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Two Thumbs Up: White/Gold

Posted on September 6, 2010

Last weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out with the Smith family during the pre-wedding reception (or preception as they called it) for Myla Smith and her now-husband, Richard Thomas.

My friend Christa raved about how cool they all were and she wasn’t wrong. The Smiths – and the Thomases and everyone else – were fantastic and interesting and I loved having the chance to meet them. (I have heard so much about the mother of the bride, Melody, from Christa; she absolutely loves her.)

Yesterday Myla and Richard were married in a tiny little chapel in Brunswick, Tennessee, which is just outside of Memphis. And I suspect they are now in St. Lucia, enjoying their honeymoon.

Not only was this pair planning a wedding, but since they were engaged a few months ago they co-produced an album, a double EP named WHITE/GOLD, which was also released yesterday, on their wedding day (talk about being busy!).

Most of you know that I am a reporter by day and because Myla is popular in our area, we wanted to do some press for her. Another reporter, one who is much more suited for reviewing music, worked with her and brought her CD in. Curious, I listened to it while we worked on this week’s edition of the paper and I LOVED it! I’m not much for country music, but I really enjoyed the six country songs on the album.

I’m also not someone who listens to music that isn’t widely known. I’m more used to music that is played out (as is most of America), but I really love listening to this album.

My oldest daughter also loves it. It’s safe to say I’ve stolen the CD from my co-worker! Ha ha.

My favorite songs, in no particular order, are Closer, Radio, Oh Sugar!, Can’t Keep Me Down and You Are Turning Me into Myself. My husband and I think that her country songs are similar to that of Allison Krauss. You can preview the songs at Myla’s website.

If you’re looking for new music, like most people usually are, you should definitely check it out! Myla and Richard are definitely talented and I hope those talents carry them far. Best wishes and congratulations on the nuptials, too!

(Just so we’re clear: I’m not being compensated for this review, I’m doing for the reason all blog reviews should be done – because I want to, because I believe in Myla and because I think her new album is fantastic.)

Bringing spring back with Easter photo cards

Posted on March 6, 2010

It’s no secret I’ve been ready for spring since the leaves began falling off of the trees in September.

Though I was born in December, I’m not a lover of winter. Quite frankly, I hate it.

However, we’ve been blessed with warmer temperatures this weekend – I think it’s 60 degrees out right now – and I am excited!

So excited, in fact, that I was inspired to create a springy Easter photo card design this afternoon.

The Hoppy Easter card features a sweet little bunny and the lyrics to a song that will stay in your head for hours (maybe days, even!) in addition to one vertical photo.

I’m sharing the shabby chic pink, blue and green design, inspired by the dresses my daughters wore our first Easter as a big family, but the card is available in other colors as well (most times I will sample colors from the photo, but you can also make special requests).

The design is offered as a Print-Your-Own (PYO) card. When you make your purchase, I will contact you for the photo and will send you a proof within 48 hours. Once your proof has been approved, you will be sent a high-resolution file for printing at your favorite lab in addition to a web-ready file for use on social networking sites and email delivery.

Hop on over and check out the other sample color combinations – they’re super sweet and very springy!

From design to print: Dara's programs

Posted on March 2, 2010

Last year I designed not only my own wedding invitation suite, but also my sister-in-law’s invitations and programs. On my personal blog, I shared how the programs came together, from design to print. I had the programs printed in the print shop at work (my day job is that of a newspaper reporter), but the invitations were done using another facility.

Being far away (she currently lives in Texas, we live in Tennessee), I hated that there wasn’t much I could do to help my sister-in-law plan her wedding. She purchased her wedding gown here (they had to evacuate during Hurricane Gustav in September 2008), but aside from this, I haven’t been able to tag along to any appointments or do much else than weigh in on her options when making decisions. I was excited she allowed me to put my creativity to work through designing her invitations and programs. I used to design wedding and birth announcements for income, so it’s always special when I can offer my services and use these creative juices once again. Read more