Honeybee's New Look!

I've been working on a redesign for a little bit, but I scraped it all this morning and started fresh! The fact I manage to start, design, code and install in just a handful of hours is kind of amazing to me (While I tend to work fairly quickly, I always second guess myself and trash it!). LCH has been rocking the pink + blue since last December and she's gotten some updates here and there such as headers, fun navigation and even the frilly little scallops. I've loved that little layout and it was very representative of my personality, but it was time for something fresh... something a little more mature. This layout isn't perfect, and I'll work out the kinks when I can, but here she is! A fresh new face! 

If you're reading this in Google Reader or BlogLovin, feel free to pop over and see for yourself! It's a world of difference!

Here's the old layout, and the new, in case you're just joining us:

Woo-wee! Wedding Wednesday will have to wait until next week. When I get on a roll I simply can't stop! xo

What do you think of the redesign?

PS; If you see any bugs or kinks to be ironed out, let me know! I know there are a handful and I promise to get to them as soon as possible! (FYI - the navigation pages have not been updated yet! Working on those designs now!)

PPS; If you're blogging on the Blogger platform and you'd like a fresh new look for your space, email me at kaelahbee at gmail dot com! I'm booking a few clients for November!

My Own Project Runway

my boyfriend and i have been watching project runway the past few weeks on the style channel. i had heard a lot of people say that it's a really fun show to watch but i never had the chance to sit down and watch it. but i can easily say that i am addicted. it's so much fun to watch and see what the designers come up with. they're all so unique. it's very interesting.

i bought myself a sewing machine probably a year ago now. watching my grandma and aunt use a sewing machine all growing up, i figured i would be able to just sit down and make something magnificent. well - that was not the case. i struggled to make anything look pretty. so i gave up.

after watching project runway a few times then seeing really cute clothes at high end stores, and seeing the price tags associated with them, i decided i would give it another try. i will be taking out my sewing machine once again and attempting to make something great. i will probably start with something simple and then work my way up, unleashing creativity all the way! ♥

wish me luck!!

A Few Designs...

I'm not sure what has snapped into me, but I think the chill of our little "blizzard" and the late night really got me pumping to design some blogs. A gal emailed me a while back about updating her blogger design but so much has been in my way. From finals, to graduation, to art show, school, lots of sickness, and now my Illustrator going defunct, it was easy to see why I was so discouraged by design. Normally I work about 75% of my redesigns from Adobe Illustrator (I just really love that program!) but this gal was so sweet and I really wanted to help her out because I had a vision for it. With that being said, I put on my big girl britches and got to work using 100% Photoshop. Now, it's not like that's weird or anything.. but it's not my method. I like having my methods. Anyhow, I quickly fell in love with the design and even though I hadn't run anything by her yet, I started coding. I started doing all the little nooks and crannies and just designing my heart out... I figured if she didn't love it then I'd finish the design and hold on to it until someone did! (Or even myself!). Luckily she was enthralled at the look! It's not 100%  completed yet and it's not implemented on her site... it's on my layout tester blog, but still, I wanted to share! I'll share a link and everything once it's up and ready! For now you just get a screenshot.... I love the map detail! Makes me want to travel!

click to view larger

By the time I was wrapping this one up it was almost midnight. Mike needed a redesign on his blog, too, so  I decided to burn that midnight oil and power through his as well! It definitely wasn't the plan, but the snow started to pile up and he was content watching tv so I did it! It's just serving as a temporary branding and probably won't be his final look (especially the logo... I just haven't thrown myself into that yet!) but we wanted to play up the burlap look because we're loving all things burlap lately! After a trip to Anthropologie not long ago, we were bursting at the seams with ideas for our little shop and all these burlap displays! We loved it so much we went to Hobby Lobby and bought several yards of it for crafts! I love the rustic feel of it. I chose to use the header photo from our trip out to take outfit photos last week. We both love the soft whimsical look of it, and I think it serves his blog well. I also redid his Tumblr, too! It's much more quaint and simple, but still, it fits his branding thus far.

click to view larger

click to view larger

With that being said, I'm officially re-open for blog commissions! I'm able to throw myself into them and have them done in a matter of hours/days. I really love when I get excited about it! I haven't taken a blog commission in several months! If you've emailed me about them and I've just sort of left you hanging, I'm so sorry! This past semester was not a good one for projects aside from finals! If you want buttons, a header, a background, or a complete coded redesign, feel free to email me at kaelahbee@gmail.com! Hooray!

