Inspired by the flowers in this summertime wedding, I created a simple but elegant illustration motif for Malena and Andrew's invitations. To compliment the blues, greens and purples, I chose a sage green accent for the envelope liners and paper belly belts. The display font, Burgues, is also sage green. I used MrsEaves in a warm gray color for the text font.  In addition to the reply card and reception card, the couple requested a custom map with directions for their wedding guests. For this piece, I used Illustrator and traced a google map image to create a clean and colorful design. I love the way the finished pieces come together. I can almost smell the summer garden!

Longtime friends and Art Directors from Boston and Manhattan, Rachel Bukstein and Jennifer Schwartz have joined creative forces to launch an exciting new craft blog, Design Seedz . Their ideas are original, modern, and easy to recreate. They have been preparing for months with projects, professional photos, and comprehensive tutorials. One of my favorites so far is the Friendship Sunglasses project. They've taken the embroidery friendship bracelet idea and applied it to sunglasses - love it! I can't to see what they post next. Friendship Sunglasses photo © Design Seedz

Ran and I spent Friday updating our little backyard. It was so nice to enjoy a beautiful Easter sunday outside in the pretty landscape. In addition to some intensive weeding and pruning, we filled in the dirt path with pebbles and installed solar powered lights along the walkway. They look so pretty at night! We also bought a bird feeder and hung the metal art from Ran's Uncle Jay. The bird feeder has, expectedly and sadly, turned into a squirrel feeder. Any suggestions on how to prevent these bird bullies from eating all of our seed? Before shot from last fall.

The Easter Egg Artists / Illustration by Kate Holeman

This is a bridal shower invitation I recently created for my friend Kristen. I thought it would be fun to show you the “before” sketch alongside the completed illustration and invitation. I brought my sketch into Adobe Illustrator and worked my magic with the vector line tool to create this crisp, clean illustration of a bride-to-be as she is showered with love. My original idea showed the bride holding the umbrella above her head. However, my husband (the romantic) thought that something was “off.” Why would she want to shield herself from the hearts falling from the sky? So the umbrella came down and the illustration was perfected.

Last weekend, a childhood dream of my husband's came true. We attended the New York performance of Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy . This was a monumental event for many people, not just for Ran. A nearly sold out crowd filled the BAM Opera House, listening, laughing, singing and utterly enjoying the beautifully woven chords from their all-time favorite video game series. One thing I have learned over the years: Final Fantasy isn't just a video game. For the technology folk, it is a fascinating historical time line in the developments of computer generated music and artwork. For others, it is simply joy and inspiration. For me, it is the music that I walked down the aisle to at my wedding and the memory of that wonderful day. This was perhaps the most fun orchestra performance I think I will ever attend. Some people dressed up as game characters, others cheered at their favorite scenes on the projector screen, and most everyone shed a tear at the genius melodies of

My brother-in-law, Winder, has joined the blogosphere with his new online journal, a wanna be savage detective . The title is in reference to the book by Roberto Bolaño, The Savage Detectives , whose characters live for their art. The goal behind this visually inspiring site is to share something (found or made) creative every day. Winder's blog is an easy remedy in the search for visual inspiration or a mental break from your day-to-day grind. Below are two images from his own works that he has featured on his site. Copyright © Winder Holeman Copyright © Winder Holeman

Illustration by Kate Holeman And now for a personal announcement that I have been waiting for what feels like forever to share! My husband and I will welcome a baby boy this August. We're thrilled! I am excited for all the fun kids crafts in my future. This is a drawing I did for our big announcement. Ran and I love "Where the Wild Things Are" so we thought this was an appropriately fun message for the occasion.