Wedding Planners....Extraordinaire!

I'm so excited to share with you the opening of a brand spanking new event planning endeavor in Portland, Ore. Please join me in welcoming Your Perfect Bridesmaid -- Portland's (newest) Premier Boutique Event Planners!! Their logo (which, I designed):

Your Perfect Bridesmaid is comprised of two wonderful ladies, Melanie Pedersen and Kimberly Morrill. These two ladies are creative, organizational extraordinaires and are following their passion into event planning.

From their website (which, coincidentally, I also designed):

"We joined forces to start a company that would enable us to put our experience and creativity to work helping others. As you have probably noticed by now, planning your wedding is a little stressful. Our purpose is to partner with you to ease that stress and make your wedding a success. We are experts at taking our customer’s vision and bringing it to life – right down to the very smallest detail. We pride ourselves on being meticulous, fun and creative. Most importantly, we are passionate about what we do!"

These two are already on a roll, designing some of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen.

Mel and Kim are taking brides now for Spring and Summer '10. If you are a newly engaged bride or know someone who is, check out www.yourperfectbridesmaid.com right away. Mel and Kim offer free, no obligation consultations, so you don't have anything to lose.

I know that if I was getting married again, these two would be the first people I would call. I had so much vision, but when it came down to it, pulling it off on my own was very tough. Kim and Mel would have made the day into a piece of cake!

Pretty Designs are EVERYWHERE!

I've been going through some of the things I still have at my mom's house, and one box happens to be full of dishes which I absolutely cannot wait to bring home. (Too bad it won't be this trip, as they are very breakable, and there is NO WAY I am flying with them!)







As I was digging them out of the box, just like I do every time I am home (that's how much I adore them), I couldn't help but think about the actual graphics on them. I mean...they are gorgeous. And even though this set is pretty low quality (as far as dishes go), I just think they are beautiful, and I'm so glad that my dad rescued them from my grandparents' moving sale. I think he must have really known I had an appreciation for all things beautiful and old.








Someday when I am able to display these in a china hutch, I think that their beautiful blue color and graphic elements will likely be an inspiration for the design in the rest of the room.

Love them!

A Sad Couple of Weeks

If you’re a reader who stops by every once in awhile, I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s been pretty quiet around here lately. Well, I just have to say, the world lost a pretty great man a few weeks ago, and once he became sick and then left us, I just didn’t have it in me to blog.

My dad passed away on April 6th after suffering a brief bout with cancer. I had been home for a visit in mid-march, just after he was diagnosed (surprisingly, the visit was planned well in advance of us knowing he was even sick), but with encouragement from the doctors and Dad, Travis and I flew home to Idaho on the last day of March, with plans to return to Indiana within a few weeks. We just didn’t make it back soon enough. I lost my quiet hero that day, and now there’s a hole in my heart.

Thanks for checking back in after my absence. I hope to be back at it soon.

All the best.

A Rail Inspired Wedding

When browsing around the Lucky Luxe blog one day, I found this great rehearsal dinner invitation designed by Erin:

























This is what she had to say about it:
"Because this dinner is being held in the historic Laurel Train Depot, the bride wanted something train themed for the invitation. I designed a train boarding pass for all guests that would incorporate the nostalgia of the building into the invitation. The month and day will be hole punched, and the PM beside 7:00 circled with a red pen to give it authenticity. I also added a scan of the finished envelope (after mailing)."

I was so inspired by this awesome invite, that I wanted to try my hand at putting together an inspiration board for a rail inspired wedding.

Imagine all of your guests boarding a train at dusk, welcomed by red wine and candlelight. You're adorned in a gorgeous ivory gown, your bridesmaids in gold. As you say your vows, the train rocks down an old track, curving through mountains only illuminated by moonlight. After the ceremony, your guests move to the dining car where they are treated to filet mignon, followed by delectable red velvet wedding cake.

Mmmm. Makes me want to plan another wedding!


(click to enlarge)


















Picture Credits (from top left): Vintage Train and Feathered Hairpiece (No Credit. Please comment if this is your photo and you would like it removed or credited. Thanks!); Bouquet (Martha Stewart Weddings); Antique Lantern (www.niagaraculturaltourism.com); Dining Car (www.wataugavalleynrhs.com); Ties (Ralph Lauren); Vintage Steamliner Drawing (www.oracle.net); Red Velvet Wedding Cake (Martha Stewart Weddings); Bridal Gown (Watters); Bridesmaid Gown (Watters); Train Ticket Rehearsal Invite (Lucky Luxe); Pouring Wine (www.moreintelligentlife.com).

Luck of the....uh....German? (What?! I'm not Irish!)

I am not a very lucky person, and I can't remember having ever won a contest. For anything! That's no lie. But today, I found out that I won a great prize from a contest being hosted over at Classic Bride. The winnings? An 18x24 gallery-wrapped canvas print from Online Poster Printing. I am stoked! I'm planning to use this picture and have it hung above my desk in my office alcove.

















Classic Bride is an amazing wedding resource. I've been checking in on a daily basis for over a year now, and I found that Sarah's great ideas and direction were instrumental in planning my wedding. Now that I'm a newlywed and interested in the graphic design element of weddings, I'm still a regular visitor, as I like to see what the current trends are. For any brides-to-be, or ladies who just love weddings, I highly recommend checking out Classic Bride. You won't be disappointed!!

Sonoma Babes!

I got a call today from an old colleague of mine. She and a group of friends from her college days at USC are planning a fun getaway weekend to Sonoma, California to celebrate turning 50, and she wondered if I could help them put together a logo.

She thought it would be fun to go with a "Hawaii Five-O" sort of theme (for the big 5-0), but with a bit more elegance. Since the ladies will be enjoying wine country on their getaway, we also thought it would be fun to incorporate that element of the trip into the logo.

They sent me a wave graphic that they liked...










...and their preferred fonts, and here's what I came up with...









The logo will be embroidered on cute khaki tote bags, as well as navy shirts, so it was important that we stuck with colors that would work on dark and light backgrounds.

I'm excited to see the final results once the embroidery is finished!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Stacey Holton Design (SHD) Daily Blog! SHD has been around for almost a year now, but has just recently gotten off of its feet. In fact, my website is still under construction...forgive me! It will hopefully be up and running within the next two weeks. Though this blog probably won't concentrate on current work that I'm doing for my clients (privacy issues, sorry folks!), I will share what I can! I'd like to put most of my focus toward trends in the design world and showcasing what I think is the best stuff out there in the here and now.

SHD is a freelance design agencing, focusing in print, web and special events. Whether a client just needs a new business card or a total brand redesign, I can help! Maybe you've got a special event coming up (did I hear wedding season??), and you need invitations, event signage or even welcome booklets for your guests. My designs focus on what you need, and you can give as little or as much guidance as you want!

I hope to see you coming back soon for updates. Welcome aboard!