jolie jolie design blog | crafts, design, paper, diy and more!

NEW HOME FOR JOLIEJOLIE

2011-10-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!
We've moved our website over to joliejoliedesign.com/blog.
Please update your bookmarks!

Infographic Poster for Baby's First Year

2011-09-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

I am glad I stumbled upon this while on coochicoos! This awesome Paloma Infographic poster is a great visual to show your baby's first year. Being a first time mommy, I have fallen in love with this adorable poster and it may find it's way in my home next year. This customizable 17x22 poster can be found at Kalon Studios.

A Slide In My House?

2011-09-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

Yes please! I was pretty jealous that this really exists.

source: little lovely

A Magical Wedding Invitation

2011-09-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Simon, an ice cream loving poker-playing magician (yes, magician) and Joni, a lovely songbird, recently tied the knot. I wanted to share with you their wedding invitation because of the *buzz word* whimsicalness of it. And really, that's the only word that could describe it. With one of the best ceremony soundtracks to date, it was wonderful seeing these two start their lives together.

Remember Deny? He designed these wedding invitations for them. The first part was their faces on the royals intended to be playing cards. These were offset in two colors so they came out very vibrant.

Deny is a big typography buff and it shows in his work. Working with multiple fonts is difficult and has to be done with finesse. You can't just throw a bunch of random fonts together and pray that it looks cohesive. He's making the magician theme work and it isn't coming off too cheesy either.

I was also a huge fan of the unique Playbill style wedding program. In essence, Joni and Simon are very much performers so it was only fitting to do a Playbill style wedding program. What I really enjoyed was the overall concept of the Acts and verbiage that was carefully thought out. If you zoom in, you'll see what I mean.

Now for some visuals from Vivid Delight Photography! Guests were treated to Treatbot: a karaoke ice cream truck local to the bay area. Since Simon loves ice cream and Joni is a singer, this was an entertaining combination. Our friend Mary was super excited for it :)

Paper flowers from song sheets

CONGRATS AGAIN!

Laura George Illustrations and Prints

2011-09-11T17:32:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when you browse on Etsy. You find a shop you like and you want to buy it out. Check out the fun stuff happening at Laura George's! Here are my faves:

Something about illustrated sumos fighting in the forest make me happy.

Pop Culture Silhouettes

2011-08-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

Felt & Wire shared about a graphic designer named Olly Moss who created 300 pop culture silhouettes for his show at Gallery 1988 that I just had to repost! Here are some of my faves!

Check out more here!

Starbucks Cups Doodle Series

2011-08-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Bernadette Moke's doodle series on Starbucks cups! Spotted on Untapped New York.

Mini Pennant Save the Date

2011-08-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

Got this cute little mini save the date from my designer friend, Jenn for her upcoming wedding. I love seeing how graphic designers design their own wedding stationery! Can't wait to see how their wedding invitations turn out.

Typography Infographic

2011-08-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

I love this "Why You Should Care About Typography" infographic. The comic sans at the bottom is hilarious :)

PURE EVOKE Mio Radio by Orla Kiely

2011-08-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

Calling all Orla Kiely fans! Check out the newly released radio!

source

You can purchase this at Orla Kiely or John Lewis.

A Kite Birthday Party Invitation

2011-08-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

I love this kite-themed party invitation spotted on Our Labor of Love's blog. Everyone receives a kite to decorate and to fly at this party. So fun and creative!

Photos from Our Labor of Love

Pantone Postcards

2011-07-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

A perfect marriage of Pantone and stationery! You can find these Pantone Postcards at Chronicle Books!

images from bigBANG studios

Personalized Black Wedding Invitations

2011-07-25T20:31:00.001-07:00

This has got to be one of the coolest wedding invitations I've seen in awhile. While the black makes it ultra cool, it's these little perforated circles on the invite that make it really unique. From La Caja de Tipos who designed the invite:

"With all this we have created an invitation in two parts, the lower with the event data and instructions for in order that everyone know what to do and top with a series of micro-perforated circles with laser that can be separated as each guest wants and, this way, draw various elements regarding the wedding such as a heart, rings, a shrimp ... typical things."

Felt & Wire's Supply Shop!

2011-07-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

Felt & Wire has opened a new category called Supply where they are offering a variety of washi tapes, all kinds of twines, materials for collage, and vintage stamps. Great for any DIYer or crafter. Here are some of my faves!

I love the numerous colors of twine!

Gah check out the adorable Paris themed rubber stamps from Ink+Wit.

Super cute washi tape designs!

Viewmaster Wedding Invitation

2011-07-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

This unique wedding invitation set in a Viewmaster! Ingenious!!
Melangerie NYC sells them on Etsy.

Magic Themed Birthday Party

2011-07-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

This magic themed birthday is one to brag about! Hostess with the Mostess shared about this amazing party thrown by Lisa of Moore Minute for her son who turned 7 years old. The details are so awesome! See for yourself!

DIY Wedding Favorites

2011-07-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Wedding season is in full swing and I've been recruited to help some close friends brainstorm and decorate. Naturally, everyone is on a tight budget so of course we turn to the internets for some DIY wedding ideas. With some time and a few good friends, a DIY wedding can really save you some money as well as make your wedding day much more personal. Rather than make you search all over the web for them, I have generously blogged about some of my recent favorites. You may thank me now.

