a onesie, and a ...

pretty much all my designs so far this year have been for baby showers. and, most of those orders included much more than just invitations (hello, custom!). this order was no exception.

you may remember the invites:

while brainstorming designs, we both fell in love with a onesie idea. after we found the perfect paper to create the onesies, we started with stripes in the nursery color (sage green) for a classic design. then i topped it with just one(sie), giving the illusion it was drying on the line. 

these turned out sweet-as-can-be, and can you imagine what fun opening the mail was that day?!

to carry on the theme, we created menu table cards.

and strung up a welcome banner of the sweetest onesies tied together, which can be used in baby's nursery later.

doesn't it look like a fun celebration?! and, that view?! wow - talk about a great backdrop!

any baby welcoming goin' on in your neck of the woods? let's chat!

some assembly required

more like 'all assembly required'! 

this is what's goin' on around here right now as i gather all the items for baby sister's bridesmaid cards. oh! if you think you're on the list, stop reading now! good thing middle sissy gave up the interwebs for lent.

last time we chatted, we were thinking of one of these ideas. 

well, after wasting time doing research on pinterest, the design has morphed into something that will resemble this.

cute little envelopes for sweet sentiments and such. yummy washi tape to hold everything together. stickers, ribbon, punches, paint swatches, doilies.

the workshop's been abuzz. i've been printing, cutting, scoring, folding, gluing, taping, stringing, punching. no surface is safe. and, i'm just about done puttin' it all together to ship off to baby sister, so i get at least a little element of surprise! ha!

here's the most amazing thing: i only had to buy the doilies to make those (in the words of sweet p) so, so tiny envelopes. and, i got them at the $ store! can you believe? i had everthin' else floatin' around in the workshop. ok, maybe it's not that unbelievable, but i was pretty amazed i found so much cute stuff in baby sister's colors. (um, do you see that true love ribbon? adorbs!)

once baby sister puts them all together, i'll be back with a look at the finished product. i kept a few pieces secret, so y'all didn't see it all.

my stipulation for making these was that baby sister had to assemble them herself. i hope she bought the big jug of sangria - she's gonna need it!

wine'd down weekend

for the last 5 years, mr man and i have taken a trip in february to sip wine and celebrate valentine's day. and, since washington state is kinda well-known for their vino, we haven't had to trek far. this year, we went back east to the red mountain area. if you're thinking of wine tasting, think no more. there is yakima, walla walla, chelan, columbia river, rattlesnake hills, and the list goes on.

i maybe might be a champion wine drinker, and these trips are my absolute favorito! it's so cool to see the vineyards, chat with the folks with the passion to quit day jobs and become wine-makers, and taste some deelish-ious vino. recognizing more obscure wines on various lists around town is also a bonus!

how 'bout a leetle foto montage...

snowy drive over the pass | have work, will travel | chandy love @ hedges estate

fidelitas wall o' wine | vast vineyard views | cooper corkage

deelish dindin @ tagaris | willow crest barrels | on the road again

taking time to stop and smell the roses

i'm trying to be better about taking pictures of life happening around me. i can't tell you how many times i get home and smack myself in the head for not documenting an experience. so, here's the latest glimpse into wha's happenin' 'round these parts.

empty plates @ stellar pizza | wine tasting = my fave sport | heavenly sunshine sunset and water out my front window | cherry red tulips | steamy, yummy goodness 80s cover bands rule | a peek @ baby sister's various weddin' projects

this will be my little reminder to stop and smell the roses. what have you been up to? are you good about documenting all the joy going on around you?

a few of my favorite things - february

let love rule tom's | fashionABLE etanesh scarf | 

ghirardelli double chocolate brownies | glove & cake oven mitts

noonday collection kampala with love necklace | ebell jewelry owl talon necklace | fabric & handle shantay shopping bag | sofia mini blanc de blancs

look at these! my love of lenny and toms all mixed together. i think these are my next pair. say what you will about their looks; they'z comfy! i stumbled upon the fashionABLE site last week, and was so moved, i had to get a scarf. it's so lightweight and perfect. go! get one too.

