Benign Objects

I Love Olive Box

2013-05-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

Since I was a little girl, I loved, loved, loved getting mail. I'd get excited to go to the mailbox each day and, well, usually nothing for me. Maybe an American Girl catalog would show up and I would pore over it. And now, as an adult, it's mostly just bills. So, being the paper and mail lover that I am, I was so excited to discover Olive Box awhile back. I can't remember how I came across it, but I'm so glad I did.

Each month a sweet little box shows up on my doorstep packed with paper goods, books, etc. This month's box was particularly wonderful with a notebook from Rifle Paper Co., cute little covered thumbtacks from Girl of All Work and a set of floral notecards from Fawnsberg.

Do you all subscribe to any monthly delivery services? I'd love to know of any goodies I might be missing.

photos by: Olive Box

Chinatown: A Photoshop Endeavor

2013-04-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Photo on left is from clipart.com. Photo on right by Michael Spencer.

The other day I wrote a little tidbit for my personal blog and needed a photo to go with it. It had been awhile since I'd played in Photoshop so I decided to flex my Photoshop fingers and whip up a composite to accompany my prose. I'm a little rusty, but it was mostly fun and turned out almost as I envisioned it.

I used the two (royalty free, cc licensed) color photos above to make the photo at top along with a bunch of filters and The Pioneer Woman's actions. (You can get them for free here.) The action I used was the b&w and then I added several extra quick edge burn layers. I used Photoshop's patch tool to get rid of the two girls in the Chinatown photo and then cut out the couple, pasted them in their place and dropped a bunch of textures on them to mae them seem almost ghostly. I also used the paint brush to dollop circles of "light" in some of the hanging lanterns and then gaussian blur and glowing edges to soften them into a glow. I wanted a moody, ethereal feel, and I think I mostly accomplished that. I can see some areas that could use a little more work, but for something done between rocking a baby, I'll take it!

Eight Hour Day

2013-04-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Olive Juice Stationery System by Eight Hour Day

Bienville Identity by Eight Hour Day

Engler Identity system by Eight Hour Day

Uncle Goose blocks by Eight Hour Day

Oh, hello there. Good to see you all again! I was busy having a baby and then adjusting to having a baby. And, to be honest, I'm still adjusting to having a baby, but I'm going to try to ease back into blogging. What's new with you all? I am so out of the loop! But I was excited to see all of this gorgeous new work one of my favorite design studios, Eight Hour Day, has been creating. It gets me all excited to start on my own design work again.

Free Valentine's Day Printable: Love Prescription Labels

2013-02-10T14:58:00.000-06:00

Love Prescription Jars free printable by Benign Objects.


Love Prescription Jars free printable by Benign Objects.

Hi everyone! I wanted to share a super easy, quick Valentines Day DIY project I created for you all: a prescription for love. To give someone a daily dose of love, just download, print out and trim the labels I created for you all (3 different design options), then glue or tape them to an empty vitamin or pill bottle (I used an empty glass probiotic bottle. Yay for probiotics!). Then just write some sweet nothings, happy memories or love quotes on bits of paper and tuck them into the bottle. If you're really fancy, you can get some gel caps to put the paper in and then put those in the bottle. I told you it was simple. It would be a great project for children, too.

You can download a PDF with all 3 labels by clicking here.

**As I get this post prepared for publishing, I am getting ready to go to the hospital to have my labor induced. It's our first child and I'm really nervous! Labor induction was not the route I wanted to go, but it has been deemed necessary and so I am trying to roll with the punches and adjust my attitude as best I can. Also, because I'm going in on a Sunday, I'm going to miss the newest episode of Downton Abbey. Le sigh! I hope to be back with you all soon!

A Peek at My Bedroom

2013-02-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

My bedroom after: A much brighter, calm, happy space! photo by Rachel Wiles/Benign Objects.

My bedroom before: Holy beige, Batman! Look, there's the old useless nook that ended up becoming the perfect place for my dream clawfoot tub. This room is depressing.

