My Secret.

So this secret I have been talking about for the last month or so....its here. I can talk about it now. I can shout it from the rooftops now. I can be proud of it publicly now.

Back in July Jeanette asked me if I would design a collection for the January at Scrap In Style Tv. Um...can we say absolutely? Can we say dream come true? Can we say some things from my sketch book could finally come alive?

I tossed a few ideas around, but the one that seemed the most fun...and refelected my personality the most was this one. Rainbow Sushi. I will be the first to admit - I don't like sushi. I have always wanted to be cool and to say Sushi Date or I love Sushi just because most people do...but I've tried more than twice...and i just don't dig it. But it does inspire me. The neatness of it. The colors. The artform. I thought about California Love Rolls, chopsticks for rubons, adhesive fortunes, bamboo mats for album covers...so i took those ideas and added a little bit of "me" in them.

I had everything sketched out because I was going to send them to a graphic designer to create them in Adobe Illustrator. So me not being an artist but having a complete and total vision in my head, sat down and used a goldfish bowl full of my kids crayola crayons I sketched my vision. I was only working with a few colors so I was literally using little "nubs" of crayons. Each time I completed a design I would tape it up on my wall to see how everything worked together. My sweet sweet spicy friend Courtney came over, and I needed her honest opinion about them. She looked them over and said I don't think you need a graphic desginer at all. I love the rawness that the Crayola gives it. At first I was like you are kidding me right? These are just rough sketches to give a REAL artist. But I took a few steps back...and she was right. I had never seen anything like it. Definitely different. Definitely a little dirty, grungy, and raw. And it really opened up my eyes to other possibilities for future things.

So...the January collection will had my heart, soul, and lots of Crayola shavings poured into it.

When Jeanette asked me back in July if I would do this...one of the first things I said was...do I get to pick the designer? Since 2003, i have been in love with Tara Whitney. She is just the coolest to me. Her approach, her style, her chill attitude...and so down to earth. I remember like two years ago sending her a present, and I felt like a little kid with a crush...so fast forward a couple years and here I am with this insanely cool opportunity to create my own collection PLUS pick a designer. So Tara totally just was the cherry on top of my big ole rainbow sushi sundae. That is the coolest to me!

Jeanette gave me total creative freedom, and really trusted my vision. And that means the world to me. She didn't limit me, she didn't hold me back...she seriously just let me do what I was inspired to do.

Now I know this collection isn't for everyone...I'm even sure some people would say their first graders can color too! But I know that I put my heart into everything that will be in the collection...from the paper, to the adhesive fortunes, to the fortune cookie, to the calendar, all the way to the flashcards...and you know what? I am proud of it. I am goofily happy about it...and thats enough for me.

I hope you all enjoy it. Even if you hate sushi (like me) you will LOVE rainbow sushi.

pop some cyber champagne with me to celebrate!

aw