Holiday Styled Shoot

I loved working with Melissa from Blink Photography on this styled wedding shoot where the inspiration was berry colors and a touch of holiday.  The Blanc Denver was the perfect venue to provide a modern blank canvas for the slightly rustic but glamorous decor.  This shoot is the perfect inspiration if you are looking to get married around the holidays but don't want it to be over the top holiday themed.

I designed the place cards below to be die cut names attached to pomegranates to help add a pop of color to the table.  Place cards are a great way to think outside the box and have do double duty by incorporating them into your table decor.

The invitation was designed to fan out with a patterned folder in the pack holding the RSVP card and information card.  It was all tied together with suede and a wax seal.

The favors were tree saplings for guests to take home and plant.  I designed a sign to look like a slice of wood to attach to the favor basket.

VENDORS: Photographers: Blink Photography Inc and Stephanie Ramsey Photo Florist: The Perfect Petal | Rings: Kristin Coffin | Furniture: Colorado Party Rentals | Venue: Blanc

Business Card Edging

When I redesigned my brand earlier this year the item I was most excited about designing was new business cards.  I ordered beautiful double thick cards from Moo but the basic edge colors they offered did not match my brand so I of course decided to do it myself.  

The problem was I couldn't find the right tutorial that worked and ended up having to go through a series of trial and errors.  Luckily I finally had success with acrylic paint and since many of you have asked how I did it I thought I'd share this tutorial with you. 

Materials:
Clamps 
Acrylic Paint in the color of your choosing
Foam Paintbrush
Thick Business Cards (It is important the cards are on thick paper or the color won't be visible)

1. Start off by stacking a few inches worth of cards and clamping them on both sides.  You'll want a junk card on top and bottom that you are willing to sacrifice as they will get paint all over.  I use the same junk cards with each round I do so that I don't waste too many.

It is important to get the cards lined up as perfectly as possible.  Make sure the clamps are tight but not so tight they buckle the cards as you don't want paint getting in the sides.

Tip: At first I had trouble lining my cards up so I just used one clamp and pushed the cards against the bar as a guide.  If you do this you'll need to release the bar and turn the cards to fully paint them and I recommend applying pressure to the end without the clamp to prevent any paint from getting in the side.

2. Next you paint all four sides with acrylic craft paint in a color of your choosing.  A lot of the tutorials I saw online recommended spray paint but spray paint was a total disaster for me and got in all the edges.  I found acrylic paint was a lot easier to control.  

Tip: Make sure you aren't getting any clumping of paint, especially on the corners.

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3. The paint will dry quickly so you want to separate them when they are almost dry but not quite so that they don't stick together.

4. Lay them out to finish drying before stacking them again.  

5. And voila you have beautiful edge painted business cards that will impress your clients and colleagues.  

Disclaimer: I will say even with this method I did still get a few cards where the ink leaked.  I tried several different approaches though and this one gave me the best success and most control over the ink.

Goals

Happy first day of May!  April has been pretty amazing filled with lots of quality time and adventures with family and friends.  Looking back on this past month:

I shared: My favorite summer invitation suite, a new vintage invitation suite complete with a wax seal and highlights from my trip to Sonoma.

I read: Station Eleven, The Boston Girl, and I'm halfway through Now, Discover Your Strengths

I learned: This past week I finished Marie Forleo's 8 week B-School program.  My head is swimming with all kinds of information I want to implement in my business.

I visited: We had friends from DC visit this month so we got to play tourist in our new home which was fun and I just got back from a girls trip to California with my mom and sisters. It has been so nice to spend quality time with our loved ones this past month.  

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I'm pretty excited about this coming month as I finally have some time to implement everything I've been learning in my business.

May Goals

1 Organize: While I'm great at staying organized on projects, organizing actual belongings is a huge weakness of mine.  I have boxes and boxes of past work, paper samples etc. Part of it is due to the move but I've decided it is time to get organized in my studio starting with all my supplies and samples. 

2 Email List: I've been wanting to do a monthly email for a while and this month I'm finally going to launch so be on the lookout this month to signup and receive exclusive content such as tips and tutorials.

