A card headed down under...

I was recently contacted by the sweetest little lady in Australia. She wanted a super special card for her boyfriend. 

Listen to this love story, I'm so jealous my eyes are green.:

He is Dutch, they have been long distance for quite some time, they spent time in Paris, and soon he will be moving to Australia with her.

He loves travel so she loved the idea of a suitcase card and wanted to incorporate some of their story into the card. I was so excited I could barely stand it. I was also totally overwhelmed and slightly nervous, because something this cool was gonna be a feat to pull off. Luckily, my bestie reminded me that I did all my best work while under the gun. I have to say, I agree with her...

So for those of you playing along at home, this card is 8.25 inches by 11 inches. It was requested in an A4 size. After a few google searches and a metrics to inches converter, I think I'm close. However I did tell her she was on her own to find an envelope.. hahaha!

 My mother (featheredimpressions.blogspot.com) rescued me with her extensive arsenal of stamps. Her craft room is like stepping into the ultimate crafting store...

 We made a couple post cards for her to write some sentiments on...

 Of course if you love planes...

I think she like likes him, so I thought this little sticker I've stashes since 2005 would be perfect...

 And of course you always need a compass to get home...

I was really excited about the inside. I was channeling all the masculine energy I could. 

What a lucky guy to have a lady who loves him so much!

Ready to Pop, a Poppy themed Baby Shower

When I heard that one of my favorite blog ladies was (FINALLY!) pregnant I was secretly hoping she would ask me to do a party pack for her shower.

Months passed and I had finally resigned myself to the fact that she probably had another crafty woman in her life that was going to throw her a fabulous shower and that despite our over-the-interwebs friendship, I would have to sit back and watch it happen instead of becoming nearly-stalker-like and forcing my way in. So imagine my surprise and absolute excitement when crafting came up and she told me she'd been waiting for me to ask.

I don't think I could type the word "YES" fast enough.

I get insanely excited and enthralled with every party that I design, but this one... I could have crawled inside of it, died,  and gone to heaven. I think I was channeling Martha Stewart, because... well, I'm in love.

This was also a party of firsts. It's the first GIRL shower I've been involved in! It's also the first 100+ attendance party I've designed for. The pressure and excitement was on...

She had requested shabby chic mint and coral. I think I got pretty close despite the absolute void of those colors in the craft stores here this season. Every time I asked a sales associate where their mint and coral was they explained that despite the high demand, they were getting very little in. I definitely started to panic at one point. But, if I am good at any one thing... it is improvising.

Remember when I said that these fabric streamer curtains were my absolute favorite? Yeah... this one is my absolute favorite. Every girl needs some burlap and lace in their life...

I figured a couple more banners wouldn't hurt anyone. It's not super obvious in the photos but I managed to snag some glittery cardstock to back the letters in...

Every party needs a warm welcome...

I'd been scratching my head about a cake topper when I came across this AWESOME 3-dimentional birdcage die for my silhouette. This thing is AMAZING. And considering how complicated it looks, it wasn't that hard to assemble. It's nestled on a bed of petals and a square of pink and white stripe. Even if it doesn't make it to the top of the cake, I think it will be a shower stopper. (Visit www.etsy.com/shop/RivkasRenditions to see more of this chick's awesome designs. I seriously could break the bank at her shop, and her die cut designs are also available on the silhouette store). I'll be making an extra large version for myself...

I also figured that no super-feminine party would be complete without a few flowers  and extra special streamers for decoration...

Congratulations Kiki!

Not Your Average Burlap Banner...

I was told this special order was going over a map...

I may be stealing that idea. I love it!

Want one of your own? Place your order at my Etsy Shop!

7/24/14 update:

I just received this awesome photo from the banners buyer. I love getting photos from my customers! There is something really inspiring in seeing how people use the things I make in their own creative ways. But... I'm jealous. Can this be my dining room please? 

A Party for Two Princesses

Way back in November of last year I had a special request from a fellow Pacific Northwest twin mom for a party pack worthy of her two princesses.

I was more than happy to oblige. All things girly and glittery? Twist my arm, why don't ya?

These stylized toothpicks were perfect for this modern princess party. To cut down on the mess I made sure to double coat them with a sealant that kept all their sparkles in tact.

Speaking of glitter, we looked a lot like a fairy factory around here. This gigantic glittery number one was a particular favorite of mine.

This was my first time doing a tassel banner and I fell in love! Do you KNOW how many options there are for tassels in this world? I think I may have spent an hour staring at all the options in the local party store. I also fell in love with the glitter polka dot banner that accompanied it. A little jute added a touch of natural in this modern day fairy tale.

My absolute favorite part of this entire party pack was the food signs. I went very out of the box and gilttered every surface I could think of. I definitely wanted to be invited to this party just from the menu alone. How much would it be to ship me along with the decorations again?

Did I mention the amount of GLITTER in this party pack!? I was in LOVE.

 

But I don't think it gets any cuter than those two little princesses....

Thank you for letting me be a part of your big day, ladies! I hope you enjoyed the cake! Many more birthdays full of sparkle and wonder are in store for your future.

Absolutely stunning professional photography by: Mica Sansaver (www.micasansaverlifephotography.com), if you're in her area I would highly suggest seeking her services!