Workout Planner

Occasionally I do things other than cooking and felt flowers. And by occasionally, I mean every day I design things. Signage, brochures, invitations, flyers, marketing plans, billboards....and so on.

And while we're being honest here, I'm also a keep-it-on-the-down-low-Tone It Up-er. As cheesy as some of it may be, the workouts, change of pace and corniness of it all have kept me motivated the past seven months! The new spring challenge starts on Monday and instead of paying the $12 (plus S+H) for the branded workout journal, I made my own! Cue the graphic skills.

It can be yours too, for free! Here's the deal.

1. Download the PDF. 
2. Print one copy of page 1.
3. Print eight copies of pages 2-5 .
4. Cut all of the pages in half (hamburger style :).
5. Lay your cover page (i.e. workout planner) face down.
6. Then arrange as follows:
• get busy
• monday
• tuesday
• wednesday
• thursday
• friday
• saturday
• sunday
7. Repeat until you have all the pages in order.
8. Head to your local UPS Store (or similar business center) and ask the nice ladies (or men) to 'bind' it for you. My UPS store only charged me $2.20 (+tax). 

Click here for the dropbox folder with the PDF

Baby Shower Invites

For the mom-to-be of a boy, but who very much loves pink.

Farm Wayfinding

One of many things I enjoy about working at a Zoo is designing exhibit signage. My first task was creating a comprehensive signage package for the Animal Wellness Campus, which included several large-scaled signs, infographics and wayfinding signals. In May, I was tasked with the ZooFarm which just received a major facelift in the Spring. All of the barns were repainted in bright child-friendly colors, several new animals were added and all of signage needed to be replaced. 

I had about two weeks to create the look, research the animals and photos, determine size, placement and get approval! Needless-to-say, it was quite the test. But, don't we really all work best under pressure (and crazy tight deadlines)? The ZooFarm looks brighter and prettier than ever (mainly thanks to our amazing Horticulture Department), so stop in and say hello– and meet our newest arrivals!

Publishing books

Honeymoon by Ashley D. G. Mars | Make Your Own Book

We finally did it! Our Honeymoon book is written, designed and on it's way.

Just in time for our next big West Coast trip. Note to self, take better notes this time...

Baby Shower Gaggle

My dear friend is expecting a baby girl this Summer and what better way to celebrate than with an adorable baby shower!? I was honored to help plan with four other amazingly talented ladies to make our 'Oh Deer...Baby Lauren is Almost Here' woodland theme top notch for the mommy-to-be. Above are the invitations I designed with matching insert cards. I also made coordinating food place cards, a signs and baby games. 

Lucky for us, the host has this gorgeous (handmade by her and her boyfriend) wooden dining room table that perfectly fit our theme. Our wedding decor, once again, came in handy as we used the wooden slabs (from our centerpieces), cake plates and branch garland.

The menu consisted of lots of treats from chicken salad sandwiches to dill potato salad, Mexican rollups, a cheese plate, veggies and dips. For dessert we served red velvet cupcakes (the lady of the hours' favorite) and chocolate chess pie. For the non-pregnant guests we served white peach sangria and champagne. 

As an advocate for no games at showers, I actually liked the games we picked - mostly because they required no effort or awkward moments. The clothespin game, the yarn game and the Wright Family game were general crowdpleasers.

We were also very fortunate to have a florist on the planning committee. The flower arrangements were absolutely stunning and seriously classed up the day. But you can never go wrong with ranunculus in my book! Everyone participated in our 'books for baby' which is a great way to build a unique collection of books - and touching words from loved ones. We're so excited for Sarah, her hubby and their little bundle...now finish out these last couple months and arrive safely Lauren!

April Project Log

The biggest, and most exciting project of the month was a Zoo-related job. Many people know the Virginia Zoo said farewell to its two African elephants, Lisa and Cita. While there were many differing opinions on the best outcome for the girls, ultimately the decision was made to send them to Zoo Miami. There, they can live out their retirement years with new friends who offer a better socialization atmosphere, plus the girls will spend more time outside in the warmer climate.

Through this process I was able to learn so much, not just about these gorgeous creatures, but about the bonds they have built with our staff, community and beyond. It was bitter sweet to see the outpour of admirers throughout the farewell festivities, which included a 27-foot, bamboo heart enrichment created by the Zoo's Horticulture department (above).

I am truly proud of everything the staff pulled together for this tremendous celebration. A few of the things I contributed to were the above 15'x5' banner with thousands of signatures from Virginia Zoo visitors (this was actually the second banner, the first one - 10'x3' - was filled within two days!). Below was a large infographic I created for the exhibit space. It explains a little about our elephants, Lisa and Cita and why Zoo Miami was the right choice. Plus it also explores the next phase for the exhibit space in Africa, which will be White rhinos.

