Tickle Me Turquoise by Flakes Paperie

A+K's Wedding Feature

After working with wedding clients for months and hearing so much about their plans, it's always so exciting and rewarding to see photos of the big day.  I was thrilled to see Amanda + Katrina's wedding feature on Style Me Pretty this month!  You may recall the wedding invites and program fans I had the pleasure of making for them, along with a few other wedding day paper designs.  A+K's Chicago wedding looked gorgeous (seriously, how cool is that venue!) with so many fun and unique details.  They also had an absolutely beautiful wedding video made (which has left me riddled with wedding video envy).  Head over to Style Me Pretty to check it out! 

Our house just got a whole lot cuter.

Introducing the new addition to the Coulson family, the distinguished Mister Pimms!  He's our brand new little ragdoll kitty and we love him to bits.  He snuggles up next to me when he's tired and flies around the house like a deflating balloon during his hyperactive moments.  Though it will take great restraint, I'll try not to turn this into a kitten blog...but trust you will be seeing lots more of Mr. Pimms.  I mean seriously, who wouldn't want to?  

Sea foam + Coral, swoon

I'm so into this colour palette.  Looking forward to posting the corresponding invites along with a few others in the coming days. And I will be sharing the new addition to our family, who arrives tomorrow.  I can barely contain my excitement. Hint: he's furry. 

Green goodness.

Oooh wee, wedding season is in full swing and things are busy, busy, busy.  I often grow tired of hearing myself say that, as yes, I am busy but busy doing something I enjoy so it feels wrong to complain. Except filing my HST...that I definitely don't enjoy...and emailing for hours...that I could also do without.  The point is, things are busy and therefore cooking becomes like bronchitis; ain't nobody got time for that. Which is why I made this big ol' lasagna. It makes a lot and there's nothing fussy about it - it's rustic and has great flavours...and results in few dishes (cause seriously, ain't nobody got time for that) and best of all it will prevent me from cooking for a few days.  

It's another gem from the Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes book and is definitely unlike any lasagna I've ever had, however it's unexpected ingredients (peas, edamame, asparagus, lemon, mint) make for one fine dinner. Of course this lasagna would be even better if it actually were the summer and the 'veg' were in season...but we don't have that luxury just yet.  When looking for a link to the recipe, I actually found this episode of when it was made on the show - I see that cooking the assembled lasagna at high heat on the stove top will help absorb a lot of that liquid...mine have been a bit saucy (the peas were talking back)(ugh I know, terrible pun) but regardless, I dig it.  I dig it big time...and odds are you will too!  

Finally...

...an indoor plant I haven't killed.  Trust me, this is worthy of celebration. Though our house has lots of windows and light, it seems it is lacking in ledges and counters on which a plant can sit and enjoy direct sunlight...and so we (ok, I) have laid many a plant to rest after a short, painful existence.  I'm happy to spare this sassy pink plant the ol' yard bag funeral.   

On an entirely unrelated note, here's a sweet little tune I've been enjoying on this somewhat drab Monday afternoon...

 

Red red wine...and chocolate cake

Yes sir.  It's like a perfect marriage of awesome things; chocolate. sugar. cinnamon. wine.  I made this cake last weekend and it was as good as it sounded.  The recipe is from one of my favourite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. This cake is a one-bowl creation so it takes no time and all and leaves very few dishes, which is quite possibly my favourite part.  Also, the topping takes minutes to make.  I used an inexpensive South African shiraz, mostly because if I can't be in South Africa, my most favourite place, then I must at least drink their wine (preferably until I get to a state where I forget I'm not actually there). Oh and the bottle bottle claimed it had 'whispers of vanilla and dark chocolate'. That's right, whispers. So, if you are looking for a dessert that looks, sounds and tastes impressive, but don't want to fuss around, this is your cake. Do it.     

Gold, Green and Tartan

I was definitely excited when Emily and Andrew told me about their wedding. Emily brought many keepsakes to the consult to communicate the idea (Andrew's family tartan, an old stag pin, vintage postcards).  I'd never done a save-the-date quite like this and I was immediately thrilled to get started on the design. Pops of gold ink as well as a shimmering gold envelope gave it a rich, sophisticated look while still maintaining a sense of nostalgia.  Can't wait to begin the invitation design this summer...

