happy new year

a quote by Charles Richards:

“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of.”

may 2010 make 2009 look foolish!
cheers to a NEW YEAR!!! many blessings in 2010!!!

"in a card" in serendipity magazine

exciting things are in store for 2010!!!

i can just feel it...

to kick things off "in a card" has a full page ad in the new issue of serendipity magazine, inspirations for the asian bride, in stores now. you can order a subscription on their website or visit a barnes & noble, cvs pharmacy and gelson's supermarket in southern california to pick up a copy of your own.





invitation designs shown on ad are as follows:
(top) endless love
(bottom left) enveloped in love
(bottom right) whirl of love

if you are interested in an "in a card" custom design for your wedding invitation, save the date, or any other special event, please contact me at info@inacard.com

mention this ad and receive a 10% discount* on your next custom order. 
*please note: 10% discount does not apply to sales tax and/or shipping costs.  can not be combined with any other discounts, offers, promos or specials.

this family picture looks 'shopped!

i got lots of great presents for my birthday this year, but one that stood out and left me laughing out loud to myself is a gift i received from my uncle wil and my cousin jeff.

what do you get a girl that has everything???

a photoshop magnet kit, of course!



what a fun, CUTE and geeky way to post up a favorite pic on your fridge, or in my case, a magnet board.



the picture shown is my all time favorite cousin group shot taken back in 2007 at my 28th birthday party.  this image captures my fabulous, fun and crazy family so perfectly.  no photoshop necessary.

merry christmas

a quote by Harlan Miller:

"I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month."

the gift of family

the sukharev's had just taken some really great family pictures and wanted to incorporate them into their holiday card this year.

this is the design i came up with for them. the front looks like a gift with the main family portrait and the back is a collage of images with a sweet little holiday greeting.  i thought it was only appropriate as their family was blessed with the gift of twins this year.









photographs were taken by j luna photography, an on-location photographer specializing in portraits and even shots of nature to the boudoir. check out more of her work at jlunaphotography.zenfolio.com.

happy birthday to me

here is how my finished birthday cupcakes turned out.



raspberry filled chocolate cupcakes decorated with chocolate frosting, a fresh raspberry and my custom cupcake topper.



and here's me taking a bite out of 30!



you know that saying, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em?  well i've decided i'm going to embrace 30 and all that it has waiting for me.  after all, 30's is the new 20's!

custom holiday greetings by in a card

this holiday season serendipity magazine will be sending out holiday greetings with an "in a card" touch! 

these custom holiday cards were designed especially for serendipity magazine with a personal greeting of their own on the inside to express their sentiments to all their vendors this year.







each card was embellished with 3 tiny silver ribbons and paired with an elegant metallic silver envelope, which will be a real stand out when each recipient opens their mailbox this holiday season.

what to make a statement this holiday with custom cards by "in a card"?  email me for more info and don't forget, if you don't make it in time for christmas, new year's greetings are just as special!

just like auntie!

according to my sister, my niece kayla, is a lot like me.

loves polka dots, pajamas, purses, nail polish and anything that involves being creative. kayla was a huge inspiration to me for the new "color me" notecards i introduced the other day. so today i decided to create some custom ones for her and decided it would be a great addition to the notecard line.



these notecards will be great for her to color, decorate and send out once christmas is over and she can thank everyone for all the wonderful gifts she will have gotten.




"color me first name" folded notes by in a card on Etsy

know a little kid (or a big kid) that would love these notecards? you can purchase them along with other notecard designs at my etsy shop, inacard.etsy.com.

personalized gifts are a personal favorite of mine!

a gift for me???  you shouldn't have...


...but i'm really glad you did!!!


check out these GORGEOUS notecards my friend marsinah of blushing pearl gave me as an early birthday gift.  THANKS MARSINAH!!!


"whispy personalized stationery - set of 20" by blushing pearl on Etsy


like this design or know someone who would love these as a gift?  you can order these or choose other beautiful designs at her etsy shop, blushingpearl.etsy.com.

color me notecards

introducing a new line of notecards to my etsy shop...

with "color me" notecards, you can add a little COLOR, create a little SCENE and send a little LOVE.

a perfect gift idea for all ages, this holiday season and all year long!


"color me monogram" flat notecards by in a card on Etsy


"color me hello" folded notecards by in a card on Etsy


"color me thank you" folded notecards by in a card on Etsy

each set comes packaged with a simple casual rubber band and is ready for gift giving.

waste not, want not

give me a sheet of 19.5" x 27.5" decorative paper and i will make sure to use every bit of it!

after using this decorative sheet of paper as envelope liner for my birthday invites, i kept the big pieces of scraps, like i always do, in hopes of using it for another project.





well this time around i decided to make custom cupcake toppers...



i can't wait to get into the kitchen and bake the cupcakes for it!  check back in a few to see how the final piece turns out.

like the idea of custom "in a card" cupcake toppers for your next party???  drop me an email and we can talk details.

all deco'd out for 30

i think designing my own birthday invitation has been a bigger challenge than designing one for someone else. it took me a whole month to finalize the design and it went through several changes in the beginning construction phases until the final piece was complete. (the hardest critic is always yourself!)

so for my 30th birthday invitation, i decided on an art deco inspired theme. fitting don't you think??? considering the art deco movement happened during the 30's (1925 until the 1940's to be exact).











incorporated into the invitation is a quote by Robert Frost:
"Time and Tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty."

i am thankful for...

