Swanky Paper {blog}

I have a New Blog!

2011-07-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, a new blog... not just a new blog post, although I am sure you were waiting with baited breath for a new post. No, not so much with this blog, but rather an additional blog. If you are interested in some fun reads I have started

Cheeky Woman

It is a blog for the more personal side of me. I may share a bit or two about the kiddos, possibly the hubby, some pretty things, maybe a few tid-bits on my biz, but really this is a blog where you will find a more transparent side of me.

I have already posted a few things so please come and check it out. But also please know that it is new, and I am still working on design & layout.

Enjoy! and Welcome.

Orange loves Pink

2011-06-14T02:11:00.000-07:00

I am a HUGE fan of the pink & orange color combination. It's bright, it's sassy, and it's fun to look at! Imagine my delight when I saw Pizzazzerie's Flip Flop Summer Party featuring pink & orange.

Vibrant, isn't it?

I think I was most impressed with the use of an orange bell pepper. Brilliant! The host served chicken salad in these bright orange bell peppers.

And, of course, orange sherbet was served. Would you serve anything else at this party?

I love that a sprig of mint garnished the dish.

To see more details of this summer party (and other fabulous party ideas) head on over to Pizzazzerie.

Now I am off to plan my own summer party!

Cheers!

{all images courtesy of Pizzazzerie}

Cooking Bridal Shower

2011-06-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

A cooking bridal shower is a perfect theme for the bride who loves to cook. 

My niece who recently married her love just a few months ago, had two bridal showers. This one was a cooking theme. I wanted to keep it classy, so I played off one of my previous chandelier designs, changed the colors and included a recipe card with some kitchen themed illustrations from etsy. What do you think?

I have already added this design on pingg.

I have been slow to update the invitations page on the Swanky Paper site. In the meantime, if you want this invitation printed, please contact me.

Life is about Plan B

2011-04-28T05:05:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that it has been over a month since my last post. At this point I would usually ask myself, "Where has the time gone?" However, I know the answer.

Life has put our family on a new path and it is exciting! A month ago, the handsome hubs was laid off from work. He was employed in the home building industry ... knowing this it's not such a shocker now, is it? His former company has been handing out lay-off notices for five years now (several times a year). I think we knew this day would come. I was not surprised when he told me the news, in fact, I think I uttered, "OK, let's move on to Plan B."

Plan B started several years ago when hubs decided to get his Contractor's License. Since that time he has been getting referrals for re-modeling work. Picking up side work here and there over the past few years gave him an advantage when the lay-offs came.

This past month has been rather busy for both the hubs and myself. He been busy making connections and has been fortunate to get some great work contracts, with several more lined up. Contracting can be somewhat uncertain however, I am not in the least concerned. If any of you know my husband, you know that his version of relaxing is another person's working hard. He doesn't stop, really, he doesn't. Allow me to illustrate: He had 2 days off between contracts and decided we needed to paint the house ... maybe it's the diet Mt. Dew.

I have been busy working on getting a Corporation set up for him (thank you Legal Zoom!), as well as figuring out what we are going to do about health insurance - with our luck (and our history with broken bones) we NEED good insurance.

Along the way, I also got a bit creative and designed his business cards:

(front)

(back)

I have not intentionally ignored this blog, but as you can see, it's been an exciting month so far ... and a little over-whelming too. We are looking forward to see what Plan B has in store for us.

So, if you're in OC and need a good contractor, I gotta a guy...

I'm in love

2011-03-24T04:34:00.000-07:00

We have a wedding this weekend and I am finishing up the last of the ties for the little boys and the groomsmen.

While I was finishing up the bow ties my (ancient) sewing machine stopped working. YIKES!!

A quick phone call to my MIL saved the day!

She offered to lend me her Bernina. (Insert Heavenly Angels singing here) It's like the Cadillac of sewing machines.

Immediately, I informed her that this was not such a good idea for her, because quite possibly she would not get it back.

I am in love.

Isn't she lovely? She sews like a hot knife slicing butter. Smooooooooooooooth

I have had a slice of perfection and now I am now saving all my pennies so that I can have my very own.

Donations are accepted.

This To Shall Pass

2011-03-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

That is my new mantra.

This week began with a bit of excitement.

Our week started off with little Miss sustaining an injury, on the bed no less. The result is a newly fashioned bright pink accessory.

I am beginning to think that our family will be known as the family who has the Orthopedist on speed dial.

My son has started his own collection. I suppose to him they are trophy's. He will not let me get rid of them. So, here they sit in his room.

Personally, I hope this is all he will have in his collection.

Happy St.Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T04:12:00.000-07:00

There HAS to be a 4-Leaf clover in there somewhere!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Now, go have some corned-beef & cabbage!

Gratitude

2011-03-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Often times I get so caught up in what I am doing, what the kids are involved in, the latest project my hubby wants to do, and all the little meaningless things that come up, that I rarely stop to rest.

In rest, I can truly reflect on the beauty that surrounds me; the laughter of my boy, the sweetness of my daughter's curls, or the bright green leaves announcing spring.

Today I am grateful.

Grateful for my family, grateful for my health, grateful for love, grateful for my faith, & grateful for my forever friends.

Be Grateful.

Image from here

Vintage Giorgio Armani Re-fashion

2011-03-14T04:04:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to go to an Estate Sale a few months back. This sale was probably the best one I have ever been to; vintage dishes, handbags, and tons of clothes. The owner of everything had expensive taste AND it was a huge plus for me because most of the clothes were around my size.

Fast forward to just a few weeks back... While I was purging my house I found my stash of clothes that I picked up ... I use the term "found" loosely ... you see they were in a bag on the floor of my closet. (I have not quite made it clean my closet just yet...)

I went through the bag and tried on (again) a few of the items I picked up. One was a fabulously Fall, plaid skirt. I nabbed it because of the style. It buttoned in the front & tied in the back... but not like you would think. Take a look:

Cute, no?

Every once and a while I would put it on to wear, and then take it off. I wasn't in love with the look of it.

I think the problem with it (for me) is that this is a high waisted skirt. There is no getting around this, while still preserving the button front & tied back. Honestly, that is my favorite feature and I didn't want to touch that.

So ... I cut it in half. Well, almost. I cut several inches off the bottom and hemmed it.

It's perfect! Pair this *new* skirt with a fitted brown tee some fun T-Strap heels and I am ready to go!

An Angel Among Us: Lessons from Kim

2011-03-09T00:42:00.000-08:00

I hadn't planned to blog much this week. But my heart hurts and I can't stop thinking about my dear friend and her family. Sometimes it feels better to write it out so here goes...

Kimberly lived her life with purpose. She was a devoted Wife, Mother, Sister, Daughter, Aunt, & Friend.

She was my friend.

To know Kim was to love her. You would love her if for no other reason, simply because she loved you. She had the ability to make everyone think she was your best friend. Sincerely.

I want to honor Kim by sharing some of the lessons she taught me.

Get a sitter and do out with your hubby - even if you just get in the car and drive to get a cold refreshing beverage.

When Robert and I were newly married, before we had any kids, Kim and her husband, Robby, would call, tell us they got a baby-sitter, and invite us to go out for a drive. I didn't get it until after we had kids. Lesson: Who cares what or where date night is; you are with your love and away from the kids.

Be your kids Mom. Sounds like a no-brainer right? Kim was supermom. Her life was her kids. She had 5 of them and loved every one of them to her core. She sacrificed so much for them, but to her it was never a sacrifice. She taught them how to be kind, loving, courageous, giving, and to love Christ.

Boys will be boys. Kim's oldest 3 are boys. Her boys think she is the coolest mom - EVER. Not only has she supported and encouraged these boys with everything from sports to general playtime, but she gave her boys such freedom to explore the world and get dirty, messy, and everything in between. The more dirty, the better!

Faith and a love of Christ. She taught her children to have faith in God and instilled a love of Christ in them.

The last time I saw Kim was about 2 weeks ago. We chatted in the hall at church. One of her boys was in tears and I asked her what was wrong. Kim informed me that he was sad because they were leaving to drive back home, and that was sad because he wanted to stay to go to Primary. It melted my heart that this 10 year old boy was sad to leave church.

