100 Days Project

Image from The Great Discontent

About a month or so ago a friend showed me the 100 Day Challenge and asked a bunch of us if we would like to be involved. I was so hesitant at first, I mean what could I do for a hundred days that wouldn't seem daunting or at the same time underwhelming? As a creative type I knew that I wanted to do something with art, but more specifically with something off of the computer. After debating (with myself of course) for a while between drawing and some type of lettering and I remembered a doodle series I developed back a few years ago.

Meet Myrtle. Born out of a whimsical and slightly skewed sense of humor, Myrtle will be going on adventures for the next 100 days. If you would like to follow along with me you can find the drawings here #myrtlesadventures - I know I can't wait to see where she'll be going next!
 It has already been a little challenging to make sure the picture goes up each day and we are only three days in! I love the time I have put into sketching out thoughts and then completing the frame. Though it seems like another thing on my list of "to do's", it's been relaxing to get back to a sketchbook and drawing for my own pleasure.

I also have loved seeing what friends have committed to working on and exploring what others are doing through the #100dayproject and #the100dayproject

Want to join the challenge? It's not too late - here is how to join:

Sketches: Spring Flowers

When I was at the grocery store earlier this week I was immediately met by the friendly faces of these beautiful tulips. I had to purchase them; I had to take them home.

It's funny how a quick trip to the market for butter can spark such an unexpected inspirational find.

Aren't they lovely! So full of beautiful color!

(Left) A simple Sketch of the flowers  |  (Right) Water color and Ink

Creative Quotes

I stumbled across this beautifully written article, Women vs. Women, and a little thing called “self-respect” from Wit & Delight.  To the point, and very thoughtful - this piece examined why  women should build one another up and not tear one another down. We have our own strengths and our own path to walk as individual women. We will always benefit from support from each other on these travels. Great food for thought.

Handwritten By Caroline Hutchison of  Linalulu Paperie

MoodBoard: March Projects

With Spring (hopefully) around the corner, I'm looking into more projects with fun motifs and colors. Here are little glimpses through moodboard's I have put together of somethings I have been working on!

I'm really excited to work on this unique invitation featuring aspects of Grand Rapids, MI as the main focus for this summer wedding.

Clockwise: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

With wedding season around the corner, bridal shower season is in full swing. I've been itching to finish these elegant and sophisticated bridal tea invitations just so I can show you all what they pick!

Clockwise: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Creative Quotes

With a new year comes new beginnings and new perspective. Here is to continuing to work hard, and produce great things. I'm looking forward to what you have to offer 2014!

Advent: Love

The shortest week in Christmas is the fourth week, which symbolizes love. This candle signifiesy the love of God that surrounds and fills us at all times, but  we recognize it in a special way in the Christmas story. There is no greater power than love. We love, because God loves us.

Life Lately in Pictures

I haven't had my iPhone long, but it has become a necessary tool in my daily design work. It is fun to to go back through and see the small fragments of memories captured in everyday pictures

With Christmas and the New Year approaching quickly, there has been a lot of gift wrapping, snow shoveling, and ever increasing more work on projects for my Etsy shop (coming 2014!) I'm thankful for these small blinks of life captured, and they make me excited to share with you what is to come

Creative Quotes

Advent: Joy

In the third week of advent, the theme is "Rejoice" or "Joy" . The spirit of joy  comes from the words of Paul, “The Lord is near.”  This joyful spirit is marked by the third candle of our Advent wreath, which is typically rose colored.  One moves through this week feeling a part of the waiting world that rejoices because our longing has prepared us to believe the reign of God is close and reminds us that Christmas is only a week away

Advent: Peace

"It is through remembering that we again look for signs of Christ’s coming in Advent. In hope, courage, and faith dare to speak with the psalmist: 'Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.' ” Rev. Anna Fulmer

Calligraphy Sketches

I loved getting to practice my calligraphy at work today for a project with a fellow designer, Mark Lane. What a beautiful reminder to pen this time of year!

Advent : Hope

With December coming so rapidly upon us, we leave Thanksgiving behind for the season of Advent. Advent derives its meaning from the Latin meaning word for "coming". In the weeks before Christmas we prepare, we wait, we long for the coming of the new born Christ

Sketches and Suprises: Coming Soon

Over the last few days I have been inspired, but I am not quite ready to reveal the whole of my thoughts. I was just too excited not to capture a rough glimpse of what is to come!

Sketches and Suprises: With All My Heart

Earlier this year, I created this sketch entitled "With All My Heart, Love"  and found it recently  among my piles of sketches. Look out for an updated version of this little guy soon!

Sketches and Suprises: B is for Beauty

I have the amazing privileged to work along side a talented group of designers at my full time job. They constantly are introducing trends, smarter design solutions, pushing one another to create stunning design solutions.  

One of those instances is what the team calls Infused Inspiration Fridays: Challenges.

Started by a small pool of our design team, about a handful of us on the team gather and execute a predetermined design challenge once a month on Friday afternoon. Someone on the team creates a "challenge", in which we are given a set of guide lines, and a set time limit. The challenges have ranged so far from creating a pattern inspired by fall decor to creating a music album cover with only a set of words and images.

This past week our challenge was to use one image and the word "beauty" to create something that we believed represented beauty.

My interpretation of our teams Infused Inspiration Friday Challenge - read below to see the guidelines!

Here is an example of the rules: 

 1. Download assets. Link sent in email.
2. Create your interpretation of “beauty” only using:
—the word “beauty”   — this image
3. You have the one image and one word. In addition you can use any color, any font, any size, any medium (on or off the computer), and anything you can create using the word “beauty” and this image.
4. You CANNOT add any other images or textures. 
5. Your final piece must use this image and have the word “beauty” written somewhere on it.
6. You have 25 minutes to design and print your piece.
7. Present your piece to the team at the round table.
8. Have fun! 

Each time it is incredible to see not only what myself and my teammates produced in a short time, but how wide of a range of thoughts and talents are represented in this fun exercise.