websites and such

Posted on March 21, 2012 by amanda

I love design and I love designing. I am currently working on several little projects (one print… for the wedding; and one web related). The web related project is a redesign for this blog. I’ve been working on it for a while now, and the plan is when it is done to have my fiance code it. Easier said than done. I design, as he says, as a graphic designer (meaning I pay attention to the overall look and feel of the design) as opposed to web developers who design from a more practical and analytical standpoint. Everything you design must be coded and I’ve learned not everything is easily transformed into this language. Even something as simple as a background must be created with exact measurements and sizes so that when it is placed in the site and repeated, it is flawless. This website is all me, no help from anyone and I am very proud of the outcome. I designed it (and coded it slightly) all in an evening. But in my opinion it could be better, but for what it is and how I created it, I am happy. The first website I ever had was designed and coded by myself as well (it’s actually still up… I’m sentimental and don’t think I’ll ever want to take it down)!

Our wedding website was just launched about a week ago. Another labor of love. It was designed and coded by Eric and he did an amazing job! I couldn’t be happier. It took some time to get it built, we even contemplated using a prefabricated site but of course opted not to venture down that road (it just didn’t seem right for us. Plus, as you all know, I’m huge in DIY and therefore why buy when you can DIY?!? And DIY is what we did. It was only suiting, seeing as he works as a web developer and codes for a living)! I did contribute a bit to the site. I wrote all of the content and coded some parts (all of the unordered lists and typographic styling was thanks to me)!

inspiring

Posted on March 15, 2012 by amanda

Colors. Dresses. Themes. Cakes. All things a bride must decide upon when she is planning her wedding. Something that I have see a lot of brides-to-be do as soon as they get engaged and begin their planning process is, is create an inspiration board. I can honestly say that is not something that I did. I credit myself as a very visual person. I prefer to mentally plan the outfits I am going to wear the night before. When I write, I can see the stories so clearly in my mind before they are even written down. So why did I opt not to create an inspiration board? Truth be told, I don’t know why I didn’t do one. It just wasn’t something I felt compelled to do… until now. As I said in an earlier post, I use Pinterest a TON, and even before that I would take screen shots of inspiring images I found online that I wanted to keep. I filed all of my beloved photos into a “wedding inspiration” folder. But lately, after reading countless blogs, I decided I needed to create a board of my own. I tackled Pinterest first. See, as much as I use the site, I never dictated a specific board to my OWN wedding. I had boards on cakes, flowers, stationary, altars… basically everything but my own wedding! So I finally created one for me and Eric! But you know what?! I wasn’t that pleased! It seemed a bit hodge podge. I can see our wedding so clearly in my mind and I am convinced I can take all of my ideas and create a wedding fairy tale with them. Perhaps that’s why the whole wedding inspiration board thing didn’t work out so well for me… I already know what my wedding is going to look like so therefore if I can’t find images that are like the ones in my head, why use any then? Did I even make sense with that sentence?!? You understand what I am saying though… I feel because I have such a clear vision, that a board is useless for me. Maybe wedding inspiration boards are more for brides who need help fine-tuning their ideas?!? Either way, I think I’ll stick to organizing my ideas via various Pinterest boards.

By the way, for all of you inspiration board loving brides, do check out Dessy.com and theknot.com…. both sites have tools for girls to create boards using their collection of photos (and if you don’t see what you’re looking for? Upload your own)! Should be noted, I did try both sites, and it just was taking too long to scroll through the gazillion photos and I wasn’t even seeing images that pertained to my vision!

stamp my love

Posted on March 9, 2012 by amanda

So I have some amazing news! I mailed my save-the-dates the other day!!! Well, that’s sort of true… I mailed only my parents and one and one to my sister. I wanted them to receive the cards first in order to give me feedback and also I just wanted them to experience the joy of being the first to get them! My sis got hers yesterday and already posted on Facebook how much she loved them (yay! They were a success)! She thought that I had taken them somewhere to have them printed (nope, all me… that’s just how good I and the Gocco are)! My parents will probably get theirs today (I can’t wait for them to open it up)! I had to go out and buy more stamps today (it was hard to calculate the exact number of each I needed). You see, the buying of the stamps was a little tricky. I had done my research beforehand. I knew what stamps I wanted and how much each one was. I was planning on my bulking envelopes costing around 80 cents to $1 each to mail. The woman at the post office told me they would be 65 cents each! That totally threw me for a loop! I told her I wanted “the Garden of Love” stamp (a beautiful collection of heart shaped plants, fruits and birds).