Give. Give of yourself, give of your time, and give of your talents. Kim was a giver and a doer. She was the first to lend a helping hand wherever needed. It didn't surprise me that he final act on Earth was to serve others. Even in death she gave of herself. As an organ donor, Kim gave the gift of life to 4 people in need.

Speak with Love. I never once heard Kim utter a negative remark towards anyone.

The world lost a beautiful soul, but her memory of love and kindness will live on.

If you feel so inclined, the family has set up a memorial fund to assist the 5 children that Kim left behind.

Beach Theme Wedding

2011-03-02T04:11:00.000-08:00

I am currently working on an order for an up coming bridal shower using my classy Starfish invitation.

It got me thinking about having a beach wedding. And since I have A.D.D. design tendencies, I can't help but turn to the web to see what others have done.

If I were to plan a beach theme wedding or bridal shower I just might do something like this:

I love the idea of giving away sand in a bottle. My hubs and I met on Balboa Island. If we had chosen a beach theme for our wedding, how cool would that be to give sand from the island in mini bottles?

p.s. the starfish invitation is also available at pingg.

table setting image via October Hill
cake via envy cake
pom pom table via Martha
hampton's sand, centerpiece & groomsmen
via Amorology & Amelia Lyon

Spring Garden

2011-03-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

I am currently dreaming of having a garden full of ranunculus flowers. I love the fullness of the petals and all the bright colors.

Once in full bloom (or almost full) I will pick them out of the garden and bring them inside.

Then, I would put them in a gorgeous arrangement

It is March.

The perfect time to start planting these gorgeous flowers.

A soon as the nights stop dropping to freezing levels I will plant my flower garden!

image 1 via GardenSnob
image 2 via SweetStylings
image 3 - I don't remember. I think I've had this image saved on my computer for a while now

From the Desk Friday: All Pink Bridal Shower

2011-02-25T03:19:00.000-08:00

My niece is getting married and we're throwing her a bridal shower! My sister in law is the brains behind her upcoming shower. She oozes with creativity! With all of her fantastic ideas and great style it's going to be fun!

We settled on this all pink design for the invitation. It goes nicely with the all pink shower we have planned.

I am re-doing the invitation section on my website at the moment. In the meantime, if you are interested in using this design for an invitation please contact me.

I have already made this new design available on pingg. Check it out!

Mardi Gras: The Floats

2011-02-23T04:08:00.000-08:00

I love watching the Rose Parade on New Year's Day. I love seeing all the amazing floats that were made using nothing but flowers, leaves, grains & seeds. Truly that's talent. One year I even dragged my husband and (at the time) our two little ones on over to Pasadena to check out the floats up close. They were quite spectacular. Seeing all the work that went into the details was fascinating to me.

But since this post is about Mardi Gras and NOT the Rose Parade...

Did you know that Mardi Gras not only has a parade but also floats?!! In doing some searching around the interwebz I realized that Mardi Gras is pretty much a BIG deal in the south. In my little world over here in SoCal, I had no idea how many cities in the South actually put on festive street parades and parties.

um. this is kind of scary

tribute to Marilyn Monroe

love the glitter over the eyebrows

quite the colorful fish

Poseidon

is that chicken little?

maybe another poseidon?

OK, so these are not as cool as the Rose Parade floats, but still very cool. Personally, I think this just may be the coolest one...

Yes, those are legos!

Give me a jar of mod podge, a bit of paint, maybe a few legos and I'm sure my *almost* talented hands could make a float, ... right?!

Mardi Gras Party: Part 2

2011-02-23T03:35:00.000-08:00

Once again I am posting about Mardi Gras, only this time it's all about the food!

As part of the celebration of Mardi Gras, it is traditional to bake an oval cake in honor of the three kings. Aptly named the King Cake. The shape of a King Cake symbolizes the unity of faiths. Each cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple which represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power. A small baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is baked into each cake.

image via Inspire by Design

While custom holds that the person who finds the baby in their slice will be rewarded with good luck, that person is also traditionally responsible for bringing the King Cake to the next party or gathering.

Moving on to other delicious-ness, you can't really have a Mardi Gras fete without the Cajun food. Personally, I am not fond of spicy food, but I am a HUGE fan of the not-so-spicy Jambalaya - and all the calories that come with it!!

I came across a "Low" Fat-Tuesday Jambalaya recipe that I have saved to make my family for dinner on Mardi Gras! Doesn't this look yummy? Consider yourself invited!

And shall we move on to the best part? The sweets!

If you have never tried a Beignet, you really should. The Beignets are famous and practically a staple at a Mardi Gras fete. Just look at the yummy-ness. A pillow of fluffy goodness all covered with powder sugar ... is your mouth watering yet?

And if the beignets are not enough, what about these festive mask sugar cookies from Crave Indulge Satisfy. They are almost to pretty to eat!

Or instead of making your own cookies - you can buy these from Etsy!

Get on it already and plan your Mardi Gras party!

Mardi Gras Party: Part 1

2011-02-22T03:57:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras is just around the corner so I thought it was fitting to do a post on this party of all parties.

Is Mardi Gras just another excuse to throw party? OK, so maybe it is. But the history of Mardi Gras has some religious ties...

According to Wikipedia:

The terms "Mardi Gras" "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday.

So in a nutshell, Mardi Gras is an all out binge-fest before you give it all up! In that case ... Let the binge begin!

This year, Mardi Gras is on March 8th. Here are a few tips from around the web to help you plan your Mardi Gras event:

You can't very well throw a party without inviting all your friends. To save a few bucks on printing, check out pingg for some fantastic invitations.

via pingg

Mardi Gras isn't much fun without a super cool feathery mask! Since I am a DIY-er, I found a pretty easy tutorial from The Flirty Blog on how to make mask.

She took this butterfly mask ...

adorned it with feathers and ended up with this

super cute, right?

If you are not a DIY-er and simply want to buy a mask, Etsy is your place for envy-worthy masks. You would certainly be the hit of the party with a mask like this

or maybe some else from of the shop of La Plume de Ville.

And, if you need a last minute mask ... how about printing one? I found this fancy printable mask

Stay tuned for Mardi Gras: Part 2 ~ all about the food!

From Date Night to Urgent Care

2011-02-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

Instead of date night last Friday night, I got to spend the evening in Urgent Care!

My little Prince slipped on the wet bathroom floor during bath-time (maybe that travertine wasn't such a great idea). I still have no idea what my little guy cut his head on...

He was admiring his new eyebrow when I proceeded to snap a few pictures.

Somewhat reminiscent of another little guy I made for pingg.com ...

When it Rains it Pours

2011-02-15T00:21:00.001-08:00

Last week a tornado us!

3 kids.

4 different ailments.

***********

Little Miss had a double ear infection.

She is now resting comfortably. hooray for modern medicine!

***********

Mr. Handsome came home from school last week with a fever. It had me a little on edge because this high fever was not going down. Thankfully, before I was about to head on over to the ER at 4AM, his fever finally broke!

***********

Little Prince had a nasty cough.

Thank you albuterol.

Then, Prince slipped in the bathroom and sliced his eyebrow.

Thank you Dr. Z in urgent care for stitching him up.

My little guy's only complaint was that the stitches were not pink!

He WAS resting comfortably until an ear infection plauged him today.

DRAT!!

Sometimes ....

2011-02-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

... finding a beautiful bouquet of roses on the front porch is just the thing to brighten my day!

Re-fashioned Dress

2011-02-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

In my recent purging efforts I have accumulated a few projects that were either never finished or never started.

This dress is one of those projects:

While doing a little treasure hunting at a local thrift store, I came upon a dress that caught my eye.

It didn't just catch my eye, I was totally drawn to it.

I absolutely loved the colors of the fabric. And I loved that the dress style was Asian inspired. I HAD to have it!

So I bought it knowing it was a bit large ... see?

(I would like to thank my 3 y.o. for taking this picture)

I dusted off the ol'sewing machine, ripped a few seams, made a few snips, and stitched it all back together to make it fit perfectly. All the while channeling the talents of my friend Carrie.

The end result has become my new favorite dress. And it only cost me $4.00.