Dujour Mag: The Virgin Issue

I really love sharing my designs with all of you here on my blog, and I'm even more tickled when you actually enjoy them. (Who doesn't like compliments, right?!) Over the past few months, I've shared with you work that I managed to do in my Print Design 2 class at O'More... including the upholstered book (all 168 grueling pages!) and the logo and store design for my vegan bakery (which is a long way away!) called Sweet Cheeks. It's old news that I'm known as the "tacky flower lady" by my friends (a title I'm so very fond of!) and I often times load some of my favorite designs up with pastels, feminine touches such as lace and tulle, and floral print galore! Give me whimsical fancy or give me death! I even described my bakery as "Marie Antoinette meets the 1950's"... Well, for me, that is the appeal of Dujour Magazine. Dujour is quite possibly the editorial personification of my design aesthetic.

Dujour is most certainly a publication I'd love to be affiliated with and to design for. Something about that little girl, fairytale whimsy... ah! It just gets me every time!

They're offering up a preview of their latest work, The Virgin Issue. Check out the preview below, powered by Issu!

Now, I dare you to tell me you're not inspired! But really, does anyone else see what I'm talking about? Gah! I just want to print it all out and wallpaper my room with it! Love love love!

Pop by their website by CLICKING HERE. Even the website makes me drool!

xoxo

PS; Shh! Don't tell! I totally swiped the gorgeous background from their blog and it's now decorating my desktop! ;)

Music Monday : LOQUAT

If you've ever discussed music with me, you've probably heard me rave on and on about the musical stylings of LOQUAT, an indie band based out of San Francisco. And if you've ever ridden in the car with me or had the pleasure of being in my graces around my iPod (kidding, about the graces thing) then you've probably heard some of their stuff. If not, why haven't we hung out lately?!

Anyway, I'm a huge fan, to say the least. A lot of you have followed my blog (back in the LJ days) and probably remember when Adam (the ex) and I ventured to San Fran for our 2 year anniversary for their cd release show. I did an album art redesign of It's Yours To Keep for my InDesign class in 2008 and I was able to hand it to Kylee herself at the show (*squee!*). Okay okay, I promise I'm not the squealing fan girl type... I'm really not. Everyone in the band was really cool and laid back. It was a fantastic show to say the absolute least. Well, Portfolio class rolled around this semester and without a doubt, I wanted to rehash the designs and work out some kinks. I think all of the changes made were definitely for the best and they show a much more mature design aesthetic.

All of the images, typography and illustrations are hand-drawn by me. I went on to design the entire typeface, including numbers, for my Typography II class and I titled it "Moleskine '09" (since that's where the design originated haha). The opening spread (the lyrics and illustration) are based off of a line in "Swingset Chain" which was the first song I ever heard by Loquat. The entire design is based on the whimsy of that line.

Enough about the design.. this is about music. If you CLICK HERE, you can go to their website and listen to some tracks off of their sophomore album, Secrets of The Sea. There's so much that could be said about their music. Kylee's voice has a certain sound to it... something that was jaw-dropping when I saw them live. I thought for sure it was studio-induced but I was so incredibly wrong. There's a catchy side to their music, too, but not too-poppy. I don't even know how to explain it... I guess the best remedy for this is for you to go listen to it yourself and draw your own conclusions. And then gear up for their third album which they're currently recording because I promise, you're going to be hooked!

Here's where you can find them online:

Website // MySpace // Twitter // Flickr

And here are the designs!

♥ (see full size photos HERE) ♥

I guess I was hoping I could kill two birds with one stone (for the lack of a better phrase) and share my favorite band and some of my designs, since I constantly get asked in my FormSpring to post them. :) Don't be too harsh!

Let me know what you think of Loquat! They're really really fantastic, I promise!

Time for me to rush off to bed. Mike is a sleepy bee!

xoxo

An Upfront Apology...

