creating. discovering. playing.

It's been really fun creating some of the marketing collateral for this year's branding at the park district. I've discovered that the feeling of seeing the final product doesn't get old.  Everyone in the entire district got to wear their brand-new-made-with-lots-of-love t-shirt last week and seeing everyone enjoying their t-shirts made me feel cozy inside :)

Knowing that I am doing the best I can with what I have,  encourages me to keep on creating, discovering new ways/ new trends, and enjoying this field as if I was a kid playing.

trapitos al sol

Ever since I started this project, I knew it would be a favorite. The thought of vintage garments makes me think of the times I  watched grandma clean her old armoire full of  pretty dresses, fancy shoes and boxes with jewelry in them. Or the green jewelry box my mother used to treasure so much filled with hair pins, necklaces, rings, and my favorites, brooches. Oh, how I love those memories.
The exhibition is up and running, looking incredibly nice. I had the opportunity to photograph the whole exhibition a few weeks ago and I couldn't help but drooling the whole time (not literally, really).  So much sparkle! Gorgeous hats, fancy little purses, and interesting pretty umbrellas (which by the way they were actually called parasoles and were not necessary used for rain, which totally makes sense when reading the word in Spanish!). 
To pick one item to represent the entire exhibition was the challenge. Creating several versions of the poster/postcards featuring a different item on each was the solution and the fun part. 
A few days ago while checking the big second reprint of the postcards, I thought of a Spanish saying "sacando los trapitos al sol", which translated to English means literally "To take the dirty laundry out". Non-sense you might think, but my mind was thinking more in terms of displaying the postcards on a laundry line for a photo, and not necessarily getting the postcards dirty :)

+ A closer look at the artwork.
+ More about this exhibition on the DuPage County Historical Museum's website.

a chalkboard for the entry wall

It's been hard, but I have managed to contain myself from stenciling another wall in the new place. Instead, I have dedicated a little time to the entryway. The chalkboard I started last year is finally done & hung. And for some strange reason, I am starting to be Okay with white walls!  

Ready to put it to use, I threw a little hand lettering on it a few days ago in celebration of the kiddo's Birthday. I am quite happy with the results. I think my fascination with chalkboards (and chalk in general) started back when I was a little girl and my dad painted the whole back of a wooden door that connected our house to my grandma's patio with black paint. On rainy days or those days when I just couldn't go out and play with the cousins (whose house was also connected to mine by the patio) I would spend hours in front of that door (chalkboard) playing teacher and in a way, talking to myself :)

+ Chalkboard paint recipe found at MarthaStewart.com 

+ HEMNES table from  IKEA