MargotMadison

Recent Work: Acrylic Engraved Bar Mitzvah Invitations

2012-02-02T09:11:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to share this invitation for weeks now, but was waiting for them to get in the mail to the guests before I blew the surprise (I never know who is reading these posts!).

I was so excited to have the opportunity to work with this great family. They wanted modern, clean design and were willing to experiment with totally new concepts. Right away, I suggested engraving acrylic, crossing my fingers that they would be game, and to my great pleasure they were all for it! Since this was my first time using the medium, we requested samples of everything so that there would be no expensive surprises.

I was ecstatic when the invitations were finally boxed up and ready to ship. Every detail fell into place and even the mailing went well. *Phew!*

The invitation is for a Bar Mitzvah celebration with a hint of tennis in the theme. I didn't want to be too overt with the tennis theme and use tennis rackets, balls, or court green and white. The design of the logo used the tennis net pattern (the rounded squares) with a minimalist play on his name, and a handsome navy blue color. I used Helvetica Extra Thin as the font in the name logo, and continued to use Helvetica thin and medium for the rest of the invitation. True to the modern styling, the format used lots of white space and right justified text throughout each corresponding piece. The extra pages were held together with a screwpost on the top left corner, eliciting the edgy industrial feel for the invitation. The reply card was perforated from the larger piece so that everything could fit together cleanly.

Of course, making sure the invitation arrived in the same perfect condition it started with required some preparation. The invitation fit snugly into a metallic white cardboard box, which had some navy inside shred to lift it to the top. There was a sticker on the top of the box to further the logo branding of the event. Then the box was placed on a piece of navy matte board and secured with a band of cardstock printed in the navy squares pattern. Then that was placed on a bed of navy shred inside a white corrugated mailing box with a custom address sticker to seal it shut. Lots of work but completely worth it! The invitation arrived to the guests in perfect condition.

Recent design work: Little Yoga Sunshine Logo

2012-02-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Say "yoga logo" five times fast for a great tongue twister!

Speaking of twisting, my kids take a yoga class called Little Yoga Sunshine in Cincinnati, Ohio with the most wonderful instructor, Hollie J. Nesbitt. I never thought that they would love yoga the way I do but as soon as my son (7) and daughter (8) tried it, they were hooked! Now any time we have guests over, they pull out the mats and start contorting themselves into all shapes and sizes to prove their yoga savvy.

In the classes, Hollie tells engaging stories that move the children through the yoga poses. The giggles and squiggles are all part of the fun while the children learn ways to center themselves emotionally while they make their bodies stretch, twist and balance. It's amazing to watch her work the magic! Hollie J. takes Little Sunshine Yoga on the road, so if your school or group would like to invite her into your program mix, visit her website or facebook page for contact information and scheduling.

I don't take on much logo work these days but Hollie is a friend and she made the logo part easy by letting me do whatever I wanted. ;o) By the way, if you ever want to get the best out of an artist, all you have to do is say "Do what you think looks great." I don't know a single artist who doesn't love the idea of that! I was able to repurpose one of my mandala designs into the sun image. I also used a new-to-me font called Deming, which complimented the hand-written script of Angelina.

Aunt Sassy Cake

2012-01-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Is this not a gorgeous photograph of a most delicious cake? It was too pretty not to share with all of you. It was created by Karyn Hlad Miller, who can bake and take photographs among other amazing things. I like to keep bits of her stuff around me for inspiration. If you're up for the cake challenge, here is the link to the recipe.

Valentine's Day Ideas for kids on Pinterest

2012-01-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

If you are not familiar with Pinterest, you may be especially interested in this link. Pinterest is a digital organizing system for the great ideas where you create "Pinboard" on-line. Each pinned item retains it's internet origin so you can actually go back to get the recipe, DIY instructions, or store where you found the item. So if you visit the pinboard above, you can click on the image you want to learn more about and find yourself on the website where I found it. You can have boards of any topic you decide, and once you get into things, you'll see how addictive and useful it is! Keep in mind that everything you see and pin is public, which means that what you pin can be re-pinned by someone else who likes it too. This is perfect for pictures of cupcakes you want to make, but not so great for the pictures of your kids you'd rather keep private. :o)

You can see more of my Valentine's Day inspiration on my pinboard here. If you'd like to start your own Pinterest account (it's free), let me know and I'll invite you, which is faster than the virtual waiting list.

A Hunger Games invitation

2012-01-24T14:54:00.003-05:00

We are officially hooked on Hunger Games! One of the great thing about having kids is that they keep you up to date, whether you like it or not. My 11 year old daughter devoured the Hunger Games books and begged me to read them too. I did, and was very happy I acquiesced to what I thought was only teen-inspired topic. The books are honest, thought-provoking and exciting. We've had many, many discussions on the topic of death, killing, abuse of power, the benefits and pitfalls of organized societies, hunting, being honest to yourself. Even my husband powered through the 3 books and loved them as well.

Needless to say, Julia was overjoyed when she discovered that the movie was going to be debuting on her birthday and was determined to have a Hunger Games party. I thought I'd share the invitation I designed for her. If you are a Hunger Games nerd, you can count the arrows and note that there are 12, for the 12 districts of Panem (and coincidentally, her 12th birthday). The blue one represents the Katniss and how her differing views and bravery made all the difference. The arrows are in a flattened and bold modern style, but the old-school font gives it a little steam punk flair. I love gettin' geeky--even when I design invitations.

Being Brave...

2012-01-24T14:35:00.000-05:00

I do not usually go in this direction on my blog, but I think sharing good things is important, especially when those good things are good for your soul. Every week I get a few emails that read a lot like this:

Dear Super Duper Girl,

If you had lived through different experiences, you would not have the same things to say. If you had not done what you have done, endured what you have endured, decided what you have decided, you would not know what you know. If you had not fallen where you fell and got back up where you got back up...you would not be where you are.

You are you because of the sum of every minute you have been alive. You are you because of everything you have learned, no matter what it took to give you the lesson.

Because of all of these things, there is not another soul like you that ever existed and there never will be. Because of this, you have the ability to leave a beautiful mark on this world, and on every person you ever meet and every place you will ever go -- a mark that could NEVER EVER be made by anyone else.

Own it, girl. The beauty is in the real stuff. Be real, flaws and all.
You are so very very very loved.
xoxo

Isn't that awesome?? They are emails are called A Little Bird Told Me Daily Truths and they are generated from the folks at the Brave Girls Club. I'd swear that it was my own guardian angel sending me messages. Every time I read it, I feel like I can sit taller, be braver and look forward to the joys and challenges in store for me that day. I recommend that everyone I know link up and have the emails sent to them too. They also have emails for teenage girls, and offer wonderful classes to take and illuminate the beautiful soul that is you. It doesn't hurt. It always helps. And you deserve it, just like I do!

The White Stuff

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

I've been chatting up my renewed love for all things white lately with some designer friends. White is a soft clean palette capable of enhancing nearly every piece of art, fabric, and furniture you have in your house. It's a wonderful neutral base that, for those who can never commit to one wonderful color scheme because all colors are so beautiful and worthy of attention, offers the ultimate creative freedom. Mixing creams and whites is beautiful. Whites and pastel colors are beautiful. Whites and sharp intense colors like orange, red and pink are stunning too. When you tire of one color, change it up and voila! A new look without getting the paint brushes out.

With that said, I want to share a beautifully curated collection of white with you. Heather Spriggs of Gathering Spriggs blog has completed a most beautiful magazine called Gatherings which showcases her romantic modern aesthetic with vintage white home accessories, recipes, party styling, crafts and more. Here are a few teaser photos so you can see what I mean. When you have a few minutes at lunch today, refresh your creative soul and soak it all in. It's inspiring and motivating. Beautiful job Heather!

Mother of Pearl Color inspiration

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Most of you have not had the "pleasure" of seeing my bathroom so I'll describe it to you. It's covered with the mauve tiles original to the house which was built in the 1930s (the color swatch on the far right of this photo). Since I whine ridiculously when I even have to paint, taking on the challenge of an entire bathroom re-do is on the 10 to 20 year plan. Or when we have a spare couple of thousand dollars to pay someone to do it for us. I will continue to hope, but I think I'm going to be stuck with the tile for a long while so I'm trying to get used to it. And in all fairness, it's in perfect condition and appears to be indestructible even for my 3 creative children. I have to love it for that.

My high school art teacher once said that every color will work and look beautiful, if paired with other colors that make it so. This is a challenge and I've been pondering it since I first laid eyes on the mauve "inspiration" in the bathroom.

Alas, I'm happy to say that I think I've discovered a possible solution in this beautiful color palette from Design Seeds. I feel like the veil has been lifted from my eyes and I've been shown the proverbial light to make my mauve tiles look beautiful. I already even have navy towels so I was on the right path. Wish me luck!

Animal Balloons

2012-01-17T09:21:00.001-05:00

Aren't these cute little guys? They are called Airheads and designed by Hector Serrano, available online at Z Gallery. I envision them at an animal themed birthday party, all lined up with a party gift attached to the bottom for the party guests to take home. I first saw the link trolling around Apartment Therapy's great blog.

I am now just recovering from my son's 7th birthday party which was at a Laser tag place. As soon as I get that together I will definitely share the details and printables. I just need to get those photos off the camera...

A Pub Themed Party

2012-01-12T11:47:00.001-05:00

I'm very happy to say that I've joined creative forces with Sharon Elikan Dizenhuz, a veritable genius of theme ideas and implementation strategies. If you need someone to help you kick-start your event, then give her a call. I add the visual details, and before you know it, a fabulous party is on the way!

This was one of her first ideas Sharon proffered. I think a pub themed party is so great for the difficult category of "manly" events. A pub is the quintessential friendly atmosphere that encourages gathering, singing and general merriment. If your man loves sports, you can easily move the focus to game colors, or even a golf bend with more of a "old boys" club atmosphere.

Having been to a pub or two in England, Ireland and Wales, I felt quite qualified to take this project on. Based on Sharon's first set of lists, I created a concept for an invitation and logo that would get the mood set for the event. The one I show in this collage is great for a couple (did you get Stud and Nag Pub reference?), but I also have another focusing on the man of the hour (the Cocky Lad Pub).

Taking it further: Do you have a wood bar in your house that sets the tone? What about renting out your local pub for the party? How about finding a piano player to get the pub songs going? Or better yet, ask some of your friends who can play instruments to bring them and play. Don't forget to send out a song list and print copies of the words. That will get everyone singing along!

Here is a quick collage of images to get your creative juices flowing. I have more inspirational images on my Pinterest board here. Don't miss the party food menu ideas and a great playlist Sharon pulled together after the photos. You'll have your pub party atmosphere in no time, mate!

FOOD SUGGESTIONS FOR A PUB THEMED PARTY

Main Fare/Pub Grub

Scotch Eggs

Mini Welsh Rarebit Toasts

Traditional English Roast Beef Crostinis

Shepherds Pie in individual ramekins

Bangers and Mash

Sausage rolls with mustard sauce

Fish & Chips, smashed peas, vinegar

Dullhallow Cheese Souffle

Beef Pasties

Desserts

Bread and Butter Pudding with Whiskey Crème Anglaise

Tradional English Bakewell Tart

Chocolate Pudding

Fruit Trifle

Drinks

Harp, Guinness & a good Irish whiskey

Suggested Song List for a Pub Themed Party

Try a Little Tenderness, The Commitments

Hard Days Night, The Beatles

Danny Boy, The Irish Tenors Trio

Free Me, Joss Stone

The Auld Triangle, Glen Hansard/Damien Rice

Deep into the Ground, Billy Elliot Soundtrack

The Pub with No Beer, Finbar O’Shay

Everyday I write the book, Elvis Costello

Down by the Water, The Decemberists

The Last English Rose, All the King’s Men

When Irish Eyes are Smiling, Murdo McRae

Lola, The Kinks

Back on the Chain Gang, The Pretenders

Go with Happiness, The Swell Season

Henry the VIII, I Am, Herman’s Hermits

London Calling, The Clash

Wild Thing, The Troggs

Drowsy Maggie, Pub Crawlers

Come Dancing, The Kinks

Ob-ba-di, Oh-bla-da, The Beatles

Show Me, The Pretenders

Allison, Elvis Costello

Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan

It ain’t me, Babe, Bob Dylan

Cruel to be Kind, Nick Lowe

Blowin in the Wind, Peter, Paul & Mary

Danny Boy, Willie Nelson

Dirty Old Town, The Pogues

Galway Girl, Mundy

Sweet Jane, The Velvet Underground

I Wanna be Sedated, The Ramones

I’m Not your Stepping Stone, The Sex Pistols

Should I Stay or Should I Go, The Clash

Sunday Bloody Sunday, U2

I Confess, The English Beat

Blister in the Sun, The Violent Femmes

Inspiration Monday: Cerise Pink

2012-01-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. Nama Rococo wallpaper is to die for. Unexpected color, organic shapes, hand drawn elements, nature are all rolled into a beautiful ball of wallpaper. I am lucky enough to have 2 sheets that I've framed and hung at my house. Just look at this photo! It's bright pink wall paper and it looks fabulous! It proves my high school art teacher correct in saying that there are no "wrong" colors. A true artist can make anything work. I'm not there yet, but this inspires me to keep trying...

Today, I was freaking about all the awesome things I want to blog about and I got totally paralyzed. Do you ever get that way?? There are so many ways I want to go with my day and I can't choose, so I sit at the computer and surround myself with spastic lists and pictures and links and my stomach is all in knots about what I should do. What should I do? Where do I start? Then I take a long drag off my Diet Coke can and realize that I'm not doing everything. I'm going to do a small thing and go from there.

This is my small thing, but "small" isn't the best description of it. It's beautiful and it has me thinking about designing parties and invitations with cerise pink as the theme. Then I can get to designing some invitations and cards that have nothing to do with pink, but that need to be loved on a little bit too.

Party Ideas from Pottery Barn Kids

2012-01-06T10:44:00.000-05:00

I often think about how retail stores are coping with the adjusted way Americans shop now that the internet is so integrated into our lives. The retail location used to be where shop owners and their associates interacted with shoppers by making suggestions and inspiring them with carefully curated vignettes of products. Then creative bloggers started doing amazing things and sharing their ideas on parties, decorating and entertaining. The world has responded so strongly to this more personalized and grass roots style of inspiration. I've noticed that some forward-thinking retailers have opted to not fight the tide, but to combine both of these resources by using the bloggers to style events with their products. *Brilliant*

Today I saw that Pottery Barn Kids has also combined these two great worlds on their website in a section called "Parties and Celebrations". One of my favorite style bloggers Kim Stoegbauer from the TomKat Studio was a featured stylist for a "Sunshine Baby Shower", which is of course gorgeous. The wonderful part for Kim was having access to the resources for photographers, videographers, Pottery Barn props which are, let's face it, a bonus to working with the Big Corporate Companies. The bonus for web shoppers is that they feel like there is a real live person styling these events and sharing ideas. You can even download print files and watch DIY videos from the site. It's pretty cool. I should also put "out there" that if they need another blogging stylist, I'll be happy to throw my hat into that ring. :o)

Cheers and have a great weekend!

How to write time correctly on your invitation

2012-01-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

I was wondering about this the other day while preparing a proof and I thought I'd look it up to be sure. I'm really glad that I did look it up, because I was hyphenating when I shouldn't have been. *sigh* It seems I'm always over-punctuating...

Here are some helpful rules on how to write time from this website (which, incidentally has lots of other handy grammatical rules).

