My Very First Sponsor!

 Good morning my lovelies! Happy Thursday! I think I am the ONLY person sad to see this week flying by because that means my vacation is coming to a close. Boo.  However, I am SO excited for the weekend to come.  Any plans yet??

Celebrations are in place for today's post so pop open a bottle of bubbly and join me in celebrating getting my very first sponsor! Woot! Woot!  You may remember THIS post I did a few months ago on Pink Ink Paper & Calligraphy and how I raved about Allison's talents!  She is amazing!

For all of you brides-to-be and event planning fanatics, beautiful calligraphy would be the PERFECT added touch to your invitation and stationery goods. I am SO happy and honored to have her with us so please check out her Etsy page AND her blog for fabulous goodies and be sure to use this code (LALA10) to receive 10% off your entire purchase! 

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Wedding Wednesdays: BHLDN Decor & Store Opening

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Hey dolls!  Happy Hump Day!  Such exciting news to share with you about BHLDN.  Remember THIS post I did months ago about them?  Well, they are opening their VERY FIRST bridal store and guess what location they picked?  HOUSTON, TX!!!!  Woot woot!  I HAVE to gloat just a little because Houston NEVER gets first dibs on anything, especially in the fashion world. I know all of you soon-to-be brides living in the vicinity will be THRILLED to hear this and I had to share the great news with you.  I was actually not aware of this until a friend told me about it last weekend. Yes...I am tardy to the party as usual.  So excited to go to the grand opening in late summer/early fall.  For all you other hopeful brides, fret not my dears! I have a feeling they will be expanding soon in a city NEAR you.

Also, have you checked out their decor collection?  One word - WHIMSICAL.  I am not at all surprised they would do this and their collection is nothing short of amazing.  From tabletops to cake toppers, they've got you covered! Check out all their goodies HERE.

{Images via BHLDN Moodboards}

Wedding Wednesdays: DIY Cupcake Toppers

Gosh - it's been a while since I've posted any DIY wedding projects, but when I saw this one from The Sweetest Occasion, I laughed...and then I kicked myself in the butt for not thinking of it first!

How cute and funny would it be to have these GREAT cupcake toppers at your wedding or any social gathering?  Instead of the usual mushy sayings, this one gives it to you straight. No lines. No games. Just straight talk. And I LOVE it. I LOVE IT SO MUCH...Click HERE for the full tutorial. Enjoy lovelies!

{Images by Lovely Indeed via The Sweetest Occasion}

Wedding Wednesdays: Pink Ink Paper & Calligraphy

Good morning my friends! So happy it's Wednesday already!  The week is actually flying by and I am ready for Friday aren't you?

I've been excited to post this for a couple days now and there are several reasons why.  First, I love Wedding Wednesdays. Every time I talk about weddings, I get all giddy and happy. Second, today's posting is about someone I actually know and admire dearly. And third, her work is pretty darn awesome.

Allison Nash is the creative extraordinaire behind Pink Ink Paper & Calligraphy. (That's her above. Isn't she stunning? And look at that fabulous bridal party! I wish I could show you all of her pictures!) She is an architect by profession but also loves all things design.  Her love for calligraphy emerged while planning her own wedding and she's been hooked ever since.  She has a wonderful blog you can see HERE and her Etsy shop is something you should check out HERE!  Allison does everything - from invitations to place cards to thank you notes - for ALL occasions (not just weddings).  HINT HINT - Mother's Day is less than 2 weeks away!!!  Want her to create something for you? No problem.  She will gladly accept custom orders too!  Seriously, there is nothing this gal can't do. 

{Images via Etsy-Pink Ink Paper}

Wedding Wednesdays: Scratch-Off Save The Dates

Holy cow! This is way too cool. How amazing would it be to receive one of these neat and fun save-the-date invitations in the mail? Court­ney from Swiss Cot­tage Designs designed these and I heart them so much.  If this couple does the same thing for their wedding invitations, I will just die of envy.  

{Images via oh so beautiful paper by Swiss Cot­tage Designs}

I Made It Mondays: DIY Easter Egg Garland

Easter is less than 3 weeks away and this is just the most darling decor idea ever!  Raid your nearest Home Depot or Lowe's for the paint chips.  Fun, simple, and practically free!  I love free things - don't you? Here is the full tutorial on Modern Parents Messy Kids.  Just think - what if you made these garlands for your wedding decor?? Heck yes!

