aprylstottdesign.com Blog

We’ve got a lot of milestones happening around here. My 5 year old lost her first two baby teeth AND is graduating kindergarten in a week (sniff). I’m so not ready for this. I helped put their class yearbook together (now THAT was a project!) and they’re practicing for their Big Graduation Ceremony. My husband has been mocking me constantly. “Why do you need a graduation ceremony for KINDERGARTEN?” You just do, alright? YOU JUST DO.

And I just finished a kindergarten reader.

What do YOU have planned this summer?

Trading work is AWESOME! (We got the new Yo Gabba Gabba soundtrack, so now I am constantly thinking in “D.J. Lance Voice”). But seriously, trading work is FUN! This week I finished up a logo for a new farm in town. AND NOW I GET FREE PRODUCE FOR THE SEASON. I am so excited about this, I can’t even tell you.

Here’s the logo in black & white:

And in color:

Plus, I did work for a chiropractor friend a while ago & she’s going to adjust me and the girls next week. (How do you adjust a two year old? I’m fascinated by this.) Trades are AWESOME!!!

So my Super Lovely Sister-In-Law is getting married this summer (YAY!) So I made up some invitations for her shower. TA DA!!!

My future bro-in-law is very ANTI CLUTTER, so they’ve registered for things they can go and do together instead of “stuff”. Isn’t that brilliant? (Though these days I get excited about going to McDonalds with the girls. I can’t even imagine going to the ACTUAL MOVIES or, my heavens, A CONCERT. Whoa. Totally jealous.)

I’ve got two bits of happy news to share:

1. I am the “Illustrator of the Week” at ChildrensIllustrators.com. YAY AGAIN!!!

2. The illustrations I talked about in this post (we made cards for the kids of deployed soldiers to keep in touch with their parents) are being distributed by the organization who thought up the brilliant idea in the first place. They’re going to make card kids for groups of volunteers to assemble and then distribute on the bases. The cards we made this fall went to Ft. Lewis WA. So fun.

I’m in the middle of 2 other projects right now (YAY FOR WORK!), so I should have some things to share with you in the next few weeks. Till then!!!

Just when you thought Christmas was over! BAM! Here come the Christmas Kittens. I finished this Sticker Book Proposal a few weeks ago & thought I’d share. Maggie is shopping it around right now. Wish us luck!

Detail from the cover:

Interior Page:

Sticker Page:

Here’s a little baby announcement I just finished for a family in Australia. They wanted a “subtle” kangaroo. Do you think this is subtle enough?

I want a dog.

I’ve been working on a few digital illustrations and thought I’d share.

I remember talking to a fellow illustrator a few years ago who said, “I don’t even use sketch books anymore, I draw everything on the computer!” I couldn’t believe that. I thought it was sad. But let me tell you, I’ve changed my opinion. It’s SO. MUCH. EASIER. I can make really detailed sketches, drastically change them, add detail, and make them the perfect size all in 1/2 the time. Even if I’m going to make the picture with a traditional medium (watercolor, pastel, etc.) I still sketch it out in Photoshop first. It’s quite amazing. And I can listen to pandora.com while I work. That alone makes me draw better…

Before I skip town tomorrow, I just wanted to add one more thing. We made these Cinnamon Roll mixes today at my mom’s group. They are great to give away to teachers/neighbors/oh crap, they’ve brought us a plate of cookies and we have nothing to give them in return/people. They cost about $3 each too, an added bonus. (I bought supplies to make 18 for our group. Did you know you can google “how many cups of flour in a 25 lb bag” and get the answer? I love the internet.)

Here’s the recipe card:

Click here (Cinnamon Roll Recipe Tags copy) for a PDF of the the Ready To Print version. Prints 4 recipe cards per sheet.)
We put the cinnamon & sugar in a little ziploc baggie, the flour & yeast in a gallon sized ziploc baggie, and took the cake mix out of the box. Then we put those three things into big fancy baggies to package them (found from a floral wholesale supplier), but you could just throw the three bags into another ziploc. You could even trim the ziploc part off and tie it with a ribbon if you want to get really fancy.

Here’s what it looked like all packaged up:

Ok, now I’m really REALLY done with Christmas.
xo

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah, my lovelies! I decided not to document Gretchen screaming for this year’s Christmas card. We all look bland, happy, and excited about lights. Not at all a realistic representation. (Artistic liberties & all that…)

I finally finished my gifts for the nieces (I couldn’t leave them out after slaving over the $5 gifts for the nephews. I tend to get carried away with projects. Perhaps you’ve noticed.) Gretchen is modeling her Princess Hat and tulle skirt. And rockin’ the Lawn Gnome look.

Here it is laid out of the floor so you can see what it really looks like. And I could attempt to write down directions, but I’m not exactly sure how I pulled this off. Lets just say it involved my mother-in-laws surger, leftover canvas from college painting class, and a hot glue gun.

Happy Holidays!

When I was a kid, my sister and I loved to “play” paperwork. We used to play library, not so we could read books, but so we could make a check-out log. We’d start new businesses selling rocks (or something equally desirable, like chunks of old drywall left over from construction). And for every business we started we’d make tri-fold brochures, order forms and business cards. I think it might be because my Dad was a graphic designer, but we loved creating beautiful coordinated paperwork.

Now it’s Christmas, and I’ve been brainstorming what I can do for my nephews. They all really really REALLY liked the treasure maps to their pirate pouches last year. I’m making them find their presents again this year (hiding gifts = no wrapping! Woo hoo!). But I’m getting nephews that are 8 years old now. Pirate Pouches aren’t going to cut it much longer. Dude, these kids have DS systems. They don’t need no stinkin’ pirate pouch! (Oh, the pressure!) So my creativity was tested sorely. With the help of my uber-talented sister Adrianne, we made the most awesome gift.

SUPER HERO KITS. With business cards. And incident report forms. Paperwork and Super Heroes. Can it get any funner? I know.

THE PLAN: They’ll get this letter here ( Federal Super Hero Welcome Letter ) that tells them they’ve been inducted into the Federal Bureau of Super Heroes. Then they’ll be directed to find their Secret Super Hero Kit in the cereal cabinet. Their kit is a 10×13″ envelope with an ID badge, business cards, a tri-fold brochure of commonly used “Spy Words” (we couldn’t resist the tri-fold), a clipboard full of Incident Report Forms ( Federal Super Hero Incident Form ), and aviator sunglasses from the $1 store.

ALL I HAD TO BUY: Aviator Sunglasses, 10×13″ manilla envelopes, ID badge holders & aviator sunglasses. Dude, so worth it…

The Incident Report Form (Yes, that does reference a “Yo Gabba Gabba” uprising. It’s coming people, are you ready?):

Badge (mustaches on kids = hilarity):

Another Badge:

BUSINESS CARDS!!!

Here’s a template for the badge if you want to make a kit too. It’s sized to fit into the standard “Name Badge” holders they have at most office supply stores:

Yay for $5 gifts! And kids with cop ’stashes!

How come every time I draw my toddler, she’s screaming? I mean, it’s not like she screams ALL the time (like right now. She’s sleeping. See? Unconscious, but not screaming…)