String of Hearts Valentines

I took inspiration from a card I saw at the grocery store for my Valentine's Day cards this year.  The construction was fairly simple as I purchased the ready-made felt heart stickers from Michaels Crafts.  Decorative paper tape from Martha Stewart Crafts lined the card's front edge.

I scored the top page with a bone folder for opening ease, and connected the card's first and second pages with red brads.

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

One-Year Wedding Anniversary Tribute

Wow - so hard to believe our wedding was just about a year ago!  Where has the time gone?  At this time last year I was spending every extra minute coordinating the final touches of our wedding day.  These pictures represent some of the details that made our "big day" extra special to us.  Enjoy!

Attire: 
I asked each bridesmaid to pick their own navy dress to reflect their own personal style, in hopes they would actually wear the dresses again.  We gifted the guys navy and pink striped ties, and asked them to wear navy blazers and khaki slacks.  The groom and his bro (our officiant) wore ties in coordinating versions of navy and pink.

Somehow I convinced Mr. B to wear navy and pink argyle socks!  Wedding magic . . .

Flowers:

Ceremony:

Cocktail Hour:

(a cardboard coaster posed with the flowers)

Reception:

Party Favors: Flip Flops & Cupcakes for takeout (or eat in!).

Ahh, such a memorable day spent with family, dear friends and the most special person of all, my new hubby.  A perfect kickoff to a great year, and a happy life as man and wife!

Pink or Blue? Baby Shower

Take a peak at the favor tags I made for Mary to use for a baby shower she is throwing this weekend.  The shower's theme is "pink and blue" because the parents are choosing to keep the baby's gender a surprise.  Guests are asked to dress in either pink or blue to indicate their best guess of the baby's gender.  Beverages for the party are Blue Moon bottles and pink lemonade vodka cocktails -- such an adorable touch!

Rather than typical baby pastels, the hosts are using hot pink and navy as the shower colors.  To emphasize the pink and blue theme, I created two versions of the same design by inverting the colors.

I used a "BABY" flag stamp that I found in the dollar bin at Michael's to create the tag's focal point.  Some additional design handiwork on the computer created the rest of the tag's message.  After printing, I used a three-inch scalloped punch tool and a 2.5-inch circle punch tool to cut the circles, and then affixed all three pieces together with my Xyron sticker machine.  My beloved Paper Source eyelets create a finished look for the ribbon hole. 

The back of each tag contains an "original" poem by me to tie in the pink and blue theme.

On the Subject of Shout-Outs . . .

When Third Coast Sisters received a shout-out on a stranger's blog, I realized that I am completely remiss in giving a shout-out to my very dear and talented friend Nancy and her Etsy shop, Nancy Jo Studio. 

Nancy is a gifted seamstress and has an impeccable eye for color.  The detail in her work is incredible, and she pours so much thought and effort into every one of her designs.

Nancy embroidered this pillow as a wedding gift for Mr. B and me.

I am also lucky to own one of Nancy Jo Studio's beautiful clutch purses.  Our friend commissioned Nancy to design a unique clutch for each of her eleven bridesmaids to carry at her wedding.  Each clutch had a different style and embellishments, however, all were made from the same fabric which created a stunning ensemble.  Such a fun gift for your bridesmaids to use on your wedding day, and for years to come! 

Last but certainly not least, Nancy's baby quilts are gorgeous! If only I had a pregnant friend . . .

Check her out:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NancyJoStudio 

Blog Shout Out to Third Coast Sisters!

Third Coast Sisters is featured in the "Talk-about Tuesday" segment on Nicole B Design's blog!  Nicole found our coasters on Etsy and offered to write a review of our product.  Check it out here:  http://lauranicoledesign.blogspot.com/

While you're there, be sure to check out some of Nicole's other posts for beautiful design inspiration!

Black & White Stationary for a Colorful Girl

When my friend Liz "commissioned" me to make her a stationary set in the ever-classic black and white combo, I used this project as an excuse to purchase the Flourish rubber stamp that I had been eyeing at PS.

I stamped the Flourish in a repeating pattern on white card stock, which I cut to fit black card stock with a scalloped edge.  I used Stickles glitter glue to add a few subtle dots of sparkle to the stamped pattern (difficult to see in these photos).  Stickles triggers fond childhood memories of the Christmas sweatshirts my aunt and I decorated with puff paint - yikes!  I will definitely have to find another use for this stuff!  Halloween costume, perhaps?!  I digress . . .

The Flourish stamp reappears on the envelope flap.

I was thrilled to find a use for this odd-shaped magnetic case that PS gave away at one of their workshops.  The robin's egg blue gives the stationary a pop of color and a polished presentation. 

A big black bow seals the deal!

Happy birthday, Liz!  If you read my blog before our celebratory dinner on Friday, you will have to act surprised about your gift! ;-)

Pool Blue Stationary

This set of note cards screams summer!  The color of the blue stationary is appropriately named "pool."  Check it out . . .

My latest stationary project was inspired by beautiful blue flowered paper I had leftover from a recipe box I crafted for a bridal shower.  I decided this paper would make a pretty envelope liner.  Since the paper contains subtle gold accents, I matched it with Paper Source's gold shimmer envelopes.

I stamped pool (blue) note cards with a flower design in gold, and used a punch to create the scalloped bottom edge.

The bottom edge of each card's inside is accented with a small strip of the same paper used for the envelope liner, which peeks through the scallop design when the card is closed.  A strip of gold ribbon creates a clean edge to finish.  After much trial and error with a bouquet of adhesive products, I now use double-stick tape for all of my card making endeavors.  A thin tape runner works well to attach the ribbon. 

Check out this stationary's "sister" recipe box in our Third Coast Sisters shop!