I'm back! I'm feeling refreshed, invigorated and ready for some new card designs! I know I promised wedding invitations in my last post but I had to share this wedding card first. I made it for the wedding I went to in North Carolina last week and little did I know the theme was very rustic and included antique flowers, mason jars and burlap. PERFECT! My card fit right in...

I wanted to try something new so I attempted to wrap the braided burlap around the peach paper in a nice little border but that turned into a disaster. It was looking a little haphazard so I will need to go through a few more practice runs before I feel confident with that look :)  

Overall, I love how this card turned out and I will definitely be making a set to add to my Etsy shop. Weddings always sneak up on people so they're a great card to have on hand!

Guess what, guys?! I'm going on vacation tomorrow! I haven't been on a real vacation in almost 2 years to the day. As much as I dislike packing my 56593849873 hair products and hoping they don't explode in my bag, I love seeing new places and I can't wait to get going tomorrow!

This blog is about cards, not vacations, so I'll get to the good stuff. My only child dachshund, Rudy, is getting some minor surgery tomorrow and I decided to make the vet a thank you card for everything she has done for him. To say he's a medical handful would be an understatement so the fact that she actually said "he's my favorite dachshund" was a BIG DEAL. 

I've been really into doilies lately. I wanted to find some colored ones because I think the white ones are a little harsh sometimes, but Michael's only had these so I'm working with what I've got for now. I folded the doily over the spine of the card so it carries on to the back which I really love. I showed it to Rudy and he seemed pretty interested in sniffing it out so I take that as a seal of approval.

With that said, if you want to see what happens to my hair in the humidity, follow me on Instagram (Richelle Hawley) and I'll keep you updated on my vacation adventures. If not, I will be back soon and I'll show you some great wedding invitations I've been working on!

Whoa...it's been way too long!! I promise I will never ditch you like this again. Except for maybe next week...I'm going to North Carolina for a wedding!! I promise I will come back with new inspiration though. 

Speaking of inspiration, I moved last week, hence the lack of new posts. Luckily the new home of "Richelle's Paperie" provides ALL KINDS of new scenery so I'm pretty excited about that. Lots of birds, lots of trees, oodles of dachshunds!! I'm in heaven.

Anyways, I got this owl stamp on sale at Michael's a couple of weeks ago and I swear I have been hearing owls in my sleep. He's been haunting my dreams so I knew I needed to get moving on making a card based around this little guy. 

My aunt is visiting and she actually gave me the inspiration for this design! In typical Richelle fashion, I had visions of doilies and burlap floating around my head but she is a teacher and she said that teachers are always getting surprise gifts from parents, students, etc. so they're always in need of thank you cards. She suggested something really simple that she can keep in her desk and grab in a hurry, yet something that still looks handmade and unique. Teachers are some of the craftiest people I know so it's only appropriate that their thank you cards reflect their style.

I stamped the brown owl on a crumpled paper bag and used this really neat floral paper from Michael's as a background. I used a "thank you" stamp in corresponding brown ink and there you have it! They are so simple, yet they have a little extra "oomp" that plain store bought cards do not have. 

I added them to my Etsy shop so go take a look! I'm also having a little summer sale on Etsy so if you're in the market for some cards they are all 50% off! All of this sweet, sweet sunshine called for a sale! 

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!!!