Paisley Quill

Concert Poster Inspired Save the Dates

2011-02-25T08:50:00.007-05:00

I love it when brides have a specific idea or theme in mind for their invitations. Lauren had these great engagement photos taken by photographer, Lindsay McDonald, inspired by the Bob Dylan album cover that you see in the picture. Music is a very important part of Lauren and John's life and will play a big part in their wedding so they knew that they wanted their save the dates and invitations to reflect that.

Lauren wanted to go with a vintage concert poster look for the save the dates. It was a simple 5x7 card, printed on both sides. She has a great fall color palette that is really enjoyed working with. We chose the aubergine envelopes to compliment. Her aunt will hand address the envelopes with gold ink.

Food Diary of A Pregnant Lady - (The Last 24 Hours)

2011-02-24T11:46:00.003-05:00

I am writing this as a reminder to myself 5 months from now, when I wonder how I could have possibly gained 40 lbs. during this pregnancy.

3:00 AM - I am awakened. I have to pee, someone is kicking me from the inside and I am starving. I walk downstairs in the dark to find a granola bar. Seems like the only sensible and convenient thing to eat in the middle of the night.

7:00 AM - Take 1 prenatal horse pill and 3 Ibuprofen (believe it or not, these are Dr. approved) for the persistent headaches.

7:15 AM - Breakfast. Egg on toast and a can of Coke. (Not so Dr. approved)

7:25 AM - Still hungry. Second breakfast. Egg on toast.

9:00 AM - Drive by the donut store. I resist the urge to pull in and get one. Remind myself that donuts were my downfall in the last pregnancy.

9:20 AM - Eat a Cadbury Egg that I picked up in the gas station on a whim a few days ago. WHAT?! I don't even like those things. I never have! Not even as a kid! But I wonder why because they are quite tasty.

12:30 PM - Lunch date with a friend. I order the burrito/taco combo plate with a side of beans and rice, another coke. I practice some restraint and only eat 85% of it.

1:30 PM - I tell myself that as a Pregnant, I am no longer allowed to eat Mexican. I feel horrible.

3:00 PM - Handful of mini chocolate chip cookies.

5:00 PM - First dinner. Half of an avacado and the remainder of Cam's grilled cheese.

5:15 PM - Two spoonfuls of Cam's superman ice cream.

5:45 PM - Remove Cam from his timeout chair and crack a mini bottle of red wine. That equals one glass, so all of you pregnancy health nuts out there, don't get all crazy on me. My Dr. doesn't mind the occasional glass.

6:00 PM - After a day of stuffing my face with grotesque Mexican food, I decide that chicken salad would be our best option for dinner. Start prepping that. Crack another mini bottle of wine. (Shhh. Not so Dr. or husband approved).

7:00 PM - Feel slightly better about myself. Perhaps due to the light meal and wine.

8:00 PM - The vanilla ice cream is calling my name. Have a bowl of that with chocolate sauce.

9:00 PM - Thoroughly disgusted with myself, call it a night and vow to eat better tomorrow.

French Letterpress Invitations

2011-02-23T09:16:00.007-05:00

This is one of my favorite wedding suites to date. Jackie is have a destination wedding of sorts in Cannes, France. Her inspiration was sort of an Art Nouveau style with ornate, French details. Her original colors were plum and apple green, but with a wedding by the sea, we decided that the soft aqua was much more appropriate, and I am so glad she did! The subtleness of the aqua, paired with the contrast of black makes such an impact.

For the graphics, I chose a swirl pattern that reminded me of the ocean waves and added the speckles for interest and an unexpected detail. You could even say they look like grains of sand. :) Fot the French details, I used a lacy looking boarder and used it sparingly within the booklet and on the thank you card. We also incorporated a bit of French with the English translation on the pieces for fun and personalization.

The bride really wanted to have letterpress, but had to work within a budget. So we letterpressed the invitation and booklet only, and offset printed the remaining pieces.

With guests coming from all over the world, she wanted to include information about travel options, hotels and things to do while in Cannes. The best way to combine all of this information was in a booklet. It even has space in the back to write notes. This way, guests can carry it with them. We eliminated the traditional response card to save, and she is having her guests email her with their RSVP. The other pieces included a weekend timeline and an invitation to the rehearsal dinner.

Everything was packaged beautifully with a simple cord wrap in variegated colors of blues, greens and aqua.

Valentine's Day Card

2011-02-22T08:41:00.005-05:00

My friend and wedding industry pro, Lindsey Nartker asked me to help her with her rebranding project.

Lindsey, of the formally named, Lindsey Nartker Designs, has revamped her business name and added more services to her event planning business. Now named Flourish Event Design, Lindsey and her team not only offer event planning, but floral and decor design as well.

She thought it would be fun to send a Valentine's Day card out letting everyone know about her big changes. She wrote the cute poem and I designed the card for her.

Check out her website here, and see her blog for the latest happenings at Flourish Event Design.

Katie's Camp Invitations - The Wedding

2011-02-21T13:19:00.007-05:00

Remember these?

Well here is the wedding that the invitations were created for, as shot by the amazing, Kelty from Steep Street Photography.

Earlier this month Jen from Green Wedding Shoes featured this wedding. Here are some more images that you didn't see. Read more about the makings of the wedding from the bride herself over at Green Wedding Shoes. To see even more eye candy, check out the Steep Street blog.

Katie's Aunt made a quilt as a gift for the bride and the groom with the entire timeline I created for them stitched into it! Amazing!

I love how lush and green everything is. What a lovely setting for an outdoor wedding.

Christmas Card 2010

2011-01-17T06:20:00.008-05:00

Every year I do a Christmas card that goes out to past clients and all the great people I get to work with throughout the wedding season. I try to do a different layout and inject some humor into it so that it is not your typical Christmas card.

This year's topic was, Things I May or May Not Like About Christmas. I went all out with envelope liners (which apparently rubbed off on the cotton paper :/. I will not do that again), vintage stamps and hand done calligraphy.

The stamps came from The Paper Nickel. Holly has a huge selection of stamps and takes all of the work out of it for you. You can tell her your colors or theme and she will hand select stamps that match your project.

The calligraphy was done by Nicole Black at The Left Handed Calligrapher.

Kendall's Timeline Save the Date

2011-01-11T06:10:00.002-05:00

For a more fun and casual approach to save the dates, we opted for a timeline of events leading up to Kendall and John's engagement. She came up with cute sayings for the important events in their relationship.

I also did another save the date, within the save the date, which I had never done before! Many of Kendall's girlfriends are getting married this year, and she wanted to make sure they would be able to attend her shower as well. She included a save the date to the bridal shower along with the regular save the date, to a select number of friends and family.

Napa Valley - Save the Dates

2010-12-16T20:32:00.003-05:00

Brooke's wedding is being held at the Beaulieu Garden in Napa Valley. A gorgeous setting for an outdoor wedding. She wanted her save the dates to have a rustic, but soft, romantic and a European feel. Many of Brooke's guests are coming from all over the country so she also liked the idea of doing a vintage travel theme. Instead of the typical grapes and vines that you often see with a wine country wedding, Brooke is using olive branches throughout her decor, and wanted to incorporate them into her save the dates as well.

She chose the super soft and luxurious cotton paper.

We also did custom olive branch stamps, with translucent envelopes and fun wrap around mailing labels.

Colorado - Save the Date, Represent Your State

2010-12-07T09:29:00.004-05:00

Hillary really liked my Santa Fe save the dates and wanted to recreate something similar for her Colorado wedding. Complete with mountain scenery and columbines. (Colorado's state flower).

Her wedding is taking place on a ranch in Telluride. She wanted her save the dates to have that rustic feel. We went with craft paper and the ever popular vintage map mailing labels.

Spanish Style Wedding Accessories

2010-11-29T08:19:00.003-05:00

Andrea's beautiful wedding accessories to compliment her Spanish Style invitations.

Her color palette is full of rich wines, golds and plums, so for her accessories, we went with a deep plum with gold foil and thermography details.

The menus were die-cut to fit chargers, and are gold foiled, using the same ornate, iron work pattern from her invitations.

