Ciera Design

Now Accepting Sponsors for June

Ciera — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:00:07 +0000

Sponsoring with Ciera Design is a great way to promote your business or blog to readers who love design, photography and creative outlets. I’m using Passionfruit so sponsoring is super easy! Take a look at my sponsor info page and snatch one up before they are gone! Sponsoring Ciera Design not only means that you get to advertise your business to my lovely readers, but it also means that you’re supporting me in creating what you see here on the blog!

Giveaway: Custom Photo Book

Ciera — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:00:43 +0000

Hey guys! I’m so excited to share this giveaway from Shutterfly today! One lucky reader will win a 20 page hardcover 8 x 8 photo book!

Photo books are a great way to cherish and preserve your memories. Whether it’s a wedding photo album, a baby memory book, a family or travel photo album, Shutterfly has a professionally bound photo book that’s perfect for you. Their one-of-a-kind, high-quality custom books make wonderful gifts for special occasions, but they’re also a great way to keep your favorite memories close, and provide a great option for digital scrapbooking.

With Father’s Day coming up, this would make a great gift for dad! And an added bonus: new customers get 50 free prints when you sign up for Shutterfly! Did I mention that signing up is free!?

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: I’m trying out Rafflecopter to track entries so you can login below through Facebook OR your email and it will allow you to enter multiple ways!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note that your entry will be removed if you do not complete it correctly.

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Featured on: Pinegate Road and Show & Tell

Ciera — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:00:10 +0000

I’m so excited to share that I was featured on TWO awesome blogs yesterday! Pinegate Road and Show & Tell, both blogs of fellow graphic designers!

On Pinegate Road you can read about where I find inspiration and what gets me jazzed. On Show & Tell I share some advice on getting started in the design and blogging world!

In addition to that, I’m giving away a medium sponsor spot over on Bubby and Bean AND I have an awesome giveaway coming up tomorrow so be sure to check back for that! What an exciting start to the week!

Managing an Active and Healthy Online Life

Ciera — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:19 +0000

One of my 30 before 30 goals was to spend less time online. This has proven to be much harder than expected! I have been struggling for a balance. I want to stay connected and inspired without getting totally overwhelmed. While trying to grow my blog and get myself out there in the design world, I feel like it is hard to get away from my computer. I am constantly looking to make new connections, and well, that involves a lot of online time!

There is a fine line between being productive online and getting sucked into the procrastination circle of the internet. Everyday I struggle with this, as I’m sure some of you do as well. So to try and create a better balance, I have come up with a few tips to having a fun, active online world without having it take over your life.

Make a list

I am huge on planning and list making so of course that is going to be my first suggestion. Make a to-do list of your top online priorities each day so you don’t get distracted.

Schedule

Come up with a realistic schedule of the time you need online daily. When that time is up then move on! I like to check all my social media while I drink my coffee in the morning. But if you know that starting your day online is only going to lead to major procrastination, save that until the end of the day. Setting your email to only check every hour also helps to minimize wasted time.

Just Say No

If you are using social media to procrastinate, just say no! You should use it for the reasons on your list and then get outta there!

Do it for you

Don’t feel the need to prove yourself. You know that you’re having a busy day but don’t need to update your networks each time you send an email. Share the inspiring and important parts of your day, when you publish a blog post, list an item to your Etsy shop or receive a new piece of artwork that you ordered!

Weed out the negative

Hide or unfollow people and blogs that are negative or make you feel jealous or frustrated, for whatever the reason may be. This is a good way to keep your online world positive. If you are not sure, opt out of these blogs for a few days and see how you feel.

Interact

Interact with people instead of just following. I love being able to connect with all types of people all over the world, that is what excites me about social media. Trust me, most people out there would love to have a little twitter convo or go back and forth for a while on Facebook! Leaving comments on a blog is also a great way to connect. It lets the author know the time they devote to their content is appreciated.

It’s not an easy balance and I have to concentrate on these approaches daily. I hope that these tips can help you to create a fulfilling online space with out getting stuck in an online procrastination loop! If you have any other advice or comments, please share!