Rule 12

Normally, spell out the time of day in text even with half and quarter hours. With o'clock, the number is always spelled out.
Examples:
She gets up at four thirty before the baby wakes up.
The baby wakes up at five o'clock in the morning.

Rule 13

Use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized or when using A.M. or P.M.
Examples:
Monib's flight leaves at 6:22 A.M.
Please arrive by 12:30 sharp.
She had a 7:00 P.M. deadline.

Rule 14

Use noon and midnight rather than 12:00 P.M. and 12:00 A.M.

Rule 15

Hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.
Examples:
Forty-three persons were injured in the train wreck.
Twenty-three of them were hospitalized.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T11:47:00.001-05:00

Can I give a little "woohoo" for the new year? I don't know why, but I feel like this one is going to be really, really good. I'm refreshing my invitation designs, simplifying my pricing format and getting ready to blog it up big time. My main external hard drive died, which could have been a complete disaster but I decided it was a way to start everything fresh and new. I'm excited for some *other* opportunities I have in design and writing as well. Those are kinda secret at the moment right now, though, so more on that later in the year.

In addition to all that good invitation stuff, a continued effort from last year is to practice my photography. I took an excellent workshop in Cincinnati called DSLR Workshops by Okello Dunkley, which definitely gave me the confidence to put my camera into the "M" for manual mode and start shooting. I'm looking at my composition, my lighting, my custom focus and more. I've downloaded Aperture, which allows me to do way more adjustments than Photoshop does. I basically have scratched the surface, but hey, you have to start somewhere, right? At least I'm not cursing the "effing f-stop" anymore. That's gotta be a good thing. This photo is one I took yesterday as we were cleaning up the Christmas stuff. These were some of my favorite ornaments and they looked so darn pretty together I just had to dive into an impromptu photo shoot. My husband is so tolerant of the artistic whims and diversions of his wife...

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 24

2011-12-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

I must say that I like this little forest of trees! I came up with it in a moment of creative desperation.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 23

2011-12-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

Green Plaid.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 22

2011-12-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

White, pink sparkly polka dots and red!

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 21

2011-12-21T09:00:00.002-05:00

Another sweet and subtle tag with a soft chevron pattern in the back. Kinda goes with this weird font my blog has decided it likes...

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 20

2011-12-20T16:51:00.001-05:00

This is best seen up close because of all the fine glitter details on the tag.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 19

2011-12-20T16:50:00.003-05:00

More gold and pink because it is so yummy.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 18

2011-12-20T16:49:00.003-05:00

Gold and pink for Christmas? Yes!

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 17

2011-12-20T16:49:00.000-05:00

This is actually one of my most favorite wrapped gifts. Usually, I like minimal contrast, but the bright pink was so awesome on the gold and white paper and glittery branch. Ooohlala!

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 16

2011-12-20T16:47:00.000-05:00

*do not look at the date or this font, which was accidentally changed. I am not this retro.

Day 16 was all crafty with buttons. This font is SO distracting to me. Arg!

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 15

2011-12-15T10:48:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting all year to work with this sparkly stuff. I purchased it for about $.10 from Michaels last year when they were clearing out the Christmas decor. The "this is so cheap I need to buy it all" frenzy hit and before I knew it, I had a large plastic bin full of sparkly stuff. I suppose that now is as good a time as any to start using it, right? To make the topper, I just pulled from the larger clusters of 3 different shaped leaves and flowers. Since I have so much, I'm going to experiment a little more with this. Stay tuned...

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 14

2011-12-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

Had some fun doodling with a red thin tip Sharpie on this one...

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 13

2011-12-13T16:58:00.000-05:00

I'm not whining, but this is quite a task I've set out for myself. And it's not the wrapping that's tough, I really like that part. It's the photographing of the gift! I was actually looking forward to doing this photoshoot because I took a photography workshop this weekend which really cleared up so much camera mystery for me (no more effing f-stop talk from me anymore!). I now have my camera on full manual mode. Woo-hoo!

Anyway, the bummer was that I had to take the photos on the dreariest, grayest, winteriest day possible. Ug! Talk about adding a challenge to my natural lighting situation! I did not get to use my new photo editing software either. Now it does sound like I'm whining. Sorry about that. It just occurred to me that the good news was that I did take that class or I'd be showing you some very dark photos of gifts.

After exploring retro folksy styles and lots of red and white, I'm moving into some sparkly stuff. This is silver paper with silver eyelash yarn. The topper is a group of glittered pinecones and a custom gift sticker I made. Nicely done for a special Papa gift, I think.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 12

2011-12-12T16:20:00.000-05:00

I used a combination of wrapping papers in this wrap; a strip of red polka dots on a white wrapped box. It coordinates well with my other red and white gifts.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 11

2011-12-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

This is another one of my vintage ornaments I scored from the last estate sale. Grandpa Bryan is kind of a country boy so I thought the little deer belonged to him.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 10

2011-12-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is a perfect solution if you need to ship your package. The ribbon never gets messed up! I made this with all different kinds of washi tape (like the kind available from Pretty Tape). Super easy and fast. Plus your gift paper is extra secure with all that tape keeping it together. *Sigh* I just saw all the new washi tapes designs and will now have to purchase them all. I've got real problems.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 9

2011-12-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

This was a fun gift to wrap. I made the felt acorn toppers after collecting acorn caps in abundance while on an autumn walk and hot glued them to the felt balls (like these). Then you glue and wrap the string around the stem to make the topper. I like grouping several at a time and as you can see, I layered some varying widths of ribbon to keep things simple. The tag is cut from the craft wrapping paper and the ends trimmed in with scissors. To make the wavy part, simply press one side of you hand down on the paper as you slide it along the edge of a table. Then turn the paper around and do the opposite on the other side. Get it?

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 8

2011-12-09T16:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, full disclosure. This is obviously posted on day 9 but the gift was wrapped yesterday! I didn't have time to photograph it but it still counts, people...

We are pom-pom obsessed at the moment. What, with the Bombshells of Cincinnati out and about, and my kids learning how to make them at the Crafty Supermarket, the yarn is flying in this house. I tied these 3 to the package to look almost like buttons on a shirt. Not sure that really comes through, but it was the inspiration anyway.

DIY Friday: Make your own lip gloss with Kool-Aid

2011-12-09T12:24:00.001-05:00

I saw a simple recipe for home made lipgloss on Pinterest and thought I'd do it with my daughters. Mind you, this is in addition to the earrings we've made and the bow tie necklaces. Not sure how many girls are going to be the recipients of these crafty gifts, but it sure is fun to craft like maniacs in the meantime!

Here is what you need:
1 cup petroleum jelly
1 packet Kool-Aid drink mix (without the sugar added)
24 small containers with screw top lids. I got mine from the beading section at Michaels.
Food coloring
1/4 tsp edible glitter (optional, I use the kind from a cake decorating supply store)
a whisk, a 2 cup heat proof glass measuring cup with a spout (such as Pyrex)

Scoop put the petroleum jelly into the measuring cup and heat in the microwave until liquid. This make take several minutes, but do it 30 seconds at a time. I've never burned petroleum jelly, but I doubt it's pretty.

Using the whisk, mix in the packet of drink powder, glitter and food coloring. There will be small bits of the drink mix left in the gloss, and we call those flavor bursts. Pour into the containers and let cool. I've attached some cute labels you can use. Right click to save file to your computer. Print to adhesive white stock and use a 1" hole punch to cut them out.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 7

2011-12-07T13:37:00.000-05:00

Remember when I told you about that one estate sale where I scored some great vintage holiday gift wrapping stuff? This was by far the best of the lot. Adorable tie-on tags! I've had these for years because I'm hoarding them, but this challenge is doing more than keeping me creative--it's making me use this great stuff. I chose this particular picture to show off the tags because...it's a donkey. A Christmas donkey! I'm not sure whether it's meant to remind us of the donkey in the manger, or if Mexican donkey's were really big 50 years ago but I love it so much. Second favorite is the little girl with an umbrella. Maybe these came from a company in California? Or maybe the truth of winter (especially here in the midwest) is that it rains more than it snows this time of year. Whatever the reason, the tags brought me joy. I hope they do for you too!

I couldn't resist showing you the girl with the umbrella. She's at least wearing a scarf.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 6

2011-12-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

This was a neat little wooden box I found while waiting in line at Michaels the other day (yes I am a sucker for the $1 specials). It's about the size of a glasses case and just perfect for a little handmade necklace gift for my sister-in-law! I glued a white velvet ribbon and a picot edge ribbon across the top flap. I covered the wooden button closure with the felt and sequin embellishment. The inside of the box is filled with red paper crinkle to cushion the gift. I'd show you but somebody might read this post and peek at her gift...

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 5

2011-12-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, big apologies for the short focus and slight blurriness on this photo. I like some bokeh, but not that much! This is one of the vintage ornaments I scored from the estate sale a few weeks ago. I think the ornament is so freaking cute that next year I'll be making them for sure. I resisted major temptation to buy the walnuts in the shell this Sunday at the grocery store. *too...many...crafts* I'm thinking the blanket should be made of velvet ribbon, yes? Oh yes.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 4

2011-12-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite pastimes now that my kids are old enough to stay home on their own for a few hours, is to go to estate sales with my mom. Usually, my mom scopes out what she thinks will be the best one and we head out to check out the heirlooms and garbage that the survivng kids didn't want to keep. Usually, there is a stash of old Christmas crap in the basement, which thrills me to no end! A few years ago, I scored some great vintage Christmas tags, ribbons and a few sheets of lickable "stickers". After wasting great quantities of saliva to try in vain to get them to stick to the wrapping paper, I finally turned to the mighty tape gun to get those rascals to stick. The ribbon is also vintage, and as you can see, mighty curly and brittle from being so tightly wound for 30 years or more. I opted not to mess with it too much and keep the curl "au naturel".

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 3

2011-12-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm posting this gift for Day 3 because the gift is for my neice Sophia, who is turning *gasp* 15 years old today. I remember that girl in her little swing at 3 months old, crooning "aroo! aroo! to her smitten Auntie Margot! She is turning into a beautiful young woman to be sure.

The wrapping details: White glossy paper, vintage silver ribbon and a custom-made tag. The tag has a little history, which I'll share some time this month for DIY Friday. It uses some custom made stamps to make the little village. Cute, cute.

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 2

2011-12-02T16:23:00.000-05:00

It was tempting to use these as 2 gifts, what with the weekend coming up and all. It just occurred to me that I'm going to need some better organizational skills if I'm to keep up with my promise of 25 days of gift wrap. That means I have to write 2 more posts today to cover Saturday and Sunday! Oh well, better get going on that.

Day 2's gift wrapping uses cut paper snowflakes created by the ever talented snipper Natalie Madison. Simple white grosgrain and sheer silver ribbons keep the focus on the snowflake. I'm big into red and white because it's pretty and also because I have a humongous roll of red printed craft wrapping paper. I swear, my great grandchildren will be getting red-wrapped gifts that thing is so huge.

And should you need more inspiration, I just discovered The Gifted Blog that is all about gift wrapping. How cool is that?

Bow ties Are Cool

2011-12-02T11:06:00.001-05:00

How cute is that?

Here's the truth: The entire Madison family is obsessed with Dr. Who. For those of you who are not enlightened, it's a British science fiction show. It's a mildly scary family show but my kids love a little fear in their tv line-up. It's possible that you might be thinking of Dr. Who of the 70s and 80s where the sets looked like they were designed by the 6th grade art department. It is the same series, but thoroughly updated to the 21st century. Anyway, it's nerdy, but we like nerdy stuff and are proud of it.

The most recent incarnation of Dr. Who (Matt Smith) wears a bowtie as a part of his "look". When my daughter Julia caught on to that, it started a "Bowties Are Cool" movement in her own 6th grade class. Bow ties were being crafted out of paper, duct tape, ribbons, whatever they could find. Suffice it to say, anything with a bow tie is now "Cool".

Naturally, when I pulled out the Shrinky Dink plastic a few weeks ago, Julia immediately started creating bowties of various sizes and patterns. There was a little eye-rolling by me, but since I am really trying to not be THAT kind of mom (meaning "old and out of touch"), I rolled my eyes back forward and decided to be supportive. I'm glad I did because that little Shrinky-Dink bow tie was so darn cute when it came out of the oven! Now I eagerly jumped on the bow tie bandwagon, and ran to get my bag o' beads from my studio. We dismantled an old broken necklace to get the chain (about 18" long) and attached it to 2 jump rings that we'd placed on the holes at the top of the bow tie. We all really love how it turned out and immediately set out to make more. Luckily, none of Julia's friends read my blog so they won't know what their Christmas gift will be this year... :o)


Julia styled Natalie and took this picture. Lookin' good eh?

25 Days of Gift Wrap: Day 1

2011-12-01T17:49:00.000-05:00

My creative challenge this Christmas is to explore gift wrapping and post one of my own creations each day. I will tell you that I'm totally freaked out to commit to something like this! I love being consistently inconsistent--it's my artsy thing, you know. But this is a good kind of challenge and the double bonus is that all my gift wrapping will be completed before December 24th. *high fives to myself* (which really just looks like a clap, if you think about it. Don't think about it too much or you'll start giggling like I'm doing right now.)

The first installment showcases a gift topper created from layered felt circles, sewn together with a vintage sequin at the top. I used my cream wrapping paper, and a silverish sheer ribbon. The felt circles (and other shapes) are pretty inexpensive and available from vendors on etsy such as this one. You can find similar sequins from this company...and I tell you, they are fun to have around!

Gifts for Camera Lovers

2011-11-30T10:57:00.000-05:00

I can't say "Gifts for Photographers" because that would exclude me! While I would never, ever consider myself a photographer, I do love me my DSLR Nikon camera. Since everyone in my family was asking what I wanted, I decided to create a little group of good gift ideas for them to use. Of course, if you have someone on your list who loves their camera too, you can mooch off my ideas. It's the season of giving, right?

Here are the cool companies that offer the products above:
1. Plaid Wool camera bag from MariForssell
2. Fun camera stamp (for cards, wrapping paper, tags etc.) from Brown Pigeon
3. Large printed fabric camera bag from XcessRize
4. Camera strap from OhSoStrapped (I can't resist those Kodachrome colors!)
5. Retro camera print wallet from Coolbeans717
6. Lytro camera from Lytro. You really have to read about this new technology that changes the way cameras work. It's amazing!
7. Retro camera v-neck t-shirt from vital
8. Camera strap from iMo Shop
9. Silver camera necklace from Destiny's Creations

Thankgiving 2011 and last minute floral arrangements!

2011-11-28T09:01:00.001-05:00

While last year I was ready for Thanksgiving a week before, this year was a bit different. I thought about it several weeks ahead, but as you well know, thinking and doing are very different things. Especially because I was all about azure blue and copper and frankly, there was little in the azure blue table linen category to choose from and I wasn't about to learn how to sew. I was not the least bit interested in stressing over it so my sister and I went with what we had at our easy disposal: Her beautiful china and a navy blue damask table cloth. Her cherry wood table and buffet were just right for the coppery tones too. Done! Sort of.

