August Desktop Calendar (2015)

July was a wonderful month of activity.  There were the usual ups and downs, but the hubbard and I were able to get a bit of rest in there and a few days at home to work on our own projects and tidy up the house a bit after the chaos of June.

This month has been a time of quite reflection.  Even during the hustle of life, the stress of responsibilities, the panic of a flea-scare and the wealth of emotions that come with change, I have been reminded to enjoy the moment.  To ask God for the strength to act in a way outside of myself—to lean on His strength and plan, and to allow His Spirit to work in and through me.  I cannot control what happens in life, or other people do to or around me but, with the help of God, I can respond with Grace and forgiveness.  I can find Him in the quiet, and I can allow Him to love me in the chaos.

Here's to another great month.  A month of birthdays (well, mine anyway!); a month of preparation and new beginnings as we begin the new academic year; a month of mentor-ship and counsel as the new XC season begins; a month of love and friendship as we gather together again.  Welcome August, I am excited to see what you will bring.


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Aaaaand, as a bonus, I designed a second version for all of my light-background-loving-friends::

Envelope Liner: Striped Perfection

I love me a classy stripe.
On clothes, pillows, cups, curtains and... you guessed it, wedding stationery!  I just love how the simple regular lines create so much texture and movement.  SO little effort for so much impact!
Just like the Birch Bark envelope liner, this stripey liner design was made to specifically coordinate with one of the stationery designs already in the shop.  Did you guess which one?

The Apple Blossom suite, of course!  Though this classy pattern would really look lovely with many of the stationery designs (come to think of it, the new succulent design would really pair well with this liner!).

I'm still busy swooning over this pair, but if you're not convinced, I'm sure I have another design that will tickle your fancy a bit ;)  Head on over to the shop and check them out!

Graffiti Youth Ministry Booklet

One of the best parts of my job is the variety that I am able to work with.
Because I began as a graphic designer a few years ago before branching off into wedding stationery "full time" (lots of attention, but still workin' two jobs), I still receive a lot of clients who are looking for other genres and styles of work.

Introducing: Graffiti Youth Ministry booklet (or "GYM" for short—aren't we witty?)

Derek was looking for something that would give an urban vibe while still remaining clean and welcoming—he was pretty set on colors and general content but other than that he was fairly flexible.  Despite his positive attitude, "inner-city" and "friendly" do not typically go hand in hand, so we had a real challenge ahead of us.

He also wanted a logo for the group, and I was more than willing to play around with a little bit of easy typography for the cover!

We continued the style that he chose throughout the book: brick wall texture in the background, graffiti style heading, crisp and clean design.

There were a few pages where we had to deviate from the main layout for the sake of legibility and functionality. But keeping in the color scheme and subtle background allowed the look to remain consistant without being the same on every single page.

Overall, the project was a fun challenge for me that resulted in a fun product!  And the client was pretty excited about the finished design, which always makes the experience more rewarding for me. 
Happy clients = happy Katrina!

Portrait: Wedding Planner

We all know those people who like everything "just so..."
The people in your life or place of work who have magic at their fingertips and the incredible ability to pull fabulous events together effortlessly, and look polished no matter what they are doing.

The drawing above portrays one of these people.  And it's a good thing too, because she heads up a sought after wedding planning firm and runs her own Etsy shop business!  On top of it all, she must be a pretty awesome boss, because one of her co-workers ordered this portrait for her—keeping all of her favorite things in mind: LBD, bow pumps, pearls, curls and more!

I had a blast making it and couldn't wait to show you.
Here's to all the boss ladies out there!

Envelope Liners: Birch Bark Beauties

There's something new in the shop!

Beautiful envelope liner designs have been added for instant download!  That way you can have as many as your beauty-loving heart desires, and use them for multiple events (envelope color is up to you).  I am just thrilled with how these birch bark envelope liners turned out, and the other designs are quite on point as well, if I do say so myself!

I just love how the liner and these raspberry envelopes tie this entire stationery set together, don't you?  What color envelope would you pair with this liner?  Would you use this for your upcoming party or wedding?

Be sure to swing by the shop and check out the other designs! I can't wait to share them with you in the upcoming weeks :)

Cross Country Camp T-shirt Design 2015

I don't always share my corporate-like, graphic design work on this little blog.  And the main reason being that is isn't usually as exciting.  I mean, design can be nice or well done without being blog worthy, ya know?  Business clients don't always like it if you go crazy creative and have fun on their medical brochure or mailer... so sometimes it's just there, and you only notice if something is wrong with it! haha

Anyway, here's a new design that I made for one of my favorite clients: the Hubbard ;)  He coaches the high school track and cross country team, and each year I have the fun challenge of coming up with a new design for their team shirts.

