Tooting my own horn: 2007 The year in review

I don't know about you but I can't seem to manage to send out Christmas Cards to save my life. I don't have any creative juice left in me and I don't have children so it always seems a waste to me to send something out - there just doesn't seem to be anything of note to update people with. I began thinking about it after I got one of those cards recently "what we did this year" letters included. My housemate and I laughed that we should send one out that talks about getting drunk off our ass and waking up naked in someone's yard...now that would be a notable letter to get! I don't have any tales to tell that were THAT interesting but I did partake in a few cocktails and managed to "get my sexy back" on more than one occasion.

Mostly my accomplishments were creative things that I've worked on, it seems like for years, but for some reason came to be in 2007. The saying that "timing is everything" is true and I'm glad that they didn't come earlier as I had thought they would have. Maturity has allowed me to see and experiece them differently.

So here they are in no particular order:



• I got to spend time with my nieces and nephews which is always a treat for me. They are all such neat kids. I get to spoil them rotten which I love and then take them back when we both start to have melt downs. [Hunter age 6 pictured above]



• My photography is going well. This is something I never thought I would be interested in. I hated dark rooms in school and overall it's an expensive hobby. My digital camera [NIkon D80] has turned this around for me and learning to see differently has been such a treat. I've actually had a couple paying clients which has been so odd for me but so much fun. I definitely love to shoot children...mostly because they don't get self conscious and they don't care that I don't know what I'm doing. [Kira age 5 pictured above]


• My writing for Apartment Therapy Los Angeles continued which has been such an amazing learning experience about the web and blogging. Last April we were one of five blogs listed in Time Magazine's 100 Design Influencers edition.




• I started a small business based on some children's clothes that I make. I have a store in Newport Beach, CA that carries them and am working on developing it a bit more this year. You can see more if you're interested over at my baby site. Stay tuned for more information on this in the next month or so!


• Some travel to NYC last spring, Key West, earlier this month and an upcoming trip to Boston has kept me on a few airplanes this year. Though it's all been work or family related it's nice to see new areas when you can.


• I got my first freelance jobs as a stylist and a casting director this year. It's great fun to do projects outside of my 9-5 in this area. [our model for the day getting ready in the makeup chair]



• Probably my biggest news of the year which I haven't revealed much about till now is that I had a greeting card company approach me this summer about some work that they found from a submission I sent them over three years ago [they just found it!] I just inked the contract with them this morning and you'll soon find my small set of cards with Madison Park Greetings later in January. Oddly, Jack Cards who emailed me after I wrote about them here on the site is also planning on carrying them when they are released.

This project is so exciting and rewarding for me on so many levels. In what feels like my past life, I owned a small greeting card company with a dear friend of mine. At the height of our business we were in 4 states and on our way to the National Stationery Show in NYC. Life got in the way and our business fell by the way-side when 9-5 work moved my business partner out of state. I can't do the art and the selling so I let it go, knowing that some day it would work out for me. It did and now my work will be featured with Madison Park Greetings under their main heading but also as a licensed artist which means that "Richie Designs" will be featured on the back of the cards as well. I'll also be represented at the National Stationery Show in NYC that happens each May with their booth. I'm so proud to be associated with this company who reps two of my favorite artists: KOCO and Roger LaBorde.


Lastly, all the amazing and neat friendships that I've been privy too through blogging has been such a huge treat for me! I had no idea the online community would be so great. It's nice to know all of you appreciate humorous tales of PMS, high heel lust and recounts of funny tales of everyday life.

Here's to 2008! May it be better and richer than 2007.