river & bridge

rustic floral // baby shower

2015-06-08T08:29:00.001-07:00

this has to be one of my all-time favorites! we were inspired by the venue and did a rustic floral theme to go with the restaurant decor, incorporating doilies, wood and florals in pink, orange and mint. we did invitations, thank you cards, book inserts, namecards, favor tags and signage. my client decorated with burlap & lace, doilies, and flowers in assorted vintage vases to complete the look.

venue: babette's | desserts: sweet & saucy

this design is also available for customization in my etsy shop HERE!

ready • set • flaminGO // savvy's 4th birthday

2015-06-02T12:56:00.001-07:00

traci asked if i could turn this notecard into an invitation for her daughter's flamingo-themed party! i was happy to oblige. we kept it budget-friendly by doing printable invitations that she could print herself at home.

how do printables work, you ask? i send a print-ready pdf with 2 invitations per page, with crop makes and sizing information, all on an 8.5 x 11" page. it's a great way to save money so you can spend it on things like sprinkle donuts!! :)

see more party pics on traci's cute blog HERE

strawberry (shortcake) party // london's 3rd birthday

2015-05-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

i just realized i never shared this strawberry party from london's 3rd birthday! (maybe because at that time i had a 6-week old baby, and the fact that i even pulled off a party was a miracle!) anyway, london requested a strawberry shortcake party... so being the character lover that i am (insert sarcasm here), i decided to stick with the colors and graphics without using strawberry shortcake herself.

i used a red, pink & lime color scheme, paired with kraft envelopes. this time i also used envelope liners, which were a fun touch! for the desserts, i called on dutch girl cookies who made the most delicious strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, butter cupcakes with chocolate frosting, oreo pops, and strawberry sugar cookies. we used leftover envelope liners and cardboard berry baskets for the dessert table.

thanks to a friend who did a strawberry party a couple weeks before me, all my decorations were borrowed and put up right before the party!

amanda + john // love and lavender

2015-05-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

for amanda & john, we started with a custom logo/monogram that was used throughout the invitation suite, incorporating lavender (which the bridesmaids would be carrying) and a color scheme of warm grays, dusty lavender, succulent green & eggplant. we did a mad-lib style reply card, which is always a fun touch! for the wedding favors, the couple gave out pots of local honey, which were adorned with their monogram sticker.

images via the bride's inspiration: escort cards | place setting | bouquet | corks

leapin' lizards! // stella's 4th birthday

2015-05-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

stella LOVES animals- especially reptiles, so her mom planned her a fun party at the environmental nature center. most of the reptile invitations out there are geared towards boys, so we wanted to create something that fit the theme but was still girly! of course, we had to start with purple snake print! we used some fun snake & tarantula graphics in a purple, olive & coral color scheme, and paired the invitations and thank you cards with a kraft envelope.

desserts were made by stella's mom (isn't that snake cake incredible?!) and each little adventurer went home with a cute little kritter keeper to fill with bugs!

all about mom // free printable

2015-05-07T15:18:00.001-07:00

one of my favorite things is getting these little questionnaires from the kids' school & seeing how they really view me (though it can be eye-opening at times!) a couple years ago i made a fun little printable for father's day, so i figured it was time to make one for the moms & grandmas!

you can click on the images or right-click and save the attachment. the card is sized to 5 x 7" and will fit into a standard a-7 envelope.

happy mother's day!

sunshine brunch // bishop's 1st birthday

2015-05-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

after a bit of a rough start, our little guy turned into mr. sunshine... so a sunshine brunch seemed like a perfect way to celebrate his 1st birthday. i wanted to do something a little different than the usual "you are my sunshine" theme and styled the party after vintage 70s art prints. i played around with adding turquoise, but ultimately decided to stick with orange, yellow and gray.

we served up some of our favorite breakfast foods: chick-fil-a chicken biscuits, fruit & yogurt parfaits, muffins, fruit & a brussel sprout salad. and of course, lots of coffee (hot and iced)! for the desserts, i enlisted my sister from dutch girl cookies who, as usual, knocked it out of the park! we did lemon cream cheese cupcakes, maple bacon cupcakes, rice krispies treats with reese's pieces, "breakfast" sugar cookies (in the shapes of fried eggs, bacon, coffee mugs & toast) and a sunshine cake for the birthday boy!

