People are More Important

I've had this phrase floating around in my head a lot lately. I probably didn't make it up... but, I wanted to put it on paper... and hang it in my house.

I find myself often trying to adjust priorities. As an introverted girl, spending time with people wipes me out. It is natural for me to want to curl up on the couch and read, or watch a movie. But, life isn't about my books or TV shows. Life is about people. People are more important.

I have projects I want to get done. I want to exercise more than I do. I want to work more than I do. I want to spend more time in front of a screen. But friends, people are more important than all of those things. There is a time and a place for everything, but I want my life to have an impact on living souls... not inanimate objects.

So... here is a free printable. And my first hand-lettered project. Enjoy!

Insta - Friday

My husband watching his team, New England Patriots, win at the last moment a couple weeks ago.
He was similarly happy to see the Red Sox win the World Series the other night.




My birthday gift from Eric. A place to hang my cast iron.



Another birthday gift from my friend / coworker at Grace Road Church. We both enjoy this devotional site - #shereadstruth   This bright, sunny mug is my new fav!



A funny sight on the way to church. Someone placed a traffic cone on top of the head of these statues in front of the Memorial Art Gallery. Funny and harmless "vandalism".



Sometimes Pinterest is wonderful, and sometimes it fails. I tried to make Sweet Potato Gnocchi. They looked beautiful, but they tasted awful. Not sure if it was me or the recipe... but we had spaghetti that night instead.


I've been training for a 10k. I ran my second 5k race on Saturday. Pumpkins in the Park through Cobbs Hill. This guy stood out in the cold waiting for me to cross the finish line. We went out to breakfast at Spot Coffee  to warm up. Yum!

Free Printable - Mine Would Be You

I've been loving this song by Blake Shelton lately. Enjoy this free printable!
Click the image for a high resolution pdf.

Insta - Monday?

I was out of town last weekend, and wasn't organized enough to schedule an Insta-Friday blog post! So here we are... Insta-Monday instead :) 

Last Sunday, we went to lunch and a corn maze with some friends. It was a great day! However, our "fall activity" happened to land on an 80 degree humid, sunny day. Go figure! We had a blast anyway. 

Another Roxy picture... we had a pretty rainy week, and this little buddy was hanging out with me in my office. 

And here's a couple shots my sister took from the weekend. Her fiance recently moved to Baltimore because he was accepted in to the Police Academy. His graduation was this weekend. It happened to land on my birthday, so while I was traveling, Jessy and Nick treated me to a really nice seafood dinner!

The newly engaged couple!

Insta - Friday

It's not instagram without cat pictures. This is my baby, Roxy. She turned 3 this week. Yep -- I'm one of those people.

Rochester Wedding kicked off the wedding season right with their Bridal Show on Sunday! We were excited to be a part of it. We (my and my girl, Arika!!) met so many lovely couples, and I can't wait to jump in to the planning&designing. 

And in case you were wondering, here is what the booth looks like all broken down... waiting to be packed up!

Every Tuesday is my "long day". All day staff meeting and office hours at my other job, Grace Road Church. Then Turbo Kick at Bounce Aerobics. Then orchestra practice with the Finger Lakes Symphonic Orchestra!  On my drive to practice, I-90 couldn't have looked more beautiful. 

I <3 p="" tuesdays.="">

Happy Weekend!

Insta-Friday

My summer CSA is coming to a close. I loved the fresh fruits & veggies every single week. Until next season!

Last weekend was all kinds of crazy. Bandaloop Dancers, dancing, Fringe Fest, running, and church were all in the mix. So much fun. 

My little brother just bought his first car, and hooked it up with a new speaker system... and amp and sub woofers and other things I don't know. But it was cool. And, I'm proud of him. 

Rozy & Zoey Round Up. It's possible I take way too many photos of our two kitties. Rather than post cat pictures everyday, here is a round up of cuteness. 

Harry Potter Printable

Last month, I finished the entire Harry Potter series. I picked the books up when they were first coming out in the 90s, but was distracted by other school work, so I only ever made it through book 4.

