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Ciera Design Studio

Brand identity and design solutions for creative businesses and passionate entrepreneurs

September In Review

September 30, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Man, September flew by y’all! I went to the beach on the Gulf Coast for the first time since 2009. Finally got to attend Salvations, after being their designer for years! I threw a fun DIY party thanks to Brit + Co. and I attended Circles Conference in Texas! Whoa, no wonder why this month went by so fast! Here are some popular posts from the month in case you missed anything.

Popular-Posts-in-September-Ciera-Design

Popular Posts in September

– Your Big Opportunity May Be Right Where You Are Now – Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper Freebie
– Branding for The Made In Mind Social
– How To Make A Cute Football Jersey Tank
– How to Get Great Testimonials
– Party Animal Streetcar Invitation and Decor
– A Paint-Splattered Travel Case Brit Kit Party
– Moodboard: Sweet Tea
– The Font Feast Presents Caramel Apple Cider

Ciera Design Elsewhere in September

– I was Reverb’s beloved blog of the month!
– Palm Spring Aerial Tramway photos featured on Palm Springs Style
– Color blocked pumkin DIY featured on Brit + Co., Simply Designing and Worleyhouse
– Cotton Candy Costume DIY featured on ivillage
– Geometric felt coasters featured on Curbly and Today’s Mama

Thanks to everyone who shares my content, I really appreciate it!

 

Sponsor-Ciera-Design-and-Lifestyle-Blog-September

Eight Years

September 27, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

So this is pretty crazy to say, but next month will mark eight years with my boyfriend! We don’t have an official day but we have always called October our anniversary month. We had been friends for years but strangely enough Hurricane Katrina brought us together unexpectedly during college and that’s when we started dating. I’m not going to get all mushy or say too much here except that he is an amazingly talented person and I love our life together! Next month also marks four years of this blog, so stay tuned for some fun blogiversary celebrations!

Ciera-And-Zander-Eight-Years

The Font Feast Presents Caramel Apple Cider

September 25, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Caramel Apple Cider In Mason Jar

I’m always excited when Autumn rolls around because it means one thing: seasonal Fall drinks at Starbucks. Their Caramel Apple Spice tastes like the very essence of Autumn. It’s my absolute favorite, and now that I’ve discovered just how easy they are to make at home, you better believe I’m going to be awash in cider for the next few months!

This month’s Font Feast post was inspired by a lovely font called… Cider Script! I’ve generally tried not to pick fonts and recipes that share a name (because that’s too easy!), but I love Caramel Apple Cider and Cider Script so much that I just couldn’t resist pairing them up to celebrate the arrival of cool weather and hot drinks!

Caramel Apple Cider With Whipped Cream

Caramel Apple Cider inspired by Cider Script

1 Tablespoon Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Syrup (available online or at some Starbucks locations)
8 oz hot apple cider (seriously, just the Tree Top stuff from the juice aisle works great!)
sweetened whipped cream
caramel sauce (I actually spoke with a Starbucks employee who said, “Yes, just caramel ice cream topping.”)

Pour the Cinnamon Syrup into the bottom of a large mug. Add hot cider. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with caramel sauce. If you want to make it just like Starbucks, be sure to drizzle in a circular motion!

About the author: Melissa writes about her adventures in food, family, and farming at Lulu the Baker. She develops recipes, cooks, and photographs for The Font Feast column.

Moodboard: Sweet Tea

September 23, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

I’m working on a logo, branding and website for a new client that is opening a business just around the corner from me! Here is the moodboard that I created for her and I can’t wait to share more once it gets a little further along!

Sweet-Tea-Moodboard

Emporium Pies / Heart Visuals Co. / Teal / Olive Juice / Bake With Love / Silhouette / Grace

 

A Paint-Splattered Travel Case Brit Kit Party

September 18, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Hey y’all, I’m off to Circles Conference in Texas today! I’m super excited to see Megan Gilger speak again AND I’m rooming with fellow designer and blog buddy Patti Murphy, yay! 

I don’t know if y’all have been to the Brit+Co site, but it’s amaaaazing. It’s filled with recipes, crafts, style, DIY projects and the latest on new technology. In additional to their blog, they also have Brit Kits, which are do-it-yourself projects in a box, delivered monthly to your doorstep.

