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!

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! 

HOME: Kitchen Banquettes

Pictures from left to right, top to bottom: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six

I've been thinking about kitchen banquettes quite a bit lately. We are doing a handful of DIY projects in our kitchen, and part of me wants to add a banquette while we're tackling that area. These are some pictures I'm liking, the only problem, our kitchen table is round and there is really only one strait wall along which to build the bench. So I might need to buy or build a new kitchen table. I've got to think about it! That being said, there are a couple of awesome thing about banquettes that are making me want one.

1. Storage: "I have too much kitchen storage" said NO ONE EVER. I could really use some more space for storing items I don't use frequently but still want to keep in the kitchen. The benches are a great place for extra storage space.
2. More seating: You can always jam more people on a bench which is great when you have a couple extras over and don't want to eat in the dining room. 
3. Built in details are awesome: Banquettes look great and are added value in your home
4. Fun graphic opportunities: The bench cushions are a great place to have fun with fabric prints! 

Chalkboard Door Hand Lettering Art

 Front door awesomeness! When we moved in, these double front doors were a weird off white and felt like they should be letting you into a creepy basement as opposed to being part of a welcoming entryway. I painted them with chalkboard paint which is just generally awesome, but then I found CHALK MARKERS, which made it even MORE fun! I sketched out a new design that I wanted to put on the front door and went to work. I laid it out in regular chalk, and then did it all in detail with the chalk markers, which are a lot like paint pens. The new art has definitely made our front entryway so much better, and I think all my hand lettering practice has been paying off!

EVENTS: Fun Cake Toppers

 1. Gold Animals   2. Stuffed Animals   3. White Whales   4. Silhouettes   5. Robots  6. Heads

I love cake toppers that really show a couples personality. Another plus, is that doing something a bit different can often be a bit more affordable!  One idea (like the picture on the top left) is to buy inexpensive plastic kids toys and spray paint them one color and positioning them in fun ways for a unique look. Another idea, is to find cute salt and pepper shakers (like the photo in the bottom right) and use them as your cake toppers! Check out Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and antique stores for unique designs! Another simple idea (like the picture in the middle right) is to cut out your silhouettes in a heavy card stock paper for something truly you!

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!

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!)