The 4th

Holidays are the best! No work. Good food. Family and friends. AND on this particular holiday – FIREWORKS too!! Adam and I are lucky enough to be invited over to our good friends, the Andersons, this afternoon for a 4th of July celebration. We consider the Andersons our family away from home, and are super excited to spend the 4th with them.

I decided to make a 4th of July greeting card for the Andersons using (of course) red, white and blue detailing. I stitched floral fabric (fabric that was my grandmother’s that I found when I was back home early this spring) onto the card and then completed the design with polka dots and the number 4. I carried the design onto the inside of the card as well as the envelope. I made the envelope from scratch and included an envelope liner as a final touch.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

The Announcement

I was so stoked a few weeks ago when my good buddy Mike asked me to create engagement announcements for his upcoming proposal to his girlfriend, now fiance (yahoooooo Mike!), Adrienne. I was VERY impressed by Mike’s ambitious request to announce his proposal to his wonderful girl, and was extremely honored to be asked to create something so special for him. Being involved in such a momentous occasion is such a thrill for me, and is truly what drives my passion for paper design.

Mike initiated his request for me to create his announcement by sending me an example of another announcement he had found. I was a bit nervous at first when I saw that the design was a graphic, but asked him to give me a few days to brainstorm and see what I could come up with. I had never really created a graphic design before, but since his only request was that I include “lots of orange” I was put at ease. It also didn’t hurt that his only other request was that I be “smiling” when I make them, and that the recipients be smiling when they receive them…how awesome is Mike?!

In my first attempt to create a graphic design, I hit some bumps in the road; not only while trying to get the circles of the announcements “just right,” but also when asking my printer to do something that, in my opinion, has never been requested of it before: to make accurate and flawless margins…what a concept for a printer, right?!  Well, after almost chucking my printer out the window a few times, Mike’s announcements are done and ready for delivery.

I am so excited to have been given the opportunity to assist Mike and Adrienne in announcing such an amazing moment in their lives, and I wish them a lifetime of happiness together. Mike is such a wonderful guy, and I’m so glad he has found his match. Congratulations you two!