something old into something new, and two photos in which i look terribly chubby.

Because I suffer from acute indecisiveness when it comes to web design (here, here, here, to name a few) I had to yet again change up my personal blog layout, name, etc. But I really like this one, so maybe it'll stick longer than a year? We shall see. I always get antsy and change things around this time every year, at home as well as on the web...why is that, I wonder?

I recently updated my design blog, too. Though I have yet to commit to regular posting. And! I almost forgot. I started another blog last month, too. (What? Another one, Anelieze?? You can't even keep up with this one!) Well, it's a blog dedicated to well-designed resources for primary in our church. It's in Spanish, though, and I've only posted five times yet, but I have high hopes for this one! It's called: Para La Primaria.

Oh, and this little blog turned five years old on Tuesday. Huzzah! Hey, thanks for sticking around.

Photos above from Thanksgiving, 2012. I took so long posting them because I just look so chubby. But we don't have any pictures together since then, so these will have to do for now..

Out With The Old, In With The New.

I recently updated my Flash portfolio website! I hope you'll visit it--it's much more colorful and cleaner than the previous one, and I added a bunch of projects I've done in the last year such as custom wedding and party invitations, a couple of websites, and more. Go here to visit.

When Reality Sets Back In. {And Some Recent Design Work On T-Shirts}

Time.

Have you ever wished that time would go by quickly but then it suddenly seems to slow down, as if it's egging you on, sticking it's tongue out at you, going, "Nyah, nyah, nyah"? That's just about how I feel right now. Not that I'm just laying around waiting for it to go by. Quite the opposite, really.

We found a place in Chino Hills. The application is signed, sealed, delivered. Our move in date is July 8, which is less than a month away, but there is so much going on between then and now that every day feels like a whole week. I'd go as far as to say it's dragging, but I know that I should probably be thankful that it is. I found out recently that I don't like to be hurried. Hello, I had a 2 year engagement, and I've been married for 4 years with no kids. So why am I so impatient to get on with moving?

While I ponder this question, let me show you one thing I am excited about: tshirts! I submitted and idea to my blog friend Olivia's call for tshirt designs for the Lake Tahoe Relay and it was chosen! Liv posted pictures of them on her blog {pictures from there} after the relay was done last weekend and I thought they turned out great! I especially love the blue. Reminds me of the ocean...or of a lake, more appropriately, huh?

Thanks for the opportunity, Liv! It's such an accomplishment to see one of my designs "in print." =)

Dreaming Of A California Christmas.

Hi, friends!

Today I need your awesome mouse-clicking talent so you can vote for my design on Penscrappers. I did this for fun, but the prize is a bamboo pen {to use instead of a mouse, it helps with my oncoming carpal tunnel!} and I'd really, truly love one! I think I need about 100 more votes, and I know some of you have already voted, but if you can help me, please click on the link and on the "vote" button on the top right.

If you vote for me and I {miraculously} end up winning, I've promised that I'd send out a little digital design to all who helped me out. And it will be a very nice little token of my appreciation, I can tell you that! When you've voted, comment back on this post so I know who to include in my "giveaway" if I win. Thanks in advance!

xo Annie

Please vote here.

I Love You, Deeply. {A Free Printable For You, With Love.}

Hi's! If you still need a pretty card for Valentine's day {or anniversary, birthday, just because}, maybe you'll like this one. Head to my design blog to download the pdf files, then have fun printing it out for your sweetie!

Franco is out on a scout camping trip tonight, so I'm spending the night at my parent's house. 

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Design Blog Makeover

Phew! I spent hours and hours Monday + Tuesday sprucing up my design blog, www.acdesigneveryday.blogspot.com. I wanted a more aesthetic feel, a little more handmade-ish. And I wanted a menu bar--for quick links to tutorials, freebies, and my little photography obsession. Hope you'll visit and be prepared to receive some easy blog-sprucing tips of your own!

visit a little design everyday

Embarassingly Announcing My Etsy Shop "Annie, See Paris"

I am slightly embarrassed to formally announce the opening of my etsy shop, annie, see paris,
{one} because I have never before done anything to advertise/sell my designs and creations to the world, besides creating my portfolio website, which went on air almost a year ago but only my closest friends and a few blog friends have really ever visited it,
{two} because there are only three listings currently available,
and...
{three, the slightly embarrassing part,} because the aforementioned listings all have to do with the upcoming premiere of Eclipse.

