// Recent Design Work

Here are a few recent design projects that I've worked on. I always forget to round them up and post them here, but I'm hoping I'll get better at it (starting now). Something I've noticed about the work I've taken on lately is that most all of it is very minimalistic and streamlined. I try to pop in as much color as I can, then add a few signature elements, but other than that they're really clean and simple. I'd really like to do more work with textures and 3-D elements... Hint! If you're in the market... *cough* haha Anyway, here's what has kept me busy the past little while.
Design - KaelahBe
--- Becky Bedbug ---
Becky came to me a while back after seeing Ashley's blog design, and she knew she wanted pastels and a carnival theme for her new look. I was instantly in love with the color palette she sent over so I felt stoked to tackle her project. There are a lot of different elements to this design, though it's still really simple at it's core. (Excuse the Inception action with a layout inside of a layout haha!) I was really happy with how it turned out, but her reaction was by far the best part of the entire project. I love when I can grasp exactly what a client wants.
Design - KaelahBe
--- Zero Style ---
Erin has quickly become one of my favorite bloggers. She has so much charm and personality about her. It was such a treat to design a black and white (and red!) design for her that could show that personality. She wanted to incorporate her signature cat eye glasses and red lipstick, and we did just that! She's such a rad gal.
Design - KaelahBe
Johanna wanted clean lines and a bevy of fun colors. I created a custom herringbone background for her, too, and she has the ability to pop it in and take it out when she'd like. Originally it was a 3-column layout (as featured) but she later tweaked it to a 2 column to allow for larger images in her blog.
Design - KaelahBe
--- Helloo Bandy ---
Jessica wanted some light peachy/pink colors and a whole lot of white. That's easy enough! We used a slight pop of mustard yellow to bring out the warmth in the tones, too. Her blog allows her the ability to use really large images as the focal point of each post.

Design - KaelahBe
Ahhh. This blog! This blog was a labor of love (and sweat and tears and curse words and thrown objects and and and) haha Amarie came to me a while back and wanted to get something fresh and "boho" for her blog, and her timeframe was short. She sent so many mocks and requests and ideas to me that it was almost hard to manage honestly. So many sampled pieces from various sites and blogs, but we were able to design and code it to make it her own. The floating nav bar was by far the most stress-inducing task, but it got done! The name and all of the graphics are hand drawn, and I love the watercolor. I love using watercolor whenever a client is up for it. Amarie was gone overseas for a few weeks so the project got pushed around a bit, but at the end of the day I'm really happy with what she and I were able to accomplish. Amarie was so kind and considerate during the whole process. I love when clients are just so sweet! I learned quite a bit, too!

Design - KaelahBe
Rebecca wanted to amp up her Wordpress blog with a simple header featuring a new logo, and a matching business card to boot. She wanted something fun and colorful to match her personality and I'm in love with the final result. The type and flourishes all hand drawn, and the hot pink is by far one of my new favorite colors to design with. Rebecca has impecable taste in clothing and I love seeing the items she puts together.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I'm still (always) accepting new clients of course. I have a set "all inclusive" Blogger package, as well as an a la carte option available for any platform. Due to our travel schedule for July I'll only be able to take on a small handful of clients for the month. If you're interested in chatting about a new blog design or logo, business cards, etc, please don't hesitate to email me! I'd love to work with you. Happy Sunday! xo

PS; I'm thinking about taking a few past designs that I've done for myself/for fun (including this one) and making them available for purchase as a pre-made template. Would any of you be into that? They'd be significantly cheaper than a custom job, but still well made and installed for you. Let me know if you'd be up for that and I'll try to get some up soon!

// Just Say No To Chub-Rub! (and YES to giveaways!)

What a strange post title, yea? Well, unless you're a victim of dreaded chafing. In that case, you know all you want to know (and probably more) about this not-so-fun experience. Louise Hung wrote a really great XOJane article about chub-rub a few months back and she even included some of her own homegrown remedies. I've heard everything from deodorant to Monistat gels and baby powder. The (well, my) problem with all of these is simple: you have to reapply. And reapply and reapply. Imagine walking around an amusement park and feeling the sting resurface. You don't want to just bend over and start applying some strange salve to your lady trunks right? Haha Awkward!
Bandelettes
Since I hate that aspect of those remedies, naturally I would gravitate toward bike shorts or Spanx under my dresses. Have any of you been to Tennessee in the summer? It's like walking around in a sauna. Hot and humid! All of that added moisture does us curvy folk no favors. This year it's simply been too hot to squeeze myself into contouring tube of Lycra. Normally I just do my thing in my dresses and let that be that (and then sometimes waddle my way into bed by the end of it all. Hey, we're being honest here, right?!) 
Bandelettes
Anyway, once Julia from Bandelettes got in touch about sponsoring LCH I became intrigued. Bandelettes are stretchy lace "anti-chafing" bands that have two rows of "stay up silicone" that help keep them on your legs. They come in both nude and black. She wanted to send me some Bandelettes to try for myself and see if it was the right fit for blog. I took my thigh measurements and sent them in to Julia for her to send me the appropriate size garments. 

