New Website For A New Year

After months of hard work, I can finally say that I am ready to launch the all-new Design Velocipede website! I have had such a blast getting my posts together for this blog,  and I realized I needed somewhere else that could easily catalog my past projects. And that is how the Design Velocipede Website was born! Take a few minutes out of your day to peruse the new layout, some of my past work, and enjoy the project that has been consuming my life for the past couple of months!

 

I wish I could say I woke up one morning and realized I knew everything there was to know about web design. That was most definitely NOT the case. I had a TON of help, from my good friend Nick. He helped me with the code, the search engine optimization, and enough repetitive and ridiculous questions to last himself a lifetime. I owe him big time for all of his help, and the least I can do is let you all know where you can go to get a professional website for yourself or your business. Take a look at Ocean Grown Designs to see what Nick can build for you. 

Thank you everyone for supporting me and telling me how much you enjoy my posts; it's what keeps Design Velocipede going! Enjoy The All-New Design Velocipede and have a fabulous holiday. Now, it's time for Jon and myself to get on a plane and head across the pond!

A Holiday Away

Knew I would be away awhile, so I thought I would post some photos of the first time I went to England, when Jon took me into London. We were there to watch the Lion King on West End and Jon thought it would be fun to take me around to see all the tourist sites. St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye. I was especially obsessed with photographing that ferris wheel. Here are a couple of shots for while I'm away.

 

If you really miss my posts while I'm away, check out one of my favorite blogs of London Photography. I have been watching Kayode photograph London over the past couple of years and can only hope to capture London the way he does. Enjoy, and have a wonderful holiday!

 

Chic Christmas

Happy early Christmas, all! This will be one of my last posts of the year as Jon and I are heading to England on Thursday! Can't believe it; it's been close to two and a half years since we have been back for a visit. We will be gone for about three weeks, and needless to say we have been very busy trying to get things taken care of before we leave. Christmas cards are sent, family-usa are all taken care of, and decorations are up. These decorations are ones that I started making last year. When I was growing up, we had some garland like this, and after digging them out of an old box last year, I decided to make my own. So last year I made two garland, complete with Christmas fabric, raffia, and burlap rope. This year I made one for the front door. I have been super busy and haven't had time to run to home depot for some wire. So next year, there may be a post where I've turned the door garland into a wreath :)

Happy Christmas everyone!

A Holiday Wedding

A couple weeks ago, Jon and I were invited to a wedding over Thanksgiving weekend. We have known Dragan and Jen for awhile now, and were honored to be invited to their special day. We met the newly-weds playing indoor soccer, down in Northpark. The two of them used to live there, and as Jon and I tried to figure out what to give them as a wedding gift, we thought it would be best to give them something that would reflect how we met them. We got one of the photos I took down in Northpark enlarged, printed and framed for them. Getting something from a registry is great, but to get a new, meaningful piece of art for your new home seemed like a better idea. We had a great time at the wedding and can't wait to see the happy couple this week at our indoor game. 

 

Stop for a Holiday Shop

Happy belated Thanksgiving Americans, and happy belated Thursday to everyone else out there. Just a quick post tonight: here is a flyer I did for Mandy with Mandy Organizes. She has a new shopping event coming up and needed some flyers to help promote. She gave me the text last week, and I thought I would come up with something fun that focused around her purple and green theme. If you are looking for a way to get some of your holiday shopping done early, then be sure to contact Mandy or check out the information for the event.

New Prints for an Old Client

It has been so long since I have posted something! I have been super busy with projects that will be posted later, but I have to wait until the holidays pass before I can share most of them. :) I have also been working on a new website! I cannot wait to share it; I have been putting a lot of work into it, but really want to make sure it's presentable before I post that too. I am teaching myself (with some help!) to webdesign and am loving the challenge. A good friend of mine is helping me, and if you would like him to build a site for you, feel free to visit his website.

