Archive for January, 2010

Zazzle Donates to Partners in Health for Haitian Relief

January 29, 2010

Zazzle had a lunch to celebrate the New Year, new employees, and to talk about a very serious issue. You couldn’t turn on a TV over the past two weeks without seeing images of the terrible destruction in Haiti, and the continuing suffering of the Haitian people, as a result of the large earthquake that struck the country on January 12. It is truly a tragedy that has affected the lives of millions. And while we aren’t quite big enough to have our own Zazzle navy to send down for disaster relief, we still felt it was important to act as a company and as a community of concerned individuals. That’s why Zazzle has decided to contribute to Partners in Health to make sure that crucial medical care is given to those that need it most. Partners in Health is a wonderful organization which has provided health care to the poor in Haiti since 1985. They were in Haiti before the earthquake, and they will continue to provide health care services after the earthquake is cleaned up. We encourage anyone else that wants to join Zazzle in donating to Partners in Health to visit their website and make a donation. Check out the big check we are sending, made possible by our great team and our rapidly growing Zazzle community!

Foto Friday – Earn $5 with your Zazzle photos!

January 29, 2010

Check out this week’s Foto Friday Fun!

What’s Foto Friday? It’s our weekly blog post of customers enjoying their Zazzle products. Want to join in the fun and earn $5 towards your next Zazzle order? Read below for details on how to participate in Foto Friday.


Lift Haiti T-shirt


Idle Moment Coffee Mugs


Thank You Card


Proudly Disconnected T-shirt

Want to join in? It’s easy and fun! For every photo you send us we’ll give you $5 to use on your next Zazzle order. So get started taking those pictures and join in on the Foto Friday fun!
Rules:

  1. You must be in the photo holding, wearing, hugging, or otherwise enjoying your Zazzle product
  2. If the product is available in the public Zazzle Marketplace, include the product link
  3. Be creative and have fun!

You can tweet your photos to @zazzle or do it the old fashioned way by emailing them to community@zazzle.com.

Zazzle Featured Seller Interview With Tricia Wilson

January 28, 2010

Tricia, from Trennea and CandyStore, sits down and talks with us about her inspirations and her goals as an illustrator.  See below for the interview, and be sure to check out her galleries Trennea and CandyStore!

Love Owls T-Shirt

Zazzle: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Tricia: I am freelance illustrator whose first published artwork at the age of 8 in a local paper, it was all the town could talk about, at least in my mind. My favorite projects include creating portraits and paper-dolls for my clients, although I have been known to draw a cupcake or two. I live in lovely Northern Nevada with my snazzy husband, two swell boys and the incredible Miss Daphne.

Zazzle: What’s your inspiration for your designs?

Tricia: Most of my illustrations are inspired by fashion, fun, and the idyllic lifestyle we all dream about.  They are sophisticated while still holding onto some innocence.  I am also inspired by any and all things that make me smile.   My goal, as an illustrator, is to create images that will bring happiness to people, something that connects them to a very true and fun part of themselves.

Zazzle: What has been your favorite design you’ve created, and why?

Tricia: My favorite illustration is Birds of a Tree. When I was drawing it I wanted to create something that had a retro-vacation, tiki-party, adventure feel.   Yet, I wanted it to be very fresh and clean.  I like that the design looks like it could have been drawn in 1960 or yesterday.  Most importantly, it makes me smile every time I look at it.  Yes, happiness is very important to me.

Birds of a Tree Poster

Zazzle: Do you have any fun stories about being a seller on Zazzle?

Tricia: I have become good friends with another seller here, Shannon of Hahpistuff, and one day we were having a conversation about how I should decorate my living-room.  We agree one particular print would be perfect on a long empty, windowless wall. We (yes I am dragging her down too) thought the biggest size framed, matted, the whole thing would be perfect.  A few days later the print arrived… uhm… it really was colossal!  That day we both learned that you should read the measured size, and not just decide “Oh really big would be good”.   It required special hanging brackets, but it looks amazing!

Zazzle: What is your favorite Zazzle feature? How do you use it?

Tricia: I like everything about product creation. I like that we can choose the name of our merchandise, give a description, decide how the images are place on the product, all the while being as logical or whimsical (or someplace in between) as we wish.

Zazzle: What got you interested in selling your art on Zazzle?

Tricia: I found Zazzle on a whim; I wasn’t really looking for it.  I started playing with it and noticed I could sell my illustrations.  With each sale my confidence grew, as my confidence grew I put more effort into my store and it grew, and well, I think you can see where this is going.

Zazzle: What tips can you give someone who is just starting out on Zazzle?

Tricia: Be true to yourself, your style and your dreams.   Create things you love, things that move you, and you will be successful.

Thanks Tricia!

Official Policy of Antarctica: No Kicking Penguins

January 26, 2010

It started with a refrigerator sketch by a young autistic artist, became official policy of Antarctica, and now has made its way to Zazzle! The No kicking penguins story is a great example of the amazing and sometimes strange power of the internets.

Colby Chipman is the name of the second grader who invented the “No Kicking Penguins” meme. The slogan and sketch came to light when Colby witnessed his mother kick a toy penguin in their house and wanted to do something to protect penguins, toy and real alike. I present exhibit A, the new slogan Colby designed for penguins everywhere to champion.

The family loved the design so much that they posted it online where it was found and loved by all interneters. The best part is that the image was discovered by an Antarctica Researcher and posted as policy of Antarctica. Exhibit B, the Antarctic image, below.

