A Gracious Plea

Hi everyone.  I just wanted to say that I really like it when people comment on my blog.  I'm not trying to pressure anybody, but I thought I'd drop a little hint all the same...

I would love to read it if so!  And very big thank you's to Hannah, Abby, Chichi, and Aimee for commenting.  Your comments made my day.

Thanks, everyone for listening to my little plea.

The Gospel and Communion with God

I read this section from Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington's excellent book, entitled Bookends of the Christian Life, this morning, and I thought I'd share it with you.

Within the scope of our communion with God, the most important means of grace is the gospel.  Once again we turn to 2 Corinthians 3:18: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."  Basically Paul was saying that it's through beholding the glory of the Lord that we're transformed more and more into his image.  In what way do we behold his glory?  We get the answer when we read this verse in context (2 Corinthians 3:8-4:6).  It's the gospel that reveals Christ's glory.  Therefore, to behold his glory we must gaze into the gospel by faith.  As we do this, the Spirit will transform us more and more into his likeness.

Isn't that a cool quote?  What stuck out to me about this section was that reminding myself of the gospel not only keeps my life focused on what's most important, but it also helps me to grow.  Isn't it amazing that we can grow spiritually by continually remembering and studying the gospel?

Garden Beauty

During my weekend with Jalynn, we went to a local garden, and even though it was boiling hot out, we persevered (for a short while) and got some shots of the pretty garden.

It was so exciting to see a bunch of butterflies up close. 

I took many, many shots of butterflies, and only a few ended up in focus. That's the good thing about digital cameras - deleting!

There were also some lovely flowers, like these purple ones.

And these bright and sunny reddish orange ones.

If you haven't noticed, I'm very bad with flower names and find it easier to refer to them as the "purple ones" and the "reddish orange ones."

And then, inside the nice, cool, air-conditioned visitors' center, there was this funny frog statue!

The garden trip was definitely a memory, the heat standing out as the most prominent part of the afternoon.  But I'm so glad I got to go adventuring with my good friend!

{All images sooc.}

Steadfast Love

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." 
- Lamentations 3:22-23

"I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place." 
- Psalm 31:7-8

"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love." 
- Psalm 33:18

" 'For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you."
- Isaiah 54:10

Portabella Play

I'm (slowly) learning to design things in Adobe Illustrator, and for practice, my friend, Jordan, let me use an idea he and his friend, Jared had.  They are interested in making a computer company called Portabella (yes, as in the variety of mushroom), and while my knowledge of such things is limited and I don't fully understand the details, I know that they want to make an operating system that's better than Mac, so I love their ambition!  They don't really know if this cool idea will ever come to pass, but I was grateful that Jordan still let me play around with some logo ideas.  Jordan is considering making Portabella an eco-friendly company, which I think would be a good move since so many people are concerned with "going green" these days.  With that in mind, I attempted to create some graphics for Portabella!  When I had some extra time and had figured out a tiny bit of Illustrator know-how, I made some logo ideas.  Here's my first try.

The shape is a little off, I think, so it doesn't look that much like a mushroom!  Next, I made this version.

This turned out to be my favorite concept (and Jordan's).  In support of the eco-friendly theme of Portabella, I also made this piece as a second element that matches the second mushroom design.

And finally, I made one more design, which at least adds another option to the mix, even though some of the other graphics were more of a hit.

I really had fun throwing together these graphics, and it was a great way to practice in Illustrator.  I'm looking forward to seeing what Portabella may do in the future!

Free Flower Doodle Brushes

I made another brush set for anyone who's interested!  Here's a sample I created:

Just like the other set, you can download the brushes in a ZIP file, containing a Photoshop ABR file as well as a text document with my terms of use.  If you're a Photoshop-er, please try them out and let me know how you like them!  You can download the brushes right here.  And if you make something cool with them, I would love to see it if you feel inclined to share it!  You can give me a link to an uploaded version in the comments, or you can send it to me: carrie[at]carrieannedesign[dot]com.  No pressure, but if you make something, it would make me happy to see how you used my brushes.

More to Read

Just had to link you up to another great Justin Taylor post on reading literature.  You can read it right here.  (If you're confused about where this came from, check out this post.)  While I'm at it, I might as well tell you that Justin Taylor's blog is pretty cool, and if I were you, I might add it to my favorites lists.  Or follow it in RSS or something.  I just started looking at it this past week, but I've found that he makes some really interesting posts.  And once you actually click on that link and read the post about literature (wink, wink), you can also read what I think about it...

This post reminded me of a chapter from a book I started this summer, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.  (Side note: I've been told that there are several inappropriate chapters in this book, so don't, don't, don't just pick the book up at the library and read it cover to cover!)  However, in one chapter I read, Foster made a point that you have to relate with the literature you read - or, in his words, you can't read it with "your eyes," meaning your own eyes, that bring with them their own perspectives and beliefs.  There's truth to this, as is mentioned in the first paragraph of the mini-article Justin Taylor posted on his blog.  But it would be foolish to entirely shed "your eyes" when reading a book, because what good are strong beliefs and convictions if you don't apply them in life?  We must apply what we believe - and apply it to every single thing we encounter, including literature.  This especially important when it comes to Christianity: the Bible, the gospel, and the character of God must be lenses for viewing everything else through.  Why?  Because they're the most important realities in the universe, and they really do impact the way we view everything we encounter.  There's a balance to me made here, and I think, for being a short article, the post on Justin Taylor's blog very clearly captures this balance.  We can't read with our eyes, yet we must read with our eyes.  We must listen to literature, yet we must talk back to it as well.

