dreamfleur Creative Inspiration Suite

Above: A special wedding print I created for my friend Evelina, printed with EasyCanvasPrints.

Evelina is the type of person who brightens a room with her contagious laugh and personality. I met her when I was a college student and she was one of my advisors and co-workers. Who could imagine that we’d become friends and that years later I’d be designing her wedding invitations.

Evelina inspires me to keep pursuing my purpose despite what obstacles may arise. Recently I interviewed her on my site Dream in Soul (click here for that interview) about how she overcame a life-threatening illness and is now living life fully and boldly. Her love story is unique and special (she and her husband Ivan met on Facebook through mutual friends) and inspires me that God has creative ways of weaving together the details in our lives.

For her December wedding Evelina wanted a fun invitation with a Christmasy-feel and a movie poster theme, so I created the design to the right with the engagement photographs by Adrian Gutierriz. The “movie title” was “From My Heart to Yours” which is actually the motto of Evelina’s inspirational company Sol2Soul. After the wedding I modified the invitations and used some of the photos from the ceremony to create a special Wedding Memory Collage print for Evelina.

Around that time I was contacted by Megan from EasyCanvasPrints to review their service, so I decided to send in Evelina’s design. Soon afterwards I got a package in the mail and was excited to see the print come alive on a 16×20 canvas.

The print from EasyCanvasPrints is vibrant, very close in color to the original graphic I sent, and the texture gives the design a character and dynamic. The print is slightly glossy in the darker areas, and I like how the colors are bright and pop. The canvas is pretty thick and is mounted on a wooden frame with a metal attachment on the back for hanging (you can also order wall mounts from the site). I love how the print details wrap around the canvas (which is one of three options you can choose.) I think EasyCanvasPrints is a great choice for anyone who wants to display family photograph or a work of art.

Special event designs are some of my favorites to do, feel free to contact me if you’d like me to create a design for your special occasion or a personalized gift made with love for someone special.





Note: I received a free print from EasyCanvasPrints in exchange for a review on my site. My review was based on the product I received and my opinion of it.

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope all of you love birds enjoy this day and make every day ahead one filled with love! Even if you don’t have a Valentine or are going through a hard season, know that you are cherished…

No matter what you are going through – wading in the darkness that tries to engulf you – know that the Light is stronger, darkness won’t last much longer. Though it may get lonely you’re not alone – you are loved, more than you know…

I only first heard music from Kina Grannis a few months back but her soft, refreshing sound already makes her one of my favorites! Since it’s February 14, here is her song Valentine – it’s so sweet and the video is just as creative as what we’ve always seen from Kina:

What a treat for Valentine’s Day – the talented Beckah Shae did this moving cover of “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys and she and her husband Jack Shocklee did the accompaniment all on iphones and an ipad – how creative:

Watch the video above for a poem I wrote recently to encourage anyone who may be weary in following their dreams. Those dreams were planted in your heart for a reason – don’t give up on your purpose…you’ll reap a harvest in due season.

This poem was inspired by my own journey throughout the years of experiencing visions yet sometimes getting discouraged when the dreams don’t always grow the way I imagined. Recently though I was inspired by the wisdom of mentors who encouraged me to nurture the deepest visions in my heart.

During a session of the Inner Circle Mentoring Mastermind (an enriching program I’ve experienced since 2011) with an amazing Reinvention Strategist Marshawn Evans she talked about the importance of dreams and said something that pulled on my heart strings:

“Dreams are designed to be experienced, not just imagined…to be engaged, not to be distant.” – Marshawn Evans

When she said that something inside of me was sparked and I realized that without knowing it I had disqualified myself from certain dreams because they seemed too lofty and impractical, but these are exactly the type of dreams that God wants to fulfill in our lives.

She went on to talk about how dreams are designed too big so you can grow into them, and that you need faith and God in order to see them come to reality. In Marshawn Evans’ Reinvent ME LIVE series that began in January she continued to talk about how important it is to take action on your dreams, find mentors and move into a larger garden when you have outgrown the place you have been. Soon after that revitalizing session (which I would recommend to anyone who is looking to fulfill a dream) I was inspired to share what I learned and bring some of my own deeply buried dreams to life, and it came into form as this poem.

I have so much expectancy for 2012, and recently one of my dreams which I had abandoned years ago is beginning to come into fruition. Since I was a little girl I had always wanted to sing to inspire others through music and creative performances, but had always let fear and shyness eclipse that dream. I’m excited to say that after months of auditioning with an established music company, I was recently offered an Artist Development Agreement to create an inspirational music platform (which I will announce more in detail on the site later). It wasn’t easy leading up to this point but this example is proof to me that those deep, decaying dreams in your heart can indeed come to life if you put in the work to revive and sustain them.

What’s your dream? What vision or passion have you set aside for the more practical and everyday cares of life? I dare you to nourish the seeds of those dreams and bring them to the Light – God can take you further and higher than you can go on your own. Give your dreams some love and let them grow today – Dear Dreamer, the world awaits…

- Julene Fleurmond, dreamfleur.com

This TED Talk from a few months back featuring designer Jessi Arrington is so creative and quirky. Jessi is a self-proclaimed “color-loving…outfit-obsessed Brooklyn designer” who is determined to feed her love for passion only by shopping secondhand at flea markets and thrift stores. She also photographs and blogs a different “colorful, crazy outfit for every single occasion.” I love her care-free take on fashion to express herself, and how she doesn’t take her outfits or herself too seriously (which she shows in one of her tips: “Embrace your inner child. Sometimes people tell me that I look like I’m playing dress-up, or that I remind them of their seven year-old. I like to smile and say, ‘Thank you.’)

Visit Jessica’s blog to learn more about her take on the TED talk and her passion for fashion, used and unique.

” Jessi Arrington packed nothing for TED but 7 pairs of undies, buying the rest of her clothes in thrift stores around LA. It’s a meditation on conscious consumption — wrapped in a rainbow of color and creativity.”

From Jessi’s TED Talk
“…Confidence is key. If you think you look good in something, you almost certainly do. And if you don’t think you look good in something, you’re also probably right. I grew up with a mom who taught me this day-in and day-out. But it wasn’t until I turned 30 that I really got what this meant. And I’m going to break it down for you for just a second. If you believe you’re a beautiful person inside and out, there is no look that you can’t pull off. So there is no excuse for any of us here in this audience. We should be able to rock anything we want to rock.

“…Developing your own unique personal style is a really great way to tell the world something about you without having to say a word. It’s been proven to me time and time again as people have walked up to me this week simply because of what I’m wearing. And we’ve had great conversations…”

“So obviously this is not all going to fit back in my tiny suitcase. So before I go home to Brooklyn, I’m going to donate everything back. Because the lesson I’m trying to learn myself this week is that it’s okay to let go. I don’t need to get emotionally attached to these things, because around the corner, there is always going to be another crazy, colorful, shiny outfit just waiting for me, if I put a little love in my heart and look.” – Jessi Arrington

More About Jessi

Jessi Arrington is a founder and owner of WORKSHOP, a designer firm in Brooklyn. Her favorite color is rainbow and her default answer is YES. She’s taught Design Fundamentals at Touro College and given guest lectures at NYU; she’s a board member of AIGA/NY. Before co-founding WORKSHOP, she carried out branding for Brooklyn Brewery, Tomato Records and Lion Brand Yarn under the direction of Milton Glaser. She makes a hobby of wearing nothing new (except undies).
She blogs at LuckySoAndSo.com about design, consumption and color.