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 1

I just joined their Brit Co-Op program (a group of ladies handpicked by Brit+Co) and had the opportunity to throw a Brit Kit party for my friends last month! You may have seen my Intagrams from that night. We each got the materials and directions to make Paint-Splattered Travel Cases although we took some creative liberties and came up with some really unique designs! You can get this kit for yourself, right here!

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 2

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 3

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 4

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 5

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 6

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 7

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 8

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 9

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 10

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 11

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 12

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 13

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 14

Brit Kit Co-Op Paint Splattered Travel Case 15

Paint-Splattered-Travel-Case-DIY

Last photo from Brit + Co. all other by Ciera Holzenthal for Ciera Design. I was not compensated for this post. I was solely provided products to host this party. All opinions are my own.

Party Animal Streetcar Invitation and Decor

September 16, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Back in March I designed this invitation for little Cameron’s first birthday party. The party was really just for the adults and they requested a New Orleans theme with a kiddie twist. Below are how the invites turned out and Coco Photo Nola‘s photos from the event, it turned out SO cute, I can’t get over it!

Childrens Birthday Party - Streetcar Invitation by CieraDesign.com

Birthday Party Animal Streetcar Invitation by CieraDesign.com

Aninal Themed Birthday Party Table Decor

Aninal Themed Birthday Party Cupcakes

Aninal Themed Birthday Party Zebra Balloon

Party Animal Streetcar Cake

Aninal Themed Birthday Food Spread

Aninal Themed Birthday Party Monkey Cake

Aninal Themed Childtens Birthday Party

Party Animals on a Streetcar Cake

Aninal Themed Birthday Party

Event Coordination: NOLA Partyology / Event Photographer: Coco Photo Nola / Venue: Sobou

Shop party animal decor:

 

The animals were illustrated by someone else, I illustrated the streetcar and designed the overall invite.

Cantoni Script Font [Friday Favorites]

September 13, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

I shared one of Debi Sementelli‘s fonts, Dom Loves Mary, a few months back and she just released another beauty called Cantoni! I just love using her fonts, they are so much fun! And once again, Debi is offering a huge discount to Ciera Design readers! Cantoni is 40% off with code “cieradesigns” so go grab it while this offer lasts!

Cantoni Pro Font Sample by Ciera Design

The Cantoni font family is a hand lettered font with a variety of standard and alternate characters that play together well and has a total of 1265 glyphs, wow! Lots of additional features are also included, like roman numerals, fractions, ordinals, ornate and old style numbers, greek symbols, a set of flourishes, ornaments and DIY wedding words and images.

Named after my large Italian family, the unique variety of letters based on my own fluid upright style of brush lettering, reminds me of every family I know. There are creative and conservative siblings, crazy in a good way cousins, affable aunts and corny joke telling uncles who somehow come together and form one cohesive unit.

In the same way, using the Open Type features to insert a “wild t”, begin a name with a “flashy f” or end a word with a “rambling r”, the font comes to life. The party starts. The fun begins. And soon they’re all laughing and dancing up and down the baseline. Like a family gathering to celebrate a special occasion, there is a palpable sense of joy expressed through the letters and images, not unlike the sharing of good food, memorable stories and lots of laughter. – Debi Sementelli

While Cantoni Basic gets the party started, Cantoni Total Design offers a complete package of options for your unique creations.

How to Get Great Testimonials

September 11, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

How To Get Great Testimonials. Plus, click through for a free worksheet!

You know how when you’re on someone’s website trying to decide if you want to work with them or buy from them and you see a group of really great testimonials that convince you that you must have their product? You can have that too. By the end of this post, you will know exactly how to get great testimonials.

Testimonials from clients are important for your website because without them, potential clients don’t always know your credibility or what you’re like to work with. It’s someone’s outside perspective that gives them the confidence to buy from you instead of moving on to the next website.

Here are a few ways to get great testimonials:

 

Reach out to past partners, customers and coworkers

While it’s not always easy to reach out and ask for testimonials, it’s the first step in getting great feedback, especially from clients and coworkers who love you and your work.

