Crazy Busy!

Wow! I hadn't realized it's been 2 months and some change since we last connected! It's funny when life gets in the way and the days just keep going by without a chance to post! I've had some very exciting developments in the past few months.

{List of Exciting Developments}:

1. YES! I am on Pinterest! And I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

2. Landed a repeat account that has the potential to
develop into a full time thing......DO I WANT THAT? yes!

3. I am on Pinterest!

4. I have been retailing my knitting
(not exactly print-design related, but exciting none-the-less)

5. This isn't a development YET where I live,
but who is ready for THIS?!:

Between getting ready for a new baby in the house (IN TWO WEEKS!) I've been establishing myself in the Creative Community in our area. I have many leads from living here previously, and one of those connections came through in a big way! So needless to say, one thing turned into another thing, and into another thing, and I've learned the art of balancing work-at-home life and my home-life.  But I still would like to know how people do this and stay sane!

The other night, my husband had JUST walked in the door from work, still in uniform, and I kissed him goodbye with hardly an explanation, and took off for a coffee date with girlfriends. Needless to say he was a little confused. But I had to get out. RIGHT THEN. And it was good. Really good. Salted Caramel Mocha minus the calories good.

Services Postcard

We're here to stay people! Sure, there are boxes everywhere, but my office is unpacked, and we're ready to roll! So is my promotional postcard. I'll have a bigger post in a few! But if you want to leave some love for me, well, I'd sure appreciate it! Anything you'd like to see included before I print and mail?

~Jessica

Big Plans!

Hi Everyone!

We are settling into the Inland Northwest! North Idaho, the 51st State. Or it should be!  We are SO happy to be back in the area, and things are falling into place.

We saw a BUNCH of horrible rentals, but just today found a really cute 3 Bd/1.5 Ba that is going to work perfectly for us! It came down to "Will we be happy here for at least a year?" The answer was YES! Not much for a yard, which was high on my list for my 2 boys, but there are a few parks in walking distance, so that made up for that. Hubbins is not a city boy, but he took the "if you're happy here, I'm happy here too" approach. Thanks babe! That's part of why I love you SO MUCH!

Creatively, I have much in the works. Settling into town, and starting to dream up ideas for growing my business is tops on my list. I have this huge urge to contribute to the family coffers, even being a full time mom, and then baking another baby on top of everything else!

Once again, this is about what I feel like right now:

I'm hoping things settle down really soon. I'll be previewing my promotional postcards soon, as well as announcing a giveaway of some SUPER CUTE custom recipe cards, to bring out the mama-jama in all of us! Or as a friend calls it, the "Becky-Homecky". Hold me to it! What would all of you like to see on a design for a recipe card? What inspires you to create?

The Good Life

My husband is Wonderful with a capital "W". I've always known this, but today I'm able to take a minute to be grateful. He's working his tail off so that I can stay at home, and work from home, and spend time with our son.

Like right now, I'm drinking an iced coffee, recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman, a couple logo ideas stewing on screen, and my little Mr. Mr. is running around outside within eyesight shooting his "water soakers" at every little bug that dares to get in his way. Oh, to be 2. (We call them water soakers because he also has a fascination with guns, and guns are not allowed to be pointed at people EVER, while water soakers can.....see how that can get confusing?)

Courtesy of Flickr. Love the tranquility in this photo,
with the promise of some excitement in the clouds!

And I just had to take a peaceful minute to let you all know, before the reality of a day at home sets in and I'm swamped with the dishes, lunchtime, bathtime, dinnertime, naptime, and various "clean up all of the potty accidents" times.

~Jess

Exodus of Re-Branding. Take 2

The wind is blowing. My little Mr. Mr. is nearing the end of his naptime.
 

I am re-branding. Again.

I have a problem.

I mean, really, a PROBLEM, with a capital P.

 Here's my problem. I LOVE color, I LOVE designs, and I can't have one design for myself. Why is that a problem? Well....how am I supposed to let everyone know who I am and what I do, if one minute I look like the lady at the bank, but I moonlight at the nearest Kon-Tiki?

Help me stay on track people! I am re-branding. This WILL be the last time. (Until my business base is established, that is.)  I am going with this, I will make business cards, and letterhead, and a blog header, and some stickers at Moo. The stickers are amazing.  

(And if you go to Moo, and happen to check out their blog, and leave a comment,
go ahead and give a kickback that you heard of them from me. That'd be spectacular.)

