Skillshare Mini Challenge // Backgrounds for Everyone!

If you're following along with the Scripture Memory / Dwell Richly printable, here's the verse for week 42: 

But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Nehemiah 9:17 (ESV)

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A S S I G N M E N T

Mini Challenge for Bonnie Christine's Intro to Surface Pattern Design Class: Design a desktop wallpaper featuring your own artwork and favorite inspirational quote (for more examples, check out the free downloads under 'class project'). 

You can sign up for a free month of Skillshare here!

C L A S S   P R O J E C T

Desktop Background: I love the idea of this challenge but honestly, I rarely see my desktop background. There's a reason I design planners and organization printables... not because I'm organized but because it's my life goal to have structure, to get organized and to figure out a system. I have yet to achieve any of those goals. ;)

So, for this mini challenge, I played around with a few different desktop backgrounds to fit the styles of everyone. For those of you who keep a clean desktop, the ones who close out all windows at the end of the day so that they can open a fresh workspace every morning, I used the quote: "What she tackles, she conquers." Because trust me ladies, if you can create structure and strategy like that, I firmly believe that what you tackle, you will conquer. Plus, what a wonderfully motivating quote that would be to start your day with! 

And then I created this desktop background for people like me. People who always have countless windows and projects open, way too many to tackle in one day. People who, let's be honest, if you actually ever see your desktop, it's because you've stretched your trusty computer a little too far and it's given up on you. Time to close everything up and reboot. Time to take a break. Time to go pick some flowers on the wildside. ;) 

I realized after I posted the project and the name [Backgrounds for Everyone!] that I only posted feminine backgrounds so here's a gender neutral one. :)

Which background do you relate to the most? Feel free to use these backgrounds for your own desktop! 

Why I Love Skillshare // An Online Creative Learning Community

If you've had a face-to-face conversation with me in the past year, I probably mentioned my love for Skillshare at one point or another. Why? Because I'm obsessed. I think it's one of the greatest creative communities of all-time and I've consumed more knowledge through the classes, teachers and students than I have in years.

Skillshare is an online learning community for creators. Unlike traditional study, online classes at Skillshare are taught by industry experts and focus on learning by doing. The courses, which are not accredited, accept anyone who wants to learn.

I grew up in a wonderfully creative home. My parents always nourished the wild curiosities and adventurous endeavors that my brother, Chase, and I put our minds to. They never squashed our excitement for new projects (regardless of how crazy, messy or strange they were). In fact, they encouraged them.

However, my design background started in a high school journalism classroom with one of my favorite teachers, Brian Cole. He taught the intricacies of InDesign and photography. While writing copy was somewhat enjoyable, I couldn't get enough of playing with different layouts. I continued to Auburn where I studied public relations and finished out my degree working as a marketing / PR intern at Mammoth Printshop where I had the opportunity to sit alongside Whitney Zech, a phenomenal graphic designer who rekindled a crazy passion for design within my soul. She taught me the basics of Illustrator and it was over for me. I couldn't get enough of it. But then I graduated and JD & I moved to a small town so I was basically on my own for learning. I wasn't sure where to go for that (unless I went back to school), so I focused instead on arts and crafts for a few years until Chase told me about Skillshare. It took me a while before I signed up but I asked my friend, Ashley, to join me in one of the handlettering projects and she was in. 

I'm semi-embarrassed to admit that I'm always one for free trials then dropping the 'service' when the trial period is over but Skillshare is one of the few things I believe in paying for. After the first free month, I became addicted to learning these new skills. A lot of people ask how I have time to watch the videos and do the challenges. I'll tell you how: I make time for it. I make it a priority. I believe in learning. I believe in excelling. I believe in expanding your skills. I believe in joining in community with others so that we can be better. (Plus, it helps that I work solo in the studio all day and have the videos playing on repeat while I work on custom projects). During every trip we've taken in the past year, I've focused on one class and one project. It's because of Skillshare that I've been exposed to true techniques of handlettering, calligraphy, surface pattern design and so many other design niches. 

