renee rodriguez designs

Cheers! To The Weekend!

A week of hard work has come to an end and at around 5ish I will twirl into my kitchen and treat myself to a little something pink in a lovely martini glass. The weather is perfection and I plan on stepping away from my laptop and just reeeelaaaax for a bit on my back porch.

Saturday mornings are my fav, I usually head out to my hot pink chair (are you surprised that its hot pink?) and enjoy a cup of coffee. While sitting and sipping,  I am going to "think" about painting a bookcase for my living room - I have the paint, brushes, drop cloth and all the other necessary materials for the job, but need to get beyond the "thinking about it" stage.  Ever have this problem?

Also, I plan on a trip to the Farmer's Market for fresh produce and flowers - maybe this will inspire me to paint.... 

Then on to check out a new little indie art shop in my neighborhood, I will snap a few pics and share them next week!

So, from me to you - enjoy the weekend and I hope you find a little time to just relax!

xo

 

 

Defining Glamour

According to the dictionary, the definition of the word glamour is: the attractive or exciting quality that makes certain people or things seem appealing or special. 

I have been thinking about how I look at things lately and asking myself; why does my eye always go to things that may be deemed glamourous? 

Why does my heart pound when I page through a design magazine? Why do I become giddy as I pour over the latest Vogue? Why do my palms sweat when I walk through the designer shoes (on my way to the sale rack)? Why does my eye always go to the glittering chandeliers, luxurious interiors and faraway places that I have yet to see?   

The funny thing is that I don't really want any of these things (well maybe one pair of Manolo's in this life time would be very fabulous)  I am very, very satisfied and don't "long" for these beautiful material "obsessions", but find they are my source of inspiration. I am a sucker for all things glittery and glamourous and not ashamed to admit it!

Here is to adding a little glamour to your Tuesday!

Linked to the inspired room - pop by and be inspired: click here

 

To Monday!

After a lovely, laid back weekend with my family, I feel energized and ready to face the week head on. 

 

There is so much on my to-do list as usual, but I am accomplishing many of my goals which is a wonderful feeling!  One of my big  goals is to organize my portfolio, which means pulling all my artwork out of the little blue folders on my desk top and putting it on my website - easier said than done!   (it is so safe in those little blue folders)

So what will I do with this portfolio? Well, I have decided to try and license my artwork, scary yes, but I am going to put myself "out there" and see what happens. My first goal is to present my work to a couple of agents who look interesting -  of course they get 1000's of submissions a year and pick about 2, but anything is possible - right?

My goal is to have a nice sampling of work on my site by the end of August and then send it off - keep your fingers crossed.

Have a beautiful, creative week!!!!

Have A Groovy Weekend

It is Friday at last...

and the week has come to and end.  Since I have a laid back weekend ahead, I thought my little groovy girl would be appropriate for today's post. 

As I was designing her I began to wonder if anyone uses the word groovy any more, I really love the word and I think it could be suitable for many occasions - the dictionary defines groovy as: "fashionable & exciting"! (hmmm.... what do you think?)

This girlie was inspired by a piece of vintage fabric (very fashionable and exciting) that I scanned and then pulled it into Illustrator to design her little dress - I think she is quite groovy - don't you?

xo

 

Olivia's Birthday Party Invitation

My little Olivia will be turning six in a couple of weeks and she wants to have her party at the Treehouse, a play space that has a giant tree house, slides, bouncy things, music, mayhem and more... Sounds perfect! The best part is that I don't have to clean up afterwards!

So here is a sneak peak of her invitation - there will be other party elements to be included and I will take plenty of pictures.

 

inspired reading! the inspired room
 

Life Is A Cabaret....

My new client is throwing a fabulous fifty year old birthday party and asked me to design the invitations. The party theme is based on the movie musical Cabaret with Liza Minnelli and Joel Gray - so I spent a little bit of time researching my subject matter and watched some of the dance numbers on YouTube and came up with design below.

