Inkblot Paper Designs

Hooray!!!! Minted Again!!!!

2012-02-02T18:10:00.002-06:00

SUPER thrilled I just got an email from Minted and my Here's a Story save the date design received an editors pic! Couldn't wait to share!!!! A big thanks to all the Minties out there that helped during the critique phase!

save the date cards - Here’s a Story

I'll be sure to post again once it is up for sale.

Story Save the Date Design + More Minted Goodness

2012-01-10T11:18:00.000-06:00

It’s that time again! Designing for Minted is creeping back into my day to day and I am super excited about the latest Save the Date Challenge as well as their Art Challenge.

With every challenge, I feel like I grow more as a designer and being a part of the minted community has really given me so much I am so excited to see how this design year pans out.

Voting is now open for both the Save the Date and Art challenges, click on each of the below designs to vote on them, but feel free to vote on many more designs. There are some pretty innovative creations this time around and I can’t wait to see the winners already!

SAVE THE DATES:

save the date cards - Here’s a Story

save the date cards - Get There

save the date cards - 24 Carrot Coral

ART PRINTS:

art prints - Nature's Confetti

art prints - Patchwork Monogram

Not sure if you can tell by all the above designs (with the exception of the last one): I am a little obsessed with shades of Orange. Ha-ha! Thanks goodness the Pantone Color of the year is Tangerine Tango.

Vintage County Fair Chic – NWD Launch Party

2012-01-09T22:20:00.003-06:00

The new issue of Nebraska Wedding Day Magazine came out and I’ve just been WAITING to see the spring issue!

Back in the fall I designed some invitations, menu cards and place cards for a tablescape photo shoot and the images are beautiful.

Then on top of all that, they had a launch party for the new year’s mag and I must say it was a pretty AMAZING event. Super fab if I do say so myself. I would categorize it as high-end rustic with super chic county fair flair.

The food was delicious gourmet Comfort Food. .

Miniature delights at every corner.

{I can’t get over these mini pies!}

And of course a signature drink that was divine.

And to set the tone for the evening I as super pleased last month to receive the beautiful invitations designed and printed by Omaha’s leading letterpress studio Inclosed.

{A perfect execution blending multiple typefaces}

What fun a fun way to get my year started.

Happy New Year and Real Wedding Previews

2012-01-04T20:44:00.000-06:00

Well hello and happy New Year!

I must apologize for the long stretch since my lastpost. But I have been busy thesepast couple months. Many thanks tomy booth at the Wedding Essentials Ideas Show this past October.

I’ve met a bunch of really fun couples recently and am soexcited for all the fabulous designs that will be created this year!

In the meantime I thought I would put up a few sneak peaksof some real wedding suites yet to be posted.

{Emily + Brent}

{Chelsey + Mark}

{Amy + TJ}

{Amanda + Rick}

{Gina + Christian}

The Great Escape Journal - Up and Selling!

2011-11-06T11:32:00.000-06:00

What a great weekend.

I got an email friday from Minted letting me know that one of my designs is now for sale! I love emails like these.

Then Saturday I got an email saying it already sold to some fabulous person in Connecticut! (thanks mysterious person on the east coast, I am sure you have excellent design sense!)

Announcing The Great Escape Journal:

Overall my I'd say my weekend is going really really well :)

(on a random side note, both designs I am selling on Minted right now have a heart in the design...which is funny because I have always been an anti-heart kind of person...but I guess my tastes are changing, or I am ok with hearts if they work well in a design. ha!)

DIY Wedding Letter/Monogram Sign In Board

2011-10-23T18:38:00.001-05:00

I came up with this wedding ‘guest book’ idea ages ago, andfinally got around to creating it to debut at the Wedding Essential’s Idea Show.

This certainly will be something that you can purchase from us here at inkblot paper designs, but I just couldn’t resist sharing the Do-It-Yourself steps.

So without further ado….I give you inkblot’s first DIYproject: A Wedding Monogram/Letter Sign-in Board.

Supplies:

Pencil

Newsprint Paper or Other form of Scrap Paper

Scissors

White Poster Board

Black Poster Board

X-Acto Knife

Cutting Mat

Frame

Metal Ruler (optional)

Step One:

Freehand draw or trace a desired letter on thenewsprint/scrap paper in the size you would like the finished letter to be. I chose a poster-sized letter to fit ina 24” x 36” frame.

Helpful hint: if you have an LCD Projector, you can projectany font from your computer onto the paper and trace the letter. Make sure to select a font that willallow plenty of space for people to sign. Bold serif or sans serif typefaces work well for this.

Step Two:

Cut letter out of newsprint/scrap paper.

Step Three:

Tape the newsprint letter to black poster board

Step Four:

Use an X-Acto knife to cut around the Letter through theBlack Poster board. (Discard newsprint & black poster board letters)

Helpful Hint: If you are cutting out a letter with a straight edge, use a metal edgedruler to guide the X-acto knife. This will create a nice finished edge. Also make sure you have a cutting mat under the poster board,you don’t want to ruin your table, counter floor, etc.

Step Five:

Layer the black poster board (with letter opening) overwhite poster board & place in frame (without glass).

Step Six:

Select your desired color of pen and have your guests signon the white poster board inside the black cut out letter.

Helpful Hint: Make sure to select a color that will fit withyour home décor, not just your wedding colors, that way, when it is time tohang your letter, there will not be any clashing of colors. Sometimes a nice neutral gold, silveror black is a good choice. Thesecolors will always match your décor and changing tastes through the years.

Step Seven:

After the big day and the letter is completely filled withsignatures and well wishes, remove the black poster board, cover the letterwith glass and hang the framed letter on your wall or add to your bookshelf.

Voila! A wedding memory that fits in perfectly with most anyroom style.

Happy crafting everyone & enjoy!

Ideas Show: Frames, Paper Chandeliers & More

2011-10-17T20:34:00.000-05:00

Over the past month or so I shut myself away in my studioand created for the Wedding Essentials Idea Show. I am so happy with how everything turned out.

And…all that hard work really paid off! The booth was beautiful (thank you tomy wonderful husband and his carpentry skills), the tablescape design light,airy and breathtaking (if I do say so myself) and I now have LISTS of brides tofollow up with! Hooray!

For those that couldn’t make it, take a look at all of theInkblot Ideas featured at the show!

The Booth

The Table Design

I’ve wanted to make these paper chandeliers for ages and they turned out so gorgeous!

The Give-Away

Just a fun little something for the brides for stopping by thebooth. I hope they enjoy it!

A big thank you to my husband for building my booth, to mygood friends Mindell & Jacque for working the show with me and to each andevery bride for stopping!

Real Announcements: Purple + Green Garden, Very British...No?

2011-09-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

This post has been a long time coming. Gorgeous baby Harper McClean wasborn back in July to my good friend Mindell.

If you’ve read this blog I am sure you are familiar with her family’s designs Click the following to see: Hudson’s 1^st Birthday Invites, the Housewarming Party Invite, Happy New Years Cards & Baptism Announcements. I’ve joked with her that she should pay me a retainer and I can just create unlimited paper designs for her all year round, ha!)

When it came to Harper’s Birth Announcements Mindell couldn’tdecide on just one photo (taken by another friend Erika, over at Elizabeth Rose Photography),can you blame her? Harper is justsuper adorable.

So we came up with three versions of the announcement:

Also she wanted one design inspired by Harper’s nursery, which,has a very English garden feel:

Real Wedding Suite: Colorado Forest in the Fall

2011-09-19T19:26:00.000-05:00

It was such a pleasure designing these invitations for Tehiaand Will. They have suchimpeccable taste and knew that little details can really enhance an alreadyamazing wedding.