So...at the viewer's discretion, please visit my new etsy shop called "annie, see paris" {a short explanation of why I chose that title available on my profile} and if you happen to like what you see, let me know!

xo annie

Hi!

 Thought I'd pop in and say a quick "hello!"

I've been crazy busy with work this week,
and nights have been filled with:

• fulfilling etsy shop orders,
• making custom Eclipse t-shirt designs {as well as a custom "backstreet boys" t-shirt design for a concert--I didn't even know they were still touring!},
• sushi-making classes with friends,
• graduation parties for my young women,
• playing around with a borrowed nikon again,
• babysitting for these adorable triplets,
• working on a custom website for an up-and-coming author from Newbury Park,
• another flash website for my boss's insurance agency,
• and watching movies from our netflix queue, to which we've been irrevocably converted...

Meanwhile, I've read The Hunger Games {wow}, I'm currently reading Spells, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, and The Graveyard Book, and I'm currently listening to my new favorite song "My Love" by Sia, found on the new Eclipse soundtrack. It's my favorite Twilight soundtrack so far, and the movie hasn't even come out yet.

 This weekend, I'm looking forward to more netflix movies {LOVE the instant viewing option!--we've seen "Bedtime Stories" like four and a half times}, eating some chocolate drumsticks at the sunny park by the pool, and just finally breathing...

Toodles!

"At All Times" Girls Camp Logo 2010

I'm happy to share this year's YW Camp 2010 Theme & Logo:

"At All Times: Strong* Fearless* Courageous"!

It has to do with the youth theme for the year, Joshua 1:9, which can be seen here.

I was able to do last year's theme & logo, iBelieve, and thought it couldn't be topped,

but I'm really liking this year's a lot.

Our stake camp won't be until August, but we unveiled the theme & logo at Saturday's YW dinner & broadcast. I can't wait until camp this year! I'm in charge of crafts again and I have so many ideas, I'm about to pop.

Easter Bunny Peeps Free Download

Go over to my design blog where I've posted another free download for you:

printable bunny peeps!

Wonders In Wonderland

Do you ever find yourself starting a project you think will be quick and easy, then you get more and more into it and it ends up being a project spanning days instead of hours as you originally had thought?
I do. More often than not. I blame the creative part of me for that.

A few days ago, I thought to myself, I want to create some free downloads i.e. notecards, icons, etc. based on the movie Alice In Wonderland coming out this weekend. It'll be simple~ just some cute images of keyholes & teacups and away we go. It'll be fun.

This is what I ended up with.

"{Alice} Wonders In Wonderland"

by anelieze

I think I'm ready to watch the movie on Friday. Are you? =}

Art By Anelieze

I found these artworks in my closet while I was organizing over the weekend.

They brought back so many memories of art classes & how much I enjoy tangible art such as painting, watercolor, pastels, and graphite.

It inspired me to start doing that again

and to get away from the computer once in a while!

Diner Girl

circa 2004

Watercolor on paper

Approx. 8 in. by 10 in.

Ballet Slipper

circa 2004

White chalk on black velvet paper

Approx. 16 in. by 20 in.

Self-Portrait With Eiffel Tower

circa 2005

Black charcoal on paper

Approx. 18 in. by 24 in.

Sweet Wishes For You + Cupcake Download

{Click on the cupcake & save to your computer for personal use!}

xo Anelieze & Franco

New Header + First Ever Blog Poll!

I designed a new header yesterday. Pretty?

I've been thinking lately of changing my blog address to reflect me, anelieze, a little better because let's be honest~ this blog is mostly about moi. =}

I'll put it up to a vote: please let me know what you think on the poll to the right!
Poll ends Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at midnight. Thanks!! 
*Update: Well, I guess the website I used for the poll went berserk, so I ended it early. Thanks to all who voted! I'll think about it and let you know what I decide shortly.

Design Bug: Love Heart Download

I have the design bug! I've been designing non-stop all week.

I thought I'd share a little bit with you!

Valentine's Day is coming up in a couple of weeks.