Pretty awesome! Learn more about the whole store at nokickingpenguins.org and don’t forget to get your official No kicking penguins t-shirts, mugs, and stickers on Zazzle! All proceeds from the store benefit the Autism Society of America for the rest of January.

Zazzle Screen Design Challenge

January 26, 2010

At Zazzle, our cubicles are a lot  more colorful then in your average office.  Our cubicles are decorated with artwork found in our marketplace, and we’re looking for more!  So,  we propose a little colossal sized challenge to all our wonderful sellers.

Zazzle Screen Design Challenge

Your Image Could Be Here!!

We need you to create, or retag, any colassal sized posters you’d like to see displayed in our office.  The only rules are:  it has to be available in the colossal size (at least 56″ x 56″ and square), and it has to be tagged IWANTMYARTATZAZZLE10 in order to be eligible.

We’ll be picking 5 designs next Tuesday (Feb 2nd) that will be turned into screens, so get to Zazzling!!

How to Enter:

  1. Create a Zazzle Account (It’s free!)
  2. Create your Poster
  3. “Post for Sale” your Poster with the tag IWANTMYARTATZAZZLE10 in the Zazzle Marketplace (learn how to tag your product here)
  4. You’re done, good luck!
Create a Poster | View Entries

Contest entries must be received by February 1, 2010 at 11:59pm PT

Dear John Keep in Touch Sweepstakes!

January 25, 2010

“Dear John,” the new film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel by the same name, is going to be the box office equivalent of a “Dark Knight” and “Titanic” love child with more passion, more action and lots of heat. The movie centers on the long distance relationship between two characters played by Channing Tatum and Amada Seyfriend and how they stay in touch via letters. Trailer below.

While I’ll be waiting in line for the premiere starting tonight, you should head over to the Dear John Keep in Touch Sweepstakes and see if you can enter to win some great Zazzle gift certificates (and some other stuff too). Hurry the sweepstakes ends February 10th!

Foto Friday – Earn $5 with your Zazzle photos!

January 22, 2010

Check out this week’s Foto Friday Fun!

What’s Foto Friday? It’s our weekly blog post of customers enjoying their Zazzle products. Want to join in the fun and earn $5 towards your next Zazzle order? Read below for details on how to participate in Foto Friday.


Modern 2010 Calendar Mousepad


Embroidered Hat CSI: Can’t Stand Idiots
Taxi! Custom Skate Board


21st Birthday Princess Pinback Button


No Squirrels Pet Clothes

Want to join in? It’s easy and fun! For every photo you send us we’ll give you $5 to use on your next Zazzle order. So get started taking those pictures and join in on the Foto Friday fun!
Rules:

  1. You must be in the photo holding, wearing, hugging, or otherwise enjoying your Zazzle product
  2. If the product is available in the public Zazzle Marketplace, include the product link
  3. Be creative and have fun!

You can tweet your photos to @zazzle or do it the old fashioned way by emailing them to community@zazzle.com.

Zazzle Featured Seller Interview With Nathalie Jean-Bart

January 21, 2010

Nathalie, from Lioness_Graphics, sat down and talked with us about her obsession with lions, and her children’s book.  See below for the interview, and be sure to check out her gallery Lioness_Graphics!

Cartoon Liger and Friends Greeting Card

Zazzle: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Nathalie: I am a UK-based artist, animator and author. I have been working as an animator and character designer for video games, TV and film since the early 1990s.  With the exception of the time I spent in my mother’s womb, since pencils and paper weren’t readily available there, I have been drawing and creating images pretty much all my life and deriving much enjoyment from it.

I’m currently working on a comic, but I already have a published bilingual (French-English) children’s book call “Red Jim”, that I authored and illustrated.

Zazzle: What’s your inspiration for your designs?

Nathalie: The animal kingdom: be it praised and loved for its infinite variety of colours, shapes and forms!!! Nature in general, cuteness, science fiction, monsters, nonsense, absurd, mythology… of course, the list expands all the time but these are my main, and constant sources of inspiration.

Zazzle: What has been your favorite design you’ve created, and why?

Nathalie: It’s kind of hard for me to choose: it’s a bit like having to choose among my children.  But if I had to, my cute cartoon pigs design is actually among my favourites.  I also really like my cartoon roaring lion.  Lions are actually a lifelong obsession of mine…

Pig Mandala T-Shirt

Zazzle: What is your favorite Zazzle feature? How do you use it?

Nathalie: I like the fact that you can tweet your products directly.

Zazzle: What got you interested in selling your art on Zazzle?

Nathalie: The quality of the products, their sheer variety, and the fact that customers can customize them directly, in many ways.

Zazzle: What tips can you give someone who is just starting out on Zazzle?

Nathalie: I would just recommend to them to have fun.

Thanks Nathalie!

THE LOCH ZAZZLE MONSTER!

January 20, 2010

It’s been raining cats and dogs in the San Francisco area, and Zazzle’s campus in Redwood City has a brand new lake (see above). And in this Lake Zazzle lives a monster by the name of Greg.

Truth is, we dared Greg to go for a swim in the new lake. He took our dare, along with $500 we collected, and went for a refreshing swim in nothing but his skivvies. Honestly, Greg was the only one who won in the end.

Here’s some video of the shenanigans. It is perhaps NSFW. Or any setting for that matter. But we don’t care. It’s Wednesday at Zazzle!

We love you Greg!

New Labz T-shirt of the Week

January 19, 2010

Check out the video below of Andy talking about the new Labz T-shirt of the Week from seller Mildred.

Here’s the shirt