Free Vintage Truck Vector

I love experimenting with Illustartor and building little things that I can keep in my image library to pull out for an invitation or something. I get my inspiration for a lot of things from fabric. Carousel Designs is a great website for children's fabric inspiration.

I got the idea of building a vinatge truck from this fabric at Carousel Designs. So cute! It's perfect to use with a vintage truck birthday theme, or even for shower invitations or artwork in your son's bedroom!

So, because I love being able to share things with you guys for free, here is the link for a free Illustrator download of this sweet little vintage truck!

You'll have to do some playing around to change the colors if you need to, but with a little knowledge of the programn, it shouldnt be too hard. When I originally made this I didn't usually use layers to separate parts, and I've definitely learned my lesson, so anything I put out there from now on should be easier to edit.

Simply download the file, open it up, and edit it/add it to your design! A credit to me isn't completely necessary, but if you make something with it and post it online, I'd love to see what you used it for!

Also, if you don't have Illustrator or just want the JPEG file, you can comment on this post or email me at emmabaus@gmail.com and I'll gladly send it to you!

I hope someone can find some use for it!

I wonder if Jay-Z would like this

A few weeks ago in this rant about my online classes, I posted a picture of a project that I was working on for my Typography class. I finished the project and the class, but the result of my project wasn't portfolio-ready with the artwork specifications we were given for the project. So, last night (my idea of a fun Saturday night) I started building a Rolls Royce to put into my poster. Cause if you know Jay-Z like I do, you know he has a sparkly Phantom sitting in one of his many garages.

I don't know Jay-Z that well, but I guess its sort of common knowledge. Maybe I saw it on Cribs?

So, roughly four hours later (three of those hours were without break) I finished it and substituted it for my original poster art.

Behold, one of my most prized works so far:

It's a fictional event for all you fans that are wondering!

The largest font is Metropolis, the second font is Bellerose, and the third font down is Cassannet. 

I don't know where I saved the original picture, which was decent for its purpse, but the artwork was typography based, and just wasn't working. There comes a time in a typography fanatic's life when she must admit there was too much type. That was one of those moments.

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

I wonder what Jay-Z would say.

Currently // 02

Watching Revenge. And I am obsessed. It's really a sickness, and I don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing that I watched all the eposides on Netflix. Good because now I can't sit on my couch with my eyes glued to the screen for hours. Good because I can free my brain up for some other thoughts. Good because I won't have dreams about Victoria and Conrad Greyson. Bad because I just love it so much!!

Wanting too much, as usual. I'm trying to decrease my wants in an effort to increase my happiness and also increase the number in my bank account. Christmas (I said it) is around the corner and we have to buy decorations for our apartment this year, along with gifts for Julian!

Hoping this summer weather will go away (yup... said it) so I can wear my sweaters and leggings and pants and jacket and buy a pair of riding boots. One can only drink so much pumpkin flavored coffee to simulate the feeling of fall. I'd rather not be sweating when I'm carrying pumpkins!

Loving my boy extra tight this week. He's been feverish, lethargic, and super needy. It's easy to get impatient and angry when he won't stop crying, but I have to remember that he feels the same way that adults do when they're sick, only his way of complaining is a little more annoying, and he can't really help expressing it. Hopefully he's better by the end of the weekend!

Thinking about oh, too much, as usual. Right this moment, I'm thinking about upcoming projects and people I could offer my services to. I'd like to get my name out there for Christmas gift ideas and maybe some cards, so I'm going to have to think of some products to get out there.

Excited for Sherry and John at Young House Love and the new addition to their family! I've been reading/following/obsessed with YHL for about two years now, so, call me crazy but I feel like a part of my family is growing haha!

Excited about Pumpkin and Apple picking with my family and extended family tomorrow! I hope Julian is feeling up to it, and I also hope the weather will be nice and cool so we can wear fall-y clothes and be slightly chilly out there in the fields. Hey, I just want that total fall experience, ok?

Missing my papa. It's been three months (yesterday) since his passing, and it feels like forever since he's been gone, but I can also remember his voice and everything about him like it was yesterday. Not a day goes by without thinking of him and missing him.

What's currently going on in your life? If your answer is "too much", then join the club!

A big thanks to Danielle for the original inspiration for this post.

Photoshop Filter Fun

Chalkboard Background

I'll admit it- I use Instagram and my iPhone a lot to take pictures. What could be more convenient than taking pictures with the one object that you always have with you? And what's better than convenience is quality. Sure, nothing beats a big 'ole DSLR on Manual, but for most everyday shots, iPhone does the trick. And with Instagram, who needs Photoshop? The good news: we can all be "photographers". The bad news: sometimes the premade Insta photo filters don't give you what you need.

By taking a photo and putting it into Photoshop and making a few quick changes, you can not only have great looking pictures, but they don't have to be square, and you can control the options!

