I spent the weekend in Chicago with two of my best friends and had an absolute blast. I tried really hard to actually lug my camera around with me wherever we went to document little snippets of the windy city. Although we had CTA passes, we walked around the majority of the time — which is always a favorite thing of mine to do in a new city. We saw more, and hey, burned off all the SERIOUS calories we took in ( at least, that’s the hope ).

On Saturday, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo for a few hours and enjoyed the animals + people watching galore. We were particularly proud of our matching attire for the day. Chambray for the win. We attempted to research nice italian restaurants for the evening, but ended up eating at our second deep dish pizza joint of the weekend. First night was Giordano’s. Second was Gino’s East. Our consensus was loving Giordano’s just a little bit more.

I’ve always found travel ( no matter how near or far ) to be one of the most calming + mind opening opportunities. It’s been a goal of mine to do it more, so I couldn’t be more happier to have had such a blast with these two this weekend. It was the kind of weird / hilarious / perfect reunion we needed. Until next time, Chicago … and thank you for not denting my rear bumper this time around.

I thought I’d share a recent branding process I worked on with Emily of Gem Photo — soon to be Em The Gem. We’re currently finishing up her website, so we haven’t technically launched yet. While the official new brand is a little different than what’s seen in this collection, I thought I’d share insight into SOME of the other presented options that didn’t make the cut. A peak behind the scenes, if you will. You can see the moodboard for this project right here and notice that we put heavy focus on a script that was both bold + modern. Plus, we ended up with a killer color palette that we both couldn’t be more excited about.

I absolutely cannot wait to share the rest with you all, seriously. The website concept is very out of the box and uniquely beautiful, so you can bet I’ll let you know as soon as that happens along with a full brand look. But until then, here is the official sneak peak!

So it’s official — Michael and I are going to France next month. Yikes! I don’t know if you guys remember, but we had plans to go to Europe, then changed our minds and seriously considered Hawaii instead due to several reasons. And as months passed, I kept asking myself ( everyday ) why we weren’t going to Europe. Although I made every excuse in the book ( money, work, etc. ), I knew in my gut that now is the time to go. Michael will be graduating grad school in May, which gives us a short + flexible amount of time before his new life in the real world that we felt should be taken advantage of. After all, my job has the luxury of being flexible! PLUS, we don’t have anything tying us down right now. It’s kind of perfect and now that everything has been settled, I don’t know why I was so wishy washy at first.

With that said, we’ve scaled down our original Europe plans ( which definitely eased my travel nerves ) and decided to stick to France this time around. We’re planning on six nights in Paris and three in Nice. The only thing we’re sure on as of right now is staying in Monmartre and roaming for a few days. I remember learning about it back in highschool ( I took FIVE years of French ) and it kind of stuck with me. If you have been to Paris or Nice, we would absolutely love to hear about your recommendations — especially neighborhoods to stay in or places to eat. We plan on doing a few touristy things, of course, but are true wanderers when it comes to traveling. Lots of walking, eating, and taking it all in. Oh and ps … I’ve never been to Europe, so there’s that. I can’t WAIT.

One of my past clients, Jessica Marx, recently contacted me to make a print that she wanted to gift her husband. The first thing he ever wrote to her was this quote — “to think of you is to smile,” which I thought was adorable and agreed to the project. We both thought something simple would be best and because the original note was handwritten, I did the same.

The great news is that Jessica decided to print a bunch of extras and is selling them in her shop. This is my second collaboration on a print this year and I’ve loved every second of it. Hopefully I can do more of that in the coming months + you can still purchase my “Make it Happen” print right here. With that said, the above print comes in two color palettes. Black background / white text. Or White background / black text. There may be more options in the future, but for now, we’re keeping it simple! You can find more details and purchase this little guy right here. I have it above my work wall and love how it adds to my collection. Enjoy!

Big news today, guys : I’m hiring a design intern!! After much though and careful planning, I’m ready to find the perfect addition and make this little adventure of mine a team journey. All of the details are provided above and more will come to next round candidates. If you or anyone you know would be interested in applying, please follow the intructions provided below and let me know if you have any questions in the comments!

INSTRUCTIONS To apply, please email bre@imbreannarose.com with the subject line “design intern” and the following items : your resume, a cover letter, and link to your online portfolio. Your name and a place to contact you should be easy for me to find. Applications are due on April 17th and qualifying candidates will be notified via email within the following week, so please do not email me if you have not heard from me.

* UPDATE I realize that the term “intern” means a lot of different things to everyone. So, I wanted to explain myself a little better. I have every intention of making this a “real life” position versus small tasks often associated with an “intern.” The candidate selected will be a lead designer on projects and work under me, the Art Director. Overall, it’s a collaborative opportunity that I cannot wait to find a match for!

I’m absolutely excited to hear from all those who are interested and can’t wait to peruse through your work. Again, let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Thanks!