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!

i scream, you scream

When we purchased our house in 2008, we failed to realize the convenience (and danger) of having an icecream shop literally at the entrance to our subdivision. With chocolate peanut butter icecream at an arm's length, let's just say that we became frequent customers. All in the name of "quality family time," of course. So when we hopped on our bikes for the first time this spring to make our first annual trip to Scoopy's, our two-year-old was dismayed to see a "FOR SALE" sign in the door. Crushed, in fact. Okay, it was mom who was crushed. But the little man was a little disappointed too.

So in honor of Scoopy's, and in hopes that someone will buy the store and open its doors again before the first sound of summer crickets, I share this tasty packaging for Honey & Mackie's by Wink. Don't you just want to lick them? (the icecream, that is...)

I recently had the pleasure of doing some brand consultation and development for a client that led to my researching vintage typography and graphic design (read more about it here). I loved poring over the charming, whimsical details in 50's an 60's advertising and literature. Rather than recreating what's already been done though, the true challenge is reinterpreting it to be fresh and relevant today. Wink has done just that in their packaging below.

So if anyone's looking to venture out as an entrepreneur, might I suggest opening a Honey & Mackie's in Canton, Michigan? You'll have at least three faithful customers to help get your business off the ground!

buzzkill coasters

Yes, I'm horrible. No posts in nearly three weeks. I've had a ton of new projects come my way recently, and have neglected this blog. I post these in honor of upcoming family gatherings this coming Easter season. These fabulous coasters by Gilah Press seem to be in line with my MYOB cards. I absolutely love them.

Enjoy!

shower secrets

A mood board for a baby shower? Yes, that's what you get when you put a brand designer and paper lover in charge of a shower. So months ago when I set out to plan a gender-neutral shower for a dear friend of mine who also happens to love the color green, I decided to embrace our dear woodland creatures and have some fun.

If you've never heard of a mood board, it's like a collage of ideas or images that reflect the tone of your brand, the room you'd like to make over (i.e. my newest blog addiction, Young House Love, and their mood boards for stylish room makeovers) or in this case, your event. Here's what the shower mood board looked like a few months ago. Super simple, but lots of fun:

Then came the invitations. Read the full story here.

From there, it was just plain fun.

Favor tins? Check.

Game? Check.

Centerpieces? Check.
(A bit of background: I looked into real birch stump balloon weights, and thought that there must be a greener way to do it. So I found a birchbark image online, and designed my own wraps instead! No wood, no saws, no wood burning... no problem!)

They would make cute vases too, wouldn't they?

Wanting to stick to my budget, I decided instead to use them as balloon weights and pen holders for the shower games. Being the resourceful person that I am, I opened up my drawer of useless office supplies I will never use, and rigged a paper fastener to the bottom to loop the balloons around. To all of my blog-readers who are closet engineers, I invite you to share how I could have more effectively done this. :)

Then I slipped on the paper sleeve (you can tear apart your Starbucks cup sleeve for a rough template):

Next were these sweet cupcake wrappers. I had to modify their shape a bit, but nothing a little measuring can't fix. With that said, I can take no credit for the deliciousness that is inside them. That credit must be given to the lovely Diana Gawet of Diana's Cupcakes. She blogs about her tasty creations here. What can I say? There's a reason that I stick to the things I know best, leaving the rest to the experts. :) Did I mention that they were as tasty as they look? Yum!

And last but not least, the balloons. Yes, that is my son. No, he did not float away... though the sugar high he experienced on the aforementioned yummy cupcakes got him pretty close to flying!

All in all, the shower was a success. Fun was had, a friend was honored, and a baby was welcomed.

My advice to those of you planning a shower? Have fun with it! Look online for ideas, pick a theme and a color scheme, and run with it. You can have a beautiful shower / wedding / party on a budget.

Don't believe me? Check out my new design heroes, Sherry and John Petersik of Young House Love as they reveal the secrets behind their $3,995 backyard wedding here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a breakdown of their über-chic, über-cheap wedding. Seriously, that's less than many people spend on the dress alone. Their site is packed with great ideas on decorating on a budget and (in this case) planning a beautiful event complete with gorgeous details and sweet ideas without breaking the bank. But I digress. Did I mention that I love their blog?

Thanks to those of you who made it this far.
Happy showering!

then and now

Not long ago, a friend of mine shared photographer Irina Werning's series titled "Back To The Future." At first glance, I thought it was plain old Photoshop trickery. Being quite familiar with just about anything that can be done on the computer, I'm the biggest skeptic you'll find. It's hard to believe a photo for what it is these days. But when you scan through her entire collection (a few are a bit disturbing... be warned), the level of detail and lengths she went to replicate the original photos decades later is astounding. The locations, the lighting, the expressions... über-cool!

My aunt recently shared some old family photos on Facebook (see picture above). It's always strange finding photos of yourself that you've never seen. This one is proof that I was indeed close to bald until well after my 2nd birthday. And if anyone can find the dog that's in this photo, I'd be glad to strike a pose in that cute little dress. ;-)

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.