lovely leafs | is that receipt paper?!

the first official 'lovely leaf' - woohoo!  i stumbled upon two different blogs in the last couple of days with related posts about this sort of thing and of course, found myself inspired.  so i wanted to share.  while my frugality gets the best of me and i very rarely make purchases here - i do gawk at the window and interior displays, drool over the clothing, and wander aimlessly through the home decor.  ladies and gentlemen - anthropologie.  more importantly - their wondrous ways of taking every day items (that some would even consider trash) and turning them into stunning displays.  who hasn't gone home after seeing the latest window update and sat and stared at the solo cups in your cabinet trying to figure out a way to make them a fabulous hanging art piece in your entry way.  i know, me too.  and more often than not - many of them use some kind of paper product - so i feel connected.  oh the creativity.  enjoy :)

paper chains are back!
credit: www.fiveprime.com

see the billowing, white backdrop for this gorgeous ceremony.....
(at a local kc spot, by the way - arts incubator)
photo credit: www.100layercake.com

yeah - it's receipt roll paper.  RECEIPT PAPER!  genius.
photo credit: www.100layercake.com

straws
photo credit: www.apartmenttherapy.com

have a bunch of books lying around but can't possibly
rid of them?  viola
photo credit: www.apartmenttherapy.com

and of course - the cups.
photo credit: www.apartmenttherapy.com

there you have it, friends. cups, straws, and paper are all you need.   

lovely leafs | a new feature

i'll admit it - i'm a blog addict.  my bookmarks tab is full of them.  people are so interesting.  and even more interesting are the things that people do.  jobs, projects, life experiences.  all of it i find very inspirational!  i had been thinking about my blog recently (and how it's a lot harder to maintain than i ever thought!  props to you bloggers out there), and what i wanted to do with it.  and while running this by a friend during coffee the other day, i realized my that i'd like to make this blog a bit more personal from time to time.  
when reading other business blogs - it's a given that i adore seeing all of their work and projects - but i've found that i equally adore when they do a post that shows a bit of them.  it's a brave thing, putting yourself out there to this big, bad internet world - but i find it just as inspiring as their wonderful work.  so..with that said, i'm going to attempt to do the same.  every now and then, between paper posts, i'd like to throw in a little feature called 'lovely leafs'.  it will be anything - a neat project i stumbled upon, a great piece of furniture, an amazing invitation, a quick 'how to',or perhaps just a rambling thought for the day from yours truly.  so keep with me (and for the record, i'm no writer..so you can't judge ;) ) - i'd love to know your thoughts on this.  


and because i've come to think a post is naked without a picture...

from lemonpencil.com

stay warm, dear friends!

lora + casey | invitations & details - part 2

on this snowy monday morning in kansas city - i felt the need to warm it up a bit with this BEAUTIFUL fall wedding this past october.  you first met lora & casey here.  they just recently received their professional photos and i had to share! i love every single little detail about this wedding - so prepare yourselves for a lot of pictures!  so many creative &  personal details went into it - and i am still so thankful that i was able to work on the stationery for this wedding.  lora had a very distinct vision and we worked together to create all their pieces.  enjoy the pictures of this beautiful wedding and to lora & casey, thank you again! enjoy reliving your very special day :)

their invitation set.  i adored lora's idea for
how she would include their accommodation information.

a closer view of the leaf detail

the programs.  we used an orange stock for the backing, two pages of
kraft paper for the ceremony and wedding party information, and finished
it off with a vellum cover and twig to hold the program together.  i love
how it turned out! 

i just love this image with the program.  lora's ring is one of the most
unique rings that i have ever seen!  love it. 

the wedding party.  how cute are the flower girls!

the lovely couple.  the pom poms were such a great idea!

the couple in their gorgeous venue

i love this idea!  instead of a traditional guest book, lora made this
poster and had everyone 'leaf' their print. so creative!

i just really love this style of picture.  i feel like it shows such personality
even when its just legs & feet.  all the groomsmen sported these striped
socks! 

casey + lora - thank you again! 

all photos courtesy of a.w. photography out of colorado springs

liz + spencer | invitations & details - and happy new year!

happy new year, all!  cheers all things 2010 - because, good or bad, they helped shape your life and make you a better person for this upcoming new year!  i'm one of those cheesy people that loves new years and hates the idea of not celebrating it.  it's a given opportunity to reflect on the past year, and put into effect those things you would like to do in the new.  i have a great feeling about 2011!  on the top of the list are the weddings of some of our best friends in the whole wide world, along with new career opportunities, house projects, hopefully a trip or two, and enjoying our amazing families and friends, and of course - lots of paper!  wishing you and yours a very happy new year! 

i couldn't think of a better wedding to feature for the last post of the year.  i just received pictures from liz & spencer's march 2010 wedding and i am so excited to share them.  i absolutely ADORED working with liz, and was actually really sad when we completed their stationery! this was another amazing hitched weddings + events wedding.  invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations, bridal shower invitations, escort cards, table numbers, well wishes cards, and thank you cards were all done for this wedding.  liz, thank you so much!  i enjoyed everything about working on your wedding and i wish you and spencer a wonderful 2011!  

their wedding invitations.  we chose a luxe white textured paper for their invitations.
liz wanted them to be simple, modern, yet classic.  the main invitation, rsvp post card,
and a deep navy outer envelope did the trick! 

