Well, here it is - The Contest!
Fictoris and I have been engaged for about a month and a half now. We wanted to do something creative, unique and something that no one else has. So here is your chance to win $100 to create a design that will go onto our wedding invites!
We aren’t going to give many details about ourselves beyond what is on our blogs as we want anyone who enters to not feel limited by us. So we want you to go nuts and make an invite! We will be giving away $100 dollars cash for the invite we pick. The deadline for entries is
May 25th, 2009 and we will pick the winner by
June 1st 2009.
Rules:- Send us a mock up right away, afterward we will ask for a high quality .psd or .pdf file.
- You do not have to put the information in. Just give us an idea of what it would look like.
- We have the right not to pick a winner.
- We will not use your design if we do not pick it.
- You need a PayPal account or something to that extent for us to give you the money.
I am really excited to see what everyone can come up with.
Send your entries to fictoris@gmail.com and we will get back to you soon. Make sure to Stumble this and tell any of your friends that are aspiring designers!
I have tempting words for you today...
Chocolate...Peanut Butter...Cupcakes! (imagine I said that in a Chairman voice from Iron Chef and you'll get the idea)
Oh yes you heard me: Chocolate brownie cupcakes with mini peanut butter cups.
I'm sure many of has have our versions of cupcakes stuffed with little candy pieces, but just stick with me. For me, nothing melts me better then chocolate and peanut butter coming together. Its pure perfection, horrendously heavenly, simply sublime...oh sweet, sweet synergized seduction! Enough alliteration, I give you these:
You'll be happy to know that these are super simple! Take your easy, pre-packaged brownie mix (I'm sorry for those of you the make homemade food, kudos to you). And get your mini-peanut butter cups. Lucky for me, these fun colored peanut butter cups were on sale because of Easter.
Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cups
What you'll need:Packaged brownie mix (I used Pillsbury double chocolate brownies)
Oil
Water
1 Egg
Mini peanut butter cups
Directions:Mix together your cake mixture, oil, water and your egg (follow the directions on the box). Fill your lined cupcake pan about half way of the mix. Jiggle it a little to get the bubbles out. Insert one (1) mini peanut butter cup per cupcake. Lightly cover the peanut butter cup with the remaining mixture.
Be careful not follow the timing that says on the box because chances are that time will be too long. I left mine in for about 20 minutes, but checked on them a couple of times with a toothpick. When the toothpick comes out clean, your cupcakes are done (just don't poke too far in because then you'll hit the peanut butter and it for sure will not come out clean). Let them sit for a few minutes, remove them from the pan and let them sit more to cool. I made 12 cupcakes with one box.
Ok so go wipe the drool away and go make them - you know you want to! Thanks for reading!
So this week was Spring Break for Fictoris and I. Our spring break consisted of working and cleaning! Woo! Can you believe that all those boxes, games, tubs, and other things came out of this 5'x3' closet?! Oh yeah you better believe it...then again it was stacked to the ceiling. Some of the things we are planning to donate; other things we simply threw out. The purpose behind these shenanigans? We bought a
new desk from Walmart that is going to replace this 1970's table we had when we moved in. In order to get the table out of the space, we had to clean the closet out to fit the table in! Anywho, here are some photos of our cleaning excursion:
Fun part: Fictoris was actually stuck between the door and the closet behind him!
Even more fun part: He had to pee!
On the upside of cleaning, we got a new desk...and because of this I got it in my head that I needed new, interesting pieces to "pull" things together.
The craving resulted in me purchasing two neat items from
O'Day Cache in Fargo...
...and a sweet, inexpensive, antique lamp from an antique store here in Valley City. Unfortunately, the lamp shade was ugly as sin so I had to throw it away. My next goal is to find a lamp shade that will work!
And, so that concludes my Spring Break/Spring Cleaning Excursions. I lead one hell of an exciting life :)
So I just spent about 3 hours working on these mock-ups. It really is amazing what I can figure out in our crappy version of Photoshop on the school laptops. I'm slowly learning though. Anyway, with a little patience (and some yanking of the hair) I came out with these...
Save the date #1:
This invite will be about 5"x5" in size. The photo will also be changed once we get our Engagement photos done. I also got this idea from
Magnet Street Weddings.