The awesome DIY photobooth wall found on Ruffled.
Forget those expensive photobooth rentals. With this baby, you get an awesome vintage feel as well as your choice of wallpaper!

Gorgeous DIY feather brooch from How Did You Make This.
This was definitely one of my favorites. You don't need to know how to sew or get messy with glue to create this beautiful brooch. Great for the bride or wedding party.

DIY gold glitter paper scroll / escort card on 100 Layer Cake.
Count on 100 Layer Cake to provide you with the greatest and "why didn't I think of that" ideas for your wedding. I love this color combo of pink and gold as well. I could see other color options like blue with silver glitter. Dazzling!

DIY baby's breath monogram from Bliss!
There was a time when baby's breath was repulsed by brides but we are seeing how resourceful they can be! With a little bit of wire and a few bunches of baby's breath, a beautiful monogram can be created for any wedding or special event. See the rest of the tutorial here.

DIY rainbow coffee filter roses found on Kuchina Pelna Cudow. (Not in English)
This has to be by far one of the most imaginative projects I've ever seen. You may need Google Translator to translate the tutorial, but the outcome is so lovely.

DIY paper flowers on Lolly Chops and Heart Handmade UK.
Oh, so you're one of those crazy brides that wants to make all her own flowers? This section is for you! Check out the awesome round-up on both sites for over 15 paper flower tutorials including a beautiful flower parasol by Martha Stewart. Great ideas for any diy wedding bouquet.

DIY Doily lamp lantern from More Design Please.
I know, those paper lanterns that you want to hang on the ceiling really illuminate the space but man are they expensive! That is the reason I love this DIY. It uses something inexpensive and turns it into something super gorgeous. DIY Doily lamp FTW! I've seen these also done with string.

DIY wedding favor bags from DIY Wedding.
Cute little favor bag pouches to fill with snacks or tossers!

A super easy DIY vintage book ring holder from PaperNStitch.

DIY braided wedding hairstyle on Hair Romance.
DIY hairstyles can save you a lot of money and you'll know exactly what you'll get! Hair Romance's huge collective of hairstyles for weddings makes me want to grow out my hair again. This romantic braided upstyle was part of their 30 Days of Twists and Pin Hairstyles.

Letterpress Business Cards

2011-07-06T23:04:00.001-07:00

I love letterpressed business cards. While they tend to cost a bit more, they definitely make an impression! :) I really enjoyed the techniques behind a few of these.

While these cards from Tangible Worldwide are letterpressed, the back of these eco-friendly cards have the card holder's information rubber-stamped on.

Letterpressed llamas. An alliteration you have to love! We also approve of the bright red edge printing on these cards from Shynanigans.

Overprint awesomeness spotted on Pinterest.

Simple and lovely found on Designspiration.

Share with us your favorites!

Airplane themed baby shower for Lisa!

2011-06-27T22:06:00.001-07:00

I am finally getting a chance to post up some images from Lisa's (my jolie partner in crime) airplane themed baby shower. Yes, her baby has already arrived if you were curious! The story behind the airplane theme is that her father was a pilot and so the plane has significant meaning to her. Also, it's a great theme for a boy's baby shower. The idea is that they are taking flight into parenthood.

Now, I had just had my baby but I had all these crazy ideas I wanted to do to make it special for her but I had to limit myself but I did have help from some wonderful and creative people. Also, she wanted it to be a family-style picnic at a park so our job was to turn the picnic area and all its concrete picnic tables into something nice. On top of that, Lisa is very popular so she had 60 people at this baby shower! Regardless, it was great fun.

The baby shower invitation mimicked the old par avion envelopes treated with some type. I also had some par avion labels and guestbook cards made as well.

We set up a sweets table in the middle of the picnic area and tried to cover up of the ugly gazebo looking thing as we could. We had old vintage suitcases and wooden biplanes from Michaels! Lisa loves popcorn so one of her friend's made three different custom flavored popcorn of butter, cheddar and snickerdoodle. The suitcases were also stuffed with other delicious goodies such as homemade honey roasted peanuts and toffee chocolate chip cookies.

We had also bought these wooden airplane kits for $1 from Michael's as favors for people to build there or take from home. They were sooo cheap and you get paint and glue with the kit! We built a few to use as decoration on our runway tables. We had some Chinese food since Lisa was not eating nitrates or carcinogen-induced burgers at the time. I picked up these cute little bento looking trays for food and made custom chopstick wrappers for each one--slightly reminiscent of airplane tray food. Also no caffeine so we had delicious Shirley Temples to quench our thirst.

It was such a fun day and we are so happy that Baby Ezra is here to play. Thankful for good friends and new ones!

Custom Illustrated Wedding Invitations

2011-06-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

I recently designed some wedding invitations for a friend who lives in southern California. They wanted to do illustrated versions of them and use the colors yellow and purple (Laker colors). This was the end result! It was really fun and I had help from illustrator Anne To with the artwork on the invitation itself.

The programs were done in a fan style and the little seating cards had the menu listed inside.

Thanks to Keith and Bok for letting me be a part of your special day!

Lauren Conrad Hair and Make up Blog Tutorials!

2011-06-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered that Lauren "LC" Conrad had started her own beauty blog along with two other girls called The Beauty Department. I never watched any of her shows but did admire her fashion sense. This blog is great because they break down essential hair and make up tools as well as offer tutorials for some of her signature looks. The twisted sister is my current fave hair tutorial!