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Blog Love [Friday Favorites]

Ciera — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:52:24 +0000

Today is a special edition of Friday Favorites because I’m sharing a few of my favorite blogs! My google reader has gotten a little out of control lately but these are the blogs that I never skim over. They all have amazing content and are passionate about what they do!

Skunkboy Creatures » Katie makes a living sewing the cutest plush animals. She hopes to always leave people feeling inspired and encouraged when they pop by her corner of the internet. Oh, and her adorable little girls make an appearance every once in a while too! Handmade, Fashion, Vintage, Hair Tutorials, Music

SillyGrrl » Sarah is a web designer & aerialist living in metro-Detroit. On SillyGrrl she shares her adventures as a circus performer (how cool is that?!), design inspiration and web design & blogging advice. Blogging, Circus, Design, DIY Projects, Detroit, Recipes

Sincerely, Kinsey » Kinsey is an awesome photographer, works at Red Velvet Art, and is a DIY contributor for A Beautiful Mess. She loves sharing her favorite parts of every day life on her blog. Photography, DIY, Fashion, Current Obsessions

Emmadime » Emma is a graphic designer, paper shop owner, knitter and blogger and she rocks them all! Emma shares all of her inspirations on her blog and feels it has become an extension of her creative career. Design, Food and Drink, Inspiration, Home and Interiors

Life as an Artistpreneur » Becka is an artist, photographer and writer. On her blog, she chronicles the ups and downs of life as a creative business owner. This is a lifestyle blog focused on inspiration for young creatives, digging deeper into issues that we all face while being self employed. Business Life, Coffee Cup Chats, Family Life, Inspiring Quotes

Bubby and Bean » Melissa is a Chicago-based sustainable fashion designer and illustrator. Her blog focuses on what she likes to call “all the wonderful things.” fashion, home decor, travel, music, photography

Now I’m not gonna tell you TOO much about them because I want you to go check them out for yourself. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Now it’s your turn… not like I need anymore blogs to add to my reader, but what are some of your favorites?

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Say Hello… [May]

Ciera — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:26 +0000

I’m so happy to introduce you guys to my sponsors this month! I absolutely adore all of their blogs and shops and highly recommend taking a minute to click around and pay them a visit!

Blog // Twitter // Portfolio // Ciera Loves >> Here We Go: Time Saving Techniques

Hello! I’m Allison and am a designer/blogger living in Columbus Ohio. When I’m not freelance designing, I’m blogging over at Show + Tell where I discuss blogging tips, photography, post reviews and host photography challenges! Be sure to stop by!

Blog // Paper Shop // Vintage Shop // Ciera Loves >> DIY: Moss Toadstool Wreath

Hi, friends! My name is Elizabeth and I run two Etsy shops as well as a little blog called Please Note where I share my favorite recipes and DIYs. I hope you’ll stop by and say hello!

Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> DIY: Flowerchild Fest Headdress

Hi, I’m Jasmine. My blog, Sequin Crush, is a blog about my personal style and my fashion crush’s of the moment. I never think less is more when it comes to fashion, especially accessories! I hope to inspire others to explore their inner sequin crush and find as much love in fashion as I do.

Blog // Portfolio // Flickr // Ciera Loves >> Time Trap

Zander is a Boston based photographer with an eye forged from the likes of Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, and Josef Koudelka.

Blog // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> Darling Clementines

Daily Foodles is a project by designer and illustrator Megan Pendergrass documenting through illustrations and typography something or everything she eats in a day. Daily Foodles is a merging of food love and a passion for drawing/doodling/creating.

>> Want to take part in this post next month? Click HERE for details! And don’t forget that you can become a sponsor at any time, you don’t have to wait til a new month! >> Awesome giveaway coming up next week so be sure to check back for that!

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Peachy Keen

Ciera — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:11 +0000

Happy Monday! I love how soft and dreamy these images are. They make me think of a sunny daze. Hope y’all had a great weekend and that your week is peachy keen!

Vintage Peach Beauty // Dress

Edge Painted Business Cards [Friday Favorites]

Ciera — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’ve been thinking about getting some new business cards just because I like the look of these edge painted cards so much. I have been seeing this technique around a lot lately, here are a few of my favorites.

