// Design: Hazel and Honey

Here's a recent design I finished and installed for the lovely Justyna of Hazel and Honey. This is by far one of my all time favorite designs I've ever done and if you've followed me for a while then you'll see the very obvious inspiration: our photography branding. Even the name is similar! (though I didn't have any hand in that haha) The colors and illustrated elements really have the same vibe and I was almost crossing my fingers she'd hate it so I could use it on my own blog! (Truth be told, a lot of my own blog's design tends to stem from rejected client mocks... I fall in love and then tweak them to my own liking. I may or may not be in the midst of a new layout design for TCGG already...) I feel really lucky that I get to design with a very distinct style that I enjoy, and I love when my clients share a similar aesthetic.

I was able to start and finish Justyna's design pretty quickly considering I was trying to tie up all client projects. I feel like this gig really breathed some new life into my desire to create unique spaces for bloggers, so I'm really looking forward to getting back to the grind after my maternity leave. 

I'm currently booking clients for my return (exact date yet undetermined) but if you'd like to get on the list, please feel free to send me an email! (It may take me a few days to get back with you, but I promise to respond ASAP!) I'm more than happy to discuss payment plans and project timelines with you so everyone wins! Thanks for taking a peek at Justyna's new space.

// Recent Blog Designs - Now Accepting Spring/Summer Clients!

It's been a while since I shared a roundup of some recent blog design work, so what better time than now to get it all out there, right? Some of these are a few months old as I've been working on some larger scale projects that have taken a couple of months to complete, and I have several in the pipeline currently. Hopefully I can get 100% caught up on sharing these before I take a little "maternity leave" this Summer. I'm planning on booking a handful more clients to fill the next 4-6 weeks, then it'll be "go time!" So crazy! Anyway, here's what I've been up to recently...

Curvy Girl Chic

This was hands down one of my favorite projects when it was all said and done. Allison wanted something classy and modern, but still with a lot of personality. I did a custom geometric background and then played up the black and white with gold glitter and peonies. I feel like it totally fits her style and I love all of the graphic elements.

French for Cupcake

Claire is like my long-lost soul sister. I am totally on board with her style and aesthetic, and that's why I enjoyed this project so much! Ranunculus flowers and a soft grey accented with saffron yellow?! That's what I'm talking about! I illustrated a handful of flowers to pop around her name and then just let the rest of her content do the talking. I'm in love with how the header turned out.

Little Little This That

This mom and daughter blog was started from the ground up, hence why you're actually seeing a mock instead of the live preview. Tess and Clara came to me with a solid vision for what they wanted and I loved seeing it all fall together. They have an amazing eye for color and texture so while I may not have chosen these colors myself to start, I am stoked with how they all work together! This design is proof that you don't have to be crazy and decorative with graphics in order to make a loud statement.

Happy Soul Project

Tara came to me wanting a bright, cheerful space to help share her daughter's story of living with Down Syndrome. She had a logo ready to go, but it was up to me to find a way to tie in the fun colorful elements while keeping it very minimal and streamlined. The preview above doesn't even do it justice because there is just so much color happening below the fold! You'll have to pop over and check out the sidebars yourself!

We Ate, We Loved, We Traveled

First off, Cree is an absolute sweetheart! I've made several signs for her family over the past year and I was over the moon when she contacted me about a blog design. I loved all of her ideas and it just took some trial and error to see what would end up working perfectly in the end. She chronicles her life as a military wife and mom (currently) in Germany, and the softness of the color palette totally fits with her kind demeanor.

Ramble Kat Ramble

Kat wanted something bold and loud with a lot of really bright colors and typography! The blog itself is super streamlined and minimal, but the little bits of personality really make it shine. I hand-drew her header and then added in some fun watercolor to balance it out. The purple really helps liven the place up!

Twee Valley High

Kristina really wanted something bright and fun to match her mid-century lovin' aesthetic. She knew she wanted some pink and mint, and she really wanted a fun illustrated portrait, too. I whipped up this adorable little diddy of her and then really played up the 50's + 60's style in the design. We had a lot of back and forth in the emails, trying new things, tweaking stuff for a bit, and nixing things here and there. After installing we both realized it would be a much stronger design if it had only one sidebar instead of two, so we condensed them over on the left and really let her pictures shine. We also skipped out on the scallops that we started with (in the background) because we thought the clean lines helped it flow better. Kristina has an adorable little life in NYC and I think this fits her perfectly!

