Real Wedding: Nicole + Brian

This past week, I flew to Destin, Florida for my college roomate's beach wedding.  Not only was it nice to take a mid-week break and fly to the beach, it was my first time ever experiencing a destination beach wedding.  After three days in the sun, too many tequila shots, and lots of dancing...I had an absolute blast and was so thrilled to have experienced this with them.

When Nicole asked me to help her design their invitations, I was up for the challenge.  She wanted something casual and less formal from a traditional wedding invitation.  Using their initials as a focal point, the invitation was highlighted by casual wording, a fun beach phrase for the reply card, and it was all printed on 110# kraft cardstock.  I just love how they turned out, and they truly were a reflection of Nicole and Brian's laid back style.

Enjoy these beautiful pictures from Aislinn Kate Photography, congrats Mr. and Mrs. Steele!

Freshly Minted: Grace in Bloom Engagement Party Invitation

Hooray!  My newest design is now for sale at Minted, Grace in Bloom.  This is the perfect invitation for an engagement party or even a rehearsal dinner invitation.  Be sure to check out this design and some of the others I have for sale, including this Mother's Day card.

Minted has been such a fantastic community for me to grown, learn, and experiment as a designer.  The range in talent on the site is remarkable.  I was SO excited when I learned this design scored 12th out of over 700 designs.  For someone who is self-taught, this was so very exciting!

Happy Shopping!

Grace in Bloom

Etiquette 101

The last several weeks I have been working with new brides and also designing many wedding shower invitations.  In these planning conversations, it's always amazing how many etiquette questions come up. Most of the time I feel knowledgeable and up-to-speed with your average etiquette questions, but every now and then I am even stumped. 

For instance:

• How do you address a couple who are both Judges, what is the proper way?
• Is it OK to start sending thank you notes for wedding gifts even though my wedding is months away?
• What range of prices should I have on my registry based on the number of guests I am inviting?

All of these are very real situations that often don't have a clear cut answer.  I decided to start a pinterest board titled, "Etiquette" in an attempt to house some of these tricky situations for both brides and everyday life.

So, do you know the answer to the above etiquette questions?  If not, check out my Pinterest board and check back as I will continue to update this.

Source

Spring has finally sprung!

Even though there is still some snow lingering in the 7-day forecast here in Louisville, I am SO ready for some light jackets, beautiful blooms, and fresh scents in the air.

Springtime in Louisville is one of my favorite times of the year.  I stumbled across these adorable kraft spring gift tags and will be using them for a few upcoming bridal and baby showers I have.  The perfect addition to a gift!

Here's to some warmer temperatures!

Download Tags Here

And, I'm back!

Unlike most bloggers that take a break for a REALLY long time, I have to admit to you that mine was a bit intentional.  Actually, I think it was necessary in my small business adventure.  I'm excited to update you on what's been going on behind the scenes.

After announcing the launch of my little stationery biz, working with clients one-on-one, submitting designs to Minted challenges, blog posting, updating social media, and opening my Etsy shop all within a quick 6-month span....I literally felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and burnt out.  I had such determination to become an overnight success, that I lost sight of why I started all of this in the first place...my passion for design.

I decided to take a step-back and take a break for a few months (last summer).  What I learned from this period was the importance of keeping balance in my life.  As women, it's no secret that we play many roles in life; wife, co-worker, small business owner, and friend.  After really making an effort to spend time in each of these roles and make each of them a priority, I slowly got back to what felt like a normal schedule and routine.

Around the holidays, I received several requests for holiday cards, save the dates, and a few wedding inquiries.  I was so excited to start designing again and I'm thankful that my passion had been reinvigorated. My etsy store has also slowly started to boom, which has been so exciting to see.

I have several exciting things in the pipe and I really look forward to sharing more of these here on my blog. As with the rest of the demands of owning a small business, blogging can also be time-consuming.  My goal is to make an conscious effort to update important new happenings here in regards to new products in my store, behind-the-scenes business tips, and custom work.

Thank you so much to all of my friends and family who continue to be my cheerleaders!