Ciera Holzenthal, Author at Ciera Design Studio

I Go Wherever My Creativity Takes Me – Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper Freebie

August 2, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Sometimes you just need to let loose and go with the flow for creative projects. Happy accidents can make some really unique work! This month, let your creativity take you somewhere new! These new designs are available for download over on WhimseyBox’s blog! Hope y’all enjoy this new design and have a great month of creativity!

I go wherever my creativity takes me

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!

July in Review

July 31, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

I have had so much fun recapping my Palm Springs trip this month, I hope you have had fun reliving it with me, I still have a few more posts so I hope so!

Popular-Posts-in-July

Ciera Design Elsewhere in July:

– DIY travel map was featured on Apartment Therapy (OMG, honored)! and on World Inside Pictures
– Melissa’s Citrus Float was featured on BHG, Babble, Brit + Co. and October Moon
– Kory’s Popsicle Printable was featured on A Thrifty Mrs and MeinLilaPark
– My air plant terrariums were featured on Decorator In A Box
– Archana.nl mentioned Ciera Design as a pin-worthy website!
– 4 ways to stand out from the rest on Squirrelly Minds

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

Palm Springs Architecture Tour

July 29, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

One of our days in Palm Springs was spent driving around from neighborhood to neighborhood to see what the more residential areas were like. We started out at Koffi (best coffee in Palm Springs) to plan our route and we ended up downloading a really cool iPhone app called FanGuide Palm Springs Modern Architecture that had different routes with addresses mapped out and the story behind each spot.

Palm Springs has a large concentration of architecture from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Many architects adapted ideas from the Bauhaus movement and the International Style, creating an elegant yet informal style called Desert Modernism. Other popular styles in Palm Springs are Art Moderne, Spanish Eclectic, Googie and Tiki.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Palm Springs to its 2006 list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual national list of only 12 cultural tourism destinations for architecture. In 2009, Palm Springs was designated a Preserve America City.

It’s so crazy how different the architecture and landscaping is from what I’m used to, I’ve really never seen anything like Palm Springs. It was a great day of exploring!

Next up will be photos from Mount San Jacinto State Park and a little road trip to LA! In the meantime you can check out ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain, The Saguaro, Parker Palm Springs and our instagrams here.

The Font Feast Presents Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Salted Caramel Sauce

July 24, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

the font feast presents grilled peaches with vanilla bean ice cream and salted caramel sauce

This sweet and easy recipe is perfect for those lazy summer days when you want something delicious for dessert without all the fuss. Juicy, tree-ripened peaches taste even better when warmed on the grill and topped with creamy vanilla bean ice cream and a luscious salted caramel sauce.

This month’s Font Feast recipe was inspired by Sail, a breezy script font that is both gorgeous and free!

grilled peaches with vanilla bean ice cream and salted caramel sauce

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Salted Caramel Sauce inspired by Sail

– peaches
– good quality vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream
– salted caramel sauce (if you’re feeling extra “summery” you can use store-bought sauce in a pinch)

Slice peaches in half, removing and discarding the pits. Lay peaches cut-side down on a preheated grill. Grill over medium-low heat until peaches are hot and tender (and have really impressive grill marks). Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with ice cream and salted caramel sauce. Eat immediately.

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.

A Splash of Pink in My Dream Office

July 18, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

A few months ago I started a Pinterest board to collect inspiration for my dream office. I always try to create a workspace that inspires me. Since I am at my desk and on my computer a lot, I need the space around me to be stimulating. So I was pinning away and realized that almost every image had a little pop of pink in it! I have never been that into pink but I guess now I am?!

My office is also my front entry room so I’m always looking for furniture and storage with dual purposes and flexibility. In my pins, I was also drawn to white walls which could really open up my space! You can check out all of my dream office inspiration here and in the descriptions I tell you why I like each idea for my office.

A Splash of Pink in My Dream Office

This board was created for a BHG Insiders Pinterest contest and it just so happens that I won! As the winner, I was not required to write a blog post, I just wanted to share my inspiration! I had so much fun making the board. All images are pinned from BHG.com and are linked through my Pinterest board.