KelsterJean Designs

This was my most recent installation as it went live just on Friday! Kelly Jean and I have been working on this design for the past several weeks and she really wanted something that would accent her scrapbooking designs without overwhelming them. She chose a really great color palette and we added little "3D" details like stitching on the border and masking tape on the sidebars and post titles. We also played up the typewriter style font to make it really feel DIY'd. I love the subtlety of the colors mixed with the fun patterns!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Overall I'm really happy with how things are progressing with my freelance blog designs. Both my style and execution have come a long way since the very beginning. I've just gotta remember to share this stuff more often! I get so wrapped up in my actual projects and clients that I forget to publicly show them. (To see past designs shared, click HERE!)

If you're in the market for a full design overhaul for your Blogger blog, or some a la carte pieces (header, business cards, etc) for your business/blog (on any platform), don't hesitate to get in touch! I'm currently running a pretty sweet special to book up the final few spaces before I sign off for a few weeks. I can work with almost any schedule - whether you prefer to have your design up and running in 1 week, or a 4-6 week payment plan to help with your budget! (Each design shown above features the all-inclusive package that I offer which also comes standard with a matching business card design, social media headers, and even my PR + Marketing Ebook for bloggers!)

If you'd like to chat about a possible blog makeover, email me and we'll talk! Now to work on a few other design projects I have lingering about... that way I can share those soon, too! Happy Tuesday! xo

// 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.

--- 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.

--- 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.

--- Dear Life, We Need To Talk ---

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.

--- 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.

--- Simpli Spiritu --

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!

--- The Plus Side of Me ---

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!

// Uniqueness of Being - Blog Redesign

It's not very often that I share a single design project on it's own, but since it's become such a large part of what I do each and every day, I thought I should put more emphasis on sharing it here. This blog overhaul is one that I finished last week and installed for Ashley. She's a super fun, energetic gal with exquisite musical taste (I realized how much we had in common as I installed her blog design! Yes, I'm saying I have excellent taste in music haha I'm a little biased though so...) 

When Ashley first sent in her questionnaire, I'll admit: I was nervous! She took it to heart when I said "Please be as detailed as possible with your answers". Normally I say that because otherwise I get clients who just say "I don't know, just do something" (then they hate it! haha) BUT, Ashley's ability to think out exactly what she liked/didn't like proved so helpful! She shared a private design moodboard with me on Pinterest and I was immediately drawn to a particular image. It had a few of the colors Ashley said she liked, so I just ran with it. She also knew exactly what typefaces she liked so that was a huge help, too. I sent over the first mock and that was it! I can't tell you how rewarding it is to just "get it" right off the bat. Doesn't happen all that often, but I think Ashley and I really clicked on this one. I had so much fun designing this and if I do dare say, I think it's my very favorite design yet. The retro color palette and font choices, the heavy typography in the sidebar's About Me, and the simplistic header and navigation... swoon! I told Mike I wouldn't be the least bit upset if she hated it because I'd totally put it on my blog! (That's how this current LCH design came to be!) 

Here's a peek at the before and after if you're interested. You'll have to visit Ashley's blog to get the full feel for it, but I have a feeling you'll love her and you'll stick around for a while!

If you're interested in a blog overhaul, brand redesign, or a fresh start for your indie biz, feel free to give me a shout! I'd love to work with you! I'm wrapping up some projects now and will have some availability later this week! It'd be fun to showcase the journey from start to finish!

// Recent Design Work

Today I thought I'd round up a handful of projects from the last several weeks to share. Trying to juggle design work on top of moving and renovating was a bit difficult, but I'm glad to be back in the groove. I was surprised how busy I stayed with design work over the holidays, especially when I was considering scaling back to rehash all of my ideas. I'm still in the phase (aren't I always?!) but I have a more clear-cut vision of what it'll entail, and of course I'll be sharing that before too terribly long. (I always seem to have something to unveil... I promise it's not that exciting haha) Anyway, here's what I've been up to:

EVERYDAY BABY + EVERYDAY AXNESS

[brand identity + print + blog overhaul]

I worked on a blog overhaul of Christian back around the holidays. She wanted to really focus on organic textures and have a "natural" feel about her blog while still keeping it really simple. She really liked clean, thin typefaces and wanted to have a large content area. This is what ended up coming of that. She's currently in the midst of opening an organic baby boutique and I was honored to play a role in the brand identity portion. She wanted something that was cohesive with her blog, but could stand on it's own. Since Everyday Baby didn't have a mark of any sort, we decided to play up the geometrics of her header in a slightly more graphic manner. The logo will also be a 2'x2' exterior sign on the storefront. The two pieces on the top right side are her business cards. I can totally see the graphic pattern being used on tissue paper and hang tags for the store. I'm really excited to see what comes of Christian's venture!

