Ciera Design

Blog Love [Friday Favorites]

Ciera — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:52:24 +0000

Today is a special edition of Friday Favorites because I’m sharing a few of my favorite blogs! My google reader has gotten a little out of control lately but these are the blogs that I never skim over. They all have amazing content and are passionate about what they do!

Skunkboy Creatures » Katie makes a living sewing the cutest plush animals. She hopes to always leave people feeling inspired and encouraged when they pop by her corner of the internet. Oh, and her adorable little girls make an appearance every once in a while too! Handmade, Fashion, Vintage, Hair Tutorials, Music

SillyGrrl » Sarah is a web designer & aerialist living in metro-Detroit. On SillyGrrl she shares her adventures as a circus performer (how cool is that?!), design inspiration and web design & blogging advice. Blogging, Circus, Design, DIY Projects, Detroit, Recipes

Sincerely, Kinsey » Kinsey is an awesome photographer, works at Red Velvet Art, and is a DIY contributor for A Beautiful Mess. She loves sharing her favorite parts of every day life on her blog. Photography, DIY, Fashion, Current Obsessions

Emmadime » Emma is a graphic designer, paper shop owner, knitter and blogger and she rocks them all! Emma shares all of her inspirations on her blog and feels it has become an extension of her creative career. Design, Food and Drink, Inspiration, Home and Interiors

Life as an Artistpreneur » Becka is an artist, photographer and writer. On her blog, she chronicles the ups and downs of life as a creative business owner. This is a lifestyle blog focused on inspiration for young creatives, digging deeper into issues that we all face while being self employed. Business Life, Coffee Cup Chats, Family Life, Inspiring Quotes

Bubby and Bean » Melissa is a Chicago-based sustainable fashion designer and illustrator. Her blog focuses on what she likes to call “all the wonderful things.” fashion, home decor, travel, music, photography

Now I’m not gonna tell you TOO much about them because I want you to go check them out for yourself. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Now it’s your turn… not like I need anymore blogs to add to my reader, but what are some of your favorites?

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Say Hello… [May]

Ciera — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:26 +0000

I’m so happy to introduce you guys to my sponsors this month! I absolutely adore all of their blogs and shops and highly recommend taking a minute to click around and pay them a visit!

Blog // Twitter // Portfolio // Ciera Loves >> Here We Go: Time Saving Techniques

Hello! I’m Allison and am a designer/blogger living in Columbus Ohio. When I’m not freelance designing, I’m blogging over at Show + Tell where I discuss blogging tips, photography, post reviews and host photography challenges! Be sure to stop by!

Blog // Paper Shop // Vintage Shop // Ciera Loves >> DIY: Moss Toadstool Wreath

Hi, friends! My name is Elizabeth and I run two Etsy shops as well as a little blog called Please Note where I share my favorite recipes and DIYs. I hope you’ll stop by and say hello!

Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> DIY: Flowerchild Fest Headdress

Hi, I’m Jasmine. My blog, Sequin Crush, is a blog about my personal style and my fashion crush’s of the moment. I never think less is more when it comes to fashion, especially accessories! I hope to inspire others to explore their inner sequin crush and find as much love in fashion as I do.

Blog // Portfolio // Flickr // Ciera Loves >> Time Trap

Zander is a Boston based photographer with an eye forged from the likes of Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, and Josef Koudelka.

Blog // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> Darling Clementines

Daily Foodles is a project by designer and illustrator Megan Pendergrass documenting through illustrations and typography something or everything she eats in a day. Daily Foodles is a merging of food love and a passion for drawing/doodling/creating.

>> Want to take part in this post next month? Click HERE for details! And don’t forget that you can become a sponsor at any time, you don’t have to wait til a new month! >> Awesome giveaway coming up next week so be sure to check back for that!

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Peachy Keen

Ciera — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:11 +0000

Happy Monday! I love how soft and dreamy these images are. They make me think of a sunny daze. Hope y’all had a great weekend and that your week is peachy keen!

Vintage Peach Beauty // Dress

Edge Painted Business Cards [Friday Favorites]

Ciera — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’ve been thinking about getting some new business cards just because I like the look of these edge painted cards so much. I have been seeing this technique around a lot lately, here are a few of my favorites.

Moo.com has even come out with a new Luxe business card, with a rich seam of color running through the paper (not the same technique as edge painting, but the same effect). If you follow this Moo link you get 10% off your first order!

Photos click through to their sources. This post is not sponsored by Moo, I just really like their products.

