Katie Evans!

ILLUSTRATION TRAVEL LIFE WEDDING I WANT INSPIRATION THIS IS COOL GIVEAWAYS READING ADVICE

[katieae]

Currently: January 2015

Eating: We just ordered delivery from a Mediterranean place in our neighborhood: Zaytoons. I like the Chicken Shawarma Sandwich. Drinking: Leftover wine from our holiday pie party.  Practicing: Patience. Learning: How to run and breathe at the same time. My team at work is running a half-marathon in Central Park in April. I ran 4.5 miles last weekend (without stopping!). The weekend before I did 3. Hopefully I can keep adding each week. Trying: Not to cry when I move. I took a kettle bell / TRX class with John on Monday and it still hurts to move.  Playing: Last weekend I went to the Royal Palms Shuffleboard club with my sister-in-law, Scarlett, and her husband Billy. We didn't get to shuffle but we enjoyed some of their signature cocktails and a very competitive session of Taboo. The next day we went to Brooklyn Bowl and I lost miserably.  Finishing: I would saying trying to finish my living room. I'm working with Homepolish to help me wrap this up. Reading: Just started Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham Remembering: My dad's mom passed away 5 years ago tomorrow. I don't remember much about her but she was always so glamorous. She would wear leopard mumus with a big white fro. Gold necklaces and big bling rings. She was fancy. Wearing: Madewall's High Rise Skinny Skinny. Hands down, my favorite denim. They never stretch out, are really flattering and hit at my ankles at the perfect spot.  Cooking: I cook with my money and help from Seamless. Working: On updating my website. It's very out dated. Traveling: Planning a trip to LA in February with my friend Bethany. Wanting: I want to start painting every week. I painted a mural before the holidays for The Sill and it really inspired me to pick up a brush again. I painted some little plants for my family and friends. One of my goals is to make a bunch more and open a little online shop. TBD.

[katieae]

Bachelorette Swag Bag

When we were planning Laura's bachelorette weekend I really wanted to make a cool tote with goodies for all the girls coming. While gathering all the contents I decided I wanted to design a custom tote so I turned to Makr to help me produce them. I emailed everyone, including Laura, asking them to send me their lipstick print. Once I got everyone's iphone snap, I did some photoshopping and then uploaded it to Makr to get them printed on totes. They came out so cute and they were the perfect beach tote. And the best part is that Makr is selling them now! Get it while you can because they're only up for grabs for the next 30 days! 

Bag contents: Candy: Lipstick gummies, red and pink starbursts and swedish fish Ban.do twist scarves: each girl got a different color and print. They were perfect for tying our hair back when bouncing between the beach and the pool. Friendship bread: Laura's mom is known for making this bread and mailing it to all of her friends. It's the most delicious loaf of bread I've ever tasted and can easily be devoured in one sitting. Do yourself a favor and order at least half a dozen. Some for you and some to share. Kettle One: Everyone needs a mini Ban.do drink sleeve: Too cold to hold! Cutest packaging ever. Emoji Stickers: We used these to put on our drinks, hotel keys and anything we wanted to claim ours.  Future Mrs Headband: Laura isn't the sash type wearing kinda girl so this was perfect for a night out on the town. Custom temporary tattoos: I made these with the Makr iPhone app. They were a hit! (side note: you have to cut around the art to avoid seeing a perfect square). I designed tattoos that represented Laura like a flamingo for Florida, her miniature schnauzer, diamonds, her lipstick print and a couple sayings like "FEYONCE".  Hair Bands: Obsessed with these. I also like to wear them as bracelets. SPF Lip balm: Everyone brought sunscreen and everyone forgot chapstick. These lip balms from Flagpole Swim saved the day (and they smelled good). Live Colorfully: Every girl got their own lipstick and roller ball perfume from kate spade new york. All of the girls noted how they always forget to bring perfume and this roller ball was the perfect size (and could be put in our carry on). Ouch Pouch: and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't include a little hang over cure. I filled a glassine bag with aspirin, neon bandaids and tic tacs for those little emergencies. 

