Beautiful folk art tablecloths by Nessy Designs

You read my blog like, all the time, and remember and cherish every word, right? Of course you do. That's why you remember that one of my favorite artists I like to brag about knowing is Vanessa Sorensen from Nessy Designs. She is a truly talented lady who creates, among other illustrative and graphic lovelies, folk art designs. Vanessa and I had both been experimenting with Spoonflower, a website where you can design and upload your own images to be printed on fabric (awesome).

Alas, the wonderful tablecloths we were discussing months ago have been printed and so I must share them with you. I love Dutch folk art because it appeals to the colorful and graphic lover in me. Crisp floral imagery, symmetry, ornamentation, bold color combinations on solid colored backgrounds and modern and friendly. My goodness, what's not to love about it, people? So, "folks" feast your eyes on these and visit her blog to find out how to get one for yourself.

Flower Petal Garlands from Paris

Ah, my bloggy friends! It's been a few weeks since I could really concentrate on my blog posts. I am doing a joyful but all-consuming design project, which as mercifully come to a temporary pause. It feel so good to have a "normal" day. Blog post in the morning, client work in the afternoon. All is good.

My sister-in-law Charlotte is back in town, which means we having many deep discussions about creativity, what's going on in the crafting world, and how we can be a part of that. Charlotte is French, living in Munich, Germany and is quite involved with the etsy world, with her own store PetitPoeme and also is a contributer to the Etsy French Handmade group.

Charlotte's always got her finger on the pulse of what's new and fabulous. And she loves sharing that knowledge and connecting people who can help each other--you know people like that? They are always have an excited way of adding to the conversation, "You should meet so-and-so! You would love what they are doing with such-and-such! I'll introduce you!" and she does that very thing. She's a born networker, which is great for this sometimes introverted design gal.

Camille Gallery was her most recent recommendation. And as usual, I agree that this is a really special thing Camille does! Camille is a photographer and recycler who makes garlands out of real petals. Her process is quite involved, but as you can see, it produces such a delicate and romantic garland that is light and airy and a wonderful touch for a romantic wedding. You could also have her "preserve" your wedding bouquet as a garland for posterity. Imagine the flowers from your most special day hanging over your bed's headboard like fairy petals. Just lovely!

Here's how she does it in her own words:
"Process (for 1 garland!):
Making a flower petals garland is a very long process! and of course totally handmade by me.
First I select the flowers for their color. Then I dry the petals (this phase needs a minimum of two weeks for a bouquet of 10 flowers). Then I laminate the petals, and cut them one by one (one afternoon). And finally I assemble the garland (two hours)."

Yes, she did say that she cut them one by one. Mon Dieu! You can request a special order, with special color, or thread, if you want different petal colors on the same thread, etc. Just note that it takes at least one month to complete your order, so plan accordingly.

Fall color forecast: Bamboo yellow

I know spring has just arrived, but in the event planning world fall is the season we have to think about. Planning does take a lot of time, doesn't it? So some of you brides out there are thinking about colors for your fall wedding. I thought I'd start with Pantone's color forecast for fall and offer up some creative ways to bring a little something special to your event based on these colors.

Today I am offering some event detail inspiration for Pantone 14-0740 Bamboo Yellow. I like this for a fall color because it is kind of overlooked when we think of burnt oranges, deep purples and rusty browns or autumn. Brighter, more summery yellow is toned down with a little green in the mix, and some warmer color mixed in to mute it down. When I think in CMYK terminology, there would be a bit of cyan and magenta and just a touch of black added to the yellow. But I digress.

Here is my collection of bamboo-inspired event goodies. More images are on my Pinterest Bamboo style board, which you can also view here. Links and credits will be listed underneath.

