Tonight In The Studio

I am just loving taking pics with my iPod Touch! The filters and effects are so fun to play with.

 A very productive evenings in the studio. Lots of beautiful invitations going out in the mail tomorrow! I love it when everyone is quiet and I have time to just get down to business. Now I just need to stop ignoring my taxes and put some of my energy into that little task....

Etsy Crush | Modern Keepsake

Oak Tree Guestbook Print -Modern Keepsake

Wow, it's been a while since I have done an Etsy Crush post, but I assure you that it is not because of lack of time spent on Etsy browsing amazing products. I think I <3 a new item (or two or three) every single day. Between the newsletters and the front page spread I see every time I log in, and seeing what everyone in my circle is bookmarking too. Well, let's just say I have many pages of favorite shops.

Recently, while looking for wedding inspiration, I came across this gorgeous oak tree print by Modern Keepsake. I love anything involving trees and this idea is right up my alley. Instead of getting the traditional guest book that will inevitably end up at the bottom of some box in your attic, why not get a beautiful, personalized piece of art that your guests can sign?

I am a little sad I did not know about this when I got married. We did the oversized matte that people signed and then we used to frame our favorite photo from our wedding, which was a pretty popular choice back then (and still is).  But I love the fine art vibe of doing something like this instead, especially if you put it in a big, decorative frame like they show it in the picture. It would be a perfect focal piece in a living room, dining room, or really any room.

I would definitely get the teal color (in case you didn't guess).

Modern Keepsake also offers lots of other personalized modern art prints and unique ideas for guest books for all occasions. The Finger Print Guest Book is another of my favorites, as well as the Custom Canvas Wedding Prints.

For What It's Worth

One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn in working for myself is to place a value on my time and skill, and then stick to it. It's not that I undervalue the work that I do, but more an issue of fear. Fear that if I tell customers this is how much it costs to buy my products, they might decide to go somewhere else. Fear that they will not believe in the value of my product, or in the value of me.

Combine that fear with my desire to please everyone and it's a recipe for, well, not a very successful business. In the beginning, when I was doing this in my spare time and I had a full-time job (and a full-time paycheck) it didn't seem as important to me. I was just starting out, getting my feet wet, learning the ropes and building a clientele. The brides I met, and worked with, were so sweet and sincere. Honest about their budgets and so I waved fees, changed prices, and essentially worked for free to give them the invitations of their dreams.

It was very generous of me, but I am running a business, not an invitation charity. Being honest with myself about that was hard to admit, because it meant looking at the fear I felt in my heart, staring right at it and saying 'Yes, I am worth it'.

I think that most creative professionals struggle with this concept at some point in their career. Putting a value on yourself is an exercise in self-awareness that makes most modest and humble people a little uncomfortable. But if I don't believe in my value, how can I expect my customers to? And if I change my prices or bend the rules to make my work more affordable for someone, what does that say about that belief? That it wavers? That it's not important?

All of this self-reflection has come at a price. It took feeling overwhelmed and frustrated to the point of having a good, therapeutic cry late one night last week. It took pushing me to my breaking point, knowing that I was spreading myself too thin and not doing a great job at any one particular facet of my life. My wonderfully supportive husband kindly pointed out the the source of my anxiety was probably the fact that I was doing too much work for free. That my time is precious and limited and I was feeling frustrated at not being paid what I know I am worth.

So this last week has been an exercise in sticking to my guns. Not doing more than I should without being paid, without requesting some sort of commitment on the side of the customer. Being honest about my prices and feeling confident about them. It was so freeing. I knew that every minute I spent working last week was worth it. It wasn't perfect, but I am getting there. I know I still have some other aspects of my business to refine and update to better align with my vision for Truly Noted, but it was a great start. I have a really good feeling about 2012.

Vermont Bride Military Wedding Giveaway

 Click image to view larger.

Something I have wanted to do for a while is figure out a way for Truly Noted to give back to the community. That is why I am so excited to finally announce our participation in the Vermont Bride Military Wedding Giveaway! This amazing giveaway is for a complete wedding package to be awarded to one deserving military couple. There are so many great local vendors participating and Jackie of VT Enchanted Events is doing all of the planning and coordination so you know it will be beautifully done.

The wedding will be held on September 2, 2012 at the charming ye olde England Inne in Stowe. Here is a list of the local talent lending their services and expertise to make it unforgettable:

Bear Pond Productions | Videography
Barbara Graham Buzzi | Officiant
Green Mountain Photo Booth | Photo Booth
Jay View Wedding Flowers | Wedding Party and Bride and Groom Flowers
Jamie Norse | Groom's Cake
Polis Photography | Ceremony and Reception Photography
Sarah's Weddings by Betty's Flower Basket | Centerpieces
SuperSounds DJ Co | DJ
Sweet Crunch Bake Shop | Wedding Cake
Truly Noted | Invitations
Uncle George's Flowers | Ceremony Flowers
VT Enchanted Events | Planning and Coordination
Weddings, Tents & Events | Linens
Ye Olde England Inne | Reception Venue & Catering

To enter simply tell us your love story and why you deserve to be the lucky couple to win this fabulous event! You can read the contest rules and enter on the Vermont Bride Magazine website. Entries are only accepted until April 1st so don't delay and send us your story today!

Organizing with Style

 I love the minimalist look of this office space. If my desk is ever this clean I will be shocked.

With so many hats to juggle in my daily life I have come to realize that organization is key. The more organized I am the more efficiently I can work and the more stuff on my to-do list actually gets done. So I was super excited when I went to Staples this past weekend and found the newly launched Martha Stewart Office line.

I love Martha Stewart and I am not afraid to admit it. My friends and family often refer to me as 'Martha Stewart' and I can never really tell if it is a compliment or a snark, but in my opinion Martha is a genius. She teamed up with Avery (another brand I love) to create a whole line of tools to organize your home and business office. I had a hard time not buying absolutely everything, but I took a few minutes to evaluate each product and chose the things that I thought I would really, honestly use.

I ended up with the Dry Erase Weekly Planner which is an oversized weekly planner that sticks right onto your wall (or your fridge or wherever you want it). You can re-position it and it uses a dry-erase marker so you just wipe it off at the end of the week to start over. I love the idea of the monthly planners that go on the top of your desk but I don't have the desk space for it, so this is the perfect solution. I also got a blank Dry Erase decal with a pretty ornate frame that will be perfect for writing notes or inspirational quotes.

I also got two File Pockets that adhere to the wall as well. I have been wanting to get rid of my ugly, black plastic tiered filing tray for a while. It just gets cluttered up with junk I don't want to take the time to put away and then my bills and receipts pile up in a separate stack on top of my desk. I am hoping that by eliminating the tray and giving myself an out of the way place to stash those bills and receipts that I will be more motivated to keep the top of my desk clear of clutter.

They have a limited selection of the new line on the Staples website, but supposedly there will be more available online soon.

The other amazingly gorgeous organizational tool I bought for myself is the Emily Ley Simplified Planner. I have tried other planners before and was never good at keeping up with it, but I also never really had to use one. With the amount of things I find myself forgetting lately (the brain can only hold so much info) I really need to start doing something. I follow Emily's blog and when she debuted her new planner last week I was practically swooning. Since Emily is a mother and small-business owner herself it promises to be engineered for women just like me. I love the personalized monogram on the front and I, of course, got the teal one.

I am actually giddy with anticipation for it to arrive!

Operation 'Organize' is going on all this week and I plan on posting pics when everything is complete! How are you organizing your new year?

Dreamin' and Hopin' and Wishin' and Doin'

Mountain sunrise photo from here

As 2011 comes to a close I have been doing a lot thinking, brainstorming, planning - as in my brain actually hurts and you might find me staring blankly off into space at any given moment. There is so much in my heart right now just trying to bust out and I have been working on figuring out how to make that happen. Because, as it turns out, just because you are on fire about something doesn't make it easier to obtain.

This past year has been full of change for me. I decided to leave my job to stay at home with Eli and pursue Truly Noted full time. There have been so many ups and downs since then, including an anxiety inducing August and September with virtually no sales, and I think I learned a lot. I have always subscribed to the idea that as long as you learn something, every trial is worth it. Throughout all of it, though I have tried my hardest to keep my thoughts on the reason for it all. The awesome rewards of being able to be with my son and experience every little milestone along with him. To give him all of the nurturing, love and attention he deserves.

