Recent Work: Banjo & Scout

I had the wonderful opportunity to install another blog design last week. This time it was for the lovely Amber of Banjo & Scout. We've been following each other's blogs for quite some time, so getting to know her a little better while also designing something for her was a great experience. Below, I'll share a little about the design inspiration and process with you!

When Amber contacted me, I knew right away what sort of style and feeling she would want Banjo & Scout to evoke. With such a folksy title, we took a lot of inspiration from nature. I referenced photography from several of her past posts (specifically her outfit posts in wooded areas) for ideas. This was especially helpful when creating all the foliage, as I wanted it to feel authentic to Amber and be representative of her surroundings. Amber was not at all afraid of color, which is a real treat. It allowed me to pick some gorgeous, bold, natural colors and Banjo and Scout's color scheme just might be my favorite yet. Mossy green, deep mustard yellow, dark moody grey, a bold berry blue, and a bright fig inspired purple. The real magic was balancing out all the earthy, woodsy, moody elements with a streamlined and clean backbone. All that color pops beautifully against the soft white and linen.


To see the design in action, be sure to give Banjo & Scout a visit! I had a lot of fun with little details this time around, such as hover effects, so check all those out as well. Be sure to say hello to Amber while you're there, too! She's a great friend to have in the blogging community. Thanks so much for letting me design for you, dear!

xx Emorie

P.S. I mentioned before that I would be slowing down my design services a bit. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to schedule out clients, so I hope those of you who have already contacted me can understand and bare with me a bit. My design services are booked until the end of 2014 and I will be updating the information on the Design Services page soon to reflect some changes that will be happening. It's an exciting time! Thank you all so much for your interest in my services.

Recent Work: The Desert Poppy

My schedule has been a little hectic lately, so while I actually did the install for this design on Monday I'm finally getting a moment to tell you all about it on Friday. That's just life sometimes. Regardless, I'm so excited to share my most recent work with you! Designing for Kassandra was really fun — we have very similar styles and tastes, so getting to the same place creatively to envision the new look for her blog was relatively easy. I'll share a little about the design inspiration and process with you!

Kassandra's blog is titled The Desert Poppy, so rightfully I wanted to take a lot of inspiration from the desert. But, having already done a very deserty design, I didn't want the design to feel unoriginal. And as with the previous (Desert Darling) design, I didn't want it to be too deserty (think cactus) or come off as cheesy. Kassandra also wanted everything to come off more modern and clean and moody, so we made some bold choices that I think made all the difference. Adding a chalkboard sidebar really set the stage for this design. It added such a unique and interesting element! But, I didn't want it to be too distracting — so I kept it slightly grey instead of a harsh blackboard. This complimented the paper textured background and desert colors wonderfully. I went with a array of desert greens this time, with a pop of coral and poppy pink. The addition of hand-drawn desert floral and succulent accents really tied everything together.



Be sure to give The Desert Poppy a visit to see the design in action and see all the fun details at work. Be sure to say hello to Kassandra while you're there, too! Thanks so much for letting me design for you, Kassandra!

I'll be slowing down my design services a bit, as I just don't have the time to work on them as I used to. But if you are at all interested in having me design for you, don't hesitate to email me for more information and let's reserve you a spot!

Happy Friday!
Emorie

Recent Work: Alma's Darling Dailies

Happy Monday! I'm excited to share some recent design work with you today!

Alma contacted me wanting to completely redo her design. She told me about how she had stopped blogging because she had lost the desire to post due to frustration and boredom with her simple design. I wanted to bring everything about her blog back to life. We both agreed that what she needed was an entirely new look to accompany her new blog and blog name; that way Alma would be able to blog without the limitations her current blog was posing. And she needed a place to post freely and comfortably, a place that felt like herself, and to have everything posted beautifully.

Alma was a dream to work with. This girl has some serious style, and that style is adorable. The day after we began hashing out ideas she posted an image to instagram of her bike. The basket on her bike was stuffed to capacity with letters and packages for a trip to the post office. I knew immediately I wanted to incorporate that into the design; it fit perfectly! Inspiration for this design came easily, Alma spewed it out in every direction and I sure ate it up! I also took a lot of ideas from mod fashion and her adorable wardrobe. Polka dots were a must, but keeping them calm colors was key to them not overpowering the design. All the other colors were selected by flipping through her instagram and the great mood board she created for me on pinterest!



