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!

Bridal Shower Gift: Love By Numbers

I wanted to share with you the latest "Love By Numbers" design! This one has a map of Bentley University in the background, the place where the Bride and Groom met for the first time! Check out the previous versions of "Love By Numbers." They are all custom designed for different couples, the perfect gift for a wedding, bridal shower, or even as a holiday gift after their wedding. They are in the store if you're wondering about pricing and process!

Custom Designed Photo Postcard Save the Dates

These Save the Dates just went out in the mail and I couldn't be happier with how they came out! Andrea, the Bride was great fun to work with. She and her fiancé, Gerard, had taken some really lovely engagement photos and she wanted to use one of them on her Save the Dates. She had looked at some of the bigger websites, but none of the templates were quite right, either not what she wanted, or wouldn't work with the photo she wanted to use. That's where I came in!
We worked together to figure out the look she wanted. We decided on a nice matte finish with rounded edges for the paper. As for the design, I designed their logo by hand, sometimes an existing font just doesn't translate for a logo. For the address sticker, I laid it out to work as a round address sticker to tie in with their wedding logo. It came out with the right balance of formal and fun, perfect as the first impression of their big day!

DIY Cheese Labels

I used to be a SUPER picky eater, so it is only as an adult that have I come to appreciate a good cheese plate spread. When hosting Thanksgiving, I knew I wanted to make an awesome cheese plate appetizer (mostly so I could justify eating cheese and sausage with honey and fig jam for dinner every day the following week). One of the parts of an awesome cheese spread are cheese labels, so people aren't constantly asking what everything is. I decided to DIY it, it was an hour project and came out great! These make a great DIY gift for the holidays too!

Supplies:

1. White Fimo
2. Fondant roller (really anything to roll out the Fimo, but I like the fondant rollers because they come with these rings to make sure that it's rolled a consistent thickness)
3. Thin Paintbrush
4. Brass Paint
5. Exacto Blade

Process:

1. Roll out the Fimo, I rolled mine to about 3-4mm thick 
2. Cut out the shape as shown, don't worry about making them all the same, I think the irregularities are actually what make them so charming
3. Lay out all the tags on a cookie sheet and follow the instructions for cooking on the Fimo. Cook in the oven until they are hard. Take out and allow to cool.
4. Using the paintbrush and brass paint, write out the names of various cheeses, I did the following: Chèvre, Brie, Morbier, Fontina, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gouda, Cheddar, and Blue Cheese. With all these you should be able to cover almost any cheese option! 
5. Paint the edges of the Label, closing the rectangle at the bottom, don't paint the part that will stick in the cheese! 

Let them dry and either wrap them up as a gift, or use them the next time you host a party!

Custom Wedding Logo Sign

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite little extras for a wedding, custom signage! I made this lighted wooden sign for Elaine and Steve's wedding. It's a wonderful extra decor element for the bar, seating card table, or in this case, the gift table. It's designed to look like all the other elements from their wedding day (see the links below for all the other elements I designed for their wedding day). I love design elements like this because they are great even after the wedding day! Now they have this lovely sign to hang on their walls of their New York apartment!

Other design elements for their wedding can be found at the following links:  invitations, design process, save the dates, guest guidebooks, programs, place cards & holders, word bubble signs, confetti bags, and favors.

DIY Book Profiles

I don't know if I've said this before, but I LOVE books. I love the feel and smell and curling up with one for hours. That being said, I have a plethora of books, even though I've more or less converted to the kindle, books still seem to accumulate in our house. I had some old books that would never be reread, so I decided to do a little art project.

I have a thing for silhouettes, and I saw these book letters at Anthropologie, and decided I could do something similar but with profiles of me, the hubby, and the dogs! I think I like the dog ones the best! something about their profiles just works better on display. I think these would make great DIY Christmas / Holiday gifts for family members and friends! They could also be a great addition to a wedding display!

