up in lights

have i hit the big time? my designs up in lights? well, in hobbs america, it would seem so! after i did this logo and branding of stationary, business cards, and stickers, they moved locations, and put up a big fancy bright lights sign.

isn't it purdy?? love.it! but, not as much as i love what they put inside.

doesn't it look like stained glass? i thought it was, but she says it's just a hard plastic. whatever it is, it's FAN.TAS.TIC!

if you're in or around hobbs (nm) america, stop in to bloom & say hi

bloom
a merle norman studio and dare to be different
3420 n grimes street
hobbs, nm

do my 15 minutes of fame start now??

can you guess?

just for you, my 3 readers, here's a little sneak peek at a design i'm working on. have any ideas what it might be? care to venture a guess?

good luck!

some assembly required

more like 'all assembly required'! 

this is what's goin' on around here right now as i gather all the items for baby sister's bridesmaid cards. oh! if you think you're on the list, stop reading now! good thing middle sissy gave up the interwebs for lent.

last time we chatted, we were thinking of one of these ideas. 

well, after wasting time doing research on pinterest, the design has morphed into something that will resemble this.

cute little envelopes for sweet sentiments and such. yummy washi tape to hold everything together. stickers, ribbon, punches, paint swatches, doilies.

the workshop's been abuzz. i've been printing, cutting, scoring, folding, gluing, taping, stringing, punching. no surface is safe. and, i'm just about done puttin' it all together to ship off to baby sister, so i get at least a little element of surprise! ha!

here's the most amazing thing: i only had to buy the doilies to make those (in the words of sweet p) so, so tiny envelopes. and, i got them at the $ store! can you believe? i had everthin' else floatin' around in the workshop. ok, maybe it's not that unbelievable, but i was pretty amazed i found so much cute stuff in baby sister's colors. (um, do you see that true love ribbon? adorbs!)

once baby sister puts them all together, i'll be back with a look at the finished product. i kept a few pieces secret, so y'all didn't see it all.

my stipulation for making these was that baby sister had to assemble them herself. i hope she bought the big jug of sangria - she's gonna need it!

outside the comfort zone

y'all, is there smoke coming out of my ears? cause this brain's had to do a lot of thinkin' recently. you see, i've been challenged creatively lately, and while the end product always makes me proud, the getting there can sometimes be quite the process.

here's the sitch - baby sister toots my horn for me alot. like alot, alot. mentions me on twitter. re-links my facebook updates. sends her buddies my way. the like. (THANKS! baby sister) so, when i received an email from her beau (EZ), i thought nothing of it. you know, maybe he wants some biz cards. or he's hosting a party for a friend. (pshaw - like boys host parties!)

uh, no. no basic designing here. when i opened that email, my jaw dropped open. dude wanted me to design his triathlon gear. all of it. shorts. tops. jackets. other tops. other shorts. say what now?

well, i thought, let's just put that away. then, i started hyperventilating. seriously. i mean i'd dabbled a little in t-shirt design. like, oh, telling the t-shirt company to center a logo on various sized shirts, and deliver them by x date, dabble. and, now he wants to be outfitted in rosita designs gear? i repeat, say what now???

after a good few days to process, and avoid the subject, i decided it was time to hunker down and get to work. well, lo and behold, it was pretty fun, and seeing the design come to life was really fulfilling! and, then seeing it worn for a race? ah.maz.ing!

here's what we sent off to the printer folks:

EZ wanted his gear to match his bike, so that meant red and black, so i started brainstorming ideas, and decided on a rounded square. then, as i manipulated the design, it started to feel to me like fish scales. which was perfect, since he's a past swimmer, and swimming is part of a triathlon.

he had his first race in the gear this weekend (the austin ironman - you go!), so let's have a little look-see at the gear in motion!

phew! i'm tired just looking at the pictures! great job, EZ! i hope you got a good long nap after that!

i also designed EZ a jersey and some shorts for baby sister. if they take a pic of those, i'll post about them too. while i don't think nike will be calling any time soon, it was fun being a "fashion designer" for the day!

i tell ya - custom rocks - the sky really is the limit!

How Pinteresting

ok, i'm sure you've all jumped on the pinterest bandwagon already. but, if you haven't, allow me to lure you to the darkside. 

pinterest is your personal online bulletin board to 'pin' anything - ANYTHING - you see as you're trottin' around the interwebs. (or you can just click around pinterest and repin all the cute things there, whichever!) you can make as many boards as you want, and pin as much as you want, and it's the.most.ADDICTING.thing.ever. ever.

look, you can pin ideas for your house:

for your tummy:

and, for your biz:

my favorite part might be the searching. you can just type in, say, oh, i don't know, robert pattinson. what? and, look at all the lovely goodness you get.

so, come on. follow me. i'll follow you. all the cool kids are doing it. you just let me know, and i'll send you an invitation!

but, don't say i didn't warn ya!

