Proud to announce.. CCH new Logo!

Happy Holidays to all!! I just wanted to put up a quick blog giving recognition to my friend and colleague, Cristina Calvet-Harrold of CCH Marketing. We have been working together for a few years now on everything from full branding campaigns to brochures, pr events, etc. Currently she is trusting me to re-brand her company. And I just wanted to reveal the new logo! Website and more to come by first of the year!

Playground Magazine! Scratch & Sniff??

As I mentioned in a previous blog. I am now a contributing Art Director to PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE! This is super exciting for me, and I am having so much fun! Don't get me wrong, I love all of the business I do here at The 2u Collection. But those of you who know me, know that I like to mix things up a bit as not to become creatively stale! And working with the ladies at PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE has not only been a blast, but collaberating with the ladies has really juiced me up creatively. I won't drone on, except to say..

CHECK OUT THE HOLIDAY ISSUE OF PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE ! This issue has a special holiday treat, Scratch and Sniff the Cover, it smells like Candy Canes.. FOR REAL! It was fun for all of us to try out this new innovative printing technique.

Below are a few of my favorite spreads from this issue I created! Enjoy, and be sure to subscribe for your quarterly copy. SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Country Elegance!

I have been waiting to blog this for so long. This project was really great for me, because it was not only for a special bride, but a fellow colleague. Jennifer Kurzig of Central Florida Bride Magazine. Her wedding was just this past weekend. The weather was beautiful, and since the festivites were outside I'm sure she is please with the outcome.

Jennifer came to me in January, so excited about her wedding, and excited about working with me. I was equally excited, we had worked together off and on for different things for Central Florida Bride Magazine. I was eager to get going, since this would be a much more personal project for us both.




She envisioned Brown and Cranberry and wanted something that was Cowboy, Country Elegance. She wanted to add flair to a casual comfortable event. So this is what we did. We started with the invitation and then created, menus, thank yous, escort cards and table numbers. Using Espresso Brown Textured Paper, with ivory Classic Crest accents, we created some really amazing stuff. In addition, Wooden Numbers & Clothspins, Cranberry Raffia, and rooster accents the mood was set. And as you can see by the wonderful photography from Jeff Hawkins, I have not done the wedding justice with this blog. Look out to see it in more detail in a featured wedding in Central Florida Bride Magazine.

(Studio Images photographed by Liga Photography)






(Event Images photographed by Jeff Hawkins)

Playground Magazine!

I am so excited to announce that here at The 2u Collection we have become contributors to Playground Magazine. I have been working furiously with Heather Reneau and Chrissy Allen to get the Winter 09 issue out. Thank Goodness Apple invented Ichat. Heather and I have been Video chatting, audio chatting, text chatting and even sharing screens! It has been a whirl wind month! And we've had lots of fun. And let me tell you we've even seen each other looking scary before coffee and a toothbrush! As you can tell by the picture above.. The night before the magazine goes to print is really a push, and appearance has no priority!! :) And Heather wants to stab herself sometimes too!


To all the ladies I've been working with at Playground, I am having so much fun — and am so excited to being a contributing Art Director. The issue comes out next week.. And there are all kinds of amazing things happening to and in this issue. I'm not going to give anything away. You'll have to wait and see. Be sure to Pick it up and check it out!

Printing on Fabric! Oh Yeah!

Okay so most of you who know me will not be surprised by this blog entry.. I get excited over paper.. This is common knowledge. Now.. I also get excited by Fabric!! :) I just figured out how to print on Silk with my equipment!! YES!.. How exciting.. Here is an example of an invitation concept I just presented. Where I printed on silk and created these beautiful scroll invitations.. I hope you like., Some of the details are as follows: Silk scroll in a bed of pink silk- mailed in a gold linen box. I used Gold textured Parchment Paper, and taupe Marble parchment paper for the accent pieces. Also an interesting detail.. A Metal Seal embellishment.

P.S. Sorry I've been away so long.. It's been a crazy and happy wedding season!

The Secret is Reveled!!

