V-day is coming up. Are you ready? Well, if you’re not, here’s little round up of some fun cards to tell your loved one exactly how you feel about them…

[From FaithHopeTrick]
Zombie love = true love

[From sweetperversion]
Nothing says Valentine’s Day like crack & hookers. That, my friends, is love.

[From DingbatPress]
The Dark Side probably isn’t all that bad…

[From ohgeezdesign]
Because really? It doesn’t get much better than bacon!

[From uluckygirl]
true story.

Bravo to my fellow Etsy sellers. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Sometimes it’s ok to let someone take the words right out of your mouth… and onto a delightful card.

Pin It

I might be a 90 year old woman in a 20something year old’s body… call me crazy, but I like crafting and canning! For Christmas, I decided to can some of my favorite recipes like Apple Butter, Bananas Foster Jam, & Blackberry Citrus Jam, along with some infused olive oils. You can check out my whole process here.


Of course they needed cute little labels on them! Afterall, we eat with our eyes first… So I whipped up some chevron labels to slap on my wares. Lucky for you, I’m letting you download them for free! Woot! They’re based on 3 1/3” x 4” shipping labels (Avery 5164 or 8164).

Here you go:

Click on that little down arrow on the bottom right (3rd from the right) to download it. It will open in a Word .doc where you can change the name from “Smith” to your last name, as well as the color/size/font of your name. And then change the description in the large box to whatever your homemade goodie is.

I trimmed them up a bit depending on what container I used them on, or just made the corners rounded.

Happy Canning!

Oh Chevron, how I love you. Let me count the ways…

I recently created this little gem with the help/guidance of my buddy who is planning this fabulous baby shower for our lovely friend. We are all gaga for chevron, so it was kind of a no brainer what one of the elements would be for this gender reveal baby shower.

I know… What a great day for the happy parents to be, right? They get to find out whether they’ve got a little lady or a little stinky boy on the way AND they get showered with tons of gifts to help them prep. Best. Day. Ever. Well, at least the best day until the new little addition makes his or her appearance. I’m betting girl. What’s your guess?

And a little bit of info on the back, since it is a baby shower. No need to bother the momma-to-be with registry questions…

Maybe it’s a little cliché, but as a hostess, I know I feel better sending the parents-to-be off with a truck load of diapers & wipes to get them started. They’re a daunting task when you’re a newbie! This way they’ll probably get several different sizes and brands to choose from. Or, their bambino’s bum has them to choose from.

Are you on board with the chevron trend? or are you tired of it? Hubby pointed out the new chevron tea towels at Target tonight. He’s totally making fun of me because he knows I’m eyeing them. They would look pretty awesome in my kitchen…

They’re a big deal. I’m pretty sure they’re a bigger deal for the parents, than they are for the kiddo(s), but well worth the effort. You survived your 1st year as a parent. That’s a big freakin’ deal!

A friend’s little girl was turning one. It’s my absolute favorite thing when I know their style & they give me a few guidelines to create something fun for them. No need to get crazy and particular, just roll with it. She told me the colors: pink, grey, yellow. How cute & modern! And said she’s into elephants, monkeys, and giraffes. Easy Peasy.
I came up with these:

{Photos by Sheri Wade Photography}

I know elephants, monkeys, and giraffes are my faves, too. The party was super cute. She had cupcake toppers in the same animals to match the invites, along with a photo booth area with props for the kiddos. Will scored these awesome shades.

He’s a rock star… He even tried to eat with some chopsticks that night at dinner, with his new shades on.

I love this design for a little girl. It’s easy and simple. It would be perfect for a baby shower invitation or even a birth announcement, too.

It’s always fun to see how different clients use the same product. I love my Etsy shop for that reason & always ask if my customers can send me pics of how they used it.

Exhibit A – Mustache Drink Stirrers or Cupcake Toppers

They’ve been used as drink stirrers:
 

{above photos by Marlin Munoz}

And how about as cupcake toppers at a baby shower:

Obviously, mustaches make everything look cooler.

Happy New Year! Where the heck did 2011 go? Well, here’s to 2012. It’s going to be HUGE! Lots of awesome stuff coming to Paper Monkey. Stay tuned! I can’t wait!

While enjoying my hot apple cider over the holiday weekend, I was flipping through the stack of catalogs I got this last week. After gagging at the sight of the foofy pink girly rooms in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog… I’m sorry. I’m just not a girly girl when it comes to décor. Hot pink accents? Ok. But a whole room in pastels & bubble gum pink? You better fetch me a bucket, stat!

I came across this room that’s pretty cute for a little boy & then was stopped in my tracks…

{Photo by Pottery Barn Kids}

Will’s birthday party was Toy Story themed last year. You might recall this awesomeness that Hubby & I created for it:


I finally sold them to a lovely lady at the end of the summer who was hosting her own Toy Story birthday extravaganza. She requested a few more characters:
How cute are Jessie & Bullseye?! I was so sad to see them go.

Also among her requests were these:

Am I sensing a similarity here…?
How cool is that?!

These barrel of monkeys plywood guys were part of our original clan for Will’s birthday, but weather & time constraints go in the way. It’s the nature of trying to do outdoor projects in February/March. We were dodging crazy wind & rain the days we made them, and enough is enough.

So a big na-na-a-boo-boo to Pottery Barn Kids. That idea is SO 5 months ago.