Taking a Risk

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Life is Balance Set Your Intention

This is the Yoga design. My intention is to make a big success out of this brand!

If you’ve checked out this blog before, you’ll know that I started it when I designed my Life is Balance® line of t-shirts. I went through the process of registering the trademark and then found myself an agent and waited for the licensing deals to walk through the door. At first it seemed like this was the way to go. There was interest in the brand and a manufacturer agreed to take the license and promised us great sales. Then the economy hit a low and retail stores just weren’t looking to add a new line to their already unsold stock. I sat back, a bit depressed, I’ll admit, and did nothing other than wait, hoping that my agent would call me with news of another licensee. So far that hasn’t happened.

Rather than let that keep me down, I have decided to try to get my designs out there on my own. A risk, but one I hope will pay off big. I think that Life is Balance® will speak to people like me – people who work hard and play hard too. We all have our sports and activities that balance out the hard work that we put into our careers and family. These inspirational t-shirt designs pay homage to the yin and yang  of work and play. I’m hoping that I’ll find a niche where these designs will fit in. I’m about to produce 5 of my designs (out of 30+ sport/activity/lifestyle designs) to start and will be selling them at some craft shows and flea markets within the next couple of months. With the holidays coming up, these shirts will make a nice gift!

I’ll be producing both men’s and women’s styles, on nice quality, light-weight cotton jersey (3.7 oz for women and 4.3 oz for men). The styles are soft and fitted for a more fashionable look and feel. You can view all my Life is Balance® designs here.

I am anxious to get a feeling for the sports or activity designs that most appeal to you. So, if you feel so inclined to help out a designer, please post your favorites in a comment.

Finishing Touches

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black & blum's Flower Loop flower vase.

black & blum's Flower Loop flower vase.

I recently went to the Gift Show at the Jacob Javitz Center in New York City. I like to go and get inspired by some of the innovative designs that I come across. Having recently finished re-doing my apartment, I walked the show looking, not only for designs to inspire my own business, but also for ideas for those small finishing touches that might add that finish to my apartment. I found one such finishing touch from a team of two London-based designers, black & blum. Their simple philosophy is that ‘designed’ products can be made affordable without compromising quality. The products that I saw showcased were original, sometimes humorous and really beautifully designed. I bought a flower vase (see photo) that looks terrific on top of my wall unit. A perfect finishing touch to my newly designed space!

An elegant yet minimal flower vase made from free flowing steel wire. The form looks appealingly simple and unique from every angle. It can be used individually or interlinked to create a cluster. Flower Loop is inspired by the Fibonacci curve that is seen throughout nature and looks correct and balanced to the human eye.

Salad Plant

Salad Plant

A removable water tube for easy refilling and a very high quality artificial cala lily which complements the design are included.

Another whimsical, yet functional product design of theirs that I loved is their “salad plant.” This is a pair of salad serving spoon and fork, designed to look like large blades of grass which sit in a salad dressing mixing bowl that looks like a flower pot! What fun!

These leafy salad servers stand upright in their own pot and will give life to any table setting. The pot can also be used for mixing (and serving) your salad dressing. They are also the ultimate salad decoration when stuck into the salad upright!

– melamine salad servers and pot

– 44 x 11 x 6.5cm

Your Life on a Cake

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Photo Montage Cake

Photo Montage Cake

Here’s a great idea to make a special occasion even more special: A photo montage on a cake! I created this photomontage which was then printed with editable ink on edible photo paper by my good friend Edie of Cakes ‘N Shapes Ltd. in New York City. 

I started creating these photomontages as gifts for my friends and family. When a good friend of mine went to China to adopt her first daughter, I designed a photomontage to commemorate the journey. These have made wonderful gifts for various milestones such as 40th and 50th birthdays, weddings, Bar Mitzvah’s and holiday gifts.

What started out as something I just did for fun or for friends has since grown into more of a business. Not only do these montages work great on cakes but they can also be printed on fine art paper, suitable for framing, mounted to be used as sign-in boards for celebrations, be printed on t-shirts and more. The possibilities are endless!

Click here to see mor examples of my photomontages.