Unmasked

I had the honor of designing the invitations for this year’s prom for Potter-Dix High School (of course, my son, Ethan, sort of volunteered me! LOL) When I found out that the theme was a masquerade ball, I was excited about it. I originally was just voicing a few things out there such as getting masks and packaging them inside shallow boxes with a simple but elegant invitation. But, based on the budget, I realized that the shallow boxes were quickly eliminated and I had to come up with another idea. I also started thinking about the masks and how, while we could find some generic ones for little to nothing, I really wanted to do something spectacular. I remembered a friend, Marc Myer, had offered to help with some laser-cutting projects in the past and the idea to custom design a mask blossomed. So I contacted Marc and asked if he’d be interested to help me on the project. I was worried about the budget because it really didn’t have much wiggle room outside covering the costs of materials. But Marc went above and beyond and totally worked with me on it despite the budget limitations. On top of that, it was a very quick turnaround and I can’t possibly express my gratitude to him in getting them all done as fast as he did. I may have come up with the design for the masks but since it was a new experience, there were some ropes I had to learn and Marc was great helping me with it. Also, the laser-cutting was really what made this piece so beautiful and unique.

Since the shallow boxes were way too expensive, I had to try and figure out what else we might be able to come up with to hold the invitations and the laser-cut masks. I looked at envelopes and thought about creating wraparound-labels. But then I remembered that I had a template for a pillow-pack and was able to resize it to suit the size needs I had for the invites and masks. I printed all of the pillow-packs and invites out on some heavy-duty natural cardstock from Stampin’ UP! and hand trimmed, scored, folded and assembled them all myself. My wrists were a bit achy for a few days, but when all of the pieces came together, it was well worth it!
The Junior Class at Potter-Dix High School loved the mask design so much that they enlarged the design and painted it as their backdrop for photos during prom. What an awesome surprise to see that! I was (still am) so very honored by this. It turned out so beautiful and I am very happy that I was able to contribute to such an important high school experience. It really touched my heart!

 

 The only thing that could have (and did) beat that moment was while I was taking a break from tending to filling the punch bowl, my son came and asked me to dance with him. To a slow song. At prom. I’ll never forget that. It was definitely a special moment to me, he’ll never ever know.

Well, Tickle Our Whiskers....

 My little girl is growing up way way too fast! It's official, she's now a teenager. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. It seems like yesterday, we were celebrating her 10th birthday with fun Taylor Swift backstage passes that I made for the invites (which are still my favorite!) That experience was awesome but there is something to be said about the craziness of thirteen-year old girls! Oh my! My daughter chose to have a 'Mustache Bash' as her theme. What a crazy girl! It is a fun fad that seems to have hit everywhere but I never would have imagined my daughter wanting to have a party revolving around facial hair! But it was a blast!

I created the invites with my daughter instructing me what she wanted much like an art director. LOL She wanted her invites to have a mustache that her friends could cut out if they wanted and we also added a funny QR-code that we loaded with a funny YouTube video called "The Mustache Rap"! Granted, I am not sure how many of her friends had the capabilities to scan the code, but she insisted that it would be fun to add.

I don't know about the rest of you but I am addicted to Pinterest. There are so many awesome things on there...fun recipes, inspirational quotes, ideas for design, fashion tips, party ideas, etc. I just LOVE it! Anyhow, I found so many great ideas for photo props on there. I really wish that I had a machine to custom laser cut because I could have done some really amazing things! But in any case, I think that considering, I did a pretty bang-up job and the girls absolutely loved playing with the props and taking photos. Of course, I also added some other fun props like feather boas, a big puffy hat, sunglasses, wigs...the girls had a blast!

The cake turned out pretty awesome, too...especially considering that MOI made it! Yes, ME! LOL I saw an idea a few years ago to make a really bold rainbow colored cake and had wanted to do it since but just hadn't until now. I decided that it would be so cool to make a cake in the shape of a mustache and use black frosting (which was very interesting watching the kids eat, by the way!) and then cut into it to reveal a blast of bold color! It was awesome! I am so proud of myself! hahahaha The goody bags were white lunch sacks that featured bow ties and I also cut out mustaches and punched a hole where I threaded a bendy straw through and inserted into the back of the bags. It turned out so cute! My daughter said that this was probably her most favorite birthday ever! When a mom puts as much work into a party like this, that really makes you feel great to hear words like that! :)

Goodbye, 2011! Hello, 2012!

I haven't posted on here for awhile...we've been so busy with work, football, basketball, school concerts, and a bunch of other things that I just haven't had a chance to really do much on the computer aside from my regular 8-5. I will say that I am pretty glad to put 2011 behind us. I won't say it was a horrible year but it really wasn't the best. But I have high hopes for 2012! I've been thinking a lot about some goals I have and want to see myself working towards this year. And if I can stay focused and motivated, I think some great things can definitely happen!

