lauren moffatt spring 2012

Last year I used Lauren Moffatt's lovely spring collection to inspire my honeymoon wardrobe packing. This year I am even more excited about what she's designed. From the floral, ruffly-strapped swim suit, to peter pan collars, to the belted skirts with ankle boots, it is pretty much perfection. A bit out of my price range, I am already scheming how I can recreate some of these looks with my thrift store finds. See the entire collection here.

easiest party decor ever

When we decided last Monday night to have a small get together for the mister's birthday I thought I'd have plenty of time during the week to set up a menu and nail down some decorations. So when I woke up on Saturday from a really busy week with absolutely nothing done (read- not even thought about) I was a little panicked. After a morning of errands and a small but efficient shopping list I was ready to cook and set up the decorations. I knew the decor had to be simple so I had the idea of lining the wall behind the table with crepe paper strips and really wanted to try the wooden shapes garland that Jenny had shown here. A long strip of double-sided tape was all I needed to adhere about 60 long strips of basic streamer paper to the top of the wall. I painted thin sheets of balsa wood in matching colors with craft paint and cut into geometric shapes with an x-acto. I then used a multi-sized hole punch to (carefully) punch into those and strung them onto waxed cord left over from the Christmas bracelets I made for my girlfriends. It all came together pretty quickly, cost less than $13, and made a simple yet colorful impact. Sometimes a time crunch and last minute ideas are the best.

summer shapes

I guess I must be yearning for summer, or at least springtime, because this morning I found myself playing around with photos I took last summer at the Outer Banks. Yep, I'll take warmer weather any time.

open me

Today I wanted to share some quick invitations I put together for our little birthday shin dig this weekend, in honor of the mister. We had a snow day off from school/work on Monday so I had time to put together these invitations and figure out how to mail them with a metal brad and string around the outside. After designing, printing, cutting and assembling them I was happy to find out that with just a 20-cents extra stamp (making them non-machine-runnable) I could mail them out.

I am so looking forward to our little celebration! Now I just need to clean the house and figure out a menu...

birthday boy

Happy Birthday to my love. To a sweet, talented, humble, hilarious, hard-working, patient, and unrelentingly loving husband. I am so happy to have celebrated the last 7 of your birthdays with you, I can't wait to celebrate a year of marriage in April, and I feel honored to know I'll celebrate this day with you for all the rest of our years. I love you, mister! xo.

belated birthday dinner

This weekend we celebrated a belated birthday (mine) and an upcoming one (the misters) with a sushi dinner with my in-laws. Not only was the food absolutely delicious (I actually tried fish for the first time in over ten years), but the ambiance and styling of the restaurant were impeccable. It's amazing how the environment can really make a dinner experience. It was a great night but I am even more excited for the birthday celebrations, crafts, and sweets later on this week.

loving confetti

Jenny's amazing confetti table cloth for Oh Happy Day reminded me this afternoon of my deep love for this simple party supply. The colorful paper pieces instantly make you smile and throwing some in the air makes you feel as giddy as a kid. Really, try to frown while your tossing confetti, just try.I think when it comes to confetti, keep it simple and colorful. Circles are classic, a mix of shapes, is super fun, and metallic is glamorous. Use it to decorate a gift, to dress up a simple invite, or just to add a little fun wherever it lands.top photo from decor8, middle photo from Oh Happy Day, bottom photo by my husband.

confetti card diy and a printable

Lastly today I wanted to share a confetti valentine's day card I designed and sent to my sweet little sister. I created the banner design and simply printed onto a glassine bag. Then I cut out a simple heart-shaped card from silver card stock and added a message.

Next I filled the the bag with festive confetti,
folded down the top flap and secure with heart stickers,added a stamp and address to the back of the bag and voila- a valentine ready to mail!
Best of all, if you are in a last minute rush on this busy holiday, I created a card template of the same banner design and you can download it here. Simply download the template below, print this baby out, cut and fold and you are ready to share the love with someone in your life. Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!!

valentine's day diy at Hank & Hunt

Hello loves! I hope this Valentine's Day is full of sweet treats, kisses, and wonderful moments for you. I am so thankful to Jenny over at the ever-inspiring Hank & Hunt for sharing my diy secret message in a glass and ice cream sandwiches today. Hop on over there to read all of the details. Thanks Jenny!

I'll be back later to share some of the valentines I created to send out today and will have a free printable for anyone in need of a last minute love note!

valentines DIY: love catcher

Hello loves! Today I'm super excited to share a little craft I came up with last night. Inspired by a beautiful photo of a dream catcher I decided to modify the idea for Valentine's Day. I used a few things around my studio to create this little guy that will be a gift for someone who it made me think of. It was simple and quick and best of all- I didn't even have to plug in the hot glue gun. Read on for all of the instructions.

The supplies are simple, here's what you'll need: some sort of twig or bendable vine (mine was from the craft store), a couple embroidery floss or string color options, scissors, paper hearts (I used my heart punch but you could cut them by hand, a few feathers, and a hole punch. (I didn't end up using the lace pictured.)
Start by bending your vine around itself to form a circle shape, then secure that with a bit of your string.
Start with that same color and begin wrapping across the middle of the circle to create a spider web sort of shape. Wrap around the outside circle a couple of times on each pass to secure the string in place. Finish that string off with a knot. If you want add a second or third color across the circle, just until it seems full enough to you. I used two colors for mine. Add a little extra string at the top for hanging the hole thing up.Then make your pieces to hang from the love catcher. I used the same string, cut to different lengths, and tied on a couple of feathers and a few of the paper hearts I had punched a small hole into. Secure those to the bottom of the circle (opposite side from your hanger string).
That's really it- now hang up your love catcher and enjoy!

bloffice sneak peak

It's been a bit of a strange start to the week with lots of projects going on, one art show ending and another beginning immediately after, one car down in our house and me relying on the sweetness of friends and family to get around. I find myself doing a lot o sitting on porches, toting laptops, being without the right keys or a change of clothes after work but all in all just rolling with the punches.

So while I wait I thought I'd post a sneak of the room in my sisters house we are currently converting to what we've coined as the new "bloffice.". This has a little to do with the secret project I posted about last week. I can't wait to share more about all of it...but in due time. So far she's painted a chalkboard wall and I've moved in an extra utility table. While we've got a lot of work left to do, we christened the space a couple sundays ago with mimosas, cheese and homemade crackers and some delicious pineapple. Even the light in this photo is dim, the bloffice future looks bright. Cheers!

valentines day inspiration palette: neon&neutral

It's taken me a while to accept the neon craze that has hit design and fashion but for the upcoming day of love I am embracing it all. Bright pops of pink against a neutral brown and white make a modern statement about romance that I can't help but fall for.

Clockwise from top left:
Good Will Bunting in Hot Pink and Neutral by Heidi Adnum on Etsy.
He Loves Me flower hair comb by ban.do.
Pink Triangle Clutch by Falcon Wright.
Neon Bowls by Maison Sauvage.
Pink Spot Pillowcase by Castle.
Ampersand Screeprint by shop ampersand on etsy.

I'll be sharing more Valentine's Day inspiration and DIY ideas this week so stay tuned. xo.