Planes, Trains, and Automobiles 2nd Birthday Party

Last week, our little man turned two, so we invited some family over to celebrate with a small backyard party.

Jackson is about all things transportation right now. So I thought it fitting to have a Planes, Trains and Automobiles themed birthday party.

I started with a digital invitation and let that set the look and feel of the party.

I thought it would be fun to incorporate one of those balloon arches as a backdrop, but with wanting to keep the budget real low this year, I decided to try my hand at creating one on my own. 120 hand pumped balloons later, here is how it turned out.

I’m used to creating my own banners and menu signs, but this was the first time I decided to do a DIY food station as well. One of Jackson’s favorite dishes is my spaghetti, so I decided to do a Pasta Station.

And of course no party, big or small, is complete without a dessert table spread.

Freshly baked homemade cookies and other sweet treats made up the dessert station.

A big thanks to my sister for, yet again, baking the delicious cupcakes!

The driveway was decorated with a little road and other sidewalk chalk creations so Jackson and the other little kids could drive around in his little car and motorcycle toys.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jackson Danny!

LCAD’s 30th Anniversary Collector’s Choice Gala + Live Auction

I have been under the weather this past month, which is unfortunate, because it’s delayed me sharing this exciting project I worked on for Laguna College of Art + Design (LCAD) these past couple of months.

I had the pleasure of designing the invitations for their 30th Anniversary Collector’s Choice Gala + Live Auction, which took place on Saturday, November 9th at the Montage Laguna Beach.

This is LCAD‘s premier annual fundraising event in support of their talented students and their award-winning programs. The event plays an integral role in raising funds for the $2.5 million awarded annually to their studentsโ€™ merit scholarships.

For their 30th Anniversary, they celebrated with a diamonds and pearls theme to incorporate both the traditional and modern symbols.

The accordion folded invitation and response card was digitally printed on a pearlescent paper, paired with matching pearlescent envelopes, all packaged up with a vellum wrap and sealed with a custom foil embossed seal.

A photo of LCAD circa 1964 juxtaposed with LCAD today was also incorporated into the invitation, which again played off the more traditional Fine Art Drawing + Painting classes to the now modern courses offered of Extended Reality Design (XRD).

I also got to design the event program, various event signage and the guest keepsakes, which were these ceramic coasters that included of the artworks being auctioned off that night, by LCAD’s President, Jonathan Burke.

The program played tribute to all the years past and all the amazing people that have played an integral role to LCAD and this fundraising event by showcasing several photo collages.

Image credit: Xun Chi Photography

Slideshows I designed were displayed throughout the night showcasing the different artwork being auctioned off as well people that were being honored and showcased.

Image credit: Hugh Foster Photography
Image credit: Xun Chi Photography

It was such an honor to attend this event and get the opportunity to see my final designs in person. The event itself was so much fun and being a part of a live auction for the first time was an experience in itself. It was pretty amazing to see the incredible amount of people that gave so generously throughout the night to support the students of LCAD.

Image credit: Hugh Foster Photography

Princess Panda 1st Birthday Invitation and Thank You Note

It’s a real honor when you’re a part of announcing the special milestones in a family’s life.

I’ve had the honor of designing the Wang’s wedding invitation, their son, Ethan’s 1st birthday, and now their daughter, Sofia’s 1st birthday.

I loved the idea of doing something similar to their son’s 1st birthday invite but with a princess/panda theme. Same, but different.

Stacy had found these adorable princess panda illustrations online so we incorporated them into the design and they were the inspiration behind the pattern I created on the backside of the invitations and thank you notes.

I love that they even brought back another caricature artist for Sofia’s party. So now we have another drawing of our growing family.

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