March 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

🌸 Happy March 🌸

This month, I wanted to create an illustration that felt light, and hopeful. Atlanta has been warming up, and little flowers are starting to make their way up through the mud. Mother Nature always reminds us that there is a season to everything – grief, hope, and renewal. I hope you enjoy March’s Desktop Wallpaper.

* To Receive the March Desktop Wallpaper, click on the button below! *

March 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

And be sure to check out our 🌷 Spring Collection 🌷 for new cards and goodies that will give you that spring fresh feeling ;)

Warmly,


March 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

February 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

❤️ Happy February ❤️
I hope you are having a wonderful start to the month! I wanted to create an illustration that felt optimistic and fun. I hope you enjoy February’s Desktop Wallpaper.

* To Receive the February Desktop Wallpaper, click on the image below! *

February 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds 
over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

And be sure to check out our ❤️ Valentine’s Day Gift Guide ❤️ for cards that will be sure to turn your Valentine into a pile of mush ;)

Warmly,
February 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

January 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

🎉 Happy New Year 🎉

I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Week, full of reflection, cookies, Netflix and slow moments to relax. My husband and I took the week fully off from work to rest and recuperate from a busy and challenging 2023.

I wanted to create an illustration that had a bit of magic in it - that’s what we’re hoping for in the New Year. Please enjoy 2024’s first Desktop Wallpaper.

* To Receive the January Desktop Wallpaper, click on the graphic below! *

January 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

Warmly,
January 2024 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallaper

December 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

I hope you are having a wonderful Holiday Season so far, no matter what you celebrate! We have been busy elves getting orders packed up and shipped out (Thank you!!!!), and staring at the sky, hoping for snow.

So, with that in mind, I wanted to create the wintery scene that I’m hoping to see. I hope that you love December’s Desktop Wallpaper.

* To Receive the December Desktop Wallpaper, click on the graphic below! *

December 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds 
over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!



Lastly, a Big Announcement: Our 2024 Calendar Launches Next Week!
Keep en eye on your inbox next week for an email from me with a SURPRISE and a DISCOUNT!

Paper Raven Co. 2024 Wall Calendar Terrariums

December 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

November 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

I hope you had a wonderful October and Halloween, full of more treats than tricks ;)

Thank you for sticking with me while we took a quick break last month – life is full of ups and downs, and all we can do is hang on and find gratitude while it all balances out. I am so thankful to be back in the swing of things, and hope that you love November’s Desktop Wallpaper!

* To Receive the November Desktop Wallpaper, click on the graphic below! *

November 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds 
over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

I hope you are embracing the new and coming Season with joy.
Warmly,

November 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

September 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

🍂🌞 Happy September!🌞🍂
I hope you had a wonderful Summer, and are excited for the Fall to begin!
I personally can’t wait for cozy sweaters, crisp leaves and some relief from the Atlanta heat! For this month’s illustration, I wanted to create a feeling of transition from the bright colors of summer into the golden tones of Fall, without going into full Pumpkin Spice mode ;) I hope you like it!

* To Receive the September Desktop Wallpaper, click on the image below! *

September 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper
 
I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

P.S. - Don't forget about our End of Summer Sale, it ends tonight! Use Code ILOVEFALL for 15% Off Your Order - Sitewide, and even on Sale Items!

I hope you are embracing the new and coming Season with joy.
Warmly,


September 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

August 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

🌿🌞 Happy August! 🌞🌿

Thank you for all of the wonderful support last month while I took a personal leave from my July Wallpaper. While I was unable to get back to all of the emails/comments/DMs I received, please know that I read every one, and your concern and support meant so much to me.

And thank you for coming back for the new August Desktop Wallpaper!
* To receive the August Desktop Wallpaper, click on the graphic below! *
  August 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper
I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

I hope you are savoring the last bits of Summer, and staying cool.
Warmly,

August 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

June 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

🌿🌸 Happy June! 🌸🌿
This month, I was inspired by all the roses blooming in our neighborhood. They’re one of my favorite flowers!

* To Receive the June Desktop Wallpaper, click on the image below! *

June 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds 
over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

I hope everything is blooming wherever you are!
Warmly,

June 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper by Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

May 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper

🌿🌺 Happy May! 🌺🌿

This month, I was inspired by the flowers growing in my backyard garden - we’ve got bright red verbena flowers that are so cheerful and lovely. They always put me in a good mood.

