Holiday Coupons for Students

Happy Holidays everyone! Here is a post for all you elementary teachers looking for some inexpensive gift ideas for your kiddos. Adriana asked me to design some Christmas coupons for her that she will give along with a goody bag for her class. I decided to offer them as free printouts for all you teachers. Just download, print and cut! Enjoy! Don't forget to show us your pictures to see how you used them!

Joined the bandwagon.

take control of your procrastination now.

via publicschool

Haha. The things people come up with & the things that entertain me so easily. 

Love my new current desktop image. Something about Peewee that makes me feel at ease. 

I loved this panoramic picture my co-worker, Sondra took of the work crew at a Burger King lunch. Love their onion rings! 
Apps can do anything these days!

Miriam & Kiki

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; 

rather is one of those things that give value to survival." 

- C. S. Lewis 

 

My friends from LA surprised me with this video. Totally made my Friday. :)

 

A lot of times I like to help family / friends out with projects. A lot of times this means giving of my talents/time for a price less than what is acceptable. Some may see it as me being taken advantage of, I see it as paying it forward. I am not saying that everyone should work for free always, that wouldn't make sense, much less pay the bills. But I do feel that sometimes, there are those moments/times when you discern what you are doing and why you are doing it. Helping people who need it, gives me a lot of joy. So I do it. I've had a lot of wonderful people whom I admire help me one way or another on the road towards my career. Whether it be with a nice email that encouraged me about my work, to actually lending me equipment I could not afford to complete a project. I am not saying everyone should do this, but if you have the time and means, why not? Look at it as practice :) 

The following is a video from a speaker I saw while visiting Nashville, Tennessee. A wise man that made me remember his wise words. 

"The day you practice something you're not paid to do, is the beginning of the journey that will
take you to the place they will pay you, for what you've practiced."

Because we all hated when this happened. Happy Wednesday everyone! 

siempre estoy extrañando algo. 

Los Angeles / 2011

Somebody save  me, somebody save me, I'm going crazy...

Really digging the new song & video from The Royalty. (btw, this was shot entirely with an iphone)

Yes, I am a designer and I have a Window's phone. And I also have insta*coughcough*cam. 

It's not quite Instagram, but it does the job (minus letting me upload photos).

Only a matter of time. :) 

Follow me on Instagram at yaz_m
 

And check out my weekly FOUR FAVE FRIDAYS, where I pick my four fave 

instagram photos on my feed that week and post them on the Coffee Creative Blog.

One of my favorite frames from a recent photo sesh with The Royalty.

& can't get enough of listening to Vampire Graffitifrom their last album.

Looking forward to their upcoming album, Lovers. 

The Royalty / 03. 2012

She's this crazy now / There's no telling what's in store 

march // drewnesse

Stand Up For Religious Freedom

Because I believe in religious freedom. And so should every US citizen. I recorded this recent video of a courageous woman who gave her testimony at the Nationwide Rally for Religious Freedom in El Paso, Texas.

Are you Catholic, yet you quite don't understand what the big deal with contraceptives and Catholics is? Read this great article written by Jenn Giroux on what the big fuss is all about.

Check out more photos I took at the Rally, here.

Cause I am afraid of the light

I know I haven't posted here in a while (Thank you, Gabe for noticing, here's a shout out to you. haha.)  I started drawing with watercolors lately. It's such a relaxing hobby, wish it didn't take me so long to begin a new drawing. This weekend, I had the urge to draw band members, the Cults. Any ideas for my next drawing?

 

And of course, I couldn't resist the urge of making a gif, 

from a photo I took at their recent show in El Paso. 

Peppermint Nails!

Getting all these fun nail ideas from Refinery 29. Check em out!

 

// Peppermint Photo

sister animated gif fun

They bring out the best in me. :)

Early Christmas Present

It's amazing how much our lives can change from one week to the next. Last week I wrote an anxiety entree found here.

This week I get the news that I will now be a full timer at Sanders/Wingo.

I love my co-workers. I love my job. Life is good. Especially in the bittersweet moments, which have helped me truly appreciate this news.

Merry Early Christmas to me!

Yasmin's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Today felt like this. I lost my keys all day & dropped my phone in water (for the second time). Oi. Where is my mind?

(in case you haven't read that book, here's a link I found on youtube!)