Wedding programs were printed on soft cotton paper, then rolled and tied together with gold ribbon.

The weekend itinerary booklet was printed with gold thermography and a timeline of events for the wedding day.

My Momma

2010-11-08T19:19:00.002-05:00

Isn't she pretty. One of my favorite pictures.

When I Had Skillz

2010-10-29T09:47:00.005-04:00

To finish up my week of looking back on my college days. I thought I would share some more of my artwork. These were assignments that I had to do for Drawing 101. It was a class where you touched on all different subjects for drawing, such a collage, still life, and yes, nudes. My first experience with nude drawing was insane! Lets just say, body glitter, a piercing where it shouldn't have been and something else that I do not think it would be appropriate for me to elaborate here on this forum! Lucky for you, I will not be posting any of my sketches from that session!

I wish my hand drawing skills were what they used to be. That is something I have to practice at. I do not have the natural talent that some do, but I thought it was a good effort. :) The majority of my work is done on a computer, therefore, my hand drawing skills have really diminished. Even my handwriting is terrible. In school they really encourage you you to sketch out your ideas first and then bring them to life with your design software so that you don't get out of practice of hand drawing. I used to do this, but I admit, I have gotten very lazy and skip that step and go right to the computer. Perhaps that will be something I will work on for 2011...

For this project we had to make a collage of magazine clippings first and then draw it.

Making Lists

2010-10-27T20:31:00.006-04:00

I have been restless this week. I am not sure why. Most likely because I have lots of ideas and thoughts running around in my head. I can't sleep when that happens. I have woke up at 2:30 am every night this week, lets hope not again tonight. Monday, I couldn't fall back asleep. I got up, went downstairs, sat at the kitchen table, and by the light of my Macbook I wrote everything down.

I am a list maker. Always have been. There is something about the physicality of writing out a list by hand, and then crossing off each item when it is complete. I have all the technology I need to just type up a list and leave it on my desktop or put it on my calendar in my iphone, but I would much rather scrawl it out on a post-it and stick it on the dashboard of my car so I won't forget. Ask my husband. It drives him nuts. Right now I have 3 new invitation ideas on a post-it stuck to the fridge. I have scraps of paper in my purse with very important things written on them. To him it looks like clutter, but it is my way of thinking out loud and not forgetting.

I like the look of a list. It gives a nice order to things. If I am freaking out because I have a million little projects to get done by a certain date, and even though it is all recorded in ical, if I make a list, it will get done. I especially like to cross off each item when it's completed. I look forward to it because it gives me that sense of accomplishment. It's like when you go to Costco and you buy a 3 pack of Soft Scrub. You put them on the shelf in your laundry room, and one-by-one, as you use a bottle up, you go down for the next. Each one feels like you are getting closer to the end, and when you use that last bottle up 6 months later, you feel that you have accomplished something, AND, of course, you probably saved $6.00 for buying in bulk rather than buying from Kroger.

So, as I was up on Monday at 2:30 writing the last blog post, it got me thinking about all of the other jobs I had in college. 10 to be exact. I began listing them in my head, but then that got to be distracting, so I wrote them out so I wouldn't have to keep track of them in my head anymore. So, if you are curious...

Jobs That I have Held in My Non-Professional Career

(In no particular order)

1. Seasonal hire at Hudson's Department Store - Jewlery Counter

Pros: Discounts on merch.

Cons: Standing on your feet for 4-6 hrs during holiday season.

2.Bagel Haul Deli (one of the best Jewish delis EVER)

Pros: Free bagels and new dills!

Cons: Starting at 6am after being out late the night before.

3. College Pro Painters (yes, I painted houses)

Pros: Got a killer tan

Cons: I think I was paid $6/hr for climbing to the top of a 30 ft., fully extended ladder.

4. Parking lot attendant

Pros: Occasionally my friends would drive through and bring me beer disguised in slurpee cups. Oh, and ample time to do the State News crossword.

Cons: Working until 12 am on a Saturday night, well aware that a sweet dance party was just getting started at my apartment without me.

5. Student Assistant for the Department of Management and Budget

Pros: Got to drive the Director's state vehicle (a Jeep Cherokee, I am sure you are all wondering) to get gassed up and washed. Oh, and 10-ish years ago, it paid $12/hr. I wonder if it still pays that well?

Cons: Had to do such mind numbing tasks such as pull the staples out of 500 copies, remove the page that someone f'ed up, put the correct page in, staple and repeat.

6. Abercrombie and Fitch (for about 2 minutes)

Pros: None.

Cons: Worked with a bunch of DBs, choked on cologne and spent all of my earnings on their clothes. I was REQUIRED to wear 3 A&F items at a time! Ridiculous.

7. Tasty Twist (the best ice cream establishment in East Lansing)

Pros: Worked with a bunch of my friends. Free ice cream

Cons: Strictly a cash biz. Had to make change in my head, and I am no math star. Hence, why I am in a creative field.

8. Waitress at a local bar/restaurant.

Pros: Lots of dolla, dolla bills on hand.

Cons: Working late, while my friends went out. Carrying those giant trays on your shoulder.

9. Babysitter for 3 year old triplets with unfit parents.

Pros: Beautiful children and if I could have, I would of adopted them all.

Cons: Where do I start. I quit and called Protective Services. Enough said.

10. Designer for the State News

Pros: I got to do what I love

Cons: I can't think of any

COLLEGE

2010-10-26T05:12:00.005-04:00

College rockstars. I think we've still got it!

Two weeks ago, my two best girlfriends and our husbands made the trek back to our old stomping grounds for homecoming. The place where a cab ride home was only $2.00, Jager Bombs were the new thing and running the dance floor was a must. Our only worries in life were making it to our classes and what we were going to wear out that evening. Yes people, I am talking about Michigan State University, home of the current undefeated Spartan football team, and where I spent some of the best times of my life. Every year, we try and make it back, and relive the glory days, and that is why we do it only once a year! It is much too hard to recover as you get older.

As we walked down Grand River, we passed the relatively new State News building. When I was there is was located on the third floor of the Student Services Building. Now, they have a sweet space on the main drag. As a junior and senior, I had a kick ass job as a designer for the paper. I LOVED it. Out of all the college jobs I had, this was by far the most gratifying. I went there every night for four hours and made locator maps, teezers, timelines and the occasional illustration for the next day's paper. Looking back, that job really prepared me for what I do now. There, I had nightly deadlines, and as I have to come to realize, I work best if I set a deadline for myself. In the invitation biz, I make maps to this day and the occasional timeline.

When we got home, I went back and looked as some of my old work. As a designer, I think it is good to do that. It's fun to see how your work and style has evolved. Some is always cringe-worthy and others, you are still impressed by.

Here are some examples of things I used to do for the State News.

Photo Illustrations.

Back when Jenny G. was new and popular.
I made countless maps of the middle east. This is when the U.S. has just invaded Iraq.

Inkwell - Art Nouveau

2010-10-19T07:35:00.004-04:00

I wanted to share with you one of my designs from the Inkwell collection. Created for the bride on a budget or simply the bride that doesn't want to spend a lot on invitations because "they are just going to get thrown out." Yes, I know you are out there. As much as I try to change that mindset, I can't always make you see the light! Therefore, at least I have something to offer in a less expensive price range.

This the the Art Nouveau design that was customized with Alicia's colors and wording. On her own, she ordered petal enclosures from Paper Source and sealed each invitation inside. She just asked that I shrink the invite down a bit so that it would fit. I was happy to do that for her.

She further customized her order by adding coordinating accessories such as a program printed on shimmer paper, tented place cards and (not pictured) and a best wishes cards in place of a guest book. All printed on the same 120 lb. ivory stock as the invitations.

Seating Charts

2010-10-11T08:45:00.004-04:00

The wedding season is starting to slow down, which mean lots of accessories for my final projects flying out the door. Last week, I completed 3 seating charts.

Here is a seating chart I did for Karen to go with the Vintage Flourish design from the Inkwell collection. Just another example how you can further customize you wedding paper suite when you chose an Inkwell design.

