Paper Bunting

so... in order to get a shop up and running i need money. i don't have money. you have money. i have bunting. let's trade! 

just kidding. not really. in all seriousness, i am trying to sell a couple of these cute little suckers so i can put the money towards my packaging and building up my supply so i can have a nice shiny store when it comes time for the grand opening. so, here are a couple premade paper bunting(s?) that i made recently. if you are interested in one please email me. i also take custom orders. 

 "smitten" bunting - fifty five dollars

  "dwell" bunting - forty five dollars

 "tiny" bunting - forty dollars

also, my brother is turning 18 in a couple days and this is his senior year in high school and i really want to get him a camera. the money would also go towards that. 

shhh. don't tell him.

New Blog Design

i decided to switch things up around here. most of it has to do with THIS amazing blog that i stumbled across and am trying to get a similar look straight up copy. there is no shame. i love it and i want it. seriously, EVERYTHING about this blog inspires me. i get the feeling i will be linking to this blog in almost every post from here on out. don't hate me.

i totally tried to make buttons for my sidebar that were simple but cute and i could not, for the life of me, figure out how to change the HTML. i spent like 4362589 hours minutes trying to get it right. if any of you know how to, please share the goods. pretty please, with sugar on top!!

it also has to do with Spring!!! i'm so excited to see the little flower buds blooming on the trees in our yard and even some new sprouts on my windowsill. i have a ton of ideas for making Easter special for my kiddos this year and reflecting on my magnificent savior. i also wanted my blog to reflect the yummy colors of spring that inspire me and sing to my heart.

hello there. i'm going to love and nurture you, then EAT you. okay, thanks.

these are my pretty little terrariums on my windowsill. i got a few mini pots from the dollar bin at Target and thought it made a cute decoration. it's also helping me fulfill my dream of having a garden. i know, it's not a very good one... but it's a start.

also, time for spring cleaning. my windows!!! ick.

i'm also working on getting an etsy shop open in the next two weeks. i've been mass producing some lovely banners over here. (do you call them banners or bunting?? i've been switching between the two and feel like i need to pick one for consistency.) i've also been collecting inspiration for my packaging. i know it will have some elements of kraft paper and pretty ribbon, but more on that later. 

so here it is, what do you think? too bright? too much of a biter?

eh. i love it and it's my blog.

so there.

(sorry if you were all, "i totally love it!", then were offended by my snootiness. its a defense mechanism.)

hearts and sparkles,
tara

MARRIED!: Zak & Karey

more paper? i know.

congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Shultz! (wow, it's crazy to even say that! woo hoo!) 

ok, let me just start by telling you how awesome Karey is. she is REALLY REALLY awesome! not only she is beautiful, talented, and the sweetest person you'll ever meet, she also loves Jesus a whole lot. and it shows. i met Karey at Hume Lake Christian Camps during the summer of 2005 (i think, jeez it was so long ago). she was the intern photographer and i was a band-aid for my Mr.'s band that was leading high school students in worship for 12 weeks. i had an instant girl crush on her and we were fast friends. i am so proud of her. she has since then started her own photography business (that ROCKS!) and faithfully waited for the Lord to bring her the perfect man. and. did. He. ever. i am so happy for these two love birds!! they are PERFECT for eachother. 

ok, so onto the paper...

invitation card | front + back

 karey asked for modern with a touch of whimsy. these are perfect, no? she sent me a picture and i pretty much did my best to copy it from head to toe. i did use all my own fonts (and by that i mean i found them all and added them, NOT i'm totally a typographer, because that would just be a dream come true.)

map & directions | front + back

 i think i finished designing the entire invitation suite in one hour. it was all so stream-lined and karey was awesome about getting all her info to me in a timely manner. she was very thorough and i bet it's because she's in the wedding industry and knows how important it is to be detailed. 

rsvp card | front + back

 i don't even think there were any changes that needed to be made, maybe one. i think she was my favorite client. and i'm SOOOOO honored that i got to be apart of her wedding because let's be honest... she totally knows tons of awesome wedding vendors because of her job... so THANK YOU for choosing me. i hope you were pleased with your service and product!

invitation suite

i just love karey with all my little heart and am truly excited for these two people to be together. many blessings on your new marriage now and forever. love you guys!
p.s. the results are in for the giveaway!
 

GIVEAWAY: love banner

ok people. i need your help. i'm thinking about either opening up an ETSY store or trying to sell some premade banners locally. what i need from you is if there is still a market for these (do you want one?) and if i were to make a custom one for you what would you want it to say? 

in exchange for said help i will give you this. made in mind for a baby girl's room, but you could really put it anywhere you'd like. 

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. all you have to do is become a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post with your answer and i will randomly pick a winner by monday, february 28th, 2011 at 2:00pm. make sure to leave your email address or someway i can contact you if you end up winning. good luck!

if you want to see some other ones i've made in the past you can click here, here, here, and here. 

thanks friends, i REALLY appreciate your help!

and the winner is: LEAH OHLSON!!! congratulations!! please email me your home address so i can mail it out to you.

Jesse & Holly: MARRIED!

FINALLY, some paper. 

i have the privilege of knowing some awesome people. in that lump of awesome people are holly and jesse. i knew holly first, we met 5 years ago when she started singing for my mr.'s band. she has managed to make both of my kids, at separate times and for totally different reasons, fall in love with her. and me, and countless other people. then came Jesse. and he snatched her up! separately these two are some extraordinary people. but together, now that is something special. i can't wait to see what this couple brings to those who love them. 

so, i love them. and they love each other. and that love was made forever through some pretty awesome covenant vows that my mr. and i had the privilege of witnessing on saturday. it was a beautiful wedding. and i got to be a part of it in a small way. this is how.

holly and jesse really wanted something vintage and travel related. so i recreated an old telegram for their invitation card.

she didn't really give me much more input other than those two objectives and the wedding details, so i kind of just went for it. i loved the map i made for heather & aaron's wedding so much that i made a similar one for holly. something about vibrant colors on brown paper bag make me swoon.

since they created a wedding website for people to RSVP i whipped up about 10 of these little postcards for the few people she didn't think would have access to internet. i printed them from home, so the quality is not as nice as everything else i outsourced, but i love the design.

ah, the wrap around label. i push for these with almost every client because they are SO. MUCH. FUN. thankfully they went for it and i added some old school air mail stripes and a little dingbat to give them a vintage touch. 

 i love this wedding invitation suite and i hope you do to!

Baby Announcement: Welcome Hawea!

several months ago i had the pleasure of creating birth announcements for the brand new daughter of someone i love dearly. new mommy, Kahea, and i were instant friends and i miss her tons now that we no longer live near one another. i am also super bummed that i haven't gotten to hold her sweet baby girl yet! soon, very soon.

Kahea asked for a monogram, and right around the time i made these i was super excited to find a free monogram download from the Wedding Chicks blog. you can personalize a monogram for yourself here.

matching wrap-around mailing labels.

welcome sweet Hawea, i can't wait to meet you!

Christmas Card

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Pack it up, pack it in, let it begin!

here is our Christmas card for 2010. i used the free pattern from Lovely Design and altered it a little to match our clothes. the amazing Jackie Wonders shot our family. hope your holiday season was a good one. thank you for reading my blog. if you're not a follower you should totally become one. wink.

now i need to clean out the kid's rooms and make room for stuff. Neighborhood Thrift needs to get ready cause i'm about to unload a bunch of gently used toys and clothes on them!

have any resolutions for this year? i haven't really thought about it. i feel like i should cut out sugar or something that will only last for a millisecond... i just don't get into all that reflecting and making broken promises stuff. one thing i would LOVE to really be serious about (and this is not uncommon to other days of the year) is to really, truly, and whole-heartedly seek a deeper relationship with the Lord. as a stay at home mom of two youngins i find it difficult to be consistent in my quiet time. like, i only read my bible for a couple days in a row, once a month. dude, i'm just being honest. i suck at making my time with God a priority. i'm beginning to find that there are idols in my life that are taking my attention away from the Lord, like looking at blogs, or social networking. i don't think i want to completely stop or anything, but i definitely think i need to "do my homework before i can go out and play", you know?

anyway, does anyone know of any good "bible reading plan/daily devotional/commentary for stay at home moms who only have a 5 minute attention span that won't make my OCD jump into high gear when i miss a day by having dates and stuff in it"? let me know if you do.

ps. here was last year's Christmas card. i also used Lovely Design's free pattern. i REALLY like her patterns. can you tell?