create |

life goes on.

By annmarielovespaper on July 1, 2013

This past week has been nothing short of crazy, nonstop, and life-affirming.

Last Tuesday, my dad had open heart surgery. Even though it was a preventative measure to repair a faulty valve, it was terrifying for my whole family and rocked our world pretty hard. (There’s nothing that makes you want to take care of yourself more than spending countless hours in a cold + scary hospital.) THANKFULLY everything went well and he is now resting at home. Huge shout out to my amazing mom who is not only the heart + soul of our family, but a natural caretaker who will nurse my dad back to health in no time at all. Also! Major props to Jim Gaffigan for being a welcome distraction as he had me laughing until I was crying every night with his insanely funny book, Dad is Fat.

On Friday, I spent all day + night helping to photograph a beautiful wedding in Camarillo. Not only did it remind me how much I LOVE to take photos, but it was a great practice run for my own wedding! Thank you Jeff + Jess for letting me be a part of your special day!

And of course, throughout the whole week, I’ve been working like a mad woman trying to finish up a myriad of CHA projects. Yesterday was a DOOZY of a work day (sprinkled with a healthy dose of expletives) that started at 10am and didn’t end until 4am! I still have a long way to go before I can cross everything off my list, but I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the (effing) tunnel (;

All I can say is that I am SO looking forward to this upcoming holiday weekend. John has four days off and I am already dreaming of big things for us to do. And by big things, I mean a trip to Lemonade and a long visit to B+N for wedding and crafting inspiration. Living the dream!

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workspace wednesday | save the dates.

By annmarielovespaper on June 26, 2013

I will admit that John and I agonized over what to do for our Save the Dates. As two graphic designers with very different styles, meeting in the middle proved to be a tad tricker than we both anticipated. It’s one thing to collaborate with co-workers and professionally find middle ground. It’s another thing to be engaged to your fellow designer and attempt to have constructive critiques without making the other person mad (“whatever you want” translates into “that might be your worst idea of all time.”) But somehow, someway, we did it! We tag-teamed the assembly efforts and shipped them off to our guests last night with four months to spare. Despite my concern that we may have missed the mailing window of opportunity, the latest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings assured me that we are right on track. HALLELUJAH.

I can’t wait to share photos of the actual Save the Dates once they reach our guests! Stay tuned…

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weekly capture album | part one.

By annmarielovespaper on June 24, 2013

Hello everyone! My apologies for the radio silence…life has been all sorts of crazy lately, but I am determined to get back on track! ANYWAYS. Remember back in January when I talked about wanting a smaller format for my everyday memory-keeping? Well, I think I may have found the perfect solution: BasicGrey’s Capture albums. Not only are they the perfect size (6.5 x 9.5″), but they are so well-designed that it’s super easy to crank through them quickly (take my word on this…I’ve made six albums and counting for CHA over the past two weeks…!). I’ve decided to designate this particular album as my “week at a glance” book for the summer. Even though I don’t like too many rules, making weekly spreads is a breeze with this format, I promise!. And thank goodness for that, because let’s be real, I’ve got work to do and a wedding to plan! #realtalk

The first page is a calendar pocket that I’ve stuffed a bunch of memorabilia into. Every couple of days, I’ll clean out my purse and remove all of the fun souvenirs that are taking up space (and getting soaked by my water bottles) and immediately tuck them into these folders. Easy peasy.

LEFT: I embellished the back of the calendar pocket with a few of my favorite products and a photo of me doing what I do (even if it is from the holiday season, hence the Starbucks red cups – ha!).

RIGHT: I have to tell you that 2013 has been the YEAR for my Cameo die-cutting machine. Not a day goes by that I don’t fire that baby up to work on scrapbook pages, cards, and of course, wedding decor. For this particular page, I ran a sheet of ledger paper through the Cameo to cut out the “2013” and backed it with a white sheet of cardstock for a subtle effect. I then embellished the rest of the page with a handful of Snippets and candy buttons to set the tone for the rest of the album.

LEFT: I am such a fan of oversized photos paired with minimal embellishments, so the 6.5 x 9.5″ page protector was perfect for this particular week. But let’s be real, I just wanted to stare at Sarah’s amazing home all day long.

