Students in their caps & gowns, paint on car windows, balloons flying in the air. It could only be one time of year: GRADUATION SEASON!! We hope you are all enjoying it and got the cards you needed! Our new favorite part of this time of year is seeing the pride in all the faces of the graduates’ parents. Before becoming a mom graduation to me had only one storyline: starting that next chapter of life and reflecting on what you had just accomplished. Now, my eyes are opened to a whole new subplot: the parents’ emotions. Georgia answered “Moo” to “What does a cow say?” for the first time and I couldn’t be more proud. I can’t even imagine the pride these parents are feeling.
Recently we were asked to create invitations for our dear friends, Mark & Rona’s, daughter, Emily’s, high school graduation and acceptance to college. We were so honored to make these announcements because the love and dedication our friends have to their daughter is moving. (Disclaimer: if you haven’t picked up on it yet, I’m a little bit of a sap sometimes, but these things just get me.) Mark & Rona are a true example of the parents we hope to become. As a parent, you are some of the only people who have been there from day one – through everything. You’ve loved and nurtured and tried to teach your child all the skills they need to know to go out in the real world. And now it’s time. Seriously, I just can’t take it.
We wanted these invitations to personify the pride our friends have for their daughter…the pride that can visibly be seen as they speak about her talent and her drive. When we asked Rona what the party meant to her she told us how for past school graduations they would have a nice family dinner, but high school wasn’t just about celebrating her accomplishment, it was a big deal because her life is about to change. She said, “It’s a celebration of her hard work, her tenacity, her working for her dream and doing whatever it takes to prepare and succeed. We are so proud of the person Emily is.”
Just recently after taking a summer course at F.I.T, Emily cultivated her love for design and the art of sewing. She has the talent to transform any fabric into something beautiful that can be worn…and she doesn’t just make clothes, she makes garments that can change a person’s mood. Emily was first accepted to a design school in London. And although her parents would have never stopped her form going there to pursue her dreams, everyone was ecstatic when they got the phone call confirming her acceptance to The Fashion Institute of Technology, right here in New York City.
To create these invites we started with the most important thing: the words. We wanted “Emily Katz” & “Fashion Institute of Technology” to jump off the page as though Mark was shouting it with a megaphone on a double-decker bus in New York City. We wanted Emily’s creative style to come through and what her future holds to be captured in this 5x7 piece of card stock. We selected an artistic font that gave the appearance of Emily sketching the words herself. For those who didn’t know her passion, we used the image of a dress form draped with a seamstress’ measuring tape. As with all the invitations we create, we like to have a little pop of surprise. For these invitations we were inspired by some old sewing patterns we had lying around. We scanned them into my computer and had them printed on the backside.
Once the invitations were printed, we then took them to the next level. We sewed a stitch of thread around the party information to give it added texture.
Finally, we knew we wanted the recipients of these invites to know they were about to open something exciting as soon as they got it from their mailbox. We feel the invitation should start with the envelope! We cut strips of the actual sewing pattern and adhered them to the back flap of the envelopes. Our end product is something we are truly proud of.
We have to thank Mark & Rona for giving us full creative freedom on this project and for letting us be part of such a monumental time in their family’s life. We think they are pretty happy with the outcome because we received a phone call from Mark immediately and Rona said they are framing one in their house. Actually their excitement for these invites is the exact reason we started Love Jac. It makes us feel so good to know we have created something that they want to send to their closest friends…something that honors their daughter and expresses their feelings in a way they didn’t think was possible. For us, that’s what it’s all about.
We also have to take a second to recognize our two cousins who also graduated high school this year. Kate – who is off to Boston University to study Creative Writing & Rebecca – who is going to James Madison University to get her degree in Special Education. Both of these young women are pretty amazing. And of course we also have to recognize their parents, who are bursting with pride, but now have to adjust to the fact their baby is an adult. Good luck guys! Georgia, never grow up.
Kate & her very proud mom, Karen!!
The whole gang celebrating Rebecca's accomplishments! Her dad, Kenny, gave a very touching toast. I, of course, was in tears! What an exciting time!! I know Grandma Gardner is very proud of her Becca!!