A super cute seating chart for Adrianna's baptism. (More on that later.)

A seating chart for Beth's 10.10.10 wedding.

Dana's Hindu Wedding Accessories

2010-10-08T06:53:00.003-04:00

When I worked with Dana earlier this summer, we did her hindu wedding invitations in cobalt and gold, but her reception is going to be mainly in colors of black, ivory and a hint of green. Therefore, she wanted her wedding accessories to be black and ivory as well.

We did simple programs, printed on heavy ivory cardstock and then scored, and folded. Tented placecards and table names of various places the couple has traveled. I used the same paisley pattern from her invitations throughout the accessories.

Modern and Rustic Wedding Accessories

2010-10-07T12:33:00.007-04:00

It's official, Nicole and Eric are married! Here are some photos of what we did her her wedding accessories.
I did programs with rounded corners and ribbon, table "numbers," with each table named after various kinds of wildlife, tented placecards and a fun Mad Lib at each place setting for guests to fill out and for Eric and Nicole to have as a keepsake. Nicole herself was a great help and she did the cute candy bar wrappers as favors. She chose several pictures of when she and Eric were young, we scanned them and she wrapped each candy bar and tied the thank you on all of them!

Congrats Eric and Nicole!

To see the rest of their wedding suite, click here and here.

Football Ticket Inspired Rehearsal Dinner Invitations

2010-10-01T08:57:00.003-04:00

Mike's sister contacted me to help design rehearsal dinner invitations for Mike and Karen. She knew that she wanted to use the Georgia "G" logo and colors, because that is where Mike went to school and also the initial of his last name. From there, we decided to go with a football ticket style invite.

Complete with a tear off ticket stub response.

Rustic Rehearsal Dinner Accessories

2010-09-23T21:14:00.006-04:00

My brother in law and new sister in law were married last weekend. A few weeks ago, I posted their rustic rehearsal dinner invitations. Here are the placecards and dinner menus to match. I found these birch placecard holders from Vermont Branch Company, an Etsy store.

I put the flower arrangements in birch vases! They were designed to look like bunches of wild flowers with Queen Anne's lace, millet, cattails and ranunculus (that unfortunately didn't bloom in time).

Stay tuned, next week I will post all of the paper goodness from their wedding.

Have a great weekend!

One Amazing Quilt

2010-09-23T11:05:00.005-04:00

So yesterday, Katie, my wonderful bride from my Style Me Pretty giveaway, From Inspiration to Invitation, sent me the coolest email:

Working with you was one of the great joys of planning the wedding--I love the invitations and, as you'll see in the attached pics, so did everyone else.

I won't have the professional pictures for awhile (Kelty from Steep Street did them, if you haven't seen her work before I suggest checking out her site and blog). I'm hesitant to send you these because I'm sure that the ones she took will be even more beautiful, but I can't contain myself and want you to see the beautiful gift your invitation inspired.
Cameron's Aunt Lory made the quilt and even though I don't have good pics, the details are amazing. Your flowers from the invitation are stitched on the entire quilt and all the elements are quilted in.

I was soooo impressed, I had to share! What an awesome way to "preserve" your invitations. Unbelievable! Every detail of the timeline card are stitched in. WOW.

Oh, and Katie is right about her photographer. I checked our her blog after I received the email and she is phenomenal! I can not wait to see the pro photos. Stay tuned, I will be sure to post.

Thank you Katie for passing this along, I couldn't have asked for a better bride to work with. I am so happy that the design was able to convey the look and feel for your wedding day.

Spanish Style Laser Cut Invitations

2010-09-22T07:17:00.008-04:00

This project was great for me to work on because I was able to try a few techniques I haven't done before!

When I first talked with Andrea, she knew the type of design she was looking for, but in terms of papers used, printing techniques, and a unique band to hold it all together, she wanted to let the design dictate that, and then decide what she wanted.

She is getting married in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Andrea wanted her invitations to reflect that Old World, Spanish style, - charming, romantic and elegant. She sent me some amazing photos for inspiration. She especially liked the architectural iron work that you see so much of there. That became the overall influence on the design. The wedding will be held at Castillo San Cristobal.

Spanish architecture and Andrea's actual dress!

For the design I found various ironwork details. The scrolls on the response card are actually replicas of spanish door hinges. The scrolls on the invitation are replicas of part of a candelabra. The patterns on the timeline are taken from a Spanish tile design.

Andrea also opted for the thick, luxurious, cotton paper and a combination of gold thermography printing and flat printing.

We had toyed with the idea of the band opening like a door, and I was thinking of just printing a Spanish gate design on that, but then she came to me with a laser cut band that she had seen on Etsy. She really liked the cutout look. I contacted the vendor, and they were able to take my design, make it so that it wrapped around the entire invitation and replicate 100 of them in 3 days! Each one took 20 minutes to cut out!

I then had a custom wax seal made for her and everything was held together with a sheer gold ribbon and the wax seal.

She is using vintage stamps and hand-lettered calligraphy for the envelopes. The graphic on the back flap on the envelope is the same design on the wax seal.

Style Me Pretty - Michigan Winter Wedding Shoot Recap

2010-09-13T08:26:00.004-04:00

Last winter, I contributed invitations and paper accessories for a Michigan winter themed wedding photoshoot. We were lucky enough to have it featured on Style Me Pretty last week. You can see all of the photos here, and all of the great wedding professionals that I had the opportunity to work with here:

Event Design: Lindsey Nartker Designs

Stationery: Paisley Quill

Floral Design: New Creations by Kate

Linen/Rental Items: Special Events Rental

Videography: Jamie Honce Productions

Photography: West Park Photography

Attire: Gina’s Bridal

Hair/Make-up: Posh Hair and Make-up Studio

Venue: River Birch Lodge

Inframe Bride Magazine Feature

2010-09-10T07:59:00.007-04:00

Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to work with a great group of wedding professionals to create a wedding photoshoot for Inframe Bride. It is a magazine dedicated to finding your perfect photographer. Lindsey Nartker of Lindsey Nartker Designs coordinated and designed the entire shoot and came up with the very modern theme loaded with rich colors. Jason Aten of Jason Aten Photography was our photographer. Kate of New Creations did the amazing flowers! Notice all of the carnations, they get a bad rap, but they look gorgeous when grouped together.
Colleen and Crystal of Affordable Elegance Chaircovers and Linens took care of picking the perfect linens for the shoot. Sweet and Savory Bake Shop made the fruit trifle along with the little cookies that garnished it. They matched the table runner! The best part of this shoot was that we got to eat that dessert when it was all over. DE.LIC.IOUS.

I did the invitation, place cards and table number for the shoot as well.

Labor Day Weekend - Recap

2010-09-09T07:45:00.007-04:00

I thought I would share some pictures of our weekend at the cottage this past Labor Day weekend. It was full of family, fun and good food.

Friday night, my mom cooked lobster dinner for everyone.

Friday's dessert. A homemade raspberry, blueberry pie.

It was cool, but we managed to get a boat ride in.

Cam on his "boat."

Saturday's sunset.
Sunday night I prepared a walnut and rosemary encrusted beef tenderloin.

Before.

After.

Fireworks.

Family.

Baptism Invitations

2010-09-03T08:38:00.006-04:00

Adrianna's Baptism invitations were printed on shimmer stock in soft pinks and lavenders.

We also did a response card and everything was mailed in shimmer lavender envelopes.

1st Birthday Party Invitations

2010-08-31T07:43:00.004-04:00

Whitney came to me with the idea of creating a Year of Firsts. She wanted to highlight the milestones in her son's first year. I designed it with the look of a timeline, and created custom wrap around labels with a transparent envelope.

Lauren's Wedding Accessories

2010-08-30T08:08:00.005-04:00

I loved Lauren's invitations this season, so when she asked me to design some of her wedding accessories as well, I was more than happy to do so.

She has a very soft color palette so we decided to go with with a blend of her wedding colors for the placecards. Again, the imagery of wheat was used. Instead of traditional number for the tables, Lauren wanted to name the tables after various dairy farms in Vermont.

