Hair New Era

From See Jane.

Mmwpaa!

I'll take one roll in each pattern of this very happy polka-dotted tape, please. ;)

I'm picturing it adorning/sealing up packages simply wrapped in kraft paper, using it to hold up pics on my inspiration bulletin board (the tape is removable), as a fun flourish on cards and other paper crafts, or even just to tape things together as needed (I'm looking at you, cover on the back of the universal remote where the batteries go!). Too cute.

Spotted on Armelle blog.

The ever-adorable and brilliant Joy creates some awesome "this & that" posts over on her blog, Oh Joy! Each "this & that" post includes a fashion wear and a home/life item that echo each other in some way, and they're always perfectly paired.

Here's a cute stripey example:

Original post here.

And one in plaid:

Original post here.

In an homage to Joy's creativity, I was inspired to make a match of my own. When I saw an amazing homemade wedding dress (based on a vintage dress form, to boot) recently, it sparked an image in my head of some Vera Wang note cards I had seen at Paper Source. The two sort of reminded me of each other, each with their vintage-y, doily-inspired feel, and a "this & that" of my own was born:


Wear this sweet eyelet dress, write a lovely note with that note set.

What do y'all think? It was kind of fun to make, actually! I just hope I'm doing Joy justice and not shaming her. :) I love the idea of the "this & that" - thanks for the inspiration, Oh Joy!

(And isn't that homemade wedding dress amazing?!?)

I think the combination of lovely calligraphy and a variety of stamps on pretty letters might be my new go-to design obsession (see current exhibits A and B). Whew - thank goodness - because my silhouette obsession was getting quite out of hand (exhibits A, B, C, D, E, F - yikes).

Adding fuel to the paper-craze fire? These cards by Jenna Hein, which couldn't be more lovely:


Don't you agree? If not, speak now or forever hold your peace, because there may be a lot more of these where they came from (as evidenced by my previous posts - reference above in the plethora of slightly scary exhibits). ;)

Originally spotted on Clover and Bee.

To my dear old man:

We haven't been able to hang out for real in days. (Silly scooter theft, kickball play-offs, baseball game, charity event, Stanley Cup and so on have kept us apart). I miss you.

Love,
your sea

Card originally spotted on Hello Lucky! Buy it for $4 at The Great Lakes Goods.

Remember when I espoused my love for good stamps (they really are icing on the cake to a beautifully hand-written note!) and the round-up I did of my favorite stamps? Well things in the stamp department just got even sweeter.

The new 64-cent butterfly stamp - designed especially for square envelopes - was introduced in May and is available for sale online or in post offices.

I know this is the dorkiest thing ever, but I'm really excited to go out and get some of these stamps! I love square envelopes and always end up having to use two stamps to compensate, plus I think this butterfly design is really pretty. Kudos, USPS!

You can learn more about the stamp here or buy it for yourself here (or just go to a post office).
Originally spotted here.

I don't have kids and I've been out of school for quite some time now, but I do have a mom who is a teacher, so I've seen a bad teacher gift or two (or 20) in my day. With schools ending for the summer in a few weeks here, I know a lot of ladies in town have been looking for good and unique (not another smelly candle!) teacher gifts (this is what you get when you hang out at Paper Source a lot).

I will tell you that my mom always loves Starbucks or Barnes & Noble gift cards, but if you're looking to make something handmade, here are two amazing ideas made by some creative chicks (not me) that will put you safely in the good-gift category.

Numero uno - the cutest customized hand soaps ever:

With all the random strains of cold/flues/diseases floating around kids and classrooms, teachers are always washing their hands (at least I hope they are!), so Jill Means of Legacy Digital Design capitalized on a practical idea and made something super-pretty out of it.

Basically, she took boring (and not cute) Softsoap - which she actually got on sale at Target for 1 dollar a bottle - took off the label, and added in a custom one with her kids' silhouettes (mwaahahaha, I snuck them in again!) and a thank you. Click here for the full instructions and a free downloadable template if you want to do this yourself.

