about
As with all good things, this little company called Jones Design Company has grown over time.
My childhood love of drawing progressed into a custom stationery business which kept me busy through the first few years of becoming a mother {three of the cutest little boys in just 4 years}. Something strange happened when our fourth baby was born {our sweet girl} when suddenly my creativity exploded and landed on this new blog. It is not a big surprise, I suppose, since I have always loved many forms of art – painting, home decorating, sewing, crafting, graphic design, baking, party planning – so pinning me down to just one form never had a chance of lasting too long.
And so, I’m a wife and mom, a blogger, a business owner, a teacher, a self-taught graphic designer and artist. Whew.
But there’s more.
I am also a football fan, adorer of anything linen, magazine lover, collector of too-expensive jeans and indulger in all things sweet. Getting mail makes me happy, as do ribbon stores, the scent of lilacs and homemade applesauce. I love my bed {perhaps a bit too much}, my husband in flip flops, getting my baby girl dressed in the morning, the sound of my boys laughing and the freedom that comes from knowing Christ. We are perpetual furniture re-arrangers, salvage yard shoppers and find great joy in turning our builder-grade house into a home with personality.
Above all, I know I was created to create. And so, create I will.
Along the way I hope to inspire, share my thoughts and document little snippets of our family’s most memorable moments.
enjoy,
On this blog, you will find:
:: lots and lots of tutorials for simple projects {click here}
:: a shop full of art prints, printable note cards, and my handwriting fonts {click here}
:: a monthly giveaway {enter this month’s here}
:: photos of our house which changes too often {view most rooms here}
:: favorite sources for paper, printers, ribbon and more {all my faves here}
:: a entire online class written by me and my husband, Ryan {he’s really smart}, to teach you how to start a blog {click here to get started}
you can find more of JDC on facebook, instagram & pinterest
and don’t forget to subscribe to the mailing list!
Want to contact me? Click here.
how do you balance it all?
Oh how I wish I had a great answer to this one! I wrote about some good time management tips {HERE} and a post sharing some of my struggles with unrealistic expectations {HERE}.
On a very practical note, I will say that my boys play exceptionally well together {except when they don’t} and the baby is pretty easy to please. My husband is very supportive and has a family-friendly work schedule. We find ways to make it work for our family – which means daily naptime/quiet time for the kiddos and a lot of late night computer time for me. I am always seeking to strike that perfect balance of home/family/work/rest – I’ll let you know if I ever figure it out.
how does your house look so nice with four kids?
Please always keep in mind that I take photographs when the house is picked up, the dishes are done, the beds are made. While I try to be honest about my life on here, sometimes you only see the best parts and not ‘reality’. Don’t feel bad … you should see the constant state of chaos that is my laundry room.
where are the toys?
Our kids do have toys {lots of them} and they are often scattered around the house. But I’m one of those moms who really prefers the living room to be kept {mildly} livingroom-ish – which means toys are mostly kept out of sight. I have baskets to store a few toys downstairs and the rest live in the upstairs playroom and under the boys’ bunk beds {see their room here}. They are free to play all over the house, I just like things put away when they are finished.
when and how did you start your business?
You can read about the start of jones design company {HERE}.
what graphic design software do you use?
First, let me state that I have no formal training in graphic design. Everything I do is self-taught, much of it I do incorrectly and most ‘real’ graphic designers would probably laugh at my amateur attempts at it all. That being said, I am happy to share my secrets, but please know that it may not be the best way to get in to graphic design.
I started designing party and wedding invitations while I was also doing marketing for a team of real estate agents – and did it all using Microsoft Publisher. I learned the program quickly and because most of what I did was text based, it worked perfectly.
When I needed to create an image with layers, I learned to use a free program called Paint.net. It works well and if you are just wanting to play around with graphics, create a few cards for friends or an invitation for your daughter’s birthday, you can most certainly do these using Publisher or Paint.net {if you work on a mac, you can try gimp – I don’t have any experience with it, but it is also a free program}.
Adobe Illustrator is the preferred program of most graphic designers and I have just recently learned it {why did I wait so long?!}. This is what I use to design for print and web media and highly recommend it if you are interested in graphic design.
where do you get backgrounds, images, fonts?
The backgrounds and images that I use come from a combination of places: digital scrapbook websites {such as www.twopeasinabucket.com}, clip art sites {such as www.clipart.com}, and I create many of my own patterns and icons either by hand-drawing and scanning them or on the computer.
Most fonts that I use either came with my computer or were downloaded from www.dafont.com. You can see my top 25 favorite fonts {HERE}.
Please read the terms of use carefully when purchasing a background/image/font … you may need to purchase a commercial license if you are using a graphic as part of your business.
who designed your blog?
My husband and I work together on the blog design. He is the technical support which allows things to run smoothly and I create the graphics to make it look pretty.
We are excited about our new online class we have developed that teaches you how to start, install, customize, design, grow and monetize your own blog in 7 simple steps. With over 85 videos and lots of resources, The Blog Class has proven helpful for women just like you – who have realized their dream of starting their own blog, but needed some help along the way. You can learn much more here.
I purchased a printable file and it is not opening correctly? What did I do wrong?
You will need Adobe Reader in order to open the printable files with their full graphics. You can download it free at http://get.adobe.com/reader/. If you have additional questions, please feel free to email me.
do you do wedding invitations, baby announcements or other custom stationery?
I am no longer taking custom stationery orders, but I am happy to refer you to my friend Lindsay Sherbondy {you can see more of her amazing work at www.lindsayletters.com}.
what is the paint color of the nursery {dresser, kitchen, etc}?
I have a page dedicated to the paint colors throughout our house which you can read {HERE}.
do you do home design consultations?
I am flattered that this question is frequently asked! I am not an interior designer {although I do love rearranging furniture, fluffing my kitchen shelves and sewing new pillows} and do not currently offer design consulting. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have a clue where to begin! My friend Holly Mathis does the most delightful design boards and I highly recommend using her for your e-decorating needs. You can see her work at www.hollymathisinteriors.com.
GIVEAWAYS & ADVERTISING
can I host a giveaway on the blog?
I know how valuable giveaways can be to market a product or company but I have decided {for now} to only host the monthly giveaway.
can i donate an item for your monthly giveaway?
From time to time I offer products in the monthly giveaways that have been donated by other small companies. If you have a product that may fit with a giveaway, please email me at hello@jonesdesigncompany.com with a link to your shop and we will take a look. Please know that not all offers can be accepted, but I truly appreciate your generosity!
can i advertise my business? how can I become a sponsor?
There are currently no advertising spots available.
Thanks for visiting! If you have any additional questions, please feel free to send me a note at emily{at}jonesdesigncompany.com
