my food tastes better when...

(from the archives)

...I wear my apron.

A housewarming gift from my friend Kelley who literally could not have hand-crafted one herself that looked more like me. It's a watery, pool blue and creme with a vintage brown floral on it. And the ruffles! I do wish my waist-line were smaller so that the ties wrapped back around and knotted in the front; but I still feel like a real hostess in it. (I betcha the Barefoot Contessa and Paula Dean probably knot theirs in the back too! And that's pretty good company!)

There is something magical that occurs when I put the straps around my neck and tie the loops...I don't know how it happens.

My meringue is higher - my cakes are moister.

I think there should be a world-wide collaboration to bring back The Apron. Our grandmothers wore them, and there ain't no better food than Grannie's.

Give one as a housewarming gift. Give one to your holiday hostess as a thank-you for preparing your meal. Give one to a new bride who is just getting her stirring-arm warmed up in the kitchen. Heck, buy one for yourself!

You can start here: Anthropologie. I could own one of every style they offer! I delightfully don the 3D Toile Full Apron in Sky. *shown left with the ties in the front*
I believe in my heart that you will slice more smoothly, chop more finely, and whisk more swiftly. And your food will taste better when you wear your apron.

Ole' for Paper Vacation!

My goodness - my Paper Vacation was muy bueno...and I have to say, it's a little difficult to get my motor going again after this one. After retiring in June, my parents took my family and my brother's family to Cozumel, Mexico for a long Thanksgiving holiday! It's our first official "All-Family" vacation and it was wonderfully enjoyable! We are beyond family - we're friends with each other... which made the trip even more fabulous! And my sister-in-law Allison works for me; so it really was a Sincerely Yours vacation! We snorkeled, swam with dolphins, encountered iguanas, built sand castles, drank fruity drinks, shopped for trinkets, bought Nacho Libre masks, ate beans and guac, ate beans and guac, ate beans and guac.... It was all such a treat.

BUT now I'm back in the studio and have about a gazillion exciting things going on! Several darling brides that I could just squeeze the daylights out of. Their dreamy weddings are in production right now! A few large-scale assembly jobs are on the calendar. I have three invitation design appointments this week with new brides. And lots of notepads, folded notes, stickers and card orders are being cranked out for Christmas! I bet you can hear me hustling and bustling right now! (with Harry Connick, Jr. singing "Sleigh Ride" in the background.)

So off to work I go on this first day of December! While I work, take a look at some of the Mexico highlights. I hope your Thanksgiving was full from the inside out!

{we were greeted by a man who put parrots on us and an iguana on Sam's head - Luke is only smiling on the outside.}

{the view from our room}

{the kids getting ready to swim with dolphins!}

{Grace and I were shopping for souvies}


{Sam chose a Nacho Libre mask for his souvie
and naturally followed with a Heisman pose}


{a pile of cousins}


{Luke and Ike playing "Jingle Bells" at Pancho's Cafe}


{Allison and me}


{The Thanksgiving 'Hosts' - my momma and daddy}

Know you're giving more than paper...

Christmas is surely my favorite time of year! I love the hustling and bustling, the twinkling and jingling, the stirring and baking, the gifting and wrapping, the PJ-ing and movie-ing, the worshipping and reflecting.

But in all of the jingling, I cannot help but think of people in need! After all, this season is about giving, right?! Long before "Santa Claus", God saw our need and met it through sending His son, Jesus. Makes me want to give the way He gave to me!

SO...in addition to my own family's giving projects, Sincerely Yours Paper is giving too! I have created a hit-list of best-sellers on my website called CANS FOR CHRISTMAS! Click here to shop this gallery for your friends, family, teachers, pastors, instructors, neighbors, and more! And for every single item that is purchased from the Cans for Christmas gallery through Saturday, December 12, Sincerely Yours Paper will donate 3 canned food items to Samaritan Community Center's food pantry. They expect to feed more than 5,000 people this holiday season. So if you order 7 gifts for your school teachers, I'll donate 21 cans of food (21 cans = 63 servings!)

50 items = 150 cans = 450 servings!
200 items = 300 cans = 900 servings!

AND I've made it super simple for you. Everything in that gallery is $20.00. Choose from folded notes, gift enclosure cards, stickers, notepads, recipe cards, and don't forget festive return address labels for your Christmas cards! And don't miss the How to Order details at the front of that gallery! Important stuff! Have fun shopping and enjoy knowing you're giving more than paper...