So when you read books, do you talk or listen?  Or both?

Free Swirly Brushes

I made my first set of brushes for Photoshop!  Here's what they look like:

I want to share them with you, so if you have Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, please click right here and download them.  The set comes in a ZIP file, and contains four brushes in Photoshop ABR format, as well as a text file with my terms of use.  If you use the brushes, would you come back here and leave a comment letting me know how you like them?  I want feedback - it's really helpful!

Hebrews 12:1-2

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

- Hebrews 12:1-2

Something to Read

I will forewarn you that this post has absolutely nothing to do with graphic design.  But I came across this article on Justin Taylor's blog, and had to share it because it was so interesting.

I like English, writing, literature, and all that stuff, so a blog post about the classics was sure to grab my attention.  Go read it here if you want.

Grocery Store Adventures

Taking pictures in a grocery store is a very awkward experience.  People stare at you and think you're weird.  And they wait to drive their cart through the exact place you're standing while you try to get the composition of your photo just right. 

And they move their hands, reaching to get produce, out of the way when your camera is near. 

And store employees look at you and grin and yell "cheese."

But taking pictures in a grocery store is a great way to make a memory.  And that's what Jalynn and I did when she came to visit this weekend.

Along the way, we saw many interesting items.  Like dragon fruit.

And fish.

And even creepier fish, photos of which I will spare you the "pleasure" of viewing.

But really, when you think about it, who cares if people think you're bananas?  It's all worth it for a good picture.

All photos sooc.

Photography Collaboration

Even though design is the creative endeavor I like the best, I also really enjoy playing around with photography.  I have several friends who are great photographers.  They inspire me and it's always fun to read their blogs, check their Flickr accounts, and sometimes take pictures with them.

One of those friends is named Jalynn.  We met when I was seven and she was eight, and even though she moved away one year later, we've been friends ever since!  She's such a faithful friend to me and cares for my soul as well as being a lot of fun.  And I love her photography!  So, I thought it'd be fun to do a photo project with her.  I've seen projects before where two friends each take a picture per day and then combine them into a diptych.  That's what Jalynn and I did.  We picked one theme a day for a week, each took photos, and came up with these sets.  Jalynn's photos are all on the left, and mine are on the right.

Our first theme was shoes and feet - always a cooperative photo subject! 

And then, the next day, our theme was music and instruments.  We both ended up taking pictures of "our" instruments - Jalynn plays piano and I play violin.

Our third day's subject was summer, for obvious reasons.  It was interesting to see how such a broad topic came out, though.

Day four's theme was colors of the rainbow...

Theme number five was breakfast, a brilliantly random idea from Jalynn.  Muffins + crepes are both pretty yummy.  And ironically, we both had a small, dark-colored, spherical fruit on the plates we photographed.  That was entirely unplanned.

The sixth theme we had was America, since day six fell on July 4th.  These pictures ended up totally opposite, but at least they both involve red, white, and blue.

Jalynn, thanks for doing this fun project with me, and for being my friend!  I am grateful for you!

And now, blog readers, what do you think of the photos?  Do you have a favorite diptych?  Or maybe some comments, critique, or constructive criticism?  All those things are welcome!

15 Hours and Counting

So, it was about 15 hours ago that I made my blog public and sent out a mass email announcing the official start of my new business.  Clicking that send button on my email account was one of the most exciting clicks ever!

Since then, I've gotten one possible job request, as well as many, many extremely kind and thoughtful congratulatory emails from my family and friends about my business.  If you were one of the people who emailed me, thank you so much!  It really means a whole lot.  And for those of you who are stopping by for the first time, feel free to check out the about page or my first post - they have more information about my business.

But, even within 15 hours of being in business, I've come across something that I think I need to clarify: printing.  There was a tiny wee little itty bitty note about this on the prices tab, but I think it was too small for most people to notice.  My printing policy is basically that the prices include my designs and the digital files - no prints.  I'm happy to give you ideas about how to print them, though.  And now all this should be very clearly marked in both the prices page and the FAQ page.

Welcome

The opening of my brand new blog is the start of a brand new thing for me: a graphic design business. I'm so excited about being able to do graphic design in a more public, formal way.

And the beginning of something is a good time to lay out the basics, like...why I'm starting this design business. There are a couple reasons:

• I love design.
• I want to be able to serve more clients and make my graphic design endeavors more widespread.
• I want to begin developing a successful business.
• I desire to learn more skills in a hands-on way.
• I want to work hard at this for God's glory (Col. 3:23).

If you want more information, check out the about section, or browse around to other parts of the website! And if you have questions, please let me know! Comments are welcome (even if you don't have a question)...and actually they are very much desired. So if you want to, tell me what's on your mind! I'd love to hear! You can also contact me via the website, or email me: carrie[at]carrieannedesign[dot]com.