I wasn't sure if something so simple would actually be beneficial honestly. I'm a natural skeptic. However I wore mine around for a couple of weeks and actually found them pretty comfortable. Certainly much more comfortable than suffocating Spanx or nothing at all. They're designed to be quite sexy, even though that's the last adjective I'd use to describe me. You can wear them so they peek out under your shorts/skirt, or you can keep them hidden. As silly as it sounds, I don't stress over a small gust of wind if the lace shows for a moment. It's kind of a sexy/fun thing to wear under casual dresses.

Now Julia and her teams wants to give FIVE of y'all some Bandelettes of your very own! Sweet!

Just check out their site and leave a comment below letting us know what color you'd choose if you won!


If you'd like additional entries: Like Bandelettes on Facebook and/or Follow Bandelettes on Twitter! (just leave a separate comment for each entry!)


5 of you will be chosen at random next weekend and contacted shortly thereafter! Good luck to everyone who enters!

PS; If you simply can't wait to see if you won, or if you want to give Bandelettes as a gift, you can save 15% with the code 'Kaelah'.

Congratulations Mandi, Manda, Betty, Grace, and Marmeladas!

// Birds Of A Feather

Birds Of A Feather - Kaelah Bee
Happy Friday, friends! I'm excited to be gearing up for another sun-and-fun-filled weekend, even though it felt like I didn't get much done this week. I guess driving back and forth to the nearby towns takes up a lot of time. Yesterday we had to drive back over to the neighboring town to fix my driver's license. Seems that when I went to get my new one on Tuesday the attendant accidentally misspelled my name. I didn't even notice until I tried to change my name with PayPal and they declined it again! (Don't even get me started on PayPal and their refusal to spell my name right... for years now! Ugh) Luckily it was a pretty quick fix since they let me skip the line and scoot on out of there. After that we drove around, saw Mike's stepmom at her office, ate delicious Mexican food, and nabbed me an upgrade to an iPhone 5 (Holy fast! And the camera! I'm so tardy to the party but I don't even care haha). By the time we drove back to town and took care of some insurance stuff, we decided to abandon all responsibilities and go swimming. It was nice to swim when the sun was down low and the heat had gone for the night. So incredibly relaxing! Mike treated us to some delicious chicken for dinner and we capped out the night with several episodes of Veep. I don't mean to brag, but it was a pretty rad day overall! Good thing you can't really notice my busted lip! Ahh. I woke up yesterday morning with a gnarly bruised and swollen lip. I think Mike may have elbowed me in our sleep or something (or maybe one of the dogs hit me with their head) but holy moly that thing hurts! I was able to hide it a bit in my license photo but man I'll be happy when it heals.
Birds Of A Feather - Kaelah Bee
Birds Of A Feather - Kaelah Bee
Birds Of A Feather - Kaelah Bee
I had been toying with whether or not I was going to send this dress back, but in the end I (obviously) kept it. I'm a pretty short gal and these "pin up" style dresses with circle skirts tend to be too long. Luckily opting for heels made all the difference. (Well, we first tried to prepare the skirt to be hemmed... but have you hemmed a circle skirt?! No thanks!) I really didn't want to send it back because it's such a great cut and pattern! Flamingos! My favorite bird! I also really liked the cloth belt and how deep the V goes in the back (We didn't snap any photos, but you can see it here!) At the end of the day I'm really glad I kept it because I know I'll wear it a ton. I topped it off with my new Kate Spade clutch (here's a better photo of what it looks like! I love it and want the other one, too!) and some tortoise sunglasses. I think these sunglasses have officially beat out my RayBans as my favorite (and bonus, they're way way way cheaper! $10!) I was ever so graciously offered these from Threads and I had a blast picking them out. (Are you familiar with Shop It To Me? Well, Threads is their new deal and it's the best! You can pick styles/brands/themes and set it to your actual sizes, then they bring up every item that's on sale! I'm cheap and love a discount, so I'm in heaven haha Here's an invite if you want to give it a go yourself!) I don't know if you can see my nail polish below, but I'm sporting some straight mermaid nails! I layered a teal glitter polish over metallic turquoise (both Julep brand!) and I'm in love. I don't normally do colors like this but I'm sort of feeling it.
Birds Of A Feather - Kaelah Bee
Birds Of A Feather - Kaelah Bee
These photos were taken at the train station in town. This building is the original 1896 NC&StL Hohenwald Depot which was restored to it's original appearance in the mid-80's. It was one of the first buildings constructed in town and it welcomed the new settlers. Later, it witnessed visits from Thomas Edison (coming to the region to find Cobalt) and William Wrigley. It also served as a work site for German prisoners of war during WWII. It's kind of cool what you can find in a sleepy Southern town. 
Birds Of A Feather - Kaelah Bee
Now that I've given you a seemingly pointless history lesson, I'm going to try to make the most of today. I should really use today to hammer out some details for upcoming plans and trips. There's a fun blogger meetup going on with some friends in Nashville tomorrow night so I'm hoping I can get my ducks in a row to attend. My friend Maya is going to be my hot date haha! If any of y'all are in/around Nashville and want to join, shoot me an email! I'd love to pass along an invite! The more the merrier :)