Recently, my brother purchased all the books, and he was kind enough to let me borrow them. Holy awesome series, Batman! It's no wonder they are wildly popular. 

Since reading them, I love to browse Pinterest for all of the meme's and prints. 

Here are some funny ones: 

Love Harry. 

Here is my own print. This is one of my favorite quotes, from Book 5. 

Insta - Friday

Fall has [almost] officially hit Rochester, New York. The weather is cooler, school has started, and seasonal favorites are showing up on Pinterest. 

I took full advantage of a 55 degree day this week. Socks and slippers. My crisp white scarf. And wait for it... tomato soup and grilled cheese. 

Fall is my favorite season. The colors, temperature, and cozy clothing is my fav. I also do enjoy falling asleep to a good football game on a Sunday afternoon. And my birthday is in October. So, that might have something to do with it. 

Also, does this happen to anyone else with a desk job?? I have a callous on the wrist of my mouse hand... please tell me I'm not a weird-o. 

Invitation Mailing Tips

STUFFING YOUR INVITATION ENVELOPES

Leave yourself enough time to assemble, address and stuff all those envelopes. Here's the traditional order for assembling your invitations:

The invite goes on the bottom; then stack your enclosures on top in order of largest to smallest (the smallest goes on the very top of the pile).

The RSVP card should be tucked into the flap of the reply envelope (so the flap covers part of the text).

Place everything in the envelope so the text is facing outward -- that way guests can read the invitation as they take it out.

STAMP THE RSVP ENVELOPES

You don't want your guests to pop their envelopes in the mail without a stamp or to make them pay for postage to RSVP to your event. Make it easy for them to send back their RSVPs: By putting postage (and a return address) on the RSVP envelopes, you'll ensure they get back to you (or whoever is in charge of the guest list) without a hitch. A standard stamp will do for these smaller cards that don't weigh much.

Make sure you pay attention to postage rates. If you don’t buy forever stamps, make sure guests won’t have to purchase more postage because the stamps on their RSVP are expired.

WEIGH A COMPLETE INVITATION

Before you pop your invitations in the mail, ask the post office to weigh a complete invite so you know exactly how much postage each one requires. This step may sound tedious, but the alternative may mean invitations returned for insufficient postage, which could throw your entire wedding planning timeline for a loop. Enclosures will increase your postage, so keep that in mind when you're deciding on extras like maps or reception cards.

NUMBERING RSVP CARDS

Sometimes, guests will send back their RSVP cards with a response, but no name! Or the handwriting is illegible. It’s a good idea to write a small number in the corner of your RSVP card that corresponds with your guest list. That way, if you get any that you can’t identify,  you can match it up to your guest list. 

PHOTOGRAPHY

You’ve spent a lot of time picking out and creating just the right look with your stationery. Don’t let your invitations be forgotten. Talk to your photographer ahead of time, and then bring your invitations with you on the wedding day. It’s a great keepsake to have professional photos of your invitations along with your rings or other wedding day “props.” 

What I've Been Up To

March, April, and May were busy, busy months for me. All of the brides I met in the fall & winter were ready to print and send out their carefully designed invites. Follow up meetings, detail gathering, proofing, and final printings filled my days.

We are officially in to summer, and things have slowed down at kj design. I'm working on some fall weddings, and details for summer weddings... programs, escort cards, seating charts, etc.

I also decided to start advertising more through Rochester Wedding. I am listed on their website, and will be in their magazine that comes out in August.

My other job just became much busier. I work at Grace Road Church part-time as their "secretary." My official title is "Assistant to the Elders". Fancy, huh? Usually, summers are a little lighter, but our church just went through a whirl-wind two weeks. We found out that we were being evicted from the building we rented, and had to find a new place for our church of 500 in two short weeks. We all worked around the clock to make plans, and do renovations on the new place we miraculously found. Our first Sunday was yesterday! It was a great day!



On a totally random note, I just finished the Harry Potter series. I absolutely loved it. Expect some free printables!

