It's that time of year again!

GAG gift giving time!  Around this time every year, my department gets bombarded with ridiculous graphics requests for gag gifts.  It has always mildly infuriated me that for two weeks in December my time and talent (I'm using the word loosely) is spent creating the silliest, most ridiculous items you can imagine.  The purpose of these items is to entertain and humiliate co-workers, a sport that interests me little.  I worked (and continue to work) on my share of stupid, waste-of-time gag gifts, however THIS year I got a real gem.
The Boarding Pass.

I designed a fake boarding pass and accompanying sleeve to inform Mrs. Managing Director's Wife that Mr. Managing Director is taking her to France in 2010.  This was less of a gag gift and more of a Christmas present.  This project fell right into my creative wheelhouse and boy was it fun.

Following some light internet research the design fell into place quickly.  I ran into a few question marks while creating the sleeve, considering airlines don’t issues these anymore I didn’t have a good sample to look at.  Are they shorter or longer than the boarding pass? Are they open or closed at the bottom? After some consideration, I went with a size and design that made sense to me. Printing had the usual snags but nothing I couldn’t handle. At the end of the day Mr. Managing Director is happy and I have another piece for my portfolio.  Everybody wins.

seed packet project

so here we have my latest craft project. i have decided to do a semi-handmade thing (i know there is an actual handmade pledge, but i'm lazy sometimes so I’m not going to commit to that) wherein i make thoughtful, crafty, handmade gifts for my friends and family. i think this is going to help my creative process overall, requiring me to start planning earlier and be more patient. these are good things.

ok. so i’ve made a custom perennial mix seed packet. i created a template in InDesign and laid out a fun design, including care instructions complete with cute little icons. next steps – print, cut, score, fold and glue but not before filling the packet with seeds. i think this came out awesome.

matt+lisa - wedding gift

my friends matt and lisa zelznick just got married in upstate new york. the wedding was amazing (pictures to come) but here are the custom, handmade wine glass charms i made as a wedding gift. from designing the label, to photographing the final product, this project was fun. this is the most well thought out project i have ever done. from idea to completion, the process was slow, steady and thoughtful. i am THRILLED about how it turned out and i have a new outlook on approaching larger scale projects like this in the future.





i enjoy working on projects that require several components. this one allowed me to combine bead work, photography and graphic design. below is the label i created for the outside of the tin box which held the wine charms. i viewed this like branding a product, something in which i have little experience. but i do know a little something about logo design. after some playful experimenting, i settled on a 'logo' using matt and lisa's names. the rest of the design fell into place shortly thereafter. i'm super happy with the outcome and i look forward to exploring product design and branding.

Harp's 1st birthday present

my niece is turning one in a couple of days and i made her this portable, standing picture frame. it was a labor of love. i initially set out to make her a box, but then i realized that i didn't know how. using the same materials, i shifted the focus to the frames. i love how they turned out.







i'm a graphic designer by day (super-crafter at night) so i designed this card to slide into one of the frames. designing for children is a whole new ballgame that i'm looking forward to exploring.

kate+eric

well hello there. it has been quite a white. but i've been re-inspired by a few new projects. first thing's first, my dear friends kate & eric got married in june. this first item is a sticker that i created to put on their gift. i wanted to do something a little different. i thought this was quite clever.



i designed the bridal jewelry for the event and here is the final result for the earrings. each lovely lady had a custom set of earrings and matching (yet completely unique) necklace or bracelet, depending on their personal preference. the dresses were a soft, summer lime so i chose pink and white pearls with pink stones. rose quartz, actually, because kate's middle name is rose. a lovely and personal touch.



really cool picture of kate and eric on their wedding day. image by Kristin Spencer Photography

things

yes, it's been quite a while since i've posted. this is know. trying to get back in the swing of things with this collague. this if from my web class.

3 flowers

this image was captured in studio at Harrington College of Design. it was taken as part of a series for my studio final project. i borrowed the jewelry pieces from a local bead store and they subsequently used these images in their marketing materials. i learned A LOT in my studio lighting class. even though i'm not shooting much anymore, i'm still glad that i have this particular skill.

the store, the studio

these are images from Jenna White Miami.

pearls 5 & 6

pearls, pearls, pearls everywhere. these pearls seemed to congregate in the kitchen. it's so much fun to explore these old images. i created this series almost 2 years ago - feels like a lifetime ago. these were captured on film. they have a grainy texture that can only be achieved with film. Enjoy.

brown pearl necklace

This is a detail shot of a beautiful brown pearl necklace. I love the composition. The strands run wild, but feel completely contained within the frame.

portfolio

This is my prized portfolio. I created every aspect of this book, I do not lie. I hand die-cut the cover and wrapped boards with book fabric. I printed every image on velvet art paper and sewed up the spine by hand and for added touches I peppered vellum pages throughout the book. This book was a labor of love, and it's fantastic.

pearl series submissions 3 & 4

"no loitering" & "naughty" are both part of my pears in peculiar places series. "no loitering" was spur of the moment, while "naughty" was staged. this project developed very organically. i think it works.

picture a day portfolio

This was my portfolio for the pearl series. I'll be posting images from that series soon. The assignment was to take a picture a day for 50 days. The subject I chose was an over sized strand of pearls and I shot them everywhere. For the presentation, I made this box in the likeness of a jewelry box. I love this project, I'm happy with how it turned out.