It's Fall!!!

Fall is here. HERE. NOW!!!

Here's some images from around my Etsy page. Visit the link on the side of the blog to go to the Etsy site where you can wander around and find the perfect fall print that speaks to you.

Buy it. Print it. Frame it.

Or if you're me, use washi tape. There's a ton of cute autumn styles at Target right now!

Laundry Day

Fun project. Laundry rooms can be dull. Or refreshing. Our laundry room isn't very big, in fact, it's fairly small. But the light seems to fill it beautifully. And it needed a pop of fun. And something to make me smile while I mundanely throw in piles of princess tutus, burp cloths, and super hero tees.

I saw once how someone printed pics of their littles in their unders (as our house calls them) and framed under a sign saying "Laundry Day" and hung with wooden hangers in their laundry room. I loved the idea, but wanted to modify it a bit. Last summer I captured these images of my kiddos on laundry day. Recently I finally got a chance to simply print them on my home printer, use some black electrical tape {because my sweet children found mommy's nice pretty tape} and simply taped up the images to the laundry room. I still have more to print out, but this gives you an idea of what type of images to snap, and how it looks hanging up...

Tape: Already on hand. {Target $3}

Images: Printed on home computer.

Total Project Cost: FREE. Makes me smile :). 

February Calendar Freebie!

February's almost here! Better get that calendar up! Here's this month's Chloe Girl Designs calendar page.

Print it.

Fill it.

Use it.

And an added bonus, a notes page to go with it!!

To Print: 

~Click on image to view larger.

~Right click and select "Save Image As"

~Save to your desktop or file

~Place in a document (such as Word document) and print, or simply right click and select print. 

Trouble with image? Email jodiegerling @ gmail .com

Tape It Temporarily

My husband recently requested a design with a favorite quote on it. I assumed he meant for his office, so I made this MANLY design with deep, rich greens, browns, using a picture of the Kansas landscape. I thought I mastered what he desired. 

I was wrong.

I thought it was for his office.

I was wrong.

I thought he'd want a manly font and rustic feel.

I was wrong.

"Well, I like the font for the author, and I like that swirly thing, but I don't like the rest of it. I want something brighter, with more color. And I like word clouds. And it's not for my office at work, it's for home."

Facepalm.

I redesigned it, and this time he really liked it. Here's what we came up with...

He really liked it, but then decided the greyish box threw it off and made it harder to read. 

So here's the final version. 

I had one stipulation to designing this for my hubs: that we order it as a canvas. Let's be honest, canvases are expensive. No way around it. I've always wanted one, but sadly, even my own professional print company I used to work with, even at my cost, was expensive. But I love them because they are bright, have texture, and last. So those were my demands. And we were able to find a good online canvas printing company. 

But what size?

I knew where I wanted to hang it. My hubs requested it go in our front room/main room so that we can see it and be reminded often. I couldn't decide to order an 8x10 or an 11x14. So here's my tip:

Print the size you have in mind. In my case, I really thought an 8x10 would work. If you're thinking 11x14 or larger, print it in quadrants and tape them together, trim edge, then hang with tape. 

Print it. Save ink-use fast draft setting since it's only a template to hang on the wall temporarily till you choose a size. 

Trim it and hang it with clear tape. 

In this case, I could tell it was way too small for this spot. We ordered an 11x14 from the Canvas People online {60% off which was a great savings!!! $28 plus free shipping for an 11x14 canvas is a steal!}. Even though I don't like the size, I'm still keeping it up until my print comes. 

When doing this tape it temporarily trick, another nice part is you can put it in different locations and see where exactly you like it the best, without ruining your walls with unnecessary nail holes. Not that I've ever done that before. Ever. Not even. 

Etsy print available here.

You Are Stronger...

You are stronger than you know.

A phrase a friend is having me design for a friend of hers. This wasn't quite the design she had in mine, so I'm re-editing the design and tweaking it for her, but this still just felt like it needed shared.

So share it.

It's on sale for only $1.50 through the end of February!!! For less than a mocha, you can give your friend a heart warming early Valentines gift.

Buy it. Print it. Give it.

Share it. Share the strength. Remind that person, that friend in your life, of her strength. Because you never know when she needs to hear just how strong she is.

And if you'd like, comment below who you shared it with and why they are stronger than they know. 