We did tented table "numbers," and as an added personal detail, she wanted to include what their favorite dairy product was from that particular farm. Very creative!

Brides Michigan Feature - 2010

2010-08-22T23:05:00.005-04:00

I was thrilled when I found out one of my invitations would be featured in the Fall/Winter issue of Brides Michigan magazine! The article showcased invitations and the inspiration behind them. My Vermont invitation was featured along with vintage travel books that they were inspired by. Check it out, it's on news stands today!

Save the Date - India

2010-08-20T09:05:00.006-04:00

Working on this project was a fun challenge for me. When Rohini contacted me about her save the dates, she didn't really have a idea of what she wanted. She new that she liked a vintage look and wanted something really different, but that was about all that I had to go on.

She is having a wedding weekend in India. She herself is traveling from London and has guests coming in from Hong Kong, the U.S., South America, etc. After talking about what she likes and what she doesn't like for an invitation, we knew she wanted to do travel theme.

I thought this would be a good post to show kind of how the design process works, from start to finish, because this invitation was truly a team effort. So often brides come with an idea in mind and I build from there. Rohini didn't really have one. She knew what she liked, and I helped her develop her concept and from that point on, she had a huge part in creating the design.

My first thought was a vintage travel poster. This was the first round of the design process:

My plan was to print this in a large format, like a poster and then send it in a mailing tube. I thought this was cool, she thought it was too stereotypical and literal. I couldn't really argue with her, she is right, but I still like it :) On to the second round...

The second idea was to do a vintage map and illustrate where everyone was coming from.

I did some research and found this great quote about travel and friends. Rohini really liked it and it tied the whole the concept together. Again my plan was to print this large scale and send it in a mailing tube. While she liked this design, she decided that less is more and that she really didn't want something shipped in a tube. She wanted thick cotton cardstock, with a long narrow layout and the transparent map envelopes that I have been doing so much of this year.

Here is the end result, and I have to agree with her, less is more.

Simple and Elegant Letterpress Invitations

2010-08-19T08:47:00.008-04:00

I had the pleasure of working with Emily on this project. A self-described, type B personality, and a lover of stationery, she was AWESOME to work with! She did want a rather formal look, including inner and outer envelopes. I rarely do these, but when I get to, it is always fun. I tried to add some interest with the pattern and monogram on the inner flap. (My favorite part. )

Rustic Rehearsal Dinner Invitations

2010-08-17T09:29:00.007-04:00

As you must know by now, my brother-in-law is getting married in September. I have been having a really creative time, designing their wedding stationery. Eric and Nicole's wedding colors are pink and black, but I wanted to deviate from that a bit for their rehearsal dinner invites. It is at a very rustic venue and I wanted the invites to reflect that. What can I say, pink and black...not so rustic.

My thought process behind this was an Indian Summer kind of feel that Michigan is known for. When you still get those warm fall nights, but the air is crisp and all of the colors are starting to change. Hence, the yellows, oranges, reds and browns.

Eric is a huge outdoorsman, and as promised, I put a deer with a rack on these. He didn't think "bambi" was as cute as I did on his wedding invitations. :) I hand drew the acorn design and the twig frame for the mailing envelopes. I try to carry all the little details throughout every project right up to the envelope liners. I completed the look with a woodgrain pattern for both the response and mailing envelopes.

I love vintage stamps, so any excuse to use them, I will!

Birch Tree Wedding Accessories

2010-08-12T09:17:00.003-04:00

Not only did I have the opportunity to create Emily's Birch Tree Wedding Invitations, but I also got to design programs and a fun weekend of events z-card for her welcome baskets.

Programs.

Weekend information card with a custom map.

Weekend Bridal Shower

2010-08-11T09:10:00.006-04:00

This past weekend I helped host my soon to be sister in law's bridal shower. Here are some images of the decor. Believe it or not, between my mother in law and I, we had enough crystal for 40 people, but not enough china. :(

My mother in law made all of the tissue paper flowers as well. So pretty! I wish I had gotten a close up of them. They even had yellow centers.

At these parties, I always serve my Zucchini Salad. It is a light salad that is perfect for a summer meal. People always ask for the recipe afterwards, so....

Without further ado, here are some photos and the recipe. (I tried to take pictures like Sunday Suppers. If you don't know about S.S., it is a beautiful blog with great images of food and really, really good recipes. I often check it when I am at a loss for what to make for our "fancy" Sunday dinners.

Zucchini Salad

Ingredients:
4 lbs. of yellow squash and zucchini
4 cups of baby arugula
capers (1 small jar)
2-3 garlic cloves minced
coarse salt
fresh ground pepper
1 c flat leaf parsley minced
grated parmasen cheese
1 c olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice

In a small bowl mince garlic cloves and add a pinch of coarse salt. Let stand. Slice zucchini and squash on an angle about an 1/8" thick. If you have a mandolin that works best. Add the lemon juice to the garlic and salt. Whisk together. (The liquid measurements are all approx. I just do it by taste anymore). Slowly add the olive oil and whisk all together. Set aside.

Put the squash and zucchini in a large bowl and put the arugula and chopped parsely in another large bowl. Pour about 1/3 of the dressing onto the arugula and parsley until it is lightly coated. Pour the remaining dressing on the squash mixture and toss to coat. Take a large platter and layer all ingredients. First layer, spread half of the arugula on the platter. Second layer, spread half of the squash mixture and cover the arugula. Then sprinkle half of the capers and grated parm. cheese on top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Garnish with large shavings of parm. cheese. Serve immediately.

Pink Swirl Wedding Accessories

2010-08-05T07:18:00.005-04:00

This is the week of pink and black! I also had the pleasure of working with Kristin on her wedding booklet style programs, table numbers, place cards and thank you notes. See her invites here.

Programs

Thank you cards with matching envelope

Woodland Themed Wedding Invitations

2010-08-02T07:38:00.007-04:00

This was a fun project for me to work on because it was for my soon to be sister in law! Nicole let me have total creative freedom. My brother in law loves anything that has to do with the outdoors, hunting, fishing, etc. We wanted to create something that included his interests as well, but keeping it from looking overly rustic. I think we achieved a very modern take on an "outdoorsy" wedding invitation.

It all started with the acorn graphic, which I thought was very appropriate for a fall wedding. The squirrel and Bami, followed. Eric wanted a deer with a big rack (of course). He was told there will NOT be a giant rack on these, he can have that for his rehearsal dinner invites! (Stay tuned).

Nicole really wanted a pocket fold, but I wanted to put a different spin on the traditional way I usually design them. Instead of all of the staggered cards, we did a booklet with a tear away postcard response card.

The entire book was written with details of how the couple met, where they like to golf, where Nicole went to school, even Woody, their dog made an appearance!

I love the envelopes with matching liners!

Maggie's Baby Shower

2010-07-31T08:34:00.004-04:00

So to break up the monotony of posting invitations all the time, I thought I would share with you some other things that have been going on. When I created my sister's baby shower invitations, they had kind of a modern/contemporary feel to then. For her shower, I wanted it to be very soft and girly.

Here are some of pics of the flowers and decor.

This is my mom, and of course my son who makes a regular appearance on this blog. Yes, his outfit matches the decor, not a coinkydink.

Blue and Gold Paisley Invitations

2010-07-26T09:25:00.003-04:00

For this project, I had the opportunity to work with Ana Skidmore of Twofoot Creative. Her bride was heading to India for several weeks, and we had to pull these together in a matter of 3 weeks!

Dana was fabulous to work with, because she knew exactly what she wanted, a paisley design and a stylized Ganesha. She is also very conscious of paper waste and the environment. We used recycled paper, envelopes and minimal paper pieces within the suite.

We went with a beautiful cobalt blue and gold thermography, which I love! (Enlarge the photo, so you can really see the detail.)

Birds and Flowers Wedding Invitation

2010-07-19T09:12:00.005-04:00

Jen's invitations are some of the prettiest invitations I have done all year. She really liked the thickness and softness of the cotton stock in a natural color. These were both flat printed in a soft pink, then run a second time with gold thermography.

