Gender Neutral Baby Shower

My mom certainly out did herself with this one!  She's been crafting, planning, constructing, wrapping, shopping since the day Kerry & Jeff told us they were expecting!  (See Kerry's Bridal Shower and Wedding Invitation Suite).   

Kerry & Jeff aren't finding out the baby's gender, so my mom and I wanted to stick to a very neutral theme -- we decided on burlap with greys, whites and creams as accents.  We had a blast shopping for gender neutral baby clothes and accessories to string around the room.  My mom made all the decorative hanging balls from coffee filters!  She's so talented.  She also handmade all the utensil holders out of burlap, and wrapped wood 'baby' letters in yarn for decoration on the window sill.  She came up with the really cute idea of wrapping boxes of diapers in brown paper and stacking them to resemble baby blocks - so cute!  .. not to mention the chocolate dipped pretzels and oreos, burlap 'baby' banners, diaper cakes, flowers and wreaths, wood signs, and champagne favors!  

I'm proud to say I get my creative side from my mom.  Not that my Dad isn't creative... he decided to spell out the word 'baby' with all the champagne favors -- nice work dad!  But in the words of rapper Will.I.Am....  "I got it from my mama..."

Thanks to everyone for coming and helping out!  It was a great time.  Kerry, Jeff and Baby M are so lucky!

Miscellaneous Invitation Stuff

Susan & Billy

life lately // via instagram

SIX  //  Glitz & Glam Champange Spilts with custom designed favor tags  

ONE //  dress: GAP (last seen here), shop similar here  //  purse: Kate Spade (last seen here), similar here  //  pumps: French Connection, dying over these pink ones  //  

TWO  //  shoes: Rose Gold New Balance, shop similar here & here  //

THREE //  skirt: Loft  //  blouse: 424 Fifth, shop similar here  //  shades: Ray-Ban  // 

FOUR  //  sandals: Sam Edelman, shop other leopard shoes here, here & here  //

FIVE  //  heels: Target, seen here  //  ottoman: Threshold at Target, similar style here, similar color with storage here  //    

SEVEN  //  top: Free People  //  denim jacket: Tinsel, also seen here  //  purse: Danielle Nicole with Rose Gold Detailing, now on sale!  //  jeans: old, similar here  //  flats: J.Crew Factory

Follow me on Instagram @krisjaclyo


Linking up with: Trend Spin  //  

Boston Sports Themed Table Numbers

Check out my new Esty listing for more information or to purchase.  The table markers are totally customizable to the teams and players of your choice.  

Finally getting around to sharing these Boston Sports themed table numbers I did for a friend's wedding (a year and a half ago).  Anywho, Beth enlisted my help with the table numbers for her wedding.  The overall theme was an attempt to incorporate one of the groom's, Paul's, favorite things - sports, better yet Boston sports - Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox and Bruins!  The project morphed from simple photo sized player jerseys in acrylic frames to complete authentic-looking (down to the fonts!) cutouts stemming from actual hockey pucks & baseballs, and hand painted wooden basketballs & footballs.  The most challenging part of the project was finding new baseballs in October.  Needless to say, we all were thrilled with the outcome.  It was certainly a group effort but well worth it!

Kerry and Jeff's Wedding Invitations

Today I'd like to share something very special with you... these custom invitations I designed for my Sister, Kerry's, wedding...  

In keeping with the Wedding's color scheme, yellow & navy blue, I decided to only use navy blue in the flat card (border/backer).  Kerry & Jeff wanted to keep the invitations light and modern, with clean lines.  I feared navy text would make the invitations feel too heavy.  So instead, I added a warm grey text to balance out the yellow.  I incorporated large ampersands and simple grey lines to add a bit of graphic interest.  In total, I used 3 different fonts: a cursive, a plain text and a bold, decorative font.

Last winter, Kerry, my mom and I took a 'Wedding Workshop' at the Paper Source in Lynnfield, where we learned how to emboss, line envelopes, custom stamp, etc..  So with our helpful new skills and new tools (envelope liner template and bone folder to make those creases perfect), Kerry and my Mom lined all of the envelopes with yellow and white chevron wrapping paper!  (Yes, wrapping paper from T.J.Maxx - a major price saver.)  They came out fabulous!

Kerry & Jeff really wanted to keep all information for guest concise and compact.  They were all about convenience for their guest.  Their main focus was to make sure everyone had a fun, hassle-free experience, from start to finish. (hence the "Wanna Dance?" on the RSVP card.)  I created a pocket on the back of the invitation to house the Accommodations card, RSVP card and RSVP envelope, so that guests didn't have to worry about misplacing all the importation information leading up the wedding.  The pocket was made from the same navy flat card cut in half on the diagonal so that we could net 2 pockets out of one card.  We then used a tape runner (also used to line the envelopes) to attach the "pocket" to the back of invitation's navy flat card.  

I did all of the printing "in-house" / with my own printer.  (I set up the files so that my dad could just hit the print button while Kerry, my mom and I worked on gluing the invitations to the navy flat card.)  I was even able to print directly on both the large envelopes (not pictured) and the RSVP envelopes to give the guests an even-more personalized, custom impression.

What do you think of the invitations?   Let me know in the comments section below.  

INVITATION DETAILS 

All Paper (except Chevron liners): Paper Source
Invitations Card: A7 in Luxe Cream
Flat Card (navy backer): A7 in Night
Envelope: A7 Envelope in Luxe Cream
Accommodations Card: A7 Enclosure in Luxe Cream
RSVP Card: A2 Note Card in Luxe Cream
RSVP Envelope: A2 Envelope in Luxe Cream
"Pocket": A7 in Night, cut in half on the diagonal

Holiday Gift Guide

With Black Friday right around the corner, the time has come to start thinking about Holiday Gifts.  Above, I've put together 16 fabulous gift ideas under $50 each, with the exception of an adorable Kate Spade Bluetooth Speaker - a must have.  I hope this post provides you a bit of inspiration this Holiday Season!  

For the men in your life, check out the new TOMs for Target collection here.
For friends + co-workers, I love what the Paper Source has to offer, shop gifts here.
For my mom + my sister, Kate Spade is my go-to, here.
For other family members or in-laws, you can't go wrong with under $50 home items, here.  
Or find personalized items here from Plow & Hearth.

1.   Nail Polish Set  --  $28

2.   Faux Fur Throw Blanket  --  $35
3.   Espresso Cups  --  $42
4.   Blanket Scarf  --  $50
5.   Kate Spade Bluetooth Speaker  --  $60
6.   TOMs for Target Jar Candle with Wood Box  --  $15
7.   Kate Spade Thermal Mug  --  $18
8.   Peace Joy Love Coasters  --  $7
9.   What's A Hostess to Do? Entertaining Guide  --  $18
10.  Kate Spade Champagne Tote  --  $28
11.  Moscow Mule Mug Set  --  monogramming available  --  $36 (on sale!)
12.  TOMS for Target Faux Leather Journal  --  $18
13.  Welly Socks  --  $45

14.  Gingerbread Ornament  --  $25
15.  Tech Gloves  --  $45
16.  Slippers  --  $39


Linking up to Friday's Fab Favorites: here

Save the Date Postcards

Today, I'm sharing something a bit different, my blueprint if you will.  I designed and created these custom postcard superhero "save the dates" for Amy and Phil.  

Isn't it amazing that Amy & Phil both had (and could find) their superhero costume pictures from when they were kids?  Very unique and very memorable.  Can't wait to work further on their wedding suite..  

For inquiries, please contact me kristy@style-blueprint.com