Here's to let you all know that this week may be kind of slow here at KaelahBee.com. It's finals week, as I've said probably countless times before (woe is me!) and while I have no actual classes left, I do have to present my Sweet Cheeks Bakery stuff tomorrow at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, print, photograph, trim, and pack my portfolio to drop off by 1pm on Thursday, and then cram for my final Art History exam EVER on Friday morning. Not to mention throwing in a few hours of getting my leg tattooed tomorrow night... Neither convenient on the time, nor money, front... but it has to be done so it shall! I'll be making flash cards to study for art history while I get tattooed. I'm a nerd... It's cool.

I don't mean to leave y'all hanging but I'm sure you understand! I bet more than a fair share of you are experiencing the same stressed out feeling of finals just like myself. And to think, just ONE more semester! I shall be a college graduate! Oh joy!

A lot of you have said you wish I would show my design work more so here you go. A logo and menu for my vegan bakery, Sweet Cheeks.

This is the logo for Sweet Cheeks. It still needs some tweaks but I'm much to physically & mentally exhausted to even think about dealing with it now. So it shall stay. Hmph.

The menu is a folding menu with a curved photo on the inside/end. A magnet falls down from the third panel. The top row is the inside of the menu, while the bottom row is the outside of the menu. All laid flat (obviously haha). (Click the image to view it larger)

Anywhoo, It's 11:30pm, I just dragged myself from school. I'm going to put on my jammies and settle into bed. Waking up bright and early so Mike can go to work and I can prepare for both my presentation and my tattoo appointment. Maybe I can churn out these flash cards tonight. Wish me luck!

xoxo

TiLT 2: Interiors

and my most favorite of all:

♥ (all images via tumblr) ♥

ps; I'm on tumblr. I rarely post (well, i've started once more) but mostly reblogs and such. Just a place to try and clear my harddrive some! follow me if you'd like. click HERE to go to my tumblr. leave your links and i'll follow back! xo

new look around here!

hey y'all! exciting fun times to be had! i'm still a wee bit under the weather, and i skipped out on Print 2 today to be alerted of my awesome "~Sinus Infection"... ladeedahh! but luckily i'm already feeling a bit better so hopefully i'll continue to be on the upswing of things!

i didnt take a lot of time to blog today because between the almost-fever, the feeling like i'm going to die, and the headaches, i've just wanted to rest. but i managed to work on my Print 2 book for 6 hours and take a hot hot bath [Georgia jumped in, too].

i took a little time to work on new blog buttons [3 new designs on the right side!] and a new blog header! please take a minute to change out the blog button if you'd like. i realize they're a little more visually interesting than the horrible hack job i did in flash for the GIF one. i promise to have a new and improve GIF animated banner up shortly!

so yes! please choose one of your liking and let me know how you feel about the new blog banner! i'm going to be doing a whole new CSS layout over the next few weeks and finally phase out what i've got now. i need 2 side panels so it's time to get a crackin!

hope your'e having a great week! we went & stocked up on food as per my mother's request since we're supposed to get "snow and ice" this weekend. bleh, hope i can still make it to work!

xoxoxox

and so it is Wednesday...

i feel so BLAH because i dont have any photos to bring to the table for this entry. text only? boring! oh well. i'll do it anyway. i allowed myself to sleep in until 10:30am this morning as i turned off my alarm at 9. thats what i do! luckily i dont have class on mondays or wednesdays until 1pm so it was no big deal. but i got up, got ready, and got to campus at noon. i had to organize things to show my portfolio professor so we could choose 6-7 projects for me to work on through the semester. print design 2 started at 1pm and we talked about our first project... a how-to book. keeping with normal tradition, i love to design with an overload of femininity. lace, pinks, blues, browns and cremes. bring it on! i was thinking about designing a book about vegan baking or maybe crafty things... but i dont know. suggestions, anyone?! class concluded fairly early and my portfolio review wasnt until 3pm so i sat around, talked with elle and ashlea and merissa, and finally made my way into jeff's office. i was in there for half an hour and we had a fairly easy time choosing what all i'd redo. lets just say my portfolio is going to very... diverse. :) i'll share my progress.

after that i headed out and went to grab something to eat. it was 3:45 by the time i got out of school and i hadn't eaten a bite. i ran by kroger to get some staples like soup and OJ for the sickly beau back home, grabbed some chips & salsa from our favorite mexcian restaurant, Garcia's, and saw our oh-so-super-sweet and very favorite waitress, Alma. she's SUCH a doll! you jsut don't even understand. she greeted me with a big big hug and the most inviting smile! ah i just love her! we talked for about 10 minutes or so and i promised to bring her one of my tulle & lace bows next time because she was admiring it :D i headed home and lazed around with mike for the better part of the night. [here it is 10:30pm and we havent done much... it still feels like break!] i dont have class at all tomorrow luckily so i'm going to laze around a bit more, try to do some tutorial videos and finally go get my keys to my new PO Box.

