Posts from the ‘create’ category

grammin’ ain’t easy: not ready to give up my beanies just yet.

@ammlovespaper | instagram

From left to right:

  1. Knitting a beanie, drinking coffee, catching up on the Rachel Zoe Project, and wearing sweats well into the early afternoon. Self-employment at it’s finest.
  2. Reorganizing all the books + magazines in my nightstand. P.S. I’m looking for new reads…any suggestions?
  3. Clear desk, clear mind.
  4. The most beautiful day EVER. I sat outside far longer than my whiter-than-white skin would have liked, but the warm sunshine felt so good.
  5. Stocking up on new yarn for another knitting project. Can’t. Stop. Knitting.
  6. My wedding attire is coming together quite nicely, thanks to the sale section at Anthro!
  7. I simply refuse to give up my beanies and my winter attire just yet. Even if it is 90 degrees out!
  8. The warmer weather and longer days have made for lots of early evening walks with Wally. I’m really, really loving it.

xoxo

4 Comments

everyday storyteller.

Everyday Storyteller via Ann-Marie Morris

I am so excited to finally announce that I am a contributor to Everyday Storyteller 2! In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, Everyday Storyteller is a series of idea books filled with real world, practical scrapbooking advice and articles written by an amazing group of women who all share in this love for paper. I was especially fond of Amy’s and Elise’s take on their process in the original Everyday Storyteller book and can’t wait to see what everyone else has up their sleeve for this coming edition! One of my pie-in-the-sky dreams is to eventually write a book one day, so being able to pen my own article was a fun exercise in honing my voice.

If this sounds like your idea of a good time (and I promise it is!), be sure to sign up for the VIP list! It’s quick, easy, and the best part of all, totally free! By signing up, you’ll receive:

* An exclusive invitation to our launch party on Friday, May 3
* An exclusive entry in special VIP-only giveaways
* First notice that the book has been released AND a special VIP discount

xoxo

2 Comments

project life: january 2013.

Project Life | Ann-Marie Morris

Another Project Life installment! Yeah! I’m still loving the smaller format and my minimalistic approach to jamming photos and memorabilia in those little pockets.

Project Life | Ann-Marie Morris

Over the holidays while I was at Michaels for the umpteenth time in a week (’twas the season!), I spotted Martha Stewart’s customizable stamp set on clearance. Of course, my knee-jerk reaction was to throw it in my basket as fast as possible, but then guilt set in and I proceeded to have a mini debate with myself along the lines of “another stamp set?! really?? don’t you make stamps for a living?” (my inner voice is a total B). Nonetheless, I somehow convinced myself that YES, I NEED ANOTHER STAMP SET and so it came home with me and I haven’t looked back since. I am obsessed with the classic Martha font (Archer) and how surprisingly easy it is to create phrases to stamp. You can see it in action in that little “01″ that I stamped at the top with hot pink ink. (Super long story for such a tiny product demo, I know.)

I also used some of my other favorite supplies on this page including the “Go” flair and girl veneer (misted with Mister Huey in Taxi) from Studio Calico, the roller date stamp and orange Thickers from Amy Tangerine, and the turquoise Thickers from American Crafts. As for the Top Gear obsession? I have no words.

IMG_6107

Project Life | Ann-Marie Morris

This page was super simple to whip out because it was all about my recent trip to San Diego. I wanted to keep the focus primarily on the photos and memorabilia, but I also used a geotag flair from SC, striped aqua washi tape from Freckled Fawn, and my J & A stamp. And of course, to drive home the point that SD is my favorite city in all of the land, I cut out the “You Make My Heart Sing” phrase from a sheet of Dear Lizzy paper. It was a perfect match.

IMG_6115

xoxo

7 Comments

thank you notes.

Engagement Party Thank You Notes | Ann-Marie Loves Paper

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to stay on top of social correspondence, especially since this is the year that lots of it will be going down. So as I was opening all the wonderful gifts from our party a few weekends ago, I couldn’t help but immediately start brainstorming ideas for the thank you notes that I would soon be writing. I knew I wanted them to be simple, but I also wanted them to have a handmade feel. Hence, embossed hearts! What’s more appropriate for a V-Day party than gold and hot pink hearts? Then again, when are gold and hot pink hearts not appropriate?

xoxo

5 Comments

i’m a hat person.

On any given day, there is a 97% chance that I will be rocking some sort of headwear (not to be confused with head gear…been there, done that, pleasegodneveragain). I’m a major hat person. Fedoras? Oh, yes! Baseball caps? Of course! And beanies? I’ll take one in every color! With a gigantic pom on top, por favor! I’m pretty much living in a beanie 24/7 these glorious cold days.

Beanie Love | Ann-Marie Loves Paper

The beanie obsession can be blamed on a few different, but equally important, factors:

1. Janelle and her super-inspiring knitting skills.
2. Nat the Fat Rat. She is so my new girl crush and beanie-wearing idol.
3. La-zi-ness! I despise spending any longer than three seconds on my hair everyday and a cute hat gives me instant style! <— at least that’s what I tell myself.

The way I see it, the bigger the pom pom and the brighter the color, the better! I bought the blue hat that you see above from Target for less than two dollars on clearance. It was a little too plain for my taste (but who am I to pass up a good deal??), so I whipped up the yarn pom pom using this excellent tutorial and attached it to the hat in less than three minutes. SO SIMPLE, YOU GUYS. I’m never taking it off.

xoxo

4 Comments

engagement party invitations.