Supplies:

1. Old books
2. Pretty paper, I bought mine from Paper Source and decided to stick to a metallic and neutral color pallet
3. Modge Podge 
4. Paintbrush
5. Sandpaper

Tools:

1. Bandsaw (though I imagine you could do this with an exacto blade, the bandsaw is just faster!)

Process:

1. Make profiles of the people or animals you plan to use, scale them to fit the book and trace outline onto the cover
2. Cut out profile using a band saw or exacto blade
3. Sand edges of the book cover
4. After cutting the edges, the were browned by the band saw, so I decided to lux them up a bit like really nice books and spray paint the page edges gold. As you're covering the books, just go crazy with the spray paint and make sure the book edge is fully gilded. Give it about an hour to dry. 
5. Trace new book shape onto the paper you plan to cover the book with. Cut around the edges leaving a 1/2 inch boarder.
6. Brush Modge Podge onto the paper and smooth it onto the book. Do it one piece at a time, i.e. the back first, then the spine, then the front, smoothing out the paper as you go.
7. Fold the extra paper over the edges of the book, you will need to put slits in the paper to accommodate the curves. 
8. To make the inside cover looks finished, Modge Podge the first and last pages to the cover. 
9. Cut a 3 inch piece of paper the length of the spine and Modge Podge it onto the book, curling the ends around the edges of the book.
10. Let dry and display! 

Wedding Photo-booth Chalk Word Bubbles

Another little extra I designed for Elaine and Steve's Wedding were custom chalk word bubbles. One of the things Elaine was most excited about for her wedding was the photo-booth. Though the photo booth supplies most of the props for their photo-booth, we wanted to guests to be able to "say something" in their pictures. Hence the chalkboard word bubbles! I made them out of wood, with a chalkboard front, wood border, and leather handles on the back. These are some of the pictures from the photo booth, Chris and I are the ones on the right! The photo booth company was also able to include the wedding logo at the bottom of the photo strips which was a great way to tie it all together! Other design elements for their wedding can be found at the following links:  invitations, design process, save the dates, guest guidebooks, programs, place cards & holders, confetti bags, and favors.

Custom Wedding Programs

These were the custom programs designed for Elaine and Steve's wedding. (Other designs for their wedding can be found at the following links: invitations, design process, save the dates, guest guidebooks, place cards & holder, confetti bags, and favors,) As we had the "Guest Guidebook" which included a huge wealth of information, we wanted to keep the programs concise and simple. We made sure to include information for the guests to share their photos via Instagram and WedPics so the bride and groom had great wedding pics from the get go! 

Custom Wedding Place Cards and Log Holders

These are the custom place cards and holders I made for Elaine and Steve's wedding last month. (Some of the other elements can be seen here: invitations, design process, save the dates, guidebooks, confetti bags, and favors). We incorporated birch design elements into many places in their wedding, and these custom place card holders were another great opportunity to use birch. I made sure to cut the perfect amount of slots for all of their place cards, and we placed them on a bed of moss for a little extra design detail. We used this lovely wood grain embossed paper, and used the same design language that we had developed in all their other paper goods. One of the extra details I like to include on the place cards are the dinner choices on the back of the cards to make life easier for the servers, as very few people actually remember which box they checked on their RSVPs!

Wedding Guidebook for the Guests

It's time to start showing off all the bits and pieces I designed for Elaine and Steve's Wedding! Their wedding was September 28th, and thought I revealed some of the elements before their wedding (invitations, design process, save the dates, confetti bags, and favors,) I wanted to save some of the elements until after the big reveal on their wedding day. I'll be sharing these other elements with you every Thursday over the next month!

One of my favorite projects was the "Guest Guidebook." We wanted the guests to all feel like family, because thats how the Bride and Groom felt about them. To do that, we wrote a couple sentences about each person attending the wedding, arranged them by table, and included them in this book placed at each seat. Also in the guidebook was the dinner menu, a map of the room, a personal message from the bride and groom, a not remembering family members who had passed away, and information about the wedding after party! It was a big undertaking, but was such a hit, it gave guests a little insight to their table mates as well as something to read while waiting for the bridal party to make their grand entrance. I would recommend a "Guest Guidebook" to any couple planning their wedding!

Custom Watercolor Wedding Contract

This custom designed wedding contract just went out in the mail to a couple from Texas getting married on the 19th. The bride contacted me after deciding that they wanted to have something they could sign on their wedding day and keep as a piece of art. We talked about all the different elements of her upcoming wedding, the general feeling, and the most memorable parts of their reception site. After seeing some pictures, we decided to focus on the tree they would be married in front of, and the string lights that are a focal point of the reception area. I sketched and then painted the lights and the tree and played with a couple different lay outs, color, and font options. After some talk and edits, we finally decided on the one you see here. It all came together to be a lovely piece of art to commemorate their wedding day!

Pumpkin Mini Bunt Cakes!

