a design blog

valentine's day is around the corner

2012-01-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love Valentine's day? In my opinion, heartfelt gifts come best when you put a little love and creative time into them. Show those you love that you care with an accordion mini! It could be pictures of your children, pictures from your wedding day or make it valentine themed. Starting at only $9 - great deal for a really nice gift! Contact me at info@annahatcherdesign.com if you're interested in a custom designed accordion mini (or for any other valentine's print ideas you may have). Have a wonderful last few days of January!

AnnaHatcherDesign partners with MpixPro, print solutions for professionals, to complete your project. See below the specs and photo examples of their accordion minis.

Available in 2.5×3.5" and 3×3" sizes

Available on Pearl and Linen paper

Art Cloth cover includes black, brown, cream, blue, pink, and red

Custom photo cover comes with a satin finish

A choice of 12 (2.5×3.5") or 10 (3×3") customizable panels

Quantity pricing available when ordering 3 or more identical Accordion Minis

Concealed magnet for soft closure

Available with frosted slip cover

No minimum quantity

1-2 Business days for processing

*photos ©MpixPro

updates about annahatcherdesign

2012-01-24T19:46:00.000-05:00

New last name, yet keeping the business name!

With much consideration, I've decided not to change my business name. Happily now an "Essig" but will always remember and honor my roots as a "Hatcher". Starting my studio 5 years ago, I've been blessed in so many ways and look forward to seeing where the next 5 years takes me. Hope you'll hang around and see! What have I been up to the past 6 months? Well besides moving across the country, getting hitched in mexico, working on my golfing talents and enjoying endless happy hours with my hubbie - I've had lots of fun working on some new design projects.

Check out my latest work on my updated website.

www.annahatcherdesign.com

2011-12-02T18:13:00.001-05:00

2011-10-31T14:18:00.002-04:00

A long overdue blog post...

2011-08-22T11:18:00.018-04:00

This summer was the best summer of my life: pretty crazy but pretty amazing! Filled with fun memories driving across the country with my now husband. Had a dream wedding in Riviera Maya Mexico with the best friends and family one can imagine. We are so blessed and I'm so thankful for all that God has provided this year.

I'm engaged!!

2011-04-19T11:52:00.000-04:00

Today is a day to celebrate God's love for his children - I am SO happy to say that I will be marrying my best friend and a man that I'm more in love with everyday!! So excited to spend my life with him. :)

life APPS

2011-03-11T10:30:00.005-05:00

You had me at WOOF!

2011-03-04T11:33:00.002-05:00

Check out my latest work, live today online: http://woofgangbakeryatlanta.blogspot.com/

Atlanta resident Paige Dohoney is the franchise owner of Woof Gang Bakery Buckhead where you can find all the best in pet care and accessories! Paige also avidly supports animal rescue organizations and hosts in-store events to help benefit the local pet community, including pet adoption days, yappy hours and pet wellness seminars. Be sure to start following her on blogger, facebook & twitter. what's going on in the pet world of Atlanta! Four four-legged friend will love her store too!

Happy Birthday '2' Kate

2011-03-03T23:08:00.001-05:00

'Shatee' cajun for cute

2011-02-12T13:14:00.003-05:00

I've recently designed a website for a personalized children's boutique. Ashley is from Louisiana, obviously with her adorable name "Shatee Boutique". She has an amazing talent at creating the perfect children's outfit for any occasion. She's made several outfits for Kate and I just love them! Now with her website, you can see what appliques she offers, what embroidery fonts she has and she is always keeping it fresh - so check out her site. www.ShateeBoutique.com

www.ShateeBoutique.com

New Blog Design

2011-01-26T11:08:00.001-05:00

Check out The Image Collection's new blog look! Looking to get some shirts printed or koozies for your event? The possibilities are endless. Contact Meghan at TheImageCollectionInc.com to get your custom promotional products, which are designed by annahatcherdesign!

Recent Work: One of Atlanta's Top 5 Gala's of the Year

2011-01-24T15:19:00.002-05:00

This past year I had the opportunity to design the invitations as well as many other materials for the Shepherd Center's Annual Legendary Party through Mansell Group. It's their largest fundraiser event of the year and was held at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in November of 2010. The theme was Legend of the Sun King, Reflections of Versailles. "More than ball gowns and bow ties, The Legendary Party is about having a great time for a great cause". This past year's party raised more than $675,000 for patient programs at Shepherd Center. From charity care for patients without insurance, to complimentary housing for out-of-town patients’ families, to specialized care for our wounded combat veterans. You can read up on the party here as it was promised to be an event fit for a king! Check out photos from the event by going HERE.

Logo, Letterhead & Envelope

Save the Dates

Invitations & Program

Late Night Party Postcard Invitations

It's great to be an Auburn Tiger!

2011-01-11T14:49:00.003-05:00

The Eagle flew in Glendale, AZ &

my Alma Mater won the National Championship!

Warrrr Eagle!

super pumped about verizon iPhone!

2011-01-11T14:27:00.000-05:00

Just ordered this for my future iPhone :) 22 days left to go!!

Happy Holidays!

2011-01-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 1

2010-12-24T17:51:00.003-05:00

DAY 1

Christmas Blessings and a Happy New Year!

Be sure to wish your friends a happy new year! "Make like confetti and sparkle your way into the new year." Boxed set of 10 flat cards with gold confetti foil, accompanied by hot pink envelopes.

These cards are by one of my favorite designers Cheree Berry at Butterfly Paperie

$20

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 2 Freebie

2010-12-23T13:11:00.002-05:00

DAY 2

Here's a Freebie:

Christmas Tag DIY Download!!

Click here to download.

Just print on 8.5 x 11 paper of your choice. Metallics look nice!

Trim on the cut lines and punch holes where marked.

Add ribbon of your choice (I used a multi colored yarn from Michael's this year).

Happy Wrapping!

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 3

2010-12-22T13:36:00.002-05:00

DAY 3

Sephora carries a line called philosophy Amazing Grace and it smells so good! I love the design of this product that consists of the definition of 'philosophy' on a clear bottle. It nicely represents the clean, floral scents of this product. Enjoy a bubble bath or start your day with a spritz of Amazing Grace!

Mini layering set sold for $35 consists of:

- 4 oz Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath
- 1 oz Body Butter
- 0.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 4

2010-12-21T10:13:00.001-05:00

DAY 4

These make AWESOME gifts when you are looking for something really creative on a budget! I ordered several of these as Christmas and Wedding gifts. You can choose as many letters as you'd like and can also include a verse or a quote to go with them! I just had one made for my office that says "CREATE" "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Col. 3:23"

Get the 11 x 17 print at yournameinaframe on etsy for $26!

A little tip: Get a black frame for it at Wal-Mart for $8, makes a $34 gift!

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 5

2010-12-20T09:42:00.001-05:00

Day 5

Kate Spade has amazing creative abilities that they utilize in all of their products whether it being shoes, bags, jewerly or their paper products. Therefore since it's Day 5, I must show 5 of their items (since everything is so well designed). Each of these would make great gifts and can all be found under $50.

Item #1: Gold & yellow bangle with "a shining light" engraved on the inside $48

Item #2: Black and white iPhone hardcase cover $40

Item #3: cheerful Polka-dot coasters $20

Item #4: All wrapped up studs $45

Item #5: All occasion gift set $35

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 6

2010-12-19T13:57:00.002-05:00

DAY 6

These hand painted door signs have become very popular in my home town in Southeast Alabama. You can find one of a kind door hangers for any time of the year! They are made from quality wood that is sanded, painted and accessorized with a creative flair. You can find these at Artist Tree and Polka Dot Pavilion. Be sure to go to their site and see all of the amazing choices. I decided to display this Auburn paw print because I'm a huge fan. Sized at 19 x 19 by the Artist Tree.

Get it customized for your favorite team for only $35!

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 7

2010-12-18T10:30:00.005-05:00

DAY 7

The use of typography in these inspirational wall art messages is really beautiful. Perfect as a single mount or add 2 or 3 with the words reading across would make a really amazing piece in your living room. There are so many great choices that this was the one I decided to display because I think it's a great verse - but please go check out all of their artwork because there is a lot of really great pieces to choose from, or you can make your own. Mounted on 3/4 standout mount board with black edging. 12 x 12 ready to hang. This would make a great gift for someone who has everything!