The walls were painted Sherwin Williams' Sensible Hue. It's a great calming, neutral blue grey. I love it so much that it's in our nursery. The chest is a hand me down. The chairs are from Home Decorator's Collection, gotten 50% off during post Thanksgiving sales for about $200 each. Blue pillows are ikea. Florals are from etsy. Lamps from Ikea (about $15). The ocean painting is from Home Goods (about $40) and the mirrors are also from Home Goods and spraypainted glossy white (about $20 each). photo by Rachel Wiles/Benign Objects.

The King-size bed and slipcovered headboard from Pottery Barn were a wedding gift. I love that when I get sick of the headboard I can just have a new slipcover made.Photo by Rachel Wiles/Benign Objects. All of the bed linens are actually Ikea. The 4 picture frames were on sale at Pier One for $10 each. I spraypainted them a neutral grey brown. The lamps were repurposed from my mom's house. I spraypainted them white and added sandy linen shades. The bedside table (not my favorites) are also hand-me-downs from my parents. I'd like to eventually paint them. See that little thing hanging down at the top of the photo? It's a fab chandelier from Overstock.com that I should have gotten a better pic of. Way better than the ceiling fan.

This is the little TV corner, though it never even gets turned on. The plant is from Home Depot. The hutch is from Ikea (Hemnes cabinet, $300) and the rattan laundry basket is from Home Goods ($35). I have a thing for Home Goods. Photo by Rachel Wiles/Benign Objects.

A year plus ago I shared our master bathroom renovation with you all. You can revisit that post by clicking here and see how we went from a dark, cramped space to an open, airy haven complete with the clawfoot tub I'd always dreamed of (you can see a glimpse in the topmost photo).

I have completed some other projects since then, but haven't been to great about documenting them and, honestly, sometimes they take awhile to evolve. But today I thought I'd share the master bedroom overhaul. It was originally a dark, dingy room with beige painted popcorn ceilings, beige walls and even beige trim, an ugly ceiling fan and zero personality.

Check out the captions above to see how I transformed the room. The first thing I did was paint the ceiling and trim white. I wish we could have replaced the carpet with hardwood and gotten rid of the popcorn ceiling, but neither were in the budget, sadly. So what do you all think? Do you like a calming space or do you like more pops of color and excitement?

I've been working on the guest and dining rooms, but they're not quite where I want them to be yet.

In the meantime, I'm still awaiting the arrival of our first child. She's being stubborn!

Coming up soon? A free Valentine printable just for you all!

Magazine Shout Out

2013-02-04T09:30:00.002-06:00

Shout out to these fine publications for featuring my work (and twice in Southern Living Weddings!) over the past few months. It's always such an honor for me to see my work in print! I will never, ever, ever get tired of it or lose that thrill that comes along with it. It's such a gift.

If you want to see the clips showing my work, click "Read More" below. You can download the clips on my website here.

Benign Objects printed wedding handkerchiefs featured in Destination Weddings and Honeymoons,
Jan/Feb 2013

Benign Objects custom printed handkerchiefs featured in Flea Market Style Weddings 2013

Benign Objects State Love Favor bags featured in Southern Bride Winter/Spring 2013

Benign Objects handkerchiefs featured in Southern Living Weddings 2013

Benign Objects custom printed favor bags featured in Southern Living Weddings 2013

Benign Objects printed handkerchiefs featured in You & Your Wedding (UK) Sep/Oct. 2012

The Bright Side

2013-02-01T15:01:00.002-06:00

Benign Objects featured on The Bright Side Project.

The Bright Side Project has been a long-time mainstay in my reader. Have you all checked it out before? It's a wonderful repository of beautiful, bright and uplifting things, and I am honored that they chose to feature my Piggyback Design: Good Things Jar labels today. If you haven't visited them yet, pop on over and take a gander at all the goodness over there. :)

Happy Friday to you all. I hope this weekend brings our baby!

My Spring Look

2013-01-31T09:23:00.000-06:00

I am due with my first child any day now. The truth is, I've had a pretty great pregnancy experience and really can't complain much—though I'm certainly well into all of the discomforts that go along with those last couple of weeks of pregnancy: I have pretty much been living in stretchy exercise pants and loose tops because I cannot justify buying anything else for just these last few weeks.

