House Talk: Painting diamonds on the wall

When trying to come up with my blogging calendar I often struggle. So, this time I decided to take a stroll around my own home for inspiration so what you are getting is a real life look at my painting abilities {or measuring, for that matter.. }.

When we moved into our house five years ago I knew I wanted something a little different and dramatic for the dining room. At that point wallpaper was not my thing, although I lust over it now despite the painful hanging process. Note to self: My next dining room WILL have wallpaper.  This was our first house so it has been a learning experience. Nonetheless, I am pleased when I see the outcome of the many pencils marks, levels and pieces of paper with various mathematical problems scribbled all in pursuit of the perfect dimension for the dining room diamonds.

Once, I knew the color palette I was looking for I bought a large piece of foam board, painted it, held it to the wall at different times of day to determine if I could live with it. Some may think this is a little over the top, but this was also a live and learn lesson that has since saved me time, energy and paint! I settled on two blue-ish gray colors.  The lighter tone being the base color and the darker as the diamond.

Next, was truly the most complicated part out of this process.  Trying to measure and line up the diamonds to the walls was rather cumbersome especially since we were only working with 2 full walls, not an enclosed area.  So, we started in the corner and worked our way out.
First, we measured the wall space and then divided the width and height by the amount of diamonds we were hoping to paint.  This was tweaked a few times once we actually used a pencil and drew the lines on the walls and used blue painter's tape to test the results of the math.  Since we started from the corner we were more concerned about the diamonds being of equal measurement rather than a specific number of diamonds per wall. Wrapping a design around a room creates the pattern 'look' and this was my goal since we were working with limited space.

Next, we aligned the painter's tape along the outside of the light-colored line where you DO NOT want to paint. This may sound like a no-brainer but after this amount of math and seeing blue tape everywhere it becomes very easy to forget if you are painting inside or outside of the tape.  {I have been known to use post-it notes but that was for painting stripes and will share that another day, for sure}.

Anyway, the next part is very important for crisp lines, which are essential when painting geometric shapes on walls. Using the light color (base color of wall)  paint the edges of the tape to create a seal.   This way, if paint seeps under the tape, it will be the same color as the base color of the wall. I have also learned this the hard way and had feathered edges, which is not a pretty site.  This little trick really does work and produces professional results.

Once the paint is dry, roll on the darker color in the diamond shape. This is the easiest part of the process so sit back, relax and roll.

Finally, pull off the tape at a 45-degree angle to the wall. You may think I am being a little picky with the whole degree thing but it really matters.  Also, it is fine to pull off the tape as soon as you finish painting, you do not need to wait for the diamond to dry.

And since you made it to this part of this little tutorial.. here are diamonds a la Libby Lane Press :

Don't mind the obtrusive light fixture.. just wanted you to see the end result from afar. 

REAL PARTIES: Puppy Pawty for Abby

Who let the dogs out? {couldn't help myself}

Sweet Abby turned 2 and couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate her day than with her favorite neighborhood four-legged friends joining her 'pawty'.  So, Abby's mom contacted me to create a custom invitation that would be perfect for Abby's friends, both dogs & toddlers.  I was able to capture Abby's favorite color scheme and incorporate a picture of the birthday girl with her favorite pal on the lined envelope. The envelopes were also addressed to coordinate with the invitation and look like a dog tag.

Wait until you see the pictures from this adorable party.  From the snacks served in dog bowls, to the  dog bone shaped crayons and dog hair bows that served as favors, this party was perfect, no bones about it!
You can find the Puppy Pawty Invitation here.  {Full Collection to follow}

Invitation & photo lined envelopes 

Matching envelope addressing

Abby and her best pals

dog-gone good sweets

Abby's special cupcake

pawty favors for the pups

keeping with the theme 

favor stickers that were attached to the favors

Favors!

Love the display

Activities for everyone: big, small and stuffed

bows for the girls

craft table

Even the crayons match! 

such a fun party

Creative Closet Crush?