Get it at redletterwords etsy shop for $55

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 8

2010-12-17T09:40:00.002-05:00

DAY 8

What do I love more than coffee? Adorable coffee mugs that when you hold it, it makes you talk to your coffee. :) Oh and what could I love more than coffee mugs? Um, Anthropologie of course! I love these Oresund oversized mugs. Their colors and Scandinavian art details really bring out the character of your coffee style. And... drum roll please... they are dishwasher and microwave safe!

Get all four 10 oz mugs for $48 or just grab one for $12!

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! Day 9

2010-12-16T10:49:00.002-05:00

DAY 9

If you've read my blog you know how much I love Stella & Dot. Enough said. Love these bracelets, can be worn alone or with bangles. The clover design on the leather bands are a really creative touch! Comes in metallic, purple and teal.

Buy one for you and your friends for $39!

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! Day 10

2010-12-15T10:39:00.001-05:00

Day 10

I'm a huge fan of moo.com printing. I love their 'creative' style to easy printing solutions. I have always thought their moo frames were 'tres extraordinaire'! These would make great gifts or even be used to display your work in your office. Went on a family vacation this year and don't know which photograph to choose to frame? Frame 20 of them in this moo frame! Each part of the frame is a MiniCard sized at 2.75 x 1.10 (must purchase separately). You get to be the creative one and design how you want them fit and look in your frame! Frame comes in black or white and is adjustable to be horizontal or vertical.

See a demo & get it for $34.99... right here.

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50!

2010-12-14T10:29:00.004-05:00

DAY 11

I absolutely LOVE wall art murals! It's affordable and easy. Great for those in temporary locations who needs a cute design fix, fast. And perfect for roommates looking to decorate their home! I found this awesome modern flower wall art on etsy by walldesigns. I can see this going in any room of the house! Tip of the ice berg: 45 colors available! Sized at 55x35.

Happy Shopping for $45!

A COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH 12 DAYS OF DESIGN GIFTS UNDER $50! DAY 12

2010-12-13T10:12:00.022-05:00

DAY 12

This pillow is hand stamped with antique text printing blocks using water based inks onto a light green pillow. The combination of using antique printing blocks with a linen-like fabric give the text and overall pillow a cozy vintage look... I love it! There are several other choices on the NestaHome etsy site to choose from. This one would look great in your vintage chic home. Note that this is a pillow cover only - the insert measures 12 x 16. It is machine washable! :)

Merry Christmas for $28

looking for a place to get connected? look online.

2010-12-03T10:20:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving with a Discount!

2010-11-28T12:39:00.007-05:00

Thanks to all who have supported my career as a freelancer - and thanks to all you readers. Your prayers and encouragement have been a huge blessing to me. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving and spent it with someone you hold dear.

Below are some of my new Christmas card designs I have posted on Paperstyle.com - there are some really cute one's I think this time that you can import photos into!! They also come with matching square gift stickers and envelope wraps. There's one for newlywed couples, one with the traditional "Twas the Night before Christmas" theme and a series of candy cane striped photo cards with many different sweet phrases to send to your family and friends this holiday season. They are: "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Peace, Love & Joy at Christmas", "Christ is the Reason for the Season", "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2011", "Joy to the World" and "Merry Christmas to All We Hold Dear".

Don't see what you're looking for here or have an idea of your own? I design custom Christmas cards and am offering a discounted price of $25 for a custom card design if you place your order by December 3rd. Send an email to info@annahatcherdesign.com to place your order!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Anna

Click Here to Order!!

* GO VOTE TODAY!! *

2010-11-02T12:56:00.003-04:00

It's Halloween and I'm Blogging about Christmas?

2010-10-30T12:25:00.003-04:00

It's that time - already!? Christmas card and holiday invitation designs have begun. Two on sale already at PaperStyle.com - check them out! More to come soon that I'll be sure to let you know about. Looking for a custom Christmas card with your family photo or your recent wedding photos or just have a really great idea for your holiday card? Shoot me an email and I'd be happy to make a card that is unique and special just for you! I even have great tips about where to get them printed that will save you $!

And because it's Halloween and any chance I get to show off my cute niece, Kate....
Happy Fall Everyone!

The Green Monster

2010-10-21T13:05:00.001-04:00

My roomie told me about this wonderful little healthy smoothie her friend, Callie made for lunch one day and so I decided to try it out! Pretty good!

Green Monster Smoothie:

2 Cups of Spinach

1 Large Ripe Banana

1 1/4 Cup of Almond Milk (I used skim because I didn't have this)

Other Good Things to add some extra flavor to knock out the spinach flavor:

Peanut Butter, Honey, Cocoa, Other Fruits - have fun with it!

So many nutrients, so good for you and keeps you full for a long time!
Enjoy!

Attention All Tailgaters! Football Season is Here!

2010-09-27T18:16:00.003-04:00

Help cheer on your favorite college (or NFL!) team by inviting your friends and family to your tailgate with these invitations. Invite your friends to taste your famous BBQ or your delicious Sangria - OR have a tailgate picnic with matching accessories - OR host an engagement party at your tailgate - OR throw a birthday party with my ever so popular cupcake invitations - now made into a cute football cupcake.

These invitations can be purchased at PaperStyle - Just CLICK HERE to see all the options!!

Click on the image below to read some little details about each design.

Stella & Dot - So cute & So fun!

2010-09-16T16:57:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to post my new stella&dot earrings that Savannah gave all of us for being her bridesmaid - which looked so great with our adorable Lela Rose bridesmaid dress!!! The wedding was so beautiful and sweet and these just made it even more special.

Stella and Dot is great for gifts and also great to treat yourself - I purchased the gold signature clover necklace last year and have LOVED it - goes with so much and I get so many compliments on it!! Be sure to check out Beth's Blog TODAY at http://designa-peele.blogspot.com/ because she is giving away this bib necklace:

Wedding/Event Attire Tips

2010-09-15T16:03:00.006-04:00

Have you received an invitation lately that says "White Tie" and you have no clue what that means? Sometimes it can be so hard to understand what all the attire options are... I did a little research and here is what I found out! Hope this is helpful for your next event that you are planning or attending. Cheers!

Black Tie: Men wear tuxedos. Women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates.
Formal: Usually means Black Tie (but in the bigger cities like NYC it could mean a black shirt, no tie with a tux). Women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates.
White Tie: (Also known as Ultra-Formal) Men wear full dress (tail coat) with white shirt, vest and tie. Women wear long gowns.
Black Tie Optional: Here you've got 2 options: Formal Dress like above (tuxedos) or for men a dark suit and tie and for women cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates.
Creative Black Tie: (This one I admit, never heard of!) Apparently it means go MOD - trendy interpretations of formal wear like a modern tux - maybe no tie. Women wear the sameo sameo - long or short dresses or evening separates!
Semi-Formal: (Other names: Informal, After Five or Business Formal) Tuxes and long dresses are not required. For an evening wedding (after 6pm) would mean dark suits for men and cocktail dress for women. For daytime events men would wear a suit and women an appropriate short dress or dressy suit.
Cocktail Attire: Men you wear a dark suit, no tuxes (tip: you don't have to wear a tie, you can wear a sports coat if you prefer). Women wear short, elegant dresses.
Festive Attire: This is usually seen around the holidays. Semi-Formal attire is usually the way to go. For the ladies choose something festive that sparkles like gold, silver or red.
Dressy Casual: Basically a dressed up version of casual! For the guys it could be trousers and a sport coat and for girls dressy pants or cute dress. Note: No jeans, shorts, t-shirts appropriate here!
Casual: Wear whatever you prefer!

motivation and self restoration

2010-08-12T13:10:00.000-04:00

While being my own boss is awesome and all, self-employment has its disadvantages at times. While I definitely love what I do, I can sometimes get in a "rut" that I always find a way to crawl out of. It's so hard to come back ready to bam out lots of work right after vacation. So this week has been tough to get motivated. I know I've still got it in me, just got to find a way to push past this little bump. So I've come up with the idea to have "monthly creative boosting/self restoration" activities. I will start this month and see how it goes. The 3 things I will take a day each to do:

1. Inspiration day.
2. New Creative Ideas day.
3. Work out of the office (home) and implement some of those ideas day.

So some of my ideas for inspiration days could be just a walk in the park, going to a museum or exhibition... new creative ideas day could be hanging out at barnes and noble sifting through magazines or visitng a paper shop... work out of the office days could be a my favorite peachtree pres lodge or I could try somewhere new like a coffee shop in the highlands to implement some of those ideas so that I can have full concentration on nothing else but those ideas!