The most recent project I've finished is the Calligraphy 101 class, taught by Bryn Chernoff. I couldn't describe Skillshare in any better light than this: 

'Picking the phrase or quote' was definitely the most difficult part of this challenge for me. It was so hard to narrow it down but I wanted to use a phrase that has encouraged me as a creative, in hopes that it will encourage all of you as well! 

I was sharing with my friend, Lauren (from the Department of Agraculture), the other day about how I quickly plunge from inspired to discouraged when scrolling through my Instagram feed and Pinterest. At first, I feel like, "Yes! I can do this. I can create something wonderful too!" But then the disillusionment of, "No, I can't. Everyone is accomplishing so much more than me," sets in. Lauren quickly diffused this by sharing John F. Kennedy's quote: "A rising tide lifts all boats." Even though Kennedy was referring to the economy in this speech, one of the creatives she follows on IG shared the quote in a post and wrote about how this is the same effect for creatives. When one of us is successful, it's like a rising tide and it lifts us all to succeed as well. Instead of getting discouraged by others' success, we should be excited for them, knowing that it is a sweet tide of success, lifting up the world of creativity, knowing that s/he is making a way for us all, creating opportunity. 

Don't get me wrong, I still get discouraged every now and then, but that perspective changed a lot for me. When I see the teachers and students of Skillshare, I see this quote played into motion. So many have been willing to share skills that we wouldn't be able to have access to otherwise. Because of the variety of classes offered, we're able to create that tide, to build skill on top of skill, and to reach new levels of creativity we've only imagined. I've been deeply inspired by this community coupled with the encouragement and tips we're able to give one another. 

Check out my full project and steps here. Want to join in on the fun with Skillshare? Get a free month membership here! Let me know which class you take and maybe we can take it together! 

Bloom of Hope // A New Surface Pattern Design!

If you're following along with the Scripture Memory / Dwell Richly printable, here's the verse for week 26 (which also happens to be the inspiration for this project): 

I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. Isaiah 41:18 (ESV)

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I've been taking Skillshare classes from Elizabeth Olwen and Bonnie Christine. If you haven't heard of Skillshare or looked into, go now. It is my, hands-down, most favorite learning site. If you click this link, you can get a free month membership. 

A S S I G N M E N T

Via Elizabeth Olwen: Your assignment is concept, illustrate, and design a repeat pattern. Surface design skills are applicable to countless projects, and whether you're a designer, illustrator, or simply looking for a fun and inspiring project, you'll love creating something that you can use at any size, on any project that means the most to you. Plus, it's always enjoyable to work on a project inspired by the things you love. So: pick motifs that have meaning for you (flowers, your favorite hobby, a special season), work them into a seamless repeat, and immerse yourself in the surface design process.

Upload your final repeat pattern. A completed project should include both the block both (1) on its own and (2) in a 3x5 repeating grid.

C L A S S   P R O J E C T

Pattern: Bloom of Hope

Mood Board: There are several different pieces of inspiration I'm compiling for this pattern. I started with the words 'bloom' and 'hope' which were originally inspired from Isaiah 41:18: "I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." I'd like for my pattern to express a refreshing growth with lots of vines, fresh blooms and budding florals. The floral photos are from our garden, which we lovlingly refer to as "the Todd Nest." I'd like to incorporate feathers because of the organic feel that they have. They just seem to add a sweet motion to a pattern when shaped well. Finally, I'd like to integrate large vintage blooms with a modern flair, inspired by the vintage hankies my great-grandmother passed down to me. My husband and I had a 'vintage hankie tree' at our wedding as one of the wedding favors for our female guests (pictured below). Side note: These were hankies we collected; not the ones my great-grandmother left me - those are all nestled in a special place in my studio. :) That was one of my favorite elements of our wedding and the designs on each hankie was unqiuely splendid. My final piece of inspiration is the song "Bloom" by Mae, which I can basically guarantee I'll be listening to on repeat as I design this pattern. :)

Color Palette: I'm really loving the colors below. They're a totally different direction from the bright colors on my mood board but they seem to offer a beautiful balance of light and dark. I like to think of these as my "desert collection" palette. 

