these days {...}

these days ...

... i can't decide if i'm coming or going

... i'm so happy to be busy with orders

... i'm excited about opportunities

... i'm trying to figure out how to balance everything

... i've been cooking and cleaning up a storm

... i'm happier than i was a few days ago

... i'm looking forward to the crisp clean air of fall {and wishing fall lasted longer}

... i'm beginning to run again {and enjoying it!}

... i'm making sure to get to my google reader because it inspires me

... i'm grateful for the true friends in my life

... i miss my bestest who is so far away

... i'm listening to christmas songs and dreaming of fall {weird, i know}

... i'm addicted to pinterest!

... i'm watching my sweet baby boy conor {the maltese} napping at my feet

... oklahoma needs rain so desperately

... i'm off to do a million different things ...

Eat. Drink. Be Married.

A few weeks ago, Sonya reached out to me and asked if I could design something for her daughter Lindsay's upcoming wedding.

We are doing a small ceremony in a small church and a small reception in our
very small community! We aren't going glamorous(except for her gown she had to
have. The small country church reception is in an old schoolhouse(very old and
vintagey-like. We live on a farm so we are big ol' tractors and country! ... we
are thinking late summery or early fall, country-like Martha-Stewarty ...
somewhat elegant yet rustic ...

I loved the description and I was excited to get started. I've done "rustic, vintagey, country-like, Marta Stewarty" before, but this bride needed something completely unique.

In addition to the description, Sonya also sent the image of Lindsay's cake inspiration. {I don't have the photo credits -- does anyone know where this beauty is from??}

Just like on the cake above, the wedding colors are a sky blue, rich red, and creamy ivory. Instead of the red ric rac, the bride decided she wanted more of the sky blue. She also decided that she wanted something with a touch of whimsy that also matched the above description.

Here's what we created:

The actual invitation will be printed on a luxe, cream paper, mounted to the red matte, mounted to burlap. Such a fun invitation!! It makes me want to kick up my heels and dance!

Have you been to any fun weddings lately? Let me hear about them! =)

chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

wait, what? does that say chestnuts roasting on an open fire? indeed it does my friends. if you follow my personal blog at all, you know that the christmas bug hits me {hard} starting in august. it lasts all the way through the holiday season, and at the end of december i'm still never ready for the season to end. i don't plan it this way; it just happens.

so here i sit, listening to aaron neville sing the christmas song while it thunders outside for the first time in i can't even tell you how long. it has been HOT HOT HOT in oklahoma this summer. it's always hot, and august is always the hottest of the summer months, but this year has been ridiculous! well over 100 for days on end. and we're not just talking 101, 102. no, we're talking 108 to 115!! consistently! i don't know how i haven't melted into a puddle on the floor.

as excited as i am for christmas, i'm also excited for fall. the past few years i've so enjoyed the season. i came across this gorgeous picture on pinterest earlier this week. doesn't it look soooo divine. i can just picture myself strolling up that gorgeous lane.

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Rhiannon on Pinterest

i'm also excited about the fun fall fashions.

Source: moodboard.typepad.com via Rhiannon on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Rhiannon on Pinterest

what about you? do you ever get struck by the christmas bug early? are you ready for fall, halloween, and thanksgiving?

for now, i'm going to go crunch some numbers and enjoy my christmas songs.

Marta Writes: Family Bonding

i wish i had more time to share with you today, but i am just swamped {and happy to be so}. =) i'll just share another fabulous find from earlier this week.

earlier this week marta writes posted this super cute plaque, and it just warmed my heart. travis and i had just gotten back from vacation with my brother and his wife. i was so grateful for the time with my brother. he and i were so close growing up (for ten years it was just him and me). now, we're both grown with families of our own and we never visit as much as i would like for us to.

i also found a gratitude journal i had filled out a few years ago and so many of the entries were about my brother, my sister, my mom, my dad, my best friend and my sweetheart; each of them are so very near and dear to my heart.

remember to tell your family {whether biological or hand-selected} how very grateful you are for them.

Oopsie.

If any of you have Google reader or another feed, you probably saw a post from previously this evening that was actually supposed to be posted on my own personal blog. It was probably a little confusing because I referenced the fact that I haven't blogged since February ... which is clearly untrue ... for the Notably Noted blog anyway. Sadly, my personal blog has suffered in silence for a while. I'm making an effort to jump back on the blogwagon ;) there as well, though, because looking back on the memories in those posts are far too important to me.

If you saw the blog before, you got a glimpse into a more personal side of me ... I hope you don't mind.

For now, I am heading to bed. Sweet dreams.

Addicted to Decorating with Tidy Mom.

Do any of you follow Tidy Mom? I'm not a mom {to tiny humans anyway -- just to my fur babies Conor and Oliver} but I love, love, love Cheryl of Tidy Mom. {She's not aware that I'm a stalker of her site, but it's true}. She's one of my favorite kind of bloggers -- she tells stories about her life, offers fun DIY projects {that I may never attempt, but will always swoon over}, shares delicious recipes, and suggests wonderful bloggers that everyone should be following.

Yesterday in her I'm Lovin' It Wrap Up she shared a link to Addicted 2 Decorating {not the first time she's shared a link to the site, but the first time I followed it}. I'm telling you guys, it was love at first sight.

That beautiful oh-so-cozy room was created from this:

Can you buh-leee-ve it? I am still mesmerized by the transformation. You have to check out the rest of the pictures.

I recently found myself in a brand new house, and I have no idea what to do with it! None whatsoever. My office is a little sad with only one tiny inspiration board and a ribbon board filled with old photos and invitations. Have you ever noticed when you get a new car, you suddenly see that car everywhere? I'm kind of experiencing the same kind of thing now, only with decorating. I need to decorate and suddenly incredible transformations and fun DIY home makeover projects are catching my eye. Now if I could just figure out how to get them into my own space ...

Thanks, Cheryl for the share! Addicted 2 Decorating, I can't WAIT to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve.

too, too tweet.

after a week of vacation in florida, it feels good to be home! don't get me wrong -- a tropical holiday was definitely in order -- but it's nice to be back in my comfy chair, surrounded by my familiar things.

on my first day of vacation i received an email asking if i could create an invitation for a "tweet one" birthday party. miss alyx will soon be celebrating her very first birthday, and her mommy needed an extra-special invitation for this tweet, tweet day {sorry, i couldn't resist}. =) i could hardly wait to get back home and start working on the design -- truth be told, i couldn't wait, and i pulled out the trusty laptop on the drive to florida, at the house, and again on the drive home.

i've said it a million times before, and i'll probably say it a million times more, but i.love.you.guys. love you!! for real! you bring so much inspiration and color to my life. i don't know where i would be without you.

kristi knew she wanted to use a mix of fun colors and incopoate the tweet one theme with a cute little bird.

here's what we came up with:

join us for chirps and cheers! alyx's birthday will soon be here. if this playful little guy doesn't set the stage for a super fun summer party, i don't know what would. ;) i love it when i get to mix all kind of colors, shapes, and designs together. and this color combo? definitely a fave.

next on kristi's list? a fun banner of course! this banner will actually have ribbon running through it, but you get the idea, right? =) each of the pennants are about 5 inches wide - perfect for a tweet little one's tweet little celebration.

finally, we created these precious 2-inch cupcake toppers. i just love that little bird!

alyx reece, you are one lucky little girl to have a momma and daddy who love you so much! i can't wait to see the fun pictures from your birthday party. {of course, it's not until august, so we'll just have to wait ... don't you know i'm terrible at the waiting game??}

Independence Day Inspiration.

