a modern wedding blog

Real Wedding: Megan & Ryan

2012-02-02T08:00:00.004-05:00

This beautiful wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty a few weeks ago. needless to say, I'm honored to be apart of such a gorgeous event. I designed the thank you notes for the table settings. thanks to weddings by two for the wonderful photos, and congratulations to Megan & Ryan.

engaged: megan and tyler

2012-01-30T16:01:00.001-05:00

I have had such a great time designing save-the-dates, invitations, and even a wedding website for Megan and Tyler, who are getting married in Austin this May. I just had to show off their engagement photos -- they're soooo great. my favorites are the bubble gum shots. many thanks to photographer Nathan Russel!

resolutions i probably won't keep 2012

2011-12-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

What I'm working on: Honeycomb Events front Page

2011-11-28T14:31:00.000-05:00

In tandem with Squidlimbs Design, I am now working on front page website design for businesses!

I am so excited about it. Today I finished up some preliminary designs for a wedding vendor,

Honeycomb Events & Design. Here is my favorite variation:

the large gallery image will rotate and the blog image will update with every blog post.

here is the other variation I came up with:

i really love this variant as well, but I think the first is more dynamic. which one will the client choose?!

all photos are courtesy of photography by Tessie.

Real Wedding: Lindsay & Danial

2011-11-17T10:43:00.001-05:00

Rarely do I have customers in my local Coumbus area, not to mention ones with great taste! Lindsay and Danial ordered both save-the-dates and invitations from me. Their talented wedding day photographers are The Ely Brothers, and they were married at the Taylor Mansion in Columbus.

Holiday Cards now available!

2011-11-07T15:45:00.001-05:00

this year Cheer Up Cherup is offering printed holiday cards via Etsy. I will be adding more to the collection as the holidays draw closer, so check back often! Here is some of the selection now available:

my future tattoo

2011-11-01T00:13:00.000-04:00

I have really loved browsing through the lovely inspirational images on pinterest. If you have never checked out pinterest, it's definitely a great place to get ideas. It was via pinterest that I found this amazing calligraphy tattoo design done by Betsy Dunlap and I knew I had to have one. I was so lucky to find a calligrapher via Etsy who I commissioned to create a custom tattoo for me, the wonderful Katie of Strength and Dash. Katie sent me several variations to choose from, and here is the final design!

I'm planning to have it running down the inside of my forearm ( it'll be my first official tattoo not done by my own hand..... don't ask.) I will definitely be posting photos of the permanent tattoo once I finally get it done.

Happy Halloween!!

the digital files: Emma & Craig

2011-10-28T17:41:00.000-04:00

Emma commissioned me to design a completely custom wedding invitation suite. What is so awesome about all of this is that Emma letterpressed the details cards AND screen printed the handkerchief invitation herself!

Emma sent the digital files off to have lettepress plates made by Boxcar Press. she then used the plates on the L Letterpress machine. This is such a great option for brides who want letterpress but don't have the budget for it -- especially for custom letterpress.

I am so amazed by the final product and I cannot stop smiling at it.

Thanks so much Emma for sharing it with me.

minted wedding invitation submissions - part 2

2011-10-21T15:26:00.000-04:00

new invitation designs submitted to the minted.com wedding invitation challenge!

Minted Wedding Invitation Submissions

2011-10-17T12:59:00.000-04:00

lately I've been working my butt off submitting designs for the Minted Wedding Invitation challenge. here's hoping at least one gets through for sale! Any designs that do not get accepted will be up for sale in my etsy shop for the 2012 season! I would love your vote for this year's challenge, since the designs that get chosen for sale are based on the scores they receive in the voting stage. thanks all for your support!

creative rsvps

2011-09-15T11:53:00.002-04:00

my venn diagram invitation has been a big hit this year. I got a little creative with the rsvp section and created a venn diagram for guests to respond -- a recent client of mind sent me some of the rsvps her guests sent back....

love them! thanks, Sarah.

Real Wedding: Joanna & David

2011-08-30T20:18:00.000-04:00

Joanna and David picked the perfect palette. so bright and happy. how can you go wrong with orange, fuchsia and aqua? love. Thanks to The Schultzes photography for these beautiful images.

voting has begun! notebook challenge

2011-08-25T20:41:00.000-04:00

Hi friends,

I just finished working on a few submissions for Minted's 'great ideas' notebook challenge. I would love for you to take a minute and vote for them! Here are my submissions (click image to vote!)

Cheer Up Cherup in Brides Magazine!

2011-07-18T16:31:00.000-04:00

The people at BRIDES seem to do a good job of keeping you in the dark about how, when, and where they will be featuring your product. I had no idea my venn diagram save-the-date was going to be in the national issue of BRIDES, and be apart of an article filled with other geeky and fun items. I thought the article was super cute.

I cannot tell you how surreal it was to be able to drive over to my local Kroger and find myself in a magazine. I wanted to buy 30 issues and harass the cashier and say, do you know who made this!? It feels so great to be recognized for your hard work. I am truly blessed!