I will confess: I miss "normal" clothes. I miss the ease with which I used to dress. I totally took it for granted that I could tie a shoe without having to come up for air between the left and right shoe! I spent a good portion of my life experimenting with different modes of dress. Ages 12-14 were particularly disastrous with their overabundance of neon, spandex and windbreaker fabrics. It really wasn't until about 30 that I sort of settled into a style that really felt like me, and I've pretty much stuck with it ever since. It's sort of a bohemian, prep, eclectic combo. The outfit in the above photo is right up my alley, so I decided to see if I could re-create it on the cheap. Lo and behold, I could! I am not blessed with legs that long or thin, but somehow I remain ever hopeful that skinny jeans like that will work on me. To this day, they have not. But I am nothing if not an optimist!

Have you all found your comfort zone in terms of fashion or do you still experiment?

From top left: Single Button Blazer from Body Central, $29.90 (I have this and it gets a lot of use. I had to order a size up from normal); Fox stud earrings from C.Wonder, $38; Boatneck sailor tee from Land's End; Straight Jean, American Eagle, $39 (I love their jeans. They fit me well and the prics are so great. I wear them far more than my expensive Joe's,Sevens, Citizens, etc. jeans); Crocs clogs (I know, really!), $70, or the slightly more modestly priced Sbicca Hutton clog, $59; Throw on a pretty, layered gold necklace from etsy seller, Potion Number 9, $34, and tuck this sweet, cream leather and gold foldover clutch from etsy seller byMART, $34, under your arm.

*I found the original inspiration photo, by Ornithes on flickr (via pinterest) here.

Pretty Little Things

2013-01-29T12:29:00.000-06:00

Sample handkerchiefs from Benign Objects.

'Tis the season! High season for me. Typically Fall and Christmastime are slow for my business, which is nice for spending time with family and friends. But I do always look forward to right after the new year, when new brides start inquiring about my work with their bright-eyed, infectious excitement. Here are a few orders and samples going out today to Oklahoma, New York, Singapore and Ontario, Canada! I never get tired of pretty packaging, even when it's as simple as some twine and business cards.

Piggyback Design #2: Good Things Jar with Free Printable

2013-01-24T12:13:00.000-06:00

Add caption

Free Printable: Good Things Jar Label by Benign Objects

Over the holidays, I came across this pin* with a great, yet simple project idea for the year ahead. The idea is this:

Start on January 1st with an empty jar (okay, we're a little late, so start Feb. 1, or backdate some paper slips). Throughout the year write the good things that happen to you on little pieces of paper. On December 31st, open the jar and read all the amazing things that happened to you that year.

I am all about gratitude this year, so I loved the idea of this project, but I thought it might be more fun if the jars had a dedicated label the spiff them up. So I piggybacked off the original idea and made some jar labels for you all. There are 2 designs and a few colorways for a total of 5 labels. Also, there's an editable part for your to input your family's name, or whatever other text you want. Hope you all enjoy!

You can download the PDFs by clicking here.

P.S.: If you're a new visitor to my blog, I hope you'll become a regular visitor by subscribing (here) and staying up to date with all my free printables, print and interior design adventures and musings. :)

*sadly, I can't find a source for this project. If you know the source, please let me know, so I can properly credit.

The Bright Bone of a Dream

2013-01-22T15:38:00.003-06:00

Quote by Michael Ondaatje via Benign Objects.

I've loved this quote ever since I first came across it a few years ago. I set it to visuals yesterday. Maybe you'll like it, too.

I am 8 days away from my due date (first child) and find my dreams to be so vivid. I think part of this is because I have to wake up so often to use the restroom at night that I'm constantly stumbling from the bed with the wisps of dreams still on the back of my eyelids, tangled in my hair.

I used to dream more vibrantly through highschool and college. In fact, I can still vividly remember two of the most amazing dreams I've ever had: one fifteen years ago in high school and one in college. Both of which shaped and continue to shape my spiritual and world view. Have you ever had one of those?