Bamboo inspired event details curated by Margot Madison

1. Amazing chandelier with a chinoiserie flair from Design Manifest.
2. Darling wedding print (great gift, isn't it?) from Smile Blue Eyes
3. Guest Sign-in Box (brilliant idea, eh?) from Cut The Cake Designs
4. Butterfly gift box from Fast Running Fox
5. Lanterns at a reception from Style Me Pretty
6. Custom wine labels from Absinthe Custom Prints
7. Dress from Gina Michele Eco
8. Pocket Mirror (bridesmaid favors, anyone?) from Gamiworks
9. Table decor from Style Me Pretty
10. Yellow invitation from the fabulous designer Margot Madison :o)
11. French Nougat from Kettle Creations. I love the added pops of green and cherry red in those.
12. Parasols from Occasions by Design

Miracles really do happen...

It's been years since I've started my quest to achieve better photos and most importantly, photos with a short depth of field. You know, the photos with a beautiful blurry background so you can focus on one part of the photo. They are everywhere I see and I've been reading and buying cameras to help me get there to no avail until today...

I'll let you in on the secret.
1. That blurring effect is called "Bokeh" (pronounced "Boke") and it all comes down to a small aperature or opening in your camera measured by the f-stop. You may recall that I have been referring to my dilema as the "Effing f-stop" in past posts.
2. You cannot control this effect with a point-and-shoot, no matter how nice your point-and-shoot is.
3. You need a dSLR camera ($$) with a really nice "prime" lense ($$$) that doesn't come with the camera. ($$$$)
4. Today I bought a Nikon 3100 dSLR camera and opted for the less expensive 55/f1.4 lense because I've already spent enough on cameras this year and couldn't stomach paying for the really good stuff. That will be for later or for Christmas, whichever comes first.

And I'm very happy to say that I have finally ARRIVED! It took a virtual village of photographer friends and lots of on-line research but I am today the proud owner of a camera that will allow me to take photographs with a blur. In natural lighting. On a digital format. If it wasn't lent, I'd say "Hallelujah".

So to illustrate (or shall we say, add photographs to) my journey, here is a photo with my really nice point-and-shoot camera and one with my effing new camera. :o) Amen. And thanks to everyone who helped me through this process.

An example of an invitation photographed with my new camera

A photograph taken with my point-and-shoot camera

DIY FRIDAY Tools of the Trade: Tape Gun

If there ever was the best piece of invitation assembly awesomeness, it would be this little baby here. The 3M ATG Tape Glider (we in the industry call them by their older and less marketing-friendly name "Tape Gun") is a handy piece of low-tech equipment will have your paper stuck tight with an easy sweep of the arm. I recommend that anyone entering into their own invitation production have one of these. Many of my clients get the smaller scrapbooking tape dispensers, but this is the really much better.

Why? It uses a roll of adhesive that is dispensed easily by pressing a trigger and drawing your arm down the paper. The adhesive roll is 36 yards long, which means you can go through a long time before replacing it. The adhesive is very sticky and will hold the bond securely. Really, I can't say enough about it. And it works really well on gift wrapping because the tape is hidden under the paper (not on top!).

The very best news is that this tape gun used to cost about $60 retail, and since it was an industry focused product was not widely available. While browsing Michaels Craft store yesterday, I spotted their new and very bright pink 1/4" dispenser for under $30. Since mine was feeling it's age (I've been using it daily for about 6 years now) I bought that thing lickety-split! There are some on-line stores selling them as well such as Scrapbook.com but you can do your own research and get the best price.

Custom Bamboo iPhone cases from Grove

I love it when I find super cool stuff--then double that love when I can do my own super cool designs for that super cool stuff. Check it out...

Bamboo iPhone cases! I discovered this product from Grove (in Portland, Oregon) today after I saw one in real life. I love the contrast of high tech and earthy elements represented in this case. AND I saw that you can also upload your own design to be laser engraved into the case. My stomach is doing creative twirls like crazy!

Choose from existing designs or

Upload your own designs!

An example of a custom design with brand promotion

Why you would want to buy these:
You can upload your company logo for really sleek and environmentally friendly branding

Or, this would make a highly sophisticated gift option for your corporate clients

What a great birthday or father's day gift! My dad is super into woodworking AND his iPhone--perfect!

And for my wedding blog readers; how about this as a great groomsmen gift?

