graphic design

Audrey & Daniel’s Modern Botanical Invite

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From day one it seems Audrey (my now sister in law!) had the perfect vision for what her wedding day would be. The setting, the colors, the style – her idea was clear.  Meticulous planning, a keen eye for detail and her impeccable taste made that vision a reality when she married Daniel  on a beautiful day in September. Audrey and Daniel’s (who most people know as “Grub”) wedding was dreamy, elegant, fun, and so uniquely them.

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Audrey is immensely talented and I admire so much her creativity and personal style. Collaborating with her on this invitation was a dream in part because her idea was so refined. I chose a simple, all text invitation. It’s elegance is in it’s minimalism. We printed on a beautiful, heavy, cotton paper with a soft texture. The luxe paper elevated the simple design.

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The special “moment” of this invitation is definitely the vellum overlay. The rose illustration nods to the natural, botanical theme of the wedding and adds interest. The barely there names are a delicate and magical touch. I incorporated the floral graphic into the ceremony and luncheon insert to tie the theme of the entire suite together.

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Thank you Audrey & Grub for including me in your beautiful day. I’m lucky to have such crazy talented family members who are a ton of fun to work with.

If you’ve been following along you may have noticed this has been a big year for weddings in my family – 3 siblings just this year! I still have one more to post and I’m excited to share it.

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Eleven: Stranger Things Halloween Costume

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The Netflix series Stranger Things is what happens when TV looks at me and says “Thank you for almost 3 decades of faithful devotion – here is everything you want in a TV show.” 80’s nostalgia, golden age Steven Spielberg feel, badass kids, science fiction, cool small town cop, a moody emo kid, science fiction, The Clash – literally there isn’t anything I didn’t like about this show. Maybe Stranger Things was TV’s way of apologizing for The Walking Dead becoming unwatchable.

Thank you, TV.

The Stranger Things character I adored most was Eleven. The mysterious new kid in town with awesome telekinetic powers. She also loves Eggos, so we actually have something in common.

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I put together my costume using some items I already had and a few late night Amazon purchases. The pink collared dress was around $20 and the blue wind breaker  $12 on Amazon. The dress didn’t come with the smocking on the bodice which I decided was a SUPER important detail about an hour before our Halloween party so I sewed the “mock smocking” myself. That’s the thing with costumes of characters who wear “real clothes” – the little things can make a big difference. If you want to create this look yourself but can’t find a pink collared dress you can use any pink dress and add a dickie – it’s a real thing that is a fake collar you wear under a shirt or dress.

I didn’t want to pay $8 for tube socks so I got a pair of my husband’s and drew some (totally janky) stripes with green and yellow marker. My Chuck Taylor’s weren’t true to Eleven’s wardrobe, she wears white sneakers, but I figured they were period appropriate and still had the right feel to them.

Eleven is a little girl who’s been a prisoner of a government test facility her whole life so she doesn’t wear a lot of makeup. I used my Maskcara HAC palette to give myself some fierce highlight and contour for a realistic, sullen look. (NOTE: If you’re not familiar with highlight and contour it’s when you draw a new, BETTER face on top of your old face using light and dark makeup.) I gave myself a little bloody nose with some red lip stain and wore a blonde wig. If you’re a boy, just buzz your head.

Don’t forget an empty box of Eggos – It’s a fun detail that fans of the show will LOVE and totally get, plus it doubles as a purse for holding your cell phone, keys and candy.

Happy Halloween!!!

 

 

Valentines for the socially awkward

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Valentine’s Day is the worst. I don’t need to get into specifics – either you love it or you hate it. I fall into the second group – always have. Perhaps it all started in 3rd grade when my crush gave me this maddeningly vague Valentine card:

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I agonized over whether “You’re cool” was his way of saying “Be my Girlfriend” or putting me in the friend zone. I checked his signature and was pretty sure that “O” in his name looked a little bit heart shaped…intentional? No?

While I now realize his mom most definitely filled out those cards and gave zero craps about who got what pre-printed sentiment, the experience caused a lot of anxiety at the time. And isn’t the insincerity of the whole stupid day really what makes it so terrible? Expressions of love made only out of obligation?

So If you hate Valentine’s Day, but also don’t want to look like a jerk, You could give your significant other this card:

I hate valentines day card

i hate valentine's day card

Or if a big part of your socialization came from the characters on Seinfeld, (like me) you may be more interested in this one:

your the one i hate the least valentine card

socially awkward valentine card

Or maybe you’re one of those couples that is just killing it. You want a card that says as much, but in as few words as possible:

relationship goals valentine card

The inside is blank so you can write your own message. Something like “That’s us, babe!” or “What does this mean? Who talks like this?”

If you like these cards you can download the files and print them yourself for free, just click the links below…but it’s up to you to figure out the whole double sided printing thing.

“I hate Valentine’s Day” 

“You’re the One” 

“#Relationshipgoals”

Happy Valentine’s Day or whatever.

 

Two of Us – Vintage Travel themed Wedding

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Today is my 5 year anniversary so I thought it would be fun to post a few details from my wedding. It had been a while since I looked through my photos and the first thing I noticed is how short the shelf life is on wedding trends. It’s only been five years but my pics (okay, and my hair) are looking a little dated.

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Freezing cold Utah December morning. From what I hear anyway. I was so pumped on adrenaline I didn’t feel a thing. An old gentlemen in the temple kept insisting I put on this faux fur capelet they had on hand to keep warm. I declined.

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Upon arrival at the reception guests wrote well wishes on vintage style postcards I created complete with old stamps and postmarks. Centerpieces were a collection of books, cameras, and globes. The flower arrangements were displayed in vases wrapped in old maps .

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And this is where we really spent the dollar bills – the food. A ginormous spread of authentic Italian antipasti and fresh Gelato.

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The real show stopper though, and honestly the only thing most people remember from our wedding, was the Dunford Doughnut’s wedding “cake”. Why have cake when you can have a delicious, moist, chocolate doughnut instead? No Brainer.

Cheers to Five Years, Michael Bussio – The hardest working, bravest, kindest, and goofiest guy I know.

Photography: Three Winks Studio, Venue: Springville Museum of Art, Catering: Marco Niccoli, Linens: Susan’s Party Rentals