FROM ME TO YOU // HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE TOPPERS

From Me To You is a feature where every now and then (or whenever I feel like it) I will be sharing a DIY, a tutorial or a printable freebie with you. They will be super easy for you to follow (because I'm not very good with complicated things) or free to download.

Halloween is nearly here! Alright, it's like three weeks away but that's close enough to start planning your little Halloween shin dig. I absolutely love dressing up, and this is the perfect "holiday" for it. There's also heaps of ways to decorate your party, and I've got the perfect way to snazz up your cupcakes a bit. All you need to do is download the file, cut out the circles and attach them (glue or tape) to toothpicks or popsicle sticks and stick them in the top of your cupcakes. Easy huh? And super cute!

If you're looking for other Halloween themed goodies, check out my Etsy store and have a look at my Halloween Invitation and Halloween Printable Bunting! They even match my toppers!

D O W N L O A D

halloween cupcake toppers

You can also check out my other From Me To You features here

GIVEAWAY // OCTOBER DESKTOP WALLPAPER

As soon as I hear October I think of pumpkins, bats and ghosts. Oh, and dress up parties. Halloween is actually my Gran's birthday so I don't often participate in Halloween type activities but I thought it would be fitting for this month's desktop to be a little spooky. Naturally, it's turned out more cute than spooky but I still like it! Pretty different to what I usually do, but that's what life is about. 

D O W N L O A D

october desktop wallpaper

FROM ME TO YOU // FATHER'S DAY CARD

From Me To You is a feature where every now and then (or whenever I feel like it) I will be sharing a DIY, a tutorial or a printable freebie with you. They will be super easy for you to follow (because I'm not very good with complicated things) or free to download.

Okay, my From Me To You feature has gone from being a Wednesday thing to a "whenever I feel like it thing." I don't want to push myself and I'd rather provide you with neat and inspired stuff than force myself to come up with something that I don't really like.

This FMTY is inpsired by my very own Dad. He's one of a kind and I love him to bits! As Father's Day is this weekend, I thought I "ready to print" Father's Day card could be just what you guys need. All you have to do is print the file, trim  it down and write a super sweet message inside. Pretty easy and there is no doubt that your Dads will love it.

D O W N L O A D

father's day printable card

You can also check out my other From Me To You features here

GIVEAWAY // SEPTEMBER DESKTOP WALLPAPER

September is here! Holy, I can't believe there are only four months to go. This year is just flying by so quickly. One thing is for sure, I've really been enjoying this little giveaway feature. It's a good excuse for me to get creative and say thank you for reading along!

Spring has arrived (although you wouldn't know it with the awful weather today in NZ) so it's only fitting that this month's wallpaper is floral. 

D O W N L O A D

september desktop wallpaper

FROM ME TO YOU // TYPOGRAPHIC PRINT

From Me To You is a feature where each Wednesday (or every second Wednesday, depending on how I feel) I will be sharing a DIY, a tutorial or a printable freebie with you. They will be super easy for you to follow (because I'm not very good with complicated things) or free to download.

As I'm sure you all know, Robin Williams passed away yesterday. I have so many fond memories of his acting and voice work, especially as a kid (I'm looking at you Genie!) and like the rest of the world, I'm shocked and saddened by his death.

I thought that this week's From Me To You would be in memory of him so I've designed a typographic print using one of my favourite quotes. 

RIP Robin Williams.

D O W N L O A D

spark A4 typography print

You can also check out my other From Me To You features here

GIVEAWAY // AUGUST DESKTOP WALLPAPER

For August I bring you... Galaxy Cupcakes! Yep. You heard. It's actually a first for me too. I wanted to do something sweet for you guys and because August is also the month of my birthday (twenty three this year! when did that happen?!), I figured that cupcakes would be very appropriate. And then the galaxy thing happened because ordinary cupcakes weren't enough. 

Anyway. Here is your free desktop wallpaper for August! I hope you guys like it. Stay sweet!

