Happy Bird-Day: Owl-a-Day Turns 5

Five?!! Can you believe it?! Five years ago, I accepted a friend’s challenge to “do something” with my owl doodles. That “something” ended up being a 365-day challenge that resulted in 385 illustrations and over 400 owls (several posts had an extra or two as part of the story). I used that challenge to help me beat burnout and escape what had become a soul-crushing day job and to move on to my next big career adventure—what I thought was my dream job: working full-time for the nonprofit I had helped to found.

Short Story: I left graphic design for 4.5 years to run a nonprofit out of my home, only to be fired at a Panera without warning or cause, replaced by a friend of a board member, and left with no chance of a full-time job (thank you “confidential conversations” among friends) and no unemployment (small nonprofits are not liable in Ohio). While I’m hurt by how this was handled, I’m not angry or looking to place blame. It’s simply time for me to learn and to move on.

Owl Print 12 of 13: It’s Owl Atomic

And the last* of the 12 8.5″ x 11″ prints in my 13 owl print challenge is now available. I was in overdrive during my last design session, so this one comes almost a week early. My owls just had to play with those fun atomic road signs one last time before I wrapped up this series.

You can purchase this one (and the entire series) at Atomic Owls (my Etsy site). Use coupon code LUCKY13 for 13% off through the end of the year.

I’ve also added shipping to the UK and Canada!

Since that last design session was so intense–I have three nearly finished owl prints–I’ll send out super secret print 12.5 to only those who have ordered all of the 8.5×11″ prints. It’s always fun to have a nice surprise, right?

Owl Print 11 of 13: Owl Be In Pieces

Owl Print 11 of 13: Owl Be in Pieces was the first of 7 designs (yes, 7!) that came out of this morning’s design session. The ideas just kept hitting me–I was under creative attack, and I loved it!

Since so many owl designs came out of this session, this series will continue beyond the original 13. I’m debating how I want to handle the remaining designs, so keep an eye out here for a special announcement.

For now, you can order print 11 through my Etsy shop, if it happens to tickle your retro fancy.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/173090871/owl-print-11-of-13-owl-be-in-pieces

Owl Print 10 of 13: Owl Top That Tree

After seeing a post by a local vintage shop, I decided to play with odd vintage Christmas Tree Toppers for print 10.

It’s now available for purchase on Atomic Owls. I’ve extended the 30% off a $20 purchase through tomorrow. Enter CYBER13 at checkout to receive your discount.

My prints are now shipping to Canada and the UK, too!

 

Skipping the Thanksgiving Shopping Madness? Get a Freebie!

 

 

 

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends. There’s nothing that I need so badly that I’ll skip out on my family time for. NOTHING. If you agree, I’ll send you a high resolution 2014 calendar. The file is set up with 4 months on each 8.5×11″ page.

Owl Print 8 of 13: Owl Travel

My owls had to have some fun with retro signage for at least one print, so here it is! Read the full story on Runderella Designs.

Or purchase the print on from Atomic Owls on Etsy.

Owl Print 6 Revisited

 

Print 6 just wasn’t working for me, so after a week of thinking it over and a nice 6 mile run, I figured out just what the issues are and what I wanted to do to fix them. It’s available for purchase at my Etsy Shop: AtomicOwls.

Owl Hold That Page

And here’s another fun freebie for you. Owl Bookmarks!Download your printable bookmarks (with instructions) here,

Gratitude for you

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought I’d show you some thanks this month with a few fun freebies. They’ll be random, of course, because that’s just the way I roll. So here’s your first thank you gift. Some printable gift tags! I hope you enjoy them! Click here to download a PDF: OwlGiftTags