Monday, December 30, 2013

Pop the Champagne to Celebrate Pantone and DIY!

It has been quite awhile since I posted.  I kind of took a mental holiday break from everything.  Instead of digging myself out of snow, I'm trying to surface out of a pile of catching up which means I have a bunch of content to share with you….all in due time of course.
For starters, I want to go back to about a week and a half ago when a styled shoot I worked on was featured on Style Me Pretty Illinois.  Once again, myself, Jennifer Gaudreau of Jennifer Kathryn Photography and Meghan Andalman of Lovebird Events took on the Pantone color of the year: Emerald Green.  I'm kind of sad to see this one go since it still seems so in season and fresh.  Alas though, I think we paid tribute to this color quite well with our shoot.

Hosted at The Boarding House in their 3rd floor dining room, we couldn't have asked for a better setting and source of inspiration.  From floor to ceiling, myself and the rest of our team used the space as our muse for our individual projects.  I took the wine bottle ceiling and inverted it to create a centerpiece for our table:



Another project I took on was a custom painted table runner.  We decided against the over done chevron and went with a simple wide diagonal charcoal gray stripe.  At the ends I recreated the single letter monogram that was used in several other details.  How appropriate that the letter "L" was chosen too!


You'll have to visit Style Me Pretty Illinois to view the full gallery of images taken by Jennifer Kathryn Photography and to see all of the amazing details our team took on.  Everyone worked so hard:

Photography: Jennifer Kathryn Photography | Wedding Dress: Bella Bridesmaid | Floral Design: Dilly Lily | Cake: Elysia Root | Invitations: Nico & Lala | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid | Event Planning: Love Bird Events | Event Design: Reenie Rose | Hair & Makeup: Nika Vaughan Bridal Artists | Groom's Attire: J. Crew | Boarding House Chicago: Boarding House | Linens: BBJ Linen | Sweets: Veruca Chocolates

So with one more day left to enjoy this color of 2013, I thought I might inspire you going into the new year with a video on how to cut your own wine bottles like the piece in our shoot:



Maybe you are looking to create a fun centerpiece for a NYE party or are want to get a bit more creative in the new year.  Whatever your motive, I hope you put all of those champagne bottles to good use!



Happy New Year!!!


Thursday, December 12, 2013

How To: Personalized Notebooks

What is everyone talking about right now…the cold and the holidays.  They kind of go hand and hand, and while I'm not a big fan of this extreme cold right now, you've got to make a snowman out of snow (my parallel to making lemonade out of lemons).  I feel like a caved bear with my blinds and shades closed to keep in the heat, but all this coziness plus the holidays makes me crafty too.

If you are still trying to check some people off your list but want to give a gift with a personal touch, say no more.  Welcome to Loreen's craft corner….

I did this project toward the beginning of the year and kind of forgot about it till now, so I thought I'd share.  The Chapel Designers florist group gets together every year for a field trip to the New York flower markets, and this year member Trish Van de Merkt wanted to give each member a little something special.  She approached me about personalizing notebooks with the Chapel Designer's logo, and the game was on!



How cute are these…


Do you love the added Reenie Rose floral touch?

So this is a really easy project to do yourself in an effort to spice up a classic notebook.
Here's your supply list:
-Notebook (with a cover that is compatible with your chosen writing tool…don't want things to smear)
-Graphite paper
-Removable Tape
-Tracing instrument (I use a mechanical pencil without the lead)
-Fine point markers or pens to trace over/color in your design (make sure they won't smear on your cover surface).  For this one I used a black Micron pen and a gold gel pen.
-Ruler
-Eraser

Step 1:  Choose your design and print it out to scale.
Step 2:  Cut a piece of the graphite paper to fit underneath your design.
Step 3:  Place your design where you want it and tape it down to hold it in place.

Step 4:  Use your tracing instrument to go over your entire design.  If needed, use a ruler for straight lines and curved elements for any organic items (I used a glass for the circle).



Step 5:  Once everything is traced in, go over your entire design with your desired marker choices.


And that's it!  Add a fun pen, and you have the perfect gift that says you cared more than just a lil notebook.

The graphite paper is key in this project for giving you the extra umph of confidence to know that you can handle the design you chose no matter what.  Imagine all the fun designs you could use….different fonts, something from a magazine or picture.  It's like going back to tracing in kindergarten!  Easy peasy.
Let me know if you try this and send me a pic of your finished project!


Sunday, December 8, 2013

Etsy Sticker Art for Everyone

While I haven't been painting as much lately, I have been keeping myself very busy hustling my notecards and calendars, and setting up my Etsy shops.  If you haven't visited my Reenie Rose Etsy page yet, get on it.  My other shop is for my Reeniebeans sticker art.  These pieces are so fun for the holidays or everyday.  Take a look at some examples, and visit my shop to browse additional items and buy buy buy!







Customizing a sticker project is always an option and so easy.  Let's work on creating a totally new piece together!  Email me to start your project now to have it in time for Christmas.  Holiday shopping made easy: