T E N Years of Blogging

Hello! 

How are you, my long lost blogging community? We haven't talked in ages! To be honest, it has been almost close to a year since my last post. What?! This little corner of the internet was once my spot to share home projects both big and small, furniture makeovers, recipes, family updates and more. 

September 27 marked TEN YEARS since I first started blogging here at Sohl Design. A whole decade! I'm not sure how that's true. I couldn't let this anniversary pass by without even a mention. As well as a huge THANK YOU to my friends, family, and followers, near and far, who read my words, left kind comments and cheered me on over the years. It meant the world me to know that you cared enough to support me.

It's bittersweet to say that I probably won't be continuing to blog, at least not regularly or any time soon. Taking care of my family is my main priority and I love my role as a wife and mother. I'm also running my design business, Sohl Design, which is fun and challenging and fulfilling as well. I will be maintaining my website www.sohldesign.com so you may visit me there and contact me if you have a project or if you'd just like to say hello, please do!

When I started blogging in 2009, I was working full time at my corporate job as a packaging and graphic designer. Blogs were "the thing" back then, more so than social media, and I used to read, follow and bookmark inspiration before Pinterest was even a thing! Ha! My, how things have changed. I still follow a few favorite blogs, but Instagram and Facebook have changed so much and replaced the platform that blogs once were. I'm amazed that I have published over 600 posts. How is that even possible?! Clearly I had a LOT more free time before becoming a parent!

Working on projects at home on nights and weekends were my creative outlet. I dreamed of one day being a freelance designer, running my own business, with the flexibility of working from home, making my own hours and selecting projects. It's amazing to say that I'm living that dream! When I left my full time job to start a family I also hoped to one day be able to design from home and create a business that would help support my family, and still be able to do what I love. I'll be the first to say that it's no easy task running a business from home, with two rambunctious little boys are running around and knocking on my office door! But, the flexibility and freedom and ability to choose how much or how little I want to work is so wonderful for me right now, because I know my kids won't be little for very long! And I'm getting to see and experience every bit of it, which is such a gift.

Thank you, to those who have read my blog and encouraged me along the way! And thank you, friends and clients, for your trust in me to design your projects and for referring me to others. I work with such wonderful clients and I'm so very thankful for every one of you! It has been a blessing sharing bits and pieces of my life with you, keeping in touch, and meeting many amazing bloggers in this online community. I pray for God's very best for each of you and that we will meet again and keep in touch in other ways! 

Hugs,
Sarah

Endeavor Wealth Advisory Group Logo and Marketing Materials

This year I teamed up with Endeavor Wealth Advisory Group to complete their in-progress logo and deliver a variety of stationary and marketing products to support their new business.

Pieces included: logo (vertical and horizontal formats) and brand color palette, business cards, letterhead, various size envelopes, notepad, banner, brochure, office signs and event invitations.

It's so important to create a complete professional identity package, at every point of communication, to help your business shine. Implementing custom designs, to multiple applications is a favorite part of my job!

Red White and Blue Wedding Stationary

 

When I design wedding invitations, they're usually done months and months in advance (which is wise, of course, when planning a wedding). I love that I get to be part of the "insider" planning stage and work behind the scenes to help set the tone for such a special day. BUT, that means that I have to wait months and months to see how everything comes together at the actual event. I really look forward to seeing photos of the wedding ceremony, the venue and of course the bride and groom! 

I couldn't wait to see Anderson and Collin's wedding pictures and see their dream realized, after having just a small glimpse through their invitations. And I've never even met them in person! My heart skipped a beat when I saw their images, captured by the incredibly talented Michal-Kathryn Photography. I can't thank her enough for recommending me to the happy couple, and for graciously allowing me to share a few of the photos. 

It was so much fun designing an all American wedding themed invitation set. A combination of red, white, and blue, lace, political/ballot style and rustic barn wedding, all rolled into one. My kind of project! 

They also requested campaign buttons to hand out at the reception, which was a really fun piece to design. How cute are these?!

Such a beautiful couple and wedding party! Congratulations Anderson and Collin! It was a pleasure working with you.

Images by: Michal-Kathryn Photography

Goat Isle Soap Branding and Photography

I partnered with Carpenter's Family Farm, located in Brockport, NY, to develop a logo, packaging, marketing materials and product photography for their extensive line of Goat Isle Soap and raw goat's milk products. This has been such a fun brand to work with! I've had the opportunity to visit the farm and see the animals that they care for, as well as use many of their amazing soaps. There are over 30 varieties! And so many beautiful scents and combinations. Visit their website to learn more. They will be at many festivals and shows this year, for those who are local.

This is one of the posters designed for a craft show event. I really enjoy being able to support a brand through multiple marketing platforms. Especially having the opportunity to style and photograph their soaps and products for the website and social media. I love this part! Here are some of the images.

I was able to incorporate the logo onto a few of the images and create headers and larger scale social media graphics. 

Follow Goat Isle Soap on Instagram if you'd like to know about upcoming events, how to order, and see their adorable goats and farm animals. Look for Carpenter's Family Farm on Facebook.