So check this out:

I've found that if I can design within a business card parameter, the logo generally figures itself out, and makes it easier to apply to my paper collateral. Weird, I know, but it works for me.

I will also be revising my list of services in the coming years weeks, so check back if there is something special you'd have me in mind for. I specialize in design for print, but I am slowly letting myself be pulled into web. I've been resisting since I've been in college. I know it's the newest coolest stuff, but I just have too much fun with the printing presses.

My favorite Piece of Eye Candy!

You guys are going to DIE when you see this door. Ready?

AAAH! I LOVE it! And since hubbins and I are a little bitten by the home buying bug, this may be a reality for us soon! Love it!

No Posts Since February!

Geez. No wonder no one reads this anymore!  Well, I've been a LITTLE distracted. We found out at the end of January that we're expecting! I'm due in November, just a scant week before my little Mr. Mr.'s 3rd Birthday. Way to go with the planning?! Eek! Yep, and we're STILL traveling, so my last few months have been filled with the details and possibilities of what can and will happen realistically in the coming months.

Suffice it to say.....every other area of my life has suffered a little as we've worked out the details.  And since every other area of my life is changing, so shall my blog.  I'm working on a website for my creative business, so this blog is going to be less business minded and a little more creative. Eye candy, for instance, is a designers best friend.

If my hubbins had to choose between diamonds and the latest design software/hardware, the romantic in him would go with diamonds, and I'd swoon, and probably cry a little. If the practical side of him kicked in and he went with the usable, oh my goodness, I'd be in heaven. I love my laptop, my mighty mouse, my Wacom Tablet, and my software. I use them DAILY, and my dream of a creative firm is going to take flight on those basic "necessities".  I'll keep ya posted.

~Jess

A little Thursday Fun

Here's a little bit of fun for your Thursday. I had a couple minutes or RARE free time while my little Mr. Mr. was taking a nap and threw this together. It's probably representative of the week we've had!

ENJOY!

What I Do When I am Bored

Have you ever seen those things on Facebook.  You know, THOSE things.... the posts about how if you're bored, just go to Flickr and pick a random picture, then go to a quote page and pick a random quote, then go to Wikipedia and pick a random article title, then put them together in Photoshop and that will be your first album cover when you get famous?

Haha. I didn't think so.

But I have.

Wikipedia gave me an article called Cambria Hills. A city in California.

Flickr gave me a picture of some beer kegs. A very artistic picture no less.

And the last quote on the quotations page, on the very last 4 words, gave me my album name.

Check it out!

It's just for fun, but kinda cool, no?

Outdoor Inspiration

In the past year, we have seen A LOT of water. A LOT. We were on the Oregon Coast in Brookings for quite awhile. It is SO soothing to look at water crash onto sand beaches when it's a blustery 50 degrees outside. I LOVED it! Even though we were in a travel trailer, I could take my little Mr. Mr. across the street and to an ocean overlook and watch the big waves. It was SO peaceful!

And then we were in Elma, WA. Not right on the water, but we could drive to Seattle, and we did, quite frequently. And you know what Seattle is famous for! That's right, the PIER! LOVED that pier! All the noise, and the smells (only a few bad ones). It was so great! I'm a closet city girl.

 And then we were in a few other places where there was no water. But as of YESTERDAY, we have landed just north of Othello, WA on the Potholes Reservoir. And the view is AMAZING! Our cabin overlooks the water from the dining area, and we get to watch the sunsets and the duck hunters. AND, to make it all authentic, there's signs everywhere that say, "We'll pluck your duck for a buck!" No joke! Hilarious! And really, this picture doesn't do the view justice. I just took it with my phone. Out the window. Yeah, cause it's cold, (and that's how I roll.)

Creatively Creating for a Giveaway!

There is something so SATISFYING for me to create something tangible. I get a kick out of designing for print, don't get me wrong, but I think it has something to do with the cold winter months that has me turning to knitting. It's so WARM, and FUZZY, and when I finally get finished with something I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it in all it's messed up glory.

PLUS it helps that I've had a ton of friends having babies lately so i've been making super cute little hats for their little ones. And they're babies so they can't say they hate it! I am by no means an expert. I YouTube knitting videos when I get to a stitch I don't know, or sometimes I don't even have a clue what they're talking about. Then I Google it and THEN YouTube it! Here's a look at some of the cute stuff I've done lately.

