thecre8ive

Free download // iPhone wallpapers!

05/21/2013

Hi friends! I created a few iPhone wallpapers last night because I wanted something new and I thought I’d share them with you, as well. They’re available in sizes for the 4/4s and the 5. For other makes and models, you can scale them to fit in the background.

Download Wonderful for iPhone 4/4s // iPhone 5

Get Simple, Honest, You for iPhone 4/4s // iPhone 5 Get Start, Use, Do for iPhone 4/4s // iPhone 5

Get Calm for iPhone 4/4s // iPhone 5 Get Courage for iPhone 4/4s // iPhone 5

p.s. – The iPhone images I used were free, with kind thanks to Nick on Dribbble. They’re still available for download there.

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 05/21/2013
Category FREEBIE PROJECTS
Comments No Comments

Storied Style // The Old Man and the Sea

05/19/2013

The iconic Hemmingway tale of an old man alone on the sea, battling to catch a giant marlin and turn his luck around, calls to mind themes of courage, triumph, and loss. It also calls to mind imagery of water, wooden boats, salt spray and weathered knuckles. I’m longing to work rolling waves into the décor of my home, and many are the options below; from hand-drawn illustration (1), to wacky wallpaper (8), to paper theatre art (9).

1. Collagraph by Rose Forshall // 2. Photograph by Edouard Boubat // 3. Vintage The Old Man and the Sea book cover // 4. Photograph titled 3 by Teuku Jody Zulkarnaen // 5. Cover of Crackpot Weekly 2013 calendar // 6. Linda Fahey’s Ocean inspired ceramics // 7. Ngan Huynh, The Old Man and the Sea (entry for the 50 Watts’ Polish Book Cover Contest) // 8. Whitby Wallpaper // 9. Photograph of paper art by Elly MacKay of Etsy shop, Theatre Clouds

Author Hailey Dunne
Date 05/19/2013
Category INSPIRATION STORIED STYLE
Comments No Comments

Just do it.

05/16/2013

No, this isn’t a Nike commercial. But it is a challenge. I’ve had a few big ideas that have just been simmering in my brain for over a year (admittedly, one of them has been in there for several years). I haven’t done anything about them. It’s scary to put your ideas out there, especially when they involve a ton of collaboration.

But you know what they say about life and how it’s short? Well, whoever they are, they’re right. It is. And nobody ever did anything amazing by keeping their ideas to themselves and not acting on them.

So it’s time to start some new projects. It’s actually quite overdue. And you know what? All of them might fail. But at least I can say I tried!

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 05/16/2013
Category LIFE PROJECTS
Comments No Comments

Fan art: Game of Thrones

05/15/2013

I’m a total Game of Thrones fangirl. I’m currently in the middle of book four (no spoilers, please!) and am keeping up with the episodes on the HBO show, as well. If you haven’t jumped into this world yet, you should. What are you waiting for? It’s magical!

One of my favorite parts of the fan community for a series (regardless of the genre or format) is the fan art. I love seeing scenes and characters through someone else’s eyes. It’s so much fun to me to see how the stories impact people differently and which parts may be poignant to someone that I may have just skipped right over.

My search for fan art led me to a wonderful conclusion: There are some seriously awesome female characters in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I love that author George R. R. Martin has written some amazing women into his stories, and he deserves a big thank you. In fact, I read a post on Fit & Feminist about Brienne of Tarth recently, and Caitlin put it very well. It’s about time there were some women in pop culture who can actually kick some butt. Word.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Jacob Bannon // 2. Phobs // 3. LizDeuceFolie // 4. Lewis3222 // 5. James Boorman // 6. VegaNya

Artwork by elia-illustration.

Artwork by A Beautiful Design.

Artwork by Darrin Crescenzi.

Artwork by Fay Helfer.

Clockwise from top left: 1. alicexz // 2. Audrey Kawasaki // 3. jsheaisaninja

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 05/15/2013
Category ILLUSTRATION INSPIRATION
Comments No Comments

New column: Storied Style // The Great Gatsby

05/13/2013

Hi friends! I’ve been super excited to share this new column with you, called Storied Style. The wonderfully creative Hailey will be sharing literary-inspired mood boards that are full of whimsy and romance and I promise you, it’s going to be a fun time. It’s been hard to keep this under wraps because I’m so excited about this.

I hope you enjoy this fun and creative roundup and kindly welcome Hailey! I just love her first post, and I hope you do, too. I think her style fits just perfectly here! If you want to check out some of Hailey’s other writing, check out her blog, called Urban Romantic.

With the release of Baz Lurhman’s new film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, one might think Gatsby glitterati style is the new black. I couldn’t help but imagine that exquisite white cloche (bottom left!) might be directly from Daisy Buchanan’s closet. In fact, Behida Dolic custom makes these exquisite pieces by hand and you can order yours through her Etsy shop, YellowField7. You may be tempted to cry over them, they are such beautiful hats!

1. Gold Luster Dust Cake // 2. The Great Gatsby Book Cover // 3. Vintage Ladies // 4. Kate Spade Pop Fizz Clink stationary (available through Svpply) // 5. Table Number Vignette photo // 6. Vintage Gatsby Book Cover // 7. White YellowField Cloche // 8. Art Deco Pattern // 9. Bhldn Bright Flight Heels

Author Hailey Dunne
Date 05/13/2013
Category INSPIRATION STORIED STYLE
Comments 1 Comment

Sharing the love // Jason Williams

05/10/2013

It’s time to share the talents of a local designer! Jason Williams is based in Gainesville (and so am I), and his work on rebranding a local restaurant is what initially sent me searching for more of his stuff.

