Joa’s blog

bought some over the weekend from urbanic in abbot kinney.
(they have a cute blog too – check it out^!)
i’ve been trying to find these straws for a few months now!
i didn’t want to buy online cuz i wanted to see it in person and see whether or not they were too flimsy.
they are soooo cute. they have many uses! here are the two uses from me:

obviously, you can use it as a straw. it’d be pretty with colorful punch or bright yummy lemonade!

if you’ve seen my previous blog entries, you know i’m a pinwheel princess (haha).

<3

some of the few things i have made so far with my cute cups, yay!

gardening…well, more like just planting.
lots of herbs and flowers on the way!

tiny sprouts!

just a week later!

the canvas cotton ribbon is to prevent the cups from falling.
the cute little cupcake holders on the bottom of each cup is to help prevent staining from when i water the plants.

quick and cute gift wrapping.
cups are filled with sweets and wrapped in simple design cellophane.
tied with either canvas cotton ribbon or baker’s cotton thread/ribbon.
used initials to personalize.

boxed and ready to ship!

above the tv in my room. “work <3 play” ……perhaps a reminder? hehe
cups are on canvas cotton ribbon and clipped on with medium-size wood clothespins.

<3

i finally found time this month to sit down, search, and buy papers. got a good stack from scrapbook.com for 12×12 cardstock, various designs (all front and back design) then got some “wrapping” sheets from paper mojo . i like these boutique style medium-size online stores because you can buy just one sheet instead of 2+ sheets per design….i want to see how i like the paper in person first! then i will buy more if i want….at paper mojo, you can even buy samples. i think most paper-conscious/loving places will let you do this….especially if you have a big event you’re buying for.

why buy online in the first place? well, the fact that i dont have to drive to 10 different places looking for paper (then usually being disappointed) is such a time and energy saver. yeah yeah, shipping costs a lot. but so does gas…and time! oh precious time!

also, i haven’t had too much luck with etsy for design(er) paper.

some new things i’ve made recently for my etsy site. they’re obviously not perfect. i wish i had a laser/die cutter. hahaha i suck at scissors, who knew, hehe. the funny part of this is that i really liked making the little strips or bands to bundle the envelopes together. i guess it’s the most “packaging design” related thing about my items.

go here to see or buy.

<3 joa

these deco tapes have been my obsession for the last few months. i’ve always liked them from afar since a couple years ago when i saw a small set for sale at kinokuniya in seattle. after the holidays, the adoration exploded. MT tape brand is the front-runner but “Happy Tape” is a close second with trendy clean designs and seemingly good quality.

i recently used a pretty gray tape to help enhance christmas packages. my family loved it yay. it’s a subtle addition to packaging but it makes a difference to me. i know i know, “who wants to pay that much for tape??” but good scotch tape ain’t that cheap either ($2.00/roll on average), so why not get prettier tape for a few more cents! haha

check it out……
you can go to these vendors to purchase:

HERE studio koizumi (japan)

HERE origami san (japan)

HERE pretty tape (japan)

HERE happy tape (US vendor I believe)

you can also visit your local japanese goods store (like Kinokuniya)…they usually carry nicely packaged MT tape sets of deco tape for about $6 -$14.

thanks for reading! <3 joa

ack! my favorite!
cute animals and paper products….available for purchase here and here.

i think the bunny ones are my favorite. A+ cuteness! hehe

<3

recently seen on the dieline blog and in love!

check out the cool lasercut skills on the matchbox! beats the snowflake lasercut i have on my wall at home….
very pretty and intricate. i know what my business cards will look like now…haha

 
these are cute! clever ^^

cool! new spin on ketchup packets. i wonder though if a tiny bit of color would be better? maybe that is distracting or confusing though. it is afterall, a simple condiment that’s being packaged

<3

pretty much the final snapshot of my pinwheel fiasco, minus a dozen or so.
the package was sent and received by the buyer. 
she seemed to really like it and is putting it on her wall.

my goodness…. it took me longer than i had hoped.

now i want to make some for etsy….woohoo~!

been asked to make about 100 pinwheels with all different colors, patterns, sizes.

the first night:

second night:

a bit more to go………

finally! my little domain….
more to tweak but that’s the fun part, right? ^^

here, you will likely find a plethora of packaging design, print, pattern, graphic design, and all around art and music inspired details. they say i have an artistic temperament and i am happy to share it.

my belief is that even the most humble or seemingly puny gifts can be made extra special with the right thought and packaging.

along with all the above, i will try my best to give insight to who i am too~yay.