 

This party is going to be the event of the season - a female impersonator is  flying in to perform Liza's role in Cabaret along with his back up dancers (the Kit Kat Girls). You are probably wondering why the "Cantina", well the guest of honor is of Mexican descent and wanted to blend in his heritage to the party theme. 

The invites will have a little sparkle added post printing and a large scale poster of our dancer will welcome guests as they arrive! They will be creating a little night club look inside the hall as well - too fun!

By the way, If you haven't had the opportunity to see this amazing movie, pop on over to YouTube, there are some wonderful musical numbers - one of my favorites is "Money" (be sure to put in Liza Minnelli in order to see the original musical numbers)
  

(I must get on this guest list!)

 
 
 

 

Meet Shannon & Carrie

I would like to introduce you to two fabulous ladies, Shannon & Carrie, of Emplume Moderne Couture Bouquets. Five years ago they started their creative business designing couture wedding bouquets from feathers, gems, ribbons and more. Their creations are absolutely stunning. 

About a year ago they asked me to help them with their brochure design and marketing plan, a mission I gladly accepted. We meet once a month at Emplume headquarters and discuss their fabulous business over delicious martinis and yummy treats. (tough job, but someone has to do it)

Now these lovely ladies really love my "girly girls" and asked if I would draw both of them for their custom stationery. How could I refuse? 

First I would like to introduce you to Shannon.

 

 She loves, loves, loves jewels, especially giant cocktail rings and wearing layers and layers of necklaces. Shannon has extremely good taste and an amazing creative mind. 

Now, on to my other fabulous friend Carrie, too darn cute for words. She has a swanky little walk is always pulled together with perfection. She too has an affection for jewels and is the other creative mastermind behind Emplume.
 

So now that you have met my lovely friends, you can see how gorgeous they look together on their beautiful new thank you notes. The will be printed on creamy stock and then embellished with a few swarovski crystals - I know shocking, right?

 

If you would like to take a look at their stunning bouquets visit their Emplume website here. In addition to bouquets, they design hair accessories, corsages, wrist corsages, shoe clips and much more.
   

Have A Fabulous Weekend

I don't have any big plans, just hanging out with my family, maybe having a few friends over for dinner and a movie.

Oh, and I will be working on a very fun new creative project; designing a birthday invitation with all the paper accoutrements to create a spectacular party. My client is Ella and she is turning one, she loves cupcakes and the colors yellow and pink. You can just imagine my delight! 

Wishing you a fabulous, fashionable and fun weekend!

xo

 

{lovely circus}

 

The carnival came to town this past weekend and Olivia was completely mesmerized with the entire operation. Thousands of questions about the rides, where do the carnies live, what is the difference between a circus and a carnival, how do you make cotton candy, why are the prizes so dirty, why can't I play just one more game.... 

 

In my mommy haze of repeated questioning during the course of the weekend, I began to imagine a circus, one where everything is lovely and fabulous.  Soft colors, twinkling costumes, graceful artists swinging on the trapeze... 

Honestly, I would love to spend the afternoon at such a lovely circus - wouldn't you? 

other lovely sites to visit this week: the inspired room, dipity road

 
 

{loving each day more...}

Somedays I look at what I need to accomplish and I feel a sense of dread, and think I just need to "make" it through the day, and today was one of those days - too much on my to do list!  As I sipped my second cup of coffee and stared down at my list (yes, just stared) I thought, you know, this is no way to face a perfectly fine day -  why it is actually sunny, the birds are singing and all is well on 7th Street. So,Why not try something different? Maybe instead of dreading my day ahead, how about loving my day instead?

So, dressed in one of my favorite outfits, I did a little twirl and faced my day with an open heart and mind. I smiled down at my list and forged ahead! 

 

tied up many loose ends....

 

I took control of my time....

 

which has left me time to do the things I love!

 

Here is to loving your day!

links for photos: blue magnolia