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.