Oh Hey There Minted.

I have been crushing on Minted for a long time. When they reached out to see if I would be interested in a sponsored post, I jumped at the chance because their company is one of my favorites and their products are just too gorgeous not to share! Minted is a marketplace of independent artists who create and submit designs for all your paper necessities… everything from wedding invitations to limited edition art prints and paper party decor. Minted has it all! Being an art lover myself, I think it's a fabulous company and a great way to showcase and support artists. The public is welcome to vote and submit for free! <-- LOVE this!

It’s easy to lose track of time while exploring their site – they have so many options! I’m especially fond of Minted's save the date cards. Wedding fever is catching among our friends... every time we open our mailbox it seems that another couple is tying the knot!  I was recently the MOH for my best friend Shan and she decided on these beautiful Minted wedding invitations. They were perfect for her garden wedding! I recommend Minted to any of my bride-to-be friends who are searching for their save-the-dates and wedding invitations. You can’t go wrong!

Yes, Minted is the dream one-stop-shop for all your wedding paper needs, but they are so much bigger than just weddings. I really enjoy Minted's personalized stationery, day planners and journals – helpful items to get your family organized with the new school year fast approaching. And photo calendars are a beautiful way to display some special moments throughout the year.

Gawwww I love this personal stationery ^

A few more things Minted offers ^^^

P.S. Is it too early to be thinking about Christmas cards? I am falling for these! 

***All pictures come from Minted***

DIY Chanel Vase

Ahhh one of my favorites. Coco Mademoiselle smells so good. Yes I used all of it, but couldn't part with this beautiful little bottle. So why not fill my home with my favorites, right? I thought it would be fun to repurpose this bottle into a small bud vase. 

Here's What You'll Need:

Empty glass bottle

Eye protection

Gloves

Mask

Marker

Water in a squeeze bottle (I actually used an empty Sriracha bottle)

Dremel Hand Tool

Diamond Wheel

How To:

-Put on your eye protection, gloves, and mask...working with glass dust can be dangerous, especially if you're a newbie! So make sure you're suited up.

-Use a marker to draw a guide line around the bottle.

-Lay your bottle on its side.

-Turn on your Dremel tool with the diamond wheel and start cutting along the marked line.

-***You'll need and extra pair of hands to squirt a few drops of water on the blade while you cut (don't get water above the attachment site on the Dremel). This will help prevent the glass from heating up and fracturing. Always keep the cut line wet.

-Go over your cut line a few times -- gradually getting deeper into the glass until it cracks off.  Keep the cut even around the whole bottle. Cut a little at a time on each side. 

-After the top is off, you'll want to clean up the sharp edges with your diamond blade. Make sure it's smooth and safe.

Springtime in Paris Bridal Shower Watercolor Invitations

My Mom and I are throwing my best friend Shannon a Bridal Shower in a few weeks. Shanny and her man Justin are planning on honeymooning in Paris so my Mom and I thought it would be cute to throw Shan a Springtime in Paris Bridal Shower Brunch. We thought it would be fun to paint the invitation with French-esque scenes to make things extra special. As I was searching for some Frenchy inspiration I stumbled upon the Michael's Springtime in Paris Contest. What a coincidence! So I entered the paintings into the #Springtimeinparis #Contest. Cross your fingers! I hope it wins! 5 glorious days in Paris -- cooking, sketching, florist lessons, and a private tour of the Louvre. Awwww swoooooon.  Oui se il vous plait.

Here is a fun little blurb that I sent to Michaels:
I’m in love with France and everything Parisian – the culture, food and art etc. It would be a dream of mine to take my Mother to Paris with me. She has always wanted to travel but has never had the opportunity to do so. I would love to be by her side as she experiences her first overseas adventure (and to Paris of all places); to one of the worlds most exciting and beautiful cities -- the crème de la crème for 1st time travel. We are both very creative people and this trip would be absolutely dreamy. I could picture us having the best time exploring the Louvre, admiring art, cooking French cuisine and arraigning gorgeous bouquets. These artistic classes are right up our alley. I would love to take a stroll through Montmartre, buy some crusty bread and cheese from a local fromagerie and some bubbly champagne. We could sit in the park by the Eiffel tower, enjoy our goodies and watch its lights twinkle.  I know that Paris would bring out the best of our creativity and friendship and give us memories that could last a lifetime.

*Any visible addresses are fictitious.

Ok, so it's a few weeks later and I didn't win. Bummers...but congrats to all the winners. You guys did a fabulous job! Here is the link if you want to check out their amazing work. 

Oh So Lucky Studios

My friend Hailey has just opened a fabulous shop called Oh So Lucky Studios "A studio dedicated to celebrating your favorite wedding moments with custom wedding illustrations planned, painted and packaged especially for you!" I am beyond excited for her and thought I should share this beautiful place with all of you.

A note from the artist:

"Hello! My name is Hailey Toohey and I am the Owner, Creative Director, and Illustrator at Oh So Lucky Studios. I am the type who would get married every weekend if I could. I love weddings, I love my husband, and I absolutely love creative design! I decided to combine my passions to see what would happen...

We, the Oh So Lucky Studios team, believe that if you don’t understand people, then you don’t understand business.  The core of our company is not what we do, but why we do it. Our illustrations are inspired by you - the happy people, the romantic souls, the creative gift givers, and all you wedding enthusiasts out there! Our goal is to celebrate, spread, inspire, and search for what truly makes people happy.  We decided to start with weddings.  We believe that healthy marriages are a huge part of a happy life for you, the people around you and most importantly, the people you choose to bring into this world.  Between the Bring Beauty Project and our illustrations, we hope, with your help, to leave this world a bit better and a bit more beautiful than when we found it." 

I was lucky enough to be one of her featured brides. Hailey captured my wedding dress lace to a tee ^. I jumped for joy when I came home from work and saw that pretty box delivered on my doorstep. Hailey puts so much love into everything – from her flawless artwork to the sparkly little sticker on the perfectly wrapped tissue paper. You can tell that her heart and soul have gone into every detail. She truly loves what she does.

If you are a past, present or future bride, I suggest you check out Oh So Lucky Studios and take a look at Hailey's amazing work. And to all you grooms and husbands out there, this can be a thoughtful gift for your bride - major brownie points guys! Having a keepsake from your wedding is a very special thing.

Pictures: COPYRIGHT © 2014 OH SO LUCKY STUDIOS, LLC

DIY Sunburst Mirror

So I've been drooling over this sunburst mirror for a few years now. All the mirrors that I like are way out of my price range {such as this one}. Why in the world is this mirror $449!? I dunno. So I thought it was about time that I attempted to make one myself. Here's what you'll need.

Shopping list:

10" mirror {I got mine at Target for $12.99}

metallic gold spray paint {Michael's $4}

3 packs of shish kabob sticks {Target 99¢ each}

E6000 glue {$2 Michael's}

scissors or clippers

glue gun {already had -->not pictured}

Total cost = around $22

Directions:

- cut your shish kabob sticks into various lengths. I cut around 60-5" sticks, 40-6" sticks, 40-7" sticks and 20- 8" sticks {place in separate labeled piles so they'll be easy to grab when you start the pattern} 

-Fire up your hot glue gun and turn you mirror face down.

-I started by lining up 4 of the 8" sticks with the lines on the front of the mirror. Dab a pea-size amount of hot glue on each point on the backside of the mirror 1/2" from the edge. Place each stick accordingly. 

-start the pattern {see below}

-Once complete, squeeze E6000 glue over the sticks to seal any weak spots that the hot glue gun may have missed.

-Let the glue dry overnight

-spray paint everything the next day {be sure to cover the mirror}

easy as that...

Pattern ^

8", 7", 6", 5", 5", 5", 6", 7", 8"...

Words of Wisdom

{I had some fun with our chalkboard this weekend}

Soapstone Pencils

 

I ran across some marvelous little soapstone pencils at Crate & Barrel last week. I bought 3 and tried them out on our chalkboard at home. Too cool. They are so much easier to use than the regular bulky chalk. They give you smooth fine lines and leave less dust. So much better.

 

 

Wedding Dress Necklace

Showcase a piece of your wedding dress lace on a necklace; it serves as a token of one of the most important days of your life and a reminder of the reasons you love your lovey. This makes me smile. If you don't have the time to make it yourself, The Lace Studio will make it for you! What a beautiful idea Liz Carter! She also has her own site at thelacestudio.com

Picture by: Liz Carter

Wedding Dress Necklace

Showcase a piece of your wedding dress lace on a necklace; it serves as a token of one of the most important days of your life and a reminder of the reasons you love your lovey. This makes me smile. If you don't have the time to make it yourself, The Lace Studio will make it for you! What a beautiful idea Liz Carter! She also have her own site at thelacestudio.com

Picture by: Liz Carter

New Art in My Shop {Artsy Love Bug}

{Artsy Love Bug}

Click Here!

 

Make Your Own Cards

 What you'll need:

Glitter

 Fine Tip Glue Pen

Martha Stewart Scalloped Paper Puncher 

I also found some cheaper ones on Ebay

And a little bit of creativity <3

Simple as that.

A Lovely Art Show and Dinner in Long Beach

Last week I went to my friend Christina's art show. I am so proud of you Christinyyyy. You are an amazing artist and extremely talented. You have a gift my dear.

P.S. Christina designed our "Save the Dates" too! She is so great!

Christina is graduationg next month with her BFA in illustration and plans on pursuing biomedical illusration. Wooowza.

Check out her amazing art at:
www.wix.com/cpecora/artwork

After the art show we drove to 2nd Street and put our name in at La Crêperie Café for dinner. We conveniently had the hostess wave to us from across the street when our table was ready.

Mmmmm...Dan and I split a

Crepe Carbonara Chicken breast slices, mozzarella and smoked bacon in a creamy garlic parmesan sauce with pesto

and a

Poire Belle Helene Pear, chocolate, toasted almonds and Frangelico in a crepe with French vanilla ice cream

for dessert.