Choosing a Wedding Theme.

I was thinking about posting some wedding tips, and came across a site I think is very helpful. In particular, I found an article about how to choose a wedding theme. Some people have crazy ones... Halloween themed? REALLY? Then of course there are your classics like beach theme or just having a certain color scheme. Check out weddingbridaltips.com for the full article.

There are a lot of things to take into consideration when choosing a theme for your wedding. Some things you may want to consider:

-Hobbies you share with your fiance. Want to ride in on a horse and saddle?
-A favorite destination. Maybe a tropical wedding is in your future!
-Favorite colors. Kind of self explanatory.
-Sense of style. What do your invitations say about you?
-Size of the wedding. Will your theme be worth it for a tiny audience?
-A special memory. What is the story of how you two met? How can you incorporate it into your theme?
-Flowers. What kinds will suit your desired wedding atmosphere?

If you checked out the site, you'll see my dream wedding on there: 1940s Vintage style! I would love nothing more than to drive away in an old car in a beautiful lacy vintage gown, bouquet full of red roses. Oh, and a hubby too ;)

Once you've got a theme down, the fun part begins: designing it all! One of my favorite stores is Hobby Lobby. If you're crafty and looking for inexpensive ways to decorate, this is a great place to look. Check out the website, and you can find weekly 40% off coupons! This store is also really good about themes in that they have a lot of books and flyers full of crafty ideas.

A new favorite store of mine is Charming Charlie. This store is every girl's dream! It has everything from clothes, to shoes and handbags, but more than anything, JEWELRY! It is unique in that it sorts everything by color, so each section of the store has its own. Charming Charlie has great prices, too. Most jewelry in the store is no more than $15 apiece. This is a great place to look for bridal party gifts and accessories, or maybe that something blue you've been looking for!

So, what is YOUR dream wedding? Have you ever thought about a theme? Or have you been to a wedding with a really CRAZY theme? Post a comment by scrolling down to the comment box below or clicking the time next to my name at the bottom of the post. Hope this was helpful!

-Danielle

New Kids on the Block + Backstreet Boys = NKOTBSB?

Wow, try saying that 5 times fast. I had to post this... I was just watching a recording of the AMA's, and to my surprise, saw these guys all on the same stage. They're back, and they're calling themselves NKOTBSB. Oh, the opportunities for jokes...

The group did a mash up of some of their more popular songs: "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "Hangin' Tough," to name a couple. Unfortunately, their dancing was better than their singing (which is kind of impressive, if you think about it!) But if you're an old fan of either band, this was a funny blast-from-the-past performance. There is talk of a joint tour for "the band" this coming June. Gee, for a second there I felt like I was 13 again.

For more info, check out these links:

MTV's Coverage
Video Performance on GossipCop.com

So what do you think? Cool or corny? Do you think the concerts will sell out as fast as they did back in the 90's? Post some comments. Hmm, I wonder if the NSync boys feel left out...

-Danielle

What did YOU expect to see?

Image captured from apple.com

If you're a Mac user (if you're not.....why?), chances are you saw this image on Apple's home page today. And, chances are, you also saw the ads they've been showing for the past several days saying things to the effect of "Something really awesome is coming!" Teasing us all, making us think Apple has done it again with its majestic creative abilities, creating yet another state-of-the-art piece of technological genius. So when I saw the revealing of this huge, amazing, super-fantastic, blow-your mind! thing, a little part of me died inside.

Now don't get me wrong, the Beatles are REALLY awesome! While definitely not among my favorites, I do listen to them from time to time. And I hear their albums have been digitally remastered to sound better than ever! But this, this grand surprise, is not exactly what I had in mind. What about a new iPod that can scan your brain and tell what type of mood you're in and play your music accordingly? What about a "smart" phone that cuts down on radioactive wave transfer to humans? Now THOSE would be cool, innovative, Applesque inventions. But offering the Beatles music on iTunes is "pretty cool," at best.

