This year I've set a goal for myself to paint a little something every day. I've signed up for a few classes, challenges, and exercises. You can follow along on Instagram (@erikafirm and #erikapaints) to see my work. Fun news: Instagram recently added the ability to follow hashtags! Some of my favorites to follow are: #cbpatternaday #doitfortheprocess #creativelifehappylife #ihavethisthingwithgreen and #mycreativebiz If you have some favorite hashtags I'd love for you to share in the comments. Continue reading

January is here (hello, 2018!) and I drew a little something for you: a pretty abstract painting, "Cloud Nine." To download free desktop calendar wallpaper, click on the black "download" button above and the image will open in a new window. Drag the image to your desktop. Open Desktop Screensaver (in system preferences) and add the image. Enjoy! If you prefer the desktop wallpaper without the calendar, download this one: Original artwork and desktop wallpaper pattern designed by Erika Firm. Just a reminder: commercial distribution or sale is not permitted. Continue reading

Santa's coming!!!! He probably is scrambling right now to wrap all those gifts, right? Luckily, I designed a little something to help him out, in collaboration with The Sweetest Occasion and Staples: printable gift tags for all those Christmas packages. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you use them, too. Head over to Cyd's blog for the free download. Darling photo by by Alice G. Patterson Continue reading

Y'all. #Designerproblems. Big time. Pantone might legitimately be trying to kill me with their 2018 Color of the Year pick: Ultra Violet. I had a feeling it might be a purple (see my previous post), but I was hoping for Pink Lavender or Almost Mauve if they went with a dreaded violet hue. But I do have a year to try to get used to it. I've compiled some color combinations using Ultra Violet that don't make my eyes bleed, using Pantone's Spring Trend colors for 2018. Hopefully you'll spot some color combos using Ultra Violet that you can use for inspiration. What do you think of the 2018 Pantone Color of the Year? Continue reading

This time of year I'm wrapping up the last of my client projects and turning my attention to family & friends ... and strategic planning for the New Year! Ahhhh, the life of a creative business owner. I made myself some quarterly goal planning worksheets, monthly goal planning worksheets, and a weekly editorial calendar for creatives to help get the ideas and goals in my head down on paper. I thought you might like them, too. FREE DOWNLOADS: Quarterly Goal Planning Worksheet | Monthly Goal Planning Worksheet | Weekly Editorial Calendar for Creatives Continue reading

Congrats to Shelly Van Rozeboom on her new brand! Van Rozeboom Interiors is an interior design studio in Pismo Beach, California. We went with a natural, warm look, with a casual yet luxe vibe. I loved working with Shelly to come up with this stunning brand. Shelly went all out with the business cards: they are letterpressed (blue letterpress on pale shelly pink stock), foil printed (white foil on blue stock), and duplexed using the two different gorgeous papers. It's not easy to capture in photos, but the "Shelly Pink" color is actually very nearly white -- a super pale, shell pink color. Paired with a dusty yet rich Persian Blue, the pink and blue color combo is warm, inviting, and timeless. Check out Shelly's instagram feed @shellyvanr for peeks at her work and life on the Central Coast. And shhhhh ... a super fun project is in the works and you can probably spy some sneak peeks in her Instagram Stories! I'm looking to working with her on the next phase. Stay tuned for updates. Continue reading

December is here and I drew a little something for you: a sweet fir forest. To download free desktop calendar wallpaper, click on the black "download" button above and the image will open in a new window. Drag the image to your desktop. Open Desktop Screensaver (in system preferences) and add the image. Enjoy! If you prefer the desktop wallpaper without the calendar, download this one: Original artwork and desktop wallpaper pattern designed by Erika Firm. Just a reminder: commercial distribution or sale is not permitted. Continue reading

Time to put 2017 to bed, amiright? It's not even December yet, but I'm already looking forward to 2018. I'm ready for a clean slate, a fresh year. A year full of excellent health and boundless joy. Who's with me? And you know what would make 2018 even better? A lovely new desktop calendar by yours truly. It's full of fun abstracts, sweet florals, and charming illustrations, all painted this year. I for sure have a favorite month. Can you guess which it is? Do you have a favorite? I'd love to hear -- leave a comment below or shoot me a note. I've listed a few for sale over on my Etsy shop. Thanks so much for your purchase! Every time an order comes through I do a little happy dance. Merci again for your support. Xoxoxoxo. Continue reading

Can you tell I had fun designing this Feliz Navidad Cactus Christmas card for Minted? I adore Saguaro cactus and wish I could grow one in my backyard here in South Carolina. It would look a little odd here on the island, but how cool would a cactus with Christmas lights be surrounded by Live Oaks and black swamp? I'd be remiss if I didn't let you know Minted is having an awesome sale right now: Up to 20% OFF Holiday Card orders with code BF2017. The sale ends today, so don't wait if you want the sweet deal (pro tip: splurge on cute matching postage stamps!). The link will take you to Minted's site and the code will work on all their holiday cards, not just my collection. If you'd like to order this one, search for "Feliz Navidad Cactus" on Minted.com. Continue reading

Y'all ... the kids Llama t-shirt I designed for Minted is one of Kathie Lee and Hoda's favorite things! You can watch the clip here. Continue reading