charm & confetti

vintage airplane sip 'n' see invites

2013-05-11T18:24:00.001-05:00

here's some sip 'n' see invites a did awhile ago for a friend of a friend...purely inspired by the airplane photo, we went with a vintage aeronautical theme, which i'm all about! :)

new digs & fancy flat sheet curtains

2013-04-12T12:57:00.000-05:00

things have been really chaotic around here -- but all for good cause. we bought a house earlier this month... and i'm sure i'll be posting tons of home-related projects along the way.

we 'window shopped' for about two years on har.com (so addictive!) before the aggressive hunt began in early 2013. j & i instantly fell in love with our little house and cannot wait to make make some memories in it with our family and friends. the unpacking and decorating have just begun...

for now, our windows have these lovely sheet & dip-dye table cloth curtains held up with push pins for privacy. i'm sure our neighbors are thrilled. sewing curtains will certainly be one of my first projects... it's time to dust off the sewing machine and bust out a bottle of pinot noir.

celebrate mother's day, your baby mama, that foxy mama or just because...

2013-03-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

i've been playing with illustration a bit more lately. stepping away from the computer and doodling... that's how my interest in art began a long time ago. doodling, in school, probably while i was supposed to be learning my time tables or long division.

enter my foxy mama card. i was brainstorming a cheeky baby shower card and came up with something that applies to nearly any occasion. this foil-stamp foxy mama card works for mother's day, baby showers, your friend who needs a pick me up or even just a birthday card. it's blank inside so there possibilities are endless. enjoy!

p.s. mother's day is sunday, may 12, 2013 :)

paired with coral envelope

foil stamp detail of the illustration

comes with three envelope choices! coral, mint & kraft. available in the shop!

we put a bird on it! in our scandinavian-inspired mother's day card

2013-02-24T20:06:00.001-06:00

it's never too early to stock up on cards for all the mama's in your life! it's in the shop now.

this cheerful little number was inspired by danish folk art, spring palettes and one of my favorite social media outlets...

vine + i don't wash my hair

2013-02-05T20:43:00.002-06:00

yo! i'm on vine. here's one of my first videos... the anatomy of the once-a-week hair wash. yes, it's true. it's influenced by the no-'poo method, ya heard? i'll be posting more fun (and less gross) videos in the next week. we're off to the california wine country to celebrate some birthdays. adios!

modern groomsmen cards -- will you be my best man?

2013-01-20T12:54:00.001-06:00

every now and then i get an email from a client asking if i make groomsman cards that don't have mustaches on them! there's definitely saturation of mustache products at there.. and if you're looking for an alternative, there aren't a lot of masculine versions.

i came up with these simple groomsman cards that feature the wedding date on the front and the 'will you be my groomsman, best man, etc" question on the inside.

i imagine this groom to love adventure, whiskey and to never leave the house without his pocket knife. but if he doesn't do all or any of those requirements, that's okay. he's a total gentleman by asking his wedding party with good ol' fashioned stationery.

groomsman cards are available in the shop as single cards & sets of three.

you & me watercolor valentine print in the shop!

2013-01-19T11:38:00.000-06:00

yup, it's time to start thinking about valentines. don't be a scrooge. i love it. my ideal valentines is a good homemade meal (that we make together) a rented movie and a dessert that we don't typically have very often (cremem brule.. a fruit tarte?) no dressing up! pajamas required.

in the spirit of the holiday, i made these geometric watercolor prints.... with a simple you & me. nothing fancy. adds a nice little pop of pink to your art wall that you're working on, yes? prints can be purchased in my etsy shop!

sparkly surprise bridal luncheon invite

2013-01-13T10:55:00.002-06:00

i forgot to post these! and i promise it's the last installment of andie's wedding paper :)

the day before she got married her mother's best friend threw a fantastic bridal luncheon for andie & her ladies. andie was sweet enough to recommend me to make the invitations. we went with girly & light to reflect the relaxed luncheon.. and of course, had to add some metallics.

i stashed some gold sequins in each envelope for a little sparkly surprise.

here's the detail of the invite....pastel confetti & pastel confetti pattern on the back.

to order custom shower invitations, email me at charm and fig (at) gmail (dot) com.