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Wedding Wednesdays: Sapling Press Cards

Hello lovelies. I've been in such a weird mood this week.  A good weird though...so postings this week are a little different. I think it's because I am coming across the same monotonous ideas over and over again and haven't really found much inspiration to post on my blog. Blah and Boring!

However, I got an "ohhh ahhh" moment when I saw these cards I found on Blush!nk. The company is called Sapling Press and they have an online Etsy shop. Not sure these would work for wedding invitations, but can you imagine if they came up with a cool Save-The-Date card for your wedding?  Contact her for custom orders.

Seriously, if my husband gave me one of these, I would love him more than I do right now.  Definitely made me smile and laugh reading these. I love them - don't you?!?!  Here are some of my favorites.

{Images via Etsy - Sapling Press}

Trendy Tuesdays: Airmail Wedding Invitations

My hubby and I love to travel so when I saw these airmail-themed wedding invitations, my heart skipped a beat. Don't you just love them? Perfect for a destination wedding or those who just love to travel.

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{My Personal Artist}

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{oh, so beautiful paper}

{Lucky No.9}

I Made it Mondays: DIY Fabric Tape by Natalie Jost

Last week, I made handmade thank you cards to send our wedding guests for attending our fabulous day.  I had to much fun in the process I stayed up until 1am the first night alone!  It was great.  I came across a great project on 100layercake about DIY fabric tape and had to share it with you.  I put this project to use on some of my cards you can see HERE. Special thanks to Natalie Jost for this great tutorial and idea!  Enjoy!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1. Ribbon, fabric strips, punched circles or other shapes
2. Xyron sticker machine – 1.5″(Amazon for about $7.50)
3. Extra refill (Amazon for about $8.34)

INSTRUCTIONS:

 Cut a strip of fabric/ribbon and feed it into the machine from the right side. Pull it out on the left.  If you are using very thin ribbon, try using two ribbons at a time to make the most of your tape.  

Pull the end and tear off the tape. 

 

Peel off the top layer and you're done! To make the kraft circles, get some brown shipping paper from the office supply store and punch some circles and feed those through your sticker machine!

Images via Natalie Jost

I Made It Mondays: DIY Wedding Thank You Cards

I've been slaving away at my handmade thank you cards I'd like to send our wedding guests.  Take a look at some of them. Which one is your favorite?  Any tips for me? I'd love to hear.  I haven't had a chance to buy my fabric sticker machine, but I will post more cards once I get it and can stick fabric onto the cards.  Should be so much fun! Let your imagination run wild my friends!

WHAT YOU NEED:

- Cardstock

- Adhesive glue spray

- Ribbon

- Doilies

- Stamps

- Scissors

- LOTS OF IMAGINATION and SMILES

Top Pick Thursdays: Raving about Printable Press

Hello my lovelies.  This week has been C-R-A-Z-Y!  I've been swamped with work and I am ecstatic that it's Thursday. Yay! 

Here's my confession for the week:  I fed my hunger and went to Hobby Lobby twice since my last posting and spent a significant amount of money.  (I hope my husband doesn't read this entry. jk)  I stocked up on stamps, ribbons, paper, and more paper.  I don't know what it is, but I am completely obsessed with paper crafts and stationery this week. 

Ever heard of Printable Press? They're an online wedding invitation company, but they're not like any other company.  For all you DIY and budget-savvy brides, Printable Press is a dream come true.  They provide you with a plethora of beautiful wedding invitation templates (all customizable of course) to choose from.  You pay for the template which they email you as a .pdf file and you print the wedding invitation in the convenience of your own home (or a local print shop of your choice). It's brilliant!  It saves tons of money and gives brides a project to work on.  Remember: a wedding is just a wedding...until you add your personal touches to it. This is a great way to personalize your special day. I think it's a great idea - don't you? Here are a few of my favorites.

 

 Images via Printable Press

1. Wild Damask
2. Western Cosmopolitan
3. Modern Woodcut
4. Kimono

Trendy Tuesdays: Growing Card Trends w/ Nora Griffin

Did you see my LAST posting about Nora Giffin's brilliant DIY card project?  I've been working on some thank you cards I am making for our wedding guests and while browsing her site, I came across some beautiful and unique ones I had to share with you.  I've seen a growing trend using stitching, recycled paper, and doilies and she uses all of these, taking creativity to a whole new level.

Images via Nora Griffin