“The Garden of Love” stamps are forever stamps, which mean they take the face value of whatever the current value is (45 cents). So, I had my one stamp, I just needed another stamp to accompany it. The woman began to show me my options. She even showed me the tradition (and in my opinion cheesy) wedding stamps, that I would only need one of per envelope because they were worth 65 cents (no thank you)!

Going the tried and true wedding route for stamps was not something Eric and I had envisioned (nor would it look good with our save-the-dates, which have a vintage vibe with a touch of whimsy), so that was out. She then showed me stamps of lesser value that I could add with my 45 cent “Garden of Love” forever stamp. These stamps were of presidents heads, Hawaiian shirts and random other artifacts that didn’t mesh with our wedding feel. I pulled out my stamp list I had composed and asked if she had any of the ones I saw online and liked.

The “Love: King and Queen of Hearts” is a 44 cent stamp but it is so cute that if they had this I would consider getting this and nixing my “Garden of Love” option and finding a cute secondary stamp to go with it. That idea was short lived, they didn’t have it, go figure.

I loved this “Monarch Butterfly” 64 cent stamp, and thought I could get this and either get away with not having another stamp or get a simple 1-2 cent stamp. But of course, my post office did not have this either.

I also inquired about the “Herbs” collection of 29 cent stamps. It was go with the “Garden of Love” stamp (both being plants). This was a no as well. I began to think that perhaps I should just buy my stamps online. I asked what she in terms of 5 and 10 cent stamps. She showed me a clock and a teapot.

These two weren’t bad. They actually really worked with our vintage wedding vibe. I told the woman that I would get these. So each envelope uses one “Garden of Love” stamp (45 cents), one “American Clock” stamp (10 cents), and two “American Toleware” stamps (5 cents each). All of the stamps equal 65 cents (couldn’t have been more perfect)! And I just adore the look of multiple stamps. Eric and I want to try and collect/buy vintage stamps for our wedding invitation envelopes, so this was a good transition into that.

*all of the above images are from the United States Postal Service and Martha Stewart Weddings

The above is an image of all of the stamps I bought for the save-the-dates (most of them, at least). Below is a photo of what my stamped envelopes look like (before they get addressed)! I played around with the placement of the stamps… some envelopes get a single row, others get three in a row and one below in the corner). Doing all in a row is best because it gives me the most room to write (I tend to have large handwriting and most people I am sending them too either have long or multiple names)! Oh, and in case you were wondering, the envelopes are from Paper Source!
*both of the above images are personal shots.

retail rave:: Michael’s

Posted on March 6, 2012 by amanda

I can’t say enough good things about the craft mecca, Michael’s. It is a huge store filled with almost everything you could possibly want to fulfill all of your basic crafting needs. *note: I do say “almost everything” because I have gone there a few times and have not found what I was looking for, or not enough options to choose from. The selection may be sub par at times, but the customer service and store policies will have me going back again and again. Yesterday as I was finishing up on creating my belly bands for the save-the-dates I had to stop. My Martha Stewart Doily punch (you know the one… I recently dedicated a whole post to it’s awesomeness) cracked and broke! It seemed so random. I wasn’t doing anything with it but punching pretty holes into pre-cut strips of kraft paper. I was really annoyed. I didn’t have the receipt, no proof of purchase. I was mad at myself for tossing those seemingly worthless pieces of paper. I was bothered by the situation at hand (another obstacle in my lengthy adventure to getting my save-the-dates done)! I won’t lie, I stopped what I was doing and sulked for about 20 minutes. It was around 5:50 on a Sunday so I thought sulking was all I could do because Michael’s surely closes at 6pm… right?! Wrong! When i was online researching new Michael’s coupons (I figured if they wouldn’t return it, the least I could do was be prepared to buy a new one… at a discounted price) I saw that my local store stayed open until 7pm! I quickly ventured out to the store with my broken hole punch in hand and hoping they would have pity on me (the sad girl who gets irritated by silly little things and has to go to Michaels on a Sunday night looking like I just rolled out of bed. Yeah, I was a hot mess). I found a new Doily Punch (the last one they had, what are the odds?) and headed to line. A young guy, no older than twenty was behind the register. I told him a watered down version of my situation (bought hole punch, cracked and broke and wanted to exchange it). He said okay and we exchanged “hole punch thingys” (as he called them) and I was on my way. I couldn’t believe how easy the whole process was. I am so used to having to show prof of purchase and tags and cards and so forth when doing returns, but Michael’s makes it so easy! That is why I will continue to be a loyal Michael’s customer (oh yeah, and those insane weekly coupons are always nice)!