Canvas the Area

back when i had my open house, i dappled in some mixed media art on canvas. i had some out for sale, and a few sold, but what i really hoped would happen, did - custom orders. and, now it's a common item shipped out of the workshop. i've made them for wedding, birthday and just-for-me gifts, baby rooms, dining rooms.

i LUUUUUV these. LUV. it's pure get-yer-hands-dirty, handmade goodness. and, i can live for days on the high i get when i deliver one, they open it, their eyes light up, and they say I LUV IT! buuuut, the process is super nerve-wracking for me. (cuz i'm a nutjob.) ask mr. man. poor guy's constantly called to the workshop to talk me off the ledge and have (one-sided) conversations like this:

'do you think this should go here, or here? i'm really nervous they'll hate it. it's going on a wall in their house. they trust me to do something they're going to like. does it look like a third grader made it? what if they hate it. they're going to hate it.'

my sweet cousin LOVES horses and barrel racing, so her mama ordered this to match her lime green and zebra print room. (note to self: work zebra print into decor somehow)

this order was for mother's day. a sweet quote mixed with the colors of mama's house.

a bare dining room wall, a list of favorite lyrics and a cool idea led to this triptych. (that's for carrie.) talk about nervous nelly. i mean, it's going on their dining room wall! everyone who comes to their house will see it! a few deets: the door to the house is a map of ohio, where mama's from; mama, daddy, and 3 kiddos = 5 birds in the tree; 3 windows for 3 kiddos.

 

she collects hearts, and she's crazy creative, so she ordered some artwork for her craft room. only criteria: use reds and lots of hearts. success? we'll let her weigh in...

i used their invitation and maps to tie the couple's love of travel into this 'lovebird' wedding gift.

still with me? the possibilities are endless, really. i'll make one for you - order up! don't worry, i'll add them to the website soon - that project is underway.

Stylish Blogging

In honor of the Stylish Blog Award (!) my sister gave me (for button and header design, etc), I thought it would be the perfect time to feature those designs here. Now, I don't really do web design, but making pictures and buttons and stuff to dress up blogs? I can do that.

Since her blog, The Iowa Farmer's Wife, is about simple living, farms and fresh food, we (I) decided her blog header should change seasonally. We've done Summer, Autumn, and Winter, and will update to Spring when it arrives. Since Sweet P is in the header, we'll update that image, so the blog "grows" with the family.

We also created little seasonal buttons for her readers to grab. (Grab one, if you read her.) 

Aren't they all so cute? I'm sure Sweet P has something to do with it. And, isn't their farm adorable?! 

She also does "Challenges" every once in a while - I think there's a Fitness Challenge that's been a long time coming. So, to showcase the challenges, we created "Challenge Girl", who bears a striking resemblance to Sweet P. (If you don't think so, don't burst my bubble, k?!)

Thanks for the award, sis. And, if you have a blog you want to prettify, we should chat. We can whip you up a new header, maybe a button, a few pictures. Whatever you like!

Top 10 in '10

In honor of 10/10, I thought I'd do my own little Top 10 list. As shocked as I am that it's already October, 2010 has been a pretty great year. So, in no particular order, here are the items or events that made my top 10 in '10.

GIRLS TRIP

We took our first ever girls trip this year to celebrate some milestones (35, 30, 21). We rented a condo in Hilton Head, SC, and then ended the trip with some friends in Savannah, GA. We loved the beach, riding bikes, watching Sweet P in the waves & sand, and all the dolphins in Savannah. It was hot, hot, hot and luckily, the rain that attacked us the entire drive from Atlanta, held off for the majority of the trip. If you've never been to either place, you should go. Maybe celebrate a milestone there, like we did!

10 YEARS IN SEATTLE

As I mentioned earlier, we celebrated 10 years in Seattle this year. And, to commemorate the event, we threw a fiesta in the backyard, complete with fish tacos and Hatch green chile - a perfect marriage of our old home and new. We had a great time with our friends around the fire pit, and the weather was perfect!

THE BEST SURPRISE EVER

And, possibly the best birthday present ever, this year, my sis & Sweet P surprised me. Now, to surprise me is a feat in & of itself, so that makes it even better. Everyone was in on it, but me. Mr. Man, my best gal, Carrie, family members, other friends. Kudos to everyone for keeping the secret for so long. It ROCKED! To read all about it, head to sister's blog.

