Stelie Designs

we're going to play in the sand.  dig rivers and beaver dams.   fish. laugh. play. be silly. and maybe even get some sleep.  what are your plans?  hoping whatever you do finds you safe and happy.

i do return address labels.  for whatever reason...probably time it takes to list...they are not in my etsy shop. like all the others. one of my customers asked if i offered them. i do. so i did. she wanted olive in purples. she got olive in purples. before that someone wanted penguins to match the penguin stationery she ordered.  she got penguin return address labels. before that it was to match their xmas greeting cards.  before that...you get the picture.

my oldest babes are graduating from preschool today. i'm sitting here watching them on stage, full of mixed emotions. overjoyed. proud for their accomplishments + growth. saddened for they will be entering kindergarten in the fall. embarking on their school years.

i've worked with these fantabulous clients since the beginning. they chose the olive save the dates. then returned for their wedding invitations. such a joy to work with. the colors they chose evoke a perfect midwest fall day.  don't you agree?

last week we headed off to my hometown to visit family and family friends. on friday we ventured to the great plains zoo.  where we stopped for a photo op.  a photo of all 4. [i think easter was the last.]  

there was a heat advisory here... and paxton insisted on wearing this. along with his camo visor! [he has a style all his own.] and yes. that is chocolate ice cream on his face. the ice cream truck came to preschool today. [only 2 days left of preschool.]

this bride took the time to look thru my blog. she found this post and inquired about these invitations. i have many. many. many. invitations that never make it into my etsy shop. but if you see it you can get it. so please. please. please. inquire.

is this sweet + silly girl's favorite word. right now. actually. actually, i need a black crayon.  actually paxton it's this way... actually i saw a daddy cardinal. its in the truck actually. mommy, actually... actually daddy...

so vibrant and perfect for a summer backyard wedding. don't ya think? 

wow! aren't these sharp? the minneapolis skyline created for a wonderful local couple.

i created these layered invitations for this fantastic couple.  i did their olive save the dates.  for invitations they wanted to incorporate owls. just in a less significant role. they also wanted a more formal approach. i used shimmery paper + printing in same colors as save the dates + chocolate brown layer.  the response and directions card is printed on shimmery paper.  not layered.  with leaves only.  for some reason i didn't print extra of those.  mailed before photos.

for mothers day. my husband took the kids to target. he let them each pick out 2 nail polish colors.  {anything they wanted.} paxton picked a clear shimmery glitter + a clear blue shimmery glitter [he loves sparkle!] avery picked yellow + turquoise.  i'm wearing turquoise with clear shimmery glitter over it on both feet.  paxton & avery have that on one foot and the yellow with glitter on the other. we're a sparkly family!

a fab couple chose the lovely olive + oscar to adorne their wedding invitations.  i never tire of this set. not sure if it's because i drew them or because i love how excited people get over them.   maybe both.  but i think it's more the latter. i also created double sided menu's.  food on the front.  drinks on the back.  mmmm...doesn't the food sound yummy?

its been another one of those weeks. over the weekend baby a got a cold.  monday:  rainy. baby a went to dr, has double ear infection tuesday: cold + rainy. mr. p woke with hacking cough, (stayed home from school) baby e got THE cold, miss a's cold was minimal. i loaded up on vitamin c. wednesday: cold + rainy. my husband got THE cold. i loaded up on vitamin c. thursday: i got to THE cold + still loading up on vitamin c friday: warm + sunny. i woke feeling yucky & losing my voice. mr. p & miss a woke feeling good. baby e & baby a woke worse.  they will be seeing dr. this afternoon. saturday: outlook warm + sunny. hoping we all wake up feeling great. 

are unsung heros... as the school year comes to a close, finding ways to show teacher appreciation can be daunting. what to do? gift cards, stationery, notepads, or this perfectly personalized item... one of my clients had this fabulous idea for me to create an art print for her daughters teacher.  i love how it turned out. how special it is. how personal. and how it captures a moment in time for she will never have those kids in her class again. while i show it with a digital black frame. she chose an apple green frame.  i love it so much. i'm going to steal the idea for my kids teachers. it won't be turtles. i'll have my kids choose an animal.

last month i had the privilege of meeting a new client in person. something rare since my clients are all over the world. that is a whole other post.   after, she sent me an email that said "you clearly love what you do and it shows!" its true. i do love what i do. i've been thinking about this ever since. then last week while watching private practice. [and printing] violet was talking about emotions/feelings. bliss was mentioned.  light bulb. that's it. bliss. {print by lettercdesign } then i remember i saved this print in my etsy favorites. full circle. this is bliss for me.  then i did an etsy search for follow your bliss and found all this . stelie designs is my bliss.  [my family is too. but that again is a whole other post] what is your bliss? i'd love to hear it.

is mothers day and i now have sparkly turquoise toe nails & new pj's. thanks to my kids and husband for making me feel extra special. thank you to my mom for being the best role model of a mothers love. i am blessed to be your daughter.

i think everyone has a talent of some kind.  my friend teresa has a talent for photography among other things. last wednesday night, teresa said she'd be in the area on thursday and was dying to try out some new things with my twinfants. how could i say no. i mean just look at her work . these amazing pictures of my babes were taken in a whirlwind session of less than an hour. some of which they were fussy or eating lunch. oh and while i was in the kitchen with my babies feeding them lunch.  my big kids [not in photo shoot attire] got in on the photography action. if you live in the metro area, i highly. highly. highly. recommend her. oh and i'm hoping to interview her for a future blog post.  [that is once i catch up and wedding season is more managable of course.]

or glimpse of what's keeping me busy this week.

catch up ::: from being under the weather ::: have lots of stuff to post. but after i catch up on orders+wedding proofs+designs