McKinney Bridal Show 2016

January 22, 2016 Jeremy Sullivan

CW Designs has had a wonderful start to 2016 and the good times kept rolling when we attended the 2016 McKinney Bridal Show at the McKinney Performing Arts Center. We set up in our familiar cozy spot with our new video montage of some of our favorite work. The McKinney bridal show is one of the best if not the best show in DFW. Rebecca Heart of the MPAC does an amazing job getting the word out and putting together some of the best wedding professionals around. We had a wonderful day mingling with fellow vendors and friends and enjoying the energy that only newly engaged couples can provide. It was quite a day!

To our amazement bride after bride and couple after couple were familiar with our work and ETSY shop. Others were followers on Pinterest or actually received wedding invitations and wedding maps designed by us from friends and loved ones. Now it's their turn! One bride was casually talking to her friend about a wedding map she saw at a friends wedding, only to realize that the map she was referencing was featured on our video montage! It really is a small world. Bridal shows are great because you can get a sense of what brides are digging these days. We received some valuable feedback from some well prepared visitors and can't wait to implement what we learned. Other couples were a bit overwhelmed by the daunting task of planning a wedding, but we were able to settle some nerves and point them in the right direction. We love doing that!

Some of the best wedding professionals in the DFW area were within arms reach. They are not only talented professionals, but they genuinely care for their clients. Something we take pride in with our business. People like Julie Shields of Phase3 photography, Julie Blakey of Forever Events and Weddings, Scott Thomas of Creative Touch Audio, Christie Connell of Azure Photography, Wendy Kidd of Each and Every Detail, Lindsay Crump of The Stalk Market, Laura Greiner of the McKinney Sheraton Hotel, and on and on and on. When a bride brought up that she was struggling to decide on a spot for her rehearsal dinner we instinctively suggested our good friends Jason Lewis and Carlos Gonzales at Lot 207. It was awesome and we hope these couples took our advice. We are really proud to be associated with such quality people and appreciate the support we've been given since setting up shop in McKinney. This is a very close knit industry and we know that with such wonderful support from clients, colleagues, and friends, 2016 is sure to be a wonderful year.

Favorites for January

State Save the Date

Multilingual Wedding Map

Modern Wedding Invitation

Customized!

December 2, 2015 Carol Sullivan

New Years Day 2015, I was contacted by a wonderful woman named Tracy about creating a custom wedding invitations for her wedding. Her and her fiance were getting married in September at the Liberty House in Jersey City, NJ, overlooking Manhattan. We had the normal exchanges of e-mails, but after she realized I created more than invitations and maps, she decided to customize her whole wedding! I designed invitations, wedding maps, luggage tags, stickers, even their "Just Married" sign, if it was on paper I designed it! She even had me design custom lunch boxes for the children attending the wedding! I’ve had some really amazing clients over the years, but Tracy and Van are definitely at the top. She was so fun to work with and always open to ideas. We woulds text each other anytime we thought of something cool, and through our correspondence I saw how sweet and considerate Tracy really is. She is always thinking of her friends and family and it was truly apparent on their wedding day. Her husband, Van, is really a lucky man, and I could tell the way she spoke of him that he really loved her. They are sooooo cute! I am really proud of the small part I played in helping them celebrate their special day! It was an honor.

Since then we have worked on a couple of other projects including a map of her and Van’s travel on their yacht, Sunday Morning, and more recently a Christmas card. I had so much fun working on all of it, but sometimes I’d catch myself daydreaming of past travels and had to snap out of it! I truly love my career and the people I have met along the way. During this time of reflection and thanksgiving, I am so happy and thankful for people like Tracy and Van. She was my first client of 2015 and the catalyst for my most successful year ever! I look forward to working with her in the future, but more importantly I feel like I made a friend. I can't wait for the day when our families meet and I can give her a hug.

Thank you to Brandon Remler for the wonderful photographs!

It's the gene's

September 24, 2015 Jeremy Sullivan

Recently Carol and I collaborated on an invitation suite and save the date that was inspired by one of my favorite artists, Mark Rothko. Today is birth date of Mark Rothko, so we thought it fitting to release an invitation based on his work. We plan on creating other works based on artists we love throughout the year, so keep your eye out. With Carol's help and encouragement, I have been teaching myself the Adobe Creative Suite and studying different artists and design concepts. One day, I caught the creative bug and went with it, this happens occasionally, just ask Carol about the time I went to Home Depot and made a lamp out of pipe, fittings, and scrap wood; I spent all weekend on it. It's in the genes...

Carol’s artistic talent is obvious and was born out of her mothers influence and challenges she faced as a child. The influence of art has manifested into a successful career as a graphic designer and painter. As a child, art was a lifeboat in a tumultuous sea that helped form her as an artist and a person. She has honed her talents over the years, and through her love and support she has inspired me to tap into my artistic side as well.

As it turns out, I too come from a family influenced by art. My moms side of the family is full of musicians, dancers, painters, sculptors, and craftsmen. Lacking formal training, much of their artistic talent was born out of necessity and self preservation, but it brought joy to what was often a loving but difficult childhood. Music was played, scraps of sheet metal were fashionedinto sculpture, canvases could be made of anything, and if you could make it with your hands, you did. In comparison I lead a sybaritic lifestyle growing up, perhaps the reason why my founding years were shaped to mere appreciation for art and literature and nothing more. My artistic talent peaked when I painted a rock red and blue as a paper weight for my dad on Fathers Day... Carol made me think differently.

Now later in life, and after watching my talented wife create and design beautiful works, I’ve decided to not only appreciate the work, but try my hand at design, something I never thought worthy or capable of doing. While I will never have the talent or proficiency of Carol, I know that it gives me a sense of pride when she says “that’s awesome” and that’s enough for me.

Please check out the new invitation suite and save the date below.

Picture Perfect

September 9, 2015 Carol Sullivan

Over the years, I have created thousands of custom items for weddings all over the world and occasionally I will receive pictures my work. When I opened up these images, I was stunned by their beauty. The gorgeous photo's were taken by Sarah Petersen of Sarah Schultz Photography. She captured some amazing images of the couple and some really great shots of the day of material I created. I really cherish photo's like this because I can put a face to a name and see how my work appeared. I was so impressed by how the colors popped that I contacted my equally talented friend and photographer, Ryan O'Dowd of Ryan O'Dowd Photography, to take a few shots of the materials I created for the big day. I created a custom invitation suite, wedding map, seating chart, table numbers, place cards, and even a custom postage stamp! I love it when I can take a style and apply it to other things outside of just an invitation or map! Check out these amazing photos.

“Thank you so much (again) for the wonderful work and all of the back and forth changes you made on the artwork for Molly’s wedding. It made the event much more special and the reception coordinator commented frequently on the attention to detail and extra touches. We really appreciate everything you did for us!”

— Mindy (Mother of Bride)