i even got crafty and painted a wood pallet with our sunshine graphic. total pinterest moment! it was a wonderful (and very hot & sunny!) day celebrating our little man!

bishop's perfect shirt by crew & co: available here
desserts by dutch girl cookies
sunglasses (party favors) from amazon: available here

frozen fiesta // london's 4th birthday

2015-05-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

i'm not a big fan of character-themed parties. so you can imagine my "excitement" when my daughter insisted on a frozen party. last year she asked for a strawberry shortcake party, and i managed to do that one without the characters... but 3-almost-4-year-olds can be rather demanding, so i wasn't sure how i would pull off this theme without using the very person she is obsessed with.

one of my kids' favorite movies right now is "the book of life", and since london's party was going to be so close to cinco de mayo, i presented a "frozen fiesta" to the birthday girl... incorporating both of her favorite movies. and she went for it! (my husband, meanwhile, thought it was the weirdest idea ever, which i can't deny!)

"we" decided to do a fun fiesta theme in the frozen colors, incorporating some mexican-style florals that also resembled those used in frozen. my little client approved everything, and i don't know if she even realized that nothing had elsa on it (a miracle in itself!)

the party was catered by el pollo loco, and the desserts were done by dutch girl cookies. we did mexican hot chocolate cupcakes, "snowflake" coconut cream cheese cupcakes, churro treats, fiesta cookies & oreo pops! and of course, no frozen party would be complete without a visit from the real-life elsa. the girls went crazy!!

lindsay + josh // blush & gold wedding

2015-04-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

i've been working with lindsay for a while now (you can see her cute tees here), so i was honored when she asked me to design her wedding invitations! she wanted the designs to be simple and classic, using gold ink, an off-white paper, and blush envelopes & bands to tie everything together. i created a map for the back of the details card that would coordinate with the rest of the invitation (because screen shots of google maps are boring, right?!) and we did favor tags and programs for the big day. i loved seeing the pictures from the day... everything was so beautiful, with so much thought put into it. congrats mr. & mrs. baltimore!

wedding backdrop by laura giuliani
cake by sweet art bake shop

chalkboard & florals // bridal shower

2015-04-27T09:53:00.002-07:00

a beautiful shower for a beautiful bride! i love the juxtaposition of the rough, chalkboard texture with the soft florals and metallic gold envelopes. and those desserts look amazing! congrats janan & brad... congrats on all the upcoming events!

fit for a king // baby shower

2015-04-22T15:23:00.002-07:00

laura is one of my favorite clients... she always has great ideas and throws the most amazing parties! so naturally, for her baby shower (thrown by her friends) it needed to be good. i brainstormed with the hostesses, and we came up with a "royal" theme, playing off the baby's name. of course we had to use metallic gold envelopes and rich blue colors (because this mama hates pastels!). in addition to the invitations, thank you cards & labels, we did some signage and favor tags, which were fastened to burlap bags with bath goodies. how cute are those little crown cookies?!

flapjacks & lumberjacks // luke's 4th birthday

2015-04-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

i was so excited when ashlee contacted me for luke's party, especially after i heard her ideas for the theme! we went with a lumberjack-shaped invitation, kraft envelopes and lots of red & black buffalo plaid! for the party, we added on thank you cards, food tents, an "axe-throwing contest" poster, and some stickers for the trail mix bar. what an awesome party, and did you get a look at that log cake?!

batter up! // madden's 1st birthday

2015-04-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

madden's mom wanted to do a baseball theme for his 1st birthday, so we took our inspiration from a vintage ticket and styled the invitation similarly. we used red, navy and cream and paired the paper goods with kraft envelopes. madden's mom was on the fence about including a photo on the invitation, so we decided to create a cute little baseball card to include in each envelope! for the party we did some large prints, pennant banners & favor stickers, and his mom did an amazing job with the rest!