The invitation was printed on both sides and I love the Robert Frost quote that she chose.

This suite included the invitation, response card, map and accommodations and timeline.

Cooking Theme - Bridal Shower

2010-07-16T11:29:00.005-04:00

This summer is an exciting one. My sister is pregnant, which means I get to be an Auntie soon, and My brother-in-law is getting married in September, which means I gain ANOTHER sister! Nicole is a wonderful girl and we can't wait for her to become part of the Myers' clan. :)

We are hosting a cooking themed, bridal shower for her at the house in August and of course, I did the invitations for it! I went pretty literal with the design, and even included a recipe card for guests to write their favorite recipe on and give to Nicole.

My favorite part of the whole thing is the envelopes. I love the oversized address printing and everything on an angle. Also, the stamps! Who doesn't love Katherine Hepburn. I can't believe how lucky I got at the post office. They matched the design perfectly.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-02T09:28:00.003-04:00

Hey there, we are fighting the traffic and heading north for the holiday weekend. Have a safe and fun weekend. I will be returning on Tuesday. Stay tuned next week, I will be adding some new items to the blog and coming down the pipe... a really unique Indian save the date and wedding invitation.

Style Me Pretty From Inspiration to Invitation Re-Cap

2010-06-23T07:41:00.007-04:00

I had a great feature yesterday on Style Me Pretty. Here is the recap!

I chose Katie to be the lucky winner of this giveaway because, I personally love the retro look and colors of the board, even thought it wasn't the popular choice. But is seems like she really has an eye for detail and appreciates those subtle design elements that could easily be incorporated into an invitation. Her venue is a very fun and natural setting that would compliment all of that green!

From the Bride: Molly at Paisley Quill is AMAZING! I'm the lucky Katie who she designed these for and it was a wonderful experience. She really listened to what our wedding is about and she had beautiful and creative ideas. She kept me informed throughout the design process and when everything arrived, nestled in tissue paper and tied with ribbons, it was like Christmas. I LOVE MY INVITATIONS! Thanks to Paisley Quill and SMP for the contest!

Vintage Vermont Wedding Invitations

2010-06-18T10:44:00.009-04:00

Lauren had seen Meg and Tyler's Connecticut invitations on the blog and wanted a similar look for her wedding weekend taking place in Vermont. She loved the idea of the vintage map envelopes and the mad-lib style response postcard.

Her colors are soft, gold, yellow and pink tones. It is hard to tell, but it is actually printed with gold ink and has a very subtle shimmer to it.

Wheat will be an important element in her wedding decor, so we included it in the invitation design.

They have a fun weekend of events planned leading up to the big day, so it was important that she have an itinerary.

She also opted for the 100% cotton stock.

Birch Tree Wedding Invitations

2010-06-17T06:52:00.007-04:00

When I met with Emily back in February, she wanted two things, for her invitations, birch trees and a custom designed wreath with her monogram. She is getting married at a family home in Vermont and there are birch trees all over the property. She likes soft, muted colors, so we opted for ivory, grey, sage, and papaya for a pop of color. To give a hint of whimsy to the invitation, we "carved" their initials into the tree trunk.

When Sam proposed to Emily, he took vines from a particular tree on the family property and made them into a wreath of sorts, and stuck flowers in it, so that it would look like Emily's engagement ring. She asked if I could create that wreath so that she can use it on various wedding accessories.

Chevelle Inspired Baby Shower Invitations

2010-06-14T20:58:00.010-04:00

So I am super excited about this one. My sister is pregnant...with a boy!! Not only does my little one get a partner in crime/cousin to run the streets with, but I get to be an Auntie and host her shower!

I wanted to do the A,B,C theme, knowing that the 'B' would stand for boy. But, when Maggie and I spoke about what she wanted, she suggested cars. PERFECT! My brother-in-law is a proud owner of one bad ass, 1970 Cheverolet Chevelle Malibu SS. It is black, it is fast, and it IS the business. He works on it all the time and I would say that car is their first baby. Therefore, 'C' is for Chevelle.

Pink Swirl Pocket Folds

2010-06-14T07:58:00.006-04:00

Kristin wanted something elegant, but with a modern twist. She really liked the idea of a swirl design, she chose this pattern.

She kept it classic with black pocket folds, crisp white paper and a pretty script font and thermography printing.

Peacock Accessoires

2010-06-09T07:48:00.005-04:00

A few months back, I did Anjali's save the dates and wedding invitations. She also asked me to create coordinating accessories for her wedding. I carried the peacock theme throughout, along with the Swarovski crystals and vibrant colors.

I did place cards, backed with gold shimmer paper and dotted with ruby and sapphire colored crystals. Her wedding planner, Lindsey Nartker of Lindsey Nartker Designs created silk boards that the place cards hung from.

Tented table numbers and menus. They are actually two-sided, which is a great way to save on the cost and clutter on your table. They are double backed with more crystal accents.

Hanging pocket programs. That were hung on the back of every other chair at the ceremony.

I also did custom bar menus, thank you notes and various signs for the event.

Imperial Chinois Wedding Accessory Design

2010-05-24T22:36:00.009-04:00

Mia's wedding is being held at the Conington Hall Estate outside of London. She is having a weekend long celebration and needed plenty of accessories.

Mia and Alex have lived all over the world, including Hong Kong. She wanted to incorporate some of those influences from her travels, including an Imperial Design and the Chinese symbol for double happiness.

I did placecards in alternating grey and yellow, each card with a different design.

Table names that are named after various trees on the Estate.

Three different programs. One for the dinner reception and ceremony,

and one for the welcome baskets in the hotel rooms, complete with a timeline of the weekends events.

Bar menus and tags to hang on their wedding blessing tree.

And the biggest seating chart I have done to date! It is 31/2 ft. by 5ft! It also has an overall diagram of the reception site so that everyone knows where their table is located.

A Wedding on the Queen Mary

2010-05-09T22:22:00.005-04:00

Back in December, I participated in a From Inspiration to Reality photo shoot for Style Me Pretty. This is the design I did for the invitations. Carson happened to see these invitations on SMP and wanted to replicate the same design for her wedding invitations. We customized them with a layer of bright green cardstock and because her wedding reception is taking place on the boat, The Queen Mary, we added the Bon Voyage on the reception card.

A Birdcage Wedding

2010-04-27T07:51:00.006-04:00

Last year birds were a popular design theme. This year, I am making the call, it's birdcages! Hello? Has anyone seen the Louis Vuitton storefront? Handbags in giant birdcages. Enough said.

For Kristin's invitation suite, we went with pretty spring colors, green and sky blue and a hint of pink in the backing layer, envelope and the band that held all of the cards in place.

We did a timeline.

A cute response postcard. In keeping with the overall theme, we added the, "A little bird told me."

Finally, a directions card.

Garden Wedding - Letterpress

2010-04-21T09:22:00.004-04:00

When Alex contacted me about her wedding, she has a very specific request. Flowers. She is having a garden themed wedding in New Jersey and wanted her invites to represent that. Her style is very soft and elegant.

Letterpress was a perfect option for her. It is a classic, elegant style of printing and the soft, thick, cotton paper really appealed to her. She even added a light pink backing layer to the invitation, with coordinating envelopes and a band that wrapped around the entire set to hold the cards in place.

She also had a custom map done, along with response cards.

Beachside Paisley Wedding Invitations

2010-04-19T07:43:00.007-04:00

Emily's wedding invitations are one of my favorite this season. I love her color choices and unique details.

She opted for a tripled-layered, square invitation with a pretty paisley design and monogram.

The entire suite was held together with a chartruese band and tucked inside a violet envelope with contrasting envelope liner.

My favorite part of this suite was the hand drawn map that Emily's friend was kind enough to do for her, and the timeline with the beachside bonfire send off.

Peacock Themed/Hindu Wedding Invitations

2010-04-14T09:19:00.009-04:00

Anjali's wedding invitations have been the most detailed suite I have done to date. They included magenta and gold thermography printing, flat printing, a layer of raw silk and over 20 Swarovski crystals on each invitation suite, all enclosed in a gold shimmer pocket fold.