The Top is a Gainesville staple, and it’s one of my favorite spots to get together with friends, have some yummy cocktails and fantastic food, and enjoy the atmosphere. The one thing they don’t have (and perhaps because they’re just too cool to care) is a great identity for the restaurant. They don’t even have a website! But instead of being inconvenient or strange, these things only go to prove that they just don’t need it. Their customers are faithful and the tables are always filled. Don’t fix something that’s not broken, as they say.

That brings me to Jason’s work. He’s done some branding for them that I’ve kept an eye on, and his designs have finally trickled down into some tangibles; newly printed coasters! The details are amazing and they look great. I can’t wait to see what else they do with the identity. He also did the branding for the space they’re opening up next door, called the Wooly. I saw the logo on the door the other day and it was the perfect reminder that I had to sing his praise. This guy has an eye for typography that I only wish I had (one day!).

I couldn’t seem to track down a portfolio site, so it looks like I’ll just be sharing his Dribbble account for now. But if anyone knows how to reach him or has a link to some of his other work, please let me know, as I’d be happy to share!

Update: I visited the Top this evening and they had just printed their new menus and had them out for their first dinner service. I snapped a shot so you can see it in action!

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 05/10/2013
Category DESIGN PRINT
Comments 7 Comments

Swell Photo Blog

05/09/2013

OK, so I’ve got a total crush on Stacy Newgent. Her blog is just so inspiring. I love digging through the archives and finding fun, playful moments. She’s got an amazing sense of color, and I feel like her personality shines through her work. It’s funny, because I’ve seen her stuff in Garden & Gun magazine before (I actually saved one of the issues she shot a story for because I loved the photography and styling so much) and once I found her site I just knew it was the same photographer. Her style is is that refined.

I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do. If you’d like to see more, check out the Swell Photo Blog.

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 05/09/2013
Category COLORFUL INSPIRATION PHOTOGRAPHY
Comments No Comments

Sharing the Love // Matthias Heiderich

04/19/2013

I cannot stop looking through Berlin-based Matthias Heiderich’s Flickr stream. I mean, seriously. It’s possibly one of the most inspirational sets of photography I’ve ever seen. His eye for color and shapes and movement — even in subjects as seemingly simple as buildings — makes me want to pick up a camera and get better. His photos change the way I look at the world. Honestly, when was the last time you saw the absolute beauty in a skyscraper? Or a building that looks like it was painted in the 70s? His work gives me a new perspective, it challenges me to think about things in a new light, and it does exactly what you want inspiring work to do; it makes me want to create something! I dare you not to fall in love with these images.

After some hunting I found his Bēhance Profile and online portfolio. He mentions he sells prints, and you can get more information on purchasing them by emailing him at massju@weirdandwired.net.

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 04/19/2013
Category COLORFUL INSPIRATION PHOTOGRAPHY
Comments 2 Comments

Cute and Curious: Assemble Shop & Studio

04/17/2013

I stumbled upon Assemble Shop & Studio the other day via their Kickstarter campaign; I’m a total sucker for a cute video with washi tape and some wit. They’re trying to raise money to create a DIY rubber stamp kit, and there are only eight days left, so if you’d like to donate, please do so soon!

But their campaign was just a teaser. I kept clicking (which I am wont to do), and soon discovered their world of whimsy and playful goods. They’ve got a well-curated shop, a great Etsy store, a fun blog and they’re even teaching a Skillshare class on starting your own creative business! These two ladies (Andie Powers and Emily Grosse) have style and you can just tell they’ve got panache. I browsed through their sites and decided it would just be a blast to have coffee and chat with them. The best part is that they’re making it easy for the rest of us to do some really cool DIY projects (my favorite is the needle felted sushi kit!).

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 04/17/2013
Category CRAFTY INSPIRATION SHOP
Comments No Comments

A little reminder

04/16/2013

Today, and every day, don’t forget the things that matter; love, kindness, togetherness. We are all bound by the common thread of humanity, and we all want the same things. We want to matter, we want happiness, we want to be loved and to be understood. We want to be forgiven for our mistakes and we want to live long enough to make many of them. We want to be able to make sense of this crazy, messy life that we’ve been given, especially when it seems like nothing will ever make sense. Just remember this: You are alive. There’s a heart beating in your chest. You will love and be loved, and you will forgive and be forgiven. Sometimes it takes a little darkness to appreciate the light.

If you’re looking for a little hope, I thought this article was a great example of how we come together when bad things happen.

Photo by jour de pluie on Flickr.

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 04/16/2013
Category LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
Comments No Comments

Illustrated buildings of New York by James Gulliver Hancock

04/15/2013

Have you seen this project? James Gulliver Hancock is an illustrator from Australia currently living in Brooklyn, New York, and he’s drawn buildings all over the city. The drawings are simple and complex at the same time (drawing buildings can be really arduous!) and I find them really stunning! He sells prints in his shop, and there are more illustrations to check out on his site!

Want to see more? Hancock’s project has been turned into a book that was just released this month! All the Buildings in New York: That I’ve Drawn So Far is available on Amazon and it’s gorgeous.

Author Holly Marie Gibbs
Date 04/15/2013
Category ILLUSTRATION INSPIRATION PROJECTS
Comments No Comments