I haven’t done a blog post since November last year! *Hangs head in shame* But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I have been idle! I have done an enormous amount of work in that time frame, including celebrating Christmas and keeping the family on track! To see all my latest design work you can view my Facebook Portfolio.
This is just a few lines to let you know I haven’t forgotten about my blog … and I think I will initiate a new years resolution to make sure I get one out a week at least!
I have a few exciting things on the design plate currently, and I can’t wait to share it with you! Also, keep an eye on my Facebook page. I have had a germ of an idea for a brilliant competition (I do love a good comp) when my FB business page reaches 500 likers! (I’m thrilled to let you all know that out of that very nearlly 500 people only 151 of them are my FB friends!
And really quick at the end, I saw on Smart Blog for Social Media that Facebook Business Pages are set to change to the same time line view that we now have on our profiles?? So once I have done a bit more research about this I shall share my perspective of this with you, and what this will mean for you own Facebook business page. This is rumored to change on the 29th of Feb, but I will keep you posted.
Firstly I would like to take this opportunity to give my heart felt thanks to Project Floors for sending me some FREE wine! Now, you may ask yourself, why did they give you free wine? And that would be a very good question. Who are Project Floors and why did they send me wine?
Project Floors are a company who have recently started their Facebook business page and found a very effective way of spreading the word to ‘like’ their page without it seems breaking any Facebook Terms and Conditions. Very very crafty indeed. What they did was spread the seed that the first 1000 people to like their Facebook book page and email Dan from Project Floors would receive a FREE bottle of wine! To be honest my naturally suspicious mind made me hesitant to turn over my address details to an unknown entity, but after doing a bit of research to the legitimacy of the wine claim and the company I relented to lure of free alcohol and emailed him.
Word of the free wine spread like wild fire through Facebook, it seems it really does make the world a smaller place, and I noticed many of my friends from all walks of life also claiming their free wine and passing the word on, to their friends, and their friends and on and on until now they have 1,022 likers. An amazing achievement since I started my page only a year ago and am still sitting on 430ish (not complaining, I love every single one of you!)
Most of you who know Facebook, know there are many rules and regulations of what you can and can’t do when promoting your Facebook Business Page, so I have to commend Project Floors on a Social Media Campaign well run! And since they have kept me well bribed with my liquid gold I’m going to give them 25% off if they want to hire me to create them a fancy new logo to align with their company moto ‘The up-to-date company’.
And this leads me to their second part of their ploy to keep their likers coming back for more .. most creative placement of their business card! Well, my first thought was to place it in my cleavage, but erh .. well it’s not exactly the best public image to present, and also in my haste to remove the wine from it’s casing I accidentally ripped it heh. So yes, this is part of my creative placement. On the interwebs, my blog and on my very own beloved Facebook Business Page!
So, if you are in the market for some new flooring, please go check out their website, and perhaps even like their business page on Facebook!
This is the logo I designed for MUMSreview. The development of this logo actually led me to design the new look and feel of this website! One of the original versions included my little Babushka Dolls. I knew as soon as I had created them that I felt that they were suppose to be mine, but I still let Deb from MUMSreview see them first, and I have to say I was elated that she said, although she liked them, they weren’t quite what she was looking for. I told her how relieved I was to hear that since I wanted to keep them for myself. I suppose that also tells you how far behind I have gotten with my blogging! Naughty Emily. I promise to make a better effort at keeping up.
Below is just a tiny bit of the development that went in to the creation. As you can see it made quite a jump from where I started to where it ended up.
About MUMSreview
MUMSreview provides companies the opportunity to get their products trialed by members who will in turn provide a review which can be read by any member of the public.
In doing so we are raising awareness of many different products out there and providing an honest opinion on just how good those products are.
It is not all about obtaining products to trial, but also for members to place their own experiences with different products so that we hopefully end up with a wide range of products that hopefully will encourage other Mums to go out and purchase, knowing that they are buying what is right for them.
You can find out how you can become a member on their website MUMSreview, you can also go show them a little love by ‘liking’ them on Facebook and keep up to-date with all the latest reviews on their blog.
Well, I am the first to admit I have been rather busy recently. Being a Work from home Mum means I don’t get a lot of time left over, and when I do, I have to use it wisely which means my poor old blog seems to get neglected. This post has been sitting in my drafts since June!
