Creative Inspiration: Ira Glass

Ever get in one of those creative funks that lasts for days?

You know the ones where you just can't seem to be happy with anything you do. You turn into your own worst enemy. You start to think maybe you're just a bad designer. Maybe you only have a certain amount of good ideas in you. You eventually debate giving up, but of course you don't because you love what you do. Still, there is this gap you are trying to fill and you aren't quite sure what the solution is.

It's a struggle, but it happens to the best of us. Trust me, I know. I just went through one.

During that time my wonderful husband shared this little segment with me by Ira Glass from This American Life.  It was just the push I needed to get back on track. If you are feeling this way hopefully it will help you too.

Honeymoon: Caribbean Cruise - Part 5

Day 5: Cozumel, Mexico

The day started out a big dreary. We planned an excursion to Passion Island, but the rain and lack of sun really wasn't ideal. We made the best of it though.

Honeymoon: Caribbean Cruise - Part 4

Day 4: George Town, Grand Cayman

We arrived in George Town at 8:00 am ready to go on our second excursion, Sting Ray City, where we would get up close and personal with stingrays! Brian had already enjoyed the experience once before while on a cruise with his family. I on the other hand had not. I was pumped and couldn't wait to get out there.

After a quick breakfast we made our way down to the the small boat, a tender, that would take us to the dock. This was the first and only stop we had where we had tender in, so we didn't realize how long it might take. Here is where we ran into a little problem.

Invitation: Sweet 15 (Quincenaera)

Vanessa is celebrating her Quincenaera, or Sweet 15th Birthday, later this month in Mexico. A quincenaera is similar to a Sweet 16th Birthday here in the states. The biggest difference is that before the celebration there is a Thanksgiving Mass.

Vanessa asked for zebra print and pink to be incorporated into the design of her invitations. With that in mind, I came up with this girly design using a blue zebra stripe and a fresh young font for the birthday girl's name. The invitations were printed on a pearlescent white card stock and mailed out in pink envelopes.

Honeymoon: Caribbean Cruise - Part 3

Day 3: Falmouth, Jamaica

That morning we arrived in Falmouth, Jamaica and went on our first excursion, a kayak trip to Dunn's River Falls. The day started with an hour long bus ride down the coast to the ocean. Our tour guide taught us a few Rasta phrases to help pass the time. Some of them were "Iree" which means "Happy", "Nutten" which means "Nothing", and when asked a question instead of saying "Yes" you had to say "Ya Mon". "No problem" is also a very popular phrase because they Rastafarian's are so care free.

When we arrived to our destination we were escorted through a resort to the shore where our kayaks awaited. We climbed into our kayaks and paddled our way through the sea to our destination. We passed over an old coral reef, some beautiful homes, and a dolphin cove (I never saw a dolphin so this may have been a lie). Our tour guide took us to a small waterfall and pushed each of our kayaks through it for a nice refreshing soak. He sang the whole time, which was really happy.

Honeymoon: Caribbean Cruise - Part 2

Day 2: Labadee, Haiti

People are always shocked when I tell them this was my favorite port to visit. Haiti doesn't have the best wrap, but when you are dropped off on a sandy beach with clear blue water you really can't complain.

Honeymoon: Caribbean Cruise - Part 1

We hopped on a plane the day after our wedding and flew to Florida to start our first adventure as husband and wife! One of my dear old friends and her husband were also on the flight. They encouraged the flight attendant to move us to first class. Unfortunately it was full, but she did offer us complimentary cocktails. Better than nothing right?

Once we arrived in Florida we crashed at a hotel, ate some mediocre pizza, and watched some TV on an old tube TV. Talk about classy! That following afternoon, we boarded our Royal Caribbean ship, The Freedom of the Seas.

Good-Bye Florida!

Vintage Woodland Wedding: Invitation

Invites give your guests the first glimpse at your wedding style. These romantic, vintage, and woodsy invites were perfect for our small wedding at Krippendorf Lodge in Rowe Woods.  The combination of paper and fabric made quite an impact on our guests.

The overall theme for the wedding was a combination of vintage and woodland styles. The color palette was loosely based on robin's egg blue, blush pink, ivory, and brown. The kraft paper invites were screen printed with white ink. Then wrapped with either a blue or pink floral fabric to match the color palette.

Each reply card had a web address printed on it for guests to get more information on the wedding and RSVP.  It was tied around each invite with a coordinating ribbon.

Designer | Rachael Ward | Cincinnati, OH

Calligrapher | Rachel Scheller | Fort Mitchell, KY

Printer | Four Ambition | Dayton, OH

Envelopes & Paper | French Paper 

Fabric | Jo-Ann Fabric