Happy New Year!

Sorry for the lack of posts. The holidays are always busy for me. I promise I'll stay on top of my postings in the coming new year!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday and a fabulous new year!

Decorate For the Holidays! {Free Templates}

Looking for some ideas to help decorate your home? These downloads for free holiday pennants and poster print from eighteen25 will sure add some fun to your Christmas decorations!

Holiday Tags and Labels {Free Template}

I'm in the mood again. Here's another free template for you to use for the upcoming holidays. You can use these as stickers and/or tags for gifts and bags. 

Print these on 8.5" x 11" sized white cardstock or sticker paper using the highest quality setting to maximize printing results. Tip: Printing these on glossy paper will make the colors really pop. The files are for personal use only.

There are 2 pages of 16 labels saved in a non-editable PDF file. You will need Acrobat Reader to open the file. A free download can be found at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat.html.

Please feel free to comment below and let me know how you plan to use these or even better, send me photos of how you used these labels with your packages. I'm sure there are many talented and creative gift wrapping people out there! If I post your photos on this blog, I'll give you a 40% discount towards your total purchase in my shop (not including printing service).

Print away and enjoy!

Printing Service {4" x 6" and 5" x 7" Invitations/Cards}

After a number of requests, I am now providing professionally printed 4" x 6" or 5" x 7" size invitations or cards.

What’s Included:
1.  Design Service {No need to purchase separate printable listing}
2.  White Envelopes


Cardstock Choices:
#100lb. Linen {Textured linen surface}
#100lb. Chrome Coat {Glossy surface; thicker and heavier than the one above}
#100lb. Bright White {Heavier than the one above}
#130lb. Matte {Slight sheen and smooth surface and the thickest}

No matter what you select, they all produce high-quality professional looking prints.

PRINTING PRICES:

             4 X 6        5 X 7
x25        $36          $45
x50        $57          $72
x75        $75          $95
x100      $92         $115

More information here.

Whooo Loves Owls? Download a Free Calendar

Wow, there's a great looking owl calendar for anyone to download and print at My Owl Barn. Check it out!

Holiday 2010 Collection - Now in the Shop!

I am excited to announce that my holiday invitations and cards are now posted in my Etsy shop! What's even better is that I'm offering  40% off until 11/26th at midnight, PST. Be sure to put, "HOLIDAY10" (without the quotes) as the coupon code.

Be sure to check out the shop next week since I'm still in the process of adding more items.

Follow-Up on Madeline's 1st Birthday Party

The photos of my daughter's first birthday party are now in {courtesy of Min Mi Photography at www.minmiphotography.com}. Read below for details of this party. 

This Parisian-themed party was initially based on the French character from the popular storybook, "Madeline". I thought what a perfect excuse to use a Paris theme because my daughter's name is also Madeline! LOL. I did not want the entire party theme to be centered around this character since I thought it would be too cutesy. So I included other Parisian design elements and styles. The colors I used throughout the party were black, pink, and white. I was hesitant in incorporating black as part of the color theme, but I just held my breath and went ahead with the idea. I have not regretted since because now I find myself drawn to this color combination everywhere I go.

The day of the party was very hectic, but I was so fortunate to have many people helping me out. It was a party that I was planning for about 6 months in advance. As someone who was organizing this type of party for the first time and without any professional help, I realized that no matter how much planning you do, it will never come out exactly the way you imagined in your head. However, by the end of the party, I found myself enjoying the celebration of my daughter’s first year and was relieved that I did not have to stress over the details anymore. 

Party Color Theme: Pink, black and white {with black and white polka dots and pink and white stripes}



Now in my shop!


Decorations: I designed the invitations, which were made to look like a passport. 

Other design projects included tags, signs, and labels.

I also made the tissue wreath for the sign-in table area. The tutorial can be found at Blissful Nest. Instead of using a guestbook or a wishing tree to have guests sign-in, I used an Eiffel Tower, where guests could tie postcards with their written messages. 

The table flower centerpieces were made out of tissue paper and I used spaghetti jars as vases. I filled each jar with pink gems and used scrapbook paper, ribbon and scalloped designed tags to help carry out the Parisian theme. 

The photo op area was very simple to make. I purchased the tri-fold board from an office supply store and the rest of the items were from the 99 Cents store. The little signs had sayings for people to hold while taking pictures. Some had random phrases that read, “Ooh la la”, “Bonjour!”, etc. The back board should have been much bigger, but the photos were still fun to take. I had a good laugh watching some of the dads goof off with the prop items. 

I figured that since the food menu already included some desserts, it wasn’t necessary to buy a cake for the party. So along with the help of a family member, we watched an instructional YouTube video and made a faux fondant cake. Not bad for a couple of first timers!

Many items were purchased from Michaels and some from Home Goods, Target and the 99 Cent store. Most of the printable files are now on sale at my Etsy shop!

Vendors:

Paper Designs - FLIPAWOO

Photography – Min Mi Photography

Macaroons – Sparkles Kitchen

Restaurant – Maggiano’s Little Italy (yes, I know it’s an Italian restaurant, but this place is great!)

Clear containers – www.papermart.com

Black and pink tutu – frillerup

Package Design

I'm loving the designs seen at Lovely Package. It makes me want to grab a glass of wine now and reminisce how I wanted to specialize in package designing and gazing at how pretty the Shiseido boxes were. 

3" Mini Happy Birthday Cards {Free Templates}

Today is my daughter's first year birthday. Although I'm looking forward to seeing her talk and develop into a more beautiful person, there is a sense of sadness that she seems to be growing up too fast. I wish I could hit the pause button and have her stay a baby just a little bit more.

To help celebrate her birthday, I'm giving away another free template of six 3" mini birthday cards. Excuse my poor photography skills. I promise, I'll get better, but they are so darn cute and great for those who don't like writing long messages like myself. You can also set these aside for future use instead of rushing out to the store at the last minute to buy a card.

Print the files on white cardstock paper (try different textures) and for maximum printing results, have your local processing printing company make these for you. I printed mine using my home printer and I rounded the corners using a puncher.

Please note that the templates are for personal use only.

Sneak Peak to "Meet Me in Paris" Collection {Coming Soon to Shop}

I hope you guys are having a good Monday! The new time change has surprisingly allowed me to get more things done this morning. For once, I found myself not rushing to get my son to preschool today.

I'm excited to show you a sneak peak to my "Meet Me in Paris" collection. I'm putting the finishing touches to the files and will post them to my shop soon. The collection will contain a customized invitation (passport greeting card or single card style), bunting banner, labels/tags, and sign cards (not all shown in the photos). These will be ready within the next week or so. I'm also still waiting for professional photos of my daughter's first birthday (or "dohl") celebration to come in so that I can post them to this blog. I can't wait!

A holiday collection will be coming soon as well!

FLIPAWOO Update

Now that my daughter's 1st year birthday party has finished, I'm waiting to receive professional photos taken of the party to come in. It should be another 2-3 weeks. Hopefully by then, I'll be able to open my Etsy shop. I wish I can have the entire weekend to myself to get this shop opened earlier, but as a mother of two, that's asking for a lot! The shop will have a small selection of items to be sold, but in the meantime, I'll try to keep adding free template files for you to download. Look for the "Freebie" link to the right of this page to see what's available.

Find me on Facebook and "like" FLIPAWOO so that you can be updated on when the shop officially opens!

Circus Bunting Banner and Tag Templates {Free Party Templates}

Yesterday, I volunteered at my church's Harvest Festival 2010 event, which had a carnival theme. It was a fun event that had pony rides, games, performances, caramel apples, and so much more (all for free!). I was amazed at how much creative work went into this festival. Many of the other booths looked great and you can tell a lot of hard work went into them.

My community group put together more than 450 caramel apples and I was happy to design the sticker labels and put together the decorations for our booth. Now you can go ahead and download the bunting banner and the tag/label templates for your own use. These templates will allow you to input your own letter or number (to represent the name of the person or age). More photos below. If you have any questions, please email me at flipawoo@gmail.com.


You can print these PDF files at a printing company or use a home printer. These are to be printed on 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper and make sure the page is set to print with no scaling. For higher quality prints, set the printer to the maximum printing level or have your local printing company make the prints for you. Always get a proof first!

Bunting Banner - This file will allow you to print one edited page at a time. I recommend printing these on white card stock sheets of paper.