Check out the rest.

Paris Vs. New York

2011-06-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Love this blog Paris vs. New York-A Tally of Two Cities! It's a visual match between two beloved cities: Paris and New York. Wonderful illustrations that are also available for purchase.

Printable Calendar from Curiosity

2011-06-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here is an adorable free printable calendar from Curiosity to start the month off right! Click HERE for the pattern. Happy June and thanks, Curiosity!

CLUTCH & MAKE-UP WINNER ANNOUNCED!

2011-05-31T14:02:00.001-07:00

I apologize but yesterday was Memorial Day so I'm posting the winner today!

The winner is MW!
Unfortunately, we don't have your email so please contact us with your email so we know where to send your gift! Congrats!! Please claim your prize within 30 days of this post otherwise we will have another drawing for a new winner.

Thanks all for participating!

Fun Animal Shirts

2011-05-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

Check out these awesome animal shirts from Creative Callipiper. Love the elephant one where your arm becomes the trunk! So fun for the kids.

The back of the bear hugsie!

A Bejing Wedding Video

2011-05-26T14:11:00.001-07:00

My childhood friend, Josh Kidwell is an amazing videographer and I recently saw one of his wedding videos that he shot/edited. Josh is also a musician and his ear lends well to the the integration of sound into the visual.

This wedding was shot in Beijing, China. The site looks so gorgeous and intimate, I couldn't believe that was out somewhere in China. It was so well done that I just had to share share it with you.

For those of you local to the San Francisco Bay Area and are looking for a videographer check out his other work.

Gleadow Wedding Montage from josh k on Vimeo.

Popsicle Recipes for Everyone!

2011-05-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

As we head into warmer weather in California, I'm seeing all these great homemade popsicle recipes popping up everywhere. After seeing Lisa's fun post on the Zoku Quick Pop Maker this was confirmation that I had to go find popsicle recipes. The advantage to making your own is you reduce the amount of sugar and preservatives so you're left with something tasty and refreshing.

There's one for everyone!

FOR THE KIDS:
Capri Sun Fruit Popsicles from Kitchen Daily
A great and easy mix of fresh fruit and Capri Sun.

FOR THE ADULTS:
Strawberry Margarita Popsicles from Baker's Royale
This recipe basically just utilizes Mike’s Hard Lemonade Strawberry Margarita. I've also seen people do lemon drop popsicles. The possibilities are endless in the world of alcohol. :)

FOR THE VEGAN:
Vegan ice cream bars from Veggie Wedgie
A delicious vegan recipe that uses avocado and coconut!

FOR THE EXOTIC:
Mango Lassi and Strawberry-Honey Yogurt Pops from Dessert for Breakfast
Uses fresh mango and Greek yogurt.

FOR THE DESSERT LOVER:
Strawberry Shortcake Pops from Baker's Royale
A low-fat recipe using yogurt and vanilla Oreos.

FOR THE SUMMER:
Peaches and Cream Popsicles from My Baking Addiction
Peaches n' cream. 'Nuf said.

Decorating with Happy Tape

2011-05-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

We love Happy Tape! I am always in awe of how people use this awesome crafting tape! Take a look at what you can do and be inspired!

Photos and DIY tips from How About Orange

Photos from It's a Bride's Life

Photos from Sky Blue Pink

photo from iDIY

Photo from Decor 8

Zoku Quick Pop Character Tool Kit

2011-05-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard about the Zoku Quick Pop Maker, here you go!

source

I have a few friends who own this nifty pop maker and they seem to have tons of fun with it. But not only are they fun to make, they can also be cute too! Check out the Zoku Quick Pop Character Tool Kit!

source

How adorable are these! Just in time for the summer! You can purchase the Zoku Quick Pop Maker at Williams-Sonoma! If you get your hands on one of these, try some recipes from Zoku's blog!!! Thanks, ohdeedah for sharing!

Mariilang Designs & ShanaMarie Giveaway!

2011-05-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Lisa and I both started this blog as a fun way to collect inspiration from around the blog and it has become something we are truly proud of. As a celebration hitting 600 fans on our Facebook, and the launch of ShanaMarie's own cosmetic line, we are having a little giveaway!

We're giving away a Mariilang wristlet clutch: le shanamarie and a sampling of some of ShanaMarie's upcoming makeup line!

About the Artists:

Mariilang Designs has some wonderful bags great for any bridesmaid gift at ridiculously reasonable prices. Here are some of my favorites!

The ShanaMarie show offers some great makeup tips and tutorials. Check out her YouTube channel and keep an eye out for her new line of cosmetics.

Alright, the important stuff. How do I enter and win??
Visit either ShanaMarie show or Mariilang Designs and tell us which bag or video is your fave!
The giveaway begins Monday, May 16 and ends Friday May 27 at midnight. The winner will be announced on Monday, May 30th. Don't forget to provide a way for us to contact you!

Best of luck to all and thanks again to all our readers. We love you!

Handmade Reversible Totebags

2011-05-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

As a thank you for my friends for throwing me a shower, I decided to make reversible tote bags using pattern fabrics and natural muslin that I picked up at one of my favorite places to get my yarn and fabrics, Bobbin's Nest. The bags came out great! I was really happy with them!

For the muslin side of the bag, I used Heat'n Bond Ultra Hold Iron-On Adhesive. It was very inexpensive and pretty easy to use.

