Happy New Year!

Wow, I almost feel like people have stopped saying that. It's the second week of 2013 and things are moving quickly! I feel a bit behind the curve on the happy new year blog posts, but it certainly took me those first few days of the new year to get back into things and I finally have had time to do a little blog post.

I thought the best way to start the new year is to show you my business holiday cards. I sent them to clients, designers, vendors and friends and I love love love them! Palm Papers is offering gold foil wedding invitations this year and this is my first foil stamped design. I know this certainly won't be my last, because it is BE-U-TI-FUL! I printed them on Arturo Stone Grey card stock in a nice small size. I really loved the unique combo of the gold and grey.

I have plenty left over, so if you want to receive one, shoot me an email at lauren@palmpapers.com.
Cheers!

New Features at Minted (and a giveaway!)

Before I show of my new holiday designs, I thought I'd show you some of Minted's new features. If you've taken a look at the new holiday collection, you might notice that Minted now offers several new customization: postcards, die cuts and TRIPLE thick paper.

The post card option is a great one for a little more affordable option, and what's great about the die cuts is that you can see what shapes work with your design and actually see the card in the shape before you buy.

... and then there's the triple thick paper. I've seen it in person and it's really impressive. If you are a paper person and want your holiday card to really stand out, it certainly will with this luxurious paper option.

And now for the giveaway: together with Camille Styles, Minted is now giving away a $1,000 gift card on their site! Sign up now through September 25th!

Minted Holiday Top 10!

Months of torture, waiting for the results of the holiday challenge that wrapped up in June, is just the normal way of life for all the Minted designers. Throughout the summer, we find out if we have any designs that will be sold, but we don't have any idea what exactly it is that we won. With the prizes ranging from $150 to $7,000 - there's a potential for some exciting news... Well, this week, the blog posts from Minted started rolling in, with them announcing the top 21-40, the top 11-20 and then yesterday the top 10. I was so excited/giddy/proud/honored to see that my design, Ombre, sneaked into the top 10, coming in at 10th place out of 2,600 entries!

If there's anything consistent about Minted, it's that there is no consistency at all. You never know how your designs will stack up to the competition. Because there are so many amazing designs, it comes down to teeny tiny points, but it makes surprise wins that much sweeter.

Keep an eye out for the 2012 Minted Holiday Collection to launch any day! Happy weekend!

Minted Design Challenge: 2012 Holiday Card Collection

While everyone else is kicking off the official start of summer, all the photo card designers are busy trying to get in the holiday spirit. Why? Because the biggest challenge of the year is the Minted holiday card competition and it's been in full swing for the past couple of weeks. It's the biggest challenge with over 2,000 submissions. Luckily, they already had a round of voting to narrow them down a bit. Anyone who loves pretty paper, will love browsing through these designs, so if that's you, and you want to help Minted choose which designs they will sell, head on over and vote for a few (or all 1,170). Below are my submissions for this year's collection: Believe, Ombre, Merriest, Garland, Merry Merry, Bright and Holiday Classic.

Happy Holidays Voting!

Custom Design: Chevron Holiday Party Invitation

Even though we are well past the holidays, I thought I'd still share this custom Christmas party invitation because you can really change the colors and use it for a party anytime of the year.

When Erin contacted me about the design, she knew that she wanted to use a chevron pattern and the font, Strangelove. I enjoyed playing with those two components.

I also created coordinating food signs for the party, and you can see them on her blog. Thanks Erin!