david vs. GOLIATH

A party with a theme is almost a must. I'm a sucker for any party, but when it has a theme it really sucks me in completely! And it is a delight to work with people that think the same way I do in that regard. Of course working with someone that lets me create a theme is pretty darn fun too.

David vs. Goliath, a splurge wine tasting. I think this is a fabulous theme, and for an auction item at a Catholic School's fundraiser what theme could be better? Well maybe Let's Turn Water into Wine would be an option but I don't think they'd find much success. They will be blind tasting well-known, good and reasonably priced wines with some that are two to three times the price. I don't get to go to the party but I did get to create the invitation for it. And that was fun.

Tools of the Wire-Hanger Trade

The other day someone asked me if I made these cute little hangers myself. Why yes! I do. And since I'm normally behind a computer creating instead of twisting wire I wasn't sure just what I had around the house that would help me with this new creation. So this is it... aluminum wire, wire-cutters (at least I think that's what they are), needle-nose pliers, a shot glass from the San Diego Zoo, a chopstick, and rockin' in the background I've got Keith Urban's latest Defying Gravity. Man he's good! But a shot glass from the San Diego Zoo you ask? Weird, I know, but when the daughter turned five years old we went to the zoo and in one of the many gift shops we said, "You can pick one item under $5." and that is what she picked. Whatever! It works for me now.

Quote Freak

I love quotes. For the past 10 years I have included a special quote or scripture in our Christmas card. Even for the Boot Scootin' 2007 card I found a horsey quote from Winston Churchill that I felt fit just right. Other people say the smartest things, so I quote their quotes. Brilliant, eh?

I've been pleased with the interest in my sachets on a cute (if I do say so myself) wire hanger so my latest is quotes. Of course. I did have to change "Stop and smell the roses" to "lavender" because it is filled with dried lavender for goodness sake. So Sieze the Day, One Day at a Time!

I Heart Sachets

Hang a little fragrance in your closet! A dried lavender filled envelope, ribbon-tied to a handmade mini hanger is my latest creation. Great gift for bridesmaids, a bridal shower favor, or a baby shower favor with a different quote. But since Valentine's Day is just around the corner it's all about the LOVE! Oh yes, and Michele's chocolate truffles too!

Pick a Plum

Purple and burnt orange. What a unique combination! I had to see this for myself so I perused one of my favorite web sites Style Me Pretty to see what they had there. Why? I got an order for a slew of purple hangers and the bride requested a rust/orange color ribbon. I tried to picture it but just couldn't. Then I imagined the underside of a magnolia leaf and took a gamble that would be right.

I combined a color board and a few French floral trends together with the hangers to make my own sample of this interesting combination of colors. What a striking wedding this will be!

Red Baby, Red

A fun custom order came my way! The baby shower will be a red and white polka dot theme so the request was for me to make the invitations in red and white, which is so fun and different. The paper lanterns and the plates were shared with me by my client and then my mind started to imagine what the rest of the party details might be. Red gerbera daises came to mind and then I saw this photo of red velvet cupcakes. Oooooh! I bet there is a yummy wine with a perfect red & white wine label and black cherry sodas that will look perfect on the bar too. I'm in that mood again!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Boy oh boy! Recently I've heard of quite a number of pregnancies. And if there's a baby on the way, there's a party to plan... and of course an invitation to send. With these babies on my brain I decided I needed a new one for my etsy.com site. I was reminded of the cute nursery rhyme about what little boys and little girls are made of and that is the subtle background in this baby shower invitation. A simple pregnant belly graphic that I had played around with on a previous baby shower invitation became dimensional and almost urgent!

Details, Details

What fun it is to play around with details! This Christmas card I did had a few I thought I'd share. The photo is of the family at a camp this past summer, and it was not a planned photo shoot so all 5 were wearing something completely different than the others. To keep all the colors from competing and to give it a more woodsy, goodsy, campy feel I sepia toned the photo. That's when the vintage-feel postcard came to mind. And to make it really woodsy I found a wood grain mylar paper that is sandwiched by the postcard. The perfect campy font "pinewood" was another detail that makes it just right. And for those paying attention (and with good eyesight!) a subtle notation of where the photo was taken, Sandy Island, this family's tradition for the last handful of years.

Got Logo?

Recently a couple logos have been requests that I've received. A Christmas tree, wreath and garland program at my church which donates trees to military families, and also a sort of dinner club at church both needed logos. No great surprise, I had fun playing with fonts!

Guys Need Stationery Too - Classic Tartan!

Kiltish? Maybe. Ideas come from the strangest places, and this one came from my husband's Halloween costume he wore this year. He was a Scottish Highlander, dressed in a kilt and all! So the idea came to me that if he was willing to wear that costume he would probably go for plaid note cards. A thank-you note here and there always needs to be written and these handsome plaids work fine, for guys and gals alike!

Cookies, yum! A Cookie Exchange Invitation

I have a sweet tooth. It's dangerous to have cookies in the house. Or cakes or pies or brownies or... You get the idea. I was asked to create an invitation for a cookie exchange party and all I could think about while working on these was how yummy all those cookies will look and taste! I'm relieved to be surrounded by the paper and ribbon part of the party and not the cookies. I'd like to lose five pounds not gain five pounds!

Halloween Brownie Pops

They turned out lumpy yet yummy. I watched Martha Stewart make them and let's just say my experience was not the same as hers. Not that I expected it to, without a staff and all, so instead of painting tiny little jack o' lantern faces on a smooth orange surface I thought I'd make mine look like mini chocolate covered apples. No redeeming food groups here though. Just sugar! Happy Halloween!

Shower Season

There are seasons in life. I remember years ago when my husband and I went to LOTS of weddings. And then I went to lots of baby showers. Then there was a decade long pause, and now we seem to be going to more of these fun events. Since I love a party, and all the creating and planning that goes into them, I am really enjoying this season.

I decided to tweak an invitation that I did a year ago and sell it on my etsy.com site. A real "girlie" one for a lingerie bridal shower that I gave for the best friend of "the daughter". I look back on that shower with such fond memories. Someone else should have a fun time too so I hope my invitation inspires a really good party, and a wonderful wedding season, for a special bride!

I Like Orange... NOT!

It's just not my color. I don't decorate my home with it. I don't wear it. But there is that one time of year when I can get into it, a tiny bit. Halloween.

So when it came time to design an invitation for a pumpkin carving party I decided not to go with rust and peach tones (that I prefer) with some brown thrown in, I went full on black & orange and I actually like it! Well, I'll like it for two weeks anyway, then it's off my color palette again for fifty more.

Show Your Style

Boot Scootin' in 2007

Yes, I'm still in Christmas card mode. Did you get that family photo taken yet? The older "The Daughter" gets the more difficult it is to get a family photo for our card. And now that she doesn't even live in the same state it is ultra challenging. Two years ago, just before she moved, we thought we'd show our different styles by our choice of cowboy boots. Who else would have fancy teal green boots, but "The Daughter"!

Fortunately, a visit from Danielle caused this year's photo to be taken last week (so early compared to our usual) by our friend Sissel Byington and we even made her blog. You can sneak a peek of us here.

Get your photographer and show your style for your 2009 card!