leap of faith

Today marks a day that I've been thinking about, working on, planning for, and praying about for months and months. For awhile now I've been dabbling in both photography and design, with the humble link on this blog being the only promoting I've ever done. I would always answer questions with something like, "Well, I'm not a real photographer or designer; it's just something I enjoy", which in my mind sort of gave me a way out if someone didn't like my work.  But I've never been satisfied with doing something half way, with just dipping a toe in the water. I want to go all in. So today I'm doing that. And although that feels really good, I'm completely terrified. As much as I'm a person who goes all in, I'm also a person who agonizes over every detail and feels like everything needs to be perfect before going all in, but there comes a point where you just have to jump, you have to have faith. I'm sure there's questions I haven't addressed, issues I haven't thought of, logistics that I haven't realized, but I'm not going to let that hold me back. After all, you have to start somewhere. So I invite you to visit my new website, where I will be posting all of my photography and design from now on. It is simple, but it's something I'm proud of.

Thank you, Tim, for being my biggest supporter and critique expert. I value your opinion, even if you still think the best design program is Excel.

wedding invitations // john+dani

'Tis the season for weddings, weddings, weddings! We have four this summer and fall, and I'm excited for every one of them. You know how sometimes you go to a wedding and it doesn't mean too much to you? Yeah, all of the weddings we're going to will be the exact opposite of that. So pumped! First up is John and Dani's wedding. For all of their wedding suite design, I took inspiration of Dani's wedding Pinterest board - vintage + soft hues + shabby chic at it's finest.

save the date design // john+dani

It's Friday! Even though I'm at home every day now, I still look forward and count down to Friday. It's always better to have my husband at home, but that's especially true now that there's a little rug rat in the mix. I get to eat breakfast at a leisurely pace for two mornings in a row! Yes! And this weekend is extra special - our parents and siblings are converging on our house for Jack's dedication at church on Sunday. It's going to be such a full, fun, and busy weekend. I love me a full house of family. Anyway...

Remember John and Dani's engagement photo session last fall? Seriously one of my faves ever. And now it's time to start working on their wedding design suite! So exciting. First up: their save-the-date postcard.

I love the way these turned out and incorporate the sort of shabby chic theme. Dani has great style and taste, and this is going to be one seriously cool and beautiful wedding.

business card+logo design // katie wilson

Lately, I have had little design projects popping up here and there, which I love. One of my most favorites recently has been working with Katie (the sister of one of my best friends) on a logo and business card design. She had an awesome color scheme in mind and told me to run with the design. Since she is a therapist, my vision was something that wasn't overly serious, but approachable. I really love how the whole project turned out and wish Katie the best of luck in her endeavors!

produce card

Tim and I have been talking a lot about food lately, and I feel like I'm constantly reading and researching, trying to get to the bottom of the whole organic vs. non-organic debate. For the most part, the jury is still out on our decision of this now-common topic. I'm not a "jump on the bandwagon" sort of person. I know that for the most part, things at the grocery store marked "organic" are better for me, but I need to find out on my own just why that is, and, in addition, figure out if it's worth it for us to pay almost double for something that is organic. It's just not something I'm going to start doing on a whim.

Many times during all this talking and thinking and researching, I start to get very overwhelmed by the amount of information and differing opinions out there. Being the cynical person that I am, it sometimes makes me want to dive into a bag of Cheetos and down a Mountain Dew just for spite. So instead of trying to take on researching all food ever, I've started breaking it down into manageable topics and issues. Since we eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, right now my researching has been focused on fresh produce and the subject of pesticides, also known as "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Clean Fifteen." And while I am still not yet willing to shell out twice as much $$$ for organic apples, it is good to know that there are fruits and veggies out there that people actually recommend to not buy organic, such as pineapples.

I am a big believer in the grocery list. Without it, I get all impulsive and distracted and usually end up buying one weird/not needed thing just because it was a good deal. And even though I've read over and seen the "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" lists many times now, I would never remember them all. So I made a handy dandy little card that fits in my wallet. I'm planning on printing mine at a local print shop and having it laminated.

Here's the link to download and print a produce card. Happy eating!

minted inspiration board // vintage glam

I am a HUGE fan of minted. They have super cute wedding invitations and awesome stationary. And when I saw their Inspiration Board Challenge, I just couldn't resist! Here is my Vintage Glam board inspired by an invitation by althea+ruth.

Vintage Glam board by Erica Miller. See more Minted wedding invitations

she is fierce

If you know my sister at all, you probably know that she has this thing with quotes. She doesn't just love them, she LOVES them. Seriously, her Pinterest quote board has over 400 pins and counting. So when I was looking for a little creative inspiration, I turned to her. I wanted to create something she could hang on her bedroom wall; something cute and positive. And I'm so excited with how the project turned out!

I honestly think this would be ridiculously cute in a little girl's nursery or room. I mean, hello. Or I'm imagining it in a girly bathroom, hanging on the wall so it's one of the last things you see before you leave the house to conquer the world.

Have an idea of how you would use it? Good! Because as a little early Christmas present, I'm offering it as a free printable download. Just email me for the PDF. Except you, Mandy - you get the one in the pretty white frame.

