Design: Welcome to the South, Y'all!

It is almost time for the first social of the year for our bases' spouses' club! For a while we weren't quite sure what the theme would be. At first, I thought it was going to have a Tex-Mex/Mexican theme, so I was researching ideas for the flier based on that. I found some cute graphics on Shutterstock. But then the social chair decided to go with a "Welcome to the South, Y'all" theme that I was even more excited about. My first thought was Lily Pulitzer and mason jars. What's more Southern than those two things, right?

Fonts used:
Buttercup Sample
Bodoni MT (I think this was the default font and I didn't even think to change it this time...I'm slackin')

Design: Membership Drive

The first event of the social year for the Spouses' Club will be our Membership Drive. Initially, because there isn't a theme, I was trying to decide what route to go with the design of the flier. I played around with a version of the Uncle Sam "I want you for the..." poster as inspiration. However, with our new logo we decided it would be best to highlight it.

I had already designed a newsletter with a color scheme that coordinated with the new logo, so I decided to use that design for the Membership Drive fliers, too. I pitched the idea of making a little campaign to include a couple graphics that highlighted who is able to join the club. The final image below is part of this campaign. We are not allowed to use the Army and Air Force logos, so I had to be creative and find something that represented each.

Fonts used:
Milasian Circa Personal
Franklin Gothic Book
Franklin Gothic Heavy

 

Design: Play Date

One of the "unofficial" socials of the summer for our base's spouses' club is a play date. From listening to parents, I have learned that play dates are popular. They seem like a fantastic way for parents to get some grown up time while the kids run around and burn off some energy. Sounds like a win-win!
 
Fonts Used
Play Date (how appropriate, right?)
Franklin Gothic Book
Milasian Circa Personal

Design: Summer Dinner

Do you ever feel stressed out and tense and you're not entirely sure why? I have been feeling that way lately. My jaw has been really tight and I have to keep reminding myself to relax. The worst part is that I do not really have that much to be stressed about. I have a few events coming up, but nothing I really need to be overly stressed about. On the plus side, it has made me get down and do some yoga. I have been so slack about working out lately (hmm...that probably has something to do with my stress level). I found a new yoga channel through a Pinterest post; it's called Yoga with Kassandra. She has a lot of Yin Yoga videos which focuses on holding poses for a few minutes so you get a nice, deep stretch. I thought these videos would help me de-stress a little bit. I've been enjoying them so far.

One of the events I have coming up is a dinner with my Alumni Chapter. Really it's an excuse to have dinner with my friend, Cheryl. She might be the only one RSVPed so far, anyway. But that's OK! I used to stress out about lack of participation from people in the group. But I have learned (and still have to remind myself of this from time to time) that it doesn't matter who actually comes. All that matters is that I give them the opportunity to build and develop relationships. Only they can choose to use the opportunity.

For the dinner, I created a simple invitation. It follows the template I've been using for these types of events. But I do love the background I found on Shutterstock. It's perfect for summer!

Fonts Used
KG Hard Candy Solid
Cursif
Bell MT

Design: Coffee

I am having a blast creating fliers for our base spouses' club. We recently voted to merge with the Enlisted Spouses' Club which means I will have many additional projects to work on. Yay!!! I have started to prep a few items such as a newsletter and trifold. The project I have had the most fun with so far has been creating some new logo options. I cannot wait to see which one is chosen! I have a favorite, but I will share more about them soon.

An event we have coming up is a coffee meet up. The summer is really casual and we do not have an "official" socials, but I'm glad they have a couple events planned. A lot of people move in the summer, so it is beneficial to have an event for people to get their "feet wet" with our group.

Fonts used:
Rhumba Script NF
Bodoni MT
Milasian Circa Personal

Design: Movie Night

My creative outlet has a new beneficiary and I could not be more excited! I am now officially the PR chair for the Officers' Spouses' Club (OSC) here at our current base. I loved this position so much at our last base and and I am so thankful the spot at this base opened up for me. I am just getting into the swing of things and will not have a whole lot to do until the end of summer since the club takes a break over the summer.

Knowing that I would be in this position and because I anticipate organizing more Alpha Omega Alumni Chapter events, I decided to purchase a Shutterstock subscription. Whenever I make invitations or fliers, I find so many cute images from Shutterstock. But to use them (without the annoying watermark) you have to buy them or have a monthly subscription. I was tired of being limited.

For my first OSC flier, I was asked to create something for the upcoming movie night. They have these once a month. I downloaded my first Shutterstock image. It was so hard to choose because they have thousands of images. I plan to use this template for each month's movie night but update it with the new movie. It will be quick and easy to edit and post.

