DIY Painted Longboard Deck

Here are the steps I took to transform my generic longboard into a custom design:

1. I drew up some ideas in my notebook so I had a clear goal!

2. Removed the trucks. I labelled them front and back so I didn't forget how to put them back on again.
3. Sanded board, starting with rough sandpaper, and then again when a finer grade.

4. Painted on a few coats of white from a test pot (water based acrylic), giving time to dry between coats.

5. Chose where my text and shapes would go.
6. Used masking tape to mark out the mountain shape.
7. Painted a few coats of mint green above the tape line. Let dry.
8. Removed tape.

9. Drew mountain outlines with permanent marker.
9. Transferred pencil outline of text onto board by rubbing pencil on the back of a printout, placing on the board and retracing over the text. Went over with marker.
10. Erased pencil marks.
11. Sprayed with a protective coating. I asked at the hardware store what would work and got a can for $13.

12. Screwed the trucks back on.

PS The quote is from an Anberlin song called Younglife.

All photos taken by me on iPhone 6.

Fav Novelty Typefaces

Here are a selection of my favourite typefaces, many of which I use regularly in my design work. I'm pretty sure all of these were free downloads too! The websites I look through most often when looking for new fonts are Font Squirrel and The League of Moveable Type. Feel free to pin or share around. Enjoy!

Fav Script Typefaces

Here are a selection of my favourite typefaces, many of which I use regularly in my design work. I'm pretty sure all of these were free downloads too! The websites I look through most often when looking for new fonts are Font Squirrel and The League of Moveable Type. Feel free to pin or share around. Enjoy!

Fav Serif Typefaces

Here are a selection of my favourite typefaces, many of which I use regularly in my design work. I'm pretty sure all of these were free downloads too! The websites I look through most often when looking for new fonts are Font Squirrel and The League of Moveable Type. Feel free to pin or share around. Enjoy!

Fav Sans Serif Typefaces

Here are a selection of my favourite typefaces, many of which I use regularly in my design work. I'm pretty sure all of these were free downloads too! The websites I look through most often when looking for new fonts are Font Squirrel and The League of Moveable Type. Feel free to pin or share around. Enjoy!

North to Alaska

A New Favourite

&

An Old Favourite

Pinterest Picks: Paint Effects

There's a current home decor trend of using masking tape to create interesting paint effects on interior walls, and I'm a big fan! 

Here's a few I've found on Pinterest:

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Design for Instagram: Charged Youth Promo's

I recently started posting promo's for the Intermediate (11-14 year old) Youth Group I'm involved with to Instagram.

I created a template on Adobe Photoshop set to 612x612 at 72dpi where I either create the whole design or create a graphic layer before using Over (the best typography app I've used) to add text.

Here are a few I've created so far:

You can find these, and other Charged Instagram Promo's on my . YouthEvents . board on Pinterest.

Instagram Picks

Here's another set of my favourite photos I've posted on my Instagram account over recent months.

My favourite app for adjusting colour, texture and adding frames is Afterlight.

Wedding Photos: Part II

Here's a second batch of photo's from mine and Andrew's wedding afternoon. You can see Part I here. These images were taken a vineyard in West Auckland, and at Muriwai Beach.

 

Wedding photos taken by Stephan and Nakita

Wedding Photos: Part I

Here's a collection of photos from the afternoon of mine and Andrew's wedding day. I'm so happy with how the photos turned out, the amazing scenery that we were able to have the photos taken in, and how much fun we had with our bridal party between our ceremony and reception. This collection of photos were taken on the private property of our reception venue in Kumeu, Auckland.

Wedding photos taken by Stephan and Nakita

Pinterest Picks: Mountain Oh.

While putting together this post I noticed that much of my favourite scenic pictures contain mountains. I'm a big fan! I'm also a fan of Halfnoise (the band of Zac Farro - ex Paramore drummer) and the song below.

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Society 6 Prints

I have been a fan of Society6 after discovering them a few years ago while looking for iPhone cases. Over the last few years they've opened up their range to include prints, canvases, clocks, tees, tote's, pillows, rugs, showers curtains, mugs and more. There are hundreds of designs to choose from, created by artists all over the world. Here's a few I'm liking at the moment:

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Auckland Art and Craft Fair THIS WEEKEND

This weekend I have the privilege of selling Glorious Bandits at the huge, and awesome Auckland Art and Craft Fair. I'm so excited to be selling alongside a collection of hugely talented crafts people, many who have thousands of fans and followers.

So if you're in Auckland (or close by), love handmade goods, need to buy someone a gift or build up your stash of presents, want to show your support for Glorious Bandits, or a combination of these, I'd love to see you at the Aotea Centre on Saturday!

Spread the word with your craft loving friends.

Iceland Aurora

For many years I've wanted to see the Northern Lights in action. This timelapse from Iceland is pretty amazing. Pretty mind blowing that humans have invented camera's and the internet so that I can see this from my haus in New Zealand... but I still hope to see them in person too!

Pinterest Picks: Stunning Scenery I

I've stumbled across some amazingly scenic photos on Pinterest, and they inspire me, so I thought I'd share them with you. I have enjoyed the limited travel I've done (mostly within New Zealand) and I've got a big list of places I want to visit in coming years. It's mind blowing that some places photograph so well, while others you really do have to be there to experience the views.

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Weekend Away in Rotorua

Just thought I would share a couple of quick snaps from my weekend in Rotorua a couple of weeks ago (both from my Instagram account).

Fields Notes 'Shelterwood' Journals.

If you know me well, you will probably know that I am a big fan of anything wooden. The favours from my wedding were wooden coasters stamped with our wedding date and initials. My awesome Dad cut down the tree from a friends property, cut it into slices, sanded the edges, then stamped and lacquered a couple hundred of these!

I just came across 'Fields Notes' set of 'shelterwood' limited edition journals with real wood covers. They are amazing! They made a video of the process and I find it so interesting.

Image, video and more information can be found at the Field Notes website.

Pinterest Picks: Home Inspiration

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Weekend Away in Hawkes Bay

Andrew and I thought it would be nice to check out the Hawkes Bay, a region of New Zealand that neither of us had been to before. We stayed in Napier (the Art Deco capital of NZ), and some of our highlights include; the drive between Taupo and Napier, Hastings Farmers Market, Ocean Beach (and the drive from Havelock North to the beach), Te Mata Peak (with 360 degree views of the region including Mount Ruapehu in the distance), walking the Big Redwood's Trail (at Te Mata), Pipi Cafe for dinner, two days of beautiful blue skies and a relaxing time out of Auckland.

All photos taken by me on my iPhone.