Change Is Coming :)

Not sure if anyone checks this anymore but just in case....

I haven't been blogging for a bit originally because I was super busy with the shop and regular life, then came the computer crash!

In the time that I have not had a computer I made the decision to revamp the shop and ended up deciding to change directions slightly...so I have changed the name of the shop and when it opens I will be focusing on printable party items and gradually adding a new shop which will have my printed paper goods.

With Envy Parties will open on August 1, 2011 and I'm hoping to get With Envy Paper up and running on August 8, 2011. We are currently expecting our second kiddo soon so I'm trying not to bite off more than I can chew.

So I hope you'll come join me over at the new blog! Thanks you all your support :)

Ahh the weekend

image found here

This will be me this weekend...well minus the sewing, fancy hairdo, dress and apron (insert bandanna and sweats). But I am very happy to get some much needed cleaning done. I have kind of neglected the house this last couple of weeks.

Hopefully I will have enough energy to work on some blog post for next week too.

Have a GREAT weekend!!

With Envy Wednesday-Honeysuckle

Ok I will admit it, I have never been a pink person (well maybe when I was little, like most girls but I still don't remember really liking pink). I have tended to go as far as purple on the "girly" color spectrum. But pink has always been a negative for me. I have always resented the idea that girls should like pink and wear pink and play with dolls...blah, blah. But slowly over the last couple of years pink has crept it's way into my heart. I'm not sure when it happened...maybe after I had my daughter (it definitely wasn't before b/c i remember people being nervous to get me pink baby clothes...i still laugh about it now).

But I find myself picking out pink outfits for Jossie and even pink jewelry for myself. I even managed to purchase a pink and grey plaid shirt and really wanted to but some pink heels to match. Not sure what's gotten into me.


So then I learn that Pantone has named Honeysuckle as the Color of the Year for 2011(they knew I was starting to like it so they thought they should help further that cause :D)


This week I pulled together some super cute honeysuckle colored items to kick off the first "With Envy Wednesday" of the new year. Take a look, even make a purchase...you won't be disappointed. ENJOY!!

click image for optimal viewing

a)Fuchsia Ruffled Silk Ring by bstudio $16



b)cotton candy little amigurumi bird by sabahnur $15



c)Honeysuckle Pink Blown Glass Wall Art by wolfartglass $150



d) Handmade Storage Basket by bedesisters $25



e) Windswept Honeysuckle Pink Hand Embroidered by Waterrose $78



f) Love Birds - a Valentine gift by lauratrevey $38

PS...I really love doing the "With Envy Wednesday" features because it introduces me to so many new shops to love that I don't think I would otherwise know.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!

Feeling Productive

As promised some new things and some new new things (kind of reminds me of when I use to say "like" versus "like like"). Anywho...

I have been wanting to add new illustrations and patterns to the shop this year. In my 2011 Desk Calendar-Patterns I featured two new patterns "Burst" "Zigzag". I finally got around to adding one item each with that pattern. I will slowly be adding those patterns to the options in the shop.

available here

available here

I have to be the right mood to make new illustrations if its not a request by a customer. For some reason I felt artsy this weekend (hmmm maybe after focusing on pee and poop one needs a little creative outlet...) and I whipped up 3 new illustrations and I added these newer ones to actual products. I updated the listings with the new photos which I think turned out really well.

available here

available here

available here

I think my favorite illustration is the Robot...he turned out so darn cute! The dinosaur is a close second.

I felt pretty productive this weekend (I'm counting Monday in my weekend since I was off and everyone was home so it felt like the weekend...or maybe it felt that way because I didn't get out of my pjs all day).

I am trying to bring back "With Envy Wednesday" so hopefully there will be one up on Wednesday...I make no promises :)

Packaging Makes the "Man"

Even though I have spent the whole weekend fairly focused on potty training, I have managed to work on some shop stuff. Hoping to post and list these things later today...so be on the look out for a double post (probably late).