One of my most oft occurring dream themes is a search for crystal clear blue water. I see it often but I always seem to wake up before I can dive in and swim as I so desperately long to. These dreams started after I swan in the inimitable waters of the Turks & Caicos and saw the blue grotto in Italy. I swear after this baby is born, I will make it back to the Turks & Caicos.

I would love to hear about any recurring themes to your dreams.

Thursday I will have a free printable for you all. It's a really good one.

(p.s. I created the graphic from two layered textures I found with a cc license on Flickr. This one by Mary Vican and this one by Martisimas.)

Piggyback Design 2 Sneakpeak

2013-01-12T12:22:00.000-06:00

Sneakpeak of #2 in the Benign Objects Piggyback Design series. By Rachel Wiles/Benign Objects.

You all really, really seemed to like my first Piggyback Design, and since today is my birthday and I've gotten so many wonderful gifts—both tangible and intangible—I thought I'd make something for you all. Here is a sneakpeak of #2 in the Piggyback Design series.

And, I have a challenge for you all. This screencap contains some clues as to what I'm working on. There are more clues on my Pinterest DIYs-To-Do board. If you are the first to guess what I'm making and leave a comment below, I'll customize the text and colors just for you. I will do the same to the first person to correctly comment on my Benign Objects Facebook page.

See Piggyback Design #1 by clicking here.

Inspired by Emerald

2013-01-11T09:24:00.001-06:00

Emerald Green inspiration board by Benign Objects

Emerald Green Wedding Suite by Benign Objects, available here.


Emerald Green Invitation Suite by Benign Objects, available here.

Today I'm going to take you inside my design studio. So emerald green is Pantone's Color of the Year. This is an incredibly strong color, and it's hard for me not to veer straight into art deco or super prep when I think about it. So I made up this mood board to inspire some new design work featuring the color of the year and the two variations I ended up with. I couldn't decide whether I liked the invite more with a gold lined envelope or with an envelope liner that echoes the pattern on the back of the invite, so I decided to post them both. Look how pretty it is with a soft pastel pink or peach. You'll also notice it works very well as an accent color. A whole lot of emerald can be overwhelming, but adding pops of it here and there is really lovely.

They're available in my etsy shop here.

Emerald and White Cake, by The Cake Whisperer, via Ruffled Blog.; Room by Laura Casey Interiors; Bouquet photo by Lisa Lefkowitz, via Style Me Pretty; Emerald Table Lamp, via InteriorMall.com; Necklace by Enzo Liverno; Emerald Rings by Ross Simons; Emerald Journals from Jenny Bick; Ridiculously gorgeous dress by Jenny Packham, via 100 Layer Cake

Free form with Federico Saenz

2013-01-09T10:48:00.001-06:00

Digging the slashes of colors in these new works by Brooklyn-based artist (by way of Argentina) Federico Saenz.

Also, something fun happened when I opened up the ol' blog to post: I saw that, very quietly over the past week, I'd reached more than a million page views. That's really exciting to me, and I thank all of you for that. I think a giveaway is in order soon. Especially with my birthday coming up on the 12th, and my first child due the 30th!

2013 (Free) Printable Calendar Roundup

2013-01-03T06:00:00.000-06:00


Best of the Best 2013 free printable calendars as curated by Benign Objects blog.

2013 All-in-one free printable calendar by Benign Objects.

Do you have a pretty 2013 calendar? As usual, I procrastinated and found myself without a 2013 calendar. Luckily, there are so many gorgeous, free options that now my only quandary is picking a couple to spread through the house.

I thought I'd share my picks for the best of the best with you all. Links to download and sources are below. And I threw mine in the mix, 'cause why not?

Which one is your favorite?

