Arrival Baby Shower

I am part of the hosting group for another baby shower this weekend. It's 3+ hours away and to welcome a new baby into my husband's family. I say part of the hosting group because I volunteered was told that I would be doing invitations and games. And even though I had been asking for a date for months (since September 2012!) it was decided on March 3rd, 2013, that the shower would be March 23rd. Seriously? Once I finally got them to agree on my invitation design, I mailed all the invites that I had addresses for, then had to wait a few more days for the rest of the guest list. I got the invites (and the Wishes for Baby) designed, printed, and to the guests exactly 2 weeks from the date of the shower. Not enough time in my opinion. I firmly believe in 4-6 weeks notice. I plan that far out. I have to. Any way... I printed 30 of all the games, etc. So that way we'd be guaranteed to have enough. I hope 15 people show up at this rate. So... I found some new games and of course I made all the paper stuff, got the prizes, even ended up bringing the Punch ingredients.

Since the Baby arrived before the shower (at Mom's request since gender was a surprise to all), this shower gave way to a different path. We know the baby's name and gender, and she will be at the shower, so the games are tailored more around baby than Mom. Here are the designs that I've done, the invites and the Wishes printed nicely - a few problems, but I am the only one who notices.  

the original invite - this is almost exactly how it printed,
on brilliant white card stock.

Wishes for Baby, also on card stock,
to match the invitations.
hole punched in top left for jump ring.

This is the only Pregnancy Reference.
I just thought this was too cute to miss.
Printed on regular white paper, cut by me.

Included with the invitations was a request for each guest to bring
a baby photo of themselves. I will number these and have them posted
for this match game.

Each guest will fill out their Bingo Card - and they should know their own
gifts, and maybe a few others, so there's a greater chance of winning.
Plus, since each person fills out their own cards, less chance of a double winner.
This also gives the guests something to do and focuses their attention
on the Mom opening gifts.

I found some new fonts on dafont.com that I really ended up liking. They also printed really well. (Always a bonus.) my current fave is the "Sketch Book" font that I used on the Photo Match-Up card. It's super cute, takes to color really well, and has an 80s vibe that I love. I actually loved it so much that I use it in the heading for my personal blog. I'm also having a crush on the "Curly Shirley" font from the Bingo cards. I want to use it all the time. The Bingo Cards were actually a .jpeg that a friend sent me. I have one in pink and one in blue, and I added the wording to this one. It's a little grainy in the printout, nothing too noticeable again. These are super cute.

 I have no idea about the decorations, cake, etc. I know that they are planning a luncheon with taverns (NW Iowa Sloppy Joes) and salads. I hope that they used the invitations for a color scheme. I like it when things coordinate. :)

It feels weird being so out of the loop on this one. But - I won't have to worry about any more personal baby showers for a while. That's kind of nice. It gives me a chance to work on some different things.

new projects

So... it's been a crazy couple of months. I was part of a baby shower planning committee in December for one of my best friends. It had a Book theme, and we actually were able to hold the shower in a public library. (Score for theme!!!) It was a beautiful shower, and the invitations were some of my best work yet. I actually did the invites, 2 memory book/game things, and labels for the Hot Cocoa Bar. (I had them printed at a professional printer, so it cost a small fortune, but they couldn't have looked better.) Here are a few pictures:

The front and back of the Little Golden Book invitation

the inside of the book invite... the right side was where I put the mother's registry information.

the dessert table - cupcakes and fudge covered Oreo pops! (I made the Oreo Pops - huge mess, but delicious!)

the labels on the Hot Cocoa Bar - this was a fun idea!

The invitation and the memory box pages filled out by the guests - one is a Mad Lib, the other a Wishes For Baby

Words of Wisdom Mad Lib - adorable.
I actually "bound" these like a book with multi-colored grommets that I found in the scrap booking section at Michael's.

This past Sunday, as in 2 days ago, I was tasked with the invitations and games for a baby shower (or Arrival shower since the baby was born 4 days ago) for our nephew's family. (Yes, I am a great aunt. That's what happens when you marry a man 10 yrs older who's in a family off crazy ages. My mother-in-law is 50 years my senior, and my only sister-in-law is just a year younger than my Dad.) So... this shower was planned, and the date is less than 2-1/2 weeks away. (I know!) So, I came up with an invite... it was too boring, I designed 2 more, and we all decided on the same one as our favorite. I am heading to Staples tonight to have the invites and one of the games printed. Hope to have things in the mail this week. (I'm still waiting on a guest list.) Here are the designs:

The flowers aren't supposed to be gridded to look like Tulle, but I am having problems finding a good PDF converting program. Other than that, I love this invite.

the matching Wishes for Baby - this turned out to be one of the sweetest (and funniest) parts of the last shower, so I am doing it again.

That's about it for now. I just have a few more games to prep for this shower, not much else since it's 3+ hours away. Thank goodness. I don't have any new babies in the future months, so I'm really just gearing up for W's 5th birthday.  Here's crossing our fingers that these print well!

Commercial Flyer...

Today I submitted the Final Draft for a flyer I was commissioned to create.
So, this is officially my first paid job! Woo-Hoo!
This is for the Iowa Salesmen of Voyager Industries. One of which happens to be my old boss and friend. I used to make flyers for him all the time at my old job. So when he wanted something similar he thought to ask me. I am hoping that this turns into something more permanent, but I'll have to wait and see.
This is a basic flyer for a mass mailing to potential new customers. I've matched the colors to the company's logo and tried to make it as clean as possible considering all of the elements requested by the client. The important points are that it is clean, legible, and identifiable to the company. 
But I am uncertain on one point: I'm not even sure how to charge him. I have an hourly fee, but he's a friend. But I had to do a lot of clean up on the images and I had to rebuild the logo from nothing. Hmm... I think I'll wait for the final approval. Anyway, here's the final draft:

superhero invites

Finished the Boy's 4th Birthday Invitation last night. 

It's obviously a Superhero theme.

I am super proud of these invites. 

They took only 2 evenings... about 7 hours total manual work, most of that while taking care of the Boy and watching TV at the same time. I think I have over 13 layers of work here. The Batman picture that inspired this invite was a spur of the moment cell phone pic at Wal-Mart - he was goofing around and we didn't even bring the mask home - a lucky shot.

It's a simple party concept...

When the kids see the Splash Pad, Rocket Slide, and Heritage Carousel, they are going to want to play. So we're doing a snack table, lemonade, cake (which I am also making), and gifts. I'm thinking a trip to the Carousel first, then cake and gifts, and then playtime with snacks. Each child is getting a personalized cape as a party favor - which we are also making.

Thank Goodness for Pinterest.

Erin's 10 Step Program (to event planning)

Have you thought about planning a party? Be it a birthday, engagement, work event or anything, you'll need a few things. And if you are like most of the world, you'll be planning on a budget. I love budgets (mainly in my professional life.) I need to stick to them a bit more (in my personal life.) But still, there's something about saving money and coming in under budget that just gives me a high. I could float for days. First thing I do is call my Mom and share my money-saving ways with her - obviously she taught me everything I know.

Here's the general idea to event planning... first, you need a theme. And make it something special, something personal, and something attainable. With anything involving a budget, it's like 12 Steps, or in my case, 10 Steps.

So... here are my 10 Steps to Budgeting an Event, in case you wanted to know, or better yet, because you are still reading:

1. If you are extravagant and a spender (like me), then you need to admit you have a problem (or an issue if problem is too big of a word.)
2. Find a higher power to restore sanity, i.e. My sister Shannon keeps me in balance (my husband likes me happy, and will justify anything for me. I love him a lot.)
3. Make an Inventory of the things you need. The Must Haves like invitations and gifts or food, and the Would Like to Haves like that ice sculpture of you and your bff for her bachelorette party.
4. Set the Budget. And then have your Higher Power (HP) look it over for honesty and truth in reporting. Make changes as needed, or as dictated by your HP.
5. Start window shopping to compare prices. Keep notes, make spreadsheets, call friends. Pride is not an option when it comes to staying on track with your budget. (But think of the Pride you will have in yourself and your event when you throw a great party on your budget!)
6. Pay in cash if possible. Cash is always much more accountable. (At least for me.) An idea, set aside your budget in cash. If you buy party favors from Oriental Trading Company on your Visa, put the cash into an envelope and deposit it in the bank when you pay your Visa bill.
7. Be flexible... some of the best finds happen when you aren't looking. Inspiration strikes on the Clearance rack! You may change the entire color scheme for a surprise 30th birthday party because you found hot pink damask print plates on the $1 rack at Target and they totally remind you of your Birthday Girl's prom dress from high school. Something to make her remember on her special day.
8. Sort of a #7 part B, Keep your receipts. To make exchanges as your needs change.
9. Always set aside 5-10% of your total budget for an emergency fund for the day of the event. For things you forgot, like ice, tape, drinks, napkins. things come up. And if you remember everything, then you have that money back in your pocket - extra savings.
10. Remember... this is a party. The more stream-lined the plan and the event, the more time you will have to have fun! And thank your HP for all the mental help when your budget works out!!!

random hello

Well, it's been 10 days since I decided to start something new. And really, nothing much has happened. I've made one contact at a craft show, whom I need to email as soon as I find her card again.

I really need to take the time and get to work on the brochure that I am contracted for. I just haven't had the time yet. And with the holidays coming up, I'd love to have this one done before then.

So... for the time being, here is another sample of some work I've done. These are invitations to a milestone birthday party.

front of the invitation



back of the invitation



Welcome!

Welcome to Affordable Arts!!!

Affordable Arts is my way of taking my love of design and event planning and trying to make a career out of it.

For many years I have been designing invitations, flyers, brochures and all sorts of print material for the company I work for, along with friends and family. I have been told on multiple occassions that I should be doing this as my profession... so, I am throwing caution to the wind!

I love a good deal. Almost to the detriment of my bank account.  ;)   I believe that everyone should be able to have the same access to custom, personal designs as the professionals. It's my goal to help everyone see their ideas become reality - from the small business owner on a budget to the best friend throwing a great birthday party.

Currently, I am working on the design for a folder and information packet for a small company with a new invention. Pretty cool in my opinion.

Shoot me an email for rates or any questions: affordable.arts.designs@gmail.com

Here's an example of an invitation I did this summer:

Thanks for checking me out!!!