HOLIDAY CARD RETURN ADDRESS STAMPS

If you're sending out holiday cards this year, you're probably in the thick of planning right now.  Some of you may be completely organized and may already have them sent out (I received my first one this week!) While others may still be trying to take the perfect picture.

For those of you still in the planning stages,consider making your holiday cards even more festive with a cute holiday themed return address stamps.  I'm selling a whole bunch of sweet ones in my shop.

If you're still shopping for cards, check out Minted.  They are offering 15% off orders over $150. Offer ends today so don't delay!

FRESHLY MINTED: HOLIDAY CARD CHALLANGE

I'm beyond thrilled to announce that 2 of my designs were selected for Minted's Oh What Fun Holiday Card Challenge.  This is the biggest challenge of the year (over 3300 entries were submitted!!) and I'm so honored to be among those chosen to be sold on Minted.

The designs Married & Bright and Light Heart are both available in several different die-cut shapes (a couple shown below).  I think each design has that perfect touch of whimsy that is perfect for the holiday season!

If you are really paying attention, you also know that my design Mistletoe was picked as a winner for the 'Tis The Season Non-Photo Holiday Challenge.

All three are available for sale on Minted's site and I'm astonished to tell you that I've already gotten orders for these babies.  Some folks out there are some serious pre-planners!!

FRESHLY MINTED: ‘TIS THE SEASON HOLIDAY NON-PHOTO CARD CHALLENGE

I'm so pleased to announce that my design Misletoe has been selected to be sold on Minted!  I usually don't let the cat out of the bag until the design is for sale on the site, but I thought I'd make an exception as my design was also selected as a runner-up for the Christmas Time Is Here special prize award.  Yippee!

I'm so honored as there were some AMAZING designs in that category (Including Nam's awesome design that won the category - isn't it lovely?).

Check out Minted's blog Julep to see all the special prize winners.  More holiday fun to come!  Stay tuned.

IN THE SHOP: PACKAGING THE GOODS

Phew! It's been busy in the shop.  I'm thrilled to report that my address stamps and wedding favor stamps have been flying off the (virtual) shelf!  While I was prepping orders to be shipped last night I grabbed my camera (forgive the bad lighting, it was late) to take a few shots.  I thought it would be fun to share as a little behind the scenes into my packaging.

The address stamps are shipped out in hand stamped muslin bags.  Perfect for storage or gift giving.  The wedding favor stamps are a little too big to be squeezed in to the muslin bags so I pack them in a cellophane bag with a hand stamped tag tied with twine.

Stamps aren't the only items being shipped out.  My party invitations and social stationery designs are also being sent across the country.  I package those similarly to my wedding favor stamps - cellophane bags, hand stamped tags and bakers twine.

I've been researching other packaging ideas that I may implement soon. I'd love to hear about any packaging that you've gotten from a shop that you loved or packaging that you use in your own shop.

Have a great Thursday!

FRESHLY MINTED: KID'S BIRTHDAY PARTY INVITE - SPECIAL PRIZE RUNNER UP

It's always exciting to be recognized, even if you don't come in first place.

Minted announced the special prize winners for the Kid's Birthday Party Invitation challenge and my design Wagon Wheels got an honorable mention for the 'Shape Award'.

I'm honored to be included with the other designs as they are awesome!  Check out the other category winners and runners up on Minted's blog Julep.

THE PERFECT WORKSPACE - 99U ARTICLE CAME AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME

EINSTEIN'S OFFICE, PRINSTON, BY RALPH MORSE 1955

I'm so happy to report that my little shop's growth for August has been incredible. I've sold more items this month than I have in several past months combined. My studio's growth has been exciting, challenging, fun, and fulfilling!

It has also taken up a boatload of space.

As a result, I'm quickly outgrowing my designated home office space.  I've mentioned Mr. Squareview's obsession with organization in the past and quite frankly, my little office gives him heart palpitations every time he's near it.  Something has got to give.

Luckily for me, I ran across a helpful article from 99U that will help me get moving in the right direction.  It starts:

The spaces we occupy shape who we are and how we behave. This has serious consequences for our psychological well-being and creative performance. Given that many of us spend years working in the same room, or even at the same desk, it makes sense to organize and optimize that space in the most beneficial ways possible.

Check out the full article here.  Happy office organizing, everyone!

HAND LETTERING WITH SEAN McCABE

IMAGE FROM SEAN'S SITE FOUND HERE

I'm super excited! Why you might ask?  I just enrolled in Sean McCabe's Skillshare Class called Digitizing Hand Lettering: From Sketch to Vector.

I've been secretly tinkering around with a sketchbook for the last few months in an attempt to improve my hand lettering.  I'm making progress and it was time to up my game and move what I put in the sketchbook into the computer.  I searched  the trusty interwebs and ran across Sean's class.  I've been a huge admirer of his work for a while now &  I can't wait for his Obi Wan Kenobi like lessons.  Squee!

If you're interested sign up here.

NEW IN THE SHOP: WEDDING FAVOR TAG STAMPS

When I was planning my wedding a couple years ago, I was obsessed with maintaining the theme or brand throughout the day. I wanted everything to seamlessly transition and look effortless.  I remember it being such a struggle for me to find items that worked cohesively.

As my last two shop posts have shown, I've been focusing on stamp designs recently. During one of my recent brainstorming sessions (I wonder, can it be called brainstorming if you do it alone?) it occurred to me that my new favorite shop item didn't have to stop at making return addresses look pretty.  I could design something that would help brides like me create a cohesive look.

I'd like to introduce you to my newest addition to the shop: the favor tag stamp.  No need to stop at favors though, oh no.  The options are truly limitless. Programs, napkins, place settings, thank you cards, oh my!

This one is influenced by my top selling Thank You note (below) and I just love it.  What do you all think? 

NEW IN THE SHOP: CUSTOM NAUTICAL ADDRESS STAMP

NAUTICAL ADDRESS STAMP FOUND IN THE SHOP

I'm very excited to introduce you to my newest address stamp design.  Just like the last stamp I featured, this was influenced by a favorite spot in Georgia.  This one is called St. Simons as I was channeling the beautiful island of St. Simons, Georgia when creating it. I intended to mirror the classic elegance found throughout the island and with its clean & classic look, I think I hit the mark.

This stamp would be a perfect addition to your nautical themed wedding suite as well as any everyday correspondence you may send from your boat, tropical island, or anywhere else that needs a little nautical infusion.

SNEAK PEAK: CUSTOM ADDRESS STAMPS

Custom Address Stamps are in the shop and I'm excited to introduce you to this one.  She's called Savannah.  Just like her namesake city, this stamp is elegant and timeless.  

Why should brides-to-be have all the fun?  While wedding stationery looks fabulous stamped with a custom return address, so do party invitations & thank you notes!

Hop on over to the shop and check Savannah out.  If ink pads aren't your thing, upgrade to a self inking stamp!  

MINTIE FRESH: CHILDREN'S ART CHALLENGE

Voting is open for Minted most resent challenge, the Good for You Children's Art Challenge.  I submitted two designs for consideration; Race Day and Sail Away.  I'm a little bit in love with that little race car driver.  I'd love to hear what you think about the designs.  As always, if you like what you see, please vote for me.

art prints - race day

art prints - sail away

While you're there, be sure to check out the other fabulous designs as well.  If you vote for 50 or more, Minted will send you a coupon for discounts on your next order.  Well worth the trip!

HOW DID I MISS THIS?

It appears that I was out to lunch for a period of time in mid-April as I completely missed an exciting announcement from Minted.

I'm honored to announce (really really late) that Minted chose my birth announcement design Introduced by Infographic as a special prize winner!

I won in the category of best gender neutral design.  How fun is that? My design along with the other special prize winners and runner-ups where featured on Minted's blog Julep. Check out the others here.

Now, I'm off to hunt for what else I may have missed over the course of the last several months!

FRESHLY MINTED: WAGON WHEELS PARTY INVITE

I'm thrilled to announce that my design Wagon Wheels was one of the winners of  Minted's Children's Birthday Invitation Challenge and is now available for sale on Minted's site.

