Weekly Wrap #13 : Something Blue

February 26, 2010 // kristen // 6 replies

I just discovered Such Pretty Things, and I don’t know what took me so long. The Such Pretty Things blog is filled with lovely, inspirational eye candy in a rainbow of luscious pastels — vintage ribbons and embellishments, vintage jewelry (I’m coveting pretty much everything in this post), yummy food, and gorgeous gift wrap ideas like the bevy of blue packages below. I love the mix of modern and vintage inspired papers with vintage trims, like oh so pretty, glittery stamin bundles.

images from Such Pretty Things

Balcony Gardener Seed Packaging

February 25, 2010 // kristen // 6 replies

Hello, gorgeous packaging! I felt a swoon coming on the moment I spotted this absolutely fantastic seed packaging by Chloe Dunne for The Balcony Gardener over at Lovely Package the other day, and I’m still in full swoon over the bold, modern patterns and the brightly colored palette. I’m not anywhere close to being a green thumb, but these seeds make me want to start planning a balcony garden.

images from Lovely Package / The Balcony Gardener

Dimensional Paper Flower Tutorial

February 24, 2010 // kristen // 1 replies

One of my features in the first issue of Nonpareil was all about diy favor boxes, and one of the boxes in the feature was adorned with a neato vintage brooch that I pulled from the stash of brooches, earrings, and other costume jewelry that my grandmother and other relatives have been kind enough to pass down to me over the years for incorporation into my various crafty projects.

I know that not everyone has a stash of vintage jewelry hanging around, so I created bonus project, a paper replica of the brooch that I used in the favor box feature. You can check out the tutorial and download free template files over at the Nonpareil blog. The flower would also be a fun embellishment for scrapbooking projects, other types of boxes, or handmade cards, and you can make it in any color of the rainbow or use patterned paper for even more possibilities.

image from Nonpareil/Kristen Magee

Illustrated Book Proposal

February 24, 2010 // kristen // 1 replies

A little over a month ago, illustrator Joel Kimmel let me know about the marriage proposal that he had illustrated for his own proposal to his girlfriend, Chantal. I’ve been meaning to post about it but, honestly, I think that I was just so overwhelmed by how beautiful this proposal is that I couldn’t seem to find words that were fitting for such a jaw-droppingly awesome concept. The thought that he put into it, the wonderful story he wrote that gave clues as to the nature of the ring, the little hidey hole that he cut to hold the ring and the tabbed flap to hide it — this was a labor of love, and to be the recipient of such a love-infused creation must’ve been absolutely wonderful. Not surprisingly, Chantal said yes, so a big congratulations to both Joel and his future wife! I can’t wait to see your invitations. *wink, wink*

Here are just a few images of the proposal. You can see more over at Joel’s blog, and you can read more about the ring, the proposal, and the reaction.

images from Joel Kimmel

Fin + Roe Letterpress Greetings

February 23, 2010 // kristen // 3 replies

Very few things in the paper world get me more excited than finding out about the launch of a new letterpress line, and I’m totally jazzed about the new line of letterpress greetings from fin+roe. The line features greeting cards for just about every occasion, and I’m loving the chic, modern patterns (really digging the cross-stitch inspired designs), coupled with the unexpectedly fun and snarky sentiments that can be found inside. Here’s just a sample of what you can find in the collection (check out the whole line here):

images from fin + roe