But you know, I've got to hand it to you Apple. Time and time again, you have wowed us with your advertising, winning awards left and right. Lucky for you, this will probably make it up there. Because right now, millions of people are watching, Tweeting, blogging, and Facebooking the same thing I'm saying right now. And what is that, class? Word of mouth. Viral advertising. More importantly, FREE advertising. Yes, Apple, you have done it yet again. Congratulations. Oh and by the way, how much am I getting paid for this little shpeal?

So if you happened to be following this whole thing, what were YOU expecting to see today? Comment and share your thoughts! Click the time at the bottom of this post if the comment box isn't showing. Or, reTweet it, "like" it, "dislike" it, whateva. Thanks!

-Danielle

Saved by the B....aby?

If you're a 90's kid, there's a pretty good chance you remember "Saved by the Bell." As I was working on this web banner for Mario Lopez's appearance at South Hill Mall (click this link to see the web banner), I found out that not only is he still around, but he has a new show.... called "Saved by the Baby." Aw, how original....! (by the way, I am in no way held responsible for the design of the actual website...thank goodness.)


So I just checked out the website for this show, and here's a summary:
"Mario Lopez lives the life of the ultimate bachelor. Always surrounded by the most beautiful women at the hottest events, he is the man every woman wants and every man wants to be. But he's about to swap parties for parenthood because Mario and his girlfriend--Courtney Mazza--are having a baby! 

The countdown to fatherhood has begun and there's so much to learn before the big day. In Mario Lopez: Saved By The Baby, we will follow Mario as he struggles to answer all of the questions facing a new Dad."


Always surrounded by the most beautiful women, eh? Life is rough, I guess.


I'm not sure how this show is doing, but I don't think I'm sold. Plenty of guys have to face reality after a life of partying as they find out they're about to become a dad. Why is this guy any different? Oh yeah, he was famous. All joking aside, I'm sure this is a good thing for him. Some people really do need a wake up call. And every once in a while, God has to give you a good smack to help you realize it! Hopefully everything works out for this couple.


***SUPER AWESOME COOL PRODUCT PLUG SECTIONNNNN!!!!***


Ok, so now is the part where I plug my new stuff. I finished my thank-you cards for Etsy last night! (cheering and applause erupt) If you saw my last post, you got to take a look at my design process. So, all my new designs are printed out and will hopefully be photo-shoot-ready for tomorrow and for sale on Etsy by Sunday. Exciting! The reason I'm so excited is because that not only means it's almost time to launch my GIVE-AWAY, but that I'm that much closer to creating a completely new design! I hope to create a wedding invite for all the designs I currently have, then start a whole new design. 


That's about it for now. So going along with this post, is there anything that has happened to you that has given you a wake up call, kind of like Mario? If so, leave a comment. Also, would anyone be interested in design tutorials? I was thinking about starting a new section to my blog. Thanks for reading!


-Danielle


P.S. Some people are having a hard time figuring out how to comment on here. If you don't see a comment box, all you have to do is go to the end of this post where it says "Posted by Danielle Lescsak at...." and click on the time. That will take you to a place to comment. You can also click on the icons to repost this to Facebook or Twitter, and Like or Dislike it.

Thank-yous and Mario cubes.

First, I'd like to say that there's not much that makes me laugh in the morning. But poking fun at my hometown usually does this trick.

After someone posted this link to Facebook this morning, I couldn't help but share the wealth with everyone else. Click below to view the article:

Mario Prank

I mean, the story is good enough, but some of the comments of people are great. One person was quoted as saying, "That's it we are now relocating all the people of Ravenna to West Virginia. Better yet Canada. I live in a small town in Ohio of 1200 people. If this happened here and our "authorities" were this stupid I would slap them."


You tell em, "Unverified" user! Another said, "I don't think anyone until now knew this town existed. It's a target why?" They make a good point, here. This town is small enough to fit an Arby's, Wendy's, Burger King, Subway, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, and TWO McDonald's! Not to mention it's the county seat (so we have a court house and county jail), home of a great high school football team, and a brand new state-of-the-art high school nearly as big as the hospital down the road, and one of the nicest (and one of the only astro-terfed) high school stadiums around. Why would anyone think to target this place?! 