From top left, going clockwise:

2013 All-in-One Printable Calendar by Benign Objects (right click single image above and save to desktop. Print on letter size paper); Mibo Animals of the Zodiac 2013 Calendar via Maureen Djello, illustrations by Sean Hennessy; Geometric Calendar by Natasha Mileshina of Bubbo Tubbo via A Merry Mishap ; Hope and Home 2013 Calendar by Seamless Days; The Ink Nest Whimsical mini Calendar (will cost you a tweet or FB post); Ellinée journal 2013 12-month Calendar; Seasons 2013 All-in-one calendar by Love vs. Design; Customizable Owl Lover 2013 Calendar featuring various artists on My Owl Barn; Sweet New Year Calendar by Amy Moss/EatDrinkChic; 2013 Mini Printable Calendar from Skip to My Lou ; Make Everyday Special 2013 Calendar by Design Bolts; The Twinery confetti mini Calendar (also comes as a full-size)

New Year, New Look

2013-01-02T15:46:00.000-06:00

CONFETTISYSTEM is composed of artists Nicholas Andersen and Julie Ho. They create beautiful installations and confetti items for major brands like J.Crew and have been featured all over the world.

Happy New Year! So I've finally overhauled the blog a little bit. There are still some bugs to iron out and tweaks to make, but I'm already enjoying how much brighter and airier it is. And look how big and pretty the pic is! I've gotten rid of some of the clutter and tried to streamline things.

You can see all of my social media bits are at the top right. I've added an instagram and pinterest feed. I also streamlined the categories list (next to the instagram feed) so you can find posts on subjects of interest quickly (I'm looking at you freebie lovers!) :)

I'm going to vary my content a bit more, too. One of my favorite things to read about is how people create, both literally and figuratively, so I'd like to bring in some more artist/creator interviews. My first child is due in 4 weeks, so you can expect to see some child-related content.* Also, there might be some more personal, everyday life stuff, 'cause why not? And some things won't change: I'll still showcase great design, from pretty packaging to gorgeous kitchens. And there will still be free printables, free stuff and giveaways.

I hope you all will stick around, and I hope I can engage you all more with lots of fun new things over the next year.

*In fact, something I've been working on diligently lately is my non-toxic baby pinterest board. It is a collection of non-toxic (no BPA, lead, pthalates, fire retardants) baby items and resources. If you're interested in minimizing the chemical load on your child when you can like I am, you should check this board out. I add things as I research them. You can see the board here. If you have some products I should add, please let me know. I pin a crazy variety of things. You can see all of my boards and follow me here.

A Perfect Pair: Stripes and Gold

2012-12-05T09:54:00.000-06:00

I came across this beautiful tablescape for a Sarah Seven preview brunch and it was the perfect jumping off point for an invitation idea I'd been mulling for awhile: black and gold stripes with a small dot of soft mauve. Yes, I said mauve. :) Pair it with a black envelope, gold foil liner and gold or soft pink metallic calligraphy to complete the look. Or, really go luxe and foil stamp the gold stripes. You know how I love foil stamping.

This invitation is available starting at $225 for 50 invitations, or $65 as a printable. Foil stamping by custom quote.

Tablescape photo credit: Megan Clouse

Foil Stamped Invitations

2012-11-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

I've been getting a lot of inquiries lately about foil stamping, so I thought I should do a post about it. It is one of my all-time favorite printing processes. Every time I've used it, the results have been nothing short of jaw dropping. Good design is the key, though. Like anything involving metallics, it can go tacky fast in the wrong hands.

Also called foil embossing or hot foil stamping, this method uses a custom created metal die and heat to press or stamp foil into the substrate or paper. The use of a die makes it similar to letterpress, but the cost of the die and the foil typically make this option slightly more expensive than letterpress, but not always.

There are many varieties of foil, and not all of them are metallic. In fact, some of my favorite creations utilize matte foils. I created the incredibly chic and unique foil stamped wedding invitation at the top left with a soft matte black foil stamped onto black paper to create a tone-on-tone effect. You can see a version in tone-on-tone white foil stamping that I created for my W*ink business cards in the second picture down on the right (second card). There's even a clear foil option which will render something like the second picture down on the left. Gold foil, as shown on the bottom four photos and on the top right photo of a foil stamped invitation suite we created for a Marie Antoinette-inspired wedding, instantly lends an air of luxury to any design.