If you are from El Paso, you are probably familiar with the band, The Royalty. If you are not, you probably should be. They recently got signed to Victory Records which is kinda a big deal. Congratulations to them! I recently took this while shooting The Royalty last week (Which I've yet to post photos of)

Oh, Christmas tree. You make me so happy! Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Getting Personal

"Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God."
Philippians 4:6

 

That passage was given to me by my friend this morning, when I ashamedly shared with him that lately (The past couple months) my days have been filled with stress and uneasiness. This stress and uneasiness may be a result of the pressures that seasonal commercials on television are putting on not only me, but also on all of America this holiday season. Something is not right about that sentence.  Usually, I listen to Christmas music year round to help me relax during the hectic year. Now, it only seems like a stressful reminder that I will need to buy Christmas gifts to all those I care about, but most importantly it is the stressful reminder that I still don't have a full time job.

I know I am one of the many of graduated college students who are in the same boat. Our student loan statements are hitting us fast. Everyday I remind myself of how grateful I am to at least have a job, regardless of it not being full time. And luckily, it is also a job in my field of expertise. But yet, that just doesn't seem like it's enough.

Today during my lunch, I decided to go to church nearby for Confession. As I quietly waited for the priest, I talked to God. Asking him to please give me a full time job soon. To please give me the means to buy presents for my loved ones. To please give help me figure out a way to start paying my student loans. As I start pouring my requests, a cute old lady in a wheel chair calls me over. In spanish she asks me if I could help her drop her donation in the donation box because she couldn't reach. I gladly obliged, and held out my hand while she poured her donation in my hand. As I slowly and silently poured her alms, I noticed that it had to be no more than $2.00 in pennies, nickles, and dimes. As I poured her donation into the box, she devoutly and lovingly prayed. 

I took a step back and she thanked me. I went back to the line where I was standing and my eyes  instantly started pouring with tears. I am usually known to be a huge crybaby, but this time it was different. This time I heard God talking to me through this humble lady. I waste so much time asking for something else. Wishing for something more. This lady was in a wheelchair offering the few change she had with great love. While I on the other hand, am perfectly healthy stressing out about not being able to give more, instead of putting to use what I do have, today. And not what I will have, tomorrow. 

>original photo found here

This weather just makes me want to stay home all day, watching a movie

and enjoying some hot soup with some hot cocoa. This afternoon I made 

myself a grilled cheese, of course, mine didn't come out as perfect as Martha Stewarts

(shown above). Nonetheless, with one side burned, I enjoyed my sloppy grilled cheese 

sandwich and Campbell's tomato soup. Yummy!

TGIF. 


The weekend is a reason to get dolled up and pretty. Check out this cute black lace dress. I love lace. And especially when I don't have to spend a fortune. Snag this one for under $30. That's right. Pair it with this adorable letterpress necklace. Not under $30 bucks. But if you are a printmaker like me, then you just have to have it.

                  Sofia Vergara Lace Dress                                                         Letterpress Necklace

We are halfway through the week! Hope you all are having a fun Wednesday. 

You may recognize the work of this artist from Communication Art's Illustration Competition design.

 

                                                 lauren nassef                              wood coasters

fog city

 

Yesterday, my friend, Celisse pointed out how foggy and awesome the city looked. So, out comes iphone camera. Loving this chilly weather! Wonder if we'll see any snow this year. 

Got Instagram? Follow me @ yaz_m

f a s h i o n / w a n t s

I usually don't post about fashion or clothing. And it is not because I hate fashion. Actually, fashion was my first love–before graphic design came along (hello, FIDM). Sometimes the fashion world can be intimidating and overwhelming, if that makes any sense. Most of the time I hate shopping (long register lines, unorganized racks, fitting room waits) unless it is done online. A lil, internet-window shopping never hurt anyone!

I love this elbow metallic sweater & 2 pack bff tops. Paired with the perfect ring, you have a cute top outfit!

 

/a two pack tops  /b gold ring  /c cashmere sweater  /d teal ring

three six five

Who doesn't love a beautiful and interesting calendar? I recently borrowed this book (365 Days of Design) from my friend Carlos and was so amazed at the creative calendars featured in this book, so I decided to share about it with you all.

 

Other Calendars I liked! 

                                                      Ink Calendar                             An Apple a Day

Titanic takes over my office

I am a really big dork who enjoys dressing up.

(i look a little chonchis in this pic. hahah)