Last week I set myself the goal to create a new product and to launch it in the shop by the end of the week.

I created… a new summer-themed cat sticker sheet in a lush pastel colour palette!

I had previously sketched a bunch of ideas for it, and since I produce my stickers and sticker sheets myself it was quite a straightforward process.

In a nutshell, launching a product usually goes like this:

• Sketch ideas

• Take a photo or scan sketches

• Draw outlines in Photoshop

• Colour illustrations

• Do colour tests + tweak where needed

• Create sticker sheet template

• Create sticker sheet in Silhouette Studio

• Do sticker sheet cut test

• Take photos / Make mock-ups of product

• Select + edit photos / n/a if mock-up

• Write Etsy listing

• Publish listing

My biggest challenge: colour testing

It’s one thing to pick a colour palette that you like and something else entirely to make it work on the actual materials you’re using, whether it’s cardstock, sticker paper, fabric, etc.

Testing the colours and how they print on the sticker paper takes the longest, especially if I'm using a new colour palette - which was the case this time!

When I test colours, I tend to first print the designs to see how they come out, and then I need to tweak each colour that's a bit off.

Some of them can take many tries to get right so you have to be patient!

These new designs, although simple in appearance, were the most challenging yet, but I got there eventually and now I've got lots of beautiful test sheets and swatches!

The part of the process when I’m the most tense: cut testing

The sticker sheet cut test can be a bit stressful too: even though I’ve done it many times before it’s a process that I don’t repeat very often so I’m always a bit tense during that part. You want to make sure that everything aligns perfectly and that you select the right settings so you really need to pay attention to what you’re doing or you run the risk of wasting time and materials.

In this particular case, everything went well and I was able to print and cut a few more sheets ahead of time for the shop with my Silhouette Cameo.

A photoshoot and some listing writing later, they’re in the shop!

The new cat summer stickers are now in the shop, and they're purrfect if you’re looking to start adding a summer vibe to your bullet journal or your diary!

I hope you love them as much as I do!