I’ve only just discovered the Southwest region of the United States as an adult. Arizona is a newly added state to my repertoire; having visited twice in the past three years. As a child, we traditionally vacationed close to home so the Grand Canyon still remains on my bucket list! The Southwest region is still a wonder to me and a place that I feel needs more exploration than the few visits I have under my belt.
Photography courtesy of @clettis
As a tried and true Midwesterner, I am partial to the lush forests bursting with pine and birch trees, where the likelihood of chancing upon a freshwater lake is extremely high. When summer’s high humidity leaves the body drained and drenched and winter temperatures dip well below freezing with snow covering the landscape as far as the eye can see. The desert is the exact opposite. Its flora and fauna are scrub brush, cacti, yucca and scorpions, snakes and lizards. With little precipitation, the landscape can be a more hostile environment. Much different from what I’m used to and fascinating all in the same. Of course, I am aware that in high elevations it does snow in sunny AZ too!
I’m intrigued by the dry heat that occurs most months out of the year and the culture that the Southwest is so famous for; Native American heritage and influences in the artwork of the region, museums, and tribal lands, along with the area’s Spanish-American history and the Latino population, including the cuisine, Latino arts and music, cultural sites, and not to forget the region’s history of the Old West with cowboys and gold mining.
I designed a cactus inspired stationery line with the varied landscape and culture of Arizona in mind. In this collection is a thank you note card set, five distinct designs, and three desktop notepads, again each with a varied design. Arizona may have been my muse, but the concept of this collection looks good anywhere. If you’ve read the previous blog post on SoCal inspiring the Sarah Collection wedding invitation suite you’ll notice that I also took aspects from these funky Arizona plants too.
A nod to the Southwest is seen throughout the collection. It’s in the colors, in the succulent and cactus plants I created, in the varied colorful and terra cotta pots they’re sitting in and in the ‘tile’ design featured on the two of the notepads. I get all joyful and giddy every time I use one of the paper goods from this collection. I’m reminded of this warm, beautiful place that is so much different from my home. I hope you feel the same.
My goal is to design and create more stationery sets, mainly note card sets, for my Etsy site as well as wholesale accounts. Look for more designs later this year. If I say it out loud then I have to follow through, ya hear me!?! [self plug time] If interested in purchasing any of these awesome paper goods click here.