New Stuff

2011-07-15T12:06:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited that I'm now able to print on wooden cardstock in several varieties/shades. I just listed them on etsy this week. check it out!

have a happy weekend!

inspiration board: dusty pink, natural and mint

2011-06-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

left to right, top to bottom:
thelonelyheart
honeytree
angelsbridalboutique
braggingbags
paperacorn
lonkoosh
pomlove
eclu
whichgoose

The Digital Files

2011-06-08T11:23:00.000-04:00

This year I've had many requests to purchase digital files, so I thought it might be fun to start showcasing the finished product that the bride sends me. Some couples do a lot of fun things with the invitation files I provide them and this couple is no exception -- Meghan and Stephen are getting married at an amusement park, so of course their invitations are lighthearted and fun. they chose a bright green glassine outer envelope and tied it up with baker's twine and sealed with a heart shaped wax seal. When I got it in the mail, I didn't even want to open it! Unfortunately before I could open it, my Boxer's tongue got to it...

They chose my banner invitation and also designed a map and info card to go with it. I really love the colors they chose and the green envelope really helped to make everything "pop". thanks to Meghan and Stephen for taking the time to send me a sample. it turned out beautifully!

I would love your vote.

2011-06-01T22:01:00.001-04:00

This year Minted's Holiday Card challenge drew in around 2200 submissions. Talk about daunting! They honed it down to 700 and now is your opportunity to vote for your favorites! I have two submissions to this challenge and I would love, love, love to have your support. Here are my contributions:

Rate it Here

Thanks all! and Merry Christmas in June....

In Detail: My Design Process

2011-05-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

In the past I've had some interest in how I go about producing my custom designs and how I gain inspiration. I would love to share my process and how a custom design goes from start to finish.

Recently a bride contacted me about doing custom invitations for her vintage New Orleans wedding. I always request that brides send me lots of inspiration imagery. Above is the inspiration board she pulled together for me.

I always like to go a little further and pull my own inspiration board together based on the details the bride has given me. Here were a few things that inspired the invitation design:

1950's style
19th century design/typography/advertisements
57 chevy (the groom's contribution)
colors: red and seafoam
vintage new orleans signage
sazerac rye

this was particularly challenging because I had to mesh 19th century style with 1950's style, and throw in a car somewhere. I've certainly learned a lot about mixing the styles of different eras. Here is the final design for the invitation, reply card, and welcome party invitation:

the car illustration is my pride and joy. another fun detail in the invitation is that we pulled the fonts from the "Sazerac" logo (see first board in the middle with the glasses) and used them in different places -- "october eighth" " new orleans" and "august first" all use this unique looking font. here it is in more detail:

I love using little details that only the bride and groom know their significance. in this case, the fonts used are reminiscent of a New Orleans originated cocktail. The guests may not notice, but it makes the invitation that much more special.

I've been featured!

2011-05-06T14:03:00.003-04:00

Recently my Shower of Flowers invitation placed 7th in Minted's "February Showers" challenge, which I was of course ecstatic about! I found this GORGEOUS board that was created by the Collection Event Studio exclusively for Minted:

i also just hopped over to minted literally two seconds ago and found this!

Happy Friday!

Vendor Spotlight: Posy Florals

2011-05-06T13:50:00.000-04:00

I was so delighted when I came across Posy Florals on the knot. Posy is an exclusive wedding and event florist ran by Amy Dinsio, located in Columbus, Ohio. She also has a blog chock full of wedding inspiration. Some of her beautiful work:

Giveaway!

2011-04-25T18:09:00.000-04:00

My lovely sister and talented photographer Emily is doing a giveaway of my bachelorette invites in honor of her website launch!

The lucky winner receives 25 custom designed invitations. You can choose from one of two designs:

To Enter:

Follow both Cheer Up Cherup and Emily B Photography on facebook. leave a comment on my sister's blog with the following info:

your name, email, which invite you'd like (blue or pink), and who your invites are for.

Winner will be announced May 13th. Good Luck!

Wedzu: a goldmine for the stylish bride

2011-04-21T11:23:00.001-04:00

Recently I've been made aware of how overcrowded Etsy has become. If you do any sort of shopping there at all, you don't need me to tell you that. A friend of mine recently pointed me to Wedzu -- a site dedicated to all things handmade, weddings style. Unlike Etsy, this site is juried which makes all the difference. There are some amazing vendors here that you will not find on Etsy. Here are some of my favorite items:

from left to right:

I've been featured!

2011-03-28T22:38:00.001-04:00

I'm so flattered to be featured along with some extremely talented wedding vendors on 100 layer cake!

Take a look at their collection of beautiful images, original post here.

Indigo Prints Designs

2011-03-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

new birth announcements:

recent custom design

2011-03-07T16:51:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple designs that were produced from bespoke requests. I LOVE how they are coming along. the fish just turned out so darn cute, I think!

logo design for wedding vendors

2011-03-03T11:51:00.000-05:00

I have been contemplating offering logo design for folks in the wedding and/or creative fields in my etsy shop. I have done a few logos recently for photographers and they have turned out amazingly well (one of whom happens to be my wonderful sister) Currently I charge $150 for the design mockup and 3 free revisions. I think that is a pretty swell deal, seeing that ad agencies would probably charge at least twice that. Here are a few I am so proud of!

Real Wedding: Nicole and Sam

2011-03-01T12:49:00.000-05:00

I can't explain how exciting it is to see how brides have used the items I created for their wedding-- I think my favorite part of making wedding invitations is seeing the post-event photos. This particular wedding was held at the Foundry in Queens, New York. Thanks to KV photography for these beautiful images.

new pretties

2011-02-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

rephotographing some things today. i love it when it snows. the most perfect light shines through my office window.it also helps to have a nice camera. great investment.

Even more Fresh designs

2011-01-28T16:40:00.000-05:00

Ok, so lately I've been designing like a mad woman. I apologize for the numerous posts about new designs, but, I am really excited to share them. here are a few more I designed for Indigoprints.