view the Michaels site here: http://www.michaels.com

As I was searching for photos to include in this post, I found images of both the new look of Michaels (above) and their old logo (below). I grew up with the old design, but have to say I never really liked it. It is too dated and doesn’t capture the fun spirit that is crafting. With crafting supplies and an avid imagination anything is possible and almost anything can be created.

Doesn’t the new logo just spark creativity in you? Truth be told, when they first unveiled their new look, I wasn’t a fan (I dislike change, especially when it is so drastic, even if it is much needed). To me the new logo, with it’s curvy-swirly font screamed, “trying too hard.” Over the years, it has grown on me and I now accept it as the new face of the crafting super store.

*all images via Google.

accidents are our friends =)

Posted on March 1, 2012 by amanda

Happy accidents… the results of mistakes made carelessly or occurrences that fabricated due to actions we made. However you want to describe them, they are always the same. Something beautiful and unexpected and amazing. A few days ago I was printing in not the most ample of lighting situations and realized a few hours later that something was wrong. The coloring on one of the sheets of my save-the-dates was off. It had a faded quality, very reminiscent of yesteryear. After examining the card I realized I had placed the matte paper into the printer backwards! The thing was, I actually liked the way my “mistake” looked. It had this very weathered and vintage vibe, that I loved! If only I had discovered this little happy accident 30 sheets prior, I could have done them all that way! You know what they say, you live and you learn… especially from your mistakes (and happy accidents).

my creative process

Posted on February 28, 2012 by amanda

What’s the story behind my process? How do I design my work (that I like to call art)? Do great ideas just come to me? Actually they do, but sometimes they can get lost in execution. I try to always keep a journal handy to jot down ideas and anything I’d like to remember. I must have so many notebooks that I’ve accumulated over the years that I can’t toss out. They are filled with my “to-do” lists, ideas and just randomness that I find important and want to keep with me. I do all of my planning and prep work in my journals and then I go straight on the computer. When i was studying design I know this was a no no. They wanted us all to sketch out numerous thumbnails in our books so that we could fully develop our ideas. I totally get and fully understand their logic, but truth be told, that process didn’t really work well for me. I find I am most creative when I just get straight to the computer and start designing. I am a very visual person and can picture in my mind what the end product will look like and I am able to use that vision as a springboard to start my creative journey. Of course, sometimes my end result isn’t always what I had first envisioned in my head. As I design I see what works and what doesn’t and then act accordingly. It’s like my art takes on a mind of it’s own and I can do nothing but sit back and let it be and become what it wants. I enjoy writing and often times the stories that I begin to write end up being completely different than what I thought they would be. You just have to let the creative process take over and see where it takes you. It’s fun creating art like that because it’s exciting and always new. And it enables you to completely dive in and be free; do what you want and really listen to your heart and let your imagination take flight.