I went to see my floral therapist Justin at Findlay Market in Cincinnati on Wednesday. We agreed to use coppery yellow mums, antique hydrangea, some kind of purplish leafy stuff and thistles in the floral arrangement. I nervously went home, wondering what kind of magic I would have to use to transform this group of flowers into the beautiful arrangement he envisioned. My original plan was to use 3 low glass bowls and fill them with flowers but they were at Alex's and I was too anxious to get started to wait for her to come home and give them to me. I pulled out one of my crystal bowls with a tarnishing silver base (tarnished not because I'm lazy, but because I the slightly subdued silver feels less fussy) and started filling the bowl. I did have a moment of inspiration when I saw that the pears ripening in our fruit bowl were the perfect color pair for those mums! Of course I did not have a floral frog because I'd thrown it out after it poked my finger for the last time last summer. And the scrap of chicken wire was not big enough to support the weight of the pears which had been stuck with skewers. I grabbed an osage orange from my expiring Halloween mantle design and stuck it into the bowl. While not perfect, it was a quick fix that worked fine and at least didn't require another trip to Michaels, a place I frequent only on the days the 40% off coupons are invalid. After about a half hour, I was pleased with the final results of the bouquet. My sister Alex confirmed the floral success (the little sister in me still needs this approval, even at 40!) and I have to agree that it did look really lovely on the navy table linens.

Here are a few pictures from the day. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and beautiful flowers too! Maybe next year will be less spur-of-the-moment but we'll see. Procrastination is so rewarding for me half the time that I really don't see the need to plan too far ahead. :o)

Let the gift giving season begin...

2011-11-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Gifted Magazine is a wonderful, wonderful collection of gift ideas curated by Ez from Creature Comforts. When I first saw the link, I thought I would do a quick browse-through before leaving the office for an appointment but I realized very quickly that I wasn't going to be merely browsing the e-pages. I was studying them and taking notes and clicking away to all the links. I'll show a few of my favorite pages here, but promise me you will look through on your own. If you don't, you'll miss the incredibly amazing section of printable gift tags and that would be tragic!

Last year's Thanksgiving table

2011-11-22T09:07:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving really crept up on me this year! While I have the theme and general idea of how we'll be decorating this year's Thanksgiving table, I'm not together enough to get the table set before Thursday and get the photos ready to share. I thought I'd revisit last year's beautiful table as a precursor to this year's, and I will tell you that this year's colors are going to be copper and blue!

Reposted from November 23, 2010
This is what 3 crazy and over-stimulated women can do in an afternoon when they have more on their agenda than is humanly possible (even for a mom!). I've been eager to do a table setting so that I can get more practiced at it. With Thanksgiving coming up, it seemed as good a time as any for my first official project. I gathered a few of my creative peeps on a Thursday and we brainstormed the details. My main inspiration was this photo from Leslie at A Creative Mint (the pinnacle of color inspiration and beautiful photography in my humble opinion):

Not having the time to make a quick trip to Morocco to get the delightful cups Leslie used, I had to improvise. I have some charming pressed glass cups at my house which I use for wine glasses (strange to some perhaps, but provincial to me and no broken glass stems in the dishwasher), and I'd just purchased some silver/gold Alhambra patterned votives from Crate and Barrel so those went into the creative soup. We have Thanksgiving (and most family events) at my sister Alex's so hers was the setting, table linen, silverware, and more. Aren't those flower plates beautiful? They come from Lindsay's room mate's collection of beautiful finds from Lord knows where (and likely some thrift store or Goodwill). Alex and I both contributed all our crystal candlesticks. Karyn (the photographer and creative muse) brought the silver mini pedestal with glass dome, which just was so cute. My point here is that everything on this table was borrowed, begged or bespoke. I want to thank Karyn, Lindsay, and Alex for their efforts and willingness to participate in my creative obsessions--I mean--projects. Everyone is super busy, so this was no small feat to find time and energy to spend on a "fun" project when you should really be wrapping presents, finishing newsletters, responding to charity emails etc. I begged Karyn to get me the 4 photos so I could post BEFORE Thanksgiving and so I am especially grateful. Thank you ladies again!! So without further ado, the photos please!

Karen's silver mini pedestal with a glass dome, pomegranate

Plates with gold chargers

My mini books as place cards. Each guest can write a nice note on the pages inside!

Karen added the gold trim around the glass rim.

Of course, even though we were going on and on about how much we had going on in our lives, we couldn't help ourselves but start planning the next event table. Creativity is a chronic and contagious disease, but you know that because you have the same affliction. Have a great Thanksgiving to you! If you have some creative thanksgiving tables to share, send them my way!

DIY Friday: What the Font?

2011-11-18T09:31:00.000-05:00

Ever find something written in a font that you love, but have no idea which font it is? (yes, all the time)

Ever go to a font site and try to go through the millions of fonts looking for it? It ain't pretty folks. Even for most professionals, there are so many variations on variations that it is so overwhelming. (yes!)

Today, a friend of mine sent me this image and hoped that I could figure out what font it was for her. After scanning through my own list of fonts, I came up empty-handed. I'd heard of websites that offer font identifying features and thought that today was the day to give it a try.

I went to this link on the MyFonts website and got started.

First, I took a screen shot of the letters in question. You can do this on a Mac by clicking Command-Shift-4, then selecting the section of the screen you want to copy with the marquis-thing, and saving the image.

Then I uploaded that image as step one of the font finding process. The next step in the process is to review various sections and tell the computer which letter it has highlighted by typing it into the box under that section.

After several of those exercises, the computer listed several fonts that could be close matches. I have to say that I was impressed! I think Holmen Headline and Ambroise are a pretty good match, but I'd have to delve into the italics to know for sure.

I will definitely keep this handy tool in the Margot Madison box of tricks, and I'm glad I had a chance to give it a real try this morning.

Have a good weekend everybody. I'm going to try to recover from a little cold I've managed to catch from my little man this week. Wish me luck.

Have you tried Pingg yet?

2011-11-15T09:13:00.000-05:00

Source: pingg.com via Margot on Pinterest

Although I am always on my computer, I was late to discover this great e-invitation website. Pingg is an on-line invitation source that works like e-vites. You can choose invitation styles that are presented by independent graphic designers and use them as either an electronic invitation or have them printed and sent as a real paper invitation. I love that you can choose both! You can also use this site to sell tickets to an event like a fundraiser, and keep track of guests and payments. The cost is free for many styles, and $10 for Premium Designers.

Source: pingg.com via Margot on Pinterest

The really good news is that some of my invitations are being represented and sold through my design group called "A Fresh Bunch". I've got some fun and colorful holiday designs up there now, and as a bonus, I'll be adding party accessories like cupcake and favor stickers, food cards and more on my etsy store. Please note that those are not yet live on my store as of today, but I will let you know as soon as they are. The combination of simplicity and efficiency with e-vites, plus the printable party accessories means you don't have to sacrifice style for price or convenience. It's a win-win, yes?

Coming soon will also be save the date cards for your wedding. Imagine being able to link directly to your wedding website, your accommodations and your email.

10 Songs for your First Dance that you may not know, but should

2011-11-07T09:00:00.002-05:00

Well, the title says it all, really. I recall struggling with this aspect of my wedding reception lo those many years ago. I wanted a song that was romantic and had meaningful words. I wanted something different than the usual first dance songs at wedding receptions. So I asked a few of my musically diverse friends for suggestions of alternative First Wedding Dance songs and they assisted me with these romantic gems.

1. The Only Story I Tell, The Silos
2. Hold You In My Arms, Ray LaMontagne
3. Your Face, Glen Hansard (The Frames)
4. Have A Little Faith In Me, John Hiatt
5. Magic In The Air, Badly Drawn Boy
6. First In Line, Mathew Mayfield
7. Breathe, Eddie Vedder
8. Your Company, Marketa Irglova (This video is not great, but buy the song and listen to lyrics--You will not be disappointed! This is on her newly released album and I'm going on a limb here and say that she wrote this song with her new husband in mind. So sweet!)
9. Naked As We Came, Iron And Wine (Having been married for over 13 years, this song still makes me cry with hope and love!)
10. When You Say Nothing At All, Allison Kraus And Union Station

Want more? Kisa Koenig has been compiling a really impressive list of Love Songs, along with the lyrics.

Did you have an unconventional or atypical song as your first dance at your wedding? What was it?

Chess Girl Party!

2011-11-04T08:47:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago my friend and fellow creative collaborator Karyn Hlad Miller asked me if I would help her with the styling of her daughter's party. Of course I would! It did not matter that I was going out of town that weekend and had stuff of my own to do...this is what I do when someone as amazing as Karyn invites me to participate in something creative. I have to say yes!!

Karyn is an amazing photographer and an incredible baker so that part was covered. We discussed the general layout of the party dessert table and refined what goodies would make the table fun, tasty and beautiful. The ChessGirl Party theme is so unusual and perfect for her daughter who loves chess. We made the classic black and white color scheme more girly adding accents of royal purple.

The food...
The party table was covered in a black tablecloth, with purple ribbon across the top. The white streamers are a great way to make the solid black table look fun and festive! Karyn used all black cake stands from her personal collection and used white platters for the other foods. She served lemon cupcakes with chess pieces moulded from white chocolate tinted purple. The cake was chocolate and vanilla checkerboard inside (using those concentric circle baking pans) with a rich purple frosting piped to look like ruffles. She added black and white brownies, "ChessGirl" cookies from Pepperidge Farm and purple rock candy in a jar.

The decorations...
Karyn used the blank frames from my birthday party (I tell you, those frames have made their original $3 investment so worth it! I've used them--what--4 times since June??) to hang on the wall. We cut out silhouettes of the horse (I'm a little embarrassed that I do not know the proper chess lingo of that piece, wait, I think it's called a Rook?) and the queen of course, out of purple scrapbooking cardstock for the smaller oval frames. The center frame was a number 8 and the purple ribbons were added for color and a final girly detail.

The paper products...
My part, of course, was to create the printed pieces of the party. I aimed to create an invitation with a modern but young and feminine feel. I used the overall square shape and borders that nod to the chessboard. The font was a classic Garamond in varying sizes and italics to enhance the flow of the text. The party favors were made with old fashioned stick candy in grape flavor with the tags threaded through. Those could easily have been cute stickers or tags for favor bags too! The printable files are at the bottom of this email and will be available for free downloading this next week. After that, I'll have them on my etsy store.

A fun party game...
Karyn enlarged and printed a photograph of Sophia and cut out crowns to play "Crown Sophia", a twist on the ever-popular Pin the Tail on the Donkey party game.

Thanks Karyn for including me on this really fun and unusual Chess Girl Party theme. All I have to say is, "What's next, girl?"

To use these printables, right click to save the jpg files to your desktop. Then open the files as a photo box in your word (or other program), type your text in place and print.

Behind the scenes at the April Eight Fairy Party

2011-11-03T11:08:00.001-04:00

I thought these pictures were cute. April sent them to me after our photo shoot at the Fairy Party. Things don't look too chaotic, do they? ;o)

With my little designer-in-training, Julia

Making things "just right".

In awe of Gina's talents!

Flightless Bird, the wedding version

2011-10-31T09:00:00.001-04:00

A remake of an already uber-romantic song by Sam Beam of Iron and Wine. You Twilight fans will remember it as the song Bella and Edward dance to at prom, and it's going to make it's reappearance at The Wedding in the upcoming Breaking Dawn movie. If I was in 7th grade, I'd be hands on shoulders with a cute boy and we'd be slowly rocking around in circles until the cop/DJ announced "Snowball" and we had to change dance partners. If I was getting married, I'd be giving the dreamy eyes to my handsome new husband. See what romantic thoughts pop into your mind when you watch:

A lovely fairy party featuring April Eight

2011-10-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

Man, if every day could be as amazing as this one I'd be a happy stylin' girl! I've been planning and planning for this wonderful day with April Combs Mann, singer and songwriter of delightful children's music April Eight. As with all projects, progress was slow at times and then picked up with lightning speed toward the end. It was so good to know that with the help of everyone involved; the beautiful children who enjoyed their day frolicking in the nature-loving fairy atmosphere, Gina Weathersby from Kiwi Street Studios who takes photos to steal your breath away, and of course April who is such a charming and talented performer, all our efforts were rewarded!

The April Eight winter CD will be released this November, so I'll keep you updated on that. We will also be collaborating on the party printables for this event so you can have a beautiful fairy party for your own wee people!

This was the photo booth area for the party. It was created with burlap for the swag, with lots of fantastical flowers made from tissue poms and adorned with papers, felt, ribbons sequins and everything else I had in my craft box. They were VERY fun to make. The kids joined in and had a ball. They were attached to the swag with clothespins, which also made them easy to move around or give away at the end as party favors. **Do not miss that adorable oversized mushroom that April made. Seriously, we thought it was the best decoration of the whole gig!

Source: kiwistreetstudios.com via Margot on Pinterest

The food was light and wholesome but not without some sugary cupcakes! The cupcake toppers were made from colored fondant cut out with beautiful butterfly and flower shapes. I added some edible glitter and dusting sugar to make them more magical. We also served "fairy puffed corn" (aka popcorn) in colorful paper cones, "berries and sticks" (a mixture of dried fruits, berries and pretzels) and harvest apple cider.

Source: kiwistreetstudios.com via Margot on Pinterest

The music...well, I'm obviously a fan so I'll give you my unbiased opinion ;o). April's songs are light-hearted, lyrical stories about fairies going to ice skating balls, goblins dancing, and finding the magic in everything around us. April's genuine love for musical entertainment and delighting children is a joy to watch. I can't wait for the CD to come out for myself!

Source: kiwistreetstudios.com via Margot on Pinterest

A good craft idea to keep kids engaged in the party was the making of these "badges". Again, I pulled out all my ribbons, felt scraps, buttons, sequins, feathers and papers to let the kids go wild. Every one is more special and beautiful than the next. We attached a clothespin to the back so they could pin them anywhere...on their clothes, in their hair or just holding them as they ran through the yard to see the streamers float in the breeze. Charming!

Source: kiwistreetstudios.com via Margot on Pinterest

Don't you want to see more? Many more beautiful photos of the event are on Kiwi Street Studio's blog here. If you are excited to have April sing at your next fairy party, you can contact her through her website. I'll have invitations available in the next week so you can have your own perfect fairy party too! If you'd like to see all the inspiration we used for this party, you might be interested in looking through the pin board we created on Pinterest here.

Chai Shortbread Cookies

2011-10-27T12:01:00.000-04:00

I hosted a fun baby shower last weekend and while I sort through the photos and prepare the Big Blog Post on that, I thought I'd share the recipe I used for Chai Shortbread Cookies.

I'm not usually one to brag, but these were really tasty! Scotch Shortbread cookies are kind of my go-to cookie. I roll out the dough, cut whatever seasonal shapes I need and add a little glaze. De-lish! Since the food for this shower had more of an autumnal flavor, I adapted my usual recipe to the fall flavors that chai tea embodies.

Here is the shortbread recipe:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 Cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground coriander

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well. In separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and spices. Add that to the butter mixture one scoop at a time until combined and the dough holds itself together in the mixing bowl.

Dust a flat surface with flour (along with your rolling pin) and roll out half the dough cutting shapes with cookie cutters. Keep going until you're all out of dough and eat the leftover scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cut cookies to an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, just before they start to turn golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze:
2 Cups confectioners sugar
up to 1/4 cup of milk
food coloring if you plan on tinting the color
various nonpareils or decorating sugars

Slowly add milk into the sugar until you have a slightly runny consistency. This will take a few tries and some adjustments, but you want the glaze to move over the cookie without running right off. Plan on sacrificing a few cookies for this purpose and eat those too.

