Auld Lang Syne

Crossing off another calendar year is a time for reflection. A chance to reorganize, prioritize and give thanks. I am anxiously awaiting the stroke of midnight, to welcome 2012 & bid farewell to 2011. The  past twelve months have been rich with transition & patience learned. My New Years resolution is to dedicate more design time to personal projects.    

Eleven highlights of Twenty-Eleven: In no particular order.

1. Moved to Locust Point, Maryland
2. Toured Washington, DC
3. Spent my 31st birthday in NYC
4. Colin Cowie highlighted & featured our Visage design
5. Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine featured our Onesie design
6. December 2011 marked our highest selling holiday to date!
7. Ava enrolled in her 1st team sport (soccer) The Shooting Stars
8.  Moved back to Washington State
9. Legally change last name
10. Tattooed forearm
11. Top 2 apps of 2011: Spotify & Instagram

I have so much to be thankful for! These eleven highlights are just the tip of the iceberg that was 2011. Wishing you & yours a happy, healthy & joyous New Year! xo!

Auld Lang Syne

Season's Greetings!

Thank you all for supporting us & making this year our greatest selling holiday to date!

Design featured: Festoon 

Memorable Mugs

With the weather outside so frightful, stay warm & cozy with these fantastic mugs. They will have you reaching for your favorite beverage time after time!

This vivid triangular mug belongs in my possession. 

by Sonodesign.

Pantone has announced it's 2012 color of the year as 17-1463 aka Tangerine Tango! This color has been a favorite of mine for years. I am happy to see it recognized as a leader of the pack! 

by Pantone.

You can never go wrong with a monogram! 

by Indigo.

The Very Merry Gift Guide!

a. Alexander Girard Nativity Set: $800 b. House & Hold: $120 c. Nos Da Blanket by Donna Wilson: $279 d. notNeutral: $18 e. Fawn & Forest: $150 f. Marabou Stationery: 15 for $35 g. Jonathan Adler: $48 h. Lekker Home: $115

12 days and counting! xo

Check out our "Very Merry" holiday card design available now at Minted.com!

Gifts That Give Back!

Throughout the year my husband & I encourage our daughter to participate in activities that promote her self-awareness, as well as compassion. This year we gave Ava the option of selecting from 3 charities to endorse & she choose, Same Sky. An organization that provides employment to HIV-positive women in Rwanda struggling to lift themselves out of poverty. These bracelets are naturally dyed with Rwandan textiles & adorably adorned with hand-blown glass beads. Ava intends to on gifting these bracelets as tokens of friendship. I couldn't be more impressed with her sincerity or sense of style! ♥

Thanksgiving - Twenty Eleven

After spending the holidays across the country last year, my family & I couldn't be more thankful to be back in the Northwest surrounded by loved ones. On this holiday we are reminded of how blessed & fortunate we are. I hope your day is spent with dear family & friends, filled with love & laughter, great food and drink! So, from my household to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Below are a few of my favorite Fall note cards. Enjoy!

Fall Foliage by Rifle Paper Co. 

Box Set of 8 for $16

In All Things by Jennifer Wick 

25 for $60

The First Thanksgiving by Mandy Gordon 

25 for $60

We Give Thanks by Laura Hankins 

25 for $64

I Am Thankful from Paper Source 

$7

While guest arrive, hand them each a I Am Thankful slip to fill out anonymously. Before dinner, read each one aloud. Give thanks & spread the love!

View our holiday assortment & stationery sets!

DIY: personalized sneakers

Get inspired:

The shoes above were inspired by Gauguin’s paintings in Tahiti and ikat textiles from Uzbekistan. Check out the V&A museum for more ideas.

Design:

Keep it simple! The shoes have lots of nooks and crannies, and the rough canvas makes detail nearly impossible. Take into consideration the lines of the shoes and consider how your design will fit in with the stitch lines, piping and lace holes.

Color:

Use Prismacolor markers, and buy extra since they run out really fast! You’ll have to go over your pattern multiple times to get saturated colors.

Add texture:

In keeping with your inspiration, find sew-on beads, rhinestones, prong-set studs, etc. (don’t bother with stuff you have to glue). Changing the laces to a unique trim also helps add a custom touch. Each kid’s sneaker takes 1 to 1.3 yards per shoe, and you can find lots of trims and things here.

In love with these one-of-a-kind shoes? This pair and others are available at the Crewcuts University Village store.

Big thanks to J.Crew Crewcuts for the amazing tips & tricks for our little ones kicks! xo

Sesame Street Beats

My husband & I believe that creating a rich sensory environment will positively influence Ava's development & love of music. In our home impromptu dance parties happen often & everyone's invited! She recently created her own Spotify playlist with my help, affectionately titled after her nickname "Tink". Below are a couple of her favorite videos from Sesame Street courtesy of Hulu.

Share & enjoy! 

ABC Song with Tilly And The Wall

Fiest: 1 2 3 4

Creative Craft : Pipe Puppets

Every week my four year old & I create fun and easy DIY crafts. Projects perfect for a rainy days indoors or an impromptu play date with friends. This week we created Pipe Puppets! 

Supplies needed: 

scissors

pipe cleaner

glitter

construction paper

 googly eyes 

 colored pom pom balls

glue

Tip: Make sure you are using washable glue & child safety scissors!

We created several adorable pipe puppets in various shapes, colors & expressions. I am in awe of our daughter's ability to think outside the box, she is wildly creative and extremely generous. Spending quality time with her is the highlight to my day. So, whether you're a parent of one or multiples, a nanny or friend, Get Crafting! 