Take for example my save-the-dates, I couldn’t really envision my wedding until I could conceptualize what the paper goods would look like. To me the stationary and like items are such an important part of the wedding that they set the tone for everything else. They get people excited when they open up the envelopes to reveal intricate invitations. They let guests know if it is a fancy affair or if the fete has a laid back party vibe. I started to design my save-the-dates way back even before we booked our venue. I was looking at this one resort, a truly gorgeous ocean front property on South Beach and really wanted the wedding there. But once i started to play around on the computer I quickly realized that what I was designing wasn’t great and I felt constricted by the hotel (the way I began to feel about the venue in general). My designs weren’t flowing naturally. I soon realized the hotel wasn’t what I was looking for in a venue (too cookie-cutter and it didn’t have that secret garden feel I was searching for). So my search continued, and so did my designs. Finally I found my dream wedding venue and by that time I had fine tuned my wedding style and theme and guess what? It fit perfectly with the wedding spot! See everything happens for a reason! My wedding stationary designs were by no means perfect at this time, but I had a really good idea of what I wanted. A few more tweaks and then they were perfect! That’s how my save-the-dates came to be. Once I send them out and all of our gusts receive them I will be sharing some pics with all of you!

antiqueing

Posted on February 26, 2012 by amanda

Today I woke up, drank my morning and caught up on the latest episode of “Four Weddings” (like I do every weekend). After wards I did something out of the norm. I went antiqueing! Eric took me to the High school he graduated from in his hometown, where a huge antique fair was being held. Apparently his old school has the even every year and it always lasts Saturday and Sunday. I was excited to go and see what I neat things I could find (and hopefully buy for the wedding). There were so many interesting things to look at and rummage through. Every corner there were new treasures to be hold. We had walked the whole gymnasium and I hadn’t really seen anything that struck my eye as far as buying for the wedding (I did see a really cool vintage typewriter, but like I said, not for the wedding and I was trying to stay focused). We were about to turn the final corner, which would have brought us back to where we started from, when I noticed them. Off to the side on a little side table they stood. Three perfectly blue mason jars. Each a different size. I quickly checked the price (all below $15). I had to have them! They were exactly what I was looking for! I had already started to collect blue and vintage glass vessels for the wedding. I quickly remembered where we were and where our wedding was. “How are we going to get these down south?” Eric assured me we could pack them in our carry-on bags when we fly down in a few months. I was sold (and so were the jars). We actually got them for a little cheaper than asking price (thanks to Eric’s flair for bargaining). I am so excited for the three pieces I have added to my jar collection. I now have 11 vessels (thanks to my mom who has hit up our local antique shop in Florida and bought some of the coolest vintage glass jars (I’m talking over 100 years old)! I’m off now to catch up on “Glee” and fold some more save-the-dates!

The newest additions to my vintage jar collection.

*All photos are courtesy of me =)

my labor of LOVE

Posted on February 23, 2012 by amanda

I underestimated how long my save-the-dates would take me. I had all of these dates in my head (and written on my calendar and planner) as to when I would accomplish various tasks for the save-the-date card, and I’m kind of running a bit behind schedule. I had every intention of being done with them today. I even had written “go to post office” on my daily “to-do” list, but it just didn’t happen. I did have a VERY productive day, though. I got so much done! I had a whole system going. I would print a ton of my save-the-dates, then go and cut out about ten or so, then with my corner hole punch I would round every corner (which considering each card is folded into four flaps… it was a lot of corners)! I realized last week with my belly band marathon that doing small batches of each task is the best way to go because it makes the whole project seem less daunting. I have to say, I’ve been very calm throughout the whole save-the-date experience (when designing and printing your own cards things can get stressful and fast). I have had several incidents that proved to be great learning experiences (one dealing with my corner punch and the other with my new paper-cutter). Today was especially therapeutic for me. Since my college days, I have always found cutting paper so relaxing. I recently bought a nice Swingline paper trimmer (guillotine style) because I thought it would make my life so much easier. I realized today as I tried and tried to cut my cards that it was only making things far more difficult. You see, my new cutter is only 12 x12 inches and i printed my cards 3 to a sheet of 13 x 19 paper. Using my cutter meant I had to roughly cut out each card with scissors, then attempt to line them up using the Swingline. It just felt awkward and never seemed to cut straight lines. I gave up and decided to use a ruler and my xacto knife. This method may take longer but I feel so much more comfortable doing it this way. I am in control of the knife and where i cut, with the Swingline I never really knew where it would cut. I still think the paper cutter was a great investment and know I will use it for so much in the future (I’ve already put it to use cutting the belly bands)! I really am enjoying my new cutting process, and that’s the important part, right? Enjoy every minute of the wedding planning process (even something as mundane as cutting out save-the-dates). I love my cards and couldn’t be happier with how beautiful they are turning out! It makes all of the time I’ve put into them so worth it. This really is my labor love. I love what I do. I have about 68 cards printed out and about 30-40 actually cut, folded, and with rounded corners. There’s still a lot to do, but I know it will get done and soon! And when all is said and done and they are mailed out to our guests, then I can start to think about the wedding invitations (which I’ve already started to design)!