Fresh Design: Apple of my Eye Wedding Invitation

2011-01-27T10:44:00.000-05:00

Here's my latest. Over the last three years, I've learned I really enjoy making fruit shapes. Too bad I don't like eating them as much as I like illustrating them.

I thought this invite would be great for anyone getting married at an orchard -- which if I could do it all over again, I think this would be my choice of venues! I bet it would make for some gorgeous photographs. My other thought with this apple themed stationery is the increasing popularity of locally grown food and farm markets. My husband and I took our first trip to an apple orchard last summer, and it was so much fun. I felt like a kid again. I can't wait to see what is in store for us this year. I am hoping we can travel to an organic apple farm this summer. It's a bit farther drive, but rumor has it organic apples taste much better than the pesticide ridden ones.

I would love to hear your feedback - which is your favorite save-the-date and which is your favorite invitation?

What I'm working on: little bit of everything

2011-01-22T13:05:00.000-05:00

lately I have been busy working on custom wedding invitations as well as developing my collection of designs for indigoprints.com. here are a few I am particularly fond of:

art deco inspiration

2011-01-14T16:16:00.000-05:00

I am working on a bespoke design for a customer who asked for a " modern art deco" invitation. here are just a few of the images I have been collecting to get inspired. the twist is that her colors have pops of pink and orange. a very interesting color palette!

Real Wedding: Shannon & Jake

2011-01-13T23:55:00.001-05:00

There is no shortage of inspiration from this beautiful Charleston, SC wedding. The bride happens to be a very talented photographer. (warning, you may spend hours looking at all of her gorgeous photos)

the photographer from this wedding is Corbin Gurkin. get ready to be inspired!

facebook fan page

2011-01-11T17:50:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I actually have trouble navigating facebook and figuring out how to use it, even though I have been a facebook user since it was just a baby. It's very sad. Here is my feeble attempt at a facebook page. I'd love it if you could "like" me. and if am I doing this wrong, someone please put me out of my misery.

this n that

2011-01-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

since I haven't posted in a while, I thought I would give you a peek into what I have been up to. finishing my website has been at the top of my to do list for a long time. i have been playing around with a new desgin (again, I know) also at the top of my list has been re-working many of my old invitation designs:

here is a screen shot of what website will look like:

feedback?

Real Wedding: Tamara & Tadashi

2010-12-16T14:22:00.001-05:00

This was another one of those weddings in which I got to design lots of fun things. Frankly, I can't really remember all of the things I created! There were ceremony programs, menus, and lots of signage. These photos are taken from their " Trash the Dress" Session, which is a thing that I just recently learned exists at all. Apparently you literally trash your dress ( for example, swimming in the ocean with it on) sounds like fun to me...

thanks to betwixt studio for the great photos. here is the original blog post.

Mark Your Calendar...

2010-11-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

one of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is search for a one-of-a-kind calendar to display in my office for the upcoming year. I just love letterpress, so my 2010 calendar was from paper-source:

this year I would love to buy one on Etsy, so I've been looking for just the right one.

Here are a few of my favorites. By the way, calendars make fantastic Christmas presents...

the front runner. this one is printed on fabric. $20 from lisaruppdesign

maybe not very useful, but it's a design masterpiece. $16 from themuststachstore

perpetual calendar, $22.40 on sale from orangebeautiful

flip wall calendar from jessgonacha, $30

"Best Year Ever" I love it. $20 from spreadthelove

I've Been Branded!

2010-11-23T15:35:00.000-05:00

I am soo excited about recently becoming a branded designer for Indigoprints. Branded designers receive a cash bonus, their own page on the Indigo Prints site and get the chance to build their own collection of designs. YAY! I am super pumped.

In case you are wondering what Indigo Prints is all about:

"Indigo Prints is a fresh, fun place to shop online for modern, stylish stationery, including invitations, announcements, photo cards and so much more!"

They've got lots of designs from lots of different designers, and the best of the best will be up for sale on the site. designers receive 10% commission on orders. If you love my designs and want to help me on my way to financial freedom (I mean, quitting my day job), I would love it if you could patronize Indigo Prints. The designs sold on Indigo Prints can't be found anywhere else, and I promise these are some of my best designs yet! I cannot wait to share them all.

the site will hopefully be up very soon, just in time to order holiday cards or party invitations! In the meantime, you can heck out the Indigo Prints blog here.

Minted Design Challenge -- 3rd place!

2010-11-15T22:22:00.000-05:00

I am sooo excited to announce that I actually PLACED in one of Minted's design challenges. in the past, my designs have been chosen as editor's pick's, but never ranked high enough in the voting to be one of the top designs. I actually placed third and I also placed ninth for another one of my designs. they will be available for sale soon! You can also see all the winners here

personal stationery -- indigoprints submissions

2010-11-15T22:13:00.001-05:00

as of tonight at 10:00pm, I am still one design away from having enough designs submitted to be considered for indigoprints "branded designer" status. I have been steadily submitting designs, but I have to say that coming up with 25 original and award-worthy concepts is tough work... I wanted to share some of my latest:

Real Wedding: Katie and Leroy

2010-11-11T13:08:00.003-05:00

Katie and Leroy were married at Pie Ranch in Pescadero, California. I really enjoyed working on the stationery for their wedding -- they gleaned inspiration from so many different things (california poppies, quail, old barns, vintage concert tickets, folk music) it wasn't difficult at all to come up with lots of fun designs. I had the opportunity to design their save-the-dates, invitations, thank you notes, programs, and napkin cards.