D O W N L O A D

august desktop wallpaper

DESIGN // MOVE LOVE EAT

 

Recently I was approached by the lovely Amanda from Move Love Eat. She'd seen some of my other design work pop up around the place and approached me (after some awesome recommendations from my friends - I love you guys!) to rebrand her blog. Amanda is a recently qualified Personal Trainer so her blog is all about health and fitness and she also has the yummiest (and healthy) recipes. Each word in her blog name represented something to her so I wanted to make sure it showed through her branding. She loved the idea of having a handwritten font, but also symbols to really show what she was all about. It was fun finding a balance between both and I'm really happy with what we came up with. I also thought that a pattern would be a great way to incorporate everything - her love of travel, exercise, healthy eating and photography. 

Thanks Amanda for letting me do your blog rebrand! I hope you love it as much as I  do! Make sure you check out her blog, full of fitness advice, delicious recipes and all things awesome!

FROM ME TO YOU // WEEKLY FOOD PLANNER

The lovely Tillie invited me to hang out in her blog and be part of her birthday week. She had a bunch of neat giveaways and I was stoked to be part of it. For me, food is pretty important (and not always in a good, "food is fuel" kinda way.) Since starting my weight loss journey in 2013 I definitely found that planning was the key to success. Without planning out your meals, it's pretty easy to be led astray and give in to temptation. 

To make it a little more fun, and less of a drag, I designed these super cute Weekly Food Planners to encourage you all to make better choices when it comes to food. They even come in four different colours so there should be at least one to suit you all!

D O W N L O A D 

hello tillie - weekly food planner

You can also check out my other From Me To You features here

Giveaway // July Desktop Wallpaper

And we are officially half way through the year! How fast has it gone? The months are zooming past and I'm feeling like I don't have enough time to do everything. I did manage to design next month's desktop wallpaper though! I'm so into geometrics (if you haven't already noticed.) It seems to be a style that I always fall back on so I figured it was about time we had a "geometric themed" wallpaper. I hope you like it! 

DOWNLOAD

july desktop wallpaper

From Me To You // My Recipe Book

From Me To You is a feature where each Wednesday (or every second Wednesday, depending on how I feel) I will be sharing a DIY, a tutorial or a printable freebie with you. They will be super easy for you to follow (because I'm not very good with complicated things) or free to download.

This week I decided to carry on the "kitchen" theme and create some recipes cards! I always see lovely recipes online but never know where to put them. It can get pretty messy having heaps of printed out recipes everywhere and sometimes it's hard to find the one you're after. Here are a bunch of recipe cards that can be used for baking, cooking and even drinks! I've also made a little front cover so you could even make it into your very own recipe book.  

The recipe cards and cover are all A5 (14.8cm x 21cm). I've put two per page to make them a little easier to print. This way, all you have to do is trim them yourself. Happy cooking! 

D O W N L O A D

cover & bake me / cook me & drink me

This download is for personal use only. 

You can also check out my other From Me To You features here

A Birthday Print

Yesterday I shared some photos of our weekend away with my lovely Kathryn. Kathryn is such a gem. Seriously. I've known her since I was about four. I know what I'm talking about. We've been to all the same schools and even started out tap dancing together. Yip. Tap dancing. We were pretty darn cool. I'm so lucky to be able to call her my friend. She has the kindest heart and is honestly the best friend.

Here is a little illustration I drew for her birthday present.
(Excuse the IPhone photos. We were in a bit of a rush and I ran out of time to photograph it nicely.)

Love you Kathy :) xxx

From Me To You //Printable Shopping List

I've decided to start a feature that will happen fortnightly or weekly (but probably fortnightly.) It really is to encourage me to be more creative and also to say thank you to you cool cats for following along. As it's going to be a creative feature, I thought it would be fun to make it a bit of a freebie.

From Me To You is a feature where each Wednesday (or every second Wednesday, depending on how I feel) I will be sharing a DIY, a tutorial or a printable freebie with you. They will be super easy for you to follow (because I'm not very good with complicated things) or free to download. 

