Baby Shower: Green, Yellow, & Brown

These baby shower invitations were done with only one request: green, yellow, and brown to match the baby's room. I had been wanting to use the idea of combining various patterns so I thought what cuter shape than a baby rattle!

I also did a frame matte in the same colors to hang in the baby's room. If you are a friend of mine on facebook, you can see it here.

Responde Sil Vous Plait

"My experiment arose from plans for an evening of food, drink and literature, with readings by myself and two other writers, at a restaurant. Not exactly a drop-in-if-you’re-around kind of thing, so I asked friends to R.S.V.P. My initial message brought in a dozen responses, and the follow-up a few more, but days before the event I had a paltry 23. Not 23 who planned to come, but 23 who had bothered to respond. Half my invitees had blown me off. Why? I wasn’t peddling life insurance, after all." -Rand Richards Cooper, The New York Times.

I must admit, I was not always an RSVPer. I have designed many reply cards in my life, but only once, recently, have I actually been in charge of the RSVP list. I threw a bridal shower for a friend last year and recieved many replies in which I was very thankful for. Being on the other end has definitely helped me see the light! Party planners need to know if you will be there. They need to know how many seats to save for the dinner party, how many cupcakes to bake for Emily's 3rd birthday, how many bottles of wine to buy, burgers to cook, etc. So please read New York Times columnist, Rand Richard Cooper's little experiment. Are Americans just lazy? Or is it really that we're too busy?

And please RSVP.

Bridal Shower: Lacy

Lacy and David were having a very country wedding with a relaxed atmosphere. I wanted Lacy's bridal shower invitations to still keep to that country theme, but also stand out. Foregoing the typical horseshoes and boots ideas, I added a feminine country touch by mimicking a cross stitch pattern. I like to call it Granny Chic. I spelled out several wedding related words with the cross stitch pattern and even added in the names David and Lacy for a personal touch!

A little secret...

Wanna see what I've been working on lately?? It's a little secret project for my Dad for his 5oth birthday. Shhh! Lucky for me, I can post these secrets on my blog because my father is very 'computer challenged,' to put it nicely. (I had to show him how to use the shift key to capitalize the first letter of his name last week. Seriously.) So he has probably never even heard the word blog.

Here's a small part of the project....


I'm still playing with colors. It's hard to design for yourself because there's no one to give you opinions or tell you yes or no! I always value opinions. What do you think about it so far??

A Bridal Shower

I don't know about you, but I am SO ready for spring. I designed these beauties with just the right colors and a little spring shower to help get me in the mood!

The Invitation That Started it All.

I am so excited to finally have beautiful photos of many pieces of my work to share with you over the next week or so! Thank you, bmp photography! My own photography skills just weren't cuttin' it. I decided that I would start it all off with an invitation design that is very dear to my heart for many reasons.

My very best friend, Michelle, asked me to do her wedding invitations while I was finishing up my last year in design studio. Not knowing much about printing and paper options at the time, I accepted the challenge and still think they came out rather nicely with what I had to work with. Two days after I graduated college, I was leaving to study in New York and DC for a couple weeks and then headed to Europe for two months. I remember the night before I left I stayed up till 2am to finish printing them on my old HP inkjet. At the time I had the basic one black ink cartridge and one color ink cartridge, but since I was only printing blue.... I went through a TON of color cartridges only using one color. I printed the entire folder/pocket on one sheet of paper but didn't have time to cut and fold them. I knew she would be lost as to how to assemble the invitations so I did one as an example, drew her a color-coded instruction manual (cut here, fold here, etc), and packed them all up for my mom to ship to Texas the next day.

When I returned home from my travels almost three months later, I found out that Michelle had cut out a few invitations, messed up a few more, and then shipped all of them to New York for help from a fellow design classmate and friend. It still makes me laugh to think that these little pieces of paper went from Oklahoma, to Texas, to New York, back to Texas, and then most of them back to Oklahoma!! And they still looked great! I received many compliments about them and that's when it all clicked... I love making invitations! But it wasn't till even a couple more years and a big nudge from my sister that I actually began steadily designing invitations and announcements. And now, there's no going back!

Michelle wanted something simple and classic for her wedding invitations. I suggested the folds and pocket and she trusted me to "do whatever". One thing I incorporated that is very personal to Michelle and Gentry is the lyrics from a song.

in your heart and in my soul.

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The band No Justice got their start in our small college town and specifically wrote a song for the couple. During their relationship, Gentry was stationed in Iraq for a year and gave Michelle a heart shaped necklace before he left. When Gentry returned home for R&R he surprised Michelle with the song, Heart on a Chain, that No Justice had written specifically for them. Gentry proposed to Michelle that very same night!

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Michelle and Gentry's invitations make me smile every time I see them. They make me laugh when I think about how many ink cartridges I wasted, how many cities they travelled to, and how I spelled 'marriage' wrong and no one told me for 2 years. To me Michelle's wedding invitations are a reflection of all the memories and friends I made in college and how much I've grown in my stationery business just in the past couple years. Thank you all for helping me learn and grow with every design.