Happy 4th of July!

I hope you are having a wonderful Independence Day! Happy Birthday America!!! In case you need some help getting in the mood, here's my fave song for fireworks:

What I did on my summer vacation

(Mr. B & me with the Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA)

Hi guys! Remember me? Your fearless blog writer??

Whatcha been up to? I've been on vacation - well, kinda. There has been work with the play but there has been LOTS of play...

(Dodger's game in LA with my Uncle Jim)

(The beach in Dana Point, CA after Mr B's cousin's wedding. Beautiful!!)

(The golf course, Bellport, NY, where we rent in the summer)

(The Great South Bay from Bellport, spent A LOT of time on the bay this year in our new boat, The Beach Buggy)

In between fun on the bay & our trip to California, I have been hard at work on custom wedding pieces. Really excited to share them as they are all really different & were fun to work on - like these menus for one of my clients...hand stamped doilies!

Stay tuned for more!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer!! Just Labor Day weekend left to go really, so get out there & enjoy it!!

Cards of the Week - Crane's Summer Stationery Promotion

Hi y'all! Every one's favorite stationer is having a SALE! {OK, no, not me - but aren't you sweet for thinking that...ha, ha!}

It's Crane! For a limited time you can get 50 notes, cards, or stationery sheets with matching envelopes for $59. 24 styles are available - trust me when I say there is something for everyone.

Let's start with a classic...

Navy Blue on Ecruwhite Correspondence Cards - a traditional, classic & timeless design featuring a 3 letter monogram. You can send this card for business or personal correspondence and with any message written on the card. Great for all occasions! If you like the classic look but want to use your full name, check out this card, also included in the sale.

Crane has certainly updated their design selection with this correspondence card - Watermelon on Pearl White Correspondence Cards. Keep it funky & write your note in the orientation seen above, or make your name the top of the card & write your note that way. Options! Love it! Simple, clean - 2 things I look for in everything. Plus I am really into these juicy colors...


...or maybe just this watermelon color? Crane designed another fun take on a classic with this card, Watermelon on Pearl White Monogram Notes. With it's lower case monogram & fun sun-like border, it's a great card for the summer. It's a folded note card this time. Do you like these over correspondence cards?? I like both, though if the note needs to have more formality, I like the folded notes, even if the design on the front is a bit whimsical.

And we'll finish with another classic. This is why Crane has endured - they own timeless & classic. This folded note - Peacock on Ecruwhite Monogram Notes - has a semi-art deco monogram front & center on the outside of the card. There is a similar design with a different monogram style here to check out as well.

This is a great opportunity to get yourself set up with a proper, adult set of stationery. All of the sets are printed by thermography, a technique that heats the ink so it is raised above the paper. Love it! You can also upgrade your set with an envelope liner or printed return address on the envelope.

So, what are you waiting for? Go!! Order & get writing!!

Cards of the Week - Red, White & Blue all over

Happy Friday everyone! And what a Friday it is! The official start of summer, as I have known it my whole life, has been Memorial Day weekend. But, that is not the real meaning behind our holiday weekend. It is to honor & remember those military service members who sacrificed their lives for our nation. In honor of them, Cards of the Week is loaded with red, white & blue...

{left to right, clockwise: Red Flowers Set On Sale by A Punkin Card Company, Love Cat Cards by Gypsy & Twink, Scarlet Blossoming Flower Coasters by Ruby Press, Cheers Hand-stamped Note Cards by Third Street Paper Co.}

Love all of these - The Red Flowers set comes with a nice tan envelope that I think complements the flowers nicely. Great detail on the cat tails on the Love Cat Cards. I want to have those coasters sitting on my coffee table to give it a punch of color. And the Cheers cards - love the oversize stamp. Send it with a bottle of bubbly!