As I have been working on new items I have been thinking about branding and packaging. I have tweeked my packaging a few times since starting Green With Envy Studios and I think I'm finally happy with it. But I plan on offering a little packaging upgrade in the near future that I'm super excited about.

One of my favorite stores Bath and Body Works has also tweeked their packaging and I love every evolution. This is the one product that I truly believe their packaging totally draws me to the product...it's whats inside that keeps me coming back though :) Here are some pics of their packaging evolution.

Not sure if this is their original label or not but its from a few years ago.

Sleeker more fresh!

WAPAM!! Totally eye catching and glamorous (oh and i came up with wapam myself...working on a patent :D )

photo found here

A fancier pic of the new packaging.

I told you I liked them...ok I'm totally obsessed (I also have a bunch in the other bathroom too) :)

On a side note....after two full days of potty training we had a ton of pee in the potty successes versus accidents. The problem is she really doesn't want to actually go to the potty. I don't want to force her and scare her but once she does it she is so happy to flush the toilet, put her undies back on, get her sticker and brag. We're working on her telling me before she actually wets herself...my least favorite part of parenting thus far.

My Treat For You!

Ok I admit it I'm a little obsessed with candy wraps and stickers right now. I never made them until I created my two Christmas printable parties. Ever since then I just can't stop. They are just so darn cute (I think the hubs get sick of me giggling to myself about how cute they are). And even better they are a SUPER easy way to add a special touch to party treats.


So since I can't seem to stop myself I created a cute set of Valentine's Day PRINTABLE mini candy bar wraps...oh did I mention that F-R-E-E!!!


FREE Valentine's Day Mini Candy Bar Wraps by Green With Envy Studios

14 mini candy bar wraps measuring 1.5"x2.5"

My treat to you!! Stay tuned for some new additions to the shop and a cute way I'm making V-day fun for my kiddo.


HAPPY THURSDAY!!

New Comers Welcome!

I still working on being more consistent with my blog. Good thing is I have totally wanted to blog I just haven't had time since I have been filling orders and working on new items. I have a VERY long list of things I need to get done but I'm trying to be patient and do what I can each day. But I thought I would introduce you to a couple of new illustrations I have done. I am still working on a few more but I have had these for a couple of months and I haven't update yet....and still haven't updated my shop listings to include these (I'm working on it).

I made these little construction themed illustrations by request and just think they turned out sooo cute!

I made this little rocket for my Valentine's Day-Illustrations Mini Folded Cards.

I love all my illustrations but I get nervous to create new ones because I'm always worried how they will turn out and I get worried that I won't be able to make them nice enough to fit the look of my other ones. But some how it just comes together.

Are there any illustrations you would like to see?

100 SALES

Today was a wonderful day! I reach 100 SALES!!! YIPPEEE...happy dance time! Perfect way to start off the year.

Thank you to all my WONDERFUL customers who made this possible and to my fam and friends who have supported me as I have gotten this business up and going. Thank you CheyAnne for being my 100th customer, I'm so excited to work with you!!!

I hope everyone has an equally fabulous day!

{NEW KID ON THE BLOCK} Valentine's Day

It's funny I totally hate going into stores around Christmas and see them setting up for Valentine's Day. Yet this year that was me...working on Valentine's day items while still finishing up my Christmas shopping :)

To say I am happy with these items is an understatement. I really love how they look photographed too.

I decided to incorporate more than just the usual pinks and reds. I wanted something more gender neutral (although its still pretty girly but if you used more green or blue accessories/decor it will make it more neutral).

Seriously how cute are the mini candy bar wraps and Hershey kiss stickers. These are my favorite part of the collection...I think I'm actually a little obsession with them :) They just make me smile.

The 2" Party circles are so versatile. They can be used as cupcake toppers, napkin rings, favor tags, drink tags, and decor like above (my daughter thought I was hanging ornaments).

