Blanco, Texas Lavender Festival

We love the Texas Hill Country and will find any excuse possible to visit the area. Every year in June, the town of Blanco hosts their Annual Lavender Festival. This is our second year to attend the event and it was a much needed get away for all of us. Marin and I experienced cutting lavender from the plant for the first time ever. She was especially excited about carrying the purple basket and using the scissors "all by herself." Adalyn was content to ride on Daddy's chest and sleep during most of our adventures in lavender fields. During our time at the festival we enjoyed lavender ice cream, lavender honey and sampled lavender margarita mix. A highlight of the festival was eating at the Redbud Cafe and listening to live music while there. Marin and Adalyn both enjoyed it. After the festival we spent three days with Steven's parents in their cabin near the Frio river. We all came back refreshed and relaxed.

Birth Announcements for Kayakers

Adalyn will be six weeks old on Tuesday. Sending birth announcements by mail almost seems silly with today's technology. Most everyone knew about her birth and had seen photos of her within hours of her arrival. That's why I wanted to create something silly and unique but something that also depicts our new family unit.

Kayaking is something we all enjoy and are anxious to include Adalyn in our family hobby as soon as she is interested. Marin was 15 months old when she first fell in love with the sport. As you can see from the photos above, Marin wasn't thrilled with our kayaking adventure in the backyard and fell to pieces when we went we went inside to cool off instead of launching the "boat" in water. The photos were taken by my mom when Adalyn was just one week old. It was no small feat to put makeup on, get Marin dressed, the kayak and paddles set up in the yard AND keep Adalyn asleep. I was just giddy when we accomplished all of these seemingly impossible steps. The final product was just what I wanted. Bazaar, fun and I hope it makes recipients smile.

But wait there is another one...the traditionalist in me couldn't resist creating a traditional announcement using this picture of Marin and Adalyn. It was just too sweet a moment not to share. So, Adalyn has two announcements. I wish I could blame my indecisiveness on post partum emotions, but unfortunately that's me all the time, just can't seem to ever make up my mind and just choose one.

Ice Cream Parlor {Wedding Shower}

The Ice cream parlor wedding shower was a tasty success! Below are pictures from the event and sources for the unique elements. Enjoy!

Handmade Oreo truffles, chocolate dipped strawberries and brownies.

In the center of the table was a display showing black and white pictures of the bride and groom's parents and grandparents when they were dating or newly married. Because the theme was "love and ice cream the old fashion way" I thought it would be neat to incorporate the love relationships in each of their families.

As guests arrived they were asked to sign the ice cream maker, guest book. Permanent markers were available for adding words of advice a comparison to love and ice cream or congratulations. Guests were clever with their messages. My favorite comment was "I recommend spooning."

The happy couple.

Wooden spoons from Garnish. Handmade labels created for the ice cream cups using Avery 5293 labels. Green and white striped paper straws purchased from Garnish.

And finally a glimpse into my brain. This is how I prepare for parties and keep my ideas in order. I'm always curious to see if the ideas and layout come to life.

The Many Musical Modes of David Coburn

My brother, David, is an extremely talented musician. He plays the violin, piano, organ and hand bells. A recital was recently held to showcase his talents. The invitation design above is something I came up with for the event.

The design was inspired by an Old Navy brand, grey and black, hooded jacket David wears as often as possible. It's been worn so much he has begun sewing the worn spots together with yellow thread. Sure hated that mom didn't let him wear the jacket during the recital (wink, wink). There were about 100 guests at the recital and David's performance was phenomenal. My favorite portion of the event was when David played the song he composed on the piano and was accompanied by his violin teacher. The emotion and feeling that went into writing that piece of music could be felt so strong. Bravo David...Encore!