New Brand!

I've decided it is time to focus on fairview place. Hopefully that's been a little obvious already. Everything just needed a face lift, cleaned up and simplified. I needed to give the brand the attention it deserves. So, I give you the new logo.

And the new emblem.

Although the paint chip business cards were a huge hit, I just received my new cards and postcards in the mail. Previously I had designed, printed, cut and assembled all my marketing materials. While it was cute, it was also very time - and space - consuming. I'm simplifying by using my business card as my tag, and possibly the postcard in some tagging fashion as well.

The next big step is to get the Etsy shop back up and running. I've made my photographing process very straightforward and am working on launching later this month with a small collection of my best sellers. 

So, some really exciting stuff going on around the shop. I hope you'll stick with me along this inspiring journey!

February Project Log

New South Home is a one of my favorite jobs. 
Not only because the end product is always so beautiful, but the women behind the company are a delight to work with and are truly dedicated mothers, friends and hard-working entrepreneurs! If you haven't seen their lovely home goods, be sure to check out the link below.

{New South Home // 16-page print catalog // design, freelancer}

see the full catalog here

No job is too big or too small.
If you have graphic design needs you'd like to talk about, shoot me an email here.

Self Portrait: January

I started this year off with an extremely positive attitude and overwhelming ambition for 'betterment.' Maybe it was the extra vacation days, or all the cold medicine. I realized I was not in that search for a deeper meaning of how to be a better me, but doing a few things better to make life simpler. I defined some goals for 2016 that 'bettered' some of my ongoing practices throughout 2015. The list wasn't long, or necessarily interesting or even tough, but looking at it now, it is important to me.

• Better organization when it comes to my freelance work. Especially tracking hours and billing clients (every small business's least favorite thing). 
• A better commitment to Fairview Place. Growing my felt flower following and spending time on this long lost blog I've regretfully abandoned.
• Better communication. Work emails to birthdays, just being responsive and responsible to remember the importance of everyone and their time.
• A better brand! Figuring out how Fairview Place fits into my growing freelance business. New logo, website and idea to the approach of a comprehensive design business.

Somehow I've ended up spending the whole month of January coordinating, prioritizing, researching and stalking social media for inspiration for my plan of attack. And what do I have to show for it? Lots of lists (of course). Lots of ideas, plans, fun projects, exciting freelance on the horizon, and rewarding blogs to come . . . including the return of my first Self Portrait of 2016 . . . days late. 'Betterment' first, 'timeliness' second.

January Project Log

Finalized projects from this month. As you can see, no two designs are ever the same.

{vowbride.com  // 106-page print magazine // design, art director}

{CBDX 7th Annual Casino Night  //  young professionals group  // member & graphic design}

{American Classic Self Storage  //  location map for 11 regional locations //  graphic design & illustration}

{cloudstream.systems  // tech company in charlotte north carolina  //  logo design and flyer creation}

{Virginia Beach Convention Center  //  10th anniversary emblem, save the date and invite design}

No job is too big or too small.
If you have graphic design needs you'd like to talk about, shoot me an email here.

Potted: A Plant Pop Up Shop

 

I think I can say our Summer pop up shop was a complete success. John was awarded the 2,500 square foot space, along with local fashion designer, Melissa Gumley of ADHD Driven, for five days. Did I mention it was free? Yep!

We took two nights to set up our retail shop and opened Friday morning at 10am. Succulents, cactus and airplants. Sewing classes. Accessories. Artwork. Dresses, shirts and tanks. The most popular feature? Terrarium Classes. John probably taught more than 50 people throughout the weekend how to build a little (or sometimes big) plant home.

We also debuted the Glass Gardens Terrarium Kits and buttons! 

#6: Pop up shop  //  #33: Help a Friend  //  #83: Glass Gardens Buttons

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Click here to see my 92 To-Do's for this Summer - and to see the brave souls tackling their own lists!

New Product Alert!

My latest creation is a collaboration of Glass Gardens, Small Acts Count and Fairview Place. And we couldn't be more pleased! We're offering two kit options: a single makes one terrarium about 4-6" in diameter, the double makes two that size or one larger one. The costs are $24 and $32, respectively.

Each kit comes with rocks, soil, moss and succulents. An instruction sheet is also included and the designs vary on the boxes to give you a little inspiration and learning opportunity. Kits can be reserved online, or are available to purchase at any Glass Gardens pop up or class. See the events schedule here.

#8: Terrarium Kits

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Click here to see my 92 To-Do's for this Summer - and to see the brave souls tackling their own lists!