If anyone has any tips or ideas of places to go and just get inspired, let me know! :)

Back from Africa

2010-06-08T23:41:00.123-04:00

Jambo! (Hello in Swahili) Ejoka!? (Hello/How are you in Turkana)

Click on the slideshow if you would like to flip through the photos!

As most of you know I have been in Africa on a mission trip for the past two weeks with SERV Ministries International. I will try here to briefly, somehow give you a vision of what we did and saw. If you would like to read more about our time there, check out the postings on SERVs blog while we were there. Click Here.

Words to describe the past two weeks of my life:

~ Mind Blowing =)

~ Amazing

~ Passionate

~ True Faith

~ Incredible

~ Eye-Opening

~ Thankful

~ Unbelievable

~ Heartfelt Compassion

~ Loving

~ On Fire for God

~ New Friendships

~ A Small Part of Something So Big

~ Providing

~ Beautiful

~ Fruitful
~ Life Changing

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ~Lamentations 3:22-23

Well... how do I begin...

We left Atlanta on Monday afternoon and 16+ hours later we landed in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi where we met up with Shem (President of the Baptist Convention Center in Nairobi). Kenya is about the size of Texas with about 2.2 Million inhabitants. 1.5 Million of those people live in a 1 mile square radius called the Kibera Slum. The majority of it's people in Kibera live in extreme poverty making less than $1.00 per day. Unemployment rates are high, HIV/AIDS are many, crime is common (especially in the evening because there is no electricity in Kibera), few schools (although public schools in Kenya recently became free), clean water is scarce, diseases thrive. But shockingly the one thing I did find there was happiness and faith. People were proud of their homes, all they were looking for was a friendly smile and then they smiled and waived at us. We visited a primary school on the outskirts of Kibera before we went in to walk the slums. The kids sang to us, read their ABC's and played games with us. We gave them a little treat of juice and cookie and they couldn't be happier. They were so excited to have us there. Shem then walked us through a little bit of the slum. Even though I had prepared myself for this, it was still a little shocking to see the living conditions. One kind lady welcomed us into her home. Six people lived in her home and it is about the size of my bathroom. But before we walked in she said "This is my home, AND I LOVE IT" with a huge smile on her face. That changed our sad, concerned faces to graditude and thanksgiving. God is so good and he provides enough for each of us every day. For some that may be very little and to some it may be very big, but whatever it is, it's enough.

We stayed at the P.C.E.A (Presbyterian Church East Africa) Guesthouse in Nairobi. No air-conditioning but not really needed because it was their winter (70s during the day, 60s at night). We had warm water, comfy bed with misquito nets and a 5am alarm clock (Mosque next door). Buffet for every meal. I have to admit I'm a bit of a true American when it comes to foreign food, I don't branch out much. I ate quite a bit of nutrition bars on this trip. :)

The next day in Nairobi we visited Thika, Kenya which was about 2 hours outside of Nairobi. Although, if the roads were paved we probably would have arrived much faster. As Shem put it: If you see ears popping out of a pot hole, don't mistake it for a rabbit - it might be a giraffe! haha, oh the potholes were so large! Oh and I should mention Pastor John - he took time away from his 2 jobs (preacher and mechanic) to drive us where ever we needed to go in Nairobi - awesome guy! In Thika we met up with Pastor Jarrod where we visited his church Greater Love Baptist. The churches we visited are not much to us but a roof over your head and a few wooden benches is all they need to worship God all day in Thika. This church was established with the help of SERV providing food so that other's may come to know Christ. We then traveled to his home where his wife and daughters had been awaiting our arrival. Welcoming us with tea and pineapple. We loved these wonderful ladies - forming friendships while singing casting crowns (yes in english) on the side of a mountain. It was beautiful! I have a video that I will try to post of Sarah singing. She has a beautiful voice and has already begun emailing us! We then went to another new church that was formed, the pastor and a few members were waiting for us. We had a short service and then prayed over the grounds, that God would provide a student center in the future, because there are a lot of children who attend this church. We then went to a piece of land that Pastor Jarrod is trying to purchase to build another church. One thing I took from this trip was the realization of the need for prayer. Never before did I really realize HOW important prayer is and how much it means to someone. I left thinking "I have to pray for them!!". Something so small but really its SO big. I wrote in my journal the people I met and who asked for my prayers. Because I didn't want to forget! There was something truly amazing about that day. Probably one of my favorite God-filled days while we were there. There is something about the way they pray that is different from us too... it's truly a cry out to God. It was pretty powerful and something I'll always remember.

We then visited Trena at Haven of Hope. She is a missionary with His Cherished Ones International Ministry in Kenya. She opened a home for abandoned and orphaned infants and toddlers. Trena is an amazing woman of God and I was stunned at her willingness to obey Him. If you get a moment visit her blog, The Lord Provides. Right after we left Trena's a 1 day old baby was dropped off at her door steps. In Kenya it is a tradition to name a child after something that occurred that day. He was named Joseph (after our team leader - the President). You'll notice a photo of me with a baby named David. This child is 6 months old and under 7 lbs, when they got David he was nearly on the brink of death - he looked like a scrwany little old man and now he is a beautiful, sweet little baby. Everyone got some David holding time.

The next day we left for Lodwar. 2 Hours in a 9-seater plane and there we are! It is the largest town in northwestern Kenya (500 km from the Sudan border) and is part of the Turkana District. We found out after we were there that it is the 5th most remote village in the world that has inhabitants! Our accommodations were excellent compared to how most residents live in this area. We had a lodge with concrete floors and walls, grass roof and toliet/shower area. Cold water shower felt great due to the consistent temperatures there in the desert. Hot hot hot. Around 95-100+ degrees during the day, maybe 80s at night, although some nights felt hotter. The lodge kitchen made some awesome french fries, but that's about the extent of what we could eat here. Everything else was what we brought in our 12lb book bag that held our clothes, tolietries and food for the rest of the week. Although living situations were a bit rougher here, this was our main destination of work. We split our time with the kids at House of Hope and distributing food at different IDP Camps. I could write a whole book about the next 5 days we spent but if you want a little more detail please read SERV's blog as I'm just going to summarize what we did.

The House of Hope is founded by SERV Ministries International. The manager and director and their employees are employed by SERV. They have 20 orphaned kids so far. As soon as all of those get sponsors then they can add more kids. Right now they have the capacity for 60 children but much much for room on the lot to build more housing. Even with the language barrier, you can tell these kids love their new home. They are like a family. Their spiritual and physical needs are met here. The attend church at the IDP Camp about a half mile away and receive medical care if needed. Some of the older kids attend primary school which we visited. Right now they are having to walk there until SERV raises enough money for a vehicle for the HOH. They have running water but they are very close to being able to provide for a well to be put in. So as you can see it is still in working process but so much better than what these kids came from. Because I saw where they came from. We visited many IDP (Internally Displaced Person) Camps - more like a group or village of people who live in the same area. Some were established because the river flooded their homes and they had to move to the side a hill where they live in stick homes covered by whatever materials they can find to provide shade. All of these villages are in need of pretty much everything, but especially food. Most people there maybe get about one meal a day? Therefore the food distribution was much needed in these areas. We went to one new village that SERV has not distributed to before. Here is where I met the grandmother of 3 of the kids at House of Hope. Wow, what a really personal thing to see. This woman loved her grandkids so much but new she couldn't provide. She was the most dignified woman I've ever met. She shook all of our hands and took a seat waiting patiently for her 2 packs of food (100 meals). When we cooked the food and gave out samples, I (and others) tried to give her one, and she just passed it on to others. What a giving woman. She had 'enough' mana for that day and saw the need to give to others just like her. I was in awe.

