extra, extra

i thought it'd be fun to showcase a few ways you can make your party special with different fun add ons. i know you've seen a few in the past, but some of the favor ideas here are super clever.

baby shower cupcake toppers

rehearsal dinner placecards, with the dinner choice noted with a little graphic fish, cow, or chicken

wine party place cards (wish she'd come take my pictures!)

birthday banners

and thank you cards aplenty

but, how about water bottle labels?

or gatorade (sk8rade) bottle labels? cute, or what?! check out the party invites.

remember our travel theme bridal shower? well, the favors there were luggage tags! the girls filled them out, and then they were laminated for them before they left. creee-ay-tive!

these favors go with the cupcake toppers above - so clever - tictacs to match the party theme!

and our little tiger from last week gave his friends "party animals" (animal crackers)

i'm sure you're just as clever, right? take a little look see around the ol' blog for some more inspiration. if you can dream it...

party time, excellent

i thought we'd continue the kids birfday theme to round out this week. stay tuned next week for the extras that you can add on to your design orders. some cute ideas there!

i'm starting with what i think is the ding dang cutest idea, and i think one of my personal faves. i keep trying to get middle sissy to do it for her kiddos, since she is married to a farmer!

this little munchkin can't get enough of princesses. she loves them so much, she wanted a princess party two years in a row! check out the designs...

i do love a rock star theme, and designing more "grungy, alternative" invites, so this was right up my alley! a rockin' birthday, indeed!!

a pool party with a girly twist - does the middle design resemble a pool to you? how 'bout the beach ball masquerading as an "O"! splish splash...

this family never fails to amaze me with their creativity. how cute is that little rhyme? i love the tiger costume, the rhyme, and the born to be wild theme! roar!

every once in a while, i'll do some designs that clients can print themselves. so, that's what these next designs are. kaeden loves trains, so choo choo it was.

and, sweet p only invited two little girly girls to her cupcake and tea party, so middle sissy asked me to put together a design she could email to the mamas. not my best effort, but still cute!

is it birthday time in your house? let's have a little chat.

take a peek at some past designs in case you need some inspiration.

a hoot of a time

when it comes to munchkins, hooty cute owls are a favorite. for this munchkin's third birthday, that was the order. reds, pinks, turquoise, lime green, and owl quotes.

all good parties start with a super cute invite. heehee


then we added a happy birthday banner

a party hat (is birthday girl adorable, or what?!) and, favor tags - with the sweetest quote "i'll owl-ways be your friend"! too cute!

and, seriously? are you kidding me with this cake? done to match the invites perfectly. let me say it again - too cute!

have a kiddo celebrating a birthday soon? let's have a little chat.

take a peek at some past designs in case you need some inspiration.

here comes the bride

from baby showers and announcements to bride and groom celebrations. had quite a few orders for bridal shower invites. here are just a few that have gone out recently.

fiestas are always a big theme for any party. whip up some fajitas, serve chips, salsa, and some margaritas, and you're golden. i thought it was super cute that they requested guests bring their favorite spice.

another take on a similar design. this time for a couples shower, and with the addition of the printed envelope. linen paper gives both invitations that little added excitement.

stripes and fun fonts are sometimes all you need to make an invitation. and, this font is one of my faves. you'll see that in the next two invites! this was a tapas party, but they didn't want to get to theme-y.

a silhouette of a bride's dress, in the bride's colors makes this design stand out - and, the scripty font just classes it up!
same style invite, but a ribbon around the bride's waist adds another dimension. printing it on super thick paper and rounding the corners take these over the top. invites don't have to be flat cards. ribbons, rhinestones, layers, rounded corners - all give your invite that extra special something. 

getting married? hosting a shower? let's have a little chat!

other designs might give you more ideas.

magnetic clothespin tutorial

when baby sister was here, i created a little tutorial for y'all to whip up some magnetic clothespins. they're super easy to make, but if you'd rather i do them for you, we can arrange that, too!

to get started, gather all your materials:
   -clothespins
   -assorted paper
   -mod podge or glue
   -self-adhesive magnet roll
   -scissors
   -pencil
   -foam brush


choose your paper - there are tons of 12x12 papers out there with fun designs on one sheet, which lets you have different style clothespins that still match. then, trace around your clothespins and cut out your strips.

glue your paper to your clothespin with your mod podge. swipe a little more over the paper to secure. let dry, then do a few more layers of Mod Podge to really secure your paper.

when they're dry, roll out some of your magnet, measure against your clothespin, and cut strips. if your magnet's too wide, cut it in half to fit on the clothespins. peel off the backing and stick to the clothespins. let sit for a bit 'til the adhesive sets.

rock your clothespins on your own fridge, or wrap them up as a fun, quick, homemade gift. they're the perfect hostess gift!


or, leave the magnets off and use them for the hippest chip bags 

or clothesline around.

three men and a little lady

ok, maybe they're not men yet, but they will be someday, and i wanted to use a catchy title! as usual, i digress. here's a collection of the latest baby announcements. you may see a theme here - apparently chevron is kinda popular. (or i just really enjoy it as a design element!)

grey and yellow are also trendy right now, so we fulfilled mama's wish for that. and, truly the sky's the limit with how many images you can use on your announcement.

i can't even get over how adorable these pictures are! they truly make the announcement, and i knew they needed to be showcased. printed on reeeeaalllyy thick, yummy paper, mama obliged my need to round the corners. she wasn't in the mood to address all the envelopes, so those got some flair, too.

no chevron here, but definitely boyish stripes and colors. a fun statement on the front gives the card personality. and, a scripture always adds something to the finished product.

so, in my design history, i think i've designed maybe 4 or 5 girl announcements. it's all boys out there, i tell ya! who's gonna date all these boys?! 

maybe... this little lady? chevron? check. polka dots? check. little birdies? check. and an adorable saying to introduce miss thing. i'm guessing this might get 'stolen' in the future!

preggers? have a newborn? ready to announce that little bundle to the world? let's have a chat!

chevron and polka dot baby shower

well, hello there. i'll wait while you recover from the shock that i'm actually posting some designs here. on this design blog.

more friends are welcoming babies around here, and it's a must to celebrate mama with tons of loot before baby's arrival. this one's special because it's the first girl for me to snuggle since sweet p came along! can you believe?

baby's nursery is grey and lavender, with fun patterns like chevron, stripes, and polka dots, so we carried that over into the invites. 

chevron on the front, polka dots on the back. and, if you look closely, the b (for baby bunting!) is die cut and pops off the invite for a dimensional effect.

continuing my love affair with wraparound labels, i've brought many a client over to the dark side, and this design was no different.

mama wanted thank you notes in chevron and polka dots to match.

for the shower, we created place cards for all the attendees in the same patterns.

the hostesses of the shower did an awesome job - check out the table - every shade of purple flower! so pretty!

how's that for a re-entry into design blogdom? oh, there'll be more where this came from. lookin' forward to showing you all the goods.

hosting a baby shower? having a baby? need something cute? i'm your gal - let's have a little chat!

*special thanks to baby's mama, who let me borrow her images of the shower.

need more inspiration? check out some other designs around the blog. 

july jingles

and, here we are in july. and, june went by with nary a post. i'm sorry. I'M SORRY! you will be happy to know that i've taken pictures of all my designs, now it's just a matter of sizing them, making them look like an actual photographer took them, writing some content to go along with them, and posting them here. i have high hopes, people. hot apple pie in the sky hopes.

and, now i want apple pie. and, i don't eat gluten.

i digress - here are the tunes i've taken a liking to in the last 30 days. found any you liked?? do tell.