Super Bowl 2011

2011-01-31T04:12:00.000-08:00

In less than a week the Pittsburgh Steelers are taking on the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 2011!

But let's be real shall we? It's really all about the commercials and the food!

Invite a few friends or family:

Have them bring a dish to share:

Sit back and relax. Watch some game plays, a few commercials, and eat a little - or a lot.

while you are planning your Super Bowl party, check out pingg's blog post on how to make your football party the envy of the neighbors!

A couple of my favorite treats include:
deviled eggs
mini tacos
guacamole
and something to satisfy my sweet tooth

Spring Cleaning: Out With The Old ...

2011-01-26T00:50:00.000-08:00

... and in with a clean house!
I threw out a lot of random toy pieces and toys with missing parts. I was on a mission to

git 'er done

and really didn't want to spend the time looking around the matching parts.

sorry for the blurry picture ... my camera on my phone is unpredictable and it looked OK on my phone.

I am happy to say that starting off this year with organized spaces feels good. It's been a lot of work, but so very worth it! Now if I can just get my boys to keep their clean room - clean!!!

I have 1 more space to get organized ... my closet! Not sure I am ready to tackle that one yet.

Anyone else gotten the urge to clean, purge & organize?

Spring Cleaning: Little Miss gets organized

2011-01-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

I really fell like I just organized lil' Miss's room ... it didn't need much, just a little attention to a few items. I only made a few small changes which, to me, left a big impact on her room.

1. I sorted through the baby toys (she's 16 months, does she really need a rattle, still?).
2. Moved out the rocking chair & replaced it with a more comfortable ~~napping~~ reading chair.
3. Moved her changing table/dresser into the closet (it's pretty deep - I could put a twin bed in there).
4. Picked up a storage bin for her toys (the poor man's version of a toy box).
5. Got a little basket for some books.
6. Added a small child's rocking chair, which belonged to my husband when he was a wee lad.
7. Picked up some bedding for the extra bed in her room. And may I add that I LOVE the colors on this new bedding. (Thank you TJ Maxx!)

The only project left for this room is to paint that little rocking chair. Once that is done, her room will be complete ...

Any thoughts on the color to paint the rocker? White? That blue from the walls? or even that yellow?

Spring Cleaning in January?

2011-01-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the nice weather we've had lately, or it could be the start of a new year. Either way I decided it was time to clean house! Time to simplify, get organized & rid the house of un-used toys, clothes, and furniture.

You could say that this last weekend was a busy one! It certainly helped having hubby and our two boys gone on a camping trip. While they were gone, Little Miss and I tried to keep on task. She was not as helpful as I would have liked, but she is only 16 months. Maybe I should lower my expectations! :)

First up, was the boys room. There was a HUGE need to simplify.

PURGE
PURGE
PURGE

I now have the boys' toys fitting nicely on a bookshelf. Each toy has a place. With the exception of a medium sized storage bin in the closet (filled with larger toys; trucks, outdoor balls, etc).

All their other toys were placed in the donation pile.

I have an empty wall in this room and not sure what to do, art work? wall map? maybe nothing?

do you have any ideas?

Next up... Little Miss's room.

Simple Count-down craft

2011-01-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

Monster Jam is one of those events that my boys look forward to EVERY year. We started going 4 years ago ... when my oldest was 1 1/2 yrs. They know it's coming up and I was getting asked every day - several times a day,

"How many days until Monster Trucks?"

I decided to help the boys out so they can see just how many days until they get to go.

So, I pulled out some old scrapbook paper and we made a paper chain. I found some Monster Truck stickers at Big Lots and the boys put stickers all over the paper.

Each day they tear off a link and now know just how many days until Monster Jam!

2010-12-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

I had to stop in on my little Christmas break with the family to show off this darling butterfly invitation I made for a friend. When she told me that her daughter wanted to have pink & purple butterflies on it I knew exactly what I was going to do.

Just to prove that inspiration can come from anywhere ... this time my inspiration from one of my daughter's old sleeper.

Here is the pink & purple butterfly invitation with some added turquoise for fun:

If you want your own butterfly invitation, I have already added the digital version to pingg

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to all of you & merry wishes for a Happy New Year!

Plan a New Year's Eve Party

2010-12-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Since having kids (5 yrs ago), the hubby and I don't go out nearly as much as we did pre-kids. New Year's Eve is no exception. One year, when our oldest was 1 1/2 we were invited to a neighborhood New Year's Eve Bash - Kids Edition. We celebrated and watch THE BALL drop at midnight - East Coast time. Which means we celebrated at 9 pm. It was quite fun, especially because we were with friends & neighbors - and we got to bed at a decent hour! For me that was nice because I was newly pregnant and so very tired all the time.

Last year we celebrated in style! We got all gussied up and celebrated the new year with a lot of dear friends in a hotel ballroom. We ate good food, enjoyed great company, and danced into the night!

Don't be left out this year. Plan a party, host with a friend, invite your friends & neighbors, go out on the town. Enjoy the New year!

Oh and check out my newest additions to pingg. Perfect to use for your New Year's Eve evite, right?

That reminds me ... I need to work on our plans for New Year's Eve before it's too late!

FREE Holiday Gift Tags

2010-12-08T05:40:00.000-08:00

Enjoy some free holiday gift tags!!

Tip: Click on the image to enlarge it. Print using full sheet labels (pick up at office supply store). Simply cut out and stick on your lovely wrapped gifts.

p.s. use coupon code HOLIDAY until Saturday to enjoy 25% off your order & get a 2011 desk calender with every purchase at Swanky Paper

My budding artist

2010-12-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

My little love has taken to drawing. He loves to use markers, pens, colored pencils, crayons, paints - anything that he can get his hands on.

He found my stash of 110 lb. heavy card stock that I use for invitations. For paper, this stuff is not cheap.

He drew Monster Teeth on them

Monster Teeth on ALL 54 pages - no monsters, just the teeth.

No to worry, I've got the guard dog on my paper stash. The dog knows what it looks like and will sound the alarm if one of my little loves gets into it.

Forget Cyber Monday! How about Cyber Month?

2010-11-29T11:12:00.000-08:00

Up for sale this week Personalized Stationery! Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice ... whatever your celebratory preference this sale will last all week. enjoy these savings!

Tis the season for SALES!

2010-11-25T04:40:00.000-08:00

Tis the season here at Swanky Paper. We are in full holiday mode; lighting the candles and trimming the tree! This season comes once a year, why not enjoy it as long as possible?!

While decorating & baking keeps me busy at home (I'll show you my baked goodies later), the Swanky Paper studio is bursting with stationery. With some fresh new designs quickly making their way to Swanky Paper's "Top Designs" status, along with a desk calendar with raving reviews, there is never a dull moment.

We have some incredible saving coming up. If you ever wanted some personalized stationery, or thought of giving it as a gift, now is the time. Swing by the Swanky Paper shop!

Here it is folks! Almost a whole month of savings are coming:

11/26 - 11/27 :: 50% OFF ENTIRE ORDER :: use coupon code THANKS
11/28 - 12/4 :: 25% OFF ALL PERSONALIZED NOTE CARDS + FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OVER $75 :: use coupon code HOLIDAY
12/5 - 12/11 :: FREE DESK CALENDAR WITH EVERY PURCHASE + FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OVER $75 :: no coupon code needed

12/12 - 12/18 :: 20% OFF ENTIRE ORDER + FREE DESK CALENDAR WITH EVERY PURCHASE + FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OVER $75 :: use coupon code WINTER

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brussels Sprouts Are Gross!

2010-11-17T05:39:00.000-08:00

That's what I always thought growing up.

So when I became a grown up I decided to NOT buy them or eat them. (I can be stubborn sometimes) I kept my goal of this until .... my neighbor came over with dinner the other night. I was not about to turn dinner away. She's a great cook, everything she makes is yummy. So, what was I to do? I ate one of those gross brussel sprouts. then another. and another. and another. and another... you get the point.

Now I LOVE brussels sprouts.