Everyone loves a good, simple photoshop filter! So here I am to give you one. I'm going to play around with them a little more to bring a few different ones here for you guys. (Or probably gals.)

Behold: my beautiful baby. Who has been less than an angel this week due to a fever, being lethargic, and super cranky. Lets hope all he needs is a restful weekend.

Anyways.

Ok, so my photography skills (or was this taken by my sister...) aren't great. We were on our way out for a walk so the backdrop is less than to be desired. But those eyes!!

Here are the steps I took to go from "Before" to "After". Feel free to change numbers liberally to find the right settings for your image.

1. Open your image and do any necessary preliminary edits (retouching, a little lightening, ect). Keep in mind that we will be editing Levels throughout this, so don't go crazy at the start.
2. Select "New Adjustment Layer" from your Layers dropdown menu. Put your cursor on "Levels". On the menu that appears, you'll want to select where it says "RGB" and change that option to "Blue". Slide the Black Output Level arrow to the right until you're happy with the amount of Blue. I have it around 60 in the image above.
3. Next, select "New Fill Layer" from the Layers menu. You'll click Ok, and then the color picker will appear. For the purpose of this tutorial, we're going to fill it with an almost-white pink color. The code for the color I used is #feeaea.
4. WOAH your image disappeared. That's ok. With your fill layer still selected, you'll select "Multiply" from the drop down menu in your Layers window on the right side of the screen. Now you have a nice, rosy color over the whole image.
5. Select "New Adjustment Layer" again from your Layers drop down menu, and this time click "Curves". This is going to adjust some exposure in the image, so if you have one that's already super exposed, you could consider skipping this step. This step is all about preference, so you'll have to play with the curve to get the look you want. Keep in mind that moving the line to the left will saturate/expose the image, while moving it to the right will desaturate/dull the image. I clicked the line about 1/2 of the way up and moved it slightly left, since my image was exposed to begin with.
6. Lastly, we're going to add another "Adjustment Layer", click "Levels", and set "RGB" to "Green". Change your black Output arrow to somewhere around 50 (depending on preference).
7. Flatten your image when you're happy with your results, "Save for Web", and Facebook away!

Your friends will be jealous of your Instagram-like abilities, and even more impressed when you told them you did it in Photoshop!

Good luck in your future Filter endeavors, and look for more Filter Fun coming soon! And, don't forget to Pin this if it was helpful for you!

A Little Self Promotion Never Hurt Nobody

You were supposed to say that in your best Fergie voice (like in The Great Gatsby).

I've been getting little projects slowly but surely, mostly from friends and family here in Auburn. My Etsy shop has not taken off at all so far, which is disappointing, but I haven't exactly marketed myself as much as I could/should. There's not enough time in the day! I thought I'd share some of the things that I've been working on...

This one is a gift for my former college roomate who just had a baby girl! I think I got the inspiration for the flowers from a greeting card that I saw on Pinterest. Isn't it darling?

Congrats Ibelise!! (If you're seeing this, it should be coming in the mail soon!)

The daughter of a coworker approached me last month to create the party invitations for her little boy's second birthday party, which is at a local pumpkin patch here in Central New York. I usually do a few different designs for clients to pick from, especially if I'm not exactly sure what they're envisioning. This was the final decision:

This was another choice, and I loved it just as much! The perfect twist to a fall color scheme!

I've been trying my hand at designing custom resumes for some friends. They're quick and easy to do but they make a huge difference! Just imagine an employer's delight when they open this up:

And no, I wasn't talking about how beautiful my best friend is. I was talking about how effective the design is! (Ha-ha)

And this is another one I did. Cute, right?

And this is my resume! I did this one awhile ago, and I'd actually like to redo it a little bit. Make it a little more sophisticated.

If you're interested in my work, you can pop over to my Etsy shop and look at more of my designs, or email me at emmabauso@gmail.com, and we can get a little project in the oven!

Online Classroom Rant-Sesh

I've mentioned that I'm working towards my Bachelor's in Graphic Design with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division (AIPOD), and that takes up a major part of my time between Julian's bedtime and my bedtime. I spend a huge amount of time working on assignments and commenting on discussion posts- even while I'm at work (sshhh...). I don't think conventional schooling is not for me for lots of reasons, but online school definitely gives me a run for my money. I would give anything to be able to sit in a room with other students, raise my hand to answer a question, participate in a live, meaningful discussion and leave feeling like I'm a tiny bit smarter than when I came. It's frustrating to keep up on deadlines, especially when they fall on a Friday and Monday for assignments and Sunday and Wednesday for commenting on my peers' work.

I wish I could say "end rant" and say that I'm grateful that our technological advancements allow me to even be able to call a web address my classroom. BUT there's more.

