The Wedding Diet

So. It. Has. Happened.

Dear cookies, cakes, chocolates, chips, candies and cereal,
        I'm sorry, but I need you to stop taunting me. Stop whispering my name when I'm sleeping, or when I'm tired, or when I'm hungry, or when I'm not hungry, or when I'm bored. I do not want to hurt your feelings, but I also do not want to be near you. You've given my hips a new shape and for that I hate you. Don't pretend to be sweet, we all know you are not; you are evil, ugly and cranky. We've been together a long time, and I need you to understand that this isn't easy. What I'm saying is, well, it's not you, it's me. I'm not who I used to be. I'm not some spunky 15-year-old anymore, I've changed and now I need something different. I need a waistline.
        Thank you for your years of comfort, but we need to go on a break.
                            Your old friend,
                                      Jackie
PS- please disregard all of the above on my birthday while I'm scarfing my face off. Thx.

For My Fellow Brides...

Alright, so maybe I'm not the best bride in the world. I hate frilly things & pink things. Planning has become a procrastination project...I mean really, I'm just too busy to be looking at dresses and flowers! Why do brides really need bouquets anyway, they just die!! So, you get the point, I'm more of the low-key, no frills type when it comes to planning my own wedding. In fact, when my fiance and I went to Vegas, our families were genuinely worried we might come back married. Of course we thought about it, but in the end I am a bride. I want a party, I want my family there, and I want a dress that will take the air from his lips.

So, believe it or not, I have some of my favorite sites/blogs that I visit frequently for my own wedding inspiration.

Although many brides love Style Me Pretty - and I do love it also - I am more in love with their Little Black Book blog.

100 Layer Cake - if you know me, you know I love cake, so there's no question I love this site!

I'm a DIY kinda gal, so this site tickles my fancy! IDIY

HOLY MOLY!! This site might be my all time favorite, and I am seriously considering getting the Mario inspired cake for my husband-to-be as a grooms cake! Blue Cupcake is heaven!!

Enjoy all!! Happy planning!

Just Another Snowy Day in New York

We've been getting slammed this winter here on Long Island. Normally we might get one semi-large snow storm every year...and when I say semi-large, I am talking relative to Long Island, because here anything over 3 inches is considered a Blizzard. Sad, but true.

Anyway, today was the third or fourth storm that delivered double-digits, and while everybody else is getting sick of the snow, I am LOVING it! Here are some shots I took during our epic winter of 2010 thus far:

 

  

  

 

 

As you can see, I'm a child at heart...I love rolling around in the snow and then going inside for a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Just Thinking

Lately I've been totally entranced by super modern, uber graphic designs. I'm totally digging neutral backgrounds with POPS of bright color. Graphic patterns? Yes please! Funky fonts? Why not!! Mixing feminine with masculine, or dainty fonts with bold colors, flowers with stripes, I just love it! Simple graphics make my fingers tingle, and plain ol' typography designs certainly float my boat lately.

Here are some things that have been inspiring me lately:

 

I got these glasses for my best friend during the holidays, it was love at first sight. 

The simple use of fonts require no graphics at all; they are stunning on their own. 

These little puppies will certainly be a welcomed addition to my new home. 

The Dave Matthews Band. It saddens me to see this pictures, since it is so obviously missing LeRoi Moore; saxophonist and founding DMB member.  Sadly LeRoi passed away after an ATV accident. With or without Roi, the DMB is still my absolute favorite band. They've inspired almost everything I do in my life. Their music simply animates my soul. What I find most inspirational is their talent to combine simple melodies with complex jam sessions. Hmm..maybe I can capture some of that in my design work!

  

Cooking. It's colorful, flavorful and can be as healthy (or un-healthy) as your heart desires! 

The possibilities with food are as endless as the possibilities of design

I know the picture here is small, but the impact this has had on me is HUGE. Focus on the following, commit it to your memory:

FAIR TRADE COFFEE

Short Clip on Fair Trade Coffee

What we are doing to the individuals who cultivate our coffee is more than scary; it's in humane.

Third-world workers devestate their land in order to provide coffee (for pennies) to large coffee corporations. Coffee harvesters in South America can barely afford to survive on the wages they are paid by US coffee companies. 

These large corporations then turn around and sell the coffee for nearly 500% profit. 

Cut out the corporation and purchase fair trade coffee; which guarantees the coffee farmer will be compensated directly and fairly. The coffee is generally completely organic, extremely tasty, and less expensive! Just look for the above label when buying coffee.

Best part, they now sell fair trade organic coffee at Target!

Last, but MOST DEF not least, my largest source of inspiration right now comes from, you guessed it, getting engaged. My ring is a true one-of-a-kind antique ring estimated at nearly 100 years old! It's pretty cool, the way it's made is extremely different than any jewelry today, and I'm proud of that. To me, this ring exhibits everything I stand for. It's awesome looking, it's of a quality that just doesn't exist anymore, and, since it's essentially 'used' I feel like I did good to the planet (and by 'I', I really mean my fiance). I'm constantly inspired by the man I plan to marry, the wedding we've been cooking up together, and the life we want to lead. 

So, what inspires YOU?! 

Minted

For those of you who are not familiar with Minted, well, be ready to fall in love!! Minted is a website full of custom stationary created by talented artists around the world. They hold themed competitions open to any artist, anywhere. People can submit anything from whimsical, to modern, to vintage style, to, well ANYTHING! After submitting as many designs as you'd like the other minties (erm- members) vote on all the designs. Winners are chosen, awards are given, and the best designs are published and sold on the website.

Here are some of my latest submissions to Minted's "Good House Keeping" stationary competition.

These are some of my favorites, and I believe voting is still open, so if you like these too, sign on and vote for me!! Minted is where the action is, and my designer page is http://www.minted.com/designer/believenotes.

Valentine's Day

While I personally think Valentine's Day is a bit over-rated (why can't my love know I love him everyday?), I have had the pleasure of creating several Valentine's Day cards.  Heads up though, I think I just may be passing some Cupid Cards around at the office :]

Some of the many little Valentine's Day doo-dads I've gotten to work on:

HELLO winter!

Anybody else have a totally crazy holiday season and winter?? It's nuts! I'm pretty sure I have some major time judgment issues, I cannot believe tomorrow is February!!

The past month, for me, has been filled with creativity, fun, and lots of work. Here are some of my personal favorites:

Cards I made for some of my family members, friends, and future family members. I love creating things for family, it's so personal for me, and while making a client happy is the goal, it's just amazing when I get to make my family happy:

 

This was my holiday card this year, which is my absolute favorite card of all time:

 

Congrats to a very special couple and your first child!!':

Elegant Thank-You cards:

Oh, and my new slippers which have been doing a fab job of keeping my tootsies warm! :]