The Pro vs. Con List When Printing Images

I did a photosession with my kiddos late this summer/early autumn. It was a gorgeously beautiful day and the kids were full of energy, joy, and laughter. As I edited the images, I fell in deeper love with each one and couldn't wait to display them. I didn't have the time to order prints, or for that matter decide just how I wanted to use these pics.

I know there are options...many options...and as a photographer and graphic designer, sometimes my mind is flooded with so many ideas that I simply cannot choose how I want to display these moments. I gather ideas...I search Pinterest for out of the box ideas, follow photography blogs, chat with my friends about what they do with their prints.

But it's January and I still haven't decided where or how I want to use them.


It's time.

So I brainstorm ideas of how I'd like to decorate with them, and it goes something like this:

Frames for a gallery wall at the top of the steps. Pros: Buy frames once, but put new pics in each year, so it's a one time investment. Con: Gallery walls consist of lots of frames, and there's not wiggle room in the budget for a home gallery wall. Tip: Get frames from thrift shops and paint. But that's a summery project to me, when we can dance and play and paint in the grass.

Option 2: Dream option. Canvas. Either a big canvas print for our entryway, or smaller collage of canvas prints. Pros: Beautiful. Lasting. Trendy. Fun. Bright. Cons: Pricey. Cannot decide on just one image I like. If I get a large print, it stays up for a LONG time...not easily updated. And I still haven't decided if I like the pictures to grow with us and be changed out each year, or to leave older images up. It's simply a personal preference, but I have yet to decide which side I fall on. Idea: I could save money by printing a large black and white image and mod podge it onto a plain canvas. Much more budget friendly.

Idea #3: Photobook. I LOVE hardcover 8x8 photobooks. We've started our own little library of them. I usually wait until I get a free or 50% off coupon in my email from a reputable photo company. Pros: Lasting. Lots of images. Fun to sit down and look at them all through the year(s). I have a first year 8x8 hardcover photobook for each child, one for us when we first moved before we had kiddos, and one of just my hubs and I of a fall photosession. Cons: I don't currently have a coupon, or the time to create the book. File idea away for a wintry, snowy, blustery day project. Tip: I try to upload images to my favorite photo book company frequently so that when the time comes to do a project {in other words, when that coupon graces my inbox}, then half of the project is already done as the images are already sorted}. If I had gobs of time set aside, I might even start a book and save the project, so that come coupon time, I simply review/edit, and print.

After thinking through the pro vs. con list, I've decide that a) I don't know which images are my favorite if I were to make a canvas; b) I don't have the time for a photobook design and no coupon; c) I love the gallery idea, but not the budget of frames. And I know I'm not the only one in the Midwest with this conundrum.

How to solve the dilemma? A free photo banner. By printing the images on cardstock, hanging them on a banner with itsy bitsy clips, I can view them often but without the price of frames and this helps me decide which images I like the best for when it's a good opportunity to work on the projects mentioned above. It's a temporary, but pretty fix so that I can finally grace my walls with these beautiful images, but not need to invest too much time or money right now.

Did I mention it's a free DIY project? Sometimes the best solutions are the easiest and cheapest.

Best part of making your own: You can make the images any size you wish. 

Ok, so may not free if you want to be technical. These were $1. But my mama spoiled me with them when she saw me looking at them in my favorite section of Target at 11pm on the day after Christmas. Did I mention my love affair with the Target $1 bins?

All clean and ready for February, the month of love. Confession: I had to finally erase the December calendar off. Yep. Fifteen days late on that chore. 

That pic is coming out at her wedding. 

How To {Almost} Watercolor

I love watercolor. Love it. I love how the lines are blurred, colors blended. I think the reason I like watercolor so much is because it's not perfect. There are not really any precise and disciplined lines, but faded and bleeding precious colors into the next fibers of the paper instead of staying within their proposed boundaries.

I want to learn how to watercolor. I've played at it from time to time while the kids paint. Here's my first "official" dive in and try some watercolor painting...

So it's been long enough. I wanted to try again, and the kids and I were already painting together, so here goes...

How to {Almost} Paint with Watercolors

Step 1: Gather supplies. We already had some watercolor paper in a paper pad I grabbed at Target a while back for about $5. You'll also need:

1. Pencil
2. Print of your design
3. Watercolor paints {I used the kids' $2 paints and their old brushes. Nothing fancy}
4. Children with cups full of cranberry juice
5. Paper towel

Step 2: Print out the design you wish to use. Line it up with your watercolor paper and begin to trace the image with the pencil so that it transfers an indented line into the watercolor paper. This is your new guide to paint. You can see my pencil lines on my template as I traced in the images below.