Be sure to head over to Alma's blog to get the full tour, say hi, and let her know what you think of the new design! She's starting over with this design, so show this new blogger some love! And don't forget to check out her About page. We did an adorable design for it, including an illustration of her pup and other doodles :)

And of course, if you're looking to redesign be sure to click that "DESIGN SERVICES" link up on the Navigation Bar to see the Design Services page. I'd love to design for you! You can read more about what a complete custom design from me includes here.

xx Emorie

Recent Work: Desert Darling

I'm so excited to share my most recent work with you today! I am so happy with how it turned out. Cam contacted me wanting to completely redo her design as she needed an entirely new look to accompany her new blog name. Along with a design redo, Cam changed her blog from Sincerely Cam to Desert Darling. I'll share a little about the design inspiration and process with you!

Cam expressed that she wanted to take inspiration from the desert (the new title is desert darling, after all) but didn't want the design to feel super deserty or come off as cheesy. I'll be honest, designing for Cam was pretty simple. We both started blogging around the same time and I've been following her from the beginning — I've gotten to know her style really well. Once she told me what she wanted, things started to roll out! I went with strong yellows, pinks, and oranges but kept their usage minimal. I downplayed the strong colors with a soft, sandy linen background. The main column and sidebar naturally became bright white, to make her posts pop and to gently contrast the sandy linen. The addition of hand-drawn desert floral accents really tied everything together and made the overall look more girly and a touch whimsical. It turned out rather 'desert-darling', if I do say so myself!



Be sure to head over to Cam's blog to get the full tour, say hi, and let her know what you think of the new design!

And of course, if you're looking to redesign be sure to click that "DESIGN SERVICES" link up on the Navigation Bar to see the Design Services page. For a limited time, you can get a complete custom Blogger design (including installation) for only $75. I'm increasing my prices at the end of the summer so reserve your spot now — they're filling up fast! You can read more about what a complete custom design from me includes here.

Happy Friday!

xx Emorie

Recent Work: Design for Some Call Me CJ

There are some exciting things going on today! Do you remember the Reader Appreciation Giveaway I did about a month ago (to celebrate One Year of Oh Whimsical Me)? CJ from Some Call Me CJ won a free custom blog designed by me! We had so much fun working together and I think it was a learning experience for both of us. I know you've all noticed that "DESIGN" link in the pages on my navigation bar, that has linked to an adorable picture of Pippin for months. Some of you have even expressed interest in working with me on designing your blog. I've been working hard to get ready and comfortable before beginning to offer my services to you. CJ was happy and willing to be my guinea pig, as this is my first ever complete custom design for someone else! I'm excited to share the results with you today!

Most of the work that went into this project started before I was designing and creating. Getting all our ideas on the same page and understanding exactly what CJ wanted was the most time consuming part. I'll definitely streamline this step more in the future and ask my clients much more specific questions from the very beginning. Once we figured out what CJ wanted the rest was a breeze; it was still a lot of work, but mostly just getting approval and opinion here and there.

CJ wanted a geometric and colorful design, while still maintaining a really sleek and streamlined look. I originally tried triangles, but quickly discovered that was far too busy and distracting. A Hexagon/Honeycomb pattern was a much better option. And oh boy, she really isn't afraid of color and I love that. I went really bold and bright, which makes everything very cheery — just like CJ! No but really, this girl is a dream to work with (here is proof). Will kept overseeing our iMessages (I had up on the computer) and he kept saying "Wow, she has got to be the nicest, most excited person ever!" Which is pretty much true. The colors suit CJ wonderfully. Because she wanted to go so bold with the background, I colored the spaces between the hexagons a light tan to soften it a bit. I kept the main blog background bright white to contrast the liberal use of color and to keep the attention at the content of the blog.






Be sure to head over to Cj's blog to say hi and let her know what you think of the new design!

I'm also happy to announce that I am now offering design services! Click that "DESIGN" link up on the Navigation Bar to see the Design Services page. For a limited time, you can get a complete custom Blogger design (including installation) starting at only $50. Reserve your spot now! You can read more about what a complete custom design from me includes here.

Happy Monday!
xx Emorie