Posts tagged ‘create’

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.

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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.

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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
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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

project life 2013.

Last year I fell in love with the concept of Project Life.

I loved the way it allowed me to use all my favorite elements (paper, photos + memorabilia) in one place without having to make traditional scrapbook pages. At first I was super dedicated (I’m going to do this every week! of every year! for the rest of my life!), but like all long-term creative endeavors, I eventually fell off the bandwagon. I started to feel that I had gotten too far behind (even though I don’t believe in that!) and “catching up” just seemed too daunting a task. I still loved the concept, but I knew I needed to find a system that work better for me.

Project Life Cover Spread | Ann-Marie Morris
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So after much thought + inspiration from others, I decided to try something new. This year I’m going with an 8.5×11″ format using a mix of baseball card sleeves and traditional Project Life page protectors cut down to size. I also plan on forgoing a rigid week-by-week schedule and instead, simply filling up my pages when and how I see fit. Nothing too fancy. Nothing too crazy. But totally doable.

xoxo

10 Comments

engagement party crafting.

It came to my attention recently that engagement parties are the thing to do these days and since when I am I one to skip out on a good trend?! John and I (okay, mainly I) hopped right on that bandwagon and decided to throw a Valentine’s-themed engagement party in mid-February. It has been SO MUCH FUN pinning ideas to my private Pinterest boards (the timing on those things = clutch), thrifting for decor + serveware, designing the invitations, and the very best part of all, crafting like a madwoman! Here’s a little peek at what I’ve been working on:

engagment party crafting | ann-marie loves paper
engagement party crafting | ann-marie loves paper
engagement party crafting | ann-marie loves paper
engagement party crafting | ann-marie loves paper

BANNERS | A giant pad of construction paper, several yards of baker’s twine, and a stapler filled with gold staples equated three HUMONGOUS banners. It was probably the easiest banner-making experience of my life (cut, fold, staple, repeat) and is totally worth the major construction paper odor currently wafting in my bedroom!

PLATES | I’ve been collecting cheap dishes from the thrift store solely to bring this DIY to life. A gold Sharpie pen + a steady wrist was all it took to create the polka dot designs. Super simple.

I just want to make stuff all day, everyday! Can this please be my life forever?

xoxo

5 Comments

smitten: the font.

smitten font by ann-marie morris

The iPad is one of those luxuries in life that I was convinced I would not need until all of a sudden I own one and I can’t. put. it. down. Pinterest on an iPad? Game changer. Instagram pics at 9.7″ tall? WHAT! Flipboard + Feedly for all my social media needs? In love!

However, the app that makes owning an iPad really worth it is iFontMaker. Using just your finger or a stylus, you can bust out an entire hand-drawn font in no time at all! I’ve made at least 10 fonts so far (and even turned this one into a stamp!) and have no plans on stopping anytime soon. Needless to say, all those years of drawing on the shower door when I should have been washing my hair have finally paid off.

Feel free to download Smitten for yourself! Enjoy!

xoxo

10 Comments

wedding thrifting.

The best part about being engaged (well, aside from the fiance, of course) is that for once in my life, I have a LEGITIMATE reason to shop! Every single day! For better or worse, I have become obsessed with tracking down + purchasing awesome pieces that can be used for decor or wedding-related craft projects. When I’m not trolling the interwebs for great deals + free shipping, you can bet I’m raiding Target, Michaels, or the Goodwill like the crazy person that I was born to be!

Here are a few of the thrifted items John + I scored last weekend:

wedding thrifting | ann-marie morris
glassware for food and flowers | coffee mug for attempting this project

wedding thrifting | ann-marie morris
wooden cassette tape holder for placecards | chalkboard globe for funky signage

Given that our budget is low, I’m looking for any and all ways to pull together our creative resources and DIY / thrift / repurpose as much as possible. (We’re both still paying off our fancy design educations, so we might as well get our money’s worth, right? Ha!) So far, so good. Now I just need to find a place to store all this wonderful – and inexpensive! – stuff before someone turns me in to Hoarders…

xoxo

9 Comments
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