Evolution of a Brand: Cari Hollis

Cari has been a dear friend of mine for more than a decade and, funny enough, we were friends long before we ever met in person. We “met” on an online, wedding-planning forum. We got married within a few months of each other and formed a friendship with a large group of women. She started her photography business shortly after her wedding and she asked me to design a logo and branding for her. We finally got to meet when I hired her to shoot some family photos when my oldest was about nine months old.

The flower motif and colors were inspired by the custom camera strap she found on Etsy. We designed a bunch of logo variations, business cards, website buttons, and more. We even did gift certificates and advertising graphics for social media.

A few years later, Cari was ready to rebrand and she had NO idea what she wanted for her new logo. She had also added the role of a birth doula and birth photographer to her repertoire. We tried a lot of different concepts, color schemes, fonts, and graphics and, after a lot of back and forth, we finalized this design. This is still one of my favorite logos that I created for her.

After many years as an amazing photographer, she decided to hang up her camera and delve into a couple of different direct sales companies and social media consulting, and since they usually require you to use their pre-designed graphics, we went a different direction and branded Cari all on her own.

This way, her brand remained the same no matter what kind of business she was working on. The bokeh backgrounds paid homage to her background as a photographer.

Earlier this year we rebranded again. Cari wanted to keep the gardenia as a graphic element and we kept the typewriter font because it’s a favorite of hers. We went with the same color scheme for the most and will keep the bokeh backgrounds, but added new fonts and a watercolor motif too.

She hasn’t been able to update her website with her newer branding yet because she’s busy running Direct Creatives!

You can watch the TikTok video I made documenting how I created her new logo here.

I love how Cari maintains the same general color palette with the purple and aqua.

I’m curious where her branding will head next!

Our Holiday Card - 2019, and more!

It’s December 20th and we’re winding down the school week and getting ready to head to northern California to spend Christmas with family. As of today, I’m no longer accepting custom orders for holiday cards for 2019. If you card is already in progress, then I’ll get your order finished before we leave. All listings in my Etsy shop are either Instant Downloads or calendars. I can still handle orders for custom family calendars since I will have my laptop with me when traveling.

In the meantime, both my Hanukkah and Christmas cootie catchers are on sale for just $1 in my Etsy shop. Show your kids how much fun these were when you were a kid. The Christmas cootie catcher will remain $1 until December 25th and the Hanukkah cootie catcher will be $1 until December 30th. A page of folding instructions is included with your instant download. You know… in case it’s been a while since you’ve folded one of these. They look best and are easiest to fold when printed on plain paper.

Click on either image to get to the listings in my Etsy shop.

For our family holiday card, we’ve been going to a local photo studio for Santa photos for the last six years called FotoFly. They have one of the parents wear the Santa suit so the kids are comfortable and your chances of getting smiling faces is much higher. It’s been a family tradition to figure out whether our boys will wear matching clothes or PJs or if we’ll do a theme or not. This year, both boys wanted to wear their taekwondo uniforms and we borrowed a black belt from our studio so Santa could wear it. Because, of course Santa would be a black belt.

I had actually created a more traditional design with a lovely script font and Christmas-y plaid background, but it was way too serious for the photo. A comic book theme just worked the best. I had these printed at Office Depot instead of my usual Overnight Prints because I ran out of time. Gotta love having them ready in an hour.

Wishing you and yours a joyful and peaceful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate.

Happy Hanukkah!

Last year I created this fun Hanukkah-themed cootie catcher. My youngest loved figuring out how to make it work. Today through Monday, December 10th, it’s just $1.00 in my Etsy shop. After purchasing you just download the file and print as many as you need. The file is sized to print on 8.5x11 paper and folding instructions are included… you know, in case it’s been while since you’ve folded one! If you live where A4 paper is the norm, shoot me an email and I’ll be happy to send you the file at that size.

Here are the “fortunes on the inside:”

·Keep your head high and watch birds soar, keep your head low and find four-leaf clovers.
·Let your heart make decisions, it does not get as confused as your head.
·Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.
·Sun always shines after a downpour.
·You will see something today that will make your heart shine.
·Today is the day to show someone you care.
·Happiness is hidden everywhere, you just have to look for it.
·Your life will be healthy and harmonious.

Enjoy!!