But no, no one has likely heard of this tiny little town. Unless you actually live in Northeastern Ohio. Ah, the things that make me laugh... (As a side note, I remember the day when our middle school had a bomb threat and we were evacuated and forced to stay outside for half the day. Oh, and did I mention there was a bomb threat at that court house when my dad and step mom got married?)

Anyways, now to the important stuff. I've finally made some headway on these thank-yous for my give-away! As you can see, the card for my Love Birds design is pretty much complete. I hope to have my other 2 designs finished by the end of the week and posted to Etsy by Sunday. Next step: laying down the rules. I still need to decide on some rules for my contest. This is likely to be a long and arduous task, thus the reason I am putting it off. Why do today what you can put off til tomorrow? Oh wait, because it'll never get done.


That's about it for now. Thanks for reading, and hope you got a laugh!


-Danielle

Craziness.

No doubt, this past week could have won "Craziest Week of the Year" award. "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!!!" For sure. Weird dreams.... have you had one lately?

First of all, I got my week off to a bad start. Ever have one of those dreams that is so crazy and out there, and doesn't make any sense at all until you wake up and really think about it? That's pretty much what happened to me. The dream: I was on a boat with some friends on some unknown lake. Out of nowhere, the weather starts to get bad and the waves get really high. All of a sudden, I fall off the boat and into the water just as this huge wave comes. I fall right into the wave and start to sink. After going under, I immediately start to swim upward, trying to get to the surface. But no matter how hard I try, or how far I think I go, there's no end in sight. I can't see the light, I can't see the boat, just the water around me. Yet, somehow, I managed to gulp in enough air before I go under to breathe underwater for a while (impossible, I know, but hey this is MY dream!). Somehow, even though it seems hopeless, I'm able to breathe through it all. Then, I woke up.

I didn't figure out until I got to work later what the dream really meant. So here's my interpretation: Even though I'm generally happy with my friends, I've got all these outside forces causing stress and pressure around me. I get thrown into the middle of this storm, and I've got so much going on (freelancing, getting my business up and running, helping out with youth group, keeping up with chores at home, friends and family, etc.) that I feel like I'm drowning in it all. It seems like I'll never see the light at the end of the tunnel. Every time I think I'm getting somewhere or check something off my list, something else comes up. I can't relax. I have to keep moving like the Energizer Bunny. Yet, somehow, through all of this, I am able to breathe. I can definitely credit that last part to God :)

Unfortunately, this past crazy week didn't give me the time I wanted to post some thank-yous to my Etsy shop this weekend. Boo :( So that'll be my goal for next week. I'd like to let people know what they're getting for my upcoming GIVE-AWAY! Of course, nothing is laid down in stone yet since it's been kind of hectic, but I hope to have this contest going within the next couple weeks. I have decided that I'd like to give people the option for me to do a custom design for them if they don't want any designs from my shop. So in a nutshell, 50 THANK-YOU CARDS, FOR FREE! If you win :)

So, that's pretty much it. Stay tuned for contest updates. And while you're here, what's a weird/crazy dream you've had lately? Did it have any meaning to you? Post your responses. Until then, see ya!

-Danielle

Leaves. Lots and lots of leaves.

Yes, that's a body.

Today was a very long day... The youth group did some leaf raking at some of the widows' homes from our church today. I'm pretty sure my arms are going to feel like falling off tomorrow. But it was all in fun! The kids really liked playing in the leaves, as you can see...

Do not be fooled.... that is no ordinary bag of leaves. That is a bag of leaves AND Josh. We used this to prank a lot of people who were helping, most of whom jumped back in surprise as Josh jumped out and screamed as they approached. What can I say? We like to entertain ourselves.

"And now, for something completely different."