RIGHT: To maximize the 4×6″ pocket on the bottom of the page protector, I printed three vertically-oriented photos at 4 x 1.75″ and glued them to a sheet of white cardstock.

To record the highlights from trip to Utah, I wrote down bullet points on this journaling pad, popped it right into the interlocking rings, and called it GOOD. Now that’s my idea of scrapbooking!

You can read more about my weekly page updates here!

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diy watercolor calendar.

By annmarielovespaper on June 18, 2013

I realize it’s mid-June and to most people, it’s not exactly calendar season. But for me, I just want a change of scenery. Since I can’t write on my Rifle Paper calendar (thou shalt not deface any Rifle products with messy handwriting…everyone knows that), I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own. Here’s how I did it:

S U P P L I E S

Watercolor paper
Watercolor paints
Ruler
Paintbrushes
Number stamps (mine are from The Curiosity Shoppe, which sadly appears to be closed!)
Cup for water

To begin, I (roughly) measured out the lines for my calendar squares and then ran my paintbrush right along the edge of the ruler. I should preface this by saying that I am NOT a perfectionist. I have little interest in making everything look uniform; I just want to have fun creating and get things done. Plus, watercolors don’t exactly lend themselves to clean lines. The more freeform, the better!

Once I have the lines and month name painted, I gather my number stamps.

To stamp with watercolors, I simply paint the rubber stamp with the paintbrush and stamp directly onto the paper. Easy peasy.

I decided to go with a light paint color so I can eventually write over the date without competing with the overall design.

Let dry and let the planning begin!

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mini on the road | san luis obispo

By annmarielovespaper on June 11, 2013

I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I made a mini book on the road, but after making one again for our SLO trip this past April, I am officially back onboard. As someone who is genetically-programmed to take pictures of ev-er-y-thing and collect every last bit of memorabilia like it’s my job (well, it kind of is), a mini book is an ideal landing spot for all of those treasures. Not only is fun to consciously seek out moments worth remembering, but it’s also a blast to set up shop at a hotel room desk after a long day of exploring + collecting (not as fun: cleaning up said hotel room desk before checking out).

For this trip, I used a Carte Postale 5×7 journal since it was the perfect size for a weekend adventure. Before leaving for SLO, I embellished the cover with a few Carte Postale supplies + my typewriter. Easy enough.

One of the main things that I love about this album is all of the pockets! I love having designated places to house my memorabilia + Instax photos before I figure out where they will permanently end up. Oh! And pockets also make great storage for supplies or scraps that I want to make sure I use on my pages. #pocketsforthewin

I brought this waterfall pack with me because it has everything I need (labels, letters, journaling spots, and die-cuts) all in one nicely-packaged place. This is key if you want to scrap on the road without schlepping your entire craft stash to your destination.

Mini books need not be fancy! I like to keep my pages pretty minimalist partly to avoid too much bulk, but mainly so I can finish the book before I run out creative steam. You know how it goes.

You can read more tips and see additional photos of my book here and here!

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diy care package.

By annmarielovespaper on June 7, 2013

As someone who has lived far away from family + friends, I can attest to how wonderful it is to receive a care package in the mail. My mom used to send me the best care packages filled with magazines, my favorite candy, and the occasional Starbucks gift card (thanks Mom!) to make the distance between California + Utah feel a little bit shorter. And even though I am now back in California, I still have several friends that live out of state, so I am always looking for opportunities to send a little happy mail their way.

The key to care packages is that they don’t have to cost a lot; it truly is the thought behind the gesture that counts! In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to “shop” my own supplies. I have waaaay more stamps, pencils, twine, washi tape, and envelopes than I’ll ever know what to do with, so I pass them along to someone who can put them to good use! And of course, with all these fun supplies comes the opportunity to create fun packaging. I especially love adding descriptions to my items (i.e. “15 yards”) with Martha Stewart’s Crafts Your Own Stamp Set..

There are no rules and you don’t even need to send the package to a distant location. It might be fun just to drop a box off on a good friend’s doorstep to make their homecoming a little bit sweeter. Happy mail for the win!