To introduce and excite family and friends to attend theirwedding in the stunning Beaver Creek, Colorado, Tehia and Will selected ssimplistic yet elegant design using the Colorado forestscape as inspiration.

I just LOVE how these turned out.

And isn’t this photo of the bride just absolutelybreathtaking?

Matt Alberts Wedding Photography took these photos and evenmore stunning shots on the wedding day as well: see more at his blog.

Matt Alberts Wedding Photography

Rehearsal Invites

Programs

& Thank You Cards

I heard a rumor that their wedding may end up featured ina magazine…soI’ll keep you posted when that happens!

New Design Obsession: Indigo Prints

2011-09-11T23:24:00.000-05:00

After doing a bit of stalking on other designers' websitesand blogs I discovered a new stationery website that accepts designs and holdscompetitions…hooray!

Indigo Prints accepts designs at anytime and also holdscompetitions. What is great aboutthis is that it requires little voting by you and I don’t really have too manydeadlines, which is nice. I get towork at my own speed.

I am really quite excited to announce that they alreadyaccepted one of my designs and I am waiting to hear back on the others:

Here is my accepted Pom Pom Design, I cannot wait to findout when it goes up for sale.

And here are the designs I submitted for the Baby ShowerInvitation Challenge.

Drops of Rain

Bundled Baby Boy

& the Bundled Baby Girl Version:

Baby Geography:

I can’t wait to hear the results (maybe sometime thisweek). I’ll keep you updated when Ifind out.

Tweet – Rolling Old School Style

2011-09-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

Kids these days…they need to learn there is more to social communication than a quick twitter message or status post on facebook. We need to get them writing! (I sound like a curmudgeonly old lady shaking her fist in the air at the neighbor kids when I say that, ha!)

So joining in with the aforementioned ‘Kids’ I put up a post on my Facebook page a couple weeks ago asking for children’s stationery design requests and I had an outpouring of ideas, suggestions and special requests…but I didn’t have much time. So in the end only the following three designs were submitted and are now ready to be voted on over at Minted.

Please click on the below designs and you will be whisked away for voting. Many Many thanks!

personal stationery - Chickadee
I think this one is my favorite – Think tweeting is only done online? Hello, what about longhand? (Says the curmudgeonly old lady again!)

personal stationery - Color Me Dino
I really like the idea of making a kid’s note card that can be colored in. I wanted to do a whole slew of ‘color me’ cards, but alas, time was not my friend.

personal stationery - Note Card 911

Also I’ve discovered a new stationery site to submit designs to! One of my designs has already been accepted by Indigo Prints and two new baby shower designs made it into the top 50 for the facebook fan favorite voting. More on that later, but take a look at their facebook page and like them to see a few more details before I post more myself!

Real Wedding Suite: Glamourous Garden Pink & Black

2011-09-03T11:35:00.000-05:00

I love designing for friends and family. It is great to just 'know' what design is right for them.

I've been holding back on this one. My brother and his wife (see there save the dates here) were happily married back in June and I am excited to finally share their invites and wedding photos with you. They were looking for something glamorous and classic in their wedding design. This is what we came up with to give the guests a teaser of what was to come on the big day!

Enjoy!

My new favorite embellishment is to add a coordinating graphic on the envelope, why does design have to stop inside, hidden away? I think the post office and mail man deserve to see a bit of pretty design as well!

I love the iridescence of this paper, depending on which way you looked it was a vivid pink to a deep raspberry and even sometimes had a red tint (which made my brother happy that it wasn't totally PINK, ha!)

And from the Wedding Day:

All Photos by Anne Peterson Photography

I LOVE their faces, especially Tom, there IS a rather large clump of birdseed traveling towards his face!

& All the little details:

Below Photo by Elizabeth Rose Photography

My Shoes from the big day. THANK YOU Betsey Johnson!

Custom Notebook Covers

2011-08-25T19:31:00.000-05:00

Over at Minted I’ve been submitting like crazy. This challenge around is notebook covers. I loved this challenge because there was so much room to play with graphics and patterns.

So as before, I ask for your help, please feel free to peruse my journal cover designs at minted and voting for them (a high five if you see fit).

Just Click on the each design below and you will be brought right on over to the design page at Minted.

notebooks - Water Contours

notebooks - Daisy Chain

notebooks - The Great Escape

notebooks - Stitched Up Hounds

notebooks - Tulip Wreath

notebooks - First Class

notebooks - Nautical Banner

notebooks - Dot Shadows

Thank you!

Real Wedding Suite: Vintage Pink & Gray

2011-08-19T22:43:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to share these invites with you!

This lovely bride was looking to have a little bit of country elegance with a vintage twist.

Above Photos by the Talented Khara at Kabloom Studios

What do you think, did we nail it?

Minted Business Card Voting is Open

2011-08-12T13:09:00.000-05:00

Well this has been quite the busy summer! So busy that I’ve hardly posted and I feel really guilty, especially since now I am asking for your help (yet again).

So in a very nice, demure voice, I ask for your assistance in voting my below business card designs a '5' over at Minted. Just Click on each image below and it will bring you directly to the voting page. Thanks so much and I promise that I will start back up with my regular posts again soon!

- The Hounds

- Bolted

- GeoDaisy

Dapper Babies and more, vote today!

2011-06-28T11:14:00.000-05:00

It is that time again! Please take some time to vote on some inkblot designs on minted today. I think I may have some winners here, so every little bit helps! The first one is my favorite, what is yours?

Make sure to click and vote a '5' on each of these!

birth announcements - mr. baby

birth announcements - Fresh Flowers

birth announcements - Letterland

birth announcements - Chevron Twins

And a single version of the above:

birth announcements - caddy corner

Vote now, and vote a ‘5’ often...many thanks!

Real Wedding Suite: Bright Colors of a Carousal

2011-06-27T20:24:00.000-05:00

I’ve been just WAITING to share these invites {check out the sneak peak here} and now that the bride, a very cool co-worker of mine, is safely back from her honeymoon, now is the time!

When I met with Hailey and Jon, they knew exactly what they wanted, bright colors (Coral, Purple & Lime Green) and a very modern, quirky and unique invitation but with a slight vintage flare.

On the wedding day Hailey and Jon looked absolutely stunning. Congratulations!

The amazing Khara with kabloom studios took these photos…pretty amazing huh?

Designs, Designs and more Designs

2011-05-30T10:32:00.000-05:00

I am spending more and more time designing lately. Which is a good thing of course, but there are some tools out there that I really really really want that will make my design process so much easier. One is a Wacom tablet. It is kind of, well, actually, really pricy.

So being the thrifty person I am (well sort of am) I want to make my own. Ha!

So the other day I was at the Apple store asking about Wacoms and the future of the iPad and how it would effect the design illustration world of tablets…the salesman looked at me blankly and said…”uh…so, are you an artist?” I don’t really like that question. Even though art is something that I went to school for and I have a degree in and I now design on a daily basis. I feel that the title ‘artist’ is not a self designated one. My response to the Apple guy was ‘well, I would call myself a designer’.

With that being said, he still couldn’t help me with my question, I thought those Apple peeps were supposed to be super knowledgeable. (He was very nice and helpful though, just had no idea what I wanted…) So it looks like I am on my own to figure out what to do about the purchase of an illustration tablet.

Anyway, now that that vent/tangent is out, here are a few more interesting things.

I am pretty excited to post at the end of this week/early next week! I have 2 wedding suites to share and they are both pretty FAB!

