One of my favorite projects in 2014 was this collaboration with VII, the college aged youth ministry at Gateway Church. If you know me, you know VII is near and dear to my heart. Tuesdays are my favorite nights of the week because of VII, where I get to meet in a room full of young adults to worship God and learn more about Him. I have learned and grown so much during my time at VII. I have experienced some of my sweetest moments and created some of my most cherished relationships there. I was so ecstatic when I was contacted to create the design for the new VII t-shirts. Creating lettering for Gateway had been a desire God had placed on my heart in the past, but I never spoke of it, so I was thrilled when Paul reached out to me. Sidenote: Paul of Socality is a really neat guy and has linked me with some really awesome opportunities for handlettering in the past year, such as my collaboration with Socality PDX & VRSLY last fall as well. The theme of the shirts was (obviously) living generously. These shirts were to debut around the holiday season, but were meant to be something that could be worn all year long. The term is a play on giving generously, which we've all heard before. However, VII turned it around and chose to focus on how we can live with the mentality of life being about more than just ourselves. How we can live a life that is bigger than just us. I was all about it. In making these shirts, I had so much creative freedom and was so excited to create different designs to present to the VII team. As I worked on the different designs, I was able to have fun experimenting with different styles and finding out more about my own! Below you can see the final designs I presented to the VII team - in black & white just for a different look- and then at the bottom, there are a few photos of the final chosen and printed designs.

Thanks so much to the VII team for this opportunity! This has been one of my favorite projects to date and I feel so blessed to have gotten the chance to collaborate with you!

xx,

Sey

#SEYSEYTurns23 - Part I

Florals by Query Events, Cake by A Slice of Life Cakes, Macarons by Laura Macarena

Since I was a child, I've always celebrated my birthday one way or another. From hotel sleepovers, to tea parties, from wedding inspired large gatherings, to dinners with my closest friends. As I've gotten older and parties have undoubtedly come to look very different, I found myself retreating to the things I enjoyed most growing up. My mind landed upon forts. Whether it be with my parents or my cousin or my best friends, building "forts" were always my favorite. For a great part of my childhood I had various canopies hanging above my bed because I always loved the secluded and whimsical look and feel of being surrounded by a light, ethereal fabric.

So I decided to retreat back to this thought process. Keeping the idea nearly completely a secret, I invited a few of my closest friends over for dinner at my house. We sat under the stringed lights and drank cider and wine, listening to 1989 - sidenote: can we have a discussion in the comment section about how good this album is please, and being ridiculous as usual. I even got my friends to call me SeySey, a nickname I've always desired that never took root. I loved being able to be surrounded by some of the people who know me best and was so grateful for each person's presence. My parents helped me create this mini haven and it was so neat to see my little dream that had been festering in my head come to life.

On my actual birthday, I was seriously overwhelmed with so much love, gratitude, and excitement. I was moved to tears throughout the day and was ugly laughing by the end of the night because I was so giddy. My best friend called me at midnight and we ended up talking for an hour, my office gave me cards and cupcakes, my phone flooded with sweet texts, calls, emails, and posts, another sweet friend surprised me at my office with lunch, and a few friends even surprised me with a dinner, gifts, and a chantilly cake adorned with the most beautiful sparklers. I ended the night dancing to the music in our heads with one of my besties & even getting a little birthday shoutout from Zooey Magazine. And of course, resided one last time for the night in my wonderland of a fort. 22 was a really, really good year.  I have been SOOOOO incredibly blessed, and believe me, I know how undeserving I am. God has given me opportunities greater than I've even imagined at this stage in my life and love and relationships there's no way I could've ever earned. This year... I learned, I grew, I acquired new friendships that I cherish so dearly, I had heartbreaks and new experiences and faced challenges head-on. As disappointment was felt even more dreams came true and I honestly believe 22 may have been the best year of my life. But there's a little voice in my head, and yes, that voice very well may be MJ himself, that says 23 is going to be even better.

Thank you guys for sticking along for the ride.

xx, SeySey

(click below to see photobooth & cake-cutting photos!)

JOY.

