autumns creek designs

merry christmas!!! our holiday card

i was so last minute on this because we GOT A NEW PUPPY so we waited until we picked him up to take the front cover photo. here is styx, our new pup (with autumn of course)!!

here is one of me holding him and a few of his brothers:

here is a zoom of the front of our holiday card:

and a preview of the whole thing (it is a 5x5 trifold) :)

custom ProPhoto or Blogger Blog Design

junebug inspirations winner

after removing duplicate posts, we had 15 unique comments, using a random number generator, the winning reader is: Amanda Hlad :)

thank you so much Hannah. You can send me your contact info or contact hannah directly on facebook :)

thank you everyone and especially, a HUGE thank you to miss hannah!!!

photography logos: inland empire logo designer

new premade logos now in my hsop!

introducing hannah & junebug inspirations!

Happy black friday everyone. i hope you were able to get out and shop (i was)!!

today, i have another feature friday and i am introducing you to a super sweet client of mine, hannah and her shop, junebug inspirations. hannah makes unique items for you and your little ones. you can see more items she has made on her facebook page here. her adorable hats are modern, yet will remind you of things your grandma use to make. and the best thing is miss hannah is giving one away to one of my lucky blog readers. all you have to do is LIKE her facebook page, then come back here and tell me how adorable her items are and you are entered, easy as pie (which reminds me, i think i need a piece of pumpkin pie) :)

Hannah, junebug inspirations owner & designer
how gorgeous is she (and fun too)!

hannah is a custom logo client and trusted me to bring her branding vision to life (see it above, cute, huh?) thank you so much hannah, you were a JOY to work with.. now, i introduce you all to hannah!

So hannah, when did you open your shop?
JuneBug Inspirations opened in April 2011- I started JBI while pregnant with my 3rd Child, and during my nesting period.. :) I taught myself how to crochet a blanket, then a hat for her, and from there my imagination just ran wild... It has become an addiction and form of therapy for me.

Your name is so cute, how did you come up with the name?

The name JuneBug came from our little name-less baby girl who was due in June.. we still call her JuneBug- Just the thought of our new little Bundle on the way had inspired me daily to take on new challenges... 3rd Trimester of my pregnancy may have been a strange time to launch my little business, but I couldnt be happier with the outcome!

what is the hardest thing about running a home business for you?
Im sure you will hear this from any parent who has an at home business, but the juggle is the biggest challenge... I have 3 children- I am constantly on the run between school and sports with my older 2 and my youngest little tornado is only 18mths, so you can imagine what that implies-:) Being a mom comes 1st- Then comes being a Navy wife and stationed overseas... Juggling is even more challenging with a husband who is deployed about 1/2 the year...

what's one thing that everyone should know about you?
Hmmmm wow- hard question... I guess the one thing I would want everyone to know about me is that I am dedicated. My husband always tells me I take on to much, but I wouldnt have it any other way! I enjoy the challenge of a large family, and trying to make my business thrive! Once I commit to something, I really try to follow through..

what or who inspires you?
Everything.... I am inspired by my kids more then anything.... the majority of my business is custom hats for kids... So I look to them for critique- What do they like? I find inspiration in my surroundings as well- Here in Japan I feel that my style is growing.. There is so much here.. The culture, style, people.. its all inspiring!

two words that describe your style?
Golly- Another hard question.... Eclectic & Colorful

what are the top two songs on your playlist?
Ok your killin' me! I have to much music I love.. Im currently loving Gabrielle Alpin's "Home" and my fallback, make me feel good song will always be "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John

(insert marie saying, "i LOVE elton john)

if you have a weekend to do anything you want what would you do (and it can not be catch up on work)?
If I could have a weekend to do anything I think I would have a mini hunny-moon with my hubs... maybe somewhere very secluded and exotic- Without the noise of the kids or the constant connection with technology!

Now, if you want to win this → super stinkin cute newborn hat, go visit hannah's fb page and come back to enter!!! the hat is hand made and sized 0-3 month and made with baby plush yarn!!

*winner will be chosen on tuesday!!

premade logos for photographers: premade logo designs

and the winner is . . .

congrats to terre! send me your contact info and i will pass the info to tawyna!

contest & feature friday: introducing tawnya @ the favor box

click to check out her fabulous etsy shop!!

introducing feature friday where i feature one of my fabulous clients and their awesome shop. this week we meet tawnya and her shop, the favor box. the favor box is filled with the perfect packaging items for your gourmet goodies, handmade treats or special little gifts.

although her listings feature specific quantities, tawnya will make up custom listings for any quantity you need (minimums may apply).

tawnya recently purchased one of my premade designs and we customized the colors for her.

