Recent Work
I’ve been lucky enough to stay really busy with my web design business. I love working on different projects with different styles every day. Here are a couple things I’ve been working on:
Some simple changes to Brooke Ashley’s Photography blog. Her pictures say it all, we just wanted to compliment her great work with subtle design elements:
A brand new website for Zusti! Home Maintenance Service using WordPress:
A fun playful logo for La Olla products:
A throwback logo for Birds on a Line:
Just a few of the fun projects I’ve been working on. If you need help with your website or business image, visit my website www.brookehalldesign.com for more info.
Cute As A Button Invitations
Here are the invitations for a shower I’m throwing tomorrow: “Cute As A Button”
Here’s how I made them
1. Grabbed a Sharpe and drew the “Cute as a Button” and the little buttons.
2. Scanned the drawing and finished the invitation in Photoshop, printed and rounded corners
3. Cut scrap fabric using rotary cutter
4. Sewed random buttons on fabric using my sewing machine {if you haven’t done this, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is! I’ll never hand-sew a button again!}
5. Sewed two pieces of fabric together with contrasting thread to make pocket and trimmed edges with pinking shears
I’m Sharing: Thank You IOU Cards
After my shower a few weeks ago {I’ll share when I’ve got pics}, I wanted to make sure my thank you cards were special, but didn’t need to spend a lot of money on them. I came up with an “IOU” idea, and created these in Photoshop. They print out 3 to a letter-sized piece of paper and fit in a standard number 10 envelope. Click here to download my free PDF to use these cards for yourself!
I Make Things
I’m not good with words. I always come up with the right thing to say 10 minutes after the opportunity presents itself.
I don’t bake that well. Yes, I have chocolate chip cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies that I can deliver consistently. But anything more complicated than that will take me LOTS of practice to be successful. The yeast didn’t activate in the cinnamon rolls I made for my honey on Valentine’s Day {but he ate it anyway}.
But, I can make things.
I stole this adorable idea from transcraftinental {via Muddycakes Muse} and gave it to my husband on Valentine’s. We’ll all be skinnier this way if I just keep making things and forget about the baking.
{playing cards from my closet, cover designed in Photoshop and attached using my Xyron}
Danville Chocolates Website Design
This website was both so fun to design, and *excrutiating* to look at these delicious chocolates for long stretches of time without having some to snack on. Check out my new Danville Chocolates website design: www.danvillechocolates.com.
My Baby Shower Invitations
Most of my friends are creative. Some of them are flat out duds. {kidding}. ALL of my friends are creative in their own right: teaching, nutrition, numbers, crafting, and the list goes on. Nicki, however, really sets the bar. {when you get a chance, look at the wrinkly babies on her photography blog here}.
She created these invitations for my baby shower, and her attention to detail is inspiring! Thanks Nicki!
Baby Shower Invitations
I’m hosting my friend April’s baby shower next weekend, and although I’m dying to share the details as we plan them, I don’t want to spoil it! :)
Here are the invitations I made and sent out a few weeks ago… designed in photoshop, printed one side on heavy paper and the other on a shiny thin paper, and sandwiched together over a popsicle stick using a xyron label maker. We’re having an ice cream party!
Inspiration for the invitation from the Imprintables Blog.
Blog Redesign Project: Penelope Loves Lists
Here she is, my latest blog redesign project: Penelope Loves Lists.
Meredith, who describes herself as “unapologetically organized” writes about all things organizational: work, home, kids and life. This was a fun project to work on and was my first time working on the Thesis Theme. Geek Alert: While this theme boasts its ease of use, it was like learning a new language. And with that, a new skill under my belt, a challenging project, and a pretty blog.
Tags For PillowsByMom
I’m trying to get off my feet in the evenings a bit more. But I still need a project in my lap. Here I’m making shop tags for Pillows By Mom, whilst my little one encroaches on my surface area.
{I made the tags in Illustrator, attached Whitney’s Green Apple Divine Twine, and clipped them on with assorted colored safety pins from the fabric store.}
Coming Soon!
…A cute little chocolate store in downtown Danville, CA. Do you like the logo? ;)
Bright Side Project: The kinks are out!
Over the last few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jules and Tristan, new blog friends on the redesign and migration of their communal blog from Typepad to WordPress. The launch took place two weeks ago, and I think we got all the kinks out. The migration from Typepad wasn’t as painless as it is from Blogspot, but everything has been sorted out.