Since time is of the essence, and I have several more logos to show you to bring me up to date I shall just keep this short and sweet. I really love the way this logo has turned out, and I am also pleased to announce that this is another logo of mine that has received it’s registered Trade Mark. (Ponders .. perhaps I should do that for mine heh)
Posh Britches is the brain child of Sacha, who wants to bring comfortable but attractive underwear to Mamma’s post C-Section. Having had a c/s with my twin girls I can assure you there is a serious lack of supportive sexy underwear! You can find out more about Posh Britches on their Facebook page.
To celebrate that advent of 1000 ‘likers’ on Facebook I have decided, since I am also launching my new look website to have a wee bit of an extravaganza! I will award one lucky Facebook ‘liker’ with an amazing business identity package.
The winner will receive ONE Basic Logo Package worth $99, Letterhead and Business Card design Package worth $90 and a massive Social Media Package worth $200. This is all you need to completely transform the face of your business! But don’t forget you have to be a liker of Designem on Facebook to be eligible!
To Enter email me using my contact from with the subject ’Facebook Competition′. Once we hit 1000 likers I will advise of the shut off time.
For an extra chance to win, you can tag yourself in one of the 1000 Liker Extravaganza photos on the Designem Facebook Business page.
You can check out my new Pricing Plan Page for a full list of my Services.
1) This competition is open to fans/likers of Designem on Facebook, who are over 18 (Parents can claim prize on behalf of any child under this age)
2) Entry into the competition is only by emailing me using my contact from.
3) By entering the competition, you are acknowledging that this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to Designem and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for picking a winner and notifying them.
4) Once Designem on Facebook has reached 1000 ‘likers’, there will be an extra 2 days opportunity to get emails sent to allow time for the newest likers to enter. The time of the impending draw will be published before the 2 days begins.
5) The winner will be chosen at random using my son … he draw a name from the hat again, since he was so good at it last time I will video this again and post it here
6) Winner will be notified by email as soon as possible following the draw, once contact has been made I will announce the winner in Facebook.
Well, I sort of ran in a brick wall as far as coming up with a new design. I was running around in circles so I decided to take a step back from it and do a couple of side things. Which, I am surprised to announce worked! And within a day I had come up with a design concept, which I LOVE. I sooo want to reveal it, but their is a bigger part of me that wants to keep it under wraps. Today I am starting the html version, before I convert it to a WordPress theme so instead I will leave you with a bit more of the research I have done and the vector image of myself that has spun the concept.
The main idea is to keep it as clean and simple as possible so my portfolio pieces will pop, but at the same time showcase my ability and keep that essential me.
Oh and before I sign off for today another part of the new design came from an concept I did for a client. I knew as soon as I designed it I knew I WANTED it, and had a little battle inside myself before I sent it off. Lucky for me although she said she loved it, it wasn’t what she was looking for. MWHAH which means I can keep it for myself (and back to the drawing board for that design heh).
Introducing the new logo for Birth Power. This is a special one because the lovely people who I have designed it for purchased my skills though Charity Auctions for the Christchurch Earthquake 2011 that raised in total almost 11 thousand dollars!
The team at Birth Power were very specific with their client brief, which made creating their new logo reasonably easy. It always help to know what direction to take a design in, and I am quite happy with the result of this one.
Birth Power offer quality Childbirth Education classes to expectant parents and also run an on-line shop, they have four children themselves so have used most of the products they sell.
I also whipped them up a facebook Avatar.
You can join them on Facebook! Go on, go ‘like’ them and let them know I sent you!
Just a quicky, every one has been sick here so need to get back in the frey. I introduced this logo on Facebook back last week so here it is.
You can visit them on Facebook or at their blog. NZWAHP Showcase is a place for Work from Home Parents in NZ to advertise their products, services via their blog posts and web updates.
Phew … thats about all I have energy for today!
I was asked to do a guest blog post at The Mummy Diaries and well, lets face it, who doesn’t like talking about themselves Check it out on their site and read what other Mum’s have to say!
Here’s my blog post below though (complete with pictures – as they didn’t make it as fas as their website some how. )
WAHM versus the WORLD
So, I just got asked to write a guest post for ‘The Mummy Diaries’ and I jumped at the chance to hop up on my soap box. Lucky for me it’s big enough to also house my three kids, five year old Captain Chaos and 19 month old twin terrors the Trouble Monsters. I am a graphic designer with degree in Design and Multimedia, earned before my babies were even dreamed of and I work from home running my own little design house ‘Designem’.