Bird Themed Baby Shower

2011-05-03T23:40:00.000-07:00

My friends were able to throw me a baby shower while I was on vacation to the NW. I had such a great time! The theme was inspired by this Tiny Prints card...

From handmade buttons and banner to delicious food... you can really tell there was a lot of love in every detail. Check the labor of love.

I truly have great friends!

Erin Jang Stop Motion for Martha Stewart Living

2011-04-24T22:12:00.000-07:00

The talented Erin Jang of the Indigo Bunting who is also an Art Director at MSL created a stop-motion animation video for the May 2011 ipad issue for Martha Stewart Living. This is one of my favorites of the series. Check out more of the series here on her Flickr.

Photography by Johnny Miller and video editing by Philip Leaman.

Pearl Jam Inspired Wedding Invitation

2011-04-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Discovered this lovely wedding invitation from one plus one design also known for designing the infamous letterpressed "Away We Go" hot air balloon wedding invitation. The bride and groom wanted to incorporate their appreciation for music into the invite. The birds themselves also have an important meaning to their wedding--specifically the processional. Love their work!

"The two birds are based on a lyric from the song Shelly walked down the aisle to, ‘Low Light’ by Pearl Jam. ‘Two birds is what they’ll see, getting lost upon their way’ sums this couple up perfectly. The two birds represent the night they met, amazingly at a Pearl Jam concert in Toronto, and the guitar for music of course, their shared passion (til death do them part)."

Images from oneplusone

Yellow and white inspired Birthday Party

2011-04-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Our friend and talented photographer, Manus of Manus Chau Photography, was very hands-on for his daughter, Julia, 3rd birthday! Even though there were only a handful of little girls celebrating the big day with Julia, Manus and his wife Annette still threw Julia a party that was put together with lots of love. From cute handmade necklaces to delicious goodies and treats, there is no other way to celebrate!!!

Great job, Manus and Annette!

A Paper Record Wedding Invitation-Yes! It Plays Music!

2011-04-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

Discovered this amazing and unique wedding invitation on Swiss Miss. It is incredibly ingenious with a wonderful design to boot. It is a booklet-style invitation designed with some paper-folding that amplifies the sound of a sewing needle moving along the grooves of a flexidisc record. This brilliant design was done by Kelli Anderson and she even has a video demo of it in action. So there's only one question to be asked, "Does your wedding invitation make music?"

Check out the demo!

Paper Record Player from kellianderson on Vimeo.

Wood-Engraved invitations and favors

2011-04-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

After seeing the beautiful wood-engraved tags on Oh, Hello Friend, I had to go see RobertoSand's work for myself.

From Oh, Hello Friend's Wedding

He had an array of different pieces including wood engraved wedding invitations.
Gorgeous detail!

What great wedding favors ideas. If only he was around when I got married. Love these wooden airplane favors. Pricing is also very reasonable!

Red Egg & Ginger Party Ideas

2011-04-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

Being of Asian descent, traditionally a Red Egg and Ginger party is thrown in celebration of a baby's 100th day. While I am opting to design and print my own invites, I went online to find some ideas and honestly couldn't find many that weren't either overtly Asian or too cheesy.

However, I did find some that I thought were really fun and unique. For those of you looking to spice up your Red Egg and Ginger party, here's a compilation of some of my fave ideas. I'll post up ours once it's printed =)

Read more about the significance of a Red Egg and Ginger Party.

Adorable invites from Good on Paper.

This has got to be one of my favorite finds. A red crocheted egg found on Eden and Elliot.
It's soooo cute!!For decor, some easy paper flower tutorials like this one from Dozi Design.

...Or for the table. Found on Pinterest.

Cute and simple cake found on Cake Central.

Not everything has to be Asian-themed. Even just utilizing the red color can make a real impact like this dessert table on Pen and Paper Flowers.

Let me know if you guys out there in the blogsphere have more ideas!

Easter Brunch Inspiration

2011-04-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

Easter is around the corner and how else to enjoy that day then to have a perfect brunch! Celebrations at Home shared a beautiful set up that will inspire you to create your own!

Check out more photos and how to set up your own amazing display here.

A High-Flying Baby Shower

2011-03-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

I love the execution of this hot air balloon themed baby shower shot by Simply Bloom Photography. The colors and elements were inspired by the baby's future room. A lovely palette of grey, peach and seafoam. Custom invites were designed by Kate of Ruby & Willow. The host's mother made all of the amazing looking desserts. I am in awe of those adorable hot air balloon lollipops! A simply gorgeous and unique baby shower!

Biodegradable Picnic Sets

2011-03-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

A new and fun way to picnic with Boxsal's picnic box sets. These biodegradable picnic sets are made with corn starch and come in some neat designs and Eatin' Tool Sets. How fun!

INCLUDES:

1) BOXSAL PICNIC BOX

4) COMPOSTABLE TRAYS

4) COMPOSTABLE LARGE BOWLS

4) COMPOSTABLE SMALL BOWLS

4) COMPOSTABLE UTENSIL SETS

4) COMPOSTABLE COLD CUPS

8) RECYCLED NAPKINS

1) COMPOSTABLE TRASH BAG

Letterpress Drawer Converted

2011-03-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

I had the craziest idea to look for an old letterpress drawer to hang up in my house and needed some inspiration. Look at some of the neat ideas I found.