We distributed about 60,000 meals in those 4 days - 1 pack contains 50 servings of food that you boil with water to make. So aside from the many visits of distributing food, we spent quality time with the kids at HOH. They were so happy to have us there and loved all the attention and love they were getting. They were so in need of it. We played games, sang songs, had devotions, they taught us fun songs/dances and we taught them pretty much every hand motion song we could remember from sunday school or bible school when we were young. They loved the sunglasses, watches and t-shirts we gave them as you can probably see in the pictures. And I'm sure they were majorally confused with learning the War Eagle and Go Bulldogs chant! They even helped us distribute food to the elderly of Lodwar at the House of Hope. The girls spent one afternoon painting a mural in one of the classrooms. These kids are learning from crayon drawings on the wall that are very hard to see. We provided maps for the room, painted a mural of animals with their descriptions and a bible verse. Hopefully they will continue adding on to the rooms many years to come. On Sunday we all went to church at the IDP Camp near HOH. There were several "numbers" (songs), one of them being the HOH kids - in their Auburn shirts might I add!! I will also post a small clipping of the singing because this was one of my favorite moments on this trip. The worship - man it was just so cool. You have to hear it to see what I mean. The night before we left they held a celebration for us where we had dancing, singing, a message and communion. Some of the people at the camp where we attended the church were so kind and gave us gifts. The guys got a staff and echelon (little stool that they sit on) and the girls got necklaces. Each necklace was made from something different and by different people. At the celebration I saw a woman smiling and pointing at my necklace and I figured out that she was the one who made it, that was so special to me! It was sad to leave the children but I will never forget those little bright smiles. Maybe I'll get to see them again when they are grown, I hope so.

Off to the Masai Mara, a large game reserve in southwestern Kenya. Named after the Maasai Warriors who live there. Pretty brave people if you ask me! The African Big 5 is the Elephant, Rhinocerous, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard. We saw all of those except the Leopard. Wow what sites to see and how beautiful the land was. It was a great way for our team to degress and start processing everything we just witnessed. Luke 12:48 says "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required". The more you are aware of, the more you are responsible for. You see I have gone on this trip, it was amazing and I can already tell life changing but what do I do with that? Where will my responsibility take place? We'll see what God has in store.

Thank you all so much for your continuous prayers and support. Without you I would have never gone on this awesome journey and for that I am truly grateful. I hope you were able to see how you were an important part of this wonderful experience. Although... much still is expected from you - what will you do? Pray. Pray for the people of Africa because if any million reasons - they pray for you, pray for missionaries who give up everything we take for granted to serve God in a big way, pray for SERV as they continue to do what I consider a great work.

Kyproy Yesu!! (Praise Jesus)

Phillipians 4: 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

To learn more about SERV Ministries International, Click Here!
If you would like to take this trip, Click Here!
If you would like to support one of the Kids at the House of Hope, Click Here ($55/month)!
If you would like to help purchase a vehicle for the House of Hope, Click Here ($200)!
If you would like to provide for an orphan child at House of Hope for a Day, Click Here ($5)!
If you would like to help fund a container of food for people in Kenya, Click Here ($100)!

Off to Kenya!

2010-05-24T01:11:00.001-04:00

Hi all - I'm off to Kenya tomorrow, pumped!
You can follow our trip at servministries.blogspot.com

latest blog posting by SERV...

Kenya Bound

Monday May 24th a SERV Ministries mission team will be departing for Kenya. The team consists of 9 members and will be led by Joe Garcia. The focus of this trip is on two areas of the country of Kenya.

Nairobi: Where we will visit the Kibera slum, one of our partners His Cherished Ones and visit some of the churches that were planted in and around Nairobi as a result of the SERV food distribution that took place last year.

Lodwar: Where we will do a small labor project at our orphanage House of Hope, visit several IDP (internally displaced people) camps, distribute some of the SERV dehydrated food, perform a cooking demonstration of the SERV food and of course spend extended time with the children at House of Hope.

Stay tuned to the blog for in the field updates and videos.

This should be an awesome trip and your prayers for our team are greatly appreciated.

a hike. | next: a trip. a lifetime change.

2010-05-04T10:39:00.001-04:00

As most of you know, I'm going to Kenya in 3 weeks on a mission trip. This is our group! Whooo who, so excited! 9 wonderful people I'll get to experience this journey with, including all of you!

On Saturday we hiked Amicalola Falls to prepare us for some "roughing it" and to just to get to know one another and start building relationships. We ended up being thankful for the rain because it was pretty hot! We definitely established team unity and encouragement considering this hike was a little 'steep', we all pulled through together. And a really cool waterfall - check it out!

My next craze...

2010-05-03T22:30:00.004-04:00

I would one day like this...

...but right now, I'll settle for this

...and one day soon I'll make something like this!!

I plan on getting the L Letterpress Machine by Lifestyle Crafts that came out last year. I have always LOVED letterpress but can't really afford a 1000 lb heidleburg press at the moment. Maybe one day in the future if I decide to become a pro. But for right now, this little thing will do the trick to satisfy my creative urges.

So I've been reading a lot of blog posting reviews to see if the L Letterpress actually works and will be worth the money, time and energy. You should always read up on something before you dive in. Good thing I did because I now know what it will do, what it won't do and how to do it the best possible way. Thanks to Paper Craves blog posting and her referral to Boxcar Press for some great letterpress tips used by professionals for over 500 years. I'm convinced I have to have it.

The L Letterpress combo kit includes:

Epic Six Letterpress and Die-cutting Tool
Letterpress
Clear Packing Mat with Grid
Paper Placement Guides
Ink Base
Brayer
Ten A2 flat cards
Nine Printing Plates
Tube of Black Ink
Circle Cutting Dies

Additional Materials recommended by Boxcar Press to improve printing:

Soft Rubber Brayer
Ink Knife

This is where I'll be ordering custom plates from (KF152).
*Request for the plate to not be trimmed when ordering and this will act as roller barers.

Check back later for more posts on my findings for paper, ink etc. and pics of my first go at it!

**Photo 1&3 by Boxcar Press

A wonderful weekend!

2010-04-26T12:04:00.003-04:00

Casey & Kate came to visit this past weekend and we had so much fun at the zoo, shopping and piedmont park!!

check out my latest limited collections for sale on etsy & paperstyle

2010-04-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

Stella & Dot

2010-04-11T22:00:00.007-04:00

To all of you who love jewerly like me - would love Stella & Dot Jewerly! Just ask me or any of my friends who attended a show this week with Independent Stella & Dot Stylist, Beth Peele! Beth is the sweetest person to work with and you'll love all of their pieces. These are great for brides, bridesmaids, mother's day gifts, birthday presents or just a little something for yourself! Have a little fun and splurge on amazing collections like the semi precious and sterling silver heirloom pieces and the editor adored and celebrity coveted signature styles. You may have seen it featured in Lucky Magazine, Redbook, InStyle and Good Housekeeping or on celebs like Debra Messing and Paris Hilton, just to namedrop a few. This irresistible line, not available in stores, is so wonderful and you'll love wearing it! - And telling people where you got it! So spread the word!
Check out her site and tell her I sent you: www.stelladot.com/sites/designapeele

Spring is FINALLY here...

2010-04-02T10:38:00.003-04:00

And so is my new purse! LOVE!

precious face!

2010-03-29T22:38:00.001-04:00

i love you kater and can't wait to see you soon!

Support Africa!

2010-03-20T21:15:00.001-04:00

I'm going to Kenya this summer with SERV Ministries International. SERV is dedicated to meeting the spiritual and physical needs of impoverished children and families around the world, and our team will travel to remote villages in order to give much needed food relief and to build relationships with children at their orphanage called the House of Hope. I designed these notecards to raise support for Africa! If you would like to purchase a set of 6 individually unique notecards with envelopes, please comment or email me. Larger quantities available as well. All proceeds go to SERV Ministries International.

Escape and take a trip!

2010-03-02T08:00:00.010-05:00

With Cate & Mason Travel Partners! Customized travel planning services to exclusive destinations including Paris, Côte d’Azur, St. Barths, San Francisco and California Wine Country (Napa, Sonoma)!

Website | Blog

Anna Hatcher Design: Logo + Business Cards + Contract PDF Form and Itinerary Document PDF Form, Soon to come–Destination Brochures!

Get Your St. Patrick's Day Invitations + some!

2010-03-01T17:20:00.004-05:00

Hosting a St. Patricks Day Party?

Want to send a card to someone special - tell them that you are lucky to have them in your life!

Order these here!

coming soon to a computer near you

2010-03-01T14:17:00.002-05:00

Hi all! I have been working hard in my spare time on re-branding Anna Hatcher Design. You've probably already noticed the switch on my blog and twitter page. My company has grown so much in the past two years and I have been so blessed by so many clients, friends and family. Thank you to all of you for helping me make it what it has become! I'm looking forward to the new year and what it has in store. I'll soon be sending out an Eblast to all of my clients and friends announcing the new site and new information about Anna Hatcher Design. So be looking for that! If you would like to be on the mailing list, please comment on this post with your email address. Here is a sneak peak at what's to come:

headed to see the little one in my life

2010-02-18T20:01:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness, I can't believe she is turning one!!!! Agh!! Look at her standing! And the hair! (And she has a tooth)! I know everyone loves being an aunt, but I especially love it. Headed to Huntsville this weekend for the birthday party. Will be sure to post lost of pictures when I get back!

