Love Cherry Blossoms? Check Out These Custom Cherry Blossom Tree Case Designs for Your iPad, iPhone and Galaxy S4

One of the things I love about Spring here in Atlanta are the Cherry Blossom trees, especially when they start to flower and change color from white to shades of pink. I really enjoy walking around, studying them and capturing photos of the ones that grabs my eye. So in today's post, I'm showcasing 4 custom case designs from my Zazzle store that are inspired by my favorite Cherry Blossom tree images. 

Pink Cherry Blossoms iPad Mini DODOcase iPad Mini Retina Covers by iCandy58Designs
Browse iPad Mini Retina Cases online at Zazzle.com

The image for this beautiful Pink Cherry Blossoms case cover was captured on a cloudy, foggy day down in the valley where the tree is located. The case designs also available for the iPhone 4, 4s, 5c and the Galaxy S4. Btw, this iPad Mini DODOcase cover is pretty cool ~ it features a Merlot colored Moroccan cloth cover, a bamboo tray to cradle your iPad and the design is printed on the inside of the case. How sweet is that!

Cherry Blossoms in Spring iPhone 5/5s Case by iCandy58Designs
Look at another iPhone 5/5s cover at Zazzle

The day I shot Cherry Blossoms in Spring was such a picture perfect day in the beginning of Spring. The photo captures a flowering Cherry Blossom tree before the flowers started turning shades of pink. This Cherry Blossoms case design is also available for the iPhone 4, 4s, 5c, the Galaxy S4, the iPad, iPad Air and the iPad Mini.

White Cherry Blossoms Galaxy S4 Case by iCandy58Designs
View Cherry Blossoms Case-Mate cases online at zazzle

As an artist I sometime have problems with leaving perfection alone, lol! So I took the Cherry Blossoms in Spring image above, changed the background to a dark gray, changed the hue of the flowers and made the tree itself darker to create this White Cherry Blossoms case design. I'm partial to this White Cherry Blossoms design, but which one do you think looks the best? This case design is also available for the iPhone 3, 4, 4s, 5, 5c, 5s and the iPad Air.

Pink Cherry Blossom Ghosts iPhone 5c Case by iCandy58Designs
Find more iPhone 5/5C cases at Zazzle

No, this Pink Cherry Blossom Ghosts iPhone case design isn't a 'case' of deja vue; the image is entirely different from Pink Cherry Blossoms. Ghosts is a different tree shot on an overcast day. I thought it would be fun to see what I could do with it through the magic of photo editing, so I blended a duplicate of the tree into the photo to create the 'ghost' effect you see. This case design is also available for the Galaxy S4.

White Pink Cherry Blossoms iPad Air Case by iCandy58Designs

See another iPad Air Case online at Zazzle

This White Pink Cherry Blossoms (yes, I was running out of ideas for design names!) case design is the most unique one in my opinion, because of my blending of soft shades of different colors together with the trees white + pink flowers against a lavender background to give the image a painted photo look. This case design is also available for the iPad and the iPhone 4, 4s, 5, 5c & 5s. Btw, this design is featured on a premium cloth covered Powis iCase iPad Air case with no kickstand (my last post took a look at its brother, the Powis iCase iPad Mini case). 

I will be adding more Cherry Blossoms cases to my Zazzle store, but the ones you see here are available on other custom product that can be personalized. Please email me through the Contact Seller link on => http://www.zazzle.com/icandy58designs* if you see a Zazzle product you want to buy with one of these designs on it.

Cover Your iPad Mini with a Custom Cloth Covered Powis iCase Case From Zazzle

I'm WAY behind schedule in publishing this first post about custom cloth covered iPad cases from Zazzle, but I hope this overview of the Powis iCase case for your iPad Mini will be helpful to you.

There are all types of cool iPad cases out there that you can buy online; there's metal, hard plastic, leather and more. But what choices do you have if you want to buy a nice fabric covered book cover style case for your Apple iPad?

As I mentioned near the end of my 10 Eye Catching iPad Case Covers post, Zazzle offers a few cloth book cover styled cases for the iPad (2nd, 3rd and 4th gen models), iPad Air & iPad Mini/ iPad Mini with Retina display that you can customize and/or personalize. So in today's post, we're going to take a look at the Powis iCase brand premium cloth covered case for the iPad Mini. We're also going to look at some surprising advantages that Zazzle offers iCase case buyers over Powis itself and one of my own custom Powis iCase iPad Mini case designs.

Powis iCase for iPad Mini case

Do you remember those hard cover textbooks you carried around in high school? Powis iCase offers a durable, premium hard cover cloth iPad Mini case with a glossy laminate finish that will remind you of your old textbooks, only much nicer.

Check out this brief YouTube and you'll see what I mean ....





An overview of the Powis iCase case

Each Powis iCase iPad Mini case cover is made from 100% recycled hardboard, weighs less than a 1/2 lb., has non-slip edges that make it easier to use free standing in landscape mode, can be used in multiple positions, features grips that securely hold your Mini in place, gives you full access to your iPad's camera + ports without having to remove it and an elastic hand strap to securely hold it in your hand. It's 8.13 inches long, 5.75 inches wide, 0.75 inches thick and weighs 0.45 lbs. Prices start at $59.95 on the Powis website.

