getting back into the swing of designing 

just in time to stop again when baby #2 comes in february!

wish me luck because i have a feeling i won't be creating much of

anything but a tiny human, naptimes and breastmilk for a many, many months.

until then i'll relish in the projects i've enjoyed!

hope you like them too...

first off, back in may my dear friend CK had her 30th birthday 

and we threw a RAD party for her in the reading pagoda. 

of course, the invite had to be amazing, right?! yes. 

so, going on her love of the GD and her scarlet begonia theme 

i came up with a poster-style invite that i sent via mail chimp. 

man, that mail chimp is super cool. 

if you don't know, know you know.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

next, my nephew's stepdad asked me to help him create 

a logo and website for his famous knotty egg fly.

i had a great time with this and got to finally use squarespace for the first time 

(which is also incredibly cool if you haven't tried it out already). 

sheesh. glad i'm not a small web shop or i'd be super bummed.

 you really can make an amazing site so easily and inexpensively these days.

no excuses people. 

i'm telling myself this for my next website re-do. 

(once i know my next direction! ... give me 3 years...)

{click image for detailed view}

i also took the product shots for the website 

which i had really enjoyed.

love that NIKON 85mm micro lens!

{click image for detailed view}

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

and lastly, i had the pleasure of creating the logo for the new 

groovy hopster farm setting up shop in chelsea, michigan!

readying to serve local brewers by september, 2015 – 

i'm delighted to be a part of this and see the logo used throughout the farm!

i'll post back when their website is up and running...

{click image for detailed view}

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well, that about wraps up my fun.

i'll hopefully have a few more projects before complete hibernation.

until then, happy design inspirations!

XOXOXO

hey friends!

here's a little update from around these parts...

BEANS.

all day. err day.

not really– but at least twice a day for months now 

lubeedu loves to play with her beans.

and wow, what fun we can have with some simple beans!

scooping, pouring, cooking, hiding letters and uncovering them, filling anything nearby with scoopfuls, making them into a turtle habitat, "spilling" them down the inside of your shirt, etc.

a $4 bag o' beans has been beyond thrilling to say the least.

 (and yes, that's my girl in her NOZONE swimsuit. eczema hates sunscreen so she lives in those duds)

and fun time for mommy?

i've really craved a quick creative outlet and finally it's the plant season!

terrariums and little planters are the best thing for the busy mom. 

why?

my reasons: 

1) it takes literally minutes to do.

2) you can do it while drinking wine. optional.

3) it's instantly gratifying and brings happiness to your eyeballs and rooms.

4) the kicker – negligence is actually welcomed after they're complete!

ever get a head of steam on a project only to let it fall 

by the way side minutes later from a crying kid or timer ding? um yeah.

even better, i only paid for floral foam and moss! 

all the plants are clippings from my plants around the house or yard. 

so nice. take a little walk, find what you like and end with something new and beautiful. 

ah yes, thank you.

so, the old milk glass got some life.

thingy that had pinecones now has plants!

in this one below i took floral foam and clippings 

from the yard and made a little oasis. 

popped some sedum and other succulents, maiden hair fern stems, 

a giant hosta flower and other planter clippings in there 

and instantly felt soothed by the process.

 another idea i've been brewing is creating willow water planters. 

i clipped willow branches and let them sit in water for weeks. 

(great step since i don't get back to very many things for weeks). 

i've planted some in pots but i'm really digging leaving them with the roots in water...

and so does mermelda the beta.

keeping busy and feeding the monster/heart is what we all must do, right?

wishing you the best on you and yours –

xoxoxoxoxox

hey–o! just starting to dip my feet into the design world again and

i'm pretty excited about the new logo package i've created for 

jenna herring photography!

(website to come)

 {some of my favs from jenna's holiday shots of 2013}

{super adorable, right?}

jenna is a lovely girl. 

smart, graceful and great at what she does. 

so of course, she wanted a very clean and simple logo 

to kickstart her photography website for 2014.

she really wanted to keep it light.

sometimes that can be the biggest challenge!

 i wanted to keep it simple 

and still give her some great patterns to use 

along with a color story 

and a nice button-style logo that will always look classic 

but still have impact and a modern feel.

whew.

so, here's the package:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

next, a set of patterns to use within the website 

or for the backs of biz cards 

or whatever else she can dream up...

below, a simple button logo for Facebook and watermarking photos...

both set-ups are great options for watermarks on photos

and hold their own in plain black and white...

really, who doesn't want their very own poppy inspired illustration?

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

so pretty and delicate – just like jenna!

hooray for branding from the inside out.

hope i did her right and so very proud 

to be a part of good peeps doing good things.

xoxoxoxoxox

our funny little easter miracle...

we found this interesting hole in our ivy bramble by the house.

kinda reminded me of andy goldsworthy's work.

so we approached and found dominique emerging!

funny lady laid an easter egg in there for Lu to find!

she screamed EGG!

she was well practiced at finding eggs 

thanks to her grandma sue.

she reached her whole arm in...

and came out with her first real find of the season.

amazing how nature is all you really need in this world.

xoxoxox

hope everyone had a wonderful valentine's day!

crazy how much fun we had with some heart stickers on string and paper.

little Lu is getting more and more awesome by the day.

we can't even say how much LOVE we have in our hearts this year!

wishing you the same...

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

{my screen shot of just some of the bento box art image search}

ok, so what? i like to play with my food.

i'm realizing how very driven i can be by the visual presentation
of the food i like to make and eat 

so obviously the whole bento box trend has really been stirring my imagination lately ...

if you haven't seen the great world of bento box love seen above

please click here and be amazed... i'll wait...

like wow, right!?

so, feeding my little one is top priority in life right now 
(my how priorities have changed?) 

and what better way to have fun doing it than to incorporate 
making it into art? 

i've purchased this book to jump start my creative juices 

and have a bento box waiting in my amazon wish list 
for the next gift giving session.

can't wait to post pics of the fun we have!

even though Lu can't eat egg –i see that as a challenge.

stay tuned for food art mania...

xoxoxoxox