Prepare a space on your counter or table by placing a piece of waxed paper under a wire rack. Place a cookie on a large fork or that special thingy with all the prongs. Then use a regular tablespoon of glaze and pour it over the cookie, pushing the glaze to the edges with the back of the spoon. Put the cookie on the rack and move on to another.

I'm a bit of a minimalist when I decorate cookies, so these ones had just a little sprinkle of white nonpareils in the center. Tip: You don't want to add these or sugar sprinkles right after you put on the glaze. Wait about 10 minutes for the top to set a little or the sugar will bleed or drop below the surface of the glaze.

Spot Varnish Printing

2011-10-24T15:46:00.000-04:00

One of the newest printing techniques available to me now is called "Spot Varnish". Basically, after a card is printed on a full color off-set press, it passes through the press one more time to "print" a coating of glossy varnish. Usually, this is done as a solid coating because it adds waterproofing and a nice glossy look to cards. Some printers (like mine) offer an option to print specific parts of the card with the varnish.

I really like using this technique because it can add a little something special to any printed card. Here is an example of an invitation I just finished:

Since more than 900 invitations were being sent, the client needed to keep the costs down but still wanted a formal feel to the invitation. I thought a tone-on-tone pattern added to the border would do just that, so I printed the card with a plain black border and added the spot varnish as a pattern only on the border. I carried out the same technique on the reply postcard for consistency.

Another way I've used the technique is to call out an aspect of the invitation in a subtle but sophisticated way. This Bat Mitzvah invitation has each event card called out not only by it's distinct color, but by writing "celebration" or "bat mitzvah" in a spot varnish. Cool, huh?

DIY Friday: Recycled Milk Jug Skeleton

2011-10-21T09:09:00.000-04:00

I love to spend money like most Americans, but there is something so exciting about using recycled or repurposed items when working on a home decoration or craft project. My mom loves the "making a silk purse from a sow's ear" concept of taking something ugly and making it beautiful. I just plain love the fact that I didn't have to spend any money on it. If it's free, it's okay to throw away at the end of the season, and there is no pressure if you don't even like what you did. Nothing wasted!

In that vein, this is an adorable skeleton made from milk jugs that I spied on Craftzine. The tutorial and template is on The Party Animal blog. The translucency of the plastic is perfect for a little ghostly trickery. Cute, yes? You whip that up this weekend, can't ya?

Color Palettes for Fall Inspiration

2011-10-19T10:54:00.000-04:00

I'm a lover of color, aren't you? When starting a project, I often begin with a color palette that speaks to me for whatever reason. As I travel through the creative process, which as you might know is often a long and winding one, that palette is like a map to keep me on track. When things are not looking right, I'll refer to my original palette/image and see where I went astray.

Are you planning something for fall? A room redo, host a party or a fall wedding? Take a look at these beautiful and unusual color palettes from some of my favorite blogs and websites:

Source: snippetandink.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: craftydiybride.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: magnoliarouge.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: photocardboutique.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: creaturecomfortsblog.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: design-seeds.com via Margot on Pinterest

If you are really inspired by something you see on-line, here is a website called Degraeve that will generate a palette colors of any photo you choose from an on-line url image (tip: click on the image until it's the only thing remaining on your screen, then right-click on the image and select "copy image location" which will give you the url to paste into the box. Here is a sample of one I did:

And also be sure to check out ColourLovers to see what color combos users are currently trending in interior design, branding, handcrafted and more.

A Peculiar Mantle Display

2011-10-17T14:12:00.000-04:00

For weeks I've been thinking and thinking about what kind of autumnal presentation I might do on my fireplace mantle. While I waited, things started accumulating around my house to stimulate my yet incomplete thoughts. First, my husband brought home a box of osage oranges (sometimes people call them monkey brains). Those are the lime green orbs with a bumpy and convoluted texture on the outside. I love those things, and did you know that they keep spiders away? Then I was perusing the sale aisle at Michaels and saw some sparkly black ravens and purchased 5 (there are 5 people in my family, so that is my default number when I'm being spontaneous). My husband chopped down our old sunflower stalks and I had him save the expired seed heads for me. The tipping point on the creative scale was the beer I had on Saturday night, and with a gleefully unscheduled evening to inspire me, I started my mantle of dead flowers and natural curiosities.

If you were my neighbor, you would have seen me take several trips out to my dying and untended front yard to collect whatever was still sticking up from the ground. Dried up hydrangeas, sedum (technically alive, but not for long) and purple cone flower seed heads were left for me to gather. Luckily it was dark so I had no idea where the spiders were in the garden. That's wimpy of me, but spiders are a big impediment to my autumnal gardening adventures. They're everywhere!

I'm having a baby shower this weekend, so I wanted to have an elegant design that made you look twice and feel slightly creeped out. I put the ravens about the arrangement to suggest that they were plotting something while we weren't looking. The blank picture frame (I swear I've used that so many times this year!) makes me feel unsettled and, the river wood has such wonderful textural and bone-like appearance. The little prickly green things the ravens are chatting over are actually gourds or squashes or something. The vases were from my milk glass collection, which add a contrast of man-made ornamentation. Overall, I'm happy with the effect! My husband keeps calling it the mantle by Morticia Munster, which I think is a compliment. I'm still undecided whether I'll add a candle something-or-other but this is how it will look until then.

What are you doing on your mantles? Creepy or refined this year?

DIY Friday: How to make a fringe party banner

2011-10-14T11:20:00.000-04:00

This is going to be a quick and easy tutorial because I can only do hack-jobs at instructions. The cute fringe banner I created for Meredith's Kitchy-Kitchen birthday party was one even I could handle--although I did get my sister to sew the straight line on her machine. I still can't seem to get a bobbin threaded on mine and don't get me started talking about that roadblock to my creativity. And by saying that this was a project even I could handle, I mean there are no complicated and strict guidelines and rules to follow. "Close enough" is perfectly appropriate in this case.

YOU WILL NEED:
-3/8" or 1/2" width ribbon I suggest grosgrain because it holds it's shape nicely and won't snag or stretch when you sew it. Obviously the length depends on how long far a distance your banner needs to cover and I don't believe in over thinking this part. In my case, it was "really long", or, about 7 feet.

-fabric cut roughly the size of 1.5" x 6" with pinking shears. The kitchy charm of this is the loose thread and pinking shear edges. Everything looks cuter with pinking shear edges. I used about a dozen different cotton fabrics with large and small design patterns.

-about a million straight pins

HOW IT'S DONE:
Since I was working with a dozen different fabric styles I set them out in front of me in piles and played games with myself to create a "random" pattern. First I went from left to right, then I went right to left, then one from the top, one from the bottom. You get the gist. Just don't make yourself too crazy on this part.

Pin the top edge of the fabric onto the ribbon, going past the half-way point, but not overhanging the top of the ribbon. Remember that you are going to sew a straight line across the center of the ribbon and you want to hit each fabric strip.

*Here is the only important rule* so read this! Pin the fabric wrong-side facing you! As you can see, I took the photo before I figured this critical fact out. That kind of thinking probably comes naturally to those experienced with sewing, but since I'm not in that group I forgot and had to re-pin half my banner. A real damper on my forward progress. Here is the corrected fringe:

Leave about 10 inches on each end of the ribbon to allow you to tie the banner onto something.

Sew a straight line down the middle of the ribbon to attach all the fabric pieces and you. are. done!

I made two banners and draped them over each other for added festivity. Here's how they looked, if you missed the original post.

DIY Invitations? Here's how to avoid some disasterous results...

2011-10-11T09:55:00.000-04:00

The printing world is changing SO FREAKING FAST! Why, it was only 10 years ago that we were keeping logos in one color because they needed to be economically printed that way. Off-set was really still the best choice for clear, crisp imagery on a variety of papers and that required some skill in setting up text and images so that the printer could use them to create a correct final product.

But things are so delightfully different now, and changing to our benefit every day. Your local printer (and I don't mean Kinkos or FedEx Office or whatever they're called now) can whip up some laser prints for you in a day, chop it all up for you and *bam!* you've got an invitation that looks great and was half the cost of even the cheapest on-line retailers. If you've got the will, I say "You Go Girl!" and I also follow that cheer with "Proceed with caution!"

If you're planning on going this route, keep in mind that there is a certain amount of planning that will avoid making this a "bawl your eyes out in your car with a box full of misprinted programs in your lap" experience. I've been designing and producing invitations for over 15 years and I still run into issues now and then. Here are 10 tips to keep the tears at bay.

1. BEFORE YOU DO ANY DESIGNING find your printer and meet with them. You've got a lot to discuss and a first meeting will give you a great starting point. If your printer is a real uncooperative jerk (and some are, unfortunately) then find another one. You want assistance, not an "that's not my job and I'm pretty sure I don't like you" approach to this project. Find one who is friendly and appears competent (they may even have done invitations before and you can look at their samples). If you are open about your skill level and listen to their suggestions, they will in turn help you along the process and the results will be what you'd hoped. If your friend is designing these for you, then make sure they are also at this meeting. Many graphic designers are not used to designing for paper and print, and this is helpful for them too.

2. ASK WHAT KIND OF PRINTING they offer and how much each costs. Usually, they will offer off-set printing which can be moderately priced for one color, but become expensive with more colors or certain cardstocks. Many now offer laser printing, which produces a crisp image in a multitude of colors and often priced as a budget friendly option. Ask what the limitations are for each printing method. For instance, my local printer doesn't run envelopes through his laser printer so we agree to do that with the off-set press. You also will likely not be able to run small or odd-sized items through any printer so that's important to know too.

3. BRING SAMPLES or pictures of what invitation styles you like. Just like your hairdresser, a picture can speak volumes in words you don't possess. You may want a triple layered pocket-fold with die cuts but they may not able to do that for you and may not even know where you can get that. Best know that early on in the design process.

4. ASK HOW TO PREPARE THE FILES by finding out what kind of programs and digital files they need for final artwork. Usually a pdf file is sufficient, but they may have certain specifications that will make the process run more smoothly on their end. They may also need the fonts you used, and the images as digital files as well.

5. ASK ABOUT PAPER AND CARD STOCKS you want to use. Some stocks give their machines fits and they will likely know which to steer clear of. Stick to something he/she is familiar with in a size that works. If you plan on sourcing your own stock, ask how much they will need, including overages. They will often need extra as they set up the printer, and you should plan on an extra 10-25 qty for your own imperfections in the process.

6. TALK ABOUT THE FINAL SIZE of your invitation. You may have played around on your computer with a design that is 6x7.5, but I dare you to find an envelope that will coincide with that invitation size. Ask your printer what a standard envelope size is for the style and shape you'd like and design your invitation from there.

7. ASK ABOUT PRICING because you need to know before you get involved in this project. If you intend to provide your own stock, ask how they will resolve a misprinted job. They may reprint free of charge, but are you expected to purchase more stock? Trust me, it's better to be up-front with these issues.

8. BE FLEXIBLE because what you want may not be the easiest to produce. Often times, you can create something close to what you had envisioned but with some tweaks to make the process smoother. If your printer is giving you that "I'm not so sure about that idea" head tilt, then back awaya little bit. Ask about options that could get you closer to the concept. Unless you are super experienced and know how to overcome the challenge yourself, the resistance is deadly to your project.

9. MEASURE EVERYTHING and then measure it again. Then make a life-sized sample, put it in your envelope and see if it still fits. I cannot tell you how many times a mis-measurement will sabotage your entire project. Measure and measure and make a sample and measure again.

10. COMMUNICATE every little freaking detail! When it is time to hand the files over for printing, Assume that you've never had any conversations at all and he's forgotten everything you talked about. Go over the job in person with each detail for each item needed. This is what they need to know before starting.
-Final trim size
-Final folded size (if applicable)
-Scoring lines and where they go
-Color/Ink needed
-What printing process you expect to use
-What the paper is you're using
-How many you need (plus extras)
-When you need them completed
-What you expect the cost to be (since you already talked about that, this is a good time to bring it up again)
-What your files are named and the program used to create them
-Bring a sample, even if it's not printed, to show how you want it to go together
-Your shoe size (just kidding, but you get my point now right?)

Inspiration to Invitation: A Margot Madison Design Exposé

2011-10-07T11:25:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while, I think it might be interesting to show you how I get some of the designs I create. It makes me feel a little vulnerable actually, I don't even show people my sketchbooks! But I am continually fascinated by creatives and how they are influenced by other artists, and the world around them.

In yesterday's post, I talked about Mary Blair, an illustrator who created iconic illustrations in the 1950s and 60s. I was particularly inspired by this book cover, and thought I should try to use it to push me in a fresh direction.

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via Margot on Pinterest

I've been working on a party concept that is a woodsy-fairie theme for my friend and brilliant songstress April 8. After seeing that book cover, I decided to give that style a try for the invitation. Here's what mine ended up looking like:
The most interesting thing to me is that I created the invitation design by recycling artwork that I've had for years. The birch trees in the background are from a cute winter save the date I did about 4 years ago. The bird and the mushrooms were part of a holiday card series I did about 3 years ago. The berries and branches I'd created the day before on another holiday project. Even the starburst shape that makes the white space of the invitation came from some sketches I did this summer on vacation.

I literally had all the pieces for this design, I just needed to see them with a fresh pair of eyes! I also used a really cool set of Illustrator Brushes to make the textured strokes which add some depth to my otherwise quite flat and computer-ized images. It makes me wonder: did my subconscious liked Mary Blair's cover because it was so close to something I could create, but just hadn't yet? Or did it take away the overwhelming fear I have in creating a more "complete" illustration? A single image is easy for me but many images within a colorful composition scares the heck out of me. Maybe the difference is that I wanted to try. I didn't know if it would work at all, but as the great saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained". And I like how the invitation turned out. More importantly I am so rejuvenated by the process of creating because of it. The creative mind is such a mysterious and interesting place, don't you think?

Inspiration from Mary Blair, illustrator

2011-10-06T12:06:00.000-04:00

While scanning Pinterest this morning, I saw this illustration that really got me excited. I am so attracted to the rich colors, the simple styling of the flowers and butterflies, the child seems happy and free, the font used is not a font, but hand drawn letters. It's graphic but with elements like stippling that give it texture and charm.

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via Margot on Pinterest

I love it so much that I decided to do a little more research on the artist. Her name is Mary Blair, and she worked for The Walt Disney Company producing iconic concept art in the 1950's and 1960's. That image that first caught my attention was the cover of a Golden Book I Can Fly which has never been out of print. She was also responsible for creating the whimsical look of the Disney attraction It's a Small World, as well as the concept art for Alice In Wonderland, Peter Pan and many more. I am a new fan of this underrated and more unknown artist. I love her ALMOST as much as I love Charlie Harper (and don't even get me started on him...)

I love this mosaic at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Again, color! graphic minimalism!

Here are some more of the illustrations she did for Golden Books, which are so beautiful. I'm so glad I spent some of my time today learning more. I have to also thank Suzanna from CitrusAndOrange who my personal muse for always-inspiring images. I swear, any time I see something I LOVE, it has her name attached to it somehow. If you'd like to view some more of Mary Blair's illustrations, I've got some more here.