If you haven’t been to The Bright Side Project, please stop by. These two verysmartandwitty girls plan *DAILY GIVEAWAYS* with seriously fabulous stuff. They post their winners weekly, and all you have to do is answer the daily question to win.
GOOD LUCK!
The Red and Cyan Shower Details
My friend Nicki’s shower was last week, and it was perfect. My friend and I did all the decorating and food prep the night before, so there was literally no stress the day of the shower. The trick to a well-themed party is repetition, repetition, repetition. We made sure we kept our theme evident: the colors red and cyan, and the element of an umbrella. I found some $4 parasols at a local party store, grabbed mini take-out containers from my blogging buddy Jessica, and Shannon and I both made banners using our colors.
The picture below shows the parasols as a centerpiece, the red-colored food, and our little favor boxes which read, “little drops of sunshine”.
We used Shannon’s mantle as a little vignette of adorable prego-pictures of Nicki. We found this banner idea at Paper Source, and I made it with very little paper, some ribbon I had, and those handy full-page labels from Avery to spell out her baby name.
Shannon gathered her clear glass vases and put yummy red candies inside… there was definitely plenty of red food to be had! Notice the little blue umbrella in this picture… too cute! {I found that parasol at a party store; it wasn’t quite the right blue, so I painted it.}
In the lower picture, we had every guest write down a word that describes Nicki to them. While Nicki was opening her presents, I put them together in this little shadowbox with mini butterflies I had cut out earlier. This was the final gift she received and she loved it.
And lastly – remember the invitations?
I love putting together a well-themed party. This had very little out-of-pocket expense, was low-key and fun!
My LOVE Poster on Likely Design
How does blog stalking happen? I’ll tell you… I entered a giveaway on This Young House {yes, I like free things too}, and amongst many other commenters, only one had a gravatar, so I clicked her link and found her delightful blog: Likely Design. {If you don’t have your gravatar yet, take 30 seconds and make one at gravatar.com} Before much time had passed {or many posts}, I could tell that the author, Lindsay, and I had much in common! I see the book on her nightstand is the same one that I’m reading {and loving}, she bought this faux bois pendant light that I love, she has a thing for birds and she has her own “home-based business of interior, web, and graphic design.” Sound familiar?
So like a good little blog stalker, I commented. She visited my blog, and bought my love print in tan and hung it in her baby room. She shared the pictures on her blog yesterday, and I LOVE seeing where these little posters end up! Thanks Lindsay!
This is my Love Print in Tan: “Love is how we got here.” This is a quote that came to me late one night when I couldn’t sleep… and it can have so many meanings. While feeling overwhelmingly grateful for my husband, our home, and our life, it occurred to me that none of this would have happened without my husband and our love for each other. We don’t have any kids, but this could also certainly apply to your children, because without love, they wouldn’t be here.
Red and Cyan Baby Shower Invitations
Yep, another friend having a baby. Fun for me because I got to do another round of cute baby shower invitations. I’m planning the shower with a friend, and couldn’t help but use a graphic of an umbrella {Not that it hasn’t been done before, but I thought it would be fun}. I drew an outline of an umbrella in Photoshop, and purchased different patterns from istockphoto to place in each part of the umbrella. The shower’s guest of honor, Nicki, is a great quilter and scrapbooker, so I knew this would capture her style. Plus who doesn’t like the throwback feel of red and cyan?
Check out the wording… probably my favorite part of creating invitations!
After finishing up the design in Illustrator, I printed them out, four to a page. I used my newly acquired Xyron to adhere them to the cardstock. However, my newest LOVE is Avery’s 8.5″x11″ labels. I have found a zillion uses for these things, and they are such good quality. If you don’t have a Xyron, I would recommend using these labels to adhere invitations to card stock. The paper stock and envelopes I used were on clearance from Paper Source – they have TONS of great colors and patterns at their stores, and I rounded the corners of the paper with my corner punch. And lastly, I used that same umbrella graphic and the Avery Labels to make everyone’s address labels on the front of the envelope.
LOVE making invitations…
LOGO DESIGN: That’s What She Said
My kickball team’s name is “That’s What She Said.” It only seemed fitting that we have our own custom logo, what with a few graphic designers on board. I traced some clip-art of a woman, and made her wink. Then I added a typeface for the team name, all in Illustrator. If you want to download a version of this logo for your own kickball team, you can do so here. :)