Thanks to Ashley Forrette and Jessica Burke for the images.

Real Wedding: Marissa and Martyn

2010-10-15T09:00:00.001-04:00

Although I didn't get to work on any reception or ceremony items for this wedding, I was honored to be able to work on Marissa + Martyn's wedding invitations. they chose a leafy green, navy blue, and bright fuchsia pink for their invites. They chose to use my "Swag" Invitation.

Here are the beautiful photos from their wedding day, courtesy of Hugh Forte . Original blog post here .

Real Wedding: Marcie and Jeff

2010-10-14T11:54:00.000-04:00

I remember when Marcie first got into contact with me about doing her save-the-dates. she said " i want to order these as long as my last name will fit on the card."

so i thought to myself, that must be a pretty long last name. and it was. and it fit. just barely.

I also got to work on Marcie + Jeff's place cards, menus, and table numbers. She pretty much gave me free reign on the design, so I was pretty excited to see the photos of how everything came together. Thanks to photographer Kella McPhee for these awesome images. Here is her original blog post .

recent custom design

2010-09-16T16:12:00.000-04:00

I'm not totally finished with this, but I was so excited to share the designs. Meredith and Steve are getting married in the mountains in asheville, north carolina. Meredith told me they'd be decorating with mason jars full of wildflowers -- I was immediately inspired by the images she sent me. they also wanted to include humor/cheekiness and a vintage feel. talk about a hard assignment. Here are a few of my creations.

Cheer Up Cherup In BRIDES Magazine New York!

2010-09-01T21:26:00.000-04:00

You cannot imagine how long I have been sitting on this information. I wanted to wait until I had the cold hard facts before I shared the awesome news. My ticket save-the-date is featured in an article in BRIDES magazine this month, along with several other talented etsy sellers.

indigoprints holiday submissions

2010-09-01T16:24:00.001-04:00

modern icicles

wreath

minted mini book submission

2010-08-31T13:56:00.001-04:00

Hello lovelies, I just finished my latest minted submission-- it's a minibook designed to be a wedding thank you note, and also has a page to put a photo and brief description of how the honeymoon went. Please vote for me!

what I'm working on: Skeleton Key Invitation

2010-08-27T14:04:00.001-04:00

I've been working on this invitation for a friend of mine who is having an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding. I posted yesterday with some inspiration imagery. I'm not quite finished, I think I'd like to experiment some more with other illustrations like teapots or teacups. We didn't want the invitation to feel too overpoweringly "Alice in wonderland", i.e., no white rabbits, playing cards, and anything that makes it too obvious. the skeleton keys and hearts are more of a subtle approach, and will keep the guests wondering!

wedding theme: Alice in Wonderland

2010-08-26T17:33:00.000-04:00

a friend of mine was brave enough to ask my advice for her wedding theme. She loves eclectic vintage, so my initial thought was Alice in Wonderland. There are lots of symbols from the book/movie that can be used for a vintage theme: teapots, books, keys, roses. My friend liked the idea, especially since it would allow her to get away with anything weird or eccentric she might come up with down the road (because what is more eccentric than alice in wonderland?)

I've been doing some concepting for the invitations that include a skeleton key and heart design, with a decayed looking paper background. I really love how it's coming along. I haven't decided on what fonts will look best. Here are a few "Alice" inspiration images I have been looking to:

etsy finds

2010-08-24T14:40:00.002-04:00

today was the first chilly day I have experienced in months. I am super excited to shop for some cold weather accessories to add to my christmas list. here's a few of my recent favorites:

My sister is awesome.

2010-08-18T11:58:00.001-04:00

First of all Happy Anniversary to my husband of 3 years!

Today marks the day that I married my best friend. I've always loved looking back at old photos of my parents when they were my age, before they had kids, when they were young and more or less carefree.... I want my kids to be able to look back on pictures of their parents and make exclamations like " THAT is YOU!?" and " wow, you look so young!"

I know that 5, 10, 20 years from now, the moments we are living in right now will be cherished memories. I want to make sure I have plenty of pictures for my children to rifle through, so I hired my sister to take some couples portraits of Joshua and I for our 3rd anniversary. Here are a few of my favorites.

Thanks, Em!

personal: Plushies!

2010-08-03T17:07:00.001-04:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I really enjoy dreaming about how I will decorate my future child's room, what types of toys I would buy him or her, that type of thing. I know etsy is a treasure trove of cute baby items. Lately I've been seeing lots of plush toys that are so adorable I feel compelled to snatch them up and save them for when the time finally comes.

Here are a few of my absolute favorites. I'm particularly fond of the ones that use vintage floral fabrics.

From the top:

What I'm working on: IndigoPrints Submissions

2010-08-01T22:55:00.004-04:00

here are a few more. Which one is your favorite?

Real Wedding: Jessica & Joel

2010-07-29T20:57:00.001-04:00

I was super excited when Jess sent me her inspiration imagery for her big day. I could just tell she had a great sense of style. Thank you so much, Joel and Jess for letting me be apart of your big day!! I think my favorite is the cake, which looks just like the invitation and save-the-date card I made.

