Christmas in...May??

Whew. It's been a busy week! I've been stealing time from my family to develop some fresh designs for the latest Minted challenge. The assignment? Holiday cards. Designers have until May 31 to submit designs, so voting isn't yet open, but I thought I would go ahead and share the designs I've been working on thus far. So, without further ado, here they are:

Shiny Bright Holiday

This design was inspired by hand-painted vintage Shiny Brite ornaments. I had a lot of fun creating the patterns for each ornament, and I think it turned out especially cute.

Twice the Meaning

This sweet and simple Christmas card has twice the meaning. Quoting Isaiah 9:6 and echoing Handel's Messiah, this design announces the birth of a Savior and a family's newest blessing.

M is for Married

I love the way this card turned out. For couples who want to announce their recent marriage and send Christmas cheer at the same time, it's a perfect fit. It's simple and modern and has just the right touch of whimsy.

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To look through all the other fabulous designs, be sure to click through to the Sending Good Cheer Holiday Challenge on Minted. I have many more ideas, but I don't know how much time I'll have to implement them. We shall see what the next few weeks holds.

Doesn't looking at these designs get you in the holiday spirit? What does your ideal Christmas card look like? What message does it bear? What colors does it use? Is if fun and whimsical or elegant and classy?

Until next time, grace and peace.

Heather's Umbrella Baby Shower

A couple of weekends ago, I had the privilege of hosting a baby shower for one of my sweet friends. Of course, I had to design the invitations and details for the shower, and I really enjoyed creating a special event for Heather. I love the simplicity of this umbrella baby shower invitation, and I'm quite taken by the swiss dots pattern. I stuck with a blue and white color palette, and I think everything was lovely, but then again, I'm biased.

Everything was sweet, simple, and lots of fun. Those white daisies are still kicking on my kitchen counter - they were totally worth the cost. For the decorations, I was inspired by the paper mobile tutorial I shared with you several weeks ago. Instead of strips, I used circles in various sizes to match the invitations, and the sewing machine handled the rest.

It was a lot of fun to plan an event for a special friend. I spend most of my days creating pretty paper for other people, so it was nice to be the one in charge for a change. Of course, the invitations are listed in the Senojal Designs etsy shop. The great thing about this suite is that it may be customized to fit any color scheme, and it's perfect for gender neutral showers. The invitations can even be used for a bridal shower. So really, the options are endless :)

Next big event to plan? Micah's second birthday party. It's only six months away, you know :) Just kidding. I won't be planning that for a while. I'm not that crazy!

Until next time, grace and peace.

Minted's +3 Holiday Design Challenge

It's time to vote on another Minted challenge. This time, Minted invited designers to submit Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving cards, three holidays that don't get as much love and attention as Christmas. I had a really fun time designing my cards, and I hope you'll go rate my designs (and everyone else's too) at Minted. Here are the three designs I submitted:

He Is Risen Indeed

This card is quite possibly one of my all-time favorites. Minted always selects special editor's picks as winners, and one of the special prizes for this challenge is for the best religious design for an Easter card. Of course, I jumped right on that, using the familiar Easter greeting that rings throughout churches around the world on Easter Sunday. He is risen, indeed!

Living Hope

When I think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I am most thankful and grateful for the hope that it brings us. 1 Peter 1:3 says that Christ's resurrection gave us a living hope, hence the theme of this card. Hope is alive because on the third day, Jesus rose again.

Thanksgiving Checklist

And last, but certainly not least, I designed this "Thanksgiving Checklist" card as a tongue-in-cheek reminder to count blessings in the middle of a busy holiday season. It's really easy to get swept away in the tide of our to-do lists, but we should never forget to actually give thanks during the Thanksgiving season.

So, there you have it. I had lots more ideas, but I simply didn't have the time to execute them all. I hope you'll vote for me! To vote for each design, simply click on the images above, join/login Minted, and rate each design!

Thanks for your support and encouragement!

Until next time, grace and peace.