oh. my. lanta.

Obviously, I have a love of paper and design. So it shouldn't surprise you to know that I am constantly checking out invitation sites, blogs, and Etsy accounts for inspiration every day. While I love doing any kind of invitation or announcement, it's the personalized, one-of-a-kind, think-outside-the-box designs that hold the biggest place in my heart. This morning while perusing around on the web, I came across this glorious wedding invitation suite by Rifle.

Pretty, huh? Now look closer......

The wedding invitation is HAND SEWN. Wowee!
Anna of Rifle Design actually hand embroidered the floral design and then painted the lettering.

{the map insert}


{a work in progress shot}

She then scanned the image at a high resolution and had prints made. How much more creative and out-of-the-box can you get?! I just love all of Anna's work, but she has amazed me on this one. It is a true labor of love.

One that I'm excited to try for myself! Perhaps for some Mother's Day cards....

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.

.

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!

.

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.

My Valentine

This is the Valentine I designed for my favorite boyfriend.
Printed on Classic Crest (with my ol' trusty inkjet).



Once again, please excuse my poor photography skills. The colors in this photo are horrible and don't do the card justice. If only the sun would come out in Oklahoma so I could take pictures with better lighting!!

I miss you sunshine.

monkeyin around...

This is an invitation I did this past summer for a jungle themed birthday!

Cancer Awareness

My very best friend in the whole entire world, Michelle, has started a fundraising page through the Colon Cancer Coalition. She has recently lost an uncle to colon cancer and is currently encouraging and supporting her mother as she too fights colon cancer.



Michelle and her husband will be participating in the Get Your Rear In Gear 5K walk/run in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She is also taking donations for the Colon Cancer Coalition and has almost reached her goal! If you would like to donate to the cause click HERE or if you would like to learn more about the 5K or cancer education and how to protect yourself please visit THIS site.

The event is bigger than just a message for colon cancer though. It’s a message for all of us to take action, lead longer healthier lives, go to the doctor regularly, to listen to our bodies when something isn’t right, and to get the right answers, regardless of age.
-Michelle

And as always, saying a little prayer can help in the biggest way.