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Mother’s Day Card Freebie

Ciera — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Mother’s Day is only a few days away so I wanted to share this freebie with you guys in case you are still looking for a card! I’m trying to branch out a little in my design style so I hope y’all enjoy this whimsical, hand lettered design!

More Mother’s Day Freebies: Bee Card and Wine a Month Gift Printable

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Our Carolina Avenue Home

Ciera — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:00:01 +0000

We’ve been living in our second Boston apartment for about nine months now and it’s better than I imagined it would be! I realized that it is never going to be complete or as perfect as I would like for sharing photos so I decided to just go for it!

I love our sun-filled windows, back deck and space for both Zander and I to have an office… yep, a totally different story than our last mini apartment.

I really like the black & white and green color scheme we accidentally got going on the shelf below, including a Ramones album that my uncle gave Zander.

We finally got our Ork posters framed (we have New Orleans & Boston) and they look great in the living room!

The fact that we have a dining room is pretty amazing, even though we only seem to use it for playing ring hook!

I like having plants around but was sure to get low maintenance ones like succulents and air plants because I can’t seem to remember to water plants.

You can see some photos of my office here and I’ll be sharing some details from other rooms soon! Hope you enjoyed this little mini tour of our Jamaica Plain apartment!

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A NOLA Recap

Ciera — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:44:45 +0000

Well, it took me a little longer than expected to recover from my trip home to New Orleans, but I’m back with a little recap of the trip!

My BFFs wedding, second lines, pool side, best friends, daiquiris, relaxing by the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, the best weather I have ever felt for a New Orleans April, Jazz Fest, snowballs, po-boys, Rebirth Brass Band, family time, crawfish boils, casino… oh yea, and I broke my toe, so I was doing most of this while limping around! I was not going to let a fractured pinky toe get in my way of having fun in New Orleans! When I write it all out I can see why I am still so exhausted!

And a new month brings a new lovely group of sponsors, so check them out over in my sidebar!

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Festing

Ciera — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:00:29 +0000

Happy Friday! I’ll be at Jazz Fest, today, Saturday and Sunday, sooo excited! Hope everyone has a great weekend! What do you have planned?

Photo by Zander White of My Morning Jacket Live at Jazz Fest 2010 at the Gentilly Stage in New Orleans, LA.

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Now Accepting Sponsors for May

Ciera — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’ve got some fun posts planned for May and I’d be thrilled to help you promote your blog, small business, vintage store, band or Etsy shop to my readers during the month!

If you’re interested in finding out more about how to become a sponsor and all the benefits which come along with sponsorship, click over to my advertising page. With my new sponsor system your ad will run for 30 days from whenever you purchase (if space is available) or will automatically start when a space opens up! If you need more info or have questions, please feel free to contact me!

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What I Wore // Leopard Print and Crochet

Ciera — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:10:00 +0000

Happy Monday, hope you guys had a great weekend! I had a crazy few days full of wedding festivities for one of my best friends. So while I recover from my overwhelming weekend, today I’m sharing an outfit that I wore a few weeks back out to dinner with friends. The tunic sweater is so soft and comfortable and I LOVE the detail of the back! It is just perfect for when there is still a little chill in the air. These are my go-to jeans, I pretty much wear them with everything. The ring was my grandmothers, it is a little big on my finger but I wear it anyways… because I love it.

Shirt – Abeille NOLA // Jeans – Citizens of Humanity (similar) // Shoes – Abeille NOLA // Ring – Vintage from my grandma // Bracelets – Vintage and H&M // Earrings – Hemline (present from my sis)

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Etsy Favorite – Parrish House Photos

Ciera — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:49 +0000

These photographs from Lisa of Parrish House Photos make me want to live at the beach! Lisa shared, that in the past, she had always shied away from color photography, but boy am I glad she got over that! These color images are just gorgeous!

I have a deep love of teal, aqua and turquoise so you’ll find a lot of that reflected in my work. I’ve also spent a lot of time in southern California and you can see that influence in the sun-drenched feel of much of my recent work. – Lisa

Lisa does all of her own fine art printing on a velvet matte paper that creates prints with amazing tonal detail. Parrish House Photos is offering 30% off to Ciera Design readers when you use discount code “PHP30″ at her Esty shop! Visit Parrish House Photos on Etsy and Facebook for more of Lisa’s beautiful work!

Home Again, Home Again

Ciera — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’m back in New Orleans for 13 days! My best friend is getting married and then I’ll be attending the first weekend of Jazz Fest (my favorite thing in the whole world, see why here and here). Sooo, that said, I have actually scheduled some posts (yay for planning ahead). If you don’t hear too much from me in the comments, it’s because I’m partying it up in NOLA, and I’ll respond when I return to Boston!