[katieae]

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Last weekend I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for my best friend, Laura's, Bachelorette weekend. There were 9 girls coming in from NYC, LA, Boston, Florida and as far as Italy! We stayed at the Ritz Hotel and spent most of our time hoping between the beach, pool and the pool bar. We had a group hashtag that was so fun to look at throughout the trip and after (I'm definitely having withdrawals).

We had two joining hotel rooms (which made it even more fun) and decorated with gold streamers and custom banners from Banter Banner. Our first night we got in late so we had dinner at the hotel and then spent the rest of the evening laughing/crying while playing with the Heads Up app. My favorite part was watching the videos that it records of the team guessing and acting out the word. Highly recommend that one. 

The next two days there was lots of swimming, beach reading and consuming fish tacos like no tomorrow. We had the occasional rain shower but it felt so nice when we were swimming in the warm water. Can't remember the last time I did that. 

We also took a spin through the hotel casino where I lost $15. It was my first time gambling and it was so. much. fun. One minute your down, the next you've doubled, tripled your money. I only made it to the Roulette table and there were only so many times I could go up and down before I cashed in my chips (the $5 I had left).

On our last night we strolled around Old San Juan and found the best photo ops! Every street we turned on was beautifully painted and I made anyone who would listen stand in front of it. We had dinner at Cafe Puerto Rico. The best thing was the Grouper Mofongo with tomato sauce and yuca. So delicious. We ended that night with another game: cards against humanity. Our cheeks and stomachs hurt so bad from laughing at each other. 

I would go back their in a heartbeat. The flight from New York was super easy, the weather was great, food was delicious, easy to get around and it was the perfect spot for major girl time. 

[katieae]

gofundme: Dixie Elbert

Hi friends, I need your help. My bestfriend's mom, Dixie, who I like to call Mom2 is undergoing treatment for stage 4 lung and brain cancer. She is on round 3 of chemo and continues to beam sunshine and positivity. The radiation, chemo and associated costs are stacking up against their family when all they want to focus on is making her laugh and dancing to Bill Withers. They've set up a #gofundme to help them out and we would appreciate anything you can from $1 to saying a prayer. Thank you! http://www.gofundme.com/d3p9vo  

[katieae]

This is cool: Teklan Color Selfies

This girl has an awesome feed. I'm a fan of her color selfies. 

[katieae]

Currently

Eating: Hard boiled eggs and avocado  Drinking: Water with a dash of this cucumber and lime syrup.  Practicing: Patience Mastering: Pottery. This week completes my first semester of pottery classes. I'm signing up for the summer class because it took me the entire spring semester to learn the basics and know what I was doing. Now it's time to start making LOTS of pots to fill with cool plants.  Learning: Spanish! I downloaded the free Duolingo app a couple weeks ago and have been trying to do at least 10 minutes a day. My husband family speaks spanish and I always feel left out when I can't laugh along with the jokes.  Trying: to be more active. Starting small with the 7 Minute Workout. Playing: Last weekend I played Heads Up for hours after too many bottles of wine. We didn't realize until the end that the app records video of the players trying to guess the word. They were very entertaining to watch the next day (don't forget to hit save after each round). Finishing: Agh. I would love to say finishing our apartment updates. My last project was patching holes and trying to smooth out some walls. After we had the professionals come in and do the big work, I thought I could tackle the smaller patches from watching them. Not so much. Reading: Just started the Gold Finch but have also added these to my list: The Vacationers, The Secret Life of Violet Grant and The Interestings. Remembering: My best friend is moving to Florida (where we grew up) so I was helping her pack yesterday. We found a box from high school of notes we had written each other. They were so entertaining and we were laughing for hours. There were lots of LOLs, "like" and boy problems.  Wearing: I know they're not the sexiest thing, but I've been wearing these overalls a lot. They're so soft and comfortable. Sometimes I forget I'm wearing pants.  Cooking: I cook with my money and help from Seamless. Occasionally I'll get in the mood and turn to my food board but it's usually something sweet. Working: from my new office! I've been so busy that I haven't had time to design it so everything just kinda got dropped in here. I'm trying not to rush when it comes to buying furniture and fun accessories (made that mistake before and it was not a good look). I'll continue to pin what I want because that's all I've had time for.  Traveling: Starting to plan John's 30th birthday. We're going out to Portland! Wanting: to go back to Bovina (upstate New York) and swim in our friend's pond and drive along the country roads (as seen in the photo above). Photo by: Katie Evans

