The Simple Pleasures of Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day from CMP
Do you love pink ? I do for sure. I am working on the final details to a springtime wedding in Bermuda so I can't get the thought of that incredible pink sand out of my mind. And well, yes it is Valentine's For those of you who follow my web site and work, you know that I like to change up the look of my house, my web site and my overall digital presence. Yesterday as I sat and relaxed in my chill clothes, it hit me that Valentine's Day would be the perfect day to launch a new digital look. You know that I love to use my own photography or my own sketches as a base of design. What started as a simple little pencil drawing of flowers in a vase, came to life as what you see through my company's web presence.
The color of the flowers that I chose in the sketch are bright and happy, melons, deep preppy pinks and touches of tangerine and chartreuse, they are drawn arranged in a little beaded mint julip cup, (New Orleans Accent)" they are one of my signature vases." A bride and friend of mine, Lucy, sent me an inspiration blog post with just about the same tones of color. I thought that it was a perfect choice for her summer wedding and my winter web showcase.
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone. Love the one you love a little more. Muuaahh!!!, CMP
Happy New Year from Chad Michael Peters
Holiday Greetings from Chad Michael Peters
As I sit at my desk, I watch the snow slowing falling. The dusting of my garden and holiday decorations has me in the holiday spirit. The halls are decked and the gifts are bought and wrapped. I thought that it might be a nice time to send my wishes for a wonderful holiday season to my family, friends and the many fans that make the work that I do possible. I am truly appreciative of your support and encouragement as I work to make the world a little prettier day by day. 2011 looks to be a promising year with many, many brides starting to work on their weddings and celebrations. Of course, I will be right there with my camera to document the flowers, the mood and the decor. My feeling is that you are about to see the best yet from this little creative firm.
I hope that you take time to celebrate with those you love and that the spirit of the holidays fills your heart.
Wishing you and your family a very happy, healthy and joyous holiday season. -chad michael peters
To gay youth
It has been twenty years since I was in school. Hard to believe that so much time has gone by. So much has changed and so much remains the same. I wonder when we will ever learn as a society to be patient, understanding and sensitive to people being different from ourselves.
I was bullied in school for being gay. I have been beat up and have had beer bottles thrown at me, just for being me. The word fagot was yelled at me while I walked across the stage of ORR to accept my high school diploma. That is what I remember of that day. That moment is still with me like many others that have been defining moments as I grew into the man that I am today. When I came out at 21, I vowed never to be bullied or ashamed of who I was. To stand up and to call out those who chose attack. I have never felt more me.
It breaks my heart and brings me to tears to think that kids today, twenty years later are being bullied, harassed and taking their own lives out of shame that is cast upon them by those who are ignorant and choose hate as a first line of defence. This for just being who they have been from birth, for choosing to love one of the same sex? This is crazy and shocking to think twenty years later that some gay little boy or girl might be thinking of killing themselves. I say to those same gay kids that we are here in your community, to help and defend YOU. You have choices and there are always bright lights at the end of a tunnel. If I can do anything, and I mean anything for anyone who might be reading this, let me help you.
Instead stand up, be proud, reach out for help, tap dance a little if you want to. Be you, we love you for being just you. Know that there is a support system out there in your community to help you.
My heartfelt and tearful condolences to the families that have lost their children as a result of this vicious harassment.
Happy Independence Day
CMP Mobile
Keep track of the many weddings and floral inspired creative projects with my new CMP mobile site. I love being super organized and of course color coded and my I-Phone has so helped me do that. Before it each component of my digital marketing strategy stood alone. Now they are together, all in one easy place.
Visit my CMP Mobile Site on your I-Phone or any internet capable device.
Happy Father's Day
My father is a creative, I know that a lot of who I am is a result of being his son. He too has been a powerful influence in the man that I am today. I can remember some of what he set out to do and the doubt that people would have as to his dreams. As his son, I never had any doubt, even knowing that he had no idea of what he was doing. I did know early on that he always got done what he set out to do and that he was brilliant.
This is a man who graduated from high school many, many years after his classmates and actually earned his degree the same day as his own mother. This is a man who struggled with reading and proudly told us, his own children, that we should see his weakness and learn a life's lesson from it. He let us know early on, that our lives would be defined by the work that we would put into it. We had every chance of our own dreams to be realized, there were no barriers.
This is also a man who built beautiful things, constructed our house, our beautiful boat, our barns and chicken coops and who built the memories of an idyllic childhood and the strong foundation to my life.
I can remember a side of our house that he was working on. When it was stripped to tar paper he spent the rest of the day drawing a big cartoon face, with a huge nose and ears, really very good and very funny. Not so funny to my mother who wanted the long renovations of our home to be over. Mind you, all five us lived in a cozy little cottage way, way out in the woods. Fancy camping basically. She couldn't understand why he would take the time to draw. I didn't understand then, but I do now. His creativity would define when and where his projects would get done and he was never intimidated by what he did not know. Instead he was fueled by it.
He told me many years ago that his greatest dream for my life would be a burning desire of passion that I could not imagine, but would know when it was in my life. He hoped that this passion would propel me into making honorable choices and guide me into the greatest life possible. That my life would be mine, that I was empowered to make choices that would make me happy and that he would always be there to support me.
I know that when my father looks at me, he sees so much of himself. I know that when he looks at me, he knows that passion fuels and consumes my life. I know that when I see his steely blue eyes well up with joy, that his dreams have come true.
Dad, on this Father's Day I want you and the world to know how awesome you are and how appreciative I am of where I have come from both literally and figuratively. My wish for you today is a big one, a really big one at the end of that line. Happy Father's Day, I love you.