confetti by lexi

where's my camper?!

camp time for my girls means photo stalking for me - refreshing the camp website, hoping to see pics of their smiling faces and get a glimpse at their activities and friends. as they get older, there are fewer pics of them, but i still look at every single one, scanning the background for body parts and clothing that i recognize! a while back, i started using the pics from camp to create the cards i use to write to them. they don't get to see them until after, so it's fun little peek into what i'm seeing and a photo they can add to the bulletin board in their trunk.

then end of the term, when i've collected enough photos, i also create little books or collages and send them to arrive at the end of the last week to share and enjoy with their cabin. it started as an autograph book alternative, but they've been with the same girls now for quite a while and text each other year round, so autograph books have become obsolete. but they still like receiving the pics and get a kick out of my silly presentations, like the flip books a couple of years ago. this year, there were way more of those background body part and unintentional photo bomb shots than anything else, so i created little "where's waldo?" type books with all the pics of other people that they were in somewhere. ha! i even included a magnifying glass to help them out!

one more day!
:) lexi

p.s. camp stationery remains one of my most requested items - this is also something i can help you create!

a little fire & a lot of ice

i still have one more "royal" post, but first i thought i'd share another frozen spin off - a fire & ice party. the birthday girl had attended the first frozen party, liked a lot of the activities and wanted to feature them at her party, but she wanted something a little less princess or movie driven. she was having a sleepover and also planned on roasting s'mores. brainstorm: frozen + fire pit = fire & ice!

it was a small party and the request was for a cool and simple invite, so i came up with a logo centered around fun font details and included her name and age in a phrase to create a short rhyme. the logo and rhyme together were also perfect for a door sign. like the one yesterday, this is scaled to full page size. for the party it was mounted on black foam core and hung with coordinating fire and ice curling ribbon.

with a logo that cool (or hot?!), we had to use it on the activity cards as well. since this was a small party of girls who could read and follow directions, they were going to be doing the activities mostly on their own, so i included directions with all of the precut and sorted materials.

as always, there were alternates during the planning phase. usually my invites are the size of a half sheet of card stock, but sometimes clients and i opt for the cuteness of a small quarter size invite. on the left is the same phrasing as the larger invite reworked on that smaller size, on the right is a different phrase option. one fun detail on all options that i like to include always is a fun rsvp or regrets prompt. for this theme: cold feet? haha!! feel the heat...

feel the chill!
:) lexi

 

ice princess on skates

the popularity of frozen means a second day of the ice princess theme. this time the request was for frozen on skates. with the light, bright version from yesterday as my starting point and the request for a skate shaped invite, i got to work on a fun new twist on the original, adding in pink for extra pop. roller skates? you might be wondering. well, it was a local order and this is the south. but these could easily be turned into ice skates if you have the right venue for that!

i love requests for shape invites. when i originally created these, i didn't own the silhouette cameo yet, so i hand cut them. i have a steady hand, lots of practice, and i enjoy repetitive work in front of the tv, so it's not too bad. but i cut this one today using the silhouette pixscan and it's so awesome. and perfect all the way around. i guess i'll just watch the tv while i feed the machine now! anyway, the clients also loved the idea of real ribbon lacing and jewels on the wheels. special cuts, embellishments, and bling - all of my faves!

as with my other ensembles, there was a personalized favor tag, complete with fun puns. and warm hugs!

and how about a little something to put in the favor bag? i purchased a large bag of magic snow powder and measured out small quantities in little zip bags to add to a few other frozen goodies the clients had found. a coordinating label with olaf giving directions was a must!

and finally, i did have a flat option as a back up. this could also be used as a thank you note as is, or scaled down for a personalized fold over note like others i've posted. lots of rollin' and chillin' possibilities!

hip, hip, hooray!
:) lexi

ice princess

it wouldn't be princess week without the very popular "new" ice princess and all things frozen. i was asked to work on this party before i'd actually seen the movie. with older girls, it just wasn't on the immediate must see list, but i found a way to watch it and fell in love!

i followed a tutorial on how to create the ice block look of the logo, added snowflakes and a drift for cute olaf, and came up with a fun phrase for the birthday girl's snow themed party. complete with a snow machine, i should add - because we don't get that here naturally, even in january!

the artwork for the invite was also perfect for a welcome sign. what you see here is scaled to a full paper size, with a welcome phrase in place of the invite rhyme. for the party, this was mounted on a small piece of light blue foam core and hung with curing ribbon on the front door. i do this a lot with images from many of my invitations - it adds a festive personalized touch to the entry. 

this party had a lot of activities for the girls to complete, so signs for the stations were a must! directions on the back help if the age group can read or if they have parents completing the crafts with them. i was rotating among the tables getting kids started and assisting where needed.

water bottle wraps are also a fun touch. especially these - melted snow, lol!! we chose to use regular labels and not ice them. room temperature in january is fine and we wanted to line them up for display. but there are water resistant labels that can be iced if needed. i also used the same label size and design for the favor bags, with a "thanks for coming" phrase from the princess. the design would also work perfectly for food cards and thank you notes like some of the previous parties. coordination all the way!

of course i had options at the design phase - i like options! the ice block look worked best on dark blue, but light, bright and white are great for this theme as well. in the end, we used a mix of both, but all of one look or the other would be easy to accomplish if that is preferred.

and how about adding your own ice princess to the invite? so cute!! these were ideas for another client who's daughter had been elsa for halloween. i have photoshopped kids for several different invitations over the years and love trying to come up with a design to fit them into. like i said before, i love a challenge - and it's so fun to let it go!!

warm hugs!
:) lexi

little mermaid princess

hello! i'm back from spring break. it was our first big college visit trip and, while very informative, two schools a day was all go, go, go! luckily i had the weekend to give in to exhaustion, but now it's time to jump back into the swing of things including the continuation of princess week. today is all about that mermaid princess we know and love. the request was for little mermaid under the sea, but again, not so much disney. 

the client really liked the hint of a mermaid, focusing on the tail. she had seen similar cut out versions on glitter paper, but preferred a less expensive printed only option. so i ran with the graphic look and created a fun dotted pattern in ocean blues. the addition of red to highlight the special birthday girl portion of the rhyme and a yellow starfish embellishing the fin add just the right pop and complete a color trio that will be perfect to repeat in party decor.

once the invite was established, i had fun with a few coordinating party papers. different sea life, same white on pattern graphic look with a pop of color. first up, starfish menu cards. there are so many fun mermaid food options!

next, a fin-tastic party favor tag. or maybe it could say hugs & fishes - i love a fun pun!!

and finally, personalized shell notes, complete with a lounging mermaid. the hair color can be changed to match the birthday girl if wanted and the red moved to the name. or the mermaid can be used for a more mermaid centered invite. maybe some yellow starfish hair embellishments or party decorations? so many possibilities for this fin-tastic ensemble! how fun would it be to add more sea life and create a birthday banner? challenge me!

splish, splash!
:) lexi

princess from a far off land

today our princess is from a far off land. the request was for aladdin-inspired with a fun punch of color based on decorations they were planning to use. aladdin, but not too disney. i love using unusual color combinations, so this was really fun for me.

first up, the invitation. key ingredients in addition to fun color are pattern, cool shapes, jewels, and of course, a magic lamp and genie wishes.

a matching return address label is easy and eye catching. this is the first opportunity you have to set the scene, and little details like this are so fun - even before the envelope is opened!

similarly, if you're giving a party favor, a coordinating bag tag (or sticker) is another detail that really adds to the overall party design. and here's proof that party favors don't have to be over the top. how perfect and theme specific is this little bag of candy treasure?!

and finally, you can finish it all up with a matching note to say thanks when all is said and done. this one is a personalized fold over note, but like i mentioned yesterday, a fill in the blank version would be easy to create with the various design elements.

speaking of design elements, here is a look at several variations that i came up with along the way with the different pieces and parts. i can easily go crazy with options! some customers like picking and choosing, while others only want one or two fairly perfected choices. i like it both ways. clearly i was having fun with the details on this design. any one of them would be a great invitation, depending on how much color you want or what you want the focus to be. in fact, colors can be swapped around or changed completely to match your vision, too.

your wish is my command!
:) lexi

classic princess

today's princess invitation is all about my go to cinderella images. a glass slipper presented on a royal pillow with a magic wand - classic princess all the way. like the castle shape yesterday, a special cut edge is a detail that sets an invitation apart from others. the frame i chose for this one was a perfect way to include more color and add a fun touch of fancy. again, there are many options for phrases and fonts, depending on exactly what kind of royal princess party you're hosting. these are similar to yesterday's invite, but i've used many others over the years.