So what if that means I had to give up cable, a fancy cell phone and going out to dinner? Who has time for that stuff anyway? Especially when you are working your little behind off trying to grow your business into something awesome. Something greater than you ever thought it could be. Something to give me pride, joy, fulfillment and a decent paycheck.

And I really did work my behind off and I did make progress. I did have more sales than 2010. More sales than I ever have had before. I created new designs. I launched a new website. I forged new friendships and partnerships. It wasn't perfect, but it was in the right direction. And I learned so much.

I was also inspired by some pretty amazing people. Other women who intimidated me at first. Who made me want to go back to bed, crawl into a ball and cry about how lame I was. But I wouldn't let myself. Sure, I might have had a pang in my heart of jealousy towards their awesomeness, but then I let it inspire me. I let it fuel the fire inside of my soul that wants to achieve all of my dreams. And then some. I read what they believe, what they do, who they are and I tried to learn from them.

Then I reminded myself that they were once where I am now. They didn't start out ridiculously successful and awesome. Once upon a time they were just girls sitting at a computer with an idea and $2 to their name just like me. They had jobs that they risked leaving to pursue their dreams just like me. They had fears and made mistakes and questioned themselves just like me. But they pushed on and worked hard and eventually made it through to the other side. Just like I am going to do.

So, 2012, I have a lot in store for you. A lot of goals. Some of them might sound crazy and unachievable, but if you shoot for the moon and miss at least you end up in the stars. In the next year I hope to accomplish some amazing things, such as:

• Get Truly Noted set up as an LLC
• Trademark the Truly Noted name
• Sign at least two wholesale accounts in Vermont to carry my invitations
• Forge a relationship with area venues to carry my event stationery line
• Attend at least one seminar or conference geared towards stationery or wedding professionals
• Get to the point where I can pay myself a regular paycheck each month
• Expand the Truly Noted product line
• Teach DIY Invitation classes in my area
• Be able to afford to send Eli to daycare two days a week (I really need this!)
• Blog at least twice a week
• Tweet at least once a day
• Update Facebook at least once a day
• Hit 500 sales in my Etsy store

So there you have it. My goals for the new year. There are a few other, personal goals I have as well just to spice it up. I used to think, when I first started out on this business owning journey, that my goal was just to be able to afford staying home with my kids. If I could make just enough to pay the bills and stay home that would be enough. I didn't want to push it, to try and have my cake and eat it too. But now I realize that I am capable of doing so much more than that and I shouldn't try to limit my expectations of myself. I am looking to the new year like the sunrise in the picture at the top of this post. Beautiful, breathtaking and amazingly large.

Merry Christmas

A very special project I have been working on for the last several weeks has reminded me just how precious family is. How, as we grow up, it is easy to forget the simple joys of togetherness and unconditional love from our youth. Whether your family is parents and siblings, or friends and neighbors, I urge you to recognize the blessing they are to your life and take a moment to cherish them.

All too quickly this too will pass and the future will be upon us. Don't let the simple beauty of this moment slip by unnoticed.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday that is unforgettable.

Real Weddings | Kim & Shane

 Earlier this year I had the pleasure of working on invitations for a lakeside wedding featuring our rowboat illustration. One of my favorite and beautifully simplistic designs. The bride, Kim Grassie, works at Etsy so it came as no surprise when the most recent Etsy Weddings e-newsletter arrived in my inbox and her wedding was featured!

I get so much joy out of seeing pictures from clients weddings. Being the invitation designer my work is usually done and over with weeks before the wedding even takes place, so I rarely get a glimpse into them. Kim and Shane's lakeside ceremony and reception in Wisconsin is absolutely idyllic! And I love that Kim worked with so many Etsy artists to make her wedding special.

Check out more about Kim and Shane's wedding on the Etsy blog.