Jenny Collier does it again. I'm telling you, this girl knows how to throw a party. It's been a while since I've shared Jenny's {gorgeous} photography with you, and while I know the 4th has come and passed, I just could let the month go by without sharing a few of the fabulous details of Jen's Fourth of July extravaganza.
I love that Jenny has a banner for every occasion. {Did you see the precious printables she and the kiddos made up for Father's Day? Her creativity makes me heart go pitter-patter}.

There are so many fabulous elements to Jen's holiday decor, but I think this little side table here, might be my absolutely favorite. God bless America! The light just dances off the apothecary jars and the stars and stripes couldn't be more beautiful. This picture just screams summer to me.

Everyone can always use a little subway art around the house.


A few more apothecary jars {I love using apothecary jars for decor -- do you dig it as well?} - this time they're displaying fireworks and glow sticks. Such a cute idea.


I am love, love, loving the straw flags we've seen lately -- how appropriate that these straws have their own little stars & stripes waving proudly.

Oh snap! Don't forget to grab a favor on your way out.

Isn't it incredible what a little fabric and some ribbon can do for a display? {I should also mention that not only is Jenny an incredible mom to a two year old and a one year old, an entrepreneur with her husband, a photographer extraordinaire, a part of the dynamic duo reponsible for mamarazzi workshops, and a party planning phenomenon, she also painted, yes, I said painted, that gor-or-or-geous wall you see behind this table -- using a stencil she made herself! Martha Stewart, look out!}

I hope you enjoyed your Fourth of July holiday with a fun, festive event, too. Travis and I found ourselves driving to Tulsa from Edmond on the night of the fourth and couldn't have timed our drive better. The skies were lit from Sand Springs to Broken Arrow with professional displays and backyard shows. I think it was one of my favorite displays -- I wish I could have captured a few pictures to share with you.

Justin hearts Maria.

Kate recently hosted a bridal shower for one of her college girlfriends. Her vision for the bridal brunch changed a few times, so our designs changed, too. I loved every single invitation we created together; the last one is definitely one of my favorites of all time though. It looked so gorgeous printed out.

We knew the color combo all along would be a bright fuscia and tangerine (now that I sit down and really think about it, these would have been a perfect compliment to Andrea's wedding invitations!), with a few other shades of pink mixed in.

I thought it would be fun to walk you through the invitation as if you were a recipient. =)

Once we get to the invitation, you'll notice that the script and block fonts are the same as those used on the invitation. I love the way the black really stands out on the fuscia envelope.

We didn't print a return address on the back because Kate has an embosser from Williams-Sonoma that she wanted to use.

Is it just me or does anyone else share my love for envelope liners. I love it when you open the seal and find youself face-to-face with a fun liner and a cascade of flowers. In this case, the tangerine really pops against the fuscia (even if it is hard to tell from my grainy pictures).

This picture almost makes it look like the invitation is mounted to a fuscia card, but I just had it lying on the envelope. The white invitation looked so crisp and fresh with the splashes of color dancing across it. It reminded me of raspberry lemonade on a summer afternoon.

I haven't received the pictures of the event from Kate yet, and I can't wait to share them with you, so in the meantime, here's a sneak-peek. Just a couple of pictures of the "aftermath" but it gives you a glimpse of the fun event Kate hosted.

Congratulations Justin & Maria! Thanks for hosting such a fun shower, Kate!

Chicken Salad & Croissants.

It's over 100 degrees outside today, which means it's July in Oklahoma. I don't know about you, but when it gets this warm, I don't feel like eating a lot, so big heavy meals are out. Several of you have reached out for the menu and recipes that I served at my mother's tea. {and can I just say I'm loving episode five of Brothers and Sisters and am loving the reminder that a girl is never too old to need her mother). I'm thinking of whipping up a bowl of this cool chicken salad for dinner tonight, and I thought it would be great time to share this recipe with you.

The recipe calls for the chicken salad to be served on croissants, but it's also delicious on crackers, pita bread or chips, romaine lettuce, or even in a bowl all by itself.

A Cowboy Thank You.