If anyone ever said that working from home while your children were small is easy then I’d say they probably haven’t tried it. Every now and again I have considered day-care, or even a Nanny, but alas we have never quite been in a position to afford it. So instead we muddle along the best we can, and so far as long as I don’t really want to much time to myself it seems to be working.
The biggest most valuable bit of information I could dish out to anyone else is also the thing I struggle the most with ‘Time management’. So I have this
and if nothing else it IS rather colourful. Honestly though, I couldn’t live without it … because I find if I don’t write it down (in my diary rather than random bits of paper) then it’s lost …
which is hardly surprising when surrounded by so much mess. But that is another post for another day (Attention Deficit versus the World perhaps?)
A new thingy that I have implemented to stay on task (and also to make sure I don’t get overly focused on a project to find out hours later that I have accomplished NOT much and wasted a LONG time, is the Pomodoro Technique (also found on Facebook).
In short, this technique uses a kitchen timer (I actually went out and brought myself a tomato the same as their logo) set to 25 minutes, some paper – pen etc, a goal, and just like that you are all set. For some reason the 25 minute mark is the perfect time to get stuff done in. It guarantees you take adequate breaks (five minutes for every Pomodoro – with a longer break once every four Pomodoros (4x25mins), which in turn helps you stay focused. And if like me you often charge at an hourly rate it can also help you track how much time you spend on a project, and what has been accomplished in that time frame.
A think I have implemented in to my daily schedule is “Kid time” I had a little panic a few weeks back that when my babies are grown all they will remember is Mummy sat in the office attached to her laptop, and this is certainly not a legacy that I want to pass on to them. The distracted Mummy who doesn’t hear their cry’s (insert sad face) so instead I have blocked out time for them (fluorescent green in colour). That and actually leaving the house with them in the morning, and since I am already on the school run for Captain Chaos it’s not actually that hard. So we now have two playgroups and swimming during the week (which the LOVE), a day for coffee groups and a ‘free day’ to hang out at home, or go shopping or whatever.
This way I can get them home, fed, changed and bed all before 12pm. Which also means I get my own lunch in peace (half an hour of blessed peace where I can eat my lunch and read my book) before I have to sit my butt back at my computer and start work. Here between 12.30pm and 2.20pm I can do my best to as constructive with my time as possible and get some work done! Before getting the girls up, changed and rush back to the school for CC. Am I boring you yet? I hope not because my day is only just half done.
After schools are CHAOS, and my son the Captain of it. His school teacher suspects ADD (apple doesn’t fall far from the tree me thinks) so I do my best to get him out of his uniform, afternoon tea and home work as quick as possible before Sponge Bob starts at 3.30pm and the witching hour sets in. If I can manage to do all that then all three kids will play nicely, if it drags on then world war three/four/five usually ensues.
Now I have to say, bed time in house keeps getting earlier and earlier. Tonight was 6pm, which is saying something since before school started it was 7.30pm. OH my finely tuned 9.30am wakers are well in truly broken, but I can’t say I don’t mind the rewards of it being 7.17pm, having worked successfully for the last 60 odd minutes and having had them in all in bed by 6.
One thing I always do with CC is read to him at night. Currently we are reading “Matilda” by Roald Dahl, he doesn’t always have the patience for it, but I think the exercise of sitting still and listening is really starting to pay off. We are over half way through, and at the weekend I caught him flicking to the end to ensure a happy ending (which he deducted WAS indeed happy since Matilda and Ms Honey hugging). He is really enjoying this time we spend together, without his sister and without the stress of homework and the witching hour. Next I think I will read him The Twits, or maybe the BFG. I loving that he wants more than “The cat sat on the mat”.
But no, just in case you think my day ends there you are very much mistaken! There is washing and dishes to be done, a man to talk to and spend time with, and then after that a couple more hours of multitasking between WORK and catching up on my favourite television shows and my 35 minute stint on the Cross Trainer! No wonder I fall in to bed at 11pm and am generally unconscious until the following day.
But would I swap my life? Do less work? Hire a Nanny? Yeah, probably not! (The only thing I could really do with would be a house keeper LOL)
I will video this again and post it here 
The main idea is to keep it as clean and simple as possible so my portfolio pieces will pop, but at the same time showcase my ability and keep that essential me.
