originals :: paper art & design

You’re invited to my first Snapshots! Photography Exhibit at the Kirksville Arts Center. The show is up for the months of September and October, and the reception will be held September 7th from 5:30 to 7:00. Most of the enlarged prints will be for sale and smaller prints will be available as well.  To get an idea of what you will see, click on the Snapshots! tab here on my website.  Please share with friends and family that might be interested.  Thank you!

Just a quick note to let my blog readers and inquiring clients know I’ll be out for a few days and doing my civic duty in the court house.  I’ll be a little slow in my communications, but don’t give up on me, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.  Have a great day!

Months ago I designed this blended logo and every time I see it I’m very proud to say I did it. Saturday night we went to a wine and chocolate tasting hosted by West Winery at Jackson Stables & Mocha Hut and had a great time. Delicious wine paired with Belgian chocolates… what could be better on Valentine’s Day weekend?!

If you’re following my blog and live in the midwest, you should escape to this little piece of heaven.  West Winery at Jackson Stables is a beautiful place to visit and enjoy an evening of quality time with friends and family.  They encourage you to bring your own picnic basket with snacks and treat yourself to some wine.  They occasionally have musicians play too!  Check out their events schedule on their website.  And tell them Brooke sent you!

Hello Brooke,

Went to Jackson Stables last night and ended up buying a pair of wine glasses because I liked the logo so much. Later, when I got back home, I found your site and just wanted to tell you what a nice job that you did making the combination logo. It is very attractive. In fact, it has a floral bouquet with a hint of oak and yet a surprising finish. Or something like that.

Thanks again for the great glasses and take care,
Kevin Casey

Last weekend was the 2010 NEMO Bridal Expo.  Not only was Originals Paper Art an invitation vendor in the show, I was also a member of the Bridal Expo steering committee and the Kirksville Arts Center Bridal Expo committee! I was stretched a little thin last week.  It was fun… but I’m really glad it’s over for another year. Kristina, Katie and I put together a beautiful booth for the Kirksville Arts Center.  I ordered flowers and cupcakes, designed print ads and favors, and edited and recorded radio ads.

These little favors are printed on light weight vellum, adhered to skewers and curled with scissors (you know the method). They turned out really cute. My theory was the recipient would want to know what the message said and thus unroll the favor. I witnessed many unroll it which made the hours of assembly well worth it! The message read, “We have an elegant venue for your wedding celebrations in downtown Kirksville”.

Here are the cupcakes on the tiered cupcake stand in the Kirksville Arts Center booth at the NEMO Bridal Expo. Unfortunately I ordered too many cupcakes, however, I’d rather have too many than not enough.

Kristina researched chair covers, table design and floral arrangements. The round table dressed up beautifully. The most talked about feature was how the table itself was lit from below. It was stunning with the dim booth space. Many brides thought table design was a service we provided.  Hmm.  Sounds like an opportunity knocking… anybody there?!

Katie is a graphic designer and paper fanatic just like me! She designed the faux menus, place cards and table card to give this beautiful table a personal touch. She also designed our information card that has all the rental information.  It was a terrific team effort and so much fun.

So then, in addition to sharing my party favor design and snapshot photography, I want to plug the Kirksville Arts Center as a lovely space to rent if you have an upcoming event in northeast Missouri. Call Judy at (660) 665-0500 if you have questions about the space. Be sure to tell her I sent you!  Have a great day!

Merry Christmas and short note to my clients and loyal blog readers… I’m going to take advantage of this quiet time and slip away from the office for a little time off between Christmas and New Years.  I’ll be back in the office Monday, January 4th. This is a perfect time of year to make connections with friends and family afar… and THAT I plan to do! Enjoy the season and all that it represents.

Get outside this weekend and enjoy the final days of summer vacation!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from my first paid snapshot photo project!  This is Larry pointing himself out in the wedding picture… he’s the one on the very edge of the photo.  How cool is that? Did you choose a wedding party that will be a part of your life in 50 more years?  Food for thought!  Most of the wedding party was at this 50th celebration!

Here is the lovely couple… Shirley and Carl Baldwin.  I’m not sure I mentioned that it was also a surprise party… and BOY was it a surprise! This is Shirley trying to compose herself… I think she was very touched and quite overwhelmed.  It was an emotional beginning to a wonderful party!

On the left is their lovely daughter, Jill Walker, who put this party together for them.  Look at Shirley… pure love.

I loved Jill’s hand on her dads back… so much affection in this family.  It was a great evening… I felt like family!

For a party that took place in a bar, the exposed brick walls made for beautiful pictures!

I’ve already show this snapshot of the Originals Keepsake Card Box… but it’s a favorite too!  I love the depth captured using the bar and bar stools!  I had one guest ask, “who are you?”, I giggled and simply stated, “Brooke Goans, and I’ve been hired to photograph this special occasion”.  Next time you plan a special event, consider hiring a photographer to capture the moments you want to remember!  Have a great week!

This is a snapshot of the entryway to our new shared office space in downtown Kirksville… aka: the office. It’s The Grim Building on Washington Street. It’s a beautiful building that has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.

Our friend and office mate, Janis, will have her office in #9 and mine in #10. Bob and Allen will share #8 which is slightly bigger and has its own door. This is a snapshot of the transome window as you enter the main door to the building. I absolutely love the history and charm of this building and the office space.

This is an inside snapshot of the door to #8… beautiful old doors with textured glass and fabulous old hardware.

Once you enter office #9 you can see my office through the double doors.  It may sound silly – but it was love at first sight.  I knew this was the space the minute I walked in.  So much character!  All that was missing on my wish list was exposed brick.

This is a snapshot of one double door all the way open and it rests next to this heater!  If I remember correctly, the heaters still work and are our heat source in the winter.  Ahh, so cool!  Have I mentioned how great this space is?