So here is something to tide you over: Claudia has been a long-time family friend, a previous employer, and a mentor. After leaving her marketing company, I continued to design small projects for her. This is something from awhile ago, but she needed them reprinted for an upcoming conference. I haven't had time to take photos during the daylight I have on the weekends, so indoors will have to do.  With the uv-coating we added to Claudia's flyers, the gloss is highly reflective and adds some shine to the photos. Enjoy this post, hopefully my next one will be related to my new website!

RatMouse

Sheesh, I have been down to one post a week recently! Been so busy, and I can't believe it's already November. Seems like yesterday 2011 started, and now here we are in holiday mode again, which seems to come earlier and earlier every year.

Speaking of the holidays...we shot our photos for our Christmas cards yesterday. I am SO excited, and can't wait to send them out!! I really want to post some photos, but Jon would kill me. This year there is apparently going to be a Woolley Christmas Card Off with the brother and sister in law, so we have to keep ours under lock and key. Dave and Car, you better bring it!!

Anyways, just a quick one tonight. I was watching one of Jon's games a week or so ago and this little mole-rat-mouse-groundhog-thing appeared and sat still long enough for me to snap some pictures. It was either blind or had an affinity for the lens. More to come, I promise. Working on lots of things. Off to paint and bake some thank you cookies for our photographers!!

 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Last year Jon and I thought we would start a tradition of family Christmas cards. It was Jon's idea to wrap ourselves up in wrapping paper, so I took some photos of us in front of the Christmas tree. And the following was the result of the 2010 Woolley Family Christmas Card. The only problem with last year's card was that we set the bar really high for creative cards in the future... We have our idea for 2011, and I'm hoping we can outdo ourselves. If you would like to start your own tradition, and have a personal family holiday card designed, I would love to help!

1 Year Later

One year ago today, I married my best friend. We had a fabulous ceremony and reception, surrounded by our loving family and friends. One year later, it still seems surreal and I can't believe how blessed we have been. I started thinking about our anniversary in August (the planner that I am), and did a little research. 

Each anniversary has a traditional theme, and the first year is paper. Lucky me!! The decision was easy; I wanted to do something very personal with our vows, since we both wrote them ourselves. I decided to recreate them in the same style as our invites, and also add a small informational card stating where the wedding was held, who was there, the date and a few other incidentals. Below is what I came up with...but I can't take all the credit. I got it professionally framed at Michael's, and even with about twelve different coupons it wasn't the cheapest of gifts - though I'd like to think it was worth every penny. I was able to pick out the frame, and the double matte around the vows and photo, tying in the burlap table cloths we had at the reception with the textured tan matte. I even picked one of the photos ABM Photography shot for us of our rings, complete with pumpkins. 


I am so excited to give this to Jon, and what's even better is the in-laws are here for the week too! So the four of us will be able to share the gift together. I couldn't be more happy. Thanks for the memories this last year, (and the years before!) and here's to many, many more. xxxxx

Holi-Buys

It has been forever since I have posted something! I apologize; I am working on things! Plus I have been really busy getting Christmas gifts ready for everyone, and if I post those now, well that will ruin the surprise won't it? All I can say is, after Christmas, stay tuned - there are some fun things in the works. And yet again another apology for the lighting. San Diego has been dreary the last week or so, and especially by our house. Natural lighting is getting more and more difficult to find after work. 

So here is the latest from Mandy Organizes! Everyone is already thinking about Christmas, and Mandy is putting on an event to help us all prepare and get started on Christmas shopping early. On November 5th, Mandy will be hosting an event that features many small businesses and boutiques, selling their items in a casual environment complete with door prizes, food and drinks, and special discounts for attendees. Mandy asked me to design a flyer to promote the event, and in order to stay consistent with her branding, this is what I came up with.