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I loved how this drawer was re-used as a desk drawer.

source

Ultimate List of Unique Packaging Ideas

2011-03-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

Some fun and easy ways to spice up any kind of packaging for gifts, favors and parties! I love that these are all so simple and budget-friendly.

This uses the mesh fruit packaging material to wrap around a kraft box. What an ingenious idea.

Gold foil pennants anyone? These are from the insides of gold foil candy wrappers.

Both found on Tokketok

Now I have something to do with all my leftover yarn!

Cute idea using fabric and twine. Featured on The New Domestic as party favor packaging.

Only Martha could conjure up something so easy but so fab for something as simple as cookies.

This lovely idea of the button and elastic boxes also comes from Martha.

Eek! I totally love this. So easy to customize each bag. Get the template at Nice Package.

Lastly, doilies to add a nice touch. Found on Paper Crave.

Real Wedding: John + Zoe

2011-02-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

A dear friend of mine [who is a fabulous wedding planner], Michelle from Blissd, just posted her sister's adorable wedding that she helped plan AND also was a part of. You can see, through this lovely wedding, her love for her sister, Zoe. Check out their amazing wedding taken by the amazing Jose Villa! Congratulations again, John and Zoe!

Check out all the other photos on Bliss'd!!!

Hand-lettering

2011-02-24T13:36:00.001-08:00

Discovered some hand-lettering work of Mary Kate McDevitt. Hand-lettering adds such a nice personal touch. Check out her Etsy shop too!

Donuts are the new cupcakes!

2011-02-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

We can enjoy not just a simple glaze donut anymore but delicious donuts like blueberry that I tried from a cute donut shop I went to in Mill Creek, WA when visiting friends called Frost Donghnuts. With so many options in flavors and colors, these old time favorites are making their way into weddings and parties. Does it feel like donuts are making a comeback? I think so!!!

via Wedding Bee

via Martha Stewart

via Canelle Vanille

via love and lavender

via Prima Donna Bride

Creative Book Table Numbers

2011-02-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

I remember that coming up with a way to display the table numbers at my wedding was such an ordeal and almost an afterthought in the whole scheme of things. So you must understand why I envy the person who thought of this! I have seen books used in many aspects of a wedding but this is just plain adorable.

via Craft Lovely

More Than Just a Letterpress Thank You Card

2011-02-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you laser cut, sew and letterpress your thank you cards? You get this beautifully assembled piece of art! You can not help but drool over the details from it all.

Thank you Oh So Beautiful Paper for sharing!

Stunning Doily Installation at Beach

2011-01-31T14:54:00.000-08:00

These amazing doily installations by Nespoon installations were featured at Oak Beach near the Baltic Sea. Great way of integrating street art into a beach setting! Check out more here.

Really enjoyed the Christmas installation as well.

A JolieJolie Baby Shower

2011-01-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

I had the honor of throwing my partner in crime a baby shower this past weekend. Being 21 weeks pregnant myself, I quickly realized that this would not be as easy as it possible could have been but I was really determined to throw a very sweet baby shower for Rachel. So I planned, dreamed and gathered an army to execute what came out to be such a lovely baby shower.

The kite inspired baby shower wouldn't have been made possible if it weren't for my army of slaves (you know who you all are) and Wendy of Dozi Designs for designing everything that involved paper!

Here are the photos of that fun day!

I was able to create this with some sheer white fabric, double satin ribbon and clouds made of batting. Fun cute swirly straws, old fashion pop and tons of desserts to finished the whole table off.

Here are the desserts that I made for the table:

Creme Brulee

Cinnamon sugar donuts

Cream puffs with vanilla custard

Raspberry macarons... of courrse

Here are the adorable things that Wendy made.

Cute little kites and a kite journal for favors:

Here is the close up of the journal.

Wendy also made an adorable game booklet which had word scramble, crossword puzzle and a game where you had to identify fonts!

I had a great time putting this together and we appreciate all of you for allowing us to be creative! 2011 will be an exciting year as we both expect little ones but you all will keep us doing what we love doing!!!

DIY Rustic Headboard

2011-01-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

You can make this awesome headboard found on House*Tweaking. The original instructions for the headboard piece itself can be found here. LOVELY!

Calendar Winner!

2011-01-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all of you who participated through the blog and Facebook! The calendar winner has been selected!

We have randomly selected the winner and it is:

Brielle! Congrats!

Thanks again to all the readers!

WIN ME! 2011 Parisian Wall Calendar

2011-01-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

Inspired by my Paris trip in 2009, I had some fun designing a calendar for 2011 to kick off the new year. Though we are still a lowly blog from two girls looking for a creative outlet, we appreciate all our readers! I will be giving one away and announcing the winner on Monday, Jan. 17th. To enter, just leave a comment on this post or on our facebook page by 1/16. Make sure there is a way I can contact you back. Good Luck!

13x19"
All original artwork
Printed on 80# cover bright white matte paper

It is also available in our Etsy store!

Chocolate Bar Wedding Invitation

2011-01-10T11:10:00.001-08:00

This is pretty awesome. Italy-based design agency, Uncle Pear integrates a wedding invitation into a chocolate bar.