But, in the meantime, check out some of my latest designs submitted to a Minted Challenge, personal stationery cards. This time around, four of the winning designs will be mass produced and have global distribution through Chronicle Bookstores, plus a commission on net sales. Other wins will also be sold on Minted and, of course, part of me just wants the design ‘props’

So yet again I ask for your help, please vote for my designs on Minted by clicking on the designs below and voting them a '5' please!

personal stationery - Paper Poms Card

personal stationery - Kinetic

personal stationery - Elevation

Real Wedding Suite: Buttercream & Pewter

2011-05-26T21:24:00.000-05:00

And here it finally is! Miriam & Jose are such a lovely couple and they are now officially Mr. & Mrs.

If you’ve been here before you will remember their uber-fun save the date card featuring a photo by Andrea Bibeault.

Here is a full look at their elegant and modern wedding invitation suite.

Congrats Miriam & Jose!

Sneak Peak : Colorful Modern Design Meets Vintage Charm

2011-05-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

Here is a sneak peak at a truly fun invitation. The bride has the most wonderful sense of color (how can you go wrong with wedding colors of deep purple, chartreuse green, and a coraly/persimmion color???). She wanted invitations to match her unique, modern sense of style. And when she likes, she can throw in a bit of vintage flair and totally pull it off!

So here is the taste of much more to come. I heard from this soon to be husband and wife that they love getting their "Happy Notes" in with the RSVPs. It makes checking the mail even better!

SNEAK PEAK at some Earthy Modern Flower Invites

2011-04-22T15:17:00.000-05:00

I am really excited to share a bunch of wedding invites with you over the next couple months, but right now and over the next couple weeks, I will tease you with a few detail photos.

First off, in honor of Earth Day, here is a detail view of a wedding invite that was created out of recycled papers and embellished with a flower.

Remember their super fun save the dates?

Stay tuned for more!

Real Wedding Suite: Spiral Graph in Lovely Lavender

2011-04-18T14:57:00.000-05:00

What a busy time of year it is! And exciting too! I’ve been working my tail off to get invitations in the mail, programs to the church and much much more.

Here is a spotlight on the invites and programs I did for an April wedding. The graphic circle designs sort of remind me of the drawings my spiral graph toy made back in the day.

The bride, Krysta, was so lovely to work with. I am embarrassed to say there were a few hiccups in the invitation process (totally on my end, happens to the best of us I guess…) and she was completely understanding and gracious through the entire process. Thank you Krysta!

A Traditional Mexican Wedding

2011-03-23T18:19:00.001-05:00

A good friend (and my wedding DJ five years ago) traveled down to Mexico for his wedding last month. This was not the modern day Mexican destination wedding, but a true traditional Mexican wedding that took place in the bride's hometown.

Since the entire set of family and friends wasn't able to make the trip, he was sure to call on me to send out some simply beautiful wedding announcements.

I am so happy for Dane & Elvira! They are such a lovely couple and have the rest of their lives to look forward to!

Free Wedding Invitations!

2011-03-11T10:31:00.000-06:00

If you read this blog, you should by now be well aware of my involvement with Minted Design Challenges. Minted is a fabulous wedding stationery website dedicated to supporting freelance designers.

Well with that being said, they are holding a fabulous wedding invitation giveaway and you can enter just by posting a comment on their blog:

Check it out!

Via the Minted Blog

ONE Pretty Fab New Logo

2011-03-05T13:11:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share a quick new logo & business card I created earlier this year. It is for One Salon, a new salon in west Omaha that one of my inkblot invite bride-to-be owns.

Sarah, the owner, is super stylish and super talented. Check out the salon facebook page here.

I am pretty proud of this logo if I do say so myself! It gets me thinking that maybe I should update my own logo...but that is a whole new topic! Ha!

Congrats Sarah & One Salon on the new opening! I am sure you will be a great success!

Martha Martha Martha

2011-02-27T07:23:00.001-06:00

As most people involved with anything wedding, I was excited to see a sneak peak of the new Martha Stewart Weddings issue over at Oh So Beautiful Paper.

Now I can’t wait to see the full Mag! Happy Weekend Everyone!

Spring Showers are on Their Way!

2011-02-23T12:38:00.000-06:00

My, oh my, where has the time gone? I cannot believe how long it's been since I last posted! My sincerest apologies to you all!

It is that time again, I know I just posted a couple weeks ago asking you all to vote for me and I’ve been so busy that I was even going to skip this challenge...but then I had a couple hours to spare Monday afternoon and viola! a shower invite design that I think is pretty darn lovely.

So Click below and be swepted on over to Minted: Please vote me a '5' on this one!

shower invitations - Pom Pom

Business Cards!

2011-02-03T12:41:00.000-06:00

Well I touched a bit on this topic in my post Calling Cards, Oh the Decorum of It All, and now Minted is holding a personal/business card challenge and here are the designs I submitted. I wish I had time to submit more, but my free time to design for these challenges is few and far between.

However it only takes ONE design to win, so with that being said, please vote for me yet again. You can click on each of the designs listed below and it will take you directly to voting. Vote each one ‘5’ please – if you deem the designs worthy that is! And if you have the time, vote for the other deigns as well. There are some pretty fabulous cards and good ideas that I always see and say to myself...why didn't I think of that!?!?!?!

Curly Q Card

business cards - Curly Q

I Can Count Card

business cards - I Can Count

Shutter Card

business cards - Shutter Card

Also speaking of business cards : check back tomorrow to view a new logo and business card I created for a pretty fabulous new salon here in town!

Many Thanks for Voting!

Delicious Save the Dates

2011-02-01T12:12:00.000-06:00

I wish I could claim these as my own, but a friend of a friend of mine has a lovely blog, delicious divine design. She is getting married and posting all her fabulous creative and yummy wedding plans.

Aren’t these save the dates just to die for?

See more photos here.

Rrroooouurrrrr! Dinosaur Baby Announcements

2011-01-30T12:26:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd share these super cute baby announcements I just sent down to Kansas.

How adorable is Baby Miles?

Friday Ramblings

2011-01-28T12:07:00.000-06:00

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my desire to travel more. The more I think about it the more I notice others that are currently on the move and jealousy kicks in. Not the bad green envy kind, but just the general desire to know everything about their travels so I can live vicariously through them. I’ll do this just for a while until I have the funds and the time to hope on a plane myself. (you will notice much of the jealousy stems from my immediate family’s travels, tickets are much less expensive when you are on the east coast)

Tops on my to-visit list:

Ireland

Photos from my sisters’, Erika & Andrea, first trip to Ireland

Ireland has always been on the top of the list. How could it not? I have red hair, my middle name is named after one of their counties (Clare). My sister was just there over the holidays and loved it. Even better my cousin lives there so I’d have a place to visit and meet her charming little girls who, from my sister’s opinion, have adorable little irish/british/american accents. In fact I have far off dreams of living there myself.

India

Photos by Jacob Murphy

India has been on my mind more and more. The culture fascinates me. I’ve been involved with planning several Indian weddings in the past few years and the more I learn the more I would love to truly experience their culture. Plus, the food is AMAZING.

Scandinavia

Mostly Norway and Sweden

Photo from my sister’s, Andrea, trip to to Norway while my brother was studying there.

My heritage is half Norwegian. In fact on my mothers side, we still have very distant relatives living on a farm that has been family land for centuries. Not to mention I so love and respect the modern sense of Scandinavian design. We also have family friends in Sweden, so of course it would be lovely to visit.

There are far more locations and cultures I’d love to see and experience, but I’d be writing for days on end.

