treasury list: feels like easter is drawing near.

notably noted was featured on another treasury list this week! i get so excited -- it's completely flattering to think that of all the items available on etsy, someone would choose something designed by little ol' me. i am so grateful to my followers and clients.

the item terry from moonlight55 selected is one of my favorite note cards. they were originally designed to match the nursery of a sweet little girl named eloise -- the patterns created closely mimicked her crib bedding, while the yellow polka dots and white font mimicked a framed "e" wall hanging -- but i think they're fun for girls of all ages.

'Feels Like Easter Is Drawing Near' by moonlight55

Many team members of HandmadeSuccess are represented here.

Wristlet zipper pouch in Yel... Hanatarou $9.50	Crocheted Cupcake Applique E... KKCollectibleC... $6.00	Artisan Lampwork Earrings. P... LeanneDesigns $15.00	Sweet Pink Childs Easter or ... LittleMadamtut... $24.99
Sleep Mask on Etsy -Wedding ... LiveBetter $23.00	SALE - Crazy Lace Necklace b... LeSchelleDesig... $40.00	The Roxanne Shawl wrap winte... polixeni19 $86.00	3 Tier Organic Ducky Diaper ... LittleMadamtut... $74.99
Yellow Winter Mittens- Warm... RainbowMittens $40.00	Fuscia Pink...15mm.... Pom P... PoppyLovesPari... $2.25	Old School Bright Yellow cot... Michelebuttons $12.99	Wedding Ring Bearer Pillow &... crafting4u $64.99
Pink Flamingo Button Crochet... KKCollectibleC... $8.50	Eloise Note Cards -- Custom ... notablynoted $18.00	Pop DelusionalLens... $10.00	Full Pink & Fuscia Two Toned... imtutucrazy $25.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

the one i laugh with, live for, dream with.

right now i'm working with a super fun bride. she's so laid back and has such a great attitude. most brides are a lot of fun to work with -- everyone is giddy with excitement and ready to start their lives with that "great" love. of course, we do run into bridezillas from time to time, but lindsay is definitely not one of those brides.

she and her special man are getting married in an old farmhouse in delware. for their save-the-dates, they wanted something that fit the color scheme of their wedding. they didn't want the same the date to perfectly coordinate with the wedding invitation and also didn't want anything too fussy.

we created a postcard that fits right in with the farmhouse wedding and also incorporates the rich slate the happy couple will use throughout their wedding.

i really like the front (it's a quote picked out by the bride), but i think my absolute favorite it is the back. i just love everything about it. typically you would also see the return address running along vertical line, but i've masked it for the blog.

i love working with creative individuals -- keeps my life interesting and inspired! =)

cheers!

ahoy it's a boy!

remember when i said i'm loving all things nautical? well that's still true. =)

i'm working with one of my dear friends on a nautical baby shower for one of her friends who will be a first time mommy in april.

andrea wanted something classic, but playful and not overly whimsical. i absolutely love what we've come up with.

we still have lots to do -- table signs . "ahoy it's a boy!" pennant banner . nautical theme table banner . food tents . thank you cards for baby boy harrison . and straw flags.


i wanted to wait to share the entire package, but i just couldn't wait. i hope you've enjoyed the sneak peek! i'll post more images as the other pieces come together.

fourteen days of love: day 11.

i really have a thing for two tier cakes. they're so much lovelier than plain-ol' sheet cakes. i especially love cakes by seana hon. they're oh-so-moist and oh-so-delicious -- not your average, every day bakery cake.

i enjoy working with seana because she can transform any cake into a masterpiece to coordinate with invitations i've designed. her cakes are always a hit of the party and stand out front-and-center.

check out a couple of those she has recently done for me:

could those be any cuter? i was amazed at what she did for the OSU cowgirl baby shower. cupcakes and mini-pies have become so popular, but i just can't stop loving these cakes. do you still order cakes for your special events?

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! =)

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??}

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!

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.

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.

14 days of love. fanciful fonts.

i hope you've had a very happy valentine's day. i am preparing for a night out with the mister, so i will leave you with my new obsession: compendium by alejandro paul. love. love. love it.
i wish i could take credit for the gorgeous layouts above, but you can find them on myfonts.com

14 days of love: handwritten fonts

i've thought about creating my own handwritten font, but have yet to do so at this point. however, the other day, i stumbled across a sweet little blog by the name of kevinandamanda. i have only read through a few of amanda's posts, but i really like her blog. what i like even more are the cute, cute fonts she offers for free. many of them are handwritten fonts -- and unlike some systems that make you pay to have your handwritting turned into a font, amanda selects submittals and turns them into a font for free!!! and let's be honest, who doesn't love free?

spicy sushi roll is one of my favorite new fonts, but you can find lots more here. check it out and then let me know what some of your favorites are.

it's friday!

i am so thankful friday has arrived! i'm looking forward to this weekend, afterall. i have a spa date today with a dear friend, another dear friend is coming to stay the night, and then the scentsy party is on saturday! i have lots to squeeze in this weekend, but i couldn't be more excited about it!

in the meantime, i will leave you with this cheery reminder that valentine's day is just around the corner {can you believe it?}. i love when other businesses can get in the holiday spirit with fun cards like the ones we designed below.

the office plans to attach these to the sweetest boxes of holiday treats for all their special clients. have you gotten started on your valentine plans yet? it will be here before we know it!

this is how i roll.

with the snow we've gotten, i can imagine parents are dreaming of the days of spring when kiddos are no longer trapped in the house, but can run and play freely.



these soccer note cards were custom designed for a client's preteen daughter who is a soccer fiend. i love it when parents teach children the importance {and value} of a written note. and what better way to get the kids excited about sending notes than to have some personalized just.for.them.

here's to hoping sara doesn't knock a hole though the wall before school is back in session.

custom designs.

you guys, i have so much fun working on your special projects.

i want to take a moment and thank each and every one of you that allow me to do what i love doing. designing paper is one of my favorite things in the entire world. i always feel so comfortable and "at home" when i'm designing.

i never run out of fun inspiration because you keep me on my toes. and i love you for it.

happy monday!!