Custom Invitations for Ben and Sara

Late in 2012, Sara approached me and asked if I'd be interested in creating custom invitations for her summer wedding. I was ecstatic to have such an awesome opportunity to illustrate and design something special for their special day. She mentioned her love of bold, vibrant colors so we came up with turquoise (her signature color), fuchsia and orange. After many Skype sessions, email correspondences, edits and subpar measurements (on my part), these babies are finally assembled and ready to go!

Feels good. Sara and Ben were such a great couple to work with. Wishing them a lifetime of wedded bliss :)

Custom Stamp: Daughter's Logo

I love creating custom stamps and I love hearing the stories behind each custom stamp even more. When Hilairy contacted me to create a custom stamp for her daughter, I jumped at the chance. She told me her daughter designed a logo for her class last year and for Christmas, her daughter asked for items with her logo on it; a stamp was the perfect choice.

This is such a sweet gift, Hilairy! I know your daughter will love it and she is very lucky to have such a thoughtful mother. Now she can have her logo on EVERYTHING.

Custom Stamp: Random Seas

A little while ago, Melanie contacted me in regards to creating some custom stamps for her photography blog. She was such a doll to work with so I was really excited when she contacted me again to design and carve her custom logo stamp.

Melanie wanted a name for her new Etsy shop so she came up with "Random Seas" as she lives in Random Sound and it's by the sea. With a mix of her love for photography and her new shop, I designed a vintage camera as her logo, which she will stamp onto her business cards.

I love the way it turned out. Simple, yet whimsical.

Thoughts on Handmade

I'm all about all things handmade and preferably local. I like knowing where the things I purchase come from and their stories. One of my friend's husband was really funny when he told me that he tossed all the other cards he received from his wife's baby shower, but couldn't get himself to toss out mine because it was hand-painted. I believe it. While so many things in life now are disposable and replaceable, it's a treat to be gifted something that an actual person so painstakingly made by hand.

This holiday, I plan on only shopping local (if I need something, I'll try Craigslist first) and handmade. It's nice to know your gift came from the heart instead of just a Black Friday deal from a big box store.

stamps: handmade, buy local, thank you 

Polaroid Birth Announcements: Revisited

When my son was born in 2011, I designed a special card to announce his arrival. Since then, many new parents have asked how they could get their hands on the Polaroid sketch that was part of the card (the template can be bought here).

As I don't plan on having another baby any time soon, I missed creating these Polaroid announcements. I'm one of the few odd people who enjoy assembly-line type work; I find it therapeutic. Imagine my delight when I was contacted Jackie, now a new mother of a beautiful baby girl, a few months before her baby was due, asking if I would help her assembly these announcements. Of course!

As I never told anyone I would assemble these announcements, I was surprised another new mother, Jen, contacted me a few days after Jackie did, asking if I would do the same for her. Jen just had a lovely baby boy and I was equally excited to put together her son's birth announcements.

I had so much fun putting these special announcements together that I wouldn't mind doing it all over again! The Polaroid announcements can really be used for any occasion: birthdays, save the dates, weddings or even just to say hello.

If you don't have time or don't want to spend the time putting these together, I'd be happy to help you out!

animals galore

Thanksgiving was spent with friends and family but it also allowed me some time to design and carve some new stamps. Here is a sample of what's in store now (a few more will be revealed later this week!)

Fresh Baked: French Bulldog

Fresh Baked: French Bulldog rubber stamp! Now available in the shop.