MIA Jukebox wedges

// Things I Love Thursday v.141

This week's TiLT post is a little overwhelming. Sorry not sorry! haha You'll find a million and one different links to click on and entertain yourself. Everything from feminism and cute animals to art and controversial topics. There's a little something for everyone I hope. Let me know what you think in the comments!
this cat nurses this abandoned pup with her new litter of kittens ♥
THIS IS THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN! omg ♥
♥ so amazing to see the SF city hall lit up! what an amazing time for america! ♥
snazzy donuts! ♥
♥ love this pom pom installation ♥
cats! ♥
this pup is ready for summer! ♥
this gorgeous watercolor tattoo ♥
♥ this is hilarious ♥

♥ lusting after these beauties // dress // sandals // clutch // sunnies // ring ♥ 
♥ this! ♥
this is red beach, china! amazing, isn't it?! ♥

♥ okay so maybe THIS is the cutest thing I've ever seen! AHHH! ♥

// Here are a couple incredibly handy tips in the event of the apocalypse.


// Someone is having a worse day than you. Shouldn't be as funny as it is, but it's a nice reminder.

// The Cheapest Generation: Why Aren't Millennials Buying Cars or Houses? - Totally posting this for the on point commentary. The original article seems so ignorant of the real issue.


// If you're a woman, I truly hope you consider Wendy Davis a hero after her filibuster this week. Absolutely amazing to bear witness to such an event.

// I've been feeling a little humdrum in my summer wardrobe so I started prowling the Expert Shopper board over here and I am in love! So many stylish ladies!

// I'm Overweight And My Boyfriend's Not. Big Freaking Deal! - Loved this post on Yahoo. And it has 11,000+ comments! For once I can say I'm not totally appalled by the comment section... at least the first page.

// Wishlist Wears: a coral elephant dress! // i am obsessed with this dress (i probably included it last week too haha!) // chartreuse chiffon maxi dress! // panda umbrella! // these coral heels are so perfect // the classiest cardigan i've ever seen // this dress makes me think of a ballerina // this dress makes me crave autumn // and finally, this necklace!

// Jes is trying to make a go at starting a body positive conference. Here's more info!

// Love wedding videos? Check out Roxy's full video she just posted! Tera also just posted her wedding video trailer!

// 4th of July is just around the bend and I've been going crazy over cute swimsuits. JCPenney and Roaman's both have tons of plus size swimwear to choose from!

// 23 Things We All Do But None Of Us Wil Ever Admit... HA! This is easily the best thing I've ever read.

// So apparently "Marijuana Moms" is a thing now... What are your thoughts?

// This is a pretty simple (yet powerful) campaign that gets the conversation started about depression.

// Thrift Store Gore: Sad Cats and Scary Bunnies.

// Instagram Video and the Death of Fantasy. Love this article. So on point!

// I just got this in the mail yesterday and I seriously haven't taken it off since.

What are loving this week?