Smith's 3rd Birthday

Smith turned three this spring and his mommy, Jessica threw him a dinosaur-themed party for the big day. We went with lime green, yellow, and shades of blue for his custom birthday items. Jessica was gracious enough to send me a few photos from his party too, check it out!

Custom invitation:

I love the wording!

Cupcake toppers:

Penant Banner:

Thank you card:

It looks like your party was a blast, happy birthday Smittysaurus!

Jackie & Michael's Baby Shower

Jackie and Michael had a super fun, camping-themed baby shower with Jackie's family and friends. But before that shower, they had one with Michael's family and friends at his mom's home. It was low key and really casual, and they didn't want to do any specific theme, but they still wanted to send an invitation. 

Here's what we created for the shindig:

It's a straightforward design that is similar to the Panda baby shower invitations, I created a while back. It's a fun invite that I can create with lots of different color combinations. I may add it to my Etsy shop later this month.  

That isn't their real address.

Halloween Cootie Catcher

Last year I created this Halloween-themed cootie catcher and I put it up on Mama Say What?! as a free download. It's also for sale in my Etsy shop for a few bucks, but if you're a follower of Mama Say What?!, then you know where you can get it for free. 

I wanted to go a little more colorful than the standard black and orange usually associated with Halloween, and I love to find excuses to use purple where I can. 

My seven-year-old was happy to play with it so I could snap a few photos. He's asked if I can create one for his birthday that showcases all of his favorite things. I might just have to do that!

Happy Halloween!!

Custom Holiday Cards

I created holiday cards that are currently available in my Etsy shop. Each listing explains what can and cannot be customized and if there are options for colors. Let me know how you're planning to print your cards and I'll make sure to set up the final files to the correct printing specifications.

Clicking on an image will direct you to its corresponding Etsy listing.

This is one of my current favorites! One image and a Christmas greeting, choose either the green or blue colorway.

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This is a two-sided design with a large image on the front. You can have it say either Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays (or some variation of those). The back has space for up to five images along with a letter to friends and family about your family's year. 

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This design allows you to showcase five images and give your family and friends a top ten list of the highlights of your year. I can do either a green or blue faux chalkboard background and I have have the bottom say either Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas (or any variation of those). Please keep your "top ten" brief as space is limited.

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This design is laid out to be sent in a #10 envelope. You can have the bottom greeting say anything you'd like and the space at the bottom of each polaroid photo can caption each image.

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Six images and a non-Christmasy greeting. Great if you're like me and you struggle to get your cards into the mail before Christmas!

Share one image with a snowflake background and holiday lights for a border!

One family photo and a couple of giant snowflakes. I can customize the color of the flags at the top and bottom to correspond to colors that are in your photo or leave them as is. Let me know!

One family photo and sized to fit into a #10 envelope. You can choose between a red, green or blue swirly background too!

Simple design with a greeting you can customize. Choose either red, green or blue for the snowflake background.

Simple design that showcases one family photo. Two color options and it can say either Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or a variation of those.

I am working on new designs that I hope to be able to add to my shop within the next week or so. 

Shoot me an email if you're looking for something custom or you want to rework one of these designs. Also check out the custom cards I've created for clients. I can rework those designs to fit your needs as well. 

Panda Themed Baby Shower

I created this baby shower invitation for a client a while back and I loved it so much I decided to expand on it and add it to my Etsy shop as a whole downloadable package. Here's a link to the listing: Panda Baby Shower

All of the files are writable PDF files, so you as the customer can fill in the information as it applies to the baby shower you're hosting.

Here's what's included:

All of the text can be edited on the invitation except the top three lines. Because of the nature of writable PDF files, you cannot change the alignment, size, color or font. 

This package comes with two options when it comes to an invitation insert. One is simple with just registry information. The second includes verbiage for a diaper raffle AND registry information. You can print whichever one you'd like.

Water bottle label and a "wishes for baby" card.

Place cards can also be used as food labels for a buffet and napkin rings can also be wrapped around candles or vases for extra decoration.

Favor tags can be printed onto adhesive paper and made into stickers or they can be printed onto card stock with a hole punched at the top for a more traditional favor tag. Thank you cards are designed to be printed as folded cards that are blank on the inside.

The last item is this card that lets guests take a guess on baby's birthdate and other fun stats. This can be a fun keepsake for new parents.

I am planning to add this same baby shower package but with this aqua and lime green color scheme too, stay tuned!!