For more information on the event (and to attend!), contact Mandy on facebook, or email her: mandy(at)mandyorganizes(dot)com

 

Keep Austin Weird

It's been a long time since I have posted some photography, so have a happy Photo Friday with these! Jon and I went to Austin, Texas last week for a good friend's wedding and had an absolute fabulous time. I was a bridesmaid, and knew I would be too busy to take some shots on the wedding day with my SLR (which I really regret!), but I was able to take it out the next day when Jon and I did a bike tour in Austin, Texas. 

Biking around a city is a great way to get to see what the city is all about, and this tour was no exception. We met some amazing people, and saw some very weird things, which I guess is fitting to "Keep Austin Weird". As we were looking at the city, Jon made a new friend that decided to share his bicycle with him. We also saw our share of cows that speckle the city, each one with a different artist's interpretation on them.

 

And how could I regret posting this fabulous photo of a new emerging sport we stumbled upon! Jon and I deemed it Kayak Paddle Battle - a mix of water polo and extreme kayaking, guaranteed to debut in the Olympics, 2040. We also had the chance to visit one of my favorite restaurant's: Walton's Fancy & Staple. Sandra Bullock, can you please open one in San Diego??! With $2.00 mimosas, how can one go wrong?

On a side note, I am sure Steve Jobs deserves an entire post all his own. However,  I really don't think I would be able to accurately articulate just how much of an impact the man has made on my life, and especially my career. So instead, I will choose to feature an excerpt from a dear friend, and one of the most talented writers I know - Alexandra Kogan. Kogs, thank you for this; I would never have been able to say it better:

"Steve Jobs died today. 

It's kind of hard to wrap your brain around the death of a cultural icon, particularly someone as larger-than-life-yet-achingly-human as Steve Jobs. I understand now how people felt about John Lennon's death; as a child, the magnitude of his passing didn't hit me as hard as it seemed to adults. 

For the generation before me, John Lennon symbolized rebellion, peace, counter culture, youthful idealism, creativity and willingness to stick one's neck out for one's beliefs, no matter how many people hated you for them. People could identify important moments of their lives with his music...and his death caught everyone completely off guard. 

With Steve Jobs, it's a little different in that we all pretty much knew he wasn't going to be around for much longer, particularly in the past few months. But his passage is equally huge, at least in terms of how very much his influence, his vision (and probably his marketing skills) have influenced our lives.

Jobs was nothing short of a Gen X icon; from his ad campaigns which cultivated our inherent quirky difference to his living proof that you could be a college dropout and still amount to something. My generation never really had much love 20 years ago; we were branded as losers, slackers, ne'er do wells and generally targeted as being destined to wear name tags and hairnets for the rest of our miserable existences. Apple (albeit without Steve Jobs some of the most pivotal years for Gen Xers) gave us a platform to claim as our own...and use to make something with.

No wonder so many of us became graphic designers and writers.

And so, I bid a bittersweet farewell to Steve Jobs. For all the good...the not so good...and sometimes, the downright ugly...I can't imagine what my life would have been without him. Or the world we live in, for that matter.

And I don't expect anyone to fill his shoes...but there's someone out there who didn't finish college, who resolutely refuses to follow the herd, who makes mistakes and learns from them and who follows his heart before anything else who is going to change the world.

The world needs its visionaries. And we lost one today. But there will be another one. And another one. Innovation...and the idominable human spirit...is not owned or necessarily embodied by one person, as much as they can be exemplified by one."

A.

-Alexandra Kogan
an excerpt from: Steve Jobs, Gen X and me

To view the article in its entirety, click here.

60 Things To Love

My Aunt's birthday is coming up at the end of this month. The big 6-0! She has been such an inspiration to me throughout my life, and I really wanted to make her something that would show how important she has been to our entire family. I had the idea to collect four or five 'favorite things' from members of our family and then list the best 60, one for each year. It took me a few months to collect all the information, but once I did, I came up with the below poster to display them. I have to give a big shout-out to my Uncle Kev for helping to collect all the photos, that line the top and bottom of the piece. 

