that's a wrap! christmas wrapping made easy.

my go-to for christmas wrap is kraft paper mixed with a bright patterned paper and fun, textured embellishments. it's super easy and looks great every time. this year i embellished with red satin ribbon, bright green raffia and charm & fig letter press holiday tags, a mix of shiny and matte finishes that add interesting textures to the whole look.

pssst! if you ever underestimate your box size and fall short of wrapping a gift with paper you already cut, just cover up the unwrapped section with a band of contrasting wrapping paper and BOOM, you're a creative genius that didn't break the 'measure twice, cut once' rule.

holiday tags are here! gold + white foil print letterpress gift tags

white, gold, bright red & chartreuse are taking the lead for my color scheme this holiday season. i'm so excited to decorate our house for christmas -- i've always held back on buying christmas decorations because i didn't want to move a bunch of stuff from apartment to apartment, but now that we're more settled... i'm looking forward to buying cheerful ornaments this year.

to kick-off my eager beaver holiday spirit, i created these holiday gift tags...

a little bit luxe: gold foil on white gets me every time.

white on chartreuse adds an unexpected pop-of-color to your gift wrapping routine...

.. and bright, cheerful red with white for an old school look.

sets of 12 are available in the shop at charmandfig.etsy.com

easy, cheap & festive party decor + house update

first things first! here's a picture of our house. it was built in 1937 and took a beating over the years. someone bought it late last year, flipped it and sold it to us. we were so lucky to jump on this house when we did - love at first sight and in a neighborhood we're excited to explore. 

..and now to more fun stuff. jon's sister graduated high school this year and all of her brothers and sis'-in-laws got together to throw her a little bash. we were all on a budget, but pulled off a pretty festive fajita soiree in our back yard.

with four kids and lots of birthdays to throw, my mother-law-in-law was smart to invest in a helium tank years ago. the balloons were a last-minute addition to the decor, but they were the best part! we taped fringed tissue paper to the base of the balloon to create these geronimo balloons-inspired floaters.

for the table, i used a dip-dye table cloth and crepe paper to create this striped runner. double-sided tape kept them in place.

to finish the ends, i simply cut out a little wedge.

and throughout the house, i made tissue-paper flowers. they brightened up the windowsills, tables, bathrooms and anywhere that needed a little pop of color.

here's the graduate with her bearded brothers. congrats callie! i was thrilled she happened to match the color scheme with such a pretty yellow dress.

my little nephew max is up-and-running these days. we tied a balloon to him so we easily spot him when he ran off. i think i might utilize this little nugget for when i have kids. my sister-in-law, chelsea, took the most precious photo of max with the balloons. 

that's all, kiddos. xo

it's september - i'm outta here. (+ auggie re-cap)

ah. we're at the beach. on plane. climbing a volcano. catching a wave.... living la pura vida. (ok, maybe in 12 hours we'll be there).

thrilled that i'll be spending the first part of september in costa rica.. the middle part of september in the hill country celebrating one of my best friend's bachelorette and bringing in cooler weather as october nears. bring it on! so ready for fall. and ready to run in some cooler weather. (did i mention i signed myself up for a half-marathon?!)

here's what you missed in august:
a very pathetic july re-cap
new couples shower games at charm & fig - good for baby shower or weddings
some custom work & moving announcements at charm & fig
my countdown to costa rica - etsy treasury and a wipe out!
taking time to make some freaking lemonade.
neon & neutral moleskine journals. made with lots o' love & hand-carved stamps.
a very one-of-a-kind shower invite: tex-brit baby!!

some fun instagram photos along the way... (are you following me yet?)

a view of buffalo bayou park from my mothers -- looks like a 1950's architect's rendering of a model park.

working on a FUN project. will reveal the full thing in late september.

jon & i's attempt to recycle some wine glasses.

goodies from the pinpoint method. check 'em out.

mas projects. neon & neutral.

favorite donut. shipley's strawberry sprinkles. donuts are better than muffins in every way. (taste, calories, joy, etc.)

a good running day for me.. 5 miles.

sprinkles cupcakes - houston, texas.

picking out postcards from penguin books collection.

bracelets made from recycled flip-flops. these colors make me happy!

jazzed up my already peeling mint manicure with some color. just in time for costa rica.