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fleetwood mac.

By annmarielovespaper on May 30, 2013

Last weekend my mom and I saw Fleetwood Mac live at the Hollywood Bowl. It was AMAZING. Our seats were pretty far back but the great thing about the Bowl is that there really are no bad seats. Even if you’re half a mile away from the stage, you’re still nestled in a canyon overlooking the Hollywood sign and enjoying great music under the stars. So really, no complaints. The concert was spectacular (as expected) and it definitely brought all the hipsters out of the woodwork – ha! You can see my Vines from the show here + here!

I’ve been using a BG Capture album to record all the fun things that have been happening in 2013, and of course, Fleetwood Mac totally earned their spot in my book.

I decided to keep things pretty simple and let the ticket (tucked into the center page protector pocket) do the talking for me. Easy peasy.

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workspace wednesday | editorial calendar

By annmarielovespaper on May 29, 2013

After running BasicGrey’s blog for nearly two months, I’ve come to learn just how invaluable editorial calendars really are. BG’s marketing director and I use an ongoing Google spreadsheet to track + plan posts months in advance, so I rarely have to worry about generating content at the last minute. SO HANDY, YOU GUYS. It’s been a welcome change of pace for this non-planner to see firsthand just how effective scheduling posts ahead of time really is.

Between running the BG blog and spending a few days with the blogging master Elise last week, I feel newly inspired to really crank out (give or take) five posts a week, every single week here on my personal blog. (Content ideas welcome! Ha!)

So as a way to kickstart my latest goal, I created an editorial calendar printable to keep track of weekly + upcoming posts. If you would like to get onboard the frequent blogging train too, you can download it HERE. Happy planning!

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fringe flag diy.

By annmarielovespaper on May 28, 2013

I’ve recently come to the rather startling realization that this wedding is going to happen in a few months, whether I like it or not (for the record, I love it). Needless to say, no matter how busy I am, I really need to get cracking on all of the DIY projects I have in mind. So! I’ve decided to tackle the smaller projects first, if for no other reason than the fact it makes me feel like I’m getting a lot done. Baby steps, ya’ll.

This past weekend I whipped out a bunch of fringe flags for all of our guests to wave around as John and I walk back down the aisle. It’s about as low-tech as crafts go, but will (hopefully) pack a big punch in photos! Here’s how I made them:

S U P P L I E S

Tissue paper
Thin wooden dowels (found in the baking section at any craft store)
Glue Dots
Washi tape (I found my gold-striped tape here)
Scissors

Decide how long you want your fringe flags to be and cut a sheet of tissue paper accordingly. I folded my sheet in thirds and kept it folded while I fringed the ends.

Fold each sheet of fringed tissue paper in half lengthwise a few times until it is in a tight bundle.

Roll the tip of the dowel in a large Glue Dot.

Wrap the base of the fringe tissue paper around the adhesive until is completely wound (I went with Glue Dots, but hot glue would work just as well.)

While holding the fringe tissue paper to the dowel, wrap a strip of washi tape around the base of the tissue paper until it is completely secure. If the fringe is too tight, tousle it with your fingers a bit to loosen it up. Finally, wave your fringe flag around like you just don’t care!

One wedding craft down, five hundred more to go!

To see this DIY in action, check out my Vine video here!

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daily inspiration | iPhone mood boards

By annmarielovespaper on May 14, 2013

Over the years as I’ve gotten to know myself a little better, I’ve found many ways to stay get inspired and stay inspired. Recently, I’ve become obsessed with making mini “mood boards” on my iPhone. It’s very simple and it brings me an unparalleled level of joy (SO NERDY, I KNOW).

Here’s how I do it: whenever I am looking for a certain type of inspiration (the image above was for wedding planning), I’ll browse Pinterest + Instagram for photos that are speaking to me and then take screenshots. Next, I will use a free photo collage app and play around with various arrangements of the screenshots until I am loving the “mood” I created. Finally, I save the collage as my wallpaper so every time I look at my phone, I get that wonderful burst of inspiration all over again!

Mood boarding, ya’ll. #cantstop #wontstop

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