Savvy Couples Wedding Solutions

I am so excited to announce my participation in the Savvy Couples Wedding Solutions seminar series! This seminar series was put together by Jackie Watson at VT Enchanted Events and Nick de Tarnowsky of Blue Sky Weddings & Events to help couples plan their perfect dream day! They understood that not all couples can afford to hire a wedding planner but still could use some tips and tricks on how to navigate all of the different aspects of planning such a huge (and momentous!) occasion.

When they asked me to be a guest speaker to talk about invitations I leaped at the chance! I have been wanting to offer seminars on invitations, especially DIY, for a while now but just didn't have the venue for it. There will be a series of four seminars and I plan on bringing lots of resources and inspiration to help you on your way to making your wedding stationery dreams come true.

If you are planning a wedding and can make it to the Hilton Hotel in Burlington on January 22, from 1-3 pm, please join us for an amazing afternoon! There will be a drawing for a romance package for two and a sampling of some local Vermont wine,  not to mention tons of info and a chance to ask us all your burning questions!

You can register for the event on VT Enchanted Events website, here. Can't wait to see you there!

Golden Autumn Leaves Invitation Design

 

One of the best things I ever did was to join an online group consisting entirely of stationery business owners. Working from home by myself can be very isolating at times {E doesn't have any appreciation for fine papers except to try and eat them} and the inspiration and support I receive from the wonderful community on Let's Talk Stationery is priceless.

In fact I think that whatever your passion or profession is it is a good idea to see if there is an online forum dedicated to that particular activity. It is amazing to me what kind of forums there are out there on the world wide web- my husband belongs to one that is specifically for owners of his particular make and model of car. Yes, he is a geek- probably why we are perfect for each other :-)

Anyway, I digress - recently a fellow member of LTS suggested a monthly design challenge where we are given certain perameters to design around and at the end of the month everyone posts photos of their creations. I love that kind of thing so I was super excited to complete our first challenge- like three weeks ago. I am a little bit of an overachiever if you haven't guessed that yet.

 

This months design challenge was to use leaves and the color gold. Fall being in full swing for the month of October there was tons of inspiration all around me. I happened to have some beautiful bronze metallic cardstock from Envelopments laying around and I decided to give it an organic feel with a kraft paper envelope. Some super shiny vellum became an envelope liner and a simple illustration of delicately layered fall leaves completed my vision.

I am pretty excited with how it all turned out and can't wait for next months challenge! Oh, and in case you are wondering, this design will definitely be making it's way into my Signature collection soon.

Wedding Video Love | Lola Video & Film

Film by Lola Video & Film found via Style Me Pretty

I am just swooning over this gorgeous wedding video I saw on Style Me Pretty today. Shot in Super 8mm, it has a vintage, grainy texture that I find so alluring. It is a perfect format for the location and ambiance of the wedding. Speaking of which, you should really check out all of the lovely pictures on SMP.

I love the song playing too, but can't figure out who it is, so if you know please tell!

First Birthday | Teddy Bear Picnic

 

The Teddy Bear Picnic invitation is now part of my Signature line!

Well this post has been a little delayed in the making- funny how life has a way of speeding up just as things are getting good! We celebrated Eli's first birthday back in September and I wanted to share these pics of all the goodies I put together.

During his first year I tried my darndest to have a mini photoshoot every month, including these adorable shots of E with his giant teddy bear. I love the idea of watching him change in size with the ever constant bear in the background. Of course the older he got the less he wanted to sit still for the shots, but I managed to get 10 out of 12 months!

The cupcake toppers- we had chocolate devils food and apple spice cupcakes- yum!

 
I knew I wanted to incorporate the photos into his party and thus the idea of a Teddy Bear Picnic themed party was born. I lucked out and it was a beautiful, sunny and warm weekend - perfect for having a picnic in the backyard. I gathered up all of the quilts and blankets I could find and made sure to instruct guests to bring their teddy bears to the party.

 

Yummy Ham, Cheddar and Apple sandwiches and my favorite pic of Eli from the day.

With a limited budget I found the picnic idea to be perfect for easy to make and easy on the wallet food choices. I whipped up a couple of tasty sandwich options on mini rolls and made a homemade pasta salad the night before. Paired with some bags of goldfish crackers (E's favorite), apples and cupcakes for dessert it made a perfect casual lunch.