Aunt Cath lives in downtown DC, and we don't get to see each other very often. Since she was coming out to visit us in San Diego at the end of September, we thought it was the best time to celebrate her big day. Below is a sampling of the gift, and the day.

Here is the actual piece, per many requests from the family. I do hope it's not too small to read. Enjoy!

The day was splendid, and we were blessed with a wonderful sunset:

 

 

A Heartfelt Gift

First of all, an apology for the lighting on the next few posts. When I took these photos, we had a couple of overcast days, and by the time I got home, there was little natural light left to take pictures. I am sure many of you had seen my previous post regarding the very personal wedding invites I had created for Kevin and Kelsie. (Click on the link to get a closer look at the actual invitations) I had thought they would really appreciate receiving a framed collection of their mailed invitations combined with some of the engagement photos I shot for them. I even picked the background paper to reflect their wedding at the Zilker Rose Gardens.

I had a blast creating this and thought it would be a very personal way for a couple to remember their wedding. The frame has a magnetic background, which makes changing out the paper, or even the contents, very simple. It also comes with a series of clothespin clips to attach photos, and a gorgeous ornate hanger to mount the frame to the wall. I got the (very affordable!) frame from Mandy, and you can see her business card post below. If you are interested in purchasing a frame, please contact Mandy Rodriguez for more information: Mandy(at)MandyOrganizes(dot)com, or visit her website. She would be more than happy to help you order a frame, to commemorate your own wedding experience, or any other occasion for that matter! Jon and I head out to Texas tomorrow and are so excited to explore Austin and all the city has to offer.

The Organizing Perfectionist

One of my co-workers, and really good friend, Mandy asked me to design a logo for her new business. She gave me a couple of small ideas of what she wanted, but I based the comps mainly on her personality and style. I wanted to try and encompass her entire business idea into one logo, which was difficult. Below is the first set of proofs I sent her:

From the finalized logo, we then decided to create a business card. We first came up with her title: Mandy - The Organizing Perfectionist! This statement could not be more true. Mandy's new business will focus on using her expert organizational skills to better individuals in their own environment. From bags that have a zillion pockets to arrange all your trinkets, to software that can keep all those birthday photos cataloged. Mandy can provide organizing for home, business, photos, events and other types of organizing your mind hasn't even thought of yet! To find out more about Mandy, follow her on Facebook or visit her Website. I felt so blessed to be able to design these cards for Mandy; finished on 16 point with a matte finish, and of course printed at Vertical Printing.

 

Branding for a Wedding

I wanted to wait until our 1-year anniversary to post this, but I just couldn't wait! One of my dreams would be to brand weddings for a living. Below is an example of one I branded . . . MY OWN! From the start: invitations, rsvp, parking pass and envelopes; to everything at the wedding and reception: program, table names, name tags, and menu - I had a blast designing it all. I realize the entire printed look is very simple, especially for a professional designer, but with only six weeks to plan, simple was the theme...well that, and shabby-chic. As a side note, you can see below that I kept all of my rsvps, and am still trying to think of a creative idea to showcase them. Receiving all of them in the mail, was so exciting. Each one was personal and special, as many had full paragraphs of well-wishes for us!

 

I can't take all of this credit myself. I had HUGE amounts of help from so many individuals. I owe a giant shout out to the Kuptz and Lysander families. I could not have done it without them. Cheri helped me create each of the 90 name tags, and yes: each one has a hand-sewed fabric circle and button attached. Steve helped to paint each of the citron table runners, and the Kuptz girls helped dress the tables before the reception. (For more information on Cheri and her brilliant creativity, visit the Spiritivity website and take a look at my previous posts for her business branding) Tracey helped with everything, from booking our ceremony spot, to printing everything paper - and off her home printer no less! I really was blessed to have both families involved; I couldn't have done it without them.

