• collection of my life & design •

off to pick up a friend from the airport today

I'm picking up a friend from the airport today for my Bridal Shower Saturday! Yippee!! Have a great day ;)

it's been a little while

Sorry It has been so long since I have written a post. I'm working on getting two of my stamp sets finished to send to Nichole early so that when I'm gone in May for my wedding the files will have been approved. I'm loving these next sets so much I can't wait to share them with you all! I look forward to seeing the creations that you all have come up with using the "it's a celebration" set as well!

Also I have my bridal shower this coming weekend so I'm preparing the house for three guests. One friend from NY that is expecting her first child and another from Seattle that has a 7 month old little girl. So fun, I can't wait for them to get here. Also my sister is flying in from California and staying with my parents since my house will be filled to the brim with us, friends and our two dogs. The shower is on Saturday so we have a good few days before that to hang out, shop and catch up.

Wedding plans are getting down to the nitty gritty, the final dress fitting was last weekend and we pick up the suit this week. Let me tell you it is becoming very real now. I was driving away from the fitting and tears started rolling down my face. It was uncontrollable. The next time I put that dress on I will be walking down the isle to marry the man of my dreams. I had a similar feeling when picking out the dress. I tried on many and went to lots of shops, but when I tried on this dress I started to cry. I could picture myself standing in front of him in it and said to my mom, this is it.

Hope you all have a wonderful week and I will be in touch!

presentation today

This week has been sooo crazy. I'm getting ready for a logo presentation at the moment and thought I would write to say hello.

Well, back to work!

thanks so much

I just wanted to say that I appreciate everyone that has been so kind in supporting this adventure with Papertrey ink. I feel blessed to be a part of something so positive. Have a great weekend!

the hour countdown begins

I went to a business networking event at a local sign printer Imagine Graphics last night to get my name out there and promote my graphic design company Madra Design. Also to have some fun ;) I had a great time and met lots of amazing designers, Illustrators, local business owners and saw some old friends and colleagues . It was put on by the Chamber of Commerce with a wonderful caterer and a local winery.

Today is full of exciting things, starting out with a logo presentation for a technology company Itech NW followed by a few long hours of waiting for the Papertrey Ink stamp release!!!! I plan on stamping to keep my mind stimulated until then... I'm so excited for it finally to be available to purchase and to see even more wonderful projects that have been created and will be created using "it's a celebration."

If you haven't already done so pop over to Nichole Heady's Blog to view the wonderfully adorable and creative card she stamped with "it's a celebration." She has outdone herself!

Here is a small gift card that I created this afternoon using the birthday hat image from "it's a celebration." Both the top and the bottom of the hat are separate images as well as a few different choices of tops. Here I used a small diamond jewel, but the sky really is the limit to this. I used a ribbed deep red paper (might look pink on your screen) for some texture and the happy birthday sentiments from the set. The photo corners are an easy way to adhere the paper, just lick each corner and stick, plus they add dimension by lifting ever so slightly off the card. Ribbon for the final touch and presto, quick n' easy ;) Can't wait for tonight......

two more days left....

Included in this card that I created last night from the "it's a celebration" stamp set are: the stars, the small line of underline dots, the tiny tag, and both the sentiments "with love" and "Celebrate." I choose to use a 3D gold string to connect the tiny tag to the card, but there is the option to use a 2D version that I created in the set as well. The tag could be used with many stamp sentiments or hand written for a personal feel (but with my handwriting maybe not). The outline of the tag is just thick enough to make hand cutting a breeze. Just think of it as a scissor guide ;)

If you visit Amy Rysavy's Blog there is a great packaging example using the tiny tag in this set! I am amazed with the Papertrey Team, wow Amy.

I used this black and gold combo with a ragged edge on the bottom to create a more natural look to the card. Also the use of everyday household twine from the garage creates more of a masculine feel.

my first card with "it's a celebration"

I'm so nervous to show my first project created with my first Papertrey Ink stamp set "it's a celebration", here goes nuthin'.

The gift box image pictured on this card was created as two images, again to allow for the option of a different color bow from the actual gift. Since this is a very stylized box image I added the same style of box bow and the the bubbles for a playful feel. The bubble outlines match up perfectly offering the overlapping effect. The bubbles could also be used as fun background pattern as shown on Nichole Heady's Blog. If you scroll down after reading about her other wonderful creations with Alli Miles' beautiful wedding set you can take a look.

Ooh, ooh, if you pop over to Lauren Meader's blog there is a fun and creative tutorial featuring the party flags within this set! She really takes advantage of the individual pieces to add color and I LOVE the silver string, what a talented young lady.

they have arrived

My package arrived with my stamps and mmmmm, they smell good ;) I have started to play around with them and what a blast!

Stay tuned..

*Hint of the day* You wear these on your head at parties.

- Missy C. guessed lampshades ;) - Donelda guessed party hats.

and it begins

It's definitely a celebration! Check out Nichole Heady's blog to find out what delicious new colors are being revealed for this March 15th release. Yummy.

I have to say it's a pretty amazing feeling to have something I created come to life in such a interactive way. I have attached a sneak peak of one of the images for my very first Papertrey Ink stamp set named "It's a celebration."

This party flag graphic is my personal favorite, with the options of using any of the three patterned flags or the solid flag image to create your very own unique design. Mixing up the colors is an option as well since all the graphics are separate stamps! Dot, star, and stripe patterns are used throughout the entire set in the various images so that coordination is a snap. The flag string could be an optional element as well, by using your own choice to string or ribbon as a substitute and arranging the flags to create a more 3D effect. Individual Flags were designed so that they rest along the string with only a slight rotation. "It's a Celebration" is extremely versatile as with all of Papertrey Ink stamps. ;)

I created all my stamp images in Adobe Illustrator which is part of the Adobe Creative Suite. I use Photoshop and InDesign in other aspects of my design life as well. Since my background is graphic design, and I'm passionate about what I do, designing for Papertrey Ink is a dream come true. With the freedom to create as I'm inspired, the sky's the limit.

Starting with a theme idea with some heavy brainstorming, I dive into creating images and sentiments that represent that particular theme. In the case of "It's a Celebration", the flag images where the first that came to mind.

another sample

Nichole sent me another sneek peek today! What an odd feeling to have others creating with designs that I created. I can't wait to share. I checked the post office today and no package yet. It's killing me.

Oh, I did get my first wedding gifts today in the mail though. That was pretty exciting. They were from Darren's family in Waterford Ireland. It really just makes the wedding feel like it's just around the corner, oh wait it is! The Cozumel Wedding Planner sent me our ceremony outline yesterday and when I was reading what I will read it brought tears to my eyes.