A charming illustrated wedding invitation by Marie Letourneau

I saw this the other day and was completely enamored! It's beautifully illustrated with such charm. I just want to be those people in the illustration to live in their magical world! The illustrator is Marie Letourneau who is an (no surprise here) award winning children's book author and illustrator. She has appeared on The Nate Berkus Show and her children's book "The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Freres" was featured on Ace Of Cakes (Duff and the gang made her a cake!). Here is the link to her etsy shop called Le French Circus.

If you are interested in having a custom illustration created for you (and at $500, I really think it's a steal!) you better get your name in. She's currently booked through April. UPDATE! Marie is now able to print the invitations for you.

DIY Friday: Do something with tags!

I have a real problem with tags. I can't stop buying them, and yet I can't bring myself to use them either! I don't really give that many gifts away, and I don't organize things alot so it leaves me with a huge stash of gems that I like to look at but don't dare actually use. And God forbid on of my children gets into the tags--you'd think I was hoarding chocolate candies or something. (My mother did that!) I had the same problem with my sticker collection as a young girl. Mounds of stickers to touch and view, but never to be used.

The good news is that if you are planning a wedding or other party, you actually have a really good reason to use tags. They make great place cards (write the guest's name and tie it around the napkin), favor tags, thank you notes, food labels (on jars of lemonade, packets of snacks) etc. This is a collection of tags I found on etsy this morning. I have already placed my order (I feel like if I admit to the problem, then isn't that the first step recovery?) and I'm asking you--what do you do with tags? And do you have the same problem collecting them as I do? Am I not alone in this??? Have a great weekend everyone! I'm going to Ann Arbor to see my favorite singers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova perform, as well as visiting with one of my favorite cousins (they really are all my favorites!) and her husband. Yeah!

These great tag vendors are: 1. Ciaffi, 2. DeeJann, 3. Habitation Inc, 4. Irish Maz, 5. Mommy Holly, 6. Queen Bee Inspirations, 7. ScrapBits, 8. SillyLilly, 9. StampNSurf, 10. Blossom & Twig, 11. Sugar Papers, 12. Chatham And Caron

A message from The Love Shop

Finally!!! I've been waiting for weeks to post this entry! I read about JJ St. James from The Love Shop a while ago and was so inspired by her efforts to put positive energy into the world, but also because she is a woman who knows what it's like to pull yourself up from a very low spot. You can read her inspiring story here on the blog Notorious MLE, and I promise you will cry with pride for this amazing woman--I surely did!

If you're thinking about what to get your honey for Valentines day, I suggest you take a look at her prints. Of course, they make great wedding, anniversary and anyday gifts. Here are some of my favorite love quotes, but she also has a good stash of inspirational and silly ones too.

My brother sang this line after his speech at my wedding.

Inspiration details for coffee with the Book Club

Moving right along with my next "event" styling, I've got some details put together to contemplate. The colors are primarily black and white with pops of rich color from my color inspiration posted earlier this week (link here.)

1. These are some bookplates I designed for this specific event. I plan on putting them together into a white sleeve and sewing or taping it closed (as in #5 in this collage). I'll be including this as a free printable for you later.
2. My beloved Black Fruit tea set (well, at the moment it's my mothers but it is part of my inheritance so I consider it mine even though it's residing at my parent's house) by Susie Cooper. More about her here.
3. This is an interesting Danish platter I saw on etsy from Vakvar.
4. A nice cake details from Maisie Fantaisie. I'm thinking about putting a pattern like this on some homemade shortbread cookies.
5. A nice little pack of Pretty Tape that I purchased this week in anticipation. Washi tape is one of my weaknesses and I impulse buy it constantly now.
6. A white pedestal cake stand I bought at Home Goods. Again, an impulse buy, but you can never have too many cake stands. Unless you run out of storage space (ahem, Karyn).
7. Multicolored cocktail napkins from Crate and Barrel. It's funny, I picked these up and put them down several times while browsing a few weeks ago in the store. Now of course I wish I had bought them. I should know better...
8. The back drop of this photo is a lovely piece of wallpaper from Nama Rococco.

There are also some neat shortbread cookies here, some cool black patterned glass plates here, and I'm intrigued by these cool upcycled envelopes. And here is a doily rubber stamp that would work with this theme too.