 

For the kiddies I just put out juice boxes which were easy for them to carry around outside. But for the adults I mixed up some Papa and Mama Bear Juice, being careful to label it such so no one was confused which juice was for whom. For favors I took a pinwheel and attached it to a bottle of bubbles which I labeled with custom stickers that went along with the theme.

 

I made this banner following this tutorial from the Moda Bake Shop

A few years ago I made a homemade Happy Birthday banner for my nephew and its blue, white and red color scheme went perfectly with E's party too! I got some red gingham fabric at Walmart and put it over a plain white tablecloth for the buffet table. And of course, as I mentioned in a previous post, I had my super awesome cupcake stand from All Custom Gifts on Etsy.

 

Gah! Can you believe how cute those plaid pants are!?

And of course I had to create a little wall display for the teddy bear pics chronicling E's growth over the year. It was a wonderful day and even though E looked at us like we were crazy when we sang him Happy Birthday I think he had a pretty good time, too.

Check out E's party recap on Catch My Party too!

Vermont Bride Gala

 

 Gorgeous shot of the entrance to the barn.

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of participating in the Vermont Bride Gala at Boyden Valley Winery. It was a gorgeous blue skied afternoon and the foliage was just starting to hit peak colors.

I had never been inside the barn at Boyden Valley before {although I am very familiar with their wine!} and it was gorgeous! I only wish that it had been available for events when Matt and I were married- which was five years ago today!

So it is fitting for me to share these wonderful photos of this fabulous event that took place in a barn, on the anniversary of my own fabulous event that took place in a barn.

 

 Bold and hip sitting area arranged by Vermont Tent Company

It was a smaller bridal show, but the wow factor was not at all diminished. All of the vendors that were there brought it in spades. Gorgeous colors and textures. Delicious smells and mood pumping music. The theme of the day was Alice in Wonderland and everyone did an amazing job of making that them resonate throughout the day.

Here is a pic I took of my table, right inside the door as the guest's arrived and across from the wonderful Fiori Bridal. My position couldn't have been better and I met many charming couples and their families. Of course every baby that walked by me I had to google at and I probably mentioned 'I have a one year old at home...' a dozen times. That's motherhood for ya!

 

The deep red and purple color scheme on this table done by Vermont Tent Company was very striking.

This tablescape was done by Vermont Tents and Events and also featured Gold Vellum Menus and White Rabbit Placecards from Truly Noted. I love the teacup flower arrangements and I am stealing the idea for my niece's 1st birthday party {which will also be Alice in Wonderland themed}.

 

Close-up of the Gold Vellum Menus and White Rabbit Placecards.

 

Loved this display of tasty cakes by BakeAria

Overall it was a spectacular event and a beautiful Fall day. Can't wait to participate in next year's Gala!

Real Weddings | Amanda & Reid

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending my friends Amanda and Reid's wedding in Cornelius, North Carolina. It also was my first weekend away without a tiny toddler in tow. Bliss is pretty much the perfect word to describe both events.

Reid and Amanda moved up to Burlington, Vermont a few years ago but shortly after becoming engaged, they decided to head back to their home state of North Carolina. We were sad to see them go but excited for the excuse to travel down south for their nuptials. While there for our whirlwind weekend we were more than happy to take advantage of the (much) warmer weather and the amazing authentic Mexican food that Reid and Amanda were constantly pining for in the Green Mountain State.

Their wedding was beautiful and many of the details were DIY'd by the bride and groom and their friends and families. The ceremony itself took place in Jettison Park in a peaceful clearing of trees called The Formal Garden. I loved the chalkboard signs that were handwritten directing guests on their way. They played a theme throughout the wedding day. I especially liked the idea of the chalkboard sign detailing the wedding party, propped against a wooden chair with a bouquet of flowers casually laying on it's seat.

A delicate arbor was constructed from branches, potted flowers and a lovely crocheted lace throw. It's ivory color against the woodsy backdrop gave the setting a vintage, old-world feel. We all gathered in friendly clusters around the arbor, something I had never encountered at a wedding before, which gave it a homey, informal feel. Everything from the color of the bridesmaid's dresses to the soft guitar accompaniment created an earthy, bohemian feel to the event.