I sell my own custom Powis iCase iPad case cover designs on my Zazzle store and my opinion may be a bit biased. So I recommend that you check out this full review Lex Friedman wrote for Macworld earlier this year. Here's the link: Macworld iCase Mini review.

Why buy your Powis iCase iPad Mini case from Zazzle?

The Powis iCase website offers a variety of pre-made case covers that come in different styles, patterns and in leather too that you can personalize. But Zazzle has partnered up with Powis to offer custom iCase cases to their customers.

At this point you may be asking yourself why should I buy a Powis iCase iPad Mini case from Zazzle instead of buying one directly from Powis? To help you answer that question, here are 6 reasons why you should buy your Mini case from Zazzle:

1. Zazzle offers a greater variety of pre-made Powis iCase iPad Mini cases than Powis Parker offers on its own website (Zazzle has more than 90 thousand of these cases for sale in their marketplace).
2. Zazzle gives you the option to customize and/or personalize cases with your own photography, artwork or text to make your very own iPad case cover design.
3. With Zazzle you can easily change the form factor for the iPad model you have right from the product design detail page.
4. Zazzle's Powis iCase cases are designed to fit both the Mini or the Mini with Retina display.
5. Zazzle gives you the option to buy the case cover with or without a kickstand.
6. Zazzle offers better pricing! It might be hard to wrap your mind around how that's possible, but it's true. Zazzle markets cases created by individual storekeepers who set their own prices based on the perceived value of their respective designs. They can range from around $42.95 on the low end to well over $100 on the high end. As I mentioned earlier, prices on the Powis website starts at $59.95.

From what you've just read, it should be pretty clear that Zazzle offers you more options at a better price point, but don't take my word for it ... go check it out for yourself. In the meantime, if you would like to see a custom Powis iCase for the iPad Mini from Zazzle, check out this one:

Prowling Tiger Powis iCase iPad Mini Case

This Prowling Tiger Watching case design is the latest for the Powis iCase brand posted on my iCandy58Designs store on Zazzle. It's designed to fit both the iPad Mini and the iPad Mini with Retina display. Priced at $47.95, it doesn't come with a kickstand (however, you have the option to add one for an additional charge), but as I mentioned in No. 2. above, it can be customized and/or personalized to create a case cover that is uniquely your own, which means no one else will have the same Mini case you have unless you post it for sale.

Prowling Tiger Watching iPad Mini Case by iCandy58Designs
Check out more iCandy58Designs iPad Mini case designs at Zazzle

I love this tiger iPad Mini case design, because it's a real eye-catcher! It makes a perfect gift for anyone who loves tigers or big cats! What if you love this case too, but need one that fits an iPad Air? Don't sweat it! Just page up and change the form factor (to the right of the product image on the product detail page) by selecting iPad Air and you're good to go. The title and product details will change to reflect the new form factor.

So what do you think about the Powis iCase iPad Mini case? Does it fit your style or do you want to check out some other premium cloth covered iPad cases? If you want to see more fabric covered book cover style cases, be on the lookout for my follow up post on custom iPad Air DODOcase cases from Zazzle.

8 Funny St Patty's Day T-Shirt Designs to Keep You From Getting Pinched!

Updated, 3/8/2014: This post is updated to reflect a total rewrite of the original.

Whether you're planning on marching down 5th Avenue in NYC, marching up Columbus Drive in Chicago, raising the ruckus in Downpatrick in County Down, or doing a pub crawl with your very bestest friends in your hometown, no Laddy or Lassie wants to be caught on March 17th without wearing a bit o' the green. So if you're looking for funny St. Patty's Day t-shirts to wear while celebrating, check out the rest of today's post.

St. Patrick's Day 2014 is right around the corner and if you want to avoid getting pinched, this post showcases 8 very funny custom t-shirt designs, to give as a gift or buy for yourself, to celebrate the holiday in  style and reflect your unique sense of humor.

Funny St. Patty's Day t-shirts for smiling Irish eyes (and those who wish they were Irish) :)

Shenanigan Expert Tee Shirt by reflections06
See more St. Patrick's Day T-Shirts at Zazzle.com

Buy Me A Beer St. Patrick's Day American Apparel T T Shirt by koncepts
Get the best custom tshirts from Zazzle.com

Lets Get Ready To Stumble Tank by CyKosis
Design your own tee shirt online at Zazzle.

funny mustache St Patrick's Day T Shirt by holidaysboutique
Check out more I Mustache You a Question T-Shirts at Zazzle

Who All Seen Da Leprechaun Say Yeah Meme T Shirts by MemeRegime
Create unique printed t-shirts on Zazzle.

Beer & Craic St Patricks Day is Back Tees by Atomic_Cotton
Create cheap custom t-shirts at Zazzle

I'm Gonna Need Another Beer Tshirt by CyKosis
See other St Patty's Day T-Shirts at Zazzle

And since you don't want to get pinched ... here's one more funny St. Paddy's Day t-shirt design that's just perfect for you, lol!

