Durango...I Can't Quit You.

I am such a lucky gal. This summer, my family (parents, my brother and his wife, and my little family) took a summer vacation like never before. It was not quite a page out of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but it sure did have its comedic moments. We flew from Dallas to Albuquerque, then drove to Durango where our final destination was a cabin in the woods near the Kennebec Pass.

The entire drive through New Mexico, Luke, the 5 year old (going on 18) was huffing and puffing about New Mexico and how he didn't particularly care for the state. How could he not care? Breaking Bad was filmed in this glorious place. It has heart, it has passion, it has...CASINO's! I digress. About every 15 minutes, Luke asked us if we were in Colorado yet. And to my surprise, when we crossed state lines- the sweet kid basically jumped out of his car seat!

Meanwhile, the baby looked like this.

Upon our arrival, there were vast views of mountains, trees, and even a little snow. I am telling you people, Durango is one of the best places to vacation during the summer months. Not only was the little town square quaint, but it wasn't nearly as crowded as I had originally thought. There are places to rent Jeeps, go water rafting, zip lining, and wall climbing. You can even drive a mere thirty minutes East and visit the base of Purgatory where they have a great little burger joint and tons of activities for kids!

Needless to say, this was truly a most fantastic trip!


London, Baby!

If you follow me on Twitter (@BTSCO) or Instagram (betweenthesheetsco), you know that I recently went to London to visit my brother and his lovely British wife. And I am here to tell you sweet reader, it was a much needed trip. I boarded the plane ALONE, that's right, folks. No husband, no kids. It was a trip just for me. When I visit places, I like to see how they use paper and other substrates in everyday life. How do they advertise or make a statement? It didn't take long to spot some super cool stuff.

In fact, this sweet car was just down the street from their home near Notting Hill. A SmartCar, covered in greenery (faux), but still. AMAZING!

Next up, my sis-in-law took me to get a pedi and then onto lunch at a quaint little place in SoHo. I like to describe the eatery as a "down home cookin'" type place, but it was oh-so much more than that. And the menus? Printed on a nice, thick, speckle-toned stock. Just perfect for the atmosphere.

Walking through Portabello Market, you should see all the crazy stuff they sell! I absolutely loved stopping in to fabulous furniture stores, browsing the many outdoor vendors booths and checking out the sweet treats. One of my favorite stops: a veggie stand. The veggies were lush, ripe, and smelled so fresh. In the US, you go to a farmer's market and you see an array of veggie's, but packaged like this? I think not.

If you haven't been to London, I am telling you to run, no sprint to the nearest airport and hop a plane. It's a beautiful city, lots of culture, and so many sites to see. Until next London, Toodles!

Free Downloadable Packing List

Happy day, pals! I am getting my family ready for a fun summer vacation to Durango! It's been a while since I've had to pack for cooler climates and boy am I excited! When I started my list of all the items I needed to remember to pack for the boys, I realized that this would be MUCH easier if I had a simple, pre-printed list to fill in and check off. (If you know me, my lists are made on various pieces of paper, then combined...not ideal.) I found I was scribbling down items and "don't forgets" all over the place. So, I decided this would be a wonderful time to make a free downloadable packing list for all your summer vacationers out there.

You can download the PDF here. Happy Trails!

Party Recap- Ben's British Birthday

Party pals. We had the most ah-mazing party for my sweet Ben. As with every party I plan, I started VERY early on with the theme, invites and guest list. I knew I wanted to do a British themed party as a homage to my brother and sis-in-law living in London, but also, Ben's nursery is styled using lots of British elements. (I have a fab chest of drawers...you must see it!)

I wanted to make the party 'boyish' instead of super grown up, I mean we are celebrating a one year old! The invitations were designed with bold red stripes and soldier. I also added Ben's monogram to the back of the card- it's the added touch of detail that really shows the thought that went into creating the perfect card. I printed the invites on a lush, double thick, bright white stock. The envelopes were printed with our return address on the flap, and addressed to His or Her Majesty. Simply adorable.

My talented mom, made the most adorable door decoration for the party. She used a styrofoam base, grosgrain ribbon, foam core, and a vinyl machine for the letters. (This now hangs in Ben's room- so cute!)

When I plan parties, I first have to think about who is going to be eating...Which then gives me my plan for the food table. I wanted to have a mix of breakfast type food and snacks. I prepared everything from french toast sticks in legit Financial Times papers straight from London, to bacon, a fruit pizza, mini quiche, short bread cookies, and my personal fav, "fish and chips" aka gold fish and potato chips. So fun! I of course had to fill my table with custom food signs...and no table would be complete without M&M's in dishes that spell out Ben!

I have a pal in the neighborhood who is super talented and made and decorated the birthday cake, cookies and smash cake. I put the cake on a fun blue cake plate, giving it a lift over the food and becoming the star of the table. (Love cake stands!) And OMG, the cookies were delish. (I think there was a certain someone who ate his weight in them, in fact. Not naming names though!)

It's hard to come up with something fun to drink at eleven o'clock in the morning, but I think I hit the nail on the head with my choices! I made a Pimm's punch, served water (which of course had custom labels), and English tea. I put the punch in a cute drink dispenser next to the water bottles, and near the food table, set up a little tea area with a personalized mug for each guest to sip tea from (and take home!)