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before & after : organization resolution { 2013 } nailed

2013-01-05T11:33:00.000-06:00

we live in a tiny apartment, and with my etsy business.. it's only become more cluttered and messy. as i fill orders, it becomes a little stressful digging through the mess. i kind of knew where everything was, but all my paper, supplies, stamps, receipts, tape, glue and glitter didn't have a PLACE.

.. the heinous, stress-inducing before...

... after.... with all the cute christmas cards we received. huzzah for snail mail.

i've always been a fan of ikea's kasset box system, but i was thrilled to learn that they started making them in a natural, uncoated cardboard. these boxes fit perfectly into the expedit shelves that are always being hawked on craigslist. i jazzed up the labels with some neon tape to give the whole look a few pops of color. it's amazing how happy organization makes me. every time i look at my clean work station, my serotonin levels go through the roof.

december (!!! WHAT?!?!) ( + november re-cap)

2012-12-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

unbelievable. this year flew by. and so much happened! still more to come, so i went rattle off all my sentiments of 2012 yet. december will rule because: one of my best friends is getting married to a wonderful man, jon's grandmother will celebrate her 70th birthday, my nephew will be celebrating his 6th birthday, there will bea small reunion of my favorite high school gals (eek.. 10 years almost!), and i will unabashedly participate in christmas time cheer.

here's what went down in november...

october instagrams & fake november ramblings.
my calendars went on sale! get 'em, now.
local holiday shopping at #designcraft

and other fun instagram happenings...

a pomegranate tree grows in montrose.

craft night with andie! making a geometric photo background for one awesome smilebooth.

confusing dining choices in montrose, but an awesome hand-painted sign.

custom holiday cards for a great couple (she was my first client ever.. two years ago!)

two texas boys: sweet max & uncle jon.

these frosty snowflakes will be covering some christmas wrap this year.

amazing "earthscapes" stamps from the USPS. satellite shots of the united states.

carving christmas tags - available in the shop!

a pretty watercolor thank you night from amanda medsger. << check out her stuff!

fancy gin & tonic from mongoose vs. cobra. somehow managed to visit that place 5 times in the past four weeks. not complaining.

pull your own prints from workhorse printmakers at the #designcraft market. my new work with your hands poster will be hanging up in my "studio" corner in our apartment.

local holiday shopping on the bayou: #designcraft market

2012-11-29T12:12:00.002-06:00

photo by son of a sailor

black friday sounded awful to me. which, is why I'm shopping the AIGA’s DesignCraft Market at market square park. the free, designer-driven market features designers from houston, austin and beyond, selling hand-crafted goods at the award-winning park nestled in downtown’s historic district.

shoppers can start the day with breakfast pitas and lattes from niko niko’s, or just hit the ground running with a pint of saint arnold brew. more than just a market, there will be printing demonstrations from houston’s workhorse prints, live music from young girls (i've seen them before, they are awesome!), poor pilate (another great houston band, and cool friends with cool girlfriends) and grandfather child and plenty of sparkly trinkets to ohh and ahh over.

here’s just a few shops i'm excited check out:

evens – the brainchild of the lovely kate de para, a great girl whom i've had to pleasure to see every now and then. she's a textile designer who just made her way back to Texas after studying at SCAD. evens offers silk textiles for men and women, digitally dyed in the united states and hand-sewn by ms. de para herself.

son of a sailor – a sweet jewelry collaboration with a nautical twist, from husband and wife team jessica tata and william knopp of austin. their brassy treasures necklaces and pastel leather bracelets have been featured on designsponge, NYLON, SF girl by bay, daily candy and more.

bonsai terrariums – the names says it all, but vernon caldera’s luxe terrariums are something to be seen. His artfully-designed succulent wonderlands have been showcased at BHLDN, lawndale art center and in lonny and luxe interiors + design magazines.

CVela Design – christopher vela’s designs span across every medium out there – motion graphics, print, web and beyond. shoppers wear his playful print on their sleeves, by snatching up some of his screen-print tees.

.. and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. for more information and a full list of vendors, click here.

AIGA designcraft market

saturday, december 1, 2012

10 am – 6 pm

market square park

301 milam, houston texas

77002

street parking is free on saturdays and $5 parking is available at the market square Garage. market square park is located one block north of the preston METRORail station.

note: a version of this article was published on the plugged in blog for downtown houston.