Happy Summer :)

Wedding Season

Wedding season is almost in full swing!! We are busy at kj Design finalizing details, and printing unique invitations. Here are a few of the latest!

Grace Abounded

Another #SheReadsTruth inspired free printable. 

She Reads Truth

I look forward to reading scripture and devotionals at #shereadstruth every morning. Here is a little graphic I put together after reading this verse. Feeling like I'm to listen carefully to this one.

Studio Tour

Welcome to my studio! I'm so excited to show you around. I love working out of my home. It allows flexibility in my time, as well as keeping overhead costs down. Take a a peek with me!

One thing I love about my space is being able to rearrange and redecorate. I love "branding" it in a way that feels very "kj design". It also makes my work space feel new and fresh, and as a result, I'm more productive.

Here is a post I wrote a bit ago showing the changes that have happened thus far.

This newest change is making me sooo happy.
New desks that match. And are smaller so there is more space for client meetings.
Also, the stacked crates are so awesome.

Cute little office supply & lamp section. 

Similarly cute decorations on top of the filing cabinet.

Love these Target ruffle curtains.

Ahh... happy spaces make work days so much better. 

Valentine's Day

Remember this little package that went out a couple weeks ago? Well, I finally get to show you what's inside!

One of the pastor's I work with at Grace Road Church asked me to design a Valentine's card for his sweet wife. He had been reading a book on Lincoln, and sent me a quote. I fell in love with it. Girls, this guy is getting major points for such a thoughtful gift! We decided to make it into an 8x10 print so his wife could put it in a frame on her desk. 

The quote he sent me:

We years ago were lovers.

We are now parents- 

A new relation has taken place.

The love of our offspring has open up fresh fountains of love for each other.

We look forward now to life, not for ourselves only, but for our children.

I loved you for your beauty, grace and loveliness of your person.

I love you now for the richness and surpassing excellence of your mind.

One love has not taken the place of the other, but both stand side by side.

I love you now with a fervor and truth of affection which speech cannot express.  

--- Edwin Stanton to his wife Mary, circa 1840.

And, here's the print!

The story behind it is just as lovely: 

"This excerpt was written by Lincoln's Secretary of War (during the civil war). His wife died after 8 years of marriage, leaving two small children. He poured himself into work and the war during his grief.  He wrote over 100 pages about their love story and relationship to give to his son when he grew up so that his son 'could know what a remarkable Mom he had' and 'would never forget'. I don't know if these words were penned during their relationship or after her death - but he was very passionate about preserving how he felt for his children's memory of her."  

I had so much fun with this one. I decided to post it to my Etsy shop in case anyone wants to order one. 

I hope you love it as much as I do. I love to hear from readers...tell me about your favorite Valentine's memory below!

Dancing & A Free Printable

I've had a new "cooking routine" recently. During the day when I'm working, I listen to a wide variety of music, but mostly country, bluegrass, folk, etc. When I'm done for the day and ready to get dinner together, I blast my favorite Pandora station "G Fit Dig Deep." My husband usually comes home to a white girl [emphasis on white girl], wearing a ruffle apron, dancing, rapping, and stirring something in a mixing bowl. It's a little cute, and a little clumsy. 

Anyway...

Bruno Mars has become a favorite of mine.  Lyrics aren't always super clean... but, his songs and live performances are always so much fun! This one gets me dancing every time I hear it: 

"MY KITCHEN IS FOR DANCING"

I saw this quote on pinterest and just loved it! Decided to make it in to my own little printable...with a couple words added in :) 

Print for your own kitchen! Enjoy!

Happy New Year

kj design has been very busy and we're excited to see what the new year brings!

If you don't already, check us out on instagram, facebook, and pinterest. 

Some great ideas on our pin boards, and fun photos on instagram showing the "life" of kj design. 

Some projects we are currently working on:

A recently finished invitation suite:

And, a fun day at the January Rochester Wedding Bridal show:

Notice the new blog design, and let us know what you think. We love to hear from friends, fans, and followers.