This Friday Night!

2010-02-17T10:48:00.005-05:00

HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern opens this Friday, February 19. Great food and hopping bar in a warm atmosphere at a great price. Will be sure to become a favorite of yours to visit, on the corner of Piedmont and Monroe (in the old Caribou). They have an extensive beer menu and an awesome food menu by Chef Brett Ring. Some items on the menu that sound yummy to me: Soft pretzels with warm cheese & beer dip | The Shrimp & Grits | Grilled Pear Brochette Salad | Taverner Double Decker Burger | Hanger Steak | Allagash White, Belgian Wit Beer | Hazelnut Mud Slide Milkshake

menu design by anna hatcher design

Eblasts

2010-02-09T16:55:00.004-05:00

Email Marketing is a great way to reach your customers in a unique way. Sometimes called "eblasts" and are essentially digital advertisements or invitations uniquely designed with your brand that contain photos and information about your latest breaking news or event you want to share with the world. It's cost-effective while reaching a lot of people. Show your customers that your in the 'now' with custom designed eblasts! By choosing HTML emarketing you can send your customers directly where you want them to go, with click-throughs. If you are interested in custom designed eblasts, shoot me an email to get started: annahatcherdesign@gmail.com

Here are few examples to check out:

mommy cards

2010-02-04T09:23:00.008-05:00

Share your contact information with the mommies of your daughter's or son's friends! Get these calling cards here.

If you would like to have a custom designed set of mommy cards, send a request to: info@annahatcherdesign.com!

My niece Kate is growing up so fast!! Precious!

2010-02-03T08:28:00.004-05:00

randomness

2010-02-02T18:29:00.004-05:00

TONIGHT - Season Premiere of LOST - finally some answers!! We'll see...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this song by Lady Antebellum

Click Here

This is for all you Bachelor Fans or Fashionistas out there.
Corrie off the bachelor (just got the boot last night) is from our neck of the woods and is a wardrobe consultant. The show has definitely helped her bus. Really cute website and blog! Check them out here: www.OhSoDandy.com

Haiti Disaster Relief

2010-01-28T12:51:00.003-05:00

you can read about the earthquake updates at Compassion's Blog

a g-chat kind of interview

2010-01-26T17:26:00.011-05:00

jessica hopper
(hoppscotch boutique)

Tell us a little bit about what we can find on your etsy shop.
hoppscotch is run by my sister Casey and I. I create linoleum block prints and cards, and Casey is very talented at painting and jewlery making. So we have a variety of different things in our shop

What do you love so much about block printing?
I like the process of carving block prints and the uncertainty of how they will actually turn out. I also love that they can be mass produced while still maintaining their individual quirky-ness

Give us a little background on your new orleans prints.
some of my new orleans prints started off as ideas for gifts. I've also always been fascinated with new orleans architecture, so that is a theme in many of my new orleans prints

So what else are you up to these days?
I'm working full time at CNN as a broadcast designer, working primarily on graphics for the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. It's an awesome job and I get to work with awesome people! Outside of work I have been working on new ideas for prints (maybe some that are influenced by my time here in atlanta), trying to keep up with my blog, and trying to stay busy and warm looking forward to Spring!

hoppscotch boutique. www.etsy.com/shop/hoppscotch
blog. jessicahopper.blogspot.com

thanks talented friend - love your work!

Check out my invites at PaperStyle.com!

2010-01-15T10:29:00.003-05:00

I recently started designing for paperstyle.com and had my FIRST SALE THIS WEEK!! So exciting!! Paperstyle.com is an online place to buy custom invitations and stationery. Click here to check out the rest of my designs at PaperStyle!

in a time like this...

2010-01-13T11:56:00.000-05:00

When you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed and like you'll never finish... it's comforting to know that I don't have to depend on my own strength.
"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Today in a time like this... I feel blessed, hopeful and loved. I hope you do too.

please snow

2010-01-07T13:08:00.000-05:00

I have looked at weather.com ABOUT 50 times today.

Sitting here... staring out my window wishing... it's almost here!!

a little one with a bow on top of her head

2009-12-30T20:13:00.001-05:00

it was a very merry christmas at my house, hope it was at yours too

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

1-2-3-4

2009-12-22T18:41:00.000-05:00

1. Brenau University - Firespark Logo Redesign and Postcard Design

2. Madeleine Themed Birthday Party Invitations

3. Early Childhood Education Brochure for Brenau University

4. Jenna & Brent Wedding Design - Favor tags, monogrammed napkins and ceremony programs

Drove around looking at lights yet?

2009-12-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

I have but didn't see anything NEAR as cool as this!! War Eagle!

2009 Lights On Merrimac Ridge Animated Lights from Merrimac Ridge on Vimeo.

My home town in the NY Times - Who Would Have Ever Thought!!

2009-12-16T11:04:00.000-05:00

I grew up in a small southern town (Hartford, AL) in the Bible belt, eating the traditional southern feast every Sunday. My grandmother still prepares the same meal for us at ever family dinner and I always look forward to it. I don't eat like that anymore, probably because I'd never make it as good as my grandmother does (MawMaw we call her). Along with those meals, comes dessert of course! My sister and I will never forget the delicious chocolate multi-layered cakes she always makes. They are delicious! Many of you may be thinking... oh just a layered cake, NO - These are seriously time consuming made by love, tradition and how their mother's mother mother mother did it - in their cast iron pan!! haha Today my mom sent me an article that the New York Times did on these fabulous cakes, featuring Slocomb and Hartford, AL and Mrs. Martha Meadows cakes (77).

Now maybe when someone asks where I'm from, they might ACTUALLY know where I'm talking about!!

You can read it here or below:

December 16, 2009
Festiveness, Stacked Up Southern Style

By KIM SEVERSON
Hartford, Ala.

IN this corner of the country, where cotton and peanuts pay the bills and the Florida border is a morning’s walk away, the worth of a cook can be measured in cake layers.

All across the South at Christmas, layer cakes parade across virtually every sideboard. But in the small towns of southeast Alabama, they are more than holiday tradition.

They’re currency, comfort and status. Everyone knows whose cakes are tender and whose consistently reach 12 layers or more.

“Three or four weren’t nothing to brag about,” said Franklin Peacock, who has been eating layer cake here since the 1930s. “Five or six is about where you’d want to start talking about your cake.”

Martha Meadows, 77, learned to bake 15-layer cakes from her mother, who cooked each layer one at a time in a cast-iron hoe-cake pan. The pan now lives in a kitchen cupboard in the small house in a cotton field between this town and Slocomb, Ala., where Mrs. Meadows has lived for 34 years.

Why 15 layers? “That’s just the way it comes out,” she said. “One time I got 17. Of course, I weren’t trying.”

Mrs. Meadows is a whirl of efficiency, using a stand mixer to prepare the yellow batter and rotating six cake pans in and out of the oven, frosting each layer with warm, boiled chocolate icing as the next batch bakes. The result is known as a little layer cake because the layers are thin. Baking and frosting one takes her two hours, she said, “if you don’t count the cleaning.”

This Christmas season, she’ll bake about 10, selling some to neighbors and donating others to her Baptist church.

It’s a relatively light year. Five years ago, she made 105 for Christmas. “I’d never do that again,” she said.

I was introduced to Mrs. Meadows by Franklin Peacock’s son, the chef Scott Peacock, who was raised on southeast Alabama layer cake. He now lives in Atlanta, where he runs the Watershed restaurant, but he has recently been traveling home to record stories from cooks in their 80s, 90s and 100s for an oral history project.

He is forever bragging about the layer cakes from Hartford, his hometown. I met him in Alabama to see for myself.

Especially at Christmas, the cake ladies of Alabama distinguish themselves with cakes whose recipes are a century old. To be sure, many Southern Christmas tables will hold red velvet or Italian cream cakes with cream cheese frosting, but those are Johnny-come-latelies, introduced in the 1960s and nothing like the old-fashioned layer cakes with tricky boiled icing.