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Exploring the Weekend Away

Ciera — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:49:40 +0000

It was a long weekend for me since the Boston Marathon was yesterday. Zander, along with most of the city had off of work, so we totally look advantage! We had an amazing weekend of wandering the Charles River & Harvard Square, cooking & eating awesome meals, drinking beer & mojitos and sleeping late. How was your weekend?

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Say Hello… [April]

Ciera — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:00:39 +0000

A new month and a new group of fabulous sponsors! Take a couple of minutes to click on the links below so you can see for yourself how wonderful these guys are!

Website // Facebook // Twitter // Tumblr // Ciera Loves >> Before and After

The Creole Cottage is an upcycled home goods boutique specializing in recycling old home furnishings and turning them into new treasures for your home, second home or small business. Located on Magazine Street in New Orleans open Wednesday through Friday from 12-5, or by appointment.

Blog // Twitter // Pinterest // Ciera Loves >> Foto Friday: Sweet Hoot Before & After

Jen Whitfield makes art, writes words and lives life. Then she blogs about it on Whitfield Awesome. Check out her three regular features – Obsession Confession Sunday, Touché Tuesday Advice Column and Foto Friday - interspersed with drawings, paintings, DIYs and such.

Blog // Shop // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> Project: Blogging Buddies

Hello there! My name’s Nat and I’m a bit of a font fanatic, dessert foodie, and bookworm. My blog focuses on my interests: inspiration, design and my daily doings.

Blog // Portfolio // Etsy // Ciera Loves >> Creating A Workspace

Hi! I’m Erin, aka “eef”. I’m a 20-something, freelance artist and graphic designer who enjoys webdesign, drawing silly comics, taking photos, and doing crafty things. EEF Etcetera is my personal blog where I house stories about my travels, free graphics, and my adventures in crafting. Grab a cup of coffee and stop by!

Blog // Twitter // Goodreads // Ciera Loves >> Would You Rather

Hi there! I’m Alycia and I live in California with my husband and dogs Monty and Mabel. I’m a huge bookworm and I love patio gardening. I like to blog about life, crafts, and inspirations from around the web. Come by and say hi!

Blog // Twitter // Facebook // Ciera Loves >> What’s In My Bag

Hi, I’m Bex, a 22 year old mum of one from a leafy village in the UK. I blog about a little bit of everything – food, beauty buys, all with a helping of life as a first time mum.

Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> Print Party

I am edgy but sweet, vintage yet modern, unconventional yet composed. I never think less is more when it comes to fashion, especially accessories! Sequin Crush is a blog about my personal style and my fashion crush’s of the moment. I hope to inspire others to explore their inner sequin crush and find as much love in fashion as I do. -Jasmine

Blog // Flickr // Ciera Loves >> Homemade Cold-Brew Iced Coffee

Zander is a photo-journalistic chap with an eye forged from the likes of Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, and Josef Koudelka.

Blog // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> Megan’s Beet illustration

Want to take part in this post next month? Ciera Design is now accepting sponsors for May! Click HERE for details!

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Happy Accidents

Ciera — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:00:09 +0000

Mod Cloth’s new look book is all about happy accidents. I think it is such a fun concept and great execution of the idea!

You can check out the whole story and style book here.

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Interviewed On Eef Etc

Ciera — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Erin is starting a new series on her blog where she interviews other designers and has them share their experiences and advice. I am so honored to be her first interview! Head over and check it out!

The Meal – Documenting a Global Snack

Ciera — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

One moment. One meal. One photograph. Let’s eat. On February 24th at 12pm EST, thousands of people around the world joined in a simultaneous global meal… and I was one of them! Whether it was breakfast in LA or a midnight snack in Beijing, we took a moment from our hectic lives to share it with strangers around the world. We all snapped a photo of ourselves and our meal and sent a print to the Art House Co-op. On April 5th, they exhibited these self-portraits, documenting the world’s largest communal snack.

Our aim is to inspire a feeling of community across geographic and cultural boundaries, while addressing the statement that “you are what you eat.” However, for nearly a billion people around the world, hunger is a constant daily reality and “what you eat” is never enough. In conceiving of this project, our thoughts immediately turned to the chronic problem of global hunger and the amazing organizations that struggle against this persistent crisis. Take a look at the many ways to get involved today. – Art House Co-op

Visit Art House Co-op on Flickr for all of the submissions and more photos from the exhibition. If anyone spots mine on the wall PLEASE let me know! All photos (except my entry) from Art House Co-op.

