Free Valentine's Day Printables

Wow, Valentine's Day has snuck up on me once again! Luckily there is still time to get the cards into the mail and plan a little something for Saturday. Since my husband and I started dating, Valentines Day has always been a low key affair. Last year we went to a great little pub near by, ate delicious cheese, had some wine, and played games from the bars collection - our favorites including Blockus, and a few rounds of Gin Rummy.

One day a year is not enough to tell those you care for most how you feel, especially with such a happy thing as getting a handwritten note in the mail. I created two downloadable cards that you can print out yourself and spread the love to those around you.

Choose one or both; send one or keep sending them all year long! Each fits onto a 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper and when cut out & folded will fit a standard A6 card envelope.  Also, it's blank inside - easy for you to write down all the reasons you love that special someone, or just sign your name.

Download them here, Linalulu Paperie Valentines Day Downloadable, and happy card writing!

Portfolio: Emily Dickinson Quote

A friend approached me to do a few prints, and among them a quote by Emily Dickinson. I learned that the quote would be a gift for her mother who had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The quote had brought me to tears, and with the circumstance we agreed on a softer and cooler color palette. 

I loved how the piece turned out, and often pull out my sketches and "mess ups" to look over the sweet words. I hope they both feel comfort when they reread these words, and even more comfort knowing where true hope is found. 

Portfolio: New York Print

When I think of my favorite films growing up the 1998 classic Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie, You've Got Mail, instantly comes to mind. I remember when my parents took us to see it in theaters. Many lines from this film have seemed to become go-to's for me.

F-O-X.That is amazing, you can spell "fox"! Can you spell "dog"? F-O-X.
It is a gem of a film, and I mean how much more classic than you can get than Tom and Meg? From the also quotable Sleepless in Seattle to the lesser known Joe vs the Valcano - they were a dream team of the late eighties and nineties romance comedies .
I recently created this print based on one of the opening lines from the movie, (cue "Dreams" by The Cranberries please!). The illustration was fun to pull together from pictures of the movie set and New York city itself.  I haven't experience New York in the Fall, but with the quote dancing along in my head I think a trip might be in order in the months ahead.

Gift Swaps & Goodies

I had the opportunity to participate in two gift swaps this Christmas season which were so much fun to be apart of. The first one, Christmas City Swap, is curated by Allie Lehaman of Be Up & Doing . Being her third year curating the event, s lays out the concept so simply : sign-up; be paired with a random swap-mate; purchase a gift for your swap-mate locally, from your hometown; send your gift before the new year. What I thought was really cool was the person your sending to is not the same person you're receiving from, so it is one giant swapping circle. Love this!

I received a beautiful and simple statement necklace and some great natural lip balm for my gift. The necklace has quickly become a staple piece in wardrobe - I think I wear it now three or four times a week.

Since I still live near my true hometown, but live in a different suburb of Chicago I picked a few items from both my hometown and some local Chicago makers to send to my swap-mate. My most favorite item being chocolates and a hand-made candy cane from Grahams Chocolate shop, delicious!

The second gift swap is the Goody Goody Gift Swap curated by Jenna Cantagallo. The idea is to create, gather, or shop for a thoughtful and personal gift for your swap mate. This one you are paired up with the person you are sending to and will receive from. I loved the idea of creatives around the world exchanging intentional and beautiful handmade gifts. You can see a lot of the gifts and processes here, #goodygoodygiftswap. 

I loved putting my gift together for  my swap-mate, Paige. She told me she loved traveling, glitter and her puppy. Among my package, I included two prints - one of her puppy, Poppy, and a travel quote; a glittery heart from BanDo; and then some small, monogramed cards. 

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I loved gathering and creating the gifts for her. She sent me the cutest package including a great calendar by Sugar Paper and even a gift for my cat. Now that is one of the fastest ways to my heart.

I loved getting to participate in these great swaps, and am already looking forward to participating next year. If you are interested in participating next year - I know, I know its months away - watch out for the sign-ups in November. Can't wait for Christmas? Check out the Handmade Valentines Day swap curated by The Stationery Place.

Color Companion: Marsala

Recently I have been seeing this deep wine, almost brown color in a variety of mediums - clothes, flowers, home goods, ect. Who knew that the actual color name was Marsala?

Regardless the name and the slight variations I have seen, I think the color is lovely. If you are not sure what to pair this rich color with, Pantone has given us a quick guide of a variety of colors that will complement Marsala, including a few of my favorites : Calypso Coral, Cress Green, and Marina. What do you think of 2015 color of the year?

Portfolio: VandenBranden Bridal Shower

I did these lovely invites to honor a family friend back in the late summer. Set with a a color palette of purple, cream, and grey - I knew I wanted to keep the invite itself airy, feminine, and bright. I had been admiring the Saint Agnes font for sometime and knew that these sweet invites would be a perfect use for the elegant, but whimsical font. The combination of it all created a beautiful outcome, don't you think?

Saint Agnes is a part of the foundry Great Lake Lettering started by Molly Jacques and Dathan Boardman.


Portfolio: Heirloom Creations

I have a handful of projects I would love to show you guys - starting with these cute business cards! Lynne, a very talented crocheter, approached me to help her take her sweet creations to the next level. She has been creating and selling beautiful crocheted baby gowns, dresses, and booties for some time to friends and family, and recently stared creating adorable barretts and hair-clips.

When we sat down to go over her business cards, she knew exactly what she wanted - orange and teal that could look vintage with a whimsical nod. She told me what she liked, brought me samples of her work, and told me what she didn't want to see. I loved her clear vision and voice which made creating a few samples of cards a breeze. After tweaking things here and there, we had our fun, final product!

These cards also have a double function. Lynne will punch holes on the orange polka dot block when an order is placed for hair clips. This way she can clip them on to the card. A simple way to have all the information next to the product  for reorders. So fun!

 I know Lynne loved them just as much as I do! She is currently working on opening an Etsy shop to sell her beautiful, baby goods. I can't wait to see all her beautiful goods to come!

Christmas Card 2014

Our 2014 seemed to fly by but was filled with a few huge markers. We made the move to a roomier apartment in a quaint downtown with some great restaurants, complete with a second bedroom for us to set up an office. We both had shifts in our jobs, and for Reid a change in career. We traveled to see friends, family, and on our 2nd anniversary we ventured to the west coast. It seemed at points this year was endless, but I'm sure thankful for everything that we accomplished, learned, and will have to keep unpacking in this new year.

My brother took our photo this year, you can check out more of his work here - The Preplete. I caved and did a photo card, but couldn't resist doing something a little more. I loved doodling out our high points for the year. It was so fun to remember all the places we had a chance to travel to, the stories behind each event, and what we have to look forward to in 2015. This might become our traditional Christmas card, I guess I have this whole next year to decide. 

New Year, New Work

New Years has always been a hit or miss holiday in my life. I have spent it with friends, at home with family, working as a hostess minutes before midnight, and even falling asleep to wake up around 2am and missing the whole shebang completely. The last two years have born a tradition of grilling steaks and ringing in the new year with our sweet friends Mark and Andrea.

2014 was filled with so many joys and each month brought something different into my life. Some sweet highlights include:

  • Our niece, Olivia, was born in late February and earlier in the month we went skiing with some dear friends in Colorado that now has spawned a tradition we will live up to again this February.
  • It seemed that both Reid and I had the opportunity to travel quite a bit this year, both internationally (for Reid) and nationally. Each trip held something sweet - from watching friends get married, watching my brother graduate college, learning new things, discovering new places, and spending sweet time with family and friends. 
  • We spent our 2nd year anniversary in California, spending time both in the dessert and by the ocean. I can see why everyone falls in love with the west coast. The dessert was breathtaking and magical, and watching the sunset over the Santa Monica pier was lovely. I'm already planning a trip back.
  • We moved form our first apartment into a beautiful two-bedroom, rooftop apartment in a downtown area. It has amazing natural light, and having space for an office has been so sweet. Now fully furnished and decorated (for the most part), with the addition of our cat, Italics (in August), our apartment now feels like home. I love our little slice of the suburbs, and love even more the addition of our sweet little kitty.
  • Work brought new adventures as well for both Reid and I. Last January, as well, I started this little space and my Etsy shop.

 I have been thankful for the growth this year both personally and professionally. Looking into 2015 I hope to experience more growth in my work, growth in my marriage, and growth in my everyday life.  So here is to the New Year, to 2015, and may every day you do something creative. 

 

Giveaway Time!

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It feels like I have piles of work to share you all! With the rush of the holiday season, it seems this little space has been put on the back burner. With 2015 coming swiftly, I know one of my resolutions will be to put more time into updating my work.

On that same note, my dear friend from high school, Meredith Bazzoli, has written up a lovely piece on the coming of the new year and resolutions for 2015 over on her blog , Very Revealing. To accompany her fantastic post, I have worked with her on the print you see above as a fun giveaway to spark you on the road to keeping your resolutions for the new year!

Meredith writes in a matter of fact, down to earth style infused with humor that will make you feel like you have been friends for years. To enter the giveaway, jump over to Very Revealing and subscribe to her new series, Revealing Resolutions.

The new year is already being to look up!

Fall

Last week I saw my late summer tan lines fade from my feet. The earth crescendoed with warmth for us here in Chicago-land (a sweet day of almost 72 degrees) allowing us to bid farewell to the mild fall. The leaves  brilliant in their colors and it almost seemed that the trees were showing off - trying to show one another up with who could have the most brilliant blaze. Captivating red to orange or sweet fade of green into yellow. As the warmth faded, it seemed not to go out with a fizzle but with a bang. We ushered October out, and our Indian summer, on Halloween with sleet and snow. The leaves are almost gone, November has come, and the clocks are set back an hour to let the darkness nestle in quicker. It seems that Fall is finally here – and so we’ll bust out our coats and heavy scarfs, wrap ourselves up in our favorite blankets and nestle into our homes on those blistery days.  It's the weather for thick sweaters, comforting flavors, and copious amounts of pie. Let's begin to cherish the sweetness of the seasons changing. Let’s fall back into fall.

Circles 2014 Reflections

About a month ago my sweet friend, Nicole, and I took an adventure down to the great state of Texas to attend the Circles Conference 2014. Circles is a conference for the creative to feel inspired and to reignite ones imagination. This years conference certainly lived up to what it said it was all about. Inspire. Create. Repeat.

Two fast, well filled days full of inspired speakers, conversations that produced hundreds of thoughts, and many powerful ideas shared. Though each speaker had unique experiences to share, a handful of common, strong threads seemed to pop up through each talk.

As they spoke, many of the speaker power points were filled with projects that were recognizable, with recognizable company names attached. The projects that you saw them light up  and pause at were the personal projects. Projects that had stories, personal interests, and passion attached and sewn into them. My favorite examples of this were projects by Matt Lehman and the Heads of State. They both took initiative to do projects that were driven by person interests and have allowed their personal interests help them showcase what they could do, and not just what they were known for.

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Create with depth and authenticity.
 - This one seems like a no-brainer, right? Often though when  asked to churn out design after design, that depth seems to fade and the authenticity becomes replaced with concern to move on. Jay Argaet spoke deeply on this subject, not only urging us to create with authenticity, but imploring us to step away from the computer and the “inspiration” sites to look at the world around us for inspiration. He has some lovely stories about how this has effected his work style and his staff at Hillsong Church.  

I instantly connected with what Becky Murphy had to say when she spoke about the importance of celebrating your first drafts, and not discounting the sketch work you do before the final project. Woven in with funny life stories and great illustrated slides, Becky proceeded to tell us of her "misses" and of the handful of projects that were successful for acknowledging what was wrong with the first ideas. “Measure by progress,” she said, “not by comparison... we all can have a piece of the creativity pie.” We all start at the same point; Celebrate and learn from your first drafts; Look at your old work and move on. In a day and age of easily accessible sites and work it has been a welcomed daily reminder.

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I didn't realize that often I gave the answer "I'm busy" to the question of how I was doing until Kathleen Shannon pointed it out in her talk about shelving fear. "Busy is not an answer" she gently reminded us,  and continued on to remind us not to become so busy "you forget to live a life."  We each are human, each given gifts to share with the other humans around us. Sweet reminders of this came from speakers like Doug Bowman, who shared on finding your voice. Then there was Lee Steffen, who not so subtlety, hinted at the importance of family and life over work. He talked about not waiting for the calling or adventure, but to find the spark of life. As well, he urged us to find our voices and genuinely cultivate a life that allowed us to authentically give our gift or art and creating back to those around us.

 

Each speaker, in his or her own way, reminded me that they were not the sum of their projects, but rather their projects were being influenced as a production of their life being lived. Each speaker presented old ideas in a new way, and new ideas in a simple way. I could continue to go on about each speaker and the daily gems they gave me to mull over and make my own, but I highly recommend you jump over to Circles, listen and discover the gems you need to hear for yourself.

Color Companions: Olive & Orange

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I love how fall blends the last of the summer greens into its swirling heat of colors such as red, plum, and especially orange. Fall in the Midwest is a time for strong golden hues, apple picking, and pumpkin carving. Just mention October and pumpkins seem to pop out of the ground, ripe and ready to be jack-o-lanterns. Green and orange among the ripened trees and floating leaves seem to abound, creating a perfect pair to bring us into the crispness of the Fall season.

Clockwise: Wood Pumpkins | Dahlias | Olive pants & Pumps | Kettle

The Essentials : The Airport

Images by Caroline Hutchison for Linalulu Paperie

Images by Caroline Hutchison for Linalulu Paperie

Vacations and traveling can be really fun. Going to the airport, on the other hand, can be not so fun. I have had the opportunity to travel more this year and have found a few essential things I now can’t travel without:

(Clockwise)

Slip-on Shoes: Getting through security can be a breeze if you set yourself up for it. Waiting on a cold tile floor as I push my belongings through the x-ray can be, well, gross. I wear simple flats so just right before my turn to walk through I can slip them off to toss in the bin and easily slip them back on once through.

Lite Reading: I usually bring a short book and a magazine with me. Having either to switch back and forth is great when you're not sure how long your wait is or to pass time on the plane. For even lighter reading, download Audible or OverDrive app and listen to your book.

Sketchbook & Pens : The airport is incredible people watching, and usually has great art pieces decorating the terminals. I have a sketchbook with me to capture all the funny moments and when inspiration strikes.

Chap stick: ...and a lot of it. The plane is dry and you can never have enough chap stick.

Jacket or Sweater: Jackets are nice in case of a cold airport or airplane. Plus they can double as a good blanket or pillow if need be.

Snacks: The airport food court always seems tempting to just grab food, but with higher prices and strategically placed Starbucks kiosks, I opt to bring food like granola bars or fruit snacks to tide me over. Plus it helps with the travel fatigue and meltdowns.

Water bottle: Just like carrying chap stick, having a water bottle is always smart to keep you hydrated and ready for anything that comes your way.

Carry-On Bag: One of the most important things to make sure you have, man or woman, is a sturdy, versatile carry-on bag. A bag with reachable pockets for your phone and wallet, a zipper closure to make sure nothing falls out when you slip it under your seat, and both short and long shoulder straps that can carry heavier items like a laptop with out strain or snapping.

Other travel essentials for me:
Ear buds, Phone Charger, Cash, and Comb & Toothbrush - You never know when you will need to freshen up.

What are your travel essentials?

Out of Office

Last weekend I had the privileged to step away from the office and immerse myself in learning and listening to inspiring and engaging individuals in the design world at the Circles Conference in Texas. What a wonderful world we live in! I have so much to share from Circles and will be sharing in the weeks ahead!

This weekend will be no different! I will be stepping away from the office and heading (once again) to warmer climates to learn, grow, and just live life with other creatives and entrepreneurs for a few days. I'm also looking forward to finishing my time on the west coast with my sweet husband,  relaxing near the beach, and getting to see a few of our dear friends.

 

 

Sketches and stuff

I'm waiting on the edge of my seat as I watch my full, 120 passenger flight start to board. I have been excited about going to Circles conference in Texas since about this time last year. In a few short hours I'm going to get to hear men and women I admire in the design world speak on a range of topics and glean from their past triumphs and mistakes. Notebook and pen in hand, I can't wait for these next two days to start, as well as meet new people! While I wait here at the gate I'll continue to sketch- I'm already feeling inspired...

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