Happy weekend everyone!

What Is Your Favorite Color?

2011-01-26T19:32:00.000-06:00

Well I thought I would solicit all the brides (past, present and future) out there and grooms too. I am submitting the final drafts of my winning save the date to minted this week and they asked for 2 additional color options. I will already submit Red and White from the original design win, but am torn between 4 additional color schemes.

Let me know which you like the best:

A - Turquoise & White

B - Raspberry, Turquoise & White

C - Black & White

D - Eggplant & Ivory

What is your favorite color combo?Market Research

Busy, But What Can You Do?

2011-01-26T10:46:00.001-06:00

Hi All! Sorry for my absence over the past week. I have been so busy lately that as soon as I am done working each day, then all I really want to do is just relax...I haven't even taken my Christmas Tree down. (I know, I know, I will get it down before the end of the week. I am so embarrassed it is still up! Ugh!)

Anyway, I thought I’d share a quick post and show the ad I have in Wedding Essentials Magazine. (Sadly, as you will notice the design was cut off, but the gals over at Wedding Essentials, were so nice about it and are doing their darnedest to make it up to me)

More Photos if the Boxed Invite featured in the ad: CLICK HERE.

Still I am overall happy with the design and it will look so much better in the next issue once my logo isn’t cut off.

I also did up the design for the Embassy Suites LaVista, check it out here.

Also, make sure to check back here tomorrow. I need some advise form all the brides out there on some winter color schemes!

Color Inspiration

2011-01-19T14:33:00.000-06:00

I am always looking for new fun color ideas and I discovered this color site today.

It is actually a launch page to 12 different home shopping blogs that are dedicated to individual colors. So fun, especially when you are trying to figure out wedding colors, nursery colors or even how to spice up your home décor.

Black & White Delight

Could totally by a fun new Card Box at a wedding.

House of Turquoise

Love Notes…FEB14 is just around the corner!

2011-01-18T11:44:00.002-06:00

As Valentines Day quickly approaches, I am just sure everyone has their ducks in a row, reservations made, love notes written and special gifts gotten.
Well, I don’t…and I am sure others out there don’t either, so I thought I throw out a lending hand:

Download & Print your own Valentines!

These are such lovely designs and not pricy at all. Especially if you want to shower all your friends and family with these lovely love notes, this is the way to go.

by Vicinity Studio

In a new relationship or not quite ready for the big Valentines leap?

Order this card for your liked one.

by Power & Light

I love this Eye Chart Card, but be careful who you give it to.
If they can’t see well they will miss the lovingness in the smaller print. Ha!

by HawkGerber Ink

I hope this gets you in the mood…for valentines day that is!

Mystery Solved!

2011-01-16T15:40:00.001-06:00

Rumor has it that my Snowy Heart Design is the design that won an editors pick in the Minted Getting Hitched Save the Date Challenge. Apparently an email went out on Thursday, but my copy of the email must have been lost in cyberspace. So, I’ve requested a copy of the email and hope to get it soon!

In the interim, check out the winning design!

(I know I know...there is a heart on this design and I am not typically one to infuse hearts in any part of my style...but I did notice that designs with hearts tended to get selected, so I took a stab at it...looks like it worked. Also my initial title for this little design was "Cold Hearted". hahaha…but that isn’t very romantic nor would a bride pick such a negatively named save the date. I think it would have been ironic and funny….but not everyone really gets my nerdy/warped sense of humor. Oh well, Snowy Heart it is!)

Coming Up Next : Minted is holding a Business Card Design Challenge, so I will be sure to post on this topic soon.

ICA Boston : Stunning.

2011-01-16T10:08:00.000-06:00

While in Boston this weekend I spent some time at the Institute of Contemporary Art. I am so inspired. It has been some time since I sat down to really create a physical, make a mess, get my hands (and clothes) dirty, work of art.

Motivated by all the beautiful and thought provoking art, I’ve decided that I need to spend more time creating the cut paper drawings and the rusty aerial landscape paintings of my college days. It may be slow and slightly fleeting to make extra time to add this back into my life, but as I do so, I’ll share my works as they progress.

Back to the ICA – they had some pretty spectacular paper based pieces that were truly beautiful. I thought I’d share two of my favorite pieces.

Mark Bradford, "Strawberry," 2002.

Collection of Barbara and Bruce Berger

Fred Liang, "Dream of a Thousand Springs," 2010.

Courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston.

Detail of "Dream of a Thousand Springs"

via the AIB Foundation Blog

These photos do NOT do this piece justice. The wall piece is actually very intricately cut paper that is just AMAZING.

Overall this was a lovely part of my mini-vacation and I will for sure be visiting the ICA/Boston many times in the future.

I DID IT, but what does it mean.?.?.?

2011-01-15T10:18:00.000-06:00

The results for the Minted's most recent design challenge (save the dates) came in yesterday and since I had a VERY busy day I didn't think about checking the results until I was sitting in the Chicago airport during a layover to Boston. Since Wi-Fi cost $7 (and I am cheap) I didn't think paying the sum just to be online for 5 minutes was worth it. Thank goodness I have a mini computer for a phone and I used my trusty blackberry.

Guess what: I WON AN AWARD!!! A "Jury's Pick". I was so excited I pretty much skipped onto the plane (you can ask my younger sister Andrea, she was a witness). The problem was...I didn't quite know what a jury's pick meant or which of my designs won, and on top of that I had to turn my phone off. (Stupid FAA rules, but I guess it is for our safety, bla bla bla.)

And the problem still is, after surfing around minted's website and scouring the design challenge terms and conditions, I still don't know.... All I see now is a star next to my profile stating that I am a winner!

So for now, since I am uber-excited, I thought I’d just share my joy and once I know more I will post the design that won and the details on what it means for Inkblot!

I am pretty much over the moon!

And now what better way to celebrate than to spend the long weekend in Boston with my two sisters?

Happy weekend everyone!

Photo Cards

2011-01-12T13:11:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share these with you, even though they are New Year’s cards and a bit overdue.

I love this design showing the multiple photos and the banner graphic. These could easily be converted to a save the date card, birthday invitation card or even baby announcement as well as holiday card.

Don't you just love his eyes! Hudson will be a heart breaker some day for sure!

Themed Wedding Invites : Mini-Challenge

2011-01-11T12:12:00.001-06:00

I hinted at this last week...and here is it:

Nebraska Wedding Day is having a mini design challenge on themed wedding invites. I designed up a fun carnival themed invite and now the voting is up. Fun!

Now I know there is already a blue ribbon on the design…but just because I put it there, doesn’t mean I already won! So help me out if you can by clicking here and voting for the carnival design.

OMG 100 FREE Wedding Invitations...Yes Please!

2011-01-07T08:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome Nebraska Wedding Day Blog Followers! I hope you are all as excited about today’s Friday Freebies post as I am!

For those of you that did not find your way here by clicking on the Nebraska Wedding Day Blog, I’ll clue you in: Inkblot Paper Designs is featured in the first ‘Friday Freebies” post of the year. 100 FREE wedding invitations will be awarded to one lucky bride/blog reader. Click here to enter and read more about the details!

This past fall I had one of my favorite wedding photographers here in Omaha, Colleen with Colleen Dustin Photography, take a couple shots of some of my more recent invitation designs.

Colleen sure knows how to make my invites look FAB, what do you think?

A BIG thanks to Colleen for taking such fabulous photos and best of luck to all the brides entering for this pretty great giveaway.

Themed Wedding Invites

2011-01-06T14:57:00.003-06:00

I found these two themed wedding invitations over on my favorite paper blog: oh so beautiful paper.