Design Portfolio: Amelie G Magazine

July 15, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Amelie G Magazine got its start in 2009 as an online fashion magazine and printed its first issue in the fall of 2010. If you’ve been around for a while, you may remember me attending the launch party. I posted this project to my portfolio, but I realized I never wrote about it here on the blog. Amelie G is a quarterly style magazine based in New Orleans featuring emerging artists and designers, and distributed throughout the United States. It covers international fashion, art and design from the Gulf Coast perspective and is the only full-gloss style magazine in New Orleans. I worked side by side with the Amelie G team from 2010 through 2012 to design and produce their first five issues.

Naive Font [Friday Favorites]

July 12, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Love this font! Naïve is a handwritten serif font designed by Fanny Coulez and Julien Saurin from the french foundry La Goupil Paris. The three weights of this new parisian typography can be enhanced with three weights of two alternates fancy glyphs for each letter, the “Fantaisies”, to improve your designs and bring a more poetic and unusual feeling. They also designed an inline bicolor version of this typeface, Naive Inline. Annnnd, this beautiful font is 50% off right now! There are also lots of other great fonts on sale right now at MyFonts.

NaiveFont

Description and samples from MyFonts.

24 Hours at the Parker Palm Springs

July 10, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

For our last night in Palm Springs we decided to switch it up and I’m SO glad we did. The Saguaro was beautiful, but the Parker Palm Springs… best. place. ever. In 2003 it was purchased by hotelier Jack Parker, who hired designer Jonathan Adler to give the space a $27-million facelift. The property re-opened in 2004 as Le Parker Méridien, or Parker Palm Springs as it is better known.

From the moment we drove up it was like being whisked away into a tropical fairy tail of secret gardens. Such a unique and eclectic ambiance that is hard to describe. We relaxed in our amazing room for a while before heading out to the pool and for drinks at their outdoor cafe, The Lemonade Stand. Right before sunset we went back to the room to change and have some pre dinner drinks in our hammock! On our way to dinner, we explored some of the 13-acre property, including fire pits, desert gardens and croquet courts. We were bummed that Mister Parker’s was closed the night we were there but Norma’s, the other restaurant at the Parker did not disappoint! We ended up making friends with the table next to us and had a great early night since our flight was the next morning! If you head to Palm Springs, I recommend checking out the Parker Palm Springs or having dinner there, even if you don’t book a room!

A HUGE thanks to Parker Palm Springs for hooking us up with a room discount and upgrade! I can’t believe we almost didn’t stay here! Although we received a discount, all opinions are my own, I absolutely adore the Parker Palm Springs!

Next up will be photos from our architecture tour, Mount San Jacinto State Park and some of our other favorites from the trip! In the meantime you can check out ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain, The Saguaro and our instagrams here.

How to Give Your Blog Readers Exactly What They Need

July 9, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

We’re all looking for better ways to connect with our readers in hopes that they come back and read your blog on a regular basis or buy something from you at some point, right? Lucky for us, there’s a trick to giving them exactly what they’re looking for. Here’s the two-step process:

1. What Problems Do Your Readers Have?

Knowing what your readers are struggling with is the key in figuring out exactly what they want. You have to figure out the types of problems they are having in your field of expertise so you can help solve those problems.

If you’re a web designer and blog about your work and inspiration, it’s possible that your readers are other designers or business owners who are starting their own website or are inspired by your work. They may be dealing with a variety of problems – from where their email sign-up forms should be on their website to what fonts are easiest to read on the web. Some may not know the questions to ask web designers when they start working with one, and others may not know all of the important information they’ll need to give their designer to get started. These are all things you can help them with (and problems you can solve) on your blog.

On the worksheet provided, make a list of all the different problems your readers might have that you could solve with your knowledge in your field. Think back to the basics – maybe some of the topics in classes you learned back in school or some lessons you’ve learned in the past. Remember – no problem is too big or small to write down.

2. How Can You Solve Their Problems?

Now comes the getting more followers/better customers part! Once you know the problems your readers have, you can instantly turn those problems around into solutions.

Starting on page 2 of the worksheet, write down each problem, and underneath it list out all the different ways you could solve this problem for your reader. You may be able to think of multiple ways to fix each problem – write every idea you have down.

Some of the problems you’ve written down may be perfect for new blog posts or series, and some of them would be great new offerings you can add to your list of services. Next to each solution, check mark which you think it’d be better for and start brainstorming ways to put each into action!