Dress by ASTR at Nordstrom | Necklace by J. Crew

This season of my life has been filled with so much joy. Things I once prayed, yearned and desired for so greatly in my heart have come to reality in ways I would've never imagined and in such abundance.  I feel like I've gained so many genuine friends and engaged in such wonderful relationships in such a short period of time. Truly a rush of grace and favor has come upon my life. I've been asked to partake in projects I never would've even imagined I would have the opportunity to do. I've felt that my opinion, my effort, and my work has been desired and cherished. And though I'm not really someone who has ever looked to man for approval, it's a nice feeling. I've been able to collaborate, contribute, listen, share, pray, think, empathize, and grow.  It's absolutely amazing how God delivers. 

In this period, I've found at times that you don't need to have an explanation for everything. If you're joyful, it's okay to take time out to simply be. To simply be happy and to enjoy life just because. Just because I feel like it, just because God's grace moves me, just because life is good. Like sit and paint outside, or get myself a frappuccino with caramel and mocha AND a shot of expresso, or to go out of my way to serve or give or share love and compassion with someone. This weekend, before one of my best friend Esther's birthday dinner's, was one of these times I wanted to do something just because. I asked my best friend Thuy-An if she would wanted to go take pictures in a field before we headed downtown, to which she graciously agreed, with heart eyed emojis and everything! The sun was setting so we parked and ran across a few lanes of traffic to frolic in some wheat and catch some warm rays.

An Upcoming Fall Fashion Soiree

So life can be whimsical, wonderful, overwhelmingly great, overwhelmingly stressful, but rarely mundane. If life is mundane you're doing it wrong. I'm positively sure of it because there are too many amazing things in this world for you not to be excited about something! If it's stressful, you may ALMOST be doing it right, but may need to scoot some things off your plate, get a sense of what items you find irresistible and want more of, which you might not want to go back for seconds to get, and what proportions work best for you. Food analogies are my favorite if you can't tell... I will try to work food into nearly any situation... bacon.

Which is totally where I'm at right now - not with bacon, but the rest of that paragraph. I know what I like and what I dislike. I like interacting with people who are passionate, who also like interacting with people, and who like to make working fun. I like people who focus on the positives, but who are also willing to be real and express a frustration or concern now and then. I like writing and painting and drinking tea outside. I like reading my Bible and realizing what a doofus I've been and how great people are and how good I have it. I like Jesus and how great He is. I like the fall, the warm air and the cool breezes. I like layering, the cozy color palettes and dark hues, slipping into something comfy and cute. I like the changing colors and all the frozen frapps I can't seem to get enough of each weekend. I like small gatherings, warm hugs, and smiling faces. And last but not least, I'd really like to see you this Thursday if you can make it! I will be hosting a little event in Via C at Nordstrom at NorthPark. There will be great people, sweet treats, killer tunes, and overall it will be a pretty darn neat time. Stop by between 6 and 8 to meet me and awesome new people, chat, shop, take a few pics with me or in the photo-booth and have a great time!

I would so love to see you guys there! Hope you can make it out :)

"My insides are crying!!!"

So this week's post is just going to be kind of backwards, for the sake of my desires!

Yesterday afternoon, our awesome friend Erika (featured above) took some photos for Victoria and I to display our our website! She knows her way around the camera pretty darn well (which I suppose she should considering we used to take pictures together!) Especially because she's a Nikon (or used to be, even though she's a Canon at heart) and Victoria and I are both Canons :)

 Also, she's an incredible makeup artist, so hit her up! We stocked her up with our gear, adjusted the settings, and put her critical eye to the test to capture some great shots for us! And ummm duh, she delivered.

Well, maybe after this one. Some things you just can't help...

And so it begins....

she's so gorgeeeous!!!

Afterwards, we took a brief trip down the road to Chocolate Secrets, this adorable chocolate shop with live jazz music at night and a beautiful array of liquor infused chocolates and delectables.

  

 We grabbed an assortment of beautifully marbled pieces and bought our first bottle of pinot noir as a gift for the birthday man! We also got to hear a few initial moments of the jazz musicians before we headed off to a  surprise party for the husband of a friend of Victoria's, not to mention another amazing photographer, Heather.