So, the only thing I haven't thought really hard about yet are flowers, or some kind of fresh floral arrangement. Any ideas? Send those and all other brainstorming ideas my way...

"Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" Creative Save the Dates

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Save the Date card

Not everyone can be lucky enough to have known their future spouse when they were in high school. For some, that might be a good thing ;o). I actually knew my future husband in high school but had absolutely NO IDEA that we would end up married. It's even weird for me to think about all the parties I saw him at and never knew he'd be the sweet man by my side today. *sigh*

In some cases, two people have an idea that there was something special about that cool/cute guy/girl in their English class. They even went to a dance together. Maybe they went their separate ways through college but caught up with each other later

That's what happened with this darling couple. Claire and Joe went to a homecoming dance together when they were in high school, ultimately went their separate ways for a while and then found themselves together again after college. Sharing a bit of their past seemed a perfect way to announce their future wedding date so I created this Margot Madison original design for them. I must say that everytime I look at this announcement I smile. Look at how much they've NOT changed!! Isn't that so stinking cute?? I love it. And I love this part of my job; meeting people in the beginning of a wonderful journey together.

Did you know your spouse when you were young? Did you know right away that this person was "it"? Or did you not see the hidden jewel until later?

Custom Wedding Posters ala 1930's

Oh. My. Gosh. I'm having twirlies in my stomach again! I saw this amazing product line from Alexander And Company. They create custom posters in the style of 1930's advertisments and you can put YOUR NAMES and YOUR CITY and YOUR DETAILS into the design. The personalization is so seamlessly integrated into the design that it took me a while to even understand what the possibilities are. With elegant dancing bride and grooms, chic city references like San Francisco and Chicago I think it would make an amazing wedding gift, but also an anniversary gift too. Check out all the stunning styles on their website catalog!

You can purchase the custom posters with or without framing.

See how you can change the city at the top, in addition to your names? Amazing!

Holiday Save The Date Cards from Margot Madison Creative

Here's a little smattering of save the date cards I have for sale at my etsy store. Of course you could use any of the holiday cards to do the same thing too, but these are especially cute and can be specific to you and your betrothed. I love the birch tree carving one because you can have your initials "carved" into the tree. I'm going to be giving away 50 cards to one lucky winner in the Fab Friday Giveaway on BridesBuddy.com this Friday. But don't worry, if you miss out I'm offering 25 cards free with every order this year. I'm feeling loving with all this wedding stuff ;o)

A Christmas Card for those who don't have a great picture of everyone

A holiday card from Margot Madison Creative that is personalized.

I think this is going to be my family Christmas card. It is  nearly impossible to catch everyone in my family looking good, eyelids not half closed or not shouting at someone else in the photo to look up and smile. If you have more than one child, then you know what I mean. This one allows me to choose the best from the past year and use those. It takes the photo pressure off. These and more of my customizable holiday card designs are available in my Margot Madison Creative etsy store.

I also like to add something personal to the card that gives friends and family a smile and lets them in on a glimpse of our life as it is this year. I started thinking about how the gifts the kids request from "Santa" capture where they are right now, as well as a little bit of their personality. Oliver (5 years) wants Legos, Natalie (7 years) wants an old-fashioned phone to go in her office (a separated handle somehow seem more official to her, which I think is so cute) and Julia (10 years) wants an iPhone, which she won't get until she's several years older, but it she certainly is optimistic. These seem so obvious at this point, but I know that years from now when Oliver wants the newest version of a high tech computer game we'll enjoy remembering that when he was 5 he was happy with a few Lego spaceships.

Are you making your holiday cards personal this year? Tell me how!

The world of digital art

Happy Monday creative friends. Today my internet travels took me on a journey through the digital art world and it was quite an interesting trip! I started at the on-line store called My Grafico where they sell digital art collections by various designers. I haven't yet purchased one of these, so I'll start with that disclaimer, but it looks like a great idea for graphic designers and computer savvy crafters and party planners. You essentially purchase the digital art and receive it as a file (most companies let you choose JPG, PDF, PNG etc). You can use on your invitations or miscellaneous party items like favors, cupcake toppers, stickers etc. And what about bake sale decorations? Or christmas cards and tags? Make sure to read the user agreement from each vendor and be sure you are using these according to their licensing specifications. Nobody wants to get screwed here, right? Right.

