We are having a girl! 13 weeks and counting till the arrival of baby Guillot in late July. Lisa is beside herself…well, more like behind herself as her belly grows with anticipation.

“When I had Julien in July 2010 I was admittedly scared. I didn’t know how to be a mother, I didn’t know what to expect, I read the book, but what does that do? I was growing into being a step mother to Sam and Ben, but wasn’t ready for the complete life reversal that a newborn was about to create in my heart and in my arms. This time I am better prepared, understanding that there is indeed an end to sleepless nights (thank God). And I will find time to put on make-up in the mornings and get fully-dressed. I remember one week after Julien was born I had fingernail polish on only one hand. I couldn’t find the time to take it off the other five fingers. Yes, new moms…it’s that bad. Beautiful maternity photo shoots don’t prep you for the endless dirty diapers and sleepless nights. This time, at least I am clued in.”

“I am already planning mani-pedi’s with my little girl. I am already concerned about tween bullying on the playground. I wonder what her hair is going to look like. I wonder if she will like me when she is 17. I didn’t think this way with Julien. With Julien I thought, “When will he be able to use a spoon?” And other practical life necessities. I am ready to start the journey again, fresh, sleepless and with more experience. So, here’s to mother’s second time around!”

“These are shots that always make me smile from the Fall of 2011 when Julien was 15 months old. Already toddling around, a few teeth and a few words like, “Mama” warmed my heart everyday. Happy Mother’s day moms!” Gorgeous photography by Kelly Allison Photography.

Giddy, excited, nervous…you would think I was going on a first date. Next week is our first Forth Chicago event. A few weeks ago I mentioned my urge to development real relationships with real people, not phone conversations, not twitter tweets. Real people, doing real things. Specifically women in Chicago with bright ideas. Enter: Forth Chicago!

Forth is a quarterly salon designed to provide women the time and space to talk. We gather to share, celebrate, dream, and indulge our brightest ideas.

Our goal is simple: to bring an intimate group of clever women together in a beautiful space with tasty snacks and a beverage or two. As hosts, we ask a few questions about things we have been thinking and talking about. And then, together, we make time and space for conversation to blossom.

Kelly Alison, Julie Schumacer and I have curated a loosely knit group of women who will sip on spring-time’s favorite cocktail, Prosecco, and eat yummy homemade springtime goodies. I cannot wait to see what conversations evolve. Forth is an invitation only event, if you would like to be invited to our next event….email me, lisa@stebrightly.com! Check out our website here: ForthChicago.com.

We are thrilled to share another successful client launch! Cape Nanny, a boutique nanny placement agency in the Cape Cod and Boston area launched their website in March 2013, and are going to be featured in Daily Candy next week. Crazy success! I want to share with you some of the delicious design details and inspiration from the project.

Erika’s existing logo was a great starting off point, from there we found little copper sailor buttons for customized social media buttons, and crushed on our young nautical color palette. This brand was a joy to develop and grow. Our original concepts were “A Sailor’s Notebook: 1960′s Kennedy” and “Vintage Cape” which was the winner. A detailed case study coming next week in our portfolio! Until then enjoy these details and our Pinterest board of fantastic Cape Cod visual yumminess. 

I’ll be the first to admit it, I overdo it. My son’s first and second birthday parties: totally overdone. Christmas decor? Too much. Pinterest, you are the devil. Social media, hate you. 

I have been using Pinterest to catalog inspiration boards for my clients, which is incredibly effective. We create a space for our clients to pin and help create their look overtime. We have had great feedback regarding this step in our process.

But, when browsing through Pinterest I have a hard time staying focused with the beautiful dessert, or table setting with gold plated flatware. Oh! Look at that dress with DIY studs on the collar, how did they do that?! 

Stop. I have to stop. My mid-year resolution: Keep it simple. Simple pleasures, simple delights, simple and doable goals.

This easter I created a Pinterest board that focuses on simplicity and softness of pastel. Easter is a time of rebirth and renewal. Check out what that means to us visually!

All photography credits can be found here.

I just emailed someone and suggested we talk ‘offline.’ How ridiculous is that? When did talking become an offline event? I miss personal connections, I miss real conversations with good people. So, what do I do when I am not happy ? I fix it. Find a way to create it.

Branding is about creating a story for my clients that will inspire their clients to love and cherish them overtime. I want to create personal moments between my clients and others. I love to talk about how I do this with clients and other creatives, the process is thrilling and so different every time!

A few of us creative folk, fantastic photographer- Kelly Allison and word genius - Julie Schumacher  have been talking since the new year about how to create space for these types of conversations. These are a few shots from our last in-person face-to-face real offline conversation at Design Cloud after eating at The Little Goat in the West Loop.

I am nervous, excited and giddy to share with you how this bright idea is going to shape-up throughout the year.

]]> http://stepbrightly.com/2013/02/bright-ideas-start/feed/ 1 http://stepbrightly.com/2013/02/step-brightly-recent-photo-shoot/ http://stepbrightly.com/2013/02/step-brightly-recent-photo-shoot/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:22:54 +0000 Step Brightly http://stepbrightly.com/?p=4662

Sneak peek behind the scenes of our recent photo shoot with Kelly Allison Photography to kick off 2013. We can’t wait to share with you new projects ranging from an entire brand identity program for KHLowery Consulting to packaging design and stationery pieces for Capim Santo Alchemy…yummy and exhilarating artisan infused oils to awaken your spirit!

We also did a snazzy photo video add to our plethora of videos (okay, this will be #3).

More to come!

2012 was unbelievable. We took a look at the numbers to see how many projects we tackled this year, in no particular order (just like numbers work in our creative right-brains).

16: New Clients

16: Creative Collaborations

1: Packaging Project

4: Successful Events

6: Brands Launched

7: Sites in Production

3: Consulting Clients

1: Happy Step Brightly Studio

A BIG thank you to everyone who helped make this year the most successful year yet for Step Brightly. We are so excited to see where 2013 takes us. Next week we are shooting our  portfolio with Kelly Alison Photography so we will have more to share of the fantastic client work that we are so proud of. Till then watch our Step Brightly video from this summer!

Light, love and laughter to you and yours this year!

Cheers, Lisa

Like any good graphic designer, I tend to go overboard with seasonal decor, but not this year. The Guillot house was subtle, subdued and full of the mid-century restraint my husband loves.

And guess who else loved it? Rue Magazine! Step Brightly won Rue’s Holiday Decor contest on Instagram!

Rue is the center for stylish living with features on crafty DIY ideas, home decor and stylish houseware products. We were both shocked and thrilled to be included, let alone win. Super big hip-hip-hooray to Rue, thanks!

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Step Brightly’s industry expertise in Bricks Mortar & Paper is really a front for my undying need to accessorize for the holidays. Oh wait! We were going to talk about Pinterest, not my obsession with glitter and gold.

Step Brightly uses Pinterest for business to faciliate our brainstorming process. In the past we would surf the web, read magazines, go to the movies and talk over a cup of coffee and sketch pad with clients and designers regarding the look of their brand. We still do that but now, with Pinterest, we gather ideas and share with our clients virtually. It’s like a virtual brainstorming meeting.

We have boards for each client, as well as boards for my obessions with seasonal decor. I love finding vintage, rustic, Americana photography in action.

We are going to splurge this season and share a few of our favorite holiday Pinterest finds with you. You can find all of the original images, credits and sources on our Pinterest account. Happy Pinning!