This pretty little invitation suite was created for my littlest sister, Elizabeth, for her wedding this past week. Her wedding was absolutely dreamy AND a total blast – a post about that coming soon – and I hope that these invitations set the stage for the great big party that it was!

Because I was very involved with the planning of the wedding it was easy to nail down a look and feel that would match the event. I was going for something that would illustrate a fun celebration but elevated, and refined. The confetti in a gold and champagne palette did just the thing.

I used simple geometric shapes to add a vintage, art deco feel. The classic script font added whimsy and femininity.

The finishing touch was the shiny gold envelope liners. They really made the gold tones in the confetti pop and gave the suite the luxe, glam feeling I wanted to convey.

Congratulations Elizabeth and Troy! I can’t wait to share more details from their great, big fabulous day next week!

Two weeks ago my sister, Katie, and I spent 3 days together thrifting, spray painting and even doing a little macrame all to put together a beautiful bohemian bridal shower for our sister, Liz. The long days and midnight runs to our hometown Wal-Mart were all worth it to celebrate and honor our littlest.

Once we settled on our boho theme our plans came together quickly. I think having a clear vision of the look and feel you want your for party is one of the best ways to save you time and stress while planning. The more specific you can be the better. I learned a trick while working at Anthropologie assisting with displays that I find very helpful: When defining your theme try to put into words both what it is and what it isn’t.

What it is: natural, light, feminine. What it isn’t: hippie, tie dye, ethnic.

What it is: Free People, Coachella. What it isn’t:  Co-op, Phish concert.

You may recognize the space from my baby shower post . The room is on the upper floor of Dr. Christopher’s Herb Shop in Springville, Utah. The historic building is bursting with charm including the original tin ceiling. The Herb Shop rents the space for parties, classes and other events.

For centerpieces we used flower arrangements and a mis-matched collection of votives, geodes, crystals, plants and drift wood. The vases for our flower arrangements are drinking glasses from Ikea that we spray painted gold. I love how the spray paint gave the glasses a studded look. The votives are from Oriental Trading – they’re affordable and versatile. They’re a great investment if you do a lot of parties. The geodes and crystals were loaned to us.

We covered each of the tables with white linens. We were able to affordably make lace runners using curtain panels from Ikea. We cut each panel into thirds giving us 6, 19″ wide runners for just over $2 a piece.

These gold framed mirrors (they came with the space) provided the perfect backdrop for our food table. We draped the same material we used for table runners across the top and then added these cool carved wood string lights. Lastly we wired floral arrangements to the corners and center.

Kate and I thought adding some macrame pieces would be a really cool touch. Literally our only frame of reference for what this would require was our mom saying she used to do it in high school. How hard could it be, right? We definitely underestimated how time consuming macrame can be. After 2 late nights following online tutorials Katie created two amazing pieces including this wall hanging.

Every great event needs something special and surprising. We thought a “Bridal Throne” would be just the thing to be a fun focal point and make Liz feel extra special. The wicker chair was borrowed from a friend’s porch with a promise to return it in better condition than we found it. We sanded and spray painted it a crisp clean white and created a large floral spray which we wired to the back of the chair as a finishing touch. We hung a thrifted lace tablecloth ($3.99) and moroccan style lanterns for a backdrop and surrounded the throne with lots of potted plants. Can you even believe that gorgeous amethyst? (graciously loaned to us, unfortunately not for keeps.)

We were able to do ALL the flowers for under $50. How? Costco! 3 of their “premium bouquets” provided enough florals for 5 centerpieces and 6 decorative sprays. This was my first attempt at floral design and I feel like I did alright. The loose, wildflower style we were going for was very forgiving when it came to putting together arrangements.The rich jewel tones of the florals were the perfect accent to our neutral color palette.

The favor we sent our guests home with was these cute potted succulents. Did you know you can buy succulents in bulk from Amazon? Cause yeah, you totally can. They come right to your door for $2 each. A mini terra cotta pot plus more gold + white spray paint and there you have it.

So happy we could shower this dream boat bride-to-be in a way as stylish as she is.

After a week of 115+ degree days here in Vegas I jumped at the chance to head up to Portland for a few days with Mike while he worked. Despite my hipster tendencies I’d never actually visited the land of all things local and organic. The city easily won my heart and I can’t wait for the chance to go back. This isn’t a definitive guide, with only 3 1/2 days to spend there and a two year old in tow, I hardly experienced all Portland has to offer – but here’s a little of what we did see and love.

Multnomah Falls – A few minutes south of the city and well worth the trip. Super short and easy hike (walk?) to a great viewing area.

Nong’s Khao Man Gai. Simple chicken and rice dish with a sauce that – to borrow a phrase from the ever eloquent Guy Fieri – takes you straight to flavor town. We ate here twice and took home two bottles of sauce. We visited the restaurant on Ankeny street but she also has a food cart downtown.

The Max, Portland’s light rail system, made it super easy to get around the city. My son and I took it every day into downtown to explore. There’s lots to see and shop in the Pearl District (Powell’s Books is a must visit)  We also rode it out to the Oregon Zoo in Washington park. This was a great way to spend 1/2 a day.

Salt & Straw makes handmade ice creams in a variety of uniqe flavors. We waited in line about 20 minutes, but in my opinion, no wait is too long. Do whatever you have to do to try this ice cream. Some of the flavors seem strange but they let you sample as many as you’d like so you don’t have to worry about ice cream buyers remorse. I got Honey Lavender and Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black pepper while Mike ordered Carmel Corn on the Cob and Cinnamon Snickerdoodle each in a freshly made waffle cone. I don’t just throw around the word “perfection” people, but this ice cream was it.

Canon beach has been on my “must see” list for a while. Simple and beautiful, the magic of this place is undeniable.

The little aquarium in Seaside ended up being the hit of our trip. Though humble and nondescript this charming place is a total gem. The highlight is the seal tank. The extra two bucks for a tray of fish to feed them is well worth it.

Maybe the only thing wrong with Portland is there is TOO MUCH good food. You’re pretty much living in constant FOMO knowing you’re limited to just how many restaurants you can visit. Sizzle Pie was great and sells by the slice which is a real blessing when you’re impatient toddler requests “Pizza pizza pizza” for dinner.

My favorite may have been the food carts downtown. There’s an entire block of them in Pioneer Square. The choices are varied and everything looks & smells delicious. We decided on a bulgogi burrito from Korean Twist and a variety of dumplings from The Dump Truck. 

Skip Voodoo Doughnuts. I think the true test of a great doughnut shop is if they can get the simple things right – not how much crap they can pile on top of the icing. Try Blue Star instead and get the buttermilk bar.

Portland – 5 Stars, definitely would recommend.

A simple Christmas card I designed for my little family this year. I used clean and crisp graphics for a contemporary feel. The reverse is an abstract geometric design representing a shining star.

Printed on heavy paper with a smooth matte finish, the “all is bright” side of the card doubles as a cute little print that can be framed and displayed year after year. 

Wrapping Christmas presents really is one of my very favorite pre-christmas activities  rituals. I cherish the time each year when I get to lock myself in a room alone with a beverage, some treats, and an ipad to binge watch shows on Netflix while wrapping gifts. I’m big on thoughtful presents and I believe presentation plays a big part in the way people perceive the time and love you put into their gift.

Here’s a few tips I’ve picked up over the years for how to make your gifts look like they were wrapped by a pro – even if you actually just ordered everything online right before the deadline for Amazon Prime 2 day shipping expired.

Pick your theme and color scheme  

Because of my graphic design training I tend to think of my Christmas design scheme as a branding campaign. This year I went for a rustic, traditional, natural style. Classic red and green on a backdrop of earthy brown and other neutrals. 

Pick your  wrapping paper

I love classic brown postal paper and use it every year. It’s a perfect neutral backdrop for whatever trimmings I decide  to use. Solid white, cream, or metallic paper is a great choice and easy to coordinate as well. You can use patterned paper, but stick with something simple – stripes, polka dots or a tone on tone design. 

Buy ribbon and trim 

Pick four types of ribbon in a variety of widths. You’ll want a large (3″-4″), medium (1.5″- 2″) and 2 small (twine, yarn, ribbon or string .5″ or smaller.) Also get some tie-on items to add dimension. You can buy individual picks, chunky gift tags, or greenery at craft stores. I love using these sprigs of pine bough because they are only about a buck each when they go on sale and you can seperate the individual sprigs from the main bough. You end up with about 10 pieces from one pick. 

Wrap your gifts in boxes 

 
Whenever possible, put your gift in a box before wrapping. It makes it so much easier for you and it looks a hell of a lot nicer than some amorphous blob.
Design a wrapping style for small, medium and large gifts 

Scale is really important in making your trim look great on your gift. I find it’s easiet to pick three wrapping styles – one for small, medium, and large gifts and then stick with that same design for presents of similar sizes. For big gifts I used large ribbon to create a belly band and then layered the medium ribbon on top. Large ribbon would take over the packaging on a small gift so I stuck with thin twine, and a small pick. A good rule of thumb is to have 1/3 of the visual space of the gift ribbons and trim and the remaining 2/3 wrapping paper. 

Try a few wrapping schemes – don’t be afraid to take the ribbon off and try again.  Once you have your design for each size gift figured out your wrapping will go by a lot quicker than coming up with something new for each gift.

Happy wrapping!