I'm impressed with the variety I saw in the hour or so I spent researching this stuff. I saw everything from vintage flowers to Michael Jackson. Lots of items could be used in elegant wedding invitations, charming children's parties, or baby showers. Of course, you wouldn't use Michael Jackson on that, but I got those creative juices flowing, didn't I? ;o)  This is a small sample of what I found on etsy:

Here are some cute cupcakes from Todd Design. I still have cupcakes on the mind ever since Meredith's cupcake party.

Here are some sugar skulls from ArtVision. I don't get the whole skull thing I must admit, but I do love to look at them. The designs are so cool!

Some elegant vintage labels from Vivian Artwork. I've seen this theme trending in wedding invitations.

Some adorable space monsters from Woofy World. So cute for a boy birthday party!

 Some cute cars from Scotty Girl. I must be subconsciously planning my son's next birthday.

Some sweet little snowmen from Peach Pops Clipart.

I love these scallop borders from Ginger World. You could put a monogram, name, or address in there and snap! A great wedding logo or custom stamp artwork.

And it's not just digital illustration that's out there. I love, love, love these "fabric" banners and flowers from Lemon Tree Studio.

What do you think of this stuff? Could you use it in your next event? Have you had some success using it already? Tell me all... And have a great week!

Blush and Gold Challenge, phase 2

Continuing on with my color challenge obsession with blush and gold, I did some web trolling to find some inspiration and products that would turn these colors into a beautifully styled event. My goal is to use these colors in a more modern and edgy way, combining textures and graphic shapes to give it a less frilly persona but still hold on to it's very beautiful and feminine nature.

Here is what I found: I absolutely love this Vintage German Gold Dresden paper trim from Gathering Splendor and already purchased it, and the autumn mums in this arrangement from It's Pretty Light were what I had in mind for a floral arrangement. I was also thinking that berries would be a nice graphic element, or richly colored burgundy leaves still on branches. I also love the idea of the wheat stacks to add some architecture to the table and I would bring a touch of the pink in the stack with that pink and gold braided trim on the bottom right corner from Onlyee. Of course coffee flavored caramels from Fusion Sweets bring in a touch of golden brown, gold cupcake liners from Cupcake Social with blush pink frosting on the cupcakes, the cameo ring from Tamar and the fabric from Fabric Worm show the delicacy of the colorscheme and include graphic element I was hoping for. The table runner from Dining Out is a good idea too. I thought that even some butcher paper on a table with loose gold swashes painted on it would be fun and very inexpensive. The wheels are turning for the invitation and paper accessories that would complete the look. More on that later...

If you didn't catch it, here is where the obsession started when I did a color palette for this beautiful photograph last week:

An invitation app that is ROCKING MY WORLD!

It's no secret that I love my iPhone almost as much as I love my husband and today it was an even tougher call.You know that twirly feeling you get when you see something totally awesome and can't wait another minute before you share it?? I HAVE THAT FEELING ABOUT THIS NEW APP called Post.

You can download it for only $.99 from the App store and get started right away. Choose background designs --I love the ones from Gadabout, add your text (you can adjust font size & alignment),  determine your recipients and done! How perfect for my last minute art parties or "Come to drink on my porch" parties. Gotta go play some more...woohoo!

Vendor Spotlight at the Crafty Supermarket

I will rant for only a few minutes on the joys of the Crafty Supermarket that had it's humble beginnings in Northside in Cincinnati, OH. It is so spectacular and full of sometimes crazy, always clever and always unique crafts. It was so good that after the wild success of the first show, it had to move into a much larger place to accommodate all of us crazy-for-unique-crafts people. The next show is November 20 (just in time to start Christmas shopping, yes?) so mark your calendars.

