Mourning this Morning

The world feels a little less complete today, as we have lost a man who has defined an era.  Apple has been a part of my life for over fifteen years since I was a teenager.  Apple talk has been a glue of sort bonding my father and me.  We have always been the computer geeks in our family, well Apple geeks to be specific.  We love talking about our Macs or some new Apple product and watching Steve Jobs talk online.  We just watched him for hours a few months ago talking about the iCloud and all the changes that are happening now.  While the Apple icon lives on, its creator has left us far too soon.  We truly mourn the passing of this incredible person who we feel we have gotten to know over the years.  He has created not only a brand built on creativity and ingenuity but a brand that represents joy and family and home to me and my father, and I think it holds a similar meaning to so many others.  We are grateful for the vision of this one man, and the incredible products that Apple has given us.  He left the world a fairly young man, but left a legacy that has changed the world as we know it. My deepest sympathy for the loss of this husband, father, friend, colleague, visionary, mentor and icon.

I am loving...

Matchbook Magazine, a new online magazine that has something inspiring on every page, from fashion to cooking to home decor (and much more).  Almost every page is an inspiration board, literally, and this makes it so aesthetically charming. The articles are pretty much all fun, unique and relevant subject matter, interviews are with relevant and talented people, and I could read the magazine without reading a word just looking at the visuals and love it!  Oh, and one of the founders is a stationery designer to boot! Check it out:

IMAGE CREDIT: July Cover, Matchbook Magazine

Oh, Baby!

Here's what I've been up to for the last month...

...learning to be a mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mommy's!  Celebrating my first Mother's Day was such a sweet treat only a month after having my first child.  Now that I am getting settled in, it's time to get back to work!

April Showers Bring...Babies?

Well, I hope April will bring me a baby!  I don't think Baby M can incubate much longer.  It is time for her to arrive.  The nursery is still awaiting it's finishing touches, but I am too afraid to puncture holes in the newly painted walls to hang my art and framed prints without a second opinion.  Alas, I think this final touch will have to wait until my mother gets to town, which means after baby comes.  Not sure that I trust the husband on this one.  If I could even drag him in there to hold things up and ask for his opinion, he would barely look up and say, "Yeah, looks great there.  Now can I get back to the game?"  Sorry, honey, but you know it's true.

In the meantime, Happy April!  Here is my ode to April Showers....

I love the idea of using an umbrella as a motif on a bridal or baby shower invite.  The literal interpretation is always fun.

Invitation by PaperSource

Love this one...

Invitation by minted

Invitation by seller on Etsy (no longer available)

Invitation by seller on Etsy (also no longer available on the site)

And here's one of my own that I designed a few years back...

Invitation by E|M Design

Green Hills Antiques and Interiors

My little home furnishings, gift and home accessories booth is located in Green Hills Antiques and Interiors at 4108 Harding Pike in Green Hills, right by the Bluebird Cafe.  It is one of my many "side-hobbies".  I recently helped them to design and establish a blog to keep customers abreast of events, new pieces, new merchants, etc.  We just went live last week, and have been trying to post every few days with updates, sales, design ideas and photos of inventory.  It has been a fun design project for me, since I have a space in the interiors market myself.  Here are a few photos of my space.  Check out the blog if you get a chance.  There is such a varied assortment of items and vendors in the market right now, it is fun to browse through and see what sort of deals or one-of-a-kind treasures you might come across.  My favorite right now is the eco-friendly wooden baby toys and furnishings in the booth next to mine.  There is a beautiful organic moses basket and stand that I want in that booth!  And I love the old-fashioned wooden toys.  Enjoy the pics...

Baby M's Nursery

Here is a sneak peak at the nursery.  Still a few things left to do, like art for the walls, which I will have to put in another post, because I am designing some letter art to be matted and framed, and working on an abstract painting that will go over the crib.  Hopefully, I will get that done this week sometime before the baby comes!  If you are wondering where the amazing fabrics, furniture and lighting came from, the room was designed by AS Art & Home (the talented designer who also happens to be my mother)!

These pics were taken with my camera phone, so they are a little hazy, but you get the idea...

Hydrangeas!

This was such an exciting weekend, as my hydrangea buds began to peek out of their brown branches!  I do NOT have a green thumb and these hydrangeas are about all I can keep alive, but I think it is the love they know I have for them that keeps them coming back for me.  This reminds me of something I designed almost FOUR YEARS AGO!  This was my own wedding weekend packet, complete with hydrangeas blooming off of every page.  Yes, almost four years ago, but I still have a few pictures.

Here are a few pics from the wedding of the flowers and some of the other blue accents.  My favorite blue hydrangeas were the lighter blue, but I couldn't find many pics of those from the wedding at first glance, so here's what I found...

Spring is in the Air!

It might be rainy today, but it has been in the 60's and 70's the last few weeks, and everywhere I go, people are just floating on air!  Well, except for me and my huge belly...I could only float right now if I was in water.  I think my baby bump would make a nice floatation device.  But this weather - I just love what the coming of spring does to people's spirits.  We also associate the spring with new life, and I am expecting my new little sprout of life in LESS THAN THREE WEEKS!!  I am so tired of waiting for this little angel, but also not sure if I am ready at the same time.  I am not the only one, I know.  There are so many spring babies popping up (or out) everywhere.  Here is one precious baby shower invitation I designed for a friend's baby shower in Bluffton, SC.  I used her beautiful fabric from her nursery as inspiration.  And the little bird (her maiden name is Byrd) is just perfect for her and for her spring baby.

Nothing Compares to a Handwritten Note...

Isn't this the truth!  There is no substitute for a thoughtfully handwritten note on beautiful stationery that one can open, touch and feel.  Thank you, Diane Von Furstenburg!  See Smythson's post below for DVF's take on the importance of the handwritten note...

http://smythson.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/why-dont-you-spring-inspirations/


Photo Credit: http://artofmanliness.com

2010 Year in Print

A few of my favorite projects from 2010...

Here is a fun personalized 5x5" 2011 desk calendar I did for some close family and friends.  This particular calendar was for the husband.  He has it on his desk at work now.

Here is a fun and clean baby shower invitation I designed for a shower for a baby boy.

I obviously enjoyed this project because it was my own!  Here is my Christmas card...

Here are a few fun stationery items and invitation.

The holidays were very busy.  I was constantly mailing out Christmas card orders and party invites and packaging everything with festive holiday ribbon.

Here is my label from the back of one of my projects.

I loved designing this stationery for a baby boy.  It is so cute, but not too cutesy at the same time.

A fun invite below that I designed for a friend's Bourbon tasting holiday fete!

One of my favorite Christmas card designs.  I like this one mostly because of the fire engine red that matches his cute little outfit in the pic, and the adorable picture makes the card!

This client chose to use a fun army green for their holiday card, rather than a traditional holiday green.  I love this!!