I'm Still Fuctioning!

It’s been a while since I posted here, which wasn’t the intent. I actually wanted to at least post once a month.

Things have been busy. I’m waist-deep in planning the wedding with my fiancé and working on stuff for that. Save the dates will be the first designed thing, but I’ve been working on plenty of other creative stuff for the wedding in between like the bouquets for my bridesmaids and me.

The bridesmaids will have light bouquets with some dark accents.

My bouquet is dark with light accents.

I’ve also taken up nail art. I’m not a licensed technician, but I’ve been doing own nails again and creating sets to sell on Etsy.

My 2023 birthday nail set.

Medium coffin, color changing pearl and caviar deisgn

Neon marble set, medium, square

Medium blue coffin nails, elegant wedding style

Warm neon jawbreaker style, stiletto, medium

Winter penguin set sold to a regular client.

Royal blue queen set, short almond

Orchid/aqua tribal-inspired nail set.

 

Java swirl, medium coffin

XL Black and white coffin nail set

 

I also started dabbling in other crafts, like creating phone grips.

Moon crescent bow phone grip

Moon sceptre phone grip

Cute face phone grip

Multicolor dot phone grip

So I’m still around, just…not around.

Work is exhausting—mentally, emotionally, and even physically. While it doesn’t seem like it would be, sitting in front of a computer for eight hours a day, talking on the phone for the better part of those eight hours, reviewing insurance claims, benefits, calling doctors’ offices and hospitals, explaining to billers why they need to correct the claim or write off the bill for patients is really taxing.

I’m very much in the market for a new role. My job isn’t a bad one, it’s just not what I want to do and it’s staring to wear me down. It’s time to move on and I’m ready for my next challenge.

EGD: Paradise Beauty Lounge Nail Salon

Last year, Lash Paradise Beauty Lounge began transitioning to a more concise name, Paradise Beauty Lounge, in anticipation of the grand opening for the lash salon side that opened in 2020 and the nail salon which opened in 2022. While the name isn’t finalized due to some further research and needing to be done to make it happen, the name is appearing in different places online and in print.

Recently, Torianna Paradise, the owner/operator of Lash Paradise/Paradise Beauty Lounge, approached me and asked me to revise the signage we did for them to reflect the expansion of the lash salon to include the nail salon.

Below are the install photos from what we did. The nail salon windows had the same treatment as the lash salon side, right next door, and the listing of the main services were included in the building and pylon signs.

If you’re looking to make an appointment to get your lashes, nails, or brows done, visit their website to book an appointment!

I've Been Impacted

Last year saw mass layoffs left and right from companies like GoPuff, Twitter, Google, Meta, Amazon—the list goes on. Even the company I work for had a reduction in workforce, citing reorganization after acquiring PlushCare and 2nd.MD. At that time, I was safe.

This year, we’re already seeing more layoffs from the same companies, including mine.

However, I am not safe.

I, along with several other colleagues of mine, were briefed on the current events and provided a timeline and several documents to review and sign. In order to keep things intact for myself, I am not at liberty to speak on what’s going on or the processes, but what I will say is I’m back on the market, baby.

My master resume has been updated and uploaded to my about page for download.

I’ve been asked if I’m upset.

Short answer? Yes. I’m livid, to be completely honest. Once all is said and done for myself, I will spill the carefully crafted morning tea and provide my personal opinion of it all. But for now, I’m employed on a ticking time bomb and will continue to serve until my number is called to move on to bigger, better things.

I pulled myself back onto LinkedIn and started campaigning for others as well as myself. We’re all in this together.

For anyone else who’s been affected by a layoff event at their company—good luck, you got this!

Top Secret Design Stuff

Ever since Luis and I got engaged, I’ve been getting asked a variety of wedding-themed questions: did you set a date? Where are you having it? How’s the planning going? Etc.

The answers are:

  1. Yes, now we have. We have a date.

  2. We don’t know yet. Apparently the venues where we want to have it are already booked as they’re private estates/vacation rentals. The ones that are available are too expensive for us. *coughcastlecough*

  3. It’s going. It’s slow, but it’s going.

Then there are the questions about what I’m working on when I say I’m working on wedding stuff and the thing is, I can’t tell you. I can’t tell anyone.

Why?

Because the stuff we’re working on are in preparation of proposing to our wedding party.

Let me tell you, having multiple close girlfriends as well as those I’m obligated to ask makes this part very stressful. There are two women, three even, whom I want to ask and have as a part of my party, but seeing as I already have 11 on my roster…

I am lowkey hoping some of my girls say no. I know that’s the complete opposite of what most people want, but seriously…

Of course I could make this extremely easy on myself and just ask my matron of honor and like 2 bridesmaids and call it a day.

Problem is, I also want my fiancé’s daughters in the party, and he has a good friend he wants in the party, and then I have a great friend from art school, and—

I’m at 11.

So I have been badgering my fiancé to, like, think of more men he’d like in his party. I don’t mind if the numbers are uneven by 1 or 2, which I think we were able to get to.

My mom told me I should only have 2-3 bridesmaids.

Oh man, Mom, oh man….

Regardless, we’re working on these proposal boxes that have cut/applied vinyl on them with a funny statement on the front with the question popped on the inside. We’re filling them with custom curated goodies and waiting for things to come in for the boxes.

I ~promise~ once everything is said and done and our party is finalized, I will do a whole post on everything we did with photos (and maybe some video, not sure yet).

So be patient! You will get the wedding content you’re looking for!