Pinch Me Punch You Tshirt by carryon
Custom T-shirt printing online at Zazzle

Did you know that Zazzle's marketplace has more than 35,000 St. Patrick's Day t-shirt designs (yes ... there are plenty o' drunk drinking themed ones, too) that are funny, cute and racy, too? Click this link ==>> St. Patrick's Day T-Shirts to see them all now.

P.S. Are you a fan of funny cartoon t-shirts? Click here to check out the 5 cool, cute, funny and hip t-shirt designs showcased in this very popular post. 

10 Eye Catching iPad Case Cover Designs on iCandy58Designs

Today's post presents an animated showcase of 10 of the most eye-catching custom iPad case cover designs from my Zazzle store. 

10 of my most dazzling custom iPad case cover designs

My store on Zazzle has all sorts of iPad cases available in the Custom iPad Case Gifts category and the 10 showcased in today's post don't even begin to tell the story. I started with florals and then added abstracts; I've recently added an old gangster style police car, an old sinking ship and even a couple of big cats!

Click here to see all of my custom iPad cases

iCandy58Designs on Zazzle features cases for the iPad 2, 3 & 4, iPad Air and the iPad Mini + iPad Mini with Retina display ... click on the store link and check them out today. You'll find Case-Mate cases made from impact resistant plastic, hard shell Case Savvy cases with a glossy finish, premium book cloth Powis iCase cases made with laminated with recycled hardboard and Moroccan cloth DODOcase cases made with bamboo trays, too.

By the way, you can take my case designs and make them your own. Just click on the blue Customize it! button and add your own photo, art work and/or custom text to create a unique one off iPad case made just for you. 

Thanks for checking out today's post. I hope you didn't mind my TRYING to rhyme; it wasn't my intention ... I was just having a little fun! Please let me know what you think of my custom case designs. Which is your favorite one?

I'm a Plusser ... are you a Plusser too? Add me to your Google + circles so you can keep up with all the updates to this iCandy58Designs, the Blog.

5 Funny, Hip, Cute & Cool Custom Cartoon T-Shirt Designs on Zazzle

Updated, 3/10/2014: This post is updated to reflect the addition of a 5th cartoon t-shirt design.

If you have a thing for cartoon characters you will definitely want to check out the rest of today's post, because in it I'm introducing 5 custom t-shirts featuring some cute, cool, funny & hip cartoon characters that you can't help but love.

I have a confession to make: I'm a grown, married man with teenage children and I have a thing for cartoon characters that are funny, cool and even a little edgy. If you dig cartoon characters too, today's post will be a treat, because I'm showcasing 5 custom cartoon t-shirt designs from the Zazzle stores of BATKEI and Cute and Strange Creatures that I think are cool, funny, hip and cute too!

Evil Grinning Bug Gives Flower T-Shirt

This sinister looking little fur ball of a bug has a soft side ... with a toothy grin Bug greets you and sweetly offers you a simple flower. So how evil can this little fellow really be? You can buy this very popular Evil Bug in 126 different styles for women & men in Adult sizes (S, M, L, XL & 2X) and if you want to buy it in another color, it's available in black, deep red, navy blue, light steel or pale pink. Just click on the link below this image to buy your own Evil Bug T-Shirt now.

Evil Bug Gives Flower Women's T-Shirt by borianag
Make your own custom t-shirts online on Zazzle.

Neko Zamurai Cat Men's T-Shirt

You better think twice before you try to test Neko's sword fighting skill with the katana, because a Zamurai cat with 2 swords is NOT to be tested! This cool t-shirt design is the perfect gift for cat lovers into martial artists. It's available for cool cat guys & girls in Adult sizes (S, M, L, XL, 2X & 3X) in 126 different styles and in 12 different color options. Click the link below to buy your own Neko Zamurai T-Shirt today!

Neko Zamurai Tee Shirt by BATKEI
See more Cat T-Shirts

Cute Funny Giraffe on Roller Skates T-Shirt

Who doesn't love giraffes? They're so tall, graceful and yes ... they're cute, but have you ever seen one zipping around on roller skates while holding purple flowers by the tail (and in its mouth, too)? You can buy Boriana's Cute Giraffe T-Shirt design in 126 different styles for women & men in Adult sizes (S, M, L, XL & 2X) and in 14 different colors. Just click the link below to buy your own today before this popular cute giraffe skates away!

Cute Giraffe Roller Skating Purple Female Tshirts by borianag

Design your own custom t-shirts online at Zazzle

Ninja Cat Men's T-Shirt

You can't defend against a Ninja Cat, so just let him in! Out of the 5 custom cartoon t-shirt designs showcased here, this Ninja Cat T-Shirt in Black is my personal favorite. Cats are natural born Ninjas, so I just think it was genius on Batkei's part to create a cartoon black cat in a black ninja suit with a blue samurai sword on its back. This awesome t-shirt design is available for cool cat guys & girls in Adult sizes (S, M, L, XL and 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X & 6X) in 126 different style options and in 24 different colors. Click the link below to buy your own Ninja Cat T-Shirt today!

Ninja Cat T-Shirt by BATKEI

Create unique printed t-shirts on Zazzle.

