before + after: party hats!

last month, i had a special DIY project from fig. 2 design to make some fun placecards!  we worked with the oh-so-talented manvi who styled + shot this lovely tablescape in prep for a bright bazaar new year's bash!  it was a fun day at the office figuring out how to make party hats extra festive for this table setting.

(1) i used some of our gold fig. 2 gift wrap to cut out these templates i discovered on oh happy day for the hats.

(2) after lining the bottom with some double-sided tape, i covered it with layers of festive glitter!

(3) for the topper, i cut up some gold tinsel {found at your local party store}, taped it to a white candy stick, and inserted it at the top of the party hat.

(4) using one of our gift tags, we created placecards for each hat.

manvi really knocks it out of the park every time and dreams these shoots beyond what we could ever imagine while creating the paper products.  thanks for making us look spectacular!  i love that this was for a new year's shoot, but it's perfect for any kind of festive event or birthday party.  thanks for having us on your blog, will!

xoxo, m

phototography + styling: manvi drona-hidalgo // images via bright.bazaar

how-to images via my instagram

holiday prep!

i have been hard at work writing christmas cards and addressing envelopes for the holidays in hopes to send everything out today and tomorrow – yipes!  and, no, the lovely calligraphy above is not my own {hah, i could only wish!}, but of feast calligraphy.  yes, swoon away!!  i'm far from a lot of my family + friends {hey, texas!!}, so i've got a stack full of snail mail going out this year.  what have you been doing to get ready for the holidays?

if you haven't bought cards yet, here are some of my favorites that i'm sending out this year!  washi {japanese paper} tape is my best friend when it comes to snail mail + gifting.

1. the beautiful genius of anna bond of rifle paper co

2. loving the pops of neon designed by my talented boss lady, claudia, of fig. 2 design

calligraphy in the shown pieces by the lovely lindsay letters

3. the ladies at sugar paper get me every time with their stunning + simple designs

4. i love these old school library cards from suann at simplesong design – gold foil + hand-stamped with the date!

5. oh, gilah press...you can be so witty + festive at the same time. it's all in the details!

happy monday, y'all!

i love {lindsay letters}!

 since the moment i saw her work, i was in love.  lindsay of lindsay letters is nothing short of incredible. her modern + whimsically penned works are a must-have!  i'm so excited about the new lindsay letters shop so everyone can get in on the fun.  this whatever is lovely print in rose gold is one of my favorites. 

 lindsay also released a new holiday line!  since i'll probably be in the dc/va area for christmas, i can totally see this white christmas print on my wall in eager anticipation for some good snow this year.

 here's a quick look at the other holiday prints.  really, they're all fabulous.  how could you choose just one?!

 until i have a permanent home i'll be holding off on getting one of these, but i'm all about having a good stamp.  lindsay's custom stamps are phenomenal and so unique.

 i owe my obsession with lindsay's work to my boss lady at fig. 2 design studio who knows all these fabulous people who do amazing things.  we recently created this nautical wedding suite for brides magazine with lindsay {grab a copy and check it out!}.  big thanks to MK for the stunner pic.

hand lettering will never ever go out of style for me.

now get on over to lindsay's shop and continue swooning! (;

all images by lindsay letters unless otherwise stated

weekend fun!

what's going on for this weekend, y'all?  chances are i will probably be on my couch with a few redbox movies (the five year engagement, katy perry movie, the lorax, blue like jazz – you know, easy watches), but not before paying a visit to a winery + having brunch with my roommates in the city!  here are some weekend links for you:

- if you are a paper freak like me, olive box is just for you.  it's a monthly subscription where you get a ridiculously cute curated box of paper goods delivered right to your doorstep!  not so much into paper? julep maven is all about the nail polish! curate your style board and get great nail colors!

- way back when, i was in yearbook.  i loved yearbook & had some talented friends in there who i knew would just stunning work in the future.  one of them is my friend sean berry, who does amazing portrait photography & collaborated to make a guy & a girl weddings.  recently, they were on style me pretty: texas for this beautiful arboretum wedding in dallas.

- DC friends: looking for fun + free stuff to do this month?  refinery29 posted a great round-up of free DC events!  i'm definitely interested in happenings at the harmen and a trip to the corcoran gallery of art!  also, here are some fun things to do at national harbor if you're planning for this weekend!

- here's a little behind-the-scenes look into what i do at fig. 2 design studio!

