Cooper's Birth Announcement

I am very excited to share the birth announcement I designed for my son, Cooper. Shortly after he was born we found out that he has Down syndrome. While most of our friends and family knew of our little guy's arrival and condition, as a stationer, I knew I had to send out birth announcements.

Cooper's birth announcements are featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper.

I knew I wanted the design to be as unique and special as my darling boy. The design features an envelope within an envelope. Recipients peel off the polka dotted washi tape to discover Cooper’s photo peeking out of the envelope. The back of the photo includes all his birthday stats. I am a sucker for letterpress and envelope liners. The card with the cross-hatch pattern is letterpress printed on 220# cotton paper. Both envelopes are lined with a fun triangle pattern.  

My husband and I felt it necessary to include a note about our little man. We went through at least a dozen iterations before finally landing on: Cooper came into the world a month early. As our midwife put it, “He has things to do. People and places to see.” Shortly after he was born, Cooper let us in on his little secret: he has a genetic condition called Trisomy 21, otherwise known as Down syndrome. We were shocked and confused at first. But in our son’s emerging personality, we see a young man infinitely curious about the world. His blue eyes catch on shapes and patterns that make him giggle with delight. He is tenacious and precocious and will be crawling and walking before we know it. Cooper may have Down syndrome, but it’s clear there is much more to our little man than an extra chromosome. We are delighted that he has chosen us to be his parents. Please join us in welcoming Cooper to our family.

I have been learning calligraphy and thought this was the perfect opportunity to test out my skills. I love the white ink on the kraft paper. Yummy! 

I've decided to offer Cooper's birth announcement for sale in my Etsy shop. If a special child has come into your life, I would love to design a beautiful announcement for them. Please contact me, and I would love to discuss it with you.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the design will be donated to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. 

Paper & Parcel for Elli

I am excited to announce a wonderful new partnership with Elli, a fabulous online stationery boutique. With wedding season just around the corner, I've been hard a work designing Save the Dates exclusively for Elli. Checkout my latest designs: Sweet Lace, Posh Affair, and It's a Date.

Sweet Lace

Posh Affair

It's A Date

Stay tuned: I'll be posting about more designs for Elli soon.  

Paper & Parcel's 2013 Holiday Collection

Paper & Parcel's 2013 Holiday Collection is here! 

This year I created 15 photo card designs for you to choose from. In addition, I have also expanded my paper selection to include a beautiful 130 lb. Felt, a luminous 107 lb. Pearlescent, and a deletable 34 pt. Double Thick Paper. Order cards by December 10th to send them in time for Christmas. 

I also have a festive selection of packaging goodies available. 

Below is a selection of my photo card favorites. To see the full collection, check out my Etsy shop. 

Freshly Minted: Holiday Collection

Earlier this summer, I shared with you my submissions for Minted's 'Oh What Fun' Holiday Card Challenge.  I am excited to now have two of those designs available exclusively on Minted: Embellished Joy and In Time for Christmas.

The Zombies are Back!

The Zombies are back! 

I've received so many requests for the bags lately that I decided to release them early this year. Thank you guys so much for the amazing and overwhelming response! 

Please visit my Etsy shop if you would like to purchase the bags. For the recipe, see the original post here.  

Minted: 'Oh What Fun' Holiday Card Challenge

Yes, Christmas is a still a couple months away, but this is usually the time of year I start designing for the holidays. It might be sweltering outside, but I am dreaming of a White Christmas.

Below are my recent submissions for Minted's 'Oh What Fun' Holiday Card Challenge: Peaceful Type, The Jolly Type, The Merry Type, The Joyful Type, and In Time for Christmas. Voting is now open until midnight on June 24th. If you vote for 50+ designs before the deadline, Minted will send you a promotional code for 15% off your order.

Minted Special Prize Winner

I am excited to announce that my photograph "Glacier National Park" was chosen by Minted to receive the Vintage Award for their On the Wall Art Challenge.  I took this photograph while hiking the Grinnell Glacier Trail in Glacier National Park with my husband and dad a couple of years ago, and I am thrilled that it will be available for sale on Minted soon. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  I've been itching to share this inspiration shoot that included by Minima wedding suite for over a year (Last year I was still kicking the tires and coding the blog design). But now that it is Valentine's Day, I thought it the perfect time.

The images were taken by the ridiculously talented Lauren Kinsey with gorgeous styling by Shelby Peaden Events and spectacular flowers by Myrtie Blue. The shoot was featured on Wedding Chicks, and you can see more images by visiting the gallery.  Below are a couple of my favorite photos:

Photography: Lauren Kinsey Fine Art Wedding Photography

Styling: Shelby Peaden Events

Florals and all Props: Myrtie Blue

Short Dress: Sash Couture

Long Dress: Allure Bridals, borrowed from Simply Elegant Bridal

Paper Goods: Paper & Parcel

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Makeup: Becca Griffiths

Hair: Melissa Day

Minted Special Prize Winner

Designing wedding invitations is one of favorite things to do. So I was head over heels when I heard the news that my design, "Come Fly with Us," was chosen by Minted to receive the Shape Award for the design that uses one of their die-cut shapes. Yippie! The design is now available to purchase on Minted as a wedding invitation or Save the Date.  Check it out -- especially if you are planning a destination wedding! 

Introducing Minima

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I thought it would be the perfect month to introduce my invitation design Minima. Inspired by Robert Indiana's "Love" sculpture, Minima is for the minimalist couple looking for the ideal way to express their love and admiration. Coupled with a chevron pattern as an invitation backer or envelope liner, Minima makes the ultimate modern style statement. Below is my inspiration board for Minima. 

Image Sources (left to right): 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Minted's Hello Baby! Challenge

Zodiac by Paper & Parcel 

Voting is now open for Minted's Hello Baby! Birth Announcement Challenge. Birth announcements are always so much fun to design, and I was able to submit three designs to the challenge: Zodiac, Twin Type, and Worth It.  Cast your votes quickly because voting closes Friday, January 11th. 

Real Wedding: Kathryn and Jeffery

I thought the perfect way to kick off my blog posts for 2013 was by featuring Kathryn and Jeffery's gorgeous fall wedding. I had the pleasure of working with them on their invitation and reception stationery.

When Kathryn contacted me, she wanted an invitation that reflected the colors of Colorado during the fall -- khaki, espresso, mustard and kraft. She also wanted to include a faux bois pattern and aspen leafs. Little did I know then, how all those elements would combine with the other wedding details for a truly beautiful fall Colorado wedding. 

Below are a just a couple photos from their wedding captured by the fabulous Joshua & Co. Photography.  You can check out more photos from Kathryn and Jeffery's wedding by visting their blog. 

Photos curtsey of Joshua & Co. Photography

Happy New Year

I hope that your holidays were wonderful -- filled with eggnog, merriment and kissing under the mistletoe. Thank you so much for following Paper & Parcel during 2012.  I'm excited to share with you  all of Paper & Parcel's new projects in the new year. But until then... Happy 2013!

Freshly Minted: Come Fly With Us

My wedding invitation design, Come Fly With Us, is now available for sale on Minted! Inspired by vintage luggage tags, this invitation is perfect for a couple hosting their wedding abroad. 

P.S. It's also available as a Save the Date.