EIGHTIES INVASION

My sister's surprise visit just so happened to coincide with my Rockin' 80s Birthday Party, which was like, totally, a blast! Costumes required, karaoke, all the fried food you could imagine, and a cake made to look like a hostess cupcake. AWESOME! The costumes might've been my favorite part. My friends are SUPER creative. We had Michael Jackson, Madonna, a preppy country club couple, side-ponies, scrunchies, crimped hair, ornate velvet prom dresses, neon, neon, and more neon. I'll spare my friends the embarrassment of the pictures, but wow - RAD!

MY OPEN HOUSE

I already wrote about it, but my first open house definitely ranks as one of the best events of the year. And, it just opened a door to have many more of these fun evenings. I appreciate all my friends and their support for this little business of mine. I am the little engine that could, and it really has everything to do with my support system. PS - holidays right around the corner, so send me your orders.

BRANCHING OUT

Hosting the open house allowed me to showcase other handmade items, besides my Invitations and Announcements. And, it's been so fun creating custom pieces for clients. A hair flower for a wedding here, a triptych of canvases for someone's dining room there, with a name sign as a new baby gift thrown in for good measure. It's been a wild ride, but flexing my creative muscles feels amazing. If you are looking for one-of-a-kind gifts this Holiday, we should chat.

HI RO-RO

If you have nieces & nephews, you know the overwhelming feeling of pride when they say your name for the first time. When I received the video of Sweet P pointing to Auntie Ro-Ro when asked, I watched it over & over through tears. Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it! And, now, since I talk to her mama numerous times a day, the phone is "Hi Ro-Ro". Gotta love that kid!

A NEW BICYCLE

In May, Mr Man's parents sent him his college bike, which of course meant I needed one. Now, if you know me, I am NOT sporty. I repeat, I am NOT sporty. So, to get a bike was a huge (ginormous) stretch for me. But, I'll admit, riding is fun. We rode to the beach on the weekends, downtown for dinner, and around the 'hood just for fun. The requests from Mr. Man were the best: 'hey, pop a wheelie real quick'; 'hey, just ride really fast & jump off the curb'; 'you can totally ride down that horribly steep hill without crashing & burning'. Ah, I love that man - he thinks I have such dare devil potential. For the record, no, I didn't do any of those things, but yes, I do ride barefoot, or in flip flops and a skirt. Told you, NOT sporty.

ADIRONDACK CHAIRS

Early in the summer, I decided I needed Adirondack chairs for our front yard. Since the sun moves from the backyard about 3:30, I wanted to still be able to enjoy the sun without sitting in the grass. So, that's what I did. I put them together and painted them. And most days, you could find me in my chair in the front yard with my laptop and a glass of water (or wine) with the windows open so I could hear my tunes. Oh, just another perk of being your own boss.

SUMMER CONCERTS

It seemed all my favorite bands from the early 90s decided to tour this summer. I missed some of the shows, but the shows I saw were awesome. And, there's nothing better than being able to sing along to EVERY song! Concrete Blonde, Sarah McLachlan, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sheryl Crow. It truly was the summer of live music!

Have you had a good 2010 so far (it's almost over, you know, so I hope so!)? Let me know some of the fun stuff you've done; I may add them to my list for 2011.

Remember, the holidays are fast approaching (I think we're in under 10 weeks now), so order up those cards or gifts.

A Work of Art

Remember this post?

Well, I'm back to show you the goods. Now, when I met with this bride, we discussed a garden theme, using greens & purples to convey the casual feeling they were planning for their winery wedding. And, I got to working.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the bride decided she wanted her invitations to feel a little more personal. And, since her mother's an artist, and just happened to have a painting of said winery, why not use the art to announce the wedding?

I think it was a fantastic decision - these invitations might be some of the yummiest I've done in a while. 

The hand torn edges...

the textured paper (swoon. suhwooooon. i.love.this.paper.)...

the depth of colors in the artwork...

the finished package, all wrapped up ready to go...

Best wishes to Michelle & Bill - they're set to tie the knot in just a few short weeks.

Through My Window

Take time today to enjoy the blooming trees out your windows.

xoxo

Go ahead, Ask me a question

So, I have a bit of a blog addiction. I read & I read, and then I read some more. And, then I get stressed out because the world of bloggers is the world of the most creative, thoughtful, articulate people, and you know, I'm just not worthy.

Well, in my readings, I found this new platform. It's called formspring, and you can ask people questions, any question you like. So, I signed up. Now, since it's pretty new, you might have a hard time finding people, but if you'd like to ask me a question, click here, and follow me. There's also a cute little widget over there to the right, where you can just type a question right there. 

And, sign yourself up for one, so I can ask you a question, and follow you.

And, while we're at it, are you following me here? So, you know when I've decided to say something so eloquent that you just must dash over and read it immediately? Oh, right, my only reader is already following me. 

Anyway, what do you wanna know?