My problem with those deadlines and the shortness of my classes is this: how do they expect me to produce quality, portfolio-ready pieces of art when I have about 3 days in between assignments? And another life before and after "school"! To anyone seeking a review of AIPOD, my official opinion is that it's great if you already know how to do a lot of the things you're seeking your degree in, and you have the ability to teach yourself what you need to know. It's not for you if you need more guidance and serious honing of your skills. I consider myself to be a somewhat skilled designer for being a beginner, and the work that other students are producing often make me wonder if someone is playing a joke on me.

Ok, that was mean.

Now I sound like this egotistical bitch that thinks she's some artist sent from God to reform all the untalented artists. No. But I do wish a "professor" would be a little stricter with their criticism and say something other than "you're going in the right direction, but...".

I wish there were good art schools for me to go to in my area, and that I actually had the time/ability to go to a tangible school with real, serious people. I just wonder how much value my hard work will pay off once I have my degree from AIPOD and am trying to get my first job as a designer.

So, what started out as a post titled "Lately" and was going to be a little update on some things and some vague feelings about some things in my life just turned into a rant about school. I'll probably do that post later today.

At least I have some pictures of what I'm working on right now in my Typography class! I can't wait until the class is over and I can tweak the piece to be something worthwhile for my portfolio. I'm hating all of the restrictions and rigidness of these assignments. I just want to create beautiful things that reflect my style and the direction of my work!

Currently // 01

The idea for this entry comes from Danielle over at Sometimes Sweet, a blog that I discovered this past week that I love! My favorite part about finding a new blog is browsing through their content and “catching up” on their life. I have so many favorite blogs now that it’s hard to get everyone straight, but there’s usually a characteristic or two that I remember about each one, whether I remember the blogger’s name or not!
So, these are a few things that I’m currently doing!



Watching: New Girl, and I am obsessed. I finished all of the episodes on Netflix so now I’m going to see where else I can get episodes from. Maybe Family Video? It’s one of those shows that I could sit and watch 10 episodes of in a row and not even be sick of. Jess is one of those people that makes you want to be more like her.

Eating: Dom and I went to Moes for lunch today! It’s my favorite place and the burritos are $5.55 on Mondays and his mom took Julian this afternoon, so it was just us- it doesn’t get much better than that!

Excited about: A few things. One, I’m about to go pick up some super cute invitations that I did over the weekend for a coworker’s grandson’s birthday party. Little Gregory is turning 2 in October and his mom is planning a birthday party at a local pumpkin patch, so I made them pumpkin themed! I’ll probably post pictures on Instagram as soon as I get them, and may be adding them to my Etsy shop! I’m also excited about my weekend plans with my best friend Morgan. She recently transferred to the University of Buffalo and it’s their homecoming football game on Saturday, so I’m making the 2(ish) hour drive to Buffalo Saturday morning to spend about a day with her! I’m excited to be living the college life for 24 hours!

Wanting: An apartment we looked at (by we I mean my sister and I) last Wednesday. It’s so perfect for Dom, Julian and I! We still haven’t heard back from the guy that’s renting it out, so I’m nervous that he found someone and just isn’t going to call everyone who didn’t get it. He sounded like there were lots of interested people, which I can believe because its absolutely gorgeous. It’s ok if we don’t get it, though. We should probably save more before we start actually looking anyways.

Looking forward to: Fall and cooler weather. We had a taste of it last week and this weekend, and I’m so excited for pants and at least 3-quarter length sleeves, flats, and cute hoodies for Julian. We’re supposed to hit 90 in the next few days and I’m honestly praying that it’s the end of this “can’t-make-up-my-mind” summer we’re having in terms of weather. And I’m sick of Dom thinking we still need to run the air conditioner in our room at night. I’ll admit, I like to sleep… uh… au natural… at night occasionally, but that can’t work if its freezing in there!

Loving: The age that my Juli is at. He’s “saying” so many new things, walking all over, making new discoveries and learning new things every day. He’s so sweet and silly, and he always brightens my day! I thought I loved the 10 month age, when he was starting to get some personality, but I really love this age! It’s bittersweet because every time he does something new it reminds me that he’s getting closer to not being a baby anymore and becoming a toddler right before my eyes.

Thinking about: The brand new sewing machine that hasn’t been touched since my grandma bought it for me about a month ago! I’m itching to try it but haven’t had the time to sit down and start a project. I have too many things vying for my attention right now! So far my want for slimming down my hobbies isn’t working, and I still have lots of things on my plate. I’d love to create some more block printing tutorials and get some real hand made projects done, but that’s just not in the cards I guess. Once the boy goes to sleep the only things I feel like doing are sitting on the couch, munching on some puffcorn, and maybeee banging out some homework.

Those are just some of the things that are swirling inside of my head right now, but I encourage you to think of the things that are currently thinking about. I love this exercise because it makes you take a second to really be conscious about what’s going on in your life!