{Calligraphy Monday} Mother's Day Tags

Can you believe it's almost May?

That means that Mother's Day is only two weeks away! We want to make sure we show our mamas how much we love them, so over the next two weeks we'll be sharing ideas on how you can make Mother's Day extra special for that lovely lady in your life!

To start off today, we're sharing a tag we did for a Sweet E's dessert photo shoot a few years ago.

In this photo, the tag is used on a dessert table for pretzel sticks, but how cute would this be as a gift tag with your mom's name on it, or "Happy Mother's Day" written in calligraphy? The little three dimensional shoe with the rhinestone adornment is perfect touch for celebrating moms...and the shoe can be customized in any color or pattern. Shoes and Mother's Day just seem to go hand in hand!

You could use it on the outside of a package, or to tie up a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

So many uses for a custom tag!

Make sure to place your order for custom Mother's Day tags early so we have time to ship them to you! Mother's Day is Sunday, May 12th this year.

Stay tuned for more tips and ideas this week for making it a beautiful Mother's Day!

Happy Monday!

{Frosting Friday} Sweet Prom Idea & A Recipe for Fun

Buying the tickets, finding the perfect dress, booking dinner reservations, nervously asking your date....it's officially the midst of prom season! While prom memories may be a distant memory (hey, not that distant, right? ;) for many of us, you may still have a daughter, son, sister, brother, cousin, niece, nephew, etc. going through all the excitements and emotions of going to prom.

My sweet brother JayCee is going to his senior prom this year, and wanted a creative way to ask his friend Felicia to be his date.

Felicia just got accepted to cooking school, and JayCee was planning on giving her some cookbooks to congratulate her. Together we came up with the creative idea of asking her to prom by telling her that his favorite recipe was on page 216.

This is where 2 Hearts B 1 Designs came into play!

I designed this "Recipe for Friendship & Joy" and carefully adhered it page 216...

At the bottom, it reads, "Will you do me the honor of going to prom with me?"

Of course she said yes! Who could resist such a sweet offer?

Aren't they adorable???

Thank you JayCee for letting us help you create a perfectly sweet way to ask your beautiful date!

(Sister side note: I can't believe you're already going to your senior prom! {Tear})

Needless to say, it was the "perfect recipe" for a night of fun and friendship, seasoned with joy and laughter.

Happy Prom!

**We are also happy to announce the winner of our blog and Facebook contest: Sally Rahban! Congratulations Sally on winning one dozen free cupcake toppers of your choice. Please contact us so we can make arrangements for you to receive your toppers! And thank you to everyone who participated!**

{Idea We Heart} Buy a Cup for a Cop

Good morning 2 Hearts readers!

We came across a post on Tuesday that struck a chord with us, especially in light of Monday's events in Boston. Our hearts have been heavy this week, and we've experienced an array of emotions while watching the news coverage of this tragedy. It's times like these that we remember who true heroes are--the police officers, fire fighters, and other first responders who are the first to go on scene when devastating events happen. It takes a tremendous amount of bravery and commitment to go to work knowing you might be walking into the midst of a dangerous or hazardous situation, but these men and women do it every day with courage. 

Like many of you, we personally know many men and women in uniform, and feel an immense amount of gratitude for their service every day, but especially in times like this week. We want them to know how much we appreciate them.

Maddy Hague, Managing Editor of The TomKat Studio blog, and blogger behind the nesting blog Somewhere Splendid, had a wonderful idea. She feels the same desire to show appreciation to those in uniform, so she posted this beautiful graphic and the simple idea of buying a cup of coffee for a police officer, fire fighter, or other first responder to let them know you appreciate what they do.

{image via The TomKat Studio}

Here are Maddy's heartfelt words, and her instructions on how to show your support:

What to Do: Buy a cup of coffee for a local fire fighter, police officer, or other first responder when you come across one. Approach them and explain that you’d like to buy them one out of appreciation for their service, and ask what they’d like or have them escort you to a coffee shop. On the run, or shy? Get a gift card with the approximate value of a cup of coffee (or more!) to a local or chain coffee shop and keep it on hand.

Spread the Word: Let everyone know you’re participating so we can engage more people. If you have a blog, post a note about it. If you’ve bought a cup of coffee for someone, Instagram it with the hashtag #cupsforcops – share your gift card photos, too!

A Thank You for You: If you’ve participated by reposting it on your blog, e-mail me. I’ll include links to everyone’s posts on Friday to return the favor for getting the word out.

