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Food Fun

I was warned numerous times when I was pregnant that raising a boy would mean purchasing Spray and Wash by the gallon, and bumps and bruises almost every day. Did I believe the warnings? Sort of, but I thought if I was careful enough, I can avoid the accidents. Boy was I wrong! A couple weeks ago Micah fell off a chair while pretending to be Captain America and dislocated his elbow. Compared to the six stitches he had when he was about two, this was a walk in the park to say the least. Because Micah's left arm was in a sling, almost all the fun things you can think of doing outdoors during the Summer slowly began to fade away. This was going to be a very interesting experience.

Last year we visited the Children's Museum of Tucson, Arizona. I loved the idea how each room of the museum was like a pretend city- supermarket, restaurant, post office, doctor's office, etc. Micah had a great time there, so I thought it would be fun to recreate that at our house with each room. The the supermarket part was his favorite, so we played that for hours and at the same time he was counting and organizing the food into different groups without knowing he was learning so much along the way.

I decided to write this blog to share some of the amazing play/learn toys that are out there today. Some of my favorite toys of Micah's are from Melissa and Doug's Food Play. Our Melissa and Doug collection at home has grown, but my favorites are still:

The Sushi Slicing Set, The Grill Set

Stir Fry Slicing Set, Ice Cream Parlor Set

Pizza Party Set

Melissa and Doug products are great because they are all made of wood, pieces are connected to one another by velcro so cutting and slicing seems realistic, and each piece is extremely durable. Which leads me to the con part. The pieces are so durable, that when flung, can do possible damage to a nice french door. And the price... well, Melissa and Doug toys can definitely do some damage to your wallet as well!

Lots of toy stores carry the plastic food pieces, but from my experience, those pieces get chewed up and the plastic caves in. I recently went to IKEA and found that they carry felt foods. Velcro connecting pieces as well, but for about the third of the price of Melissa and Doug AND no damage to be done here! Here's what we picked up:

With all our play food, we were able to recreate our day at the museum and I think Micah forgot that his arm was in a sling!

Here are some amazing creations that Etsy designers have come up with that I had to share (if I ever have a baby girl, I will definitely be buying these!):

Pancakes, Cheese & Crackers

Frosted Doughnut

We'll be back enjoying the outdoors again soon, but I can definitely get use to this quiet play :). Enjoy!

The Catalina Collection

As I was browsing the latest Pottery Barn Kids catalog today, I came across their Chase Bedding Collection that completely reminded me of a sailboat baby shower invitation that I had made a couple years ago for a dear friend of mine. Although the invite was one of the many proofs that I had made and was not the chosen winner, it has always been one my favorite designs and is now part of our Catalina Collection.

Inspired by the couple's quote of, "Come sail away with us...," this 3-layered invitation includes a combination of metallic navy blue, baby blue and white linen stock.

I love how the colors coordinate and I'm an absolute fan of anything having to do with a sailboat theme. Since the time of this proof, our sailboat has evolved to now include more flags, more patterned sail designs and more color combinations :).

The Parker

I'm so excited to share my latest wedding invitation suite of Salila and Edgar. As mentioned in a previous post introducing the fun couple, they will be getting married on the coolest date of 10.10.10 at the chic Parker in Palm Springs, California.

Filled with gorgeous bright shades of yellow and tangerine... it wasn't enough to stop with just colors alone!

Fun stripes were added

The most unique 3-D effect of raising the layers added the perfect touch of sophistication

Hello tangerine! We've been waiting for you to join us!

For the RSVP set, a 2-panel card was created using a fun combination of yellow and tangerine polka dots.

Salila came up with the catchy entree phrases

... And onto the MAP

A classic custom map with enough elements to add class and style

Tangerine dots were added to highlight important locations

And here's the complete suite posing together! Fun, flirty and full of sophistication. I always refer to this suite as the, "not your girly-girl invite". It's an invite that a fiance would be proud to send to his buddies. Very Parker indeed!

Congratulations Salila and Edgar!

Thank you for allowing me to share and be a part of this beautiful journey.

It's Finally Here...

On May 17, 2010, in conjunction with the Greeting Card Association, the US Postal Service unveiled the first in a new series of 64 cent postage stamps at the National Stationery Show, New York.

No more guessing the number of stamps to place on a square envelope or an extra wide envelope! The new 64 cent stamp will cover the additional postage required to send out a card with an irregular shape.