When you’re able to solve a problem for someone, they feel like you’ve given them insider tips & tricks and in turn form a stronger bond with you and your brand which makes them more likely to come back for more and buy from you. What are some ways you solve problems for your readers? Share in the comments!

FREE Worksheet!

On the worksheet, make a list of all the different problems your readers might have that you could solve with your knowledge in your field.

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

The Saguaro Palm Springs

July 8, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

During our week in Palm Springs we stayed at The Saguaro for six of our seven nights. The actual rooms were nothing special but the beautiful pool area totally made up for this! In 2011, architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat were brought in to infuse local color into the property. The team, known for their bold use of color, advocated recreating The Saguaro around a palette of 14 vibrant tones found in native desert wildflowers. The brilliant colors now adorn each balcony and patio and anchor the guest rooms, while also enlivening the indoor and outdoor public spaces. The color set follows the light spectrum, which in turn creates different perspectives of the hotel according to the time of day. Truthfully, this hotel is what swayed our final decision to choose Palm Springs for our vacation destination! After seeing all of the photos on Pinterest we had to stay there!

Both of the restaurants by Iron Chef Jose Garces at the hotel were really good! At Tinto, Garces presents his modern approach to traditional Basque tapas, and a deep selection of the area’s premier wines and native cocktails. El Jefe is a more casual spot featuring the cuisine and culture of Mexico City.

Our first day in Palm Springs we took it slow, relaxed by the The Saguaro pool and explored the grounds. I LOVED this hotel, the view of the mountains from the pool mixed with the rainbow of colors on the patios was breathtaking.

Next up will be photos from our architecture tour, Mount San Jacinto State Park, The Parker and some of our other favorites from the trip! In the meantime you can check out ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain and our instagrams here.

Make Time To Create – Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper Freebie

July 5, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July yesterday! I went to a BBQ at my parents house for lunch and then Zander made pizza for dinner! I’m here today with a new design to freshen up your desktop and iphone! I know sometimes during the summer it’s easy to get distracted with fun in the sun, so I just want to give you a little reminder to make time to create! The new designs are available for download over on WhimseyBox’s blog! Hope y’all enjoy this new design!

Make Time To Create via CieraDesign.com

Salvation Mountain

July 1, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Salvation Mountain is an art installation covering a hill near Slab City, California and just several miles from the Salton Sea. It is made from adobe, straw, and thousands of gallons of paint. It was created by local resident Leonard Knight, and encompasses numerous murals and areas painted with Christian sayings and Bible verses.

It is one of the coolest, and most bizarre, works of art I have ever seen. It was in the middle of nowhere and took a very eerie drive to get there. It was not on the way to anything else we were planning, but I’m so glad we took the time to check it out! It was such a cool experience to be there. I tried to capture the feeling, but if you are ever in the area, I would definitely visit the work of art because I know my photographs can’t do it justice!

Next up will be photos from our architecture tour, The Saguaro, Mount San Jacinto State Park, The Parker and some of our other favorites from the trip! In the meantime you can check out ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner and our instagrams here.

June in Review

June 28, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Here are my favorite posts from June in case you missed anything around here! It was exciting to have my awesome guest bloggers here in June too! Did you have a favorite post this month?

Popular-Posts-in-June

Ciera Design Elsewhere in June:

– designlovefest, yes Design Love Fest featured one of my designs in her Dress Your Tech series, blushing over here!
– The lovely deuxjoli also featured this design
– Babble featured my DIY felt coasters
– Ifs ands and Butts featured my Design Tips for Facebook Pages

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

Head over to my advertising page for details! I’m accepting new sidebar ads, as well as more creative partnerships, so if you have any ideas I’d love to partner up! The featured spot usually goes fast, so grab it while you can!

Stick Around!

June 26, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

StickWithMe-CieraDesign

This is just a quick reminder that Google Reader is shutting down in 5 days. Many of you use Google Reader to follow this blog and unless you transfer to a new method, you will no longer be subscribed, and that is no good!

In my post about getting your name out there, I mention giving your readers options for following, so I want to make it easy for y’all and give you those options right here! I’m so grateful for those of you who have chosen to subscribe through Google Reader, and I hope you’ll stick with me because I love you and don’t want to lose you!

