Alphabet Fun: B-O-Y

A very close friend of Bill and I had a baby shower today & naturally, I wanted to give her a very unique gift. She's not just any friend, she's Bill's best friend (other than me!) and she is the person who was with him and helped pick out my stunning engagement ring. See? Not just any friend.

This was grounds for a new idea in gifts and my latest obsession has been print and frame design/embellishment. I was first inspired by this post on Design Sponge. Ubabub creates simple, but stunning prints that are perfect for a children's room. This print particularly inspired me to do something very simple and elementary:

Pythagoras by Ubabub

Currently the condo is filled with IKEA artwork (I moved into the Bachelor Pad, give me time...) with a hint of deviantart but eventually I would like to have all my own work and the work of my friends surrounding Bill and I on the walls. There's something to me about having a piece created by someone I know and love that's just comforting, it's like they're here. The fact that almost all of my friends are graphic designers like myself helps too....

So for our mom-to-be best friend, who is expecting a baby boy on December 7, 2010, I wanted to branch from the typographic inspiration in the Ubabub print above. I decided to create an alphabet print, using a different typeface for every letter. I designed all of the letters in a heather gray and singled-out the characters "B-O-Y" in the alphabet. This is the print itself:

I wanted to personalize it further and embellish the mat of the frame, an idea I saw first on DIY Magazine's website. This is the finished product:

I had an appointment so I couldn't stay to watch her open her gifts, but I really hope she liked her print!! I am very pleased with how it came out, and it was a blast to do! I'm so grateful to have the talent and passion to create things start to finish and share them with others.