Found on Behance

Kirsten Hassenfield at Bellwether Gallery

2011-01-05T10:52:00.000-08:00

I am love with a past exhibition by artist, Kirsten Hassenfield. What a lovely display of paper and what appears to be illumination. See the rest of the amazing exhibition at Bellwether Gallery.

Charm

Dans la Lune (installation view)

Cameo Egg

Pink Cluster

Untitled (Witch)

Images from Bellwether Gallery

Macaron vs. Macaroon

2010-12-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

You may ask, "Isn't it the same thing?". They are far from being the same! Though they both share the similarity of possibly being gluten free and using egg whites, they taste and even look different! I decided to do a post for my fellow macaron fans to help others understand the difference.

The French Macaron

Photographer: Manus Chau Photography

This recently popular treat made from egg whites, almond flour and powder sugar taste as good as it looks. The meringue makes these very light and fluffy. And if you think they look pretty easy to make, then you have been fooled! The process is a very delicate process that can make you want to hit your head against a wall because it may take you 2-3 times your first time to get them to look and taste right. Plenty of patience and care is needed to bake these macarons.
You can see my experience with making the French macaron here.

The Macaroon

photo source

The macaroon, usually made with coconut, is not as light as the macaron and take about 1/3 of the time to bake compared to the macaron. They are not as pretty as the macaron but if you love coconut you probably are a fan of these cookies. This is probably known as the "American" cookie while the macaron is probably known as the "French" cookie.

Until you have tried a macaron, macaroon and macaron is all the same to you. So if you haven't tried a French macaron yet, what are you waiting for!?! They have been so popular within the last year or so, I am sure you are bound to find a bakery that has one near you. Once you have tried them, you too will be a stickler to make the correction between macaroon and macaron.

Pinhole Camera Postcard

2010-12-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

Flutter In Pinhole is fun and creative way for people to take and share pictures while traveling. It works like a Polaroid camera and photographs are captured into a pre-drawn frame, which you can then add a message to and post.

Found on Dieline.

Free Sketch-It-Yourself Printable Calendars

2010-12-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Skip to my Lou for this fun and FREE printable calendar find from Lula Louise. Here's to an organized 2011!

Go to Skip to my Lou to see other free printable calendars they found!

Foil Stamped Invitation

2010-12-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful foil-stamped find by Andrew Townsend. The wedding invitation is so simple but the foil stamping gives it that wow factor. The silver on white looks amazing! Spotted on Head Vs. Heart.

Photo Styling Clothes into Food

2010-12-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

Love this photo styling by Katrin Schacke that turns your threads into food! Found on Benign Objects.

Illustrated San Francisco Wedding Map

2010-12-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Love this illustrated wedding map from Julia Kuo (with designer Phyllis Sa) of The Nimbus Factory.

Owl Ornament

2010-12-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

I have a overwhelming collection of fabrics and felts that I wanted to use this holiday season. So I grabbed all my materials and came up with this very sweet handmade owl ornament. Next year I will be prepared to make this in masses because I had so many people asking for them!

DIY Holiday Garland Round-Up

2010-12-15T12:06:00.001-08:00

Looking for fun and festive ways to spice up your holiday? Check out these easy DIY holiday garland and decor ideas!

Paper ornament garlands made from recycled books and newspaper
from The Sweetest Occasion

Sewed paper garland from Mini-Eco

Circular ring paper garland from Craftstylish

Braided felt garland from PurlBee

Cupcake liner garland seen on Project Wedding

Vintage paper tissue paper garland from Annadroy

A Vintage Travel-Themed Wedding

2010-12-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

This past summer, I helped some good friends design their wedding invitations. The rules? They wanted it to be travel-themed (since they are both big globetrotters) and had to utilize the colors of their alumni, University of Washington which were gold and purple. The bride really wanted to do the invitation like a passport. Slightly hesitant because while her wedding was meant to be very romantic and vintage, those colors didn't really quite fit the palette and I've seen one too many cheesy passport invitations. We eventually came to an agreement that it didn't have to literally read like a passport but still come off as one. Hopefully that goal was accomplished.

The cover was foil stamped in silver onto Curious Touch lavender skin cover stock (which feels almost like leathery). I seriously was in love with that paper. It sat in a translucent gold envelope for delivery. All saddle stitched together with purple thread.

Instead of the traditional passport invite look of having the couple's photo and a form layout, we went for the traditional looking invitation inside to maintain the vintage feel. It was purple ink digitally printed onto cream cardstock.

Threw in some vintage drawings for good measure. The postcard RSVP was to mirror old-school telegram forms (as seen in next image). It was perfed for easy and convenient mailing.

I also really loved their wedding photos by Rock the Image. Check out the wonderful wedding below. You'll see below that the seating charts were all passports to different cities theyve visited tucked into a little passport holder. Each table was marked with a miniaturized version of special landmarks. Check out more fab photos on the photographer's blog.

Crocheted Coral Reef

2010-12-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

One of my husband's most beloved hobbies is fish. Fish tanks, plant tanks, saltwater and freshwater tanks. Before I met him, I knew nothing about fish. Now, I could easily name you all the proper names of all the fish and corals in Finding Nemo. He has set up and maintained many tanks and one of his best works was his 50gallon saltwater tank. This tank was more about the corals than it was about the fish and here's a photo of his tank before he sold it to give him some fish street cred :)

So why am I talking about coral reef tanks? I recently discovered this amazing project by Hybebolic Crochet Coral Reef. In an attempt to "preserve" the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, two sisters from Queenstown, Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring began a project to crochet a woolen reef. It has become a worldwide movement in cities all over. Check out some of the amazing work as well as featured exhibitions.

