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!