“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”

Around mid-May, when warmer weather starts to wind its way into Philly, I feel an urgency to cram every possible fun thing into any free square of my June to August calendar.

Working through this life-long-plan-making addiction into my 30s, I started to realize that I've gotten too good at ignoring the pleas of summer - those : internal whispers : from Mother Nature, granting us rare permission to care a little less and embrace life a tiny bit more.

Embracing the slow and still of summer allows me to find a greater balance and appreciation for the details of life (when I can remember to do so!) The complexities of life will continue to ebb and flow indefinitely. Being mindful, simplifying, and accepting things as they come, has led me to some of my most peaceful days (and to the creation of some design work I'm most proud of.)

As I'm looking forward to more sunshine and some exciting greeting card ideas to share from doodle. this summer, I'll be living life on a lazy river! Happy summering and check out Other Summering things that Feed My Soul, below!
- Jess

"Lazy Riverring"
(see: saturdaying and embracing life)

  1. Don't fight the flow and don't rush it.

  2. Take something valuable, to carry from your journey.

  3. Trust you'll end when and where you're supposed to.

  4. Float on!

Other summering that feeds my soul:

more freeze pops // less worrying about Monday on Sunday // more drink recipe experiments // less traffic during work commutes (no school buses!) // more time to teach Lemon how to play TV-tag // less excuses // more summer rain storms // less complaining // more YES

jessica@doodledeliciousdesigns.com
@doodledeliciousdesigns
#doodledeliciousdesigns

Just breathe - and let the design take over...

Depositphotos_5221500_s-2015.jpg

It seems fitting that my first design blog should be about me and my fiancee, Ben! Our wedding save-the-dates had been on my mind without a motivator to get me started. Procrastination was nestled comfortably somewhere with my sketch book and my sharpies.

Amidst the extravaganza of: buttermilk pancakes, 7 syrup options, the hottest strongest coffee in one of their mugs I'll steal one of these days, 2 lbs. of crisp-p-p bacon and all of the nostalgia I enjoy so much being in the house I grew up in - I should have known a creative moment would emerge.

Ben snapped the shot of the place-mat texture *thank you!* and we enjoyed the rest of the visit at Ti and To's, leaving to go finish the weekend with sweatpants and Netflix. A few hours later it struck me that the palette of the place-mats would compliment our vibe perfectly (I love when that happens!) - and I got my hands on my old-as-crap copy of CS3 to begin!

LESSON LEARNED: Procrastination (or waiting for the perfect time to design) still works for me!

I'm excited to launch doodle.'s new site starting with: our wedding website and our wedding stationary!

One of my favorite things when working with clients is being able to tailor designs to showcase who they are for the event their hosting. Getting to do that for ourselves is surprisingly emotional for me.

More doodle.'s to come as the site continues to develop itself. (Please get in touch with helpful feedback, critiques or testimonials, here!)

jessica@doodledeliciousdesigns.com
@doodledeliciousdesigns
#doodledeliciousdesigns