r's adventure

two for tuesday | colour full

two images that play nicely together | see more here

the lane

my wedding may well be over but that doesn't stop me from adding to my pinterest 'celebration' board. the photo above stopped me in my internet tracks.  absolutely stunning.

minted | holiday cards

minted's famous holiday card challenge is open for voting and with over 3,000 entries from around the world there's an incredibly inspiring selection to choose from. this year i designed four cards all created to showcase your photo to family and friends (including my chalk-board stamp card i mentioned in this weeks toolbox). if you've got a spare moment i'd really appreciate your vote, thanks!

diamond days (shown above)

L to R > two heart thirteen, a merry and bright future, circle stamp greeting (with close up of chalk board detail)

toolbox: 19

take a look on pinterest and it's easy to see chalkboards are a huge trend. the effect is easy to recreate in photoshop with a little tweaking. i did some investigation onlne while working on my minted holiday card submissions and here's a couple of links to get you started!

this was the first and best link i found. and there is also a free chalkboard background to download.

or if you have a little more time on your hands, here's the steps to recreating the entire image and background in illustrator.

the image above was created by molly jacques, who is a hand-letterer extraordinaire! if you're looking for some tips on refining your lettering technique, this is a valuable resource and if at the end of this all, you'd rather go the traditional route and create on a real chalkboard, here is a helpful DIY.

toolbox is a weekly post offering a selection of websites or links that i've found inspirational or helpful as a designer in my 9 to 5 design day. to see the rest of the series please click here.

two for tuesday | graphic

two images that play nicely together | see more here

paper stock

paper stock offer a beautiful range of minimalist notebooks, cards, envelopes and folders.

they say, "functional stationery designed for each fashion season, intended to be accessories as well as books to keep notes in."

my favourites are as above: A: white / crosses diamond flap notebook and B: animal notelet.

toolbox: 18

a nice infographic by bright bazaar, designed by amanda jane jones on building a bright and successful blogging brand. my favourite would have to be 'believe in your voice'. i'd love to say i have a plan for this blog, but really it's my flight of fancy - and i'm ok with that :)

toolbox is a weekly post offering a selection of websites or links that i've found inspirational or helpful as a designer in my 9 to 5 design day. to see the rest of the series please click here.

two for tuesday | zest

two images that play nicely together | see more here

thank you cards

i found these great kraft cards at kmart last week and although we are currently packing up our house, i couldn't resist picking up a couple of packs. those string tie closures are so sweet! good thing these cards & envelopes at 150mm wide were the perfect size for sending our wedding photos and thank you notes. i used my typewriter to add a message on cotton fabric tape and voila!

desk life

i love when my desk at work isn't covered in to-do lists and client emails and instead is graced with a pony, pink washi tape and a great magazine. cheers to friday!