How I Stay Organized

Ciera — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:00:29 +0000

A few readers have asked about my methods for staying organized as a freelance designer. Working from home can be difficult but here are some simple methods that I use. Overall, I try to keep it simple because the more difficult you make the solution, the harder it is to keep up.

No Such Thing as Too Many Calendars or Lists

I have used both Wunderlist and TeuxDeux for task management and love them both! Recently 6Wunderkinder released Wunderkit so I am in the process of switching over to see how I like it. Wunderkit helps with the grander scheme of organizing and accomplishing things through workspaces, tasks, notes and even allows collaborating with others! All three options are FREE and sync with your iphone! This is really a personal decision on how simple or complex you need your system to be.

iCal works best for my events and meeting. I really like that you can create multiple calendars, set alerts as messages or emails and it syncs right to my phone.

Last but not least, I’ll always have sketchpads and notebooks around. No matter how many lists and reminders I have scheduled on my computer, I still need to have written reminders, by my side, at all times… and I like the feeling of crossing items off. I also keep a separate paper calendar for blog post scheduling.

Easy Access for Supplies
I love using pretty cups or jars to keep my clips, washi tape, pens and office supplies organized. It keeps my desk neat while I still have easy access to supplies.

Photos At Your Fingertips
I upload all of my photos to Flickr and organize them into Collections and Sets. I also use Flickr to host most of my blog photos. It is an easy way to keep backup copies of images and a great way to search through old photographs.

Inspiration Overload
Delicious comes in handy for bookmarking blog posts or articles that I find inspiring or want to remember. I add tags to organize them into categories and personalize each link with my comments. You can choose to keep your links private or share them.

Pinterest boards are a great way to keep track of visual inspiration and pretty things in one central location.

Google Reader is where I keep track of all the blogs I follow. You can add stars to favorite posts or tags to sort them. It’s a great way to save your favorite blog content.

Files, Files, Files

On the Computer:
Folders, I use lots of them and color code like crazy. When clients hire me for a design job, it’s important to keep everything organized. If I need a file a few years from now, I will not have any trouble locating it.

Dropbox is a free service that is great for accessing your files from multiple computers and for sharing files. Anything you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website.

In real life:
I use a file cabinet and binders to store paper files. I have a basket that I drop everything in until I get to file it properly. I also use flat files for loose inspiration, reference materials, samples of work I have done and any artwork or larger files.

Get Timekeeping and Billing Straight
Billings keeps me sane. I use it for timekeeping and invoicing. If I did not have a timer running I would never be able to keep track of how long I was spending on something. Once a job is complete, I just mark the tasks as done and send an invoice right from there! I really don’t know what I would have done if I never discovered this.

Sync It and Back It Up
It is important for calendars, contacts and files to be syned and backed up! Keep your really important files backed up on TWO separate drives or an online system, Dropbox can also be used for this. I use LaCie external hard drives and Mac’s Time Machine for my backups. I just plug in and don’t need to think about it again!

This is what works for me and hopefully it can be a starting point to help you discover some methods that work for you! Is there anything you think I left out or would like to hear more about? Just let me know in the comments below!

Top left image via Poketo all others are by me.

Skitch Hand Drawn Serif [Friday Favorites]

Ciera — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:00:03 +0000

Lucky you, a new favorite font today! Skitch from Yellow Design Studio is a funky hand drawn serif with regular, solid, and fill options. It’s loaded with features including double-letter ligatures, discretionary ligatures and stylistic alternates, and is accompanied by an eccentric collection of ornaments and a set of expandable borders that can be mixed and matched for endless fun! How great right, and check out its ampersand!

Guess what, Skitch Fill is free from MyFonts! And the other variations are only $15!

Type description and samples from MyFonts.

My Hood // Jamaica Plain [Boston Photo Tour]

Ciera — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:45:00 +0000

It’s been a while, but the Boston Photo Tour is back! Today I’m giving you a peek into my hood! I feel that I’ve been able to capture such intimate details from my neighborhood, much more than other locations throughout my Boston Photo Tour. Sometimes you need time to explore and figure out what the area is all about. Sometimes you need to pass by a few times until the shot or light is right.

and when I only have my iphone, that works too…

Follow me on Instagram for more every day photos and subscribe to the Ciera Design RSS feed or follow me on Twitter so you don’t miss out on the rest of the tour!

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