the rehearsal dinner invitations.  they used green accents in the wedding and decided
to make this the main color scheme for the rehearsal invites.  again - simple, modern, classic!
these were printed on a soft white card stock.

and her super fun shower invitations!  liz loves mad men and this was going to be theme
of her wonderful shower (the hostesses even used the silhouettes and put them on the cakes!)
these were really fun to work on - and i am now learning why this mad men inspired
shower was so fabulous (i'm into season 3 and absolutely addicted)!

and now - some of their professional images by photographer claire ryser. jessica & amy
of hitched displayed the escort cards on a bed of moss.  love the contrast! 

table numbers - simply displayed amongst bud vases with
some gorgeous florals.

instead of a traditional guest book - liz and spencer chose to do these
well wishes cards.  how fun!  this one cracked me up.  she had a
special book she would put them in after the wedding. 

i had to include a few images of the day.  their reception was so beautiful! it was held
at the berg event space - and the ladies of hitched worked their magic.  and yes, those
are glass bud vases hanging from the ceiling!

the STUNNING couple!  thanks you again!  a joy to work with, beautiful couple,
and beautiful wedding!

all professional photography courtesy of claire ryser 

featured | i'm blushing!

december was a wonderful month - and now that the month and year are nearing an end, i felt the need to reflect on two big reasons why it was!  little yellow leaf was featured on not one, but two fantastic blogs!  i was absolutely flattered, and so thankful that these lovely ladies approached me. the blogs themselves are so worth checking and the ladies that run them are just wonderful.  and here we go...


the first blog is 'inspiration and rough drafts' by melissa.  we attended high school together and she resides in my most favorite city, chicago.  the blog is full of daily life reflection, recipes (i've tried a few!), party planning, projects on their condo, and much much more.  she has a great knack for writing and the blog is so easy to relate to.  check out the feature here and make sure to explore the rest of the blog.  thank you, melissa!!! 


the second blog is 'the blue house' by jill & elle.  jill and i went to grade school and high school together, and carry lots of fun memories of the good ol' days.  jill & elle find all things style, sass, and chic - and compile them all into one place.  stunning fashion trends, impeccable home design, and one of my favorites - a floral inspiration each friday (aka, flowers for friday). check out the blue house feature here.  and click around the rest of the blog.  you'll find yourself wanting to rush home and redo a room and your closet with all things fabulous. thanks a bunch, jill :)


and because it feels naked to have a blog post with no pictures - below is a lovely inspiration image for your new years party.  i can't believe 2011 is upon us - it's going to be a great year!   

courtesy of Southern Living

happy holidays! | xmas 2010 cards

oh my - i first need to apologize for my lack of blogging.  the christmas season proved busier than i had anticipated..which is great! i want to wish each and every one of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!  i also must extend a big thank you for all of your support thus far!  i look forward to great things with little yellow leaf in 2011!  i wanted to leave you with some christmas cheer and this years 2010 christmas cards.  i hope you enjoy!

elyse and david. their first married christmas! i was fortunate enough
to work on their wedding paper last spring. i ADORE this picture. elyse's
bridesmaid snapped it - great work! i was so excited they chose the
'joy' card - it couldn't be more fitting for this picture.
enjoy your first christmas together! :)

the davis family.  their green attire is so fabulous!  we had to make the card bright
and festive.  they had their holiday pictures taken by ashley with
cute as a button photography.  check her out here! she's wonderful! heidi used
vistaprint for her cards.

this is the hullmans! heidi's (pictured above) parents and all their grand children.
they used vistaprint for this 5x7 card.  thanks, guys! 

andy, elisia and addasyn.  they're dear friends of ours and i loved making their card.
and i can't wait to do the paper for their fall 2011 wedding! elisia had these
printed as 4x6 pictures - they turned out great!  thanks guys :)

the gawlak girls!  i loved the colors they wore in the pic and
had to include them in the body of the card.  loving unique
holiday color combo's! they used vistaprint for their 4x8 cards.

happy holidays to all! :)

meredith + jeremiah | invitations & details

meredith and jeremiah were married this past summer in late june. this was yet another wonderful wedding coordinated by amy & jessica with hitched weddings + events.  this was such a fun and unique wedding to work on!  we began with their invitations.  i loved that they wanted to include a quote on them.  it was such a personal touch and really accented their invites.  not to mention the pink was so bright and cheery! the ribbons were used to hold the additional cards in the back so that everything was gathered together for the guests when they opened the envelope. 

meredith & jeremiah's invitation set. the #10 size was very unique and offered a great layout.

next up: the reception details!  i have to give a little back story on the elephant theme.  meredith and jeremiah both had this elephant joke book when they were younger.  the jokes were hilariously ridiculous and it was such a sweet and personal detail to their reception! they had both of their copies on display and we used the theme to coordinate table assignments.  for each table - the question of the joke was on their escort card and the answer on the table number.  i just loved this creative detail! below are images of the reception details.  meredith & jeremiah - thank you so much for everything.  it was an absolute joy to work on all of your pieces! best wishes for continued happiness in your marriage :) (and a quick thank you to sarah rimel of sarah rimel photography for providing these fabulous images!)

the story explaining the significance of the elephant jokes

another view of the story - this time with a sneak peak of an escort card as well.
and i believe that is meredith's copy of the joke book!

table number. didn't hitched do a gorgeous job with the florals?

last but not least, a few of the table setting and escort cards. 

all reception detail photos courtesy of sarah rimel photography

www.rimelphoto.com