Source: None via citrusandorange on Pinterest

Source: google.com via citrusandorange on Pinterest

Source: hartandsew.blogspot.com via citrusandorange on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: animationarchive.org via Margot on Pinterest

Halloween and Fall Decor Ideas

2011-10-05T10:39:00.000-04:00

I've found some beautiful inspiration for fall decorations. If you like to leave your decor up longer than is seasonally necessary (*cough* christmas lights *cough*), many of these can easily take you pre-Halloween and beyond.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: weddingchicks.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: vickihorton7.wordpress.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: pixtalpeep.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: vickihorton7.wordpress.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: lh5.ggpht.com via Margot on Pinterest

What?? That wasn't enough for you??? Me neither. You can see more in my Halloween/Thanksgiving Pinterest Board. ;o)

Dawn and Anthony's wedding--a DIY must see!

2011-09-27T09:06:00.000-04:00

My friend Karyn connected me to wedding photographers Bobbi+Mike from Indiana. They're a husband and wife team and take absolutely gorgeous photos! I wanted to share this amazing wedding that they just captured. When you visit their website, grab a cup of coffee and watch the slide show...it is worthy of your time, even if you've "been there, done that" with weddings. This one is so special!

Buttons on antique books...great idea for table numbers!

Mix and match china, the 2 peaches on the table, the lace tablecloth. It works perfectly!

Dawn and Anthony clearly put a lot of time an energy into their wedding and it shows. It's not in a "look how much time and energy we spent on this wedding so you better love it" kind of way but a "we love each other and put a lot of time and energy into sharing it with our beloved guests" kind of way. The reception was beautifully executed with a harmonic mix of turquoise and peach. It had a vintage style— the bride collected ALL the chairs and painted them herself! Having spent a good deal of time at Goodwill for my birthday party, I can appreciate this determination. And really, it's not a burden when you are doing it for the ones you love!

The best detail ever...they had their wedding rings sent around to each guest to bless! It makes me cry just thinking about it. What good energy to start your life together, right? Congrats to Dawn and Anthony, and to Bobbi and Mike, spectacular work!

A Kitchy-Kitchen Birthday Party

2011-09-23T09:00:00.003-04:00

Ah! Lucky little Meredith. Her birthday comes at the time of year when I'm slower with wedding stuff, not yet crazy with holiday stuff and when time and great ideas seem endless. The idea for this party is strictly hers, "I want a 'Make It' birthday party, " she told my sister Alex. Then neither of us discussed it until 1 week before the party date. This may have scared off any normal parent and sent them straight to Chuck-E-Cheese, but not Alex and me! We are motivated by procrastination and impossibly short deadlines! We even come up with more stuff than it seems possible to do in a month, and miraculously everything gets done. I must say that we are a killer team when motivated.

So, we took the "Make It" party and pulled in a retro Kitchy-Kitchen theme. Colors were primarily red and pink, with orange and yellow accents. I'd just been working on some cute retro-inspired plaids and patterns so the design was fun and undaunting. I created the recipe cards first, then used a similar 4x6" template to make a cute invitation that would attach to a child-sized kitchen utensil. Alex distributed them a week before the party and we were so excited that the kids didn't have as wild a social life as we thought and were all able to attend.

While brainstorming, I saw this photo and sent it to Alex with a note saying "I know you've got all the time in the world, but aren't these adorable??" See, Alex can sew and I cannot. All those great ideas go in her direction. Of course as soon as she saw it, she was in. It was a complete miracle that I had a truly vintage tablecloth that was too stained to use on a table anymore. (I'd bought it sight-unseen with a group of vintage tablecloths on etsy.) It was perfectly sized to make 6 child-sized aprons. And then to top it off, we were actually able to put to good use the ridiculous amount of ribbon we've amassed through the years. Mix and match ribbons of velvet, brocade, ric-rac and grosgrain were perfect trim at the bottom, as well as the ties for the aprons. At this point, Alex and I were not only on a roll, we were like, HIGH on creativity. She called me first thing in the morning to report that they were not only the cutest things she'd ever created, but that she wasn't going to give them up to a bunch of kids. I talked her down off that ledge, like a good sister does. But really, they were the cutest things ever. I'm going to post some DIY pics on that great craft at a later date for those of you who are capable of make a bobbin in your sewing machine. And because the boys needed to have something super cute too, Alex sewed chefs hats (link to instructions here) out of red gingham and solid red cotton fabric. Darling!

PARTY PRINTABLES
The good news, is that if you liked the look of this party, you can purchase the printable files from my etsy store. The place mats, recipe cards, invitation and 2" stickers are all included in the cost. The files are ready for you to personalize with the names of your guests!

PARTY ENTERTAINMENT & FOOD
The menu was based on food the kids would enjoy making and eating. First were mini pizzas, made with biscuit dough (the kind from a can) and pizza fixin's. The kids loved rolling out their dough and making pizza just the way they liked it. There was one scary moment when we saw that one child was looking down at his plate, silently letting large tears fall down his cheeks. "What is the matter??", we asked, the room instantly silent with all eyes on him. "I don't like pizza." Alex saved the day by asking him what his favorite thing for dinner was. He replied "cookies" which sounded so funny, everyone (including Mr. No Pizza) cracked up. He had a hot dog and was fine. Crisis averted, whew!

While the pizzas were cooking, the kids played freeze-dance around the family room. Then they came back to the table to make fruit wands (served with almond fruit dip), and eat their pizza.

While they were digesting, we played a guessing game. Small amounts of different foods (yogurt, maple syrup, mustard, ketchup etc) were placed in opaque cups and the kids had to guess what the food was while tasting it blindfolded. It was actually pretty challenging but the kids enjoyed it.

Then they went outside to play the marshmallow game. Each child got a plastic spoon and had to see how many miniature marshmallows they could scoop up in 15 seconds. They kept the marshmallows in a cup and used them at the "Make your own sundae" station at the end.

The rest was frankly a blur, but I'm pretty sure the kids had a great time. We really enjoyed planning and executing such a fun kitchen party for kids. Alex and I both passed out at about 8 pm, tired but satisfied.

MORE PARTY DETAILS AND MISC. INFORMATION
-The drinking cups were Ball canning glasses.
-We used washi tape to flag the skewers for the fruit wands
-The fabric fringe decoration was super easy to make. The instructions are here.
-The menu chalk board was actually an empty frame (re-purposed from my 40th birthday party) with black poster board fitted snugly in the back. I chalked in the menu and voila!
-I used those 3M Command hooks to hang the party fringe
-The cake was strawberry with chocolate dipped strawberries for garnish, so old fashioned and sweet!
-The photo backdrop was another vintage table cloth, with various mixing bowls and kitchen utensils for fun. I love how that design on the cloth makes a huge wreath around the subject. So cute!
-We printed up 3 recipes on the printable cards and put them in a little photo album for the kids to take home.

Cincinnati gets "bombed" again!

2011-09-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

If you were ever thinking that Cincinnati, Ohio was not a cool and artsy city you might want to stop thinking like that. (There are many reasons why we are so creative and cool!) We have a very crazy and special group of people running amok dressed in blonde wigs and bombshell attire creating works of art with yarn and assembling them to public parts of our city "to soften the edges of an otherwise cruel, harsh environment."

Take a look at what was bombed last night!

Knitted creations were installed on Central Parkway and this time they included a Metro bus. This looks like something I've seen in Panama. I adore all the colors and patterns sprawled over the bus like your grandmother's graffiti. The Bombshells of Cincinnati are a secret society (they don't knit and tell) and I know nothing more than what they are creating but I'm so glad they are here to add some much needed excitement to our tame city streets. If I could knit, I'd offer my services but alas that skill is going to have to skip generations in my family. So carry on girls! And thank you for the spark of joy you bring to our Queen City.

A little peek into Meredith's cute "Kitchy-Kitchen" party

2011-09-19T16:22:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was a whirlwind of activity preparing for this birthday party! I'm not finished with the other photos and the adorable imprintables that will be available for this "Kitchy-Kitchen" birthday party my sister and I did for her daughter Meredith. But the party was so dang cute that I couldn't NOT show you anything until then! So here's a little teaser until I've got everything ready...but I gotta say "Is that little apron not the cutest thing you've ever seen????"

A Save the Date that features your relationship "firsts"

2011-09-16T09:29:00.000-04:00

I had a really good time creating this save the date for Bianca and Brad. She loved the idea of documenting their "firsts" in the relationship and had this adorable set of photos to incorporate into the design. As a designer, I love it when a client is comfortable sharing part of themselves because it means that I will be challenged to create something truly unique (and we designers get off on that stuff!) Save the dates are a perfect way to introduce you and your fiancé with personal charm. I think this does that perfectly, don't you? And to top it off, Bianca sent me a really lovely thank you note today permitting me to share her design with you. This is why I love what I do!

iPhone love: Free wallpaper backgrounds for fall

2011-09-15T10:47:00.000-04:00

Here in Cincinnati, Ohio, it feels like autumn has arrived! I almost wanted mittens while walking the dog this morning. When I got back into my studio I decided to incorporate some of those beautiful colors into patterns, which are free for you to use on your iPhone or other smart phone device. To import these, right click or copy the image into your images folder, go to change your background images, and select the one that makes you happiest! Next week, I'm sure it will be 90 degrees and humid again since that is how things go here in the midwestern US, but for now we can enjoy...

Clever Halloween themed food

2011-09-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

For some reason, my kids are uber-interested in Halloween decorating and costume planning. They start talking about it months in advance, and change their minds about 100 times. They beg me to take them to those pop-up Halloween stores just to hang out and freak themselves into a sleepless night. What's with that?

I got into the spirit last year and did some fun Halloween lunches. They still talk about those so now I'm going to have to up my ante--the pressure, I tell you! I've been collecting ideas and thought I'd share some inspiration. You can see more on my Pinterest Halloween Board here.

Last year I did the mummy hot dogs (huge hit), the toothy apples (I used pieces of slivered almonds so it looked way more grotesque than this image), and severed cheese stick fingers. This year, my husband convinced us to try lychee berries from a can and we all agreed that they would make excellent eyeballs. And those used band-aids are so disgusting that I think I couldn't even eat them. Kids will love them, though, I'm sure. What are your ideas for Halloween food fun?

Source: anotherlunch.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: southernbellescharm.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: picturemecooking.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Desiree on Pinterest

Source: katherinemariephotography.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: barbschram.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: parentingteens.about.com via Margot on Pinterest

DIY Friday: Make a font out of your handwriting!

2011-09-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

I saw a link to this website yesterday and I thought, "I've got tons of work to do and so little time to do it, I think I'll drop everything and see what this is about." Do you ever have those moments? I have them alot. Luckily, I work in my basement and whatever retribution I need to make for the undone work, can be made in the evenings after my kids go to sleep. That's why it's awesome to work at home!

Anyway, this is a perfect idea for my sporatic DIY Friday posts, is it not??

The website is aptly named Writing Fonts and I must urge you to try it. If you have a scanner and printer handy, you can create your handwritten font in a matter of minutes--really! The steps are very simple and easy to follow. Basically, you print out their template. Write your letters in the template provided. Scan said template and upload. Minutes later you can preview your font and decide whether you want to buy it for only $9.95. That's right, folks! I said $9.95! You could use these to write a "handwritten" note, set up your address labels with it, or just use it in your email notes to make your recipients feel special.

Here is what mine looked like in preview mode:

How uber-fun is that?? Now, I will confess that I have not purchased my font. I'm really distracted by my inability to get all the letters on the baseline, so there is going to be some neurotic measures taken to straighten me out before I pay for the font. But please don't let my neuroses stop you! If I really can't get it "perfect" (and you know my job is to "perfect" fonts and text all day) then I'm going to create a version that is meant to be topsy-turvy. That will be cute too. Tell me if you try it and send me a hand-written computer note okay?

Have a great weekend. I think we'll go to the farm if it isn't 100 degrees or raining--right now it looks like a toss-up for either.

Vintage Linens

2011-09-01T11:41:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a project that has me researching some vintage linens for inspiration. And by "vintage" I really mean 1920s-1960s. Did you know that anything from the 1980s is also considered vintage?? That scared me--now I'M vintage! I know I should embrace that, but I don't, so to all you young whippersnappers out there, I'm still young and cool!!

Rant aside, how sweet are these? I love the soft colors, the repeated patterns and stylized corners in the table cloths, and that sweet, sweet embroidery. *sigh* I should embroider something soon. Some are so kitchy and fun (like the Hawaiian one in Number 5), some are so romantic and remind me of the time when people actually collected flowers and food in baskets (WAY before 1980!). If you're in the market for one of these to accent your home or party, etsy has some great vendors who do the scouting for you. Sometimes it's fun to take your chances on group listings (with several pieces for one price). I purchased the table cloths for my 40th birthday party that way, and I've since enjoyed bringing them out for dinners or photoshoots.

1. Embroidered linen tea towel from EdnaSews
2. Place mats (and the entire table set, including napkins and table runner) from LuxuryLife
3. Pink bird tea towel from NeatoKeen
4. Flower and berry basket from LSmith
5. Hawaiian "party cloth" from PatriciaGlenn
6. Floral linen towel from VintageLinens
7. French stripe dish cloths from VintageFrenchStyle
8. Embroidered tablecloth from VintageKeepsakes
9. Dutch inspired towel from VintageDame. Love that fake blanket stitching!

"Memory Keeper" custom boxes by Paper Coterie

2011-08-31T10:06:00.000-04:00

Okay, I landed on this great site yesterday and it was definitely one of those holy crap! moments. I don't know about you super organized ladies (the one or two who live in organized bliss) but if you are like me and have last year's school memorabilia shoved into a plastic bag poised on the kitchen table waiting to arrive at its final destination in the old set of dresser drawers in the basement, then this might be a good link visit.

Paper Coterie is a website that sells products you can customize with your photos. Now, this is not like the photo kiosk at the pharmacy where you put the photo of your kid and dad on a mug. This is a well designed and useful product line. What really impressed me were these "Memory Keeper" boxes. I think it's so simple, even I can keep up with it. How cute (and organized) would it be to put the photo of your child on the front from that school year and put the gems of childhood within. Then it can sit nicely on a shelf for when they have their own kids and you can be the grandma who says, " and this is the picture of an RV being attacked by aliens that your dad drew when he was in first grade."

And how about a box for a newly married couple? What a great way to save the cards, dried flowers, and other 3-dimensional mementos.

And as a new baby gift? Again, what are you going to do with the little knitted cap they give you, and the hospital bracelet that you can't possibly part with? This box would be perfect for that!

All I can say is "Yeah!" and place my order. How are you keeping up with all your "stuff"?

Flower masterpiece

2011-08-29T09:03:00.000-04:00

DAng! Can you believe how gorgeous this bouquet is? I tell you, if I had all these flowers and leaves in front of me and was given the task of making something beautiful, I'm fairly certain mine would look like something the cat puked up (sorry if it's a little early in the morning for that graphic visual reference). Take a LONG look and note the soft and crisp textures, the full palette of colors working harmoniously together, that beautiful ribbon that neither detracts or distracts, but speaks quietly to the bouquet. I bow down to the creator....who happens to be Sarah Winward, the talent behind Honey of a Thousand Flowers. I found this image on Pinterest, but it's from one of my favorite wedding blogs Ruffled. You can see some of my other favorite floral bouquets here.

Source: ruffledblog.com via Margot on Pinterest

I get to meet a special friend!

2011-08-26T13:54:00.000-04:00

Do you get shy when it comes to meeting people you admire? I used to, but with my new 40-year-old-I-don't-give-a-damn-what-people-say attitude, I'm determined to live life to the fullest. This includes making efforts to contact and meet people who I find inspiring, even if I think they will be "too big or important" to want to meet me. Life is too short to not reach out and at least try!