Colin Cowie Weddings + Marabou Design

The king of special occasion events highlighted our Visage Save The Date Minibook! Referring to it as "The Bookish Type".  Colin describes this design as a work of art & suggest it would compliment any wedding, from over the top avant gard to charmingly artistic DIY. Swoon!

95 for $326

Colin Cowie's exclusive new wedding community is the ultimate inspiration guide for brides, party planners & fashionistas. The much anticipated BETA launch sources & saves your favorite features. You can find our design on the main page under the Invitations & Printed Materials section of the site. We are beyond thrilled to be included among Colin Cowie's favorite save the date invitations.

Enjoy 20% Off Preview Holiday Sale!

Send out this year's holiday greetings with style. Your special photo will look great in our unique and modern holiday cards created with love by Marabou Design for Minted.com

Preview Our Holiday Sale & Enjoy 20% Off!
Code: HOLIDAY20

Design: Festoon

available colors: stone, tangerine, fuschia

Festoon: Non-Photo Card

Design: Very Merry

available colors: crimson, seafoam, white

Very Merry: Liner & Label

Design: Holly Branch

available colors: brown ochre, dark red, emerald green

Holly Branch: Liner & Label

This Hanukkah card is a bold and festive way to wish your loved ones a wonderful holiday.

Design: Lucent

available colors: bluebird, gold

Lucent: Liner & Label

Our charming holiday minibook card will let you share the story of your year in in style.

Design: Peg

(Open)

Peg: Liner & Label

The Minibook™ card contains 3-6 photos in a 5” x 7” booklet-style card and is bound with chic grommets. Bonus: No extra postage is required!

Customization Options:

Our holiday greeting cards can be changed to any holiday greeting you wish, for example “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Hanukkah”, “Holiday Tidings”, or anything else you can think of!

code expires 10.10.2011

Fall Buyer's Guide: Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine

Be sure to check out Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine Fall 2011 Buyer’s Guide issue on stands from September - December! Our "Onesie" baby shower invitation is featured in their fabulous Buyer's Guide list. To purchase and complete your look with our matching accessories see below. Available colors : Blue Clouds, Soft Petal & Sunlight.

"Onesie" baby shower invitations $64 for 25

Skinny-Wrap Address labels $18 for 25

Thank You cards $36 for 15

Special Shout out to our fellow Mintie, Sarah of Sweet Tree Studio. wink!

Project: Fabric decor

Over the years I have amassed a great collection of fabric & gift wrap. Both of which I use during any & all social gatherings. I believe proper presentation is half the fun of partying planning & gift-giving! My husband doesn't mind that I have event supplies & stacks of fabric lining our storage closet. 

  

I can't resist a fabric store! Luckily, purchasing online has never been easier thanks to Hawthorne Threads. Ikea is also a good source for inexpensive fabric. Great for picnics, parties, tablecloths or any DIY project you can think of. With barely enough time in the day to think, I hardly have time to sew. My go-to accessory for light projects is double-sided tape! Heavy duty projects are tackled with my handy-dandy staple gun. 

FYI: NearSea Naturals makes a great Eco-friendly adhesive.  

Above: fabric purchased from Hawthorne Threads for my daughter's 4th birthday party. 

Theme: Modern Strawberry

See more photos below. 

Prima Ballerina

These adorable ballerina prints will delight your little girl...or the little girl in you! Rich fields of colors and textures give this print a mid-century modern feel. I'll be placing a custom order for my little twinkle toes. Designed by Northwest local, Jeanie Nelson of The Paper Nut.

To purchase the any or all of the prints featured above click here! Visit her blog for further information.

Fall Must-Have

These amazing, dry highlighter pencil with natural wood finish and jumbo hexagonal shape are sure to become a staple around our home. Unlike standard plastic fiber tip highlighters, these wood pencil highlighters use no ink solvents, no volatile organic compounds and are biodegradable. Though I don't do much highlighting nowadays, I'm sure to find a useful place for these Eco-friendly pencils.

Find them here at the Stubby Pencil Studio! They have fabulous non-toxic products for creative kids.

Marabou Lovelies + Tumblr

Frenemy free since 2009.

Follow our Tumblr blog + view our archive here!

Holiday

I will be out of town for the next few weeks visiting friends & family. 

Have a safe & happy Labor Day everyone!  

Illustration courtesy of the talented Caitlin Mcgauley. 

Cute + Clever

Having a creatively organized workstation is a must for our budding artist.

This Elfa creative space can be found at the Container Store.   

Our left handed artisan in action!

self portrait age 4.

For little ones who see the world as their canvas, 

use WD-40 for quick & easy cleanups.

Check out other time saving tips here!

mini moments

All I have to say is this mini is the most! I am head over heels for this Polaroid camera. Sure, it's a pain to lug around, but the end result is well worth the extra baggage & cost of film. My husband gifted me this mini machine for my thirty-first in May & I've been thanking him ever since. We recently celebrated our daughter's 4th birthday & captured some priceless shots using the Polaroid. I got so carried away that I almost forgot to utilize our other memory-making devices. Luckily, my husband remembered! We sent guest home with their own mini Polaroid memories attached to their party favors.

   

bubble machine dance party! 

We included some of Ava's favorite dolls in the festivities.

Dress: Mini Boden - Awesome Pin: Little Bright Studio 

Happy 4th Ava!
07. 30. 2011