Christmas Cards

It's Christmas time! This is the first year (in 6 years of living together and 3 years of marriage) that I have gotten my shiznit together and am actually sending out Christmas Cards! I've been toiling away addressing them all and am anxiously awaiting the delivery of the cards I designed from the printer (it seems like it's taking forever and I'm worried they won't get here in time for xmas!) Everything else is ready so as soon as they come I'll be sliding them in the envelopes and they'll be out the door! But man my hand is tired from all this addressing!
From now until the new year I'll be taking some time off from the blog (everyone needs a vacation!) but I'll probably drop in a post here and there and will surely be filling up Instagram with lots of holiday photos! My plan is to give the website a much needed face lift over the next two weeks, so if all goes well, I'll ring in the new year with a new website! Happy Holidays everyone, I hope you'll be enjoying your family, friends, tasty treats and general holiday wonder as much as I will be!

Hand Lettering: If the Shoe Fits

There are so many good sales during the holidays! I keep finding the most PERFECT gifts..... for me. Drat only being able to buy for others.... but one pretty pair of shoes is ok right? They're on sale, so it doesn't really count as buying something for myself. I needed $50 more to get free shipping anyway. There are just so many ways we can validate purchases during the holidays! Love it.

Hand Lettering: Everything You Can Imagine is Real

 I love this quote. As a designer, it's a great reminder that if you can imagine it, you can make it happen.   After a week of gift ideas, I'm imagining a perfect holiday season! Bring it on December! I love Christmas, getting so see family and having lots of close friends in the area for the holidays is one of my favorite things!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! This is our first Thanksgiving in our "new" house! It'll be small, Chris's family will all be in Connecticut so it's just a couple of my family members, I'll be posting some pics of baking our feast on Instagram @wouldntitbelovely, so be sure to check in and see how it's coming along! I'll be enjoying all the holiday festivities, so no posts on Thursday or Friday. Be sure to check in on Monday, the first week of December will be full of gift guides for the holiday season!

Hand Lettering: Fit as a Fiddle

I've had a song from "Singing in the Rain" stuck in my head for what feels like weeks. One of the lines in it it "fit as a fiddle and ready for love" which is just kind of adorable and sweet.

On a personal note, for some crazy reason, when I got home from Russia, I decided that the way to beat jet-lag would be doing a project. A project that would keep me from taking naps. What project you ask? FINALLY FINISHING THE KITCHEN!! Which involves taking down all the upper cabinets, moving them around a bit, and building shelves so I can have an open shelving area, doing the tile backsplash, and touching up all the painting I did right when we moved in! Starting it with only two weekends before Thanksgiving has put me on a serious timeline! So this weekend I need to get busy! It's about 1/2 done and I'm getting pumped for it to be complete!

Hand Lettering: "Follow Your Heart But Take Your Brain With You"

I love this saying. It appeals to my practical & dreaming heart!

I just got home from Russia late last night, I'll share some photos with you next week!

I'm getting excited for the official start of the holiday season! Because even though they are already playing Christmas music on the radio, I refuse to start listening until AFTER thanksgiving! I'm hosting Thanksgiving in our new house this year for the first time! Have I ever cooked a Turkey? No. I'm more excited about decorating and making it all look pretty. The turkey can't be that hard right?

Sneak Peek: Save the Dates

I've been toiling away on some save the dates, we're making sure they go out BEFORE the holiday card onslaught. It's a photo postcard, so most of it is done on the computer, but to give it a little something special, I decided to hand letter their names and wedding logo. This is a little pic of me working on it while Lincoln snoozes on the couch. The full reveal will be in the next couple weeks!

Baby it's Cold Outside: Off to Russia

I leave for Moscow, Russia on Sunday! It's a short work trip for Reebok (my day design job if you're just tuning in), it's a big market for us, and we're going to check out the area! I've never been and really don't know what to expect other then that it will be pretty cold and that I'll need to keep my political opinions to myself! I'll be sure to post pics once I get back on Friday! Have a great weekend!

Hand Lettering: "It's Kind Of Fun To Do The Impossible"

 I'm pretty proud that this is my first Walt Disney quote thus far. The hubby and I have the "Disney Love" deep in our bones. I've been having some serious Disney cravings lately. It's been almost two years since we've been do Disney World, which is a LONG time for us (granted, we've been to Disneyland and Hong Kong Disney in that time, but those were short day trips and don't quite satisfy the craving). So, on Tuesday night, I decided to tag along with my Aunt, Uncle and little cousin, on their trip to Disney world.... THIS WEEKEND! It was a little cray cray finding a flight and figuring out what to with the dogs since the hubby is on his way to China. But, WHEN THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY, and I really wanted to go! SO this afternoon I'll be on my way to Disney World! It's my happy place. Hope you have a great weekend, but if you're not at Disney, it won't be as good as mine.

Hand Lettering: Sink or Swim

 I can't believe it's almost the end of October. I'm trying to get in all the projects that I need to be able to do outdoors or have the windows open for before it gets too cold! I'm dreading the coming winter and the fact daylight savings is almost upon us! I HATE turning the clocks back, loosing those daylight hours makes me feel like I'm loosing valuable working time! Also, walking the dogs in ther evening is 100% not fun to do when it's dark! Plus, theres something about dark evenings that make it harder it be productive when all i want to do is curl up under a blanket and read a book! That being said, it's sink or swim and I guess I am just going to have to deal with it like we do EVERY year. Blech. So, I will be enjoying every hour of sunlight and warmth before the winter is truly upon us!