This week I was able to meet Holly Becker. I have mentioned Holly before (like I said, I admire her!) on the blog because I took her most excellent class "Blogging Your Way" last year. Let me shamelessly plug that class for a second to say that it changed my life. Or at least it changed my blogging life. The on-line class was very helpful in giving me specific advice on finding my own voice, presenting myself on-line in a way that reflects my style, and gave me tons of ideas to help me make more of my blog. Any time I get a little anxious about what I should do next, I peruse my notes from the class and get a great idea. Even better, and this is so "Holly", she set up a Yahoo group of Blogging Your Way graduates that continues the supportive and friendly community established through the class. Members can ask anything from how to put a widget on their blog to where they should go to dinner. It's great.

Holly is the founder of the massively successful blog Decor8, a compendium of interior decorating ideas, products to love, people to watch and more. This year, Holly's book Decorate was published and distributed by Chronicle Books. It's sold at Anthropologie stores nation and world-wide. I admit to getting the book later than most of Holly's fans and I attribute this to my not getting out much (hello 3 kids in summer) but when I heard that she would be presenting at the Chicago Anthropologie store and signing books after, then I delayed no longer! I bought it and was really impressed. My daughter and I absorbed every page of the book on my front porch.

Other than looking at the beautifully photographed interiors, one of my favorite parts of the book is how Holly breaks down some interior decorating styles. Now, some of you lucky people may already know what your style is and how to do it, but I personally struggle with this all the time. After looking at the style personalities, I realized that I'm a "Colorful" girl with hopes of having enough confidence to one day try the "Floral" style (if my husband will consent). Here are some exerpts of the book:

What was it like to meet one of my on-line mentors? It was everything I'd hoped it would be! Holly is a warm and genuine woman with an open heart and bold spirit. She is smart as well as creative and I enjoyed hearing her talk about pushing through the publishers when they had strong suggestions about what her readers would want to see (as if they would know more than she!). This is a rare quality for someone so young, and I was uplifted to hear it. And what about her being "too big and important"? Ridiculous. We, and a bevy of amazing blogging women (plus my sweet brother who was visiting as well), went to have drinks after the book signing and it was just like, well, having drinks with friends! Lovely, and completely worth the trip. I will say that while the book is full of wonderful photos and ideas, this part is really my favorite. :o)

Soft fall colors: Persimmon and light aqua

2011-08-25T13:07:00.000-04:00

When I was perusing Pinterest this morning, I noticed that I'd been subconsciously collecting photos for a color inspiration board with persimmon and light aqua. I've always thought using blues and oranges were great options for fall themed events. Not that there is nothing wrong with eggplant, chocolate brown and dark red! But I like to push those boundaries and see what else feels like fall, but is feels a little more surprising.

Here are a few gorgeous photos of this particular color scheme in action. If you want to see more, you can look at my inspiration board on Pinterest here. It was difficult to choose which photo got in the collage, but you know I don't have all day to do this stuff! (Even though I wish I did!)

1. Isn't that boutonniere stunning?? The photo and the color scheme chips on Creature Comforts Blog.
2. A beautifully decorated window box set via Noel Mignon
3. Painted plates from Anthropologie
4. Yarn that makes me wish I could knit by Vintage Rose Garden via Tumblr

Summer Beet Salad

2011-08-22T09:02:00.000-04:00

I made this salad Sunday for our family dinner. I love a colorful salad and this one is like, technicolor! Beets are gorgeous, and set on a bed of beautiful bib lettuce from my farmers market I thought this was just as pretty as a picture. So I took a picture! And now my neighbors think I'm crazy because the best light happened to be in the front of my house. These are the sacrifices I make for my art!

The recipe is so simple. I beg you, even if you think you dislike beets, to give this a try. My kids even love it.

Summer beet salad recipe:
about 1-2 pounds same sized fresh beets, leaves and stems trimmed, scrubbed, with the skins on
2 oz Chevre with herbs
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves
bib lettuce

Boil the beets (with the skins still on) in a pot of water. The beets are done when they can be gently pierced with a knife or fork (about 30 minutes for larger beets). Pour out the boiling water and put the pot of beets under running cold water. When they are warm enough to handle, you can skin them by rubbing your thumbs over the loosened skin. It comes right off and is way easier than peeling with a knife!

While still warm, cut beets into quarters (or smaller, depending on their original size) and toss together with the Chevre. The cheese will melt and coat the beets. Arrange the lettuce on a platter and spoon the beets on top. Snip the fresh basil on top to finish. Delish!

Free to a good home! Graphics, clip art and more!

2011-08-18T09:53:00.000-04:00

One of the best things about being connected to the internet is that there are so many more resources for your designery inspiration. Artists not only share by documenting their work with photos for inspiration, they even share their illustrations or backgrounds or patterns for you to use on your own art. I love the good will and generosity, plus it expands even further what anyone can create. I use Illustrator as my main design program, but you can import images into your Word program and get a creative invitation, notecard or greeting card with very little effort. Always, always read the copyright carefully. Designers are often quite liberal with usage but you don't want to be the reason this wave of generosity stops! I've done a few freebies myself and I keep them reserved for you on this page of my blog.

Here are some blogs and websites I have discovered that might be of interest to you.
Digital Freebies gives away a set of pattered digital "papers" every Friday. You could incorporate the backgrounds into an invitation or card.

Here is a beautifully drawn lace pattern from Sherry K. Designs. I was a little disappointed to find that I couldn't use this in my commercial work (invitations designed for you!) because I've been wanting a clean lace pattern. They are difficult to find and I'm not crazy enough yet to create one or digitally clean some clip art up. She also has a great paisley design.

These digital textures and wallpapers from Lost and Taken make great backgrounds for printed tags or even on blogs. Can you believe these people give this stuff away??

This website called Vintage Printable has a wonderful assortment of scanned vintage artwork, although as of yesterday I wasn't able to download them. I think I was having my own problem, though. Give it a try yourself. Isn't this peony gorgous? I wish I could use it on a fall wedding because of that rich red color but I have a problem mixing unseasonal flowers into my designs. It just goes against nature. ;o)

Another one of my favorite websites for creative juice and fun craft projects is called Just Something I Made with designer Cathe Holden. These ornate medallions would look great in a formal invitation setting. Think about putting your monogram inside with a date for a wedding logo that can be utilized in your favors, programs etc.

If that's not enough for you, there is a ridiculously huge list of free printables here. Now that you've got some inspiration, whatcha gonna do? Let me know if you use any of these sites.

Back to school: Breakfast Pockets

2011-08-16T10:49:00.002-04:00

I've got a child who would eat a Nutella and white bread sandwich 4 times a day and I have another child who craves protein. Go figure!

Karen from the I-Do Boutique shared this recipe with me last year and every once in a while, when I'm feeling especially free on a Sunday, I make a big batch and freeze them. They are mildly fiddly but worth the effort when you make a big batch. Nuke one and you have a breakfast that can be grabbed as the kids are running for the bus.

Here is the basic recipe.
10 eggs + dash of milk, mixed for scrambled eggs *Reserve about 1/2 cup for later use
cooked breakfast meat (1/2 pack of bacon cut and fried into bits, or half a "log" of breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled)
2 cans of large sized biscuits
1/2 Cup shredded cheese
Salt and pepper
flour, to assist in rolling biscuits

Scramble the eggs, leaving them slightly runny. Turn off the heat, add seasonings and mix in the meat and cheese. While the eggs are cooking, flour a tabletop surface. Using a rolling pin, press out the biscuit until it's about twice the size (about 6 inches). Repeat with the remaining biscuits and stack them on a plate with flour between the layers to keep them from sticking together.

Place a flattened biscuit on a plate and fill with about 1/4 cup of egg mixture. This works best if you put the eggs on one half of the biscuit, leaving at least 1/2" edge. Using a pastry brush or your finger, smear on a bit of reserved egg mixture around the egg side edge of the biscuit. Fold over the empty side and press closed with a fork. Set on a cookie tray and finish the other biscuits this way. If you want a nice golden pastry look to the pockets, brush the egg mixture on the tops before cooking.

Bake according to biscuit instructions, 350 deg. F for about 17 minutes. Once cooled, place in a freezer bag and freeze. Reheat in a microwave for about a minute. I had one this morning and it was yummers!

Calling a wedding off? Yikes!

2011-08-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

Wow! This honest post from A Practical Wedding blog about calling off a wedding really had me engaged (okay, bad choice of words). I was so touched that Tyler and Kathryn decided to be honest with each other before the wedding, no matter how difficult that conversation must have been. I am even more impressed that they decided to stay together and work on the issues that created so much stress in their lives and develop another kind of relationship that may or may not lead to marriage. Amazing and brave, brave people. In this era where divorce is a reality more than 50% of the time, this offers some tonic to that bitter end. I think that whatever road you're on, it's the right one when you are being honest.

Bridesmaids save wedding day disasters with an emergency wedding kit

2011-08-15T11:54:00.000-04:00

There is so much to remember on the wedding day. Even the most prepared and organized brides can't think of everything. I had a bridesmaid who had hypoglycemia and the poor girl had to nibble a raw mushroom to stave off an attack. We were getting married at our farm and it was that, or tap into my mom's gallon jug of wine she had in her car. I'll explain further that the farm is in a dry county and she thought she'd better be prepared for that. Here is a great visual chart of some "must haves" for your wedding from Swatchbook Wedding.

Source: swatchbookweddings.com via Elaine on Pinterest

The I-Do Boutique also offers a great emergency wedding kit online that comes in a cute toiletries bag. It makes for a helpful "day of" gift and can carry on into the honeymoon too, yes? Just remember to add raw mushrooms and wine to it and you're all set! ;o)

Wrapping up the week with gift wrapping ideas

2011-08-12T09:34:00.000-04:00

After all that talk in the last post about NOT giving gifts, I couldn't help but think about gifts. Specifically, pretty ideas to wrap gifts. Here are some lovelies I've collected on Pinterest. After seeing all these beauties, I was so tempted to drop everything this morning and play around with some gift wrapping on my own, but I've got client work to do today so they get first dibs on my creative brain. *sigh* Maybe next week....

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: jordanferney.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: frydogdesign.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: prettypetals.typepad.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: beeperbebe.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Nat?lija on Pinterest

Source: margotmadison.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: inspirationoooooahhhhh.tumblr.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Margot on Pinterest

How do you request "no gifts" at your party?

2011-08-10T09:25:00.000-04:00

Having a party and you don't want your guests to bring gifts? People ask me often how to word this on their invitation so I thought I'd compile a few ideas for you. Keep in mind that some people will bring gifts anyway, and they should be received with gratitude and grace, of course! Remember to put those gifts out of plain sight so that those who honored your request don't feel put out. It is also a good idea to have a basket available to collect cards from your well-wishers.

"No gifts, please."
"No gifts, thank you." (someone thought that sounded more polite...)
"Your presence is your present. No gifts, please"
"Your presence is our greatest gift. None other is needed!"
"You have been the greatest gift in our lives. This is our moment to thank you, so we ask that you not bring any gifts."
"{name} requests no gifts, please"
"The honor of your presence is all {name} would love. No gifts, please"
"We have been blessed with your friendship and so much more. To share our blessings, we will be collecting {toys, winter clothes etc} for the {local charity} in lieu of personal gifts."
"In lieu of gifts, {name} requests that you make a donation to the charity of your choice."
"We have everything we need and more! Since {name} is passionate about {dogs, children etc}, we are collecting {food, money etc) to donate to our {favorite charity}. Thank you so much!"

Creative Program Ideas

2011-08-09T08:46:00.000-04:00

Feel like getting a little more creative with your program? I think that's a great idea! After all, it's the only reading material your guests have while they wait for the Big Moment when you walk down the aisle. A wedding program is at minimum, a schedule of events and participants but I like to think of it as a way to bring your guests in to your special day. It also can create a welcoming atmosphere for your guests by sharing and explaining what is going on during your ceremony. Many guests won't know what the heck is going on, and the program can give them important information such as: Who's that cute groomsman at the end? Do I get in line for communion? What is the canopy over the couple and why did they just stomp on a perfectly good glass? When is the ceremony over? Do I wait to be released by the bride and groom or just take off for cocktails at the reception? These are small bits of information that might seem obvious to you, but they can make a big difference to your guests.

So you've got a captive and engaged audience, why not give them something even more interesting to read? How about sharing a little bit more of yourself, your relationship and some of the special people who are joining you?

Here are just a few ideas that add some personality into your program.
- Include some history of the church/synagogue. I've seen brides include the story of the stained glass window or how the church got it's name. Share why this space is sacred to you.
-Add some fun and games! Write a Mad-Lib about how you and your fiance met. Make a silly cross-word puzzle. I had one friend who created a map of the U.S. and put a dot on the place where the guests were from. She took this further by listing the guest's names and what city. She also reprinted the first few emails between she and her fiance when they were planning their first date and after. It was so much fun to read!
-Introduce your guests to the wedding party by explaining your relationship with them. This can be as simple as listing "cousin of bride" or paying homage to their special skills such as "best chocolate chip cookie maker ever"

This bride included photos of her wedding party:

Source: designspongeonline.com via Margot on Pinterest

Here is an example of a crossword puzzle on a fan. I like how the pencil is attached!

Source: intimateweddings.com via Keri on Pinterest

This program includes pictures of the bride and groom as youngsters. Such a great idea if you knew each other or dated in highschool!

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Paper Moss on Pinterest

This program has the confetti (or birdseed?) attached with a glassine envelope. Ready just when you need it!

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Paper fans, you might want to read this one

2011-08-04T11:53:00.000-04:00

I don't mean an actual paper fan, like the one we should be using in this ridiculous heat wave. I mean lovers of paper, like me. Holly, my blogging mentor from decor8 had this amazing on-line magazine on her blog today and I did one of those cartoon head shakes that usually accompanies that flabbergasted sound that you make with your mouth, "blabbedy-blabbedy-blabbedy". I love paper!!

This is a new on-line magazine dedicated to paper and all it's glory called PaperRunway! I'm avoiding the obvious hit that it really should be a printed magazine, since that's paper at it's best, but on-line is the way to go these days. I do love me a good paper mag, though. Anyway, this one was had some really interesting goodies in it, including artists like this amazing paper cutting artist in London named Rob Ryan. So sweet and folk-artsy, which I'm super into these days. Can you imagine having the patience and to cut this out with scissors?? Those are mad snipping skills and sharp scissors, I tell you!

I also think these collage dogs by Peter Clark are so cool! I love seeing how artists use the different visual textures (like lines and words on a map) and incorporate them into something completely unrelated in topic, like a dog. Juxtoposition, I think we call that in the art world. Uh, and take a look at the dog's eye--it's some kind of round label turned into eyeball. Very clever!

It also includes some DIY projects and paper product vendors you might like to look into. Fabulous!

Thinking about a Red Tent Party

2011-08-02T09:36:00.000-04:00

A Red Tent party. Hmmmm, what is that? Well, in my mind, it's an exotic party to celebrate women. This is not to be confused with a Romance Party (insert childish snort and giggle here). I'm thinking of the book The Red Tent when all the women would hang out together for a couple of days. I'm ignoring the reason they were there together but if you read the book you'll know what I mean. I'm thinking belly dancing, floor pillows, henna art, delicious mediterranean food and sangria. Chilling out with my favorite women and women-in-training. Doing the things we like best like eating, drinking and decorating each other. My living room happens to be really red--red couch, red vintage wool carpet and I'd like to have it there, but it's kind of small. More thinking to do on this one but doesn't it sound like fun? Might be a good reason to get the floor pillows I've been wanting, eh?

