For the birds

A great client of mine asked me to design a sign for a baby boy shower she was hosting and offering birdseed favors to guests. 

I'm all for functional favors, and her idea to hang them from a potted tree branch was so clever.  Love this idea!

DIY personalized gift glasses

I'll be the first to admit: I'm perpetually behind on the holiday gift-giving eight ball.  But check out the great holiday gift idea one of my fun friends asked me to help her with: personalized bathroom drinking glasses.

Is this not a super ridiculously cute idea (for children who can handle glass cups, obviously)?  Put in a few dental accoutrements, tie a bow, and you're in the gift-giving business.  You can find my quick tutorial here and other gift idea here.

Of course, then comes the real feat of getting your kids to quit faking and move to real brushing:

On the lam: personalized luggage & bag tags

I made the leap and decided to try out making personalized laminated luggage & bag tags using some of my Good Gravy! stationery designs. 

The result: success! 

 

Above are a few tags intended for gifts to a dear friend's children, but I'm excited to share how they turned out so I'm okay revealing the surprise early.  These would be great on a backpack or a lunch bag.

And while I was traveling to Vegas with my friend Beth, the airline killed damaged her existing luggage tag so I figured she could use a new one.

I'm considering adding these to the shop soon, but until then, feel free to contact me if you're interested in having your very own tags sooner! 


PS: Don't forget to enter to win a 20-piece Good Gravy! flat note card set + 20 matching return address labels over at the big 30 Days Giveaway Week event! 

Mother's Day gift idea: personalized pendants

I mentioned recently (with great excitment) about JULIAN and Co. now offering select Good Gravy! stationery in their shop.  What I didn't know was how much I would be head-over-heels with shop owner Tania's very personal, handcrafted-with-love jewelry, like the pendants seen here.

Despite my business relationship with the shop, I can honestly say that I love, love, loooove this mini pendant set and would recommend it as a great Mother's Day gift...which by the way is just a little over a month away on May 9, so don't let it sneak up on you like Easter did for me!

Free printable: DIY seed packet wrap tag

I'm not sure what the allure is around a large display of seed packets, but I'm always drawn to it like a moth to a flame.  Maybe it's because there's a whole lot of promise in each little packet of growth, color, fruition and more, so why not gift a packet or two to friends using Good Gravy's free printable DIY seed packet wrap tags?  It's easy.  Let's go!

I based the wrap tag design using a standard 3.25" x 4.50 seed packet found just about everywhere (even craft stores sell 'em!).  You could use any seed mix that strikes your fancy.  I was especially drawn to the cosmos because how can anyone refuse something dubbed as "dwarf cutesy?"  Not me:

After you print and cut out one of the tags, line up the front portion with the center of the packet:

Score and fold where the two colors meet on each side, flip the packet and fold back the ends:

Apply glue or tape to the right side and pull the left flap over on top, securing tightly:

And you're done!

Holiday cookie tags

Growing up in Southern California, our next-door neighbors always had these amazing, classic Italian cookies on-hand which were my introduction to the lovely, subtle and spicy anise flavor.  In the 16 years I lived next door, I can't really recall a moment where they didn't have a beautiful cookie to offer as a small treat.  So, when a client recently asked for a gift tag design to include a recipe, it brought back wonderful memories of childhood cookies.

Oooh, fresh crayons...

Since Wavey still has an affinity for simple toys and games, I've been trying to get her Christmas gifts that are meaningful, handmade and unique.  Santa will still most likely succumb to Polly Pocket and other standard toy store items, but I have stumbled across and purchased a few great things, including this crayon roll-up from sewing/craft queen Melissa at Two Little Tots:

What I would give for a ginormous roll-up for all the toys the kids' room right now. 

A nice idea, but not for me.

A few weekends ago, I mentioned that I attended a local craft fair.  Its been brought to my attention that there is confusion as to whether or not I was endorsing the toilet paper hat cover as an item I'd want for myself or possibly already own.

While I don't want to diminish the enthusiastic craftiness of its designer (who is unknown to me), I must point out that NO, I do not own that one, any one or anything decoratively covering extra toilet paper rolls in my home.  Case closed.

Holiday baking ideas

In the grand spirit of pretending to be on top of things when it comes to my own personal planning, it is my mission this weekend to start thinking of the numero uno: holiday baked goods.  Because nothing says, "I've thoroughly enjoyed the holidays" like moving up a pants size in my book. 

On the consideration list:

  
Pie in a jar recipe from lloydandlauren.com.  I mean, come on.  Pie?  in a jar?  Packaging kittens in a jar would probably be the only thing capable of surpassing this idea's cuteness.

Black and white biscotti from King Arthur Flour.

Cheesecake pops from Bakerella.

Decisions, decisions...

Images from top: lloydandlauren, King Arthur Flour, Bakerella

Sneak peek: custom address labels

One of the newest items we're gearing up to offer are these delightful little address labels which pair perfectly with our note cards. Feel free to contact us today to order these scalloped cuties now, or keep your eyes out for the complete new line coming to the online shop very soon.

Now I know my ABCs...

We wish we could remember where we saw the inspiration for this design (darn your vastness, world wide web!) but we couldn't resist making a similar ABC name display for Waverly, one of our Gravy Kids.




We've been asked a few times where we picked up the artwork you see to the right of ABC frame. They are pages from a book Wavey tore apart when she was younger but we still loved dearly, so with a few inexpensive mats and frames, voila! Instant art.

A delicious legacy

One of our latest projects included designing a recipe book for a client who retained many of her family's handwritten recipes.

A phenomenal cook herself, her compilation includes recipes written on the back of old envelopes, in letters between sisters and on small pieces of paper with comments of who loved the recipe the most, or which dish accompanied a favorite holiday gathering.

Cupcake flags

Just in time for Valentine's Day are our Be Mine Cupcake Flags. While these particular flags are not customizable, we are able to create custom cupcake flags for special occasions, like we did for this birthday party:





For Emma's cupcake flags, we used a glass pink bead to round out the delicate theme of her birthday party. Quite sweet!