Save the Date for Grozz + Charlo

Sorry for the late post - I have been in the process of updating my website, which I cannot wait to finish, and eventually post about. :) Here is a save the date I have been meaning to post for awhile. I think it's fitting that I am posting it tonight, seeing as how the closing olympic ceremonies are happening tonight in London, and I know Jon and I would love to be sitting in Gary and Charlo's living room watching them together.

When Jon and I went to England over Christmas, we were able to squeeze in an engagement session for these two lovebirds, which I posted about earlier. Those photos were used to create this save the date, for our dear friends back in England. The wedding will be on May 5th, 2013, which will be the 10 year anniversary of Gary and Charlotte being together (as well as Charlo's birthday)! Charlo wanted to tell a story with the engagement photos of them meeting, their first kiss, the engagement, and then saving the date for their special day. Each photo was shot where the actual event happened, as well as the final photo on the back, being the site of their upcoming ceremony. I had so much fun pulling this together for these two, and cannot wait to get their invites and other materials all finished for them! Love and miss you both! xxx

Whitbury Engagement Photos

Summer is in full swing, and so is wedding season. I have been busy working with Whitney and Brad to get their invitations and other materials together for their big day. One portion of what I completed for them was an engagement shoot, which we were able to squeeze in before their engagement party at the Del Mar Train Station. There were so many fantastic photos - it was hard to pick just a few! These were some of my personal favorites. I can't wait to pull everything together for you guys on your special day! xxx

Mark + Krystal

Jon's best friend (and best man!) is getting married, and I was lucky enough to be asked to do the invitations for Mark and Krystal. Krystal sent me a couple of designs she found, and told me the main colors for her wedding were pink, purple, gold, and asked if I could add in a bit of lace. I tried to create something that fit her style, and kept with the colors of the wedding. I came up with the following, which were printed on a Beargrass 98# Aspire Petallics cover and shipped to Fresno, along with the envelopes for each guest. We got ours in the mail a couple of days ago!

Meet Elena T Beauty

Elena was recommended to me by a mutual friend, who saw me post about the updated Design Velocipede site I created before Christmas. Elena was in need of a simple website to launch her small business as a full-service makeup artist and esthetician. First, I wanted to create Elena a logo - something that would help her stand out, but was inviting and personal enough for her website. I posted the first round as part of my 40 Days of Design, but you can see progress of the logos below, as well as the final logo Elena picked.

I then sent Elena the first comp for her website. She loved the example I sent her, so we went from there. Below are a couple of examples of the final site. Though, I highly recommend taking a look at the actual site here. I also must mention that professional photography really helps to elevate a site, which was definitely the case with Elena T Beauty. A HUGE shout-out to Shewanders for allowing us to use some of their photography. And of course, a huge thank you to Audra, because without her, none of this would have been possible! :)

Save the Date for Park City

It's June and wedding season seems to be in full swing! Whitney & Brad are getting married in December, but they wanted to get their save the dates out the door in June. Whit wanted something with the blue and gold colors that would be reflected on the wedding day, along with a very chevron pattern, which I added in the background. She was able to find a gorgeous photo of Park City... and I was able to find a high-res version of it. :) 


The save the dates were printed on a Beargrass 98# Aspire Petallics cover, which has a bit of a shimmer to it. The envelopes provided a nice contrast, being a rustic paper bag color, and each are individually addressed. I felt so honored to do these for you, Whit, and am so excited for you two!

Wedding Crossword

I have been so productive lately! Which only means that I need to find time to post some finished products. Here is one of the more recent ones: a crossword puzzle for Laurel and Brad's wedding reception. After doing Laurel's invitations, I thought it would be best to continue the theme of the willow tree onto this design. Laurel sent me the draft of the personal crossword puzzle she had created as an ice breaker for the reception, and asked me to "pretty" it up a bit. I made the final product something she could easily print at home, and she printed out enough to keep the guests entertained. It was a fabulous evening, and they both looked stunning! Happy to have been a part of it; congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Terry!

Whitbury Engagement Sneak Peek

Found my computer and hard drive successfully! Now the task of catching up on work :) Here is a preview for the engagement photos I took for Whitney and Brad, before their engagement party a few weeks ago. 

The Creative Process

We are moving, which has been taking up a serious chunk of my time. Currently, all of my files (and computer) are packed away in some random box. I hope to have a post together soon... as soon as I unpack. But, until then, enjoy this video my creative director showed us a week or so ago. Worth checking out - especially if you are on any sort of designer or artist. Enjoy!

An Extravagant Engagement

Hello all! Hip hip hooray, one of my closest family friends is getting married and I was asked to help them out with some of the design for their wedding! I have known Whit since I was eight years old, and she was very involved with helping put together our wedding. I feel so blessed to now return the favor. My first order of business? Create a 'wedding logo' for Whitney and Bradbury. Whit wanted something similar to Brad's family crest, with a bit of a mountainous theme, as they are getting married in Park City, Utah. It also ties in the theme colors from their special day: navy and metallics. 