it's always fun to have matching stationery for thank you notes. here i used the same images for personalized fold over note cards. but i could also design them into the popular fill in the blank thank you note. once created, i use these images together or separately for a variety of things depending on the requests of the customer. for this party, i also created stickers for the favor bags, using only the wand and a simple thank you phrase. but, really, the sky's the limit - signage, food cards, water wraps, cupcake toppers, bag tags, t-shirt transfers, etc. i'm always game to try something new...

bibbidi bobbodi boo!
:) lexi

hear ye! hear ye! double take

i thought i'd try to continue my blogging streak by finally photographing and posting some of the invitations sitting in my share folder. and since several are princess related, i think i'll start with those and dub this "princess week" in hopes of following through! first up is a more blinged out and personalized version of an original simple castle cutout. the request was to start with the same basic invite, but add glitter and child-like drawings of princesses to match the girls, including the specific length of their cute red hair!

like the original, drop the drawbridge to reveal the party details. there is plenty of room for a variety of princess party phrase options, and lots of ways to decorate the castle to personalize it further. no matter what color or wording you go with, the cutout and drawbridge are really fun details for any sweet little princess - or prince or knight with a quick change of color and costume!

royally yours,
:) lexi

treatsie for my sweetsie

in searching for a fun valentine gift for my husband, i came across treatsie, a monthly artisan candy subscription. so perfect! while i found it in enough time to get the february box, i didn't find it in enough time to get something here to give to him today. so how to present it? and then it hit me. how about a mini mock up of the box to introduce and explain it?

i love projects like this! there are probably some good box templates out there already, but i have a little experience with this kind of thing, so i created a printable to match the box pictured on the website - complete with a logo and a real cardboard box texture, of course! once you get the math down, a little cutting, scoring and folding is all it takes...

it looks like when the box comes, there's a card with the contents listed. so for the gift, i created a card with the description from the homepage of the treatsie website, along with a graphic of the box and delivery calendar, also found on the website.

of course i couldn't just leave it like that - it's a valentine gift after all! i opted for red tissue paper for the occasion, closed with a stamped and glittered heart and die cut arrow from my stamp set cupid's arrow. but that's not all...

i filled it with printed and cut images of items from the website, all nestled in crimped shred. i'm a sucker for details! now, i can't wait to see the real thing later this week. i believe this is a gift the whole family will enjoy...

happy valentine's day!
:) lexi

i scream, you scream...

we all scream for ice cream! happy national ice cream day! i barely made it, but did you know that, while today is national ice cream day, the whole month of july is national ice cream month? so let the celebration continue! i pulled together a collage of some of my favorite ice cream projects. ice cream is very inspiring...

i've posted the green/boy version of this invite before, but i never got around to sharing the pink version, so here it is up close, with sweet wording for a special one year old. ice cream is always a good party theme - change the flavor, change the phrase - this invite is easy to personalize!

of course, there was a matching cake just like for the green one. don't worry, ice cream was served, too!

another fun favorite is ice cream cone cupcakes. no actual ice cream here - but it was a hit for my daughter's birthday snack way back when and we got a few double takes as we walked them in!

moving on to the calorie free variety. we went through a heavy painting phase several years ago, which led to a fun gallery wall in my studio. the wall has filled out quite a bit since the original post, but the ice cream cone is still a definite fave!

and last, but not least, i can't forget to mention comfort food and comfort food additions, companion stamp sets highlighting the perfect pint, with a bowl and spoon to serve it up, and some fun and comforting sayings! you can see more fun cards on pinterest here and here. i'm sure i've missed a sweet project or two, but this is a start! and remember it's not just a day, it's the whole month...

yum!
:) lexi

emoji love #lol

late in the day, i discovered that it was world emoji day. thank you, instagram! so of course, like national donut day, i just had to create a set of cards to celebrate, right?! luckily i had drawn a whole bunch of emojis for a massive tech themed project that i have yet to post, so the hard part was done. and now, i have another fun card set for my etsy shop. #sofun

:) lexi

donut you know...

it's national donut day? if not, then you're not following the right people on instagram! my feed has been donut after mouth watering donut all day long, and i felt the need to join the party.

i decided to go back to drawing board with the ones i designed for valentines a couple of years ago and create a few sweet cards. i started with the same color scheme of pink, brown, and white, which i love.

but i couldn't stop there. rainbow sprinkles are even better, right?

and then, inspired by many on my feed, i had to kick it up a notch and create colorful gourmet donuts, too!

yum! i love donuts - and these all calorie free and fun to share! but i think i need a real one now, too...

