Quirky Bird - strikingly unconventional

We’ve teamed up with Wallcandy Arts to design several lines of removable wall art, it’s hot off the press and ready for you so get it while they’re here because I don’t suspect they’ll stay on the shelves long!

Deerly beloved, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

Seriously these deer were too much fun to design and to see them printed and on the wall….it’s a beautiful thing.

HollyWood, for your walls. These are rad illustrated wood panels that you can transform a room with by tiling on the walls.

There are two more sets coming out, one is fly society which you’ll see on wallcandy’s site but isn’t available just yet and we’re working on another funky new design that’s going to tickle your senses.

We heart Wallcandy, click here to shop!!

Tia of Ashley York loves nature. So do we. It was a match made in heaven and it all started with her sweet logo design. Thank goodness that she liked it, otherwise it was going to end up on t-shirts and for sale on quirky bird. Ashley York is a Canadian boutique full of fantastic upscale and many eco-friendly baby, kids, maternity, and mom goodies. Check it out by clicking here and enjoy shopashleyyork.com!

From the San Diego Business Journal:

Oceanside Mom Sets Up Shops Online

E-Commerce Experience Adds Value to Web Site Consulting Services

By MICHELLE MOWAD

San Diego Business Journal Staff

Staci Brillhart of Quirky Bird Designs offers Web development services ranging from graphics and logo design to installation of shopping cart software.

Four years ago when Oceanside resident Staci Brillhart became a mom, she was not ready to give up a career. Armed with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, a computer and a supportive husband, she launched an online business selling handmade clothing and accessories for babies.Within a few short years, Brillhart had traded in her sewing machine to focus on helping other mothers create appealing and functional Web stores. Today, more than 85 percent of Quirky Bird Designs Inc.’s clients are moms balancing families and their virtual stores.

“I have everyone from startups to redos or updates on Web sites, but most are moms,” said Brillhart, who has a 2 year old and 4 year old.

Brillhart owned, operated and made all of the products for her online baby boutique for three years before focusing full time on Quirky Bird Designs. She creates every graphic, background and element of the site. Included in the price is teaching clients how to maintain their sites completely on their own.

“We want you to be self-sufficient so there is no need to have to pay us for updates,” she said. “We set them up to be 100 percent efficient.”

Brillhart has now assisted more than 100 e-commerce sites. She said what sets her apart from other design firms is all-inclusive packages that include consulting, Web design, graphics design, installation of shopping cart software and design of logos.

“I felt that if they are hiring me to do their Web site, they should get everything,” said Brillhart. “They should get their logo. They should get everything installed. They should be taught how to use their shopping cart. They should be able to manage everything themselves. They should get business cards. They should get a blog. They should get everything they need for one price and not get nickel and dimed out of way more money than they were expected.”

While some clients know the exact look of what they want designed, others come to Brillhart looking for direction and experience.

“The more I have to share the more I want to share,” said Brillhart. “I am very much an entrepreneur at heart. I really believe in entrepreneurship and especially helping other women achieve their goal and dreams. What I really enjoy is not only being able to be creative but to help these moms by giving them all that information.”

Assisting Startups

Brillhart said that many of her clients have turned to her after poor experiences with other designers. She stressed the importance of communicating with these startup business owners openly and promptly.

Lorena Cedena, owner of an online store from Miami, Fla., said she was burned by other Web designers before turning to Quirky Bird. Her site BeniniBug.com sells hip baby clothing, accessories and items for moms.

“It was a nightmare,” she said. “Staci said she had a waiting list but could help us and we went live two weeks later.”

Cedena, a mother of two who is expecting a third baby, said from the moment she spoke to Brillhart, she felt like she was literally holding her hand and making her feel better.

“She walked us through the entire project and made us feel comfortable. The final product was, well, amazing,” she said.

Cedena will be opening a retail store next month as an expansion of her successful Web-based business.