The little layer cake is perhaps the showiest of the extensive southern Alabama repertory. There is always a poundcake on the table at Christmas, as there often is year-round. And, usually, there is a fruitcake, like the simple ones with pecans and two kinds of dried fruit that the members of the Sardis United Methodist Church are making this season. A core group of about eight cranked out 1,000 of them, selling various sizes for $5 a pound. A couple of years ago, they made enough to buy a new grand piano for the church. Last year, the cakes helped pay to remodel the church kitchen.

There is, of course, coconut cake with its fluffy frosting whipped from egg whites and boiled sugar, with fresh coconut pressed into its sides. And certainly, there are Lane cakes, made with an 1898 recipe named after Emma Rylander Lane of nearby Clayton, Ala., who called it her prize cake. The cake was a childhood favorite of President Carter, whose hometown of Plains, Ga., is a few hours’ drive from Clayton. Harper Lee, who grew up in Monroeville, Ala., mentioned Lane cake in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

The Lane cake is made with lots of egg whites, the yolks reserved for a rich filling of ground pecans, coconut and raisins flavored with bourbon or local wine. That makes it something of an illicit treat here in dry Geneva County, which is thick with non-drinking Baptists, some of whom substitute grape juice.

Like many of these layer cakes, the Lane cake gets better with a little age. Some cooks still store theirs in a tin with cut apples, to keep it moist while the alcohol mellows and flavors meld.

Lemon cheese cake is another lovely layer cake that makes economical use of yolks and whites. It’s nothing like what a New Yorker thinks of as cheesecake. The “cheese” is really an eggy lemon curd piled between layers of cake made sturdy by egg whites. More lemon curd covers the whole cake, its layers visible beneath the slightly translucent jelly.

Caramel cake is harder to come by. Its icing is demanding. The cook must take a half-cup of sugar to the edge of burning in a cast-iron skillet, boil it with more sugar, cream and butter and then beat it into a fluffy tan confection. The trick is to work fast so it doesn’t set up before the cake is frosted.

“That frosting is a demon,” said Nancie McDermott, author of “Southern Cakes.” “There’s a reason people quit making that boiled frosting and went to confectioners’ sugar. But that’s what makes these cakes so special. It’s really a dying art.”

The same boiled frosting, but with cocoa instead of caramel, stars as the thin fudge-like coat of the chocolate little layer cake. In most of the South, even in other parts of Alabama, the cake is virtually unknown.

It does, however, show up in some interesting pockets. The chef Art Smith, who grew up in Florida a couple of hundred miles from Mrs. Meadows, made a 12-layer version for Oprah Winfrey. On the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a version with 14 marshmallows melted into the icing began appearing in the 1960s, apparently an import that came with women transplanted from other parts of the South, said Elizabeth Wiegand, author of “The Outer Banks Cookbook.”

The most strikingly similar cake I found is one made with a virtually identical recipe on Smith Island, a community of about 250 people off the coast of Maryland. Local bakers claim the Smith Island cake was developed in the 1800s by the wives of watermen who needed a sturdy layer cake on their boats during the long autumn oyster harvest.

“As Pee-wee Herman used to say, I love that story,” said Ms. McDermott, who believes most of the tales surrounding layer cakes are charming but not true. “There doesn’t have to be a story. There can just be cake,” she said. “But it’s like arguing about barbecue. It’s fun. It’s harmless.”

No matter what their origins, Alabama layer cakes are worth trying. They are the perfect holiday confection — difficult enough to be special but not so hard that a cook with a few free hours, a pantry of common ingredients and a little dedication cannot make one.

I’m not much of a baker, so I took some lessons in Alabama. While the measurements were exact, the methods were sometimes vague. I asked Mrs. Meadows how long to beat the batter. “It needs to be beaten a pretty good little bit,” she said.

How long should I cook the icing?

“When it gets to cooking, turn it down.”

Many experienced cooks in the South assume that everyone knows how to bake. Virginia Willis, author of “Bon Appétit, Y’all,” sent me a coconut cake recipe she got from an 80-year-old family friend from Augusta, Ga. It begins: “Make a yellow cake.”

But the bakers I met were encouraging. They downplayed their own skill and promised me that success or failure sometimes have more to do with the phase of the Moon or the quality of a particular bag of flour than with skill.

“Mine are lopsided this morning,” said Jean Strickland, 77, whose caramel cake in fact didn’t look a bit lopsided the day I met her. Mrs. Strickland bakes about eight layer cakes a month for people who are too sick to make their own or for the old folks’ home or, really, anyone in need.

“It’s partly what I call my ministry,” she said.

But it’s also the best way she knows to make herself feel better.

“If you get down and out,” she said, “just get in the kitchen and bake a cake.”

LOVE this commercial!

2009-12-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

"Old attire, officially retired, hey mom and dad guess what, 1,2,3,4, I'm not gonna wear it anymore, I love my comfy sweaters, How cute are these boots, Forget those girly dresses, and Talk to the moose, a moose!"

I'm pretty sure I was one of those girls when I was little.... actually probably this one:

Kate Meets Santa

2009-12-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

The 30 Second Look Over - Then a Big Scream!!

December Free Desktop

2009-12-10T09:22:00.000-05:00

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Download December's Desktop Here:

1680x1050 | 1440x900 | 1024x768 | 1024x768 with White Background

A great Christmas Gift!

2009-12-02T17:55:00.002-05:00

Last year Zach and I went to see Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater. We also read the book - I would recommend this book as a gift to either a friend or family member or even yourself this Christmas. As I was watching the Glenn Beck show tonight I saw how much this story has touched so many lives... maybe your at a point in your life where you don't know where to turn. Maybe you fee like life sucks. Well sometimes it does! Face your storm. Life isn't fair, but it's worth it. Check out Glenn Beck's - The Christmas Sweater - Book & Movie

Website Design - BankingCallCenters.com

2009-12-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

Check it out! www.BankingCallCenters.com

Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

Holiday Cards

2009-11-24T14:57:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year!

What a great way to share photos from your fall wedding - Give a wonderful gift of memories to your friends and family this holiday season!

Photo Christmas Cards!

blog design

2009-11-05T14:58:00.000-05:00

I recently created a blog for Vine Property Group called In the Vine

VinePropertyGroupBlog.com

Check out their post on this great idea for kids at Christmas! Click here to read all about it!

November's Free Desktop Download

2009-11-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

Download now and click on the link for your display settings:

1024 x 768 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 | 1024 x 768 with White Background

Enjoy!

If you would like to keep receiving these desktop downloads in 2010 - please leave a comment!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

FALLing behind...october desktop

2009-10-16T15:35:00.000-04:00

Download Here: 1024 x 768 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050

Celebrate Everything Modern

2009-10-16T14:21:00.000-04:00

Check out the latest eblast I designed for SWITCH. Showroom in ATL, Studio in NY! Visit them online at www.SwitchModern.com

Champagne and Shopping with fabulous discounts on October 24th!

In conjunction with Go West Fest at the Westside Provisions District

SWITCH Kitchens Baths Interiors 1193 Howell Mill Road Atlanta 30318

Serenity Prayer

2009-10-01T12:51:00.000-04:00

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Fall is here!

2009-10-01T09:49:00.001-04:00

I love fall... having my window open... cool mornings and cool nights.... saving on electricity bill... :) I haven't posted in awhile, so here is a little look at my super busy September!

(LtoR-Bridal Shower Invites, Corporate Moving Announcement, Corporate Event Invitation, College Casino Night Shirt, Bachelorette Party Invitations, Logo for Elevate RE, Logo for Cate & Mason Travel Partners, Logo for SummitScapes, T-shirt for Greek Cookout Benefiting HERO)

an appropriate song for a rainy day...

2009-09-16T18:22:00.000-04:00

Don't ya think? Love my Adele Radio Station on Pandora. Just heard this: Norah Jones, Come Away With Me - love love love this song...

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they cant tempt us
With their lies

I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So wont you try to come

Come away with me and well kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And Ill never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While Im safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me

absolutely CANNOT wait

2009-09-14T16:13:00.000-04:00

Extended trailer from last night VMA's. P.S.-Love You Taylor Swift!

we like our toys - especially if it makes our jobs easier!

2009-09-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

This is a common question I get when people see my Wacom Tablet. It's always... ooooh what's that? I even had one person say I just wanted to check and see if it was something I needed to get. Unless you play with photoshop or a designer - no need for you to have one unless you just want it!! This was the best purchase I ever made as a freelancer. Although I paid over $100 for mine. But I don't know how I ever lived without it. I have the Wacom Intuos 4x6!