Of course I must credit Photography by Tessie for capturing this amazing event.

what I'm working on: custom designed rsvp card

2010-07-11T21:02:00.000-04:00

I had a bride contact me about working on a custom rsvp card. she is DIYing the invites, using a stamp made from the invitation I created for her. I am obsessed with the kraft cardstock. For this project, my laser printer and I actually got along. I was pleased.

what I'm working on: custom illustration

2010-07-08T23:32:00.000-04:00

I had a bride request a custom illustration of a bunny and squirrel (kissing, of course) which represented the bride and groom's favorite animals. it was a lot of fun. I think this one is still a work in progress, there's something about the eyes that are "bugging" me...

Real Wedding: Hannah and Brian

2010-06-30T11:18:00.001-04:00

After seeing the photographs, I can safely say there is not one thing about this wedding I don't like. The colors are rich, there is a wonderful mixture of modern and vintage, and the wedding totally speaks to the personality of the couple.

Thanks to Emily Smith of Smith Gallery Photography for these wonderful shots. See her original post here.

Hannah & Brian purchased a bespoke design through me. I designed almost all of their stationery, excluding their save-the-dates. We worked on an invite, monogram, menu, program, photo booth ticket, and place card design. They had everything printed themselves so it saved me a lot of time not having to do any of the printing or assembly -- I still get to reap the benefits of contributing to a gorgeous wedding!

custom design sneak peek

2010-06-25T16:20:00.001-04:00

I just finished a map design for a couple who also purchased a bespoke design from me for their wedding invitatations. Here are some of their inspiration images that also inspired me:

sonya and grant are getting married at a park, with trees and daisies being their main themes, along with a yellow and green color pallette.

the final product:

Baby! Part II

2010-06-21T17:45:00.000-04:00

I've been meticulously planning for my youngest sister's baby shower which finally took place last Saturday. She is decorating baby K's room with vintage posters (godzilla and super heroes) and the colors are aqua, chartreuse, and gray. So we planned the baby shower around a Godzilla/dino theme.

I ws so excited to make a few Etsy purchases that matched the decor and theme, in particular, some paper poms from pomlove and some cupcake liners from cupcakesocial.

I made the cupcake toppers myself using an online tutorial I found. I printed out little dinosaur, cupcake, and "it's a boy" graphics for the toppers and punched them out using a circular punch I bought from the craft store. I also created an "it's a boy" circular sign to hang from the bottom of the poms.

Wedding Trend: Carnival

2010-06-11T13:19:00.001-04:00

With all of the interesting and fun things you can do for a wedding these days, it's amazing people still stick with the traditional, plain white for everything. Kudos to the couples who let their personality and style shine through on their wedding day, no matter how strange or quirky it may be... That said, if you are looking for a theme for your wedding, why not consider a carnival theme? There are so many possibilities. Think of all the amazing food you could serve! cotton candy, popcorn, corndogs, french fries, gyros, ice cream... a whole lotta yummy stuff that is totally bad for you but you can get away with eating cause it's your wedding day...

credits:

1. ouma on etsy

2. scarletbeautiful2 on etsy

3. earmark on etsy

4. cupcakesocial on etsy

5. paperacorn on etsy

6. HeyZee on etsy

7. wildheart515 on etsy

8. Jamie Hammond Photography

9. Welcome Dinner Invitation by me

10. Jamie Hammond Photography

Idea: Photo Booth Ticket

2010-06-10T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm working on a custom design for a couple who is doing a photo booth at their reception. The bride had me work on a design for a photo booth ticket that they would be putting at each placesetting. It's actually quite practical since most photo booths are only open for a period of time, it's an easy and stylish way to communicate to your guests what time it starts and ends.

These are small, about 2x4. I'm fond of the green one. I think it'd be fun to perforate them or cut out a simple design in each of the corners. I also like the idea of having different colors at each place setting. The possibilities!

Wedding trend: Doilies

2010-06-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

Love! What's great about doilies is they are very inexpensive. There are so many ways to use paper doilies to dress up your wedding decor. I love how they are used as small details on things like envelope liners or favors. Especially love these doily inspired cakes! If I could do it all over again...

Real Wedding: Kathryn & Sean

2010-06-08T10:39:00.004-04:00

This wedding is a not-so-recent one, but I still wanted to showcase the beautiful photos and the bride & groom's unique style. I designed Kathryn & Sean's wedding invitations that were done in a lemonade yellow and coral pink. I love all the quirky details and it's refreshing to see a couple who lets their unique personality shine through!

See the full article at 100 layer cake

photographer: Kris Kasperek of iklikphoto

Style Me Pretty Feature

2010-06-04T11:09:00.007-04:00

I have been featured on Style Me Pretty! Check it out the full article here

You probably recognize the photos, I have posted about a few times already in the past couple weeks. It truly was a beautiful wedding and well deserving of the attention. I'm still in love with all the details. Her shoes, the table decor. Just gorgeous. I got the opportunity to design the menus, jam tags, and signage. It's so great to see these designs come to life!

I finally did it.

2010-06-01T16:42:00.003-04:00

Yes, I did spend $100 on a font. Yes, it was totally worth it.

Burgues script is an extremely popular font right now. If I have a choice in the matter, I prefer to start trends rather than follow them, however, this font is so beautiful that I had to give in. You might be wondering why a font could cost so much. Part of the reason for the high price tag is the large number of ligatures/glyphs it has or for lack of a better word, "flourishes" that come with it. Every single letter has at least two alternates of the same letter, each having its own unique strokes. Bickham Script is another popular script font that comes with lots of glyph options.

