projects Archives - Pam Winters Studio

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

Pencil sketches and digital illustrations of a peach and tassels for the custom birthday party invitation. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
A digital custom birthday party invitation featuring original illustrations. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
The finished custom birthday garland spelled out “She’s a Peach!” (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Each letter was cut out and assembled by hand before being strung on satin ribbon to spell out “She’s a Peach!” (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Paper letters and peach art strung on satin ribbon for the custom garland. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Close-up of paper letter and peach art strung on satin ribbon for the custom garland. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Paper letters and peach art hang on a satin ribbon for the custom birthday garland. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
A digital mock-up I created before assembling the handmade custom garland. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland for a Sweet Birthday Girl

Projects where I get to draw original illustrations are some of my very favorite, and this one for a custom invitation and garland is no exception! One of my previous clients, the mother of a sweet little girl nearing her first birthday, contacted me for custom invitation and garland designs centered on a peach theme. Being a fan of tassels and peach hues, Angie brought me her inspiration and ideas for Lucia’s birthday party and we met to discuss them and the items she wanted me to make. Custom illustrations of a peach and tassels were the first things I did, and were placed front and center on the digital invitation design sent out to the birthday party guests. Then I got to work on the handmade garland, which was to spell out “She’s a Peach!” and incorporate the colors and font Angie had chosen. I also made sure to work in a highlight of the custom invitation: my peach illustration.

I printed the peach illustration at a couple of different sizes and also cut out each individual peach by hand. Additionally, I used a Silhouette CAMEO to cut the letters out from gold shimmer paper and then I mounted each letter onto two layers of card stock paper sized and arranged to show a slight border when I adhered them together using my favorite tape runner, the Xyron Mega Runner. I then glued two paper circles at the top of each garland piece (for reinforcement where ribbon would be strung through) and punched holes in the center of each circle by hand using a special tool. Satin ribbon matching one of the card stock papers, in a light peach color, was carefully strung through the punched holes and the garland was complete.

At Lucia’s birthday party, the handmade custom garland served as a festive and decorative centerpiece above the dessert table, celebrating the guest of honor and welcoming family and friends to a very joyous and special event!

Workshop: Stamp Carving

By Pam Winters

Everyone at the workshop received one of my handmade “starter kits.” (Photo by me, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
The workshop gets underway! (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Isabella transfers her sketch to the stamp block with a bone folder. (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Donna prepares to start carving her first stamp: a tree silhouette. (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Linda carves along the outside of her reindeer image. (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Padie and Linda stay focused as they carve their stamps. (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Shannon and Donna are getting off to a great start. (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Creativity in progress! (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Stamping and making cards! (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Shannon’s first card looks festive in red and gold. (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Isabella starts carving her second stamp: the word “love.” (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Dawn’s snowman stamp is coming along nicely. (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Dawn plans to make holiday gift tags with her snowman stamp! (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Last year, I made a goal for myself: offer an independent creative workshop for a small group of willing participants. I would not only teach and provide supplies, but also, create a fun, inspiring event in which everyone there could be creative and social while making something new that they could take home, share and enjoy. Being a creative person and having solid workshop teaching experience under my belt, I felt ready to take this next step to offer my very own workshop on something I love to do: stamp carving. The idea was great, but I soon realized that creating interest in and promoting a unique workshop experience is a more challenging task than one might think. The initial effort, while it taught me valuable things about booking a venue, marketing a workshop (in person and online) and finding resources for promotion, it did not result in enough sign-ups to run the event. Disappointed, I brainstormed with those I trust, and came to the conclusion that it was an even better idea to host a workshop closer to home, with people who already know and support me. So, that is exactly what I did. I am very fortunate to be a part of a wonderful network of family and friends, and the workshop I envisioned came to be last year because of a special group of ladies who love getting together and doing creative projects; they were excited to try their hand at carving stamps. We all had such a great time together! In order to keep the creativity flowing this year, I plan to offer more workshops in the near future. I hope to see some of you there!

Graphic Design: Easter Event at the Red Door

By Pam Winters

Custom signage I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (Event photos by Stacey Winters Photography; All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Custom signage I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (Event photos by Stacey Winters Photography; All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Custom flyer I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (Event photos by Stacey Winters Photography; All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Custom signage I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (Event photos by Stacey Winters Photography; All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Custom signage I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (Event photos by Stacey Winters Photography; All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
The front of the custom save the date postcard I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
The back of the custom save the date postcard I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Custom flyer I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (Event photos by Stacey Winters Photography; All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Custom signage I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Custom signage I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)
Custom signage I designed for the Red Door’s egg dyeing party. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Ads and Signage for a Festive Easter Event

The project pictured here was done for a special seasonal event at the Red Door, located in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego. The Red Door is known for its original seasonal menus based on fresh, local, organic and sustainable ingredients, as well as for offering a unique “casual fine dining” experience. This particular event was to be an all-natural Easter egg dyeing party for children, held at the restaurant and hosted by the Red Door’s chef, Karrie Hills. I met with Kelsey Doonan, the event coordinator, who gave me a rundown on event details, including the specific printed pieces needed. I was excited to start work on these promotional and event signage pieces, which were to coincide with the look and feel of the restaurant’s branding, but also bring to mind the playful fun of spring and egg dyeing, through colorful touches of pastels and watercolor effects.

Kelsey followed up with several digital inspiration boards full of spring party ideas, which helped steer me in the right direction, so that I could quickly create and find the perfect design elements to bring together. Most of the work was done on the computer, including digital brushes I used to create the watercolor effects on the signs. The final pieces were utilized in both print and digital format (e.g., for advertising the event at the restaurant, as well as online). The Red Door has a phenomenal staff, and one of the bonuses of working on this was getting to know many of the wonderful people involved in the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. I was also fortunate enough to work with my sister, Stacey, on this project, as she was brought on to be the photographer for the event; the slideshow above gives a glimpse of the beautiful job she did of capturing the day.

Read about Kelsey’s experience working with me.