Originally spotted on Design Mom.

Numero dos - a fun soda and snack pack:

Simply Seleta took on a similar idea - finding something a teacher will actually use and making it really pretty - and came up with these great "goody packs" (as she called them) in varying colors based on the kids and/or teacher.

These packs included color-coordinated vintage-y soda, straws, sugar-free gum, chocolates, microwave popcorn (great quick teacher snack), and of course the pretty label. If you're interested in doing this yourself, here's the full how-to and downloadable template for the label.

Originally spotted on Party Perfect.

I hope these two great ideas by two cool ladies sparked your inspiration and hopefully spared you from giving another picture frame/smelly candle teacher-gift combo. :)

I can only see the outer portion of these invites by Unruly Things, but I can already tell the whole wedding invitation suite must be drool-worthy. The slightly rustic kraft-paper color of the envelopes is perfectly offset by the more formal, yet totally gorgeous calligraphy and the amazing collection of colorful, vintage stamps. I wish I were getting one of these in my mailbox!

Invites by Unruly Things, calligraphy by Kathryn Murray, stamps from various eBay sellers. So cool.

Ohmygoodness, I can't believe I almost forgot - today is Cinco de Mayo! ¡Ay ay ay!

In honor of this holiday, here is some gorgeous fiesta eye candy from Design*Sponge:



Photos by Jesse Chamberlin of Our Labor of Love. Event design and styling by Ashley Meaders of The Flashdance.

Check out even more photos of this event over at Design*Sponge, and happy Cinco de Mayo! Drink a margarita and eat some chips and salsa for me! (I'll be doing the same...)

People. Are you in need of a last-minute Mother's Day gift, preferably one that is free? Well, lucky for you I am a genius. Oh boo, I can't lie, it's really my un-sister-in-law (B's sister) who is the genius.

I hope she doesn't mind that I am sharing this. I give her full credit. She is crafty and smart and has excellent taste - and she always gives thoughtful gifts. And luckily for me, she's a very busy lady (mother of an almost two-year-old and preggers plus working), so hopefully she isn't reading this to know that I totally jacked her idea... ;) Also, no one she's giving this gift to reads this blog (her mother and MIL are slightly technologically challenged, unlike my iPhone toting mom, so I think she's safe).

So get to the point, huh? Here is Kel's great idea:

DIY Word Clouds - otherwise known as Wordle. Behold:

"Art"


"Sound Poem"


"Month of March"

Still confused? These are totally customizable word clouds - you enter the text (deeming which words to make bigger or smaller by how many times you enter it); pick the font, the colors, the alignment; and re-arrange or randomize however you see fit until you find an arrangement you like. You can make these for all sorts of things: poems, thoughts, inspiration words, family members, etc.

Kelly is making one a custom one of these - including all the family members' names - for her mother and MIL, then printing it out and framing it for each one. Nice gift for a mom, right? And, except for the frame, totally freeeee!

Very cool, Wordle. Genius, Kel.

Enjoy! (And if you make your own, share it with me here!)

The cuteness! If I am ever fancy-pants-y enough to have personal calling cards, I want these ones that Erin Jang created, which were printed by the awesome Studio on Fire.

I'll take 250 with my info on them, please.

Spotted on Black Eiffel.

Oh, holy moley, Jordan Ferney has done it again. These DIY mobiles are amazing:

Can you believe she made them herself? They're simply sewn-together strips of vellum, hung from the ceiling on their own string and weighed down by a fishing weight. I love that you can make these mobiles in any combination of colors you want so that they match your party!

Also, she made all of these for less than 25 bucks, so that's a huge amount of impact (it basically transforms the space) for not a lot of dough. I'm a little intimidated by the sewing aspect, but it seems pretty simple overall.

Thankfully, Jordan was kind enough to provide instructions and photos for how to do this yourself, here.