Hello, dear readers. I'm so sorry for the long hiatus. It is incredible the millions of directions I find myself pulled. I love sharing with you the latest and greatest projects I'm working on and the showcasing the fabulous designs that you inspire. I promise to do better with the ol' blog because I truly couldn't do what I do without you.

I've recently moved and while working to get my new office set up, I ran across a precious card from one of my clients. Do you remember the happy trails invitation and veterinary graduation announcement I shared earlier this spring? The fun OSU graduate sent me "A Cowboy Thank You." The words touched my heart, and I thought I would share them here with you.

Rhiannon, I don't know if there are words to thank you for everything you did to
make my celebration AMAZING! You were so wonderful working with mom and showing her things she didn't even know she wanted until you brought it together. The party invites were perfect and don't even get me started on the announcements! They were absolutely the classiest, most professional looking, best
announcements, and EXACTLY what I wanted. The candles were fabulous and look
pretty much a thousand times better than the cookie cutter B&BW ones would
have look. So basically, you rock! I am so glad Aunt Kerry knew you, because it
wouldn't have been the same without you. Thanks forever! Sincerely, Kendi, DVM

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Getting to work with incredible clients like Kendi, doing what I love to do so much, really is a dream come true. How did I get so lucky?

Summer Saturday.

Mmmm. There is nothing like waking up on a Saturday morning to sunshine and that "new-home-smell" in the office. My senses are on overload and I'm loving it. Warm sunshine on my skin, the smell of Topeka coffee wafting through the house, puppy kisses on my toes, and season one of Brothers & Sisters on Netflicks. A good morning so far.

I would like to say I'm working on delightful new designs, but instead I have to work on the books. I. hate. accounting. Hate it. It's one of the unpleasantries that comes with running your own business. I look forward to the day that I can hire someone else to do this for me.

Everyone shouldn't be punished, though, so before I go, I would love to share with you a design I recently created for a fun summer birthday.

Captain Jonah is about to celebrate his third birthday, and his mommy contacted me to create a special invitation for this special boy. A pirate party in the park suits this little boy just fine, so I set to work on his very own treasure map invitation.

(Of course I had to take out the important details, which explains the splotchy marks in the invitation).

I love the bright, bold colors often used in little boys' invitations. So full of life and excitement! I have lots of new stories to share with you, but for now, QuickBooks calls and I must answer {unfortunately}.

The sounds of my puppies playing is filling the air, which doesn't make it any easier to get started {but at least I know they'll let me work for a bit.

Happy Fourth of July weekend! Be careful out there while having all the outdoor fun this holiday calls for.

Cheers.

stonewood coffee & tea co.

this afternoon i find myself sitting in stonewood coffee and tea co. in broken arrow. michael buble's voice is echoing enchantingly in the background, and i'm in heaven. what is it about working from a coffee shop that makes work that much more enjoyable? even the worst of tasks (like reconciling business acounts) suddenly becomes pleasant ... well, not completely horrible anyway {since i don't know that reconciling accounts could ever be pleasant}.


i ran into an old college friend not long after i arrived at the coffee shop. sharing with her more about notably noted and the custom invitations and stationery i create for tulsa, broken arrow, and places across the u.s. got me so excited and reminded me just how much i love what i do.


if i could spend every afternoon just like this, i think i would {minus the unpleasant business of reconciling my accounts, of course}. soaking in the atmostphere. visiting and catching up with old friends. creating new designs. i'm. in. heaven. or my paper-loving version of it anyway. =)

i'm excited to run into old friends tonight {on purpose} as my fiance and i have a dinner date set up with one of my nearest and dearestfriends from college, dylan allen and his wife, lexi. dylan and i sang together for many years, but the past year or so life has caught up with us and caused us to lose touch a bit. sadness. so tonight, we'll hit up mcnellie's in downtown tulsa with our significant others and enjoy everyone's company.


this is definitely my kind of day.