I had so much fun designing this little wagon. The large bold graphics in this design really showcases the style that I've been most drawn to lately.  I love the modern illustrated look.  You'll definitely be seeing more of it from me shortly.

Happy weekend all!

MINTIE FRESH: THE 'OH WHAT FUN' HOLIDAY CARD CHALLENGE

While most of us have only summertime fun on our minds, I've been thinking of Christmas carols and winter wonderlands for the last several weeks.  Why in the world would I be thinking of the cold just as summer is starting?  Well, I'll tell you why - I took the plunge and entered several submissions to Minted's biggest competition of the year - the Holiday Photo Card challenge.  This is my first time participating in the holiday card challenge and it was so much fun!

The Minted Community submitted more than 3300 designs for this challenge - that is more than triple the amount I've EVER seen in challenge in which I've participated.  Boggles the mind.  There were some jaw dropping gorgeous submission.  I would encourage you to go take a look and cast your vote for your favorites.

Here are my submissions. As always, if you like what you see, vote for me!

  

holiday photo cards - noel joy

holiday photo cards - Retro Wishes

holiday photo cards - peaceful holidays

holiday photo cards - light heart

holiday photo cards - merry circles

holiday photo cards - married and bright

holiday photo cards - Joyful & Triumphant

holiday photo cards - love, joy & peace

holiday photo cards - floral cheer

holiday photo cards - Holiday Peace

holiday photo cards - merry blossoms

holiday photo cards - holiday cheers

FREEBIE FRIDAY: PRINTABLE GRADUATION BUNTING

Happy Friday! Carrying on with the cute and simple graduation party theme from yesterday, I've put together some printable bunting for you.  Each flag is about 5 x 7 inches and will come two to a PDF page for easy printing. Along with the word 'congratulations', this bunting comes with a 'hip hip' and a 'hooray' flags as well as a 2013 flag.

I had intentions of taking photographs for this post, but my those went out the window when my week got away from me.  Instead, I'll leave it up to you to imagine how cute these babies are.  As always, if you use them for your party, I'd love to see pictures!  Enjoy!

PRINTABLE GRADUATION INVITATIONS

Summer is just around the corner and that means that school is coming to an end.  In most cases, college students are already home for break while high school is just about to finish for the year.  For many, that also means graduation time!

I was designing some graduation party pretties the other day and I created this graduation cap for that project.  I got such a kick out of it, I wanted to use it for a freebie downloadable for the blog.

So, without further ado, I give you a simple but cute grad party invite for your downloading pleasure.

As always, if you use this for your celebration, I'd love to see pictures! Enjoy!

CINCO DE MAYO PARTY DECOR - MARGARITA BAR

RITZ CARLTON MARGARITA find it here

Last but not least, we have to take care of the drinks.  Margaritas are of course the drink of choice and this yummy recipe is one your guest will definitely enjoy.

SERVES 4

– 1 3/4 cups Tequila Reposado
– 1/4-cup orange liqueur
– 3/4-cup water
– 3/4-cup Fresh lime juice
– 1 tablespoon lime zest, finely grated
– 2/3-cup sugar

For Rim of Glass

– 1/4-cup course sea salt
– 1 lime wedges per glass

Mix all ingredients in a blender with ice, except limes and salt. Spread the salt on a shallow dish, rub the rims of four margarita glasses with the cut side of a lime wedge, then dip each glass rim into the salt. Shake off the excess. Add margarita mixture to glass, garnish with a lime wedge and serve.

Now that you have the recipe, this simple little 4x6 sign will fit in any picture frame and will point your guests in the right direction for a yummy cocktail.

I hope your Cinco de Mayo party goes off without a hitch.  I'd love to see your party pictures if you use any of the printables.

Happy Cinco de Mayo Everyone!

CINCO DE MAYO PARTY DECOR - FOOD TENTS

Next up, the food! Use these cute food tents to label all you delicious offerings. I've put together some of my favorites for you (carne asade, tortas & tacos, flan and chips & salsa - oh my!).  If your menu plans are similar, great. If not, you can also download blank food tents below.

Yum!  I'd love to hear about your Cinco de Mayo menu favorites.  Enjoy.