Just like my last post, this one takes a winding little path.

Months ago I was playing with wedding invitation designs.  This is one of the samples I came up with:

I didn't get to see it used as a wedding invitation, but I have started using the Chevron design more for smaller projects.  It has really made a resurgence in scrapbooking, home decor and even nail (as in, manicures) design.

For commissioned work, I came up with this note card design.  The client wanted to give personalized note cards as a high school graduation present; and after discussing the project, this seemed perfect.  The design is clean, not too girly, but has some color.

I've since tweaked the colors and sizes for other cards, including a birthday tag and gift tags (Mother's Day and pregger roomie gift, both not pictured).

I'm working at saving time when I can use designs I already have versus creating something new, and utilizing Chevron right now when it is still so popular allows me to focus on those "something new" details for other projects.

I enjoyed putting this piece together, although it was a real challenge at first.  Amanda sent me some great inspiration and then let me have fun.  This is an example of what I really love to do- combine different media and try something new.  

I used some watercolor element from a previous project for the background, as well layered color, texture and font; I sketched the nest, scanned and manipulated it in Photoshop, creating more depth with colors and gradients within the nest.

The Roll Fold

4 panel roll fold invitation and envelope

Front of folded invitation

Back of folded invitation

View after the first "unwrap" or unfolding

View after second unfold

Completely unfolded invitation; left panel is perforated in order to be separated and mailed as the response card

One side of response card and printed envelope

Both sides of response card

Please deliver to

We received a baby announcement in the mail last year from one of Ben's cousins. The postcard was ordered through an online website but personalized with a photograph and message. One detail that really caught my eye was the "please deliver to" line, in the same typeface found in the announcement information.

Since then I have added that touch to postcard projects. I think it adds a little something.

Amanda's bridal shower invitation from last summer

Omaha Conservatory of Music event invitation- this year
(More pictures will be posted later. Yes, I realize I've been typing that a lot lately. This will happen!)

Oh hello, I didn't see you there

So you don't think I fell off the face of the earth, here is what I am up to:

• updating Facebook albums of portraits (from December) and projects (from December/January)
• designing work- two current freelance projects
  
• creating some personal "homemade gifts" for a Facebook challenge (more on that later, of course)

I also have some fun templates for modern wedding invitations. I designed them with a couple in mind; but they are no longer potential clients. I enjoyed the playtime with the various designs, as I stretched myself with a lot of the elements. I plan to share some of the samples sometime soon on here.

Here is an invitation for an event I attended last weekend for the Omaha Conservatory. I'll post more pictures on here later, but in the meantime you can see the photos on the Facebook page.

Bridal Shower for a Blogger

Signs, signs, everywhere signs

Growing up, I was always good about hand-drawn signs, posters etc. Think: Garage Sale signs for Grandma; "Happy Birthday" cards and decorations for high school lockers; Volleyball spirit cards; Father's day and other holiday cards.

As much as I still enjoy breaking out the Crayola markers and colored pencils now and then, I love the looks I can achieve using the computer. Whether it is simply printing and framing a menu to add to the mood...

I've quickly printed and framed a menu many times before.

or spending more time developing a design theme...

This framed sign design corresponded with the advertising posters/invitations and other signs for the event.

I think little touches likes these can make a difference. That's why today I spent an extra minute to label my treats at a party I hosted:

Please note the Trajan Pro font I've featured before- it was a Premier Designs Jewelry party

Orange and Black

I forgot about the design/layout work I did for this CD. I remember the deadline being really short for this project. Summer 2008. Midland Design Studio-when it existed. Oh, and the school colors were still orange and black.

I was working full-time as a teller, part-time in the Marketing department at the bank and part-time as a Design intern. I loved the job and creative director, though I typically worked by myself, since I was working around my bank schedule.

I had two roommates and another close friend in the choir, so naturally I was at most concerts- so I used one of my own photographs for the disc label.

Catch up

Whether it's photography or graphic design, I typically wait until the client has published/shared the product before I do; or if it's for a specific event, I like to wait until after the event to post anything.

I almost forgot about these- quick invitations for my sister-in-law's sorority event last May. As in, she needed them the next morning. I did a quick layout that allowed three invitations per 8.5x11 cardstock (she could print on her home printer), so it was easy and cost-effective for her.

Blossoms

After our coffee and cake, I hitched a ride with R to the Conservatory. She was teaching lessons, and I wanted to grab some copies of the brochure I designed for the OCM Institute (coming up this summer).

I will have to post pictures of the brochure later. In the meantime, you can see the uploaded files on the OCM website. Also, you can view last year's brochure in the album "Passion, Dedication, Excellence" on my LKP Design Facebook page.

I had a short little jaunt back to the car afterward, and it was a windy but nice day out. (Glad I had my "purse camera" with me!)

Coffee with R

The other day I was able to meet up with Rachel (R) for coffee. Okay, we met up for cake, but there was coffee too!


The storefront was adorable- and I wish I had pictures to display.

Check out the website to get a sense of the store's style. The overall branding and set-up is developed very well and just screams "inspiration"- in lady-like way, of course. Just another endeavor to add to our list (which already includes Bed and Breakfast, event planning and design, among others).

The following is a screen shot of the website. It's not the main page, but I liked this link because it describes the overall experience of visiting the store. Rachel and I visited the one on Pacific street in Omaha, and the ladies helping us out were very knowledgeable and friendly.

Before and after

Before: 4.25x5.5 postcard for a specific event




After: this new 5.5x8.5 is for designed with room to print information for each individual party.

All because I like tea, part 2

Continuing from yesterday's post, I had planned to do a "Christmas Countdown" for my Facebook profile. It was going to be a fun mini-project that showcased some favorite details about the Christmas season. Unfortunately, due to family health issues, I only counted down from 14 to 8 days til Christmas.


The other goal was to use the design for our Christmas postcard. I won't get into the details, but after a few frustrating e-mails and phone calls with an online printer I will no longer do business with, we ended up using a generic layout from Walgreens. Not ideal, but it was quick and easy.

Here is what you would have received:

All because I like tea

I was so excited to purchase some new flavors of tea online from Teavana. Of course I saw the company has a fan page on Facebook. I liked the profile picture they had at the time:

www.facebook.com/teavana

Besides the design elements and the distressed look, I liked the shape of the picture, which allows the photo to take up more room on your Facebook page. This inspired me to do a Christmas Countdown series with the same size/shape:

...and also a birthday tribute to my Twin:

Big Gig programs

Created for the Omaha Conservatory of Music's Big Gig fund raising event; I designed the invitations prior to this.

Save the Date

This was a quickly designed postcard. The Save the Date went home with the kids at the Omaha Conservatory of Music Institute (OCMI). Yeah, that was back in July. Yeah, I'm just posting it now.

The end result

Remember the initial design? It sure came a long way!

Initial elements

Step one: break out the beloved brushes; squeeze out those beautiful and vibrant paints; and fill the whole room with the smell of turpentine. That first moment where the brush meets the texture of the canvas is so exhilarating!
Step two: you decide you are too excited about the project to let it dry (plus you didn't add cobalt drier!) so take a picture of the canvas. Then manipulate the file in Photoshop, spending nearly as much time and having nearly as much fun, playing on the computer as you did with the actual paint.


Step three: use part of the rich color and texture to add detail and intrigue to a white slate.

This was a first draft using minimal information for an invitation, based on this painting:

The Piano Lesson by Renoir; image found at artilim.com

The theme changed, the colors changed (but how I love the rich, warm colors--so some of them still kept a strong role), just about everything changed over the course of this project. Wait til you see what emerged! But these were the initial elements.