Fonts used:
Broadway
Bodoni MT
Milasian Circa PERSONAL

My goal for the OSC PR position is to create some new "branding." We may be merging with the Enlisted Spouses' Club and a fresh look sounds like a good idea. Part of new branding is finding some go-to fonts. My newest addition and my pick for the new logo is Milasian Circa PERSONAL. I love finding new fonts!

Design: Summer Retreat

One event that has been on my mind since helping create the Alpha Omega Alumni Chapter is a retreat. However, since the start of the chapter I have lived out of state. This makes planning a trip of this nature hard to execute. Now that I am back in the state, this was one of my priorities for this summer.

We are doing some fundraisers to help bring the cost down. Our first was a flower fundraiser through Flower Power. It was not hugely successful, but I like to try things out to see how well they do. That way we know if it's worthwhile to do again in the future. It was really easy to organize. I highly recommend it if you have a fundraising need and have some gardeners in your group.

Our group was interested in going to the mountains for a retreat. Originally I was planning on Hendersonville, North Carolina. Charles worked at a summer camp up there and we have been several times. It is a cute town, but a little off the beaten path so it isn't too busy or crowded with tourists. However, a couple of the other ladies suggested Asheville. I have only been there once, but it was at the tail end of winter. So I am looking forward to experiencing it in another season.

We will be discussing topics from the book Messy Beautiful Friendship by Christine Hoover. I just started the book and am really enjoying it. It addresses a lot of issues that I struggle with. And it sounds like most, if not all, women struggle with the exact same things. It should provide some good discussion in our group.

Fonts used:
Just Realize
Parisienne
Quicksand

Design: Beach Day

I absolutely love being back in South Carolina! One of the best things is the ability to plan get-togethers for the alumni of Alpha Omega. While living out of state, I was able to plan or help plan the annual Alumni Weekend, but a lot of ladies find it hard to attend. We have folks living all over the state and I like to encourage people in the various areas to meet together. Being back allows me to facilitate these gatherings.

Currently I'm about 2 hours from the beach and it has been calling me. I thought it would be fun to organize a beach day with the Alpha Omega Alumni. Summer is always busy with people traveling, so I am not sure how many will be able to come. But I figure I have to at least try.

Fonts used:
Hawaiian Punk
Meganhand

Congratulations Captain!

I have been so bad about blogging since the move. Trust me... I have a lot of things I could be sharing with you and my lack of writing is not because I do not care.

One big thing that has happened lately is that Charles promoted to Captain! He asked me to create an invitation for the promotion ceremony and luncheon to send to the folks in his squadron. Because he is working with a Recruiting squadron, his co-workers are spread out between South Carolina and North Carolina. We figured the majority would not be able to come in from out of town, but we wanted them to feel like they could if they wanted to. It was mostly people from the headquarters, where Charles works.

For the ceremony, we visited a local park called Swan Lake. There is a building called the Iris Market that you can rent out. It worked out perfectly because they provide the food and decorations so we did not have to worry about anything. The actual ceremony took place outside since it was such a nice day. We watched the weather all weekend because it called for a high chance of rain the day of the ceremony. Luckily, it only rained right after the ceremony ended and stopped after everyone was finished eating. We hired a photographer (pictures coming soon) and were so glad the rain did not stick around so we could get some good group shots with Charles' family after lunch.

I am so proud of my husband and his Air Force career! Captain is a nice honor and achievement. It will be fun seeing what the next several years hold for us.

Fonts Used:
Janda Elegant Handwriting
Felix Titling
 

Design: Alpha Omega Alumni Brunch

I can't believe we are already a week into February! My birthday was last week. It was a weird birthday. Part of the reason was because so much has been going on lately that I did not have time to really think about it. Plus, I started a new job the day before and I hate working on my birthday. It's such a grown-up, responsible, boring thing to do on a day that should be filled with fun. But they did know it was my birthday and wished me a happy one. And the lady I've been working with from the temp agency called to wish me a happy birthday which I thought was extremely thoughtful and kind.

Now that is is February it also means I am closer to one of my favorite annual events, the Alpha Omega Alumni Weekend! We always have a brunch with the active sisters. It's a nice time to meet them and remember our college days.

The flier is pretty much comparable to the Alumni Dinner flier. I wanted to make it a similar style since the events are for the same weekend. But I did use a different background. It reminds me of Chinese lanterns. 