Sound good? Great! Let's get started.

Cute (and cheap) shopping lists are hard to find. I currently just write mine on a notepad but I'm always on the hunt for a fun one that would look great on our fridge. This week I've designed a quirky shopping list for you to print out and use yourself.

The file contains one black and one pink (you can even choose which colour you want!) and it can be printed to either A4 or A5. Print as many as you like out, grab a sweet little magnet and stick them on your fridge. It's so easy, plus you can always print out more whenever you need them.

You can download them here.

You can also check out my other From Me To You features here

Giveaway // June Desktop Wallpaper

Here in Auckland it's getting pretty darn cold. Yesterday was one of the coldest day ever recorded in May. Guys, trust me. It was freezing. June marks the beginning of winter, so it makes sense that this months wallpaper is themed appropriately. Side note - how is it almost June?! I can't  keep up.

You know the drill. You can download it here

Design // #bloggersbrunchclub

 

#‎bloggersbrunchclub‬ is exactly what it sounds like, a brunch meetup for bloggers to come together informally once a month to have a coffee and some brunch – the idea is to share some tips, chat about our latest finds, have fun and most importantly make new friends.

The lovely Laura and Maddy have come together and created a space for local bloggers to connect. They've started the #bloggersbrunchclub and it's already taken off. When Laura asked me to design their branding, I obviously said yes. Their ideas were super cute and luckily, we were all totally on the same page. 

I illustrated a couple of brunchy/bloggy things (that were initially going to be used as part of the logo) and this pattern emerged. I've never done anything like this before, although I've always wanted to, so I'm really happy with how it's turned out. Luckily, Laura and Maddy love it too so it is a win for everyone! 

You'll definitely have to keep an eye out for them. Seriously such a great idea, and such an awesome way for NZ bloggers to connect with each other. I'm planning on going to the next one! 

Visual Diary Project // 01

Hey, it's not perfect.. But it's a start.

A little while ago, I decided that I should get a visual diary. I used to always have one in school and when I was studying. It was pretty mandatory. Despite being in a very computer based career, I've always been encouraged to have a visual diary as well. I totally get it too. It's only now that I'm on a computer for over eight hours a day that I truly appreciate how nice it is to be creative without it.  It's so easy to be glued to it for hours, using only Photoshop or Illustrator to create my work. I actually illustrate a lot better on the computer than I do by hand, but sometimes it's nice to step back. I don't usually sketch ideas out, I definitely prefer to just get straight into it. Sometimes my ideas don't translate well onto paper so I tend to shy away from it. I think it's important though, to just take a breather and create. 

I've decided that this diary won't just be for sketches/doodles/illustrations though. I'm going to also experiment with paint, watercolour and collage. The "title" page is misleading as well, as this is definitely not a project. I find that I don't really do well with projects. I don't like the pressure.  Having to do something everyday takes the enjoyment out of it and sometimes skews my perception of it.

This is purely to get me away from the computer. While it will  not be a daily thing, I'm planning on "doing a page" at least once a week. That way, there is at least SOME direction, which I think is important otherwise it will be just another unfinished project. I thought about doing one of those daily challenges where you are given a list of things to draw, but I think I'll try and start by drawing from my own imagination. If I do get stuck, I'll definitely have a look at a few weekly challenges. Sometimes it's fun to have some direction, and to do something challenging but the less pressure the better.

Feel free to join me! All you need to do is buy yourself a visual diary or a sketchbook (I got mine from the warehouse stationery) and go crazy! I'm going to be posting monthly updates - just to show you what I've been up to. I've promised to myself that I'll share all of my work, even if I'm not that happy with it. This is about being honest and being creative. Mistakes are definitely welcome. 

Design // TBC Youth Information Booklet

This was probably the biggest freelance project I've worked on. I realise that it's "just" an information booklet, but it was a big step from the logos that I have been doing here and there. 

