I am thrilled to announce that Leah Renee Studio is now on Etsy!! Please go view, like, and even purchase (if you wish) from my new online shop! Click the "Shop Now" button on the right or go to etsy.com/shop/leahreneestudio. Please let me know what you think :)
So a lot has happened since my days at the Couture a la Cart... I graduated from the University of Georgia and moved home to the DFW area. I am currently seeking employment to begin my career (which is a whole other blog post in itself) and working at my parents small business (SHOP SMALL! Just a little side note..) in Fort Worth. It's been a total whirlwind picking up and moving my life and an even bigger emotional transition. I don't know how many times I've been excited then nervous then sad then giddy then crying all in a never ending cycle. I love spending time with my family, but I miss my friends. I'm grateful for a job at my parent's, but it's not what I want to do. I have faced rejection and disappointment by interviews and am still hopeful that God has something huge in store for me. One of the upsides about being at home, though, is that I'm able to spend some time on custom orders. I have had two since being home and one actually contacted me because of my merchandise at Couture a la Cart (YAY!). My first customer order was from a student at UGA who approached my spotlight table one day at Couture a la Cart. Her name is Shefali Patel and she's a student in the fashion merchandising program. She is so sweet and so nice and had an amazing vision for her custom business cards. She was all about the gold foil trend, but wanted to do it in a classy and professional way. She told me to think "Ralph Lauren" and together we collaborated on the product pictured above. I was SO excited when I saw the final product. It was my first custom order and it came out perfectly! I snapped the above picture and posted it on my private Instagram account because I couldn't stop staring at the gold foil. I tagged May Designs in the picture because of the Maybook I have featured in the shot and THEY LIKED MY PHOTO. I was so excited and was instantly remorseful that I didn't post it on Leah Renee Studio's account because, you know, who doesn't love free publicity? Especially when it comes in the form of "May Designs liked Leah Renee Studio's photo on Instagram." But still, it was an incredible moment and the perfect amount of encouragement I needed to keep doing what I loved doing. My other custom order came in the form of my mom saying "Leah, you're making Mark's graduation party invites, right??" And, of course, I did it. Part because I love my cousin and the other part because it's a portfolio builder, duh! My cousin is a super man's man and didn't bother taking senior pictures so I was pretty limited on what kind of invitation he would be proud to hand out to his friends. I decided "simpler is better" and I was extremely pleased with how they turned out (and so was he! that is quite the accomplishment). Anyways, I am still so thrilled to be able to do work that I love and be in a place with people that I love. I miss Athens dearly, but I will be going back this weekend for my brother-in-law's sister's wedding (confusing, but I've known this girl since I was 8 so I am thrilled for this occasion). The wedding is also the day before my birthday, so I will be spending my 21st in the Classic City with my best friends.
Leah Renee Studio is currently taking custom orders for the summer! What's better than a pretty paper product that's personal to you and no one else has anything like it?! Absolutely nothing. So send me an email and let's start collaborating! Also, I'm in the process of opening my very own etsy shop - if you have any tips, please share! CALLING ALL FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND SUPPORTERS OF LEAH RENEE STUDIO:
I am beyond thrilled that Leah Renee Studio greeting cards will be available on The University of Georgia campus this Spring on the Couture a la Cart! Please, go take a look at all the wonderful merchandise that is available for sale and pick up a card or two :) For updates on the pop-up cart's location, like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Couture-a-la-cart/106653026023464?ref=br_tf I will also be posting their location on the Leah Renee Studio Instagram account @leahreneestudio so follow along and track down that cart. As always, thank you so much for supporting me and the studio during these early stages. Nothing warms my heart more than the encouragement I receive from pursuing my passion. I have always been fascinated by calligraphy. I love my handwriting and using it to make pretty things and on Saturday I was able to take it to the next level by finally taking a calligraphy class. I had done some research in the end of January and found a class that happened to be in Dallas right as I was coming home for spring break. I went to sign up and the class was full! I got on the waitlist, doubtful of anything happening. Fortunately for me, someone canceled! And less than a week before the class, I was able to sign up. So this past Saturday morning, I spent two hours at Paper Source in Plano taking a Design Roots Calligraphy class by Heather Bloem. It was an incredible morning as we learned the basics of using the quill, nibs, and ink. Heather had created her very own practice book and we went through the whole lowercase alphabet. Heather went around to each student and gave them whatever help and tips they needed. It was casual, fun, and an incredible learning experience. I can't wait to keep practicing and hopefully adding something things to the shop soon!
I'm so extremely nervous about this new adventure, but I've decided to throw caution to the wind and jump in head first. I have grown up in an environment where people make cards for each other. "Encouragement" cards. They're awesome. I'll get a card from a friend and it'll be a combination of scrapbook paper, or magazine finds, or anything else that someone will think looks good. And it always does. These homemade cards are incredible. I give them out too; for years now I have been making individual cards to give to friends and loved ones. One day I had a roommate who wanted to throw an Arbonne "Healthy Living" Party. I don't have time to totally indulge in what that is, but give it a quick google search and you'll see. Anyways, I didn't want to hand-make 20 individual cards, so I decided to try something new. I downloaded a software program and began playing around with its different features. After watching some how-to youtube videos, I eventually learned a few things and came up with this design (address and phone # crossed out): I was so proud with how it turned out and so thrilled by being able to create something like that, that I kept playing with the software. I played around with scanning my own handwriting and watercolor creations and eventually came up with (what is now) the first line of Leah Renee Studio greeting cards: I have been blown away by the amazing support of friends and family from the very beginning of this journey. Seriously, I would be so insecure and afraid of the public opinion to do anything with my passion if it wasn't for them. I have since then started my online shop and blog as a way to get the word out there. Leah Renee Studio greeting cards can now be found on the Spring 2015 University of Georgia Couture A La Cart around campus and online at mkt.com/leahreneestudio. As a celebration of my newfound passion and adventure, I wanted to share with you all a free printable of one of the first Leah Renee Studio creations (it's also my favorite!).
Please spread the word to your friends and family. Seriously, I would be so encouraged. Use the contact page to get in touch with me if you have any questions or information to share! This is a new start-up so any piece of advice is well appreciated and received.
With love, Leah |
Leah Renee StudioHi! Leah Renee Studio is all about pretty paper products. Check out my online store by clicking the button below. Archives
June 2015
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