Jailed Evil Kingpin of the Monsters

How could BorianaG lock up this cute little blue creature? Not even being in jail could take away his twisted smile. But don't let his slightly demented toothy grin fool you ...trust me, he's in there for good reason! He's the boss of all monsters ~ the evil kingpin, so RUN as fast as you can! The t-shirt shown here is for girl monsters, but it's available for guy monsters too in Adult sizes (S, M, L, XL and 2X) in 126 different style options and in 6 different colors. Click the link below to buy your own Monster Kingpin T-Shirt today!

Monster Kingpin Jailed Dark Evil T Shirts by borianag
Browse Evil character T-Shirts online at Zazzle.com

Each of these cartoon t-shirts come in a wide variety of styles ~ 126 to be exact ~ and multiple color options. You can easily customize and/or personalize them by adding a name, a phrase or other custom text. You can even add your very own cartoon character to create a unique, one off t-shirt that no one else has. By the way, these designs are also available on other custom products, so be sure to visit their stores to check them out.

When you click through to buy one or more of these custom cartoon t-shirt designs, please show Cute and Strange Creatures and BATKEI some love by also checking out their other great product designs available on Zazzle and liking their stores. Believe me, they put in a lot of work creating & marketing their designs and seeing customers or other Zazzlers 'Like' their work helps motivate them more than you'll ever know. 

As I mentioned earlier the Ninja Cat is my favorite cartoon t-shirt design, but which one do you like the most? Have you already bought it or are you planning to buy it?

5 Cool Abstract Art Custom Phone Cases for the Samsung Galaxy S4

If you've read any of my posts on custom phone case designs, you might get the idea that Samsung Galaxy phone fans don't get any love from my Zazzle store. So I'm kicking the iPhone cases to the curb for the day and featuring 5 of the custom abstract art phone case designs I've created for the Samsung Galaxy S4 in this post.


After my last post or any of my articles about Zazzle custom phone cases, you probably think I only have eyes for Apple iPhone cases. Like most POD product designers, most of the case designs I create ARE for the iPhone. But I have created some custom phone cases for the Galaxy S4, I am adding more to my iCandy58Designs store and in this evening's post, I'm showcasing 5 of my cool abstract art custom case designs for the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Abstract Art Design Galaxy s4 case by iCandy58Designs
Browse more Casemate Galaxy s4 Cases

This Abstract Art Design case, printed on a lightweight Case-Mate 'Barely There' case, is my latest custom phone case design available for sale in my store. Like most of the cases featured in this post, it's inspired by an original abstract work of art I digitally created. The artwork for this case is called 'Change Station'.

Surface of the Sun Galaxy S4 Case by iCandy58Designs
Browse more cases for the Galaxy s4

Surface of the Sun is actually the 2nd abstract solar art custom case design that I created on my desktop for the Galaxy S4 and it's printed on an impact resistant, high impact hard plastic Case-Mate 'Vibe' case. I call it 'Surface of the Sun', because this is what I imagine the Sun's surface would look like if you could get a close look at it without burning up. 

Quad Vortex Abstract Galaxy S4 Case by iCandy58Designs
Check out more abstract Casemate case designs online at Zazzle

Printed on a rubber lined Case-Mate 'Vibe' case, this Quad Vortex design can be bought "as is" or it can easily be customized and/or personalized with a name or message, a photo or your own artwork to create a one-of-a-kind Galaxy phone case.

Abstract Reflection of the Sun Galaxy S4 Case by iCandy58Designs
Look at more abstract Galaxy phone cases at Zazzle

Reflection of the Sun is my first abstract sun art case design that I created on my desktop for the Samsung Galaxy S4. Like the Surface of the Sun design, it's printed on a hard plastic Case-Mate 'Vibe' case with a shock absorbing liner. It depicts the reflection of the blazing Sun on a tiled window.

Nothing But Time Galaxy S4 Case by iCandy58Designs
Shop for another Galaxy S4 Cover

Nothing But Time, printed on a Case-Mate 'Barely There' case, is the 2nd abstract watch face case design I created for my store's Galaxy Phone Cases category. I think this case design makes a great gift for anyone who loves abstract art designs, clocks or watches. 

You can see all of the Samsung Galaxy S4 phone case designs available in my store on this page.

Right now I only have 27 case designs posted for sale, but as I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I am adding more of them. If you see any iPhone case designs in my store that you would really love to have on a Galaxy S4 case, please email me through the 'Contact the Seller' link on my store.

I may be more well known for my floral & nature product designs, but I'm having a blast creating abstract case designs! But what about you ... which do you like more ~ abstract art designs or floral/nature designs?   

Design No. 316, New Custom iPhone Cases Added and More on iCandy58Designs

I am just FULL of surprises and I have to laugh about it, because today's post is a complete 360 degree switch up from what I originally planned. You will see that post at some point in the future, but for today I'm bringing you up to speed on what's new at my Zazzle store.

New Zazzle product design No. 316

If you've been following this blog, you know I recently posted my 300th custom product design on my store. Today, I've just posted this abstract custom iPhone 4 case, design No. 316, for sale on my store!

