Giraffe baby shower {a little glimpse}

aka what I'm working on right now:

Giraffe baby shower - new colour combinations

A sketch, photo, or work in progress. A little glimpse into the way we work or what we're working on. Keeping creative and sharing the goodness. 

The {a little glimpse} posts are inspired by Cupcakes for Clara. 

P.S. If you want to join in with the posts please do share your link in the comments so we can pop by and have a peek

The best things in life {a gratitude post}

Source: Uploaded by user via Savannah on Pinterest

When I came across the above quote it made me smile and it also made me want to express my gratitude.  The best things in life, the things I am most grateful for, it's true, they aren't things at all.

Here are some of the best things in my life right now:

• getting a kiss from my almost 13-year old son (I wonder how much longer they will last)
• a note written by my soon to be 10-year old daughter telling me she loves me soooooo much (I'm saving those notes for when she's a teenager)
• listening to my youngest as she learns new words every day
• when she "hides" behind her hands so I can't find her and giggles when she peeks through her fingers
• that look in my husband's eyes, telling me he loves me, even without words
• getting compliments from my customers that make me smile all day long

What are some of the best things in your life right now?

Cupcake party {a little glimpse}

The lovely Laura over at Cupcakes for Clara is starting a weekly or fortnightly blogpost where she showes a sketch, photograph or work in progress piece with only one sentence to explain it or even no words at all.  

The idea would be to post a quick and easy blog post while allowing other people a little glimpse into the way your work or what you're working on.

I thought I'd join in, starting right now!

So here's what I'm working on:

Cupcake party gift tags

Cupcake party invitations, gift tags and food labels for my daughter's upcoming birthday.

Valentines Day - Tattoo Heart Box

It's almost mid January which means that Valentine's Day is fast approaching.

If you are looking for a sweet little something to give to the one you love on February 14th, you might want to have a go at making a tattoo heart box.

I made these a while ago as a wedding gift for a 1950's inspired wedding reception we went to, but they would also make a lovely Valentine's Day keepsake.  

I painted the heartshaped boxes in a vibrant red and then printed out the names of the couple in a font that reminded me of a tattoo (I love mom, anyone?).  They can be filled up with candy, chocolates, or maybe even ... a ring?  

The hearts were actually only part of the gift. I put them on top of a stack of square cardboard boxes that I had painted white and filled with coins so that the entire present looked like a tiered wedding cake, using the hearts as cupcake toppers.  

Please leave me a comment if you would like to see a full tutorial in a later blogpost.

Not such a great start of the new year

I always find it hard to get things done during school holidays, but this Christmas holiday was especially hard since our entire family got sick.  Lots of coughing and sneezing went around, a few sleepness nights were thrown in and plans got put on the backburner.

Now, 10 days into the new year I'm feeling ready to jump back in.  The shop had a great start and is giving my confidence a boost. Lots of ideas are tumbling around in my head and my fingers are itching to draw up "to do" lists and create new things. 

I'm excited to see what 2013 will bring. Happy New Year. Let's get started, shall we?

Rebranding - step one: colour palette

While my little shop is slowly growing I've been playing around with some ideas for a stronger, more personal brand. First up is the colour palette.

The plan is to gradually rebrand Rocajo Studio and make it much more personal after some serious soulsearching. I want colours that mean something to me (like the yellow, since they remind me of the Livestrong bracelet I wear).

When I look at my Pinterest Colour Inspiration board I seem to be drawn to more 'vintage-style' colours and this particular photo from Design Seed (such a lovely blog for colour combinations!) has been my greatest inspiration. I took it as a starting point and kept the yellow, pink and blue and added grey, a colour that is already present in my current branding colours.

Making decisions is not always easy when you like many different things and styles.  But I'm happy to say that the colour palette choosing is now out of the way.  Moving on to fonts now... Ack, this one might be even harder.

Want to help a girl out? I'd love to hear your font suggestions!

The Nutcracker Suite {Shop update}

These Nutcracker Suite inspired Christmas cards have made their way to the shop but I hadn't shared them on my blog yet.  They can be personalized with the name of your child and the printable file comes complete with a matching envelope.

Who could be a better nutcracker than this little squirrel? I think he secretely likes to dress up...