To do this, write them a short note on why you’re reaching out to them and what you’re hoping to accomplish from getting this testimonial. Tell them how much you’ve enjoyed working with them and would love to share your experience with future customers.

Then, provide a list of questions for them to answer – questions that will bring out the types of phrases you’d love to include on your site about how the two of you worked together and what was accomplished.

It’s best to reach out to clients while your work is still fresh in their mind, so as soon as you’ve wrapped up your work with them, send them a testimonial request – if they’re happy with your work they’ll most likely fill it out right away!

Pull from Social Media

Another really great way to get testimonials for your website is to pull quotes about your work off of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Lots of times when someone is excited about a new product or service they’ve purchased, they splash it all over the web. If one of your past customers has done this about your offering, ask them if you can use their quote for your site. Since they shared it with everyone they know, there’s a good chance they’ll let you post it on your site too.

Once you Get the Testimonial

When you get your testimonials, there are a few effective ways to display them on your website.

First of all, make sure they fit with the product you are selling or are general enough to be displayed on your site. I work with lots of different types of clients – from brides to small businesses to antique dealers, so not all testimonials from everyone will work on my wedding site. Choose the ones that you think will be most beneficial to future clients.

Then, decide where you want to place your testimonials. Good practice is to have a page devoted to praise, display them on your sales page or have them scrolling in the footer or sidebar.

Also, consider including a picture and a location of the person you received the testimonial from. People make connections with images and locations, so the testimonial will be more credible and believable if there is a face and location to associate with it.

And that’s it! Follow these steps and be on your way to get great testimonials from past customers that grab the attention of new customers!

Have you received a great testimonial in the past? Share a link to it in the comments!

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

What I Wore: DIY Saints Jersey Tank

September 9, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

It’s football time! The Saints first game was yesterday and while I love repping my team, I get bored with wearing the same ole t-shirts that everyone else has. So when my sister said she bought us shirts from TJ Maxx to make our own Saint’s gear I was super excited!

DIY Football Jersey Shirt



Making a top like this of your own is pretty simple! Use any shirt in a style you like in your favorite teams color. A top with athletic detailing, like this mesh sweatshirt is perfect! Then, find a good sporty looking font like Player, Return Pass, High School USA or Freshman to create the design you want. I picked a big number 9 for Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback! Print your design on adhesive paper, trim with an Exacto knife, stick it to your shirt and paint with fabric paint in a contrasting color.

How To Make A Sports Jersey Shirt

Once the paint has dried, remove the adhesive template and you have yourself a fashionable jersey! That is my dad below getting in on the pealing action! Head over to Sequin Crush for more detailed instructions and how Jasmine styled her shirt.

How To Make A Football Jersey Shirt

It is still very hot here in NOLA so I wore the tank tied up to the side with jean shorts, but I can’t wait to wear it with leggings once the weather starts to cool down (if it ever happens).

DIY Sports Jersey Shirt

What I Wore DIY New Orleans Saints Tank

What I Wore DIY New Orleans Saints Shirt

Last two photos by Zander White.

Shop sporty tops:

The Made In Mind Social Branding

September 5, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

As Jasmine and I begin to plan our second networking event, I’m taking some time to reflect on how this whole thing got started. Neither of us had any experience in event planning but we were determined and passionate and decided to figure it out! After a lot of research and hard work, we were able to get a successful launch party down in the books!

The Made In Mind Social - A Meetup of Creative Minds in Louisiana

It’s so inspiring to be able to meet up with other bloggers and right-brainers that I’ve decided to write an e-course on how to start your own local event similar to The Made In Mind Social! Today I’m talking about our branding and the e-book will cover everything else like the who, what, when, where and how!

The Made In Mind Social Cards by CieraDesign.com

As a designer, I know how important a brand is to launching a successful business, or in our case, event. We need to look professional and showcase what we are all about.

The Made In Mind Social Membership Card

After we decided on a name (this was the hardest part) it was time to start designing the logo. We knew we wanted it to have a hand drawn look and fun, bold colors so we collected inspiration and I got to work! After a few weeks the logo was complete and we started applying it to promotional materials! We got our website up and running and designed business cards, member discount cards, magnets, stickers, canvas bags and sponsorship brochures.

