Generous Giveaway!

Hurray! I finally have a pretty recipe file like I've always wanted!
It was a lot of fun to make and the Poppy Collection is so great. I love it!!


I used these cute tabs to mark my favorite recipes.


Rubber stamps are one of my favorite things. You can beautify
any plain paper in seconds with these stamps
from the Windsor Collection!


This picture is from a recipe card that I picked up from Target.



I love how these die-cut accents aren't your ordinary recipe cards.
They're perfect for short recipes and guaranteed to make you
happy every time you pull one out!

Since my box was so big, I thought that another good way to fill it up would be to make recipe cards out of photos. Then while you're cooking, you can be reminiscing at the same time!


I made my box, but there are plenty of boxes out there that would work great for this project. My cards are approximately 3"x5" and the cards that separate them in to categories are .25" taller. I haven't labeled my dividers yet, but you can label them main dish, desserts, etc.

I liked using the Poppy 6"x6" Paper Pad for my cards because the backs are blank. This makes it easy to read the recipes. If you want to print your recipes on the back, I suggest you do it before you cut them. You can do it when they're small, but it can be tricky if you have a stubborn printer.

I love to see all of the pretty patterns, but I need to know what recipe is written on the back. To solve this problem, I made these mini labels. If you would like to use them too, you can download them FREE here.

Just print them on sticker paper, cut them out and you're ready to go!

Here are some cards I designed just for all of you. You can download them for FREE here!
I hope you enjoyed! Have a great day and good luck!

Wow! We want to thank Lisa for all the hard work she put into making this past week spectacular. The free click and prints are such a plus and we hope you all enjoy them. From Lisa to you there is one more gift. We want you all to be able to make these recipe boxes but we can only give away 1 kit that includes all the supplies Lisa used (except the box). All you need to do is leave a comment telling us what post you found to be the most inspirational, by Monday June 15th. (Please only 1 entry per person.)The winner will be announced June 16th. Here are the goodies that could be yours:

- Windsor Clear Stamps
- Stamp Block
- Poppy 6x6 Paper Pad
- Poppy Brads
- Poppy Die-Cut Accents
- Poppy Cardstock Stickers
- Poppy Foil Die Cut Sheet
- Moss Ink Block
- White Ink Block

You're Invited

Invitations, treats, friends... you've got to love parties! I sure do! I put together a few inspiration boards of some parties I would like to throw or attend. Enjoy!

COLORFUL BIRTHDAY PARTY

Dessert table by Amy Atlas via Design Mom |
Crewcuts by J Crew | party hats via Martha Stewart |
party favors via Rebecca Thuss

BRIDAL SHOWER GARDEN PARTY

Garden Party by Chelsea Fuss | Lovely Ladies by Abby Powell |
sandwiches via Design Mom | flowers via Jupiter Images |
calligraphy by Paperfinger | tree favors via Martha Stewart

My favorite spots for party inspiration:
• Oh Happy Day!
• Project Wedding
• Party Perfect
• Martha Stewart
• Once Wed
• {Frolic}

Inspired by Photographers

I'm not a professional photographer, but I do like to take pictures! Every once and a while, I can think of a creative way to take a picture on my own, but most of the time I'm inspired by photographers on the internet, books and magazines. Whenever I see a photo that I like, I keep it. I like the everyday photos, but I really like photos that are interesting to look at even when you don't know the person.


These photographs are part of a book I'm working on about my baby's first year. The idea is to capture moments and details of her life in a more artistic sort of way. I've been taking photos of her clothes, her favorite toys, the nursery, special events and her of course! I've been posting my ideas for her book on my blog. See them here.

* inspired by Flora and Henri
When my photos need a little boost, I edit them. I know... I'm a cheater! Like I said, I'm not a pro. If you don't have Photoshop, there are some really great online photo editing sites. My favorite is Picnik. It's very simple to use and it can make any photo look great!

Here is a before...

and after...

Lisa Rupp Design

I've been dreaming about my small business for three years and I'm very grateful that I'm able to do something that I love from home. While working at S.E.I., I discovered that I absolutely love designing patterns and I recently decided to make surface pattern design my focus.



I also enjoy doing freelance design for a variety of clients, from all sizes of companies to brides to be. Wedding announcements are one of my favorite things, especially when they are letterpressed! I spent a year with a company designing them every day. My wedding designs now are usually hand-drawn, font and all. See my portfolio here.



My illustrations started out as ways to show how my patterns could be used, but not all are drawn for that reason anymore. Although, I still like to incorporate my patterns into most of my illustrations.

About Me

Lisa is such a talented designer. We really are in for a treat this week. It's intimidating to share your art and creations to a virtual audience. So, as you read through the posts this week, be sure to comment if you like what you see. Without further ado, Lisa Rupp:

Hello, my name is Lisa:


Hi everyone! I'm excited to be a guest blogger for my friends at S.E.I. It wasn't too long ago that I was part of the S.E.I. crew. That's right! I worked with the lovely girls in the Art Room. Now I live near Phoenix with my husband and our cute little baby. I'm a graphic designer, illustrator & crafter and run a small home business called Lisa Rupp Design. I love parties, blogs, paper goods, handmade items and most of all, being a mom!


This week I will be sharing with you things that inspire me, some of what I do, things that I love and a few of my ideas. I'm really happy to be here. Thanks for having me!

Guest Blogger- Lisa Rupp

Starting next week we'll have a guest blogger that we are so excited to have back in a sense. Lisa Rupp will be our guest blogger. If you'd like to see what makes her happy visit her blog, thatshappy.blogspot.com and we promise you'll leave happy. We'll let her tell you a little bit about herself:

From Lisa,
"Here are a few things about me:
• I'm a wife, a new mom and an artist.
• I spend my days with my super cute baby girl!
• In my free time, I'm a graphic designer, illustrator and crafter.
• Two years ago, we moved to Arizona and I had to leave the cute girls at SEI. Yep... I used to work in the fabulous SEI Art Studio!
• Since moving to Arizona, I started my own small home business, which gives me the opportunity do what I love from home!"