li'l buckaroo baby shower

like i've mentioned, there is no shortage of baby celebrations going on. and, i think the days of my peeps only ordering invites might be over. if you're gonna throw a party, you wanna throw a PARTY! and, this, my friends, was no exception.

my client came to me with an order for a western baby shower. and, man is she clever and creative! she wanted to take it to the limit with plenty of y'alls, boots, hats, bandannas, and a li'l buckaroo. so, to the limit we went. check out the invites:

can you handle it? high noon? boot scoot? y'hear? i know you know i love a theme!

once the invites were done, it was time to move on to all the other goodies. banners, favor tags, table signs, drink signs, beer labels. you name it, this party had it. so, i packed all the goodies up and waited (im)patiently for the party to happen, so i could see the pictures!

i can't take credit for many of the cute sayings. i told you, girl's clever. a sheriff badge star carried the theme thru all the goodies. they strung up the welcome banner, made of burlap sewed onto ribbon, along with a star-spangled 'whoa nelly' banner for over the gift table. and, that bandana and cowhide cake might be the cutest thing ever, next to the mustachioed elk, of course!

no one was going thirsty here, with city slicker sangria, lasso lemonade, and young whipper snapper ale on tap. i was giddy that she wanted to do beer labels. tables were named things like cowboy up and hi-ho silver. and, when the party was over, guests were sent on their 'happy trail' with bbq sauce in mason jars. ok, this diaper cake, made of jean diapers ranks pretty high up there on the cute-o-meter!

can you even stand it? what a great party! and, a great client! i tell ya - you guys are so darn clever. never cease to amaze me.

y'all have any babies to welcome? let's have a little chit chat, y'hear?!

a few of my favorite things - march

ok, ok, march is pretty much over, but this is what was floatin' the ol' boat this month.

peter pracilio swarovski skulls | peace to all plaque | 
anthro curvy vase | arcadian uttermost pendant
smartwool knee high socks | bijules nail ring | satomi kawakita stack rings

must be accessory month. for the home and the bod. um, that skull? bedazzled with the most amazing swarovski crystals? if they weren't $2000+, she'd be bedazzling my wall. i've been coveting this peace plaque on pinterest for months, and finally found it! now, mr man needs to get over the brassiness and hang it. i found this too cute vase, and just knew baby sister needed it. (matches her weddin' colors perfectly!) this pendant. THIS PENDANT. it sooo wants to adorn my dining room. it really does. please, mr man???

why am i the last one to the party for smartwool socks? my feet are ALWAYS freezing, and these keep 'em roasty-toasty. if you don't have a pair, do yourself a favor. is this nail ring a bit much? i think not! who said nails shouldn't get bejeweled? these stacking rings are budget-busters, but i'm digging the double-finger style, and i love a pile of jewelry. maybe one day...

so, what had you swoonin' in march? what are you looking forward to for april. is it weird that i featured wool socks when most of you are enjoying 80+ weather?

can you guess?

just for you, my 3 readers, here's a little sneak peek at a design i'm working on. have any ideas what it might be? care to venture a guess?

good luck!

will you be my bridesmaid?

guess what came in the mail last week??!!

i was so excited to get it, speshly since middle sissy got hers three whole days before me! excited because, 'member, i sent off the innards for baby sister to assemble herself. and, i couldn't wait to see it all done up. big, fat party in the mailbox right here!

everything was tucked in a yummy, metallic cream envelope wrapped with my favorite label style. 'to' on the front, 'from' on the back. (major tip here: you'd be surprised how often postage is underestimated, so weigh your finished project before you buy stamps and ship.)

baby sister personalized each card with a picture of each girly-girl, which slips easily out to use as a fridge reminder. adorable washi tape and matching ribbon holds it all together.

the inside gets dressed up with fun embellishments and more dang cute washi tape (um, the girl in the dress? sweet like sugar!). fun letters stamped in coordinating colors make sure no stone's left unturned (or, no envelope's left unopened).

can you say fun?? and, seriously, folks, when you get a labor of love this cutey-cute in the mail, how can you say no?

well, one thing's for sure, i'm definitely fulfilling my matronly duties...with honor!

ten tiny fingers, ten perfect toes

the other day, i realized i never showed you baby brother's announcement. well, he's 5 months old today, so better late than never, huh? i wanted to design something unique, because i felt like i was in a same size card rut. and unless someone comes to me with an outrageous idea, it's usually the fam who gets forced into 'outside-the-box' designs.

i had an idea about pictures of fingers, toes, and his nose to rhyme, but i was stuck on how to piece it together. so, i made creative writer middle sissy put on her thinking cap, and looky here...

we took all the pictures while i was there for bb's birth. middle sissy wanted the announcement to have an autumn feel, so we grabbed a brown and turquoise blanket of sweet p's and the colors were born.

during my sip and see entertaining prep, i unearthed an amazing bowl that was once my nana's gathering dust high upon the kitchen cabinets. lo and behold, the colors were perfect and it would hold a newborn nicely.

working quickly to try to avoid tinkle mishaps (unsuccessfully), we set munchkin atop the farmer's antique pie case, under their cross collection, and man, do i ever love the shots we got.

of course, sweet p needed in on the action. so, we attempted to deck her out in matching colors, and get her to hold bb for longer than 3 seconds! such a good big sissy! 

c'mon, let's get out of the same size card rut. the possibilities are endless! and, professional photos aren't even necessary - if you can stage your own, why not?

have a baby to announce? let's chat.

marchin' to the beat

ok, be honest - how many of you actually listened to the february playlist?? none of you?! well, i did, and i have to say, as much as i LOVE all those songs, i'm happy it's time for a new list and that ol' febby only has 29 days.

so, these days, when i find a song i like, a few days later, it's playing on the radio. what gives? i guess with all our technology, there aren't that many 'unknowns' anymore. good for them, bad for those of us who want to seem 'cutting edge'. well then, i'll just go find another song i like by that artist! and, i maybe mighta done that here.

what are you listening to these days? any hip, no-one's-ever-heard-of-these-guys bands or singers i need'a check out? do tell.