I thought I'd share my Christmas card design. I didn't get to send out as many as I had hoped, but I guess that considering all that I had going on, I am pretty happy that I got anything designed in the first place! I was very tempted to go out and just buy a box of cards somewhere. But this little voice kept saying "Blasphemy! You're a designer! Not only that but a stationery designer!" So I made a point to come up with something to stuff a sock in the mouth of that little voice! LOL One thing that I will note about my design- I was so angry with all the commercialism around this year. It seemed so "in your face" this year and it drove me crazy. Commercials spit out gawdy jewelry commercials and tacky car commercials. And Best Buy probably had the WORST. Game On, Santa??? Really??? Shame on them!!! So anyhow, I was thinking about the Grinch and how he learned that there was more to Christmas than what he thought there was...more to it than one could buy from a store. So that's the direction I took. The inside of the card read, "May the true meaning of Christmas give you the strength and love throughout the year!"

In any case, I hope that everyone had a great holiday season! And I am happy to say that while I enjoyed every bit of mine, I am so very glad that it is OVER! LOL

Currently, I am working on a fun project for my daughter's 13th birthday. She has been bothering me for months that she wanted to have a Mustache party. I was going to let her have one around Halloween but that ended up not happening. So I promised she could have one for her birthday. We just finished up her invites tonight and I am in the process of creating stuff for her party. It's going to be so much fun! I am actually excited to see it all pull together! I will post pics from her party in a couple of weeks! Stay tuned!

Sundance Wedding: Kelly & Marvin

 

I recently went to Salt Lake City and helped a very dear friend, Kelly Parke, with her wedding. She was in the middle of moving from across the country among other things and had so much stuff going on, I offered to help with flowers and decor. Her colors were soft and pretty- peach, coral, eggplant with hints of blue and she loved the idea of incorporating lace into the details. Trying to save on the budget, I used various sizes of mason jars and wrapped lace around the top. It's amazing the versatility that mason jars offer! We used them for vases for flowers and also placed tealights in the smaller jars. They turned out so pretty! I also used paper doilies to make lacy buntings that hung by the cake table and also the hors d'oeuvres table. I loved these. Very simple, inexpensive but I think it really added that special touch. Kelly's bouquet and her attendants' flowers turned out gorgeous. I am really proud at how beautiful and fabulous they were. The groom  and all his men sported pretty little boutonnieres, too. The cake was made by One Sweet Slice in Salt Lake City. They did a beautiful job. The cake was absolutely gorgeous! I had the nerve-wracking job of getting it safely to the resort. I was so worried it was going to tip over and was very relieved when we finally arrived at the resort and the cake was safely carried out of my vehicle and inside. Whew!

Kelly's mother could not attend the wedding due to health reasons, unfortunately, but because we live in such an awesome digital age, they were able to skype her in so she could watch as though she were there. I know it meant the world to my friend for her mom to be there and even though she couldn't be there in person, it was so nice to see that they were still able to bring her there virtually. 

The ceremony and reception were fairly short but sweet. It was in a very beautiful location, at the Sundance Resort the  with gorgeous mountain backdrops, the smell of crisp mountain air. I couldn't have  picked a better setting! The only thing that I could have wished for was more time to have spent there! Kimber Tabor did the photography for Kelly & Marvin (no...these are not her photos because I am sure hers turned out far better than mine!) and I want to send a special shout out to everyone who was so great helping me set things up and tear things down, especially Dale, Amey, Tristan, Bekah, Neleigh, Jack, Jon and Kristal. Your help was very much appreciated and helped make the day magical for Kelly & Marvin! Thank you!!!

Prep work for centerpieces. Don't they look so beautiful all together like that?

Reserved seating at the ceremony

Kelly's bouquet- this turned out so very beautiful!

Kelly with her two daughters- one of my most favorite photos from the day!

Table centerpieces

Pretty little water bottles

Table centerpieces

Cake cutting!

Beautiful!

I wish Kelly and her new husband, Marvin, much happiness and love as they move forward in their new lives together. I am so very glad that I was able to share such an important day with them and am honored that Kelly included me in the planning of her big day and trusted in me to bring elements that could make her day more special.

Don't be Angry! It's a Party!

So it's been awhile since I posted anything on here. (I know, I know...) But I have had one busy schedule and it seems as though my blog tends to get put on the backburner a lot.