WIN this set of holiday gift boxes!

yes, tawnya is giving away a set of 8 holiday gift boxes (a $28 value) to one of my lucky readers!
the winner will receive:

8 - 8 X 5 X 5 gable gift boxes in color of your choice (white, natural or black)
8 - Personalized labels in design shown above in color of your choice. We can also custom color, just let me know what colors you would like in the message box at checkout.
10 yards of ribbon in color of your choice (45" per box) {pink, bright pink, red, orange, yellow, green, sage, hunter, blue, aqua, aruba, navy, lilac, plum, brown, grey, black and white

goodies not included. For example only :)

to enter, you need to "like" the favor box's facebook page here, then come back and comment below. a lucky winner will be chosen at random on monday!

so now, let's get to meet tawyna:)

when did you open your business?
I originally opened my business in 2005. I have two Etsy shops The Favor Box and Cupcakemix Favors www.cupcakemixfavors.etsy.com along with my original website vintagebakeshop.com. We started out selling cupcake mixes and then cupcake mixes as party and wedding favors. Our packaging was very popular and we had many requests for our boxes and labels so we started The Favor Box on etsy.

how did you come up with your business name?

The Favor Box was an easy name, I was selling exactly what it says. We have since expanded our offerings beyond favor boxes, but it still works.

what is the hardest thing about running a home business for you?

I actually don't run my business from my home (any more). I started with a home office, then my business took over my garage along with my living room and dining room. I now have an office and warehouse in Rancho Santa Margarita along with kitchen space I rent in Orange. I do still work from home a lot at night and on weekends.

in searching for a logo, did you know what you wanted ahead of time or did you just find one you loved and it fit?

I had been searching for a logo for a while. I would have had something custom designed but I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted. When I saw the logo on your site I knew it was exactly what I was searching for:)

if you have a weekend to do anything you want what would you do (and it can not be catch up on work)?

When I have time to do whatever I want, I don't care where I am or what I am doing as long as I am spending time with my family.

thank you tawnya for your business and your generous donation to my readers. now ladies, go like her page and come back to win those boxes for your holiday baked goodies!!!

premade logos for photographers: owl logo design

new logo in my shop

sweet logo with owl and swirls,

wedding silhouette logo

are you ready for a contest??

make sure you check back friday to enter a contest featuring one of my clients and we are giving away one of their products!!!!

i am so excited to finally start this. stay tuned for interviews, fun and prized!!!

thanksgiving crafts: garland of gratitude

i got this idea from the high heeled mama , while searching for some thanksgiving crafts to do with autumn. this one caught my eye right away and it cost nothing to make. we gathered some scrapbook paper from our stock, i printed some fall leaf shapes and we started to craft.

what you need:

paper in all sorts of fall colors
markers or crayons
printed leaf shapes (or you can trace around a real leaf)
scissors
string
hole punch

after cutting out all the shapes, we started to color, outline, etc and then we wrote things we are thankful for on them. i even got the boys to write too.

some things written on our garland of gratitude:

"i am thankful for freedom"

"i am thankful for lazy sundays"

"i am thankful for all i have been given and all i can earn"

"i am thankful for my pets"

"i am thankful for my family"

"i am thankful for second chances"

so, what are you thankful for?

logo for newborn photography: hand drawn baby logo

newborn photography logo: premade newborn baby drawing logo

photography logo design: southern california logo designer

my little princess

another year, another princess costume.

and with another year, came another milestone.... peyton didn't dress up, so bittersweet to see your kids grow up (sometimes more bitter then sweet). the sad thing is you never really know when you are experiencing their "last" of something.. .last year i didn't know it was the last time he would trick or treat with his sister.. i would have taken more photos (yes, i can take more photos), i would have taken my camera as we went door to door, i would have recorded his voice that is getting to manly as he said "trick or treat", i would have put that away to listen later and remember forever, but now it is gone, my little guy is growing up and walked with us adults as his little sister trick or treated with friends.... cherish every moment with your kids, it just may be your last . . .

i hope you all had a great halloween.

a soldier... private first class....

not sure which is correct, but they both sound very foreign rolling off my tongue, but it is official, on october 30th, on a warm autumn night in san diego, my oldest was officially sworn in to the United States Army.... (i just had to take a deep breath as i typed that).

he decided this in june, took the ASVAB test in August, and like always, he passed the test with flying colors (in the 99th percentile), so was lucky and was able to get to choose the field. he has enough college credits to enter at a higher level paygrade too. because of the appendectomy, he had to wait until this month to go to MEPS for his physical....

the night before last, I asked him again if this is what he really wants and he said yeah.... it is what he wants to do. he is now part of something bigger then himself, bigger then our family.

a new journey, i am scared for him, i am sure all moms are, but i am proud of him too... this is good, right? right...

he reports to fort benning in georgia in january . . . here we go.