Pictures from Hybebolic Crochet Coral Reef.

Veggie & Fruit Spread

2010-12-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

While dessert tables ala Amy Atlas have been all the rage, this was a refreshing break from the norm and offered a healthy approach to gorging at a party. LA photographer Serena Grace shot these beautiful photos for a child's birthday party. The creative work was done by Esther of My Bride Story and Kristine of Kristine Shin Designs. See the rest here!

Photos from Serena Grace

Letterpress Matchbook Calendar

2010-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year where we start seeing some great calendar designs. Check out this cute little letterpressed matchbook calendar from Inkello!

DIY Magnetic Advent Calendar

2010-11-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving means only one thing... time to get ready for Christmas!

This adorable DIY advent calendar is a great project to celebrate the season! Advent calendars are so much fun for everyone of all ages!

To make your own magnetic advent calendar go HERE! Thanks Twig and Thistle for sharing!

Holiday Decoration-Wood Animals

2010-11-23T11:55:00.001-08:00

Love these simple wooden creatures from the Müzo line on Paige Russell. Caribou and sheepies! How festive!

Papercuts and Glass Domes

2010-11-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

I instantly fell in love with these awesome papercuts by Helen Musslewhite! Putting them in glass domes made them perfect!

source

Handmade Felt & Yarn Wreaths

2010-11-16T17:31:00.000-08:00

Found these adorable felt and yarn wreaths on Etsy from Anna Hailey. These non-traditional wreaths are all handmade and perfect for the holidays! She has a lot more in her shop. If you're a DIY-er, I found a great tutorial here to make your own here.

These are from Handmade Collectible's shop.

Typographic Graduation Invites

2010-11-14T22:28:00.000-08:00

Stumbled upon these lovely typography-based graduation invites from soon-t0-be designer grad, Sarah Mick. Check out the rest of her work.

Flower Baking Hat

2010-11-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Good ol' Amy Atlas shared about this adorable baking hat that you can

embellish with stickers and some baking paper cups!

2010 Holiday Gift Guide from Little Lovely

2010-11-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

I love when people put together cute little gift guides. Less work for me :) Check out the one over at Little Lovely. Love everything posted!

1. Canvas Advent Calendar 2. A Key For Santa 3. Christmas Bird Ornaments 4. Custom Stamped Animal Ornament 5. Nest with Egg 6. Butterfly Ornament 7. Matryoshka Advent Calendar 8. Personalised Reindeer Ornaments 9. Farmhouse Advent Calendar 10. Christmas Tree Decal 11. Winter Cheer Print 12. Toadstool Decorations.

Travel-Themed Wedding Invitation

2010-11-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Travel themed weddings have been all the rage recently and sadly, many of them can be a little bit cheese so I was delighted when I received my cousin, Jon's wedding invitation. It was literal but the design helped carry it through. It was designed by one of the bride's bridesmaid, Jenny Pan.

The invites came as boarding passes enclosed in a specially designed converted envelope. One of my favorite parts was that the map was printed on the inside of the envelope.

At the wedding, passport programs in cloth bags were handed out. At the reception, guests were escorted by luggage tag looking seating cards that directed you to airport named tables. There were also little glassine filled bags of peanuts labeled with the "par avion" sticker that read the couple's names. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a shot of this :(

It's good to know that good taste runs in the family :) Congrats again to my cousin, Jon & new cousin, Jennifer!

Geography +Typography World Map

2010-11-01T14:27:00.001-07:00

Fun stuff for a Monday. Geography typography world map found on Toxel using the ever so popular Helvetica Neue. Available at Typomaps.

DIY Take-out Flowers

2010-10-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Look at this simple flower arrangement using take-out cup holders! Pure genius!

source

Paper Wedding Bouquets by Whether Paperworks

2010-10-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I came across this adorable paper wedding bouquet on sfgirlbybay. These handcrafted bouquets can be found on Whether Paperworks through Etsy.

Check out this cute pomander!

DIY Fabric Lined Envelopes

2010-10-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Love these DIY fabric lined envelopes from Project Wedding! A fun way to dress up your next greeting or invitation.

New DwellStudio mobiles by frazier & wing

2010-10-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Adorable paper mobiles and garlands that DwellStudio had designed for them by Oregon based studio, frazier & wing. Each are handcrafted with love and care. Check out some of their other pieces.

found on project nursery

"My Life in PSD" video

2010-10-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

A fun way to end the week. If you're a heavy Photoshop user like myself, you'll like this. Enjoy!!

I Have PSD from Hyperakt on Vimeo.

Wedding on Wood

2010-10-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

As an invitation into the fall season, check out this lovely wedding invitation and stationery all silk screened onto wood. It's gives it a really nice and simple elegance. Found on Andrew Bessler's flickr who I presume is the designer:)

Their one piece program

Wow! Even the escort cards are on wood.

Spice Up Your Outfit

2010-10-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Add these lovely accessories from No144 to your dress, flats or hair for some additional flair. I love the shoe clips that can turn a $50 pair of shoes to a $100 pair :) They also have great wedding accessories like wedding pillows and hair pieces.

