New & Different

Sometimes change is necessary. The seasons are shifting, I'm turning 23 in a week or so, and my creative juices are flowing. Instead of my usual "I'm going to take a trip somewhere," I decided to redecorate. Redecorating is something that always feels really great. It's a wonderful way to start over; even seeing a new paint color cover the old is somewhat cathartic. Who couldn't use a little catharsis every once in a while? (Oh, and thanks for photobombing me, Juno.)

Before: I actually don't mind the "before" at all. It's cozy. I wanted a change though, which is why I  kissed that soft seafoam green "goodbye" and traded that green chevron stripe rug for a similar but more geometric one.

I like it. It's classy but still very "me" -- a hodgepodge of sorts but everything is still somehow cohesive. Staining my bed was the best decision I've ever made. It came out unexpectedly well and I now believe in the power of the stain. Seriously, if you want to make a big impact on a budget, stain a piece of furniture. WOWZA. 

xo, e.m.

things i like: for design

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If you're a designer, blogger, or just enjoy playing around with the Adobe Creative suite, these are some must-have freebies. (As an added bonus, most of them have a link that allow you to donate to the artist if you feel inclined to do so!) These are a few of my favorites that I use time and time again and since I love you all, I couldn't help but share. There's a photoshop action, a font, a brush, a texture, and some beautiful ephemera. If you're just beginning to collect little design elements, these will be a great start to your collection. If you're a pro, these will be an excellent addition. Have fun designing! 

xo,

e.m.

font party

I've been getting quite a few font questions lately so here are a few of my favorites at the moment! Pistilli Roman, Wisdom Script and Intro. Here's an extra super awesome bonus: they're all free! 

xo,

e.m.

how to make glitter text:

Ever since I came out with the current design for my photography website, I've been being asked nonstop how I created the glitter text. It's actually quite simple! Here are the few simple steps. I love the extra bit of texture that it adds and I can't wait to go crazy with this method for my Christmas cards!

To begin, you're going to need some glitter. Here is an excellent tutorial on how to do this! Once you have your glitter in the color that you want, open a new project in the desired dimensions. Switch from the new, blank project to your glitter and choose the Horizontal Type Mask Tool.

Once you create your text box, the glitter will turn red. Type in the word that you want and adjust the font and size to your liking.

Once you click out, there will be a marquee outlining your text. Copy that! (I like to use the good 'ole command + c but you can go up to the edit menu also.)

Paste your test into the new document. Resize, rotate, go crazy with it.

Use Curves to adjust your glitter to exactly how you would like it to look. As you can tell, I lightened mine up a bit. Play around and see what you like best!

Here it is in action! Have fun playing around and creating glittery works of art!

xo, 

e.m.

inspirational inspiration boards

Lately, while I've been doing work for my clients, I've been finding out that the last thing that anybody wants is a boring inspiration board. Who ever said that putting a few color swatches and a few fonts on a blank plane was a good idea? Ever since taking a more creative approach to my inspiration/mood boards, I've had SO much more passion for me job also! Here are some that I've used for some clients to share my ideas for colors and such. I've gotten a great response on them so I thought I'd share my method will all of my designer friends out there. All of the fun little pieces are from Pugly Pixel and Tinysea, so if you like 'em, go grab 'em!

Have fun designing!

xo, 

e.m.

i love lyrics

Sometimes you just gotta play around with some song lyrics and make some fun art, am I right? This is how I relax and blow off some steam. I've been listening to music all day long and I decided to make some art to maybe even hang on the walls of my new room. Maybe?

xo, e.m.

p.s. Most of these fun design'y things are from the precious Pugly Pixel. Grab 'em and go make some art of your own!

bling bling for your ring ring:

Like these wallpapers? I wanted to do something a little different so I made these with my lovely readers in mind. You can share your l&l love and look great while doing so! Get them here! They're the perfect size for iPhones but they'll definitely work with others also. Enjoy!

xo, e.m.

what's that font?

You remember that one font that one time? Remember when you searched every page on the internet and you still couldn't find it and now you have this huge gaping hole in your life where that font should be? Maybe not for most people but I know that some of you out there can identify with that story! There is hope for you yet. MyFonts offers this amazing service called What the Font where you can toss in the font in question and they'll find it! Pugly Pixel featured the service on her site and I just had to share it with you guys! It's so great! Additionally, she offered this wonderful tutorial on how to fill an outline font, a skill which I used in the above graphic! Happy designing!

xo, e.m.

the most adorable font ever.

Puglypixel featured this adorable font on her blog. So kawaii, right? The font features Rilakkuma's face on the uppercase letters and ears on the lowercase. Get it here, use it, and then swoon over the cuteness.

xo, e.m.