Wouldn't these be perfect for a wedding shower or modern grown-up birthday party? Just tweak the color scheme accordingly and you're seriously set on decor. Love, love, love.

A little dose of fun or inspiration (depending on which banner you choose) + works for either every day or for all kinds of parties (again, your choice) + only 10 bucks = perfect.

And hey, there's even a "Cullen at heart" option in case you're lusting for some more Edward in your life, subtly.

I can't decide whether to buy these for myself or for gifts, or both. Love. Buy them here.

Spotted on Walking Around.

These cards from Rifle Paper Co. are the perfect sentimental-without-being-sappy cards for Mother's Day. So pretty!

I also just saw that they're now available at some Anthropologie stores - congrats, Anna!

Photo via Brooklyn Limestone

I didn't even realize I'd been bookmarking pictures of journals, notebooks and writing utensils I liked, but today I saw a few of these pics in my inspiration folder next to each other and I realized I had writing on the brain. Here are a select few notebooks and pencils that I found especially enticing.

These journals are pretty; made in the material of choice for architects, designers and nerds alike (moleskine); and sporting inspirational phrases to boot:


From here; spotted here.

I'm still working my way through The Happiness Project, but in it author Gretchen Rubin talks about 1-sentence journaling. I've never had the patience to write in a journal or keep a diary every day, but I think I might be able to handle one sentence a day (I am keeping a blog, after all!).

This lovely blue book would certainly help keep me on track:

Buy here; spotted here.

And last but not least, something with which to write in all these paper goods:


Buy here; spotted here.

Because people who like to draw are awesome.

Would you like any of these notebooks or pencils? A nice little surprise "day gift" from a friend perhaps? Or just a nice treat for yourself on a rainy day like yesterday?

I'm about to mess up your breakfast with some eye candy (literally):

The stale granola bar you just dug out of the bottom drawer of your desk doesn't seem that delicious any more? Oops. Sorry.


Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't resist sharing these lovely chocolates. Mind you, I haven't actually tasted them myself - these Sweeteeth chocolates are currently only available at shops and restaurants in Charleston - but the packaging was just too adorable not to post. Doesn't this "Sea is for Caramel" bar fit in perfectly here on sea*life*style?

I hear online ordering is coming soon. Once it does, I'm in trouble, because this “Sea is for Caramel” bar is gorgeous and sounds delicious - and would make a perfect hostess gift. And we all know I'm a sucker for paper, design, little gifts, and candy. Gulp...

Spotted on simple + pretty.

Are pinatas the new mustache? (As in, are they the trendy new design-world obsession turned party schtick?)

I wouldn't mind having a disco-chic, sparkly zebra pinata like this at some party:

Photo via coco+kelley

Though it'd be hard to bring myself to whack the heck out of it.

This flower pinata is equally as gorgeous, but much less Elton John and more demure rosebud:

Photo via Inchmark

And while we're on the subject of demure and pretty, how sweet are these skivvies from
Frieda Maria?


Well that was quite a mish-mash of things, wasn't it? Welcome to my world... And happy Wednesday morning!

I don't have kids yet for whom to plan birthday parties, yet I still feel oddly compelled to buy all of these amazing cupcake kits immediately.

These gorgeous mermaids are perfectly at home here on Sea*Life*Style.

I can think of a certain little boy (Finny Finn Finn) whose mom is going to snap up these pirate toppers immediately...

A cute gender-neutral option:


This one's girly all the way:


Perhaps I'll host a tweet-up and serve cupcakes adorned with these (grasping at straws here, looking for a reason to buy one of these kits!):


I can honestly see some dog-obsessed grown-ups buying these for their dog's birthday party (I still think it's hysterical [cough *weird* cough] that people do that):


Maybe I'll get these for the next friend of mine who has a baby shower:

I die with the cuteness.

p.s. Most of the cupcake themes also have coordinating party supplies, from invites to paper plates and napkins, etc. Check out the full selection here. So cute!

Spotted on Oh Happy Day!