// Him + Honey and LCH Deals!

I wanted to share a few fun Summer deals for y'all! We just recently revamped the Him and Honey site (well, we're still in the process...) but we had a bit of a glitch along the way. Apparently our emails were bouncing back to senders for quite some time. Looks like the problem is finally resolved (!!!) so to celebrate we're offering a ~40% discount on our standard lifestyle photoshoot package!

Our standard lifestyle package is perfect for engagements, newborns, senior portraits, family shoots, and even headshots or photos for your fashion blog! We're offering our standard $395 package for $225 for a limited time. We have a day blocked off in Nashville, and we'll have a day in Florida, too! (We are happy to try and accomodate your schedule. If you can't make it to these exact dates, email us and let us know! We'll see what we can do!) If you'd like to see an example of our work, check out the Him and Honey blog! (Keep your eyes peeled, too! We have 2 new shoots to share!)
Him and Honey Summer Steal

In addition to the photo sale, I'm also offering 10% off all sponsorship sizes to past/returning sponsors! But even better? If you book 2 months, you get the 3rd for free! Basically it's a 33% discount from now until July 13th! I'll even gladly throw in a designed ad for ya! You can see current rates and sizes HERE! (Just use the promo code "3FOR2" when you check out) Psst... the PRIME ad is available for reservation. It'll get published on July 27th!
Sponsor LCH in July
LCH AD Sale

If you have any questions, thoughts or comments, I'm always happy to hear. Feel free to email me at kaelahbee@gmail.com if you'd like to reach me! Have a lovely night xo

PS; I added 20 pairs of shoes to Kaelah's Closet today! Most pairs have never been worn. A few have been worn once! (I hesitated putting them up due to the high cost of shipping, but the shipping cost is worked into the price so it's like free domestic shipping!)
Shoes

// Purple Peonies

Purple Peony - Kaelah Bee
I seriously love this dress. Mike isn't totally sold on the huge print, but I think it's a nice change of pace from the small patterns I often overload my wardrobe with. It's from JCPenney (I'm sure you already guessed that). I've had it hanging around for several weeks but never could decide what to pair it with. It came with a glossy black belt and I thought that was a nice/dressy approach for it, but I was stuck on shoes and coverup. Eventually I just decided to agree with Mother Nature and forgo the coverup completely. It was way too sticky and hot out! Since we were out running errands and I didn't feel like tripping over myself, I opted for some matte black flats. They've studded on the heel so they kind of add a little somethin' somethin' haha I also tossed on a "coral" necklace and a BaubleBar jeweled bracelet, both from recent Stitch Fixes. (Full disclosure: I wore the bracelet for the photos but then deemed it a bit too clunky [and tight!] for every day wear. Back to Stitch Fix it went. It sure was beautiful though!) I feel like my blog is just made up of very simplistic outfits. I don't tend to overload on accessories or layers (except maybe once in a blue moon). Sometimes it makes it really hard to think about "remixing" my wardrobe. I like cardigans and belts and dresses haha There's not a ton of combination options in that!
Purple Peony - Kaelah Bee
Purple Peony - Kaelah Bee
Yesterday I finally got a move on and changed my name! Yep, I am officially Kaelah Flynn! Maybe now PayPal will agree to accept my paperwork and actually change my name (and spell it right!). We spent a good part of yesterday at the DMV and our bank getting everything changed. Now I have to call everyone and their mother to change everything else A small price to pay to legally be a Flynn... even if it's almost 9 months later! Yow!

We also spent a large portion of yesterday cleaning our house. Top to bottom, wall to wall. If any of you are planning on paying us a visit out in the boonies, please come soon. Otherwise I can't vouch for the state of our home haha I'm hoping we can finally get a move on with some home decor projects we've been wanting to do. Every time I think I'm ready to hammer nails into the wall I think of an excuse not to. We'll get there...