And I most definitely cannot take credit for the amazing photography featured here. ABM Wedding Photography (ABM standing for A Beautiful Moment) was one of my favorite parts of our special day. Not only were they so easy to work with, they made the event stress-free, and we came away with some stunning shots. So a GIGANTIC thank you to Brian and team, you did a fab job. For more information on ABM Photography, or to book them for your next event, visit their website.

I had nothing but great experiences with all of my vendors, from our caterer, to the photo booth, to where we got our cupcakes- each business did a great job. If you would like more information on them, or our venue, just send me a line. And of course, if you would like your wedding branded (or know someone who would!), contact me. I would be happy to help give your special day a unique and consistent look.

 

Sweet Thoughts For My Sister

Ever since I could remember, I have always wanted an older sister. That was obviously never going to happen, as I was the oldest of three...and thirteen years their senior! After getting married though, I was blessed with not one, but TWO older sisters, both of which live a very long plane ride away, in England. I miss them both immensely, and although we occasionally see each other over skype and facetime, it's not the same as being together. I wanted to let Carli know, that even though Jon and I live some 5,000 miles away, we are still constantly thinking of her and Dave. So, to make the distance seem not as wide, I designed Carli some personalized cards, and sent them to her. It has been too long since I have seen (both!) my lovely sister-in-laws, and am very much looking forward to seeing Carli and the rest of the fam when Jon and I head across the pond for Christmas and New Years. Still thinking of you, Car! We can't wait to see you! xxxxx

NCCS Logo Development

Sometimes you meet people in unexpected places. This logo was for a client I met during an appointment for my wisdom teeth! Dr. Q needed a logo done for his cosmetic surgery unit that will be opening at the office in the near future. At first, Dr. Q wanted to lean more towards a Picasso inspired logo. We had a couple rounds of proofs, but overall he stuck with one of the original logos I sent him, which I agree was the strongest of the bunch. For more information on Dr. Q's work, visit The North County Cosmetic Surgery Website. 

 

From Concept to Completion!

Other than a referral, I think the best compliment a designer can have is seeing the actual finished product(s) of their work. Back in June, my mentor and close family friend came to me with a proposition of designing a logo for her new business. Spiritivity started off as a couple of logo designs which steadily became the logo you see below. That in turn became a business card, and eventually the all-in-one painting studio: the trailer! I was absolutely over the moon when I saw the trailer wrap. It's just amazing seeing your designs come to life!

Spiritivity's mission is to connect individuals with their "you"nique God given creative abilities in a safe and fun workshop environment. This workshop environment comes to you (hence the tag-line on the back of the business card), in the form of a portable art studio. I cannot wait to get the ball rolling on this, and help Cheri teach some of these workshops. What great experience for my inevitable teaching credential! To learn more about Spiritivity, connect with us through Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or check out our Website!

Welcome Back Wallpaper

Awhile back,we bought a bookshelf at ikea to store some of the many books we have collected. It's a great bookshelf. But being an artist, having a plain white bookshelf in my house is really... bothersome. So I have been on this kick to wallpaper the inside of it for probably six months. (Yes, I know, wallpaper went out of style about the same time as avocado green on kitchen appliances - but I was determined!) So I scoured the internet, trying to find the best deal, and then a friend suggested I design my own wallpaper. So I did! I found a couple of graphics and printed the design on a sticker substance called low-tack, which was finished with a matte-laminate. Installing the wallpaper took longer than I thought, and I'm sure Jon hated the fact that he had to take the whole thing apart. But I finally finished it! And my plain-jane-white-bookshelf is not so plain anymore. If you are interested in printing your own wallpaper, contact Speedpro, in San Diego, to get some printed!

Long Lost Brother

After almost six years, a long-lost friend got in contact with me. Gabe has always been like a brother to me, and Jon and I were so excited we were invited to share in his special day. Gabe and Nang had a beautiful wedding and reception. For their wedding present, I decided to create something that would tie both Gabe and Nang's lives together in one piece, which is Buddah's face on a background of decoupaged bible pages - the perfect combination of East and West.