Step 3: Mix the color(s) you desire in your brain to be the right one, but be prepared as it will might come out nothing like what you originally had in mind, but you might like it anyway. 

Step 4: Once your template is traced to your paper, set aside the the template, grab your newly traced watercolor paper with your aching write (your wrist should hurt if you traced properly), and speedily yet gracefully set your design on a clean area somewhere near you and and jump like the dickens out of your chair because your little Elsa impersonator just spilled cranberry juice, and it's flooding the table, inching towards your new design...

Step 5: Pour yourself some coffee, or in my case, reheat your first cup of the day that's unfinished. 

Step 6: Begin to SLOWLY to paint your design. If I wanted the colors more muted or to dry quicker (if I got too much paint) I would gently dab with a corner of the paper towel. Oh, and the paper towels were also handy in cleaning up the juice! Double use! Score!!!

Step 7: Continue painting, but expect interruptions, such as taking Elsa potty, cooking lunch, refilling the spilled cranberry juice. Be patient and take time. I also learned that if using watercolor paper, then the paints are forgiving. I started to fill in the wreath with colorful flowers, but it just didn't look right, so I found {completely by error} that if I put more water on the page, and blotted it with a paper towel (not wipe) that it pulled the color up and I could try again. Kinda like an eraser. A really lucky eraser. 

This print will be on the Etsy site soon!!! I'd love to see some of your paintings! I'd also like to know, what are some crafty or artistic things that you're diving into for the first time? Sometimes I feel like I'm too old to try and learn something new, like I won't get it or it's not a good use of my time, but in this case, I'm thankful I tried it. I like the steps I came up with to help me (the tracing template), but it'll take time and practice to learn how to control and mix the colors. Leave your comments below!

First Freebie!

January. Yep, it's here. The new year. The freezing cold, can't wait till spring, stuck inside month.

So let's jazz it up a bit, shall we?

Here's a fun FREE printable! Here's the jpg of the calendar page...

Simply right click on the image, select "Save Image As" and save it to your desktop {or selected file}. Place it in a printable program {ex: I use Microsoft Publisher, but you should be able to place it in a Word document as well (you might have to re-orientate the image from horizontal to vertical).

Now go FILL UP your calendar with memories, date nights, quiet time, and fun! Or, better yet, make this the year to simplify and wind down with more family time at home and less rush outside.

Here's how I hung mine, but you could put on a wall, in a binder, or other organized ideas. I love the trendy patterned tape, and wanted to hang it up with that, but alas, it's 3:33am and I think it's hidden in my son's closet. I tried the quiet tip-toe with a flashlight trick, but alas, couldn't find it and didn't want to risk waking a sleeping bear cub. So I settled for finding the black electrical tape. Still looks good!

A Great Book & Story Behind the Address Design

Home address design. Chalkboard style. It's amazing how simple black and white, numbers and names can mean so much. In this case, it's a reminder of many memories, each at such a loved location. These are the places I've lived. I've changed them around just a bit from my true addresses {so crazy internet people won't try to find me!}, but really, these conjure up so many images in my mind of places I've loved. 

So what inspired it?

This book. My new fave design book. By the way, if you're reading this, Lydia, thanks for lending me the book via your sister-in-law Emily who lent me the book that you lent her ;). I still have it! Still loving it! Will get it to you soon, once I've finished it and soaked in every image!!

A dear friend lent me the book of another dear friend {incase you didn't catch that already}, called "The Nesting Place" by Myquillyin Smith. I fell in love with the cover. They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but in this case, go right ahead. 

The typography alone grabbed and gripped my attention from hello. Seriously beautiful cover layout!

I had no clue what this book was when I was first handed it, other than my friend telling me how the writer of it is so frugal, rents (like us), and has such fun and inspiring ideas. So I took the book home, curled up by a cozy fire, hot spiced cider in hand, and began reading it. Kidding. Not really. But that scene seemed warmer and cozier and as if I paid attention to the unknown gem in my hands. Ok, so really I threw it in my Thirty-One bag for a few weeks before finally cracking it open on a road trip back to the hospital. I needed some light reading. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to touch it again until just recently. But the pages screamed to be opened and aired out again, with sunlight hitting their pages and my eyes taking in the beauty on each one, just begging me to find inspiration. And I did. Above the couch, you'll see the writer's version of her addresses on canvas that a friend made for her. I fell in love with this idea, and thus the design was born. 