Surface of the Sun iPhone 4/4s Case ($43.95) by iCandy58Designs
You can find more Custom Casemate Smartphone Cases at Zazzle

This cool Surface of the Sun iPhone 4 case design for the Apple iPhone 4 & 4s is printed on a lightweight, impact resistant hard plastic Barely There case from Case-Mate. Fyi, this is a universal iPhone 4 case, which means it's designed to fit the AT & T, Sprint and Verizon phones. The design is inspired by an original digital work of art, "Surface of the Sun", that I created on my iPhone from a photo of my vintage gold watch. It was through the magic of photo editing (on my iPhone and my desktop computer) that I was able to create the abstract image you see here. This case design is also available on Case-Mate cases for the iPhone 5 and the new 5c & 5s phones.

As with all of my custom phone case designs, you can customize and/or personalize this Surface of the Sun iPhone 4/4s case with your own artwork, photo or custom message to create a one-of-a-kind iPhone 4 case.

Speaking of custom iPhone case designs ...

My custom iPhone cases category now has 107 case designs posted for sale! iCandy58Designs has custom phone cases for the iPhone 5 and the new 5c & 5s models like this cool watch face iPhone 5 case ...

Alarmed Clock Abstract iPhone 5/5s Case ($50.95) by iCandy58Designs
Check out more iCandy58Designs Casemate Cases at Zazzle

BUT I haven't forgotten about iPhone 3g/3gs or iPhone 4/4s owners! In fact, I've been adding new case designs for the iPhone 3g and 3gs. Why? Some people, like me, have older Apple iPhones (we're beyond that I gotta have that new one now mentality) that are in excellent condition and they work great. So why shouldn't they be able to buy good looking custom phone cases like the one below?

Abstract Reflection of the Sun iPhone 3g/3gs Case iPhone 3 Case-Mate Case ($43.95)
by iCandy58Designs Browse more iPhone 3GS Cases

Click this link ~ Custom iPhone Cases ~ to see all of the phone case designs available for sale in my store.

I'm carefully adding new products (in all categories) to my underrepresented designs and to a few new product categories I'm working on. I'm also rewriting product descriptions and updating the tags for existing designs to make them more helpful to buyers. It's a lot of work, but I'm doing it to make it easier for shoppers to discover the products they're searching for on iCandy58Designs. 

5 Funny Cute Custom Valentine's Day Greeting Cards That Will Make Your Valentine Smile

Updated, 2/4/2014:

The Big Day of Love (a/k/a Valentine's Day) is only 11 days away, so in today's post I'm going to showcase 5 cute custom Valentine's Day cards you can personalize for that "special someone" in your life.

Have you found the Valentine's Day card for your wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend that's cute or playful and has a message that sounds like something you would say? If you haven't found it yet, stay on this page for just a few minutes more to finish checking out this post. Why? In this short post I'm featuring 5 funny cute Valentine's Day greeting cards from Zazzle that you can easily customize and/or personalize to create a one-of-a-kind card that expresses exactly what you want it to say. When you see a card design you like, just click on the link below the image to go to the product detail page and place your order.

One great thing about buying from POD (print on demand) companies like Zazzle: you can purchase the product design as you see it on the storefront, or you can add your own artwork or photo to it, add your own message and create something uniquely personal that you and your loved one will be happy with.

So let's take a look at these 5 cards you can customize and/or personalize:

Funny I Mustache You Valentine's Day Card  ($3.15)

All this colorful, funny I Mustache You Valentine's Day card from TheBestsellers store needs is your custom message. It's also available with a white front with black mustache and it can easily be completely customized on the front, inside and back. Priced at $3.15 per card.

Valentine Chalkboard Coupon Card ($3.20)

This custom Valentine Chalkboard Coupon greeting card from Creative Design Studio is a great idea for anyone who wants to give that special someone a coupon or a series of coupons that can be redeemed for a number of creative/imaginative gifts. For example, married couples with young children at home can give each other 'Date Night' or 'Mom's Liberation Night' (works for Dad's too!) coupons through out the year. Priced at $3.20 per card.

Funny Retro Do You Like Me? Card ($2.75)

This funny Do You Like Me? greeting card from the Ren lmasa store is a very simple retro design that is a real blast straight from your school days past! I think almost any boyfriend or girlfriend would get a kick out of receiving this Valentine's Day card :) Priced at $2.75 per card.

Don't Go BACON My Heart Greeting Card ($3.20)

This cute funny Don't Go BACON My Heart Valentine's Day card from Melissa Ek is just the card you need to give to that special bacon lover in your life. $3.20 per card.

Simple True Love Valentine's Day Photo Card  ($3.30)

This simple True Love photo Valentine's Day greeting card from 39 Designs is just waiting for you to add that great photo on Google Drive or Instagram of the two of you and your own message to it. IMO this is a perfect card for someone who is engaged or newlywed. Priced at $3.30 per card.

I chose these Valentine's card designs, because I thought they were cute, funny or they just sparked my imagination. If these cards aren't exactly what you were looking for, Zazzle has a thousand more card designs that are cute, intimate, romantic & sensual for you to choose from. Just click on this Valentine's Day Greeting Cards link to see them now.