Follow Ciera Design on

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P.S. I have been using Feedly since March and I am in love! It’s so well designed and the iPhone app is awesome too! Right now Feedly syncs with Google Reader, but they have already planned a smooth transition for when Google Reader shuts down.

ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner: Out & About Palm Springs

June 24, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

My two best friends and I took a week-long vacation to Palm Springs last week! This was only my second time to California and all of our first times to Palm Springs so we wanted to check a lot of stuff out! The temperature in Palm Springs was in the 100’s during the day with a high of 108 degrees! That’s a good 10 degrees warmer than it’s normally here in New Orleans, but the dry heat was SO much more bearable than the super humid weather I’m used to! So needless to say, the plan was to spend a lot of time at the pool! We spent three days at three different pools and the rest of our time exploring the area. I’ve decided to split this trip into smaller posts starting with The Ace Hotel and King’s Highway Diner. We didn’t get to stay at the Ace but we did spend a day by their pool. I really liked the casual and relaxed vibe and the food was some of our favorite from the trip! It was a pretty calm day since it was during the week but from what I have heard, they have some great parties on the weekends. On Saturday’s they even have a specialty Bloody Mary menu which we were bummed to miss out on. A few days later we got a yummy breakfast at King’s Highway which is a really cool renovated Denny’s at The Ace. I’d definitely consider staying here next time I’m in Palm Springs!

Next up will be photos from our architecture tour, The Saguaro, Mount San Jacinto State Park, The Parker, Salvation Mountain and some of our other favorites from the trip! In the meantime you can check out our instagrams here.

Beach Towels [Friday Favorites]

June 21, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

I’m back from Palm Springs! It was an amazing vacation, I’ll be sharing more about it soon but you can check out our instagrams here. I hope you guys enjoyed the awesome guest bloggers while I was away! I was looking at beach towels before I headed off to Palm Springs, here are some of my favorites. I love big, cozy and bright ones!

favorite-beach-towels

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / / 7 / 8

Nothing’s Better Than Sweet Summertime

June 19, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

Hey everyone! I’m Kory, and I blog over at A New Journey. I’m so happy to be sharing a post (and a freebie) for you all that brings two of my favorite things together: design and summer! When Ciera asked me if I would like to write for her while she’s out on vacation, I have to admit I had a bit of bloggers block. I love Ciera’s blog, and I admire her design work so I had to come up with an amazing idea. However, Ciera suggested something to do with summer, and that’s when it hit me.

I’ve been really inspired by The Popsicle Project lately. If you’re not sure what the TPP is, it’s a super fun hashtag over on Instagram that holds over three hundred photos of popsicles. Trust me, even if you’re not a popsicle lover, you’ll be craving one after looking at some of those pictures! Particularly inspired by this photo by Stephanie of Sunkissed Steph, I decided to make a freebie for you all, and Ciera thought it would be fun to offer it as an 8.5 x 11 printable!

You can hang this poster as a reminder of how sweet summer really is, and don’t forget to enjoy your own popsicle, too!

[download id=”60″ format=”10″]

Thank you so much Kory, I have to admit, I had not heard of the The Popsicle Project before you mentioned it, but I love the idea and LOVE the poster you designed! I have it hanging in my office already, as you can see above! -Ciera

Summer Office Renovation Inspiration

June 17, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

I’m so excited to introduce Corina as today’s guest blogger! Corina is a graphic designer, and blogs at Cocorrina about her work, inspiration, travels and fashion. She also loves to design jewelry, which I am kind of obsessed with!

Summer Office Renovation Inspiration

Both my husband and I, are freelance designers and we get to work from the comfort of our home. Even though we feel privileged, working from your home might have some downs. One of the most important things, is to have your own office. A space where you can be inspired and create. A few months ago we moved to our new house and never actually got the time to arrange it as we wanted. My dear hubby gave me his office and he worked from the dinning table. How sweet is he?

Finally, after all those months, we decided it was time we both had offices, exactly as we imagined them. So, you can imagine how excited I was to start planning my new office from scratch! In the summer I tend to adore lots of color but always with a touch of simplicity. I broke down into 5 categories that describe the perfect office for me. White, color, plants, brass and patterns. I want every inch of my office to be cheerful and inspiring, but balanced with minimalism and not overloaded. Like a blank canvas. A few pops of color here and there, happy patterns, touch of brass and gold for light and a few plants for freshness.