Kinsey Dodson, owner of KorasKloset.com, a Texas-based online children’s store, also had a bad experience with a Web designer.

“I originally went with a large designing firm that was ranked in the top 1 percent of their business type nationwide,” Dodson said. “Working with this company was a nightmare. All they were worried about was getting their money; they didn’t care if you really liked the site. In fact, they pushed me into just settling with just a basic design that I was not happy with and their customer service was horrible. I was so frustrated. I decided that I needed to find somebody else that was more concerned with their customers and producing a great product.”

Tara Anne Harrup, owner of PolkadotPapoose.com, said Brillhart is a mom who understands how to juggle her responsibilities at home and work.

Click here to read the article on SDBJ!

Boy, are quirky bird and wallcandy meant to be or what? Allison of Wallcandy Arts and I hit it off immediately and began brainstorming on the transfer of their site from a flash site to ecommerce. They’re already huge, Wallcandy Arts…you’ve seen their goodies in movies, stars have them…and why not? They’ve been around for 7 years and were the company that started it all. I’ve designed three lines of Wallcandy stickers that will be coming out this month, Deerly Beloved, Fly Society and HollyWood. Check them out and shop your heart out at www.wallcandyarts.com.

Yana and Michael of Bambini Design offer a fun collection of items from design and decor to apparel and toys. Their successful brick and mortar store in Massachusetts started it all and we helped bring their business online! Enjoy shopping at www.bambinidesignonline.com

Joanna of Eco Chic wanted to bring chic, organic goodies to her store based in Canada and she succeeded! She’s got fantastic brands and great products, enjoy shopping at www.theecochicbaby.com

Sheila had the brilliant idea to have kids running into the page of her upscale store for kids and it paid off! She’s got some really amazing picks, click here to shop doubledutch

Sarah of Billy Bean was inspired to open her store by her son who has an amazing imagination. I loved the idea of her site being all about what would inspire her little boy and so we came up with this doodly concept with her little Billy Bean ready to take on the world! She’s got an amazing collection of goodies, check out her funky fun store at www.billybeanandco.com

Jeanette of Maddison Avenue had been designing her own site for years before she came to us ready for a new look and new funtionality. It didn’t take us long to put together her new look for her fantastic soy candles (she’s pretty much famous by the way — her company has even made candles for Disney) and we had a great time putting it together as Jeanette is possibly the sweetest lady on the planet. For those of you that own your own stores and want to sell candles, they not only wholesale but they allow for you to brand them! They even will print your logo on the candles. It’s a beautiful thing, people.

Check out Maddison Avenue’s most amazing candles, lotions, soaps and more by clicking here!

We’ve been working hard to bring you a new list of blingtastic features that come stock with your web design! Check it out:

*Protected categories - Access to categories only to users and/or wholesalers once they’re logged in
*Text Messages Alerts - Your clients can receive text messages when their order has been shipped and when an item that’s out of stock becomes available again (the cart is integrated with this, service will be available for $9.95/mo and texts will be available in blocks of 1000 for $79.95)
*Free Integrated Newsletter Service- Newsletter service will be available in the admin of the store. We’ll design the template for you to edit and send whenever you’d like. This is a completely free service - easy to use and maintain.
*Links pages - Users will be able to submit links (you will need to manually approve them) and there will be an admin function for you to add links with ease.
*Feedback system - Users can post feedback for you to approve.
*Search engine friendly URL’s - links will be all text, perfect for search engine optimization.
*Default templates for you to use while you’re waiting on the design to be completed.
*Password Protected Categories
*Categorized content pages - You’ll be able to create parent content pages and subcontent pages to help you organize your information
*Integration with Quickbooks
*Super Categories - Perfect for large stores with a variety of products, this feature will allow for you to have a more organized store. Say, for instance, you have maternity, baby, toddler and kids — if you click maternity it will take you to a sub-store that’s all of your maternity goods. Pretty cool huh?