- today makes it one year since steve jobs has passed.  if you haven't checked out the apple website, they made a sweet video in memory of him.  yes, i'm an apple girl – just got my iPhone 5 and love it!

have a fantastic weekend!
image by olive box

{fig. 2 design studio} happy anniversary!

 

this saturday marks my 1 year at fig. 2 design studio!  so naturally i went on a paper binge at fifteen eleven, russell+hazel online, and amazon {you know, for joy cho's blog inc. book, of course}.  i picked out some of those fabulous gold chevron notepads from branch + cotton along with a few choice cards from sugar paper, pei design & moglea for birthdays and such.  i am so thrilled that i've been able to work such an innovative small company and am excited for what's ahead!  the paper world is very much alive and kicking – when was the last time you sent a card?  well, what are you waiting for?  now sounds like a great time!

image: 91 magazine via decor8

top images by mary kate mckenna of fig. 2 products

mix & match

i just can't get enough of these special edition signature binders from russell + hazel.  their signature ones are already so tempting for a girl who loves paper as much as me {see the collection here}.  the new pattern reminds me of the illustration by Marian Bantjes for the Love Poems book i'm sure many of you girls have seen.  the larger binders have a pink + gold scallop graphic pattern on the spine, but if you'd like to cover yourself in the print then the mini binder was made for you!

back on the grind

why, hello june!  i can't believe it's already summer.

new york was a-mazing.  the national stationery show was unbelievable - i met so many "celebrities" in my paper world and lived the manhattan grind: work hard, play hard.  i ate a lot - probably more than i should have (as some of you may have noted with my instagrams), met a lot of new friends, explored and fell in love with a very austin-meets-manhattan williamsburg.

but now i am back, fierce as ever.  number crunching at work, searching for housing, getting some new gigs, planning trips to texas and boston - whew.  and next month will mark my first year here in the nova/dc area!  seriously, life needs to slow down.  however, i'll be leaving again soon for texas for two of my dear friends are getting hitched!  (...finally!)

anyway, just wanted to share with y'all this sweet issue of sweet paul cause it has got me swooning!  i love summertime and this issue hits it all - cool drinks and eats for the foodies, beach-y decor for weddings and homes, some bright color palettes for the season.  don't miss it!

{national stationery show} prep + preview

original image from world wallpapers | digitally altered by me

i never thought i'd ever be in new york for business, but i am!  or...i will be, soon.  my lovely boss lady at fig. 2 design is taking me along with her to the national stationery show (something that, believe it or not, has been on my bucket list for years now) and i am so stoked!  for those that are so confused about this #NSS thing - basically, it's fashion week in new york, but for paper people.  we work all year on new lines of products, whether it be greeting cards, wedding invitations, note cards, calendars, etc, and debut them at the show each year in bright hopes that retailers will buy them and sell them at their stores.  so, next time you shop for a card at paper source or see stationery at anthropologie, know that they often come first to the national stationery show to buy their product!  gasp.  betcha didn't know that!  (;

i am really excited about our new products (my lips are sealed until the show!) and if you're interested in seeing what we've been up to, here are some great sneak peeks!

 

+ our new typographic neon cards featured on crow and canary

(will you be my bridesmaid? card // engagement congrats card)

+ a few additions to our wedding album collections featured by oh so beautiful paper

+ some of our gold foil and dip-dyed thank you and monogram cards featured on design*sponge

seriously, i am obsessed with the gold foil...but the rest shall remain a mystery until sunday!

see you soon, new york!

xoxo

Rifle Paper Co.

I must share these new botanical journals that I love from Rifle Paper Co. (just got mine in blue!).  They have a new Spring line that's out (see below) and if you buy anything from the 'featured' section you can get 15% off with the coupon code "BLOOM12" until April 11.  So get yo'self a journal, some notecards to send to your friends, or a Mother's Day card (don't forget! It's on May 13).  I can't wait to journal in the sun, at the coffee shop, at a park...at least once this rain clears up!

Be sure to check out their other paper goodies, and if you're getting ready to tie the knot their upcoming wedding line is sure to be botanically beautiful!  They'll be at the National Stationery Show this May and I'm so excited to see what new products they'll be launching.

Happy shopping!

*all images from Rifle Paper Co.

{wedding invitations} floral + elegant

DC's beautiful cherry blossom season has begun!  The trees are budding and I can't wait to see it in all of it's splendor.  A lot of lawns in the northern Virginia area have a patch of daffodils (don't ask me why), but the pops of yellow in the grass just make me happy.  Not to mention, Holly Chapple's been in New York all week with her Chapel Designers.  So with the flowers all around, I figured I'd post some floral wedding invitations that have some class.