I am so glad to finally reveal this secret!! It's been in the works since May and I'm so glad that I have finally gotten the okay to share this with all of you. For a few years now, I have had the great pleasure to work with Miss Susan Southerland of Just Marry. She is my hero!! I can't believe how many hats she wears. She has a million things going all, all successfull and she is always on the go! Some of you may know her through Perfect Wedding Guide, some of you may know her as the amazing wedding coordinator she is. Her company Just Marry, is how we met. I've been doing design work for her for the last several years and you've probably seen me blog about her a time or 2. (See previous posts 1 and 2). She has been a great supporter of me and all the work I do here at The 2u Collection!

I have also had the pleasure of working with Susan and Kristy Chenell on Susan's latest venture. The Susan Southerland Secret! I don't want to reveal too much but I got the okay to share the logo and the character illustrations we've developed here at The 2u Collection. But knowing these two ladies, it will be a huge success and their are some great unexpected things right around the corner! And I thank them for trusting the look of the company and the characters that will represent it to us here at The 2u Collection. I want to also thank Matt Fuller and Heather Campbell- they are both part of the illustration team here at The 2u Collection. We all had our hands in this and we all had a hand in the development of the characters below! This was hours of hard work, and I know we are all proud of how they turned out. And thank you again for Susan and Kristy for trusting us with their vision!

Introducing the logo:


The Savvy Bride:

The Functional Bride:
The Bewildered Bride:
The Visionary Bride:

The Liga District!

I am so excited to give you this sneak peek! Abby Liga of Liga Photography decided it was time to further promote the portrait and seniors side of her business. And since I've handled the brand for the wedding side, she asked me to create the brand for the Portrait and Senior Side. My biggest challenge was that I wanted to make sure that both sides belonged to Abby and her personality and her work! Enter The Liga District, and new tag that speaks of both sides of the liga photography studios. I am still working on developing Brochures, Cards, Promos, etc. But a special thanks to one of Abby's former brides, Megan of M Squared Creative for helping us out with the tag line and copy for the District Brochure & Website. Oh and New name of the Blog!! See Blog Logo Below!


Blog Logo



Brochure Cover

Ad- for Seniors Campaign



Stay tuned for the launch of the new portrait site Next week!

Solutions Bridal Saturday.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a video master.. This is the best I could do on my little Flip.. Stoner, your job is safe!


This weekend I got to participate in something really special. Abby Liga of Liga Photography and I spent Saturday at Solutions Bridal. Abby and I brought champagne for the brides, along with some of my Custom Invitations to share, and Abby's amazing talent. Abby spent the day documenting brides finding "the dress". It was a great day.. Everyone was so happy, and just seeing the special moments between friends, mothers, and daughters was touching in itself. Not to mention we were surrounded by some of the most gorgeous dresses!

I took some video above of various parts of the day, keep in mind, I'm an Invitation Designer. Video is whole different ball game! :)

Thanks to all the wonderful ladies at Solutions, Abby Liga and all the amazing brides that I got meet and share in this special day.

To View Abby's Blog on the Day- Click here

All New Monogram Stationery!!

New from Paper Couture... Monogram Stationery!!
To shop http://bit.ly/14yPY9

This one has been in my brain for a long time!! We have just been so busy, it's hard to get everything created!! Thanks to Christine, a 2u intern, we are now able to offer these amazing, stylish Stationery!!





This couture Monogram Stationery will be the envy all all who receives your stylish correspondence. Each set comes with 20 piece of stationery 5.5 x 8.5, and 20 Matching A-2 Envelopes in a stylish stationery box, ribbon tied!

Choose from any 4 designs, Order the Letter of your choice.

Design 1: Blue Frill Script, printed on Ice White Metallic
Paper, featuring Rounded Corners and a Light Blue
Metallic Envelope.

Design 2: Green Modern Script, printed on Classic Crest
Bright White Matte Paper, featuring Rounded
Corners and a Chartreuse Matte Envelope

Design 3: Eggplant Circles Serif, printed on Ice White
Metallic Paper, featuring Rounded Corners and a
Eggplant Metallic Envelope.