The Made In Mind Social Sponsor Brochures by CieraDesign.com

We didn’t have much of a budget to work with, so we decided to collaborate with sponsors in order to make our first event a success. I designed some brochures with our information and what we could offer our sponsors in return. It was very important to be taken seriously for our first event. Although I try to work with local printers whenever possible, there are times that an online vendor is more cost-effective.

The Made In Mind Social Sponsor Brochures by CieraDesign.com

The Made In Mind Social Launch Party Detail Shot - Photos by Brei

It was so fun to give out our magnets and have our logo applied to everything at the launch party!

The Made In Mind Social Logo Magnets

The Made In Mind Social Launch Party Detail Shot - Photos by Brei

Image 6 & 8 by Brei Olivier others by me.

Your Big Opportunity May Be Right Where You Are Now – Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper Freebie

September 3, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! I went to Gulf Shores, Alabama for four days and while I won’t be blogging about it, you can see some of our Instagrams here. I’m back today with September’s design for your devices and some words of wisdom from Napoleon Hill. Your big opportunity may be right where you are now. Just a little something to keep in mind if you start to feel overwhelmed. Embrace where you are and you may find an opportunity that would have been missed otherwise. These new designs are available for download over on WhimseyBox’s blog!

This photo was from a camping trip that Zander and I took in 2011. Hope y’all like this new design and enjoy the now!

Your Big Opportunity May Be Right Where You Are Now

Whimseybox is the original subscription for DIY and craft lovers. Each month WhimseyBox sends subscribers a box full of craft projects along with a project idea. If you sign up through this link, you’ll get $5 off!

August In Review

August 30, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

August was a busy month here on the blog and full of freelance work! Is there anything you’d like to see here in September? I also wanted to mention that I added a new page to my site for a list of all the things that I recommend! It can be accessed through the button in the sidebar.

Popular-Posts-in-August

 

Popular Posts in August:

– I Go Wherever My Creativity Takes Me – Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper Freebie
– Palm Springs Aerial Tramway – Mount San Jacinto State Park
– Brand Script Font [Friday Favorites]
– Pico De Gallo Recipe
– Palm Springs To Los Angeles Road Trip
– The Made In Mind Social – Launch Party Recap
– The Font Feast Presents Easy Lemon Ice Cream
– Maine Through A Golden Half Camera

 

Ciera Design Elsewhere in August:

– Melanie featured my Ombre Necklace DIY in her amazing column Drink This, Make That
– DIY Air Plant Terrariums featured on BuzzFeed, 20 Dorm Room Decor DIYs
– Kate featured my Make Time To Create design here
– Caytlyn featured my blog as one of her favorite graphic design blogs, thanks girl!
– Friendship bracelets on Vixen Made

 Thanks to everyone who shares my content, I really appreciate it!

 

Sponsor-Ciera-Design-and-Lifestyle-Blog-August

The Font Feast Presents Easy Lemon Ice Cream

August 28, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

easy-lemon-ice-cream-melany-lane

With summer winding down, we’re trying to squeeze every last ounce of sunshine and warm weather out of each day. Ice cream sure helps, and what’s even better is ice cream that tastes homemade but doesn’t take forever to make. This tart and tasty lemony treat is so refreshing and so simple, you’ll find yourself wanting to make it again and again for as long as ice cream weather lingers.

The month’s Font Feast recipe was inspired by Melany Lane, a sweet and simple script font that looks hand-drawn.

easy-lemon-ice-cream

Easy Lemon Ice Cream Inspired by Melany Lane

1/2-gallon carton of good vanilla ice cream, softened slightly
8 fl oz frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

In a large bowl, combine softened ice cream with thawed lemonade concentrate, stirring gently until mixture is well-combined. Cover with plastic wrap, putting the plastic right on the surface of the ice cream, and freeze until hard.

About the author: Melissa writes about her adventures in food, family, and farming at Lulu the Baker. She develops recipes, cooks, and photographs for The Font Feast column.

