Welcome to my NEW blog!

February 04, 2021

Welcome! I’m so glad you are joining me here! As I begin this new artistic journey, I would like to share some of my favorite designs and projects from my past. 

First, meet Pam Grimes. Pam has been my dear friend and creative brainstorming partner for over 20 years. Together, we've had a blast and it has been a wild ride too - this rickshaw pic of us in Orlando kind of sums it up! Dubbed the "dynamic duo," we co-founded two creative design firms - Originality, Inc. and Persona Designs.

Originality was an award-winning corporate gift design firm with flair and lots of it! After 10 years, we decided to switch gears to create our second company, Persona Designs. Persona was an innovative and "out of the pail” cheerful gift container, complete with hair and removable face stickers. 

We had loads of fun creating all of Persona's characters and story lines - we even produced this cute video. Check it out! 

After an awesome creative run, Pam went on to help the growth of a bird diaper company and has since founded her own company The Coin Art Company. I am overjoyed that she is now brainstorming with me again, this time it’s about Melinda Tomasello Art. Thank you, Pam!

As for me and my history, I took part in the party scene (no, not the way you might think:) I became a guest blogger and stylist to create unique spaces and events. I then went on to produce loads (10 years’ worth) of creative content and product / jewelry photography. 

Here are some of my favorite posts and photo shoots (many of the websites and blogs that once housed such content are no longer in existence today).

This first group of photos features a series that I participated in called Sundry Soiree Challenges hosted by Pamela Smerker and Dawn Rumin. The objective was to use several common objects and turn them into an inviting soiree.

With the theme, “Toilet Paper, Lemons, Rice and Chocolate," toilet paper flowers were incorporated into a centerpiece, beverages were marked with embroidered lemon rind drink markers, and hollowed out lemons were used as small serving bowls.

With “Eggs, Cupcake Liners, and Baskets," my bird-themed Easter table scape consisted of a large chocolate nest dessert with a giant yellow Easter egg as the decorative topper. The tablecloth was constructed out of cupcake liners that were sewn together, like a yoyo popcorn quilt design. Green onion tops were cut, and small decorative eggs were inserted onto them to resemble flowers.

“Foil, Stars, Hotdogs, Pickles and Flags” featured hot dogs garnished with pickles cut into star shapes. A large wooden star wrapped with foil added flair to the table ensemble. I designed Fourth of July printable soda wraps to decorate the beverages, enhancing the festive atmosphere with a patriotic theme.

Here are some other exclusive fun photo shoots loaded with color and pizzazz: 

“Retroween” was a vintage 1960’s Batgirl and Catwoman inspired Halloween photo shoot and was a collaboration with a blogger formerly known as Melissa Creates. The shoot consisted of vintage candy, popcorn balls, and paper Catwoman masks. Costume jewelry was incorporated to add style and interest to the décor.

With “Fun Summer Picnic,” I collaborated with Sara Hearts, The Flair Exchange, Monarch Jewelry, and Melissa Creates. My favorite thing about this shoot was my mini sandwich cakes topped with hot pink roses, marigolds and parsley.

Seen below is Sara Hearts holding my mini sandwich cake. The instructions for making my mini sandwich cake are no longer on the Today’s Creative Life website.  I did make a larger sandwich cake using the larger size Hawaiian bread loaf, sandwich spread, iced it with a mixture of sour cream and cream cheese, and then I embellished it with cucumbers, grapes and chopped red peppers. Here are the instructions for making my  Easy DIY Mini Cake Stand on Today's Creative Life .

Creative gift giving is another important aspect of entertaining and since that was what both Originality, Inc. and Persona Designs were known for, I wanted to come up with something unique for Valentine's Day.

With the theme, “Fun DIY Valentine Packaging for Two!” I incorporated two French fry baskets, two small binder clips, a decorative sticker for the top, a note card, and ribbon. Then I added some goodies to create a unique, fun and reusable gift package - a perfect gift for two! The graphics seen here were created by Dawn Rumin.

This last photo exudes an artistic feel and has such a cheerful vibe – it might just spark inspiration for a painting!  Speaking of painting, I've discovered many new favorites through  Olga Furman Art 's wonderful online tutorials. 

I've found countless new painting favorites thanks to Olga and her excellent online tutorials. Also, check out one of my fun paintings that I created – perfect for some family fun time.

FREE ~ Painting party for the whole family! – Olga Furman Art

Thank you for joining me - I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favorites! I can't wait to share the new creations I’ve been working on with you.  

Stay tuned ~  Melinda 

P.S. See if you can spot my hubby Jude in the picture below.  :)

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