Dollar Deals!

Here at sassyNpunk headquarters ;) we tend to get a little carried away with new ideas! As a result, it can get a little cramped in here from all of our new goodies piling up on us. Therefore, we want to let our fans in on the fun that we get to enjoy here everyday! And to do that, we have created our own little dollar store right on our official website! If you're dying to get your hands on something new for your wardrobe but have been strapped for cash, your prayers have been answered! You can stock up on sassyNpunk merchandise without breaking the bank! Simply visit our official website and click on the products page... scroll down a little, and on the left sidebar there is a cute little "Dollar Bin" filled with all sorts of official merchandise with your name on it! Everything is just a buck, and you don't have to worry about shipping fees piling up on you b/c everything purchased from our Dollar Bin ships for a low flat rate!

We love what we do and want everyone to be able to enjoy our products, so take advantage of these great savings and enjoy! The bin is updated daily, so be sure to bookmark our site!

XOXO

My favorite graphic design galleries

The following sites are handy references and provide entertainment if you like looking at nice design. If you don't like looking at nice design and would rather see a gallery of Photoshop disasters, click here. (Be warned that some of the entries are rather risqué, so don't look if you are under 18. Of course, by saying that, I might as well put a giant flashing CLICK ME sign on the link.) But back to the good sites:

Logos: LogoPond
Business cards: Creattica
Letterhead: Letterhead Love
Websites: Site Inspire and The Best Designs
Packaging: The Dieline and Lovely Package
Invitations and cards: Oh So Beautiful Paper and Paper Crave

Experimental cork trivets

Recently I bought a pack of plain cork trivets for a couple bucks at IKEA. Very functional, but no fun. They needed decoration. To make this super easy project, you'll need:

A cork trivet
Self adhesive cork on a roll (usually sold with regular shelf liner and contact paper at Target or Home Depot)
Acrylic paint and a brush
Scissors or craft knife and cutting mat
Pen

1. On the self-adhesive cork backing, trace around the trivet. Draw a design inside. Don't get too tricky or it will be hard to cut.

If your cork is curly from being rolled, ironing will help flatten it. I took a guess and used the cotton setting, because cork and cotton both start with c. (Kidding. Do not iron based on the alphabet.)

2. Cut out the design with a scissors or craft knife.

3. Paint the trivet so your cutouts will show up nicely. Let dry.

4. Peel the backing off your cork pieces and stick them on. Done.

What I learned:
Leave your cork pieces unpainted or a hot pan will stick to them, no matter how cute they are.
Brushing on paint will get it into little nooks and crannies better than using spray paint.
If you choose to spray paint, don't use your finger to smear it into the crannies. Cooking oil, rubbing alcohol, and nail polish remover will not take spray paint off your finger. An abrasive sponge will, but it will be uncomfortable.

Free font: Arcus

While font shopping the other day, I stumbled on Arcus, a geometric typeface with interesting curves. Might be useful for headlines or adapted for logos. Get it in regular and italic for free right here from MyFonts.com.

Vintage labels to fill out and print

Get sheets of ornate vintage labels at Worldlabel.com. Choose a design and download the PDF, then open it and type in your information. Super for people like moi with bad handwriting. Designs are sized to print on standard label papers.

Fabric sighting

Courtney of Kelly+Olive alerted me to these cute EmersonMade bridesmaid clutches created with my fabric. Love the simple photography. Speaking of fabric, you must be getting sick of seeing this old stuff. I'm happy to share that I'm in the middle of designing a new collection. Fun!

DIY projects for the weekend

I'm sure you're all reeling from yesterday's one-or-two spaces controversy, and perhaps some of you didn't sleep last night. To calm things down to How About Orange's usual innocuous level, how about some DIY projects? Woman's Day magazine has a nice collection of craft projects, many excerpted from popular books. Some examples to try:
Easy cafe curtains
Waffle bath mat from Scandinavian Needlecraft
Pyramid painting from DIY Art at Home
Embellished handbag from Bags in Bloom