Maybe This Inspired That // Monday Blues Confusion by Peggy Reimchen

August 26, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Today’s Maybe This Inspired That is from Lisa! Lisa Danielson is a Graphic Designer/Photographer living and working in Chicago, IL. She is the founder of Neat Idea, Lisa. Design, Photography, Optimism. Your brand with a fresh perspective. Lisa specializes in logo design/branding, print design and custom photography for start-up companies and entertainers.

Maybe This Inspired That :: Monday Blues Confusion by Peggy Reimchen

The Art // Monday Blues Confusion by Peggy Reimchen is instantly mesmerizing and beautifully abstract with the strong blue hue and bright reflection. The lines are sharp yet skewed by the water and capture the viewer’s attention to lead them through the photograph. I love that this piece is hard to tell what exactly it is until you look closely.

The Inspired // This beautiful Day Tripper Scarf has a brilliantly cool pattern which instantly reminded me of the lines in Peggy Reimchen‘s photo.

I am currently taking submissions for this column! If you think you have a “Maybe This Inspired That” match, email me links to “the art” and “the inspired” along with descriptions. Please note that not all submissions will be published.

 

Brand Script Font [Friday Favorites]

August 23, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

I love a good, bold script, don’t you?! Jam jars; Warhol’s “Tomato Soup”; chalk lettering and baseball. Those were the triggers to make this soft chancery cursive turned into a script font. Brand by Maximiliano Sproviero is thought mainly for packaging but can be used in magazines and invitations also. Pro styles are loaded with the most complete sets of alternates, ligatures and ornaments; while Std styles are smaller versions of the font, with no decorative alternates. This awesome font is super affordable and is an extra 10% off right now! And as always there are a bunch of other great fonts on sale right now at MyFonts.

Brand Script Font

Description and samples from MyFonts.

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera

August 21, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

One of the things I miss about living in Boston is being so close to Maine. We used to go up and visit Zander’s grandmother all the time! I just came across these photos that I took with my Golden Half camera of their fish house and the launching of the float one year, I think from 2011.

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 1

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 2

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 3

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 4

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 5

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 6

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 7

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 8

Maine Through A Golden Half Camera 9

The Made In Mind Social – Launch Party Recap

August 14, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Two weeks ago Jasmine and I threw our first Made In Mind Social event! After months of planning it was so amazing to see it come to life and to meet so many new people! Now that we have our first successful event behind us, I want to share some information on how you can start your own local event! After writing a content outline, I realized that I’d like to get pretty detailed and that an e-course may be a more appropriate format for all of this information. After all, I don’t want this one topic to completely take over my blog! But I’d love to know what you think. Would you be interested in purchasing an e-course about starting an event? I’d really appreciate if you’d take this very quick survey below!

[bra_button text=’Click here to take survey!’ url=’http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SZQ6BJX’ target=’_blank’ size=’large’ style=” color=’tealgreen’]

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the launch party and you can see the full recap over on The Made In Mind Social site!

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The-Made-In-Mind-Social-7-27-13-0077

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Made-In-Mind-Detail-Shots-all-0010

Tiny Buffalo Clothing Bags

The Made In Mind Social Swag Bag

Loa hosted our event and was such a gorgeous spot to hold our launch party! They even made a specialty cocktail called “In Your Dreams” for us! Tiny Buffalo Clothing printed our canvas bags which we filled full of goodies from Graffiti Graphics, Tattly, CourseCraft, Cake Face Soaping, Eef Etc and  Rifle Paper Co. for our first 30 guests! Our amazing chalkboards were done by our good friend Ashlee of Smallchalk. 

Be sure to follow The Made In Mind Social on Facebook and Twitter or sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss out on upcoming events! Interested in sponsoring an event or our blog? Details here.

Palm Springs To Los Angeles Road Trip

August 12, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Okay guys, this is my final post from my June vacation, I hope you have enjoyed! The Palm Springs area was amazing with so much to do and see. I can’t believe it took me over a month to edit a weeks worth of photos! After spending the majority of our time in Palm Springs we decided to venture out on a little road trip. The same day we went to Salvation Mountain we also decided to head to LA for a few hours. So after leaving Salvation Mountain we stopped along the Salton Sea, it was very eerie, huge campgrounds with no one around for miles and miles! Everything seemed abandon.