:) lexi

happy camper mail

this time of year, i print camp orders daily. mostly personalized campy stationery and fill in the blank camp notes designed for campers to send to friends and family at home. but what about mail to the camper? these are postcards that make it easy for the camper to get mail as well. printed with the camper's name and camp address, along with the dates during which to mail them, you can pass them out to classmates or family. and then all the friend or family member needs to do is write on the back, add a postcard stamp, and drop it in the mail. lots of mail at mail call makes for a very happy camper!

:) lexi

 

fiesta time!

happy cinco de mayo! i thought i'd go through my stacks to find a few fiesta inspired invitations. first up, a cactus shaped invite. it's her birthday and she's excited, to a mexican fiesta you're invited!

next, how about maracas and margaritas and a pop of color? this time for a surprise birthday. ay, caramba! no time for siesta, for this night, we fiesta!

and last, spicy margaritas with jalapeño and lime. an engagement party fiesta style, before the bride and groom walk down the aisle. when in doubt, a fiesta fantastico is the way to go!

:) lexi

 

happy earth day!

earth day is all the buzz today, so i thought i'd pop in quickly to share a cute earthy invite and stationary set from the stacks. this is one i created a few years ago for a party at a local discovery garden complete with a worm dig and a watering can fountain. it would also be great for a bug or garden themed party at home and could easily be created in brighter colors for a bug-loving girl. actually, two plus years later, i can think of lots of fun possible revisions! it's been a while since i posted invitations, but i really need to make better progress on getting some of my old faves up here. one up, so many more to go!

back to work...
:) lexi

valentine...

you're all that and a bag of chips! chocolate dipped chips, of course. i just love this phrase. it makes a fun valentine for kids of all ages, even adults. this is one of several projects i'm juggling this week as mardi gras and valentine's day collide. and a parade to get ready for too - busy, busy!!

:) lexi

 

my punny valentine

with valentine's day quickly approaching, i wanted to share a few personalized printed valentines from my stash. i created all of these for the same client who likes me to "make something fun!" last year, her daughter was into flamingos, which i loved! i mean, how can you resist a cute bird pun and necking flamingos, lol? i left room above the birds to stick a foil covered chocolate heart, but the idea could also be redesigned as a tag or box wrap.

the first two of these were from the year before last, the donuts an alternate from last year. and we can't forget my girls' mustache ones from 2012. clearly, i love a good valentine pun! for the first one, i recommend sticking a sucker in the open space, ha! for the fish, a few small foil covered chocolate hearts mixed with the heart bubbles. and for the donut? a donut, of course! as with the flamingo design, any of these can be created in different sizes, as a tag, or in such way to work with your specific treat packaging. there's still a little time for mailed orders if you contact me (very) soon, slightly more if you're local or want to order a pdf to print yourself. i love this stuff...

hugs & kisses!
:) lexi

p.s. i've done some great boy valentines too - football, aliens, bugs - so many puns, so little time!

happy thanksgiving!

after a last minute burst of creative energy yesterday, we ended up with turkey brownies...

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, a litte experimental twist on my favorite tollhouse recipe...

and quickie printed name cards. and then today, we ate and drank, and ate some more...

gobble! gobble!
:) lexi

happy halloween birthday!

for my last printed confetti post this week (the countdown to new stamps starts tomorrow!), i have two versions of a halloween birthday invite from a few years ago. i posted the monster cakes party activity at the time, but it was after halloween, so i never posted these. luckily, halloween colors are pretty set and ghosts are always in style! above, we have tradition orange and black, with a white ghost magically mixing a bubbly green potion. and below, a little purple and black, with transparent green ghosts and a random scattering of stars. 

i have a bit of a soft spot for purple and green for halloween because orange and black are everywhere, but i still like the traditional too - when it comes to halloween, i love it all, really! anyway, as with most personalized invitation orders, i really have fun coming up with words and verses like the two options above. a rhyming dictionary that i've had since i began teaching comes in very handy at times. and whenever it works, i like to add a creative theme inspired rsvp as well. got a halloween birthday or just want to throw a ghoulish bash? let me know and we'll scare up something fun together!

:) lexi

heave ho, me hearties...

a pirate bounce house! as promised, i have another october invitation from the stack. this one was from last october, and while pirates are a great theme for halloween as i showed yesterday, this one was for a birthday and could be used any time of year. again, this was a fun request to get. the party was to take place at an inflatable playground and the birthday boy wanted a pirate theme, so a pirate bounce house it had to be, right?

bounce, bounce, me hearties!
:) lexi