Custom Burlap and Lace Wedding Invitations

I'm in love with these Burlap and Lace Wedding Invitations I created for my friend's upcoming wedding! The bride-to-be wanted a soft, romantic feel with a touch of rustic charm for her wedding. I combined natural colors and materials with metallic paper and lace to achieve this lovely invitation set.

{FREE PRINTABLE} I Like You Beary Much Valentine

Just in time for Valentine's Day, here is a super cute and easy Valentine printable for your little one.  I used 4" x 6" clear treat bags and a handful of Teddy Grahams to fill each bag. If your child's school has allergy restrictions you can use Gummy Bears instead!

{Free Printable} Santa Claus Beard Countdown Calendar

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and I couldn't be more excited! Yes, Christmas is still a few weeks away, but I start early to get the most out of my favorite holiday. My daughter is four now, and is beginning to grasp the meaning of Christmas. What better way to kick off December with her than this Santa Claus Beard Countdown Calendar? It's super cute and so simple to create. All you need are some cotton balls, glue and my free printable!  So let's get excited for Christmas and Santa's arrival!

A Pink and Gold Ballet Birthday Party

My daughter Allie, and one of her best friends, Faith, were born 5 days apart and are pretty much inseparable. Both being lovers of ballet, dress-up and anything pink, a ballet dance party was clearly in our future!  It didn't take long for Faith's mom and I to decide to combine our creative talents and have a joint party to celebrate our little girls turning four.

{Free Printable} Give Thanks Place Cards AND a Roasted Pumpkin Soup Recipe from This Couple's Palate Blog!

I'm excited to post my first blog collaboration, just in time for Thanksgiving! My good friend Rochelle from her blog, This Couple's Palate, came up with an amazing made-from-scratch recipe for a Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup topped with crispy chorizo and coconut milk...yum! To complement this delicious Thanksgiving inspired soup, we put together a beautiful table setting featuring DIY Succulent Pumpkin centerpieces and "Give Thanks" Place Cards, available here for a free download.

Watercolor Back to School Signs {Free Printables} Preschool - 12th Grade

Where did the summer go? It's hard to believe the first day of school is fast approaching. Our little ones will soon be heading off to school and what better way to document their first day back than with these watercolor inspired back to school signs!

{DIY} Chalk Hand Lettering Tutorial

I have always been in love with the look of hand chalk lettering seen on chalkboards all over from restaurants, birthday parties and weddings. I admire the charming mixture of typography and decorative elements so much that I even tried to duplicate the look myself...and failed. I realized this graphic designer has no skill at freehand drawing. However, I am very skilled on the computer!  By creating your own design or finding one off the Internet, you can duplicate the hand chalk lettering look yourself using just a few simple materials. Follow my tutorial to learn how easy it can be!

Staff Your Weaknesses Art

I heard this statement, "Staff your weaknesses" a while ago and it just stuck with me. I think mostly because I usually try to do it all: be a good mom, have a clean house, make the perfect meal, design the perfect logo, give the best gift...it goes on and on. Realizing that it's okay to admit you can't be the best at everything is freeing. I designed the below artwork to remind myself not always try and be superwoman. It's alright to fail sometimes and you can always ask for help.

To download the FREE printable click here.

Teacher Appreciation Gift - Mason Jar Cookie Mix Recipe and Free Printable

Handmade Teacher Appreciation Gift

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

 

Teachers deserve a cookie break! A decorative jar with pre-measured & stacked cookie ingredients is a thoughtful gift to show your appreciation. A hand tied bow and this free printable tag offers unique gift personalization that any teacher will enjoy. The presentation is as good as the cookies!

A Destination Wedding Invitation

Custom Invitation Set for a Destination Wedding

For my sister's wedding on the island of Kauai we came up with a fabulous invitation using paper from The Paper Source, adding our own special touches.

The background image came from a piece of artwork my sister had purchased on a previous trip to the island. We used just the corner element for inspiration and went from there, incorporating it into the information and response cards.

The invitation was secured with hemp string wrapped around the outside an inserted into a matching envelope with a heat embossed palm tree.

Glittered Thank You Card

This card was made with a wood grain craft paper cut to size and folded to 4" x 6". The rose graphic was printed on a separate piece of paper where I hand glittered the design. I then it cut out with an exacto knife and applied it to the front of the card with plain craft glue.  The "Thank You" text was stamped with a special glue stamp pad and then black glittered was applied.

Destination Wedding Save the Date Card/Package

Destination Wedding Save the Date Card/Package

 

For my sister's upcoming wedding on the island of Kauai, I wanted to create a save-the-date card that would stand out from your typical announcement. I also knew I wanted the card to be three-dimensional and have a separate information card that could be removed and used as a magnet. I came across an image of a vintage island girl and was immediately inspired!

The design alone was a multi-step process. At first we wanted the card to be a pop-up, similar to a Nordstrom gift card holder I received:

 

(The gift card was located on top of the tree background)

Once I figured out the mechanics of a pop-up card I was ready to continue with the design process. The idea was always to send the card in a natural kraft box.

(This was the first prototype of the card)

During the design process I decided to omit the original card idea and make the shipping box part of the announcement:

Still three-dimensional but less complicated in terms of construction!

The island girl was attached to the right and bottom interiors of the box with double-sided tape keeping it in the foreground. The informational "luggage tag" was secured through hidden slits in the background image. For the top of the box we stamped an image of a palm tree and embossed it with embossing ink and used a terrra cotta embossing powder to tie in with the colors used inside the box.

The address label:

Custom Monograms

 

For weddings it is always a nice touch to have a custom monogram made with the bride and groom's initials. The monogram can be used as a seal for an envelope or a custom postage stamp that can be made through such sites as www.zazzle.com.

These monograms were all inspired by the art nouveau style:

A Glittered Wedding Gift

A perfect gift for the couple who has everything...

I created the above wedding gift for a couple who said it was a "no gift wedding". Being me, I just could not NOT give a gift! :)

I created the A/B monogram based on an art nouveau design and glittered it with colors used in the wedding invitation. I was so inspired by the paper in the invitation I used it as the background to the monogram to make it more personal and special.

Once complete I framed it in a 5"x5" frame and wrapped it beautifully:

Glittered Name Plaque

A most special gift is the gift of the handmade:

Recently I have been going through a glittering phase, mostly due to Martha Stewart and her fabulous line of glitter. (Available at Michael's stores and Wal-Mart.) Some may think glittering an object can be cheesy and look cheap but Martha's glitter is based on actual jewel tones that are rich in color and sparkle beautifully. Would you expect any less from Martha???

For my sister-in-law's baby shower I wanted to create something special and from the heart that she would cherish for many years. After being inspired by Martha Stewart's glitter painting (http://www.marthastewart.com/glitter-painting) I decided a custom glittered name plaque with her soon to be daughter's name would be just the right gift.

I created the design in Adobe Illustrator using a color palette similar to what glitter colors I wanted to use. I printed the design on regular paper and then mounted it to 11"x14" chipboard that fits in the frame I chose.

 

The baby's name is Natalie Rose, so I thought adding roses underneath her name was a nice touch!