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BY THE WAY.... [please read! super important to me!]

thats another thing i wanted to share with you guys... and open you up to... in my Print 2 class we have to make a designer coffee table book. well... if we really like what we design, we have the opportunity to actually print/publish it ourselves. i'd really love to make this happen because it'd really REALLY be awesome to take on portfolio reviews. well the whole theme [i still dont have a name for it] is "THINGS THAT MAKE YOUR HEART FLUTTER"... so it could be a polaroid of a place or person you adore, a picture of you as a child, you and your family, a drawing that your little cousin did for you, or maybe a picture of something you've created, built, or written. maybe a note from an exboyfriend or current boyfriend, or a birthday card that means a lot to you! anything at all! but along with it you will hand write on a white piece of paper your name, your age, your location [city, state] and WHY THIS MAKES YOUR HEART FLUTTER. feel free to include your blog link or your website if you wish. free publicity! but i also need a signature stating that you are OKAY with this being published! [the book probably will not be mass produced or anything.. i mean.. hey, i'd be okay with it! but this is really just a project i'd love to do for fun].

you can either send it in an envelope addressed to my new PO BOX or you can do a Hi-Resolution Scan [AT LEAST 300 dpi] and burn it on a disc and mail it to me [or you can attempt to email it, too.. though that tends to not be the best method]. i understand if you dont want to part with a legitimate photo or polaroid or note, etc. so i DO accept scans! i dotn know how many pages the book will be yet, but i'd really really reallyyyyyyyyy love it to be AT LEAST 50 pages! so please please please help spread the word! i'm going to design a flier so if you'd be willing to post it on your blogs, myspaces, etc, i'd be eternally grateful!

i'll post back tomorrow with my PO Box address and we can go from there! i'd really love to hear if any of you are willing to participate! :D

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tonight we laid up in bed after cooking vegan banana waffles [SO GOOD!] and watched a few episodes of GLEE [so love that show!]. now we're just gonna kick it for a bit and that'll be that! yay! happy wednesday!

xo

tshirt contest!

i entered Brickfish's Charlotte Russe's Next Design Star online.. its nothing major.. just design a shirt and if you win you get a trip to NYC and a $750 shopping spree at CR. we all know i could spend $750 at CR fairly quickly. i entered 14 designs i think. none of them are anything special. i just played around in Illustrator for a couple of hours. The reason I didnt submit anything amazing is because if you read the fine print of the Terms of Use, you'll notice that Charlotte Russe owns anything you upload, therefore you give them a license to duplicate, alter, and produce your design even if you don't win.

now, i dont necessarily find this fair.... but that is life. many contests do this so i've refrained from uploading anything i'd like to keep copyright to and produce myself. however, i invite you all to come join and submit a few entries! just be smart about it! most of the competition is undeniably 14-17 years old, and most uses the graphics provided by CR. but its still fun nonetheless.

i just did a few quick illustrations and slapped them on. if you'd like to view my entries and possibly vote, that'd be awesome. i'm not going to beg for votes, i'm just putting it out there. if you think it's worthy of your vote, i'd highly appreciate it. if not, all is well :P

you can view my entries and vote by clicking HERE!

here are a couple i put in...





anyway, have a great sunday night, y'all!

xo

alexander mcqueen.

alexander mcqueen 2010.

holy crap. no, i'd never wear them (are you fking kidding me?!) but you've gotta hand it to the man... he's a creative genius. those are some serious works of art. i'm lovinggg the pair on the left. all 3 pairs seriously scream mermaid! makes me want to watch the little mermaid disney cartoon movie thing. who wants to come watch it with me?

home sweet home.

just a little inspiration dump.
all about some home sweet home style.
i'd love to come home to any of this.
throw my keys on the table.
sprawl out with a good book and some sumatra coffee.