Unique Escort and Seating Card Ideas

2010-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

I've recently seen some really unique escort and seating card ideas that are so adorable and even some easy DIY ideas.

Fabric escort cards found on Snippet & Ink
Photography: Evan Miller

A great collection of keys incorporated into the escort cards.
Found on Inspired by This
Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Photo by Bryan Photography

Bows & Barrettes found on Inspired by This. You should check out this wedding in general.
It was such a fun and colorful wedding filled with DIY.
Photo by Aaron Shintaku

Escort cards on wagon wheel!
Found on Once Wed. Photo by Carrie Patterson

Veggie seed escort cards tied with some fabric.
Found on Eco Thrifty Bride

DIY Canvas Calendar

2010-10-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

I love this canvas calendar I found on Design Sponge. You can make this calendar yourself! The step by step instructions can be found here along with materials that are needed. This calendar would make a great gift to give someone this upcoming holiday season.

Amazing Typography Installations from Ebon Heath

2010-10-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Amazing stereo.type installation from Ebon Heath.

Organic & Modern Nursery

2010-09-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly transitioning into the nesting phase as I enter my 21st week of pregnancy and have been looking online for ideas. I came across this really unique looking nursery designed by clothing designer, Molly Payne on Skimbaco. That crib is really something!

Pinwheel Escort Cards

2010-09-28T09:36:00.001-07:00

Project Wedding always has some fabulous and unique projects for weddings. I'm currently loving this pinwheel escort card. See the full tutorial here.

New Swedish Ikea Cookbook

2010-09-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Ikea just released a cookbook in Sweden called Hembakat är Bäst. This is a perfect way to play with your food. The photos are amazing! I really home this cookbook comes to the States.

Fina Kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) - ingredients

Schwarzwaldtårta (black forest cake) - ingredients

Mandelmusslor (almond shells) - ingredients

source : craftzine

Scratch-Off Save The Date

2010-09-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

These fun save-the-dates by Unless Someone Like You is a great way to share the good news with your friends and family!

Thanks June Bug Weddings for sharing!

End of Summer Baby Shower

2010-09-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to surprise a close friend of mine with an owl-themed baby shower in Seattle, WA. I baked all my goodies which consists of 3 kinds of mini french macarons [hazelnut Nutella, pistachio and raspberry], green tea cream puffs and butter mochi from California and took them on the plane with me. Despite me being many miles away, I was able to execute a very fun baby shower with help of some friends. Here are the pictures of that day. Congratulations, Sophie and Joey! We can't wait for the arrival of baby Lucy.
This shower was inspired by this baby shower invitation from Tiny Prints

All the goodies...

The set up of the table before we dressed it up with a lot of yummy food! I made paper poms with double sided satin ribbon hanging off the chandelier. I reused a wood stump that I used for my wedding to place the little macaron topiary which I made using a foam ball, a 1 inch dowel and a clay pot dressed with moss.

Here it is... with ALL the food!

I used gift tags from Tiny Prints to re-purpose as signage.

I also re-purposed the address labels to put on the party favors, which were

more macarons to take home. :)

A Convertible Wedding Invitation that Really Shines

2010-09-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

An amazing wedding invitation that transforms into a candle holder. Designed by Helena Martins.

Unique Wedding Menus

2010-09-10T09:00:00.001-07:00

A friend was asking for some help to look up some unique wedding menu ideas and I browsed the edges of the internets, I found some fun and amazing ideas!

Chocolate menus. Such a clever idea and it doesn't go to waste! At least not at my table:) Find them here at Delysia Chocolatier.

Double your menu with your favor like this unique wedding menu. Perfect for any outdoor wedding setting. Found on Flickr.

Hand-illustrated menus bring a unique style and flavor to any menu. This one courtesy of the talented Indigo Bunting.Misplaced Paradox

Interactive menus like this cootie catcher menu from Nuance Occasions are always fun!

Summer Wedding Fiesta

2010-09-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

The this vintage Spanish themed wedding is one for the books. The vibrant colors and the incorporation of things old and new put a special touch to this couples great day.

I love these custom made papel picados!

Photographer: Ala

A Whale of a Birth Announcement

2010-09-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

A fun birth announcement that is played up by the name of the new arrival, Jonas similar to the biblical name Jonah which we know, was swallowed by a whale. Designer Louise-Lotte Brekelmans who hails from Belgium put all the content "inside the whale". The whale flap is tucked and holds the whole announcement together. So adorable!

Boys to Little Men Party Theme

2010-09-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Scissors Paper Cake threw this adorable boys' birthday party found over at Birthday Girl and I couldn't help but squeal at the little bow tie and tie cupcakes and cookies and other cute little goodies they put together.

A "Green" Wedding

2010-08-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

100 Layer Cake featured this nature themed wedding that was nothing but perfect! I love all the elements to their picture perfect wedding!

Check out more here!

Featured in Brides Magazine!

2010-08-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Rachel's wedding stationery that she designed for a friend's wedding has been featured in the September issue of Brides magazine! Check out the incredible photos shot by the amazing Lisa Lefkowitz.Images from her blog.

Papel Picado Dinner Rehearsal Invitation

2010-08-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

Albertine Press created this really cool papel picado inspired dinner rehearsal invitation. Love it!

LetterboxCo

2010-08-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on LetterboxCo. when I was researching for organizational items for my craft room. I like how they have a very simple yet vintage look to their items.