Moo.com has even come out with a new Luxe business card, with a rich seam of color running through the paper (not the same technique as edge painting, but the same effect). If you follow this Moo link you get 10% off your first order!

Photos click through to their sources. This post is not sponsored by Moo, I just really like their products.

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Mother’s Day Card Freebie

Ciera — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Mother’s Day is only a few days away so I wanted to share this freebie with you guys in case you are still looking for a card! I’m trying to branch out a little in my design style so I hope y’all enjoy this whimsical, hand lettered design!

More Mother’s Day Freebies: Bee Card and Wine a Month Gift Printable

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Our Carolina Avenue Home

Ciera — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:00:01 +0000

We’ve been living in our second Boston apartment for about nine months now and it’s better than I imagined it would be! I realized that it is never going to be complete or as perfect as I would like for sharing photos so I decided to just go for it!

I love our sun-filled windows, back deck and space for both Zander and I to have an office… yep, a totally different story than our last mini apartment.

I really like the black & white and green color scheme we accidentally got going on the shelf below, including a Ramones album that my uncle gave Zander.

We finally got our Ork posters framed (we have New Orleans & Boston) and they look great in the living room!

The fact that we have a dining room is pretty amazing, even though we only seem to use it for playing ring hook!

I like having plants around but was sure to get low maintenance ones like succulents and air plants because I can’t seem to remember to water plants.

You can see some photos of my office here and I’ll be sharing some details from other rooms soon! Hope you enjoyed this little mini tour of our Jamaica Plain apartment!

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A NOLA Recap

Ciera — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:44:45 +0000

Well, it took me a little longer than expected to recover from my trip home to New Orleans, but I’m back with a little recap of the trip!

My BFFs wedding, second lines, pool side, best friends, daiquiris, relaxing by the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, the best weather I have ever felt for a New Orleans April, Jazz Fest, snowballs, po-boys, Rebirth Brass Band, family time, crawfish boils, casino… oh yea, and I broke my toe, so I was doing most of this while limping around! I was not going to let a fractured pinky toe get in my way of having fun in New Orleans! When I write it all out I can see why I am still so exhausted!

And a new month brings a new lovely group of sponsors, so check them out over in my sidebar!

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Festing

Ciera — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:00:29 +0000

Happy Friday! I’ll be at Jazz Fest, today, Saturday and Sunday, sooo excited! Hope everyone has a great weekend! What do you have planned?

Photo by Zander White of My Morning Jacket Live at Jazz Fest 2010 at the Gentilly Stage in New Orleans, LA.

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Now Accepting Sponsors for May

Ciera — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’ve got some fun posts planned for May and I’d be thrilled to help you promote your blog, small business, vintage store, band or Etsy shop to my readers during the month!

If you’re interested in finding out more about how to become a sponsor and all the benefits which come along with sponsorship, click over to my advertising page. With my new sponsor system your ad will run for 30 days from whenever you purchase (if space is available) or will automatically start when a space opens up! If you need more info or have questions, please feel free to contact me!

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What I Wore // Leopard Print and Crochet

Ciera — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:10:00 +0000

Happy Monday, hope you guys had a great weekend! I had a crazy few days full of wedding festivities for one of my best friends. So while I recover from my overwhelming weekend, today I’m sharing an outfit that I wore a few weeks back out to dinner with friends. The tunic sweater is so soft and comfortable and I LOVE the detail of the back! It is just perfect for when there is still a little chill in the air. These are my go-to jeans, I pretty much wear them with everything. The ring was my grandmothers, it is a little big on my finger but I wear it anyways… because I love it.

Shirt – Abeille NOLA // Jeans – Citizens of Humanity (similar) // Shoes – Abeille NOLA // Ring – Vintage from my grandma // Bracelets – Vintage and H&M // Earrings – Hemline (present from my sis)

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Etsy Favorite – Parrish House Photos

Ciera — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:49 +0000

These photographs from Lisa of Parrish House Photos make me want to live at the beach! Lisa shared, that in the past, she had always shied away from color photography, but boy am I glad she got over that! These color images are just gorgeous!