Here is some inspiration for the party:

1. Invitation designed by Margot Madison
2. Galveston Leather and gold bangle bracelets by Handmade by Anne Potter
3. Floor pillow cover from IndiaVine
4. Exotic Floor pillow from BordelloChic
5. Sangria recipe and photo pulled from Buzzle
6. Antique Wool Kilim pillow from Sukan
7. Henna art inspiration from Mehndi Fashstyles
8. Bejeweled mini candle chandalier from Shabulous Creations
9. Delicious garlicky hummus photo and recipe from The Purple Foodie

Still thinking about strawberries...

2011-07-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

I was working on some original artwork and did this little guy last night. I like it, but have yet to figure out what I'm going to do with it. Any ideas?

Art Nouveau Vs. Art Deco: styles demystified

2011-07-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

I've had an interesting influx of clients with the art deco/art nouveau interest in their invitations. One was inspired by her event site, which architecturally is Art Nouveau and the other has an engagement ring with a beautiful art deco design to it. Here's the thing, sometimes I think I'm pretty clear on the differences, but so often the 2 styles are confused in my head (and in my client's heads). Are they in yours? Like, is a fascinator an art deco accessory or an art nouveau? I'm actually still not sure on that one. I think it's more art nouveau.

I did a little teensy bit of research so that I had these two periods of fine art and architecture straight in my mind. Here's the low-down:

Art Nouveau came first:
According to Wikipedia, it was a "reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plans, also in curve lines. The architects tried to be in harmony with the natural enviroment. It is also considered a philosophy of design of furniture. They must be designed according to the whole building and making part of ordinary life." This period was from the 1890s to the 1900s.

I think: organic lines and shapes, fairies, flowers and dragonflies, designs that are often contained in a structured shape (for instance, a tree is organic but fills or creates a rectangular shape) and roman toga-draped figures like Bacchus (that part is completely my interpretation and you should know that I received poor grades in Art History)

Here are some examples of various modern-day interpretations and original art:

Source: thegaelgallery.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: hafizzrusuki.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: antiquetrader.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: jeremyandkathleen.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

To add to the confusion, when I looked up Art Nouveau architecture in Cincinnati, I got the whole Art Deco/Nouveau blur...no wonder it's confusing to us! I did see this crazy place, which I watched morph into whatever it is now as I was a young gal in an apartment near this house. I had a good laugh to see it in the "Art Nouveau" architecture sample. Really, what is that????

Source: google.com via Margot on Pinterest

Anyhoo...

Art Deco came next:
Again, I turn to Wiki and it tells us that Art Deco "began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. Art Deco's linear symmetry was a distinct departure from the flowing asymmetrical organic curves of its predecessor style Art Nouveau; it embraced influences from many different styles of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism and Futurism^[5] and drew inspiration from ancient Egyptian and Aztec forms."

The top of the Chrysler Building in NYC is an example of this style. When I put Art Deco in a nutshell, it is all about straight but dynamic lines, black and gold, geometric shapes, bas relief scultptures, movie star glam and designs that look like it's got it's chest puffed out and heading for the moon, you know what I mean? Onward and upward to the future and beyond kind of thinking.

Here are some examples: (actually, I think this dress on the left is nouveau and deco on the right)

Source: google.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: bellafigura.com via Margot on Pinterest

In Cincinnati, we are fortunate to have some amazing examples of Art Deco architecture. The Cincinnati Omni Netherland Hotel (I think I got that right, they keep adding more names to themselves), The Union Terminal and the 20th Century Theater in Oakley.

Source: google.com via Margot on Pinterest

Do we have it down now? And when we google one, we can distinguish from the other when google tries to confuse us, right? Right? Right. Have a great day!

DIY Weekend Projects: A rug, a bench and a cross-stitched wall

2011-07-22T10:53:00.000-04:00

Now that swim team is officially over, I feel the need to dive into some projects that have been swimming around in my creative pool. We decided last night to switch the kids around in their rooms. I had the girls in the bigger one and the boy in his own room, but little O kept crawling into N's bed for security and since they have a few years until puberty I figured this would make sense for a while. O's room still has remnants of the nursery, plus some scribbles and tape and lipstick and holes that need to be fixed so it's about time to fix it up anyway. Luckily, the wide world of the internet has lots of simple ideas for me.

I like this DIY painted rug from Ikea created by Cristi from Charm Home. Depending on the design you choose, it could be fairly simple to do. I had to read the entire post before I realized that the rug started out white and the pattern is painted in a terracotta color--don't know how I missed that the first time. Here's my issue though, those rugs are difficult to vacuum. I'm always sucking up the corners and then entering into a wrestling match to remove the rug before the belt breaks. *sigh* Cleaning doesn't come naturally for me.

Or this bench from a shelf is pretty sweet (tutorial on OhDeeDoh). I think I can handle a staple gun project (no sewing for this girl--that's my mom's job). We've got some shelves that came out of the kitchen when we rehabbed it.

I don't have the confidence to do this fabulous idea but I can dream...

Source: bloesem.blogs.com via Margot on Pinterest

Hope you all have a creative weekend! I'm going to try to stop sweating but I think at this point it's futile....

Sentimental and personal anniversary gift ideas

2011-07-20T09:57:00.000-04:00

Not to brag or anything, but I've got the best husband ever. He does the laundry, shares dinner duty, fixes small plumbing crises, mows the lawn with 3 kids attached to his body, takes me to see Glen Hansard sing, loves me and my quirks. Hard to find another guy like that and I hope I never have to.

Our 13th anniversary is coming up in August and I've had my eye out for a little sentimental gift I can make or buy for him. I like this one because it is so simple and when you've been married a while, sometimes less is more. Anyway, I might change the wording a little bit, but I like the idea of a short love phrase and the date when it became official. This might be a nice accent pillow for our bedroom (since nobody else really needs to see the gushy stuff, right?). Sweet.

Source: french-knot.tumblr.com via Margot on Pinterest

Then, since I was a little printer monkey this morning (I was hand-feeding some envelopes, which means I have about 15 seconds to wait until another envelope goes in. It's perfect for surfing my favorite blogs sans guilt!) I found some other really personal and sentimental gift ideas if you're in the market for that kind of thing.

Here are the crafty and clever folks who designed these great gifts:
1. Wood grain print (how cute are the kids names on the leaves??) by Cozy Blue
2. State silhouette with heart by Define Design 11
3. Silver charm (cute for a keychain too!) by Say Anything Jewelry
4. Custom city posters by Alexander & Company
5. Family Love Tree print from Colorbee Love
6. Engraved stone (paper weight, in a plant, on the patio?) by SJ Engraving
7. Home Is Wherever I'm With You print by Apple Blossom Print
8. Custom Vows print by Circle Prints
9. Couple silhouette print by Your Very Own Artist

Thinking about strawberries

2011-07-19T10:35:00.001-04:00

I dont' know why, strawberries have been out of season for months in my part of the world. I just was thinking that a strawberry themed bridal (or baby) shower might be kind of fun, especially if the bride is a lover of food, baking, gardening, vintage things or is having an outdoor spring wedding. While that stews in my creative juices, I'll share some of the inspiring images I've found.

Source: whiffofjoy.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: thefarmchicks.typepad.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: loveloansandlinen.com.au via Margot on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: lasweetsettings.blogspot.com via Margot on Pinterest

A new look at host card displays

2011-07-15T09:00:00.001-04:00

Okay, so you've got to tell your guests where they will be sitting at your wedding. This is commonly done with host cards or escort cards. The guests name is written on the front of a card (or tiny envelope) and a table assignment is listed on the inside. This is the tried and true method for sure. But sometimes you want to be a little more creative, don't you?

Pinning up colorful tags on a board is another idea to display the escort cards. And get your guests to their assigned tables with a little flair. I like it because it is still logical (meaning, guests can look up their names alphabetically etc.) but it allows for some pops of color and pattern. Try covering a standard cork board with linen fabric and setting it up on an easel stand at the entrance of your reception venue. Use a punch to cut shapes from fabric (like this shot from Martha Stewart) or scrapbooking papers (like the one from Leslie Shrewring). The trick is to keep the format exactly the same and just switch out the patterns on the die-cut. Kinda makes me want to make some gift tags...(distractions, distractions).

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: acreativemint.typepad.com via Margot on Pinterest

Mehndi Art with Henna: the original temporary tatoo

2011-07-14T10:09:00.000-04:00

Last week I spend a lovely vacation in Door County, Wisconsin on Kangaroo Lake for an extended family vacation. I'm pleased to say that not only did we not revert back to 12 year old fits or mental breakdowns (I'm referring to myself here, you know how family sometimes brings out the worst in you...) this was the first place I've been to that I'd actually return again. Usually I'm done and bored with a spot in a week (sometimes sooner) but Door County has beautiful 80 degree temperatures, a lake, lots of interesting shops, restaurants, cafes and frozen custard stores. Really great.

Since we were lucky to be there for the Forth of July, we attended the parade and craft fair afterwards. One of the booths had henna artists and I couldn't resist a little body decoration. I don't have tatoos (and really don't want one) but the idea of being decorated with a little summer flair sounded like a good time to me. As I watched the artist, I knew an obsession was starting. Swirly, floral, decorative, dots, paisleys...how could I have not known about this before??? I was so into it, I was sure this was my occupation in one of my past lives. Here's what mine looked like when the henna was just applied.

Of course, upon returning to Cincinnati, I immediately went out to Michael's Craft stores and bought one of their kits to give it a try myself. I practiced on my kids and myself. I wasn't happy with the henna mixture so now I've going to try this recipe so I can do it again. I chose Holly's recipe because I like the logo on her website--I just trust someone who has good graphic taste. I'm thinking about having a girls night Mehndi henna tent party...doesn't that sound like so much fun?? Some hummus, olives, exotic drinks...it's like the Red Tent kinda!

I love that the art of Mehndi is over 5000 years old! It originated in Egypt, staining the fingers and toes of pharohs. It is widely used in African and Indian culture, decorating the women and brides with intricate gloves of henna and using symbols within the designs to wish good health and fertility upon the brides. I just love that kind of ritual and good energy. Girls rock! Here are some really stunning examples:

Source: mehndi.fashstyles.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: weddingcreativoblog.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: blog.bridella.com via Margot on Pinterest

Source: arabic-mehndi-designs.com via Margot on Pinterest

My 40th Birthday Party: The Untold Story

2011-07-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

Did I lure you in with my scandalous title?? This post is going to be exciting, but maybe not Fox-worthy. I wanted to share all the vendors and details that made my party a success so you can start planning your next birthday party. (Did you get my lecture on why you should throw yourself a birthday party? It's quick: You should.)

Let's begin at the very beginning...the inspiration photo that I took last winter:

INVITATIONS
Designed by Margot Madison, world-famous invitation designer ;o) Letterpress with hot pink ink and inkless impression on Crane's Pearl 600 gsm cardstock. The liners were designed and printed in full color and cut to fit the envelopes. Envelopes were from Paper Source, A7 fuchsia. Fonts were Century Gothic and Aphrodite Slim Pro. You can read a little more about them here.

TABLE DECORATIONS
I used white stock tablecloths from the vendor. I purchased white paper doilies in 4", 8" and 12" sizes and placed them in a random (which means very purposely placed to look random) pattern along the length of the table. I used double stick tape for some of the doilies so they wouldn't be blown away when the AC kicked on. I spent several months collecting miscellaneous milk glass vases and containers from my local Goodwill. Not one was more than $2. If you don't have that kind of time, you can check around etsy vendors like this one and amass a collection pretty quickly. I focused on patterned designs and skipped the fruit and floral designs since my inspiration was more about graphic repeated patterns. The flowers were designed by my friend Joni from Sprouts Floral Designs who filled them with red, pink and orange roses and carnations. In an ideal world, they would have been ranunculous or peonies but those are just not available at the end of June in Cincinnati, Ohio. I thought the roses and carnations were an excellent substitute. Joni and I arranged groupings of vases based on differing shapes, heights and patterns. I loved how they looked, and also thought that even though they were so full of color, they still struggled to stand up to the bigness of the room. Had I a chance to do it again, I'd include at least twice as many per table.

The candles were Fenomen white pillars from IKEA that I covered in my Chiyogami decorative paper (found here) and adhered with my handy-dandy tape gun. The Glimma glass votives and votive candles were also from IKEA. I used some white puff paint to add a dot along the edge of the votives. I thought they needed a little somethin-somethin, you know? Of course I don't have a photo of the votives. I think I'll show that little project later on in a DIY Friday post.

WELCOME PACKETS
These were my favorite to create and felt most like a gift from the essence of Margot-ness. I wanted to find some way to make my guests feel truly special and honored. I also wanted all my friends and family to mingle, which as a sometimes introvert I can understand the need for a little push in the social direction. The packets were custom envelopes created from left-over envelope liner stock. I created the die on my computer and gave it a disappointing try on the Silhouette SD. NOBODY told me that you can't put text stock on the adhesive boards without ruining both the paper and the board. That was very annoying but I persevered printed the template on the back of the paper (the white side). I then cut with my X-Acto knife and folded them into the little envelopes. I used Divine Twine in hot pink to tie them shut and wrote the guests names on pink, orange or red tags. Adorable! Inside I included custom name tags, using the round mandala design from my invitation printed onto pages of adhesive 2" circles from this on-line vendor. In addition to the guest's names, I included their relationship to me; Amy Benavente, Best Friend from College or Gail Bason, Margot's Mom etc. I think another great idea would be to include a fun fact about that person, but there were just too many guests to do that in my case. I included 2 Question Cards that had a set of 5 simple questions, encouraging guests to talk to someone they didn't know to get the answers. The cards were to be returned in a large glass container, where later in the evening I raffled off gifts that I'd brought with me. I must say, that I was most pleased with the results of this game. I saw friends and family from totally separate worlds talking to each other. It was really a joy for me to see that because awesome people should meet other awesome people! This approach took the awkwardness out of that first conversation, you know? I also had a hand-written note inside, thanking the guest for coming and for the other things they did for me throughout my 40 years of life. These notes were made from scrap envelope liner paper (I made good use out of that paper, didn't I??) folded on the short side and tucked into a business-card sized envelope that had the top chopped off with my rotary cutter scallop blade. Total cuteness.

FEEDING THE MASSES
The party started at 8 p.m. so most people should have eaten some kind of dinner. I wanted to make sure everyone had enough wine and beer, so I focused on that. Then I added snacks so that the wine and beer were absorbed into the system before they had to leave. The birthday cake was baked by George Sias, who was recommended to me by Karen from the I-Do Boutique in O'Bryonville. He is totally off the grid (meaning, he doesn't even use email *gasp!*) so if you would like his contact info, you can email me and I'll send it to you. The cake was white with strawberry filling, and chocolate with chocolate filling. Totally delish! The cake decoration was one of my sticking points in the planning process. I met with one cake vendor and left feeling totally afraid that they were going to give me something that looked too much like a wedding cake. And I had wedding cake trauma that I won't bore you with right now, but suffice it to say: I did not want a repeat disappointment. I saw a wonderful post on how to make ruffle flowers from fondant and thought, "Why not? I'll give it a shot myself." Several days and red-stained hands later, I had some decent ones and packed them up for the final day. I asked George to keep the cake decor a simple white with dots around the edges, and I would add these brightly colored ruffle flowers myself. When the time came to add them to the perfectly white cake, I panicked. I didn't want to put them on and hate it! And then it would be too late to change. I opted for the "less is more" approach and filled the top with my orange, red and pink candles. I'm SO HAPPY I did that. It looked perfect to me.