Anyhow, I wanted to share this fun birthday party with you...my niece just turned 5 a couple of weeks ago and is totally into Angry Birds (but who isn't?! LOL) So she wanted an Angry Bird party. So I stepped in and helped make it happen! I designed the invitations for her party, made mini candybar wrappers, water bottle labels, goody bag tags....I found some free vector images off the internet for Angry Birds to help make it possible. My sister bought some cupcake toppers and liners from Etsy before I had the chance to really look into making them. Oh well...I printed them out and used a scalloped circle punch which worked really nice. The toppers looked cute on the cupcakes my sister made. (Who thought they looked very Christmas-y until everything was pulled together! LOL) I used the little green pig images for the mini candybar wrappers. They turned out so cute...a bowl full of naughty green pigs! I printed out a bunch of different birds and pigs at various sizes and hung them up along with balloons. Since the theme consists of pretty much primary colors, it was easy to find things like table cloths, napkins, plates and napkins, etc. to pull it together. For food, my sister and brother-in-law whipped up some yummy shish-kabobs and hot dogs and brats. We also served Green Pig Punch to the kids. My sister also bought a blue bird pinata that the kids were able to take a whack at and bust apart. I think it was a success!

 

 

It's Just FUN...

I haven't posted anything on my blog for awhile. I've just been so super crazy busy that I honestly haven't had a free moment to really get it done. And while I would love to write a novel about all the stuff I've been doing, things I have been working on,  I really just want to keep this light and fun and try to get back into the groove of posting stuff...and I really want to try and incorporate work that inspires me, stuff that I love, information that I think is worth sharing, and so forth. With that said...I want to share some work by one of my favorite illustrators: Nate Williams (Note: the above image on the right side actually feels like my life right now if that helps you to visualize the craziness!!! I need to make it more like the image on the left side!!!)

I think that one of my most favorite things about Nate Williams' work is that its loose, free, and just plain ol' fun! I love looking at his work. I love how crazy it is, wacky and wild. I look at some of my little doodles and sketches and I can see how some of his work has reflected on me. I say that as a compliment to Nate, of course! Well, I hope it is a compliment....

Anyhow- it's Friday and it's mid-afternoon. I needed a break and this was perfect. I was actually looking at Nate's site and I found this image of the boy with the chalkboard relating to bullying. This gripped me because my own kids have had to deal with some bullying this year. Not on the physical or aggressive level but more on the emotional, psychological level. And no matter how it comes, bullying just, well, sucks. But I love this illustration by Nate Williams because it sort of turns things around and pokes fun at the mean bullies. (and I have to laugh and wonder but is it just me or do most illustrations of bullies always seem to portray these portly, freckle-faced, pig-nosed, snaggle-tooth boys with striped shirts? Just a funny observation...)

Gift Certificates

This last week, I donated some items to the Potter-Dix High School Music Dept. for a fundraiser that was held during a concert that they put on. Various items were raffled off. I donated 3 gift certificates valued at $20 each that ended up getting bundled with some greeting card sets and a few other misc. items. I have a feeling that because of the way that they were bundled with other items, the gift certificates weren't really noticed or taken into much account. So I wanted to mention something about it on here in hopes that whoever won the gift certificates will know this and will take advantage of them. I'd hate for them to be undervalued and tossed aside! So if you are one of the lucky winners, please contact me!

Duck, Duck, TWO!

This weekend is my niece, Christine's second birthday party. I can't believe she's going to be two! But then again, I can't believe that my oldest is sixteen! (yes...I said SIXTEEN. )

Anyhow...I just wanted to share this cute lil duckie invite that I made for Christine. Simple and sweet. I wonder how much her mom and dad would appreciate me bringing her a real duckie? Mwahahahaha...

Letterpress Fun @ Meadowlark Creative

Photo courtesy of Meadowlark Creative

I had the opportunity to attend a small letterpress workshop at Meadowlark Creative in Fort Collins, CO this past Saturday. I've been a longtime fan of letterpress and have been wanting to find someone near me that offered workshops or would at least allow me to visit and watch. I asked around and most of the places I contacted either didn't respond or I got emails suggesting I apply for an internship. Well, as much as I would love to do an internship, considering that I am a busy mom of four, work full-time and live 3 hours from the printshops that gave me the suggestions...it just isn't a feasible option for me. Luckily, when I found Meadowlark Creative and asked, they were much more receptive to the workshop idea. And when they scheduled workshops, they contacted me and let me know so I could jump in. And I did...and am I so glad of it!

Meadowlark Creative was receptive when I asked to use my own design work to create plates for the business card workshop I chose to attend. I revamped my design for my business card a bit and as much as I loved my previous letterpress cards, I really wanted to redo them for this workshop. My new cards were printed using a blind pass for the woodgrain and then a second pass in metallic purplish color. I really really love how they turned out. They're gorgeous!

And...I still want to get my very own letterpress shop and this workshop definitely enhanced that desire. In the meantime, I really do want to jump on any opportunity that comes my way (and that I can seek out) to do more hands-on letterpress work like this. I am so very grateful to Shelby at Meadowlark Creative for working with me on these cards. I am so thankful for this workshop that she put together and I really hope that I can work with her some more in the future. My head is already thinking up ideas for another letterpress project down the road...it would be fun! (photos courtesy of Meadowlark Creative)

 

 

 

Okay, NOW I have iPad envy!