{le sigh}. i need to get back to number crunching, but before i go, i'll share the latest creation from this past week. a lovely custom notepad for a soon-to-be new mommy!

so precious, right? this stationery was designed for a first-time mommy who will soon find that her sweet little baby kaili will begin dictating the "to-do's" of her day. swoon! one of my clients approached me with the idea, and i couldn't love it more.

you can order your kaili-print note pad personalized with your own kiddo's name or we can custom-design a print indidualized just for them.

enjoy this sunny afternoon. mr. buble and i have some numbers to take care of. wish me luck!

Veterinary Announcement Seals.

The graduation announcements that I shared yesterday had one other special piece. The back flap of the elegant, luxe-textured ivory envelopes had ivory seals with the veterinary symbol to keep them close and give them an added flair.

I love looking back in the archives and remembering the smiles and excitement shared when helping friends and family plan their special events.

Oklahoma State University Announcement

Remember the fun graduation party invitation I posted yesterday? After looking through the client files, I decided to share the entire paper suite.

While the party announcements had more whimsy, we still wanted to keep somewhat of a consistent look throughout the entire package.

Similar to the OU announcement I shared before, {this announcement was actually created first}, this card had a pocket folder enveloping it, sealed with 2010.



When the black flaps were opened, a luxe ivory card with a image of the veterinary school and the graduation announcement stood out against the black card.

I loved that, unlike the other announcement, this announcement showed the ivory card along the top and bottom of the black folder, without giving away any details of the event until the card was completely opened.

It's hard for me to believe we were creating these a year ago. It seems like just a few weeks ago.

Congratulations to all those seniors out there! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you.

Happy Trails to You

How on earth is April already more than halfway over? Graduation will be here before we know it! High school and university seniors alike are counting down the days. And if they're one of the lucky ones, they are planning a fabulous party to celebrate this monumental occasion. One of my most favorite invitations to work on for such a special event is this one that I custom designed for an OSU Veterinary Grad student. Kendi and her parents wanted something stately and grand enough to mirror Kendi's incredible accomplishment, but at the same time, they wanted something fun and celebratory. This is what we created:

Since Kendi was hoping to work with large animals and a graduate from Oklahoma State University, she and her mom wanted to incorporate cowprint, cowboy boots, and a special poem Kendi's mom had written in honor of Kendi's achievement. I didn't know if I even knew where to start, but I'm never one to back down from a challenge ... and I'm so glad I didn't.

We created this pocket invitation. The outside was a deep black folder with an orange wrap printed with one of Kendi's favorite verses. It was so fitting with the theme of the event. The black folder opened to reveal the poem on panels framing the invitation for the event.

I loved seeing Kendi and her mom both get so excited over the invitation! I can't imagine a job that's more fun than the one I do.

zebra fun.

The fun summer invites I've been working on inspired me to look through my collections to see what other fun colors and patterns I've mixed together in the past. I think this is one of my all-time favorites. I love that it's perfect for girls of all ages. This originated from a custom design order, too. I know I saw it a lot, but I love my clients who keep me on my toes. You make my job so much fun! I definitely couldn't do it without you!

more summer fun.

I love this color combo! It makes my heart beat a little faster, my face smile a little bigger. I have had so much fun using these girly colors and great mix of paisley, stripes, and flowers. We created several designs while trying to create the perfect option for one of our favorite clients. This one didn't make the final cut, but I still love it! I can't wait to have them printed.

a great review.

I love getting great reviews! Thanks Kalan!

preppy spring fun.

I've been working on some colorful, super fun summery invitations -- and I love them. Kate approached me about doing an invitation for a Bridal Brunch she's throwing for a friend. As the maid of honor, she wanted to do something really special for the bride. Appreciating all things classic, we started out with a black and white palette for an afternoon tea, but Kate just couldn't fall in love with the colors. She wanted something bright and cheerful, flirty and fun. Something a little preppy, but definitely not stuffy.



