that's font-tastic - custom bridal shower invitations

wowza, has this been a long time comin'! it's time to show you, my three readers, all of baby sister's goodies. starting with her bridal shower. here's a little memory refresher of where we left off - save the date and the bridesmaid invites. de nada

{digression alert}
so, we've got these super dear friends - we're all practically sisters, and no question - mama mary was gonna host a shower for baby sister. now, mama mary's daughter has this ah.may.zing design business and it never crossed my mind that she wouldn't design the invites. so when mama mary called to tell me 'you know the style, you've done everything else, you're doing the invites to this', i hopped to it. she's not called 'sarge' for nothin'!

still with me? how 'bout we see the finished product?

if you recall, her colors were pool blue and coral. she wanted a fun design with lots of fonts - i think the trendsetters are calling these circus style. i don't really get it, but what do i know? so, fun, fonts, and fabulous? i'd say!

gotta have that matching envelope. let me just say - i don't think a design is complete without somethin' on the envelope. either printed or label, i don't care, but it just adds so much to the overall product, doncha think?

and, you know she needed thank you notes for all those prezzies. she actually used these for most of their gifts since the fonts and colors tied everything together.

what do you think? bachelorette party's coming up next. get excited!!

have a shower coming up? we totally need to chat.

howdy pardner - surprise 40th birthday invitation

it seems like it's all about the kiddos around here most of the time. so, when i get an order for an adult party, i get super excited. especially fun, theme-y parties!

the request for this design was beer and bbq. how'd i do?

it was a surprise, and she wanted to make sure people knew it was adults only. she had quite a bit of information she wanted to include, which makes my double-sided designs perfect. no need to cram all your info on the front.

envelopes to match finished off the invitation - nothin' like a little excitement in the mailbox amid all the junk and bills!

have a birthday coming up? a different kind of party? let's have a little chat!

yeehaw!

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.

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.

cupid, draw back your bow

i've been doin' a little updatin' to the ol' etsy shop just in time for that little chubby cherub to deliver.

say i love you with one of the basic LOVE cards.

hows about gettin' a little more graphic with you rock my world.

or, get super wovey-dovey with the beautiful scripture from solomon.

there is also the custom order (you know how i love those). if you have a special sweet nothing that you and your honey share, or if you want to order up a pack of cards for all the sweethearts in your life, give me a shout.

ah, love. ain't it grand?!

it's beginning to look alot like...

i'm gonna let you in on a little secret...nuthin' lights a fire under my patootie faster than house guests. it maybe might be the only time i clean, but i'm not tellin'. after our "family" of 12 thanksgiving dinner, some dear (cheesy word, but packs a punch) college friends paid us a visit.

so, that meant the decor had to go from this:

to this in less than 12 hours.

but, i thrive on a challenge, and that was the fastest decorated tree on the planet, i'm sure.

so, yes, it is beginning to look alot like christmas around here. tree's up. outside lights are up. and, designs are flying out of the workshop. and, this little elf is feeling so, so blessed. y'all bring a tear to my eye every time the email bell dings. the support is overwhelming - thank you will never be enough.

let's see what's brewin' this year, shall we? you've got your humorous

you've got your adorable pictures

moving announcements

party invites

and, the corporate persuasion

that enough to get your creative juices flowing? need more inspiration? order up - it's less than a month 'til christmas. i know. I KNOW!

we rock the party

soooo, apparently no-vember means no-blogging. whoopsie! y'all didn't even notice, didja? well, i can't promise i'm gonna stay on top of it, but i'm here today to show you the (little-too-much) fun, sorta-surprise partay i planned for mr man.

here's a little back story to set tha tone - after the fiasco that was nebraska, i knew i needed to pay mr man back big-time - he needed a party he wouldn't forget. and, in a light bulb over head moment, i thought...i should hire a band! well, long story short, i hired half of mr man's fave local band to play an acoustic set in our basement. wife of the year right here, peeps! heehee

with that outta the way, it was time to get down ta biz-niz. first task: invites. guess how old mr man turned?!

next step was to clean up that basement (oh, baby sister, if you'd only seen it - ya-ikes). cleaning up means shoving everything into corners, and covering it with black tarp, so that's what we did.

once we got a little breathing room (wheezing was more like it!), i got to setting up the partay space - food table, bar table, sink of never-ending beer, decor, mood lighting.

