the pixel boutique :: web & print design in tucson, arizona

free father’s day printable: pennant banner

By Nicole · Comments (0) · May 22nd, 2013

Father’s Day is mere weeks away (on June 16th) and I’ve got some fun ideas for you to celebrate dad. Make him feel special with these free and low cost products from yours truly.

Its all about watercolors, with a coordinating greeting card, pennant banner and framable photo overlay.

Watercolor Father’s Day Card

First up, check out the 5×7 photo greeting card in my Snapfish shop. What’s better than a personalized, easy to create card for just $2.50? Yep…not much.

Free Father’s Day Printable Pennant Banner

And now for the free stuff! Add some fun decor to your living room, dining room or dad’s man cave with this fun (and free!) printable pennant banner.

Here’s a more detailed view…

I’ve designed it such that you can personalize to your taste. Maybe try…

“We ♥ Our Daddy”

“We ♥ Our Dad”

“We ♥ Dad”

“♥ U Dad”

You get the idea. Simply download the zip file below and follow a few simple steps:

Download the ZIP file and extract the PNG files.
Print out the desired letters on your favorite 8 1/2×11 card stock (note there is only one “D”, so print out multiple copies to spell “DAD” or “DADDY”. There is also a blank flag to add your own personal touch or for spacing.)
OPTIONAL: Don’t like the blue or want a different color for each pennant? Follow the directions on this post (bottom portion) on changing the color of a PNG image.
Cut out each flag following the faint grey outline around the graphic.
Tape, staple or glue each piece on a ribbon or yarn.
Hang to display and enjoy!

Father’s Day Photo Overlay

Need a last minute gift for dad? Create a meaningful and easy to assemble photo gift with this photo overlay. For $3, an 8×10 frame, and a few quick steps, you’re ready for dad’s special day.

Photo Overlay Instructions:

Purchase the PNG file.
In a photo editor, like Photoshop Elements or Pixlr.com, open the PNG file on a layer. Make sure its not a background layer. (If you need a little help, check out this video tutorial on how to work with an overlay in Pixlr.com. Start at 1:20. In the video, I refer to a banner for a particular blog theme, but its the same process…you’ll get the idea!)
Choose a photo with enough resolution for an 8×10 print (you will know its too small if you have to enlarge it when you place it into the overlay file…try to avoid that!)
Put the photo on a layer and move it below the overlay layer. Position the image within the opening/mask of the overlay layer.
Print out the final graphic, trim at the crop marks, frame and enjoy!

Enjoy…and Happy Father’s Day, dads!

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new blog design: through michelle’s lens

By Nicole · Comments (0) · May 13th, 2013

A couple of months ago, Michelle from Wondertime Photography contacted me about redesigning her blog. Another Tucsonan, Michelle specializes in children and lifestyle photography, from maternity and newborn to high school…and everything in between. I was thrilled when I met Michelle because I was in desperate need of some portraits/head shots. But more on that later. Back to Michelle’s new blog!

Michelle has been blogging on Typepad for quite some time (since 2007!) and has quite a wealth of content. But she wanted a new look that didn’t scream “TYPEPAD!”. Here’s the new blog design we came up with…

Wondertime Photography Blog Design

The goal was to coordinate the blog with her beautiful website, but at the same time, give it its own flair and personality.

Wondertime Photography Blog Design - "Welcome Box"

Wondertime Photography Blog Design - Post Title

Wondertime Photography Blog Design - Header

Michelle also offers tutorials on capturing the best images of your children and family with practical tips. And if you’re overdue on some family portraits, check out her portfolio…it speaks for itself!

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photography bloggers: prophoto 4 for sale

By Nicole · Comments (0) · May 3rd, 2013

prophoto

If you’re a photographer and a blogger, you’ve no doubt come across Prophoto. If not, its an excellent WordPress template for your photography business. Its easy to use but very powerful and customizable.

Prophoto theme

Prophoto theme images via prophoto.com

The lastest version is ProPhoto 4. And if you’re in the market, I have a licensed copy to sell. Why, you ask? Well, you may remember a while back I was working on creating custom designs specifically for the ProPhoto theme. That never really panned out time wise, so I checked with the nice folks at ProPhoto and they told me I can transfer my license to someone else. Since then, I havent had a client in need of a photo theme so I’m opening it up to you, my readers.

So here’s the deal. If you’d like to purchase my totally legal, kosher, transferable and legit license of ProPhoto 4 for $150 (normally $199), email me. First come first serve. Once its gone, this post will self-destruct.

If you want to learn more about ProPhoto and all that it has to offer, here are more details. Its a theme I highly recommend!

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have a grad? tell the world.

By Nicole · Comments (0) · April 30th, 2013

Graduation fever is in the air. Grads all around the country are gearing up to enter a whole new chapter of life. But first its time for grads (and lets be honest…the parents!) to let the world know the good news. Check out some fresh new graduation announcements…

For Her

For Him (or Her!)

snapfish graduation announcements boy

Lots of different designs and sizes available. Go check them out at Snapfish.com!