{wedding invitations} we're classy

Since I've been working for Claudia, I find myself around stationery all the time.  Trust me, this is not a complaint, but a thankfulness for gaining insight on such an underrated industry.  Most of you reading probably have no idea what it takes to make a simple card you buy at Target.  Though these cards are probably made in bulk, most of them digitally printed on the most cost-efficient paper, someone had to come up with the idea, the text, and the design.  This is the type of work we're a part of, and we're not alone!  We work from the bottom up - from empty Illustrator files and color swatches to printing options and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the feels of paper.

In May I'll be heading to New York for the National Stationery Show (and I am so excited!), so I figured I'd start sharing some of my favorite paper products and wedding invitations with y'all.

Save the Dates | Tokketok

First off, I have a major weakness for letterpress.  This, my friends, is not letterpress, but I'm loving it!  Check out these vellum better together save the dates from Tokketok.  They are so simple, sleek, and straight to the point.

it's my first time {at a paper party!}

Who knew you could spend a whole evening talking about paper, color, and design trends?  I sure could, but never actually did it before until The Dandelion Patch in Georgetown asked us (Fig 2 Design) to host one at their store.  We met with new brides who were on the lookout for paper products for their weddings, and they got to ask us questions about all things paper.  We even did a drawing for 50 free Save the Dates!  Our lucky winner was Allison.

inspiration: business cards

One of my many jobs at the moment involves being an assistant at Fig 2 Design Studio. My color connoisseur boss, Claudia, and I are working on a little personal project for me - business cards! For any of you who know me personally, it's no secret that I have a very wide range of things I enjoy and many little dreams in my pockets. There's no label or title that I fit under (ironic, since I am travel size - hah!), which makes it slightly more complicated coming up with design and text. Our gears started turning and with a little help from Pinterest we came up with some design ideas:

I'm going to do inkless letterpress (like the "anthropologie" text), white on white. We decided we like to keep it clean and classy, since I do organize and am definitely a minimalist.

anthropologie 

currently {eyeing}

Ever since I found out I was moving, I've been eyeing these wood-handled address stamps by notetrunk. I've always wanted one of my own and unfortunately most of my favorites all have ampersands, which aren't currently applicable to my life - haha. Anyway, just thought I'd share a few that I like:

for the {reader/writer}

Though it's often hard to find time, I love to read. I'm in the progress of collecting Coralie Bickford-Smith's clothbound series (there are 4, the first two are pictured below). I haven't read most of these books, but they're the classics and I do hope to read them all one day!

 

I also love to write, particularly cards. The written word is so powerful and (sadly) a dying art. There's something especially exhilarating about getting a card in the mail, so 9 times out of 10 I'll pay the oh so hefty postage and send you snail mail over an e-card.

So if any of you out there are like me, here are some things that are bound to get you excited:

renegade craft fair: austin {recap}

This weekend I had the great pleasure of going to the renegade craft fair in Austin (and, of course, I dragged some reluctant friends there as well). I met so many talented artists and was definitely inspired to (maybe) start an etsy of sorts for myself. Magnolia Photobooth Co set up a booth there with lots of props, so my friends and I took the liberty of getting some free prints. (:

I can honestly say that every booth there was full of talent and innovation. I can't believe I didn't go last year! There's not enough room to display all the talent in this post, but here are a few of my favorites that I saw at the show.

paper love

sorry for the recent lack of posts. it's been pretty crazy down here in houston, but i'm back with some wonderful paper things to share.

paperwink has wonderful custom stamps and notebooks, and some products are now 30% off!

i love blimpcat's custom wedding invitations like the one below (isobel script)

melissakae's vintage ferris wheel custom wedding invitation designs

i absolutely adore ferris wheels

       

{things i love} paper

i LOVE cut paper. really, i do. X-acto knives and i are great friends, but i could never do work like madebyjulene. she does illustrations, portraits, typography, you name it. definitely a brilliant idea for marking the date of a baby’s birth, wedding, or engagement.

speaking of paper, hello tenfold has some great invitation designs & is also the author ofmint, a design/art/fashion/wedding blog. she sells everything from invitations to direction cards (cause everyone gets lost on the big day) and place cards.

oh, how i love typography. but that will be another post, for another time.

come back soon!