I will admit that I've wanted an iPad for quite some time. Well, since they came out, actually. But I just couldn't ever justify spending the money on what seemed like a big iTouch. I have an iTouch. Love it. It's my most favorite gadget I own. I use it every single day for so many different things. When I'm lazy and don't feel like sitting behind a computer at home, I'll use it to check email or social networking. But I use it for other things, too. Recipes, games, calculator, address book, to take photos (and I have a lot of different really cool camera apps!), even record videos. I also have my music on there as well as a few movies and tv shows. But even with the justification of how much I use my iTouch and how handy it is, I just haven't been able to bring myself to splurge on an iPad. One of the biggest drawbacks has been it's size. Why would I give up my handy iTouch that I can run with, stick in my pocket and go for something that would definitely be more cumbersome? I have relatives that own iPads. Even my mom has an iPad. The screens are bigger but other than that, to me they have just seemed like giant iTouches.

But lately, I have been hearing of more and more people investing in iPads to use at work with all of the new handy apps that are now available out there for multitude of things. People are using them to show portfolios. And today, I saw this video (below) of a guy using an app to sketch. And I mean REALLY sketch as if on paper...but with the functionality of a program like Photoshop with layers. There have been times where I have thought how handy it would be to be able to have "layers" in my sketchbook when I have tried something and wished I wouldn't have. There is no Ctrl+Z in a paper sketchbook. Wait, I take that back. There is...it's called an eraser. But there are times that even an eraser won't work. And it is THIS app...THIS functionality that has me sold. I want an iPad now. I have a multitude of sketchbooks laying around. I have never been one to use just one sketchbook and use it page by page to the very end. I've been more like grabbing a sketchbook, opening to a blank page and sketching. I have sticky notes and office memos with sketches and doodles all over. Wouldn't it be awesome if I were to utilize an iPad to take over? I could sketch on the iPad and if I want to take it further, I have it digitally ready....

The next dilemma...I need to start saving up now, don't I?!

Vegas Love, Love, Love...

I just recently finished up designs for a very old and very dear friend, Lisa and her fiance, Steve. They are getting married in Vegas in May but then having a big reception in June for most of those who would be unable to attend their Vegas wedding. (And as much as I would LOVE to go to their Vegas wedding, especially since I've never been there...I am going to be one of those who will have to help celebrate at their reception...) Anyhow- I am very honored that they came to me to design their invites for their special day as it really meant a lot to me!

The invitations and reception cards were designed to replicate playing cards. The designs feature fancy flourishes, a beautiful script font that is both elegant and sassy, and colors that are rich and vibrant. They are printed on a beautiful linen cover stock and trimed with rounded corners. I wanted to give the pieces a more sophisticated look and feel with the linen paper. I think that it was a perfect choice. The envelopes are French Paper Poptone in Razzleberry with customized labels to match the invitations.

"There's a Song in my Heart..."

A very near and dear friend of mine's son is soon to get married and I was very honored that they came to me to design their wedding invitations. I loved working on this set. I wasn't sure about how well the color combination would work without it being too hard-edged but I am really happy with the results. She's a music education major and he plays a guitar. I really wanted to create a set that reflected them as a couple. They really liked the idea of incorporating a tree with a carved heart into the design but also wanted to find a way to also incorporate music such as a guitar. I really wanted to make it a bit more playful and modern and incorporated fun use of type and colors. The invitations, response cards and reception cards were all printed on Neenah Classic Crest 100#C in Avon White. I chose this paper specifically for the quality I knew I could get from printing on it. I wanted the colors to be bold and vibrant and really stand out. I needed the design to look crisp and clean with sharp details. And I was not disappointed. I think that they are beautiful!

The envelopes are French Paper Poptone in Black Licorice. I created a wraparound label for the invitation envelope to match the design of the invitation. The smaller envelope for the response card has a standard label that I also created a coordinating design for.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Pillows

Well, not really "Deathly"- actually, I think that these are quite sweet. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and so I love these, naturally. I just really wish that I had a place I could put them! But how can I not mention them on here? I wish I had the skills to sew. I see stuff that would be so much fun to create...I am really good at coming up with ideas and I think that putting together concepts, patterns, etc. might not be so bad. It's the execution where I have to use a sewing machine, needles and thread where I fail. And trust me, it isn't without shame to my mom and grandma because I know that they tried...but let me draw it for you. That, I can do! ;)

Anyhow- these sweet Harry Potter themed pillows, featuring Harry, Ron and Hermione, were created by Pantoufle de Verry by Kim Gadbois. She has some other amazing pillows as well as original artwork on her Etsy shop as well. Thanks for bringing joy to this Harry Potter lovin' heart today. If I had one of those pillows, I'd squeeze it right now!