ALEXIS' GYROS + GRILL

[brand identity]

Alexis first contacted me about a blog overhaul, but then decided to put it on the back burner to focus on her new foray into the food truck world. She's also the one who inspired me to give gyros a go! (We still haven't ventured over since the good places are so far away, but it's on the schedule!) The initial logo we had worked on a bit was totally different from this one -- more of a detailed badge style. Once I sent over this more modern, upscale mock, we had a hard time deciding what would be a better fit for a food truck like hers. In the end, she opted for the more clean-cut look with the bold colors, playing up the square edges and the intersecting lines of yellow mark. I can't wait to see how it translates onto the truck! 

COOCOO STUDIO
[blog overhaul]

Abi's blog was such a treat to do! I'm a fan of color, but this girl lives for color! I don't think I would have ever thought to propose such a wild and playful background, but that was all her doing. She knew what she wanted and I was just there to fill in the little pieces along the way. Abi's illustrations are so lively and sweet. She wanted to really show that in her header, so we did just that. She wanted to keep the rest of it pretty minimal, but she had to have the scalloped edges. I think if you were to pay her blog a visit, you'd see just how perfectly it fits her style. 

WELL ROUNDED READER
[blog overhaul]

Ashley's blog design was fun to do because of the details she wanted to incorporate. The branches, the owl, multiple navigations and the prominent rating system for her book reviews. She wanted to focus on keeping the colors muted, but still happy. It's the perfect chilled atmosphere to feel relaxed when you're reading about... well, reading!

THE WONDERLANDERS
[brand identity + blog overhaul]

Emilie is an old LiveJournal pal of mine and she is currently getting ready to launch a new online boutique for women and she wanted both a logo and a blog to set the stage. Above is the blog design mock (currently being installed + filled with original content). Emilie likes to play up the whimsical side of things and opted for a crown mark for the logo, and a unicorn for the blog. She was fond of the hand-drawn letters I made for one of my past blog designs so I tweaked it and used it for the header. She also liked the lightness of the watercolors because it still provides a little bit of gravity behind the content area. I think my favorite part is the buttery yellow color that acts as an element of surprise against the rest of the mauves and pinks. I'm excited to see how this one fully comes alive once it's launched! I definitely want to do more work with watercolors.

JET SET FASHIONISTA
[semi-blog facelift]

Zoe wanted a fresh slate to launch her new blog, but didn't want to go hard and heavy with all of the bells and whistles. She opted for a half-package which included enough visual perks to lay out the land, but also gave her enough breathing room to grow into something naturally. She was very certain that she wanted a very clean, minimal look so that her content could really shine.

SUGARBEE
[blog overhaul]

Sara's blog was one of my favorite ones to do simply based on the colors and the visuals. She's a 20 year old pastry chef who documents her foodie adventures on her blog. I'm a sucker for ombre sidebar navigations so I'm glad she was into that as well. She doesn't like a cluttered sidebar so the outer columns remain light and airy. Her sharable blog buttons are some of my favorites just because they're happy buttons. Not even sure that makes sense, but the vibe of the whole thing is so great. She's such a sweet gal, too!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Overall I've been really happy with the clients I've had lately. I've been itching to do more identity work and print, too, but I'm just happy when I get to work with people who jive with my style. (Yes, I totally said jive. I know.) Sometimes the overly-cutesy stuff can be a real turn-off for some, but I like that blog and identity work allow me to balance the two. Each and every designer clearly has his/her own style, and a good designer can adapt to suit the desires of the client, but it's great when someone seeks you out because they feel like what you do speaks to them in some way. You can't be everyone's cup of tea but the best kind of work is the kind you enjoy!

With that being said, I'm wrapping up my last open project today and I'd love to work with some of y'all if you're on the hunt for blog facelift, identity for your indie biz, or even just some blogging business cards! I've revamped my offerings and I'm happy to custom tailor packages to suit whatever needs you may have. If you're up to chat, shoot me an email [kaelahbee at gmail dot com]! I'd love to hear from you! Hope you have a great week!

PS; Some of the showcases above are the mock sites - they have placeholder blog posts and sidebar content to show the design's intention.

