New Design: Cambridge Icons

I finally finished a new design! It is part of my City Icons Series: Cambridge. I’ve been asked about this for a while and here it is!

For some reason I was feeling a little intimidated about creating this design. With such heavyweights as Harvard University and MIT, I had to pick the right iconic structures to include. I hope anyone who lives in or visits Cambridge can appreciate what I have included in this design. And I am always open to feedback!

My favorite part was drawing the Gift of the Wind sculpture that’s in Porter Square (upper left). I’ve always really enjoyed seeing the movements of that sculpture when I’m in Porter Square. Plus it fits really well into my color scheme since it’s already a red sculpture!

This design is available on the flour sack towel or tote bag!

Fall is Officially Here

🎃 ☕️ Are you a fan of pumpkin spiced lattes? Or have a friend who’s obsessed? 🎃☕️ I have a great pair of towels to immortalize anyone’s love of pumpkin spiced lattes 😄 And despite the temperatures here in Boston today (🥵 high 80’s!), it is officially the first day of fall! 🍁🍂 So I feel like it is pretty safe to talk about pumpkin anything now!

Also, to be honest, I’m not a coffee drinker so I made some tea 😁

Earth Day is in 1 week!

On the first Earth Day in 1970, over 20 million Americans celebrated clean air, land, and water. Now over 1 billion people in more than 190 countries worldwide participate in Earth Day to bring attention to environmental issues. 

"It may be hard to imagine that before 1970, a factory could spew black clouds of toxic smoke into the air or dump tons of toxic waste into a nearby stream, and that was perfectly legal. They could not be taken to court to stop it.

How was that possible? Because there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. There were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment..." – EPA

Visit the EPA's Earth Day website for resources and ideas to reduce waste, conserve energy and prevent pollution. 

Also, visit the Earth Day Network to see the many campaigns they work on year-round that support environmental conservation, environmental protection, climate activism and advocacy, and advancing the green economy. Join the World’s Largest Environmental Movement!

I believe that as long as we continue to do the little things, make our small changes, and educate others, over time it will make a difference... Read my previous blog post for small and simple changes you can make.

Small Changes Matter

Over time small changes can make a difference!

With Earth Day coming up in two weeks (April 22), it’s making me think more about what I can do to make a difference in caring for the environment. I feel that most people think that they can’t make enough of an impact as an individual. But I believe that as long as we continue to do the little things, make our small changes, and educate others, over time it will make a difference.

Paper Towels

Global spending on paper towels in 2017 was about $12 billion. $12,000,000,000! That's 9 zeros! Americans accounted for about $5.7 billion of that $12 billion as the country spending the most on paper towels. $5,700,000,000! Whoa!

Every day, over 3,000 tons of paper towel waste is produced in the US alone. To make one ton of paper towels, 17 trees are cut down and 20,000 gallons of water are consumed. That’s 51,000 trees that needs to be cut down and 60,000,000 gallons of water to make enough product to provide a day’s worth of paper towels for Americans. Yikes!

It might be hard to completely cut out your use of paper towels, but you can start by switching to using reusable towels as much as possible. Flour sack towels are a great alternative because they are very absorbent and hold up over time. They are very versatile – use them to dry dishes, wipe up kitchen messes, wrap vegetables for storage, and even use them as napkins. Not only are they a highly functional item but also a nice addition to your kitchen decor!

Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes. It takes 500 (or more) years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. 500 years! And apparently Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year. 100,000,000,000 bags! That's so many zeros! Ugh!

I was happy to hear that like other cities across the country have done, Boston's plastic bag ordinance went into effect on December 14, 2018. Instead of single-use plastic bags at stores, you'll be able to purchase a recyclable paper bag, compostable bag, or a reusable bag for a minimum of 5 cents per bag. Yay Boston!

Of course, it's even better when you save your money and reduce waste by bringing your own bag! Canvas tote bags are great for hauling groceries or carrying everyday essentials around town. Measuring at 14”W x 17”H x 7”D, these heavy duty high capacity 100% cotton totes are spacious and durable enough for to fill it to your heart's content!

Redesigning...

I had been thinking about redesigning my flour sack towel packaging for a while. What I had before was simple and practical, but I wanted the packaging to tell more of a story. If I am not there in person selling the item, what can I do to convey the brand? 

It was only after the holiday season did I begin to form a more concrete idea of what my brand is evolving into. When I first really sat down to think about the redesign, I thought it would be a long process. Maybe one that was not going to end in just a couple of days. Crafting the right image to convey the story of the brand seemed daunting. It's hard enough to be a small business owner trying to get the branding right enough, it's even harder to be a designer who's also a small business owner trying to get the branding right enough. I had higher expectations of what I wanted to put out there. 

It started out a bit rough. As I started working on it, I came to realize that I will probably need to redesign my logo as well. But since I already had one impossible task of package design to deal with that I should probably set the other impossible task of logo design for another day. 

Getting feedback from people is great and necessary for the design process. But getting feedback from friends who are also designers is even more useful. After that, I couldn't stop working on it. I was finally able to put down my vision of the design and I couldn't wait to finish it. 

I am so excited with what I ended up with. There's always room to improve but I have something that I am happy to put out there which helps to convey the story of the brand.

Now I just need to find the time to work on a new logo...

Boston Bazaar

I am participating in this unique handmade artisans pop up shop right in the heart of Newbury Street in Boston featuring 15+ local artists. I am so excited for this opportunity and I get to hang out with some really awesome people!

The shop will open daily from 11am – 7pm now through December 31 (closing at 3pm on December 31). 

For more information, check out bostonartisanbazaar.com
Follow Boston Bazaar on Instagram @bostonartisanbazaar

Come get some flour sack towels! I will be debuting new designs this fall! I am in love with my new designs, hope you will too!

Come check out the new gift baskets featuring products by Urban Kitchen Handmade (natural handmade soaps and 100% soy wax candles). Great for holiday and hostess gifts! Wink wink!
 

Photoshoot

Photographed this setup today.

Captured through the camera lens... 

I was worried the mint was going to wilt under the lights -- they were fine. Also, I guess I kind of like olives more than I thought...

But here is the start of a series of bar towels I'll be working on this year. This is my attempt to form more of a male customer base. They may not be as interested in "flour sack towels" but maybe "bar towels" can draw them in. Just trying something new!

Working on new designs

Here is a quick sneak peek on what I've been working on. New illustrations for an updated Boston design.  

Come check it out this season! I'll be updating my calendar with all the market dates soon!