I went to Trader Joe's and pick up a stalk of brussels sprouts the next day. I cut & rinsed them first

Cook on the stove in a sauce pan with olive oil & butter

sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and start eating

If you are not a fan of brussels sprouts, everything tastes better with olive oil, butter & salt

Queen Bee Market {handmade heaven}

2010-11-15T05:13:00.000-08:00

Every once and a while something will come up last minute and I make it happen. Such was the case this past weekend. Friday afternoon my friend and I left our little bubble here in OC and drove down to San Diego for the Queen Bee Market. Basically it is shopping bazaar for those who LOVE all things handmade. We were on a mission to get a start on our Christmas shopping.

There were some amazing and talented crafters (is that even a word?) exhibiting. We both found sweet success. And we may or may not have purchased gifts for ourselves too. (wink wink!)

Are you getting a move on your holiday shopping? You can do some shopping of your own right at home because here are some of my favorite vendors from the Queen Bee Market

Allorah Handmade
the beautifully crafted fabric rosette necklaces were my favorite

Funky Vintage Kitchen

loved the vintage flower earrings & necklaces

The Pleated Poppy
darling shabby hair clips (for lil'miss), and fun check book covers

Emily Sparks handmade
I'm a sucker for cute knitted goods - had to get this one...

Tiny Pumpkin
affordable (and seriously cute) custom painted piggy banks - need I say more?

Cut Sew Repeat
Crayon Roll! A must for all mothers

Glam Baby
well made messenger bags - great styles & fabrics

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Help Wanted

2010-11-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

hello my dear readers and thank you for visiting

I am working on a new project - something that I began over two years ago and I am finally close to the finish line. It is series of greeting cards, specifically boxed sets with a different theme for each box.

My test product is complete!!! (insert delightful squeal here!)

Notice I said "test" product? This is where you come in.

I need some constructive criticism.

You will be compensated in kind (that's what we do when we're working on a shoestring budget around here!).

If you are concerned that your brutal honesty may hurt my feelings, don't. Besides, ALL opinions will be confidential. Your responses will be kept anonymous even from me. So yes, even you, my dear friends who I personally know, can volunteer too!

FINE PRINT:

This is how it will work.

**First, let me know you want in. Leave a comment with your email. OR email me to let me know you are interested. heather (at)swankypaper(dot)com.

**If selected, I will contact you with one or two quick questions to better know which product to send your way along with a request for a mailing address.

**I will send you the product to review, along with your compensation - a set of Swanky Paper personalized note cards of your choosing (your turn to insert delightful squeal here!)

**A few days after you receive the product I will send you a short online survey to fill out and submit as soon as you can.

EASY-PEASY, right??

Halloween Recap: Little Miss & my DIY disaster

2010-11-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

Are you a DIY kind of person?

I am, or at least I like to think I am. Sometimes my DIY projects don't turn out quite as I envisioned. This was the case for my daughter's costume. She was going to be a butterfly: white wings, hot pink tutu, hot pink onesie & white tights, and her cute hot pink boots from Target. (With all the hot pink I give you permission to roll your eyes!)

My tutu making skills need some refining - seriously. To put it bluntly, it turned out disastrous!

With a party on Friday night I had very little time to throw something together. Then I remembered that I bought a monarch butterfly that I was going to use when I decorated her room - but decided against using it. It was still in her closet.

I took her orange shirt and stitched the body of the butterfly on the back for some stability, added some elastic to the butterfly's body to make straps and voila...

She is a monarch butterfly!

Did you dress up for Halloween?? What were you?

p.s. If you have any tips on how to make a tutu, please feel free to leave a comment.

Happy Halloween: Jib Jab style

2010-10-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

From my family to yours

Have a safe & happy halloween

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

My new Fav

2010-10-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a few weeks since returning from an annual Startup Princess event called Touchpoint and I have yet to blog about any of it ...

One of the highlights on the Friday night party was meeting Mindy Gledhill, and extraordinary and talented singer & song writer - and she's pretty too! I have literally been listening to her music everyday since I bought it and it doesn't get old. Now all I need to do is spread the work so that she'll come to OC for a concert!!

Check out her website to hear more of her music & enjoy!

2011 {Lovely} Desk Calendars

2010-10-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

I have just added 2011 Desk Calendars to the Swanky Shop and these are definitely going to dress up your desk! A pretty new design for each month.

All designs featured on the 2011 calendar were taken from the best sellers and adapted to create something even better.

Even better news is that they are free. I said FREE!

Yes, I am giving these away because let's face it - everyone likes free goodies. Especially when it's pretty!

The 2011 desk calendars come in a CD case and the case also serves as the stand to sit on your desk or counter. You can even keep it by your home phone for a quick reference.

These lovely little things make great gifts!

{and p.s. I only ordered a limited supply of these ~ get yours before they are gone!}

Pretty in Pink

2010-10-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a picture is all I need to brighten my day!

Surprise!

2010-10-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago we headed north to see my parents, who live along the central coast. It's gorgeous there!
We went to celebrate my Dad's birthday - It was a surprise. Pulling off this surprise for my dad was a miracle. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother - we all managed to free up a weekend to celebrate this occasion. Working in cahoots with my mom, my sisters and I invited the guests, made all the arrangements and prepared for the festivities.

My Dad said that even after he heard everyone yell "Surprise!" he didn't know the party was for him. Only after he saw all of us there ... and the grand-kids running up to him, did he realize this party was his!

The kids were so excited to see grandpa!

Grandpa with all 12 grand kids!

The day after the party my family got together again and had a big breakfast before we all had to head back to our various homes. It was a short & quick trip - but worth it to surprise my dad!

Destination: China

2010-10-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent wedding invitation I created off of one of my stationery designs. Grace and her fiance are getting married in China. She wanted to send out invitations but also use pingg.com to follow up with. I altered the Sen Sen design and made a fold over invitation and then added a red version of Sen Sen to my pingg collection.

Congratulations Grace & Jonathan!

Free Printables : Wise Owl Bookplates

2010-10-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

Bookplates measure 3 1/2 x 4 inches. Feel free to print at any time. These bookplates are not going away. I prefer to print out on stickers. Avery brand makes this exact size and can be found at most office supply stores. In addition, sometimes you can find the office supply store brand carrying this size in stores. Or you can print on any cardstock and simply tape or glue to the inside of your favorite book.

Enjoy!

Power of Moms

2010-09-30T02:44:00.000-07:00

I am always looking to improve my mommy skills, so when my sister in law asked me to join her for a Power of Moms retreat, ... on the beach, in the beautiful Dana Point, of course I said YES! If anything, it was an excuse to hang out with other moms at a gorgeous hotel for the weekend!

**We all met in the lobby and had a lightening round of get-to-know-you. Here I am with my new friend Amy and my sister in law Emily**

There is something really great about being in a room full of other moms who are just like me. Wanting to be better to our kids. Hoping we are raising them right. Helping them grow. As we all know, instruction manuals are not handed out in the delivery room. We just hope that God gives us the strength and knowledge to be good moms.

Believe me when I say that I took copious notes. The theme for this particular retreat was ORGANIZATION. I am somewhat organized. I have my own system of things to do, papers to be filed, tasks to complete, forms to fill out/submit, school papers .... OK, who am I kidding. I am no April Perry when it comes to organization. I am not kidding, this woman needs to write a book on how to organize. I got so much out of her session and have begun to organize and create my system based off of hers. Haven't you noticed my lack of posting as of late? Organizing takes time!

**We had table topics at our Friday night dinner as well as our lunch on Saturday. So much fun to get to know my new friends better and to learn from them.**

In addition to a brilliant session on organizing, Saren Eyre Loosli focused her session on Traditions. Establishing simple daily traditions as well as big yearly traditions are key to creating lasting family relations. Several suggestions and comments were shared. It was so great to hear how other moms are creating lasting memories and deepening their family relationships with some really simple traditions. My husband and I have started a few of our own, however, after participating in this session, and with the help of my new mom friends, I have thought of a few more simple traditions that I hope will create meaningful relationships.
My kids are young right now, and this retreat was great timing. Beginning traditions when they are young is the best time to start.

As much as I loved the topic of traditions and the organization session my absolute favorite session was all about LOVE LANGUAGES. This discussion was presented by the lovely Susan. I had heard about the 5 Love Languages before but had never really given it much thought. Oh Man! This has been the missing puzzle piece. If you have kids, or are married, or have friends - OK, so you are all included. This is a must!!

