I am inspired daily by the amazingly talented people in my instagram feed. Instagram feels like the most genuine form of social media & is by far my favorite! I feel like inspiration should be spread around so I started my Instagram Inspirations series to share the people who inspire me on the daily.

Heather of @Justlove_ly - Heather is one of the first handmade biz owners & bloggers I came across when I first started.  She continues to be a HUGE inspiration to me. Her feed is so cozy & warm. When I browse her feed I feel like I live in a cabin in the woods where I wear cozy sweaters and read by the fire all day. And I love that.

Shayna of @alittlesojourn - Such pretty, vibrant pictures. Again a very outdoorsy feel to this feed. Maybe it is a theme in my life right now: I need more outdoor fun in my life. I have been dreaming of a cabin in the woods winter getaway for years now. Just me, the hubby, some friends and a fireplace. Fun nights by the fire drinking wine and having great conversation.

Jessie of @sweetthingblog - Beautiful pictures. Gives me a big city culture fix. Since I live in such a small, country town, it is so fun to see her life in Los Angeles.

Any Instagram feeds you suggest following?

Instagram Inspirations.

Instagram is by far my favorite form of social media.  If facebook and twitter disappeared I would be just fine with only having instagram.  It feels so much more authentic & I am inspired daily by the people in my feed. I don't really know them, but I feel like I do. I am starting this Instagram Inspirations series to share some of those inspiring people with you! 

Instagram Inspiration: @leslieshewring. One of my favorite blogs, A Creative Mint, in daily IG snippets. I can't devour this eye candy fast enough.

 Instagram inspiration: @Upthewoodenhills. I want to live in her pictures. The simplicity is comforting + reminds me of the vintage farm house I have always wanted.

Instagram Inspiration: @elianagolomb. I want to jump into every single one of her pictures and stay for the day.  Her feed makes me yearn to travel the world.

What instagram feeds inspire you? 

wear + dwell.

wear + dwell 1//2//3//4//5//6

Wear + Dwell is becoming one of my favorite new features! I have always loved curating collections like this. It was one of the reasons I started my blog: to share things that inspire me, to share things I love.  This wear + dwell puts me in the mood for fall.  Though it is sad summer is coming to a close, I do look forward to sweaters, boots, cuddling on the couch watching football...ok, the hubby watching football, me reading and cuddling!

If you have a second, I would love if you would vote for me! I am a contestant in the Martha Stewart American Made contest! You can vote up to 6 times a day! (simply click the vote button 6 times in a row) 

wear + dwell.

dwell: 1//2//3//4 : wear: 1//2

I am usually all about color, but lately I've been in a black & white state of mind. Throw in some hints of gold &... perfection! I have noticed a trend in my wardrobe as well...it seems every season, I buy clothes in all the same color group. Last fall it was all browns and grays, this summer everything I owned was either coral or mint (or a combination of the 2) & so far this fall, it's all black and white.

Does that happen to you?

Wear + Dwell Inspiration: Mint, Black & White.

Wear: 1//2//3

Dwell: 1//2//3

You know how you have certain types of things that you love to shop for? Like make up, hair products, shoes, art or gadgets. My favorite things to shop for are clothes and accessories & decor for our home.  

It's been over a year since we moved into our new home and I'm finally ready to really start making it our own.  I'm almost finished redoing the kids/guest bathroom & next up is our master bedroom. 

We have never had a room all to ourselves.  Our last home was small and we only had room for our bed, a crib and a small dresser. It's nice having a big room just for us.  I want to make it a nice place for us to retreat to.  I joke that everything in my house is mint. I seem to only want to use that color....but I am going a new route and using black and white for our bedroom & I am so excited about it!

In addition to the inspiration above, you can see more inspiration on my Pinterest board.

What are your favorite things to shop for?

Monday Mash Up: Re-Branding Inspiration.

1//2//3//4//5//6//7//8//9 via my design inspiration board on Pinterest.

I'm so excited to share with you that I am in the process of re-branding and changing up the design of the blog & shop.  I have been throwing out some sneak peek's on Instagram & wanted to give you even more of an idea of what the new look will be! 

As you can tell I am changing up the color scheme.  I am going with black & white & of course my favorite color, mint.  I am also incorporating hand lettering.  It feels so much more grown up & I could not be more excited! 