I've asked around, people have given me suggestions, and I have decided what will be given away for my give-away! Since not everyone who is reading this is getting married, I've decided to keep my prize neutral. I shall be giving away...... (drum roll, please) a set of 50, count 'em FIFTY thank-you cards, WITH hand-stamped envelopes! So these can be for general use or wedding, as they are blank inside. There are a couple options here... I would A) give away a design already on my site, or B) let you customize it on your own. Even though I have not yet listed thank-yous on my Etsy, I can still produce them (hopefully they'll be available for purchase soon!) The best part about this give-away is that I would normally be selling this set for around $70! If you have already purchased an item from my site, this would be a great way to get a matching set.

I have not yet decided on all the rules for this give-away, but as soon as I do, I will be making a huge announcement here, on my Facebook profile, Facebook fan page, and maybe Twitter (if I decide to get one...). So stay tuned for more details!

Whelp, that's about it for now. My arms are tired, my head hurts, and my eyes are getting heavy.

Give-Away!

Thank goodness. I FINALLY posted some new designs to my Etsy shop! I just posted these Save the Date stickers and added Table Number Cards to match all my designs. Menu cards coming next week... If you'd like to see the new stuff I added, click the My Etsy Shop link to the right. Thank ya :)

So meeting my goal of posting some new designs this weekend has given me some inspiration. I would love to host a GIVE-AWAY, right here on my blog! You know, free stuff? The only problem is, I'm not sure what to give away. Should I give away something wedding-related, like a set of Save the Dates? A coupon for my Etsy merchandise? Should I make a set of greeting cards for the holidays to give away? I'm pretty stumped. Any ideas? Even if you don't plan on participating, I always love free advice :) Please leave a comment if you've got any ideas.

Whelp, thanks for reading. Now... bike ride time.

-Danielle

Good stuff.

This is the only good part about my drive to work. Granted, I was a bigger fan of driving to work when it was actually sunny, but this will do. I do like pink! I drive roughly 40 minutes to work 5 days a week. And let me tell you... 8:00am comes pretty early when you have that far of a drive. It takes all that I have to stay awake. I actually had to smack myself a few times this week to keep from closing my eyes... scary? Yes.

So I titled this post "Good stuff." I suppose that means I have to write about more than 1 good thing on here... hmm... well I got to watch my boyfriend's band tonight! The Steve Cipriano Band always puts on a good show. And tomorrow morning, my boyfriend and I are going thrifting for his Halloween costume. Yes, there will be pictures :)

Last, but not least, my best friend's Halloween party is tomorrow night. The moment I've been waiting for... to reveal the costume I've been dying to do for about a year now. Oh no, I'm not telling what it is yet. You'll just have to come back for pictures this weekend....

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day... thrifting, oil change, haircut, party... What about you? What are you up to this weekend?

-Danielle

Finally.

This is kind of like cash burning a hole in your pocket. Know the feeling? You've got something, ready to use, you just don't have the means by which to use it yet. You want to use it really really badly, but something is getting in your way. It's eating at you, sticking in the back of your mind, buzzing in your ear like a mosquito. Or in this case, a cheap 3-in-one printer that decides to run out of ink as you're about to print proofs for your Etsy shop. Boo on you, 3-in-one printer and your bad timing!

I was really excited last week when I got a record 7 designs done! Well, ok, it's only a record because I just started this business not even 2 months ago and only have 5 designs... but that's besides the point! The point is, I was motivated, set aside time to print and do a photo shoot, and (insert gross squishy noise here), there goes my printer. I can't complain too much, though. They say you get what you paid for, and I paid $29.99 plus tax for this thing! Oh well, it gets the job done. It just eats up ink like I drink water. Or like my car guzzles gas. $40 to fill up... and I'm assuming that's cheap compared to some of YOUR cars out there. And I hope I don't lose any of my 9 followers (make that 8, I can't include myself...) by saying SUV owners are crazy! I heard someone the other day who said they put over $100 in their SUV to fill up! Madness. All the power to you for being able to do that (did I just save myself from losing you, teetering follower?)