Design 4: Green Brady Modern Serif, printed on Classic
Crest Bright White Matte Paper, featuring Rounded
Corners and a Chartreuse Matte Envelope.

Pamper Yourself!! A Great Success!!

VIEW A SLIDESHOW OF LAST NIGHT'S EVENT!

Last night's event was a great success!! Thanks to all who contributed, and all who came to support us.. Vitality Wellness Day Spa was an amazing venue, plus they offered Hand & Arm Exfoliation and Massages along with Chair massages!! It was Great! Thanks Christy.. Lee Forrest of Lee Forrest Design of course created some Dazzling Floral, of which I had no doubt. His work is incredible! Kevin Moore of Moore Fine Foods was on hand to feed all of our guest some of his best gourmet creations! And one of my most favorite people, Anna from Anna Cakes sent our guest home with some of her fabulous cupcakes! P.S. They are not fattening at all, and I didn't hide a box just to make sure I got some! :) And of course, thanks to one of my dearest and bestest friends in the whole wide world, Abby Liga of Liga Photography who of course is always fun to co-host with! Make sure you check out the slideshow and thank you all again!!

Paper Couture Stationery Give Away! OneWed.com

OneWed.com is having a contest!! The Prize.. Paper Couture by 2u Creations!! You heard us mention our Limited Edition Stationery Line before!! It's catching on... Unique Stationery creations to keep your loved ones close!!

Enter the Contest & Win!

For those of you who don't win, and are bummed, don't be.. Check out our boutique!!!

Arthur’s Catering presents the “Chef’s Open House”….

This weekend I was asked to participate in a Bridal Tasting at Arthur's Catering! It was fun and I met some great brides who are deep in planning their weddings!! Abby Liga of Liga Photography also participated, and the great slideshow of the event below is courtesty of her!! Check it out! And thanks Arthur's for including us both!

Arthur’s Catering presents the “Chef’s Open House”….

Summer of Recognition! Part II

This really is the summer of recognition! It's almost been 3 years since I started The 2u Collection and it truly has been a labor of love! Sometimes it's extremely discouraging starting something from scratch and other times it's so rewarding I couldn't think of doing anything else! As I mentioned in the last post, alot of this year has been discouraging. Navigating a new business through a BAD BAD economy can be trying. However, it makes me feel so good that in the last few months I have been recognized by my peers quite a bit!! So thank you to all, and Cheers to all the hard work and loyal clients, colleagues and family members who have been through trial that come with starting a business!!

That brings me to...drum roll please!! Another exciting Magazine Feature. And this time instead of a wedding or I participated in or advertising campaign I have created. This is solely on The 2u Collection Custom Creations and Paper Couture our limited edition stationery line!!

You can find this article in the summer issue of Ines del Mar Weddings Magazine!!

Summer of Recognition!

I am so excited for all the things happening right now! It's been a rough start of the year with the economy and people everywhere cutting back. This is why it means so much to me that some of my fellow colleagues have gone out of their way to recognize me and all the hard work I put in here at The 2u Collection. Anyone who knows me knows that I do this because I not only love it but it is a part of me, like breathing. Without this creative outlet, you might just find me in a corner somewhere talking to my self :) Anyway.. Enough of that.. Check out some of the blogs I've been mentioned on this summer!!



In My Shoes by Lisa Konency of E-Events Design
If you haven't read this blog, by all means add it to your list.. She is stylish, innovative and I hope one day that work I do is admired as hers is.



Savvy Scoop-OneWed's Bridal Blog
Another Blog I love to check out! Lots of information about every aspect weddings, from the engagment to the wedding hangover.




Tickled Pink Brides-
Written by Brittany Sobering of Tinkled Pink! Wedding & Event Planning.. She give great tips on not only how to plan your wedding, but how to be unique and give it a flare just your own.

I hope you enjoy checking these blogs out!!

Playground Magazine's Most Wanted!