The Salton Sea California 1

The Salton Sea California 2

The Salton Sea California 3

We took a pit stop to see the Cabazon Dinosaurs and drove past all of the windmill farms (I could barely keep my eyes on the road they were so mesmerizing).

Cabazon Dinosaurs California

Then we had lunch in LA at Lamill Coffee Boutique, did a little window shopping, walked around the Ivanhoe Reservoir (much longer walk than we anticipated) and headed up to the Griffith Observatory to watch the sunset. We didn’t want to get back to Palm Springs too late, so we had dinner at Feed Body + Soul and hit the road! We definitely got a lot of sightseeing done that day!

Los Angeles Griffith Observatory View

Silver Lake Los Angeles Stairs

Silver Lake Los Angeles Plants

Overlooking Ivanhoe Reservoir Los Angeles

Griffith Observatory Los Angeles

Griffith Observatory Los Angeles Path

Griffith Observatory Los Angeles Mountain Sunset

Griffith Observatory Los Angeles Hollywood Sign

There’s the Hollywood sign, can you see it?! I can’t wait to go back to LA again and actually spend some time there! This week in California was such a fun vacation with my two best friends full of great memories!

Palm Springs Vacation Memories

If you missed any of the posts along the way you can check them out here: ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain, The Saguaro, Parker Palm Springs, architecture tour, Aerial Tramway – Mount San Jacinto State Park. Did you have a favorite?

Salsa Fresca with Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips

August 8, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Salsa Fresca with Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips

Y’all, I love chips. I can not even eat a sandwich without having some on my plate. I’m always looking for some healthier alternatives to your average greasy chip. SO when I saw the new Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips I was very excited! While these are not a replacement for real vegetables they do contain about 40% less fat than regular potato chips. I was got two flavors, Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chip – Garden Ranch and Multigrain Sweet Potato Chip – Barbecue.

So first let’s talk about theBarbecue Sweet Potato Chips. I’m not usually a fan of barbecue flavored chips, they are always too overwhelming and sweet. But I was pleasantly surprised, these are good! They are slightly spicy but the flavor is not over the top, which I like.

The second flavor I tried was the Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips in Garden Ranch. I love tortilla chips and I love ranch so of course these chips were amazing! I had a hard time not eating the whole bag while I was taking these photos.

I not only like chips with a sandwich, but I also loooove chips for dipping, so I decided to share a Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo) recipe that goes great with the Garden Ranch Tortilla Chips. The chips and salsa are perfect for an afternoon snack or backyard party!

Pico de Gallo Salsa Ingredients

Ingredients

1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced
1/4 of a red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

Salsa and Veggie Snack Chips

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Transfer into a serving dish and set aside for 15 minutes to blend flavors.

Pico de Gallo Salsa with Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips

So, now that I am done talking about these chips, I’m going to eat the rest of the bag!

Pico de Gallo Salsa with Garden Ranch Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips

Thanks to Green Giant™ Veggie Snack Chips for sponsoring this post! Thank you for supporting Ciera Design by allowing me to post occasional sponsored content. All sponsored posts feature products or services that I genuinely feel would be of interest to you and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway – Mount San Jacinto State Park

August 5, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

While in Palm Springs we had a gorgeous view of the San Jacinto mountains. We were totally surrounded by them the whole time so we decided to get up close and personal to see what they were all about. We heard the best way to do this was to take the tramway to the top! The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to relatively near the top of San Jacinto Peak. San Jacinto Peak, 10,834 feet, is the highest peak of the San Jacinto Mountains and is within Mount San Jacinto State Park.

I’m not gonna lie, the tramway was kinda scary, it was so steep! But the view made it totally worth it! At the top of the mountain we did a short little hike and then had lunch before heading back down. It was a nice little break from the Palm Springs desert heat. The temperature dropped quite a bit up in the mountains!

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park Gif

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Y’all, this Jeffrey pine smelled exactly like butterscotch candy, it was crazy!

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto State Park

Check out the rest of our trip: ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain, The Saguaro, Parker Palm Springs, our architecture tour and our instagrams here.

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