So what do you think about these custom Valentine's Day greeting cards? Which one of the 5 really caught your eye? Did you buy it? I would love to read what you have to say about them in the comments section below.   

Custom Product Design No. 300 Deja Vu: Vintage Yellow Gold Hibiscus iPad Air Case

Hooray, I Just Posted Product Design No. 300 Today!

I just posted a vintage yellow gold floral iPad Air case on my iCandy58Designs store on Zazzle. It's my 300th custom product design and it feels somewhat like deja vu for me to blog about it. Why? Last month I wrote a post (click here if you haven't read it) about another custom floral iPad Air case design that was the 200th product posted for sale on my store! The only differences, beyond the images I used, are the cases; No. 300 is printed on a Case-Mate Barely There case and No. 200 is printed on a Powis iCase iPad Air case with no kickstand. My little "I've been here before" moment aside, I'm glad I chose this image to create this beautiful case, because I've received a number of social high fives on the Zazzle products I've created with it. Not to mention that I just sold a custom iPhone 5/5s case featuring this design.

Vintage Yellow Gold Hibiscus iPad Air Case ($78.95)

But I've Never Seen a Hibiscus in That Shade Before

I took this photo of a white Hibiscus my wife was growing during the Spring with my iPhone 4. Before I started editing it, I decided that I wanted to create something eye-catching and unique. So through the magic of post-photo processing, I added a soft white glow to the flower's center along with a golden yellow glow to the rest of the flowers and the sky. I also ran the photo through a vintage filter on my iPhone and added a slight pencil sketch effect as the finishing touch.

I really like the way it turned out and think it's perfect for anyone who loves vibrant floral photo designs. Including this custom iPad Air case, there are 12 custom Zazzle products featuring this vintage yellow gold Hibiscus including the previously mentioned Powis iPad Air case,  the iPad Mini case, phone cases for the Galaxy s4 and the iPhone 5/5s, the new 5c & the 4/4s among others.  If there's a Zazzle product you want to buy with this design on it, please email me through the Contact the Seller link on my store.

You can see all the vintage yellow gold Hibiscus gifts available for sale on iCandy58Designs anytime you want to by clicking on this link. Why not go check them out now?

The Case

The Case-Mate Barely There case, 9.5" L x 6.8" W x 0.4" H, is a lightweight impact resistant, flexible hard plastic shell that protects the back/corners of your iPad Air while giving you full access to the controls, ports & sensors and it's compatible with the iPad Air Smart Cover, which is not included. Priced at $78.95. Another option for you is the Powis iCase iPad Air case without the kickstand. It's 9.88" L x 7.125" W and printed on 100% recycled hardboard that's custom made from premium book cloth. The front/back are laminated and it features a rubberized no slip edge design for free standing landscape use/viewing. Priced at $44.95. Click here to go to the product detail page now.

That's it for now, but what do you think of my 300th custom Zazzle product design? I would really love to read your thoughts on it in the comments section below.



 

4 Cool Custom Printed Stainless Steel Hip Flasks for Men

Zazzle recently hit us with a big surprise when it introduced the new Liquid Courage hip flask to create custom designs for. I haven't created any (at least not yet), but many of my fellow Zazzlers have been busy designing some amazing custom hip flasks and in today's post, I'm going to showcase 4 of the coolest custom printed stainless steel hip flasks for men available in the Zazzle marketplace.

At the time of this post Z already has more than 22,000 custom Liquid Courage flasks available for sale, which is pretty impressive for a product that was just introduced in December of last year.

As you can probably imagine, there are a number of flask designs that have drinking themes, but there are some very stylish, bold looking ones that make excellent gifts for any man who wants to discreetly carry his favorite beverage. The 4 featured in this post are, in my opinion, just the coolest :).

FYI, each of the following 4 hip flask designs are on 6 oz. stainless steel flasks (dimensions: 3.75" l x 4.5" w x 1" d) with a screw off top. The designs you see are printed on high quality vinyl that's permanently wrapped around the flask.

Chrome Pirate on Carbon Filter Print Hip Flask ($27.95)

The chrome effect on this image featuring the classic pirate symbols of a skull & crossed sabers make this flask design by CaptainShoppe cool and bold.

Chinese Calligraphy Red Year of the Horse Flask ($27.95)

This Chinese Calligraphy design of the word 'horse' by giftsbonanza is simple, but the red raised satin effect gives it a bold, unique cannot-be-ignored look.

Wedding Tuxedo-Grooms Hip Flask ($25.95)

This classy black & white tuxedo and bowtie design by hungaricanprincess can be personalized, which makes this custom hip flask the perfect gift to give to your groomsmen. Also available in different styles.

Chinese Tribal Dragon Old Crushed Paper Red Brown Hip Flask ($31.95)

This fierce dark red Chinese dragon design by Strawberry and Hearts is very dramatic and the crushed brown paper adds a unique twist.

So which one of these custom printed hip flasks caught your eye? I like all 4, but I have to say ... the Chrome Pirate and Chinese Tribal Dragon flasks are the most eye-catching designs to me. If you want to see more, just click on this link => Flasks <=  to see all of the custom Liquid Courage flasks available in the Zazzle marketplace.  