Matt (the Youth Pastor from Titirangi Baptist Church) wanted a way to share more about their youth ministry without being exclusive or intimidating. We didn't want the reader to be bombarded by information so the booklet ended up being quite image oriented, which I totally love. I feel like you get more of the "essence" of TBC from seeing the photos. As the ministry often takes trips that are set in very "natural" enviroments, the wide images and organic/handdrawn feel perfectly represents their group.

All photos used were taken by either Matt or their talented photographer, Brooke Weir.

Design // Laura Laura Blog

Laura from LauraLaura Lifestyle Blog is seriously awesome and it was so great working with her on her new blog brand. Luckily, she totally loved the moodboard I did for her, so I already knew we were on the same page. As she was after handdrawn typography, it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit. She wanted LauraLaura but also two capital L's so she could use them as an alternative logo. 

Laura decided that she loved the heart concept. Funnily enough, we had never discussed hearts, but with all the looping (and a bit of Jessica Hische inspiration) I thought I'd add one in. Luckily, Laura was into it. The development stage was refining the letters and experimenting with different strokes. 

For the final design, Laura went with the thin stroke and we settled on the capital and lowercase L (including the heart of course.) The pink was part of her The Dizain Collective branding so that stayed, as well as introducing a light pink and grey - as alternative colours.

Make sure you check out her sweet little blog. She covers such a huge range of topics from yummy recipes to really helpful beauty tips. 

Giveaway // May Desktop Wallpaper

This year is going way too fast. It's already May! The fifth month! Where has the time gone? I think the whole "this year is flying by" thing is going to become a theme around here. I feel like I'm getting nothing done. Time to amp it up in May!

Here is your free desktop wallpaper for May. You know the drill! You can download it here.

Moodboard : Laura Laura

My lovely friend from Laura Laura (originally The Dizain Collective) has decided to rebrand her wonderful blog. I'm so lucky that she approached me, she's going to be such a gem to work with. 

I've really been trying to stick with this whole "Moodboard" idea because it definitely helps to make sure that your vision is the same as theirs. She wants a sweet but modern feel, and maybe cats. Cats! In her moodboard I included the kind of type she's after, different illustration styles and the colours I thought would suit. Luckily she loved it all so it made my job ten times easier.

I can't wait to get started on her rebrand. And of course, to show you!

DIY // Ring Ring Print

This is another one of my DIY's that is a "do it yourself" but doesn't come with a tutorial. I think my problem (well, it's up to you if it's a problem or not) is that I just go for it, without really planning. Which means that I don't really have many DIY posts for you that you can follow point by point.

It's all part of the fun though. Yes, it's great to get inspiration and sometimes ideas don't really come together until you've done a bit of research.. But sitting down with a pen and paper can be where the magic happens too.

We aren't really allowed to put stuff on our walls (unless we use 3M hooks) so I've been a bit hesitant about dreaming up cute decor. We did have a hook above our little "phone space" though and I had been thinking about creating a print for it. I didn't have much lying around, except for this lovely frame and some paper. I was tossing up between "Call Me Maybe" and "Ring Ring, Why Don't You Give Me A Call." I was too scared to attempt something as long as the "ring ring" quote, but I did like the idea of having something simple so "Ring Ring" it was.

All I did was draw the oval to fit the frame, write my quote "Ring Ring" and then colour the oval in using a circular scribble pattern. I just liked the idea of it having a bit more texture - definitely looked better than if I had tried to colour it in normally.

Then I drew the little scallop design around the outside and coloured in the shape the same as the oval.

Voila. Easiest project ever.

I've also included a little snap of our cute as succulents/cactis on our brickwall. They might just be my favourite part of our house. It's so nice seeing it all come together. I have to admit that it hasn't happening as fast I'd like, but it's okay. At least thought is going into each aspect instead of filling it up with rubbish. 

I'm thinking about working on a photo type project this weekend, so I'll try and make it a little more DIYish for ya.