my 3G phone is a LIFESAVER. Any book I picked up I could immediately search it on Amazon.com and read the reviews before shelling out the cash for it. I ended up picking up three good books. 2 of them are related to art.

I try to read a lot but with my job, plus keeping track of my business, I always stick it on the back burner. It has always been an idea in my mind though to start book reviews on my blog.

The first one I started was Breaking into Freelance Illustration by Holly DeWolf which I picked up at random and had a five star review. I'll write a full review for it when I finish reading.

Have a good night everyone!

Got my CD from Computer Arts Projects

Excuse my appearance for this post. Computer Arts is an AMAZING magazine for Graphic Designers and Illustrators alike. It's actually from the UK, I still buy it in Border's all the timeee because it's excellent eyecandy, features epic tutorials, and tons of inspiration.

The issues literal suck me in like a black hole. A few weeks ago I snagged issue 124 of the CA Projects from Borders. I read it through and through which took me about a week with my hectic schedule, and when I finally got to the end, I realized, doh! Someone took the CD! Because there was no CD there.

I was devastated, especially after it taunted me by listing the features of the issues CD, including FREE FRONTS! And who can't get enough fonts, amirite?

Well anyway, thank goodness for the little miracle called Twitter. I tweeted the magazine and they had no problem with shipping a free replacement CD to me in the states making them my new best friends in the whole world. :D

PS: Here's just three of the fonts on the CD I threw together in excitement upon getting them like, .2 minutes ago.