Not going away anytime soon (Part I)

Yes, I am still obsessed with washi and decorative tapes.  Here are a few of my favorites for Christmas, since most of them I just acquired lately.  Shoutout to my Twin for giving me the black and white polka dot tape from Target!

 Adding a bit of dazzle to cookie exchange baggies; font: Bebas Neue

This is also a good time to rave about two other current obsessions: porridge papers and OliveBox.  I have mentioned the former before here, but OliveBox is a bit newer.  OliveBox is a monthly subscription for paper lovers...I could describe it, but it would be best to visit the website and read about it for yourself.  And I'll be posting about it in the future, I'm sure.

I've been fairly absent on here- with my hands in a few freelance and personal projects, I haven't had time to post.  That just means that I've got a stockpile of pictures to share!

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Turning to a wedding invitation for inspiration can be helpful when making a card- mostly when choosing colors or fonts.  If the look of an invitation sets the mood for the rest of the celebration, shouldn't the card reflect that as well?

Although I love perusing Archiver's and Hobby Lobby for fun papers and decorative elements- I can many times feel just as creative utilizing what I already have on hand at home.

Oh and I appreciate any opportunity to dip into my washi/decorative tape collection!

Golden Birthday, Part II

Of course, if you know R, she likes fun gifts but also more elegant ones.  Thanks to a few favorite blogs, I found just the right inspiration.

Design Sponge is one of the first blogs I discovered, and my go-to place for variety in posts.  I was enamored by these Anthropologie cards the site featured, and was inspired to create my own gilded stationery for R.  I love the combination of gold detail and juicy summer color blocks.

Maybe a month or so ago I started following The Small Things Blog, then found out her sister has a blog called From My Grey Desk- where I saw this post featuring her five favorite things from the past week.  The "Q & A a Day" book seemed perfect for R.  When I found the book at Barnes & Noble and saw the gold-edged pages, it became even more fitting.

I enjoy receiving and giving themed gifts like this.  Having a theme can help bring everything together and shows the thought behind some of the choices.

Golden Birthday Part I

I love themed gifts (see the black and gray gifts I received).  For Mother's Day I gave my mom a bunch of gifts she could use while on her walks- a t-shirt, water bottle, and cross-body purse.  I chose a turquoise, black and white color theme for my sister-in-law's last birthday.  Themed gifts are fun because having constraints can be both helpful and challenging.

Recently R celebrated her golden birthday (aka "Angel Birthday")- she turned 27 on the 27th.  All of her gifts were carefully picked. 

I found the little notepad at the Omaha Summer Arts Festival at the beginning of June.  R would appreciate supporting local artists/businesses, and the sunny yellow still fit in the "golden" theme.  The gloves I had purchased at Michael's in the spring.  She has a new home and a large backyard to take care of.

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.

Behind the Display: Entrance

photograph by Jason Harms of Harms Studio

Simplicity and Consistency (with other displays) were key for this display, which wedding guests saw before they were escorted to their seats.

1. Decorative Letters
2. Picture
3. Jars

• Vintage jars from MOB's (mother of the bride) collection
• Other canning jars from family and friends
  

photograph by Jason Harms of Harms Studio

More on the letters: they were inspired by the One Single Photo. While I came up with other lighter options for the "LOVE" display, the A & C letters were what I had in mind from the start.

My co-worker became engaged shortly before Amanda, and I shared the inspirational photo with her. She is a creative person and I knew she would love the idea. She and her fiance were gracious enough to cut the A & C letters out of wood they had on hand.

I wrapped the lace on a roll around the letters, and the ampersand was covered in blue gradient yarn. The lace was easy, though time-consuming (the fabric was pretty wide and would catch on the unfinished wood. The yarn took much longer than I expected. I had to hot-glue gun more often than on the lace. I did end up with a few battle scars from burning myself, as the hot glue came through both the lace and yarn quite easily.

The textures of the lace and yarn and colors of cream and blue- all against the texture and color and of the hay and grass- added some romance, intrigue, and comfort to the ceremony.

