The flip side of invitation

by Brandi

…is actually being prepared to work!

There’s been a couple of times (okay, okay, more than a couple) where I’ve questioned my choice of theme for this month. I’m especially wincing over this particular post where I gleefully listed all of the things I wanted to let go of, because, once again, the universe/Karma has decided to test my willingness and willpower to actually make the changes I said I wanted.

Turns out, I wasn’t really ready to, you know, work on it or anything.

Not to be all self-inflated, but my habit of procrastination is totally an art form. I’m so good at procrastinating that I’m finding it a really tough habit to break, let me tell you.

I could claim that part of it is just resting and taking the time I need, and that’d be semi-correct. I do need this resting time, definitely, for myself and my brain. But then it gets to that point where I know it’s no longer relaxing, it’s indulging. That point is characterized by the ability to put off work in order to devour three books in a week, ordering take-out every day while online shopping because I can’t be bothered to change out of my pajamas to go buy groceries, and the inability to get to bed before dawn.

I’m very, very good at indulging myself.

In total self-disgust and guilt, I sat down last week and started tackling my list of projects. I almost immediately gave up, because I was reminded about the amount of work involved, but I didn’t (go me!). In an effort to keep that ball rolling, and because I’m sure several of you are wondering when exactly I’m going to get the destash beads listed and make some progress on the Elements eclass I was talking about, I’m taking the week off from blogging to focus and work.

In the mean time, may I offer some favorite posts from the archives for your reading pleasure?

If I get myself into shape by Friday, I’ll be back with a color palette. If not, see you next week!

 

 

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Color Palette #99: February Color

by Brandi

There is a surprising shortage of corals in my house. I dig corals and peaches, my minor rant about Tangerine Tango aside, but I just don’t have a huge amount of stuff in that color… which makes my Collecting Color February photos look a little meager.

Still, I’m happy about this color challenge, and I’m really happy Emily picked a color for February that wasn’t red or pink. Nothing against Valentine’s Day, but I appreciate non-traditional holiday colors, personally.

In other news, I’m one palette away from #100. Sure, I’ve done more than 100 palettes and over 100 posts with palettes in them already, but there’s something about seeing the number that makes it feel all official. I feel like celebrating somehow – what should we do?

 

 

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Inspired By :: Business Cards

by Brandi

I have a not-so-secret-anymore secret obsession with business cards. I love them. I love looking at them, I love putting them together, I love collecting them. I particularly love it when I come across a clever design – what a way to stand out from the crowd, and so quickly, too.

Or, if following my monthly theme of invitation, what a pretty way to invite more contact. Yeah, I know, that was kind of cheesy. But still true, especially at networking events or opportunities. A business card sets a tone, and everybody’s attracted to good design.

In my personal life, I tend to go for flat printed cards to cut down on costs, but I’d love a little extra pop someday. Letterpress, maybe, or painted sides. Some kind of wow factor. I recently ordered some Moo mini cards, and they didn’t turn out quite like I expected (through no fault of Moo – it was clearly a design issue. I must have been exhausted when I decided to order because I forgot a few key things), so I’ve got business cards on the brain.

How about you? Have a favorite business card design? Any suggestions on what to do with the piles of defunct business cards I’ve got sitting in a drawer, besides recycling them?

 

 

Source Links (from the top):

  1. Swoon cards
  2. Juicy Bits
  3. Loulou Dreaming via Cards Observer
  4. IS business cards with ombre sides
  5. Tyrone Menezes Photography via Creattica.com
  6. Hi, I’m Jason Sanders via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Need more visual inspiration? I’ve got a Pinterest board for that.

 

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Loving :: BritSketch

by Brandi

I’m a child of the 90′s. Cartoons were a siren’s call to my imagination, and yeah, Disney was my pusher.

Digital animation these days is flat-out amazing (the things you can do with a computer – who knew!), but I have soft spot for the done-by-hand animation style. So, when I came across this pin and this pin on Pinterest, it took me right back to my Disney-influenced childhood.

The artist behind both works, and the Etsy shop BritSketch, is Brittney Lee, a Southern California artist and an animator. I love her style, her color choices, and her subject choices. Every piece is so fun and whimsical and lush that I want to plaster my niece and nephew’s walls with them, in a desperate attempt to ensure they have the same kind of animation-loving childhood memories I have.

I’m particularly taken with her Hawaiian Gods series (huge surprise, yes?) – the care and detail in each of those pieces is so dead on, down to the tattoos on Kane’s arm or the fishhook Maui uses. It’s awesome to see myths I feel connected to come to life in a respectful way. Sometimes Hawaiian-infuenced art can feel so kitschy that it becomes too much of a joke; Brittney Lee manages to sidestep that entirely and breathes life into a subject that can easily feel stale.

I vote she does an animated film about Hawaiian gods.

To see more, you can visit her Etsy shop or stop by her blog.

 

Source Links:

 

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Valentine Freebie Action

by Brandi

As soon as I figured out what Photoshop actions could do, I wanted to learn how to make them (maybe you remember?). I didn’t have time for it last fall, so after the holidays were over, I treated myself to an actions eclass. It was fun, but short; still, I got the basics down enough to make a few actions of my very own. And I’m sharing one with you today!

My inspiration came from this photo. I knew I wanted the final version to look dreamy (told you I was into the hazy look), like a soft memory. The original edit didn’t quite capture the feeling I wanted; it was close, but not exactly there. So, I kept playing and tweaking till I came on a nice pink overtone, and I’m really happy with the results.

The best part is that all of the action layers are customizable, so you can turn them off, bump up the opacity, or change the blending modes till you get the exact look you want. After a couple tries, I found that it works best on a clean edit where the photo has already been lightened and brightened a bit.

 

To use my Valentine action, you’ll need:

    • Photoshop or Photoshop Elements – I made it so it would work in both
    • The action itself (31 kb) – Right click and Save As to download

This is my first time sharing an action, so forgive me if it doesn’t work in your version of Photoshop or Elements. I tested it in the newest versions of both, but would love to know if it worked or not in your version (if you wouldn’t mind coming back and leaving a comment).

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

 

UPDATE: If you’ve never tried an action before, they do need to be installed into Photoshop/Elements. Installation instructions are included with the download!

To use in Elements, open your photo, expand your Effects Panel, and make sure you’re under Photo Effects (third icon from the left) or All (icon to the far right). Scroll down the list till you find the Valentine thumbnail and double click it to run the action (select Show All from the dropdown menu if you can’t see the thumbnail).

To use in Photoshop, load it into your Actions Palette and click play. 

 

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