Pretty Paper things

These last few post-show weeks have been a little nutty.  In addition to a heavy design workload, I've also been busy preparing my wholesale catalogue.  Yes M'am, Flakes Paperie products will soon be found in many lovely little shops (details to come).  Here are some recent photographs of some of the latest cards. 

These items, along with many more, will be added to the Etsy shop in the coming week or so. 

Spring Show Countdown

Let's be honest, it's hard to focus while working from home with this incredible weather!  All I want to do is sit on the deck with a good book and cool glass of wine or beer...or both (it's ok, it's after 5).  Buuuut instead this evening I will be churning out new cards in the sweatshop studio, which I must admit, is still pretty fun. Set-up for the Spring One of a Kind Show is just a week away and I have loads to do...like getting my middle-age man rock on as I print to Bruce Springsteen (I'm printing to his music, he's not actually in my studio while I print just to be clear).  I'm a serious Boss fan (it's genetic) and I'm loving this new song.  It would have been a good one to drink beer to on St. Patty's...if one wasn't in their studio furiously printing of course.  

 

Mix Tape Save-the-date

Nothing says I love you like mix-tape, am I right?  When Vinny + Ruby came to me with the idea of wanting to incorporate a mix-tape into their invites, having exchanged many over the years (ok they were likely mix CDs), I was super excited.  You see back in the day, I was so  very into the mix-tape.  Hand me a blank cassette and a 'ghetto blaster" and I'd make magic happen . I'll spare you the details of my monumental mixes, but the point is, I was excited.  I also adore V+R's wedding colours, screen-printed in purple, grey and turquoise, and am really looking forward to creating their invites, expanding on the hip, urban music theme you see here! 

Save-the-date sneak peek

Unfortunately I don't have time to properly photograph the latest custom work I've completed this week, but here's a quick phone pic to show you a little sneak peek of two recent save-the-dates.  These babies were both so much fun to design and print!  I'll be sure to show you the details next week.  

Until then, here's a tune to enjoy - have a super weekend! 

 

Spring One of a Kind Show: Telegrams + Tickets

The Spring One of a Kind Show is fast approaching in just five weeks...ok so maybe that doesn't seem soon to you but it sure does for me, considering my obscenely lengthy to-do list.  While I've been exhibiting at the Christmas show since 2006, I haven't done in the Spring show for five years and I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm going to have lots of new products that I'm pretty darn excited about, like this telegram set, which is an all-occasion spin on my popular holiday telegram:

Stay tuned for more product previews in the coming weeks but in the meantime, those of you interested in attending the OOAK show (it's in Toronto and it's awesome) be sure to buy your tickets online here and use the code included on this e-flyer to receive your discounted rate!  

Drawing and listening and reading

I find myself pretty tired this morning, perhaps on account of the dreary weather, however I'm enjoying the quiet illustrating time, while listening to this, a song that makes me feel a bit like I'm in a Sofia Coppola movie...(only it would be a really boring one)

 

I also finished a good book last night (perhaps the real reason I'm tired) called The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens, a Canadian author whose previous books (Rush Home Road, The Girls) I really enjoyed.  If you are looking for a quick, sweet read check it out.  

Cheese and petals

Here's a little snippet of our Vday cheese-fest (pun intended).  Yum yum yum.  Because let's be honest, for me Valentine's day is simply about eating well...oh and spending time with the one you love...riiight.  So, I popped into the local cheese shop, and among other things, loaded up on Quebec soft cheese as well as an Italian cheese injected with red wine (hello!).  We gorged ourselves on crusty bread, garlic stuffed olives and salad (my fried Feta salad I will share sometime).  Not too shabby. Oh and I awoke to that beauty bouquet of hydrangeas on the kitchen table - nice work husband.  Now if only our fancy bottle of wine hadn't turned to vinegar and needed to be poured down the sink...

Pink Hearts

I'm shutting things down a bit early today as I have a few errands to run, the most notable being a quick stop at the cheese shop to load up on a few fancy fromages for tonight.  Of course first I might have just one more of these adorable cookies my friend Roisin made - yumm!  Have a lovely Valentine's Day!