Behind the Display: "LOVE"

photograph by Jason Harms of Harms Studio

The “Love” display stemmed from a few ideas: 


1. Incorporating other family wedding photographs (parents, grandparents, etc)

2. Tying in the color red and bridesmaid fabric

3. One inspiration photo

I shared the inspiration photo with a co-worker who was planning her own wedding. She decided her fiancee would be able to cut the letters out of wood. While they were gracious and generous enough to make letters for another display (I'll spotlight the Entrance display later) I thought larger letters for "Love" would be more dramatic.


I bought thin wood at Michael's and used wood glue to assemble three of the letters. The glue dried for awhile as I worked on other sewing projects.

We had initially looked at grapevine decorative balls at Hobby Lobby, so the grapevine wreath was perfect for the "O." To dress it up a bit, and bring in the red, I made little rosettes from scraps. The cloth included bridesmaid fabric, a variation/inverse of the bridesmaid fabric, and a few other patterns we used throughout the ceremony site. Everything tied together.

One single photo

I perused many, many blogs daily to find inspiration for outdoor and DIY (do it yourself) weddings. Because of the fairly short engagement (January to September) I was simultaneously searching for bridal shower decorations and theme execution.

One of my favorite blogs during this time of research was Hostess with the Mostess. This single photo inspired the ideas of “displays” for the ceremony site, and I will mention it again in the other display posts.

photo from Hostess with the Mostess blog found here

Because good ideas can be used more than once OR Back to the wedding

I know there appears to be a theme for the homemade gifts, but it was not intentional. I am not planning to create door wreaths for all of the gifts. Homemade Gift: 2 was crafted to provide a gift for a new homeowner, and the grapevine wreath was appropriate for the giraffe theme.

The first wreath was fitting for its recipient because I used the grapevine and cloth combination in the "Love" display, so it was a nod to the wedding.

photograph by Jason Harms of Harms Studio

I suppose I still I have quite a few wedding subjects to touch on, including the larger displays at the ceremony site. Each display was meaningful to the bride and groom for certain reasons.

Homemade Gift: 2

This is for a college friend. I'll call her "Amanda 2" because we had five Amandas between two floors in our college dorm our Freshman year. Amanda 2 recently moved to Lincoln, so I see her occasionally. She also purchased her first home, and every homeowner needs decoration for her front door. Amanda 2 has a little bit of an obsession with giraffes, so it was pretty easy to brainstorm ideas for her homemade gift.



Thank you Hobby Lobby! I purchased the wreath, yellow paint (already had white on hand) and wood letter in a quick trip. I forgot how fast acrylics dry, making the painting process even quicker than I anticipated. I did have fun blending the yellow and white and creating a gradient, much like real-life giraffes.

Homemade Gift: 1

I typically avoid "reposts" and "share this status" ploys on Facebook. But I saw this on the page of a Midland alum who does crocheting, and I thought it would be fun to break away from my normal jobs. Plus I have a whole year! Haha, yes, I know this could possibly end up biting me (I still have to attempt Andrew's 2012 blog dare), but I have two gifts completed and delivered, so I am on track!


I made this door wreath for a Fremont friend; through the magic of Facebook, we have stayed in touch over the last few years. Facebook has this amazing ability to make us think that we see each other more often than we really do. I have watched her grand kids grow through pictures, and she has provided encouragement through comments. I saw her occasionally about a year ago, and she offered support as I traveled back and forth to Fremont while Grandma was in the hospital and nursing home.

I had not seen my friend since September for Amanda's wedding. She and her husband were one of the host couples- so I thought it would be fitting to use some fabric scraps to create something to remind them of their friendship with Amanda and involvement in that day.

Because I am a girly girl

I might have a bad day, I might have a good day- but having manicured nails always makes me feel better. I might rush out the door some mornings without any jewelry, but as least my polished nails can be an accessory. As a banker, my hands are noticed every day as I type, point and write.

