The Big UNO Party!

Baby Elliot turned One, and to celebrate his big first birthday, we threw him a big UNO party! 

This momma had so much fun desiging and creating all of the decorations, cake and even matching family shirts. Every details of my boys parties well thought out and consistent... I guess party planning is definitely a thing of mine I truly enjoy. 

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We enjoyed celebrating our little one and hope that my parties can inspire others. One doesn't have to go all out on decorations, but when you have a vision in mind, it is enjoyable seeing it become reality. 

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A special shoutout to our favorite cake shop Three Girls Cake Shoppe for always creating my designs into a delicious birthday cake or smash cake! 

Thanks,

Amanda 

FEAR

Image captured by Amanda Lott. Berea, Ohio

FEAR... verb: to be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.

Why do we fear? We fear the unknown, the what if moments, imperfection and even success. This has been the case for me for a while. I've stopped myself from working on so many creative ideas, and I am over letting fear consume me and dictate how I share my gifts and talents. I often fear that my work isn't good enough and compare to those who I think are better than me, it is paralyzing. 

Scriptures tell us in Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

So I have decided to trust my Lord and not let the fear or failure or success take over my mind, and share the creative ideas and projects God has given me. 

I've been so blessed to have a growing family and want to share some of our memories and some of the special projects I've been fortunate enough to be a part of. Look out world, Amanda Lott of Lotts of Designs is here to Design, Capture and Create!

Please browse through my portfolio and see the work that I've done. Feel free to contact me if you would like me to create something for you, your family or business. 

Thanks,
Amanda Lott
 

Pregnancy Announcements!

When it comes to announcing the birth of our children, I just can't keep it simple. The designer and me won't let me do it any other way. The first time we were announcing that we we're expecting our first child, I had some fun. My husband being a movie buff, and myself a graphic designer I had to create something special to share our news with the world.  

My vision was to create a movie poster, titled "The Soon To Be Born Identity" . This was A fun hey on one of the hubs favorite movies, and it allowed me to make it our own. 

Lott Announcement 1 - 2014

So, it was only fitting that with our second surprise announcement we continue the fun and I designed... "The Soon To Be Born Identity 2". We had so much fun creating this one, and incorporating are a little guy in a humorous way. 

Lott Announcement 2 - 2017

I hope you enjoy our announcements as much as I enjoyed creating them. What better way to share our exciting news with the world, than with these lovely posters! 

Cheers to expanding to a Family of 4!  

Thanks, Amanda  

Sweet Wedding Bliss!!

The Sweets gave me the privilege of being a part of their special day in a big way. I had the opportunity to capture their blended family during a Family Portrait/ Engagement Session, design and create their wedding stationary. From Save the Date Cards, Wedding Invitations, Wedding Portrait and Thank You cards. 

It was a blast creating memorable pieces for them, and I look forward to creating more for the growing Sweet Family and the bun growing in their oven. 

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SDOP AD

Once in a while I get the great opportunity to design for various organizations. My most recent opportunity to create a half page ad for the SDOP Conference gave me the change to create a small advertisement for a ministry of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. The purpose of this Ad is to  spread the word about the local communities being transformed, learning about the bible and the self development of people. I am thankful for this privilege and hope you can also enjoy my design. 

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Favorite Projects of 2014

2014 Brought quite a few fun projects. From celebrating a miracle child's 1st birthday, a Senior Photo shoot, Sweet Family engagement, beautiful invitations, small company branding, an adoption profile, to most fun of all, a special announcement to the world! 

Here is the countdown to my favorite 2014 projects!!

7.... Arnold Senior Photo shoot

This handsome young man had no problem posing for the camera. The Elyria High Senior and member of the wrestling enjoyed his senior photo shoot at Olmsted Falls Park on a beautiful Autumn day. The park was full of mini photo shoots, but Caleb shined. Take a look at some of his best photos! Congrats Caleb, and the class of 2015! 

6.... Sweet Family Engagement

Nicole and Roland Sweet allowed me the privilege to capture their beautiful merging family this past summer. Not only did I get to work on their engagement photo session, but also got the opportunity to design their Save-the-Date and wedding invitations. On this beautiful August day, I not only captured their love for each other, but also for their new family. It was a Sweet day!  <3

5... Branding fun

This year also brought me the opportunity to design some branding for two special organizations, VOIS (Your UNspoken Message) and Zion Ministries International. For VOIS, I was able to re-create their logo, choose their colors, and create the beautiful business cards the CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) envisioned. The VOIS message is such a powerful non-profit helping young ladies find their inner voices. The Zion Ministries branding was fun to create for Dr. Cynthia Carter-Smallwood. It was such a privilege creating a few concepts for Dr. Cynthia to choose from. The final branding was just her style and included a logo, business cards, letterhead, envelope and a postcard with ministry information. 

4... Invitations & Wedding Bliss

There were several events going on this summer including the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Mr. and Mrs. Dzurik, the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Ramos and the baby shower Team Thomas! I really enjoyed creating invitations for these special events! Once you see these beauties, you will know why I had tons of fun. I also had the privilege to design invitation and capture some beautiful photos for a special couple's wedding. 

3... Adoption Profile 

The adoption journey is not always an easy one, but the matching of hopeful parents to special children warms the heart. This is especially true for this amazing couple, Chad & Arian May. It was truly an honor when Arian approached me to create an adoption profile sheet or two for her adoption agency online profile. I was so touched and moved by their story that I just had to share it. When the day arrives that they get matched with their little one, everyone will rejoice because this couple is truly deserving and will will be the best, most humble, God-fearing parents any child can have. The child will be beyond blessed to call them parents and I hope that birth parents who are out there looking for the perfect adoptive parents will look at the May's profile and see they are the ones. I can't wait to share the news when that glorious day arrives. Check out their profiles below and click here to learn more about Chad and Arian May! 