This last weekend was Brad & Whitney's engagement party, at the Del Mar Train Station in San Diego. Cheri, the mother of the bride, was integral in bringing the celebration together (and she also helped to bring together the look and feel of my own wedding). Cheri has a knack for party-planning, and as you can see below, she is extremely artistically talented. I helped bring the design of the cornhole boards together, and provided the logo to Cheri, but she made sure to use it in some unexpected and creative places! Below are a few snaps from the party, but I also took a few hundred photos of Whit and Brad before the party, for their engagement session - so stay tuned!

Brad+Laurel

Long overdue! Yes, I know... these went out a few weeks ago and I am behind - as always. I figure I better get my butt in gear, seeing as how I have had a few requests to post them, and this lovely lady's bachelorette party was this past weekend. I am embarrassed to admit that this was the first time I had seen Laurel since my own wedding! But the weekend was great fun, and I couldn't have thought of a better way to congratulate an old college roommate on getting married. 


Below are what we came up with for Laurel's invites to her wedding. The couple is getting married under an important willow tree at Laurel's family home, so she really wanted to keep that theme on-going throughout the invites. We did a formal invite, a mailable RSVP, a directional and hotel card, and a registry insert. Each of the pieces were printed at Vertical Printing on Classic Crest Natural White, and the cream colored paper brought a bit of an old-school feel to them. I also printed Laurel two sets of envelopes: an inner addressed to the guests only, and an outer with the address and family name. They came out beautifully and I was absolutely honored to be able to create these for such a dear friend. Congratulations, Laurel and Brad! I am so happy I can be part of your special day! x x

40 Days of Design, Done.

Busy is an understatement, as you can see from the date of my last post. Although this is well delayed, I would like to take this chance to post about the culmination of 40 Days of Design. 


Just a quick lesson: Lent lasts forty days, starting on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday. Why forty days? The significance of the forty days is in honor of the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the desert where He endured temptations by satan. Different denominations calculate the "forty days" of Lent differently, some exclude the Sundays during the six weeks, and some don't, leaving Lent to end on the Holy Thursday instead of Easter Sunday. Whatever belief or denomination, I don't think matters; I think it is more about the experience and the process. 


And what a process the past forty days have been! I completed many of my 'pending projects', some of which had been sitting in my living room for close to a year. I would have loved to keep the tradition going, as I think Lent tends to breed good habits. However, I have somehow managed to get even busier with life! 


So where this may be the last of 40 Days of Design for awhile, it won't be the last art you see from me. Keep checking, and I'll keep posting. And although it's a few weeks late, Happy Belated Easter!

40 Days of Design: Week 5

Here I am again, late as usual, but with an update from 40 Days of Design. I have here week 5, with work on items for a new canvas, new logos, and continuing work on the upcoming canvases for the kitchen. It's the last week, and I am looking forward to what Easter Sunday will bring. Have a happy Holy Week! :)

40 Days of Design: Week 4

Wow, the weeks are flying by. I cannot believe I am already to day 32 with 40 Days of Design! Easter is coming up in a few weekends, which means that it's going to be April soon. I completely accept that life moves quicker as you get older; I feel like I am just starting to notice it now though. Anyways, here is week 4 of 40 Days of Design, in case you missed it on social media. I know this is a little late as I have usually been posting on Thursdays and I will try and get back to that, but I have just been getting home later and sometimes the last thing I want to do is open my laptop. So, if you cannot wait a week to see all of the progress of 40 Days of Design, then follow me on social media through Facebook, Twitter, or on Instagram. Have a lovely week everyone, and hope to post another completed project here soon - stay tuned! 

40 Days of Design: Week 3

I cannot believe how much has happened in the span of one week; I started a new job for one! Which has been fantastic, but I do have even less time in the day than I did before (if that can even be possible). So quickly, here is the last week of design. I have been working on a couple of things, mainly a save the date and a concept design for a tattoo, so enjoy the progress and the process!

Grozz + Charlo

A couple weeks ago, I had given the first photo from the engagement session I did for our friends Gary and Charlo, when we were in England.  They have been dating for almost 10 years, so they wanted to do some shots from where the met, where the first kissed, the place where Gary proposed, and some at their upcoming wedding venue. What was so cool, was that there was a tree with a horseshoe stuck in it, right by where Gary proposed. Other horseshoes started popping up through the rest of the shoot - so I documented them! Here is a little sampling from their engagement session:

40 Days of Design: Week Two

Week 2 Done. This week I received the tablet I had ordered. I was so so pumped;  essentially it means I get to draw on my computer! So I doodled around a bit and then started work on a new set of logos I am doing for a new client. What a blast, am LOVING my new toy. So here is week two, enjoy. And if you aren't following my progress, you can see work daily on facebook, twitter, or instagram. Have a lovely Friday my friends. 

iFinished

Finally! I really cannot believe I am posting this. I had been working on this canvas for several months, and it is finally done. It had taken on many different ideas through the course of painting, and with the start of my 40 Days of Design project, I was able to complete it. I started this not long after the death of Steve Jobs as I wanted to create something to honor the design genius, and what better way than with a giant portrait. It was a huge canvas, 4'x4', and I added a photo of myself to show the actual size. This was really a labor of love for me, so enjoy the completed project!