One day I would like to upgrade to this! I had one at my old job and its pretty sweet.

cool auburn chick

2009-09-08T00:56:00.001-04:00

War Eagle!

september desktop

2009-09-05T00:37:00.000-04:00

Download Here:

1024 x 768 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050

What Could Possibly Be Better Than Monograms?

2009-08-31T18:58:00.000-04:00

MIMOSAS of course!

These are some invitations I did for a bridal Monogram & Mimosas Brunch. A great DIY invite for those with a low budget! They can easily be adjusted to fit whatever your event is! All you need is some pretty 8.5 x 11 paper (mine is from papersource, color poppy), labels and stamps! I will be posting this one on my Etsy Shop, you can check it out here!

Menning Mimosas Recipe from Martha Stewart

Happy 6 Months baby Kate!!

2009-08-25T08:29:00.000-04:00

i heart nancy grace

2009-08-21T19:21:00.000-04:00

My friend Emily who works at CNN invited me to Nancy Grace's book signing and lecture for her book The Eleventh Victim. It was really great! I know a lot of people thinks she is a little... overbearing - but she really does have a good heart and try's to seek justice. For those of you who don't know, Nancy Grace served a decade as Special Prosecutor for the Atlanta Fulton County District Attorney's Office. She had a perfect record of nearly 100 felony convictions at trial and no losses. She is currently the host of the HLN show, Nancy Grace and she lives in New York City and Atlanta. Her family is from here, as well as her husband. She never thought she'd have kids and at 48 she had twins! She is a devoted and loving mom.

work out wednesday

2009-08-19T11:03:00.000-04:00

So my roomie Ansley got this new work out DVD by Tracy Anderson. It's really awesome, but a killer workout. After doing it twice I'm pretty sure I'm going to add this into my weekly work out schedule. I normally do Beach Body's Turbo Jam by Chalene Johnson because it offers a variety of workouts that are perfect for me (someone with not a lot of time). So now I have found two really great workout DVD's that I would recommend to anyone! Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna both do this workout.

Tracy Anderson has been a dancer her whole life, after experiencing a considerable amount of weight gain, she began to experiment and create her own workout methods that led to a complete transformation of her body. After 10 years of extensive research she designed several fitness systems that challenge the small muscle groups by forcing the body to rely on its balance.

Mat Workout DVD | Dance Cardio Workout DVD | Post Pregnancy Workout DVD

Here's a little preview and 10 minute workout you can try!

Turbo Jam
Chalene Johnson packs each workout with calorie-blasting kickboxing, body sculpting, and dance. It's fast, fun and it works! The DVD includes 5 fat-burning workouts:
Learn & Burn | Turbo Sculpt | 20 Minute Workout | Cardio Party | Ab Jam

family time

2009-08-17T10:41:00.000-04:00

Zach and I spent the weekend in Huntsville with John, Casey & Kate! We had a blast, here are few photos from the weekend. Kate laughs and giggles now, she is so cute and funny!

On the way there we stopped at Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga - beautiful views!

friday love

2009-08-14T10:56:00.000-04:00

working at The Lodge

with chai tea latte

www.peachtreepres.org/lodge/

a story worth telling

2009-08-11T16:18:00.000-04:00

august desktop

2009-08-06T00:33:00.000-04:00

click one to download

1680 x 1050 | 1440 x 900 | 1024 x 768

wedding monogram for my BFF

2009-08-04T20:08:00.000-04:00

GENE'S GETTIN' MARRIED!!

oh the memories!! can't believe we are growing up... love u

thrifty treasure

2009-08-02T19:58:00.000-04:00

Check out some of my treasures I found this weekend while antique shopping with a friend. Our first find was at Paris on Ponce where we found some letterpress blocks. They weren't cheap so we left with just a few... Next stop was Kudzu Antiques in Decatur where I found a really cool 1935's 'The Wanamaker Diary' (by John Wanamaker, Philadelphia, PA). I basically bought it because I thought the calendar was really neat and might make some really cool notecards or something, but who knew it was so full of intriguing information and history! It's more than a diary, but a miniature catalog and social guidebook. For example at the bottom of each page is a unique tidbit with topics ranging from 'Caring for Beauty', 'Some Uses of Salt' to 'Unique Ways Money is Spent' and 'Aeronautical Engineers'. I love it!! In the back of the book is a lot of useful facts for the 1935s man or woman. Like legal holidays in the various states (March 30th was Sweard Day in Alaska), weather wisdom (there weren't only rainbows, there were Halo's and Corona's), state populations (in 1930 Georgia had 2,908,505), state motor vehicle laws (in AL, Chauffeurs must be 18 yrs. old and fuel tax per gal. was 4 c.) and even two weeks of inexpensive summer menus! That's not even all to this neat little book, there were also some journaling. From what I learned, Elam live in PA and went on this nice little trip to Williamsburg, KY and stopped to see Daniel Boone's Monument. She also must of lived on a farm with Chicken Houses and Stables because she paid various people for these tasks a hefty sum of $1 each.

You can't imagine all the ideas I have for this little fun book! It is a real treasure.

After doing some research online about The Wanamaker Diary I found:

The Wanamaker Diary was issued by Wanamaker's Department Store, Broadway at 8th Street, in Manhattan. Intended as a recordkeeping book and souvenir, crammed with information, advice, and facts about New York, including the seating charts for theaters and stadiums in the city. Advertisments has stores and businesses in Philadelphia, where Wanamaker's was originally based, before expanding to New York City in 1896. The New York store, a famous landmark in the city, was razed by fire in 1956, 34 years after the death of its founder, John Wanamaker.

why does watching this make me feel as excited as the Auburn Pre-Game Video!?!

2009-07-28T20:39:00.001-04:00

North Point Online - Promo 1 from North Point Media on Vimeo.

North Point Online - Promo 2 from North Point Media on Vimeo.

MOOawesome!

2009-07-24T13:10:00.000-04:00

MOO is a really creative and unique online print source. If you are looking for something just a 'little' different, Moo Products is right for you! I get my business cards printed from them and they are such a conversation piece! Maybe that is because people think I'm handing them a stick of gum! One of the main reasons I like them is because they are excellent quality and you can upload your designs. I've designed business cards for several clients and had them printed by MOO. I also designed a set of calendar notecards for friends and family at Christmas time. Take a peek:

I think these mini cards are great for any type of business who wants to get their message across in a creative way. Why? One set comes with 100 cards. You can use up too 100 different designs or photos. Pretty sweet huh? Or you can design say 10 different cards and have 10 sets of those in your box! There are countless ideas you can come up with for these mini cards, like Christmas gift tags, wedding favor tags, clothing tags, etc.! For those of you who like the normal business card size they have those as well (50 different images, 200 cards per pack). Some of their other products include postcards and greeting cards. Check out some of their other cool ideas on moo's blog.

Interested in having some designed? Email me (info@annahatcherdesign.com) by August 1st, 2009 with 'MOOawesome!' in the Subject Line and I'll give you a 20% discount!

Wondering if hiring a freelancer is better than an employee?

2009-07-23T10:48:00.000-04:00

Article from Freelance Switch - Client Week

On the surface, freelancers don’t look so different from employees: you assign them projects and pay them for their work. But if you consider how freelancers will interact with you, how they complete projects and even how they are paid, freelancers are a lot different than employees. It can require a shift to start working with freelancers, rather than trying to manage them like employees — but if you can build up a strong freelancer-client relationship, you can get much better results than trying to have an employee complete the same project.

Hiring a Freelancer

When you hire an employee, there’s generally a pretty lengthy process required. You may review quite a few resumes, hold interviews, run background checks and take care of other application details — and that’s all before you actually hire someone. Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll have to orient your new employee, take care of HR paperwork, maybe even issue a key or equipment. All of that is days, perhaps weeks, beyond what it takes to hire a freelancer.

It’s entirely possible that you won’t meet a freelancer in person during the hiring process, if ever.

With freelancers, you’ll generally review portfolios and exchange emails or phone calls. It’s entirely possible that you won’t meet a freelancer in person during the hiring process, if ever. It’s rare that you’ll need to go beyond portfolios to make your choice though — because you’ll only be working with a freelancer on a relatively short-term project (rather than hiring her indefinitely), it’s not necessary or practical to go through a lengthy application process. On top of that, most freelancers work exclusively on their own equipment, usually in their own offices. They don’t get benefits or anything like that, either, which means there’s no orientation process. You pick a freelancer and he gets to work immediately.