PPS; I get quite a few emails re: freelance design, and small biz owning in general. I was thinking of doing a blog post (or series) dedicated to answering these. If you have anything specific you'd like to ask, please feel free to leave it in the comments. You can always email it to me, or leave it on my FormSpring (I know, so 2009) if you'd prefer to be anonymous. I'm certainly no expert, and probably not all that qualified to be giving advice, but I can speak from my personal experience!

Design Recap

I feel like every single one of my posts just constantly talks about how busy I am or how I can't find time for anything. While I do have busy days, it's hard to talk about them knowing that most all of it goes on behind the scenes and you don't see it. Most of you probably think I just sit in my closet office and twirl my hair all day. (Sometimes I do... but mostly out of designer's block!) Well, here's a little showcase of what I've been up to the past 2 months. I shared a design recap back in February, but I like to showcase these not only to show what I've whipped up, but to also give you some fun new blogs to add to your blog roll! I try to keep myself busy with several clients a week, and I've only caught up this week. But I thought it was prime time to show you some new reads (and share just how many people love the color mint... and scallops!)

And I'll go ahead and apologize for sharing TWELVE designs at one time... I should never do that. I was going to break it up into 2 posts but what the hey?! Here you go! ;) You'll only get the full experience if you click over so go check them out in real-live-view!

Chronicles of a Sweet Tooth
I did Kem's last blog design last year, and this spring she was ready for a revamp. Kem is such a doll. I love her blog because it's the perfect mix of girly, badass, rockabilly and pinup fashion. We did a retro illustrated sign at the top and played up a pink and mint color combo with light flares in the background.

Betwixxt
Grace is a long time sponsor here at LCH and has grown into a totally rad friend. I also did her last blog design last year, and this time around we went for a more hand-drawn look. It was fun to doodle some arrows and her blog name over and over and over. Sounds monotonous, but that's what I totally love doing! We kept most of the same colors overall, but swapped the fuschia for a coral!

Belle and Me
I loved doing this sweet feminine/Sailor Jerry design. It took us a few tries to get the header perfect but we settled on a simple swallow and banner, with a punch of pattern in the background. You'll find little graphics scattered around like a ship's wheel and a nautical compass. I love the creamy tan with the pink!

The Umbrella Diary
I love designing a brand new blog for a brand new blogger. When someone dives in head first with a totally custom design, I can't help but watch the story unfold! Amber is preparing for her little bebe and we did an umbrella theme for her blog... because duh, it's called The Umbrella Diary! These were colors I am totally not used to working with, but I love working out of my element.

Wish I Were Audrey
Alice's blog just exudes class. How can it not with a name like that?! She pretty much left the entire design up to me and I was so tickled when she loved absolutely everything in the first mock! I feel like that doesn't happen all that often but I've had a slew of incredible clients here lately! They make me love my job. 

Ash Rae Design
When Ashley first sent me her color swatches, I went white in the face. Not because they were bad or anything, but because I had never worked with a bright lime green before! With fuschia! After a few trial and error color combos, we settled on a mint/baby blue and navy/fuschia. The background you see on here is actually one from a template I designed for my (still to come) shop!

Kaci Scarlet
This is one of my most recent favorites. Everything about it is simple and clean. Again, not something I'm normally used to. The blue, coral and pink color combo has totally won me over and I kind of sorta want to use it on everything!

Winter Love
This blog design makes me think of coffee. Undeniable. And perhaps that was because I designed and coded the whole thing while sitting in a coffee shop here on the East Side. It's a little bit different from what I normally do but I loved Natalie's vision and I was so happy to take part in it.

Tales of a Tumbleweed
This is my most recent design... only coded and installed about 2 days ago! Beca is one of my favorite people in the world and I was delighted at the opportunity to give her a new creative space. She's one half of the mastermind behind the Tumbleweeds wooden sunglasses! I'm so glad she ended up loving what I made her!

Baaarooke
A purple on purple on purple blog design for a purple haired girl? Um yes! She recently went blue, but I had loads of fun with this one. From little details here and there, to the gradient in the colors, I like this one lots!

Hello, Lovely!
Another recent one from just this past week. Jordan recently revamped her blog from being just about baking to being more of a lifestyle destination. She wanted scallops and mint... so scallops and mint I gave her! It's simple but classy, and I think that's totally representative of Jordan's aesthetic!

Dermie Pie
This week I also designed a new header for Andrea. She wanted something that was more encompassing of what you'd find on her blog. We decided to go the route of a recipe card, some fun illustrated glasses, flowers and baked treats. Yum!

