In late October I was one of several Etsy shops asked to participate in the Dodge Caravan Creations promotion, creating a holiday or car accessory that was "Dodge-inspired." Selected items (including mine) are now available on Facebook for public voting. Customers will win the actual items. Go look and vote now.
My Snowman Card
For my creation, I designed an original embossed card set using my largest card and envelope paper. The front of the car shows a side view mirror with a snowman standing there with a pile of suitcases.
I love the embossed look of ivory paper, but I was a little afraid this might be difficult to photograph, so I inked in the eyes and mouth of the snowman and added a red ribbon scarf. I also included red envelopes that I embossed with a simple dot pattern for a little more color.
Inside the card, I hand stamped this message: "Scoot over. The Dodge Grand Caravan seats seven."
The cards are bundled together with ribbon and a hand stamped metal gift tag.
Lessons Learned
Of course I'd love for you to vote for me, but I wanted to share this experience because I learned a few things from it that I thought might be helpful to other designers:
- Deadlines work: I had less than a week to think of a design, make it, and send it off. If you're feeling overwhelmed by too many ideas or incomplete projects, a deadline will force you to pick one and see it through. (This is one of the reasons I submit my work to so many magazines.)
- Inspiration is everywhere: This has to be one of the most unusual sources of inspiration I've ever used. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I could come up with anything. I was surprised to find that the ideas just kept coming! You don't need to wait for a beautiful sunset or a trip to an art gallery. You can be inspired by the everyday objects in your life.
- Be online: You don't need to use Etsy, but you need to have your work online somewhere (Pinterest, Flickr, your blog, etc.) for others to find. Otherwise, you're never going to be asked to participate in amazing events like this one!
- Stay true to yourself: Rather than make a generic item, I chose to go with my favorite motifs (snowman) and natural design style (cute and funny). It's tempting to think that you need to be more generic to appeal to a wider audience, but it's always better to go with your strengths.
P.S. If you're super observant, you'll notice that on the card is the driver's side mirror. So the snowman is not just asking for a ride, he's asking to drive!