Speaking of my daughter...she loves to "help" me when I'm photographing items for the shop. This time I thought it would be neat to try and photograph her with some of the items. Wow was it difficult but she cracked me up the whole time. She really didn't cooperate at all...I did manage to use one of the photos though....

I managed to also photograph and list my Mini Folded Valentine's Day Cards (loving these!!)

Currently my Valentine's Day Printable Party Set is 50% OFF!!! Get them while they're HOT!!

Welcome 2011

Happy New Year!!! I can’t believe 2010 is over already, I feel like it went by crazy fast. Last year was a rough year for me personally but I feel like it’s slowly looking up. So I’m excited for what 2011 has in store…I think it can only get better.

2010 was the first full year of running Green With Envy Studios and boy did I learn a lot and I still have a ton to learn.

I do make resolutions and it’s hit or miss whether I stick with them but I decided to make some goals for my shop for 2011.

1) Get Organized. Mainly I need to do a better job of tracking expenses and sales. I have all the info from all my sales organized in a filing cabinet but I haven’t consistently plugged the info into any type of spreadsheet. My goal is to get a more accurate picture of how much I earn from this business and where I can spend or need to cut cost.

2) Develop a marketing plan. I struggle with this one every day. I know this is the biggest reason why I don’t have the exposure I want. I have a very hard time putting myself and this business out there. Mainly due to fear of not being received well, but I know I need to get over it and just do it. I have already started gathering information on ways to better market my business so I hope I will really make some strides in this area in 2011.

3) To expand my product line to include some non-paper goods. I already have some products in mind and can’t wait until they are a reality. Also would love to hear what you guys would like to see in the shop!

4) Make better use of social media. Not so much as a market tool but simply I would like to get to know the people that like my products and I want them to know me.

5) One of my biggest goals is to make Green With Envy Studios in a business that is making a consistent income that my family can rely on. So hopefully with all the work I will be putting into it this year that will be the end result.

Now I have more short term, specific goals for myself but in general these are the big themes. I also sat down and did a list of personal goals too. I think it really helps to have things written down and tangible. Not just because I forget really easily but because it helps me stay focused and driven.

What are some things you guys would like to accomplish this year for yourselves or your businesses?

Image Source:

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Get Your Calendars!!

Are you ready to ring in 2011?? What better way to welcome the new year than with one of Green With Envy Studios 2011 Desk Calendars!!

Now offering FREE SHIPPING on all 2011 Desk Calendars!

2011 Desk Calendar-Illustrations

2011 Desk Calendar-Patterns

Happy Holidays 2010

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!!

Things To Come

Well it looks like the holiday rush is slowing down. So this is my second holiday season and what I consider my first real holiday season. Last year I was only open for about two weeks when holiday time rolled around so I didn’t see much traffic. Now I’m sure my “rush” was a drop in the bucket for some shops out there but it really renewed my love for what I do. I love seeing what people like in my shop and what they come up with for customizing their order. I got my packaging and order filling down to a science. And being so busy after a full day at my day job made me realize what I need to do in the new year to be better organized in hopes that the good times keep rolling.

I am currently working on a few Valentine’s Day related items that I am super excited about and hope to have in the shop early January. I am also thinking about new packaging options for some of my items.

I also want to make some changes in the products that I offer. Bookplates by far are my best sellers and its funny because I didn’t even know what a bookplate was when I first opened shop. I want to definitely expand on those. On the flip side I have been looking over my shop and trying to decide where to trim the fat so to speak. Its easier to cut products that I thought were neat but never sold, and got little to no views. It’s harder to decide what to cut when looking at items that may have never sold but get tons of views and hearts. I think I might cut a few things in the hopes of re-vamping them and see how that goes.

So during the slow time before the new year you may notice some new things popping up and a few things disappearing. IF something you liked before disappears feel free to drop me a line, I am always happy to make it available for purchase again.

Oh also I will be “closing” the shop Dec. 23rd-26th. It will be open but I won’t be processing orders until the 27th. I will be spending some much needed time with my hubs and daughter, baking cookies for Santa and enjoying the holidays in our matching Xmas pjs (I know you’re jealous).