That earthy, bohemain feel carried over to the reception, which took place at the home of the Groom's parents. Right on the shore of Lake Norman, the setting could not have been any prettier. We arrived right at sunset, just in time for me to snap some shots of the view and table settings. Each table had a cluster of glass jars containing flowers that the Bride and her Aunt purchased at the flower market in Charlotte the day before. Heirloom crocheted throws warmed up the standard white linen tablecloths and echoed the feel of the arbor from the ceremony.

 

When Amanda asked me to design her wedding invitations she had a clear vision of what she wanted. She knew that the reception would have charming cafe lights strung under the tent and so she wanted to play up that element in the design. I loved the warm glow that the cafe lights lent to the reception- it is definitely becoming a popular choice for adding charm and an old-world feel.

The reception was labeled 'heavy hors d'oeuvres and lawn party' so there were lots of tasty treats for guest's to help themselves to, in addition to some passed goodies. The chalkboard signs came in to play with the different tables set-up for self service. I loved the row of drink dispensers, each with it's own sign telling you what it contained. Of course there was the southern favorites of 'Sweet Tea' and 'Lemonade'. The cupcakes were almost too lovely to eat. I said 'almost' :-)

Overall the wedding was simple and elegant, charming and casual, filled with warmth and sentiment. The perfect beginning for Reid and Amanda's new life together.

An Apple Orchard Afternoon

One of my greatest pleasures in being a wedding stationer is helping my friends and family realize their vision for a perfect wedding. So when my younger sister became engaged earlier this year I couldn't wait to get started on all of her wedding stationery (and any other wedding details she was kind enough to seek my advice on)!

 

This past weekend while she and her fiancé (and my adorable niece Lucy) were visiting for Eli's birthday party, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take their engagement photos. I consider myself an amateur photographer, even though many have encouraged me to pursue it as a source of income. There are so many wonderful professional photogs out there that I can't imagine throwing myself in with them, but it is nice to be able to take some decent photos without having to spend a lot of money.

My sister used to dream of having her wedding in an apple orchard, but in the end they decided on an ocean side affair with a lobster theme (can't wait to share all of the details as they unfold!). But I thought that the apple orchard idea could still work for their engagement photos, so off we went in search of one. Of course all you have to do is spit in Vermont and you will hit an apple orchard so we didn't have to go far. The first place we went to check out was a family run orchard that my husband and I had gone to many years ago in our early years of dating. The couple that own the orchard had long given up offering their apples to the public, but they were more than willing to allow us to take some photos amongst their overgrown trees.

 

I made 'Mr,' and 'Future Mrs.' signs for them to hold for some of the shots and the sun was gorgeous through the leaves. Many of the trees were practically falling over with all of their fruit and despite Lucy's protesting we managed to get some nice shots.

 

After I was done taking their photos my sister was kind enough to take some shots of us, too :-)

From Birth to Boy

One year ago today I lay in a hospital room, exhausted, sore and so in love. It was the worst and best day of my life all wrapped into one and I would go through it all again to have Eli in the end.

My life has changed in so many ways in the last year I could never express it all in words. There have been a lot of tears and a lot of hard decisions but there was also a lot of laughter and heart-swelling happiness. Even though my heart is heavy at times with worry about the future I do not regret the sacrifices I made to to spend this precious time with him. It was so worth it.

When I look at the photo above I can hardly believe that it has only been a year, and yet it seemed to go by so fast at the same time. Everyone tells me that the years will start to fly by and I have to admit that I hold onto the childish wish that they are wrong and I will be able to savor every moment.

Pin Of The Week

Crayon Art As-Seen-On Whatever

Have you heard of Pinterest yet? It is the latest internet bookmarking craze going on right now. I seriously can't get enough of it and I have been seeing some other blogs doing a weekly cap of their favorite pins and never one to pass up a fad I decided I need to jump on this bandwagon before it passes me by.

So enter the new Truly Noted Pin Of The Week series. I dont think I "pin" enough to do a whole round-up of items, but one super awesome thing I pinned sounds just right for me (don't want to go overboard- and it is so easy to do). This week I decided on this super colorful and bright crayon artwork idea which I totally love and hope to recreate at some point in the future (maybe when E is old enough to appreciate it and join in on the fun).

