Congo Design - "Bitty Fluff"

Here's the new Congo Design - "Bitty Fluff" on Hyena Cart:



I've been working with Jenny from "Jenny's Simply Clean" on a redesign of the "Bitty Fluff" Congo. The Congo itself is such a cute idea; all of the vendors sell things specifically designed for newborns and infants.

Jenny requested an overall theme of "chocolate brown, sage green, blue, and pink", and a design that would reflect the excitement and joy that comes from having a newborn.

I thought a lot about it and the color scheme reminded me of cherry blossoms (our family lived in Maryland when I was in high school and went to the cherry blossom festival in DC every spring).

I found this information about the symbolism of cherry blossoms:
Cherry Blossom info at Wikipedia
Whereas in China the cherry blossom symbolizes feminine beauty, the feminine principle, or love in the language of herbs, in Japan the cherry blossoms are believed to exemplify the transient nature of life, because of their short blooming times.
Sakura, or Cherry Blossom is an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and represents spring. Cherry blossoms are an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life, and as such are frequently depicted in art.
Symbolism of the Cherry Blossom
A cherry blossom is the symbol of spiritual beauty.

It seemed like the perfect symbol for the Congo because infants are only small such a short time and then they grow into silly little toddlers and then preschoolers...and before you know it, they've grown into beautiful people!

I designed "Bitty Fluff" Congo around cherry blossom trees with a blue background. Each of the vendors' shop names buttons is a different arrangement of different-colored cherry blossom flowers.

Here's the new "Bitty Fluff" Congo design:



Here was the original design:



I hope the ladies at Bitty Fluff enjoy the new design as much as I loved creating it!

New Creative Mamas Blog!

Our new Congo leader over at Creative Mamas approached me yesterday about creating a Blog for our Congo. It was a lot of fun to design!

Come check out our new Creative Mamas Blog:



We'll be using the Blog to announce special announcements, stocking news, and free lotteries. :)

WAHM Thread Banner and Animated Banner for "Home Hooked Play Food"

I'm finishing up a trade with Kim from "Home Hooked Play Food"; she's been a lot of fun to work with!

She sells crocheted food items that look scrumptious! I can't wait to get ours. :) She was looking for banners with "bright, earthy colors" so I created a piece of pie with a cartoony, crocheted look and found a font that looked like yarn.

Here is the Banner I created for the top of her WAHM Thread at DiaperSwappers:



And here's her matching animated signature banner for DS:



Kim, thanks for your helpful input on the creation of your logo! Hope you enjoy your new banners. :)

Hyena Cart Design for "Earth Baby Cloth"

Melisa wanted an earthy design to match her beautiful "earth tree" logo.

Completed design for "Earth Baby Cloth":



In exchange, Melisa made two of her beautiful fleece longies and shirts sets, and an embellished prefold. My sons LOVE their "Frosty the Snowman" longies sets!

Thanks for a wonderful trade Melisa. :)

Pics to come soon!

Animated Banner for "Eye Candy Designs"

Erin from "Eye Candy Designs" was looking for a funky banner to match her awesome site. Erin is a fantastic artist who makes hand-painted shirts and other creations. I had a lot of fun with this one!

Here's what I came up with:




Thanks for a great trade Erin!

She sent me a gorgeous "One Fish, Two Fish" shirt in exchange for the banner and some of her fun "glovlies". Pics to come soon!

Hyena Cart Design for "Jenny's Simply Clean"

Jenny has been such a wonderful lady to work with! She was looking for a Hyena Cart design that incorporated the nice greens and browns from her logo, and kept the nice "clean" feeling to set off her awesome laundry soaps.

Finished Design for "Jenny's Simply Clean":



I'm so excited to try out our new detergent when it comes!

Thanks for a wonderful trade Jenny. :)

Animated Banner for "Hippie Made"

Katherine was looking for a catchy banner to announce the Grand Opening of her new shop "Hippie Made" on Hyena Cart. She wanted the words to enter the banner in a unique way.

Here's the final design:



I loved learning how to do a "blurred" effect with the words, and thought it added that something special that Katherine was looking for. :)

Thanks for letting me design your banner Katherine!

Animated Banner for "JB Treasures"

Jessy wanted a "treasure chest on a beach" banner for her shop "JB Treasures" on Hyena Cart.

I loved creating the perfect background to showcase her creations:



Thanks for working with me on your banner Jessy!