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

Right now I focus mostly on vector based designs, but I'd really like to work more on texture and raster based work. Illustrator will always be my favorite, there's no denying that, but I'd like to get a little more variation in my portfolio. I'll gladly design whatever it is that the client wants, no doubt, but I do still think I've worked myself in somewhat of a corner with my aesthetic. Is it crazy that I've had this blog design for less than a month and I'm already dreaming up something new? New and totally different! We'll see when I actually get around to doing it!

With that being said, I'm completely caught up on clients, less the 2 I booked this week! I'm eagerly taking on more clients for the rest of the month and beyond, so if you're on the hunt for a Blogger makeover, please don't hesitate to email me! (kaelahbee at gmail dot com) We can chat rates, specifics, inspirations... My turnaround time is incredibly quick when we work together! (If you don't get a response from me this weekend, you'll get it on Monday! Not sure how much internet I'll have. I'm looking forward to stepping away!)

If you want something simple, handdrawn, and/or completely different from what you see above, don't let that stop you from reaching out. I'm eager to try new things and do something different. I ultimately think your blog should be a reflection of you. You should be inspired by it! You are the one who has to write in it... no one else! Make sure you feel good about it.

We're headed out of town for the weekend to celebrate Mike's birthday! He's a Cinco de Mayo boy so everyone likes to drink tequila and eat Mexican food in celebration of him, right? Right! I'll still have goodies lined up for you this weekend. Be sure to check back tomorrow as the giveaway is kind of rad! xo

A Little Chief Honeybee Face Lift

Out with the old...

And in with the new...

If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time at all then you'll probably know that I like to redesign on a whim. I think it's a designer's curse. I had some spare time today (and by that I mean I had about fifteen other things I should've been doing) so I decided to take a tossed mock up from a previous client to give it some life. I first did this roundabout design for a client who later decided on something much more simplified. Not very much changed on LCH actually. Just the top navigation and banner, and then some green in place of the pink. I liked the simplicity of my other layout, but I wanted something fresh and colorful for Spring. I know it's a lot to take it... it's a little bit overwhelming. But that's kind of what I like. When I undoubtedly get tired of this version I'll probably swap back to the simplified one, but until then, here you have it! I realize some of you aren't going to like it, or are going to prefer the old look, but that's okay. This is what it looks like for now ;)

If you're in the market for a redesign, feel free to email me at kaelahbee (at) gmail (dot) com. I'm booked through most of April but I'll gladly jot you down! xo

Some Recent Blog Design Work

I don't share my design work on LCH all that often. I'm not sure why. It could be my shy tendencies or not feeling "on par" with others at times. I think we can be our own worst critics. But it's such a huge part of my day. It's easy to get the impression that all I do is sit home and blog all day, but 90% of my time is devoted to freelance design work and rounding up clients. If you would have told me 2 years ago (or 1 even!) if I'd be doing freelance 100% of the time, I would've scoffed aloud and kept on with my day. I've never felt like I had the drive to do freelance. One of my best gal pals, Elle, is one of the most hardworking, self-motivated people I know. I never felt like I could bring myself to do that. But I have. Even if only recently, I've started and ended my day with client emails and mock ups... and I'm kind of loving it. It's especially nice being in the new house in my office with all of this natural light. It makes me feel good and productive. Here's to hoping it lasts!

I figured I'd share a few blog designs I've launched recently. Some date back a few months (whoops!) but a lot of my workload has been identity packages + websites which aren't ready to share yet. In fact, even Grace's blog below will be getting a new makeover in the coming month. Still, here's a little glimpse into how I spend my days! (and maybe some fun new blogs to read!)

SWEET SOMETHING by Melanie Busby

I absolutely loved designing this layout! It was "me" to a T! I love that Melanie and I have so very much in common when it comes to aesthetics. Peach + gold glitter!? Count me in! And scallops, too! I felt like I was channeling Honeybean the whole time and I want to paint everything gold! She was such a sweetheart, too. Would you believe me if I told you we knocked this entire design out in just a matter of hours? Seriously. I woke up and worked until it was ready to install just a few hours later. I love when that happens!

SUSANNAH BEAN

This is Susannah's new layout. You might remember the old one (HERE!)... well, that one will be making it's way to my new template shop I'll be opening up in the (very) near future (I hope!). Keep your eyes peeled if you'd like to snag it up for your blog! This time we went with a very Strawberry Banana Milkshake color palette and I love love love it. I did a simple background pattern and let the colors do the talking. Hope she likes it as much as I do!

