a madcap holiday...

okay...when i started this blog i swore to not be one of those bloggers with numerous postings the first few weeks then nothing for weeks and weeks and weeks. while my intentions were good, life just got a little busier than anticipated. below is a brief rundown of completed projects since 11/01:

two december wedding day-of packages consisting of :

• 205 printed escort envelopes with table assignment inserts
• 140 wedding program booklets
  
• 23 table signs
• 23 menus
• 14 candy bar signs
• 6 reserved seating signs
• 2 large welcome signs
• 1 candy bar poem sign
  
• 1 wedding wishes sign

two january wedding invitation packages consisting of

• 250 invitations, designed and printed
  
• 250 envelope liners
• 250 information cards
• 250 respond postcards
• 150 reception cards
• 150 envelopes printed with return and mailing address

{thankfully they were diy...}

three holiday party invitations consisting of

• 210 invitations-designed, printed, and assembled
  
• 210 envelopes printed with return and/or mailing address
• 155 custom envelope liners

six sets of custom stationery consisting of :

• 125 notecards, designed, printed and decoratively wrapped for holiday giving
  
• 125 custom lined envelopes
• 50 printed return addresses

ten custom holiday card packages which included

• 1210 holiday greetings-designed, printed and 5 out of 10 assembled
  
• 1055 envelopes printed with return and/or mailing addresses
• 800 photographs printed and attached to cards
  
• 415 custom envelope liners
  
• 275 outer seals
  
• 225 custom jackets
• 200 yards of double face satin ribbon
• 130 envelopments pockets
• 75 custom return address labels
  

no wonder my home printer conked in the middle of the holiday rush. thankfully mindy, nicole and rick at priority printing were great about stepping in and taking on extra jobs when the printer died. i would have never completed all these projects without their help, from printing to cutting they were a huge help! i'm lucky to have them handling the majority of my digital and offset print jobs...they do great work.

as busy and hectic as it was i wouldn't have changed a thing. i had the opportunity to work with all my wonderful clients (many who i have been working with for years) and create designs that i absolutely loved! we even managed to squeeze in a quick trip to visit mickey and minnie in celebration of our granddaughter's 2nd birthday...merry christmas to me!

continuing the theme

as previously mentioned I love finding creative ways to carry the overall theme of an invitation right through to the event! above are images from a baby shower planned and executed by debra heibert of tres fabu event planning and design (you can visit her website to view additional images).

the overall theme was lush fairy tale with a touch of alice in wonderland. with the anticipated arrival of a little princess the tone was set by creating a little storybook style invitation. in a palette of pink, ivory and gold using rich metallic papers, ribbons, rhinestones and sprinkling of glitter it was fun, whimsical and elegant all at the same time...i will try to get a photo soon

the day of the shower guests were greeted by a custom welcome sign in a vintage gold frame. escort cards were bookmarks...a sweet little keepsake, in addition to being functional. each table represented a different fairy tale princess chosen by the mommy to be. storybooks style table signs indicated the table designation and inside were blank pages with a request for guests to leave their "wishes for the newest little princess". accompanying each book was a fanciful feather pen making it easy to comply! topping each place setting was a coordinating menu polished off with a miniature gold building block...an adorable touch by debra and her team. also not pictured was a candy bar filled with the guest of honor's favorite sweets and coordinating signage. i love the way everything flows...color, design and overall theme.

thank you to cindi and lorenzo from cinzo photography for providing the wonderful images...since i usually don't attend the event i love seeing the day is captured in images!

where do i sit?

creative, fun escort cards and table signs can add so much of your personality to any event and finding imaginative ways to incorporate your overall motif and style along with the necessary information is a challenge i love.

the example shown above is from the garden wedding reception of jenna and brannon. jenna's father owned a landscaping company. needless to say their garden was in tip-top shape for the september reception. jenna had decided to use flowers from their garden to identify each table. i was able to find vintage style botanical print images of each flower. These images were printed on a metallic white cover stock then pop mounted on the blue cover stock used throughout their stationery suite. jenna had mentioned how important laughter was to her and brannon so, we were happy to find a couple of apropos flower related quotes to add to the signs...i love incorporating quotes and there are so many great sources for finding just the right one. for the escort cards one side was printed with the guest's name, on the other side a miniature version of the table sign was created. the night before the wedding a postage size image of their table flower was attached to the preprinted card signifying were the guest would sit! this little trick is especially great for accommodating last minute changes to your sitting plans. had any changes been needed they could have easily changed the flower image on the escort card without the need to reprint. i just love the celadon green and hydrangea blue color palette...the over all effect is clean, fresh and beautiful! such a fun wedding to be a part of thanks to jenna and her infectious smile and laughter!

another fun table sign format is to choose cities or places that have special meaning like these shown above which were created for scott and karen, at the request of debra heibert from tres fabu event planning and design. not only did the couple give each table the name of places where they had created wonderful memories but, they included a brief description of it's significance. this is a great way to spark lively dinner conversation among your guests as they discuss the information whether because they were a part of the memory or have similar memories. i also love the little holders created out of old wine corks. i simply shaved a little of the cork to give it a flat edge to lay on, then glued pennies on the new flat bottom to weight it down. across the top i added a slit in the cork and wedged in one of those cute circular paper clips... viola we had a rustic creative sign holder. perfect for a vineyard wedding.

a special thanks to cindi and lorenzo of cinzo photography for allowing me to post some of their wonderful images of these events.

images at last!

i'm so excited to finally post a few pictures. this summer i had the opportunity to work with crystal and conor on their 4th of july wedding at the monte verde inn in foresthill. crystal was referred to me by her friend nancy, who had been referred by natalie, who had been referred by charity, who was referred by her sister, hope, one of my very first brides almost 10 years ago...i consider that the ultimate compliment.

during the initial meeting with crystal she mentioned her plan to create pinwheels with the guest's names attached for her escort cards. with that tidbit and a few other insights i created a custom background for the border of the invitation along with a polka dot liner for the envelope in their delightful color palette of curry yellow and graphite grey. their website information was printed on a band which was attached to the back of the invitation to hold the respond postcard in place. coordinating polka dot and solid color papers were used for the pinwheels crafted by her and her friends...so cute. i also created a coordinating favor tag, program and table signs using elements from the invitation. they even asked me to create a rehearsal dinner invitation which gave a nod to the fireworks display that would be visible from the restaurant...sorry no pics of it.

as you can see by these images their attention to detail was wonderful. it enabled them to create a fun, fresh, sophisticated look for their wedding day... i just love how the cake coordinates so seamlessly with the stationery suite too!

a special thanks to jessica from stout photography for providing some wonderful images of the great details...it's pretty obvious which ones are hers...the really good ones! also thanks to crystal and conor for the opportunity to have a small part in making their wedding dreams a reality

dream...create...remember...

this is my motto. as a designer of custom invitations i love listening to my clients describe the dream/vision they have for their special event. then using that insight and knowledge i strive to create the perfect announcement, a unique and distinctive creation they and their guests will remember long after the big day, no matter what the occasion.

the highest compliment i can receive from a client is to have them refer their friends and family to me. often i'm asked where potential clients can view examples of my work which is why this blog was created. over time i'll be posting pictures, ideas and inspirations. i hope you'll check back often as i learn the ins and outs of blogging.