When I met with Anjali and her wedding coordinator, Lindsey Nartker of LND Events back in November she wanted to have a custom designed invitation with a peacock theme. We went with just the peacock feather for her save the dates, but for her invitation, she wanted to add the illustration of the bird as well. Inspired by a pair of gold peacock earrings that were her mother's, we set out to create a design that was unique and meaningful. The earrings have three tiers of "feathers" and Anjali had the idea to have the feathers on the design flow over the 4 cards in the pocket fold to represent the tiers of on her mom's earrings.

What is really cool, is when you unfold the pocket fold, the body of the bird is on the invitation and the design continues on down onto the insert cards, so it looks as one continuous design.

We did a custom timeline of events for the day and specific inserts for the Mehndi/Sangeet celebration that went to the bride's guests and an insert for the Saant ceremony for the groom's guests. Anjali also opted for custom stamps on her response card and mailing envelope.

Inkwell Options-Preppy Monogram

2010-04-11T22:42:00.006-04:00

I wanted to share with you a good example of how you can customize a ready-made invitation out of my Inkwell collection to suite your needs. Beth opted for the Preppy Monogram invite, but customized it with her wedding color, ivory paper, a custom map and guest list printing on her envelopes.

Beth is getting married at the Newberry Library in Chicago and has a lot of out of town guests coming in. It was important to her that she have a map so that her guests could navigate their way through the city. Her mailing envelopes had the monogram carried though and she also had me address her envelopes. All of these option are available for any Inkwell design, for a reasonable price.

Agric-Chic Accessories

2010-04-06T08:27:00.009-04:00

A little while back I did Kylee and Adam's Agric-Chic themed wedding invitations. She also asked me to do her other paper accessories.

I did place cards, table numbers, double sided programs, thank you notes, and my favorite...custom labels for their wedding
favor popcorn.

Both Kylee and Adam come from farming familes, hence the Agric-chic theme. They actually grew the popcorn to give away as favors for their guests. I made the labels to look like the old fashioned popcorn boxes with scalloped edges. We did a cute nutritional label as well.

Winery Wedding Invitations with Ticket Response

2010-03-24T09:57:00.012-04:00

When Meg and Tyler contacted me about designing their wedding invitations, I was really excited! They had a fun concept for their invitations and I couldn't wait to get started. The couple found me on a feature that Nole had done on my Santa Fe save the dates, over at the awesome paper blog, Oh So Beautiful Paper.

What was so great about Meg and Tyler is that they were really thinking outside of the box with their invites. They wanted them to be fun, yet show a personal side. Meg and Tyler are getting married at a Winery in Connecticut. They wanted a response that looked like a ticket to their big event. We also included a favorite Dr. Seuss quote that was meaningful to them. They wrote the fun poem on the itinerary and the Mad Lib response.

When I was visiting their wedding website, they had beautiful engagement shots up along with pictures of their dog, Norah, who oddly enough, looks very much like my dog! I could tell she was very important to them, so we included Norah the dog in their invites.

We have fun responses for their dinner choices and I left so that they could stamp how many people are invited. I used a vintage map of Connecticut and created mailing labels that wrapped around the transparent envelope. The message on the back flap says it all, "Open for fun!." :) They are going to complete the suite with vintage stamps on both the envelope and response postcard.

The entire invitation suite was printed on super thick, soft, cotton, letterpress paper. But instead we flat printed, which is a great way to save money if you like the feel of letterpress paper but can't afford actual letterpress printing, this is a great option.

Apple Orchard Save the Dates

2010-02-19T09:03:00.008-05:00

When the oh-so-talented Carrie MacMillan-Lane of Storied Events out of Vermont contacted me to work with her bride and groom on this save the date, I was super excited! This was something I had never done before and couldn't wait to get started! The bride and groom are having their reception at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont. It is a historic, working farm with apple orchards.

Carried came up with the great idea of making the save the dates out of actual produce bags that you get when you go to pick apples. I had custom stamps made to give it that "authentic" look and hand stamped each bag.

Inside the bag, we included an accommodations card with all of the lodging information.

The bag was then folded up, sealed together with circle labels and mailed! No envelopes needed. Finally, wedding stamps from the post office that actually match my design.

Viva La Mexico!

2010-02-11T16:28:00.005-05:00

I'm back. I'm tan. I'm answering emails. Uh, which just reminded me, I have had that auto response on all day. Damn!

Agri-chic Wedding Invitations

2010-02-03T22:13:00.010-05:00

Kylee first contacted me after she had heard about PQ from Dawn Hall of Petal and Forrest, a wedding coordinator from my home town of Haslett none the less! When Kylee told me the details I got really excited. It was something different with a definite theme, which is always nice. :) Both Kylee and her fiance work in the agricultural/farming field and it is a very important part of who they are as a couple. Dawn and Kylee came up with the "agri-chic" theme for the wedding. She wanted to incorporate elements of farming and agriculture into her wedding, but not bales of hay everywhere!

We went for a pretty swirl design and added little agricultural details into the timeline to personalize it.

This was a first for the printing for me. We opted for not only flat printing, but also brown and gold thermography. You will notice that the gold is raised and it give it that three dimensional look. Very pretty.

I am also working on accessories for her wedding. I can't wait to show those off! Many more personal details. They are giving away popping corn as a favor that they actually grew themselves! Stay tuned!

Michigan Winter Invitation

2010-02-02T09:20:00.005-05:00

This is an invitation suite that I have been working on for an up coming photoshoot. The theme is a winter white, Michigan wedding. They shoot will have an overall vintage look, but with a few modern elements incorporated into it.

I choose thick, 100% cotton paper because it has that soft, cozy feel to it and had everything offset printed. The invitation is printed on both the front and the back sides. The pattern on the back was carried throughout in the envelope liners and stir sticks.

Stay tuned for the actual photo shoot images to come. There will be more paper accessories you haven't yet seen! :)

And the Winner Is...

2010-02-01T07:45:00.007-05:00

Congratulations to Katie Bennett! She is the winner of the Style Me Pretty From Inspiration to Invitation letterpress giveaway!

Katie said:
Well I am crazy for that first board. I love the shape of the flowers that is echoed on the tray, headpieces, shoes and ring pillow. The antique white, plum and fresh green colors would resonate with the natural palette we'll have at our wedding--in early September (9-10-10) at an Oregon summer camp along the riverbanks. The subtle, but beautiful, details of the polka-dot bowl, the line drawings of trees and the scroll work on the tray's edge are elements that elevate these simple colors and components to wedding elegance.

I chose Katie to be the lucky winner of this giveaway because, I personally love the retro look and colors of the board, even thought it wasn't the popular choice. But is seems like she really has an eye for detail and appreciates those subtle design elements that could easily be incorporated into an invitation. Her venue is a very fun and natural setting that would compliment all of that green!

Congrats Katie and I look forward to working with you!

Letterpress Invitation Suite Giveaway!

2010-01-28T09:11:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Check out my give away featured on Style Me Pretty today! I am going to be giving away and entire wedding suite of letterpressed invitations. One lucky bride will receive 100 letterpressed invitations, response and reception cards for free! Just head on over to SMP and check out the inspiration boards. If they are your style and your a looking for some invitations, enter your comments and I will choose a winner at the end of the day!

Good luck!

-M

Peacock Save the Dates

2010-01-20T22:34:00.012-05:00

Anjali had one requirement for her save the dates...peacock feathers! She is going to have a beautiful wedding with lots of hindu traditions. She needed save the dates that would set the tone for the event to come. These are the perfect precursor to her wedding invitations. Talk about glamorous! Think raw silk in sapphire, hand painted details and gorgeous shimmer paper. So elegant!

This is the second project (see yesterday's post) I have had the opportunity to work with Lindsey Narkter of Lindsey Narkter Designs. She is an exceptionally talented wedding and event planner. Check out her website to see some of the fabulous work she has done and be sure to check out her blog. Right now Lindsey is accepting submissions to her first ever Wedding Day Giveawa y. It is an opportunity to win a day of wedding coordination! There are also some other fabulous wedding vendors contributing their services, so make sure you visit the blog for the details.