Look Who Is Back...

Wow it’s been 9 million years since I last blogged J Not sure anyone is out there…heck I wasn’t sure anyone really read this when I was blogging a lot. Well for those that may still be checking this I felt I should start up the blogging again but make some changes.

So I stopped blogging for a few reasons….but in all honesty I wasn’t liking it. I originally entered the blog world when I was preggo with my daughter. I created a blog to chronical my pregnancy and life after I gave birth. I soon became obsessed with blogs and loved reading about other women who were preggo or new mothers. When I started down this business road I became obsessed with reading other business owners blogs. I was interested in seeing how other people were managing their businesses. But soon it became too hectic and I stopped reading the family blogs. I abandoned my personal blog because I didn’t have time to do two blogs. But I have found it hard to find a rhythm with this blog and I don’t really like to blog anymore, I feel like it’s a choir. Part of the problem is figuring out what to blog about. I felt like I should be blogging about my business of course but then other blogs have all these crafty tutorials and giveaways and features and so on and so on.

I found myself trying to cram that stuff in but the reality is I don’t have time to read the blogs I used to let alone come up with crafty tutorials (or do much crafting). Plus it just wasn't true to whats really going on in my world.

So as this wonderful poster by John W. Golden says...I'm going to be myself.

I'm going to blog about my business of course but I'm going to blog about stuff that interests me and maybe some personal life sprinkled in.

Ok with that being said I will blog some more tomorrow about whats in the works for the shop for the New Year. Stay Tuned!!

Change Is In The Air

Sorry for the lack of activity...it kind of plays into what I'm posting about today. So there will be some upcoming changes to Green With Envy Studios. I have struggled for the last year to balance GWES, my day job and my family. But I really don't do a good job. I put a lot into GWES, a lot of times at the expense of my family and that is not fair. I sometimes feel like I haven't really seen the return on my investment yet and that makes it even harder. I really want to continue creating items for my customers but I'm currently trying to figure out the best way to do so without sacrificing as much of my time but still offering a good product.


I have brainstormed several ideas and I'm still not sure what I will end up doing but stay tuned for some big changes. I'm going to wait and see how the holiday seasons looks before I start making changes. But I'm thinking I will close the shop after my Dec. 12th shipping deadline and do some revamping and re-open in whatever capacity I can after that.

Thanks guys. I will try and post some but probably not a lot until I figure out what I'm doing. Thanks for understanding!

One More Freebie

No "With Envy Wednesday" today. But starting next week and every Wednesday until Christmas I will be featuring one shop on my Christmas wishlist. I will featuring products I want for myself (hmmm need to get hubs to stumble on this blog before Christmas :p) and products I think would be neat the important people in our lives. I think I'll call it Wishlist Wednesday because I have to have a catchy title right!



I also wanted to stop and let you know I created another freebie you everyone. If you're having a party for Thanksgiving or just a simple dinner this invite is a nice simple way to provide your guests with the details.

Give Thanks Invitation

For Personal Use ONLY

Season's Greetings-2010 Holiday Collection

Oh the holiday season is here. Time to start shopping, preparing for the annual holiday photo, sending out Holiday cards and preparing for the 20 million pounds you'll gain from the yummy food (hmmm maybe that last one is just me).


I picked a few of the note card sets in the shop that I liked and paired them with my new Holiday illustrations.

2010 Holiday Collection by Green With Envy Studios

Holiday Dash Flat Note Card Set


Holiday Stacked Flat Note Card Set

Holiday Big Circle Folded Note Card Set

Holiday Silhouette Folded Note Card Set

Holiday Dash Folded Note Card Set

I also created some 2.5"x2.5" square gift tags to coordinate with the holiday card designs. I liked how they turned out. I am thinking about offering them with my regular illustrations.