NOTE: I am taking a Paper Vacation from November 19-29 to enjoy a long Thanksgiving holiday with my family before the Christmas rush. Please place your orders according to the How To Order instructions, and all paper products will go into production on Monday, November 30 when I return to my studio.

Happy Thanksgiving. Be Blessed.

See what I'm printing today...

Blogging calls me in my head all day long. I have ideas and fun things I want to post and share with y'all BUT I'm super busy printing right now! Of course, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go! And that means that I have heaps of wonderful paper orders that you are giving to your friends and family for the holidays! Thank you for your orders and continued support! I am beyond humbled with gratitude!

Here are a few paper lovelies I've printed the last few days - many of them are hot off the press and their 'orderers' haven't even seen them yet! So fun! Take a look and if you see anything you like, click here to shop!

And don't miss the Cans for Christmas gallery. Just posted it this morning and will post a full blog explanation about that project tomorrow. You can read all about it when you visit that gallery! Pretty neat stuff.

For some odd reason, my groom has made a personal challenge for our family to see if we can make it until December 1 without turning on the heat! So I am working today in my flannel PJ pants, my toastiest fleece and my feet huddled next to my computer tower - just trying to keep warm while I work!

I hope you're having a warm day! Talk soon...

Hello from Crazy Land.

I have been soooo super busy this last week with lots of fabulous 2010 brides - that I have been a less than stellar blogger. Sorry y'all! I am living in Crazy Land. I am currently working with 12 brides on custom designs and have had 4 brides call this week to book design appointments for their own upcoming wedding celebrations!

I'm in the estimating and designing phase...which means I spend a lot (and I mean A LOT) of time in front of my computer screen choosing the loveliest typestyles, the most magical layers, and creating invitations that will stir anticipation for the Big Day! I have a few amazing Save the Dates and Invitations that I'm just dying to show you, but I have to wait until these gals mail them to their guests to be able to share them with you! Here's a hit-list of items that you'll be seeing soon.....

Brittany Lavy's Save the Date in creme and blush with a personal touch that is only "Brittany and Chase"!

Lucy McCulloch's wedding paper suite for her March wedding at all of the most charming Fayetteville locales.

Ashley Post's elegant paper ensemble that features a custom emblem designed for her and Mr. John Rausch!

Chelsea Rose's fresh spin on a classic wedding invitation that is perfect for her "I do" in May to Seth Jewell!

And there are many other 2010 weddings that are being planned around here. So hold tight - I have some fun paper goodies on the way!


In the meantime, enjoy this Inspiration Board from Style Me Pretty. I love every. single. detail. The color pallette, the ruffly flowers, the ruching and pockets on the billowy gown, the whimsical paper banners, the collection of hobnail containers for the bouquets of roses. Ahh. I could look at it all day. Simply divine.

Happy Friday! And I hope YOU have a divine weekend.

The sky's the limit...

I found this invitation from the Sincerely Yours Paper archives, and I absolutely could eat it up! As soon as I saw it after having tucked it away for nearly a year, I remembered loving so many things about it during the original design process. I love that it is sophisticated and elegant, but still exudes personality through its' varying typestyles and layers of luscious color.

Are you a 2010 or 2011 bride? Customize this gorgeous invitation in your own wedding pallette. Give it a modern spin by choosing a chic trinity of colors like lemon, platinum and bright white! What are your wedding colors?

The design opportunities are endless at Sincerely Yours Paper. Be inspired by the wedding invitations you see when you shop the Custom Wedding Invitation gallery online - customize the colors and details to compliment your day! OR work with me to design a paper suite from Idea to "I love it!"

Sincerely Yours Paper will bring your wedding day wishes to life in print. The sky's the limit!

Fancy Frame folded note

{click to enlarge}

This Fancy Frame folded note is quickly becoming one of my favorite designs ever! I have printed some as gifts for a few friends and have gotten some razzle-dazzle responses! Probably my most favorite reason to give them happened Thursday night when my sweet friends Dale and Meredith got engaged! I surprised Mere with a set of these Fancy Frame folded notes with her new married name on them - only minutes after she said "yes".

So in time for Christmas gift-giving, I have now made this design available to YOU on the Sincerely Yours notecard gallery! I love the swirls and the colors and especially the typeface! (the names in the samples are so cute, right?! They're a few of the 2010 Sincerely Yours brides!)