Have you planned anything yet?

I'm hoping I can get a few couples together & cook a fancy dinner.

Or maybe just stay in and watch a movie.

You can get a head-start and print out some notecards for your loved ones.

I hope you like them!

Happy Weekend!

Download "Love Heart" Notecards + Labels

"Be Strong" Print

This year's theme for the Young Women's program at my church
is the scripture Joshua 1:9,

as stated above. I designed this print for fun,

and thought to make it available for anyone else to download.

I'll be printing some out to give them to my Young Women during class this Sunday.

It's our challenge to memorize it,

and, throughout the year, to live it.

So feel free to download it, or pass it on!

Download "Be Strong" Print

My Photography "Secrets"

*First off, a big, humble thank you to you for your compliments on my photos.
You make me happy! :) *

On to this highly anticipated post...
{catch my sarcasm?}
I am not a photographer.

I have never taken a photography class

and I don't have a fancy camera.

{Though I wish I could afford one!}

However, sometimes I feel like I may have the eye of a photographer.

For example, before I took this picture:

I saw the light coming through the trees and I remember thinking,

"I have to take a picture. This is such great light."

What normal person thinks that?

So, my first photography "secret," for lack of a better word, is:

1. Look for the light.

Sounds cheesy, but without proper lighting, a picture just doesn't come out right.

Chances are, no matter what your subject matter,

the picture will turn out great if it's lighted well.

2. Know your camera.

I have a regular digital camera that Franco and I received

as a generous wedding present in June of 2007.
It's old in technology age.

In photographer terms, my camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX 12 7.2 MP blah blah blah.

{It is not worth the $300 Amazon is asking for it, though...

plus I looked it up at Costco where our friends

bought it and it cost about $170 in 2007.}

Anyways, where I'm getting at is that even with a relatively normal or sub-normal camera,

if you read your camera's instruction manual as I did,

you can then adjust ISO limits, white balance, zoom, megapixels, flash, etcetera, according to what you're trying to photograph.
Mine also has a "Scene" option where I can choose from dozens of possible subjects like: landscape, beach, baby, portrait, night portrait, candlelight, party, sports, and then the camera adjusts everything for me. Piece of photography cake.

3. Photoshop.

I said I've never taken a photography class,

but I have edited thousands and thousands of photographs

in the last six years since I studied graphic design.
I am a graphic artist--
therefore, I know and love photoshop.

I know how to manipulate images very well.

I recently found actions--
which some photographers swear by while others regard them as
"cheating" but come on, if you're like me and can't afford tuition to Brooks Institute and /or ten thousand dollar camera equipment,
yeah, I'm going to use actions.

{Explanation of what actions are and some actions I use found here.}
If you do not have Photoshop, use your already-installed software such as Windows Photo Gallery {for Vista}, or even Powerpoint can do lots of things.
~OR~
use

4. Picnik.com.

Yes, this is probably my best kept "secret" though it really shouldn't be.

Easy, breezy, picnik.com.

It's a whole new world and it's F-R-E-E.
And addicting.

5. Take lots of pictures.

This may seem like a "well, duh" type of "secret" but what I do is just take lots of pictures. We all have 1-or 2-Gigger memory cards able to store an average of 700 photographs, right? You may even have a 4-Gigger or larger. Either way, you have plenty of room to snap hundreds of pictures.
The beautiful part is: you can delete the ones you don't want.
Simple.

I am an artist.
I don't mean that in a gloating or conceited way,
but as the result of a process of elimination because I know what I am not.
I appreciate art in any form.
I dabble in many art forms and hope to dabble much further
into the photography department in the near future...
probably not until my husband is a doctor
and can buy me a Nikon,
but until then, I'll do the best I can with what I have.

In summary:
1. Look for the light.
2.Know your camera.
Use 3. Photoshop and/or
4. Picnik.com.
And
5. Take lots of pictures.
Go crazy because you can.

Oh, and another tip:
check out real photography websites, portfolios, and blogs for
their tips and tricks and real photography secrets.
Don't take my word for it;
like I said,
I'm no photographer.
;)

Some of my fave Photographers:
A Little Sussy
Brenda Manookin
Gideon Photography
Jose Villa
Jessica Claire
Phase4Photography
Ash Photography

Sites for inspiration:
The Cherry Blossom Girl
Oh Happy Day
Creature Comforts
Rockstar Diaries

and a shameless plug for my design website...
Acastrejondesign
=}

Happy photographing!
So did you learn anything??