Once Upon a Time…

Posted on February 22, 2012 by amanda

There’s just something about fantasy stories that I really adore. My favorite types of book are fantasy (movies too). I just can’t enough of fairy tales. I think it’s because in most fairy tales good usually conquers evil and in the process there is usually self discovery by the protagonist and a story of unearthly love that is so beautiful and yet so real is spun. Since I can remember I have always loved fairy tales and have often been influenced by them in most of my art work (and now, even my wedding)! Just last week I watched “Ever After,” “The Princess Bride,” and Disney’s “Tangled,” all of which are fairy tale films. Oh, and i cannot forget to mention the ABC hit show, “Once Upon a Time.” That is hands down my favorite show on TV (“Glee” comes in a close second). If any of you have not seen it, it is a must! I highly recommend it. The show is a bout a modern day little town in Maine called Storybrook and all of the inhabitants are fairytale creatures and characters, the only thing is, they don’t know that they are. The only one who knows is a little a boy (Snow White’s grandson) who has figured it out due to his book of lore. The show weaves present day happenings with past events based on each characters respective tale. It is an amazing show! But now I have to wait two whole weeks before another new episode! There is another show based on the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales on NBC called “Grimm,” but I have to say I don’t like it as much. Truth be told, I only lasted about 20 minutes on the pilot episode before I flipped to something else. It just didn’t captivate me like “Once Upon a Time” did. “Grimm” seemed a bit, well, more grim and dark (and slightly scary). Not exactly my cup of tea.I will leave you with some lovely fairy-tale inspired images. Enjoy!

Storybook wedding invitations via Oh So Beautiful Paper. From a design standpoint, I absolutely LOVE this DVD case for The Princess Bride. Minimalist fairy tale posters by Christian Jackson. Alfred Angelo Disney Princess wedding gowns (I will admit i do really like these)! Tangled, Once Upon a Time and Stardust… all great watches. Too cute tri-fold wedding invites by Jen Simpson Design.

The following photographs are from the Disney Dream portrait series photographed by Annie Leibovitz

Top: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gisele Bundchen, and Tina Fey as Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinker Bell. Middle: Julie Andrews and Abigail Breslin as the Blue Fairy and Fira from Pinocchio. Bottom: Roger Federer as King Arthur from The Sword in the Stone.

Top: Jessica Biel as Pocahontas. Middle: Rachel Weisz as Snow White. Bottom: Julienne Moore and Michael Phelps as Ariel and a mermaid from The Little Mermaid.

Top: Queen Latiffah as Ursala from The Little Mermaid. Middle: Olivia Wilde and Alec Baldwin as the Evil Queen and Magic Mirror from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Bottom: Jeff Bridges and Penelope Cruz as Beauty and the Beast.

Top: Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens from Sleeping Beauty. Middle: Beyonce, Oliver Platt, and Lyle Lovett as Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare. Bottom: Whoopi Goldberg as The Genie from Aladdin. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony as Jasmine and Aladdin

Top: Scarlett Johanssen as Cinderella. Bottom: David Beckham as Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty

It has arrived!!!!