And to make this design even more dazing and dizzying, the envelopes are the color of the design that you choose! (oohing and aahing). Yep! Choose blossom, chartreuse, pool, curry, or raspberry!

Buy a set for yourself or give a few boxes to your favorite chickadees this year for the holidays! And razzle-dazzle 'em!

Inviting the Obamas to your wedding!

When you're finalizing your spreadsheet with your guests' addresses for the wedding, don't forget to include President and Mrs. Obama on the list!

Yes that's right - you can actually invite the First Family to your wedding celebration! No, you should NOT count on them for a plated dinner at the reception, but you CAN count on receiving an official certificate of response from the White House - complete with the presidential seal and the signatures of the President and his Mrs.

Send your invitation to:
THE HONORABLE BARACK OBAMA AND MRS. OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE
GREETING OFFICE ROOM 39
1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
WASHINGTON, DC 20500

You can expect to receive the certificate of response from the White House within 4-6 months. What a fun keepsake to mark the year you were married!

Thanks, bride-to-be Lauren Sullivant for the tip! Email me the picture of this certificate if you get a response from the White House when your wedding invitations are mailed! I'd love to see!

Mollie & Stephen's Rehearsal Dinner Rivalry!

THE REQUEST....

Hi Amy,

I am getting married in November and many of my vendors are great friends of yours. I am trying to help my mother-in-law get the rehearsal dinner invitations done...

It is a Razorback and LSU themed tailgating party which have obviously two completely different team colors!...We definitely need to incorporate both teams on the invitation because my groom's family is all about some LSU! I want the invitations to be fun! Also, I'd like everyone to come dressed in their Razorback or LSU attire.

Please let me know if this is something you could possibly help us with. Thanks!

Mollie Rausch


THE RESPONSE....

Hey Mollie!

So if your families are split right down the middle - some cheering for Arkansas and some cheering for LSU (insert "booing" here) - then what if I did a fun flat invitation that was printed on both sides. One side says "Go Hogs" and the other side says "Geaux Tigers". Then I could print a cute little line about reading whichever side they're cheering for!

I think it could be fun!

-Amy

THE RESULT....

Face lift: before and after pictures

Alright, you got me. I didn't really get a face lift.
BUT Sincerely Yours Paper certainly has!
I have nipped and tucked and scrubbed my logo for a fresher look!

Here's my logo before....

And thanks to the face-lift, here's my logo after....

[click to enlarge]

For a long time, I have felt like my current logo was lacking in personality and didn't express all that is Sincerely Yours Paper. Being a stationer, I have a great fondness for calligraphy, which was the starting point for the design. I chose a Spencerian script for the main logo which imitates the stroke of a beautifully penned wedding invitation.

And y'all know how much I love peonies. So I planted a garden of blooming peonies right along the bottom of my business card! Their ruffly goodness makes this girl happy! I love the way it communicates sophistication coupled with creativity and a nod to the vintage style that is way down deep in my heart.

So out with the old...and in with the new!

Look for the Sincerely Yours website to also enjoy a little laser treatment in the coming months. And keep your eyes open for this revised, romantic logo on the back of wedding invitations and paper lovelies everywhere!

And just like this lovely logo that looks just like me, Sincerely Yours Paper can design a wedding paper suite for your big day that is the truest expression of your style!

btw...

I have a couple of important factoids that have been swirling around in my head. Side-notes. Addendums. Nuggets. They are tidbits of information that are related to two previous blogs over the last week that I just keep thinking I should've included for your betterment and knowledge! So this blog is the sister to Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story". Like a quick little text message to ya after I just ran into you at the grocery store.

So for what it's worth, here are my two Nuggets (in text message format)

1. btw new fave adhesv is MS permanent in craft sect at wmart. G8 tip. dries fast & clear. used on jssca & grant's invite. am a big fan. ttyl.

2. btw I wrap my pmpkn bread loaves in saran when cool & stck in fridge. slice & eat cold for most flavor. better than starbcks! ftw!

L8r g8r.

My friend Kendra's pumpkin bread that my jeans wish I'd never met: the recipe

She created a monster.