Tags/Labels - Can be used as stickers, cupcake toppers, and favor tags. I recommend printing these on white card stock sheets of paper (except for the stickers). Please note that this template will only allow you to input one letter or number in for each tag.

Be sure to also "like" FLIPAWOO on Facebook! Thanks!


Update (1/27/11) - New circus designed invitations now available! Coordinating banners, tags, labels, and thank you cards are also available. Contact me for more details!

Blue and White Diagonal Striped Card {Free Template}

Here's a free template for you to download! I made this Father's Day card for my husband this year, but you can use this as a birthday, baby shower or thank you card (shirt and tie are not shown in the file)! The available PDF file will allow you to type in any text, such as "Happy Birthday" or "Thank You". Be sure to print the file on a white card stock sheet and if using a home printer, use the highest quality print setting (no page scaling!). Be as creative as you want by affixing any type of design piece to the card or go to an arts and craft store and purchase those 3-D stickers.

I printed the design on a textured 110lb. sheet. You can also punch out the corners to make them round. Have fun!

By the way, the tutorial for making the folded shirt and tie can be found here.

Tissue Paper Wreath Finished...Now onto the Fabric Backdrop

I FINALLY finished making the tissue paper wreath. The photo above was taken when I had started. This took about 3 months for me to finish only because I took my time with it. It's an easy project, but I cannot for the life of me do repetitive tasks for long periods of time. I have to always move onto something else. I didn't realize it would end up looking so big, but I think it came out great and it should make some type of an impact at the party. It will be in the welcoming area on the sign-in table. Right now, I'm struggling with trying to make a nice looking black ribbon bow  to add on the top. I failed a couple of times already and they both look wilted, confused (with the ribbon pieces going everywhere) and pathetic. I'll post the photo of the finished wreath after the party in October. Hopefully, I'll have a wonderful looking ribbon bow tie. I'm also adding the letter, "M" to the middle of the wreath.

As for the fabric backdrop for the main table, I purchased the PVC pipes, connectors, and pink and white striped fabric. Instead of working on them right away, I left the pieces scattered in the storage closet, car trunk and in the garage. It has been more than a month now and every time I catch a glimpse of these items, I am immediately reminded that I have to eventually figure out how to successfully build this backdrop together. Let's just hope that I didn't waste my time with this idea.

While I was deciding today when I should actually start putting the PVC pipes together, an idea of adding another piece of fabric over the striped one came to me. I'm thinking of adding black sheer fabric on each end, then tying each side with pink ribbon (curtain tie). So the overall appearance of this fabric backdrop will look somewhat like a window, except you're looking out at pink and white striped design! I will also add a bunting banner that I designed towards the top.

Since I like to stress so much, I also decided to do all of the party decorations AND handle the party set-up on my own. For my son's 1st birthday, I hired a party planner and she was responsible for setting up the main table, balloons, and centerpieces. I am already regretting just a little bit for trying to tackle this without any professional help. Am I crazy? I think so. My daughter's 1st birthday party will be simple and I am hoping it is better this way in terms of bringing down the cost.

UPDATE! (08/31/10) - I went over to Amy Atlas and found this photo she posted of the tied curtain style I tried to explain from above! See photo below:

So I want to still use the pink and white striped fabric as the background and also add black sheer material on each side. The problem is, how do I hang this extra piece on the PVC pipes without it bending? By the way, I tested the weight of the fabric on the pipe and it's already slightly bending! Not only that, the whole stand is sort of swaying back and forth. Now, I'm too lazy to go back to Home Depot to buy thicker pipes, so I'm going to have to think about this more thoroughly.

Fabric Backdrop

I think I may have finally figured out a way to hang a fabric backdrop behind the head table. After searching and searching online, I discovered that using PVC pipes can do the job. I suppose I can always use this set-up for future parties as well. I am no handyman, but I'll check out Home Depot and see how "easy" this can be.

Here are some instructions on setting one up.

Pink and White Striped Background

For the past couple of weeks, I've been going back and forth in my head on whether to put up a pink and white striped or plain light pink fabric piece behind the head table at my daughter's birthday party. After seeing Amy Atlas' blog, she has now convinced me to definitely go for the striped version. It would match my invitation design anyway.

I'm also planning to put up paper bunting banners reading, "Happy Birthday" and "Madeline". I have so much to do!