If you're looking to buy one for that special guy in your life for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, his birthday or for some other special occasion, keep in mind that these stainless steel hip flasks can easily be customized and/or personalized by adding your own photo, artwork or special message to create a very unique gift that won't cost you "an arm and a leg".

8 Custom Wrist Watch Designs for the Fashionable Abstract Art Lover

Updated, 1/23/2014:

I'm pretty psyched about today's post, because I'm going to showcase 8 of my custom wrist watches from iCandy58Designs that make great gifts for anyone who loves abstract art designs.

I've had a thing for watches ever since I was 8 yrs. old and I have a lot of fun creating these custom fashion wrist watches that you can personalize. I don't have a lot of them posted for sale in my store; I just posted my 23rd 24th design today, but I really love the designs I have posted there. Most of my designs feature cool, fun, funky digital abstract art themes that are perfect for the types of watches Zazzle offers for sale. So without further delay, here are my 8 custom wrist watch designs:

Funky Hot Yellow Metal Ball Fashion Wrist Watch ($50.95)

I think the yellow May 28th watch bands and red keeper are a perfect match for my funky hot yellow metal ball design, but you might like the red bands and yellow keeper better!

Diamond Lights White Custom Rhinestone Wrist Watch ($55.95)

This white rhinestone wrist watch was made for this Diamond Lights design of mine! Diamond Lights is also available in a white May 28th wrist watch, priced at $50.95 ~ click here to see it now.

Blue Blurred Motion Custom Wrist Watch ($50.95)

I'm very careful about which products I add this Blue Blurred Motion design to and I'm glad I chose this clear May 28th style to work with, but I also think the white bands with a grey keep would also be a great choice for it. What do you think?

Blue Eye of Storm White Custom Wrist Watch ($50.95)

I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to use this Blue Eye of Storm to create this custom white wrist watch design. Would you buy it as it is or would you customize and/or personalize it with different color bands, keepers, etc.?

Cute Custom Flower Burst Wrist Watch ($50.95)

This custom wrist watch design is actually a photo of a singe red rose. It was through the magic of photo editing that I produced the abstract flower burst that you see here.

Nothing But Time Custom Stainless Steel Wrist Watch ($95.95)

I think Nothing But Time is perfect for this stainless steel wrist watch, but it's also available as a grey custom May28th wrist watch.

Quad Vortex Abstract White Custom Wrist Watch ($50.95)

Quad vortex abstract has black, grey and silver blue in it, so I thought the white May28th bands with a black matte keeper would look best. But now I'm wondering if I should change it to clear.

Blue Blurred Motion Custom Rhinestone Wrist Watch ($55.95)

Do you think Blue Blurred Motion in white rhinestone would look as good as it does in black rhinestone?

You can keep up with all of the custom wrist watches that I design for my Zazzle store anytime you want by clicking on this link.

Most of my wrist watches are May 28th watch designs. It didn't start out that way, it just sort of developed over time mainly, because of all the very colorful bands and keepers I get to work with. What you can do with them reminds me of Swatch watches that were very popular way back when :). You can further customize and/or personalize each watch in my store by changing the type of band, the color of the band/or the keeper. Or you can personalize them with your own artwork, photos or custom text. All you have to do is click on the blue 'Customize it!' button to get started.

So what do you think of my custom wrist watch designs? Would you buy them as is or would you switch the bands + the keeper and/or add your own artwork or photograph?

I Guess You Wonder Where I've Been and Other iCandy58Designs News Updates

"I guess you wonder where I've been ... I came back to let you know" ~ Bobby Caldwell, What You Won't Do For Love

It's been 7 days since my last new post, so I wanted to write a short post on what I've been up to and to let you know that I haven't fallen off a cliff or forgotten about you :).

I haven't really focused on Zazzling much since my "how to" post on custom keepsake jewelry. Don't get me wrong, I have added some nice new custom throw pillows, some more wrist watch designs and even a few more custom keepsake necklaces to iCandy58Designs during the week. But for the most part, I've been running around taking care of family stuff and helping my girls get ready to go back to school for the start of their Spring semester (on is in high school & the other is in college). Those of you with kids in high school and/or in college know what I speak of :).

Now that things are back to normal in my home, I can once again turn my thoughts to creating some new eye candy product designs, adding new product categories to iC58D (I have one in the works that I'm VERY excited about), introducing you to other Zazzlers I've met that do amazing design work, building up my following and blogging about it ... here regularly of course!

That's it for today, but before I go I want to show you 2 of my latest product designs available for sale on my Zazzle store:

Vintage Purple Flowers Custom Polyester Throw Pillow, 20" x 20"

Diamond Lights White Custom Wrist Watch

Click on the links just below the images above or go to http://www.zazzle.com/icandy58designs to order these or any of my custom product designs.

I would love to know what you think of these designs, so take a hot minute to leave a comment (even if it's just to say "Hi, Ray!"), and if you really like them ... please post a link back to them on your favorite social networks. Thanks!

How to Create Your Own Custom Keepsake Jewelry on Zazzle

Updated, 1/14/2014

I've made a small, but very important update to this post that will help you create better looking custom keepsake locket or necklace jewelry pieces. 