My friend and neighbor, Kendra (also a Sincerely Yours Worker Bee) has made me the most scrumptious pumpkin bread for a few Autumns now. But she should've never, EVER shared the recipe with me. Since October 6 of this year when I first laid eyes on the conveniently-always-in-my-pantry ingredients, I have made 10 loaves of it. And because the recipe makes a pair of loaves, I make a loaf, share a loaf, make a loaf, share a loaf....(the word "loaf" looks funny to me, does it to you?). So being able to make one for my family AND one for someone else, makes me love it even more!

And because I have gloated about its' goodness, I have had many of you ask me to share the recipe. I am officially putting out a disclaimer that I cannot be held responsible for your waistline, your pocketbook, or for contributing to the 2009 shortage of canned pumpkin. But I will say that once you fall in love with this pumpkin bread's wonderfulness, you will find yourself stock-piling canned pumpkin in your pantry. Not that I have. (eh-hem)

MY FRIEND KENDRA'S PUMPKIN BREAD
THAT MY JEANS WISH I'D NEVER MET

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
(I substitute the cinnamon and nutmeg for 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice)
1 cup oil
1 can cooked pumpkin
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients together.
Add the wet ingredients and mix well.
Divide into two, greased and floured loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
*I prefer 50 minutes for yummy moistness*
Cool 10-15 minutes in pans then invert and cool completely.

Wedding Belles: Jessica Carter

THE BEGINNING
Grant Clawson and I met in college. It was his last semester. I didn't have a date to the Member Date - his fraternity event. I was an Angel for his fraternity, so he called me up out of the blue and asked me to go to the Toga Member Date with him. So our first date was definitely memorable!

THE PROPOSAL
He proposed to me on the top of Petit Jean mountain, overlooking all of the River Valley. Then he had dinner waiting on us at the River Rock Grill on the Rockefeller. We were the only 2 in the restaurant! And when we got back to Conway, my family was there! So it was extra special!

THE WEDDING
My wedding is vintage inspired. Both of my dresses are lace. The ceremony decor is all tone on tone - creams, browns, and golds. The reception has all the fun colors of fall. Lots of satin ribbons, broaches, candlelight and lace. We are mixing table linens in different rooms of the country club. The ballroom is a terra cotta shantung with gold chivari chairs. The other rooms are a taupe bishon with dark cherry wooden folding chairs. We are having a vintage photo booth for our favors. The booth prints off two copies: one for the guest to keep and one for us to keep. I'm also having a gospel choir sing Chirs Tomlin's "I will Rise" when I walk down the aisle.

SINCERELY YOURS EXPERIENCE

My experience with Sincerely Yours was beyond fabulous. Amy is so talented and very creative! I loved everything about my invitations! My favorite part would have to be the fun patterned paper and the crystal detail! The whole thing reminded me of a very expensive chocolate wrapped in fine paper! It was exquisite.

VENDORS

Tipton Hurst, florist
Conway Country Club, catering and reception venue
Photography by Melisa, photographer
Edify, gospel choir
Vintage Photo Booth, favors and reception fun

Congratulations, Jessica and Grant! I hope the last few week of your planning goes beautifully! And thank you for giving me the opportunity to design your wedding event invitation. Blessings!

Blog my Button & Get some Goodies!

Hey chicksters! I have designed a girlie little button for the Sincerely Yours Paper blog - and I'm offering paper goodies to anyone who posts my button on their blog!

Here's how:
1. Post a comment below with your name, email address, and blog site.
2. I'll email you you the png and jpg file for the Sincerely Yours Paper button.
3. On your blog's dashboard where you can add gadgets to your sidebar, insert the blog picture and the linking URL and voila!

It's that easy! Every one who posts the SYP blog button on their site gets 40 free personalized 2x2 stickers! (I'll grab your info during our email exchange!) You may choose either House, Heart or Holiday!
There are many of you have have already posted a link to Sincerely Yours Paper's site in the sidebar of your fabulous blogs! And I know who you are! (thanks to the weird and wonderful online statistics counters!) So today, I'm offering happy paper rewards to the following bloggers for being responsible for the highest number of referrals from their sites to mine!

www.AshleyLinam.blogspot.com
www.KirstenBlowersInteriorDesign.blogspot.com
www.PatAndSarahFries.blogspot.com

Ladies, if you're reading today - be sure to drop your comment and information below! You're each receiving the set of personalized stickers of your choice PLUS a box of the coordinating notecards! Feels like Christmas! Ho Ho Ho! And thank you, thank you, thank you!

So get on it and blog my button! Share the glitter. Share the love. And share a piece of pie with your readers! hee