* To Receive the May Desktop Wallpaper, click on the Graphic Below! *

May 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper © Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds 
over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

I hope it’s warming up wherever you are!
Warmly,

 

May 2023 Illustrated Desktop Wallpaper © Paper Raven Co. #dressyourtech #desktopwallpaper

8 Lessons in 8 Years of Paper Raven Co.

Paper Raven Co.
📣  It's Officially my 8th Year in Business today!  📣
We've been celebrating all week, but today is THE day. 8 Years Ago - Woo! 

In honor of my 8th Year in Business, I wanted to take a moment to share 8 Lessons I've learned while running Paper Raven Co. I could expound on these further (this girl can CHAT), but I figured I'd keep these nuggets short and sweet! Do some of these resonate with you?


Paper Raven Co.
          I look back on this and chuckle. I learned this my first year in business, when I made holiday greeting cards with the year "2015" on them. I was not pleased when I realized that I could not sell those cards the next year, had to recycle my remaining stock, and reprint (without adding a year to the design). A costly lesson!


Paper Raven Co.
          Even though there are things that (at the time) may seem really important, urgent or costly... at the end of the day, mistakes happen, and everything is learning. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn. I try to approach my low moments and mistakes this way now, and extract all of the information I can out of them, rather than wallowing and allowing setbacks to tank my creative flow. Nothing in stationery is so critical that I won't see the light of another day, and a new opportunity to try again. Keeping this in mind, I can give myself grace.


Paper Raven Co.
          One thing I learned early on was to label my Photoshop/Illustrator/Procreate layers as I created them. Waiting until the file prep was due to go back through and find/label every single layer was an arduous task, and took me double the time. I have tried to apply that to all of my processes, and have found that a small amount of organization from the beginning will save me a lot of hours in the long-run.


Paper Raven Co.
          When I started my business, I was in my 20s and I hustled a lot. I worked non-stop, never took time off, etc... all for the sake of becoming "successful" in the fastest way possible. There is a lot of pressure to do this in our society! It was not until I had a health setback that I realized that I AM my business. And if I am not well enough to work, the business stops. (Now, I have built a big part of my business on passive income, so it would keep going for awhile, but you get my meaning). My business would not be here if I wasn't... so I have learned in my 30s to care for myself first and foremost. Cultivating my own sense of physical and mental wellness IS taking care of my business.


Paper Raven Co.

          Maybe it is because I have experienced so much art theft over the years, but I have learned to keep integrity at the heart of my process. I want to lay my head down and be at peace with what I've made, knowing that it came from a place that was truly mine. Gut checks are vulnerable but powerful. Even if we've made mistakes in the past, the ability to make different choices in the present is always within our control.


Paper Raven Co.          This took several years to learn, and a lot of discipline. But I encourage everyone to approach money with a sense of curiosity and possibility. I encourage everyone to invite money in and think of it as a friend: the more you interface with it (even when it's hard!), the deeper your connection is, and the more understanding you gain. Being intimately familiar with my numbers, and the ebb and flow of cashflow in my business has been one of my most valuable assets.


Paper Raven Co.
          This should probably be at the top of my list! Diversification in your revenue streams is the absolute secret sauce to building a sustainable business. Layering income so that you have flexibility and diversity in your cashflow is such a valuable place to be. For this reason, I have built 4 Core Revenue Streams into my business: Retail, Wholesale, Licensing, and Freelance. That way, when one ebbs, another will flow. For example, when the Pandemic hit, all events halted almost overnight. So all of my designs for Weddings, Baby Showers, Birthday Parties pretty much tanked. However, because I had diversified my client list and revenue streams, suddenly digital greeting cards and virtual events took off. So while some types of designs and products failed, others flourished and I was able to maintain the same (and even increase!) my income in 2020.


Paper Raven Co.
          The most successful things in history have been so because they've been different from what has come before. There is no winning strategy in trying to emulate what someone else has already done. Being yourself, breathing deeply and trusting your intuition and originality will always pay off.



💕 I hope this was helpful. I've spent a lot of time thinking about how I would narrow down everything I've learned from running my business for almost a decade. Hopefully I will learn so much more in the next 8 years. Now, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have you had the same experience? Different?

Thanks for being with me on this journey,
Warmly,
💕