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new design: oats granola blog

By Nicole · Comments (1) · April 26th, 2013

Julie and Dana are the founders of OATS Granola. OATS was created two years ago with a mission to revolutionize the way people think about granola.

The vision behind the Oats Granola blog was to inspire readers to join the adventure as these two foodies share recipes and ideas. Strong graphics, bright colors and simple navigation was used to convey the feeling of an exciting and fun journey.

oats-granola-post-title

The site was built on WordPress using the Builder theme.

You can follow Oats Granola on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

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well hellooooooo

By Nicole · Comments (1) · April 24th, 2013

Holy goodness.

Its been eleven million years since I last posted. Im still alive. Just been crazy busy.

Doing what, you ask? Glad you asked, cause I’m about to tell you.

We had Spring break for two weeks. One day we visited the Pima Air & Space Museum with our friend. Fun place, especially for boys.

Pima Air & Space Museum

We have 4 birthdays in one month’s time, just in our immediate family.

birthdays

Tax season. Need I say more? And if you’re a small business owner that means a whole lot of catch up paperwork. Like my filing technique?

Taxes

I saw Wicked the Musical with Metropolitan Mama while it was in town with Broadway In Tucson. I can’t recommend it enough. There are still plenty of shows to catch. You wont be disappointed!

Wicked the Musical

We had a couple of medical issues to deal with in our immediate and extended family. Good news is everyone is doing just fine. But our Youngest one has a little surgery coming up this Summer to do some reconstruction on the Finger. You can read the whole back story here.

The Finger

I’ve been reading Quitter*, by Jon Acuff. I got a copy last year at Blissdom, but finally picked it up a few nights ago. Great. read.

Quitter by Jon Acuff

So, been a little busy. Not to mention still working on a bunch of fun projects. More on that tomorrow. But here’s a sneak peak of just one of the cards I recently designed…

More soon, my friends. Pinky swear.

*This is an affiliate link.

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spring premade blog theme: in bloom

By Nicole · Comments (0) · March 13th, 2013

Hello Spring. I’m glad you’re here.

spring premade blog theme: in bloom

To celebrate this colorful time of year, here’s a happy new premade theme. Included are all the necessary graphic elements to make your blog cheery and bright…

Banner Design (customized with your blog title and tagline)
Square Badge
SocialMedia Set
Sidebar Titles
Seamless Background Pattern (where applicable)
Color Palette & Font Details

Check out all the details here.

I provide detailed instructions and resources on all of my premade themes to get your blog beautified, whatever platform or template you’re using.

See In Bloom and my other themes in my Shop.

Here’s to Spring!

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eshakti: spring fashions made for me {coupon code}

By Nicole · Comments (0) · March 12th, 2013

The more I learn about this company, the better I like it.

The vision and concept of eShakti.com is simple. Affordably priced, tailored clothing. All pieces are made to order with your measurements and specification on things like sleeve type, skirt length, etc.

eShakti

Ordering is easy. Simply take the measurements that are needed for the pieces you pick out (it helps to have a measuring buddy…) and enter them on the very user friendly website. Before you know it, your tailored piece shows up at your doorstep. They offer sizes 0-36W as well as options to remove or include embroidery, pockets or other embellishments on all of their products.

And Spring…its in the air. Can’t you just feel it? There are some adorable looks for Spring at eShakti…

eShakti Dress

eShakti dress 2

eShakti Floral cut-out cotton skirt

eShakti Heart and soul cotton top

eShakti Vintage denim chambray dress eShakti Leaf print tipped trim frock

Here’s what I picked out for myself…the Elizabeth dress:

eShakti Elizabeth dress

It fits absolutely perfectly and will be just right for a wedding later on this summer.

If you havent discovered eShakti, check it out. And what better way to do it than with a coupon code. From now until March 25th, just enter THEPXELBTQ60 for a $25 discount. You’re welcome.

In exchange for this sponsored post, I was compensated with store credit to spend on merchandise. All opinions, as always, are %100 my own.

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downeast basics blogger mixer: spring is nearing

By Nicole · Comments (1) · February 21st, 2013

It was fun to see the bright and cheery colors of Spring at the DownEast Basics Blogger Mixer at the Tucson Mall this week.

And its hard to believe that swimsuit season is just around the corner (note to self: run an extra mile today)…

I picked out a few fun things…this knit jacket was only $14! That’s what I love about DownEast. They have amazing sales. I’ve already worn it once. Its fun and flattering.

I can’t wait to wear this spring cotton dress. Its so cheery and comfy. It would be great to pair with a long sleeve top underneath too (a hint from Emily, the sweet manager at the Tucson store).

If you havent visited DownEast Basics yet, you can go online and find some great deals. If you’re in Tucson, head over to the Tucson Mall and check out what they’ve got in store for you this Spring. And dont miss out on the chance to enter to win a $500 Spring Style sweeps on Pinterest! Enter by March 5. See below…more details can be found here.