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The Design Inspirationalist

~ Inspiring Ideas | Spectacular Creations

The Design Inspirationalist

Tag Archives: new year

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge

12 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by melissaoconnor in Minted

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all is bright, christmas, classic calligraphy, gray star design, holiday, holiday burst, holiday cards, holiday challenge, joyful festive collage, joyful tree, minted, minted challenge, modern floral, modern mosiac, new year, photo holiday cards, retro collage, visions of sugarplums, woodland love

Summer has just started, and boy has it been hot, but I have been working on designs for the last Minted holiday challenge. I got a good 10 submissions in and I am pretty happy with all of them. There are so many people who submit into these holiday challenges but you have to be positive and know you do have a chance to win. I do better with the editor picks most of the time, but to get a win would be awesome.

I tried to think out of the box for some and stick with more traditional styles for others. As usual, all are clean and modern, but I wanted to include a variety overall. Below you can view all my submissions and voting is now open! Make sure you check out all the other fantastic designs while you are there. Happy voting!

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Holiday Burst

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Visions of Sugarplums

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Modern Floral

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Joyful Festive Collage

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Modern Mosiac

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - All is Bright

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Joyful Tree

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Classic Calligraphy

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Retro Collage

The 2015 Holiday Photo Minted Challenge - Woodland Love

2014 Review

31 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by melissaoconnor in News

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2014 review, accomplishments, gray star design, new year, success

This year has been a good one for sure. Although I had to deal with a few hardships, all great things brought Gray Star Design to new heights. Here is a short review of the things I am proud of accomplishing for the business. Looking forward to so much more for the future! My goals for 2015 are to work on my stationery line and get ready to do wholesale and to start seriously advertising. See you next year!

1. I am so excited and happy to have been Minted this year! I have had over a handful of wins in both art prints and stationery and feel so lucky to be a part of the Minted community. You can visit my shop here.
Gray Star Design on Minted

2. You can also find some of my designs on Envelopes.com! I was contacted to contribute to their growing collection and its a great opportunity to be included.
Gray Star Design on Envelopes.com

3. I was featured on the UK store Terry’s Blinds blog, Designer Insights, which is pretty rad. It’s nice to have the business mentioned overseas, for sure!

4. I teamed up with Atlanta photographer Linda Kovtoun for two beautiful inspiration shoots which featured my invitation designs. I am so grateful for this opportunity and happy to have met such a talented artist. Looking forward to many more shoots!

Floral Backyard Wedding Shoot
Team Up with Linda Kovtoun

 

Romantic Glam Inspiration Shoot
Romantic Glam Inspiration Shoot

5. I’ve also designed a nice collection of holiday cards that I look forward to adding to in the years to come. There is surely enough options for everyone!
Holiday Collection by Gray Star Design

6. Paper goods I designed for a Martha’s Vineyard wedding was featured in Well Wed magazine! This really made me happy, as they are one of the top wedding mags in the country. So exciting!! You can read all about it here. I look forward to being featured some more this coming year.
Jessica and Ken's Wedding in Well Wed Magazine

Home and Garden: 2013 Resolutions

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Guest Posts, The Great Outdoors, The Home

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bold, color schemes, eco friendly, emerald, garden, gardening, green, home, interior design, nature, new year, plants, resolutions, upcycle

We always start the New Year with great intentions for the coming months. A common resolution is to take more care and attention over your home and garden. But it’s usually around now, a couple of weeks into the New Year that these good intentions can start to slide. However, when it comes to your home and garden, there are some simple changes you can make to help keep everything looking and feeling fresh for 2013.

Color schemes: Be Bold
2013’s color of the year is Emerald Green – not necessarily an easy color to fit in with your current decor (unless you’ve already jumped on this trend!) However, this is a great opportunity to be bold with your home interior and add a little something different. Experimenting with colors is a perfect way to inject some excitement, especially at the start of a new year.

Home and Garden: 2013 Resolutions
Photo Credit: Simplified Bee

This doesn’t mean a complete overhaul is required; a touch of green can come from a variety of objects and ideas. Potted plants such as the Homalomeno ‘Emerald Gem’ provide a burst of color and are ideal for interior settings. If plants aren’t your thing, depending on your existing color scheme, you could add emerald green throws to your couches. For a more subtle touch a couple of green cushions will help to create a similar effect. Whichever way you incorporate the color into your home, making a resolution to try something different with your color scheme is something that is simple yet effective.