I am excited to share that we made the summer issue of Playground Magazine!! Not only do I love the ladies over there, but I feel that Playground Magazine is great Publication. It showcases the hippest and stylish moms's and families, and proves that in today's busy world Mom's & Dad's can have it all! This summer's issue they did a feature on Fun Creative Birthday Parties for your child. Now this is the exciting Part: The 2u Collection made the "Most Wanted List"! Check out page 58, to see 6 creative companies guaranteed to take your party to the next level!

Thank you to all the ladies at Playground!

Be sure to check it out! View an online version of the Magazine.

Vote for us for Best Blog!!

Love this blog?? Support us by voting on WeddingChannel.com Vote Here!

Click the link above and make a blog post sharing what you think of The 2u Collection Blog!

Congrats to my Dear Friend!

Just wanted to give a quick congrats to my good friend and client Abby Liga. She launched her newly re-designed website recently. I know all the love and hard work that goes into this, having just recently done a re-design myself. I just wanted to say great job Abby, it looks fantastic!

Visit the new site.

Wedding Impressions a Bridal Showcase

"WEDDING IMPRESSIONS" Bridal Show from Jeffrey Stoner on Vimeo.

Video courtesy of Jeffrey Stoner Video

Last Month I was asked to not only provide the invitations for, but also participate in a unique, intimate Bridal Showcase. Of course I said yes! It was a great opportunity to meet brides and discuss one on one with them the details about their wedding.. The event was held at The Estate House at Cypress Grove and was produced and hosted by Michele Butler of Michele Butler Events and Curt and Stephanie from nu visions in photography.

Check out the video above to see clips from the amazing event! Pictures of the invitations I created still to come!

The Importance of Branding & Advertising- PART II

To Read Part I, click here.

First let me apologize, I should have had this posted a few weeks ago. I got wrapped up in producing some exciting invitations! Now on to the issue at hand!

Part II- How to Get Started with Your Brand Development. In Part I, I blogged about why it is important to brand your company, now I want to discuss the question my clients, colleagues and friends seem to always want to know: HOW DO I GET STARTED. I am going to outline and discuss the steps I think are important in developing your company brand.

1. Research, Development & Creating a Plan: This is very important and lays the foundation for all of the following steps. Not only will it help you more easily develop your brand, it will build a strong foundation of principles and philosophies that will guide your company as it grows.

• Research- Look around. Research other companies: Who (as a company) do you aspire to be? Look at your successful colleagues. How do they market their companies? What about them causes you to seek them out? What is your competition doing? Speak to colleagues, both in your industry and outside of it, explain what you are trying to do, and get their feedback. As small business owners, we should all have colleagues/companies we aspire to be like. This helps us grow as individuals and businesses. It helps us approach our business with fresh eyes and new perspective. The hardest thing in my opinion about owning a business is stepping back; when you are too close to something it can be hard to see what's right in front of you.
  
  Be careful here; I am not in any way suggesting you copy your competition or fellow colleagues. You want your company to be unique and individual in its marketing and branding, but sometimes seeing how someone else approaches something will cause that genius idea to fall loose in your own mind.
  
  
• Development- Now that you have done some research it is time to dive into the development of your company. Ask yourself the following questions and write down your answers; this will help you further organize and grow your business structure and will also help you later when you sit down with a designer/studio.
  
  Who are you as a company? Who do you want to be? What do you want for your business's future? What makes your company unique in comparison to the competition? Who is your market/customer base? What's the SINGLE most important message you want your potential customers/clients to understand about your company and its services from the first moment?
  Do you have colors, shapes, etc. in mind when you think of your company message?
  
  
• Create a Plan- Now that you have a better idea of who you are and where you want to go, answer these questions.
  
  What is your Budget? I know this is tricky... but be realistic. When considering this question, keep in mind: "You DO get what you pay for." That goes for Design & Marketing Services, as with anything else. You have to pay for experience and knowledge. If you are serious about your brand development, you should pay for the experience and knowledge of a professional who will get you results.
  
