Tuesday, September 28, 2010

BABBLE BEST: shower invitations

A friend pointed out the other day that Minted's Facebook page had a link sharing Babble's (the popular new parent website) favorite baby shower invitations - and guess what? Of the 9 categories, 2 of my designs for sale on Minted were featured! I was super excited! Check it out:

If you want to see the rest of my designs for sale on Minted click on the link to the right! 

Sunday, September 26, 2010

1st BIRTHDAY: invitations

I recently designed these invitations for a friend that was wanting to do something special for her daughter's first birthday. She wanted something sweet with a muted color palette that wasn't too fancy for a family only get together. She mentioned serving cupcakes and I ran with my idea from there. They were printed on cream linen paper and paired with a butter yellow envelope.





Wednesday, September 15, 2010

REFURBISHED FURNITURE

I saw this interesting piece of furniture on a blog the other day and wanted to share its uniqueness with ya'll. Tell me if you can spot what it is constructed from ...

Yes, if you guessed an old pallet then you are correct. The artist, Katrin Arens,  used a few old nails to hold in the bowls and plates on display. I really think it is a neat idea and would look awesome in the right setting. I could picture it mounted in an older, historic home with maybe a bench below? Or a simple bookshelf for extra storage. She has some other cool pieces as well so explore her site.

I totally agree with Katrin's statement,
"Creativity, a passion for simplicity, and dedication to the reclamation and re-use of materials, combined with unusual and individual treatments and processes, make ordinary objects extraordinary."

I love antique pieces, or furniture that has been revived with a little elbow grease. They all are so special and exhibit so much character. My pet peeve is someone that thinks too highly of their antiques - overpricing items you can find at any flea market or junk yard leaves a sour taste in my mouth! The beauty of buying salvaged items in re-constructing them to make them your own - you shouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg for it and then refinish it.

She describes her furniture concept as,
"Each piece is unique and handmade, using materials reclaimed by Katrin Arens; from derelict country houses, from cellars, and from carpentry studios. The pieces themselves are as rich in history as they are clear in design – histories which are concealed beneath surfaces with strange shapes, patterns and scars. Thorough craftsmanship and treatments using traditional techniques give the pieces both a smooth finish and an enigmatic feel, exuding long-forgotten colours and scents."

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

BEAUTIFUL LETTERPRESS

So, I know I haven't posted in over a week - or something like that - but I have been super busy! Between my invitations, a friend's invitations, birthday invitations, a friend's logo, and Auburn football - I have been swamped! But, loving every minute of it! 

I have been saving this link for a while now and am just now coming around to posting about this beautiful, white and gray letterpressed wedding suite. They are designed by Mitchell & Dent out of Australia and have lots of gorgeous options. I love the simplicity of the type faces and the delicate illustration in the monogram they created. It is available in other colors, but the gray is my favorite - of course. Check out these amazing images:









Also, LOVE LOVE LOVE the vintage tea cup set used in the photography. Sorta reminds me of the pieces I featured in my fine china post a while back. I would love to have a mix-matched set of pieces similar to these! So cute on display.

Stay tuned for photos of my recent invitation designs - coming soon, I hope! ;)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

my MAIDS

I have always wanted to do something "unique" and humorous for my girl friends when asking them to be a bridesmaid. Through all the wedding blog searching I eventually found the perfect idea! I made it my own and spruced the idea up a bit and this is what I gave each girl:
I created "bridesmaid" wine with a tag saying "will you toast with me ...". I thought it turned out super cute and it is something all my girls can use! ;) The bridesmaid label has several synonyms of the role as a bridesmaid - in my opinion ...  I'm just sayin'. (just kidding girls :: click on images to enlarge)

I did run into a tiny problem with 2 girls that live in Rhode Island and Georgia - you cannot ship wine across state lines! Apparently that is boot legging, or something!?!? So, back to the drawing board - after much deliberation and brainstorming I ended up making them a message in a bottle


Yes, I even crinkled the paper and burned the edges to make it seem real. I bet they thought I found it washed up on the beaches of Florida. I also included 5 bucks for the wine I got to drink instead of them!

And, today my maids' dresses were waiting at Melrose and they are gorgeous! I knew I wanted different styles and tones, so when the time came to choose JCrew had the perfect selection and colors. Here is a sneak peek of the beautiful array of color tones: 


I have some of the best girl friends someone could ask for and could not choose a better group of girls to share in the excitement of the engagement and wedding with. We have all shared some exciting times, crazy and wild moments, scary adventures, sad experiences, family issues, boy troubles, hilarious fights - but that is what makes us friends ... there through the thick and thin! I love each and every one of you and thanks for agreeing to stand with me on February 26th!