The Costs of Freelancers

If you haven’t worked with freelancers in the past, their rates may seem a little surprising — especially in comparison to what you write on your employees’ paychecks. But it’s important to remember that employees cost far more than what they actually take home: payroll taxes, health insurance and other benefits, equipment for their use, even the coffee you provide to employees are costs that you won’t have with a freelancer. When you add up all those numbers, you’ll likely find that hiring a freelancer costs less on an hourly basis than an employee with similar skills — and you don’t have to keep a freelancer on when your project is complete.

You’ll likely find that hiring a freelancer costs less on an hourly basis than an employee with similar skills.

When paying a freelancer, you’ll likely come to some agreement regarding whether you pay via check, PayPal or another option. No matter which payment method your freelancer prefers, though, it’s important to keep records. In most countries, the payments you make to a freelancer are considered business expenses and may be deductible on your taxes.

Managing Freelancers

Freelancers operate their own businesses. That means working with a freelancer is more like working with a vendor than an employee. In most cases, you and your freelancer will work together to lay out a schedule, project goals and other details for the work you want the freelancer to complete. However, a freelancer will decide when and where to complete the work in question.

A freelancer will decide when and where to complete the work in question.

Trying to get a freelancer to handle a project within certain hours, say 9 to 5, or at a specific location, such as your office, can actually open you up to some trouble. If you’re based in the U.S, for instance, such requests can lead the IRS to consider the freelancer to be your employee, rather than an independent business. That can make you liable for payroll taxes and other expenses associated with hiring an employee. Luckily, for most projects, there’s no need to have a freelancer work any way other than the way she would typically handle a project.

journaling

2009-07-17T11:07:00.000-04:00

amazing words by shauna niequist, cold tangerines

ch1
"The world is alive, blinking and clicking, winking at us slyly, inviting us to get up and dance to the music that's been playing since the beginning of time, if you bend all the way down and put your ear to the ground to listen for it."

"that tiny flame is the most precious thing I have, and that is the most precious thing I have, and that it it can ignite a forest fire inside my heart and can burn away a lifetime of apathy and regret and distance"

"That's what friendship looks like to me. Friendship is acting out God's love for people in tangible ways. We were made to represent the love of God in each other's lives, so that each person we walk through life with has a more profound sense of God's love for them. Friendship is an opportunity to act on God's behalf in the lives of the people that we're close to, reminding each other who God is. When we do the hard, intimate work of friendship, we bring a little more of the divine into daily life. We get to remind one another about the bigger, more beautiful picture that we can't always see from where we are."

"True friendship is a sacred, important thing, and it happens when we drop down into that deeper level of who we are, when we cross over into the broken, fragile parts of ourselves. We have to give something up in order to get friendship like that. We have to give up our need to be perceived as perfect. We have to give up our ability to control what people think of us. We have to overcome the fear that when they see the depths of who we are, they'll leave. But what we give up is nothing in comparison to what this kind of friendship gives to us. Friendship is about risk. Love is about risk. If we can control it and manage it and manufacture it, then it's something else, but if it's really love, really friendship, it's a little scary around the edges."

"It has come to me the hard way, through tears and fog and fear and chaos, and now has landed in the palm of my hand like a firefly."

ch2

"What gives me hope is the belief that God will be faithful before, to me and the people around me. I need the reminders. I need to be told that he was faithful then, and then, and then. Just because I have forgotten how to see doesn't mean it isn't there. His goodness is there. His promises have been kept. All I need to do is see."

ch3

"The riskiest things always yield the best, most beautiful things."

"God is waiting to be found everywhere, in the darkest corners of our lives, the dead ends and bad neighborhoods we wake up in, and in the simplest, lightest, most singular and luminous moments. He's hiding, like a child, in quite obvious and visible places, because He wants to be found. The miracle is that he dwells in both. I knew he dwelt in the latter, the bright and beautiful, because I had been finding him there for years, in the small moments of beauty and hope that poke through the darkness of our days. But lately I have been finding him not just under the darkness, but in it, right within the blackness and deadness of these days. I have found a strange beauty in the darkness, one I've never seen, a slower, subtler beauty...

"We each play a character in a grand drama, and every stage direction matters. We tell our stories, and we let God's story be told through our stories. We hide and we seek, and we lose ourselves in the best possible way, and find things around us and inside ourselves that we never expected. We tell God's story as we live and discover our own. And I don't know if there's anything better in the world than when we lay ourselves wide open and let his story become our story, when we screw up our fists and our courage and start to tell the truest, best stories we know, which are always God's stories."

"Prayer heals all the muscles that I've been clenching for a long time, while I'm holding it together, gritting my teeth, waiting for impact. Prayer, like yoga, like singing, brings soft from hard, pliant from brittle, possible from impossible, warm from cold, breath from breathless. And no matter what gets you there, it is better to be there than not."

ch4

"...and I feel like my smaller, quieter life fits me just about perfectly for now. To my deep surprise, I don't very often find myself longing to return to the way I lived for so many years. At a certain point, I have to wonder about my judgment or my sanity. How can I continue knowing so definitively what the future will hold, and then continue being so totally wrong? This is my new thing: I'm going to write in pencil.

Life with God at it's core is about giving your life up to something bigger and more powerful. It's about saying at every turn that God knows better than we know, and that his Spirit will lead us in ways that we couldn't have predicted. I have know that, but I haven't really lived that.

There is a loosey-goosey feeling to the future now, both a slight edge of anxiety, like anything can happen, and a slight bubble of hope and freedom that, well, anything can happen.

There are moments when I feel, suddenly lucky and thankful and shocked at how happy I am. I have called this the hardest season in my adult life, which it is, and it is not what I had planned in the least, but it is also a secretly beautiful, special season at the same time. It's hard, because some relationships still feel broken, and because we have a lot less money, and because I am afraid, sometimes, about the future, but at the same time, I surprise myself with how okay it is and how okay I am with not knowing exactly what will come next.

... Every season that I thought was stable and would be just how it was for a long time ended up being a preparation or a path to the next thing. When you decide to be on this journey with God, everything is interim. Everything is a path or a preparation for the next thing, and we never know what the next thing is. Life is like that, of course, twisty and surpristing. But life with God is like that exponentially. We can dig in, make plans, write in stone, pretend we're not listening, but the voice of God has a way of being heard. It seeps in like smoke or vapor even when we've barred the door against any last-minute changes, and it moves us to different countries and different emotional territories and different ways of living. It keeps us moving and dancing and watching , and never lets us drop down into a life set on cruise control or a life ruled by remote control. Life with God is a daring dream, full of flashes and last-minute exits and generally all the things we've said we'll never do. And with the surprises comes great hope.

When it comes right down to it, of course, it's always been in the interim. We've always been in the middle space, the not-yet-heaven middle space, the yearning and groaning. We construct elaborate castles of business cards and Pottery Barn catalogs, and craft armor out of skinny jeans and insurance policies and text messages, beating back the sense that we are not enough, that life is not offering us enough, but we are not and it isn't.

All of life is in the interim, and if we're honest and tender with ourselves, if the armor is off and the castle has crumpled, we feel the ache of the meantime. Our permanent records are a mess of marks and offenses, and we are laid bare to the ache of what's coming.

... I want to arrive. I want to get to wherever I'm going and stay there. That's why I was such a ferocious planner of my life. But I'm learning to just keep moving, keep walking, keep taking teeny tiny steps. And it's in those teeny tiny steps and moments that I become, actually, who I am. We won't arrive. But we can become. And that's the most hopeful thing I can think of.

Thank God I was wrong about everything I had planned. Thank God we weren't on my schedule, because even though I dragged my heels and checked my planner every five seconds while I watched my life change in his hands, I really like the place we've ended up, and the things I've seen along the way. Now when I think about the future, I try to write in pencil."

> i will be adding to this so stay tuned...

these big blue eyes steal my heart

2009-07-16T12:41:00.000-04:00

virtual church

2009-07-09T16:49:00.000-04:00

Ha! Love the word Virtual Church (Live) and how some people may be thinking "What is the world coming to!?". Well this is today - you can now experience an online service with worship, teaching and the opportunity to dialogue about the service. All taking place in my very own Buckhead Church 6pm service. I AM SO PUMPED! :)

First Service will be August 16th!

For more info visit the website where it will all take place + the blog.