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

Pregnancy Thoughts & Our Maternity Shoot - 30 weeks

As we are fast approaching the due date of Baby Doan, I am counting down the days till D-day. At 38 weeks pregnant, it's hard to wait around & wait for the little guy. So many emotions run through my head & I can't seem to sit still & rest my body. I feel like I've been running this marathon that I can't seem to know where the finish line is. I'm ecstatic at the thought of becoming a mommy & anticipating that moment when I finally get to hold, hug, & kiss my son for the first time. I'm also over joyed that my husband will experience the same thing. I think as the daddy, it's hard for men to really feel that emotional connection to baby, however I know my hubby already has a strong emotional bond with our baby boy. Every morning he greets baby boy & thus baby boy sure does show it, with a few swift kicks & punches to say "hello!" back. I know he will be the BEST father figure to our son & I can't wait for that.

I wanted to share some photos from our Maternity Shoot at 30 weeks pregnant. Shot by the lovely Dana Grant with Dana Grant Photography, she has done a beautiful & amazing job capturing my growing belly.

My FAVE image above.

All images by Dana Grant Photography

Weekend Wrap Up: Photo challenge project

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to create more fine art & get back to my roots of finding inspiration in the world around me. Last week I decided to challenge myself to do a photo study of the sunset on my way home from work. Southern California has been blasted with some pretty low temperatures lately with a few storms that rolled through making for some gorgeous late afternoon sunsets. If you follow me on Instagram, then you would have seen these wonderful sunsets on my feed. I tried really hard to take the photos in the same spot every time, but hey..... I was driving trying not to get caught by the po-po (it will never happen again, sorry honey).

So in conclusion to my photo study, I have taken the colors of the sky on various days & have applied them to some projects I am currently working on. Stay tuned for those project posts. I quite enjoyed giving myself this creative challenge. What should I challenge myself with this week? How do you challenge yourself creatively? I would love to hear your ideas!!!

Photos by: Tawny Doan via Instagram

Weekend Wrap Up: i heart themed parties!

Happy Holidays friends! It's that time of season where holiday parties are constant & the sweeter things in life are of abundance. What better way to celebrate the Holidays than to throw a cookie exchange party! I'm a huge fan of themed parties..... to think of it, ever since we have moved into our house, we've thrown about half a dozen crazy themed ones. This one in particular was our most successful. Our guests really came out to support our cookie cause & we are SO THANKFUL for everyones contribution & help. A few highlights below of the party & our makeshift Holiday photobooth. I think our parents really enjoyed the photobooth...haha! 

Invitation design: Tawny Doan Art & Design

Home baked goods made by my fabulous friends!

Peanut Butter Balls were a huge hit!

Holiday party success!

Photos by: Tawny Doan Art & Design

Engagement Party: Brittany+Grant

I'm SO excited to post this particular engagement....... you know why???...... Cuz my sister-in-law & soon-to-be brother-in-law are ENGAGED to be married. Yaaahooo! Oh happy day! Their engagement party was a success - many thanks to the brides parents (uhhh-hemm... my in-laws) for hosting a fantastic afternoon celebration.

Here are a few snapshots of the absolutely adorable couple & the bridal party, which they so graciously announced at the party. They also described each of the bridal party members and how much each person means to the couple. 

Engagement invitation (designed by: yours truly!)

Lots of smooches.

Bridal Party

Phew... snuck in just in time. Bridesmaid....whut whut!

Maternity Photoshoot: Mercedes+Stephen

I met Mercedes at Millennia MMA a little over a year ago. She is my kickboxing instructor & I am proud to say that she has helped me get my body back into shape. Mercedes is the most bad-ass, super fit, pregnant woman I know. She can still kick my butt any day... lemme rephrase... she DOES kick my butt everyday during kickboxing class, making sure I finish my 400 sit-ups & a dozen sets of the following exercices: 25 push-ups, 10 up/downs, 12 8-count push-ups, etc. etc. Did I mention she makes us sprint & run for for-e-v-e-r! She is THE BEST instructor & wouldn't change her for the world. Thank you Mercedes for busting my booty back into shape everyday =D

We had so much fun doing their maternity shoot at the cove in Corona Del Mar, CA. It was the perfect autumn morning at the beach. Mercedes & Stephen were so easy to photograph. Their love for their first child was oozing from the both of them. 

I felt so bad for making Mercedes climb up & down the cliff side, but she ensured me that it was a piece of cake. We started the shoot at the top of the cove then worked our way down to the water. We got some great shots of the both of them +baby bump! They are expecting a little baby girl come the new year. Congratulations again to Mercedes & Stephen!!!

The baby was actually kicking in this photo above.

My sister-in-law came along to assist me with the shoot & we were cracking a few jokes. We asked them to spoon, but only spooning... because we all know spooning can lead to forking!!

I'm glad they got our corny jokes... LOL.

Gorgeous mommy-to-be!

My FAVE!

Miki & Friends

"Care for a spot of tea?" (said with an English accent).

Afternoon tea at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, CA, was a nice way to spend a slightly chilly, sunny, & beautiful Saturday. The girls arrived one by one, dropped off by there parents & began to congregate in the lush & serene hotel courtyard. Tea length dresses, rosy cheeks, & a little bit of lip gloss. These tweens were ready to celebrate my cousin, Miki's 12th birthday in style.

Oh..... to be 12 years of age once again (insert *sigh here). I remember when I was 12. I was a spunky little gymnast without a care in the world. Traveling to gymnastic competitions all over the region, winning & losing some medals. Trying to be "cool" by putting glitter in my hair to make sure I literally sparkled while I tumbled & flipped through the air to impress the judges. Hey.... don't judge me.... I aimed to impress, even at age 12. Being 12 was such an easy age. I really appreciate my parents for putting up with my hectic competition schedule. They did not really get a weekend. I was there weekend. Now as an adult, the weekend is my down time from the crazy work week. I LOVE weekends & wish weekends were at least a day longer. Thanks mom & dad for motivating me to be a good athlete & for being my ride to my competitions. I really did love each moment I spent flipping, tumbling, twisting, turning, falling, & crying. It made me a stronger person to deal with daily life challenges.

Enough reminiscing for now. I know Miki was super appreciative of her mom & family for planning a lovely afternoon with her closest friends. She got all dolled up for the occasion & looked so beautiful, like the young lady she is growing up to be. Man she makes me feel old! They grow so fast.

I was invited to share in her special day & was able to document the afternoon. I designed this invitation for her party to play up the "Tea Time" theme. I wanted to make sure each guest got the point of the Tea party theme by designing the invitation to look like a tea bag itself. I had so much fun designing this cutesy themed invitation for my beloved cousin Mikayla.

Detail below.

Little Ladies.

Delish scones & to die for desserts.

Front of the Hotel.

So youthful.

Funny face or Smile?!?!

Happy Happy 12th Birthday Mikayla!!

I hope you enjoyed your special day.