Fleur De Lys Engagement Announcements

2010-01-19T21:10:00.007-05:00

This project was a first for me. The bride wanted to do two seperate announcements. One was an announcement/engagement brunch invitation the other was an engagement announcement, but both included both English and Arabic writing!

The bride wanted an elegant and classic look in Tiffany blue and her must have design element...the fleur de lys. Look for her invitations to come.

Intern Needed!

2010-01-18T12:37:00.002-05:00

I am looking for a design intern for the coming wedding season. I need someone with real Dream Weaver experience! I will need help with updating my website and various other small day to day tasks. If you are interested, please contact me at info@paisleyquill.com

Thanks!

Headshots by Aruna B Photography

2010-01-14T23:39:00.005-05:00

Ok, I am feeling a little awkward about this post because it's a bunch of pics of me, but I really want to show off the work of the talented Aruna of Aruna B Photography. I had the pleasure of working with her for the first time on our Style Me Pretty from Inspiration to Reality photo shoot. I was fortunate enough to get her snap a few pics of me while we were there. Check out her website and blog to see more of her amazing work!

1st Birthday Party Invitations

2010-01-13T22:46:00.014-05:00

So you all must think that I just create invitations and announcements for myself or family members. I promise, I do have clients! Stay tuned...next week I will be featuring a couple save the dates. This is the last family oriented project for awhile and this one is special to me, so I have to show it off.

I am getting a little sad just thinking about it. My baby boy is turning one at the end of the month. I cannot believe how time flies. It seems like just yesterday we left the hospital and now he is almost walking. It has been a interesting year, with lots of adjustments with having a baby and running a business, but I am getting better at it and am starting to figure out a work/life/family balance.

So...like I said, I am WORKING on it. I am kind of embarrassed to say, but I sent these invites out on Tuesday. His party is in 13 days! Any paper chick knows that you need at lease 4 weeks notice for this sort of thing! It's just that time escapes me these days! So anywho, I toyed with the idea of purchasing some pre-made invitations from Target, but really, that is unacceptable on so many levels, especially if you design invites for a living. I HAD to make the time!

I remember asking a girlfriend awhile back what it was like to have kids. She said, "Sometimes they drive you crazy, but they are the funniest little people. They make me laugh everyday."

That statement has always stuck with me and I am finding that to be so true. For the invite we wanted to show what a funny little personality Cam has developed. I wrote a day in the life of Campbell Myers and my husband revised it and put the "funny" in it. This is what I came up with.

The colors were inspired by my green and yellow Anthro sweater (see more of that tomorrow) I purchased for MYSELF for Christmas. and the rest was just humor and my love for fun little graphics (see my timelines).

My favorite part of the whole design...the Spanish speaking deer!

Style Me Pretty Recap

2010-01-13T10:14:00.006-05:00

Here is a recap from yesterday's Style Me Pretty feature. The inspiration boards looked great and we were all very excited to be featured! According to Abby, it was SMP's all time traffic high!! Here some images that were not shown. Again, many thanks to all of the vendors that offered up their services and helped make this shoot beautiful!

Rentals: Special Events Rental / Flowers , Table Design and Dessert Buffet: Aisha Holly | Dooby Design Group / Stationery: Molly Myers • Paisley Quill / Calligraphy: Jessica Larbes • Penned & Pretty / Photography: Aruna Mall • Aruna B. Photography / Videography: Ryan Koral • Epic Motion / Venue: The Royal Park Hotel • Kristen Hickey / Hair & Make-up: Angela Valentine & Jennifer Jaroma • Salon U2 / Cake: Papa Joe’s Market/La Sala Banquet • Sue Helzer / Dress: Amsale • Donated by V2V / Model: Andrea Walker

Holiday Cards

2009-12-18T06:45:00.007-05:00

This year's holiday Cards.

Because we have had some changes at PQ, I wanted to do kind of a timeline of events of the past year, leading up to where we are now. It was definitely inspired by those cheesy typed up letters that you inevitably get every year from your Aunt in South Dakota, bragging about how successful your cousins are and all of the exciting places they have traveled in the past year. So, we did that, but put some humor in it and made it look much cooler than a typed up letter on ugly holiday paper. :)

And then of course, the family card. I will have you know, I orchestrated this shoot over Thanksgiving weekend at the lake. I told everyone that they had to wear red or green and look as J.Crew as possible. I think the rest of my family thought I was crazy and self absorbed, but they do not understand my process!

Really Santa, Really?

2009-12-18T06:22:00.005-05:00

Ok, I couldn't resist. Here's some Holiday spirit for you. Did you know that Santa only works a 9 to 5er? Actually, he stops taking appointments after 5. SORRY. How ridiculous. So what do us working parents do? Well, you sneak out of your job early, drive like a mad man home to pick up your kid so you can meet Santa on time. Fight with your kid, trying despretely to stuff tiny arms (or in our case, chubby arms and double chins) into a red turtle neck, zig-zag in and out of rush hour traffic to the MALL, only to be thwarted by the mini-van going 20 in the left lane. You drop mom off at the door, cuz it's 4:59 and she needs to get her place in line, while dad and kid drive around looking for a parking space. They find one, on the third floor of the parking structure, 2 miles away from the nearest door. Mom makes it to Santa, but by now it is 5:01, and guess what?! Santa won't take any more appointments! AGGGGHHHHH. I guess we will leave our jobs extra early today and give it another shot.

This is my son having a tantrum before going to see Santa.

I will not show you the picture of Mommy having a tantrum when she found Santa wasn't taking any more appointments.

Take a deep breath and Have a Happy Holiday everyone!

Red Snow Birds Invitation

2009-11-20T09:24:00.007-05:00

Nicole's wedding is my first for 2010 and she was wonderful to work with! I am hoping all of my 2010 brides are like her! Her reception is taking place in January at the River Birch Lodge in Hartland, Michigan. It is a beautiful rustic cabin. Think huge, boulder fireplaces, antler chandeliers and twinkling lights. Such a perfect location for a warm and cozy winter wedding. The bride wanted to make sure that feeling was conveyed through out the invitation suite. We chose a warm ivory stock and a cranberry red, which complimented the soft look of the falling snow.

This design will also be available through our inkwell collection.

Hand Painted Birth Announcement

2009-11-08T22:58:00.004-05:00

When Rebecca contacted me earlier this season for baby announcements, I was thrilled! Not only does she have great style, but she is also the author behind, Clover and Bee, an awesome blog dedicated to all things midwest weddings. Being a Michigander, how could I not love this blog! :)

The best thing about working on these invites, was that Rebecca totally trusted me to try something I have never done...hand-painted announcements! I think the result was just what she was looking for, a decorative, folk-artsy, feel.

I have been really inspired lately by the work of Anna over at Rifle Design. I have been waiting for an excuse to bust the paints out. Rebecca's project seemed to be the perfect one. We got the ok from Rebecca, and away we went! I haven't painted anything since college, but it felt great!

I must say, that I cannot take full credit for this one! My husband, Matt, who is creative in his own right, actually sketched out the entire design and I just did the painting. :) He also drew images of ourselves in our son's Yellow Submarine birth announcement! If he keeps this up, we might have to put him on the pay roll!

Rebecca also suggested adding her and her husband's initials carved into the tree. Love it! It adds that personal touch.

5 Years!...WOW!

2009-10-29T23:36:00.008-04:00

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary! I can't believe it has been that long! They are not joking when they say, time flies. Especially this year, with a new baby. I can't believe he will be 1 in a short few months! Crazy...

I thought you might get a kick out of looking back on my wedding day and the adventures in our life the past 5 years.

Yup, I'm a blinker...That was taken the week I found out I was pregnant. The bottom left was me at 7 months prego on the way to see AC/DC! And the middle two are taken by Jessica Johnston. Happy Anniversary babe!

Jeannine and Fal's Hindu/Christian Wedding Accessories

2009-10-26T22:27:00.006-04:00

Jeannine and Fal's wedding just wrapped up the last of our 2009 invitations. It was a pretty end to the season, dontcha think?