Oh and before I sign off for today another part of the new design came from an concept I did for a client. I knew as soon as I designed it I knew I WANTED it, and had a little battle inside myself before I sent it off. Lucky for me although she said she loved it, it wasn’t what she was looking for. MWHAH which means I can keep it for myself (and back to the drawing board for that design heh).
The team at 
You can join them on 
You can visit them on 
If anyone ever said that working from home while your children were small is easy then I’d say they probably haven’t tried it. Every now and again I have considered day-care, or even a Nanny, but alas we have never quite been in a position to afford it. So instead we muddle along the best we can, and so far as long as I don’t really want to much time to myself it seems to be working.
The biggest most valuable bit of information I could dish out to anyone else is also the thing I struggle the most with ‘Time management’. So I have this
and if nothing else it IS rather colourful. Honestly though, I couldn’t live without it … because I find if I don’t write it down (in my diary rather than random bits of paper) then it’s lost …
which is hardly surprising when surrounded by so much mess. But that is another post for another day (Attention Deficit versus the World perhaps?)
A new thingy that I have implemented to stay on task (and also to make sure I don’t get overly focused on a project to find out hours later that I have accomplished NOT much and wasted a LONG time, is the 
In short, this technique uses a kitchen timer (I actually went out and brought myself a tomato the same as their logo) set to 25 minutes, some paper – pen etc, a goal, and just like that you are all set. For some reason the 25 minute mark is the perfect time to get stuff done in. It guarantees you take adequate breaks (five minutes for every Pomodoro – with a longer break once every four Pomodoros (4x25mins), which in turn helps you stay focused. And if like me you often charge at an hourly rate it can also help you track how much time you spend on a project, and what has been accomplished in that time frame.
A think I have implemented in to my daily schedule is “Kid time” I had a little panic a few weeks back that when my babies are grown all they will remember is Mummy sat in the office attached to her laptop, and this is certainly not a legacy that I want to pass on to them. The distracted Mummy who doesn’t hear their cry’s (insert sad face) so instead I have blocked out time for them (fluorescent green in colour). That and actually leaving the house with them in the morning, and since I am already on the school run for Captain Chaos it’s not actually that hard. So we now have two playgroups and swimming during the week (which the LOVE), a day for coffee groups and a ‘free day’ to hang out at home, or go shopping or whatever.
This way I can get them home, fed, changed and bed all before 12pm. Which also means I get my own lunch in peace (half an hour of blessed peace where I can eat my lunch and read my book) before I have to sit my butt back at my computer and start work. Here between 12.30pm and 2.20pm I can do my best to as constructive with my time as possible and get some work done! Before getting the girls up, changed and rush back to the school for CC. Am I boring you yet? I hope not because my day is only just half done.
After schools are CHAOS, and my son the Captain of it. His school teacher suspects ADD (apple doesn’t fall far from the tree me thinks) so I do my best to get him out of his uniform, afternoon tea and home work as quick as possible before Sponge Bob starts at 3.30pm and the witching hour sets in. If I can manage to do all that then all three kids will play nicely, if it drags on then world war three/four/five usually ensues.
Now I have to say, bed time in house keeps getting earlier and earlier. Tonight was 6pm, which is saying something since before school started it was 7.30pm. OH my finely tuned 9.30am wakers are well in truly broken, but I can’t say I don’t mind the rewards of it being 7.17pm, having worked successfully for the last 60 odd minutes and having had them in all in bed by 6.
One thing I always do with CC is read to him at night. Currently we are reading “Matilda” by Roald Dahl, he doesn’t always have the patience for it, but I think the exercise of sitting still and listening is really starting to pay off. We are over half way through, and at the weekend I caught him flicking to the end to ensure a happy ending (which he deducted WAS indeed happy since Matilda and Ms Honey hugging). He is really enjoying this time we spend together, without his sister and without the stress of homework and the witching hour. Next I think I will read him The Twits, or maybe the BFG. I loving that he wants more than “The cat sat on the mat”.
But no, just in case you think my day ends there you are very much mistaken! There is washing and dishes to be done, a man to talk to and spend time with, and then after that a couple more hours of multitasking between WORK and catching up on my favourite television shows and my 35 minute stint on the Cross Trainer! No wonder I fall in to bed at 11pm and am generally unconscious until the following day.
But would I swap my life? Do less work? Hire a Nanny? Yeah, probably not! (The only thing I could really do with would be a house keeper LOL)
Recent Comments