Man About Town

Although this gift is belated, I'd like to think it was worth the wait. A while back I had a post about a graduation gift we had given to our friend. Well this is a gift that was supposed to be there at the grad party as well. Jon came up with the idea, and who wouldn't want a business card, post-graduation? What a great thing to use when networking with future employers. Mr. Man About Town, we hope you enjoyed your new business cards!

Wedding Season

It feels like so many of my friends are getting engaged and married! With my excitement, also comes requests for invitations, announcements, and photography, so it's really great because I get to be a huge part of their big day. Kelsie and Kevin got engaged several months ago and after some hard work, we got these finished. I had Kelsie pick a photo of downtown Austin, and I drew my own rendition of it (it's actually the view from where the couple will be having their reception). I also added the roses, since they will be having their ceremony at the rose garden in Downtown Austin. Kevin and Kelsie decided on printing the invitations and RSVPs on a classic crest natural white for a rustic look. As a gift, I printed each address on the envelopes for them, and I also included the (surprise!) stickers to help seal the back of the envelopes. Jon and I got ours in the mail a couple of days ago, so I felt like I wouldn't be ruining anything by posting these now :)

The happy couple printed these at Vertical Printing and even though Kevin and Kelsie live in Austin, they were able to hand-pick the paper stock, as we sent them several samples. Jon and I are very much looking forward to celebrating with Kevin & Kelsie when they tie the knot, October 1st in Austin, Texas.

KW_Designs

Recently I have had to send out some invoices, which is great. However, I am not a fan of receiving bills, and I don't know of anyone who is. I know if I got a bill in the mail that was well designed, and in a nice envelope, I probably wouldn't mind paying it as much. I have some beautiful champagne envelopes left over from our wedding, and I thought this would be a great use for them. I also have changed my last name, and was in need of some new business cards with 'Woolley' on them. The business cards have a spot uv on them. It's hard to see the spot uv in the photos, but it definitely adds something a little extra to the card. I got them printed at Vertical Printing and they can help you out with any printing, especially business cards! 

 

Jko Photography

One of my best friends got invited to show her work at an art show on UCSD's campus a couple of weeks ago for The Band of Artists. The theme of the show was to create a work of art which sparked social awareness and inspires change on the issue. Jessica is an extremely talented photographer, and her entry was a photograph she took which reflects women's limitations in the business world. I really wanted to help get Jess prepared for the show, so I designed her a logo, business cards, and also a small postcard. The postcard has a picture of her piece on the front, and her artist's statement on the back. Not only was she prepared for the show, but her piece was one of the strongest there and really stood out - it was the only piece of photography entered!

Jessica is an aspiring photographer, and has experience doing portraiture, engagement and wedding sessions, and my favorite - recreating old photos. I was always enamored with my grandmother's engagement photo. It was so timeless and really captured her pre-wedding bliss. I wanted to surprise my grandmother, by re-creating the photo and have both of them at the wedding. Jess came down to the train station and we did a shoot. This is what she came up with:

Super talented, right?!
For more information on Jessica, please visit her website at: www.JessicaKostoff.com or contact her to schedule a shoot: Email Jess!

Mustache Mania

The 'stash has become something of a cult symbol recently. It's popping up everywhere, so I thought I would jump on the mustache band wagon with this set of note cards. I just got reunited with an old friend, who is in many cases, like an older brother. I was ecstatic when he invited me to not only his wedding, but also his fiance's bridal shower! Last Saturday, I brought along these personalized little goodies as a gift for the soon-to-be-newly-weds. I am very much looking forward to their wedding next weekend, and am hoping they will look forward to writing some thank you cards with these personalized mustaches.

The Watertower

The watertower is major part of where Jon works. I thought I would bring my camera one night when I came to watch SD Swallows play their weekly game. These photos remind me of the emerald city, in the wizard of oz - probably because of the way the light reflects off the bottom. So here are a  few of the photos I took...which are the beginning of an upcoming project for the place . . .  So stay tuned!

