BRANDING: HERE WITH US

Working on branding with Traci for her company, Here With Us was a delight! I always love finding out about the heart behind a business, and the people that care so much about them. Here With Us was no exception, and I'm thrilled to share the branding with you today. 

Traci started Here With Us as a way to raise money for their upcoming adoption. Her side hobby to raise money quickly became a business, and creating wooden signs was something she loved doing. As their adoption story hit a few unexpected turns, and the family waited on God's timing, the little side hobby continued to grow. Along the way Traci and her family also realized that they weren't sure they wanted the journey of Here With Us to end once their adoption was finalized. The rustic, vintage inspired signs company had become a way to bring beauty to others. 

Here With Us Branding Sheet // Machelle Kolbo Design Studio

After chatting with Traci and seeing her joy about this business I was so excited to be a part of the journey in creating her branding. We chose to keep the branding simple, with nods to rustic and vintage inspiration. We drew inspiration from natural elements, vines and wreaths. The result was a beautifully simple brand with a darling branch icon, and a cool color palette. In the above branding sheet you can see how the main logo is supported by secondary text logos, and icons. 

Here With Us Logo // Machelle Kolbo Design Studio

For the brand we created logos, stamps and a branded thank you note to use with orders (pictured below). This card has all of the contact information customers need, as well as space for Traci to leave a personal note. Cards like this are the perfect branded piece to put in orders, and allow you to interact and communicate well with customers. We are so excited with how this branding turned out and can't wait to see all the beautiful things Here With Us will continue to create!

Here With Us is a small business dedicated to making beautiful wooden signs for your home. Currently, funds are used as a means to support their adoption. You can check out Here with us on Facebook and Instagram - @herewithusdecor. 

Interested in logo or branding design? We would be delighted to help! Send a note on our contact page, and lets get started!

My Market Display Set-Up

I frequently talk about products in my shop and what has inspired me to make them. Many of you know I sell paper goods online through Etsy, but I also sell them in person at market events throughout the year such as Bench Made and Love, The Locals. Creating a display that is attractive, showcases my product well, and allows customers to view products is very important to me. So, today let's chat about my current set-up and why I did things the way I did. 

Coming up with a display set-up has been ever evolving for me. As I add more products I need to rethink how items are display, what is using my space wisely, and how my set-up communicates to customers. This year I re-worked a couple things that were not utilizing space effectively, and ended up using an L-shaped display pictured below. 

Machelle Kolbo Design Studio Set-Up 

Stackable Wooden Hexagon Display // Machelle Kolbo Design Studio

One of my FAVORITE new things is this stackable hexagon wall. I had to twist my husbands arm quite a bit to make it, but it turned out great! Part of my logo is comprised of a hexagon, so it was only fitting to extend this shape to a part of my display. The hexagons allow the display to expand vertically and showcase prints and products. I also wanted to create a statement, and hope this wall of hexagons does the trick. 

Machelle Kolbo Design Studio Stackable Hexagon Wall Display

Another one of my favorite pieces is this pegboard display board (below). I wanted something that could house cards, prints, journals or whatever paper products my heart desires. We used these wooden spice racks from IKEA, and stained them darker. To make them functional we mounted them on to pegboard, but can adjust their placement when we need. I love how I can adjust this display should the need arise, and clearly display various products.

Machelle Kolbo Design Studio Pegboard Card Display

Machelle Kolbo Design Studio Wooden Shelf Display

Last, but not least I have this handy little shelf. This shelf is also adaptable to display what I need. It easily holds cards and journals and adds warmth and character to my display. This shelf has been with me since the start of doing market events and it holds a special place in my heart. 

I certainly hope this can inspire other makers in their pursuit of creating a market display. Enjoy!

The Story Behind The 'Beloved' Print

Words have a way of working their way into our hearts + minds - for better or worse. I know frequently it is the negative words, the comparison, and the doubts that are the loudest. So, as I was intentionally creating new designs for this year I sought to find words that could combat that negativity. 

The word that spoke the loudest was 'beloved'. The word beloved shows up frequently in scripture, and means 'dearly loved' or a 'much loved person'. I knew that this word needed a place in hearts and homes. 

For me personally I want this word to be a daily reminder that I am loved. I'm a worrier and so frequently my worries are talking the loudest. So when I need to be reminded that I am so much more than what I do, this word and its powerful meaning come to mind. 