Striped Paper Straws

I need an excuse to use these pink and white striped paper straws and they add a great vintage feel to any party! Oh, how I love the vintage look!

Project Wedding shows a cute way of using these straws. It's a good thing BevMo is in my area! I'm going to have to check them out and see what the costs are.

Update - I found some pricing information on straws that Peach and Pearl did. There's a contact on there that tells you where to buy these straws at a reasonable price!

Decorating with Stripes

At my daughter's birthday party, there will be a head table decorated with fruits, flowers, and traditional Korean rice cakes. At Korean 1st year birthday parties (also known as "dols"), the head table usually has a  background banner attached to the wall. I want to avoid doing this. I'd like to use fabric instead to cover the back wall by incorporating stripes or maybe using the same design as the table cover. After looking at this photo, it looks more Parisian to use black and white stripes on the wall.

The problem is, how do I hang the fabric on the wall without nailing it on?


Here's another photo of a table with green and white stripes found at Hostess with the Mostess. I keep getting drawn to striped patterns!

Macarons!

Don't these macarons look scrumptious? It would be great if I could have these at my daughter's birthday party. Apparently, Pierre Herme is known to sell the best macarons. I love their cute packaging boxes as well.

Free 4th of July Tags

SORRY, NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE.

Following up from my previous post where you are able to download a free 4th of July invitation template, you can now download these festive party tags. These can be used as cupcake toppers, stickers and to help decorate party favors.

Download the file and color print on cardstock sheets. A 2" circle or scallop puncher is recommended and be sure to cut the sheet into strips for easy punching. You can color print these at home, but bringing the file to a commercial printer (Office Depot, Kinko's, etc.) will ensure better quality printing.

Happy crafting!

Free 4th of July InvitationTemplate! {Free Template}

SORRY, NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE. 

Here is a fun printable template for those who are planning to celebrate the upcoming 4th of July holiday (or it could be used for a birthday party). Use the invitation file link below to color print on cardstock white paper. Bringing the file to a commercial print company can help ensure high quality prints.

The invitation file allows you to type in your own party details. It will print two invitations per 8.5" x 11" sheet page. Cut along the crop marks to make 4" x 6" size invitations on cardstock sheets.

Please note that you will only be able to print this file from Adobe Reader. If you don't have the program, please download it for free here.

Visit again this week for printing tags for party favors or making cupcake toppers!

Michaels Savings

I don't like to purchase craft materials without getting some sort of a discount, especially at Michaels. I always make sure to look for online coupons and guess what? Michaels is currently offering a 40% discount until 5/29th (one regular price item).

Here's the coupon!

Ooh la la! Ideas are Everywhere!

A number of blogs have recently been posting on other Paris-inspired parties. It's very exciting to see how typical Parisian designs can be interpreted in so many different ways. I have listed some blog links below showcasing some of my favorite parties.

The image below can be found at Hostess with the Mostess. The French circus-inspired baby shower looked gorgeous and I absolutely love how the stylish umbrellas were hanging from the ceiling. This is the type of party I would like to do, mostly because of the vintage style elements that were used throughout the party. I am also planning to do a photo op and I may include some props for the guests to playfully use.


The color theme I am working on will be black, pink and white. Brides.com shows a great example of how I want to use these colors at the party. It also shows that the candy buffet doesn't need to be very elaborate.


Icing Designs threw a birthday party choosing a "Paris in the Springtime" theme. Pink and champagne colors were elegantly used. It almost makes me want to change my color theme to these colors instead! The antique style frame and tissue paper poms also add a wonderful touch to the dessert table.


Five Lucky Charms posted another Parisian birthday party. I love the idea of the girls decorating their own hats with ribbons and buttons. Madeline (also my daughter's name), from the classic storybooks, is known to wear a ribbon hat. This same idea can be designated at a table station at my daughter's birthday party, where the girls (and boys - hats with blue ribbons?) can decorate their hats. I remember seeing these hats at the 99 Cents store, but that was around the Easter holiday. I'm hoping the store is still selling them.


I'm waiting for my tissue paper order to arrive this week so that I can start making my pom poms. They'll be used as part of the table centerpieces, candy buffet table, and the main decoration table. I cannot wait to make these!