40 Days of Design: Week One

I posted last week about the start of my '40 Days of Design', where I am working on the creation of something every day for forty days. I have been busy this week, so fitting in time at the end of the night has definitely been a struggle, but I have enjoyed it. I have been taking a picture every day and posting it. If you would like to see my journey, you can follow me on twitter or on my new page for facebook.

Although it was only the first week of this project, I was finally able to get motivated and finish the huge canvas that has been sitting in our apartment for...too long. Once I have some daylight this weekend, I will post some photos of the finished product, but here is a sneak peek. What to look forward to next week? Logo and website design. Happy Thursday!

40 Days of Design

Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the start of Lent. Every year I try to give something up: Diet Coke, chocolate, desserts...etc. Last year I was trying to figure out what to give up, when Jon suggested I do something instead of cutting something out. So last year I decided to do some type of art every day, for forty days. It was a struggle, but it helped me to get back into what I love doing. 

This year I will be doing the same - some type of creation every day. It could be in the form of designing a logo, taking pictures, or finishing that giant painting that has been sitting in the corner for the last few months... I will do it! I will be documenting some of my work on my blog, and will try to remember to post a picture every day via twitter.

Day One:
I am currently in the middle of editing photos for a shoot I did for some friends back in England. I have a couple more editing sessions to go, but I thought I would post a sneak preview. Gary and Charlo were recently engaged and asked me to take some photos while we were visiting. Here is a peek at the upcoming photos:

 

Bondy Business Card

This past Christmas we were lucky enough to spend the holiday with our lovely fam in the UK. Part of visiting over Christmas-time is trying to figure out what to get everyone.

My sister-in-law had gotten some generic “Mummy Cards” from a website awhile back, to hand out when meeting new friends. I saw them and thought, it might be fun to surprise her with some new ones for Christmas! So after finding out what colors she likes, I went to work and designed her something I thought represented her. We wrapped them up, and on Christmas when she opened them she excitedly said, “You pimped my mummy cards!!” I couldn’t have asked for a better compliment. :)

Sian and her family had moved right before Christmas, and the kids are getting settled in a new school with new friends. What better time to have a new set of mummy cards to hand out?! Hope she has fun handing them out. Missing you, and the rest of the Bonds, sis!

Housewarming Gifts

Finally I can start posting all of the gifts I was creating before Christmas without ruining the surprise! So here is the first installment of the family Christmas gifts. We knew Dave and Carli had moved, and for a housewarming gift/Christmas gift I thought I would paint them something to hang in their new home. I saw this quote somewhere awhile back, and knew I would use it somewhere. I thought it was a great saying for someone buying a new home...and I especially liked the part about 'families', as Dave and Carli are now expecting! Jon and I are so excited to be an Aunt and an Uncle again; what a blessing. So, below is our first gift to Dave and Carli, though I'm sure there will be many more to come :)

Photographing London

Jon and I took the train to London for a day to do some sightseeing and to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We didn't really prepare, as it poured the entire time we were there...and we were without an umbrella. We had a great time, and got some really fab photos, but it was more than difficult to keep the lenses dry. At times, I swear it was raining sideways because of the wind, so there are some water spots - my apologies. With that said, the reflections from the wet ground provided for some very interesting shots. Here are just a few from that trip. I will be sure to post more once I go through them all. Happy Sunday everyone!

 

Dogs For Christmas

Happy 2012 everyone! Jon and I are back from England and have been getting back into the swing of real life. We had a wonderful Christmas and holiday and have a lot to share from our trip. My first post back, I would like to show one of the many Christmas presents I helped get together. 

I have known Britt for several years, so when she came and asked if I could create something for her boyfriend Jason for Christmas, I was thrilled. Britt and Jason love their dogs and she thought it would be a great gift to have a pair of matching paintings of the two pets. Jason is a fantastic photographer, so I was really blessed to be able to work from some quality photography to create these. I asked Britt to send me an email with some inspiration. I was able to include a couple of the special things Jason and Britt found so inspiring, such as a quote from the book of Ephesians (which is what covers the canvas underneath Enzo's mug). The two of them also have a saying about the two dogs, which is located in the top right of Boo's piece. I really had so much fun doing these and hope Britt and Jason enjoy them.

Lots more to come this year! So many things from our trip to share... Have a wonderful week!