On my daily web trolling for good stuff, I ran into Red Raven Studios  from Pittsburgh, PA and saw that not only does Amy Lumsden have delicate and beautiful accessories, that she is coming to the Crafty Supermarket. Take a gander at these awesome belts (and keep in mind that I have a complete bias for birds...)

Belt from Red Raven Studio

Belt from Red Raven Studio

Belt from Red Raven Studio

Beautiful! It almost makes me want to wear a belt. Or at least purchase one for my belt-wearing sistah.

Oh, and here are some earrings I liked too:

Happy Tape project #1-Meredith's 4th Birthday Party

Lucky for my niece Meredith (or me, I guess!) her birthday party came at a time when I was just dying to use my Happy Tape in a project. AND even better, the theme just happened to be purple cupcakes! So I magnanimously announced to my sister Alex that I was helping with the party favors and anything else I deemed important enough to use my Happy Tape. She graciously accepted whatever help I offered, and in return, I consulted with her during a million and one phone calls while she emptied out various party and craft stores with whatever purple stuff they offered. I have created my first collage with Picnik (an on-line photo editing site) and present these photos of the Happy Tape projects:

CUPCAKE FAVOR BAGS
I used the tape to create the cupcake "cups". Since it's translucent, there is a nice visual effect of the accordion folds where I overlapped the edges slightly. I taped a section roughly the size I needed for the "cups" and did this on plain white adhesive stock. This way, I could simply trim out the cupcake cup shape after the tape was down. I used pinking shears for the top of the cupcake cups, cutting away with standard scissors where the icing "overlaps". Then I peeled off the backing and placed it on the white favor bag. After many attempts, I finally achieved the desired frosting top shape and drew it with a light purple marker. We added sequins for sprinkles because Meredith always needs a little bling, and wrote the message with my purple LePen marker. I should note that my daughter and craft prodigy Julia assisted me in this project.

CUPCAKE FLAGS
And since one project was not enough, I also created cupcake flags with wooden cupcake sticks (purchased from Michaels). This was quite quick and simple,  I folded the tape over on itself and trimmed the "v" shape for the ends. The kids were decorating their own cupcakes as an activity and this way we could put the flag in their cupcake before the child took off to play more Barbie Airplane. The decorated cupcakes went into a single cupcake box and went home with the party bags.

OTHER CUTE PARTY STUFF
My sister found a special cupcake cake pan, which bakes the top and the bottom separately and you frost the two pieces together to make the complete and very large cupcake. The table was decorated with a purple plastic tablecloth (these guys are 4, remember!) and Alex made a white runner out of white butcher paper. She prettied it up by taping small doilies to the underside of the runner so that it had a lacey edge. The doilies were also used as the banners, hung in the window by the party buffet table. The letters were glittery purple stickers she found. The purple flower poms were made by hand and are always wonderfully colorful and festive party decorations. (Here is a link to a video on how to make them from Paper Scraps and Picture Passion blog) Alex also made oversized cupcakes on cardboard for the kids to use as props in the "photo studio" on the front porch. Those pictures will be in a later post.

Happy Tape project #2

It's project number 2 because I've been working on #1 but it's not at the photo-taking finish yet. You'll see that soon enough!

Lindsay and I had a great time having Thai food and wine...eh, and crafting too, of course. It was a little dark since we were crafting at night (L has a Real Job) so many of the "in progress" shots were a bit blurry. Here is a decent one that shows some craftin' action. Lindsay used a 3-picture matte frame and added the tape in a diagonal stripe pattern, using all of the tapes at least once but in a random fashion. Very 80's methinks... She promises to take another photo of the final product so that will come later.

Lindsay crafting the Washi Tape with a matte frame.

I worked on a quintet of candles from Ikea. I used only the browns and beiges and placed the tape around the candles, sometimes overlapping. L wasn't a fan of the overlapping, but I liked the effect! I think it turned out nicely. Today they are on a wooden plate on a side table in my living room and I'm enjoying the new dash of fall in my summer-tired décor...

Here's the final result. And remember I've got Happy Tape project #1 coming after this weekend! Happy Friday!

Candle decorations with Japanese Washi Tape