From the Studio

Studio Sneak Peek: road trip

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Hey everybody! So I have a secret.

And it's kind of a big secret.

via say yes to hoboken

We're in the car right now starting a six week long cross country road trip. Crazy right?! We know.

But it's something we've both wanted to do together for forever and given that we knew we probably wouldn't have another continuous six weeks anytime in the near future to do this, we're taking the plunge.

So! After two years of stockpiling camping equipment, booking hotels and campsites (anyone remember my super excited tweet about getting our Yosemite campsite? yea. that was nerve wrecking,) researching cities and trails, and most importantly hoping that everything would fall into place (which thank God it did) the day is finally here. The house and pup are being cared for, the car is packed (and I mean packed. I'm amazed at the amount of stuff that can fit in a normal 4 door sedan) the ipod is loaded with hours and hours of music, and we're heading west. I am so excited to see the national parks, experience the cities, and see friends along the way!

Of course I couldn't just leave you all with radio silence for six weeks, so while we're gone I have some exciting things to share.

First, my new designs are finished! (yay!!) So every Monday I will do a Studio Sneak Peek featuring a different design to let you in on how it how it came about, what I was going for, etc.  annnd... in addition to that, on Fridays some of my favorite blogger friends will be stopping by to share a weekly dose of summer with you. As for Tuesday through Thursday, I've been busy writing posts for each day we're away so you'll never be without.

Sounds almost as cool as a road trip, right? I thought so too.

See you all in six weeks!!! (okay let's be honest, I'll probably stop in every so often with photos...)

Studio Sneak Peek: Floral Oil Painting

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Untitled Floral Oil Painting by Courtney Khail

"Untitled Flowers" 30"x 36" via courtney khail

I took some time this weekend to work on a personal project. I started this painting a few months ago and hit a wall when it came to finishing it. Luckily, I was re-inspired Saturday and this is what evolved. I love the bright colors against the deeper background and although you can't really see it in the photograph, I built up layer upon layer of subtle foliage before "hitting" the bright flowers so there is a beautiful depth to the piece. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Studio Sneak Peek: Radio Interview

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A little while ago, Martine emailed me to see if I would be interested in appearing on a radio show she co-hosts with Lee Anne Culpepper to talk about my business. Despite the fact I normally cringe whenever I hear myself speak (this isn't just me, right? Doesn't everyone have a "wow, that's what I sound like?" moment when they hear their voice mail message or something?) I decided it sounded like fun and said yes.

So after an hour in the studio, here it is! (I'm the show from May 26th.) If you'd like to hear what I actually sound like (as well as a little more on how I got started, my background, etc.) I'd love for you to take a listen.

grandmother

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my grandparents back in the day via my personal collection

Today my Grandmother passed away.

She was such a nurturing, caring, strong, smart person and while I'm going to miss her (and our friendship, a long conversations and visits) so much, I'm happy she finally gets to be with my Granddad again and isn't in any more pain.

Something that I'll never forget is just how witty my grandmother was. She always chose her words wisely and in one sentence she could say more than most people could in a entire speech. An example that sticks out in my mind is when I told her J and I were living together after we got engaged. She was quiet for about 5 seconds and then before giving us each a hug, she smiled and simply said "just make sure you keep your bedroom door locked." That was all she said- nothing more, but she said everything she wanted to in that one sentence. (I wish I was more like her in that respect-I'm much more of a rambler.) And in case you couldn't tell by her super cute striped shorts and her sunglasses, she was also a pretty stylish lady. Never one to be under dressed, most of my vintage pieces were gifted to me by her and are without a doubt the ones I receive the most compliments on. She embodied the definition of what it means to be a lady and I'll always be grateful for having her in my life for 25 years.

Studio Sneak Peek: Honeycomb Invitations

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copyright courtney khail stationery and design

(please excuse the blurred parts- I know it's not as pretty, but I don't want anyone to show up uninvited!)

I created these invitations for Stephanie and Josh a little while back and thought today would be a perfect time to share. They wanted to use my bee/honeycomb design (which I was stoked about because it's one of my all time favorites) and were amazing about giving me free rein on the layouts and just letting me create different options for them. I love combining type with handwritten elements so I made sure to include that in one of the design options I sent them, and luckily that's the one they decided to go with!

By having their names handwritten, they not only jump out at you first, but they also bring a more intimate feeling to the invitation. (And because I printed the pieces from an original as opposed to hand writing each one, I was able to provide them a touch of my handwritten option without the handwritten price tag.) As a little extra touch, I decided to carry the honeycomb design to the back of the invitation where my logo is. This way, if their guests did the Hallmark card flip (something I'm always guilty of) they were met with an unexpected burst of color instead of just a plain white back. All about the little things...

Hope you enjoy!

A historical day

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via nytimes

Normally I try to stick to my editorial calendar, but today I'm making an exception because yesterday was a truly historical day for the world. In case you don't know, (which I don't really think is possible) Osama bin Laden- the leader of al Qaeda- was killed by the Navy Seals.* After 10 years of searching, the leader of the terrorist group was finally found hiding in a mansion in Pakistan.

I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone serving in our military and everyone who has worked to protect our country for their time, dedication and bravery. I also wanted to thank this administration and the previous administration for their tireless work and difficult decision making that led to this momentous event. I hope that we all remember that this is not a partisan victory- this is an American victory.

And now that I've said that, I'm off to work on redesigning my pricing guide. I'll post pictures once it's finished!

* Interesting fact: While 66 years apart, both Adolf Hilter's and Osama bin Laden's deaths were announced on May 1st.

Day off

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Sorry for the lack of a studio sneak peek. I found out my grandmother went back in the ICU today and I just... well my mind is elsewhere today. Any prayers or good thoughts sent our way would be very much appreciated.

Studio Sneak Peek: dream.create.inspire

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About a month ago I did an interview for Christina Loucks' dream.create.inspire series on her blog. She began series in order to provide insight into the lives of creative entrepreneurs and focuses on asking about what motivates you, how to handle rejection, and what to do if something just isn't working out. I've really enjoyed reading her other interviews and am honored to be included as well! (Thanks, Christina!) If you'd like to take a look, click over right here.

(Apologies for the formatting, Christina said she was having issues with Wordpress so some things aren't how she'd like them to appear!)