Holiday Dash Gift Tags

Holiday Silhouette Gift Tags

Holiday Stacked Gift Tags

I did not create any holiday specific items for my Pattern line. I considered it but the reality is you already choose the color scheme and personalization for those note cards and gift tags so you can easily make them into a holiday theme.

This is my first real holiday season. I opened my shop right before Thanksgiving and I didn't offer any holiday related items then. So we will see how this year goes!

I will be including the new holiday illustrations to all the items in my shop in case you want to add a little holiday flare to bookplates or maybe a print.

So since I'm in the holiday spirit I will be offering 20% off your purchase of any item in my 2010 Holiday Collection or any item you order using my Holiday illustrations. Offer ends Novemeber 15, 2010.

Freebie Friday :)

I will be debuting my 2010 Holiday Collection on Monday 11/8! I am very excited and I hope you are too!!

In the meantime, it's time for FREE Printable...YIPPEE!!!

With the holidays coming up I vowed to be more organized with my shopping and since I have to send a lot of my gifts 2000 miles away I need to make sure I get everything shipped out on time too.

I created this wonderful organizer to help us all get our shopping done and keep track of ideas and requests. There is room to include the recipient's name, budget range, gift possibilities any special notes about the recipient or gift and where you are in the gift buy/giving process.

This organizer can be used for any time you need to give gifts!

Simply click below to download the the file (there is no sign-in/sign-up required to download this file)

Gift Organizer by Green With Envy Studios

For Personal Use ONLY.

Jocelyn's 2nd Birthday aka Balloonfest 2010 :)

**WARNING: Picture heavy post ahead!

My little one LOVES balloons...every time we pass a car lot or party store I hear squealing from the back seat. She is fascinated by them. This years theme was perfect for her!! I knew I wanted a cluster of balloons for her invite but I didn't really know the color scheme since she doesn't have a fav color. As mentioned before after ordering her bday shirt I decided to try and match the colors in the shirt and I really like how the invite and colors came together.

SOOOO many balloons...I think I actually used more balloons in the wreath then in the house :)

I wanted to make the food simple so we had pizza and chips/pretzels as the main food. I made the cake (not totally happy with the way it looks but it tasted yummy). I also mad cupcake in a jar as the party favor for the guests. Pretty simple and easy! Earlier I made crayons for Jossie's class party favors.

My favorite part of her birthday was her present. I wanted to get her something she would actually use and that wouldn't get ignored like all her other presents. I was originally leaning towards something art related because she loves to color. But then I was reading The Busy Budgeting Mama's blog. Natalie posted about her daughter Sophie's second birthday party (super cute definitely check it out!). Her and her mother made felt play food as part of their present. I was instantly obsessed and thought that would be a great present for Jossie. She was already feeding us air food often :) Then my hubs decided to make her a play kitchen to go along.

To say I was impressed is a total understatement. My mom made the majority of the food and my hub built the kitchen from old cabinets. My mom and sister painted it and it just turned out great!!

Last but not least...the birthday girl :) I wish I had some better pic of our little bday girl but she was cranky before her party and got a late nap and was actually still sleeping when the party started. I had to wake her up and she was still fussy and wouldn't let me do her hair or put on shoes. So she spent the party with crazy hair and no shoes but she of course she didn't care. I was also bummed I didn't get a good pic of her bday shirt (minus the spongebob sticker she had to have on it). Most of the pictures I have she is doing something and you can't see the shirt. The ones I made her pose for she was annoyed and wouldn't smile. But most importantly she had a great time! Two of my friends brought their little ones so we had 4 little girls 10 months-4 yrs and they all had a good time and loved the kitchen.

I couldn't have pulled it off without the help of my mommy, sister and hubs. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

****

Special thanks to:

1)Kristina of Modern Frills, Jossie loved the bday shirt, sorry I didn't get any good pics without Spongebob on the shirt. But everyone complimented your work!

2)Natalie of The Busy Budgeting Mama (and Pretty Paperie) for the the felt food idea and great listing of tutorials

3)HowDoesShe? for wreath tutorial