Merry Christmas from my desk to yours!

So it's that time of year and I'm so thankful to be able to spend some quality time reflecting on the holidays this year and selecting the perfect gifts for each person on my list! In past years, my holiday season as been filled with sending email blasts everyday, traveling up and down I16 to Atlanta and working on catalog after catalog. Thank goodness those days are over and although I'm grateful for the experience, I'm kind of glad they are over. I was looking forward to this year so I could finish my list in plenty of time, knock out some baking and trim the tree in style. Just to recap a few things from this month:

Sweet Selections of the Season

Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows from Martha Stewart

and my Nana Lillian's Shortbread Cookies. Sorry folks, not sharing that recipe or my family would exile me!

Holiday Wrap Selections

Fabulous selections from Paper Source, Publix (yes, I said it!) and Paper Mart for ribbon.

Gift Tags designed me and printed by Twist Paper.

Decking the Halls

Here are a few snapshots of my home this Christmas. We didn't break out the Dept. 56 Snow Village this year due to space and I don't want to overwhelm any potential buyers of our home. My hubby's mom started a collection for each of her three children so we have an entire city full of glowing buildings, miniature storefronts, a bakery, an ice skating pond, church and even a tree house that lights up - I just adore it! Each child received a new addition every year of their life. 

Our main Peppermint-Style Tree

Our Mini-Stylish Red/Aqua Tree

Our mantel and stockings!

Typically, our mantel is lined with an army of colorful nutcrackers, but they are holding down the fort in the attic this year. Can't wait to break them out next year in our new home! (Hopefully...)

and last but not least, we attended a couple of Tacky Christmas Sweater Parties!

I don't have any photos of the 2nd party, but here's a snapshot of some of the girls! I tend to think I filtered Cindy Lou Who from Dr. Suess. My wine glass I designed for Swoozie's last year completed the ensemble! 

Enjoy and may your family have a wonderful and blessed holiday season and new year!

Tory Burch-inspired Christmas Card

Time to reveal my personal Christmas card for this year! As some of you know, I'm constantly inspired by fabrics seen in fashion and home decor. I have a few pieces from this collection of Tory Burch which I love and is still my favorite pattern she's ever released. You can see the dress in my photo above! :) This year, I wanted our holiday card to be something funky and unexpected so I chose to use the fabric as inspiration! The photo on the front was shot by my sweet mom and we were able to get a great photo of Dallas and Bailey for the inside! The cards were completed with red envelopes, custom chevron liners and calligraphy by yours truly. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Wreath + Custom Wedding Monogram Letterpress Wedding Invitations

Leigh and Ryan decided to marry in December around the holiday season, so we wanted a design that had a festive feel, but not over-the-top Christmas. Here's what we came up with and their choice of wedding monogram allows them to use the logo in the future for stationery and linens!

Crane Ecru Paper with Gold Letterpress + Save the Date

Spanish Moss Wedding Invitations { Savannah, Georgia }

Check out the Wedding Paper Wardrobe for Charissa and Brannon! Their wedding is New Year's Eve so the day is quickly approaching. What a great way to ring in the new year!

Crane Paper with Grey Letterpress

Twist Paper : Excited about 2011!

I'm thrilled to be finalizing the final collections for the spring release of Twist Paper! I'm been so inspired by home decor, bold fabrics, savvy typography and interesting color combinations. I can't explain how lucky I feel from the success of Twist this year. A big thanks to the peeps over at Whitney English for bringing my visions to life and handling my customers with such grace! I couldn't ask for better representation!

It's interesting to see how much life can change in a year. It seems like ages ago now, but it was just in January that I decided to leave Swoozie's as their Senior Designer to pursue emma j design full-time. It's been the most satisfying venture thus far and I can't believe it too me so long to make the step!  It was a huge door to close, but opened up many more doors of opportunity. As a designer, it's been so rewarding to guide my own creative journey without being watered down by other opinions and limitations. It is great to see how much one can excel without being held back. I'm such a lucky girl to see how much the nation has embraced Twist Paper. Ironically and thankfully, my presence remains in Swoozie's since they carry Twist Paper and many of the other products I design for Buckhead Betties and Peking Handicraft (Twist Party in-stores Spring 2011). Thank you!

Let's toast to a successful 2010 and I look forward to 2011!

Here's a little sneak peek to spark your interest!