 So here's the fun part! I have pictures of 5 things that I've knitted. I'd like you all to leave a comment telling me which ones were from a pattern, and which ones I just made up as I went along! 1 point for each right answer, and 1 bonus point if you can tell me which pattern which ones were made from! So get to searching! In the event of a tie I will throw scraps of paper in a basket and pick blindly, and the winner will get a FREE custom design for web! No websites, something along the lines of a banner or blog button.  Get to it!

Feeling the Winter DULLdrums

Lately, we've been hit from every side with every scenario possible that could "sink our ship". Our "ship" is a 26 ft. travel trailer. My hubbins, "El Capitan", me "El Capitan Dos" and our "First Mate", have been given a run for our money. Hubbins had to go to climbing school, and left last Saturday before First Mate woke up. That started the whole thing. 

My 2 year old First Mate misses his dad. LIKE CRAZY. And wont let me out of his sight. That was 11 DAYS AGO! So first we had subzero temperatures that threatened our water pipes into our trailer, but I got those thawed out. 

Then everything turned to 3 inches of ice and made even walking treacherous, which led to us being cooped up in our ship for DAYS. DAYS! 

The First Mate started getting his 2 year old molars while being cooped up in our 26 ft. ship. Read: CRANKY. No sleep for us. And he started acting like the little girl on Despicable Me when she grabs onto Gru's leg and won't let go. No, seriously.

Then I discovered some leaks in the roof. No biggie, nothing much I can do but sop up the water until El Capitan gets home. I won't climb onto that roof for nothing short of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if the rainbow lands smack dab on the middle of our trailer roof.

A couple days ago the furnace started making a grinding noise. And then stopped. Completely. I thought our ship was going to be filled with poisonous gas and blow up. So I turned off the heat supply, moved into a spare bedroom at my uncle's house with First Mate, and had our trailer towed to a fix-it shop. Thank God it's still under warranty.

Hubbins is STILL at climbing school. Until tomorrow he's 9 hours away on the coast, with his little red Honda Civic. And the timing belt just broke in it. I'm not joking. I couldn't make this up if I tried. He's on the phone with me, driving back to the barracks for dinner after climbing power poles all day, and it breaks.

So, I'm securing a babysitter, driving our truck to meet him in the Tri-Cities, where he's getting a ride and a tow from another apprentice, and we'll drag it back here. That car has been a money-pit. He bought it in college, did a little bit of work to it (and by that I mean my dad, the amazing mechanic, because his daughter was madly in love with this handsome baseball player, did work on it) and it ran great until a few years ago, when the engine blew. We replaced the engine, and have less than 20,000 on it, and now the timing belt bent the engine into more figure eights than an anorexic Chinese gymnast. (No offense to Chinese Gymnasts, I'm extremely jealous of your flexibility is all)

So that's where we're at. That's why no posts. This is our life.

Oh! And POTTY TRAINING! Don't even get me STARTED on potty training! Little boy pee STINKS. it STINKS!

ITS TIME FOR CHRISTMAS CARDS!

hahahahaha. Mine will have a trailer on them! Yep, a vintage, cartoon trailer, and then a picture of yours truly with the two men in my life standing outside of said trailer....doing something funny. I'd love some ideas!

Here's our trailer!

We were going to go with hick, because actually....we are hickish and it wouldn't take any effort to dress up and black out some teeth, but I'm open to anything! We did happen to take a nice family picture....that I'll include in the inside, because with all the traveling we do, we don't get to see family that often! And we wouldn't want them to forget what we look like, would we?

Here's that family picture...before editing. (jk I edited out a light fixture and got rid of some under eye circles before I showed you this)

Our little mister mister is cute, right? He won't sit still for anything. It's why I love him so much. Actually I was just joking. This won't be the picture, but it's the same lighting as the picture I'm actually going to use, so when I get all done and reveal it, you can be totally surprised!

How Lazy Can I Be?

Well....pretty lazy! Work is picking up, and Reagan is being even MORE rambunctious than usual, and I forgot I'm supposed to be getting better at blogging! If this keeps up....maybe I should just drop it, huh? Nah....

So remember my logo for BC^2? Well, through that, I got a job doing a logo design for a new BBQ Association starting up in the Coeur d' Alene, Idaho area. It's called the West Slope BBQ Association. Check it out! They'll be competing in the Idaho State Championships in January. Watch for them, and try out their food! It really is amazing if you like to lick BBQ off your fingers and feel really really full. Check out more about WSBA here.

Here's what we've finalized for WSBA: 

(and yes, those are Porterhouse mountains. No, you can only dream of them)

What am I Doing?!

