Fancy Night Out

I don't know about you but I love to get dressed up and go out to dinner. I literally look for any excuse to convince my husband to make reservations at a great restaurant and truthfully it usually doesn't take much convincing since he likes to try new places as much as me.

Well tonight we are having date night. We are going to a great restaurant and then to see Silver Linings Playbook and I can't wait! I might wear something like the illustration above. What do you think?

What plans do you have for the weekend? And, do you like getting dressed up too?

Also today is the last day for the 30% off sale at Michelle Baron Studio. Shop away and use code HAPPYHOLIDAYS

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
xo

From Concept to Reality

Hi there and how was your Thanksgiving!? Can you believe it came and went already!?

I certainly can't. It's one of those holidays that I look forward to for weeks and weeks ahead of time. Basically as soon as fall hits I'm thinking about turkey and mashed potatoes. And then you sit down to eat and an hour later it's over. It definitely goes by to fast. And then once it's over we are onto the winter holidays. And lately I have been a holiday card producing machine! So many custom orders this year. From small tweaks to exisiting designs to completely new creations, like the one below.

This was created for the lovely Missy. I had so much fun working with her and creating such a girlie holiday card! When she contacted me she sent me the two top images from LilyPulitzer.com and told me that she wanted a preppy holiday card that included a girl holding a pile of presents, the color pink, and her dachshund. I was so excited about this idea that even though I normally only create black and white sketches in the first group I ended up doing full color! I really wanted to figure out how to add pink and make it festive. What do you think about the final? Do you like it?

And, as an added bonus, if you are in need of holiday cards or gifts, or have just been thinking about getting something from my etsy shop for awhile... well Michelle Baron Studio is having a 30% off sale until Friday! Take a look and enter the code HAPPYHOLIDAYS at checkout!

Hope you have a great week.

xo

Michelle

Don't forget Michelle Baron Studio 30% off sale until Friday! Take a look and enter the code HAPPYHOLIDAYS at checkout!

Two Days Until Thanksgiving!

It's two days before my favorite holiday of the year! I LOVE thanksgiving. I love that it's a holiday that isn't about gifts but focuses on family and food and just being together and being thankful.

This year we are heading back to Boston to be with my mother-in-law and husband's family and I'm really looking forward to the trip. We'll leave tonight and get to spend four relaxing days there. BUT, before I can get to the fun part I have a huge "to-do" list to get through, packing, and then a six hour drive. So right now I'm in my favorite black leggings, the best boot socks on the planet (alpaca socks from my husband), my black frye's, a button up, and a sweater. I'm comfy, but I still feel cute, and am ready for my mini-vacation, and of course the eat fest to begin!

What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year? And are you looking forward to the holiday as much as me?!

Introducing a new topic!

I'm not sure how often I'll post this, but I really love the idea. Like a classy girl anthem. I've been called "matronly" and "old fashioned" and other choice, and sometimes negative words in the past when I do certain things. But I think it just makes me classy, and in the end, that's a good thing. So this is going to be my place for all things I consider classy... and that the rest of the world just might think is outdated...

Are there any things that you consider classy? Or places where you think etiquette is slipping and you miss it?

Also, I think this could be a good place to bring Coco and Louie back... have them illustrate the ideas. What do you guys think? Do you like this idea?

I Wish I Was Wearing

Top(not available any more), Pants, and shoes inspired by pieces at J.Crew I have been coveting!

It's been pretty chilly around here so I'm decked out in layered clothing and my Frye boots. It becomes my fall and winter uniform.  And don't get me wrong, I love sweaters, and I especially love my boots, but this time of year I do tend to miss my Tee-shirts and more fun clothing. And, I rarely wear heels so it's something I really wish I did, and could look like her. In a chic yet casual outfit with a little more flare then my current attire.

The Final Reveal

Happy Hanukkah Sweater, Merry Christmas Sweater, Christmas Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Merry Christmas Lights, Good Things Come in Small Packages, Cheers to a Happy Holiday Season, Happy Hanukkah Menorah

Two Monday's ago, while stuck inside during the hurricane I spent my hours working on new holiday card designs. The holidays are coming very fast and I knew I wanted to create some new options, and what better time then a day when I'm trapped inside to start my sketches.

Since then I've been adding the new cards to my etsy shop. Out of the sketches I showed you here, they became the card designs above. They have all been added and are ready to ship for the holidays!

Take a look and let me know what you think :-)

Do you send holiday cards?

Entering the 2012 Invitation Consultants Design Contest

Art Deco Invite, Christmas Sweater Invite, Romantic Wedding Invite, and Garden Rehearsal Invite

I've been working a lot on holiday cards lately for my etsy site, getting everything ready for one of the busiest times of the year. I've also been working on varioius custom projects and a few websites. But the thing that I've been working on lately and might be most excited about is the 2012 Invitation Consultants Design Contest. I've entered four designs so far and I'm really excited about them. They have been designs that I've sketched out lately, toyed with, and never completed, and it was great to have an excuse to really work on them and finish them. And what makes me even happier is that I'm proud of them (that's pretty rare for me.) So even if I don't win, and with close to 200 entries already and three more days to go, it does seem unlikely that I will, at least I can say I tried and I'm happy with the work.

What do you think, and which is your favorite?

Also if you browse the images on Invitation Consultants site and I receive enough "Likes" I can win the crowd pleaser award. So if you are so inclined, I'd love the like!


Have a wonderful Monday! xo

Currently Obsessing Over

Hermes Pendent, Vintage Necklace, green tassel earrings, white tassel earrings, Red Legacy carryall, Therese boots, Brooklyn foldover clutch

I'm an accessory lover. I prefer to dress a little more subdued / classic in order to have fun with accessories and right now I can't get enough of tassels. It might seem strange but I am loving them right now. My two favorite new purchases include the Coach Legacy carryall and Therese boots. I love the way the tassel gives an added flair of fun to the otherwise classic style of both. I'm also on the hunt for a great pair of tassel earrings and I think those green ones are calling my name!

What fashion trend are you loving right now?

Illustration in Progress

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I love to work on jobs for businesses or organizations that support a good cause and/or benefit the community. It gives me a sense of giving back and using my talents to support others. Well recently Christine from Hunting Parks Finest, an outreach and youth mentoring program, approached me about creating a logo for them and I was so happy to help.

Below are the first sketches for potential logos. I personally love the top option but we'll see what they pick / like.

What do you think?

Diary of a Freelancer: Power Out

So you know how two weeks ago I said I missed my blog and promised to write more etc... and then I only posted once last week!? Well I promise I have a good excuse. As I'm sure most of you know hurricane Sandy slammed into the east coast last Monday into Tuesday and it was a pretty scary storm. Luckily my husband and I did fine and our house only lost power for a few days, but so many people were affected so much worse by the storm and my heart goes out to all of those who had home and property damage, especially those at the Jersey Shore, New York, and Connecticut!

As blessed as I feel for how well we got through the storm and feel so lucky since it could have been so much worse, since we did loose power I was not able to work through the first half of the week last week. Our power was off from late Monday until Wednesday afternoon and so I lost Tuesday and Wednesday as work days. AS a result Thursday and Friday were spent catching up on work that I was now two days behind on and prepping for the Collingswood Farmers Market on Saturday am. So I let the blog go, again, but I'd like to think that if it wasn't for the craziness last week I would have posted, at least, two more times! But even so, it's something I really wish I was able to do.

I hope all of you faired well in the storm and are doing ok. I also hope you have a wonderful week this week! I'll keep you updated on new illustrations, jobs, and things as I move forward this (hopefully sunny) week!

xo