INKADELPHIA by Nicole

This one was a departure from what I'm used to. I tend to surround myself with solid pastel colors, a air of feminimity, but I loved working on this with Nicole. The bright red + teal with the harsh charcoal + graffiti style type. It was really fun and I'm glad she was able to look paste the otherwise feminine nature of my "portfolio" when she hired me!

BETWIXXT by Grace

Oh Grace! She's become one of my favorite gals to talk to via the interweb and creating a bright and fun space for her blog was a pleasure! We'll be capping it off with something fresh and new soon, so pop on over and take a peek before it disappears! (She's the sweet gal who did the now famous Ron Swanson coffee mug!)

CHRONICLES OF A SWEET TOOTH by Kem

Another departure from my norm, but a fun black and white look with a bright bright pop of fuschia! Love! Kem is such a doll, too! She's way into rockabilly and I always pop over to her blog to see what fun pin-up stuff she's posting and all that jazz. Definitely worth a visit!

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

My aesthetic is a strong in the sense that I like having the ability to design things I like. I was always scared of designing too much stuff that I hated when I was in college. I don't want to look back on what I've done and absolutely recoil in disgust, ya know? I do love simple, bold sets of color, and anything feminine, but I'm also eager to break out of that box and do some different things, too. I'm hoping to do a lot of simple two-color designs with handwritten/illustrated embellishments... even if that means I design it and put it in my shop! 

I'm excited to already have quite the waiting list for March, but if you're interested in booking a spot for late March or early April, feel free to shoot me an email (kaelahbee at gmail dot com) and we can chat about what I offer! I currently only offer a full redesign package for Blogger based blogs, but I also have an a la carte menu option for any platform! Off I go to work on this website! xo

A Few Layout Tweaks...

I grew bored of the LCH layout not long after I installed it in December, but each time I go to design something new I find it impossible to leave behind the original colors of my personal branding. Instead, I opted to make a few minor changes. New background, header, a super fun navigation bar (hover over them!), etc. I'll roll out the rest of the tweaks in the next few days but I wanted to get this up while I was on a roll (mainly so I couldn't back out of it!). I think as a designer you tend to be your own worst critic.

If you're reading in BlogLovin' or Google Reader, click over (HERE!) to check out the new subtle look yourself! 

I'm wiped out now! Last night was a long night of work and I'm gearing up for another! xo

Operation Honeybean! Hand-drawn Typography...

Hello honeybees! So in light of my recent career announcement, I had many people offer up the idea of starting a KickStarter fund for people to help support my self-employed dreams. While I truly appreciate all of your sweet gestures, words, and encouragement at my hesitation, I simply do not feel comfortable doing such a thing. While I fully understand the reason KickStarter (and various other funding websites) exist, I don't feel comfortable accepting money when my endeavor is one that will (hopefully!) generate me profit. If the circumstances were different, perhaps I wouldn't be so quick to write it off. Even when I said I didn't really like the idea, so many of you jumped in and said that it would be wonderful and you'd love to support my endeavor, and that means the world to me! But rather than just giving me your money, how about I earn it? 

I mentioned in my post that 100% of the profits from Hive + Honey, Kaelah's Closet, and at least 50% from sponsoring Little Chief Honeybee would go to fund my little dream... well, since I'm going at it alone, I need to get creative in other ways to help fund it. So here I am! Presenting you with my newest creation! Hand-drawn typography!

(this typeface is not one of them sadly! :P)

I loved making my own typefaces in college and I really really love scribbling them down in my Little Book of Ideas. I formatted them out as a typeface for myself and thought, why not offer them to you, too?! You're obviously design savvy people! I've spent oh so many hours drawing up some typefaces and I will be releasing one at a time. The process is simple... you just purchase the typeface via PayPal and it will be emailed to you within 24 hours. You just download the file and install the font! Then you're free to use it on Word, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc! You can change the size, color, opacity... you name it! And of course, 100% of the proceeds will go directly into the mobile boutique fund! 

I had a lot of fun making them and I'll continue to work toward new ones daily! If you have an idea of something you'd like to see, let me know! I'm even working on a few sets of "Webding" type symbols! Cutesy stuff! 

Up for grabs first is a typeface I first started my sophomore year of college! I drew it for my Loquat album-redesign and it's been my "go to" style for doodling ever since! Feel free to purchase below!

Sketchbook 2011

PS; I can also make you a custom signature (like mine!) using your handwriting, mine, or a typeface for just $5! Email me at kaelahbee@gmail.com if you're interested!