The design above is what we created. I think it's wonderful! I personally almost always choose more demure colors {my younger sister calls my color choices boring!} so having the chance to work on an invite like this one was such a blast. I've fallen in love with the color combo and can't wait to see the rest of the brunch come together. What events do you have lined up for this spring and summer? I'd love to hear all the fun details! Thanks, Kate, for keeping me inspired!

a tulsa wedding {invitation suite}.

oops! i believe this posted for no reason. i had half the title typed and then it disappeared. weird.

what is up with this crazy, dreary tulsa weather we're experiencing this week? yours truly is not a fan. i have been working on so many fun orginal invitation designs, though, and that cheers me up immensely.

i am so excited to share a gorgeous tulsa wedding invitation suite with you, but will wait for the time being until all of the pieces are completely done. {i can hardly stand the suspense myself}.

for now, here's a sneak peek at a piece we've decided not to do {because we have something even better}! this would have been a fun thank you card. i hope someone uses it in the future because while i love the note card the bride has selected, i would still love to receive a card like this in the mail.

i hope it brings a little color to your week. =)

rustic romance in june.

this invitation was so much fun to create. in the past few months i've written a couple of posts about romantic, rustic weddings, and i never seem to get tired of them. when a bride and groom approach me with their plans at a local lodge or outdoor locale, i get so excited.


i originally designed this invitation when i was working on tara and vince's invitation. for their wedding, we decided to go a different direction {which i loved!}, but i still had this in the files, and when kasi saw it, she knew it would be perfect for their wedding this summer. and michael liked that it wasn't too over the top. i can't wait to see pictures from this fun couple's special day.

girls just wanna have fun.

if you haven't seen cakes by averi yet, you have to check them out. averi does some of the cutest designs.

these fun little cupcakes:

image by cakes by averi

inspired these fabulous and fun girls night in invitations:

from slumber parties to spa parties these invites and precious cakes are perfect for girls of all ages!

there's a new sheriff in town.

i am so excited to share this fabulous baby shower with you. megan tree is one of my favorite bloggers, and let me tell you, she is one blessed mama. her sisters and friends recently through a baby shower for her and baby eli. it was one of the cutest showers, and i've been dying to share it with you.

put your walkin' boots on and check this out ...

one of my favorite ideas was the foods -- cravings megan has been having throughout her pregnancy! cute, right? some of those cravings included ranch dressing, candy, popcorn, and hawaiian punch. love, love, love this idea.

the printables were from love bugs design. aren't they so cute? the personalized paper touches are one of my favorite pieces of an event {surprise. surprise.}, and janell did a fantastic job creating these finishing touch.

that precious, and oh-so-yummy cake was from merritt's bakery. look at those details! i can't help but get roped in. {he-he}.

megan and luke were having a difficult time coming up with a middle name for baby eli. the hostesses let guests throw their name{s} in the hat for their favorite name. there was also a fun carousel of megan's weekly pictures charting little eli's growth.

the hostesses thought of everything -- they even had eli's first framed picture. many of the decorations were from hobby lobby {because who doesn't love hob-lob}, including the fun fabric and ranch-themed decor throughout the shower.

what a blessed, blessed family! thanks for sharing your shower with us, megan!

jp creative: a free calendar.

i am certainly staying busy these days! i'm sorry i've been lacking in my posts. before i leave you for the evening, i want to share a lovely, lovely free printable calendar offered by jp creative. doesn't it feel like spring! spring! spring! {someone's excited, can you tell?}

{image belongs to jp creative}

be sure to visit jessica's page to get your own calendar and let the spring planning commence. let her know you've stopped by ... i'm sure it would make her day because who doesn't love comments?

sneak peek: new sheriff in town.

just a little sneak-peek-a-roo at a very fun baby shower i'll be sharing later this week ... i know you can't wait! ;)

i'll leave you drooling over this {fab} cake and return as soon as possible.