2013 calendars are here!

2012-11-11T10:35:00.000-06:00

ah, feels good to get this project posted. i think i started working on my 2013 calendars in march, so i'm very excited to finally get it out the door. i made a print calendar (below) and a printable calendar option.

this 12-page printed calendar features original illustrations and a little french & spanish vocab (months & numbers) to brush-up on throughout the year.... exelente!

my favorite is june's diving girl -- i think i maybe, just might turn this into a screen print next year...

see the full calendar below and click here to purchase it in the shop! (there's both christmas & hanukah versions)

snowflakes, india-inspired love nest, camping & rainy mountains

ocean scenes, diving girl, patriotic crest & desert camel (it's hot in august, y'all)

nautical anchor, dia de los muertos, autumn moon & feathers & christmas tree.

thanks for checking it out! 2013 is upon us...

november ( + october wrap up!)

2012-11-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

oh hey, october.. you came and went. here's what you we did:

september re-cap & instagrams

neon striped & stamped personal stationery

texas lakehouse wedding invites

modern baby shower

for november.. i predict spare blogging (because in reality, i'm backlogging this from december 2nd!) and lots of food with my family & friends. and better weather, come on houston! show us what you got. let's whip out those cardigans (and not just for our cold offices).

enjoying eatsieboys at the city hall farmers market

jumping in front of the waterwall

tomato & avocado on toast.

the super precious elizabeth street cafe in austin, texas

want, but obviously don't need. a picture will do.

my frida halloween get-up. it pays to have an overload of cheap mexican jewelry from your grandmother.

andie the droodge

a sparkly number

and hooray for a husband who loves to cook! breakfast crepes & espresso.

modern baby shower - pink, poppy & turquiose

2012-10-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

ohhh i love me some baby girls, baby girl. i pretty much got free reign on the project, with guidelines to use turquiose, poppy & pink (a fab color combo, if you ask me) and to make it kinda funky and girly.

it's been extra specia because i've gotten to know the mom-to-be a lot better throughout her pregnancy and i'm anxiously awaiting her arrival! she's got some pretty awesome parents.

.. and just a side note - this shower was amazing. my friend andie threw it and made it EVERYTHING a couples shower should be. there was football for guys, crafts for gals (a onesie-making table), amazing cocktails, enough food to feed an army. and of course, i didn't take any pics at the actual shower because i was having too much fun. but this photo can give you an idea of the cuteness.

need custom work for a shower, party or shin-dig? contact me at charmandfig (at) gmail (dot) com.

custom texas lake house wedding invitation suite

2012-10-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

hooray! i can finally share this wedding invitation suite that i created for my brother-in-law and his lovely bride, chelsea. (get a peek of their beautiful ceremony at her blog). they got married at the lake house (a great place to get hitched!).

chelsea was the easiest person to work with. she knew she wanted the pieces to have a texas look with touches of moss green & eggplant purple incorporated through each piece.

thanks for letting me be apart of the process, chelsea!

the full suite

invitation with moss backer

info card with custom wedding site map

response post card

need something custom for your wedding or shower? contact me at charmandfig.etsy.com.

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ultra-light & modern thank you notes (with neon green washi tape!)

2012-10-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

i totally forgot to post these neon striped correspondance cards i made for some friends a few months ago, now on sale at charm & fig. they can be ordered as thank you's, or just good old fashioned personal stationery.

...and what better to remind me than to have bri from designlovefest pin them on the etsy pinterest account during her stint as guest pinner for etsy? (thank you, by the way.)

i of course, tweeted my shop to her when she said she was looking for products...working in social media and being on twitter every now and then definitely has it perks. totally made my week. and i pretty much want to purchase thing she pinned on the board. christmas shopping is coming up and i see a few things for the peeps on my list.

orange october ( + september recap)

2012-10-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

october is the best. halloween, cooler weather and pumpkin flavored everything is what makes october one of my favorite months. and the abundance of orange is pretty cool.

i'm looking forward to running outside without feeling like i'll have a heat stroke, a few wedding celebrations for some of my favorite couples, and a lot of work-related events that will keep my schedule busy!

here's what went down in september...