Illustrations: Many of the illustrations and sketches have been inspired by the lovely details on the vintage hankies my great-grandmother passed down to me. The other ones were inspired by a crochet and sewing book from the 70's. I was super excited when Elizabeth suggested looking in old pattern books because I have several laying around in my studio as decor - I didn't even think about using them for illustration inspiration! 

I went ahead and made a secondary print as well - because I just. can't. stop!!

As much as I love this color palette for the desert collection, I've really been obsessing over pastels so I decided to do these as an alternate color way as well! 

I also decided to do my first official mockups!! Process: I created these journals with the pen tool (traced over an image of a journal). As the Fill, I used my pattern swatches then Effect > Drop Shadow. Then I added a slim band (Effect > Drop Shadow) to act as the band around the journal. 

For the pillows, I probably took the long way around but I'm pleased with how they turned out! Live Trace two pillow forms > change Fill Color to pattern swatch of choice > Save as transparent .png > Open in Photoshop > Effects: Add drop shadow and inner shadow > Save as transparent .png > Open in Illustrator and place them on artboard. 

I loved, loved, loved this course!!! Elizabeth Olwen is such an inspiration! I recommend many Skillshare classes but Elizabeth's is certainly one of my top favorites! 

Jitney Jams // Year Five

Have no idea what we're talking about with the Jitney Jams? Read the history behind the Jitney CD here!

Last year we worked incredibly hard on preparing the playlist for the Jitney Album / Year Four. So hard, in fact, that we couldn't decide on which cover design or which songs to shuck from the playlist. Instead, we decided to wait until Christmas. "Let's just do a Christmas edition!! That'll be fun!" So we went to Japan. I took a class on handlettering. I designed a cover that JD is obsessed with... (I tell you this not to brag on myself, but to inform you that he seriously brings it up in conversation anytime we talk about the CD - he speaks to my heart when he affirms my creativity. He speaks my language, people. It's just another way that he loves me well. It may end up being on our Christmas card this year so I can't ruin the surprise.) but once again, we couldn't narrow down the playlist, address all of the envelopes, travel back to America, and see all of our family in time before Christmas. It just wasn't going to happen. 

So, as my friend Julie says, Year Four just didn't happen. Kidding. Obviously, our fourth year of marriage did happen and it was sheer bliss. But the album didn't happen. 

We [hopefully] made up for it this year though! We sent out the envelopes and albums to our wedding party early last week. Only a couple of people have told us they received it [or shared us some social media love (thanks Chase!)] but according to USPS, they arrived in time for our anniversary! This is a first in five years (sans our actual wedding day). 

Behind the Cover Design: 
We wanted to keep it simple. White, dark gray and red. We wanted it to have a theme of travel, foreign languages and love. JD actually visualized the design, I just made it happen. #teamwork

We translated the word 'love' for every country we've visited (by we translated, I mean 'Google translated') then created the shape of the English word 'love' using those translations. Flip over the cover and you'll see Jitney's Journeys spelled out in red as the song list goes down (also JD's ingenuity). It's minimalist, but I'd say it's my favorite from the past five years. 

Behind the Playlist: 
Per the usual, all of the songs are songs we love. They either explicitly sing the word love, talk about great love stories, are related to TV shows that we love, represent our love for travel, worship the Ultimate Love or are simply bands that we love. Normally we would like to write specifics about every song but they're all pretty self-explanatory and awesome. However, we do feel like we need to explain one of the songs.

Disclaimer for Run & Go: This (see Mickey to the left) is what we think of and who / what JD imitates when the song starts playing. Many of you will probably never see this super cute side of JD (which I'm okay with, because I love wrapping these moments up, all for myself) but he really knows how to throw his shoulders back, rear back his head and start whistling a happy tune with fists swaying side to side. His favorite song to whistle is the Robin Hood theme song. Please note that neither of us have killed a man or are on the run and go. 