The first is a vintage book invite…and if you haven’t heard me say it before, listen now…my dream is to have a library some day in my house filled with beautifully illustrated hardback books. So with tid-bit of knowledge about me you can only imagine how fabulous I think these invites are. For more photos click here.

These next invites I just think are so clever especially for a destination wedding, a couple that like to travel or even if you are having a wedding with most of the guests coming in from out of town. It really gets your guests in the mood to travel. For more photos click here.

Coming up…another themed invitation design all of my own. NE Wedding Day Magazine gets first shot at posting it, so I won’t say a lot only that I am pretty excited to share this fun invite design with you all here in the next week, so stay tuned!

Some Pretty Happy Post Card Save the Dates

2011-01-04T16:19:00.001-06:00

I am excited to share these save the dates with you! I am sure you can, not doubt, tell that this couple truly is so fun to work with.

They have a very modern view on design, which I, of course, love.

I did an English version as well as a Spanish version...the grom helped me a bit with translation.

How much do you LOVE their faces in this photo?!?!

Wedding Invite Designs soon to follow :)

Happy New Year & Peacock Programs.

2011-01-01T16:56:00.001-06:00

As a little bonus for the start of 2011, I thought I’d share a program I just created.

The wedding is today, 1.1.11 and from the looks of the program, it should be a pretty wonderful winter wedding.

Oh and I am also excited to point out my added link loves to the right, papery love, crafty love and weddingy love! Have fun checking them out! (Click through at your own risk. I cannot take fault should you waste many hours away clicking through these blogs...be warned: they are addictive)

The Letter Z

2010-12-31T18:21:00.003-06:00

Z is for ZED, the last letter in the alphabet (yes yes, I know in America we say “ZEE” but I thought this was a smidge more clever)

I also thought it appropriate to post the last letter of the alphabet on the last day of the year.

So my wish to all is for you to have a very safe and happy New Year’s Eve and may 2011 bring you joy and all that cheesy stuff you say at the New Year.

And finally the letter Z:

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Poplar Standard Black, Liberty BT, DecoCaps

Middle Row: Giddyup, Carnivalee Freakshow, Guttenberg MF

Bottom Row: Oliver, Showboat Regular, Braggadocio

I feel like a debutante.

2010-12-30T14:04:00.001-06:00

But I don’t get to wear a pretty white dress…darn…but the cover of the magazine I am in has a lovely white dress on the cover!

I took the plunge, I now officially advertise in a real live print magazine, Nebraska Wedding Day, and it is out on the shelves at your respective bookstore (well if you live in or near Nebraska that is).

I am pretty excited about this new exposure, not only because my ad is out there for tons and tons of brides to see but NE Wedding Day also took some of my sample photos and used them in their feature! Too fun! Take a look at my début to the wonderful world of wedding magazines.

If the invites from the photo on the top left look familiar it is because they are Inkblot Invites! See the close ups of these Butter Cream, Burnt Sugar and Diamond Invites Here!

And a teaser for the brides out there: In early January I will be featured on NE wedding Day’s Blog with a Friday Freebee and it is quite the grand giveaway…if I do say so myself!

SHOES, one of my happy places

2010-12-18T10:17:00.000-06:00

Stop one minute…you have GOT to be kidding me. Did YOU know, because I never knew!?!?!?! (If you did know, I am giving you a dirty look through cyberspace for not telling me...grrrrrr.)

There is a shoe company online, Shoes of Prey, that you can design your own shoe, I mean really design one. You submit a drawing of a shoe and viola!, a real shoe comes out (well gets shipped to you, if the shoe came out of the computer, THAT really would be amazing!)

Check it out you can go from this:

To this:

Wow oh wow oh wow-y wow wow. I am almost speechless.

I am SO adding this to my wish list: a gift certificate for my own, one of a kind, couture shoe, designed by me!

Not to mention that these really would come in handy to all the brides out there searching for the perfect shoe…can’t find one? Well, design it yourself and you can check that off the to-do list!
(and not to worry, if you don't have a creative bone in your body, you can select a pre-designed option and customize it)

Well I must say, I may have to restrain myself. Look out Shoes of Prey, here I come!

The Letter Y

2010-12-15T23:17:00.000-06:00

Y is for yard work, as in please excuse all the yard work that has yet to be done (and is now covered in snow at the moment), but I had to show these before and after shots of my (exterior) home makeover! It has been a long time coming (as you can tell from before photo taken in the spring, when the yard was green, and the end photo taken in the fall...and the yard is well...brown...but remember you are supposed to ignore that.)

BEFORE

AFTER

There are still a few updates to make, a bit of paint touchup, swapping the house numbers, and updating the mailbox at the curb, but you get a pretty good overall effect in this photo. :)

& The Letter Y

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Morgan TwentyNine, Poplar Standard Black, DecoCaps

Middle Row: Giddyup, Carnivalee Freakshow, Guttenberg MF

Bottom Row: Oliver, MaxInitiale, Braggadocio

ANOTHER Design Challenge...

2010-12-14T09:54:00.000-06:00

...yep that is right, I just can't get enough!

Minted strikes again! If you follow me on a regular basis, you know by now that I am OBSESSED with these MINTED challenges! Ha!

Well the Getting Hitched Save the Date Challenge just wrapped up and I would LOVE your help voting for my designs. So please click on the below links and vote my designs HIGH! :)

Argyle Sweater Save the Date

wedding stationery - Argyle Sweater

Big Day Hooray Save the Date

wedding stationery - Big Day HOORAY!

Sealed & Delivered Save the Date

wedding stationery - Sealed & Delivered

Snowy Heart Save the Date

wedding stationery - Snowy Heart

Spiral Wave Save the Date

wedding stationery - Spiral Wave

Many Thanks
- Megan

The Letter X

2010-12-06T21:06:00.000-06:00

X is for XMas Cards…well holiday cards in general. If you are a bit behind on your holiday to-do list and still need holiday cards, shoot me an email! (info@inkblotpaper.com)

Here are a few design ideas:

photo by elizabeth rose photography

photo by anne peterson photography

photo by elizabeth rose photography

A big thanks to my good friend Anne for letting me use these photos and Erika of Elizabeth Rose Photography for taking such lovely photos!

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Morgan TwentyNine, English111 Presto BT, DecoCaps

Middle Row: Giddyup, Poplar Standard Black, Guttenberg MF

Bottom Row: Oliver, MaxInitiale, Braggadocio

The Letter W

2010-12-01T13:23:00.000-06:00

W is for Winter....ugh. I do not like winter. It is cold and snowy....ugh.

But I must look on the bright side of things! Winter = Holidays and I am so excited for the holidays this year! While many people may complain about spending time with family over the holidays, I revel in it! I really do love my family, extended family and of course all my friends that make the trip back to Omaha over this festive season!

So I will put on my scarf, mittens, and hat (even though I am totally not a hat person, I really wish I were, but alas, I am not), hop out into the freezing cold weather and hope that my car seat warmers are in good working order. Happy Winter everyone!

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Morgan TwentyNine, Eccentric Standard, DecoCaps

Middle Row: Poplar Standard Black, , Tropicana, Guttenberg MF

Bottom Row: Currency, Oliver, Braggadocio

The Letter V

2010-11-30T12:54:00.000-06:00

V is for Victory!

Well sort of, one of my designs made it to the top 50 of the Minted.com’s wedding invitation challenge. The top 10 is really what I was shooting for, but this is just a lovely boost to my ego that out of 1480 submissions, mine made number 45. :)

Now I am gearing up for the next challenge, save the dates. We will just see what happens. I have a few designs in the mix at the moment, but am working on revising them and creating a few more.