august recap
costa rica part 1- first impression
costa rica part 2 - earthquake & monteverde
bach party in the hills - a fab weekend
scarf swap - thank you crystal!
costa rica part 3 - beachy & fuzzy

...and here's some instagrams for september. i started off strong with costa rica then got a little lazy with my documentations. or i guess life was happening instead...

jon in a waterfall

sculpture at discovery green

me in a flower fridge, awesome sweater jacket on loan

my beloved kickball team! still going strong this season.

preparing for an anchorman movie night

what i'd like my pantry to look like

topiary gardens in zarcero, costa rica

vintage canada dry labels in costa rica.

costa rica part three - furry sweetness on the coast

2012-09-30T09:01:00.000-05:00

the third leg of our trip started with some kittens. there was a littler staying at our hotel in manuel antonio, and it was a delight to see them every day.

hoooray, i say. happy to get in the water after hiking in manuel antonio national park.

we spotted a group of monkey's ont he beach. there was about a dozen of them swinging through the trees and they entertained us for about half an hour. here's our best shot:

a few treasures from playa hermosa

me trying to snap some photos of surfers in playa hermosa

and i got one! they were SO good. scary waters though.

back in manuel antonio.. we lucked out and were able to borrow a waterproof digital camera from our friend. thanks cristina!!

pretty succulents in san jose.

jon, being a boy and climbing trees in manuel antonio. this photo is not color corrected at all.. the sky and waters were are THAT gorgeous.

eeep... a pretty big lizard. no thank you.

that's it! where to next?

scarf swap!

2012-09-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

i participated in meredith's scarf swap this year, and man i'm feeling pretty lucky that i got paired up with crystal from coffee at nordstrom. she did her homework and got me these colorful, patterned scarves. they're long, gauzy and will add a punch to any outfit. (see her scarf post here).

guazy may be a odd requirement for a scarf, but let's face it... i'm in texas and as much as i love chunky knits, it's not very practical in this tropical climate. i can easily wear thinner scarves as the weather transitions from fall to winter and from winter to spring.

thank you crystal! be sure to follow her blog -- she's got great style and is a hop, skip & a jump away from opening up an online store.

bach party in the hills - neon and neutral invites & party pics

2012-09-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

so excited to share theis post with everyone --- this has been a little pet project of mine for awhile. as mentioned before, andie & i share a love for all things neon & nuetral -- as apparent with our bottle project.

for her bachelorette party invites i took that mutual love to heart and created a fun invite suite to let the invitees know the busy and fun activities the bridesmaids cooked up. we were headed to the texas hill country, for a some relaxation, wine & lots of silliness before the wedding.

my right brain was thrilled to bring a detailed itinerary to the table. my left brain wanted it to fold up in a tiny envelope sealed with striped neon washi tape.

needless to say, we had a blast! here's a few photos from the weekend...

one of my favorite shots with the bride, posing at hula hut in austin.

andie and her maid of honor, ms. lindsay.

this was a well-documented weekend. everyone snapping photos in the limo.

the bride & her bridesmaids - all great ladies that she's known very well. and sometimes the bully each other :)

my shoe shot. wearing 3 inch wedges on some hill country terrain. and not a broken ankle, hah!

and my favorite photos of the weekend.. morning after photos. thanks to all the ladies who humored me in taking this photo. there was not primping for these photos and they're still looking pretty hot.

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costa rica part two - monteverde & the earthquake

2012-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

our long-tem stop on the trip was monteverde, known for it's cloud forest reserve. we stayed at a small bed & breakfast called mariposa, where there was lots of flowers and butterflies to enjoy. here's an interior shot of the hotel. i wanted to take this striped blanket home with me!

walking inside the cloud forest reserve... again, my rain boots were the best thing i could have packed.

repelling down a 150 foot waterfall! this was so much fun and a little bit scary. our tour guides were awesome!

jon repelling down a waterfall

me walking in a cloud. i loved this weather!

jon overlooking a cliff at the cloud forest reserve. this is where we were when the earth quake hit! we were about an hour away from the national park's ranger station, so we weren't quite sure how 'bad' the earthquake was when it happened. we were surprised to find out it was a 7.6-7.9! we caught the tail-end of the quake in this video.

the gift shop at the park! a true bummer because the gifts in this shop were actually handmade from locals and not just crap from china with costa rica stickers on it.

the day of the earthquake, we headed detoured from our plans in order to not deal with the earthquake stuff (our original plan was coincidentally go where where the earthquake had been) and found a beautiful black sand beach where we watched some excellent surfers. the waves were so powerful... you couldn't pay me to get in this water.

next stop.. manuel antonio..pretty beaches, monkeys & sunshine.