Another poster, this time for my home team, the Lady Wampus Cat Volleyball Team! Thank you sponsors! 

I did a little reminiscing, but never once did I wish I was back out on that court. Those girls would eat me alive at my "old" age. Haha. 
Once you have a kid....nothing's the same.
'Nuff Said. 

Without further ado, here it is:

Happy Vintage-y Birthday!

Oh Dad.... we've been through a lot. So for your 50th birthday, I'm going to squeal to everyone in Blogland, yes I said Blogland Dad, it's the place I go when Reagan's sleeping to maintain some sanity in my hectic life right now. Anyways, I'm going to squeal to all of them what we're doing for your 50th birthday! Why am I telling them? Because you aren't computer-savvy enough to find your oldest daughters blog online, so you'll never know!

Here's the invite!

OMG! I just mailed these today.... and I didn't put the DATE on them! ugh!!!!! I double and triple checked everything.

Epic Fail. 

This post just got ruined. I really did just see that and am not pretending for dramatic effect. Dang. Well I'll just have mom tell everyone who DOES call to rsvp that we didn't put the date on there to MAKE people call to find out when it is. That way those that show up on his actual birthday don't get cake. Um, yeah, that's it. Dang.

(Disclaimer: This in no way should reflect on my skills as a designer.... I've had a naughty 2 year old and my anniversary week this week and am a little loopy from it all.)

Nuts over Paisley!

I go through creative spurts. I'm sure I've talked about this before. I'll love a certain style for like, 2 weeks, then find something new to obsess over. This week, and maybe next, it's PAISLEY! woop woop!

Check out this eye candy!

And this! I love these colors together!

 And how cute for a little girl! Pink and black and pops of brown... Screams "Princess"!

This might be my favorite! Brown, sage green, black, lots of breathing space...*sigh*

Pictures Courtesy of Etsy

I won an AWARD?!

Wow. I'm a little stunned. I never thought the work I did for a local furniture company would get taken outside the area...to a regional conference...

A FURNITURE CONFERENCE!

I love furniture. It stems from having to live in a travel trailer that comes completely furnished, so there's no need to buy anything. But that makes me want to! But I digress.

Here's the ad!

I couldn't put this up until it ran in the local paper. The boss man is so funny. Overly Super secretive about sales strategies and such. Confidentiality and the whole bit. But he took this ad with him to a furniture dealers conference, entered it into a "Most original idea" contest and it won! 

Which is a little funny because this ad is normally "Way outside the box" for his tastes and what he wants for the image of the store. He wanted me to change it, and I used the classic words, "You should really trust me on this one". He did, and I'm glad it paid off for him! I'm glad we were able to shake things up a bit and get his store (and me) some recognition!

Be Inspired...BY EVERYTHING!

I'm not working on anything that I can talk about right now...
(Cue the ominous music)

BUT I cruise the internet every day looking for more inspiration. And I find it EVERYWHERE! I find it on shabby vintage blogs, like Twig, or on clothing websites, like Ruche, or even in the graphics in some of the cartoons that my little man "R" likes to watch!

Stuff like this:

Courtesy of Etsy, another treasure trove of homemade goodies

Or This:

Courtesy of Ruche. When I look at clothing as inspiration, I'm looking at the colors and patterns. For example, I made a plaid background for a new project that I may share if it turns out on screen like I want it to in my head, using this vest as inspiration.

Thats all for today. Back to the grindstone for me! Little "R" fell out of bed this morning at 6:30 am, right over his bumpers and right over the side of his bunk, so it's been touch and go with his moods this morning. Lots and lots of love and hands on attention should fix that! *I hope*

Another Filling Station Project

I had a RAD poster to create for The Filling Station Youth Center this week. It was one of those "Um, we have an event on the 11th what can you show us by tomorrow-ish" type of deals. For some reason....I LOVE those projects! Some good work generally turns out from those rush jobs. Here's what I came up with:

Cool right? Notice the new logo in the bottom right corner!!

Yep, that was a previous project. 

Um...and you guys don't know about the food that comes out of the kitchen at this place. IT'S TO DIE FOR! Notice how I highlighted "Dessert Included"??  The lady who normally cooks also cooks on a weekly and sometimes daily basis for an ARMY of teenage kids and she is AMAZING! I've never had anything bad come from her kitchen, and I ate MANY MANY meals there, so I can only imagine what types of desserts will come out of there for this event.....mmmm.

~Jess