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Morgan TwentyNine, Budmo Jiggler, Eccentric Standard

Middle Row: Poplar Standard Black, Guttenberg MF, Tropicana

Bottom Row: Currency, Oliver, Braggadocio

The Letter U

2010-11-29T17:49:00.000-06:00

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Morgan TwentyNine, Budmo Jiggler, Juniper-Normal

Middle Row: Poplar Standard Black, Solange, Showboat Regular

Bottom Row: DecoCaps, Carousel , Braggadocio

Vintage Posters = Fabulous Decor of Your Very Own

2010-11-27T17:34:00.000-06:00

WOW! I found some pretty amazing custom posters over at the Ruffled Blog. I couldn’t WAIT to share this with you.

These amazing creations are by Alexander & Co and they sell them as save the dates, posters and more. The pricing is pretty reasonable for a custom piece of art and even better for the cards and magnets!

Just imagine one of these beautiful posters greeting wedding guests into the wedding and then doubling as a beautiful piece of artwork in your living room after the big day!

And they have some for kids too! LOVE IT!

The Letter T

2010-11-27T11:52:00.000-06:00

T is for Thanksgiving! I know, I know this is totally a late post as thanksgiving was TWO whole days ago, but I have a good excuse! I was on a cruise and missed out on the actual day, so my family was every so nice to shift this past Thursday’s celebration to Sunday…so I still have thanksgiving to celebrate!

I truly hope everyone had a terrific holiday and that you are all extending it through the weekend!

For now here is the letter T

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Morgan TwentyNine, Carousel, Harrington

Middle Row: Braggadocio, Solange, Showboat Regular

Bottom Row: DecoCaps, Budmo Jiggler, Oliver

And a little peak at how I spent my thanksgiving day! (oh, how I wish I could spend every day on a private island!)

The Letter S

2010-11-21T20:29:00.000-06:00

S is for Andrea, I know that sounds a bit strange….you may think that Andrea doesn’t start with an S…well it does now. On my old phone I had the number for my sister, Andrea, programmed to speed dial when I pressed the letter A. Well I just got a new phone the other day…I am actually very happy with it but for this one downfall: On my new phone, the A button is pre-programmed to lock the phone…so now my sister must change her name to SAndrea…(S was the closest button to A, so that just made sense to me). It will take some getting used to, but in the end, SAndrea is just a single button away, and that is really what matters.

Typography/Font Roll Call:

Bauhaus 93, Always Regular, Gill Sans Ultra Bold

Braggadocio, Solange, DecoCaps

Rosewood Standard, Budmo Jiggler, Guttenberg MF

S is also for Sorry. I have to apologize for missing 2 days of letters! AGH…it is a busy season! What with the holiday week approaching and all that comes with it, I will do my best to continue to post the remaining letters of the alphabet as much as possible, but I may miss a day or two or a few. Not to fret once the Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, I will be right back on track again.

The Letter R

2010-11-18T22:02:00.000-06:00

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Bauhaus 93, Amaze Normal, Gill Sans Ultra Bold

Middle Row: Braggadocio, Solange, Morgan TwentyNine

Bottom Row: Tropicana, Grease, Guttenberg MF

The Letter Q

2010-11-17T13:15:00.000-06:00

Q is for Quandary

I’ve always been intrigued by this mysterious letter Q. The letter that tends to be so exclusive and usually just hangs out with the letter u...what is so great about the letter u? Huh? Is it just a trophy letter or does it have a great personality as well? Hmmm...Well I’ll have to come up with something soon if I am going to post about 'u'

On a non-Q related topic, I had a GREAT time at the Pop-Cork Wine tasting last night! I pretty much listened to the education part of the presentation until the 4th wine and after that...well lets just say I wasn't the only one that stopped taking notes! Ha!

Anyway happy Wednesday to you all!

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Lucida Backletter, Oliver, Gill Sans Ultra Bold

Middle Row: Budmo Jiggler, Solange, Rosewood Standard

Bottom Row: MaxInitiale, Giddyup Standard, Harrington

The Letter P

2010-11-16T15:36:00.000-06:00

P is for Popcorn! I am a HUGE fan of popcorn, in fact I could easily switch out any meal of the day for popcorn. AND it is soooo hard to resist. I could go out for dinner and a movie, stuff my face at dinner on some gourmet dish followed by dessert and still get to the movie theater and as soon as that waive of popcorn smell hits me, I am standing in line to get my popcorn!

Well tonight will be a big treat since I am attending the Greater Omaha Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executive’s (GO NACE) Pop-Cork Experience with Sharon Charny with Sun Belt Charmer Group. This pairs my TWO favorite things, WINE & POPCORN!!!! Strange you may think, to pair the two together, but apparently the popcorn will enhance the taste of the wine and bla bla bla bla….more wine please! Well I hope that I pay a bit more attention than that, but we will just see!

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top Row: Sudestada, Oliver, Gill Sans Ultra Bold

Middle Row: Budmo Jiggler, Solange, Rosewood Standard

Bottom Row: MaxInitiale, Giddyup Standard, Harrington

The Letter O

2010-11-15T22:16:00.000-06:00

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top Row: Tropicana, Oliver, Gill Sans Ultra Bold

Middle Row: Budmo Jiggler, Bickham Script Pro, Showboat Regular

Bottom Row: MaxInitiale, Giddyup Standard, Deco Caps

The Letter N

2010-11-14T11:32:00.000-06:00

N is for November!

Fall is my FAVORITE time of year, I love the colors, I love the fashion and I LOVE the weather. The 2010 season has not disappointed!

I cannot believe how fast this year is flying by!

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top Row: Showboat Regular, Mr Sheffield, Gill Sans Ultra Bold

Middle Row: Budmo Jiggler, American Typewriter, Tropicana

Bottom Row: Deco Caps, Giddyup Standard, MaxInitiale

The Letter M

2010-11-13T15:23:00.001-06:00

M is for many many things! For 25 years it was both my first and last initial (and of course it continues to be my first initial, along with my husband's as well – M is for Mike!)

M is for Minted, my current obsession (please vote for my designs: THE Couple & Watermark Leaf!!!).

M is for magazines! My guilty pleasure. ReadyMade, Mental Floss & Dwell are among my favorites.

There is an entire list of more M 'likes', but I won’t bore you.

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top Row: Showboat Regular, Eccentric Standard, Gill Sans Ultra Bold

Middle Row: Tonight, Oliver, Tropicana

Bottom Row: Deco Caps, Giddyup Standard, MaxInitiale

The Letter L

2010-11-12T20:54:00.001-06:00

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top Row: Showboat Regular, Koch-Antiqua Zier, Grease

Middle Row: Tonight, Honey PF Championship Script Pro-Regular, Tropicana

Bottom Row: Carnivalee Freakshow, Guttenberg MF, Giddyup Std.

The Letter K

2010-11-11T13:58:00.001-06:00

K is for Kick Off! As in two of my designs at the Minted.com’s wedding invitation challenge made it through the 1^st elimination round and the voting round just kicked off!

So here is my plea! PLEASE vote for me by clicking on the images below! (Yes you have to create an account, but I promise it will be worth it!) Please rate me a ‘5’ and hopefully, fingers crossed, should I score high enough, I could earn a spot to sell one of these designs on minted.com!

wedding invitations - THE Couple

wedding invitations - Watermark Leaf

K is also for Klaire, the daughter of my friend Erika (check out her photography blog here and her crafty-creative blog here) and per her request, these colors coordinate with the letter G, for Grace, Klaire’s twin.