New Moon Birthday Party

I promise this is the last post with "New Moon" in the title.

This weekend was a blur.

Last Friday, the day New Moon came out,

I had to be really careful to not read/see/hear anything about New Moon

because I had to wait until 4:30 pm on Saturday to watch it.

Let me tell ya: it was really hard.

It was everywhere!

But I managed, and so went in to see it with a mostly fresh perspective.

Two things:

1. I LOVED IT.

and

2. I AM DEFINITELY SEEING IT AGAIN.

Friday afternoon & Saturday morning were spent getting everything ready.

My sister Ruth, my friend Susie, and my hubby Franco helped SO much.

I am so grateful.

I was elated that so many people went to see the movie with me!

We reserved a whole row at the movie theater.

And because it was a matinee showing,

the theater wasn't too full.

It was perfect.

Thanks to all who came! You made my day!

Pri & me

Bry, Kels, Me & Franco

Then, it was on to dinner & festivities at our apartment.

I'm very happy at how it turned out:

The decor included:

red roses, tons of candles, branches with hanging quotes from New Moon, black, green and white tablecloths, and New Moon posters.

The food:

I had to make labels for the drinks~

I didn't have too much time to design them,

so I went with simple and named them the first thing that came into my head:

Vampire Elixir & Alpha Wolf.

{cheesy, huh?}

Haha!

The elixir was some red strawberry drink and the wolf drink was apple juice.

I had to have caramel apples and

for the main course: ravioli, salad, and rolls.

My favorite quote from New Moon.

On to my absolute favorite part of the whole party:

Bella's cake!

My friend Susie

{who left a little early so I didn't get a picture of her :( }

decorated this AMAZING cake with buttercream frosting & fondant.

I couldn't be any happier with how it turned out!

Franco & Me

Jenea gave me Twilight Scene It, so of course we had to play it!

Hayley & I were on a team and we won!

My mom saw the movie, too, and though she's not the biggest fan,

she realized she's a Team Jacob!

She likes his long hair.

I had to invite my beehives, too. Sarah, Maddy, and my sis Ruth.

We're showing off our bracelets~

which were the favors~

either a Jacob or Edward.

Edward's had a crystal heart and Jacob's had a wooden wolf.

I am both.

{I was almost leaning more towards Jacob...}

Mayra, Me & Jonathan

Jenea, Me, and Ela

What a night!

This night was not about New Moon.

It was about family, friends, & fun.

What more could you ask for in life?

New Moon T-Shirt Transfer Images

Okay, I've had lots of questions on how I made our New Moon premiere shirts.

I stayed up until 2 am on Monday making them because

I didn't want them to look like everyone else's shirts!

I already had three white shirts, two of them were new,

but the one I wore was a little old so the transfer got warped. =(

So I would recommend making it on a new shirt to prevent it from happening.

Here are the images I designed:

You can print them onto iron-on transfer paper and make your own t-shirt. The instructions are on the PDFs.

Hope they get some good use. =)

{Christmas present, anyone?}

Note: You may need to download the latest Free Adobe Reader Software here.
Or, if you're having trouble, please email me and I'll email them to you.
anniezparis@hotmail.com
Thanks for your patience.
I'm still new at this "PDF Sharing thing."

Download Edward T-Shirt PDF

Download Jacob T-Shirt PDF

Feel free to pass it on!

And enjoy the movie! Woo hoo!

Evening Of Excellence Invitations

These pictures aren't the best,

but I had fun making these

Evening of Excellence invitations for

the young women at my church.

Supplies:

Glassine Favor Packets from Michael's

Sticker Paper from Staples {LOVE that stuff}

Jelly Beans {colors of the YW values}

Gold chocolates {for Virtue, the newest value}

I designed the invitation and printed it out on sticker paper.

Cut out each rectangle and stuck it on the envelope.

Filled it with Jelly Beans &chocolates.

Passed them out at church yesterday.

Sweet.