A little bit about EDUB...

One of my friends is doing a paper on me for college. It's about a woman entrepreneur...which I happen to be. I was so flattered that she asked to do hers on me...so of course I said yes. I thought she had really good questions, so I wanted to post the Q and A here :)

-How did you come up with the name "Edub" for your company?
Edub is just my initials- EW :)

-How do you balance your priorities (family, business, leisure time, etc.)?
My family is always first. I plan work around Riley's naps and "play time." I don't work on weekends or when Sean is home, unless it's imperative that I get a design out. I work in the mornings usually and start cleaning and cooking around 4.  I'm still working on finding leisure time, but I enjoy what I do, so I guess that is my leisure time!

-What kind of advice do you have for other women looking to start their own business?
For women starting their own business: Have confidence in what you are doing, and find a niche (something that people will want). Having said that, start small. I had big dreams, so it was easy for me to get overwhelmed. By just starting out with $10 jobs, I knew I could grow from there. I'm still in the growing stage, but I know I couldn't have done this if I didn't believe in what I was doing.

-How do you see the future of Edub? 5 years, 10 years down the road?
5 years- I plan to do websites in the near future, but I also want to be more knowledgeable, so I might put everything on hold to get a bachelor's degree in graphic design. I'm thinking it might take me a few years since I don't want to go full-time. In the mean time, I want to start a printing business to attract more customers (I lose some because I don't print :P) And I'm going to start a scrapbooking business.
10 years- By now, the kids will all be in school :) So, I want to do this full-time while they're at school. I also want to have a few employees to help me with the printing and designing. This is where the whole dream big thing comes into play!

-Also, could you give me a date/time frame of when you learned graphic design, then found out about etsy stores and started bidding, and when you made your own business?
Timeline: First off, I've been doing graphic design for forever, but I only used paint. My dad told me to go into graphic design, but I didn't listen :) Parents really do know what they're talking about!
February 2007- Started digital scrapbooking...realized I was pretty good at it!
August 2007- I started writing and designing my company's handbook. This is when I really got interested in graphic design.
April 2008- Moved to Arizona. My company still let me keep my job, but the business was really slow, so I mostly practiced designing while I was there!
July 2008- Lost my job with my company, so Sean and I lived off our savings for the rest of the year. I really started brainstorming about what I could do...
April 2009- Started designing logos for $10 on etsyI have since raised my prices (obviously), and I get about 2 or 3 clients a week!

If you have questions, or would like to know more, just leave a comment!!

Glambaby Designs

I'm way excited to feature this logo. I love it...the colors, the star, the distressed look, the fonts, everything about this. It's totally my style. And this is from yet another etsy store I wish I'd known about when I was looking for baby stuff. Glambaby Designs has the cutest diaper bags!  Maybe for my next baby when my purse is shot :)  If you don't have a baby, don't worry, she has other cute items, like purses, wallets and wristlets!

Before and After Monday

I have been thinking lately about what I can do to make my blog more enjoyable to my readers.  Also, how to get more readers :)  And the thought hit me...maybe I should talk more about the design process...since that's what I do.  Being a first-time mommy (and running around like a chicken with its head cut off), I usually only make time to post the AFTER....the result of hours of work on a logo.  Today, and hopefully every Monday, I want to show you the BEFORE!

This is still one of my favorite logos and one of my favorite people to work with.  When we started, she didn't even have an etsy shop.  Now, she has a successful shop and she's a successful crafter.  I have a key fob she did and it's wonderful.  I never have to look for my keys in my huge diaper bag/purse and it's also very stylish.

So, Kristen of modmomME wanted a silhouette of a modern woman holding a baby, a purse and had a toddler hanging on to her leg.  I was pregnant at the time, so I didn't realize how true this image was.  I think it captures what every mom does every day!  She also wanted pink, turquoise and brown for her colors...with a touch of a chartreuse-ish (not sure of the color tone here) green the first draft looked like this:

Pretty good for my amateur self...but not quite what Kristen had in mind for her company logo.  With a little tweaking, her final draft ended up like this:

A lot of people feel bad for having me do a lot of drafts...but that's why I offer unlimited revisions!  I want your logo to be perfect!!!  Company branding is very important, so you want it to be right.  I think we got modmomME right :)

color.me.sweet.

I am even more behind on this logo.   This is color.me.sweet.  I designed her hyena cart as well.  She makes custom, whimsical clothes for little ones.  Be sure to visit her shop...she has some great designs!

Whimzy Creations

I have been way behind in posting this, but I really wanted to post this even though it's in my portfolio.  This design was really fun to do because of all the patterns on this topsy turvy cake.  Who knew that watching food network's Challenge would come in handy?  The cake competitions really helped inspire me for this logo for Whimzy Creations.  She makes the cutest custom birthday banners and other party favor supplies.  Can't wait for Riley to turn one so I can shop here!

The Vintage Sash

I was very lucky to work with the owner of The Vintage Sash.  She had me design a ton of items (gift cards, blog header, etsy store designs, etc).  It was a lot of fun and the result is great:

Her etsy store isn't opened yet, but I will be sure to make a post when it does!  

Scrap Edub Teaser

I honestly can't tell you how excited I am for my scrapbooking store.  I'm working on four different kits, and I finally finished one:

But I'm not selling anything until I have at least 3 of the collections done...so you'll just have to wait :)

Funny story about my scrapbook company name.  I was so excited about my new logo and I showed my husband right when he got home...he said "that's cute..."  then read it out loud "Edub's crap"  Ha!  So, I'm changing my name to "Scrap Edub"...I'm lucky I have a guy around to think of things like that.  I think Scrap Edub has a cute ring to it...I always think of rub-a-dub-dub when I say it...so coming soon:  Scrap-edub-dub three kits in a...tub???  Okay, I'm not clever, but still, it's exciting :)