TDF brownies sure to please any honey: get a 6-pack of these at costco; use milk for the water, vanilla yogurt for the oil, then add toffee bits and walnuts for pure decadence. when they're done, take 'em outta the oven with these cutey-cute mitts.

lately, i've been drawn to use my $$ for the greater good. enter the noonday collection. the kampala with love necklace is ah-mazing. i dare you to resist getting something. and, speaking of neck candy (albeit outta mah budget), a buddy of mine makes these friggin' fantastic claws, and i'm utterly obsessed. OBSESSED.

when was the last time you used a plastic bag at the grocer? it's been years for me, and i think this tote and i could be BFFs. i need another bag like i need a hole in the head, but whatevs. i could use it to get me some sofia minis (THE perfect valentine bevvy). if you've never had one, you are missin' out. little cans of champagne? with a bendy straw attached? I.DIE.

what are you jones-in' for this month? hopin' your honey gets ya? tell me! if there's one thing i need, it's more obsessions.

good clean fun (favor tutorial)

as promised, i'm back to show you how to make your own personalized hand sanitizer favors/gifts. 

what you need:
hand sanitizer (i found 3-packs at the dollar tree)
your labels (printed on label or sticker paper)
paper cutter/scissors
glassine bag (or tissue paper)
ribbon/twine/yarn/twist tie

gather your gear | cut your labels down to size | peel off the old labels | 
stick on your new labels | wrap 'em up with a pretty bow | and, give 'em away

see how easy that was? now you can go make your own!

charcoal & turquoise sparkly invites

i thought y'all maybe might wanna get a closer look at the sparkly invites from baby drew's sip and see. mama's got a love affair with grey right now, so i found some yummy charcoal paper and envelopes. and, to bring the ice and sparkle to our winter party, what better color but turquoise.

since we were partying happy hour style, i wanted the invite to portray that. so, a wine bottle and champagne glass for mama, and a bottle for baby - everyone's happy! the invites were mounted to the charcoal paper, then got some rhinestone bling. i cut a small square out of the back of the invite to show gift ideas (sorry, no peechure).

then, tucked it all in that yummy envelope and wrapped it in what might be my favorite label. the return address wraps around the back, and the invite jumps out of the mailbox, beggin' to be opened.

as you can see, i'm playing around with the pictures - trying to find something more crisp and modern. what do y'all think? what's your fave?

and, remember to come back wednesday for a tute on the cute favors.

sippin' & seein'

since baby brother's "sip and see", i've decided it is THE best way to welcome baby numero 2, 3, or 4. it's so relaxed, sittin' around chatting and cooing over the new baby. no sniffin' snickers diapers and mama gets to enjoy a bevvy (or 4) like everyone else!

so, last weekend, my lovely (and crazy talented) friend priscilla and i threw a welcome partay for our gal pal, carrie, and her little peanut, drew. i dooo love a party! such a great excuse to dust off the champagne glasses and break out my nana's silver. we set the mood by sending sparkly invites, tucked in charcoal envelopes wrapped in my favorite label.

priscilla whipped up some pennants and garlands, i added 'baby drew', and strung them up over the food and drink tables.

speaking of food...we wanted the shindig to feel like 'happy hour', so i whipped up a few finger foods, and priscilla baked the most delicious cupcakies and brownies. and, of course they're labeled!

as for the sippin', we had a

 a signature drink (complete with cheeky name)

and, bottles and bottles of red vino (do you think i went overboard with the personalized labels? nah!)

tags tied to each glass for guest names and jazzed up water

we sent guests off with hand sanitizer, because babies don't love germs! they say "it was good, clean fun!" (tutorial coming next week)

you wanna see the guest of honor, right?! he was pretty content to be passed around from arms to arms and all he did was snooze snooze snooze.

congratulations to rock star mama, carrie. and, thank you to my partner-in-crime priscilla for all her help pulling this off, and for the use of her images.

and, seriously y'all, any happy hour that ends with 5 empty wine bottles must be a success!

love in the country (music)

in early december, we went to nm for a wedding. their live band coupled with george strait on heavy rotation at the MIL's made me 'member how much i miss late 80s-early 90s country. and, since last february i did silly love songs, this year, i'm doin' country love songs.

back in the day, i was a total cowgirl...poser. yep, total poser. wore ropers and wranglers (no breathin' in those suckers!) and loved george and garth. i resisted joining FFA and didn't step foot on a ranch 'til 2000, but i was smitten with many a cowboy and loved "boot-scootin'" 'round the dance floor at honky-tonks, with appropriate names like midnight rodeo and diamond l'il's.

what a stroll down memory lane putting this list together was! i had a hard time keeping it to just 20, but these are most of my faves. now, don't go pretending you don't like country music. but, if you truly don't, we'll see ya back here for march's list.