[katieae]

This is cool: Inka Mathew's Tiny PMS Matching

Tiny PMS Matching project by Inka Mathews. 

[katieae]

In no particular order...

I found myself with 9 freelance clients while still working my full time job. It got to the point where I was waking up early to work on client projects, then going into the office to do Gap work from 10-6 and then coming home to work on more freelance work until midnight. Weekends were spent at my desk or working at other friends and John was not happy about that. That schedule was on repeat for the last four months. There were two break downs filled with tears and frustrations, lots of fun work, long nights and longer days. It got to the point where I was way more excited about my own projects vs. my work at Gap so I quit my job to pursue my own work!

This past week was my first one back on the freelance wagon and it was so stressful. I said "YES!" to too many jobs. My dreams of leisurely mornings of going for a run and cooking breakfast were replaced with not showering and sitting at my desk for most of the time. Scheduling out clients and planning for future ones is something that I'm still trying to get the hang of. I made mistakes this week and have learned from them. Currently working on a new plan of attack. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm turning my dressing room into my office. When I tell people this most say "You have a dressing room?" followed by "No, really! You have a room?". I've found that most Brooklyn brownstones have these extra side rooms. Ours is 7' x 20' and it has a huge window. I'm sad to loose it as a walk-in closet but super excited to have a space to design, paint, craft and whatever else I want in. In the past my desk has been in the corner of the bedroom or living room. I'm looking forward to being about to shut a door for privacy and to not have to stare at my desk when I'm not working. I've been plotting and planning what my new space could look like. It's currently painted with gray walls with some sad linoleum on the floor. There are dreams of painting everything white and starting fresh. Until I have time to actually put it all together I will just stare at my office pinterest board.

Finally. I don't have much more to say about this but this past winter was really hard. I think everyone has been in the same boat. It definitely effect my mood and creativity. I can't let that happen again. It was bad news bears. After I wrote this post about filling the apartment with plants to help lift my spirits, I booked a trip to Florida. That did help a little. Next year I will need to plan more of those. 

John and I got married in November 2012. We've had to keep all of our photos private because we were being featured in the holy grail of wedding magazines — Martha Stewart! It was so hard to not share with our friends and family but we didn't want to spoil the feature. I'm so happy that it's finally out in the real world. It was so satisfying to hold the magazine and flip through the (10) pages. More to come on that!

One of my favorites parts of going back to freelancing is the schedule flexibility. I have so many travel plans this year and I can't wait to schedule more. I'd love to go out to LA and work with friends there, rent a pool house upstate and spend the week working by the pool. Dreams.

This spring I finally hired an accountant and an attorney. I also bought my first set of Pantone books. My very own set. I feel like such a big girl.

My friend Ben and I are taking a pottery class. It's for 10 weeks and I'm so excited to spend time being creative off of the computer. Ben took the class a couple semesters ago and had so much fun with it. I convinced him to do it again with me. We've had two classes so far and I must say it is not as easy as it looks. And the next day my arms and back are so sore and I love it. 