A seating chart with the same intricate pattern from her invitation.

A 3-page program printed on shimmery paper.

Coordinating place cards and thank you notes.

Halloween Card

2009-10-15T21:59:00.007-04:00

This year I did our first family Halloween card. We purchased Campbell a lion costume and since then, he has been working at his fierce growl!

For those of you that are familiar with my work, you have probably noticed that I have a love of type! I like to take various type styles and arrange them so that they all work together in a unique way.

You open the envelope to see what scary surprise is inside!

Shaunta's Custom Wedding Accessories

2009-10-06T21:47:00.013-04:00

Shaunta's wedding invitations was one of my favorites to work on yet. She had three different patterns throughout the invitation suite and we incorporated each one into her accessories.

We created a custom seating chart.

Table numbers with crystals accents throughout the pattern.

Menus and separate children's menu's for each guest. She is having Spider Orchids attached to each menu as well. I can't wait to see those pics!

Guest Books and Signature Cocktail Menu with crystal embellishments.

Last but not least, a custom die cut fan with crystals on the front blade and beautiful satin tassels.

Alpha Phi - Red Damask Invitations

2009-10-01T21:47:00.006-04:00

This is the third year in a row that we have had the opportunity to work with the Beta Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi sorority. Every year they host a Red Dress Ball to raise money for the Alpha Phi Foundation. In keeping with the theme of the Red Dress Ball, we make each invitation to include an aspect of a dress. This year we chose to do a vibrant red damask pattern and made a "belt" with their greek letters to hold the response card and invitation together.

Candyland Boxed Invitations

2009-09-15T07:43:00.006-04:00

We were contacted to create Caroline's 5th birthday party invitations by Gabby of Flowers by Gabrielle in Grosse Pointe. She is doing all of the candy displays and a candy bar for the party. We then knew we had to incorporate candy into the invitation.

We decided to do a boxed invitation so that we could easily mail the candy and it wouldn't get damaged. We incorporated the candy cane border on the mailing label and chose a fun type face for the address.

We thought it would be fun to recreate the gameboard with start being Caroline's address and ending at her Candy Castle. We purchased the game so that we would be accurate. Let me say, the Candyland of today, is not like the Candyland that I played when I was a little girl! Much more graphics and I think that there are some new characters. Princess Frostine being one of them. That is Caroline's favorite character and her mom made a special request that we include her in the invitation.

The best part of these invitations is the rainbow lollipop. When Caroline's friends open their invitation, there will be a little surprise for them inside!

Lobster Dinner & Signature Michigan Drink

2009-09-13T15:13:00.005-04:00

So Saturday night we had some good friends of ours over for dinner. I love the excuse to entertain because I get to bust out the fancy glassware, serving dishes and linens that don't normally get used on a regular basis. It's my chance to act like Martha for a day.

I always try to do some sort of flower arrangement. I added fruits with warm, fall colors, purples and golds and put it all in a silver serving dish.

I chose to do whole lobsters for dinner. I have never done this before! I have done tails, but never the whole thing. I was a little nervous about the whole presentation of it all and how I was going to get the meat out of the tail, but it was actually quite easy...just messy. I served it with crusty bread and a nice mixed green salad with pine nuts and honey gold apple slices. We finished up the evening with home made chocolate mousse, topped with a strawberry.

I made a signature drink that I have never had before either. Now that I think about it, it was actually a lot of firsts for me, which they never say to do if you are having people for dinner! As I was making it, I was thinking what a perfect signature drink this would be for a Michigan themed wedding. It has cherries and Vernors in it! For those of you who don't know, Traverse City, MI is considered the Cherry Capitol and Vernors was originally created and bottled in Detroit. I must say, it is delicious and refreshing. You mix the ingredients in a serving dish and freeze it so that it creates a slush and then top with Vernors and a cherry. Give me a shout if you want the recipe!

Ork Posters

2009-09-10T06:34:00.004-04:00

I LOVE typography. I LOVE the challenge of typography when you are trying to make it fit creatively within a space. You have to really think about the font itself, placement of letters, the size, width and spacing of each letter. It takes real thought and time people! So, when I saw these posters from Ork Posters, via Clover and Bee, I had to have one. Especially the Great Lakes version me being a Michigander and all! Then I thought, "Damn! Why didn't I think of that?!"

Definitely check out the Ork Poster's website, they have tons of links to other great sites of talented designers and state and city themed designs. Perfect place to find unique ideas for welcome baskets or wedding party gifts.

Jeannine and Fal's Hindu/Christian Wedding Invitation

2009-09-01T09:15:00.005-04:00

Jeannine contacted us about a little over a month ago. She is having both a Hindu and Christian wedding ceremony and had seen a previous Hindu/Christian wedding invitation we had done for a past bride that she loved. Jeannine had put off ordering invitations, because she was debating on wether to order them direct from India, after all they are much cheaper there, but she was nervous about working with a company overseas, especially when she was in such a time crunch. She decided to work with us and I am so glad she did! In the bride's words, she said "I really like the bling" and bling we did!

She chose a burgundy shimmer pocket fold with ivory shimmer insert cards. For embellishments she picked gold and ruby rhinestones that accent throughout the design. We also did custom stamps for the envelope and response postcard. The fun part of this very formal invitation was the timeline. Because the entire day is filled with events, it was very important that her guests know what was happening

Gary & Jodie's Seating Chart

2009-08-27T20:10:00.003-04:00

Stephani's Damask Invitation

2009-08-21T05:53:00.012-04:00

We have been working with Stephani and Dan for awhile now. We did her Damask Save the Dates earlier this summer. Which, by the way, we offer a discount if you order both! We kept her entire design consistent for both the STD's and invitation suite.

For the invitation she wanted a more formal look, but she said to have fun with the rest of the cards, and that is what we did! The invitation is held together by a black band and the envelope has the enlarged damask printed on the flap and front of the envelope.

My favorite part are her response card and timeline. Stephani didn't give us a whole lot of direction on what she wanted them to say, but she wanted them to convey that the evening was going to be a big party. So, we winged it, but I think it came out really cute.

The timeline is a new layout for me. Not the typical way we do it, but it was fun to switch it up. I love the "Exchange of the Bling" and the graphic of the two of them kissing good-night.

Laura's Accessories

2009-08-19T07:14:00.008-04:00

We did Laura's custom swirly monogram invitations a couple of months ago. Initially she thought that she was going to do all of her accessories herself, but as her wedding day was drawing near she decided she just didn't have the time. So she contacted us to do them for her about a week prior to the big day!

We did programs, place cards and tented table numbers that were double sided with a special thank you to their guests. Instead of table favors, they made donations to two causes that were near and dear to their hearts, The Cancer Research Institute and The Special Operations Warrior Foundation. The SOWF is dedicated to providing a college educations to surviving children of fallen special ops forces who lose their lives in battle or training. I thought this was especially touching since the groom's brother is a Ranger and could not attend the wedding.

Plantable Wedding Invitations

2009-08-16T21:32:00.022-04:00

Paul and Libby contacted us earlier this year to design their fun & unique save the dates. For their wedding invitations they wanted something very natural and personal to them. Libby was very interested in using plantable paper. We researched and found a great resource for all things plantable paper!

Plantable wedding invitations is a first for us! I love working with new products! This is a great option for those of you who want to make a green choice for the environment. The paper is hand made and Wildflowers grow right out of the 100% post-consumer waste paper!

Notice the seeds within the paper.

The invitation and response card are held together with a handmade red paper band with gold leaves inked on it.

Imagine how fun it will be to plant all of the response cards and see all of the wildflowers bloom out of them! Paul and Libby have promised to send me a picture when they have all bloomed! I can't wait to see!

Black and White Pocket Invitation

2009-08-10T22:35:00.005-04:00

Casandra wanted a simple, yet elegant wedding invitation. This design was based on her wedding cake. The cake itself, is black and white and has a simple black band around the bottom of each tier and a swirl pattern overall. That inspired us to incorporate a black satin band on the invitation and created a swirl design throughout.