Recent Work: Cash's Birth Announcements

As you can imagine, it was SO hard for me to narrow down the design of my own sons birth announcements. I was getting too flustered with ideas, that I almost ordered announcements from one of those template design dot coms. I'm glad I didn't because I really wanted to give Cash his own custom design.

My concept for his announcements were mostly driven by typography, then driven by photography, & then followed by a pop of color. If I sound kind of scatter brained, then welcome to my world... hahaha! I get so many ideas flying through my brain that I create so many design layouts, then ask my husband for his opinion to help narrow down the options. Thank goodness for my better half to help me focus. Life of a designer I suppose...

When I saw that the Johnny Cash stamps were for sale via U.S. Postal Service, I immediately bought a billion of them while I was pregnant with Cash, knowing that I would use them for this particular project. Yes... yes... Cash's name was derived from the famous Johnny Cash, however we wanted to honor our dad's by naming our son John or Johnny, but since John & Johnny are such popular names, we fell in love with the name Cash to pay homage to his grandfather's as well as the great musician.

I designed the announcements on a bright white linen paper stock to give the look an organic touch & to compliment the hand written typeface. I've been obsessed with the color orange, so I went with that color to feature on the announcement. And my husband chose a deeper navy blue envelope to compliment. I was able to find a bronzed colored ink pad for our return address stamp & then I hand wrote the addressee's with a bronze Sharpie marker. I just absolutely LOVE how they turned out!

I've got to say that I had so much fun photographing this little guy. At the time of the shoot, Cash was about 5 weeks old & was so comfortable laying on his tummy. I captured some awesome pics that I will for sure cherish forever. Here were a few other pic options I was deciding on.

All Photos by: Tawny Doan

My New Job // Being a Mom

Mom (noun) - A person's mother.

In my case, I am Cash's mother. My newest role in life. I cannot even begin to explain how happy, excited, & in love I am to finally be a mother. Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for this new job. No books, no classes, no articles could have educated me enough to become a momma. I just sort of went along for the ride as it came & figured it out as I went. Something that is really really really out of my comfort zone. (See stress on the words really)

With Cash now at 3 months old, I am SO IN LOVE with my little guy. Everyday I fall in love more & more with him. He has such a wonderful personality! Silly & goofy, serious & intense, active & exploratory, & the obvious... truly loving. He brightens my days & keeps me on my toes, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. 

Becoming a mother has changed my perspective on life & what it all means. Such a "new mom" thing to say, I know, but so true. Like the Bryan Adams song, Every Thing I Do (I Do It For You). I now know how my mom felt when she became a mother. It really is an indescribable feeling. I feel like I have "grown up" so much since Cash was born. I've realized a ton about myself & becoming a parent. That it's okay to let things be. Cherish the now & not worry about what needs to get done. Being a neurotic busy body, having Cash has slowed down my obsessing personality. 

I find myself fully engulfed in baby mommy mode. From when we wake till when we sleep, Cash has become my universe. He has taught me how to write my own songs & lyrics, even though they don't make any sense. I've got this bouncing/dance routine down, to make him happy. I'm like the best pillow he's ever had, because he takes some great naps on me. I've also become an even better photographer, because I have the most adorable subject to photograph. Did you know I'm a tour guide too? When we go anywhere, take a walk down to the park, take a quick run to Target, or mosey over to the family room, I verbalize to him our whereabouts, point & describe things to him, & tell him our play by play actions. And I think I'm the funniest person to him, aside from my husband. I've become quite the comedian & make the funniest faces & sound effects to make him smile ear to ear. I melt every time Cash smiles & giggles. 

All in all, motherhood has been amazing! The job has its ups & downs, however I am grateful for a loving & supportive husband who is such an amazing father to Cash, as well as the support from our families. As a new mom, I will continue to learn & figure things out. I love this little man so much & can't wait for more adventures, milestones, & moments to share with him.

Here are some photos of Cash each month. He's seriously growing so fast, I can't even stand it sometimes. And as a side note, I do pinch & squish his adorable chubby cheeks & chunky thighs every second I can!

Photos by: iPhone