During the party, guests were invited to take pics with the birthday boy. I purchased props and set up a backdrop using PVC pipe and a piece of polka dotted fabric. When planning for this party, I knew I wanted to incorporate stripes and polka dots. Fun, right? When I couldn't find the party hats I wanted, I simply made them. We'll have a tutorial on the blog soon so you can make your own, too! Ben got a special hat! See the pics below- his is personalized!

You can see that everyone was into the props! Even my mom and aunts!

What would a British themed party be without some authentic poppers? This truly was such a sweet celebration of my baby boy. I had so much fun planning!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Ben!

 

Photography from Stefanie Marcus.

Party Recap- Custom Designed Geeky Science Party

In true fashion, when my son told me he wanted a "science" themed party, my brain started spinning with all the fun stuff I could do. I immediately booked The Perot Museum and began sketching out designs and ideas for the invitation. Here's what we ended up mailing to our pals. It was so fun and unexpected!

Once the invites were done, we moved right into the food and favors portion of the planning. This party was nice because we were going 'off-site' and the museum was providing the activities for us, the space, the chairs, tables, etc. I wanted to do an extra special table of food and goodies for Luke and his pals, so the search for colorful popcorn, fabric, a few rubber mice commenced and I was all set.

birthday food table
custom food sign birthday

Since we were doing science experiments at the museum, I wanted the food to represent science-type items. "Jelly synthesis" was simply green Jello with gummy worms. "Atomic muffins" were a delicious assortment of homemade mini muffins, perfect for a 10:00 a.m. party. I also served "fruit particles" aka fruit salad. I filled glass flasks and beakers with m&m's, popcorn, jelly beans, and sixlets. The cotton candy was a hit- especially since it had a rubber mouse pretending to munch away.

I set a table for the kiddos using paper plates and a goody bag filled with a paper straw, napkin and fork. At each seat, there was an orange soda with our very own custom label.

custom bottle labels birthday

We also created these fun water labels.

custom labels water bottle birthday

The favors for each kiddo included a lab coat, lab goggles, a name tag and a test tube of bubble gum. I always love a fun favor that you can take home and play 'dress up' in. The coats and glasses were perfect for this. The name tags kept the "professor" at the museum in check with the kids names.

custom favor birthday science

The professor did a variety of experiments during the party, and the birthday boy was her special assistant. Such a fun day for Luke and his pals. After the party, the guests were able to wander the museum, play and learn at the well displayed exhibits.

teacher.jpg

Did You Hear?

We've been nominated for Dallas' Best Stationer via DMagazine. Yep! That's right. It's our third year to be nominated and we are asking you dear reader to support our passion for paper and design and VOTE for us! It's super easy and you have all week...in fact, you can vote everyday. You read that right...Every.Day. Do eeeettt. Here's how:

Simply open your web browser to this webpage. Go to page 3, # 20 and click, Between the Sheets Co. Go to the next page and "submit ballot." Shazam! Done.

If we win, we are going to throw a par-tay and you're gonna want to be a part of it. The champs will be flowing and there will be personalized goodies!

So won't you go vote? Puh-leese?

xoxo erin

I'm So Excited! And I Just Can't Hide It!

Pals! Today I get to attend through the interwebs, a series of very educational and helpful webinars through Alt Summit. I am so excited to be a part of Alt for Everyone- a web based learning group. Through the growth of my company, I've attended a few business conferences, one of them including Stationery Academy. These events are excellent as not only are you gaining valuable knowledge, you are also meeting other women with the same goals and work ethic. It's truly a fabulous and exciting time here at Between the Sheets!

xoxo erin

Sneak Peek...Ben's 1st Birthday

Oh my dear readers. What a fantastic party I have to share with you! I am waiting on the photographs, then I'll be sharing away. Ben had the most fabulous birthday party. Ever. Everything went off without a hitch and wow. We really nailed this one. (photo credit: Stefani Marcus Photography)

custom birthday party

Party Recap- We're Camo for Cuddles

A friend of mine from high school reached out to us a few weeks back with a request that threw us for a loop. She was hostessing a baby shower for twins. A boy and girl set. She had the cutest idea to use camo and pink for all the details. The invite read, "Son of a gun, there's more than one!" Talk about sassy.

In true personalization fashion, we came up with all the party goods she needed to celebrate the sweet couple and their twins. We loved customizing the banner, favor stickers, melamine bowls, and water bottle labels.

 

custom designed bowls
custom designed personalized banner
custom designed personalized water bottle labels
custom designed favor labels

Party Recap: Baby Marco Baby Sprinkle

In true fashion, when one of my close pals shared her exciting news of the upcoming arrival of baby #3, the wheels started turning for designs and decor for a 'sprinkle.' For those of you who are scratching your head...a sprinkle is not a full blown baby shower, but more of a celebration to show the mama to be love and give her the necessities she'll need for the baby. (Typically second, third, fourth children don't get a huge shower...)

Anyway- the hostesses and I planned an absolutely fabulous morning brunch complete with mini candy and popcorn bar, mimosas, muffins, fruit, mini quiche, veggie's, cheese and a wonderfully custom decorated cookie for dessert (or favor if you wanted it for the road!).

Between the Sheets Co did all of the decor including customized napkins, paper cups, invitations and printed envelopes, favor stickers, banner, food signs and paper straws. The sprinkle was so fun and mama was celebrated with love and gifts!