I booked our photographer, Challenge Roddie (yes, his name is Challenge) & our Editor Suz Broughton’s son Ben for our model. Our first concern was the ice cream. I definitely didn’t have any food styling experience and really neither did Challenge. In the beginning I was all ready to buy loads of ice cream & all the fixings. But, how were we going to keep the ice cream from melting & how would we keep refreshing it throughout the shoot? I had no clue. We weren’t equipped to handle ice cream in that way.

I really wanted to see this cover concept come to life so I asked the question we all ask, WWGD? {What Would Google Do?}. I will say I’m sure there are plenty of books out there on food styling, but honestly, I wanted  answers fast.

Food styling is an art in itself. A food stylist almost never uses real food, unless it is something to replicate another item completely different. Think honey vs. syrup on pancakes. I quickly learned I wouldn’t be using real ice cream at all.

I want to share our behind the scenes of how our February issue came to life & how I disappointed so many people by not having real ice cream at all. In the end, it still was beautiful.

First, it’s simply powdered sugar & frosting. Yup, that’s it. This could put anyone is a sugar coma faster than you can say “Sweet!”.

Supplies:
• Frosting Tub(s): I used plain vanilla to create my own colors like mint, but you can also get chocolate & strawberry to get those colors instantly
• Large bag of powdered sugar
• Cones (your choice!)
• Electric mixer (a must!)
• Food coloring
• Small bowl & spoon
• Plastic bag
• Wood Skewers
• Ice cream scooper
• Hairspray
• Sprinkles (optional)

LET’S GO
I worked with our Director of Design Luke Hodsdon on this & I brought in my super heavy Cusinart food processor (that was fun). But during a trial run I found out quickly that mixing my hand was not going to cut it. I added one tub of frosting and slowly added powdered sugar as it was all mixed together. The goal is to have the frosting no longer sticky. Once we had a nice batch of white “ice cream” we tested small portions & added food coloring to get the eat colors we wanted in a small side bowl. We went for a mint green, pink & light cocoa chocolate.

Place the frosting inside a plastic bag & knead it into a ball. We wrapped ours in a plastic bowl so either option can work. Then, scoop out using the ice cream scooper. We placed each scoop on a paper plate but wax paper would be ideal. The “ice cream” hardens after it is exposed to air so you want to make sure it looks exactly how you want it to.

The day of the shoot, I placed crushed paper into the cones, inserted a skewer stick that was cut to the correct height to hold 3 scopes. Then I slipped each scoop on until I had three. They stayed perfectly! We then added sprinkles and they were complete. They looked exactly like real ice cream. I wanted to freshen the ice cream up for the photo, so I used a light hair spray to coat them. Viola!

Let me know if you have any questions or tips & tricks of your own!

Check out the issue now!

Life has a fantastic way of taking you down some very interesting roads. Since my last blog post so much has happened. Fair warning, if you aren’t into reading, this one isn’t for you.

This year has been so wonderful yet it has thrown me so many curve balls. The best part by far was I marrying the love of my life, Jason. I’ve never been more sure of anything when I chose to marry him. But, with getting married, moving into a house, and changes for Paper Cut, this year has really been a whirlwind.

In late July I decided to step away from Studio 404 Weddings. Having a studio location was a great milestone for me, but once I moved into our new home, I knew I could have a great home office & clear up some overhead. Then, came the game changer.

I accepted a new position as the new Art Director for OC FAMILY magazine. My minor obsession with magazines started at a young age & I couldn’t have been more excited to a new challenge. OC Family is a fun magazine & I am super excited to be working on leading the brand to a more modern look. You might have noticed I have been pinning more moms, babies & kids on Pinterest. Understanding a brand is the first step in helping give it a fresh look.

What does this mean for Paper Cut Industries? I’ve decided I will only be taking on a few projects at a time. I’m really looking forward to the some exciting projects ahead! But please contact me for availability.

Please check out the latest issue of OC FAMILY featuring my debut cover shoot where I directed the shots with Kajsa James who founded the Maddie James Foundation. I worked on with the amazing photographer Challenge Roddie who captured the drama in the ocean juxtaposed with the beautiful Kajsa in the foreground. Amazing shot.