So far, I have loved using Burgues and I've only used it for one project. I'm currently working on a custom invite that uses a lace/doily pattern. Will post some images later!

the incredible, edible egg shell

2010-05-28T09:31:00.012-04:00

I'm not sure how I came up with the idea for this blog post. I think it all started when I was looking for alternative foods to give my puppies. They had been sick (poor things) for a couple weeks and I was starting to get pretty desperate. After doing extended research, I learned that you can grind up egg shells into a fine powder (just throw em in your coffee grinder or use a mortar and pestle) and mix them into your pup's food-- they're loaded with calcium.

People and plants can also eat the ground up shells. Apparently calcium is an essential part of a well balanced diet. who knew? Here are a few other uses I thought were particularly interesting:

•If you start seeds early indoors, eggshells are perfect to grow your seedlings in. Just rest them in the egg container they originally came in and viola! your own seed starter kit. just add dirt, seeds, and water.

•Make sidewalk chalk. You can even add food coloring!

•Put them in the bottom of your potted plants in place of rocks. the purpose here is two fold--not only are they keeping the soil well drained, they are giving your plants some much needed calcium.

Real Wedding: David & Brenda Part II

2010-05-27T16:36:00.003-04:00

Even more photos from David & Brenda's wedding at Zenaida Cellars. Photographer Jen Rodriguez was so sweet to send me all of these extras.

Real Wedding: David & Brenda

2010-05-25T11:17:00.003-04:00

You may recall this post from a couple months ago. I designed a whole slew of paper goods for David & Brenda, who got married in April at a winery in Paso Robles, California. I am SO proud to show you these amazing photos of their wedding, a few that capture some of the work I did on their paper items like signage and menus. I am drooling over her flowers... and pretty much everything else!

Photos are courtesy of Jen Rodriguez

Baby! Part 1

2010-05-12T10:25:00.005-04:00

I recently was commissioned by my sister to create her baby shower invites. She is decorating the baby's room with vintage godzilla, king kong, and superhero posters, so I thought it only appropriate to do her shower invite along the same theme. I give you, baby godzilla.

this was my first stab at any type of reptile illustration, so, I supposed it's not horrible. I wanted it to resemble Godzilla of course, but minus the violence and destruction part. Her shower will be dinosaur themed, and Etsy is the perfect place to find favors and decor to match!

I'm still looking for ideas, so any suggestions are welcome! I've already got an idea involving deviled eggs. We'd call 'em dino eggs, and we could add blue food coloring to the filling and maybe do some sort of strange topping so it looks speckled like a dinosaur egg. I'm also thinking I'll make some cupcake toppers myself. If you are curious on how to make them yourself, I found a pretty simple tutorial here

happy earth day!

2010-04-23T01:00:00.001-04:00

Just a little something to celebrate

yippee kai yay! I've been featured

2010-04-14T10:32:00.002-04:00

Just doing some late night googling yesterday, I ran across this 100 layer cake feature of Kathryn & Sean's Wedding. I of course designed their invites (not the save-the-date, though!)

wedding cake!

2010-04-01T16:23:00.002-04:00

It's nice to know other people in the wedding industry. I know very few, so when I find a friend who is, it makes me very happy, even more so when they are extremely talented like my friend Shannon. She is the owner of The Sweetest Thing, and specializes in making cakes and pastries for special events like weddings, showers and birthday parties. If you live in the Columbus, Ohio area and are looking for someone to make your baked goods for your special day, please consider The Sweetest Thing!

putting a smile on my face

2010-03-17T11:28:00.004-04:00

Few things in life make me giddy. Coming across this photograph of my faux bois invitation on minted today is the silver lining on an otherwise pretty terrible week. I feel like I should be hanging this up all over my house, my car, my office, just in case I need a pick-me-up. It's so wonderful to see something you created come to life!

bespoke design sneak peek

2010-03-15T16:14:00.007-04:00

I was feeling totally inspired when I created these reception items for an April wedding at Zenaida Cellars in Paso Robles, California. I got to design a whole slew of paper items: escort cards, favor tags, menus, and lots of signage.

this is a thank you message created to go on the backside of the menu at each place-setting.

signage for the cupcake table with cupcake descriptions

large circular signs to be used at various tables at the reception

wine/beer list sign

and here is some of the beautiful imagery the bride sent for inspiration:

I'm so very excited to see this items come to life!

2010-03-09T11:30:00.003-05:00

So my sister did a mini photo shoot for me this weekend because I I really don't have any "professional" photos of myself. You may or may not recognize the fat person standing behind this save-the-date card:

yep, it's me.

Minted Design Challenge Submissions

2010-03-08T15:16:00.003-05:00

For this particular minted design challenge, we were only allowed to submit three entries. This was a lot tougher than I thought because I had so many different designs I wanted to submit, and I wasn't sure which ones would do the best. Here are my final picks:

barn dance

venn diagram

poppy + quail

I'm so excited because a couple of my recent submissions were chosen for sale:

Faux Bois

Real Simple Swags

Yay!

wedding venue: Figueroa Hotel

2010-03-03T14:29:00.005-05:00

As I was browsing Green Wedding Shoes list of wedding vendors/venues, I came across a familiar name....

