Sunnylane Craft Fair

Last month I participated in my first ever craft fair!! A lovely client (Thanks Lindse!) invited me to grab a booth at the Sunnylane Family Church craft fair in Del City, and I'm so glad I did! I had a lot of fun and met many sweet and talented people. Now that I've accomplished one craft fair, I am ready for more!

This is my colorful booth the night before the fair.

I made the bunting out of scrapbook paper and some good ol' twine.

I purchased the cute linen fabric at Joann's. 50%off. Woo woo!

I used the small chalkboards, purchased at Michael's, to write prices and such.

All of the cards and invitations were designed by me for other clients, but I can definitely design something special to fit your next celebration!

The pinwheels are handmade and can be customized in any color or size. They are adorable for birthdays and showers!

Thanks to Meme for letting me borrow some supplies! and to Tiff for making the trip and keeping me company for 2 days. You're the best!

mothers day cards.

Mother's Day is sneaking up fast!! (May 9th!) Have you bought your Mom anything pretty yet? She deserves it!

SwellMail Designs has two Mothers' Day Cards to offer! Each card is $2.50, digitally (flat) printed on white Classic Crest, includes a white envelope, and is blank inside to write your own sentiments.

If you would like one, please shoot me an email and let me know your preference and we can make payment arrangements. Thanks!

swellmaildesigns@yahoo.com

T-Shirt Design

Here is the t-shirt I designed for our upcoming Family Olympics! This image is shown on the green shirt, but the other team colors will be blue and orange. They will all have a navy graphic.

Family Members: Be sure to get your t-shirt size into me asap so I can order them in time!

Update: There are 28 people in our family, not 27. Oopsies. Luckily I caught it before printing!

Sydney's Birthday Invites!

Little Miss Sydney turned two last month and her mama asked me to design the invitations for her Spring themed birthday party! After having her two year photos taken by bmp photography in her adorable rain gear, they came to me for help to get the party started. I designed a simple photo card with Sydney's name and age that could be kept long after the party was over. I added a wide belly band with the party information and flowers to match her rain coat. I stitched up the edge of the belly band with some pink thread; my favorite detail!

I love the idea that Sydney's family and guests can throw away the belly band after the party is over, and still have a fun little photo of Sydney to hang on their fridge!

I also created this 5x7 photo collage for Sydney's mama. She wanted a few to pass out to other family members.

For more photos of Sydney, check out the bmp photography blog!

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!