Flipping through the pages, I found even more ideas, all based on using what you already have, without breaking {if even touching} the bank to do so. It was inspiring me to make some changes around my house to liven things up, but ways to do so without spending a dime. I needed this book!!! 

Then I stumbled across the page below {I say stumbled because I'm 3/4 through with the book, and yet I keep jumping ahead looking at the pics!}. I think the world knew I needed this book for the simple fact that the writer even gives ideas and tips on NO SEW projects!!! It was written for me!!

But as I began to actually read the book, not just stare at the images for ideas and inspiration, I realized how much this book really meant to me. It's about so much more than the design that meets the eye. Smith's style is simple: make your home your own. Even if you rent. Even if your budget is zero. As the back cover states, "Perfection is overrated." She stresses to give up on perfect and only strive for focusing on the things you already love about your home. She believes and shares that what's important are the people inside the home, not the home itself. That this is the space you live in, breathe in, create in, design in, sing in, dance in, sleep in, relax in-make it feel like your home. She gives tips on decorating, decorating on a budget, home selling tips, and so on. Here's a few of my favorite moments from this book...

"As women, we ache to believe that real beauty can be found in the midst of imperfection. We are crying out for permission to lower our standards. Let yourself know: permission granted."

"...What if you were less hard on yourself for the ways you and your home fail, and you looked instead at what's already there? What if creating a beautiful home was less about stuff and more about attitude? What if you already have everything you need to have the home 

you've always wanted?"

Love that part. We used to own a home once, and I absolutely LOVED decorating it, painting whenever I wanted in whatever room I wanted, taking risks in design, doing room makeovers. We're in a season now where, for as much as I love and am giddy about interior home design, we simply do not have the budget for spare pretties. For luxuries like painting a room, buying new fancy frames, buying new throw pillows, new furniture, etc. For some, a refreshing room makeover invites the pleasures of new furniture, new fixtures, new textures, new colors. For me, it's much more low scale, and by low I mean DIY and use what I've already got. This book was great inspiration for new ideas on this way of doing things. She reminded me to love the things I have, not yearn for the things I don't have in my grasp or within my reach, and to surround this home with those things that fit our family best. 

The writer also devotes a whole section to The Gift of Messes, Mistakes, and Other Beautiful Imperfections. I loved this section. I love how she frugally took her old couch, bought one white slipcover, and now does not worry about messes, stains, spills, but yet it's bright and fun and warm and cozy all in one. She's not afraid to let her home be messy either. Not afraid to live life and let the house go for a bit, knowing it'll be ok in due time. To not apologize for the messes or imperfections because that only shows lack of gratitude. For example, going to someone's home where they constantly apologize for the mess/unhung curtains/chipped paint/etc., on the things you probably wouldn't even notice instead can make a guest feel awkward, that the person doesn't truly love their home, the one they just invited you into and said, "Make yourself at home." Instead, she sees accepting and not promoting the negatives in order to show gratitude for each corner, nook, and cranny of that house. 

"Instead of seeing imperfections as thorns in my flesh, I want to open my eyes

 and see them as signs of life." 

Love that. So true. 

So there you go. One amazing book that touches on more than mere outward appearance, but reflects the truth in living in seasons of want and need {as she explains and describes the thirteen different homes since she said, "I do."}, being frugal yet trendy, being designer yet imperfectionist. 

And it drew more out of me than just that one inspiration for the address print {Customizable! Just ask!}. It reminded me that my home doesn't have to be perfect to be loved. It doesn't have to be styled just so or every room clean and tidy, that it's encouraged to take joy in designing our surroundings, yet the focus being on the time truly spent within the walls surrounded by loved ones, and not so much by loved objects alone. That, while some homes have showroom-worthy asthetics, I'd rather have a loved and warm home and couch with a couple of stains to remind me of the littles we're raising in this beloved home. 

I encourage you, if you love home design, BUY this book. Or borrow {ok, steal} it from a friend. If you borrow it, at least return it within a year {that goes for library books too, right?}. 

