Posts from the ‘California’ category

we found it.

By on March 5, 2013

wedding venue hunting | ann-marie loves paper
Ventura, Ca | Ann-Marie Morris
IMG_5442
olivas_1
Ventura, Ca | Ann-Marie Morris
IMG_6179

It was a good weekend.

After searching and researching the past few months until I couldn’t stand to look at one more outrageously expensive pricing sheet, we finally found our venue. It’s not in San Diego, like I imagined. It hasn’t (yet) graced the pages of every big wedding blog. But it’s a blank canvas with a Spanish-style flavor. There are barely any rules and our date is wiiiide open! In other words, it’s perfect.

We are so excited to finally have a place to build our vision around. This is where I get to put my Pinterest boards to work. This is where I get to hire an amazing photographer. This is where I get to dance all night long in my beautiful dress. This is where I become an Espinoza. This is where it all goes down.

Oh yes. It’s gonna be good.

xoxo

8 Comments

what our weekend looked like.

By on January 29, 2013

weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper
weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper
weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper
weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper
weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper
weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper
weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper
weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper
weekend in la jolla | ann-marie loves paper

An oceanfront room overlooking La Jolla Cove. Shopping at Typo + Paper Tales. A trip up to Julian for pie + coffee. Breakfast on the roof of our hotel every morning. Rain + sunshine followed by more rain + sunshine. A walk around Balboa Park before heading home. And the real clincher: wedding venue hunting! We found two possible contenders, but are definitely in the market for other options. If you know of any great locations (anywhere in Southern California!), I would love to hear about them!

xoxo

11 Comments

renegade los angeles.

By on December 10, 2012

Renegade Los Angeles 2012 | Ann-Marie Loves Paper
Renegade Los Angeles 2012 | Ann-Marie Loves Paper
renegade_la_1
IMG_4077
IMG_4100
renegade_la_2
Renegade Los Angeles | Ann-Marie Loves Paper
Renegade Los Angeles | Ann-Marie Loves Paper

This past Saturday marked my first trip to a Renegade Craft Fair and it most definitely lived up to the hype! There were SO MANY AMAZING VENDORS. Seriously. I was blown away not just by the artists and their products, but by the packaging, the booth decor, the business cards…you know, the good stuff that makes buying handmade worth every extra penny.

Did any other locals get the chance to visit? Do tell!

xoxo

1 Comment

turning anthropologie bags into envelopes.

By on December 3, 2012

I don’t know if it’s my “recycle, reduce, reuse” California upbringing (anyone else remember that song??) or if it’s simply my personal inclination to hoard anything made from a tree, but the thought of throwing away something that can easily be repurposed pains me. Especially anything from Anthropologie. (Have you ever watched an Anthro employee wrap a gift with the quintessential brown tissue paper + that giant washi tape dispenser? It is a true delight, my friends.) The other day while I was organizing all my various packaging supplies, I realized that the paper quality of an Anthro bag would be perfect for creating envelopes!

Turning Anthropologie Bags into Envelopes | Ann-Marie Loves Paper
Turning Anthropologie Bags into Envelopes | Ann-Marie Loves Paper
Turning Anthropologie Bags into Envelopes | Ann-Marie Loves Paper

The process of turning a paper bag into an envelope is as basic as you would imagine. First, I cut out one side of the bag (the side that doesn’t fold up) and turned it over to the backside. Using a 4-bar Paper Source envelope template as my guide, I traced the shape with a pencil and then cut it out by hand. Next, I folded up all the flaps, adhered with a tape runner, and applied a liberal amount of washi tape. Done and done!

Tis the season to repurpose!

xoxo

1 Comment

when friends get married.

By on November 27, 2012

Like I mentioned in my birthday list, 2012 has been the year of destination weddings. And I am such a fan.












Two weeks ago, my good friend Jaymee had the most amazing wedding in Santa Barbara. And even though SB is only an hour north of where we live, John and I decided to turn the long weekend into a mini vacation. It definitely turned out to be one of the best ideas we’ve had in the many years we’ve been together. The first night we stayed near the harbor in Ventura and the next two nights were spent in picturesque Carpinteria. During the day, we traipsed all over Solvang, Santa Barbara, Montecito, and even Oxnard for a little Cafe Rio.

In case I haven’t mentioned it in the past fifteen minutes or so, I LOVE California. End of story.

xoxo

4 Comments

the kepler family.

By on November 23, 2012










From the moment I met Val in sixth grade, I knew we would become great friends. Fast forward thirteen years later and my instincts proved correct: she is still one of my nearest + dearest friends (even though she currently lives in Washington) and I loved being able to take photos of her adorable family last week.

A wise future mother-in-law of mine once said: “Photos are only as good as the subjects in them.” (HA!)

Well Keps, I’d say you did your part (;

xoxo

1 Comment

photo love.

By on October 30, 2012







A new camera = zero self-restraint for me in the photography department. All I want to do these days is take photos of anything! And everything! All at the same time! Needless to say, I’m in love. In love with 18 megapixels. In love with the colors in that sunset. In love with California (despite it’s insistence upon summer weather forever). In love with going, seeing, doing, and having visual proof of it all.

xoxo

10 Comments

oh joy! book signing.

By on October 19, 2012




Last night my friend Janelle and I attended Oh Joy’s book signing and Q+A event in LA and had such a great time. It’s always fun to go to these kinds of parties because they really bring the big-name bloggers out of the woodwork (like this one! and this one!). And let’s get real: there’s nothing we love more than a little people-watching of the blogger variety. Every detail about the event was impeccable…the location, the decor, the Smilebooth. But then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the queen of design.

xoxo

4 Comments

project life: september / october.

By on October 5, 2012

Despite my mountainous to-do list, I managed to squeeze in a little Project Life this week and am so glad I did. Not only did it give me something to blog about (meta, much?) but it gave me a place to house Mary freakin’ McDonald’s business card that I had been guarding with my life since last weekend. Whew.

Left: The far left middle pocket has the ephemera glued right on top of the page protector. Living dangerously over here. Right: My love for paperclips + washi tape knows no end.

Left: Life Love Paper woodgrain paper, Heidi Swapp neon letters (which are perfect for PL because they have barely any dimension!), and pink + yellow washi tape. Right: a quick journaling card that I whipped up in Illustrator to document the fact that summer (unfortunately) never really ends here.

I saw Niecy Nash at Disneyland on Friday and then Heather Locklear in Montecito on Saturday. ‘Twas a great weekend to be a Californian.

Left: The 4×6″ journaling card I made in Illustrator to document my random stream of consciousness regarding the month of September. Sometimes I forget how much easier it is to type things out on the comp and print them versus handwriting and changing my mind mid-paragraph. Right: If that looks like a holiday stamp then you would be…correct! Honestly, I don’t have a good reason for it to be on a PL spread in the middle of a heatwave in September / October. All I can say is that it was on my desk and I needed something to fill that spot so I slapped it in there. Putting my fancy art education to work, obviously.

I have to be honest, this go-round was kind of tough. I had a hard time getting the color palettes to jive (which is usually the easiest part for me!) and it took way longer than it should have. However, the one thing I did that helped expedite the process was typing my journaling directly onto my photos in Photoshop. Another trick I used: swiping my photos from my blog + Instagram feed before I did anything else. That helped me determine what I wanted the spread to be about and broke down the photo-to-ephemera ratio. And as logical and mathematical as I just made that sound, trust: there is zero math going on here. I don’t believe in it.

Hope you all are having a great day! Weekend, here we come!

xoxo

4 Comments
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 764 other followers

%d bloggers like this: