Tornado

Hey everyone!
This is the first chance I've had access to the internet since the horrible storms hit Tuscaloosa.  We are safe and okay by the grace of God.  We got power back this morning and our home had no damage. We should have internet access soon but keep all the people who had major damage, lost their homes or loved ones in your prayers! 

Thanks
Emily

Reality Pop Paper

It's been a few weeks since I did a Pop Paper installment, so I thought I would take advantage of the late breaking engagement news.  According to People.com our favorite Reality Star bad girl, Kristin Cavallari and Chicago Bears QB, Jay Cutler, are engaged.

photo via Celebuzz

Right? I didn't even know these two were dating.  But we shouldn't be surprised, she did catch the bouquet at Speidi's wedding.

photo via MTV

 I'm thinking that her partner in crime, Stacie Hall, {seen above in yellow} would also look good standing next to her at the alter as a maid of honor.

photo via Zimbio

See she's already working the white dress.  And speaking of white dresses, you know she is going to go full out glam and rock a form fitting little number. I feel like this Mikaella dress would look great on Kristin along with these Christian Louboutin sparkly navy pumps as a shout out to Jay's Chicago Bears.

photo via the Knot

photo via Celebrity Fashion Directory

Hey maybe I could redesign that Christian Louboutin shoe into a wedding invite for Kristin and Jay. I'd make sure to stick with the blue & orange Chicago Bears color scheme and keep it glam and a tad flashy  for the sake of the cameras. You know that wedding is going to be filmed!!

Wonder if Justin Bobby, Brody or Ste-phen will make the guest list? 

Kiss Me Kate

Yes, I am going to be one of the crazies that will set my alarm at 5am central time to watch The Royal Wedding. Sure, it may seem petty in light of all the drama and tragedy in the world but everyone loves a good fairy tale wedding.  And since these two started dating, we've been waiting for another beautiful Prince & Princess to obsess over.  And like one of my friends said, "Kate reminds me of a British Lauren Conrad." I couldn't agree more. Her style and fresh look makes me think she's a pretty cool chic.

photos via The Huffington Post

Apparently, my invite got lost in the mail but luckily E! news will air it live. And don't even get me started on the wedding invitation. I guess the UK will have to be my next market to tackle for freelance jobs.

photo via Brides.com

Ever since the happy couple announced their engagement, the media has been buzzing about this wedding. Heck the Mr. and I even watched a little of the cheesy William & Kate Lifetime Movie.  {It was bad and the Mr. realized NBA was on instead}

photo via Lifetime

There are several websites out there for planning the perfect viewing party complete with decorations and recipes. Here are just a few ideas:

Top Row:
BBC Royal Wedding Street Party Ideas, Decorative Things Keep Calm napkins for $15, Classic Champagne Cocktail Recipe.
Bottom Row:
Betty Crocker Engagement Ring Mini Cupcakes, Eggs Florentine Recipe, Decorative Things Keep Calm cups for $19

In case you hadn't seen my previous post, I had already redesigned those fabulous hats that Kate wears into a bridal shower invite so why not redesign that Royal Wedding into a fun viewing party invite.  Of course the Union Jack would make an appearance and so would a crown. Because what's a Royal Wedding without a crown!

Pretty sure my Royal Wedding party guest list includes me and Kitty Lynn.  Are you waking up early? Loved to hear the details of your viewing party. Leave me a comment below.

Wedding Pickle Postcards

Thanks to the beauty of Twitter, I found Melina and her fabulous blog Wedding Pickle.  After perusing her blog a bit, I realized how amazing this blog is for engaged brides-to-be.  Not only does she offer great wedding advice and budget friendly ideas but she also keeps brides focused by continually sharing the love of Christ.  Truly embracing one of my favorite verses for brides-to be.  Rev 19:7  "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready."

This whole week Melina has showcased a virtual bridal shower centered around an Easter theme with pink & green as the color palette.

photo via Wedding Pickle

Tuesday's post was all about a DIY floral backdrop.  Crafty, cute and cheap!

photo via Wedding Pickle

Wednesday's post was about a simple and easy centerpiece.  I love how pretty this turned out just by using carnations, roses and mason jars.

photo via Wedding Pickle

So for Thursday's post we decided to join forces and offer printable Thank You postcards. Since I wasn't sure what or how to design the cards. Melina sent me this amazing inspiration board. {sorry I don't know all the photo credits}

Hey maybe I could redesign that fabulous spring, pink and green wedding & virtual bridal shower into a printable  4x6 inch Thank You postcard. 

You can download the freebie pdf here. This is my first time using Google Docs for clients to download a free pdf. If for some reason that link does not work try clicking here then go to File {on the left hand side} and click Download Orginial.  Post a comment with your email or tweet me if you still have trouble, I can email you the pdf directly!

And THANK YOU Melina {Wedding Pickle} for letting me work with you on such a fun post idea for brides-to-be. I can't wait to work with you again!

Under the Sea

So as I stated in this post, in a few months we will be moving into that adorable little cottage.  And of course my head has been swimming with design ideas.  This is our current bedspread. We registered for it from Pottery Barn last year and I absolutely love it.

photo via Pottery Barn and no that isn't our bedroom but the one from the website. *le sigh*

It has a very beachy feel to it. And even though Winston-Salem isn't on the coast, I've still been visiting Coastal Living for some decorating ideas. Which is where I found this gem.

photo via Coastal Living

I think with the right furniture and throw pillows this would work well with our current duvet! 

Since the Mr. is from south Alabama near the gulf, I had always thought we would have a beach wedding.  {We ended up having more of a backyard barn bbq wedding and you can see some of our photos here and here}  If we had though, I would have loved to put some of these ideas to use!

Photo Credits
Top Row: Coastal Living decor, Amazing shift dress for $320 by BHLDN, Awesome Starfish headband for $30 from etsy seller Bohemian Bombshell
Middle Row: Starfish chair decorations via The Knot, Alternative starfish boutonniere via The Knot
Bottom Row: Simple starfish centerpiece via The Knot, Perfect starfish necklace for $25 via etsy seller Two Little Doves, Yummy Marzipan and Graham Cracker sand starfish cupcake via Martha Stewart recipe here

Hey maybe I could redesign that dream beach wedding into a fabulous wedding invite. I would use the starfish motif of course with simple blue and white color scheme. I would totally put the invitation on kraft paper for a sandy rustic beach house feel and use a mix of script and sans script fonts.

Now I want to plan my wedding all over again. There is always vow renewal! Is a year anniversary too soon to throw another party?

Team Player

Even a tornado can't stop SEC fans from loving their football, especially free football. Even after a Friday filled with terrible storms across the state and southeast, die hard fans still came out to support their teams this weekend at spring practice games.

I grew up going to UGA games as a child and I vividly remember going to the Red & Black spring games where the team puts on full pads & helmets and plays each other. {Now I believe they call it the G-day game}  So here in Alabama, we have the A-day games for both Auburn & Alabama.  I will give the award to Alabama for having the most dedicated fans.  According to this article on SB Nation here is the break down of this weekend's spring practice attendance:
Alabama: 92,310
Auburn: 53,209
Georgia: 43,117

I took this picture 20 minutes before kickoff.  By the time the game had started most of the upper deck was filled!

Saturday really did turn out to be a beautiful day and we were able to enjoy one last SEC football game before we move to ACC country.  As I've mentioned here, we live about a mile from the University of Alabama's stadium so game day is always a fun environment. 

Hey maybe I could redesign that SEC team spirit into some fun calling cards. What a fun way to show your school pride when you pass along a gift, note or batch of cookies!

Don't see your team?  No worries there's plenty of time before the fall NCAA football season begins. Let me know and I'll redesign your team spirit!

Redesigned by Request

So the whole reason I started this little blog was to try and build up a stationary/invitation biz.  Just last month I actually got my first order designing a Couple's Shower invite for Jordan.  {Sure, she works with my best friend but still!} 

When I first read the email that the Couple's Shower invite was also a Stock the Kitchen party, I thought maybe I could tweak the one I already designed here. But then as I kept reading the email, I realized there was a lot more going on and I needed to step back and literally Redesign That.

So here is what I learned about the party!

1. It's an Entertainment/Stock the Kitchen Couple's shower. I immediately thought about the day we registered at Bed Bath & Beyond and were so overwhelmed by the amount of tools and gadgets!

photo via Extramsg.com

2. The event was going to be at Pale Eddie's Pour House in Downtown Birmingham, Alabama. I just recently moved from Birmingham after having lived there for over 10 years and never even knew this cool venue existed.  Seriously, friends next time I'm in town let's go here for a drink!

photos via Pale Eddie's Pour House

3. Try to incorporate the downtown skyline if at all possible. Knowing I am moving far away from this skyline makes it a little bittersweet. Sometimes Birmingham is the best kept secret of the South. Trust me, coming from a girl who grew up in a suburb of Atlanta.

photo via City-Data

photo via World of Stock

4. Make room for not just the party deets but also the cute poem that Jordan wrote:

 Plates and Bowls, Spoons and Forks,

Games, Movies, Wine Glasses and Decorative Corks

Anything for the Kitchen or Entertaining Friends

Let’s Stock Them Up Before Their New Life Begins

5. And finally bright color and a bold font!  Your wish is my command dear!

So after looking at her requests, I thought you know what, I definitely could redesign that Stock the Kitchen Couple's Shower, Downtown Party at a cool Bar Venue with a fun poem and lots of bold color!  Instead of a plain ole city scene let's make our city scene with glasses, forks and a martini shaker!

Like I always say: If the client's happy then I'm happy! I got the hard copy in the mail yesterday and really was so impressed with how they turned out. 

So what do you think? Did I meet the redesign by request?  Do you have a redesign by request you need me to work on? Leave a comment or tweet me!

Calming Calendar

I have a busy week.  We are short staffed at work so they are making me fill in a lot of the gaps. I am trying to juggle my paying job, my internship and a good amount of freelance jobs that have come in over the past few weeks.  My calendar scares me.

I am feeling a little stressed.  When I start to get this way, I think about our Hawaiian honeymoon and immediately my mind takes me to a place when life was much calmer.

Sometimes if that doesn't work right away I do 3 things that always seem to work.

1. I check out Kitty Lynn and see how she handles her day {typically involves sleeping}
2. I light my Lavender Vanilla Yankee Candle
3. I press play on James Taylor's Sweet Baby James Album

Usually going for a run also helps but I currently am having trouble breathing because of this nasty cold so I think not being able to exercise has added a bit to my daily stress.

Hey maybe I could redesign that calendar of mine to something a little more calming on the eyes.  I am going to choose soft pastels fitting for spring with plenty of lavender.  The font needs to be fun and girlie and easy to read.

And since the Mr. has to do a rotation in another city this week we should celebrate with the perfect Hawaiian Mai Tai.  I think I found a pretty good recipe here.

I'm thirsty!

Wallpapered

Sorry for the lack of postings this week. We are back from house hunting Winston-Salem style and I'm a little under the weather but alas I must blog!  So we didn't get the dream loft simply because it wouldn't be very fun to live in the dream loft and eat only Ramen Noodles.  But we did put a contract down on this little cottage.  Pending paperwork it will be Home Sweet Home!

Of course there are a few tweaks here and there that we will need to do to make it absolutely perfect. The first would be the master bathroom. The Mr. got spoiled when we saw a few brand new bathrooms in the other lofts and houses.  This may have been the one room that made him nervous to sign the contract.  But I see so much potential for this little space.

Definitely needs a new mirror over the vanity and a new light fixture and probably at some point we'd want to tile the floors but the one idea I had was maybe wallpapering that back wall or the wall with the vanity. I love the inspiration I found on House Beautiful, Cottage Living and Apartment Therapy.

Photo Credits
Top Row Right to Left: House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy, Cottage Living, House Beautiful
Bottom Row: Apartment Therapy and House Beautiful

My style usually isn't something so busy but I sort of like the idea of being bold and loud with a smaller space.  I peaked around my closet for some inspiration and found this vintage Gunne Sax bridesmaid dress from my mom.  She was in a Romeo & Juliet themed wedding-I know I know! And all the maids had to wear this. It has served as a wonderful Halloween costume many years running. I love the embroidered detailing!

Hey, maybe I could redesign that vintage Gunne Sax into some wallpaper for my future master bathroom.  Luckily, with Design Your Wall you can upload your own personal designs or photos and they will turn it into wallpaper. I seriously am considering this idea!

I need to get out of my pajamas and act like a grown up considering we may be homeowners soon!
 

Lofty Ideas

We are headed to our future home Winston-Salem, NC for a long weekend to check out possible housing and for me to pass out my resume around town. I have my eye on a few lofts in the area, so I'm crossing my fingers that I may be able to call one of these home sweet home.

photo via Gallery Lofts

photo via Nissen Apartments

photo via Piedmont Leaf Lofts

photo via Winston Factory Lofts

Too be honest, I think I'm gonna have to redesign my interior design style.  Thankfully fellow blogger Alice in Designland has posted a few home tours of some other loft dwellers for inspiration.

Cincinnati Loft

Dee Adams Oakland, CA loft

Toronto Loft

Hope to be posting more when we get back! I am sure I'll be designing our moving announcements!