I'm teaming up with Val & Dana for my new look & I know I am in good hands & can not wait to see what they do!

I am so excited to share more of the design & my updated packaging! In the mean time, how about a special look at the rough sketch of my new logo?! 
<------------------------ span="">

You can a better idea of my design inspiration by checking out my entire inspiration board.

So, what do you think?

Monday Mash Up: Summer Getaway

1//2//3//4//5//6//7//8//9

I am so ready to get away! We always try and take a fun vacation every summer. This year certain long trips just didn't seem to be working out, so we are planning a few weekend trips instead.  And I am actually more excited about them!  We will get to go to a few more places and I think it will be better for the kids this way too!

All the featured items today remind me of the dreamy, summer getaway I am longing for! Relaxing, warm weather & time with my family! I can't wait!

Do you have Summer traditions? 

Are you getting away this summer? 

Wedding Inspiration: Rustic Barn Party

images 1//2//3//4 via jessicaNdesigns on Pinterest

One of my main sources of inspiration comes from Weddings. I LOVE wedding blogs & browsing weddings on Pinterest.  Weddings are so magical, they have that element of romance & whimsy that I love. 

I have been married almost 10 years (June 7th) and for this big milestone year I am throwing a rustic barn party! And I am thrilled I got the hubby to go along with it!

I LOVE throwing & organizing parties! According to my husband, I go "over the top" but I like to think of it as paying attention to the little details.  To me, those little added details are what makes a party special! And they don't have to cost a lot of money!

 images 1//2//3 via jessicaNdesigns on Pinterest

We know people who have this amazing barn (they even have weddings there already) and that is where I chose to have the party! I wanted an outdoor, rustic wedding when I got married, but it didn't happen so this is my re-do if you will!

We don't want to spend a ton of money, so we are using a lot of items we already have to decorate with: mason jars, chalk boards, flowers from my own garden, old crates and pop boxes, ladders and twinkle lights.

 images 1//2 via jessicaNdesigns on Pinterest

I can hardly contain my excitement over this! I can't wait to see it all come together! But I don't want to spill all the details just yet! ;) But don't worry, I will definitely be sharing the final results with you! 

Until then, tell me where you draw inspiration!

PINspiration: Shared Girls Room

L-R 1//2//3//4 via jessicaNdesigns on Pinterest

I have been gathering PINspiration for a shared girls room & it is so much fun! My girls are 6 & 2 and currently in our home, my older daughter and son share a room.  But soon we will transition the girls to share a room & let Lofton have his own boyish space! 

Left-Right 1//2 

Currently the room is painted coral with mint accents & we will stick with that color scheme.  I would love to have bunk or loft beds at some point & found this DIY Loft bed that would be perfect! I even called the lumber yard and the pricing for all the wood was only $138! 

Now to convince the hubby this needs built...

Green Wedding Shoes: Wedding Inspiration + a Feature!

Image via Green Wedding Shoes

A little while ago Janie of The Bride's Cafe asked me to send her a few of my Custom Vintage Wedding pieces to be used in a styled wedding shoot.  I LOVE everything Janie does so I gladly sent some items off to her. 

A while later she contacted me and said that the styled shoot was going to be featured on Green Wedding Shoes! I was so excited! 

Image via Green Wedding Shoes

I LOVE weddings, they provide so much inspiration for me! I even have a pinterest board dedicated to weddings! For me, they are so inspiring...and not just for wedding ideas, many of my decor and design ideas were sparked by wedding photos!

It was a beautiful shoot and I'm so thrilled to have been a part of it! I am honored they decided to feature my husband & wife forks and a custom wedding cake server.

♥ Be sure to stop over at Green Wedding Shoes + The Bride's Cafe to see the entire shoot! ♥

What likely or unlikely places do you find inspiration from?

Pretty Packaging Inspiration + Link Up

jessicaNdesigns packaging.

Oh, how I have a fondness for pretty packaging. I am always looking for packaging inspiration so I thought it would be fun to do a little "pretty packaging link up." 

Here's the deal: If you have a handmade shop or just love pretty packaging, write up a blog post with pictures of your packaging or pretty packaging that inspires you. Share with us what your favorite supplies to use are + put together a little resource list.  Then come back here & link up! I will be featuring a few of my favorites next week so we can all get inspired by pretty packaging!