So I FINALLY printed these designs today. My printer told me I was out of black, so that's what I got. And it definitely fixed the problem. Too bad the ink light is blinking again, because I'm also about to run out of cyan. Why oh why did I get a printer that takes 4 separate cartridges? Oh yeah... because it was $30!

-Danielle

What graphic designers do when they're bored...

I must say, I've always been a fan of Fridays. I like Fridays even more so now that I have a full-time job... it just brings a whole new meaning to "weekend." 

This past Friday, a coworker and I decided to have a little fun. She bought some small pumpkins and we decided we should decorate them and sneak them onto peoples' desks. Recently, we have become obsessed with mustaches (uhhh because they're AWESOME!), so naturally, all of our pumpkins had to have them, too. So we decided to use our lunchtime to decorate some sweet pumpkins for people. I've gotta say, the ones with the knit hats remind me of every emo kid on Kent State campus. 

So, for your viewing and laughing pleasure, the pumpkins....

He probably belongs to a motorcycle gang.

Gotta give props to ma.

....and his lady.

There's no way I'd want to cross him in a dark alley.

These are my coworker's creations. I'm serious, the left one looks like all the emo kids at Kent!

So if you ever wondered what a graphic designer does when they're bored, now you know. For the fall season anyways. Maybe we'll make Santa 'staches for Christmas....

-Danielle

Artie! The strongest man....in the WORLD.

Last night, my boyfriend pulled up this video for me to watch. Bring back any memories for you, all you closet 90's Nickelodeon show fans?

Artie's Workout

What to do, what to do...

So today at work, we got a ton of Kohl's coupons for 15% off everything (sales, regular, clearance priced) and there's even another coupon attached for a friend. So since there were a ton, I picked up 10 of them. Then, I realized... I have no idea what I'm going to do with all of them. They're only good for this weekend, so I have to come up with something quick! What to do, what to do... Any thoughts, hmm?

-Danielle

Well then.

So I'm sitting here at my drafting desk, trying to figure out this Facebook/blog connection deal, and I look across me to see this painting. Well, MY painting. It's dusty. The edges are starting to curl. It bothers me. Why is it bothering me? I started this painting when I was a junior in high school. I call it "The Unfinished Painting." Original, right? Anyways, it's just that; unfinished. I've got everything painted in but the water and the wheel. I don't know what my excuse is. I could say I don't have time to finish it (that's pretty accurate, actually), even though I've been saying that for almost 7 years. I even make jokes about this painting... "Maybe it'll be like that unfinished portrait of George Washington and be worth a ton of money one day when I'm famous!" Well too bad world, I'm not giving it up! (Maybe I'll sell prints...?)


In other news, I finally made some headway in some new designs for my Etsy shop. Once I finally find a store that carries the kind of ink my printer uses (leave it to me to buy a printer that has hard-to-find ink), I'll print out some samples and snap some photos. It's been weeks since my last Etsy post. Uh...sorry, that kind of sounded like something out of an AA meeting...oops! But seriously, it's been a while. Life has been busy! Causing me headaches, stress, and snapping at undeserving people. But today... today I finally had FREE time and got to go to the gym. It's been 3 weeks since my last gym visit (cue the polite applause).


Yeah, that's about it for now. I hope someone is reading this other than my mom. HI MOM!!!!!


-Danielle


P.S. Can I really follow myself? I  guess I can according to that NetworkedBlogs widget up there. Hm. That's kinda lonely...

Hello!

Well, here's my inaugural blog post (I just want you to know, I spelled "inaugural" wrong the first time. I hope you don't judge me...)! So I've been wanting to do this for a long time, but it's been pretty crazy lately. Because of this, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to all the people I've accidently snapped at in the last couple weeks.... "Sorry!" I need to get away from this anxiety thing... Anyways, hopefully life will get a lot less crazy soon and more...umm... awesome? Tomorrow is Monday, so I'll have to wait until at least Wednesday for that.

Hey, thanks for reading this! I hope it wasn't too painful and that you at least cracked a smile.

-Danielle