Recent Posts

Real Brides: Lisa B


Just got a lovely hello from one of my brides Lisa. She sent me a pic of her in beloved birdcage veil with fascinator that she so craftily made herself! She used a precut veil from Davids Bridal and added her own feathers and flowers she got at Michaels. She made the necklace herself too. Don't you just love it?

Free Vintage Labels



Saw these really great vintage labels over at iDiy. I loved, LOVED them and the colors were perfection but they weren't quite right as I needed squares. I suppose I could have just cut them into squares but why ruin a good thing so...with some elbow grease I just made some of my very own.



Please feel FREE to use them for personal use. I think they would make great book plates and favor tags! Please link back to this blog if you use the labels on a project. I would ♥ to see it!


Download here

I Heart Etsy...really I do


I love Etsy. It's been really, really good to me and I can't imagine ever being anywhere else except well maybe somewhere else. How dare I consider betrayal? Well, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth... is I take REALLY bad photographs. Sad isnt it? I have cajoled, conjured, jimmy rigged and photoshop'd myself into exhaustion and still all my product pics look like they were taken with the expertise of a three year old.

Enter BIG CARTEL. It's Etsy but not. It's indie and I like that. It's designed by artists for artists. I really like that. It looks really cool with digitized versions of my work. I love that and some of my designs that don't seem to be a good Etsy fit rock on Big Cartel and I really, really love that!

I am not leaving Etsy. I am not even whispering such blasphemy. I will continue to coax some photographic genuis from these two hands and my obviously much misunderstood camera but I am working my mojo on Big Cartel too. It's two sides to the same coin...besides my mom used to always say...never put all your eggs in one basket.

Real Weddings: Dennis and Maria Elena

Todays wedding is just a sneak peek. But it promises to be a beautiful wedding and I am thrilled to call the Groom a friend so I couldn't wait to share!


Check out the phenomonal engagement pics of Dennis and Maria.








The venue is Cielo at Castle Pines. Set in six acres of majestic pine, in Castle Rock, Colorado - this venue is the perfect backdrop for Dennis and Maria. 




Dennis and Maria were kind enough to ask me to design their wedding invitations. Hmm... or perhaps I begged... the details seem to escape me. 



As a special honor to Dennis's Irish heritage and his love for Maria, the invitation suite included a claddagh motif. 


To keep all the enclosures together and to finish the look, I created matching double sided belly band, with claddagh and a very special note on the back. Stay tuned for the Big Day!

Free Vintage Floral Save the Date


 I heart birds. The only thing I heart more than a birds is well... I can't think of anything right now...gimme a moment. My kids? Yes, definitely my kids. Oh! and my hubby! Yes, him and okay let's throw in the cat too. Although, the cat hearts birds in a not so nice way. He likes to look AND touch. UGh!




1. Download your free save the date postcard here.
2. This postcard is printed on cardstock cut to - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2. Or you can buy some pre cut stock from Paper Source here.
3. Open up the pdf documents and print out the front, flip them around and put them back into your printer to print out the reverse side.

Enjoy!



Free Labels: A Little Birdie Told Me



Print these A Little Birdie told me labels on cardstock and run them thru a Xyron sticker maker (my new fav!) or print directly on 8.5 x 11 sheets of sticker paper and cut for easy labels for jars, books and ...well whatever your little heart desires.

Download here
Happy Friday!




All the places we will go


Today is our first official college visit and I am so nervous! I just keep thinking how could that chubby little toddler with the big eyes and huge curls be ready for college? But apparently he is.... sigh.

If the shoe fits...buy it in every color

I dont know if you saw the paper shoes in "Passport to Love", which featured a pair of paper shoes, by the extremely talented Jennifer Collier,  made from a vintage map  but I am now obsessed with them.


Images: Wedding Shoes by Paper Musings,  3D Shoe Centerpiece by Rebekah Daley
 Little Womens Shoes by Jennifer Collier, Ledger Shoe by Fete et Fleur

Wouldn’t these make the coolest invitations or party favors...EVER!? I was so smitten I begin scouring the internet for a good how-to and then I struck gold with Skip to my Lou. She has the perfect template! She samples a Witch Shoe with her template, which you can see here.  But you can create any kind of shoe you want with the template, so don't worry! Check out these shoes I created:




Over at The Daily Digi, she converted the printable paper template into a digital one and made these cutie patooties. If you are a digital scrapbooker you can visit the Daily Digi and for a step by step tutorial on how to swap out the papers with digital ones. She also gives an illustrated instructions on putting the shoe together.


Ready to make some? To create paper shoes of your very own, simply download the templates at Skip to my Lou . Trace around the templates onto cardstock for the shoe and onto paper for the lining. Score all dotted lines with a bone folder. Glue shoes together and embellish the shoes to fit your party theme.

Enjoy!

Free Save the Date with Vintage Travel Theme

Having a hard time letting go of vacation. Sun drenched tropical islands will do that to you. Anyhow, I continue to channel my withdrawal symptoms into inspiration. 



Found these uber cute vintage Save the Dates with matching Air Mail envelope at Ruffled. For the template click here.

Passport to Love

I am continously amazed by the number of weddings we happen upon while on vacation. I love that family and friends are willing to travel the distance to support a bride and groom. Granted it probably doesnt hurt that said bride and groom are getting married in some sun drenched, crystal clear azure beach side mecca of fun.

Map to my Heart

Love the vintage map Save the Date from Etsy seller Beyond Design and I could hardly breathe when I found the paper shoes from UK designer Jennifer Collier.


Back in the Saddle: Order from Chaos


Ok, so I am officially back from vacation. I say officially, as you cannot count your arrival day and never count wash-all-your-laundry-I can't-believe-I-needed-all-those-bikinis -day,  nor do you count the read-all the-piled-up-mail day. Today is my first official back-to-work day...see?

Anyhow, time to settle back into the swing of things. Amazing how a little time away can make the studio seem so fresh and new and so old and stale. First things first. I need to find something to organize my thoughts. Hmm... a bit ambitious that ...might have to shelve that one. In the meantime, I  do like the look of :


Chalkboard Wall Graphic by Caroline McGrath


Spring Branch by Zazous

7 rules from Harmonie Interieure













Wow...that feels much better. Now... I suppose I should get to work!