I have a love affair with kraft + washi tape. I can't get enough of either! So they are an obvious choice for my packaging.  I use recycled kraft tissue paper, bags & boxes for my packaging. 

I had 2 custom stamps made for my packaging a while back.  I think they add that extra something to my packaging as well as reinforcing my brand to my customers. 

Since I redid my logo 2 months back, I still need to update my stamp for my shipping envelopes with my new logo. (On the to do list.)

Using the colors of your brand in your packaging is very important! I select 100% recycled tissue paper in kraft & peach for my silverware. I wrap each piece in the tissue paper then seal it with...that's right, washi tape! :)

I have WAY too much washi tape, I can't seem to stop buying it! I already stocked up on Christmas tape for this Holiday season! I think it will add a festive touch to my Holiday packaging! 

Every package I ship gets a care card & business card included. (They are also being updated as we speak with my new logo) I am super glad I decided to invest in the care cards. I think it adds something extra, reinforces my brand to customers & informs customers on how to best care for their products.

I bought these ADORABLE kraft thought bubble note cards from Owlbot & I just LOVE them! I use them to include little messages or notes with packages! Too cute!

I am always looking for better & different ways to package my items. I recently purchased kraft bags & lace doilies to use in my packaging.  Although it takes more time & added effort, I believe it is worth it.

Everyone loves to open a pretty package, and I think that's one of the benefits of buying handmade.  Almost everything I buy from handmade sellers is wrapped and packaged so lovingly.  It's those extra touches that draw me to a shop & make me want to keep going back!

My list of resources:

♥ Tissue Paper: Pixies Passion

♥ Lace Doilies: owlandthistle

♥ Washi Tape: Fawn & Flora, Pretty Tape, Wishy Washi Tape

♥ Kraft Bags: Pretty tape
♥ Business Card Design: Yellow Heart Art
♥ Business Card PRINTING: Midaugh Printers

<a href="http://jessicandesigns.blogspot.com/2012/10/pretty-packaging-inspiration-link-up.html"><img border="0" src="http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab127/jessicandesigns/pretty_zpsa4ddcf4a.jpg" /></a>
Grab a button & link up your pretty packaing! 

Pretty Packaging Link Up: let's get inspired!

via we love citrus

Oh, how I have a fondness for pretty packaging.  I am always looking for packaging inspiration so I thought it would be fun to do a little "pretty packaging link up."  

If you have a handmade shop, start taking some pictures of your packaging, the supplies you use etc. + put together a little resource list.  If you don't, start gathering some pretty packaging inspiration & get a blog post together. 

NEXT TUESDAY (10-23-12) I will share my shop's packaging + some inspiration & host a link up! Then you can come back and link up your blog post featuring your shop's pretty packaging or your pretty packaging inspiration! 

Here are some places to look for inspiration:
♥ Wishy Washi Tape
♥ We love Citrus
♥ Fawn & Flora
♥ Pinterest

So mark your calenders for 10/23 & get your post ready to come back and share! I will then do a follow up post featuring some of your pretty packaging inspiration! 

Inspiration Workshop: Favorite DIY's

One of my favorite Link Ups is Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop.  I am sad that this is her last one, but I have had so much fun linking up all my different inspiration posts! 

Today's topic is favorite DIY. I LOVE DIY! Today, I am sharing 2 of my favorite DIY projects that I've completed lately + I pulled some pretty DIY projects I can't wait to try from my Pinterest board.

I made this DIY Faux Vintage Pull Down Map & it has become wildly popular on pinterest!  I kind of squealed when Jan of Poppytalk re-pinned it! 

I LOVE these super cute + fun Anthro Inspired Snag Free Hair Ties!  The best part: they are cheap to make & require little supplies! 

Some Pinned DIY's I can't wait to try:

Source: 1//2//3//4//5

I ♥ the look of rustic, natural, unfinished wood. These DIY projects reflect that & I can't wait to try them! I have been wanting open kitchen shelves like those forever + they would be so easy to do! And that end table = perfection. The color, the rusticness (is that a word? Well it is now!) 

Lesson of the day: I must get some scrap wood...pronto! 

What DIY projects do you want to try?