Friday, June 26, 2015

Barn Animal/Farm Party Invitation

I love when my family asks me to design invitations for them. My nephew was turning 2 earlier this year so my sister asked me to create an invitation to match the barn party she was throwing for them. My sister has goats and lambs and ducks at her house and she borrowed a few more animals from other neighbors and had a little petting zoo. My nephew loves animals so it was perfect for him.

I actually didn't even get to go to this party because I had an eight day old little baby and wanted to keep her away from people during the winter months but my husband and daughter went. I didn't get to take any pictures of the decor but my sister took a couple.

She had cute barn/farm themed food and you can see my berry baskets there full of veggies! Such a cute idea.
 She asked everyone to dress up so here is my little Brooklyn all dressed up as a farmer. 

Today I am giving you the invitation I created for this party as a *free* download. Click on the link below or on the picture of the invitation below to grab it.

Products recommended for this party:

xoxo, Becky

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Heart Printable - Gold & Coral

Today I have a quick printable for you. When I was decorating my bedroom I had two black frames that needed something in them. I already had family pictures around the room so I wanted something else in these frames. The first frame I found this cute printable by Heidi Swapp that I printed out and the second one I decide to design a heart print. I went with gold and coral colors since that is what matched my room. I'm offering them as a free download today. Just download the file and print them out on photo paper (make sure you choose a matte finish!, I printed mine at Costco.). Then just pop them into a frame. I love the pop of color it adds!

Here is a picture of my room with the printable in the frame on the wall. I love how it turned out!

Download with the links here:
4x6 | 5x7

Enjoy!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Nautical Baby Shower - Navy & Gold

I am so excited to share with you the nautical baby shower I threw for my sister-in-law about a year ago. She was decorating her baby boy's nursery with a nautical theme so I thought I would run with that same theme for the party. Plus I was able to use a few décor items she purchased for the nursery as party or the party décor. Score!
We decided to make the shower an open house and because it was in the morning I went with a breakfast theme for the food. I love doing open houses because it seems to get more people to come if they know they can just stop by any time and don't have to stay long. Plus then you don't have to plan any games if you aren't into that kind of thing.
Here is the invitation I designed (free download below!) for this shower. I always like to make sure the invitation matches the theme of the party so guests know what to expect when they get to the party. Also, for tips on where to print these cards check out my blog post about printing invitations here.
The food for the party I chose muffins and fruit. I made 4 different kinds of muffins in a mini muffin pan so guests could have some of each flavor without getting too full. We also had milk and water for the drinks.
I created little signs to let the guest know the flavor of each muffin. I just printed off the words on cardstock and cut them out and added a little washi tape to the top. I also made little cupcake toppers (free download below!) just by printing them on photo paper and cutting out the circles. Then I just taped them to a toothpick. Super easy!
I loved creating paper pom poms for parties. They fill up so much space, look great and can really tie in all of the colors of the party. Here is the tutorial I used to create them. 
I also love having a banner at each of my parties. My favorite one is the chalkboard banner by Alex Mattox. I love that it is chalkboard so you can just erase and write something new for each party. I just add a few ribbons or ripped up fabric and it looks great. Here is the exact banner I have.
I think it is cute to have a picture of the ultrasound or a maternity picture of the mama framed at the party to make the décor a little more personal. 
And now for the FREE downloads! Download the whole digital party pack here (or click on the picture below).
Included in the download is the following:
-4x6 & 5x7 Nautical Customizable Invitation
-Cupcake Toppers Printable
-Anchor Printable
-Instructions on how to execute the party including recommendations on where to print all of the items, how to assemble them and which products to purchase to complete your party. 
http://bit.ly/1e8G5tI

Products recommended for this party:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/125010033/wood-forks-set-of-10?ref=shop_home_active_1

I hope you enjoyed this party as much as I did. If you use any of my ideas be sure to post a picture on Instagram and tag @paisleypalooza.

xoxo, Becky

Monday, May 18, 2015

The Best Places To Print Your Digital Cards - For All Budgets

I get this question a lot, "Where is the best place to print my digital cards?" So, I thought I would do a blog post about it to answer all your questions. My answer would be, it depends on how much you want to spend and what kind of paper you want it printed on. Here are a few of my suggestions and you can choose which option is best for you.

I love designing my own invitations because I can craft it to match the theme of the party exactly. Also, it's really easy to send a digital copy to friends and family if needed through email or Facebook.
First, be aware that there are 3 different papers I recommend with cards. Linen paper, pearl linen paper, and photo paper. Linen paper is more of a cardstock paper that looks the best for cards. Pearl linen paper is the same but has a little glittery shine to it. And, photo paper is what you print your regular photos on. Please note that if you are printing on photo paper, cards look best with a matte finish.

Second, price. Linen paper is a lot more expensive than photo paper, but like I said it looks a lot better for cards. Photo paper still looks great though so just decide how much you want to spend and what look you want to achieve.

Third, print shops. Here are my recommendations for where to get your cards printed:

Persnickety Prints
Persnickety Prints is my #1 suggestion when it comes to printing your digital cards. Not only are they the best people to work with, but their products are top quality. They also print with full bleed so you don't have to worry about any of the edges of your card getting cut off when printed.
They can print on linen paper, pearl linen paper, or photo paper. (Linen paper is a little more costly than photo paper but it looks a lot nicer for cards.)
And if you live in Utah you can pick up your order for free so you don't have to pay for shipping.
They also include envelopes with your card order.

Costco

Costco is the best if you are looking to just go the inexpensive route but still want quality. Please be aware that they don't print with full bleed so a little bit of your edges will be cut off. That's OK, just make sure nothing important on your card is right on the edge.
Remember, they don't include envelopes so you will need to buy them at your local craft store or office supply store. Also, you do need a membership to order from Costco.
 
Local Photo Lab
 
If you are wanting to print on photo paper, really any local photo lab can do it for you. Remember, most photo labs don't print in full bleed so the edges of your card will be cut off. Also, they won't include envelopes.
Please also note that a lot of local photo labs may have different coloring than what you see on your computer screen. If I am printing with a new lab, I always print one test card to see what it looks like and make sure I like what it looks like printed out.

Hope this helps in printing your cards!