2... Celebrating a Miracle!

One of the biggest highlights of 2014 was celebrating the 1st year of life of Josiah, the precious miracle to our family. Born three months early, this little guy was a preemie, weighing in at 2lbs 2oz. Though it looked a bit rough for the first few weeks of his life, this little fighter has made it through and has amazed us and the doctors daily. It may not always be easy, but he has shown true signs of growth and began walking at 16 months, just weeks after the doctors placed little braces on his legs. On his first birthday, we celebrated with a 'Jake and the Neverland Pirates' party, where little Josiah was loved and honored. Lotts of Designs had the fun in designing the invitations, creating party decor and setting up the celebration. Here are some of the highlights of this celebration! Josiah was created for something great! 

1... Lotts to Announce! 

The best project and moment of 2014 was by far the announcement of our new bundle arriving May 2015!! It was such a blast to find out the great news, plan ways to awe and surprise our family and of course, design some pieces to cherish for years to come. When announcing our pregnancy, we had to do it big... from our personal photo shoot by the amazing @Pebbles Betts, the poster announcement for social media, the videos captured of our family reactions and the baby's gender reveal, to our Christmas Card/Announcement, this news had to be shared in the most creative way! View our photos and videos below, and join us in the journey of announcing the expanding of our family! Special thanks to Olaf for helping us with our gender reveal. Were jointing team blue! 

Our family thought we were moving to NYC for work, but they were in for the surprise of their lives to find our baby announcement instead of the offer letter they were expecting! Their reactions are priceless!

Our family thought they were posing for a family portrait, but they were in for quite a surprise, a baby announcement. Their reactions are priceless, they could hardly believe it!

Hope you enjoyed some of my favorite projects of 2014.... 2015 will be even greater!!

God Bless and Happy New Year!! 
Amanda @Lotts of Designs

Vintage invitation

Rustic, vintage wedding invitations are trending lately, but who can blame couples for sharing their love in a vintage theme. I recently had the pleasure of designing some invitations for a blushing bride. She wanted to invite her guests to the big day with a simple, yet elegant invitation.

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vintage doily invitations 

I designed these custom invitations and had fun creating the perfect delicate vintage look. I started with some white doilies, dyed them in tea to turn them ivory, then cut down the edges to fit the invitation card. The doily edges create a perfectly delicate look and is tied together with twine giving it that finished vintage look. The invitations were inserted into blush pink envelopes. 

tea dyed doily

before and after doily was dipped in tea.

folded doily

folding doily over invitation card

packaged invitations

packaged vintage themed invitations ready to meet their bride

packaged in twine

pack of invitations, tied together in twine

invitation box

box of vintage invitations ready for bride

The final product turned out fantastic and completely matched the beautiful bride!! Hope you like them! Follow  #lottsofdesigns on Facebook,  Instagram and Twitter for more fun projects!

Thanks,
Amanda 

Handmade

Miriam Webster defines 'Handmade' as: "made by hand or by a hand process", : made with the hands or by using hand tools". I have come to realize that some people don't understand this concept. The bottom line is that "handmade" things aren't for everyone, but for those of us who love it, we appreciate the time and energy a crafty person spends on each piece of art they make. 

I love handmade things and I have incorporated my love into my business. Know that whenever you come to me for a custom invitation, greeting card or gift… each was made made by hand, carefully crafted, measured, cut and layered - it is not mass produced. Each product has character, uniqueness, is crafted with precision and cut with cutting tools and may not be all alike. There is just something about a measuring and layering paper that makes me happy.

Thankfully websites like Etsy allow us to show and share our craft. There are many stores like Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby and Pat Catans that sell tons of tools and materials to let our imaginations run wild. I am grateful to be a part of the handmade community and hope that  you can appreciate my craft as well. - Stay tuned for my Etsy shop opening in the near future! 

In the mean time here's a few photos from my Instagram page of "hand-making" some invites.

Craft on!!
Amanda Lott 

Quinceañera Invitations

A Quinceañera is a right of passage for young women from the Latin culture. It is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday and is celebrated differently than most teenage birthday parties as it is represents the transition from childhood to young womanhood. The tradition varies across countries, in tradition and in style. The celebration could be simple to very elaborate. In looking back to my own 'Quince' (for short) over a decade ago, having one of these parties was by far one of the highlights of my teenage years and a proud moment of my heritage tradition. 

Now many years later I've had the privilege of creating a variety of 'Quince' invitations for a few Quinceañeras and they are so much fun. From ticket stubs to pocket folds, creating special invitations to the biggest celebration in a young woman's life is such a privilege. Here are some examples of invitations have created. I also had the opportunity to capture some images of a beautiful young lady for her 'Sweet 16' and those photos were displayed as her table centerpieces!  It has a blast to create such important keepsakes and I look forward to many more!! 

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Yanliz Quince Invitations

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Yanliz invitaion 'Mis Quince'

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Quince work station...

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Seashell invites!

When you think of aquarium themed invitations, you may envision a tropical color scheme, but not for this lovely couple! This couple chose  sophisticated colors - silver, black and red. I loved creating this invitation and tying in the seashell and starfish theme throughout the invitation pieces, with lovely font and holding it all together with a belly band containing the couples name, wedding date and an embossed seashell! 

A lovely couple with lovely invitations in a beautiful aquarium wedding. I enjoyed creating this special piece for this couple and enjoyed capturing their beautiful wedding even more! Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Maines!!

Moments captured of the special day!!

invitation inserts

invitation inserts containing RSVP card, Reception and Direction information

Wedding Invitation! 

Cordial Invitation, as you would receive it and when you open it!