Confession: half of the reason I wanted to throw this engagement party was so I could design invitations using all my favorite fonts and colors. (Well, that and being able to put all of my greatest pins to work, of course!) Mission accomplished.

IMG_5711
Engagement Party Invitations | Ann-Marie Loves Paper
Engagement Party Invitations | Ann-Marie Loves Paper
Since I only had a short amount of time to spread the word about the party, I just sent the invitation via e-mail to all my guests. As much as I would have liked to have shipped them out the old-fashioned way, the e-mail presentation was easier and it seemed to elicit quicker response times than usual. I can definitely see myself using this method again in the future for impromptu dinner parties and casual get-togethers. Super simple and with way more woodgrain than an evite. Win win.

xoxo

12 Comments

project life.

Yet another Project Life installment! I’m having so much fun getting back into it and experimenting with the smaller size and looser format.

project life | ann-marie morris

Hard to tell from this photo, but I included a mini layout between both pages, just to break up the symmetry of the spread a little bit. I mean, why not? I like to keep things interesting.

project life | ann-marie morris

I wanted to include this super cute 2013 print from Urbanic, so I decided to just glue it on top of my page protectors and place the gorgeous Studio Calico aqua ombre paper underneath. I backed the print with white cardstock that I ran through my Cuttlebug with this polka-dot embossing folder, added a little embellishing, and called it good. I always forget how much I love that little embossing machine! Definitely need to bust it out more often this year.

project life | ann-marie morris

You know it’s not one of my spreads unless there’s a heavy dose of hot pink, so I used a journaling card from Jamaica and topped it with a Studio Calico banner die-cut, an Amy Tangerine Daily Thicker, and a stamp that I designed for SC this past year.

project life | ann-marie morris

For the mini layout, I tried to keep it as simple as possible (my general rule of thumb for PL, really). Minimal embellishments, a little bit of ephemera, and quick and easy journaling thanks to my typewriter. I didn’t even adhere the photobooth strips to the paper; they’re just held together by my trusty gold paperclips. Living life on the edge, as usual.

IMG_5500

I’m in love with this graphic Crate Paper pattern and the way it brings all the rainbow colors in my spread together. Happy happy! And of course, how insanely awesome is Amy Tangerine’s calendar stamp?! Genius. Other products used here include the Yeah Yeah Yeah die-cutmini alphas, and aqua washi tape.

project life | ann-marie morris

The red phrase paper in the upper left corner is from a Fab.com mailer that I am convinced was designed with Project Life in mind. The purple Rose Bowl ticket in the center is just hanging out for now. I love the white space it gives my page and figure I will worry about what I will place on the other side of it when that time comes. Just roll with it.

project life | ann-marie morris
project life | ann-marie morris

Aqua + cream paper by Crate Paper | Totally Obsessed With Stamp | StazOn Black Ink | Hot pink pen from Typo.

project life | ann-marie morris
project life | ann-marie morris

So much fun, you guys. How are your books coming together?

xoxo

8 Comments

bridesmaid cards.

bridesmaid cards | ann-marie loves paper
bridesmaid cards | ann-marie loves paper
IMG_5409
bridesmaid_2
IMG_5411
bridesmaid cards | ann-marie loves paper

Over the holiday season, I was lucky enough to have almost all of my friends in town for several weeks. This meant daily trips to Starbucks to “get work done” which translates to “rearrange the tables + chairs in the store to accomodate everyone and talk loudly for hours on end.” (The good people at the ‘Bucks totally love us.) Since it’s so rare to actually have my friends nearby for an extended period of time, I knew I had to seize the opportunity to pop the question to my bridesmaids in person. And let me tell you, I struggled to figure out what I wanted to do! The pressure was on, to say the least.

After many failed mock-ups (I was dead-serious about this task), I finally decided that simple was best.

Using my Cameo, I die-cut each of the cards and then adhered them to a sheet of gold cardstock along with a handwritten message on the back. From there, I wrapped each card in hot pink tissue paper and tucked them into kraft bags embellished with washi tape, glitter tape, and a Thicker in each girl’s first initial. And guess what? It totally worked! Despite the fact that four out of six girls currently live out of state, they all agreed to join me on this journey! I couldn’t be more thrilled.

xoxo

7 Comments

set the table.

adventures in table setting | ann-marie loves paper
adventures in table setting | ann-marie loves paper
adventures in table setting | ann-marie loves paper
adventures in table setting | ann-marie loves paper
adventures in table setting | ann-marie loves paper

Because my storage unit is only at 99% capacity and my closet doors can still (just barely) close, I decided it was time to start yet another collection: tableware! Glasses, dishes, chargers, bowls…if it goes on a table, I want need it. On Saturday night, I dragged John out to all the local thrift stores with me and came home with two boxes jam-packed with awesome secondhand finds. I did the same thing on Sunday with my mom and had an equal amount of success. OMG. SO. MUCH. FUN.

So this morning I decided to unwrap all my treasures and see how they well they play together on a tablescape. I’m pleased to tell you, they coexist quite nicely! I even grabbed a few flowers and plants from around the yard to create mock-up arrangements for the party next weekend…happiness! I’m already dreaming of all the dinner parties I want to throw in our next place.

I could do this all day, everyday. And I just might.

xoxo

8 Comments
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 783 other followers

%d bloggers like this: