Ideas for your Weekend: DIY Projects

This weekend you should try your hand out on these AMAZING (Do-It-Yourself) project ideas. I love them all and have been waiting for just the perfect time to introduce them to you! The projects are all relatively simple (step by step instructions if you click on the link, along with a complete list of materials you will need), inexpensive, and would make a great addition to any home!

DIY Toilet Paper Roll Wall Art
via Design Sponge {instructions}

DIY Faux Milkglass Centerpieces
via Ruffled {instructions}

DIY Wine Bottle Centerpieces
via Ruffled {step by step instructions}

Let me know what your favorite is and if you try any of these. I would love to see how your turns out, so take pictures and send them my way. (There may be a little prize in it for you if you do!)

Inside Look: Train Birthday Invitations

Train Party Birthday Invitations
{for my soon to be 3 year old}

I wanted to create a modern and hip little invitation for my son who LOVES his trains.
My goal was to create something unique and different. What do you think?

{Inspiration}

Toy Trains (Ikea)

{Process}

I photographed his little trains, printed the photographs, sketched/traced over the printed photograph, created a line drawing using tracing paper over the photograph/ink image, scanned the tracing paper into my computer, and then very carefully vectorized (definitely not a word) the line drawing. (I highly doubt that he will appreciate the amount of work that went into this very seemingly simple invitation. ha.)

{My Helper}
While I photographed and traced, my little one colored his own train in his little coloring book.

{Finished Product}

I love it. I think it is super chic and unexpected for a little boy who loves trains. I like that the color scheme is different (well from normal boys, not to my son, his room is decorated in those colors) and gives it a retro feel.

{So fun}

I will be creating a birthday party pack for this invitation set and will have it in the shop soon. Let me know if you would like purchasing/customizing information.

Favorite Finds - Recipe Cards

{ r e c i p e c a r d s }
These make me want to design my own (and organize my recipe box...)

{a la bouffe}
These cards are just beautiful.
I love the repeating pattern for the index card and how it coordinates with the design of the recipe cards.

{Up Up Creative}

The graphic quality of these cards are so fun!
The whisk pattern could easily be printed and hung as artwork in a kitchen... it really is that cute!

{Dezign Daze}

Again, the graphic quality is adorable.
What a great idea to use everyday kitchen dishware, utensils and/or accessories to create a pattern...

{Saddle Stitch Studio}

Love the layout of these cards with the ingredient list on the left and the directions on the right... and of course those adorable little icons in the top left hand corner.

I LOVE these letterpress recipe cards...
the color scheme and paper choice matched with the letterpress printing adds such an organic feel.
{one canoe two}

Which one is your favorite?

I am going to go organize my recipes now... haha.

Ideas for your Weekend: Give a Gift

So, this week I received the sweetest package from a friend... for no reason at all. I had so much fun opening it and exploring all the little goodies she had packed inside. There were gifts for the entire family... each so thoughtful!

My weekend idea? Send a gift to a friend or family member. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money... you could even make something that you know they would love.

My package included so many goodies:

• a couple issues of her favorite magazine
• the cutest binder from liberty of london
• inside the binder: a planner that she printed out and filled in for me... I am thinking I will start using this to organize my blog ideas/craft projects
• a jotter journal with changeable cover (tutorial to make your own here)
• mini custom file folders
• large fabric covered file folder
• LOVELY paper scrap packs and journal making kits
• and of course, a pack of buttons (I love buttons.)
• Gifts for my son: see picture below
• Gift for my husband: a cd of one of the earliest church services of the original Aletheia Church... we had so much fun listening to that cd... (See my sweet friend who sent me the package, her husband was one of the first people my husband met when he moved from California to Virginia to start a collegiate church... Rob & Ashley were instrumental in helping to start the first Aletheia.) What amazing memories were brought back by that cd.

Needless to say this gift was so very thoughtful and so very appreciated. I cannot wait to start making little things from all the craft goodies she sent my way. (You can check out Ashley's work here... so talented. I strive to be like her ;) )

A few ideas of things you could send to someone you love (even if you aren't crafty):

• A couple fun magazines that you know they would love (not expensive to give as a gift, but a splurge they probably don't ever buy for themselves)
• A mini photo album for a family member filled with fun pictures (especially if you live far away... it's such a great way to keep your family up to date)
• Recipes of your favorite meals: you could just fill out some index cards with your favorite new recipes. For a special touch, add a photo of the recipe or fun paper to the back of the card.
• Books: go through your collection and find a couple favorites that you know the receiver would love.
• From a child to a child: have your child pick a couple toys from their toy box to send to their friend. What a special way to teach your child what it means to be a giver!

Just a couple ideas of a way to bless someone you love for little to no money.

Gifts for my sons:

The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss for Asher
& a sweet little matchbox car for Andrew (his most favorite thing!)

Even the packaging was cute and thought out... she used sewing pattern tissue paper.

Thank you so much Ashley, Rob and Jimmy for the sweetest surprise!
We loved opening up all the treasures. You are such a blessing to our family!

. . .

Do you have any fun and creative gift ideas?

I LOVE this script.
(I mean look at the X... isn't is just gorgeous?!)
It is a perfect combination of elegance and grace. A wonderful font for all things wedding.

{You can download this font for free here.}

Inspiration to Creation: Bachelorette Party Invitations

{Inspiration} Napkin

{Creation} Bachelorette Party Invitations

My client is planning a bachelorett party for a friend and had already purchased the napkins as inspiration for the party theme and decorations. She asked me to design an invitation based on the napkin... I think it turned out beautifully!

Inside Look: New Inspiration

An inside look at what I am currently working on: custom wedding invitations. My most recent client is using these images as her inspiration for her upcoming wedding next spring. The couple will be using orchids and wanted to incorporate them into the invitations. My job is to make that happen. I will be drawing the orchids, giving the invitations a very organic feel.

Super excited about this project!




Just a little peek into the way I work:

Some of you have asked me how I do all that I do... I thought I would take a minute to let you know the systems I have created and put into place that help our life be less crazy, less stressful, more productive, and fun!

Note the lists upon lists. I am super forgetful by nature, thus the multiple lists. (I carry this amazing planner with me everywhere. *Little secret, I always buy my planner a day or so after Christmas when they are 50% off.)

I wear many hats... I am a wife, mother, church graphic designer, business owner/designer... The way I manage (I use that term loosely) all of those roles? I schedule out my days (morning playtime with Drew, cleaning/laundry in the mornings, etc.) and assign myself different tasks for different days - note the mini calendar paper clipped to the top of the planner. As for my personal design work I have a 'Weekly Task List.' I start a new list each week updating the clients and tasks needed to complete for each client. At the top of the 'Weekly Task List' is a small list of the things I should be doing weekly to maintain my business (i.e. updating my shop with new products, blogging regularly, researching/designing new products, etc.)... 'should be' is the key word.

I am learning though, that more important than lists and schedules, is flexibility and correct priorities when it comes to balancing so many roles. My goal with the schedule and the list taking is not to live this crazy rigid life where I am never available to meet with a friend or have a playdate, but to eliminate stress.... because if I am stressed then so is my husband... and really, he has enough to worry about without me freaking out about my printer not working or that the post office is closed.

I hope this was helpful. I would love to hear from you about how you balance all that you do!

Do you have any other questions for me about this sort of thing? I am by no means a master but I have spent the last year working on this very thing pretty much daily... so I may have a few ideas to help you! ;)