Eat Your Veggies!

I fell in love with Jamie Oliver and his outlook on food, and cooking, a few years ago after I bought his cookbook to make Jon some authentic home-cooked English food. When I purchased that cookbook, it was just the beginning of Jamie bringing the Food Revolution to America. The Food Revolution is a way of saving America's health by changing the way people eat. He promotes educating people about food, cooking, and using fresh, local ingredients. What a great cause! This piece is a thank you to the start of the food revolution in America, and for the great, fresh veggies that have been available this summer. I have made some wicked dishes, my favorite being bruschetta from our tomato plant!

For more information about Jamie Oliver, and the Food Revolution, visit their website: THE FOOD REVOLUTION! Sign the petition! I did! 

BCG Logos

A new client (and actually, an old co-worker) was referred to me and has asked me to create a logo for his new sales consulting group. We had a spirited conversation over a cup of coffee, of what he was looking for. The main theme I decided to take from our conversation, was that of a falcon. Below are some examples of what I came up with: 

 

The Boulevard on a Friday

Friday I went down to Hillcrest and Northpark in San Diego and decided to do some long exposures of the cool boulevard sign. I took these with my cannon, and didn't really add a ton of photoshop work, other than my new logo. I shot some black and white, and some color exposures. Enjoy!

f1y

Last year's annual sale of buy a canvas buy another for a penny resulted in two canvases that sat in my living room for several months. For lent, I decided to create some sort of art, every day for forty days. This painting is a result of that, paying homage to Banksy's work. The other canvas is still sitting in my dining room.  

 

Press Cellars

Here is a set of wine logos I designed for a client. I was given little direction and didn't know if they necessarily needed a logo, or a label, or a little bit of both. All I was given was the name 'Press Cellars' and free reign to design something interesting. Here is a small sampling of what I came up with. Buon Vino!

Tyler Orlin

Before my blog, I posted Kennedy and Luke's table and chair photos on facebook. A good friend of ours saw them and thought she had to have a set for her grandson! I started the same, and purchased an unfinished wood set from Ikea again. After a couple of emails back and forth, I found out that he loved Mickey Mouse Play House. When Jon and I went to Fresno for a graduation, we brought the table and chair set with us. Tyler had no idea about his present, and I got so lucky to get a couple of photos of him sitting at the table watching Saturday morning cartoons.

From The Desk Of...

It's that time of year again: Graduations! I always find it really hard to get people graduation gifts, and I think that giving someone money can be so impersonal. I was really struggling with what to get Krystal for her graduation, and one of my friends suggested I design her some personal note cards. I wasn't exactly sure what she would like, so I just came up with something that I thought would be really personal - they even have her name on the inside right panel. I printed these note cards at the company I work for, Vertical Printing & Graphics and I gave them to Krystal on her graduation party with some funky green envelopes to match!

For more information on Vertical Printing & Graphics, email them at info@verticalprinting.com, or check out their website: http://www.verticalprinting.com/

Kevin & Kelsie

This weekend Kevin & Kelsie visited San Diego to celebrate their engagement with their family and friends. Kelsie had wanted to take some engagement photos that would be useD at their wedding, and I was honored that she asked me to take them. This was my first engagement shoot I have taken, but we got really lucky with the weather and overall lighting. I have uploaded a small sampling of the session. One of my favorites was when we were taking photos on the steps, and a bride and groom happened to walk right behind Kelsie and Kevin while they were sitting there! Backdrop, courtesy of Balboa Park.

Mo' Butta!

After lending one of my paintings to a friend, Jon and I were getting sick of the blank space above the kitchen sink. Somehow when we moved in, our kitchen started collecting all sorts of roosters: towels, jars, and now... a painting. Hand made, specifically for our kitchen: