Nicole & Joshua's Wedding Invitatin Set

I am excited to share a wedding invitation set that I recently completed for my friend Nicole. We went to high school together, and when I heard she was getting married and looking for invitations, I told her I would love to design them.

I really enjoyed working on the entire set which included a save the date magnet, invitation, response card, registry card, ceremony program and wine bottle labels that served as the guest seating chart and favor. Nicole and Josh's colors were black, deep red and ivory - very classy and elegant. 

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Jenny! These two could be models. I snagged a couple photos from her Facebook page (Photos by Sonia Sgotto Amadio). 

These flowers with sparkly jewels are gorgeous! Not to mention her ring.

What a fun shot of the bridal party ladies.

Many blessings to Nicole and Josh, as they start their new life together! Thank you for allowing me to design your wedding invitation set. I hope they added a special touch to your very special day!

Tote Bag Giveaway Winner!

Drum roll please...

The winner of one handmade Sohl Design Tote Bag is...VIKKI! 

Congratulations Vikki! I'll be sending this lovely bag your way very soon. Hope you enjoy it! (Imagine confetti and balloons falling from the ceiling right now)

A big thank you to all you wonderful people who entered the giveaway, and for your kind comments! It really is exciting to receive positive feedback and know that in some small way I'm able to connect with you via blog land. And that people are actually interested in what I have to share. So, thank you very much! 

xoxo 

Tote Bag Giveaway!

***This giveaway is now closed***

It's time for a giveaway my beloved readers!

One handmade Sohl Design Tote Bag is up for grabs. Measuring 11 inches wide by 14 inches tall, with 9 inch handles, in a lilac bohemian pattern and a turquoise lining. Perfect for a trip to the library, coffee shop, flea market or use it as a purse!  

TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the word "TOTE" and your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. If you prefer not to have your email published, you can send me an email with your comment.  

ADDITIONAL ENTRY: Become a follower of Sohl Design if you aren't one already and be sure to send me an email letting me know. 

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Sunday, June 25th at 9:00PM EST

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One 

SHIPS: United States and Canada
(I sincerely apologize to my international readers)

The winner will be announced next week.
Good luck! And tell your friends!

Happy Father's Day 2011

Dad's are special people. If you're blessed to have a Dad in your life, you know what I mean. It's a tall order to be a good father. I'm lucky to have two great Dad's in my life. 

I love you Dad! I'm sending you big hugs across the miles and I'm looking forward to seeing you this summer. You are missed!

I also want to wish my father-in-law a happy Father's Day. I see how much my husband admires his Dad and how much he's like him. Love you Denny! 

I hope you both enjoy a relaxing Sunday, with some good coffee (throw in a biscotti or two), maybe a nap in the afternoon, and the knowledge that you are loved and thought about, especially today. 

Happy Father's Day! 

Going Unplugged

Image from greenlacrosse.com
I am taking a vacation or "holiday" if you will. My husband and I are going on a trip that we've been talking about for years. Our 6th anniversary is in a couple weeks, so this will be like a second honeymoon. We're very excited! 9 days off never sounded so good!

I'm also taking a media vacation. No computer. No email. No Facebook. No blogging. I can't remember the last time I was away from it all. I'm looking forward to enjoying beautiful scenery, being outside, reading a book or two, sleeping in, going for walks, sipping some drinks and enjoying meals together. Sounds absolutely amazing! However, I wonder if I'll experience email/blog/FB withdrawal. Sad isn't it? I won't know what to do with my free time! This will be technology detox. I definitely need this.

I'm sure I'll have lots to share when I plug back in. I do have something planned for my beloved blog readers while I'm out, so be sure to check back next week! 


I'll miss you!

Before & After Home: Master (Mini) Bathroom

We have a "master bathroom" off our bedroom. I use the term "master" very loosely though, because it's a tiny little space (as in closet sized). I am so thankful that there's actually room for a shower, toilet, sink and storage space! Having two bathrooms is a must if you ask me. Having two showers/bathtubs is an extra bonus! Our house was originally built as a ranch style home, and the second floor was added later. They had to be creative when adding this handy little bathroom.

When we moved in, the "master bath" was blue. Navy blue. As in almost black, blue. Talk about trying to make a room feel smaller. Especially with a slanted ceiling. I guess the goal was to match the floor tiles? Interesting tactic. I couldn't stand the way it was. It felt so dark and gross.

The first step was to lighten up the place! This is the only room that I can take credit for painting. Primarily because it's only about 5x5 feet and I am not the best painter. We used Sherwin Williams paint in "practical beige," leftover from our kitchen. It's a nice beige that goes with everything.

If you notice in the "before" photo, the window trim was painted white but the original wood was left inside. The house has these beautiful dark wood windows, and the previous owners went around and painted them all white. Not cool. I attempted to strip the paint off but didn't get it all off completely. I think it looks better than it did half white and half wood. A project for another day. Or year.

The sink area before and after. Bye bye dark depressing navy blue! Switched out the switch plates and towel ring too.

The toilet area (or throne, whichever you prefer), with an over-the-toilet shelving unit added much needed storage and made use of wasted wall space.

There used to be a "closet" with handmade, unevenly and widely spaced shelves enclosed by a hideous pull screen. I think I got rid of that screen out the day we closed on the house. I ripped out the shelves shortly after. It wasn't worth having a door behind a door in such a small space. I purchased a tall metal shelving rack to put in its place. It's not the most sightly thing at times, but it keeps everything organized. A quick storage solution.

And a standup shower with a reversible shower curtain that I love. Flowers on one side, stripes on the other. There are two rods, one for the plastic liner and one for the decorative curtain. It was a height issue and I didn't have double-sided hooks like in our other bathroom. Gerbera daisies are my favorite flower. The farmed art was a long narrow poster that I cut into 4 pieces and framed. A metal rack from Marshalls holds towels and extra toilet paper. Gotta have extra TP!

That's a look at our master (mini) bathroom and how I turned it from dark and dreary to light and cheery. Anyone have a tiny room project they're proud of? Any tricks you'd like to share for making the most of a small space?

Naan Pizza

Do you know about Naan pizza? Pronounced "Non" not "Nan." It's probably the easiest dinner/lunch/snack. It's delicious and fully customizable. Naan is Indian style (India the country) Tandoori flat bread (Tandoor is the type of oven its cooked in). 

You can probably find it at your grocery store, sold in packs of two like this. I really like Wegmans garlic Naan. This also happens to be a favorite design that I worked on. I got to give it an Indian feel, which was really fun. India will always have a special place in my heart because of the two trips that I took to this amazing land. More on that another time.

Place the Naan on a baking sheet. If you would like to make clean up even easier, use NON-STICK foil. Regular foil will be more trouble than it's worth. 

Add whatever toppings you like. Sauce, cheese, vegetables, artichoke hearts (my favorite), spinach, pepperoni, basil, fresh herbs - you can literally clean out your fridge AND make a delicious pizza. See recipes here.

I will say this, the more toppings you use, the longer it may need to bake in the oven (or on the grill). 

This is a gluten-free pizza dough that we also used. It came as a dry mix in a bag. We added the wet ingredients, spread it in a pan and pre-baked it before adding toppings and finishing it in the oven.

Into a 325-350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes (or more) depending on how crispy you like the crust. 

Absolutely delicious! 

Pizza is always a hit and everyone can participate by making their own. We made them a couple weeks ago when our family was visiting. Easy as pizza pie! 

Couples Wedding Shower Invitation & Favor Tag

I designed this fun sunflower and bee themed invitation for a couples wedding shower that my friend Morgan thew for her brother and his fiance. The idea was all hers. Isn't it cute? Perfect for their outdoor picnic celebration. 

I especially like the favor tag which says "Thanks for beeing here!" attached to a jar of honey. So clever!

Dream Car

Did you know that my dream car is a corvette? A Z06 to be exact. The 2011 is pretty a-maz-ing. Maybe you didn't know I'm a corvette girl. Surprising? I'm not even going to pretend that I really know cars or what's under the hood. But I do know that this is one fiiiiiine looking machine with a LOT of power. 

I think my corvette crush started when I was about 7 years old. Our family friend (and dentist) Dr. Al, let my Dad borrow his T-top stingray with side pipes, a couple of times. My Dad used to take me for rides in that exquisite car and I thought it was the coolest thing ever! I had to sit on a cushion just so I could see out the windows because the seats were so low. I was hooked ever since. 

Even Barbie knew how cool they were. Which only "fueled" (pun intended) my car crush.

However, not all corvettes are created equal. This 1990 model is NOT on my list of faves. In fact, I try to ignore the fourth generation (1984-1996) all together.

Thankfully the fifth generation got it's act together (1997-2004). I actually got to DRIVE a white one like this. Heather's Dad had a 1999 (or a 2000?) when we were in high school and he actually let me take it for a spin around the neighborhood. Be. Still. My. Heart. It was an automatic (I still don't know how to drive standard) and I remember my hands trembling as I drove it more carefully than I'd ever driven a vehicle in my entire life! Just thinking about the power and the speed that was under my control was nerve racking. And pure awesomeness! As careful as I was, I may have accidentally scraped the underside pulling out of my driveway...I sure felt sick about that! That was the first and last time I was behind the wheel of one of those beauties. 

Every once in a while, when I feel like dreaming, I visit the Chevrolet website. Did you know you can "build" your own corvette? How convenient. 

I'll take metallic red. No question. 

Chrome aluminum wheels for a little extra. Navigation system is a must. Oh, and an outdoor cover for upstate NY weather of course. Which brings it to about $91,300. They don't have any in my area, so I'll have to special order it. Right after I sell our house to pay for it. 

I cold see myself rolling up in a pink one too. Maybe they can match a Pantone chip. 

I unabashedly admire every corvette I see and will certainly let one in ahead of me in traffic just to gaze longingly as it zooms into the sunset. I'll usually glance over at the driver to see if it's a man or a woman, and 99.9% of the time it's a man, of the 40+ demographic, by himself. Is it an accurate observation that mature successful men are the primary corvette consumer? I certainly don't fit that profile!

The corvette is an American classic, a legend, a thing of beauty. One day I'll be behind the wheel of one again. 

It's nice to dream!

Earring Frame

My dangle-y earring collection has gradually grown. Sometimes it's difficult to keep them matched up and untangled when they're piled in my regular jewelry box. This earring frame project has been floating around in my head for quite a while. 

I was so inspired by this vintage frame and wire holding necklaces, by Disney at Ruffles and Stuff. She is one talented lady with a crazy knack for turning thrift finds into beautiful things.

I had this lame-o "Celebrate the Harvest" frame-o, sitting in my basement, just waiting to be turned into something else. It was free - don't worry, I wouldn't bring something of this awful style into my home without an alterior motive. Commence villainous laughter....muh ah ha ha...

I took it apart and it had a good particle board backing that I could re-use. 

The frame needed a paint refresher and we happened to have some black spray paint in the garage. Perfect-o.

While the paint was drying, I found 2 sheets of scrapbook paper to cover the backing board. 

 A plain old glue stick was all it took to put it on. 

Then I found some already cut brown ribbon from a past project that would serve as the earring holders. Could this project be any easier? All the components were literally lying around my house. 

As well as some brown upholstery tacks that I didn't even know we had. Bingo. I lined up the ribbons and started hammering the tacks in. But the tacks were too long, so they poked through the back of the board. My husband came to the rescue with some pliers and snapped them off the back. So, you will need some pliers or a handy husband if you run into the same dilemma. 

Then I turned the board over and taped down the excess ribbon ends, also covering any sharp edges from the tacks, with masking tape. 

Time to reassemble the frame! Looks cute already! I would have liked to use brown spray paint, but it doesn't really matter, because it will be hanging inside my closet near our black framed mirror. 

Now to display all of my dangle-y earrings in their new stylishly organized home. I love it! 

Now I can see my earrings and keep them from getting tangled or separated. By the looks of it, I may need to make another one if I acquire any more! This project was fairly simple, didn't take much time and was pretty much free!


Materials:
Picture frame (glass removed)
Sturdy backing
Scrapbook paper or fabric
Glue stick 
Small ribbon
Upholstery tacks
Hammer
(Spray paint if needed)