Today I'm hoping to make some headway on a personal project I'm concocting. It's what I've lightly hinted to around here for a bit but I'm hoping I can really knock it out of the park when I unveil. I have most of the foundation laid but as a designer I find it almost impossible to design for myself. I'm teetering on the possibility of outsourcing or at least collaborating with another designer, but who knows. We'll see! Until next time.... Have a lovely day! xo

JCPenney dress
Coral necklace via Stitch Fix
BaubleBar x SF bracelet via Stitch Fix
Target flats

P.S; I feel it necessary to apologize for my greasy freakin' hair. Ugh. Can't win in this humidity! ;)

// A Day In The Life - June

Yesterday I spent some time documenting the day as it unfolded. I like sharing these types of posts on LCH because no two days are alike in our house. I guess that's sort of the beauty in working for yourself (and from home!) Our wake times vary, our daily routines are almost non-existant, and we're free to plan with only Mother Nature in mind. Here's what our Monday looked like...
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
8:15am - 9:30am // I woke up and decided to let Mike sleep in a little bit. I made a pot of coffee and planted myself in the living room to blog for the day. Typically I write and schedule the posts the night before. But sometimes I skip my nightly blogging ritual and leave it for the morning. Not a good practice, but hey, it happens!
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
9:30am - 10:00am // Mike finally rolled out of bed at half past nine and we poured our coffee to enjoy on the front porch. Tater Tot and Toby decided to join us. You've gotta catch the summer day at just the right time, otherwise merely standing outside becomes unbearable. Mike also treated us all to a homemade breakfast of scrambled eggs, biscuits and bacon. Of course we ate it too fast and there is no photographic evidence. I'm sure you'll just take our word for it, right?
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
10:00am - 12:30pm // Ahh! My office! I spend entirely too much time in front of that computer. (You'd think my office would be more organized... I'm working on it) My to-do started off small, but grew by the minute. Full disclosure: Most of what was added ended up rolling over to today's list. I answered emails, shipped orders, and started feeling antsy so I skeedaddled on out of there.
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
12:30pm - 1:00pm // Since I was feeling cooped up in my office, I decided to pop outside and see what the boys were up to. Mike was hard at work painting the railings on our deck, and Toby was using our hammock as his own personal spaceship. Tobes and I checked on our apple and pear trees (they're growing!), as well as our garden, and then set out on a wild goose chase to find his shovel (no dice). Enid followed us around like a little puppy. Isn't she gorgeous?!
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
1:00pm - 5:00pm // While the boys stayed outside and entertained themselves, I opted to take a quick shower to rinse out all of the pool grime in my hair. Chlorine just feels so yucky! I blasted my June mixtape and sang along like an American Idol pro. Someone give me a contract! (Except not really, because I am awful) - After the shower I broke open a Bundaberg Passionfruit soda and about died. That stuff is heavenly! Still doesn't hold a candle to the Peachee, but it's dang close! I also wrote out some penpal letters and got them ready to send. Mike also ran to the post office to ship orders and take Georgia to the vet. Poor girl needed her anal glands expressed... and yes, I know that's exactly what you came to my blog to read haha! Dog life!

After all of that was said and done, Toby settled down for a mid-day nap and I migrated to the couch with Mike to watch a little tv. You can never go wrong with Seinfeld! Seriously, there is not a single episode of Seinfeld that I don't love. I'd watch them fifteen times over and never get bored!
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
5:00pm - 9:00pm // After Toby woke up from his nap we decided to head over to a local nursery. We're on the hunt for some new flowers for our back deck since the makeover is almost complete. The pickings were a bit slim for what we had in mind, but the colors sure were gorgeous! We ran a few last minute errands just in time for the rains to blow in. They were short but sweet. Toby made it a priority to play outside for the rest of the evening, while Mike and I watched a few episodes of Veep on OnDemand. (Do you watch Veep?! It's hilarious. We love it!)

I also managed to squeeze in a hot bubble bath (because apparently wasting water with two baths is a thing now...) before the end of the evening. Sometimes it's nice to just have a half hour to yourself, ya know?
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
A Day In The Life - June - Kaelah Bee
9:00pm - onward // Toby was tucked in and Mike and I finally had the evening to ourselves. We really look forward to those final hours each night. We get to hang out and enjoy each other's company.  How did we spend it? Oh, you know, just realizing that a hot ham and cheese sandwich is made infinity better with hot sauce (even if it's totally unappetizing in the photo) and playing Call of Duty on Xbox Live. Yeah, we're living the dream! haha I like having someone to laugh with because I'm really really bad at CoD. So bad, in fact, Toby is better than I am. Or maybe just cuter. I think I'm getting better though...

So there you have it friends! A (fairly) typical Monday in the Flynn house. Granted yesterday's work load was almost non-existant and I have a hard time staying cooped up inside when it's nice out. Nevertheless, it was a successful and productive day. Here's to hoping our Tuesday (and yours!) is the same. Thanks for letting me share this little peek into our day! xo