I decided to go a little more rustic and give the nod to vintage signs/stamps that I've seen popping up everywhere (and by "everywhere", I mean "Pinterest").  Because this is not my typical style, it took a few tweaks and adjustments before we were satisfied with the result, but now we are excited to hand them out to the team and sport them around the campground!

Would you like to see more of this style of work on here occasionally? Client designs (not the "boring" ones, of course haha!), personal designs, and maybe even a few tutorials?
 Let me know!

Desert Succulent Wedding Stationery

I've got another new wedding stationery set available in the shop!
I love this watercolor succulent piece—it was so fun to create and play with, and I am extra thrilled ot be able to share it with you now.

Because I'm crazy—and because my instagram help was just as indecisive as I am—I decided to give you two options for invitation layout! Yes, in addition to all of the other options that I provide as far as custom color, text and price points, we now have the option of layout *happy dancing*

As usual, this wedding invitation suite has coordinating RSVP cards, direction and accommodation cards, wedding programs, table numbers and thank you cards.  All available in the shop for your convenience and customization!

Bridal Shower Game: "Guess The Dress"

I'll be honest, I actually like the typical bridal shower games—in moderation, of course.  I love covering my girlfriends with toilet paper to form a makeshift wedding dress; predicting what the bride will receive in a simple game of bingo (and winning a prize, of course!); and small quizzes that share fun facts about the couple.

But let's be honest, all of these same games can grow a little tiring after a full summer of "wedding fun".  So I decided to make something a little different—something that still has all of our favorite bridal silliness, but with a new spin.

Introducing: "Guess the Dress"

A fun printable with a readily illustrated "Bride" has just been added to the shop (click here to view)! Simply print, draw and color in the Bride!  You can also use this template to guess the bridesmaid's dresses.
The subtle outline on the rest of the Bride's figure makes this an ideal game for a wide variety of dress styles and skill levels. Great option for a party with a wide age group as old and young love a pretty coloring page!

Optional: Give a prize to the drawing that is closest to the Bride's dress! (or the Bride's favorite if the dress needs to be extra secret!)

We've got your classic princess Bride

 

A little vintage bride going on here

 

 And some Boho glam!

Bridal Portrait: A Gentle Kiss

My favorite part about wedding season (besides for celebrating my own marriage and the new adventures that our friends are beginning) is the custom portraits!  This is a busy time for my little business as former bridesmaids, grooms and brides seek a unique anniversary gift for friends and family.
Capturing the beauty of the bride, the excitement of the moment, the sweetness of a gentle kiss... each drawing gives me the opportunity to celebrate with the happy couple and their families.

Interested in a portrait of you and your loved one(s)?  Grab some coffee, pick through some favorite photos and send me a line, we'll have your custom illustration hanging up in no time!

OOTDsketches (68)

Throughout the week make a quick sketch of what I am wearing on that particular day, either as a warm-up or just to keep me loose if I don't have a lot of time to draw.  These drawings are then scanned and posted on my blog every Wednesday.  Again, nothing finished or professional, but something that I have fun with.  Hope you enjoy!

The busier schedule has taken some of my "play time" away from me over the past 2 months and prevented me from finishing very many of my warm up sketches—why draw my own boring outfits when I can draw somebody NEW???  But I thought I would upload what I have at the moment to make sure you didn't feel neglected :)
At home I've been sporting the athletic clothes lately, and "dressing up" has involved a white T-shirt and either a scarf, a statement necklace or a light cardigan.


Like what you see? Get your own custom, illustrative portrait for your home or blog here!

A Vintage Boho Bridal Shower

You've got the man.
You've got the ring.
You've got the dress.

Now time to celebrate your upcoming marriage with friends and family while they shower you with gifts and advice that will go way beyond the "I dos"!
This new design was added to the shop last week and I am already in love with the playful color, the subtle texture and the hand lettered focal type.  It makes me want to put on a sundress, drink some ice cold lemonade, giggle with girlfriends and "aww" over cute proposal stories.

Here is a bit of my inspiration surrounding the piece:

To find this and other wedding/party designs, visit my etsy shop!

July Desktop Calendar (2015)

As I sit here with laptop in the ready, birds in the background, sunshine calling my name and a zucchini muffin close by, all that I can think about is how happy I am that it is Summer!  The Hubbard and I still had quite a bit of running around to do this past month, so I am welcoming July and some R&R as though I was headed to the tropics.  So here you go, my fake tropical vacation via desktop background!

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Now, where are my sunnies...?