in an effort to be so creative (by surfing pinterest), i threw a '35' up on the wall and tacked up pictures of mr man thru the years (did you make the wall?). and, i adorned the party cups with more pics of the b-day boy. (no pic of that)

i sent mr man off so the band could set up for the surprise. i gave the ok for him to join the partay, and we serenaded him with happy birthday. i think he maybe mighta been surprised!

after a little minglin' and munchin', the music kicked in and those guys seriously rocked the party. (seriously - i was nervous the neighbors might wanna join us!)

after the band wrapped up, we weren't ready for the festivities to end. and, if you've been around here a while, you know it's not our party without a little karaoke and air guitar.

i set out to knock mr man's socks off, and i think i mighta. the band rocked. the party peeps rocked. mr man had an awesome time. and, we maybe mighta spent the entire next day on the couch. that, my friends, is my kinda party!

thanks to my best gal, carrie, for takin' pics so i could run around like a headless chicken.

Surf's Up

one of my sisters from another mister added a bambino to her brood in june, and i thought and thought about what gift to give. checked the registry, added things to the cart, then promptly emptied the cart, deciding instead to gift them announcements made by moi. that's a good gift, right?

since mama's hawaiian, we had to bring some'a that flair to the cards. especially since this was big brudda's announcement three years ago:

i was thinking retro-ish, surfer sign-y, and luckily mama was on board, and even sent pictures of baby in a surfer shirt! so, this is what we came up with:

see the surfboard in the corner? and, the wooden "sign" feel? how it looks like the words are carved into the sign? i was so excited his shirt was turquoise and orange, because those were the exact colors i had in mind.

just another perfect example of how awesome custom is. ain't nobody else gonna have this announcement. insert the hawaiian phrase for too cute here!

With This Brand...

This wedding set is all about the couple. We started working on some ideas (cute things, like initials carved in trees), but a few weeks later, her fiance surprised her with their brand. Yes, a cattle brand. (Trivia alert: interestingly enough, it's where we get that overused word in today's corporate world!)

So, of course she wanted to incorporate the brand into the design, and of course we did. That's what custom's all about, remember?! She chose brown, complemented with blue (bridesmaid dresses), with a punch of yellow to tie in sunflowers. (my FAVORITE!)

We started with the invitation. (This is so a Rosita design! Worn wood look? Grunge font? Textured paper? Yep, yep, and absolutely.)

 And, the RSVP.

Then, she asked me to do rehearsal dinner invites that she could include with the sets. So, we used the same color scheme (minus the blue). By the way, this is a great idea if your rehearsal dinner will be large, and you want to save on postage.

And, she wrapped everything up with raffia, adding to the rustic feel.

Here's all the pieces together. Isn't their brand cool? I'm so glad we included it, and no one else will ever have these invites!

For the wedding day, we made programs, tying in the designs from the invites, but making the paper the star.

And, what bride would be complete without her "something blue"?

I whipped up a hair flower for her, adding in a bit of the bridesmaid dresses so they can all match. And, it's one less "something" she'll have to find.

Beth & Teak, I wish you all the happiness in the world on Saturday, and always. Thanks for letting me be a little part of your day.

April Showers

Being so busy prepping for the awesome open house, I've fallen behind on updating the website, and showing you the latest designs.

So, this week, you'll see all the designs that have been pumping out of the workshop (well, maybe except the wedding invites, because those haven't been mailed yet).

The invites for this wedding shower mixed palm trees and a rustic background

some hibiscus flowers and pink, pink, and more pink

to achieve the "vintage tropical" look this client wanted. What do you think? Are you feeling the island vibe?

All I have to say is, I think I'll have a mai tai.

On Wings of Hope Gala

image source: Hope Heart Facebook Page

A few months ago, I designed a logo/theme for the 'On Wings of Hope' Rock & Roll Gala event here in Seattle. It was held at Showbox SoDo, featured a performance by Everclear, and raised money to support the Hope Heart Institute.

In addition to the logo, I designed Save the Dates, lanyards for everyone to wear, and thank you notes. And, they used the logo all over the event. A cupcake wrapper was even designed by one of the event's sponsors, Bella Cupcake Couture. (Check out her other stuff - so cute!)

image source: Bella Cupcake Couture

If you are interested in getting involved with, or finding out more about the Hope Heart Institute, visit their website.

To see pictures of the event, check out Hope Heart's Facebook page.

I'm getting excited for next year's event!