tassels // paige's 1st birthday

2015-04-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

paige's mom wanted the imitations to reflect her decor for the party: tassel garlands and mixed patterns in pink, blush and gold. we paired the invitation with a bubblegum pink envelope and made some fun signs, stickers and poster with paige's stats for the big day!

this tassel design is available in my etsy shop here!

little sweetheart // gray's 2nd birthday

2015-04-09T13:28:00.001-07:00

gray's birthday coincides with valentine's day, so his mom wanted to throw a heart-themed party that was still all BOY. we went with a red, black and turquoise color scheme using hearts and arrows in a tattoo style. after the kids went home, gray's mom & dad (who was also celebrating his birthday!) headed out with some friends for a pub crawl, so we created some custom name badges that each guest wore on lanyards. hopefully no one needed to use them... ;)

tea time with eloise // baby shower

2015-04-06T13:33:00.001-07:00

i have had the privilege of working on vanessa's bridal shower, wedding, holiday cards, and now her baby shower! since her baby girl will be named eloise, her friends and family threw her a "tea time with eloise" themed baby shower, based on the "eloise at the plaza" books. i love the bold black and white stripes with the hot pink and touches of gold! this shower looks like it's out of a magazine... i'm so glad i could be a part of it!

ombre & arrows // baby shower

2015-04-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

black & white // birthday party

2015-04-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

finish the cup // free printable

2015-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

have you guys checked out cupcakes & cutlery? because you should. sharon is hilarious and has impeccable taste. which is why she is bringing you an exclusive river & bridge printable today... perfect for your coffee nook or bar cart! check it out & stay a while!

francine + alan // champagne florals

2015-01-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

this invitation suite was designed for 2 of my coworkers who are getting married in vegas! and what says 'vegas' better than champagne?! the invitations were printed on metallic champagne paper, with coordinating envelopes. we also did labels that incorporated the floral design. i love this mailing label that wraps around with the monogrammed return address! i'm thrilled with the final product, and even more importantly... the bride & groom are too!

holy batman! // ben's 1st birthday

2014-12-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

ben's mom (aka erica) contacted me months ago when she started planning his big 1st birthday bash. she wanted a batman theme, but she wanted to keep it classy and sophisticated. we found our inspiration from a vintage batman poster and chose the 1986 logo for all the paper goods. we stuck with black and yellow, with touches of gray and covered the gamut with invitations, labels, food tents, signs and tags!

rock the cradle // baby shower

2014-12-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

i had so much fun working on this rock & roll themed baby shower! we really tried hard to keep it cool (and not cheesy), so when my client told me one of the husbands said the invitation looked "awesome"?? mission accomplished.

we made the invitations look like concert tickets, the address wraps like VIP wristbands, and incorporated different sayings and songs throughout the stickers and signage.

coolest baby around.

samantha + brian // rustic winery wedding

2014-11-12T12:29:00.001-08:00

for samantha and brian's paso robles wedding, we used florals in rich, vibrant colors and printed everything on metallic champagne-colored paper. we did a full invitation suite with floral envelope liners and matching return address wrap labels (not pictured), as well as place cards, menus, programs and signage. the result was a perfect mix of sophistication and fun!

give thanks // free printable

2014-11-10T13:22:00.001-08:00

a couple years ago i shared a printable "thankfulness card" and i loved seeing so many of you use it yourself and/or with your kids. this year i thought i would offer a new design so you could let others know why you are thankful for them.

you can download the printable notecard HERE.

STEP 1: simply print at 100% onto letter-sized paper (preferably 100-lb cardstock) and trim down to the size indicated by the crop marks.

STEP 2: fill out your cards and let someone know you are thankful for them!

STEP 3: if you feel so inclined... post a pic on instagram and tag with #thanksriverandbridge

STEP 4: let's all GIVE THANKS for the wonderful things in our lives. no matter how tough life may get, there is always something to be grateful for.

distinguished gentleman // baby shower

2014-10-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

this client wanted a fun "hipster baby" theme, but wanted to stay away from the usual mustache graphic (which i can appreciate). instead we used bow ties & glasses, and incorporated a baby pin in shades of gray, mustard, aqua & maroon. we did invitations, address wraps, thank you cards and "little man" mad libs. i love how it turned out!