The first stamp design in the series, features the Monarch Butterfly- the most recognized butterfly in North America. Beginning mid-Summer, all participating manufacturers will print a silhouette image of a butterfly on their envelopes to make customers aware that the butterfly stamp or equivalent postage is needed to mail the card.

Great news for 2010 Spring and Summer brides!

I WISH I Did That!

It's been incredibly busy at the studio as we head into the peak of wedding season. As I work closely with couples planning their wedding, it occurred to me today that there hasn't been a time when I did not reminisce about my own wedding day during a consultation. For those who I've met with, this may explain the possible 3 second day-dream silence :).

Just the other day (not during a consultation of course), I was thinking back at how I wish I was more creative with our Guest Book and Wish Jar. With so much going on in planning a wedding, this detail tends to be one of the last things on a Bride's checklist.... including mine- way back when!

Just as luck may have it, out of about 1,000 pictures taken at our wedding, Joe and I did not have a single picture of our Guest Book and Wish Jar. They were placed at a view point at the entrance to our reception and must have been overlooked. Luckily, they were not missed by our guests as they were filled with tons of sweet, warm wishes. I tried to search for a jar and setting online that best reminded me of my wedding, and to no surprise, Martha Stewart had a near exact photo of our wish jar as shown above (minus the Susan & Jim part)... in fact, I think that may the exact jar we used!

Today, the two wedding wish jars grace our mantle and are filled with sea shells collected from the different places that we have traveled to. I placed the wish cards written by our guests in a small glass box on my night stand. It means the world to me to be able to read a wish at any time, and be reminded of the special day all over again. My husband thinks I'm nuts... Boys!

What I WISH I did...

About a year ago, I read about the sweetest way to have your guests write you a wedding wish. I couldn't remember where I first read about the idea, but again, Martha Stewart- inventor of all things wedding- had the same idea on her DIY website, and I WISH I did this for my wedding. The concept is amazing. You provide your guests with pre-addressed (to your house) stamped postcards. They write their wishes to the happy couple on the postcard, and a friend mails the postcards to you throughout your first year of being married. How amazing would that be to receive wishes in your mailbox when you get back from your honeymoon... or, first year anniversary?!

I love this idea and wanted to share it with all planning Brides-To-Be! For more unique Guest Books and Well Wishes ideas, visit Martha Stewart's site.

Salila and Edgar

They had me at Jonathan Adler...

Salila is an absolute dear friend of mine. The love story between Salila and Edgar is one of sweet travels and moves (mostly for work), accompanied by true love, and of course... food! Salila is a clinical researcher in the pharmaceutical industry, and her love Edgar is the Chef Partner for the renown restaurant Roy's of Newport Beach, California. When Salila and Edgar asked me to design her wedding invitation suite, I was beyond speechless. Her style is amazing, she's not afraid of color and.... she tells me they are inspired by the work of Jonathan Adler. Wait a minute, my heart just skipped a beat. For years I have always thought I lived in a stationery/designer bubble with adoration for designers I believed only a handful were familiar with. Leave it to Salila to probably know all of my design heros! During the early stages of the design process, she tells me, "We really don't want anything traditional." This may be one of the few times that I've heard this, and it's been amazing to be challenged, motivated and playful with a variety of colors in the process. Each moment that I plug away designing their clean, fun and modern suite (to be revealed soon!), there's quite literally always a smile on my face. Below you will get a glimpse of Salila and Edgar's color palette- bright yellows, sleek grays and a pop of tangerine- is that far enough from traditional or what?!

As the busy couple prepare for a stunning wedding at the gorgeous grounds of the Parker, Palm Springs resort, they were recently featured in LA Style Unveiled for their wedding planning ideas and tips- check them out.

I'm so excited to introduce Salila and Edgar!

King & Queen Vase Candleholder by Jonathan Adler, Lemon Casablanca Lanterns from Z Gallerie, Pom Poms from Orangekisses on Etsy, Martha Stewart Butterfly Wedding Cake- Winter 2009 Magazine Cover

Photos of Salila and Edgar courtesy of Apertura Photography

Salila has documented her entire wedding planning process, including amazing DIY wedding projects and style trends on her personal blog OMG [I TOTALLY] HEART.... It's one of my favorite blogs to follow as it truly represents all the hard work that goes into planning a wedding. Take a peek, it's fabulous.

Cheers to my favorite colorful couple!