3 Learn: Now that I'm done with B-School I am hoping back on the Skillshare train and really want to continue my education with calligraphy and hand lettering.

4 Solidify My Routine: My routine has been one of the hardest parts about transitioning to working full time for myself.  I feel like I'm getting there but this coming month I really want to perfect it so that I can efficiently do my work, make time for exercise, and feel more balanced.

What are your goals for this coming month?  I'd love to hear what you are struggling with or want to hustle after in the month of May.  

Vintage Wax Seal Invitation Suite

I'm so very excited to share this invitation suite with you as it might just be my favorite to date.  I really enjoyed working with this client as she was so creative herself.  When she came to me with her vision for the event she described it as 20's vintage glam, not too Gatsby with a small steampunk edge and a little bit of whimsy pulled together with the perfect blend of masculine and feminine.  I am always up for the challenge of mixing different looks and love how the final package came together.

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It is always important for me to hear the client's vision for their event as you never know what elements can spark inspiration for the invitation design.  Vintage keys were being used in the event decor so I designed an event logo using Zoe's initials and the date of the event and then incorporated it discreetly into a few places in the design.  Silent movies were also a part of the decor as they were being shown above the bar so I designed the party card to look like a silent movie screen.

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My favorite element by far was the personalized wax seal with Zoe's logo which we used to pull the whole suite together along with a black belly band and twine.  This is the first project I've used a wax seal on but I love that I'm starting to see they are making a comeback.  I might of already tried to convince a few brides I'm working with to incorporate them into their upcoming invitation suite designs I'm so smitten by them.

I really love how the mix of looks and unique details came together and set the tone for what I'm sure was a fabulous event.

Weekend in Sonoma and Napa

This past weekend I was in Sonoma with my mom and sisters for a girls weekend.  We had a great time tasting wine and taking in the beautiful countryside.  This was my first trip in a while so I didn't realize quite how spread out everything is and how many small adorable towns are in both Sonoma and Napa.  These are just a few highlights from our long weekend.

We wanted space to spread out so we rented this adorable little cottage a few miles from downtown Sonoma.  It was perfect for what we needed and we loved the outdoor space where we enjoyed a glass of wine after our daily outings.

Our first full day we wanted to see the beautiful coastline of Sonoma County so we headed an hour west to Bodega Head.  The views were pretty spectacular and afterwards we stopped at Roadhouse Coffee which is the quintessential small town coffee shop.  We ended up talking to a few local patrons and it is definitely worth the stop for a taste of the local color.

Afterwards we drove up the coastline then followed the Russian River inland to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.  The park is less crowded than some of the more well known Redwood parks and the trail we took was extremely flat and easy.  We finished off our day in Healdsburg, an adorable town full of shops and restaurants.  We only had time to stop at The Shed, a cafe and home goods store, but it is top of my list to visit on my next trip back.

On our second day we headed over to Napa and had brunch at Boon Fly Cafe.  When you go you have to order the bakers dozen donuts, just trust me.  Our first vineyard of the trip was Turnbull Wines and it was like walking into the pages of a restoration hardware catalog.  Before heading back to Sonoma we stopped at Farmstead cafe in St. Helena for coffees and a snack.  

Our final vineyard of the day was Ram's Gate in Sonoma and might be the most gorgeous winery I've ever visited.  From the soaring wood cathedral ceilings, indoor and outdoor space that flowed together and dramatic light fixtures, I just couldn't get enough.  Just to note this is one of the vineyards you have to make an appointment for so plan ahead.

Our final day was definitely the most memorable.  We booked a private tour with Kent from Squire Livery and while it was a splurge I now can't imagine doing wine country any other way. He took us to small boutique vineyards not open to the public and we had private tasting experiences with such gracious hosts who are passionate about making wine.  We took tours of wine caves, were driven amongst the vines in a dune buggy vehicle and enjoyed tastings at farm tables in the middle of vineyards.  It was the perfect way to end our trip and we will definitely be calling Kent up on any of our future visits.