[katieae]

New York I love you, but you're bringing me down

There are currently 50 more days until April 1. For me, that is the start of Spring and I can't freakin' wait. March is always a big trick. It's still cold. I've been struggling lately with some winter blues and I'm ready to get out of this funk and into some sunshine.  Every winter I always tell myself "next year you're going on a warm vacation at the end of January or early February or both" and every year I forget to plan, work gets in the way, or I wait too long. That happened again this year and I swear it will not happen in 2015. Winter in the city is pretty gross and it's bringing me down. There are those few magical moments when the snow is falling softly and but most of the time it's harsh. Bone chilling cold, dirty snow, frozen sidewalks, runny noses, downed trains and bad attitudes. When I brought up my winter struggle to my mom she suggested turning all the lights on in my apartment. Thanks mom, but I have a better idea.

My solve for the moment is bring in some life to the apartment. Lots and lots of greens. This past weekend I had a shoot with my friend Luke for one of my freelance clients. It was such a good "pick me up" project. We were photographing beautiful flowers and lush greens all day. It felt like spring. When we were done I gave some to Luke and Jessica for their help and have placed the rest around my apartment. I just want to sit in my living room and look at them all day. I'm currently a very happy girl. 

[katieae]

I want: Ban.do

Ban.do launched some cool new items today and they're a-mazing. I can't wait to get my hands on the crown jewel headband, crystal crush bobbi in multi and more model bobbies. Those bobbie pins are a dream and I've already lost the ones I bought before (why does that always happen?). 

[katieae]

Play

This is what my mornings are like now. She thinks the bed is her playground. 

[katieae]

This is cool: Zachary Royer

These are fun. Security envelope collages by Zachary Royer.

[katieae]

Snow Day

Last night we had some beautiful snow fall. This morning Penny and I went out early before any of it was plowed and dirty. She did not like it one bit. She cried like a baby and ran back inside. I snapped these from our apartment last night and this morning. 

[katieae]

Holiday!

I can’t believe how quickly Christmas snuck up on us. I did some decorating but I felt a little worn out so I didn’t get to finish everything. This was our first Christmas with Penny and she was pretty good about the tree up until this past week. She would tear off branches and leave them around the house. Pine needles everywhere. It’s hard to tell in the photo below but the bottom half is completely mangled. Thanks P. 

We are in Salt Lake City for the holidays visiting with my husband’s brothers and sister. It snowed right before we came and looks so beautiful on the mountains. Fresh, untouched snow is not what we’re used to. It gets so dirty so fast in the city that I never get to play in it. Penny has been a little snow bunny prancing around the backyard. I can’t wait to have a backyard one day. Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday with their nearest and dearest!!

[katieae]

Our Annual Pie Party!

Two weekends ago John and I had our annual holiday party. We've always made it into a sugar feast having them themed as a pie or cookie party. Everyone bakes or buys their best and then there is a contest for best tasting, most creative, and best presentation. This year we stuck with the pie theme again. The first year everyone brought the tradition sweet ones and one guy made a Shepherds pie that everyone devoured (and won most creative). This year people stepped it up a notch. We had pizza pies, key lime pies, pumpkin cheesecake, chicken pot pie and a pie chart cake! It's always fun to see whatever everyone makes. At the end everyone fills out their ballot, tallies are counted, and prizes are awarded. We also provide to-go boxes for everyone to take some home but we're always left with so. much. pie. But we are not complaining. I've had pie every day (at least once) for about a week. Here is the before and after (the only photos I took).

[katieae]

Creative Identity Crisis

Over the summer I had a small creative identity crisis. I no long wanted to brand myself as hello hello design. When I came up with the name in 2009 it was on a whim and stemmed from a joke I always told: Q: What did the two headed monster say? A: Hello hello. I explained more in this post on designlovefest. At the time hello wasn't a trendy thing and now everyone and their mom is poppin' it in front of their name. There is also another designer out there with my name and adds hello to her lingo and it has been confusing to clients in the past. So I've dropped it all together.

New domain, new email, new branding to come. I'm excited for a clean slate. Badabing. Badaboom. 

[katieae]

Nutty

Have a nutty weekend everyone!