How cute is this?! I received an order for some birthday cards (not "manly" ones, thank you very much) and I had specific instuctions for a design based around the first card I ever made. Check out the birthday section for that blast from the past! 

Anyways, they loved the mini cupcake wrapper but wanted me to incorporate some rustic elements so I ditched the bedazzles for some strips of burlap and a simple birthday cake stamped on a paper bag.   

They are sooooo delicious in real life :) I love them so much I made an extra set and put them in my Etsy store so go take a look if you're in the market for some playful birthday cards to have on hand!

Happy Friday everyone!!

One of my best guy friends has a birthday coming up soon and normally I wouldn't be so obsessed about sending him the perfect birthday card but this year is a little different. A couple of months ago when I was showing him some of my designs he asked "Do you ever make anything more manly?" I remember just kind of laughing and protectively petting one of my precious burlap bows but in actuality the answer to that question was a simple "no!"

So basically I saw his upcoming birthday as a chance to show him that Richelle's Paperie can, in fact, appeal to the male population. It's the perfect project to get me ready for when a groom comes my way looking to design wedding invitations! I know it's bound to happen sometime. ;)

Anyways, I headed over to my beloved World Market and picked up some great ikat paper. I've been wanting to try out that pattern for a while and I think the blues and greens make it more masculine. I literally sat at the table for over an hour trying different embellishments and color combos of ribbon but I just wasn't getting that "I'm for a dude" feeling I was going for. In the end I settled for a really simple burlap braid and a paper bag stamped with a cool "Happy Birthday" graphic. Hey, at least I didn't use any ribbon or bows...huge accomplishment on my part.

In the end, the finished product might not scream "manly" but it's like Tim Gunn always said on Project Runway, you have to stay true to yourself in your designs. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN!!   

Since I started making cards last year I realized there are two specific groups of people (well, girls, naturally) who are the most fun to work with on designs...brides and new moms. Their enthusiasm is mind blowing and I LOVE IT! I mean, I get it. Brides are planning THEIR day and new moms just acquired some adorable bragging rights. It only makes sense that they would be so excited about going all out for something that showcases these milestones. 

A while back I got this cute baby footprint stamp on sale at Michael's and I made some thank you cards. I've been so busy with wedding invitations and thank you cards lately that I wanted to add some diversity back into my collection so I whipped out the baby stamp!

Instead of making them too specific I decided to keep them gender neutral with the blue and red paper (another great Michael's find) and emit any kind of wording all together. That way they're perfect for anything "baby!" They would make great shower invitations, birth announcements, thank you cards, etc.

I put a set of 8 up on my Etsy shop so go take a look!   

I finally got my Etsy shop up and lookin' good! It was in desperate need of a facelift so I enlisted the help of Jamie at Fresh Lavender Designs and she brought Richelle's Paperie back to life. Make sure you check out her shop while you're there because she makes some of the cutest logos, including mine. Even if you're not in the market for a logo, take a look because she's pretty ah-mazing!

Right now I just have some fan favorites listed on Etsy but I will make sure to keep you updated on all my new stuff. I'm almost finished with some super sweet baby cards so I will get those posted soon!

Happy weekend!!!

Elizabeth + Craig

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be making one of my best friend's wedding invitations, I would have said you were craaaaaazy! But here we are...just a couple years shy of that first milestone reunion and my BFF is getting married!!! 

So for the past couple of months I have been using her and her finace's names to create all of my mock ups for brides to get their ideas flowing when they have their initial invite consultation. Well, these are the REAL deal...the winner if you will. Like I told you a couple of posts ago, she basically told me what elements she wanted to use and I made a couple of designs for her to choose from and this was the culmination of all that creativity! 

This invitation suite is very soft with the cotton ribbon and pale pink paper and the burlap tie and braid adds that rustic element to it. Overall, I'm obsessed with them and can't wait to deliver these beauties to her!

Congratulations Elizabeth and Craig!!! Counting down the days until September 1st!

Rustic Chic Wedding

I happened to stumble upon this great company called Simply Natural Event Planning and I've been drooling over their pictures all weekend! They have executed so many beautiful events and I definitely recommend checking out their site. Even if you're not planing a wedding, the pictures are to die for and I even got some ideas for decorating my house!

"Rustic Chic" has become a hugely popular theme with today's weddings. Most of my wedding suite collection fits into this category since I love using earth tones and burlap so I hope this trend sticks around for a while! I got the idea for this specific suite when I saw a table setting featuring a burlap runner with a gorgeous floral fabric runner on top of it. It was a super long table and they had added antique candles and flowers positioned down the center. It was the runners that I couldn't take my eyes off of and I thought "that would be perfect for an invite!"

For mine I just used checkered brown ribbon that I already had, but there are so many options for this design. You could use the actual fabric from your runners or just find really great ribbon that compliments your color theme. Burlap comes in all different colors as well so it would be fun to experiment with red or black or whatever your colors are! For the RSVP card I just made a burlap bow but you could always use fabric if you decide to go that route. As always, so many ways to customize this design and I think it's perfectly simple for that "Rustic Chic" wedding. :)    

This must be the week of good manners! Everyone seems to be wanting thank you cards lately. Well, I am more than happy to oblige. 

I was about to extend my "recycle your resources" lesson but lucky for you I got a new idea to share. :) I decided to use one of my favorite embellishments: burlap! I am OBSESSED with braiding it. You should try it. All you do is get a piece of burlap at the fabric store (I got mine at JoAnns) and you can pull it apart and do all sorts of fun stuff with it. I have a whole list of ideas to try out...

Anyways, I made a nice messy braid and used it to border the patterned paper against the kraft and finally finished it off with a rustic "thank you" stamp. Super easy and customizable. Don't forget your "P's" and "Q's."

I think a big part of being a good crafter is learning how to use your resources and stretch your materials. There really is soooooo much you can do with what you have, you just have to try new stuff out! 

I received an order for some thank you cards and got my favorite design stipulation of "make whatever you want" so I recycled one of my favorite stamps and kept it rustic with a bit of a pop. 

It's always so hard to see in the picture but this is the same stamp I used for one of my invitation suites but instead of using brown ink I used hot pink embossing powder! The pattern looks awesome in real life and is subtle with a great contrast against the kraft paper. I stamped the heart on a crumpled brown paper bag and then added a burlap bow. Here's a hint: I only glue random areas of the heart to keep it from lying flush against the card. You know how I feel about flat. :)