Summer Office Renovation Inspiration Categories

I don’t know if there is a specific name for this style, but i have seen it a lot lately in interior design and in graphic design as well, and obviously I’m really into it! As a last touch, a couple of vintage items to give my office some character and because i just love everything vintage!

Summer Office Renovation Inspiration - Corina's Picks

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

In my furniture, random items hunt, i complete fell in love with white desks. I’m not sure how easy it is to keep them clean, but I have this idea for them that dust doesn’t show! Hehe that would really suit anyone! The Ikea wooden chair, was love at first sight, and since I have already used it, it might not look like it is, but it’s very comfortable, for me! My best friend who owns it, doesn’t agree!

One of my office obsessions, and probably yours too, are the Hay trays! I mean is there anything to say about them? They are so handy, good-looking and overall super cute! I will probably get too crazy with gold / brass because i just love how royal and clean it looks when combined with white, not to mention it makes your office glow!

The fun part is, that when redecorating an office, you can get a bit crafty too! Many of the things i loved, where.. well just a bit out of budget! But you can always find a perfect DIY, or put a few creative touches here and there. I found a few good DIYs, that I will definitely put in use for my new office!

Summer Office Renovation Inspiration DIYS

1. Besides all the office essential, it’s relaxing to have some fun decorations! I feel for this simple paper wreath, that would look just perfectly on any wall, or desk!

2. Who need post its when you can have your own mini chalkboard! And how sweet and rustic it looks on wood?

3. Putting washi tape in a good use! Cords don’t always need to be messy and white!

4. Watercolor, with bright colors paper tags, as color swatches to add some pop into your desk.

5. One of my favorite coasters probably. And so easy to make. Leather silver and leather gold.

6. Probably the most easy and fun DIY for an office. All you need to use is nail polish to give a new “breath” to your office tacks.

7. I would say yes to color dipped everything, especially a plant pot!

Carrot & Beet Microwave Chips from The Perfect Pear

June 14, 2013 by Ciera Holzenthal

A big hello to the lovely readers of Ciera Design! 🙂 I’m Lauren from The Perfect Pear and I’m super happy to share my latest guilt-free healthy chip recipe with you! I’ve done kind of the same thing with potatoes, but this time around I actually didn’t have any potatoes so I decided to give beets and carrots a try and oh my goodness were they delicious!

You’ll Need:

• Root veggies like beets or carrots
• Olive Oil
• Salt

Directions:

1. Use a mandolin or sharp knife to thinly slice your vegetables.
2. Lay down a sheet of parchment paper and lay flat your slices of beets and carrots
3. Sprinkle some salt over top of them and put in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on half power until they are crispy.

Enjoy!

Thanks for having me Ciera!

Stop by my blog, The Perfect Pear!

xo, Lauren

Thanks for sharing this recipe Lauren, I can not wait to try it out! I love easy and yummy food like this! – Ciera

I Go Wherever My Creativity Takes Me – Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper Freebie

July in Review

Popular Posts in July:

Ciera Design Elsewhere in July:

Palm Springs Architecture Tour

The Font Feast Presents Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Salted Caramel Sauce

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Salted Caramel Sauce inspired by Sail

A Splash of Pink in My Dream Office

Design Portfolio: Amelie G Magazine

Naive Font [Friday Favorites]

24 Hours at the Parker Palm Springs

How to Give Your Blog Readers Exactly What They Need

1. What Problems Do Your Readers Have?

2. How Can You Solve Their Problems?

FREE Worksheet!

The Saguaro Palm Springs

Make Time To Create – Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper Freebie

Salvation Mountain

June in Review

Popular Posts in June:

Ciera Design Elsewhere in June:

Stick Around!

Follow Ciera Design on

ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner: Out & About Palm Springs

Beach Towels [Friday Favorites]

Nothing’s Better Than Sweet Summertime

[download id=”60″ format=”10″]

Summer Office Renovation Inspiration

Carrot & Beet Microwave Chips from The Perfect Pear

You’ll Need:

Directions:

Enjoy!

Get a free worksheet to help you define what your brand personality traits are >> Yes, Please!