  What is the scope? What does your company need? Consider the following: Company Tag Line, Logo & Stationery Design, Website, Collateral (brochures, newsletters, direct mail, postcards, etc), Advertising (print and internet), Press Kits or Presentation Packets for Publications and Potential or New Clients, Blog, E-Marketing, Trade Marking, etc. These are some suggestions of things you will need in order to successfully reinforce your brand.

2. Finding a Designer. Freelance vs. Small Design Studio: Now that you have a plan and a clear idea of what you are as a company and what you want to put out there, you need a designer or small design firm to get started on brand development. All of your answers to the questions in Step 1 will help you now because any knowledgeable and experienced Designer/firm will need them to properly develop your brand!

I'm going to give you some standard rates and some standard pros and cons to hiring a Freelancer vs. a Small Design Studio or Agency. To move forward and have your brand developed you're going to need a Graphic Designer. A lot of small businesses chose to use freelance graphic designers to save money. I have been a freelance designer, worked for a small firm/agency, and now own my own design studio, so I can provide perspectives from all sides.

• Freelance Graphic Designer, Writers and Marketing Professional- You can get a talented freelancer that can concept and design anything you need. The standard rates are $50-$85 per hour. This is dependent on the experience and talent of said designer. And most freelancers will work with you on their rate if you do more than one project with them. This can be the most affordable way for small business to create and develop a cohesive brand. The downside to this is that it's difficult to find a designer who has the experience and skills to help you with writing, strategy, marketing and design, and art direction. There are designers out there who are very talented and can do all of those things, but they are rare, and usually you will end up having to find freelance writers and marketing/PR professionals to work with the designer so that you can effectively complete everything involved. This can get expensive because each of these freelancers will have their own hourly rate. The other downside to this is you may end up with a group that hasn't worked together a lot which may add time to you projects and result in conflicting messages in your brand.
  
  
• Small Design Studio/Firm- Often this is the route that makes most sense, because small design firms have a network of writers, strategists and marketing/PR professionals that they can call on and work with on a regular basis. The rates can be anywhere from $75-150/per hour. But again, most design firms will work with you on price if you are doing multiple projects with them. I have even given package project prices at significantly discounted hourly rates to both save my clients money, and ensure I have a contract for a few projects. The benefit to using a small firm that is you have a team that has worked together on many projects and each have their own expertise, which will often make your brand campaign more effective. It's hard for a designer/artist to effectively create strategy and write copy all while trying to create a look and design. So when you take this route, you have a team that will be top notch in each area instead of one person trying to do it all.

Don't choose the first person/firm you come across, but look at many firms to find the one that is right for you. Your designers, writers and marketing/pr professionals should be genuinely interested in your company, should want you to succeed, and should not just treat you like another job on their list. Follow your gut, and most of all beware of the artist with the large DIVA EGO... (I'm designer, I'm allowed to say it... a lot of us tend to become divas.) Make sure your team recognizes it's all about creating a brand campaign that works and fulfills its goal, not just creating art to create art. Don't get me wrong, it should look great and be extremely creative and even edgy.. BUT IT SHOULD ALWAYS PUT MESSAGE FIRST!

4. Work Closely with your Team Creating Artwork: Now that you have found and chosen an artist or team, trust them to do what they are good at. Take their recommendations and think them through. Remember, they have a fresh, objective perspective on your business. You may not always agree, and you may override their recommendations sometimes, which is okay. Just remember that this is their area of expertise, and they are professionals with experience and knowledge in this area. This is your company, however, so if you are ever opposed to a design or idea, speak your mind. But also remember you may be too close and might need to step back to fully consider their recommendation. Any professional designer or firm will find a compromise if you are completely opposed to something.

5. Practice What you Preach: Once you develop your brand and start putting your message out there, make sure that you practice what you preach. Your company must deliver on what it puts out there: Nothing works against your brand more than not delivering on what you're selling.

Thanks for reading!

It's Here!!!

After lots of hardwork, tears and sweat.. The newly designed 2u Collection Website is up and running!!! Much Props to Heather for all her hardwork in taking our brand to the next level.. It was a collaborative effort!! Phew... time to get some sleep!!

VISIT IT NOW!