Mother's Day Cards

April 27, 2015 Machelle Kolbo

Do important events and holidays sneak up on anyone else? For instance, did you glance at your calendar yesterday and realize that Mother's Day is only two weeks away?! Well, if you didn't, now you know! Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10th. Today I'm sharing some cards for the special day that were an absolute pleasure for me to design.

Flowers are my go to doodle, and are constantly inspiring me. I had so much fun sketching the florals and bouquets featured on these cards. The cards are black and white, because I wanted to leave them as a blank canvas for you to color in! How fun is that?!

Now, the trick with Mother's Day is that Dad's are the ones that need to help out the little ones. I'm fairly certain out of the handful of people who actually read this blog that about 0% are men. So, ladies - if you have kids and want to see one of these cards pop up on Mother's Day you might need to give some helpful hints.

These cards are not just for kiddos to color in! Adults - break out some markers, crayons or pens and get creative. Make something fun that is sure to surprise your mom and brighten her day!

If you are local to Lincoln, NE you can find these cards at the Pilgrimer downtown. Otherwise, the flower bouquet Mother's Day card is available in my Etsy shop as an instant download, which means you can print it out from the convenience of your own home.

Enjoy, and don't forget to celebrate your mother!

Color Palettes

April 23, 2015 Machelle Kolbo

Do you have a favorite color? I always have a hard time answering that question when I get asked, because there are so many colors that I love!

One of the things I frequently find myself doing is perusing Pinterest for color palette inspiration. I even have a whole board dedicated to it called color love! So, here are some fun color palettes! Pin away friends!

Also, fun fact, most of the product featured in these photos is available in my Etsy shop: MKolboDesignStudio

Kolbo Alphabet Challenge A-F

April 8, 2015 Machelle Kolbo

Do you ever get stuck and wonder how you could challenge yourself creatively? Hopefully I'm not the only one! My husband Alex and I both love being creative and we are both creative in different ways. I wanted to do something that would challenge us do stretch our creative muscles and have some fun along the way.

So, the #KolboAlphabetChallenge was born. If you have been following along on Instagram, you will already know what I'm talking about. Over the course of the next couple of months we will be posting every letter of the alphabet created in different ways. We generally post these letters 2-3 times per week. Alex has been creating his letters out of arranged objects and materials. I have been trying out different styles of lettering and typography.

For me this has become a wonderful creative exercise. When I find myself stuck on a project, or needing a break I will sketch out letters. My alphabet has been focused on lettering and typography. I love looking at other typography, lettering, and drop caps for inspiration. I create multiple sketches for each letter and push myself to try styles outside of my typical comfort zone. We are only a couple letters in but I already can see how this fun idea is pushing and growing me as a designer! As you can see below there is lots of sketching before I get to the final design.

We welcome you to join us on this alphabet challenge, and put your own creative spin on it! When you post your letters please use the tag #kolboalphabetchallenge on Instagram or Facebook. If you want to see the letters we are posting follow us on instagram - @machellekolbo & @alexkolbo

Below is our alphabet so far! I'm so excited to see it when we have all the letters complete!

Free: Desktop Background Downloads

March 3, 2015 Machelle Kolbo

Back in January I was able to work on a fun lettering project and I am so excited to finally be able to share! I had the pleasure of collaborating with Amanda Genther to create these beautiful and inspiring desktop wallpapers for March.

Below is a little behind the scenes look at some of my lettering sketches, as well as pictures of the wallpapers with links to head over to Amanda's blog to download.

Hurry up and download your favorite March background on Amanda's blog. There are also free backgrounds from January and February that are equally as pretty! Enjoy!

Book: Make It Happen →

February 15, 2015 Machelle Kolbo

In the midst of starting a business there has been a lot of stress. I am constantly battling my perfectionistic nature and working long hours to get everything done, and perfect – which is not life giving and will bring me down. So, I wanted to share about a blog and book that have been a rich source of wisdom and motivation for my business and life.

I first stumbled upon Lara Casey’s blog a couple of years ago. I’m not quite sure how I came across it – I just know I’m glad I did. In 2014 I went through her goal setting series and it pushed and challenged me to make purposeful goals – one of those goals being to start a business. This year I went through her goal setting posts again, but in conjunction with her book Make it Happen. If you have not set goals for this year, or already feel like you need a restart – check out her goal setting posts.

Reading/Journaling through Lara’s book brought me to tears thirteen pages in - yes you read that right. She asked the simple question, “How are you?” and prompted you to let the question really settle in. My fears, anxieties and worries started to pour out on to the page. As I kept working through the book I would often stop and catch my breath thinking, “How does she know I feel that way?” Many fears, lies, extremes and negativity I battle daily were brought to light and exchanged for truth. Working through the stumbling blocks has brought me to a point where I am able to clearly set purposeful goals, and understand the things that are hindering me.

This book is written with such honesty, grace and vulnerability. Her words are challenging , motivating, and point toward a greater purpose. I firmly believe this is one of the more impactful books I have read.

This book is for anyone, and I would highly encourage you to work through it. I would especially recommend this book if you feel stuck, are striving to be perfect, are caught in busyness, or seeking to live a life on purpose. This book is for you and it is my hope that it would bring real change and purpose to your life, goals and dreams.