...all the good in my life.
the love and support in my life.
the joys and laughter in my life.
the friends and family in my life.

sexy, cute, sole-mate

can something be sexy AND cute at the same time???

i didn't think so until i laid my eyes on these steve madden blue high heels today.  sexy, strappy heels.  cute, blue ruffles.


it was love at first sight! my perfect sole-mate! and THE shoes i want to wear when i turn 30 next month! so as an early birthday gift, my mom bought them for me. THANKS MOM!!!

i can't wait to wear them out next month for my birthday. (maybe i'll just wear them around the house in the meantime.)

i may not be ready for thirty, but at least my feet will be! :o)

good things come in small packages...

... or, in this case, "little" packages!!!

i've started a new series of "little" invitations that are now available on my "in a card" Etsy shop. these custom invitations will make announcing your little one's birthday real special!


"little cupcake invitation" by in a card on Etsy


"little super star invitation" by in a card on Etsy


"little sport invitation" by in a card on Etsy

i will continue to add new designs to this "little" series so make sure to check back often for new designs.

little cupcake

you know it was just a matter of time until i came out with a cupcake design for my simplewear onesie line!

so for all the cupcake lovers out there and to all the adorable little cupcakes you know...


"little cupcake" by simplewear on Etsy

also working on a "little cupcake" birthday invitation that i will be posting real soon...

christmas simplewear designs

i was at michael's over a month ago and freaked out when they started to put out ALL the holiday stuff (halloween, thanksgiving AND christmas). i must have said out loud to anyone that could hear me, "can we just get through halloween first?!?!?!" seriously, it seems as if retail shops rush us right through the holiday season and next thing you know it's a brand new year and you're left sitting there thinking, "what the heck just happened???"

well with all the talk of early christmas shopping happening on tv ads, blogs, facebook and twitter, i decided to jump on that band wagon as well and do some christmas designs for my simplewear baby onesies. but i'm not going to rush anyone into buying these right now. you can wait until after thanksgiving (as i like to do) and purchase these for your new baby or buy this for someone that is expecting a december baby.  but, for you extra early christmas shoppers that make us last minute shoppers jealous, these onesies are available to purchase now at simplewear.etsy.com.

this particular design can be made even more personal and custom by replacing "baby" with an actual name.  i think it makes for a sweet keepsake.


"baby's 1st christmas" by simplewear on Etsy


"christmas wish come true" by simplewear on Etsy

blushing pearl

a friend of mine recently purchased her very own letterpress machine (a vintage chandler & price 8x12) and is now a one woman printing machine! (well, two if you count her cute little "bula bear" dog as her assistant).



marsinah and i met in a design class at cal state long beach about 10 years ago and we've been friends ever since. marsinah has recently started her very own company called, blushing pearl, and i am so excited for this new venture of hers. we met up yesterday for our typical get-together-and-catch-up sushi dates and she gave me a set of her beautiful letterpress notecards that i just had to show off and share with you all.


"french chandelier and lace" by blushing pearl on Etsy



i don't think photographs do letterpress printing justice.  to truly appreciate the art of letterpress, you MUST be able to feel the paper and run your fingers accross the texture and imprint of the design.  it really is like "a kiss to the paper" as marsinah explains in her letterpress printing process.





if you want this notecard for yourself or know someone that would absolutely love these as a gift, you can purchase them on her Blushing Pearl Etsy Shop.  she's got plenty of other designs as well and constantly adding new stuff so check her out and show her some love!!!

i can't wait to collaborate with marsinah on future projects and be able to offer "in a card" designs with "blushing pearl" letterpress printing!

twice the blessings of life

a quote by Eda J. Le Shan:

"A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities."

so i guess this means that twins are twice the wonder, twice the hope and twice the dream of possibilities. simply put, i think they are twice the blessings of life!

while i was working on these baby announcements i couldn't help but fall in love over and over again every time i looked at these precious photographs of the beautiful twin baby boys. and when i received the final printed piece from the printers, i couldn't help but put my face up against the announcement and squeal with excitement about how CUTE they are, imagining if i actually had the babies in my hands.






these double sided, flat announcements, printed on an ultra thick matte cardstock measure at 9" x 4", fitting perfectly into a #10 size envelope.

precious photographs were taken by j luna photography, an on-location photographer specializing in portraits and even shots of nature to the boudoir.  check out more of her work at jlunaphotography.zenfolio.com.

new words to live by...

a quote by Daisaku Ikeda:

"To lose heart just because of one or two failures is shortsighted indeed. Life is a long journey. Youth should go forward with courage, realizing that the more often you fail, the firmer the foundation you are building for your future life and happiness."

la dolce vita

i recently had the honor of helping plan my cousin joan's 40th birthday party.  when an italian party was decided on, i immediately knew the theme would be "la dolce vita," which translates to "the sweet life" in italian.  what a perfect way to celebrate a birthday milestone, with a night full of all the sweetest things in life... food, drinks, music, and an intimate party with your closest friends and family.

from classy invitations by in a card to set the theme and tone of the evening...

to a complimenting and really "sweet" party favor...


each party favor, by in a card, had a little thank you note tucked inside and was sealed with a picture of joan when she was a little girl to remind everyone that she is "fabulous at every age!"

for decorations, i arranged fresh flowers and candles throughout the house


freshly picked from the downtown L.A. flower mart that morning, with the help of joan's husband, jonathan, who is also by the way the person responsible for throwing this fabulous party to honor his wife


5 different wines plus italian cream sodas to wet the palette while enjoying caprese salad, chicken parmigiana, lasagna and garlic bread from a wonderful local deli, claro's italian market

and what party wouldn't be complete without dots cupcakes (served with a side of cannoli of course, from claro's)

it was a wonderful party enjoyed by all and hopefully a very memorable one for the, always fabulous, birthday girl.