The Beloved Print // Find it here mkolbodesignstudio.etsy.com

Friend, I made this print for you. To remind you that you are dearly loved, precious, adored, treasured and admired. So, when you don't feel like enough, or feel defeated by comparison, when worry is weighing you down, or are having a plain crummy day - remember you are beloved. 

This is such a beautiful reminder for the walls of your home. I hope this design can love and encourage you today. Make it a great one friends! 

 

3 Easy Grad Gift Ideas

The month of May brings forth lots of events and opportunities to purchase gifts. Mother's Day has just passed and now grad party and wedding season is upon us! The easiest gift for grads is a gift card (seriously you can't go wrong with these), but if you are looking for something a little more personal I've got some easy solutions for you!

1. 8x10 Print + Frame

Prints and frames are a fun, personal gift that the grad will love!

A lot of grads are headed off to college, where decorating options are limited. College dorms need a little touch of personality to help them feel homey. Find a cute 8x10 print (like this one available in the Machelle Kolbo Design Studio Etsy Shop) and purchase a frame. This gift is a great way to give grads something personal that they can use to decorate their dorm. Let's be honest, a monogrammed towel does not have to be the only personal gift grads get.

Print: Machelle Kolbo Design Studio Frame: Hobby Lobby

2. Cards + Postage

We live in a digital world where everyone is just a call, text, snap, tweet or post away. While snail mail may be becoming a thing of the past I would like to suggest that it isn't. There is still something special about snail mail, especially when you are away from home at college. Gift your grad a set of cards, fun pencils (the ones pictured are from Rifle Paper), and a set of postage stamps. Adding the set of stamps makes it that much easier, and therefore more likely that they will put that set of stationery to good use. 

Stationery, stamps and cute writing supplies is a fun gift to encourage snail mail!

Cards: Machelle Kolbo Design Studio   Stamps: USPS   Pencils: Rifle Paper Co.

3. Journal + Devotional Book

A journal + devotional book is an easy gift for graduates. 

For grads that you want to encourage in their faith, gift a journal and a devotional book. One of my all time favorite devotional books, that I still use to this day, was gifted to me at my high school graduation. These are practical things that can help encourage graduates as they start this next chapter after high school graduation. 

Our Dwell Deeply Journals pair perfectly with devotional books to help you get the most out of your quiet times. They are also perfect for encouraging someone in their faith. 

Dwell Deeply Journals: Machelle Kolbo Design Studio
A Few Suggested Devotionals: Savor by Shauna Niequist or My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Enjoy these easy suggestions for grad gifts! I hope this helps you find quick, personal gifts for those you need to celebrate. Remember, if all else fails grab a gift card. :)

Wedding Invitations: Floral + Navy

It's always exciting when dear friends get engaged, and a bonus when I get the pleasure of working with them on their wedding invitations. Jill and Clayton's wedding is just around the corner and their summery floral and navy invites reflect just how happy their big day is going to be. I love how these custom wedding invitations turned out! Check out the floral and navy goodness that is this wedding invitation suite.

This invitation suite was a joy to create. We wanted the invitations to be colorful, summery, incorporate the wedding colors and reflect the marriage journey this couple is starting. To achieve the color we worked within the wedding colors of navy + coral/pink and added additional coordinating colors. A variety of watercolor flowers enabled us to include lots of colors, as well as make the invitations bright and summery. 

While creating custom invitations it is important to me to include details that are important to the couple. For this wedding we included the Bible verse Psalm 34:3 on the front. This wedding is not just about the big day, but the marriage that is to follow. Putting the verse on the front of the invitation was a special way to acknowledge that, and include an important truth. 

Another important aspect was making sure guests will know where to go and important details. To make sure all the vital information was in one place, we included a map and additional details on the back of the invitation. Guests will have all the details in one place for the big day. 

Overall, this was such a sweet invitation to create. I loved including important details, playing with colorful florals, and pairing it all with navy blue. 

The custom invitation design process is special, because it is custom to your big day. I work with brides + grooms to create intentional designs that reflect their vision and heart behind the wedding. It is more than just an invitation, it is a special part of the start of their marriage. 

My designs incorporate hand drawn details, illustrations and sometimes watercolor. I also work in hand lettered elements to give invitations a personal touch. All of these things are lovingly created by me before they are digitized and vectorized so we can create an invitation that can be printed. This special attention to detail creates beautiful invitations.

I love working with brides + grooms to create intentional designs that will love and encourage them as they embark on their journey into marriage. I believe that weddings are beautiful, and your stationery should be designed to reflect the beauty of the marriage journey that is about to begin. If you love what you see, and want to create intentional designs together contact me below for more information.