The rest of the food was snacky: Fancied up hummus, kalamata olives, marinated mozzerella balls, pita triangles, Spicy pretzels, veggie shots (an inspiration after my husband found a random case of shot glasses while cleaning our garage) of red and yellow peppers, carrot sticks and sugar snap peas with ranch dressing at the bottom, Killer Brownie bites, cream puffs, fruit wands with washi tape flags and assorted cheeses with crackers. I also had Mad*Pops (made by Madisono's Gelato in Cincinnati), delicious fruity popsicles in bright pink tubs filled with ice.

The drinks included white and red wine, bottled water, raspberry lemonade (made by my amazing husband), and a delicious Amber Ale from the local Mt. Carmel Brewery. I had it in a keg because that seemed way more fun than bottles. I haven't tapped a kegger since college!

PARTY HARDWARE
Pink, red and orange dessert plates and napkins were from trusty Target. I used white 16 oz paper cups I found on sale at my local paper store and personalized them by printing stickers with the mandala pattern. The wine cups were standard clear plastic. I prefer glass in most cases but I was on a tighter budget than that would allow.

All the food was placed on white ceramic dishes or white milk glass pedestals. I kept to square shapes because I'm neurotic that way. The pink glass bowls were a set from IKEA and very useful for stacking. I made a simple riser for the cake by covering a square box with pink tissue. The food signs were printed on white cardstock, edges trimmed into a "V" and curved on the tails like a banner that can stand itself up. You do that by holding one end of the card to a table edge, pressing the other side with your palm and firmly dragging it down (similar to curling ribbon, only without the ribbon and the scissors). The tablecloth on the food table is a vintage floral I purchased from this etsy vendor.

PARTY DECORATIONS
As you might have guessed, this part took nearly all my mental and physical energy. I ordered reams of pink, red and orange tissue and made millions of tissue poms enlisting the assistance of neighborhood kids and anyone who happened to stop by my house. The birthday swag used the poms in 2 sizes, hanging from ribbons and all attached to a Command hook. I did this part the weekend before so I could get a feel for the way it hung on the wall, which I highly recommend. I also created paper decorations with my Chiyogami paper to add some visual interest between the intense color and puff of the pom-poms. I threaded some smaller poms on the middle part of the swag and attached the "40" with tape. The numbers were cut from sparkly scrap-booking paper) I printed the number from my computer in reverse and trimmed it out with my Xacto blade. Whew!

After seeing the swag and the table decorations in place, my sister thought (correctly) that there was still not enough color. So we made a million more poms and put them on the window sills. Good thing I'd gotten so much tissue...I nearly used it all!

ENTERTAINMENT
I would have loved to have had a DJ at my party, but again with my minimal budget it could not be done. After thinking about it though, I realized that I had several good friends who had talents and might be willing to share them with everyone. Alas, Michael Mann (music officianado) created a playlist on his iPod that was played throughout the evening (the event place had a really easy hook-up for that kind of thing). Then the amazing April Combs (singer-songwriter from the LA based Honneycombs and children's music April8) sang a few songs with the amazing Laurie Burnham on back-up and Michael Mann on guitar. AND last, but not least, I convinced my cousin Mindy Jones (whose been singing in LA with Moby mmm-hmmm) to play and sing a song on the fly. The singing was definitely one of the highlights of my night. Such special people around me! It was magical, I tell you!

THE PHOTO WALL
This thing was massive and a lot of work, but I loved it and wouldn't have had my party without it! I used chicken wire and attached the (you guessed it) tissue poms with wire. I varied the sizes and colors so the pattern would appear random and full of texture. Again, I did this in my house the week before and hung the structure to Command hooks. This set-up was a little scary. The Command hooks fell once, but I wasn't sure if it was because I didn't wait the allotted 1 hour or didn't prep the wall properly. I must also admit to some concern with the camera set-up. I was going to just use my Canon Powershot on a tripod and use the flash attached. Not the best, but it was all this non-techie girl could do under the circumstances. Then my birthday karma came to the rescue. It turns out that the manager of the space (Gather-College Hill) is a photographer and he had a sturdy wooden backdrop that I could attach the chicken wire to, AND he let me use his professional lighting and boom, AND he even fixed the settings on my camera so the photos would work the best it could. It was truly a Birthday Miracle and I was ever so thankful. I bought some decorative frames from my trusty Goodwill, removed the glass or mirrors and painted the frames white. The guests really had a good time with the photos and I'm so glad I did it...otherwise I'd not have any pictures from the event!!

This is the photo wall in progress...

The photos gave guests a reason to be silly and have fun!

I keep forgetting things! I also suggested that guests wear something pink, orange or red. This proved to be a bit of a challenge, but I loved how everyone was participating in the theme (and looked great in all my pictures) See?

Whew! I think I got it all! Now that I've documented it, I think I can possibly not bring up my party for another week maybe. We'll see, though... :o)

My first 40 years, well celebrated

2011-06-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

It is with great joy that I announce that not only did I survive the planning and executing of my 40th birthday party, I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. If you are on the fence about planning your own birthday party, then allow me to knock you off to the side of "Doing It". To be clear, while the party was on the occasion of my 40th birthday, it was truly a gratitude celebration. I wanted to honor and thank all the people who laughed with me, cried with me, listened to me swoon and obsess, forgave me when I forgot to self-edit my commentaries, loved me when I felt unloveable, smiled at me when I was down, supported my business...you get the story. These are amazing people, and they deserve the best that I could give them!

I started out with this color and style concept and kept true to it; lots of white pattern and texture with bright pops of red, hot pink and orange. There were lots of favorite parts to the party and I'll be highlighting them as the days go on but here is a short list: I loved my invitation (I finally got to do WHATEVER I wanted!). I loved my little "welcome packets" where I put a hand-written note, custom name tags and a party game raffle inside. I loved the flowers that were so beautifully executed by Joni Sherman of Sprouts Floral Design. It was so much fun to make all the creative fun come to fruition! I even had 2 of my friends sing for the guests...it was such a wonderful night!
Here are some photos:

An inspirational photo by my daughter

2011-06-14T13:48:00.000-04:00

I think I have a complex about my inability to take photographs that I like. Luckily, my daughter doesn't seem to have inherited this trait. She loves taking her iTouch everywhere and snapping photos of everything she sees...namely the cat. Or her shirt. Or her latest outfit she's designed for her dressform.

Yesterday she happened upon a fallen bird's nest and took this lovely picture. I will disclaim here that I did take the photo into Picnik and add the faded border but that's it--no color adjustments or anything. I love the simplicity of the single egg within the composition. I like the visual texture of the cement and how it seems to echo the mottled spots on the egg. I also like the monochromatic grays and how they soften the overall look, keeping the eye focused on the beautiful oval in the center.

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to take this even if I stood in the same spot. Some people just have the knack, you know? But this isn't about me, more than anything, I just love seeing her explore her creative ambitions. You can read more about this on HER blog, a summer project to keep the crafting more focused and refine her writing skills. It's called Rainbow Fish Scales. If it's not up yet, that's because I'm still proofing her spelling... ;o)

StripeMania

2011-06-13T13:05:00.001-04:00

Do you ever NOT do something because you think you won't be that great at it? I've discovered that I turn down a lot of artistic experiences because...I think because I'm afraid of the results. Specifically, I'm afraid that the results won't be as great as I imagined them. Part of that is vanity. I want my stuff to be the best. I want to put forth the most awesome, fabulous thing ever and have people think great things about me. The truth is awkward sometimes, isn't it?

Today is an exception to the rule, though I did fight against my inner critic for a long time. Holly Becker (editor of the Decor8 blog, author of the newly published book "Decorate", and teacher in a blogging class that I took and LOVED called Blogging Your Way) put out a fun project called "Stripemania" (photo gallery here). She was encouraging anyone to take a photo of themselves in stripes and blog about it/post the photo etc. My knee-jerk (and embarrassingly vain) reaction was this: I'm not doing it. I look terrible in stripes.

*Sigh* Then I kept seeing all the fun people were having and told myself this: I can't take pictures of myself. That's strange.

Today, I realized what I was doing to myself...those reasons are real, but not good enough not to try something new. Eff-it, I was going to whip up some stripey pictures of myself, and if they sucked, so what. I would have fun trying something out of my comfort zone.

I'm glad I did. Not the best picture of me. No make-up. Unflattering shirt. I'm still vain enough to keep parts of me covered up--namely, my chest! Just me, and my wall, and my camera and 15 minutes of my time. And I'm a little proud of myself for just doing it.

Take a look at these vintage bus passes!

2011-06-10T08:59:00.000-04:00

This picture has me really floored this morning. They are a collection of vintage Milwaukee bus passes from Kindraishere blog that I discovered via Lost and Fawned blog.

First thought: WOW! Great design and color!
Second thought: How much fun/work it was for the staff designer to do so many completely different designs
Third and next consecutive number thoughts: I can't believe the city agreed to do this. Did they want every design to be so different? Did they require that? ("No, Joe Designer! You used lime green and orchid last week...pick a different color combination!") Did the city revel in creative intentions for their bus riders? Did the staff designer just refuse to do the same thing every week? Did he (because you know it was a "he" back then) make it his little challenge to find a new way to write numbers and letters in an original design every time? What the heck?? I don't think any city or company would pay for such a thing nowadays. We are far too efficient for that, aren't we? That is why vintage is so awesome. It brings us back to a different way of thinking about design. I'm not one to wish things were like they were "back then" but it's so refreshing to look back, isn't it?

It also makes me think about design that is essentially disposable and prolific. The designer didn't have to worry about a 5 year shelf life. He could do crazy stuff because there was going to be another chance to do something else next week. Some were probably great, some were blah, but when you do something like this over and over, I think it doesn't hinder your creativity. It expands it and forces it into new spaces. You HAVE to break out of your mold. You know?

What's the new stripe? The Chevron!

2011-06-09T09:59:00.000-04:00

Like most upcoming fashions and fads, this has been creeping up on me. A little chevron tray craft from Martha Stewart here, a little chevron dress at Talbots there. I've been filing these images in my brain for a while, and have played around with some chevron ideas myself. I must say, I quite like it! It's bold. It's got movement. It's an ancient design with a modern aesthetic and it suits me just fine.

Here more chevrons from designers that are inspiring me. Credits are listed below and don't miss the FREE iPHONE wallpapers at the bottom.

1. Needlepointed belt buckle by NeedleYou
2. Calling cards by Pixel Impress
3. Birth Announcement by Roxter Designs
4. Digital printables by Summit Avenue
5. Upholstered Chair by Nena Von
6. Tea Towel by Erin Dollar
7. Pillow by Elegant Touch
8. Handmade journal by Mayday Studio
9. Flat notecards by Sweet Beaker

To further celebrate the chevron, I'm including some free iPhone backgrounds with both the chevron AND the summer color palette. You can use and share these for your personal use (copyrights stay with me) by right clicking or saving the image into your image folder on your phone. Then, just choose it as a background and you're ready with the chevy!

Looky what arrived yesterday!

2011-06-07T11:48:00.001-04:00

The Big Plans are coming to fruition! I ordered most of my party supplies last week and every day is a delightful trip to the door when the mail arrives. Yesterday I received these goodies.

Straws, cupcake liners and string are from Cupcake Social and the washi tape is from Happy Tape. I'm doing some prep work every night (totally unlike me as I live by the rule of procrastination) so I'm not as crazy the week before the party. I'm pretty sure that will be crazy enough.

Inspiration Monday-Summer Color Palette

2011-06-06T08:26:00.001-04:00

I'm not a big purse or shoe person. I usually find one thing I like, and wear it until it falls apart. When last year's purse from Charm Design started fraying on the handles, I mourned! This was a good one, and I always got so many compliments for it. But like a good soldier, I did what I had to do and started another search on etsy. It didn't take long before I fell in love with a beautiful bag from a french etsy shop called Ika Bags and purchased it immediately. When it arrived, I looked at the 2 purses and had a little chuckle to myself. They coordinated with each other perfectly!

Last year's purse

This year's purse...it's really a pretty bag but I realized that my sketch book needed to be with me at all times!

A few weeks ago I came upon this invitation from J Press Designs and was enamored. I stared at it for a really long time analyzing what I liked and why it was so attractive to me. I was on to myself and realized that I was subconsciously moving into a new color scheme.

Then I realized that it was slightly similar to another invitation I'd been ogling recently by Althea and Ruth from Minted. It's not quite the color scheme, but it's got the same idea.

Finally, when I went shopping this weekend (for a party dress-hmmm) I wore my red boho top with some gray shorts and my daughter, who was shopping with me, wore a coral boho top with some cream shorts. As I caught a glimpse of us in the mirror at the store the color scheme became the obsession.

I'm not sure how exactly to categorize the color scheme. I imagined me telling my sister as I do everything I'm obsessed with:
"So, I'm obsessed with a new color scheme!" I say, with a gleam in my eye.
"What is it this time." she replies with minimal eye rolling.
"Well, it's 2 shades of gray--I call them pearl and oyster--with red and coral and hot pink and kind of an aubergine color and olive-ish green and teal and mustardy yellow..."
Definite eye rolling at this point. "Isn't that just a bunch of colors?"
"Yes it is. But they are really pretty together and I can't get them out of my mind."

And that's all I can tell you folks. I've been missing exits while driving and stopping short in the mall to grab my sketch book and scribble yet another way I can use this multitude of beautiful color in my next set of invitations and designs. I'm going to call it my Summer Palette and see where we can go from there. What do you think? Are you obsessed with a color scheme at the moment?

Lord help me! There are only 22 more days until my 40th birthday party

2011-06-03T08:23:00.000-04:00

Since I have so much planning to do, I thought I'd distract myself and share my birthday invitation. I so enjoyed creating this invitation! As my own customer, I found myself very open to new designs and quite agreeable--a dream client, really! I loved being able to do exactly what I wanted and revise until my creative heart was content. I wanted it to reflect everything I love about invitations, and it does.

The invitation is letterpress printed with an inkless impression mandala and hot pink text that combined flourished calligraphy (Aphrodite) and clean modern san serif (Century Modern Sans). The card is a super thick Crane's cotton stock with beautiful texture and luxurious weight. I designed and printed the custom liners especially for the invitation (after searching for too long on-line to find something just right, I realized that I was the person to create that very thing--duh!). I'm going to use the extra liner papers for the party details later. On the hot pink envelopes, I printed the mandala in a dark pink which was extended to the back flap where my return address was. Then I printed the guest's names stylized with the same fonts as the invitation. I'm quite pleased with the results, thank goodness. It is my job afterall, to please even my most discriminating customers! The invitations were a big part of my budget and I think they were worth every penny. Plus, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to throw myself another birthday party for another 40 years.

And on the title prayer, don't get me wrong, I'm SUPER excited for it. It's just, well 22 days doesn't seem like a lot to get everything together. I've been thinking about it for so long and planning for so long that the thought it will be real is daunting. While I was entering into panic mode last week, we had some cheap chinese food for dinner and THIS was my fortune. FOR REAL! Is that not the Universe giving me a wink or what??? I love it that when the "holy crap I'm not going to get everything done in time" feeling creeps up on me (like today) I think of that fortune and relax. If my friends and family are there with me, all will be perfect.