**The lovely Susan talking about the 5 Love Languages and how it has helped her family.**

Ina nutshell, there are 5 Love Languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. We all have a strong language, or maybe 2 strong languages. I speak the language of Quality Time. So does one of my sons - we understand each other. It was during this session I had an "Ah-Ha" moment. My other son is NOT a Quality Time person. We do not speak the same language. Which explains why he is always a difficult child. No, scratch that, he is not a difficult at all, he just speaks a different language than I do. I NOW know his love language and I am learning to adjust in order to understand him more. It has been 2 weeks since I attended this retreat and I have been very conscious in coming to my son in his Love Language and I can already see a huge change in both my son and myself.

Talk about an awakening! Now that I have gotten a handle on the organization part (almost!), I need to read the 5 Love Languages book. Oh, and if you are interested you can take the quick version of the QUIZ to find out your love language. Give it to your significant other, your kids, your friends ....

**Here is our group of beautiful, smart, and lovely moms**

April Perry, co-founder of the Power of Moms organization, wrote a detailed blog post HERE.

Erin, another fabulous mom from the retreat blogged about it HERE.

Wordless Wednesday: Having her cake & Eating it too

2010-09-29T02:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday lil' Miss!

for more Wordless Wednesday check out Angry Julie

Thank you my friends

2010-09-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

I attended THE party of all parties last night. It was the OC Blog Awards held at Pretend City. How I have not been there before is a wonder. That place was amazingly-super-fantastic for kids and according to my son, "it was the best place EVER!"

So about the party ...
It was a blogger-fest for Orange County. Some of the coolest OC bloggers were there, and I got to meet some of the authors of my favorite local reads & run into an old friend who I had no idea blogged. I was a little hard of hearing during the announcement of all the winners. I didn't hear Swanky Paper announced in my category so I sort of listened to the rest with one ear, while watching my son show me & tell me about all the cool stuff he found.

It was not until afterwards that I was told Swanky Paper won 1st RUNNER UP!
You guys are AWESOME and TOTALLY pulled through! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all the votes.

I will display my winner's badge with all gratitude and love that it comes with ... and maybe for bragging rights too!

The first place award went to a darling little company called Rags to Stitches.

9 years & counting

2010-09-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago I married my best friend.

He loves me & all my flaws and continues to make me laugh everyday!

Happy Anniversary Rob!

Wordless Wednesday: Popsicles

2010-09-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

That popsicle made her thirsty!

OC Blog Awards

2010-09-08T00:26:00.000-07:00

Time for the Annual OC Blog Awards and Swanky Paper is a nominee this year! How cool is that?!

First, I just want to thank the person(s) who nominated me. I was surprised to get the news I was in the running - but TOTALLY thrilled!! Seriously.

Swanky Paper is up for the Best Handmade in OC category.

Just Spotted, the local blog dedicated to all things Orange County, is throwing an awards show that is sure to rival the Oscars!

While this is the OC Blog Awards, you don't have to be an OC resident to vote - So, head on over to Just Spotted and vote for me, while I go work on my acceptance speech.

Golf & Swim Party

2010-09-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation may be over, but the heat is still on here in southern California.

I had the fun task to come up with an invitation for my nephew's 7th birthday party. The theme was golf and the kids would also be swimming ... easy enough, right?

My sister in law found a cute tutorial on making your own little golf course in the backyard from Martha Stewart. Is there anything Ms. Stewart hasn't come up with??

Pack Your Bags ~ We're going International!

2010-09-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is just about the most clever idea ... and no it wasn't exactly mine either.

I had a last minute request to put together passports for a travel themed bridal shower. The groom is a pilot so the travel theme went through the whole wedding affair.

I was given a list of 6 countries. At the shower there would be tables set up with a challenge for the guests to complete focused on each of the countries. So cute, right?

Once the challenge is completed, the guest will receive a stamp in their passport. We didn't want to leave the pages completely blank, so I included different wedding traditions from the countries represented in the Passport.

Know of any jet setter couples? Passport invitations or bridal shower themes focused on travel would be a fun choice.

I secretly wish I was invited to this shower. It sounded like it was going to be a lot of fun!

Family Vacation: The Fruits

2010-08-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

To say my oldest son (he's 5), loves berries is an understatement! He could eat berries all day.

Really, I'm not exaggerating either.

While we were in northern California we played at a park. This particular park had a little trail which led down to a creek. Along the trail were wild blackberries. My son ate, and ate, and ate.

He, so sweetly, picked a few to bring back to me - I was at the playground with my other two kids, playing with my sisters & cousins. My sweet little son, handed me a napkin with a bunch of delicious berries. I only had two, maybe three, because as I was Ooo-ing and Ahh-ing over the fact that there were wild blackberry plants, (we don't have this is southern California) my son had proceeded to eat the berries he had picked for me.

I love him!!

Two days later we went on a hike to a swimming hole. We found more blackberries!! Naturally, my sweet little boy ate all that he could here too.

Note to self: Get a blackberry bush.

Family Vacation: The Redwoods

2010-08-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

These redwoods are what make Northern California

Beautiful.

We spent a few days camping in Santa Cruz with the tall redwoods. With so much to do we kept busy with hiking, playing at the beach boardwalk, frolicking on the beach, family games at the park, campfire fun, and of course s'mores!

10 Things

2010-08-16T04:15:00.000-07:00

Today I am blogging over at 10 Things College Students Need to Know About.

The author of this blog is Shay Olivarria. I love her passion! I had the pleasure of hearing her speak, and the one thing I walked away from was the advice to determine what I want out of my business; to find my comfort zone, whether it is a home based business or a multi-national corporation.

Currently, Shay is on a cross country journey speaking at colleges and advocating financial literacy. (I wish I had some financial literacy while I was in college!!) She is amazing woman.

She asked me to share 10 things college students need to know about starting a paper goods business. So, if any of you have ever thought about it... click on over and read my 10 things.

July's Top Designer

2010-08-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to shout it from the roof tops ...

HIP HIP HOORAYYYY!!!

So you all know by now that I have some of my designs on pingg.com. Which, by the way, was totally awesome of them to invite me to participate. I still smile when I think about it.

A BIG HUGE thank you must given to all of you who used my designs on pingg. I was given the honor of being a TOP DESIGNER because of you!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! You all made my day ~ in a BIG way! You can read about the other amazing top designers on the pingg blog.

If you are still using evite as your source for online invitations, allow me to convert you to pingg ...

If the pingg vision alone doesn't entice you to at least try them out, then at least check out some of the other amazingly talented designers.

Our vision is a world where online invitations & announcements can exist in the same sentence as "cool" and "awesome" (or if you're British, "wicked awesome"). The time has come to elevate the online experience--yes people, to RAAAAAISE the bar artistically and technically-so that online and traditional postmarked invitations can live together in peace, harmony and celebration... like yin and yang... like Cheech and Chong.

As much as I LOVE the written word and sending actual letters and thank you notes through the mail - sometimes it is easier to send an e-card and yes, even an online invitation. Why not sent one with pingg.

Baby Shower Invitation {re-design}

2010-08-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

This summer Swanky Paper has had the pleasure of putting on a few Stationery Parties. (Think Home Parties and Open Houses - they're not just for Pampered Chef & purses anymore!!) . It is has been a great opportunity for me make new friends, and to meet some fellow stationery lovers!! :)

So at these Stationery Parties, I take my whole set up with me including samples of all previous designs. So at a party that a friend of mine hosted early in the summer, I brought a small photo album filled with holiday photo cards and photo baby announcements that I have made in the past. You may notice that I do not sell these on my website. I have only created these for friends and family. Anyway, I brought this particular album, and in it there is a photo baby announcement that I had made for a dear friend of mine. Upon seeing this photo announcement, one of the ladies at this home party asked if I could re-create this design into a baby shower invitation using different colors.

This is the baby announcement:

Here is the re-design of that announcement into a baby shower invitation using green & pink.

OK, so I admit, it's a simple design, but totally cute, yes??