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top Row: Guttenberg MF, Tropicana, Giddyup

Middle Row: Braggadocio, Oliver, Showboat Regular

Bottom Row: Nickelodeon, Christmas Card II, Budmo Jiggler

The Letter J

2010-11-10T12:30:00.002-06:00

J is for Jennifer Shears.

Jennifer is the talented artist behind the JShears etsy shop. My latest etsy discovery! This painting is like looking through a window!

I am a strong believer that everyone should start an art collection of their own. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune and it is one sure way to add character and sophistication to a home. Plus it makes feel all grown up!

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top Row: Showboat Regular, Koch-Antiqua Zier, Christmas Card II

Middle Row: Tonight, Honey Script, Tropicana

Bottom Row: Carnivalee Freakshow, Currency, Giddyup Std.

The Letter I

2010-11-09T13:40:00.001-06:00

I is also for Impatience! I submitted some designs to Minted.com’s Wedding Challenge. A total of 1480 designs were submitted, so before the voting is up, Minted is making the first cut so it is not such a daunting task for people to vote for soooo many designs. I am very ANXIOUS! I want to find out how my designs did and I really really really really want to make the cut this time around. As soon as the voting is up, I will be sure to post about it and beg you all for support.

Typography/Font Roll Call

Top Row: Tropicana, Lucida Backletter, Christmas Card II

Middle Row: Giddyup Std., Carousel, Showboat Regular

Bottom Row: Budmo Jiggler, Dearest Open, the King and Queen Font

Happy Tuesday!

The Letter H

2010-11-08T11:58:00.001-06:00

H is for Holidays!

Yep, it is true, the holiday season is upon us! If you don't think so, just go to your local mall and take a gander at the Christmas decor that is draped from the ceilings and watch out or you may wander into Santa’s village by accident.

While I am a fervent believer in no holiday decor before thanksgiving, I am also a planner at heart! Now is the perfect time to place your order and get ready to send out a lovely card to family and friends just to make them feel special! If you need a little help, let me know and I am happy to design up a few options for you! (With photos or without, totally up to you!) And if you perish at the thought of writing all those addresses, just mention this blog post and I will print your addresses on your envelopes for free!

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top Row: DecoCaps, American Typewriter, Kino MT

Middle Row: Juniper-Normal, Bauhaus 93, Solange

Bottom Row: Hobo Std Medium, Currency, Marcelle Script

H is also for Hudson!

Hudson Grey is turning1! Can you believe it! Hudson’s mother is a great friend of mine and an excellent client as well! (Hudson's first year includes an array of fabulous paper designs including birth announcements, baptism invitations and a housewarming party invite, well those were more for his parents I guess). So, in the celebration of his 1st year, here is the latest design created for Hudson Grey! (Once they are printed, I will be sure to snap a photo to share!)

Front of Invite

Back Design of Invite

The Letter G

2010-11-07T15:37:00.001-06:00

G is for me! Well for Gilligan, my name by marriage. A name that I fully embrace, despite my aversion to writing the letter G. I am even a proud owner of some vintage rocks glasses with Gs printed on them. (I am drinking out of now right now!)

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top: Tropicana, Guttenberg MF, Christmas Card II

Middle: Braggadocio, Cocktail, Showboat Regular

Bottom: Oliver, Baskerville Old Face, Budmo Jiggler

The Letter F

2010-11-06T18:40:00.003-05:00

F is for FABulous. And just for the record, ‘Fabulous & Fab’ have been my catch phrase since WAY before the orbit gum commercials. They must have gotten the idea from me! (hmmmm) I will admit however, that I do wish I had the figure and the BRIGHT WHITE teeth of the lovely Vanessa Branch (the Orbit Gum Commercial Actress).

Typography/Font Roll-Call

Top: Charlemagne Std Bold, DecoCaps, American Typewriter

Middle: Showboat Regular, Bauhaus 93, Braggadocio

Bottom: Oliver, Tropicana, Budmo Jiggler

The Letter E

2010-11-05T18:20:00.001-05:00

E is for Erika, my favorite...well, and only...big sister ever! Not sure if this is really up her 'color ally', but I am just loving the mustardy yellow color next to the mauve and navy. :)

Font/Typography Roll-Call:

Top Row: Carousel, DecoCaps, Prestige Elite Std Bold,

Middle Row: Showboat Regular, Bauhaus 93, English 111 Presto BT

Bottom Row: Budmo Jiggler, Rosewood Std, Oliver

The Letter D

2010-11-04T12:29:00.001-05:00

Well just a few days into this letter project, and I am loving it. I actually enjoy figuring out the color schemes for each letter and so far this is my favorite...probably because blue and orange are my favorite complementary colors.

Font/Typography Roll-Call:

Top Row: Carousel, DecoCaps, Prestige Elite Std Bold,

Middle Row: Showboat Regular, English 111 Presto BT, Bauhaus 93

Bottom Row: JaneAusten, Rosewood Std, Oliver

The Letter C

2010-11-03T12:52:00.001-05:00

Font/Typography Roll-Call (From Left to Right)

Top Row: Oliver, DecoCaps, Bauhaus 93

Middle Row: Carousel, Parisian BT, English 111 Presto BT

Bottom Row: HibsNibs NF, Rosewood Std, Blackoak Std

The Letter B

2010-11-02T10:29:00.001-05:00

Font/Typography roll-call from left to right:

Top Row: Oliver, DecoCaps & English 111 Presto BC

Middle Row: DellaRobia BT, Desdemona & Bauhaus 93

Bottom Row: Marcelle Script, Rosewood Std & Budmo Jiggler

The Letter A

2010-11-01T14:28:00.007-05:00

This post brought to you by the letter A.

I am pretty excited to be going through the alphabet as my current project, even if it is only to feel like I am on Sesame Street again! Ha! (Next thing I will be posting about the "1, 2, 3, 4, 5...6, 7, 8, 9, 10...11...12" song! One of my personal favorites, but that is a whole other topic, so it will just have to wait.)

Well, lets get back to the letter of the day:

Font/Typography roll-call from left to right:

Top Row: Budmo Jiggler, Rosewood Std & Londonerry Air NF

Middle Row: Juniper-Normal, DellaRobia BT & DecoCaps

Bottom Row: Jane Austen, Currency & Marcelle Script

A big shout out to my little sister Andera for raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association and running in the ING NYC marathon this weekend! Please click here to donate to such an Amazing cause!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T12:44:00.000-05:00

As the weekend approaches, I am sure everyone is getting their costumes prepped, their front porches decorated and the candy bowls filled!

I on the other hand have been procrastinating this and have done nothing! I know, total Halloween bummer. It really is one of my favorite holidays, has been since I was little, I swear!

So everyone enjoy the weekend and be safe.

As a sneak peak into my next project, this is another of my favorites since childhood. I have always LOVED alphabet posters/art. I think part of this love stems from an alphabet quilt that hung in my sister’s room growing up. Wait a second…now this is all coming together! This quilt must actually be the first big typographic influence in my life…it’s all coming together now! Ha!

I am not sure if it is because many of my friends’ children are now learning their ABCs, but more and more recently I’ve been drawn to alphabet art and thought that I would make a little something of it. Starting on Monday and over the next month I intend to deliver a letter post a day and toward the end I have a fun wedding craft idea that I’ve been thinking about and plan to create and share, so stay tuned!

In the meantime check out these alpha posters I found on…where else…etsy of course!

Halloween Alpha Sign by Bibbitty

Robot Alpha Sign by CreativeNeesh

Ideas Please!