Posted on February 9, 2012 by amanda

I am being stoked to share with all of you that I am now the proud owner of a Gocco printmaking machine!!! For those of you that don’t know, Gocco is a self-contained at-home screen-printing device. It was manufactured in Japan by RISO but as of 2008 production on the machines has ceased. Apparently it cost to much to manufacture the little devices. It really is a shame that Goccos are pretty scarce these days because they make printmaking so much easier and faster. I did screen printing while I was attending art school and it was so time-consuming! In order to get one print, I would have to prepare the screen with emulsion, dry it, expose it, wash it, dry it (again) and then after all that you are ready to start printing! And if you had multiple colors you wanted to use you had to wash the screen after every hue otherwise the ink would get muddy. I’m a total DIY bride, and was looking for alternative methods to printing my wedding paper goods. Printing on a printer just didn’t seem “special” enough to me (even if I did design everything)! I contemplated using my antique letterpress that my Graphic Design professor (and academic adviser) gifted me with upon graduation. Only problem, the press is at my parents house in South Florida! Oh, and did I mention it’s missing several parts I’d have to buy (which I would gladly do) but I’d never used a letterpress before! I researched it and discovered a company that would create metal pates to be used with your press from computer files you send them (I could design my invites and letterpress them)! It seems like a great option, and I did consider it, but ultimately I opted not to travel down the letterpress path. It felt like it was such a big commitment for something I didn’t even know would work. Plus, I would have to print all of the goods down in Florida!! My trips home are few and far between (what with work and all) and when I’m home, I want to be lounging in the sun… not getting frustrated over mastering a new printing method.

So I began to investigate alternative ways to print invitations. Okay, that’s a lie. I wasn’t really searching for this. I was looking for other things (like save-the-date inspiration, wedding decor, etc.) and kept reading about this little device called the Gocco. I was intrigued. I watched a quick YouTube video on how to print Valentine’s Day cards and realized how easy and cool the little device was. It uses single-use light bulbs to expose a screen covered in light-sensitive emulsion. You then place the screen in the device after removing the backing, add ink and clamp down… BAM, you’ve got yourself a print! A few weeks passed and I started to really think about wedding related stuff (printing method, what will the favors be, are we going to have “welcome bags”). It was on my quest for knowledge on the “OOT” (Out Of Town) bag that I found a bride printed a cute logo using her Gocco. A little bulb went off in my head. I could really utilize this little device for all of my wedding needs. I read so much on the Gocco, but the more I read, the more I was convinced I wanted one. But then I started to doubt myself and if it really was meant to be. “It is out of production” I told myself. “How will I get supplies when I run out?” Ebay has them… but for how long? I began a new mission… to find a device exactly like the Gocco (only one that was still made). Enter the Yudu. The Yudu is a true at-home screen printing machine. It’s huge (the size of a scanner). It works just like traditional screen printing does. You coat your screen with emulsion (only this time it’s in sheet form), dry it in the bulit in drying rack, place the screen on the machine to expose it with the design of your choice, rinse it, let it dry, tape off area you don’t want to ink up, start print making, rinse screen and then repeat. The video I watched on how to do it lasted at least ten minutes. After watching it I was convinced that the Yudu (as great a device as it is) was not for me. It reminded me why I disliked my screen printing class. That was it, the Gocco was what I needed, despite manufacturing issues.

I searched all over online for a device and saw that my best option was ebay. I’ve never bought anything on the site before but have used it to sell some stuff. This was a big purchase, I needed feedback and reassurance I was making the right decision. So I showed Eric the videos of both the Yudu and the Gocco (you see, he was team Yudu when I initially told him about Gocco not being made anymore) but he never actually saw what either of the machines did or looked like. After watching that long Yudu video, Eric was completely team Gocco (yes)! He helped me find a great model on ebay and I bought it that night!

It arrived today! I was so excited! It came with the screens, bulbs and some ink. I will buy some more ink in various colors that will match our wedding suite. plus I think I’ll stock up on some bulbs on ebay. I figure the Gocco will be a cheaper and more unique way to print my invitations (plus I can print tote bags, escort cards, menus….etc). I’m excited. I know supplies won’t be around forever, but by that time I will be married woman (with all of my wedding goods long printed and definitely not forgotten).Hopefully by that time, they’re manufacturing Goccos again!

Paper Bird Design

let your imagination take flight

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