Church Christmas Theme Graphics

It's hard to believe that Christmas was two months ago! One of the last projects I completed in 2017, was Christmas theme graphics for a church in our area. I was thrilled to work with Browncroft Community Church, a community that I'm familiar with, have attended events at, and know many who go there.

The theme "A New Hope" would be featured in both print and various digital formats. This was a little new for me, as I needed to keep in mind that the artwork would be used across a variety of platforms. The pieces included a poster, post card, bulletin cover, Facebook cover, Instagram image, website and auditorium big screen graphics. The main Christmas service, as well as Christmas Eve and a separate festival were showcased.

I enjoyed stretching my Photoshop skills to create the perfect image we were looking for. The team at Browncroft did a beautiful job implementing the graphics across all points of contact, and it was a pleasure working together. You can visit their website and view the message series A New Hope.

Maternity Leave

Thank you for your love and support as I take time off to focus on our growing family. I will be out of the office, starting November 18, 2017, as we prepare for the arrival of our son at the end of November. I will be checking email and hope to be taking on new projects in the spring of 2018. I am so thankful for the wonderful clients I've had the privilege of working with this year!

All my best, Sarah

Tiny Office Reveal

I'm excited to finally share my new tiny office reveal! This under-the-stairs walk in closet measures about 3 feet wide by 12 feet long, with the staircase taking up a lot of the vertical space. I think most people thought I was crazy for trying to turn this into a working office. But with some careful planning, small furniture, creative storage pieces and a LOT of my husband's hard work (a TON of work), we somehow made this little tiny office dream of mine a reality. I'm giddy just typing this in this very space!

 
When I look at the before pictures, and remember what this used to be, I only have two words: HOT MESS. Since we've lived here, this closet was a mishmash of storage space for craft supplies, books, paper products, clothing and whatever stuff we didn't have room for somewhere else. It was bad. Real bad. The actual structure of the closet was a disaster. There was a giant heating and cooling vent weaving through the floor. There was asbestos tile and patches of floor that were missing. An oddly positioned wood beam that served no purpose. A few unfinished sections of drywall and decomposing ceiling. It was not pretty to say the least, but it did hold a lot of stuff. 

When we decided to move Marshall into my former office, I kept trying to figure out the best place to relocate the large work desk that we built, my computer, office supplies, and other things that I really wanted to still have access to. My mind would not rest until one day it dawned on me that maybe this closet could be transformed into just enough space for me. I ran it by my husband probably enough times to wear him down until he finally (reluctantly) agreed. I married a patient and very loving man. That's an understatement right there. None of this could have happened without him. I need to sing his praises because he worked many nights and weekends, cutting and installing countless boards and flooring, painting, painting and painting some more. We hired professionals to reroute the vent and update the electrical (which was the biggest investment), but the rest was all him.

We searched high and low for the right boards that would create that shiplap look (channeling my inner Joanna Gaines) and finally landed on new wooden fence posts. We considered leaving them their natural color but I really wanted the room to be all white, including the stairs, which was probably the worst part to paint.

How great does that look?!? We picked out inexpensive laminate flooring to match the rest of the downstairs. I really like the contrast. It started to look like a real room! If only there were 3-6 more feet of space...

This closet actually has two doors, one from Marshall's room (it truly is a closet) and one leading to the rest of the house. It's kind of fun to be able to go through to both sides. This may sound silly, but I've always wanted my own little "place under the stairs". 

I could not WAIT to move my things in and figure out how everything would fit best. Marshall put the new desk to the test, which was actually a very narrow console table we had in the living room. Anything wider would not have fit, and anything smaller would not have supported my (large) computer.

I also had a small filing box on a metal stand that was perfect for extra desk space and to store my printer underneath. I stacked my white storage boxes and some baskets under the stairs. 

I really hoped to be able to fit a small chair and side table to sit and read or have an occasional visitor. I picked up this adorable white chair at a local charity garage sale for $8. I created a small bookshelf-table by stacking two wooden crates from the craft store. Andrew made the floating shelf above for my jars of art supplies. The metal baskets used to be in another room and were from Hobby Lobby. Isn't it cute? I occasionally sip cup of tea in this spot while enjoying a few quiet moments in the morning. 

A wreath and some prints hanging on the wall, along with a metal letter organizer and one of my burlap cork boards cozy up the space. I didn't want it to feel cluttered, just a few pieces that make me happy to adorn the walls.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some details, but I'm just so thrilled that it's done and that it turned out waaaaay better than I even imagined. My growing baby belly is still able to fit behind the desk! I've been pregnant throughout this entire makeover, so I'm curious to see how much "roomier" it will feel once baby arrives. 

Even though there were quite a few times I thought about giving up and got really discouraged with this project, I kept picturing what it could be like. I'm so glad Andrew was willing to work so hard to make it come to life. Don't let anyone talk you out of your dreams! It may take some time (or a lot of time) and there may be setbacks, but keep looking for new ideas and solutions. It will be worth it!