Home and Garden: 2013 Resolutions
Photo Credit: Simplified Bee

Gardening: Be Eco-friendly
Making a resolution to keep your gardening eco-friendly will not only have wider benefits for your local environment, it will help to keep your garden in tip top shape.

One aspect of your garden that may not spring to mind when it comes to the environment is your soil. Most commercial potting soil contains peat which is a non-renewable resource, and it can only be found in certain parts of the world. However, it is used as a form of energy, so it would be beneficial if gardeners looked to other sources of material for their soil. One popular alternative is to use coconut coir. This is a natural by-product of the coconut industry, and it helps to promote plant health.

Home and Garden: 2013 Resolutions
Photo Credit: Gotta Shop It

Reducing the amount of pesticides and insecticides you use is another way of helping the environment – instead of using whatever is lurking in your garden shed, go to local garden centers and ask for advice or any alternative methods to pest management. One method is to frequently check plants and remove any bigger pests that are visible by hand. Another way of helping is to try and encourage insects like ladybirds and spiders as these types of insects will naturally help to reduce the number of pests in the garden. These may not seem like revolutionary ideas, but will help your garden to look great, alongside the achievement of helping the environment.

­­Upcycle: Be Unique
Upcycling is the perfect way to save money and make use of items that may have been long forgotten, but it can sometimes seem like a lot of effort for little gain. However, there are simple ideas and inspiration everywhere you look.

For example, a great method for accessorizing old t-shirts only takes some newspaper, chalk, bleach, a paint brush and some imagination. Use on darker-colored t-shirts to get the most effective look. Put some newspaper inside your t-shirt to prevent any bleach from soaking straight through the material.

Draw a design on your shirt with chalk – staying simple is usually more effective; however you can experiment and see what you prefer. When your design is complete, dip your paintbrush into some bleach and trace over the chalk design. Once you’re happy with the color and the bleach has soaked in, wash your t-shirt. The bleach will have stained the shirt in the shape of your design, and the chalk will be rinsed off. You can use this method for other items of clothing or any other material you may have around your home.

Home and Garden: 2013 Resolutions
Photo Credit: The Berry

This is just one simple example of upcycling – there are plenty of methods you can find online and in craft shops, depending on what items you want to upcycle. So before throwing anything anyway, take a second and think about what you could do with it!

These ideas can help you to keep up with your home and garden over 2013, without breaking the bank and that even a novice could attempt. What home and garden resolutions do you have for 2013?

{Danielle is a guest author working on behalf of Tiger Sheds. She is an enthusiast of home improvement and gardening, and loves to keep on top of the latest design trends and inspiration.}

Inspiration Photo Friday: Winter Wonderland

28 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Inspiration Photo Friday, The Great Outdoors

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

caumsett park, cold, long island, nature, new year, new york, path, pathway, photography, seasons, snow, trees, winter, winter wonderland

The holidays may be over but winter is officially here. The cold is making its way into our backyards and snowy days are surely due. It’s time to focus on what the year has taught us and get ourselves ready for what 2013 has to offer.

I took this photo a few winters back while visiting Caumsett Park here on the island. It was a perfect day to go because the snow added a magnificent bonus to the scenery. As I walked down the main path, I was inspired by the beautiful symmetry and natural line work of the trees. Bare as they were, they brought a nice architectural element to the shot. The path made me feel I was on my way to something great, something spectacular. Having always loved the look of pathways, it was no surprise I was drawn to Caumsett’s.

Everyday should feel like this. Looking forward, surrounded by beauty. In this case, a winter wonderland of nature’s frozen tears. Just because its cold and dreary, doesn’t mean this season has to be a sad and boring one. It’s a time to reflect. As the Earth renews itself for another year, we all should do the same. Take the time to reflect upon your accomplishments, your mistakes and the significant moments 2012 has given you.

I hope you all have a happy new year and create a winter wonderland in your heart this season. Remember, everyday can be as beautiful and inspiring as this photo. Just keep in mind that you are amazing and take the path toward positivity and happiness.

Inspiration Photo Friday: Winter Wonderland - © Melissa O'Connor-Arena

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