Designer Series with Pingg

2010-07-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

As if playing this summer with the kiddos wasn't fun enough, I have been designing like crazy!!

Admittedly, most of these new invitations and announcements are brought to you by diet Dr. Pepper. I could not have done it without my beverage of choice.

I intend on sharing many of these new designs on upcoming blog posts, but in the meantime, here is a sneak peek:

These, as well as a few others, have already been added to my profile on pingg The ones on pingg are tailored to be more generic - there is only so much customization you can do with an instant e-invitation & e-card. The custom ones you'll see soon are a bit more snazzy!

So, please use them! Send an e-card or use my designs for your next e-invitation. If you do use one, let me know which one!

Robot Party

2010-07-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

The Robot Party was such a great idea, and one that the kids loved! I have seen and continue to see a lot of creative children's parties around the web and blogs, but as we were planning the Robot party one of the things I wanted was to do was to allow the children to be the creative ones, and creative they were!!

A little over 2 weeks before the party we sent out the invitations.

As soon as the boys decided on a Robot Party theme, we began to save containers to use as the "body" of the Robots. We collected everything from plastic Peanut Butter jars to empty soup cans and even old electronic boxes. This took several weeks to get enough for all the kids so beginning right away was a smart move.

What's a Robot without parts? We got our hands on some old computer parts, stripped them, and kept some of the components. We made a few purchases at the local Michael's; buttons, jewels, feathers, pom poms, googly eyes, and even silk flowers. We had quite a spread for these little creative minds.

After employing a few parents to "man" the glue guns, we were ready for building robots!

The table spread halfway through the robot making process

After Robots, we had cupcakes and sang to the boys.

I used a punch to make the cupcake toppers. A quick and easy idea for someone (i.e. me!) whose creativity falls short when it comes to cake decorating.

Homemade frosting . . . Yum!

My little 3 year old is still not sure about that "Happy Birthday" song! While my BIG 5 year old is ALL smiles & giggles!

This was a super fun & relatively inexpensive birthday party. All the kids were happy with their Robots and were visibly excited while making them!

Baptism/Christening

2010-07-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of making a few invitations for a friend of mine. She recently had a baby and is going to have him baptized. She called me and asked if there was any way that I could turn my Honees design into a Baptism invitation ...

Simply perfect!

Swanky Paper Sale

2010-07-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

It's supposed to be a Twitter-Only sale, but I simply must include you on the deal too!

From now until Sunday save 30% on EVERYTHING in the shop -

YES! EVERYTHING.

use coupon code: Tweet30

If you tweet, spread the word through Twitter.

Owl theme Baby Shower

2010-07-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

I love it when clients contact me with an idea for an invitation and allow me to design around that idea.

Erin sent me an email with a link the Brooke bedding collection at Pottery Barn Kids. She said that she wanted to use an Owl theme for an upcoming baby shower and really liked the colors used in the PBK bedding.

After coming up with a few design options for her to pick from, she selected this:

So cute & so fun!

I am definitely adding this one to the shop.

Weekend Plans

2010-07-09T00:52:00.000-07:00

We have BIG plans this weekend.

I have two boys.

One had a birthday yesterday and the other has a birthday next week.

July is a busy month for us

This year hubby and I decided to have a combined birthday party for them.

(They are still young and I figured we should do it while they don't have an opinion on the matter yet.)

They each got to invite a few friends.

I asked the boys what kind of party they wanted to have ...

A ROBOT PARTY!!!

So, what are your weekend plans?

p.s. yes, this invitation will be available in the shop soon!

Butterfly Room

2010-07-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting to posting about one of the room makeovers that I mentioned a while back.

To decorate our daughter's room we went with a butterfly theme. I found some darling butterflies for super cheap at a local design warehouse.... and I thought it would be cute!

I wanted to accent the already creamy apricot/orange room with a blue that matches this wipe container. (Yes, I matched the paint to the container that holds wipes!!)

We painted the top of the room with the light blue, turquoise color and added a chair rail (just a basic simple one) around it to separate the two colors.

Painted the most of the picture frames this same blue color, and voila!

I need to go back to that design warehouse to get a another large butterfly or two, in white.

The pink/purple corner is simply because I can't be too matchy-matchy right?

The alphabet poster was made by me however, inspired from Jen Ramos of Made By Girl

I LOVE how bright and cheerful her room has become. The orange and blue color combo is one of my favorites - I hope baby girl enjoys it too!

Wordless Wednesday :: She found the sprinklers

2010-06-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

for more WW, check out Angry Julie

Swanky Paper is going digital

2010-06-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

*NEWS FLASH*

Great news ... Swanky Paper is going digital!

Ok so not completely. Invitations and Announcements are now being offered as printables. And in the words of my son, "Hip Hip Hooray!" I have been offering digital files of invitations and announcements upon request for the past year and decided it was time to make them more available.

At the moment, Swanky Paper digital files are only available on Etsy. I just re-opened my shop and have added a few designs. I still have quite a few more to add. Adding the digital designs to my website will be next on the to-do list.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

2010-06-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Rich, Creamy, Refreshing & Delicious

I made these last weekend for a family gathering - we celebrated the baptism of two of my neices. Good food, great company, and yummy dessert! It was hard to only eat just one ... so I had two!!

I found a recipe for the Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes on the Gimme Some Oven blog ~ however, the cupcake recipe called for the use of Strawberry cake mix ... on my side of town Strawberry cake mix is not easy to find. Three of my local grocery stores did not have it. Either they stock only a few, or these cake mixes are in high demand! Who knew?

Anyway, so I moved onto another site to make the cake recipe from scratch - it would taste better anyway, right? So, once I got a recipe and added all the ingredients, I then added some lemon juice.

The frosting came from Gimme Some Oven. It was rich & creamy. I ended up using way more powder sugar than the recipe called for, but I wanted a thick creamy consistency.

Here is the recipe:

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

2 cups white sugar

1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs (room temperature)
2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

2.In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

3.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely.

Strawberry Lemonade Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup pureed strawberries (made from fresh or frozen strawberries)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
3 – 4 cups powdered sugar (adjust to achieve desired consistency)

To Make Frosting:

Cream butter in an electric mixer on medium-speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the strawberries, vanilla and lemon juice, and mix on low-speed until combined. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Then beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, another 3-5 minutes. *(Add in more powdered sugar if consistency is too thin.)

*I ended up using 2 boxes of powdered sugar

If you try out this recipe let me know what you think.

Extreme Home Makeover: Weekend Edition

2010-06-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

I am pooped!

By Friday afternoon our busy weekend had begun. We are FINALLY finishing up the kids room's. I am so very pleased that with only a few more final touches they are almost done - and we completed two rooms for pretty cheap.

I can't wait to share, but only when they are truly complete.

In the meantime, here is a little teaser:

A bit of Robin's Egg blue paint

and my two handsome helpers

Butterfly Love

2010-06-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

The beautiful Catrina is getting married this summer and I was asked to make her bridal shower invitations.

I heard that she loved butterflys and wanted to incorporate this into her invitations.

I found a few more ideas to decorate for your own butterfly themed event

1. Butterfly Garden centerpiece 2. Hanging Lanterns with Butterflys 3. Butterfly cupcake wrappers 4. Swanky Paper

Vroom ~ Vroom

2010-06-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

My hubby is an avid dirt biker! Any chance he gets to get out in the desert and ride he takes it. Last summer he and the boys, along with a few cousins & uncles, went out camping in the desert on several occasions. During the days they would ride - dirt bikes for the men & battery powered quads for the little kids.

Now that it is almost summer and we thought our little man was ready ...

We went to an empty parking lot for his to test out the bike -with training wheels of course. I'll be honest, initially I was against having my 4 yr old on a motorcycle, however with the training wheels, and an option to adjust the speed, meaning he is limited on how fast the bike will accelerate, I was a little more comfortable.

He is super excited to go camping with dad!!

Don't forget to Keep in Touch

2010-06-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

One of the last things on your mind when packing up the house and moving to a new place is letting your family and friends know your new location.

I know, because I have been there.

If you are anything like me, once Christmas comes around you have to get your cards out early so that everyone on your list knows where you are now!