Hand Lettering: "Don't Hate What You Don't Understand"

I saw an old pic of John Lennon and Yoko Ono holding up a sigh that said "Don't hate what you don't understand." There are always haters out there, and some people will always be afraid of change, or things that are different. So I guess I'm just saying, don't be that person.

On a less serious note, I've got some fun projects in the works for this weekend! All things that I'm getting SUPER excited about! Have a great weekend!

Hand Lettering: "You & Me & the Dogs"

It's a long weekend! Woo hoo! The hubby is done with traveling for the next month, I took two nights to relax this week and we're headed to the cape for the next two days! I feel infinitely better than I did last week. So this weekend, we're going to take the dogs to the beach, I'm going to work on some fun projects and make sure to make time for down time! Have a great weekend and Monday off if you're lucky enough to have it! 

Thank God it's Friday!

Yeah, it was just one of those weeks! I am just SO VERY GLAD it's Friday! "Thank God it's Friday" just wasn't a strong enough sentiment this week. The past month has been nuts, I hurt my back (which sadly is not healing at a pace I'm happy with) had TONS of work, basically every hour of ever day was full, and the hubby was traveling for work quite a bit, so by the time this week rolled around, I was loosing it! Now, for the time being, I actually have a few weeks of relative calm on the wedding and event front! Which means I can finally document all the work I've been doing the past month, catch up on my home DIY projects, send out some past projects for submission to magazines and other blogs, do some fun little wedding projects and maybe even have time to cook and eat a real meal! Hurrah! I am planning to SLEEP in tomorrow! I hope you all have a great weekend!

HAND LETTERING: Know Who You Are, Know It's Enough

Another little bit of hand lettering. Corny but true! This weekend is one of my good friends weddings, one I have been designing non stop. I am so excited to finally set everything up and see it all come together! Pictures will be coming soon! Have a great weekend!

Hand Lettering: Luck Favors the Prepared

All the women in my family are amateur hoarders. Not hoarders in the scary sense, there are still clear pathways through their houses, but every storage space is packed.  The hoarding tenancy lessens with each generation, My grandmother and great aunt could not go into a Christmas tree shop and leave without a basket full of tsotchkes. My mom on the other hand cannot part with old furniture, tools, scrap metal, or a broken window that could have a second life down the road. For me, hording manifests in things I could make awesome. If inspiration hits, I almost always have all the necessary tools and objects to create something fun. That being said, I could really use more storage space! As Edna Mode from The Incredibles, would say, "Luck favors the prepared." Come the zombie apocalypse, we'll be able to hold our own because of everything my family members have saved!

Hand Lettering: Penny For Your Thoughts

Happy Friday! I've been wondering if there's anything you think would make Wouldn't it be Lovely's blog better? Anything you'd like to see more or less of? Shoot me an email or comment on this post if you have any thoughts!

HAND LETTERING: Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do

Since I started Wouldn't it be Lovely about two years ago, I've been working my little butt off. I have a full time footwear design job, I work on weddings and other events that come my way, all while blogging daily. Meanwhile, I also take time to live and enjoy my life to the fullest. I've been asked by people where I find the time to do everything and the answer is, I'm working constantly. As a designer, you are always creating, I'm thinking about ideas for blog posts, decor, and wedding invitations when I'm showering, driving my car, or grocery shopping. Basically, inspiration is EVERYWHERE. I don't just sit and relax. When I take time to "relax" and watch some TV, I'm on Pinterest and doing research at the same time or sketching in my notebook. But you know what? I love every single crazy minute. The busier I am, the more creative I become. Once you start creating, its hard to stop, and new ideas grow out of ones you've used up. So, work hard, and maybe your dream will come true!

HAND LETTERING: You Are My Favorite Distraction

Sometimes I get so in the zone, working away, that any distraction seems irritating. Then, once I shake it off, I realize how much I appreciate and love certain distractions, like my husband, my dogs, a friend,  or just a beautiful day begging to be taken advantage of. Remember to enjoy your distractions! This weekend will be one big distraction for me! It's one of my best friends bachelorette parties and I can't wait for a whole weekend of distraction!

Hand Lettering: Be a Nice Human

A little more hand lettering before the weekend! I thought "Be a Nice Human" was a good thought for  the weekend! Whenever I travel and find similarities with people from far away places, or even have a random conversation with a stranger at the grocery store, I can't help but notice how good I feel after making a connection with another human being. Like somehow these small connections make the world a littler friendlier somehow. So, be a nice human, it makes everyone happier. Have a good weekend! I have lots of projects and work to catch up on this weekend, here's to being productive!

Hand Lettering: We'll Never Be This Young Again

Time to get back into the hand lettering practice, I decided to use a couple more flourishes this week! While on the plane home from Thailand, I was listening to Matt Nathanson's new album, Last of the Great Pretenders, and in one of his songs he says "We'll never be this young again". It's a sentiment I really like, because even as we grow older, and things change, we are still the youngest we'll ever be, and we should live accordingly! The photo is one I took while in Krabi on our vacation, the sunsets were amazing.