{left to right, clockwise: Embossed A6 Skull Notecards by Terrapin Stationers, SALE Flower Design White Gift Tag by Kingdom Kards, Faint Snowflake Holiday Cards by Chauhie, Franklin Gothic Personalized Letterpress Stationery by Paper Lovely Press}

Blind letterpress is the process of letterpressing without ink. So cool, don't you think? Here are three nice examples of its use, in totally different styles. Skulls - with a kraft paper envelope they are hip, not goth. Snowflakes - I've seen them printed a lot with blind letterpress - never get tired of it. It's a quiet design element...like falling snow. Then, I love the heavy font on these personalized cards mixed with the delicacy of blind letterpress. And lastly, jumping back to the upper right corner of the picture above, the flower cut outs on these gift tags are a nice touch. Simple yet interesting.

{left to right, clockwise: Polish Wycinaki Folk Art Bird Cards by Pressbound, Thanks Blue Polka Dots by Lemon Loves Paper, Hip Hip Hooray by Letterpress, Many Thanks by Pistachio Press}

Another set of lovely cards! The graphic print of the bird prints rock. It's country & cool in one. The Polka Dot thank you notes may be one of my favorite thank you notes that I've seen this year. So cute that I want someone to send me one. Hip Hop Hooray reminds me of summer spent at horse shows. It says "reward for hard work & a job well done" to me with those crisp letterpressed lines. Many Thanks shows the awesomeness of letterpress. All those lines are letterpressed - so many that the white oval is the most eye catching part. It looks like a felt sticker on the front of the card. Well done!!

So! Enjoy your hot dogs & hamburgers this weekend & don't forget to say a thanks to the men & women who served our country. Have a great weekend!!

PS if you have hamburgers & hot dogs, remember: that's a cookout {wink, wink}

Cards of the Week - Pull out the grill!

{Pork Butcher Diagram of a Pig 11 x 14 by The Word Shop,
available in other colors & sizes!}

It's coming. Do you feel it? I do. Every day that the weather gets warmer is one day closer to me using my grill. Actually, these days because of our apartment I'll likely be taking over someone else's grill but that is not the point...

Today's Cards of the Week: Cookout & BBQ invitations! I list those separately for a reason. A cookout does not mean you have BBQ. BBQ is something you serve. A cookout is what you do. Plus, if you tell me "we're having BBQ" you better have pork products for me to eat :) I am from Eastern North Carolina & I love my shredded pork. Enough about that...I'll get on my soapbox about Eastern vs Western BBQ...I take this stuff very seriously if you haven't noticed.

{Barbed Wire BBQ Invitation by Noteworthy Collectsion on InvitationBox.com}

A traditional Texas-style party is what I'd expect getting this, though it could be for any backyard party. Love the color of the paper & the barbed wire as a design element. You would think that would be used more often on BBQ-themed invites but I can't say I've seen it much. This is a new site to me, Invitation Box.com. I really like all the personalization you can do it the designs! Play around with a few! It will make you want to have a party...

{Summer BBQ Invites - Postcards Set of 20 by Girl In Gear Studio}

I have been eyeing these on Etsy for a while. Cool post card invitations by Girl In Gear Studio. Doesn't mater if this is a general cook out with burgers & dogs or a rib-fest, these set the tone for a laid back come-chill-in-the-yard kind of event.

{Cookout Grill Birthday Invitations on PaperStyle.com}

Last but not least is this really traditional cook out inviation from Paper Style.com. You can't go wrong with red checks, especially with the red grill shown here. The reason I'm showing this, though, is more for the coordinating pieces which are all shown right in the item listing. Matching address labels, thank you notes, napkins & fun crepe placemats (not shown above) are all available to keep your theme going. Especially in the summer for something like this, I am all for 1 stop shopping.

Anyone planning a party this summer? Can I come?? :)

PS More fun invites over at Zazzle!

My new love...

Last week, I saw this bag in my inbox, thanks to my daily Vineyard Vines email (above). Any one who knows me offline is not surprised in the least to know that I fell in love the second I saw it.

Fast forward to Thursday night, last week. I'm at a benefit for the Fiver Children's Foundation & guess what is on the raffle table!? Yes! This bag! And I could not find a raffle ticket sales person anywhere. Drat. I was saved by my friend Gabi who put one of hers in the tin for me. And, as it turns out, she had the lucky ticket.

Thanks to Gabi for her generosity & for keeping my stylish this summer! I cannot wait to sport it. xo!

PS Love this clutch in a similar style...{le sigh}