I’m loving my new blog design! I can’t believe it! It really captures the vision of my company, and the designers at Logoworks by HP did a great job incorporating the look of my “inspiration dress” (see the “Fancy Threads for my blog” post for a better explanation). I’m so excited to continue and share my inspiration and design process…with a few unexpected surprises along the way.

10 bits of inspiration which influenced me to name my company: Cherries Jubilee Creations

1 I have been a fan of artist Mary Engelbreit since I was a little girl. I’ve even nicknamed her “Mary Cherry” as she accents many of her designs with cherries. In college, my dorm room was decorated with her motif, and now my office has taken on her theme.

2 Since I’m such of fan of Mary Engelbreit, I have my “everyday” cherry dishes.

3 I also have my “special occasion” cherry Mary Engelbreit dishes.

4 An ordinary white lamp spruced up with cherry ribbon and cherries brightens up a dark corner of my kitchen.

5 Most of the items I bought for my baby girl were pink. But, I couldn’t pass up this cherry diaper bag.

6 I’m drawn to two things: a good deal and cherries! Put those together and it’s obvious why I couldn’t pass-up these shoes from Payless Shoe Source. I loved them so much I bought two pair. The first pair I wore out, and unfortunately they are probably in a landfill somewhere. On that note, I need to go recycle something.

7 Oh good, something I can recycle. By 11 a.m. every morning (which means I’m due for one in about 20 minutes) I am usually seen with a Cherry Coke or Wild Cherry Pepsi in my hand! And I’m always good about putting my bottles and/or cans in the recycle bin. Just doing my part to save the rainforests!

8 Childhood game favorites: Chutes & Ladders, Candy Land, and Hi Ho Cherry-O. I fondly remember playing this game. Trying to pick all the cherries off my tree and put them in the basket without the crow or dog eating them! Good times!

9 I grew up in Cottonwood Heights, Utah; right around the corner from Cherry Tree Lane.

10 Married life introduced me to the magic of Saturday Night Live. Subsequently, my husband and I are huge Molly Shannon fans. We especially love her  “Sally O’Malley Rockettes I’m 50″ sketch, highlighting her audition dance: Cherries Jubilee.

I’m making good progress on my “to-do list” and feel like I have a handle on the logistics of starting my company.

So far:

• Company named: check.

• Printer lined up: check.

• Selected paper stock: check.

• Contents of the cards kits decided: check.

• Logo designed: check.

• Custom blog: almost…check!

So, now on to the fun stuff…designing the first card kit collection. In my free time I’ve been looking and researching all things birthday. For me, nothing quite hits the mark. My vision: I love the elegant looks of damask fabrics but still love the bright colors that invoke a party feel. So, in taking that just a step further, I was thinking how neat a damask design would be if there is a little unexpected surprise hidden in it.