We have been living at our current residence for 7 years now and have no plans at the moment to re-locate. However, if we were, I'd send out one of these moving announcements:

or maybe this classy one here:

A few other NEW moving announcements are making it's way into the Swanky Shop.

If you are re-locating, buying your first loft, moving clear across the country, or even moving just across town, don't forget to let your friends and family know where your new digs are!!

This is what LIFE is ALL about

2010-06-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

We've been a little busy here at home which may explain my lack of blogging ...

One of our recent adventures included a trip to our new favorite place: The Aquarium of the Pacific

My boys could spend all day - everyday here! It is so much fun to see their excitement at each new exhibit. They are so eager to see all the marine life and learn about the sea creatures. If I had known this place was just as exciting for them as Disneyland, we would have come sooner.

(all pictures were taken with my phone - sorry for the lack of decent photos!!)

Watching the "jellies"

My little guy wanted to lay down and watch the sea turtles & sea lions pass by

This sea lion came over to say "hi" to the boys.

On our way home, both boys agreed that their favorite exhibits were the "jellies" and the Shark Lagoon!

We can't wait to go back!

What's New?

2010-05-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I have neglected my shop lately (and apparently this blog too!). With a few darling custom invitations (posts coming soon!), regular orders, helping my hubby with his new venture, playing with my three littles, and just plain life in general, you can imagine some things are bound to get neglected. My 3 littles and I have been playing and having fun - the age they are is so very fun!!

If you have not stopped by the Swanky Paper shop in a while come on over and check out the recent additions in Personalized Stationery! My new favorite note card is a little design I call Sen Sen ....

Sen Sen (flat note card) Sen Sen (folded)

Of course, I made a set for myself!

Cocoa Rose

Lemon Drop (Flat only) and Daisy Chain (folded only)

Startup Princess tonight

2010-05-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

I am the newest OC Chapter President of Startup Princess. I was asked to be involved a little over a month ago and so I have been working on getting all the details in order for our next meeting, which happens to be tonight!

If you are local and have a business or ever considered starting a business (or just want to get tips to help your husband, partner, significant other, etc.) you are invited! Tonight is all about PR and getting Press. We have an exciting evening planned and you will walk away with new ideas on how to get PR, how to keep your PR efforts in tune with your marketing plan and will leave the meeting with over 50 ways to get Press.

Take a look at our webpage to see more details on tonight's event.

all dressed up!

2010-04-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

baby girl had a photo shoot!

I realized this was long overdue, and so on a little trip to Las Vegas to visit my friend, she scheduled her AMAZING photographer come to the house.

baby girl played dress up.

After about 45 minutes of cuteness, she decided she had enough. The bottom right corner picture tells the tale of a sweet little girl, who simply just got tired. It also happens to be one of my most favorite pictures!!

Wordless Wednesday: Captivating Train Ride

2010-04-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

A day trip to Zoomars by way of the train was a thrill for the boys!

Swanky Paper for PINGG

2010-04-19T05:50:00.000-07:00

I am THRILLED to announce that Swanky Paper is participating in the Pingg Designer Series. I am honored and feel priviliged to have my designs nestled alongside other talented artists, including Giggle, Invitations by Dawn & Martha Stewart!

Have you used pingg before? They have fantastic online invitations and ecards, and give you the opportunity to send a hard copy too! Pingg offers mutiple social media options to get your event details out to the masses and even create a web page of your online invitation with additional accessories (we all LOVE accessories!) like videos, maps, charity & payment options - really, is there anything pingg doesn't do?

Take peek at some of my designs already online and please use them for your next online invitation or ecard!

2010-04-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am home from an extended weekend trip to the beautiful Las Vegas, where I visited one of my best friends. We had a great weekend filled with fun surprises, great shopping, delicious food and wonderful conversation.

I am happy to be back home with my family. I missed them. Now there is much to do...

Wordless Wednesday ~ After the Sunset

2010-04-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

For more Wordless Wednesday visit Angry Julie

New Table

2010-04-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

I recently wrote about our new table. IT IS DONE!! I am so excited about it. I absolutely love the bench style seating and the fact that the top folds in half - you know, just in case I want a smaller table top!

As we were working on it, my husband and I discussed what colors we would use to to stain it. I really wanted an old weathered look - I just didn't want to wait a few years while keeping it outside getting a natural weathered look.

My husband suggested a medium to dark stain and then white wash it. Now, before you start having flashbacks to furniture circa 1980, trust me when I tell you that it does conjure up any memories from the 80's when I look at it.

After I white washed it, hubby sprayed a nice matte varnish to protect it.

{here it is with the table top folded in half}

What do you think? Does it look weathered or more like furniture from the 80's?

In like a LION out like a LAMB

2010-04-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

If ever there was a truer statement ... although in my case, not in reference to the weather!

March began with quite a bang for us here at home. Within the first week, between my husband and I, we made 5 trips to the doctor. Not for us - for the boys! I am getting my first taste of what life with boys will be like.

This month consisted of:
2 ear infections
8 stitches
1 broken arm
2 special trips to the radiologist for X-Rays
3 different casts (1st - hot pink, 2nd green, 3rd hot pink again)
9 total trips to the doctor

However, it wasn't ALL bad...
2 days at the Beach
2 train rides
1 day at the Discovery Science Center
1 visit to the Zoo
1 day of shopping
2 movie nights
6 late nights of girl talk

For what started off not so great, we ended our month in a great way ... spending time with my sister and her family.

Swanky Paper :: Blue & Brown Baby Shower

2010-03-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

Jamie is a fabulous customer! She contacted me several months ago and we worked on a baby shower invitation for her friend. She decided on the Bubbles invitation, with blue & brown.

Fast forward a few months and now she is the one having a baby!

Jamie contacted me with an idea for her shower invitations - she practically designed it herself! Going with the blue & brown theme this is what she came up with:

Congratulations Jamie!!

Be my fan

2010-03-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Swanky Paper now has Facebook Fan Page!

Here are a few reasons why you want to be a Swanky Paper fan:

In April, I am starting a "Fan Of The Month" campaign. Each month one of the fans will get to select anything that Swanky Paper offers.
Awesome.

Become a fan and you can get 15% off everything ANYTIME.
Super Awesome

And, bragging rights because being a Swanky Paper fan is just plain cool!
Beyond Awesome.

p.s. Do you have a fan page? Let me know and I'll be your fan!

Swanky Paper :: 40th Birthday

2010-03-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

I designed some classy invitations for a 40th Birthday dinner party.

I think this design in my new favorite. It is Simple & Classy! Too much busy-ness can be distracting. The only embellishment is up top in hot pink and the rest of the font is charcoal grey. Of course, I had to pair these invitations with hot pink #10 envelopes!!

I think I want to use this same design for my birthday ...

Happy Birthday Belinda! I hope it's FABULOUS!

DIY :: Dining Table

2010-03-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon

A new-to-us dinner table. This table is a few decades old and has seen it's share of meals. I love the bench style seating and the long table top. The table top is great because it folds over to become compact, making more space in the dining room.

It has been sanded, stained, sanded again, and now we are going to give it a salvaged look.

I got the new Restoration Hardware catalog and got inspired with the new collection. Most of which is salvaged and weathered wood.

Can't wait to show you the finished table!

work in progress

2010-03-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of re-vamping this blog.

Please be patient with me as I make a few changes.

tasty treat

2010-03-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

I still remember the first time I tried Nutella. It was 10 years ago on a trip to Paris. I had a Nutella and banana crepe. Yes, it was very good!

Why do I remember something so silly? Come on, It's Nutella! Oh! and I LOVE food.

On my trip to the local market this week I picked up jar and have been indulging in this hazelnut goodness everyday since.

Have you tried a Peanut Butter and Nutella sandwich? You should.

Swanky Paper :: Queen Anne's Lace

2010-03-09T12:41:00.001-08:00

This invitation comes from my Queen Anne's Lace note card (available in both flat and folded).

I had not thought to use this particular design as an invitation, however when I was contacted and asked if it could be used in an invitation I was excited to do so.

This particular invitation was made for a baby shower of a woman having TWIN girls. The theme is going to be Black, White & Hot Pink! I turned a couple of those black petals to pink and these darling invites were ready to go!