That is what is so great about Pinterest- you can catalog all of the cool inspirations and how-to's you run across on the internetz and hang on to them in one place- categorized however you like even. And other people can see your pins and if they like them they can re-pin them to their own boards and thus the virus is formed. I have to say it is a little ego-boost when I get those little emails saying so-and-so has re-pinned my pin. It reaffirms that maybe I really do have good taste!

Not on Pinterest yet? Send me a note for an invite to join!

Etsy Crush | Letters 4 Lilly

Button Bouquet by Letters 4 Lilly

I am totally loving this new trend of bouquets made up of something other than flowers. I fell in love with the felt flower craze and now I am seeing gorgeous creations made out of broaches and buttons.

What a wonderful momento to be able to keep from your wedding (and a lot less messy than dried flowers). There are tons of beautiful and unique options on Etsy, but this one made out of buttons from Letters 4 Lilly really caught my eye.

Etsy Crush | All Custom Gifts

Eli's first birthday is only two weeks away! Gah! In between crying my eyes out and being in shock I have been planning his party. I am a believer that kid's birthday parties should be simple and low key, especially the first (I mean he isn't even going to remember it!), but at the same time I love to throw parties.

I love an excuse to be creative with decorations and create cute little favors, color coordinate place settings, put together a kick-ass playlist, and cook up some yummy food for my friends and family. So far I think I have managed to keep things more on the sweet and simple side. The theme is Teddy Bear Picnic and I plan to put together some simple picnic-y food, throw some blankets on the ground and give out simple homemade chocolate chip cookies as favors (with adorable coordinating stickers of course).

One of the things I had my heart set on was cupcakes. I love cupcakes and I desperately wanted an excuse to create cupcake toppers with the cute teddy bear from E's invites (more on those later). So I decided it was the perfect time to finally buy a cupcake tower. I have wanted one of these for as long as cupcakes have been 'in'. But I had a hard time finding just the right one. I wanted it to be reusable, tasteful and more on the plain side so that I could use it for lots of different themes (I love for my parties to have themes).

Flower Cupcake Stand by All Custom Gifts

Enter the amazing Flower Cupcake Stand from All Custom Gifts on Etsy. As soon as I saw it I knew it was the cupcake stand for me. I was totally blown away when I read that they are made from PVC material. How could something from the hardware store look so cute an chic?? I love that it's clean white, geometric design will easily go from a child's birthday party to a stylish bridal shower and back again.

Now all I need to do is buy some picnic baskets, print the cupcake toppers, bake some cookies, wash all my blankets, assemble mini sandwiches............

Grace Not Perfection

Grace Not Perfection by Emily Ley

Wearing a lot of hats can be overwhelming and lately I feel as though I am wearing some pretty heavy hats and not necessarily doing an awesome job in any of them. Trying to be the best mommy possible to E, work on building my business to the point I can pay myself what I was making before at my 'real' job, being a caring and loving wife to my hubby - these are just a few of the 'hats' I feel like I wear on a daily basis.

I have always been a perfectionist (my friends and family lovingly refer to me as 'Martha Stewart') and I also have a knack for playing down my accomplishments and success. Despite my wonderfully supportive husband's best efforts I always have an 'I could've done it better' attitude. I suppose that this is good to some extent as it drives me to ever improve myself, but it can also make me feel stressed out more often then is probably healthy.

But I can not go on this way. Although it might push me forward, constantly beating myself up for not being 'perfect' takes all of the sweetness out of the things I have accomplished. And I have to remember that it is ok to be proud of what I have done. And if I don't get everything done in the day that I wanted to, or a customer doesn't like the design I made for her, or business slows down and I hit a lull - it's going to be all right.

Another invitation designer that I find a lot of inspiration from recently posted about this very subject on her blog. She challenged herself to a standard of grace instead of perfection. To me this means do the best you can and be content that you put your best effort forward, even though it might not be perfect. Because no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes and hits road blocks, but you can't let that get in the way of your passion and fire to move forward and try, try again.

Download the 'Grace Not Perfection' image here.