wine and design lovers, unite!

I'm pleased to share a sneak peek at some designs I'll be introducing for the first time this coming Thursday. Vintags® bottle hangers slip over the neck of a wine bottle to add style and personality to your gift and keep it from getting lost in the crowd! They're a fun alternative to wine bags, and will most likely come sweetly packaged in sets of six.

I love paper, and I love wine. A bottle of wine is the perfect last-minute gift that I've found myself grabbing on my way out the door to a special event (for which I'm inevitably 15 minutes late). The problem was that a wine bottle by itself seemed impersonal, and usually got lost in the shuffle when I arrived. Wine bags are a nice option, but I never have them on hand and they usually get tossed aside when you get to the party. That's when I started designing little cheeky gift cards to hang around the necks of wine bottles. Pretty soon, they became talking points at the party, and added personality to my otherwise last-minute gift. They're easy to keep on hand, and are made of premium matte-coated paper for durability.

Enjoy!

let it snow

With the weather turning cooler, I thought I'd share a favorite piece of type with you. I absolutely love this gorgeous hand-cut type by Danielle Kroll (done for Anthropologie's 2009 Christmas Website; art direction by David Chanpong and Laura Twilley). Isn't it delicious?

Enjoy your first flakes of snow!

furry friend cards

Yes, it has been a month since my last post. This summer has been amazing and hectic all in one. Highlights have included a week at the cottage, an inspiring design conference, two fabulous concerts (U2 and Keith Urban), far too many ice cream cones with my nearly three-year-old, and great times with friends and family. Needless to say, I'd take this kind of busy any day. I feel very, very blessed.

Still, it's time to post something to my neglected blog, so I'm pulling this little project out of the archives. It's a stationery set I designed for my cousin, who happens to be the sweetest animal lover I know. For as long as I can remember, Erin's had a furry (or winged) creature to love. Bunnies in particular have a special place in her heart. She's taken this passion to a whole new level, and volunteers for Rabbit Rescue (click here for their website), finding loving homes for neglected animals and regularly taking them in herself until a home is found. Erin also manages their online store here, where you can find all sorts of cute products for animal lovers.

I decided to send Erin this little stack of custom cards for her birthday. They were a lot of fun to work on.

Enjoy!

Words to read by

Several months back, I worked on these little bookmarks. I'm not about wasting paper, so when a client ordered square postcards and the printer had some extra space on the rectangular sheet, I designed these little bookmarks with some good little reminders to keep on hand or between the pages of your favorite book.

Now if only I had time to read...

I got the above Lovebird placecard holders at Beau-Coup. Each bird has little slot in its beak that can hold a piece of paper. They're made of solid metal, giving them a nice weight, and come in a set of eight. If you've never shopped at Beau-Coup, they offer exceptional customer service, and have some really cute products on their site.

DIY Pantone Magnets

I just stumbled across these great DIY Pantone Chip magnets, and I'm LOVING them.
For a full description of how to make them yourself, click here.

Here's a closer look:

For a fun variation, how about mini polaroid pictures?

Kudos (and photo credits) go to How About Orange for this great DIY idea!

DIY Magazine Bow

I'm a last-minute kinda gal, and gifts are no exception. I usually find myself wrapping my gift minutes before leaving for a party. So when I stumbled across these sweet bows made from magazine pages, I did a double-take. Not only are they a great way to get rid of that ever-growing stack of magazines, but they use things you have on hand, and seem to be easy enough to whip up a chic bow when you can't find just the right one.

I love the idea of using old newspaper or old phone book pages for your wrapping paper
and topping it with a shot of color.





















What you'll need:

1. A single sheet of paper from a magazine, newspaper, or map.
2. Scissors
3. Stapler (glue dots or double-sided tape would also work).

Cut a magazine page lengthwise into nine strips, each approx. 3/4" wide.
Leave three of the strips full length. Cut 1" off three of the strips.
Cut two inches off 2 of the strips.
Cut the last strip down to 3 1/2" long.

Twist each strip to form a loop at both ends and staple it in the center.
Shape the last (short) strip into a circle and secure it with a glue dot. 

Layer the three longest pieces on top of each other, spacing them evenly
and securing each with a glue dot. Add the next two groups of pieces,
doing the same. And finally, stick the loop into the center. Voila!
(Credits: How About Orange)

And for some fun variations, how about using a map (great for a going away gift)
or felt (adorable for a baby shower)? This would also be a great way to top a card
and make it feel a bit more like a gift.

Happy gifting!

facebook circa 1960

The other day, I referred to a DVD as a "video" and immediately felt a decade older. In honor of that, I share these vintage-inspired "ads" for social media. Read more about them here. I wonder what the next generation's Facebook will be... and whether I'll catch myself accidentally calling it Facebook (followed by an eyeball roll by my son).

Enjoy!

Credits: Ricky Salsberry of The Donut Project

shut your pie hole (and other MYOB cards)

A dear friend of mine (let's call her "Sassy") and her husband have chosen to grow their family through adoption. Recently, Sassy posted the following message on her Facebook: "I love these cards! I needed them last week when a cashier asked me, "What happened to his mom? Did she just leave??" Her post was accompanied by a link to the cards immediately below by artist and adoptive parent Jodi Queenan: (To my designer friends, please excuse the indiscretionary use of Zapfino. This post gets better, I promise...)

My immediate response to Sassy, who I have named appropriately, was that she needed something a little "sassier." If you know Sassy, you'd understand that cards with birds, hearts, and kindly-phrased sentiments on adoption would not be the first thing she might dole out to a prying cashier. I decided to whip together some modified cards for her (not available for sale – please note that these are intentionally designed to look like the original cards by Jodi Queenan, and I am in no way claiming creative license to them). Because truthfully, getting Sassy to laugh is on my weekly bucket list.

Behold, I share with you the Sassy-inspired "MYOB" cards... complete with grocery bag mini envelopes to discretely hold (and seal) your special message while you make your exit. With a smile on your face.

All of this has of course gotten me thinking about a whole line of passive-aggressive notes that could be handed out in similar situations by not only adoptive parents, but by parents with large families ("Are they ALL yours!?"), mothers of children with abnormally large heads ("Did you deliver him naturally? Once you've had a baby like that, you're NEVER the same..."), and of course to parents who insist on showing off their extraordinary parenting skills while your toddler chooses to forget his words and simply grunt ("Haven't you heard of the Elimination Communication Method? Our Anabelle has been potty-trained since she was THREE months old!). Myself, I've personally found myself in two out of three of these scenarios: I have just one child who looks like Charlie Brown, and still wears diapers at 2 years old.

What about you? If you could have a passive-aggressive note on hand, what would it say? Who would be the lucky recipient? Please share your comments... the lucky winner(s) may receive custom notes of their own. Grin.

guess whooo!

Guess whooo's having a baby? (hint: it's not me!)

My good friend Jeanne is having her first baby this June. I may not be much of a baker, but I can make a mean baby shower invitation. I decided to have some fun with the scratch-offs and woodland creatures. Each of the invitations requires the recipient to scratch the tree stump to reveal who the shower is for. They were mailed in gorgeous chocolate brown envelopes from Paper Source with a shiny penny inside for scratching!

Isn't this cream felt-finish paper gorgeous? It handled the ink beautifully, and gave the invitations a lovely, natural quality. Delish!

As for the cupcakes, I'll be commissioning the ever-so-talented Diana Gawet from DG Cupcakes to make these charming treats. I can't wait to see them!

Have a hoot today!