And I'll leave you with my most favorite new home design element that was just hung up on my bedroom wall...my five year old's picture of things Mommy loves, complete with images of Google chromecast, coffee, my fruit juicer, even a Star Wars ship and pan with mac-n-cheese {...so more of a design of things both he and I love}. It's the perfect picture to hang in our bedroom. And it's going to stay there, crooked and unframed. Right where he put it. {However the Star Wars ship he colored and freakishly over-taped right above my pillow might have to be moved}. 

I would love to know, what are some of your favorite home design books/authors/blogs? And the name of the most favorite street you ever lived on? Comment below!!

Welcome!! ...{and a bit about us}...

Welcome!! Come on in, get comfy, and take a look around. 

The idea behind this blog is simple: Share designs. Share ideas. Inspire one another. Encourage and refresh one another. And help refresh each other's homes! The idea is also for this blog to go along with the Etsy shop for Chloe Girl Designs.

The idea was born from my love for all things design, color, creative, organizational, and home. From time to time you'll find posts about designs I've created and the back story that goes with them and links to Etsy to purchase the design. You'll find freebies. You'll find ideas in the making. You'll find creative things I've done around the home {best part-I'm frugal! All ideas are either free or nearly there!}. You'll find random links to things I love and Pins I adore. And hopefully, from time to time, I'll get some of my friends to write guest posts on some of their ideas as well {except that they don't know about this part yet, which makes it more fun!}. My friends and I have been known to rearrange each other's rooms in our heads, take pics of fancy candy displays at coffee shops to draw inspiration for our own kitchens, and walk around each other's homes stealing decorating ideas. 

At the heart of this blog is the idea that home is truly where the heart is. It's where we're surrounded by our precious family. It's where we show our truest emotions. It's where we unwind. It's there for when we need to curl up in that comfy chair by twinkly lights and journal. It's where we tuck our kiddos into cozy quilts and turn on lanterns to shine a light in the darkness. It's where we live, so it should be important that it's a comfortable living space, whether you own or rent, whether you live alone or with many, I believe it's important to make that space your own, and not break the budget while doing so. 

Buy It. Print It. Frame It. Love It.

Welcome to the blog!!! We'll consider this the true home of the Etsy page for Chloe Girl Designs.

So we gotta start somewhere. Let's start at the beginning...

I've been a graphic designer since graduating college in 2005. A few years later, add photographer to that resume. Along the way I found me a man, settled into a new town, and birthed a couple of babes. And most recently, we embarked on an amazing adventure of being the proud parents of another little one, but this time more of a time commitment was needed between the diapering, the princess in training three year old, and the thinks-he's-a-man-5-year-old. This family...they're my life. And I realized it's time to let the dust settle on my suddenly and without warning broken camera and let the passion for photography wither as other passions grew within me. I've always loved graphic design, so now it's time to refocus the creative spirit into designing from home while raising my three littles.

And so Chloe Girl Designs was born.

Well, not quite. There's a bit missing from that story. You have two options: you can enter our lives a bit deeper by reading about the rest of the story here, or just follow along with the knowledge that many if not most of these designs were birthed by a NICU bedside, after coding events, during blood transfusions, along a beaten path from hospital room to temporary home. To say it quickly-there's life behind these designs, not just ink on a page. Even if they're one dimensional designs, each design is truly four dimensional, with emotions, tears {of both fears and joys}, inspired by friendships, because of amazing moments. My hope is that you'll see the life behind each design.

The idea for the blog is to follow along with some of the designs posted and learn the stories behind them. It's also about sharing other ideas for home decorating, design, style, organization, and so on.

Many have asked me lately how the designs on the Etsy page work. After viewing the designs, make your selection and purchase for immediate download. Once your payment has gone through using PayPal, then your instant download file will be ready. Unless it's a font file, they are all jpg files. This file {or multiple files in some cases} will be downloaded to your computer. Find this file, open, and select print if you're printing to your personal printer. Or, save the file to a jump drive/USB key, or SD card and take to your local printer and have printed. Or (yep, another option!), just visit your favorite online printer {like Shutterfly, mpix, or others}, upload, select size (most files can be printed up to 8x10 or 11x14), and await the arrival of your new print in the mail. Again, many have asked how these files sold on Etsy work, so hopefully this post will help!!

Here's what it's like if you're doing it from home on your computer and own printer...

From purchased print...

To home!

Now go check out Chloe Girl Designs on Etsy!! Search for chloegirl designs (that first word is one word) or click on the link at the beginning of this post. Hopefully you'll find something inspiring and perfect to put in your own home. And check back on the blog for freebies, stories behind the prints, and more!