I have a deep love of teal, aqua and turquoise so you’ll find a lot of that reflected in my work. I’ve also spent a lot of time in southern California and you can see that influence in the sun-drenched feel of much of my recent work. – Lisa

Lisa does all of her own fine art printing on a velvet matte paper that creates prints with amazing tonal detail. Parrish House Photos is offering 30% off to Ciera Design readers when you use discount code “PHP30″ at her Esty shop! Visit Parrish House Photos on Etsy and Facebook for more of Lisa’s beautiful work!

Home Again, Home Again

Ciera — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’m back in New Orleans for 13 days! My best friend is getting married and then I’ll be attending the first weekend of Jazz Fest (my favorite thing in the whole world, see why here and here). Sooo, that said, I have actually scheduled some posts (yay for planning ahead). If you don’t hear too much from me in the comments, it’s because I’m partying it up in NOLA, and I’ll respond when I return to Boston!

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Exploring the Weekend Away

Ciera — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:49:40 +0000

It was a long weekend for me since the Boston Marathon was yesterday. Zander, along with most of the city had off of work, so we totally look advantage! We had an amazing weekend of wandering the Charles River & Harvard Square, cooking & eating awesome meals, drinking beer & mojitos and sleeping late. How was your weekend?

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Say Hello… [April]

Ciera — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:00:39 +0000

A new month and a new group of fabulous sponsors! Take a couple of minutes to click on the links below so you can see for yourself how wonderful these guys are!

Website // Facebook // Twitter // Tumblr // Ciera Loves >> Before and After

The Creole Cottage is an upcycled home goods boutique specializing in recycling old home furnishings and turning them into new treasures for your home, second home or small business. Located on Magazine Street in New Orleans open Wednesday through Friday from 12-5, or by appointment.

Blog // Twitter // Pinterest // Ciera Loves >> Foto Friday: Sweet Hoot Before & After

Jen Whitfield makes art, writes words and lives life. Then she blogs about it on Whitfield Awesome. Check out her three regular features – Obsession Confession Sunday, Touché Tuesday Advice Column and Foto Friday - interspersed with drawings, paintings, DIYs and such.

Blog // Shop // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> Project: Blogging Buddies

Hello there! My name’s Nat and I’m a bit of a font fanatic, dessert foodie, and bookworm. My blog focuses on my interests: inspiration, design and my daily doings.

Blog // Portfolio // Etsy // Ciera Loves >> Creating A Workspace

Hi! I’m Erin, aka “eef”. I’m a 20-something, freelance artist and graphic designer who enjoys webdesign, drawing silly comics, taking photos, and doing crafty things. EEF Etcetera is my personal blog where I house stories about my travels, free graphics, and my adventures in crafting. Grab a cup of coffee and stop by!

Blog // Twitter // Goodreads // Ciera Loves >> Would You Rather

Hi there! I’m Alycia and I live in California with my husband and dogs Monty and Mabel. I’m a huge bookworm and I love patio gardening. I like to blog about life, crafts, and inspirations from around the web. Come by and say hi!

Blog // Twitter // Facebook // Ciera Loves >> What’s In My Bag

Hi, I’m Bex, a 22 year old mum of one from a leafy village in the UK. I blog about a little bit of everything – food, beauty buys, all with a helping of life as a first time mum.

Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> Print Party

I am edgy but sweet, vintage yet modern, unconventional yet composed. I never think less is more when it comes to fashion, especially accessories! Sequin Crush is a blog about my personal style and my fashion crush’s of the moment. I hope to inspire others to explore their inner sequin crush and find as much love in fashion as I do. -Jasmine

Blog // Flickr // Ciera Loves >> Homemade Cold-Brew Iced Coffee

Zander is a photo-journalistic chap with an eye forged from the likes of Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, and Josef Koudelka.

Blog // Twitter // Ciera Loves >> Megan’s Beet illustration

Want to take part in this post next month? Ciera Design is now accepting sponsors for May! Click HERE for details!

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Happy Accidents

Ciera — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:00:09 +0000

Mod Cloth’s new look book is all about happy accidents. I think it is such a fun concept and great execution of the idea!

You can check out the whole story and style book here.

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Interviewed On Eef Etc

Ciera — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Erin is starting a new series on her blog where she interviews other designers and has them share their experiences and advice. I am so honored to be her first interview! Head over and check it out!