Now, go and be fierce.

miss south dakota

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I LOVE surprises. I seriously can't get enough of them! I love being on both the receiving and the giving end. And this past weekend, we pulled off a surprise party that has been in the making for about 25 years. It all started when my mom turned 21 and her BFF Tara kidnapped her, blindfolded her, drove her around, and had a big surprise birthday for her. Since then my mom has been patiently waiting and planning on "revenge," and since Tara has a milestone birthday coming up, mom thought it would be the perfect opportunity.

So to Platte we went, hauling everything you need to make a party for a past beauty pageant queen complete - hot pink streamers, sashes, rhinestones, and crowns. With the help of another friend, we had the whole evening planned, from snacks to games to gifts. By total chance, we even got one of Tara's pageant dresses that I wore for part of the night. It was hysterical. And she was SO surprised!

What a fun night to celebrate one of the most important women in my life. Tara, you are one of my most self-less, giving people I know. You make everyone around you feel special and important. I cherish all the road trips and late night conversations (and dessert plates!) we've had over the years. I am very blessed to have you in my life. Love you and happy birthday!

The invitation I designed for the party.

Surprise!

So many fun women in one place.

"Tara's 50 - let's show her some support!"

Christmas cards

Can you believe that it's nearly Halloween which means it's almost Thanksgiving which means that Christmas is just around the corner?! Craze, I tell you. Now's the time to start thinking about Christmas/Holiday/New Year's cards. And if you're dreaming about one-of-a-kind cards that don't involve taking out a small loan, I have good news for you...

I'd love to work with you on creating a beautiful and festive card! Contact me for more information.

announcing...

Warning: this post may contain shameless self-promotion.

Ever since I was little, I've loved to create, color, and design. Growing up, I would spend a week at Grandma's house, and each year, we dedicated a day to painting with her oil paints. I was the little girl who on Halloween was handed a pumpkin and asked if I could carve shapes instead of a scary face. I used to (and still do) rip out pages from magazines that were subjects of interesting compositions or colors. Art is something I've always loved and appreciated.

I was recently going through a box of my old grade school year books. In 6th grade, my answer to what I wanted to be when I grow up was "designer", which may seem like an obvious answer for a girl, but it's something I've always known I would do in some form. But it wasn't until college and my first 100-level graphic design class with Professor Edman that I realized that design was, and is, my passion.

Since then, my dream has been slowly building. I immerse myself in blogs and magazines about paper and design and weddings and parties, and it makes me so giddy thinking of contributing to the beauty. But how? How do I take that step? I still don't totally know the answer, and I'm terrified even as I write this, but it's time to finally walk the walk, so to speak. Because it's what I love to do. I've thought about this and prayed about this and talked about this for years and it's time to make the leap into whatever lies ahead, no matter how many excuses I can come up with.

So with that, Erica Miller Design is open for business! No, I don't have an Etsy shop (yet!), but I'd love to work with you on whatever your project may be, whether it's wedding invitations, birth announcements, or custom stationary. Below is my latest project, a wedding suite design for one of my best friends from college (congrats Jenna and Bubba!). It is one of the most favorite things I've done yet and would love to work on more weddings!

You can find more samples of my work, projects, and photography under the PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN link. Cheers!

blog crush

Yes, apparently this week is my week to "crush" on things - songs, blogs... Anyway, I just discovered Eva Black's blog and am totally loving her "homey" aesthetic. Her designs and posts are so inspirational, beautiful, and clean. I could look at her portfolio all day.

(images via)

bridal shower invitation :: pretty pretty princess

I am taking a break from packing up our life to share a little something I've been working on. Jenna, a good friend of mine from college, is getting married in October (yay!) and she asked me to design her save-the-dates and wedding invitations. In the meantime, her sister asked me to design Jenna's bridal shower invitations with a "Pretty, Pretty Princess" theme. I was so pumped! I'm a sucker for surprises.

Springtime

Happy May! Feels weird saying that already but I am not complaining. Between all the rain we've had and the few days of sunshine, it seems that every tree is now in full bloom, sporting new leaves or flowers. I never used to like spring, probably because spring in the Midwest usually meant slushy and sloppy piles of leftover snow that had been coated with a thick layer of dirt and always left a muddy mess of debris and grocery bags behind. Not a pretty sight. But this year spring came a little early, due to the mild mostly-snowless winter. And I like it.


Along with spring comes wedding season. Jenna, one of my good friends from college, is getting married this fall (woot! woot!) and I've been working with her on designing wedding save-the-dates and invitations. Her wedding is going to be nothing short of gorgeous. Think classy with a vintage twist. Mmm...lovely. And today when I opened my little mailbox, there was the save-the-date postcard waiting for me! I really love how they turned out.

In other news...

• Tim and I are packing up tonight to head to South Dakota for the weekend to watch my little sis graduate from nursing school. So proud! Watch out world, you're about to inherit one fantastic nurse.
• I went for a run today after work. Yikes. First run since...who knows when. Let's just say, even Beyonce wasn't enough of a distraction to make it seem fun.
• Grandma M. has been wanting me to paint something for her for over a year now. And for the past year, the two blank canvases have been staring at me. Until today. I just finished two bright and cheery paintings that include the verse Psalm 3:3.
• I've decided I'm not going to read "The Hunger Games."
• Tomorrow's Friday. Booyah.