I'VE MOVED

Come and join me at my new home. I'm still settling in, so excuse the mess... but head over to www.lucyolive.co.nz and check it out!

See you there kids.

INVITATION :: ABBEVILLE ESTATE

As the weather warms, wedding season begins. It's amazing how far weddings have come since mum's day – the trends, the availability of items, and the flexibility in following wedding tradition seem to change every year. Here is a little invitation I designed for a faux wedding shoot. The theme was rustic, feminine, charming with a hint of sparkle and contemporary style, so I wanted to create something a little different to the norm.

The invitation, which was tied shut with sparkly string, unfolded to reveal the information within. It consisted of three pieces – the main invitation, a map card and and RSVP slip. I had so much fun creating this! Will definitely post more photos from this stunning shoot soon.

INVITATION :: IN THE WOODS

Every wedding has their own tone, their own look, their own way about them. Invitations are a great way of setting the tone and giving a glimpse of what's to come on the big day. This lovely invitation is for a wedding ceremony held under trees – pretty suiting don't you think?

These beauties were designed by Chase Kettl of San Diego for her own wedding. The design was created in Adobe Illustrator and then laser cut into thin planks. She then simply printed her design on the accompanying mustard stock, threaded it through, and voila! Definitely the kind of invitation you'd hold on to forever. But I think my favourite part was the envelope seal...

Aww, love it, almost too special to open! As always, with seeing such special invitations as these, I always get highly curious as to what the actual wedding day entailed. After a slight amount of stalking, I found out! Check out their cute wedding video here.

DAD :: AUTHOR, PHOTOGRAPHER, MUSICIAN

Are we born with a similar skill set to our parents, or do we subconsciously take on their skills and interests as we grow? I'm not sure how I was given them, but I have definitely adopted certain talents that my parents have. Mum and Dad both have an incredible eye for aesthetic amazingness, as well as a real knack with the written word... both skills that I utilize in my job everyday.

When Dad began hankering for a new online space, I was more than happy to come up with a little look for him. Dad is an avid scuba diver – he even discovered a new species of fish, known as the Carpenter's Perch. He has often combined his love of photography with the underwater world to take some amazing shots of life under the sea. I knew I had to include an element of the ocean when it came to making Dad's mark!

THE SWEETEST RECIPE

Creating an identity is one thing, rolling it out is another – and is always so much fun! You may remember me posting about the Made From Scratch identity/blog redesign I worked on... well, Rachael has since branched out from blogging into baking classes, and needed some cute little recipe cards for her delicious creations. I loved making these up, they make such sweet little sets!

REBRAND :: COFFEE SUPREME

By the time Coffee Supreme had grown to be one of the largest coffee roasters and suppliers in the country, they knew it was time to take the next step in their branding. The folk at Hardhat Design took the brand up a notch. OK, maybe like four notches. It's pretty darn lovely, and really reflects Coffee Supreme's personality – their expertise, their hand-crafted attention to detail, and their absolute love of coffee.

KAITLIN CHAPMAN :: MAKEUP & HAIR

When it comes to scrubbing up good in the makeup and hair department, there's only one lovely lady that our family turn to, and that's the uber talented Kaitlin Chapman. This is the logo identity I crafted for her a little while ago – something that was soft, feminine, romantic and chic. I reckon it fits her like a charm! You can tell from her portfolio that she's pretty amazeballs. She also did my wedding hair and makeup (I couldn't have picked anyone better for the job – and it was just perfect!).

INVITATION :: COME CLOSER CLUB

I don't know what the Come Closer Club is. Heck, I don't even know what the Come Closer Club does (except for perhaps getting closer...?). But I sure would love an invitation, and I'm pretty sure you can see why. Foils? Badges? Boxes full of cute stuff? All branded consistently and beautifully? Yes please.

WOODLAND PAPERCUTS

The scalpel and I have a mixed relationship. The clean cut of a surgical scalpel is a must for creating mock-ups of projects and assembling presentation boards at work, but when deadlines are tight, sometimes you have to rush... the results of which have given me a few scars on my fingers and thumbs! If I were the amazing papercut artist Naomi Shiek of Woodland Papercuts, I would definitely invest in a few thimbles. But since I am not her, I will instead invest in her amazing stationary and designs. Check them out.

A GIFT FOR THE GIRLS

I've mentioned before that one of the best things about a wedding (aside from the whole marriage-type thing) is being able to theme a whole day! I loved being able to coordinate colours, textures, everything really. As with the wedding stationery I made, the gift I gave my bridesmaids totally had to match.

RIFLE PAPER CO.

So, earlier in the week I showed you that incredible creation made with paper. Now I want to show you an incredible creation made on paper. How much do I adore the work by Rifle Paper Co? About as much as I love stationery. Which is lots.

WEDDING STATIONERY :: BROOK AND SARAH

Wedding stationery can come in so many different forms and styles compared to the old days – I love the crazy creativity that can go into them sometimes! I whipped up this invite at work (Tenfold Creative) for the lovely Sarah and her husband, Brook. Sarah already had an invitation style in mind, so I recreated the look for her based on a reference she gave me. It's super long and features a bazillion different typefaces, and was printed on a gorgeous textured stock.

WEDDING STATIONERY :: BRIDAL PARTY

I love having an excuse to make special things for people. A wedding is a really good one – there are so many in the support wings who deserve some appreciation! I made these little lolly packs for my girls to ask if they could be my bridesmaids.

WEDDING STATIONERY :: OUR WEDDING

In just one month my fiance and I will be tying the knot... and while typical wedding tradition is something we are keeping in mind, we are also sometimes bending the rules to suit who we are. Since Ben proposed to me using a pancake (a little unusual but extremely 'sweet'... get it?), it just made sense to plan a morning wedding – complete with said food. Also, I'm not going to be wearing a white dress, it's just not me, and the last thing I want is to feel like someone else on the big day. To top it off, the evening of our wedding will be spent on a plane to our honeymoon destination of choice – Disneyland! In fact, because of the time difference, we'll arrive at the Disney resort on the same day of our wedding! If that's not bitchin' hitchin', I don't know what is.

Here is the stationery set I designed for our special day. We wanted something clean, contemporary, but with a bit of a handmade touch for our personality. I love consistency in my work, so I am going crazy with the fact that I can plan an entire day around a theme/colour scheme! Needless to say, Ben has let me loose to this enjoyment – but don't worry, he has his say too. In fact, because he can't see my dress before the wedding, he isn't telling what he and the groomsmen are wearing on the day! Well played, my love, well played.

Psst... you can see the wedding post here!

MAD BREW

Check out this lovely rebrand by Adam Hill for Mad Brew Productions. The company was not one to be pigeon-holed – primarily a live music events company, it was also looking at getting into media (such as photography and music videos) and interiors.

The inspiration for the rebrand came from their 'wearing many hats', and this literal symbol serves as a great vehicle for the company's varied offerings. I love the gorgeous typography and the way the hat accessory changes with the branches of the brand. Oh how I love a good stationery set.