A few days ago, I had a customer purchase my moroccan invitations for a birthday party located at the Figueroa Hotel in Los Angeles. I had never heard of the place, and hadn't even bothered looking it up. Turns out, this entire hotel is oozing beautiful moroccan inspired decor. Every inch of this place is covered in moroccan colors and patterns. My moroccan invitation seems to be a perfect fit for a party at this place!

more wedding inspiration from Nonpareil

2010-03-02T12:56:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Lexi of Love. Obsess. Inspire. blog, I am now the newest reader of Nonpareil, a brand new online magazine that approaches weddings and other occasions with a focus on hip, stylish, do-it-yourself projects. The magazine boasts drop dead gorgeous photos, impeccable taste in design and is chock full of inspiration and ideas. The first issue is available for your reading entertainment on their website. Gorgeous, for sure.

...and an added bonus if you're a wedding vendor, there seems to be ample opportunities for advertising and they are even taking submissions for issues 3 & 4. What a great way to gain a bit of free exposure!

Bespoke Design Sneak Peek

2010-02-25T13:15:00.004-05:00

I'm having a lot of fun working on this particular custom design. Here are a few images the bride-to-be, Talia, sent me for her inspiration:

I usually like to have a little background about the couple as well as have them explain their whole theme and the mood for their wedding day. Todd + Talia are getting married in Tulum, Mexico. I was very inspired by tropical floral designs. To keep it interesting, I made each piece different, but still match the other items with use fonts and colors. The simple graphic pattern on the rsvp card and drink menu do a nice job of balancing out the intricate patterns used in the florals.

This was my first attempt at a boarding pass save-the-date. not too shabby!

Wedding Trend: Craspedia

2010-02-24T10:42:00.004-05:00

Craspedia, or more widely known as billy button or billy ball, is slowly making itself known in the wedding world. When my husband and I were married more than two and a half years ago, I would have died to get my hands on some to decorate our reception tables. My florist was unable to get them (I'm from the middle of nowhere) so, my creativity was very stifled in that department.

Craspedia is amazing because it's just as beautiful dried as it is fresh. You don't have to worry about them wilting or the petals getting damaged (because they don't have any, of course), and they don't need water. You can wear them in your hair, in a bouquet, in a boutonniere, put it on your guestbook pen, or glue them to a foam craft ball and make a pomander for your bridesmaids. Because it's so versatile and hardy, it's a great bloom to use for the DIY bride, not to mention they last forever!

Credits (from top):

1. Groom Kyle 2. Yellow Orb by alaina cherup 3. thetreasuredpetal via green wedding shoes blog 4. floresdelsol on etsy 5. rebekah rice on flickr 6. floralverde.com 7. thetreasuredpetal on etsy 8. jennypennyvintage on etsy 9. invitation designed by cheer up cherup

custom map design

2010-02-17T16:02:00.002-05:00

not bad for my first time, eh?

website sneak peek

2010-02-03T14:40:00.003-05:00

For a while now, I've been dreaming about finally having my own website for Cheer Up Cherup. It's been in the works since last June, and I've finally come to a design I love enough to show the rest of the world (I'm more or less designing the site myself, and then having a web savvy person implement it for me)

Here is a shot from a portion the home page:

I'm really hoping to have it up and running before wedding season is over, since this is a major step for the future of my business. I never dreamed that opening an Etsy shop and selling a few random handmade cards would one day lead to this. I'm so fortunate to be able to do what I love!

ticket save-the-date

2010-01-27T07:47:00.003-05:00

here's another custom design I'm working on.

even more custom designs!

2010-01-26T16:31:00.003-05:00

I've been doing custom designs LIKE CRAZY lately. A couple days ago I finished up two of them, went to dinner, and came home only to discover two more bespoke designs had been purchased from my shop! I'm so very excited but at the same time, I'm feeling the stress. I have to say though that I'm coping with it better than last year (so far, anyway)

These are a continuation of the designs I posted earlier, here.

You may have to click to see the enlarged version to get an appreciation for the detail in these designs. The client wanted something mostly text/typography based, which can be extra especially challenging. I love the way these turned out. I'm so grateful for the opportunities I get through doing custom design, I'm learning so much and I can literally feel myself getting better at what I do...

right now, I'm working on a bespoke design and attempting to incorporate the following:

california poppies

california quail

woodgrain or trees

succulents

bluegrass music

it's going to be a blast. :)

recent custom design

2010-01-24T23:45:00.002-05:00

hello! quickly updating. Here's my latest design-- the client chose the first one, which is also my favorite as well! Thinking I may sell a few of these in my shop. I love how the beehive design turned out, too.

What I'm working on today

2010-01-05T19:25:00.004-05:00

just a quick post this evening before I head to Olive Garden for a nice dinner. Here's what I've been working on lately. I really love how all of these designs are developing.

this is a design based off of a"Rockabilly" theme. I totally love it, especially on ivory paper.

this is a save-the-date I'm working on for a custom design. It's mostly typography/text based. with hints of country western. I'm also designing a pear monogram to match.

Happy 2010

2010-01-04T13:58:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately my first official post of the new year is going to be rather boring. My schedule is quickly becoming crowded with invitation orders! Exciting but stressful, because wedding season leaves me barely any personal time.

I've been wanting to announce some very exciting news (maybe not for the people who read this blog, but for me, it's the best thing that's happened to my business since inception)

I got a new printer! And let me tell you, this is not just any printer. Not only is it 20 times faster than my inkjet printer, I now have the capability to print double-sided and to print on colored papers! I kept meaning to take a picture of it in all it's glory, but I've been so busy I haven't had time. I think I will name her Bertha (she's pretty hefty)

Hopefully I'll be able to continue posting on a daily basis, but most likely not. I'm going to continue to post my bespoke designs. I'm working on one now that I'm really excited to share.