It's fall! which means it's time for pumpkin flavored goodies! I made these pumpkin bunt cakes this weekend and they were DELISH! A little plus, pumpkin cake always seems more like a muffin or bread to me, so it is totally allowed to have one for breakfast! The full recipe and directions are shown in the photo above. For the topping, I made a simple vanilla glaze which I made even better with a bit of cinnamon!

Glaze:
Wisk together 1C confectioners sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2tbs unsalted butter, 2tbs milk, and 1tsp vanilla extract. I added about 1/2tsp cinnamon to give it that extra warm fall flavor!

Custom Wedding Vow Art

Sometimes it's after your wedding that you think of little things you want to commemorate the day. I recently finished turning a lovely couples wedding vows into art. Jen and Dan wrote their own vows for their wedding day. They had such lovely and unique vows, that they wanted to put them on display. So that every day they could be reminded of the wonderful promises they made to one another.

When designing their vows, I drew inspiration from their wedding colors and general vintage feel. I painted these lavender and blue lace watercolor backgrounds. Then, I worked with the couple to pull out the most important words and phrases in their vows and illustrated them in hand done calligraphy. Then we filled in the rest of the vows with a clean and modern contrasting font. That way, when people walk by, the most important and meaningful parts of their vows literally pop off the page. It was so great working with them to create a meaningful piece art that will be in their home forever!

Working on a Wedding for this Weekend!

I've been working non stop the past two weeks on a wedding for this coming weekend. Sometimes for a bride planning a wedding, it can seem like the gods are working against you and getting all the info for the final details (programs, table charts, place cards, etc.) can seem impossible. This wedding was one of those, which means that it's been crunch time the last two weeks getting everything together. I'll be sharing all the fun details with you in the coming weeks, but I thought in the mean time, I'd share some process photos with you! I've been able to do a little bit of everything for this wedding, graphic design, wood working, wood burning, making stencils for large scaled logos, sewing custom bean bags for games, and more! I can't wait to put it all together on Saturday! I think this might be my favorite wedding yet!

Quick Cake Decorating Tip

 Sometimes when baking in a kitchen that is not your own, it's hard to make perfect desserts. At my friends bachelorette a couple weekends ago, I knew I would want to bake a cake, but I also didn't want to pack my entire cake decorating arsenal to bring with me.  I decided instead to pack the basics, cake pans, a cake stand, my ingredients and a canister full of gold sprinkles. I knew I wanted a cake topper, so I had bought cheep plastic polar bear toys (I've been buying lots of kids toys lately!) and spray painted them gold before I left. So to elevate an ordinary cake, I put it together and frosted it like any ordinary cake. Then I got down to business! I dumped that whole canister of sprinkles over the cake, spinning it as I went to be sure to cover every inch of frosting. It adds a lux level and elevates a standard homemade cake to something special that will get you lots of "oohs and ahhs"! A little added bonus, the sprinkles add a lovely little crunch and sweetness making the cake even tastier! 

DIY Bachelorette Dinosaur Crown

 For those of who planning a bachelorette party and not wanting to go the traditional route of male privates made into crowns, necklaces, and more, I thought I would share this little tiara veil that I made for my friends bachelorette. I made her a dino crown because when we were little she had this amazing dino stuffed animal that came everywhere with her. Lets just say, she was much happier to wear the dino crown than the alternative!

Supplies:

1. Pre made veil (I got a children's veil at Michaels for only $10)
2. A clear hair comb
3. Floral wire
4. Gold spray paint
5. Fake flowers or greenery
6. Two small plastic animal kids toys. 

Process:

1. Wire your animals to the comb, make sure to attach them at multiple points 
2. Wire your  greenery together so that it's mirrored on each side. then attach it to the comb behind the animals
3. Spray paint the whole shebang and let it dry
4. Attach the veil with the wire behind the spray painted bit and you're ready to go!  

DIY: Quick Party Photo Display

This past weekend was one of my good friends bachelorette party. We all stayed at a house in New Hampshire and had a weekend full of fun! As we prepared for the party, we knew we had lots of photos we wanted to display and wanted to do it ahead of time so it would be simple to set up. We decide to make a photo curtain that we could make before hand and easily assemble once we got there.

Materials:

1. Ribbon, LOTS of it.
2. Photos, a plethora of them! 
3. Double sided tape
4. Scissors
5. Command Hooks
6. Sewing machine (optional, you can tape or staple the ribbon to make loops as well)

Process:

1. Cut ribbon in 6 ft lenghts, I cut the ends in Vs for a nice extra touch
2. Sew, tape, or staple ends in a loop
3. Attach pictures to the ribbon leaving space in-between and backing each photo with another photo so the ribbons can turn and be appreciated from both sides
4. Once all your photos are attached, adhere the command hooks to two opposing walls (doorways work the best) cut ribbon the length of the doorway and tie loops on the ends.
5. Thread photo ribbons through the other ribbon and hang in the doorway! 
6. You're all set and the photos are ready to be viewed, and times reminisced with all your guests! 

Custom Wedding Envelopes

 These are some recently completed, custom save the date envelopes, I designed for a client. She had already ordered her Save the Dates elsewhere when she found my website, but wanted special envelopes to compliment the items she already had. She saw the invitations I had designed for a previous event and wanted to start there. I changed the colors and fonts to better compliment her Save the Date and off we went! The bottom image is the package on it's way out the door. I always like to alphabetize the recipients so it's easy for the client to double check that everyone's there! This job was a perfect example of how no matter what you need or want, no job is to small! Hurrah for having exactly what you want for your wedding! 

Graphic Wedding Invitation

These graphic wedding invitations just went out in the mail this past month. I had such a great time designing these for Elaine and Steve. I knew I wanted to do something different for them, their wedding day will be fun and casual with a rustic feel. We new there was a lot of information we wanted to include in their invitation but didn't want to have an enclosure packed with multiple inserts to convey all that info. Instead, I designed a tri-fold invitation with an incorporated pocket for the RSVP card and envelope. This layout allowed us to include all the information about their wedding, pre-wedding events, reception, post reception party, a map of the area and more, all in a streamlined and cohesive format. This invitation and general format will be added to the store soon! On another note! I just figured out how to create an animated gif which is super exciting! (It's the animated photo above so you can see how the whole thing opens up!)

3 Year Anniversary: My Favorite Parts of Our Wedding

 Today is Chris and my three year anniversary! I can easily say that our wedding day was the best day of my life thus far, getting to marry my best friend and boyfriend of over 10 years, all while surrounded by our favorite people in the world was simply perfect. Luckily for me, marriage has only made our love bigger and our relationship better, I couldn't feel more blessed! That being said, working on our wedding really opened my eyes to a new design passion and the creation of Wouldn't it be Lovely, so the wedding fun would never have to end! I thought today was the perfect time to share some of my favorite things from our wedding day, things that I would recommend to anyone getting married.

1. In lieu of traditional pew decor, I hung pictures of Chris and I throughout our relationship, luckily we had been dating since we were 15, so we had plenty of pictures to choose from!
2. After the ceremony, waiting outside the church, we had an ice cream truck to surprise our guests with a little snack! We paid for it ahead of time and made a custom sign for the side. This made the receiving like SO much more fun! 
3. Our reception site, at Mass Horticultural Society, had so many great places for pictures. Having a site with many picture locations was great and lead to more amazing photos than I know what to do with.
4. Our custom made cake toppers were so worth it and still make me smile every time I see them.
5. Two things for this picture: One, Chris and I took weeks of dance lessons, we still wern't great, but the time spent taking those lessons was time spent together having fun away from all the wedding craziness. Two, I wanted those hanging antique bulbs SO BADLY and am still glad that I spent all that time researching to find someone who could hang them for us.
6. Spending hours upon hours making paper flowers for the walls made the carriage house where our reception was held feel so special and personalized. I had seen a Chanel runway show with hundreds of paper flowers and knew I wanted a similar look. Having a custom art installation really brought everything together.
7. For the father daughter dance, I knew we needed a song that was upbeat or else I'd be bawling my eyes out. I chose Doris Day's "Papa Won't You Dance With Me" and my Dad and I learned to dance the polka so we could do it up right! I always think it's more fun to watch people dance to something upbeat than a slower song. 
8. Instead of spending lots of money on centerpieces, I scoured ebay for months buying milk glass vases and filled them with flowers from a local flower mart. When all was said and done each vase cost about $2 and the whole centerpiece arrangement at each table around $40.
9. For our last dance, we took everyone outside, handed out sparklers, and danced to the song that was playing when Chris had asked to to be his girlfriend 10 years earlier. It was a wonderful way to end the night!
10. Last but not least, building the photo wall was something I would do again in an instant. It produced some of my favorite pictures of the night, and was so much fun!