I am super exited about this journey & I can’t wait to share the December issue with you. We will be featuring lots of work by Lyndsey of Jack & Lola Photography. Stay tuned!

Filed under: Art Direction, Branding & Identity, Business, Design, News Tagged: art director, babies, celbrate moms, challenge roddie, graphic design, Jack & Lola Photography, kajsa james, kids, long beach graphic designer, long beach wedding invitations, maddie james foundation, magazine art director, moms, oc family magazine, orange county art director, orange county family magazine, orange county magazine, paper cut industries, pinterest, studio, Studio 404 Weddings ]]> http://papercutindustriesblog.com/2012/11/18/new-gig-art-director-at-oc-family-magazine/feed/ 5 Monica at Paper Cut Industries Sunrise OC Family magazine November 2012 with Kajsa James Celebrate Moms Monica Garrett of Paper Cut Industries http://papercutindustriesblog.com/2012/08/10/happy-friday-yess/ http://papercutindustriesblog.com/2012/08/10/happy-friday-yess/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:52:17 +0000 Monica at Paper Cut Industries http://papercutindustriesblog.com/?p=3332 ]]>

So many exciting things have been going on since my last post that I just wanted to let all my readers know. I will be sharing soon! Talk soon! -xx

I love birthdays, and if you know me, you know I love cake too. Today I will lounge, paint my nails a bright orange & wait for my love to get home. We will dine on yummy cake & my favorite Asian food. Here’s to today! -xx

I love sparklers. They look so beautiful & simple all at the same time. I hope you are having some fun today & just enjoying the simple things in life & the beauty around.

photo // tumblr

I am super excited to share this new workshop that I will be offering. I often hear people feeling discouraged because they want their blog to look better than it does. They want to add fun graphics & just really give it some personality. I noticed that some blogs really lack the brand of who the blog belongs to. Don’t you wish you knew how to do THAT!?

I am going to be offering 2-day workshops teaching design for blogging. Yup! It’s going to be Adobe Illustrator focused & will touch on Adobe Photoshop as well for some retouching tips & for creating fun animated GIFs (or photos that move!).

• The first workshop will be a 2-day class to be held on Saturday & Sunday, from 9AM-5PM in our adorable studio (in the picture above!) in Long Beach, California on July 28th + July 29th, 2012.
• Classes will be intimate with no more than 20 students.
• On the second day we will be teaming up with Ala Cortez of Love Ala Photography to be taking some fun head shots & learning basic retouching so you can actually use it on your blog!
• With the skills you learn in Illustrator we will then dive into designing mood boards, textures, text, layering & so much more!
• Each workshop will cost $750, but if you book your class before July 12th (my b-day!) we will offer a discounted price of $550.

The whole weekend will be fun, promise! You will be taking away a bag of goodies & some fresh skills to add your own flair to your blog. The workshop will start with the importance of branding. Yup, it’s that important! We will discuss aspects of a successful blog & social media.

FIRST: I want to know what you specifically would want to learn? I can think of a million things to share & teach but if you have something in mind, let me know!

SECOND: If you are interested in being a sponsor we would love to hear from you. Again, each class will not be more than 20 students. Food, desserts, jewelry, studio space, stickers, flowers, all sorts of goodies! If you think you could be a good match, contact me at birdsofafeatherla@gmail.com & we can discuss the collaboration.

THIRD: Have laptop, will travel. Yes ma’am! If you are interested in having us come to your city, shoot us an email at birdsofafeatherla@gmail.com & we can set up a FLOCK workshop in your town!

Great, so if you are interested in attending the first workshop to be held in Long Beach, California you can purchase your ticket here. Click on the July 2012 option to purchase.

We can’t wait to share all this design goodness with you. Send us an email with any questions at birdsofafeatherla@gmail.com & we will start the list for our first class. Remember its first come first serve & we cap out at 20 students. Then, we might consider doing a second session. I can’t wait to hear from you! -xx

Alice B. Gardens // Fine Art Photography

Yay! Summer if finally here. Enjoy! -xx