Printable: I’ve created a printable gift card sleeve for those who want to spread the love that way. It’s designed to fit a Starbucks gift card. It has a note on the back explaining what we’re doing as well as a place to write your name, so the first responder you share it with has a momento of your token of appreciation. You can download it over at my post on Somewhere Splendid.

Thanks for your time, everyone. We are so proud of our folks who work every day to keep us safe, so we hope you’ll join us in showing them support.

We couldn't agree more, Maddy!

I love her idea of buying a gift card and keeping it on hand so you can give it to someone next time you see them; it's so easy, yet will show one of these individuals a small token of your appreciation. And don't forget, you can download the beautiful free gift card sleeve here!

I'm going to print a few of these to attach to some gift cards and keep them on hand. Join us in thanking those who help keep us safe, and spread the word for others to do the same.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Thursday!

{Merci Beaucoup} A Paris Thank You!

You may remember the sweet vintage style invitations we did for Kim & Reggie's Paris themed baby shower a couple weeks ago...

Today we wanted to share the matching thank you notes we designed to coordinate with them!

We used the same rectangular shimmer white card stock printed with an Eiffel Tower "stamp," postage symbols, and the cute vintage bird holding the "thank you" sign.

Coordinating kraft envelopes embellished with Paris paper tape completes the antique feel.

Wouldn't it be just as much fun to write one of these thank you notes as it would be to receive it?

No baby shower would be complete without special thank you notes to express your gratitude to all your guests.

And let's face it, it's much more fun to write them when they're functional and pretty! :) 

Let us help you create perfectly pretty thank you notes for your next special event!

And don't forget to check out our Paris-themed baby shower inspiration board on Pinterest:

We're glad you stopped by today!

{Inspired By} The Beverly Hills Hotel

Nothing signifies Hollywood glamour and luxury quite like the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel.

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Movie stars, directors, and producers frequenting this hotel put it on the map as a celebrity hot spot, and in 2012, it celebrated it's 100th birthday.

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We had the chance to do some designing for another special birthday hosted by one of our clients here recently.

The gorgeous pool and striped lounge chair covers inspired us to create elegant table signage in a similar, fresh color palette for the luxe gathering at the famous hotel.

Using a shimmer gold card stock to matte the drink signs, we displayed the fun names of the custom cocktails served at the party.

 The birthday girl's own signature cocktail took center stage, reminiscent of the crystal clear blue pool just outside the party area.

What a fun idea to have your own signature drinks at your birthday, wedding, or bachelorette party.

We can design signage to display the name and ingredients so your guests can appreciate your thoughtfulness and attention to every detail.

Let us know what special designs you need for your next party and we'll help you put your vision onto paper!

Happy Birthday

April is an exciting month for us here at 2 Hearts B 1 Designs.

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Not only am I celebrating my 35th birthday,
but my sweet baby of a company is celebrating 8 years of existence. 

And I feel that we are both coming into our own.
Comfortable in our own skin.
Confident in our abilities to produce one-of-a-kind customized work.
And the joy of doing what we love and putting that passion onto paper.
 

To celebrate this monumental moment, my husband, Tim, whisked me away to Vegas to celebrate in style. I went with an invitation box to commemorate the occasion.

I wanted the "wow" factor. So I went for the fashionable tones of pink and gold. I felt that this look gave the box that "showgirl" appeal. Gold glitter sashes were cut and created to wrap around each box. And I turned gold foil stamped confetti stationery into labels to address to each of my guests.

I wanted my guests to have the feeling of "Vegas" in a box to tempt their senses and get them excited for the event to come.

Since I was turning 35 it only felt suitable that it be reflected in the cards (playing cards, that is).

This Lokta paper I fell in love with at Paper Source: slate grey background with gold foiled confetti strings. It has party written all over it!

Found this lovely quote on Pinterest and I knew that I wanted to incorporate it. These lottery tickets that seemed so fitting as well! And maybe someone could get lucky!

That finishing touch was chocolate poker chips and fun confetti to reflect the glitz and glamour of Vegas.

So true! It's because of you (our wonderful clients and followers)
that we truly feel on top of the world!

Here I am making a birthday wish and counting all my blessings, which includes all of you!
By the way, the adorable gold confetti place mats are by Kitchen Papers and can be found here.
They matched my invitations perfectly!
And reminded me of sparkly champagne bubbles...which inspired me to drink champagne and dance on the table! ;)

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To see the inspiration and design concept behind my birthday invitation, visit our Pinterest board:

In honor of us celebrating our birthdays this month, we're offering our wonderful readers 10% off all BIRTHDAY related items! (Cupcake toppers, invitations, cards, etc.) Order now, as this offer is good through the end of the month!