Images, from top left: Capriotti black tone-on-tone wedding invitation, Rachel Wiles for Benign Objects/W*ink; Marie Antoinette-inspired wedding suite, Rachel Wiles for Benign Objects/W*ink; W*Ink business cards, Rachel Wiles for Benign Objects/W*ink; "Un.titled" stationery system designed by Andrew Townsend ; "Shine" by Dauphine Press (carried in-store at W*ink); ikat gold-lined envelope and gold and blue invite by the Lettered Olive ; Fox & Flyte, via BCE-online.com.

A Little Bit Country

2012-11-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Town & Country, that is. I'm really honored that some great publications have featured my work recently. Town & Country is, of course, a huge honor since it's what I'd consider a blue-chip magazine; one of those standard-bearers that consistently produces great content and has wonderful, rich history and reputation.

Another placement I'm really excited about is Occasions magazine. Look at that gorgeous layout they created! And I love the ideas they had for my muslin bags.

And finally, the Martha Stewart Weddings Blog, the Bride's Guide featured my State Love muslin bags awhile back.

I'm very grateful to all of them for sharing my work.

2012-10-31T11:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone! And now for something completely unrelated to Halloween.

I thought I'd share a bit of loveliness from Oh So Beautiful Paper (top image), and then another option that might work better for those on a time and/or budget constraint (bottom image).

The top image is actually for a bridal breakfast, but I love the idea of carrying the whimsy and romance of a hot air balloon ride throughout a wedding suite. My "Love is in the Air" invitation suite is perfect for this. It's fully customizable, from colors to fonts, and is also available as a print-it-yourself file if you're more the DIY type.

To get the look of the top invitation, I suggest coordinating ribbon from Hobby Lobby or Walmart, and box mailers—like this one here, from Papersource. Tuck the invite into the box with some pretty crinkled paper shreds, such as the ones here and violá!*

*I am also perfectly happy to customize this invitation to fit a shower, bridal luncheon or other event, just email me through my website www.benignobjects.com.

**Print-it-yourself pricing on the Love is in the Air suite starts at $65 for the invitation. Flat printed pricing starts at $150 for 50 invites.

New Work: Invitations & Tea Towels

2012-10-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

Here's what's been on my plate lately:

These custom wedding invitations for a delightful, Alabama bride. More details on this project later!


New tea towels I'm printed this morning for an event. More on this project, later, too.

Just a few things keeping me busy lately.

W*Ink Paper & Design, now open!

2012-10-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

I know it's been very quiet around here! I've been working on a bunch of orders and opening my first brick-and-mortar shop, W*Ink, within my girl Madeline's bridal shop, Finery. I just published the web site (top pic) and thought I'd share a few interior pics, too.

If you'd be so kind as the check out the website and like the W*Ink FB page, I'd be grateful. Any feedback or site bug reports are greatly appreciated!

What in tarnation?! It's a carnation!

2012-10-12T17:57:00.002-05:00

Carnations always get such a bad rap. I've been working on styling for an upcoming fundraising event and had a small budget for table decor. Carnations were the cheapest flower option, but no one could get over their stigma against them, so we sucked it up and spent a few dollars more for roses.

However, I just couldn't leave the store without some of their carnations, and I was hellbent on making them look decent. I stuck them in a white trophy cup from target with some greenery snipped from my backyard. I think they look almost peony-esque. How did I do? Success or fail? Are there any flowers you all absolutely detest?

Pastel Pastiche

2012-10-01T11:11:00.000-05:00

What do all of these lovelies have in common? They're from a beautiful shop called Leif, which I discovered over the weekend. It's a very well-curated shop and you can get all the items you see here.

Gorgeous Packaging: Harvest Fine Tea & Darling Clementine

2012-09-28T09:38:00.002-05:00

Darling Clementine is one of my favorite illustration havens. They recently created an exclusive series of Fine Tea developed in collaboration with Norwegian Coffee and Tea House Crema.

That's the kind of packaging you're not embarrassed to have on your counter, no?