Janis has a fireplace in her office!  This is a close-up to show you the beautiful details.  I can totally see her space decorated with a heavy chair and book lamp in the corner nook right next to this fireplace.  Janis loves to read and her business is writing and editing (more on that coming soon)!  What a perfect space!

Just a close-up snapshot of the trim detail, paint colors and new carpet! It closely resembles the feel we just created for my home office back in December!  Even more reason to love it!  Speaking of my home office… it will soon be transitioned into my craft room!  A place where I go to escape work!  Hooray!

For those of you in our neighborhood, I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m settled so we can meet at “the office” for coffee and conversation! One week to go! I can hardly concentrate knowing this space awaits me! Have a great day and four day work week! Miles of smiles.

Dr. Cynthia Hayes is opening her own clinic Cynergy Health on May 18th and during a recent visit to Eyedentity Eyewear (Columbia, MO) noticed their marketing materials. She was having difficulties finding the right designer which prompted her to inquire about theirs. The irony of this connection is I designed Cynthia’s wedding invitations a few years ago… she just didn’t know I did an array of graphic design in addition to custom invitations. And so we meet again and we’re currently working through her move, logo design and clinic branding.

Cynthia had her moving postcard concept figured out prior to our first meeting and so photographed the boxes, designed the card, prepared it for print and managed the bulk mailing. What I love most about this moving postcard is the reality it depicts. There is nothing glamorous about moving — or the postcard! It’s leaves you wanting to stop in for the tour she offers. It’s perfect!  Check back to see her logo and exterior sign(s).

Back to work. I’m making great progress this week and must not loose momentum! Have a great day!

This custom birthday party invitation was for my nephew and it’s probably five years old… but it’s been hanging on my wall all this time.  I call that a good invitation… something that is kept for a period of time (maybe even framed) after it’s been received. It was hand delivered to the guests as a scroll. A tube would work for mailing if necessary.

I know my sister-in-law framed hers… what mom wouldn’t? Speaking of sister-in-law… she took the picture of Ethan wearing his grandpas boots (I think) and his great grandpas belt buckle. Very sweet. She’s a talented photographer located in the great northwest, Milestones Photography… check out her blog… tell her I sent you.

This was a group effort! Elaine took the photo, I designed the WANTED Poster, and Allen burned the edges! It was a fun invitation and made for a great turnout! As you know… an invitation is the first thing your guest sees that instantly sets the energy and tone of your event – no matter what the event is – birthday, baby shower, wedding even a corporate event!  Next time you need invitations, consider custom and contact me to make them an original and worth saving!

Hope this post makes you smile! Have a happy hump day!

The Kirksville Arts Association hosted a wine tasting event last Thursday. HyVee Wine & Spirits donated the wine and all donations will be used to pay for various expenses incurred by the New Harmonies exhibit. It was a huge success. I designed this flyer and it was used for three things… (1) a flyer we hung around town; (2) an electronic file we emailed to the membership and other networks in town; and (3) a generous ad in the Sunday paper. Hows that for more bang for your design buck!!! I can do the same for your business event! Contact me with any questions on this concept!

Here are a few of my favorite snapshots! from that evening. Enjoy!  And, I can’t say it enough… please support your local Arts organization, it’s a wonderful asset to your community… and without community support, there is no art.

My love of making handmade greeting cards started about 15 years ago—is that even possible?

When my grandmother passed away last year, my mom gave me a box (I made for grandma) that was full of all the cards I made her through the years. I love to sit down and look at them again and remember making each and every one. That’s how I work. I don’t mass produce cards so that when an occasion comes around I have a card ready… nope…, I sit down with that person in mind and make them an original piece of artwork… an Originals handmade card! That’s probably why my cards are always the last to arrive in the mail… usually a week or two late. My family will get a chuckle when they read this!

Below is a card for my sister (hope she doesn’t see this right away… I just mailed it today). Before I left for Mexico she said, “have a drink for me.” So I took this margarita picture from our trip, set the word Cheers on it, printed it on my color printer, cut it out and adhered it to some vibrant orange paper and just that quick I have a fun and meaningful card that will make her smile!

I made this keepsake thank you card for our friends that invited us to Mexico! I started with vibrant paper colors, incorporated another photo I took of CABO in the sand, added the cute flip-flop stickers, orange hemp cord and wooden bead… all things that define our fabulous vacation together. I like to think of my cards as a little gift… a little piece of artwork that can easily be framed.

This card is for my mother-in-law. It’s a really late birthday and thank you card in one. She watched our five dogs while we went to Mexico and of all things… her birthday fell while we were gone. I’m sure she’ll love the gecko… it’s a great image that depicts the time she was here… not to mention he’s so cute!

Forest Lake Fishing | Thousand Hills State Park | Kirksville, Missouri

Hey! Guess what! I received first place in a local photo contest!  The contest was sponsored by the Kirksville Dept. of Tourism and State Representative, Rebecca McClanahan. The purpose of the contest is promote tourism in northeast Missouri.  My photo was taken at Thousand Hills State Park early one morning before we went out on our own boat.  Fishing in northeast Missouri is pretty popular, maybe only second to deer hunting (but don’t quote me on that!).

My winning photo will hang in State Representative Rebecca McClanahan’s office in Jefferson City for a year and all the images submitted in the contest will be available for promotional use via tourism websites, fliers, brochures, posters, etc.  It’s a great way to generate a wide variety of local images and promote our area!

Allen and I are back from a relaxing week in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico.  Sunshine and 80 for eight straight days! It’s so beautiful there… I rarely left our room without my camera in hand!  I added a handful of new images to my snapshots! page. Enjoy!