Best Wishes for 2010

2009-12-31T09:53:00.005-05:00

1. Miss Retro Clock 2007 2. Party Hat 3. Celebration 4. Confetti

Hope you have a safe and happy New Year!

Color Board: Eggplant, Lilac and Honey

2009-12-30T11:49:00.003-05:00

My goals for 2010

2009-12-29T14:47:00.006-05:00

These are my goals for 2010, some things I'm giving up and some things I would like to try.

plant a garden

learn how to make almond milk

stop eating out so often

stop drinking soda

get my website up and running

ride my bike and walk my dogs more

shop handmade/local as much as possible

Everything'll be alright

2009-12-29T13:20:00.008-05:00

Sometimes an unexpected situation can be an opportunity for personal growth. Take yesterday for example. I was pretty excited about getting off work early and going home to cook up dinner from a new cookbook I got for Christmas. As I was wiping snow off my car seat, I felt my wedding/engagement bands suddenly slip off my finger and roll onto the snow covered ground....

Please know that typically, my response in this situation would be to frantically and unsuccessfully look around for a few minutes, and then proceed to flip out, cry, cuss and throw things.

Last night was different. I took a deep breath and told myself not to panic, and that I needed to search for my rings in a calm, collected manner. Although there were still a few tears involved, I managed to scour a good portion of the parking lot without completely losing it. After an hour and a half of searching and people staring at me wondering why I was walking around like a lost child, I decided to give up and go home. I was very proud of the way I handled myself but of course really upset that I had lost my wedding rings...

This morning I sadly trudged to work hoping and praying that somehow, miraculously, my rings would show up. As I got out of my car, to my shock, I found myself staring at my wedding band, stuck in the ice a few feet away from where I had parked. Never have I had a bigger smile on my face. I pried the ring from the ice and looked up to find my engagement ring laying not too far away. Honestly, this may have been one of the happiest moments in my life. I think I ran all the way from my car to my desk to tell everyone the good news.

Every situation life throws at you is an opportunity to learn something about yourself. I can't say I'm glad it happened, but I am glad I was given the opportunity to change my bad behaviors!

Wedding Trend: Faux Bois

2009-12-23T12:38:00.006-05:00

I was really hoping to have more time to spend searching for pretty faux bois themed wedding items, but the end of the year has proven to be extremely busy for me! I'm hoping to post again soon with some very exciting news. :)

I love faux bois and even though it's been popular for a while, I think 2010 will prove to be a big year for this pattern, not just in the wedding world but in fashion, too.

woodgrain tie from cyberoptix

pesonalized tree stump miniature rhino

faux bois dessert buffet amy atlas

font lust

2009-12-22T11:54:00.007-05:00

I love a good font. Myfonts.com allows you to create albums to bookmark all your favorite ones. It's such a cool feature. At one time in my life I was not a fan of having to purchase fonts for use. I usually just downloaded a free font that looked similar to the costly one. Now I've changed my tune. It really is worth it to spend the money and go the extra mile to get a nice typeface. Somebody worked long hours to create it, just like an illustration or piece of art. Here are a few of my favorites I've been drooling over for a while.

Etsy purchases

2009-12-22T11:19:00.003-05:00

Here are some great things I've purchased on etsy recently, and some things I'm dying to buy

this is the cutest yorkie in a sweater you've ever seen. from aliandal. a really cute store to check out.

i love this painting from etsy seller kipi

gold locket from katinkapinka (I'm wearing it right now!)

ohio letterpress print from 1canoe2

this purse is so gorgeous, I love the details, from afropumpkin

Photography Day

2009-12-19T12:33:00.006-05:00

We got hit with our first snow last night. It creates fantastic lighting for taking photos. I've been furiously taking photos all morning hoping my lighting would last... and my desk looks like a tornado blew through.

Here are a few new invitations as well as some old ones freshened up with a new color palette. Enjoy!

vintage photo effect

2009-12-17T13:32:00.005-05:00

So I finally learned how to create a vintage photo effect in photoshop! I've been wanting to know for a while so I did a google search to find a good tutorial. This one was really easy.

Check out the before and after:

not bad for my first try, huh? I guess some photos do better than others. her skin looks kind of strange.

one of those days...

2009-12-16T16:05:00.003-05:00

when everything seems to go wrong. You ever do something and later come to find out you screwed it up? You can't just type command + z (or control + z for PC users) into your keyboard and go back. I wish a lot of things in life had a command + z function. wouldn't it be awesome?

christmas inspiration

2009-12-16T13:03:00.004-05:00

some flickr imagery to help you get into the holiday spirit...

ineedhumanheat

Let it snow...let it snow...

Just living is not enough...

christmas cookies

christmas is on its way

felt shingle tree

I need your help! Giveaway

2009-12-15T15:46:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to hone down my collection of wedding invitations. I want to put forth my best products, especially ones that appeal to a broader range of customers, and fit well with my design style and aesthetic. I'm just not quite sure what to keep and what to toss. That's where you come in.

Please visit the wedding invitation section of my shop page. Choose the invitation that is least appealing to you, and tell me why! You won't hurt my feelings... Try not to base your decision on color or attractiveness of the photography, but on the design, layout, fonts....etc. I need serious opinions here, people. "This is my least favorite invitation because I don't like bees" is not a helpful critique.

In return for your generosity, I will be giving away this set of thank you notes to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment on this blog post letting me know your your least favorite invitation and why, and provide me with a way to contact you. I'm giving you 'til the first day of 2010.

Thanks for participating!