Handmade Christmas

Good news... this will be my last blackberry picture, I got a lovely new camera for Christmas!

My first attempt at jewelry making... Here are some of the earrings that I made as gifts this year for friends and family. It became quite addictive, and I made several trips to a few different bead stores to get a larger variety even after I had plenty to give away as gifts. I made the back to display the earrings out of a few different textured pieces of cardstock cut down and then I stamped a bird pattern on each one.

Totally 80's Birthday Sleepover Invitation

Nostalgia is in full force... Here is the invitation I created for my upcoming birthday party. A friend and I have been talking about a 4th grade style sleepover for a while now, so this seems like the perfect time. Old movies, Scary Stories to tell in the Dark, NKOTB, Puffy Paint Shirts, Makeovers... How much nostalgia can we fit in one night!?

Baby Shower Invitation

6"x6" invitation

Neighborhood Theatre: Targeted E-blast Designs

the fall twist

Phil is working with some folks on a house DJ party called 'The Fall Twist' (it will be a seasonal party... Winter Twist, Spring Twist, etc.) that will be at The Neighborhood Theatre on Friday November 26. Here is the design for the event. The logo.

The front of the 4"x3" flyer.

The back of the flyer.

Vibe Beauty Lounge: Logo

Part of the process...
And here is the final logo with input from the business owner.

Robinson Planning Group: Logo & Business Cards

The logo incorporating royal blue and a column to represent strength and foundation.

The front design of the business card.

The back of the business cards.

Easter Seals UCP: Juice & Jazz Invite

College Night at Revolution Pizza

Ride Without Limits T-shirt Design

This is the T-shirt designed to be given to cyclists in Easter Seals UCP's Ride Without Limits. It is a 100 mile bike ride to raise money for the organization.

Shana & Jimmy: Wedding Reception

As Shana & Jimmy's wedding planner, we worked together to get the look that they wanted for their big day. Shana chose to use pink and orange as the main colors for the wedding. The reception was held in our dad's backyard under a big tent. To dress up the tent, I found pink curtain panels from IKEA to use on all of the posts. We cut these same curtain panels and used them as table runners over the white tablecloths mixed in with some orange table overlays. Hurricane vases with orange pillar candles along with tealights placed around the table made the centerpiece for each table.

The wedding was a great success! Everyone (most importantly, the bride and groom) had a great time. We all had our fill of local BBQ, Shimmys (the wedding drink concoction) and dancing! Truly a wonderful event! The tent before the guests arrived

The back of the tent

The pool and tent

The cake and flowers

The happy newlyweds!

Shana & Jimmy: Wedding Favors

Front of CD cover designed for Shana & Jimmy's wedding as gifts for the guests.
Inside of CD Cover
Wedding Program

The New Bathroom: Jailhouse Rock Style

Here was my weekend project this week: A new bathroom... on a budget! Although I had already painted this bathroom a dark chocolate color after moving in, I was never really excited by it. After doing some research for another project I am working on, Sing Sing Lounge, I got inspired by the black and white stripes that I proposed for the lounge and wanted that look in our home. I did the whole project for about $50 (just the cost of paint, a new shower curtain and a little ledge for candles.) I kept the same red chandelier that I had painted for the brown bathroom and the teal ceiling.
Here are the two 'before' bathrooms. On the left, this is what we moved into... beige linoleum on the walls with pink and blue flowers. On the right, first round of paint.

5K Run for Clean Air: A Winning Success!

It was great to hear that Clean Air Carolina's first ever 5K Run for Clean Air was a great success! The run had almost 300 runners and raised over $10,000 for the organization! I am very happy to have been a part of the promotion of the run by designing the posters, flyers and ads! And, of course, I am so proud of Phil and all of his hard work in making the run possible! The organization is pursuing certification from Athletes for a Fit Planet and will be the first in the state to achieve this certification! Check out this article from the Clean Air Carolina website highlighting the run: 5K Run for Clean Air: A Winning Success

Second World Club & The Underdog Lounge: Grand Opening

Flyers created for the Grand Opening of Second World Club & The Underdog Lounge located 3746 N. Davidson Street here in Charlotte.

Revolution Pizza & Ale House: Beer Dinner

Revolution Pizza & Ale House Beer Dinner Poster.

My First Furniture Buliding Experience

Please excuse the photo quality... My camera is on the fritz so this was taken with my BlackBerry...

Amy needed a bookshelf for Baby Addison's room, she offered to buy one and have me paint it for her but I insisted that building a bookshelf would be a piece of cake and I would build it to the size she needed and then paint it. It took many trips to Home Depot, lots of trial and error and a few cocktails but here is Monkey's new bookshelf.

I built it out of solid pine, then primed and painted it with this stripe design. The orange and yellow stripes are alternating between satin finish and flat finish to add dimension. The trim around the top was actually the hardest part for me... It took me a few times to figure out how to line up cuts with the miter saw... Oops... back to Home Depot for more trim! There is also a strip of dotted trim along the front of each shelf alternating between teal and purple dots to add a more feminine touch.

Building the bookshelf was a great learning experience for me - and it really made me appreciate handmade furniture even more than I already did! Sure it is easier to go to IKEA for a bookshelf you can put together in 5 minutes... but where's the sense of accomplishment!?

Baby Announcement... Here's Addison!

Meet Addison Carolina Beros! She was born May 4, 2010 to a wonderful family! I was so happy to be there to meet Addison and hold her on her first day here with us! Amy, Adrian & Addison are all doing great and should be going home from the hospital today.

Here is the baby announcement that I designed to be mailed to family and friends.

Bachelorette Party: Pinup Style!

The invitation I created for Shana's upcoming Bachelorette Extravaganza!

Shana & Jimmy: Wedding Invitations

Shana is going with pink and orange as her wedding colors and wanted a nice simple invitation. I designed this simple dandelion theme to go on all wedding correspondence. The invitation will be mounted on a colored card stock paper to add another layer and will be tied at the top with a simple ribbon. I can't wait to get mine in the mail!

Dynamic Duos

Phil had the idea of starting 'Dynamic Duos' at Common House - every Thursday night bringing in a different duo to rock the patio. With the name 'Dynamic Duo' he thought a comic book theme would be unique and catchy, so here is the poster that I designed for the event.

Revolution Pizza: Pinch & Suck

This poster is for Revolution Pizza's Pinch & Suck Crawfish Boil to be held April 17.