And thank you again from the bottom of my heart for making this the happiest of birthdays!

Cheers! :)

A Royal Baby Shower

We recently had the privilege of designing a baby shower invitation for a royalty themed shower.

This concept excited us and seemed appropriate with all the talk of the

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expecting their first baby this year as well!

The mother-to-be envisioned royal blue and gold in a sophisticated and classic design, with a high tea sort of feel.

The first layer is a square-shaped shimmer gold card stock.

The next layer (and it's sort of hard to see in the pictures), is a square card stock wrapped in a royal blue silk fabric--giving the invitation a richness that's not your every day invitation.

Fit for royalty, you might say :)

Matching royal blue envelopes were lined with shimmer gold paper.

We designed a "family crest" style motif as the focus for the top,

incorporating the family's last name initial.

The type styles were kept classic and sophisticated, with just the mother-to-be's name in a script font.

The whole invitation was wrapped in a sheer champagne ribbon.

The (royal) icing on the cake is the gold calligraphy embellishing each envelope, notifying the recipient of their official invitation to this "royal" affair.

We like to think an invitation such as this would be perfect for Kate Middleton herself
(if she was having a little prince, that is).

If she were having a princess, we might modify a few details here and there to give it slightly softer, more feminine feel, but still keeping with the timelessness and sophistication of a "royal" affair.

To see more royal baby shower inspiration, visit our Pinterest board:

And now a ROYAL treat for our readers!

Do you think William and Kate will have a little prince or a little princess?

Tell us your prediction in the comments below and......

We will pick one comment at random to win one dozen cupcake toppers of your choice (for either a baby shower or a birthday)!

{Photo courtesy of Sweet E's Bake Shop}

Submit your guesses by this Sunday night (April 21, 2013) at midnight (PST), and on Monday, April 22nd, we will announce the winner here on the blog! Make sure you check back here Monday to see if you're the winner! :)

{Calligraphy Monday} It's all in the details

Many of you might remember this picture from our last display at Unveiled a few years ago...

Our sweetheart table was complete with beautiful place settings, Mr. & Mrs. cupcakes, and pretty pink champagne flutes; and the moment was captured exquisitely by Beautiful Day Photography.

Our cupcake toppers can be customized to your wedding or special occasion!

Sophisticated calligraphy adds that elegant touch to the smallest details.

Let us know what we can customize for you by visiting our website.

Happy Monday!

Ooh La La! A Tres Chic Baby Shower

Our good friends, Kim & Reggie Prepetit, are expecting their first baby, and we couldn't be more excited for them! We had the honor of designing and creating the invitations for their Paris-inspired baby shower, which was the perfect theme to welcome their baby girl, who will be named Paris!
Fitting since that's where Kim was proposed to by Reggie (you may have seen their video featured in a Robbin's Brothers diamond commercial). Romantic in every way.

The beginning of their love story came full circle now :)

Kim envisioned an invitation with a vintage, ticket-to-Paris feel, so we used her ideas and our inspiration board as our springboard. We started with a shimmer cardstock sleeve printed with pink pinstripes, teal blue flourishes, and the announcement of the shower.

Recipients pull the "ticket" out of the sleeve, which invites them to the couples' shower. We continued the pink, teal, and brown theme with the vintage bird motif, postal markings, and a vintage Eiffel Tower stamp printed in the upper right hand corner.

We embellished the kraft envelope with Paris paper tape, vintage rubber stamps, and ink distressing.

 A small insert was also enclosed, informing guests of where the couple is registered.

 The invitation set the tone for the shower, held at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica. Take a look at the tres chic details!

 This gorgeous cake was created by Sift by Kara. All we can say is "ooh la la!"

 We love the idea of displaying these cupcakes (by Buttercake Bakery) in a vintage trunk! Simple idea with great visual impact.

 Guests filled these chic little bags with candy from the candy bar.

 Gifts! Love how they used the sweet pink Eiffel Tower to hold the sign.

Party goers had a wonderful time mingling, eating, and listening to tunes spun by the DJ.

Delicious bites were served by Bugatta.

 What a wonderful shower this was, with the Paris theme reflected in every last detail...from drinks to favors. Something Blu Events did a fabulous job with the event styling!

For more Paris-theme party inspiration, take a look at our inspiration board:

And don't forget to follow us while you're there!

Thank you so much Reggie & Kim for letting us be a part of your special day. We couldn't be more excited for you, and can't wait to meet Baby Paris!