We had to explain our connections to the couple so many times, but basically we second shot a wedding for a photographer who referred Victoria to help second shoot for another photographer named Heather, who's a second shooter for another photographer, when she can't be there. So Victoria began second shooting for Heather and has kept in touch with her and I even met Heather at the Bell Jar Prom we attended a few months ago. Ultimately, Heather invited Victoria and alas, we end up at the party, despite Victoria's apparent fear of strangers haha.

Pretending to snap a photo of Victoria, so I could at least show a snippet of how beautiful this place is hahaha.

Once we arrived in the building, it was like we stepped into an alternate universe. And even more so once we stepped into the apartment. Imagine an urbanized Friends apartment, meets the apartment in New Girl, with a rustic and industrial twist. Basically, it was spacious, artistic, and gorgeous. I probably gawked over the apartment for the first 20 minutes we were there, which ultimately kept us away from meeting all of the amazing people at the party that were even MORE gawk worthy. Like seriously, we were in the presence of photography royalty. I really wanted to ask everyone for pictures with them, but didn't want to make my age (or lack of worthiness) even more apparent. 

Korena, Victoria, Heather & I! They are such lovely ladies! Instax picture snapped by Rocky Garza!

It was so beautiful to be in a room surrounded by creatives. Literally, each person we engaged in conversation with was doing something creative and amazing. Something that creative people must take for granted is that constant environment. I remember last week standing in a room full of business professionals feeling so misplaced. I just knew it felt wrong and honestly thought to myself about how this isn't how it should be for something I'm meant to do for the rest of my life. And then came last night -- I felt so comfortable and ultimately felt really understood. And in turn I felt like I really understood their concerns and their desires. I don't know. As cheesy as it sounds it was really like seeing a piece of their hearts. It's beautiful how passionate people can become about their art and how much of the world it can open you up to. So basically Victoria and I were in a room full of people who were living our dream lives. GAWKING.

Everyone was SOOO beautiful and sweet and open with us. I was absolutely overwhelmed by how incredible everyone was and thus I coined the term "My insides are crying!!!" because as strange as it may be, I never cry tears of joy. But, it felt like I was crying... even though physical tears were not present. 

Victoria, on the other hand, most likely went home and cried real tears. And oh my goodness, as if we weren't already on Cloud 9 some not so shabby (meaning actually really cute) fellows complimented us on the way out for being beautiful haha. Goes to show happy girls are the prettiest ;)

Another thing that made me cry on the inside this week? ONE REPUBLIC'S NEW ALBUM. If you know me, or have known me for like... more than a month, then you probably know about my love of One Republic. So when I finally got the deluxe version of my boys' new album I literally couldn't contain my excitement... i.e., snapchatted pictures of it TO EVERYONE. And bought it for my mentee... And Victoria and I listened to them on the way to and from Dallas.... I mean, helllllooooo. They're wonderful.

YET THE AWESOMENESS CONTINUES.

This Tuesday, Emily actually got to come to Bible study! ANDDDD Thuy-an got baptized!!! Which is amazing :) So excited. So happy! SO WONDERFUL!

I was happy to get to reconnect with my girls afterwards, and to have the opportunity to catch up with a couple friends throughout the week as well. Even though I had like 3 yucky exams this week, it ended up being so awesome and wrapped up really well. I had an amazing week and now I cannot wait until next week and the next and the next and the next leading up to graduation. Soooo many awesome things are in store, I'm so excited :3

I also got $50 for taking an assessment exam.... so that was awesome. And after I left the room, the world appeared to be so beautiful hahaha so here's a photo I snapped leaving COBA.

So on a closing note, here's a few pictures that at least made me laugh...

I thought this was going to be a snapchat. Hahaha, ah the wonders of technology.

Here's Erika on her victory stump!!! Though it doesn't look like it'd be difficult to reach, it was a struggle, for suuuure. Quite steep, actually.

Namaaaasteeee!

Me: Omg, I can't deal with you. Victoria: WHAAAAAAAA?!

 Gotta love your friends. Like seriously, I have the best friends ever. I'm SOOO fortunate and grateful for everyone in my life. And everyone who reads my blog, oh my goodness, it's crazy that people will read my jumbled rambles. Y'all are so wonderful. <3

I hope everyone has an absolutely AMAZING Easter and is ready for my presence on social media once again ;)