Swanky Paper :: Star fish

2010-02-23T06:15:00.000-08:00

I just wrapped up a set of bridal shower invitations featuring the simple & classy Star fish design.

To see more custom work check out the gallery on my website.

Wordless Wednesday :: Lil' Miss

2010-02-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

for more wordless wednesday check out Angry Julie Monday

Swanky Paper :: Pom Poms

2010-02-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

I wish I had more photos from this event - actually I wish I had "a " photo from this event ... everything looked great!

Along with several friends, we hosted a bridal shower for a dear friend who is getting married.

I ordered a few pom-poms from Prost to the Host. She has a fantastic etsy shop - you really should check it out if you are looking for simple decor that really stands out!! We decorated my family room with them, added a few in the dining area and had a couple hanging up outside on the front patio.

We had delicious food, yummy treats, and a truly fabulous time!

Naturally I made the invitations! These were simple and fun. I ended up making them into Postcards...

Wordless Wednesday :: Fun at Target

2010-02-10T14:18:00.001-08:00

Hide n' Seek at Target

Helping Mama shop isn't fun anymore - my boys have discovered new ways to amuse themselves while at Target.

For more Wordless Wednesday check out Angry Julie

Featured @ The Stationery Place

2010-02-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

I am a little late in posting this particular entry, but I can't move on without thanking the darling Lyndsey over at The Stationery Place. She is expecting - HOORAY!! - and is holding operation: baby, where she features different designers and their baby related stationery.

She featured the baby announcements I made for my two youngest kiddos on Thursday. Take a peek!

Thanks again Lyndsey!!

Funeral Service

2010-02-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

This was the hardest project I had the pleasure to work on.

When I heard the news I was heartbroken. This past 2 weeks has been very emotional. One of my closest and dearest friends lost her baby a week before she was due. It was so tragic and heartbreaking.

"There is no foot so small that it cannot leave an imprint in this world."

Bless her heart, she is a strong woman. I admire her strength and courage. Through it all my friend put together a beautiful and peaceful memorial service. It was perfect. She asked me to create a few things to help make this moment a little more memorable.

{an 8x10 picture with the baby's name & a beautiful scripture}
{the program for the service}
{flat note cards for the guests to write their thoughts to be put in a scrapbook}

I feel honored to have had a (small) hand in creating such a beautiful funeral service for beautiful baby Olivia.

Logo Design

2010-01-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

Okay so I am going to brag for a minute- I LOVE how this logo design turned out. It is so simple, but completely perfect. Don't you think?

Here is Randi's Blog header - I love what she did with it!

Randi is an amazing photographer.

She captures the moment. you know, the one that you want to capture but can't because the camera didn't focus right, your kid ran away, or that great smile just didn't last ...

moments like this where my son is telling me to look up and see the stars (while the sun is still up)

and this when my little sweet Prince is kissing his new baby sister

To see more of M Photo and Randi's work, check her out here....

M Photo

M Photo Blog

{family photos courtesy of M Photo & Randi Brunt}

Wordless Wednesday :: Monster Trucks

2010-01-20T09:11:00.001-08:00

Monster Tire + Wheel Well = Silly Boy

Let's Go Bananas!

2010-01-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

Monkey baby shower themes must be popular ... this was the 3rd request in 4 months.

A "Let's go Bananas" theme was essential to the mama-to-be ... after all, baby's room is all about the monkey!

Congratulations Christina! Best wishes to you and your new baby boy!

Crafting: Dressing up the Plain

2010-01-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

I lined up a few crafts not too long ago ... but they sat in my closet a little longer than I had hoped...

Recently while spending a few days at my parents I was able to squeeze in some sewing and finally get to a few projects. Making a dress (or two) out of a onesie was at the top of that list.

I bought this fabric from jcaroline a few months back with intentions for something entirely different. Instead of it's original purpose they have become darling little baby dresses.

baby girl looks soo cute in this grey & blue one!

{that yellow dress will be gifted to a friend}

New Year ... New Project

2010-01-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year my friends!

Twenty-Ten sounded so futuristic years ago, didn't it?

Another year also means another project here at our little cottage. Instead of multiple gifts this year for Christmas, the husband and I opted for one large gift. One in which mean't another little project for our outdoor spaces.

I photo documented the progress as my handy husband made it happen, (although don't let him catch you calling him "handy" he hates it!)

He had to cut into the Terra cotta tile in order for it to fit where we wanted it.

Then dig down about 10 inches in order to make the ground level.

He made a border out of railroad ties, lined it with plastic and filled it with gravel.
Ready for the fountain.

Voila!

Finally complete! We now have a fountain in our backyard and on most days here in California, we can open the back door and enjoy the tranquil sounds of trickling water.

HUGE SALE

2009-12-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

THIS is gonna be HUGE!

I am celebrating the fact that ALL my Christmas shopping is done. And what better way to celebrate this glorious feat than to have a SALE.... make that a HUGE SALE!

My dear friends, are you a last minute shopper? Consider getting something personalized for your mom, the perfect (and thoughtful) gift for your sister, or a stocking stuffer for your daughter. Can't decide on what to get Grandma?

Everyone LOVES personalized stationery!!

Get ready my friends! This will only last ONE day.

Order Thursday, December 17th during our ONE day sale, and have it delivered before Christmas. Guaranteed.*

Tell your friends. Blog about it. Tweet it. Anyway you wanna do it, just get the word out.

*International orders are not guaranteed by Christmas. Sorry!

a SWEET party

2009-12-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

From the Swanky Studio:

Abby's mom contact me with a request for a candy themed party invitation. Abby specifically wanted a pink & orange party. Abby's got STYLE!! I knew instantly this would be a fun project.

The results ...

Abby, I hope your birthday was sweet!

Swanky Paper {blog}

I have a New Blog!

Orange loves Pink

Cooking Bridal Shower

Life is about Plan B

I'm in love

This To Shall Pass

Happy St.Patrick's Day

Gratitude

Vintage Giorgio Armani Re-fashion

An Angel Among Us: Lessons from Kim

Beach Theme Wedding

Spring Garden

From the Desk Friday: All Pink Bridal Shower

Mardi Gras: The Floats

Mardi Gras Party: Part 2

Mardi Gras Party: Part 1

From Date Night to Urgent Care

When it Rains it Pours

Sometimes ....

Re-fashioned Dress

Super Bowl 2011

Spring Cleaning: Out With The Old ...

Spring Cleaning: Little Miss gets organized

Spring Cleaning in January?

Simple Count-down craft

Merry Christmas

Plan a New Year's Eve Party

*FREE* Holiday Gift Tags

My budding artist

Forget Cyber Monday! How about Cyber Month?

Tis the season for SALES!

Brussels Sprouts Are Gross!

Queen Bee Market {handmade heaven}

Help Wanted

Halloween Recap: Little Miss & my DIY disaster

Happy Halloween: Jib Jab style

My new Fav

2011 {Lovely} Desk Calendars

Pretty in Pink

Surprise!

Destination: China

Free Printables : Wise Owl Bookplates

Power of Moms

Wordless Wednesday: Having her cake & Eating it too

Thank you my friends

9 years & counting

Wordless Wednesday: Popsicles

OC Blog Awards

Golf & Swim Party

Pack Your Bags ~ We're going International!

Family Vacation: The Fruits

Family Vacation: The Redwoods

10 Things

July's Top Designer

Baby Shower Invitation {re-design}

Designer Series with Pingg

Robot Party

Baptism/Christening

Swanky Paper Sale

Owl theme Baby Shower

Weekend Plans

Butterfly Room

Wordless Wednesday :: She found the sprinklers

Swanky Paper is going digital

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Extreme Home Makeover: Weekend Edition

Butterfly Love

Vroom ~ Vroom

Don't forget to Keep in Touch

This is what LIFE is ALL about

What's New?

Startup Princess tonight

all dressed up!

Wordless Wednesday: Captivating Train Ride

Swanky Paper for PINGG

Wordless Wednesday ~ After the Sunset

New Table

In like a LION out like a LAMB

Swanky Paper :: Blue & Brown Baby Shower

FREE Holiday Gift Tags