2010-10-26T19:00:00.001-05:00

Hi all! I am entering some designs for minted.com's wedding invitation challenge and I'd love some input from everyone, especially from the past, present & future brides out there.

If I am successful I could walk away with a line of wedding invitation designs on a national website! Oh the joy of it all! It would be like winning the lottery! (Not quite AS instantly lucrative, but tons of design kudos!)

There are a few categories they are looking for:

- Best Outdoors or Nature-inspired design

- Best Modern Beach or Destination design

- Best Whimsical or Off-Beat design

- Best Design Prominently Featuring a Couple's Monogram or Names

- Best Fresh Take on a Classic (Formal) design

- Best Modern, Bold, or Typographic design

So far I've entered the below 4 designs and would like to come up with a few more that fit into the above categories. Any ideas out there? What would you want to buy? Feel free to comment on my blog or on my facebook page.

Thanks!

Real Wedding Suite: Vintage Hollywood

2010-10-20T16:49:00.001-05:00

A Real Wedding Suite of : KATIE + NICK

I am so excited to share this invitation with you! The bride, Katie, is a director of an art gallery, so when we met I knew right off the bat she was looking for something unique and beautiful.

We took some inspiration from the old-school ornate movie palaces from the 1920s, since their wedding reception took place at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux City, IA. An absolutely AMAZING wedding location!

The Program

Real Wedding Suite: Julia + Nathan

2010-10-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

Well this post is a long time coming! (Not only have I been post lazy the last couple weeks, but I’ve also been just WAITING for this wedding so I could show the world Julia & Nathan’s fabulous designs!)

As I mentioned in a previous post, the bride, Julia, is a long time friend of the family. So Mike & I, and the rest of my family, spent the weekend in Minneapolis for all the nuptial celebrations.

The wedding was at the AMAZING modern Minneapolis Central Library and every detail was gorgeous.

I don’t often get to see the weddings I design paper suites for, so this was an extra special bonus! I got to take photos of my designs ‘in action’.

An optional re-use for place cards – Jenga!

Thank you Julia and Nathan for letting us be a part of your life!

Megan :)

Real Wedding Suite: Mikala + Jess

2010-09-27T19:19:00.000-05:00

Mikala and Jess are married, back from their honeymoon and getting rolling with their new life as a married couple...all that is left to do is get those thank you notes written! Well they will have to wait a bit longer as I am currently working on their thank you card design, but should have it to them by the end of the week!

In the mean time, here are their invites & program

Sneak Peak

2010-09-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

Here is a sneak peak at a post I will be putting up next week. These are the save the dates, so in a couple days I will share the invites & programs. I had a TON of fun working on these and learned what a small world we live in. The bride's sister knows two of my friends Anne & Ann! Ha! Too funny! A big thanks to the first Anne for posting my blog on her blog, otherwise I would never have met Mikala!

COLOR!

2010-09-23T10:51:00.000-05:00

I HEART color. It really can brighten anyone’s day. So on a gloomy cloudy day (here in Omaha at least) I thought I would bring a pop of color into your life! While wandering around some blogs recently I stumbled across a few color combos that I am falling in love with and hope you do too!

Vintage Turquoise, Red & Yellow Wedding @ an Etsy Blog

Light Blue, Red and White Love @ Snippet & Ink

Revamping Violet @ Design*Sponge

Greens and Blues with a Pop of Pink a @ a Creative Mint

And for a ton more color combo ideas click over to Décor8’s Color Me Pretty Design Series

PINK LEMONADE

Enjoy!

Happy Home...Happy Hour!

2010-09-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine, and a fabulous customer as well (see posts on baby baptism invites and announcements here) tasked me recently to create an invite for a housewarming party/neighborhood happy hour to get to know her new neighbors. When I asked her for design direction her exact words (well almost exact, I edited this comment to make it a bit more PG-13) were: "Something that screams 'I'm the best effing neighbor there ever was!'"

This is what I came up with...what do you think? did I nail it? I guess I will just have to wait to hear how the party goes!

FYI: Street Names/Numbers, Emails and Phone Numbers have been changed to protect the innocent...or not so innocent in Mindell's case.

Real Wedding Suite: Turquoise Glam

2010-09-20T12:02:00.001-05:00

A friend and co-worker of mine (in my other non-paper life) challenged me at the beginning of the year to create a suite of wedding paper that could match her (and the groom's) impeccable sense of style and class.

Coming from someone that has a turquoise couch (that I am really pulling for it in the merged household, by the way!) she had a bit of modern sensibility, but still wanted a traditional classy feel to the invites.

She gave me the color scheme of turquoise, gold and black and left me to it! Here is what I came up with!

Rehearsal Dinner Invite

~a bit more of a casual feel~

Wedding Invite

One of the BEST wedding Maps I've EVER done!

The Program

The Menu Card & Place Card

Congrats Ben & Christine, the wedding was just beautiful! Thank you for letting me be a part of not just the planning but the big day as well!

Times...They Are A-Changing

2010-09-19T18:42:00.000-05:00

Well not really changing so much as making me feel a bit old (I don't know what it is about turning 30, but ever since April circumstance keeps popping up to make me feel a smidge old)

What is it, you ask, that is adding wrinkles to my mind? Well my baby brother is getting married!

(PHOTO BY ANNE PETERSON PHOTOGRAPHY)

Yes, I know, he is almost 24 years old and will be close to the same age I was when I married, but still he will always be my baby brother. Even when he is taller than I and could easily toss me a fair distance.

While this is a strain on my somewhat delusional '30 is the new 20/still young' identity, I am VERY happy for Tom & Jess. Happy to see them so in love, happy to help plan another wedding and of course happy to design some lovely wedding paper!

Real Wedding Suite : A Garden Party Wedding

2010-09-17T19:17:00.000-05:00

This lovely couple met at a Halloween party last year and they are now married! I love it, when you know you just know. Megan and Joey sure did!

Their wedding and reception was at the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, a gorgeous location for a wedding, if I do say so myself. They wanted an invitation to reflect the classy location and their personality.

Take a look at the finished product!

The Program

Fab Skirt = Fairy Princess

2010-09-16T18:58:00.002-05:00

I know this is deviating a bit from my usual paper topic, but I found these in the shop of StudioWedbyMirela on etsy and just thought they were jaw-dropingly BEAUTIFUL!

And it gets better…not only do they have these for lovely little ladies….but wait for it….

…adults too! They are just lovely.

How Sweet It Is...5 Years Later

2010-09-10T12:40:00.002-05:00

5 Years ago yesterday I was just like all other giddy brides floating on cloud nine during my wedding day! Now that the first 5 years are tackled, I say bring it on to the next 5 and then some.

(Photo by Colleen Dustin Photography)

Our wedding invites...of course I went over the top with the wedding paper designs, but that is just what I do.

(Photo by Colleen Dustin Photography)

And in keeping with the anniversary theme, here are some pretty fun 30th anniversary invites I designed this summer for a lovely couple that just wanted to express "how sweet it is" to be married for 30 years and ready for more!

Butter Cream, Burnt Sugar & Diamonds

2010-09-08T22:07:00.004-05:00

Well this is starting to sound a bit like an expensive wedding cake, but guess again!

This is a 'Real Wedding' Stationery Suite from this past Labor Day weekend. Made of Envelopments card stocks named, Burnt Sugar (mocha colored stock) and Diamond (cream colored stock) with a bit of printed butter cream color.

Enjoy!

THE REHEARSAL DINNER INVITE

THE INVITE

THE MENU

THE PROGRAM