Fonts Used
Cursif
KG Hard Candy Solid
Vingy

Design: Alpha Omega Alumni Dinner 2017

My life is slowly returning to normal. We closed on our house this past week and have been unpacking boxes and putting things away. It is HARD work! Most everything is put away and unpacked. I am loving my new house and the huge kitchen island I have now. Yesterday our fridge was finally delivered and we could buy groceries. That first grocery trip after you move is always massive (and expensive). The first thing I made in my new kitchen? Brownies, of course!

Part of getting back to normal is my upcoming Alpha Omega Alumni Weekend! Usually this is at the very top of my priority list this time of year, but I haven't been thinking so much about it yet. I did make time to create a flier for our Alumni dinner which is always the first event of the weekend.

Fonts used:
Cursif
KG Hard Candy Solid
Vingy

Design: Columbia Dinner

It has been awhile! We made it to the East coast and are awaiting the closing of our house. I am so ready to be out of the hotel room.

Being back in South Carolina has given me a chance to plan some events for my college sorority's alumni chapter of which I am president. The first event was a dinner in Columbia. And naturally, I had to make a flier to promote it. I miss being the Publicity chair for the Officer Spouse Club in California. It gave me a lot of opportunities to create fliers. Now I am going to have to make up my own excuses.

Fonts used:
Cursif
KG Hard Candy Solid
Bell MT

Design: Country Bunco

The host for this month's Bunco chose a country theme and I was asked to create the flier. I had a bit of a hard time deciding what direction to go with this flier. First I saw a really cute invitation with a light wood grain background and a mason jar accent. I tried to recreate it, but I just wasn't feeling it. I found this  bandana print/wood grain background and rolled with it. (Like my little dice pun?)

Fonts used:
Young Heart
Quicksand
Calamity Jane NF

Design: Cookie Crunch

I have been in a flier-creating frenzy before the move. I am absolutely loving it! My latest creation was for an annual event at our base called Cookie Crunch. Many (if not all) bases do something similar. Cookies are donated and sorted to give to all the military members that live in the dorms. This helps spread some holiday cheer to those single guys and gals. I have to admit that I have never actually participated in this event either as a volunteer or by baking some cookies, but I really need to at our next base. It's such a fun reason to bake up a big batch of cookies. This year our base has to collect something like 500 dozen cookies to cover all the dorm residents. It's a huge undertaking, but so worthwhile.

Fonts Used:
Little Lord Fontleroy NF
Janda Elegant Handwriting
Quicksand

Design: Fashion Bingo

Here is the final version (edited for my blog, though) of the Bingo flier for our Officers' Spouses' Club. I was lucky and found the image right away in my Google search and it would be hard to find a better fit.

Design: Designer Bingo

The big social of the year for the Officers' Spouse Club is Bingo. It is the get-together with the largest attendance and the most prizes. Last year the theme was purse bingo and everyone left with something. I won a great bag from Thirty-One Gifts.

Originally for this year's theme it was going to be Designer Bingo. After I started the flier, the theme changed a bit. But I thought it was a fun design, so I am sharing it with you anyway. Tiffany & Co. was the inspiration for the background. And since it was designer themed, I wanted to keep the color scheme simple and classic.

Fonts Used:
Rhumba Script NF
Broadway
Quicksand

Design: Black Cat Bunco

This month I am hosting Bunco for our Officers' Spouses' Club. When someone hosts, they have the pleasure of picking the theme for the evening. My initial thought was Alice in Wonderland, but then I thought I should do something more in line with October and Halloween. Then I realized a black cat theme would be perfect! I already own a bunch of black cat decor items and I have two black cats. Perfect!

Fonts Used
Barkants
CoolDots
Quicksand

Design: Death by Chocolate

The Officers' Spouses' Club social for October is a murder mystery. This year's theme is Death by Chocolate. This is going to be amazing! Of course, I was tasked with creating the flier.

Fonts used
Vladimir Script
Castellar
Quicksand

Design: Football Bunco

Part of the Officers' Spouses' Club are side groups like Bunco. The side groups meet each month. This month's Bunco is football themed and I was asked to create a flyer to promote it. It was so tempting to use my favorite team's color as the theme, but I knew that wouldn't be fair to everyone. I found this cute, neutral image through a Google search and used it as my starting off point.

Fonts used
Quicksand
Marcelle Script
Modern No. 20

Design: Family Feud Social

The next social I was asked to create a flyer for was a Family Feud Game Night. My design centered around the logo. Mostly it was helpful in coming up with the colors to use in the rest of the flyer. It should be a fun evening! I'm a little bummed that I will miss it. We'll be traveling to Michigan for my Grandpa's memorial service.

Fonts Used
Quicksand
MeganHand