Well, well, i have you all neglected, haven´t i? Too much to do? Too much procrastination, if you ask me.

Recently i ordered a couple of books from the Amazon: <52 Projects, Random Acts of Everyday Creativity > by Jeffrey Yamaguchi and <D.I.Y.(Design It Yourself)> by Ellen Lupton.
They have been kind of inspiring in different ways. They are both about projects, really: Jeffrey Yamaguchi´s is more about ideas and the D.I.Y book is more hands on, so the first will get you thinking about projects you could make and the last will tell you how to actually make them.
The 52 Projects book has make me think in all the projects that i´m actually into, because there´s no doubt my life is full of project-making right now: i have my own bussiness, and what bigger project can be than that? I had to get it started, decide what exactly do i wanted to do, where to find the money, find a place for my workshop...then, where to buy the materials to work with, how and where and when to sell the things i made...this is an on-going project that requires all my strength, and time. It´s the long-term project. Then there are other somewhat smaller projects: the project of designing a collection,for instance. It takes me around 4-5 months, since i start gathering inspiration (colors, fabrics, images, ideas...), drawing sketches, making false starts, until i have the objects in that collection all made and ready to show around. I´m making two completely new collections a year, so, i´m always on one of this medium-term projects. And then there are the short-term projects, like what i´m doing right now: preparing my new catalog. This will usually take around a month: i have to have the items all ready, book the photographer (always my boyfriend, who himself has very little time, so it has to be done on weekends), prepare a brief story board for the photo shoot (which items go with which, what feeling do i want to achieve,lighting, interior vs. ext.), i might have to look for the props (even travel a few miles to get them),... well the photo shoot in itself is a very short-term project, taking up one day, two at the most. When i have all the pics in my computer i start to design the catalog: i look for a graphic image, think about the size, details i want to highlight...this can take so much time! Then the catalog will be ready for the printer, in case i am making printed copies, which will not be the case with the new catalog: this time the catalog will be at my website, i find this more convenient, since it allows me to update it easily, and it´s cheaper! But i will definetely be doing some kind of cute display advertising. Well, this is not ready so nothing to show here. I will be showing all of my new stuff here at my blog starting August, so stay tunned!

So, what was i talking about?, procrastination, projects, yes, the Design It Yourself book tells you to think as a designer, which should not be difficult for me, since i AM a designer, can i call myself that? So there are a lot of projects from the book that i have already acomplished, without really realizing i was designing, like creating my own blog, or making a printed-book(my catalog), designing my own brand, complete with hand tags, sew-on labels and logo, designing my own bussiness cards, cd packaging, my own embroidery( you will see a lot of this in my new collection), thinking about invites, gifts, press kits...stickers, stationery, post-it notes...t-shirts,tote bags...i have even designed websites...i got almost everything covered! Maybe i should write a book myself: "chicadecanela: how to start a cute bussiness from scratch".


This is a project/press kit that i have recently made: a kind of presentation for chicadecanela. It is kind of "cool school girl" style. It consist of a booklet in the shape of a journal, where all the info goes and a fabric-pouch ( fabric designed by myself), in which to fit the catalog, a chicadecanela pencil and rubber, my very own self adhesive notes and a sample of my products ( the little bear silk key-charm). It looked so cute put together that i hated having to part with it. I´m glad i took some pics to show you!


Well,no FRIDAY I´M IN LOVE this week, i´m exhausted...