Save the date #2:
This one was thought up by
Fictoris. It will be about 6"x4" and again, the photo will be changed. The calendar will also be changed so it is easier to read/clearer.
Save the date #3
Lastly, of course the photo will be changed. This one is about 6.5"x6" big. These are
Fictoris' hands too!
Again, I did all of these in a very downgraded version of Photoshop and if I can do that, anyone can - trust me. Either way, I really do like them all but we will see when the actual engagement photos will be in.
I plan on printing these on uber thick cardstock, and then, possibly, laminated to make them even more durable. I also think I'm going to put a little magnet on the back of them so people can hang them up on their fridge or something. If we get copyright on our engagement photos, we're going to get them done at an office store because they can run sheets for about $1 which is A LOT cheaper than ordering them.
Also, we are planning a contest for designers to create a design that will go onto our formal invites. This will not only be unique but also another cheaper way (minus the prize to the winner) to have wedding invitations done. I am so desperately hoping to do this wedding on a small budget, but also make it a mix of one-of-a-kind, creative, relaxed and gorgeous. Wish me luck!
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
P.S.
Be prepared for numerous other wedding posts!
So last night, I got to thinking about what I could do to find a design for our wedding invitations that no one else would probably have. So I thought why not have a little
CONTEST?!
Fictoris and I are planning out the loose ends on a contest that would
hopefully give someone the chance to design a template or something that we could use for our wedding invitations. We have decided not to give too much details about ourselves/wedding, and want the artists to be as creative as possible without limitations. There WILL be a prize involved, something that we have yet to solidify, and also there will be recognition on the invite.
So if you or any of your friends are amazing at design work or even just beginners let them know! I will post an upcoming blog about the contest that will contain more detailed information! Please, please pass the word on and stay in touch! If you have any questions you can contact Fictoris or myself!
Remember to check back within the next week to see the full amount of information!
North Dakota and I have developed a love/hate relationship. I actually love living in North Dakota - at least I do now. When I was younger I always thought I was stuck here. However, now that I'm maturing, about to graduate college, engaged, looking for jobs and waiting to start a family (in 4-5+ years), North Dakota is MUCH more appealing. Find out why.
Why I hate North Dakota:- The white tundra!!
Fictoris took these this morning. The one you see above is right outside the door.
Yet another one of all the snow. The way to get an idea of how much snow it is, check out the Handicap sign...Yeah, Welcome to North Dakota.
Why I love North Dakota
- You can see the skies! How many of you have looked at a Harvest Moon? I have been to much larger cities and it is hard to notice anything in the sky but sky scrapers. Lets just say that the largest city I can see myself living in is Fargo, ND, and even that was pushing it for me.
- The smell of wheat and burning fields. I can't explain it; it's just yummy.
- Small towns and practically ghost towns. Passing through x amount of towns in a trip with 3 bars and no gas station is something I will always remember.
- Friendliness. EVERYONE is friendly and anywhere you go you will find someone that you know. The only people I can think of that are not friendly are the dumbass teens.
- Memories. I have endless memories in North Dakota: camping, Medora, living/growing up in the country (my neighbors were a good 1-2 acres away, not 20 feet away; and I had a HUGE backyard), mudding/4 wheeling, Pasture Parties, VCSU, meeting my fiance and many more to come.
I realize that a lot of these qualities are available in practically every state, but I love North Dakota. I have been to numerous states, but it always feels good to come home.
Have you ever Googled yourself for the hell of it? I do it every once in a while when I am bored. Because I have not fully "developed" myself on the web, I am listed 3 down on
Google. Before the actual ME pops up I have rather interesting alter-egos...
1. I am a very pretty Australian model, who was also Miss Universe Australia...yeah don't I wish!
Me? A model? Hahaha that is great...for the record I am a 5'5'' red head that wears average size jeans!
2. I am a contemporary painter and flamenco dancer...all in one! Yeah....right. I'm white and from North Dakota...I can barely two-step let alone become a flamenco dancer.
3. Finally, will the real Jana please stand up? (I'm SO sorry for using that!) You will find my LinkedIn link - but that is it for a while. I am slowly trying to build up my name but who can compete with an artist and a model!?
However, kudos to all the other Jana's in the world!
Sorry this is so short and sweet, but I have had little sleep. So if you're ever in a need for a laugh, pull up Google and type your name in! See what else you can do!
