heysusy

Moving Day!

Well, the day has finally come when I can show you what I've been working on over the summer, and into the fall. My new Susy Jack* website is now live, and starting with my next post, I will have a new home for my blogging, also.

Starting on Monday, I'll be posting over here at my new blog, exclusively. I'm thrilled to finally have my blog, shop, and studio in one venue. I hope you'll come and visit me often... I'll be posting more of my own work in style, pattern design, product design, and lifestyle, and of course, waxing poetic on paper clips and top hats, now and then.

See you on the flip side...

Can't wait.  xo! S

 

Website Redesign - Sneak Peek

Hello, all. Now, I'm not one to get too excited about things until they happen-- preserving my excitement is something I've gotten really good at in the course of owning a business-- But, now that we're onto the testing and tweaking phase of the new Susy Jack website, I do think it's time to share a snippet or two.

Susy Jack's new home, I hope, will be a place where my products and my blogging will live side by side, in a unique space. The concept I've been working with is of creating a "home" online - and the visualization behind it has been thinking of the type of space I'd love to walk through in reality, with my customers and visitors. What kind of space would I want us to be in together? And what would our conversation be like there?

It's been amazing to work with this idea in mind, to create a site that focuses more on where my designs originate from, opens possibilities for designing in new categories, and offers an improved shopping/browsing experience for my customers... something more than a "look" - an experience I can share.

While I can't reveal the whole launch, I thought I'd post two functional elements I've added in which will be great additions - a magnifying zoom which I hope will enable visitors to "feel" the quality and detail of items as they browse (so important for smaller, more delicate pattern work, and faster than all that clicking through); and, an improved account setup...which I hope will be more convenient and easier for those of you who order repeatedly.

Finally, one of my personal favorite touches are the little rollovers for the account info area...fun details like the key in the image above. The horse above the cart (see below) being possibly my favorite of all. 

OK - that's it for now...more to come very soon. x Susy

Credits 
All design - created by yours truly
Ecommerce and web development - I am working with Aeolidia (who are great btw)

Crystal Vision

I find crystals so inspiring... Don't you? Here are three images from my archives which I find particularly great. Lately I'm finding myself more and more drawn to natural geometries.

Today I hand off my final edits for the new website, and continue with some product development I have going on for launches next year.

ps. In case ypu didn't enter yesterday, don't forget the giveaway, which ends tomorrow.  Win a gorgeous new writable calendar for 2012! 

Keep on Dreaming

It's been long time, I know, but I thought I'd pop in for a quick post to let you know what I 've been working on while I've been away from my blog.

The next phase is on it's way. With it, the end of this blog (probably in the next couple of months) and an updated home for me on the internet.  I'm excited to say that susyjack.com will have a completely new design, which I have created over the past several months with Aeolidia's help, and it will house my shop as well as my blog.

I'm going to post a sneak-peek here shortly. I wish I could show you more, but my policy is not to reveal anything til it's 100% there.

This photo seemed appropriate:  Via my lovely retail customers Mac and Murphy. Thanks for the smile! Meow!

When you care enough to send the VERY best.

 

Hi Everyone. Well, today I turn thirty six!

I thought you might enjoy a photo a card my Mom sent me which I opened this morning.

It features a foil stamped message and rhinestone decor element which she has...um...redesigned. Damn, it made me laugh. You know, I feel so grateful to have people in my life who not only make me smile, but let me laugh with them, and who just plain "get it."

Truly, this photo up here sums up my personality to a tee. I'm no shrinking violet, and nowhere near perfect. Often I feel that I am too outgoing and overexcitable. But, I do love my life, and I love what I am, even though my own antics make laugh and ok sometimes cringe. While at times I wish I was more graceful, younger, less brassy, more this more that... in the end, I know none of that really matters. What matters is having love in your heart, humility in your soul, and an openness to letting life teach you about it's many unexpected wonders.

So, on that note...Happy Birthday Everyone!

Love, Susan

A poem I liked

Here is a poem my mom gave me over the weekend that I thought you might enjoy. It is about something very simple, and simply expressed, but It made me think.

When I was a kid, my mom would come and wake me up at about 3 in the morning to go look at the stars. I would wake up and think she was nuts. But out I would go. Now, I am so glad she made me look. The sky has changed because of us, and it is not as dark at night, and you can't see as many, anymore. But I remember how it used to look, and I'm happy to be one of the people who was able to see that.

More about Robert Francis - and links to more poems and books  - here

Working to get calendars out to the printer today... and press releases sent for the winter. More news on new designs to come. I'm very happy to see that the little snippet I posted on facebook got some nice comments and likes. I've been working really hard, so that feels good.

 

Fabric Prints

 

Here comes the weekend...and I am going to be heading upstate tonight, for a few days with my family. I'm really looking forward to it. I had a very busy week...visiting Printsource, preparing and sending holiday gift guide pitches, and working on a major revision to my website. In related news, I've been sampling some fabric printed with my designs, and I'm really enjoying the process. Up here are a few test prints. These are not quite right yet, I am still working on scale, color, and other details in terms of product...but I think they look pretty good so far, and I wanted to share them.

I have to say, seeing my designs on textiles has ben a longtime dream of mine. Now that it is slowly becoming reality, it's taking some adjusting to. But it's very exciting for me. I feel a bit self-conscious sharing these, but even though that's the case, I wanted to share my excitement with you.

Have wonderful weekends all! Here is to making dreams happen, even if it takes a while. x S

ps. have some paisley.

Weekender { Spinning Yarn }

Good Day! Just popping in, as I have a design-day planned and need to get on it.

I hope your weekends take you to many weird and wonderful places...real or imaginary.

Textile Art Yarn Paintings by Mandy Besek found here (Note: I've silhouetted them on white to get the full visual effect of the yarn's form on the page).

Something Blue

 

In bloom...

 

As a remnant of the past...

or from within...

Weekender

Just a couple of quick sketches... I like the way they feel together Kind of fun and folksy yet modern in their color. These are grabs from my monitor. I think the top one would make great wrap or cotton fabric, and the bottom would make a really nice silkscreen for wallpaper - where the brown is kraft color/substrate, and the red and white are the inks on top.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.