Near the end of my last post I stated that I expect most of the folks buying keepsakes would use their own photos. So, in today's post I'm going to blog about how to use your own images to create one of a kind, custom keepsake jewelry.

Looking to buy keepsake jewelry for yourself or someone special? Zazzle gives its customers the option to (1) buy an existing design they like, or (2) customize/personalize that design, or (3) upload their own photo, artwork or custom text to create their own totally unique design. This post is for people who want to go the option 3 route to create their own custom keepsake locket or necklace jewelry on Zazzle.

You Can Create Your Own Custom Keepsake with this Necklace Template 

Don't get me wrong ... as a designer I would love to sell you one of my Diamond Lights custom sterling square necklace or Sterling black & white vintage skating at the Rink locket designs. BUT the whole point of creating custom keepsake jewelry is to make something special that will be kept and remembered, because it reminds you (or the person you're giving it to) of someone, some place, some thing or event that's special to you (or them). So using your own image would make the keepsake that much more meaningful to you and the person you're giving it to.

Zazzle makes the process of creating your own custom products fairly easy. Just follow these 5 steps:

1. Go to Zazzle.com and choose a template necklace to create your keepsake;
2. Using the basic design tool, add your artwork, photo and/or custom text - please carefully follow the Zazzle image guidelines, which can be found here: http://www.zazzle.com/mk/custom/imageguidelines;
3. Position your image and/or text within the visible design area;
4. Select the Style (round/square necklace or round locket), Color (silver plated, gold finish or sterling silver) & Size (small, medium or large) that best suits your image & your budget; and
5. When you've completed your design, select the quantity you want to order, click on 'Add to Cart' and checkout.

The most important aspect of designing a custom keepsake locket or necklace is having a great looking, high resolution image to create your jewelry with! 

I can't state this enough - if you want to create the best looking keepsake possible, please follow Zazzle's image guidelines (see item 2. above) and recommended image sizes& resolutions. For round lockets, Z recommends an image size of 288 by 288 pixels with an image resolution of at least 200 ppi. For square necklaces, it's 276 x 276 pixels with the same image resolution of 200 ppi. I recommend using a higher image resolution of at least 300 ppi; for my designs, I use 600 ppi. Also, using a larger sized image that fills out the visible design space beyond the bleed area will result in a much better looking design when printed onto your locket or necklace.

You can get good results with free online based editors like Pixlr.com or even PicMonkey. You don't need Photoshop to make your images look great! GIMP is an excellent free desktop program, but there will be a bit of a learning curve in figuring out how to work with it. Paint.NET is another free image editor that is very good. I have used it to produce some fantastic results and in my opinion, there's not as much of a learning curve with it as with the GIMP. It just takes a little consistent practice.

So are you ready to create your own custom keepsake jewelry piece? I believe that by following what you've read in this post, you will definitely be able to design great looking, memorable custom personalized jewelry on Zazzle. Post any questions or comments you have on how to do this in the comments section below.

New Year, New Custom Zazzle Gift Designs and More

Updated, 1/8/2014

Happy New Year, I hope 2014 is off to great start for you! My mind is still in holiday mode just a little bit, BUT I wanted to write a short post today about what's new on my iCandy58Designs store on Zazzle.

Since blogging about my 200th custom gift design last month, I've created/posted 56 new designs on my Zazzle store. For some Zazzlers that's one days work, but not for me ... I take a slower approach, because I want to make sure the design and the product are a good match for each other. I have floral art/ nature designs that are perfect matches for some products and I have abstract art designs that are made for other products.

Anywho ... :) in today's post I'm presenting a few of the new product designs I've added to my store. I've added some new custom iPad cases like the one below ...

Vintage Fall Leaves iPad Air Case

more custom iPhone 5 cases, a few custom wrist watches ...

Alarmed Clock Custom Wrist Watch

and some new decorative dinner plates, but what I'm really excited about are my new custom throw pillow designs ...

Vintage Floral Art Custom Throw Pillow

and custom round locket design like this one ...

Sterling B & W Vintage Skating @ the Rink Locket

Both are the very first product designs in my new Custom Throw Pillows and Custom Keepsake Jewelry categories on my Zazzle store. I have 11 floral art & nature photography themed throw pillows in-progress that I plan on posting over the next few days. I have 1 square sterling necklace in-progress that will be posted today, but additional keepsake jewelry will be added more slowly. Even though I expect most of the people buying keepsakes will use their own photos, I still have to "marry" the best images I can photograph and/or create to the lockets/necklaces Zazzle makes available for my use.

I've posted all 11 of my in-progress custom throw pillow designs (as well as another May 28th custom wrist watch and a new square sterling necklace) to my store. A few of them are doing the Zazzle bounce, but you can see the entire category on this page => Custom Throw Pillow Gifts.

I won't go on and on about it, but I have some exciting plans for iCandy58Designs, as a store and as a brand in 2014. Stay tuned!

Thanks for visiting my blog and checking out this post! Please let me know what you think of the new custom design gifts showcased in this post by commenting below. If you're on Google + or on Facebook, please follow me so you can keep up with what's going on with my blog.