[P.S. Thank you KidsPlayColor.com for this wonderful image of Mickey whistling.]

Notes about the rest of the playlist: You'll hear the words "Ain't cuttin' my hair till the good Lord comes" when the playlist starts (because JD's hair is that perfect and I never want him to cut his hair short again - unless Jesus tells him to, of course.) and you'll hear a few song cameos from our favorite TV shows that went off air this year (if only we had a song from The Mindy Project on there). You'll hear slow songs, fast songs, songs that will bring you to tears (either from reminiscing or because you're laughing so hard) and songs that will make you want to walk around the house whistling.  

Are you hooked and curious? Never fear! We've made most of the playlist public on Spotify. Also, this is probably a good note to tell you that we'll be doing Spotify playlists for the next few years (maybe we'll send out a tangible 10th edition; and we've even considered a cassette tape version for our 50th. You know, true vintage 'mixed tape' and all).

A Belated Merry Christmas & Happy Early New Year to You and Yours // 2014 Christmas Postcard

It may be a few days late but Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Jitney's Journeys!!

To keep in theme with our travel photos for the past few years on our Christmas cards, we wanted to use a photo from our trip to Japan (Nov. - mid-Dec) this year which means I had to design it, order it and get them shipped to our house all before we returned home (don't you just love the conveniency of the Internet??). We took this beaut when venturing through Kyoto. The initial plan was to address the cards between our return to Huntsville and our travel plans to see family but I came down with the flu. It was awful. Awful, I say! But thanks to an amazing husband who bought lots of take-out and kept a steady supply of saltines, Gatorade and soup, coupled with Tamiflu, I was well by the end of the week... just in time to leave for my parents' house. Needless to say, we were late getting our postcards out this year. But it's okay... next year we'll get them out in time! (Pretty sure I said that last year too, though.)

This Christmas was a little different than normal. It's been a tough year for my family (I may share more about it later) but one thing is for sure... This Christmas we celebrated the most precious gifts of all: Salvation, Redemption, Family and New Beginnings. In the last two weeks, I've had more heart-to-hearts than I've had in a while. Talks where we poured our hearts out to each other, encouraged each other with Truth and prayed for one another. After seeing what's He's done this year, I'm so thrilled to see what God's going to do in 2015!

What about you? How was your Christmas? What are you looking forward to in 2015?

2015 Daily Agenda // Hourly Planner & Monthly Calendar

It's not too late to start planning the new year! There have been a number of obstacles we've hit since we announced our plans for the 2015 Agenda in October but they are finally in stock and ready for purchase. {cue the party hats, kazoos and "celebrate good times, come on!"}

Order them from our Etsy site here!

Thanks to your input on the Agenda Cover Design Giveaway, we decided to offer both the geometric and floral cover designs. Both have been selling at steady speeds. What would we do without y'all?

Special Features & Contents of the Agenda:

• Dwell Richly: Inspired by Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly," we added this as a section for you to write in weekly scripture memory or things to be praying about. My current goal and goal for 2015 is to be more intentional... in memorizing scripture and praying for people. We hope you'll use it in the same way. [side note: We will share resources for different studies and ways to "dwell richly" throughout the 2015 year.]
• By the Hour: Each page is one full day beginning at 6 am and ending at 9 pm. Fill in appointments, dinner dates, play dates, school schedules, or things to do (or to get done by that time). 

• Today's Top Five: Set goals for yourself and feel awesome when you get to check it off your list for the day. Julie, one of our fabulous JCT members, likes to write in her Top 5 at the end of the day for the next day. (i.e. She'll write in her Top 5 for Tuesday at the end of the day Monday. That way, she can go into the office Tuesday morning and tackle it all without having to take time Tuesday morning to list out the goals for the day.)

• The Feather: We couldn't help but sneak the feather logo design onto a few spreads including the holiday placeholders.

Dimensions: 6" x 8.5" x 1" (thickness)