As far as "manicured" goes, I don't necessarily mean going to the salon and paying somebody else (though that would be terrific!). I enjoy taking a little bit of time to trim, file and paint my own nails. Having classic red or modern gray nails makes me feel more feminine and put-together. Oh and of course I love a good hot pink to match my golfing ensemble!

I normally stay with reds and pinks- but following these posts at HelloGiggles.com as has inspired me to have more fun. This is about as creative as I've gotten recently, but maybe summertime will bring some more polish playtime...


Amanda told me my painted nails remind her of how all females from Mad Men always have finished nails. Since I can't successfully pull off the bright red lipstick or chain-smoking, I suppose nail polish will do.

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!)

Festive trimmings- for me and the tree

I've said for the last few days, "I think I'll take down the Christmas tree tomorrow." It still hasn't happened, and I've figured out why- I need to assemble my outfit! So, because I didn't trim my tree in the correct attire, I will wear something festive when taking it down.

Classic Little Black Silk Taffeta Cocktail Dress
Pointed Toe Tapestry Heels
Knitted Clutch Purse
Beaded Cluster Bracelet
Vintage Christmas Poinsettia Brooch
Vintage Yellow Gold Ring

and- because you can't find everything on etsy, Cinnasnap nailpolish from Target

p.s. this took much longer than it should have

Hello old friends*

*Archiver's, scrapbook supplies, Ree


For the first time since I've lived in Lincoln, my aunt and I went to a Scrap Mania at Archiver's in Omaha. This trip was the last of our Christmas gifts to Ree. We had a blast! She worked on a scrapbook- but sadly I didn't have any photos for inspiration. Don't fear, I was productive. I made thank you cards for Christmas and Birthday gifts.

Here are the necessary tools (this was the least amount of materials I have ever brought along!). Of course you must spread everything across the table. Do NOT cross your side!

Of course snacks are necessary. Ree made chicken wraps for our supper and we snacked on Girl Scout cookies, fruit snacks and yogurt.

Totally worth it

Most of the time I do not get to see a client receive the final project. Typically photography clients receive a disc in the mail. Brochures, postcards, etc. for design clients are generally delivered via the mail as well.

In this instance, however, I was able to see the Bride's initial reaction to one of my projects. (No, this is not staged! Love it!) I'll post what she's looking at next time.

Affirmation

I am glowing. Since I have been home tonight, I have been in contact with three different clients- and all three have been pleased with the work I have produced and very complimentary.

I love doing what I do. Don't get me wrong, there are times I hit a rut during a project or stress/lose sleep because of a timeline. You can't escape those moments in any field. But reading words of affirmation in an e-mail or hearing them straight from the mouth of the client is so rewarding.

From customer service to producing creative work, I grow from one project to the next.

Invitation- THEIR tree

After the seeing the Cherry Blossom invitation and discussing the inspiring Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations, we just had to have a tree in the library book invitations. I knew exactly where it would go. BUT I couldn't draw just any old tree.

The bride and groom visited the wedding weekend location, and the Maid of Honor and I joined them. They were tackling the logistics of the ceremony and reception, and I took photos and contemplated the design aspects.

The path the bridal party changed- so the the bride and groom would be meeting the pastor (the bride's uncle) in front of this little grove of trees:

Invitation- aha! moment aka "duh"

Amanda is an avid reader and the Winnie-the-Pooh book elements were just so fitting to her and what she wanted for the wedding- comfortable, familiar, simplistic, idyllic. I decided to create an invitation that looked like a page out of a book, and started working on a layout in Photoshop.

But there were so many aspects of a book that I wanted to include. How could I fit all the aspects of a book onto the front and back of a single piece of paper? It finally hit me- I had to create an actual book with multiple pages, so we could include all the necessary components (aka the layouts, design, wording, etc that make a "book" a book!). Plus, having multiple pages would allow all of the actual wedding information to be organized for the "reader" aka wedding guests.

This thought hit me and I couldn't stop working, I was too excited. I needed to create a prototype right then to satisfy my creative jitters!