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neon & neutrals moleskine journals

happy to announce a new product in the shop - these lined moleskine journals are stamped with hand-carved stamps, and embossed with neon yellow, pink & turquoise. 

at 3.5 x 5.5" these little journals are perfect for your pocket or purse. enjoy!

order here.

pastel brights & mother's day

happy mother's day to all the mommies out there! special shout out to all the new moms :) 

here's a photos of us the day before our wedding.. we were turnin' it up to match the azaleas.

had to share some gift wrappings.. my mom LOVES to kick back and relax by spending her free time by the pool & on cruises when time permits. her gift was a little water-related so i made her a card to match. 

it was ART CAR weekend in houston. we've got the oldest, largest art car parade in the world and the enthusiasm behind this event is what makes it so special... many people use their primary vehicle and keep it 'arted-up' year-round. this beach scene was installed on top of a hawaiian-themed car i saw on my way to lunch on friday. loved all the colors!

and i was feeling in the mood for some bright pastels, so i used some tangerine, periwinkle & mint to fancy up my phalanges. i read somewhere that you suggested to paint on scotch tape, cut up the dry tape and use them as nail stickers. then a top coat to seal it down. worked like a charm.

we're off to brunch with my mama right now... i've got to satisfy my lox & bagel craving i've been having all week!!

 

seis de mayo picnic

last sunday we gathered up some friends, bocce balls, croquet mallets and some downright amazing food for a relaxing picnic at the menil park.

it was seriously the most beautiful picnic i've ever been to... amanda brought lots of antique picnic gear from her workplace and we all dined in early-19th-century danish style.

andie came up with a new fun game, where you read the new york times weddings & celebrations section out loud. it's kind of like people watching without being with the people, or our own version of talk soup. ah, if only joel mchale came to this picnic.

and then we abandoned croquet and put our circus skills to use. thank goodness nobody got hurt!

cristina won the award for most croquet-like attire..

double time! russ gets extra points for balancing on his nose.

duh. festive (and sloppy) nails.

 

diy - tiny paper mache bowls

oh hey there. it's been awhile. we've been tied up with weddings, baby showers, the miserable FLU and some serious netflix & hulu marathons.


i've been on the hunt for some small bowls to help organize my jewelry drawer and when the usual places weren't hitting the spot (anthro! why are you so expensive?) i figured i could take a stab at some paper mache bowls with materials that i already have in my house.

here's what you'll need:

1. a balloon for each bowl
2. a jar to suspend the balloon
3. newspaper
4. flour + water for paper mache paste. refined flower works best.
5. glue for base
6. thick twine for a coil base
7. paint/stickers/tape/glitter for decoration.. whatever your heart desires.
8. mod podge to seal

here's some quick & dirty directions....

blow up the balloon to the desired size and start covering with strips of newspaper dipped in flour paste ( i use about 3 parts water, 1 part flour). you'll want to do several layers... it's hard to keep track, but at least 7 will do. be sure to make the bowl height taller than your final product, you'll trim the edges down later. let dry overnight.

after it's dried, i glue a base out of some twine i had laying around. i used extra glue to make the twine harden.

i trimmed one of bowls with a scallop edge...

 and i cut the other asymmetrical. painted blue with very wobbly gold stripes! [quick tip: when painting layers on the dry bowls, you may have to do this over a few days. every time i painted them with a blue layer the newspaper becomes soft and starts to warp a bit.]

and the scalloped one has big polka dots inside of them -- dotted with the eraser of a pencil. the scallops were great for keeping my earrings in place (i spy merah earrings!).

here they are together... they will be nice & happy in my drawer.