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costa rica - part one - first impression

2012-09-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

costa rica was awesome. my first impression was... wow, this place is gorgeous. flowers everywhere. waterfalls coming out of mountains everywhere. the people were so nice. we rented a car and drove around most of the central country and the central pacific coast.

i couldn't stay in bed if the sun was up (and it came up early!) we mostly stayed at bed & breakfasts and took morning walks to wake our bodies up. we spent a lot of time hiking and a lot of time driving (and kind of fell in love with our rental car, jimney).

first walk of the trip - 5:30 am in san antonio, costa rica.

a hospital that belongs in a wes anderson film.

the BEST sunscreen. seriously... totally obsessed with this sunscreen. olive oil & coco butter. feels great on the skinny.

pretty plants outside our hotel

we were driving in the mountains, through a town called zarcero and saw these faces carved into bushes. how cool is that?

more zarcero. smelled like christmas trees.

flowers in zarcero

hydrangeas in zarcero... i was pretty surprised to see so many hydrangeas all over central costa rica. no complaints - love a good hydrangea.

breakfast in punta areanas.

jon & i on another morning walk

stopped to check out this pretty lake

jon, chasing waterfalls.

me & the waterfalls. my boots were lifesavers! dry feet are happy feet.

happy to find a brewery! volcano brewing. this place is amazing. all you can eat, drink, tennis, swim & sleep. we just stopped by for a taste but would love to stay next time around.

more to come!

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it's september - i'm outta here. (+ auggie re-cap)

2012-09-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

ah. we're at the beach. on plane. climbing a volcano. catching a wave.... living la pura vida. (ok, maybe in 12 hours we'll be there).

thrilled that i'll be spending the first part of september in costa rica.. the middle part of september in the hill country celebrating one of my best friend's bachelorette and bringing in cooler weather as october nears. bring it on! so ready for fall. and ready to run in some cooler weather. (did i mention i signed myself up for a half-marathon?!)

here's what you missed in august:
a very pathetic july re-cap
new couples shower games at charm & fig - good for baby shower or weddings
some custom work & moving announcements at charm & fig
my countdown to costa rica - etsy treasury and a wipe out!
taking time to make some freaking lemonade.
neon & neutral moleskine journals. made with lots o' love & hand-carved stamps.
a very one-of-a-kind shower invite: tex-brit baby!!

some fun instagram photos along the way... (are you following me yet?)

a view of buffalo bayou park from my mothers -- looks like a 1950's architect's rendering of a model park.

working on a FUN project. will reveal the full thing in late september.

jon & i's attempt to recycle some wine glasses.

goodies from the pinpoint method. check 'em out.

mas projects. neon & neutral.

favorite donut. shipley's strawberry sprinkles. donuts are better than muffins in every way. (taste, calories, joy, etc.)

a good running day for me.. 5 miles.

sprinkles cupcakes - houston, texas.

picking out postcards from penguin books collection.

bracelets made from recycled flip-flops. these colors make me happy!

jazzed up my already peeling mint manicure with some color. just in time for costa rica.

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tex-brit baby shower

2012-08-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

this was such a fun event to design an invite for - tex-brit baby shower theme. the dad is british, the mother is a texan (and a longhorn -- hook 'em!). and they're headed to texas soon to start their family.

with the royal wedding, the queen's jubilee & the london olympics stacked upon each other... i've had plenty of british buzz to inspire this british-texas family's first baby.

my favorite part was creating a little crest for them. three hearts for the three members of their family (or soon to be three members), and S for the surname and the texas & british flags. yes, we texans will put a country up against our state -- if rick perry had his way, we would become a country again.

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neon & neutrals moleskine journals

2012-08-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

happy to announce a new product in the shop - these lined moleskine journals are stamped with hand-carved stamps, and embossed with neon yellow, pink & turquoise.

at 3.5 x 5.5" these little journals are perfect for your pocket or purse. enjoy!

order here.