So, pretty much like the rest of the creative thinkers out there, I am obsessed with Pinterest.  I have talked about it before on my blog, shared 'pins' with my husband {and no, he is not on Pinterest but I force him to endure looking at my ideas ad nauseam} and look regularly for my daily dose of inspiration.  I view Pinterest as a form of digital intervention to my countless pieces of paper scattered around my desk with ideas, pictures, images of just about everything I would love to create, design or do.  I now even have customers sending me their Pinterest boards that they have created for their children's birthday parties- I LOVE this! Talk about being truly able to match an invitation to someone's vision. Perfection.

Well, my current Pinterest swooning involves organization and work spaces.  I am on a mission to organize my home work space which  has now become Libby Lane Press central headquarters.  My children can be found walking around with craft punches, ribbons dragging behind them and lollipop sticks  that they think are 'broken' since the lolli seems to be missing. Sad, I know.  So, I called on a good friend who also happens to dabble in the world of professional organizing and she helped me to get started.  We have emptied the storage closet outside of my office, purchased matching storage containers in various sizes, labeled them and stored the items in perfect little spots.  This is a work in progress, but it's a start.

Here is a little eye candy for you, thanks to Pinterest, of course.

Realistic and a pretty alternative to a room

I would love to hear how you create organization in your own home office/studio..

And you thought they were just noodles...

So, I was in line at the grocery store on Friday with both of my children and every person on the East Coast {ok, maybe an exaggeration}.  Despite the madness, my screaming son, and a long line of frantic, over-buying shoppers I was  lured to the Taste of Home Ultimate Halloween magazine.  Now it was the candied apples on the cover that first caught my eye, but then I was quickly captivated by the clever ideas, fun recipes, and helpful hints to throw a spooktacular soiree.  I plan to try a few of the recipes for my own Halloween festivities but in the meantime I had to share this cute little guy.  I feel like I see a bug-eyed monster on every other Halloween invitation so in the spirit of the times you can now create a cupcake to match using chow mien noodles. So when you have a little time and a few spare noodles, go ahead and check out the recipe and give this little spiky friend a whirl.

Photo Source: Taste of Home

And tomorrow, I plan to share my dog-gone fun pawty that I promised last week.. No bones about it!

And the winner is...

Delilah's Delights!

Congratulations to #11:
 delilahsdelights55 said...

I alreally follow libby lane on twitterI alreally follow libby lane on twitter

AUGUST 22, 2011 9:51 PM 

Please email me at nicolle@libbylanepress.com so I can gather information to mail your $20 Staples giftcard!

Thanks for following Libby Lane Press

GIVEAWAY: From a teacher's point of view..

Happy Monday and Professional In-Service week for my teacher friends in this neck of the woods.  This is only my second year of not experiencing the stressful classroom set-up, lingering in the school supply aisles for hours or creating name tags for just about everything you can label in a classroom.  Last year I was on maternity leave and have since extended it for another school year.  I have traded in my Henry and Mudge books & teaching guides for Illustrator and Photoshop. However, I am staying true to my roots (and my Masters degree!) and giving back to education even if I am no longer in front of the class.  

So, I took some time last night and really thought about the little surprises that I loved getting at the beginning of the school year. Just those little things that add up over time but you use daily.  I worked at a wonderful elementary school that had fabulous parents that always did the little things to show how thankful they were for a dedicated staff. 

So, to you it may look like a box of Clorox wipes, but to a teacher it means clean desks and less germs!  When you see an envelope of Avery (or store brand, perhaps) labels you think addresses--teachers think, JACKPOT!  So next time you are out and about, pick up a little something for your child’s teacher.  It doesn’t need to be expensive or lavish and can even be something you are finished with (i.e. old books) but it will most certainly make a difference to the teacher that has made a career out of making a difference. 

In the good spirit of Back to School, Libby Lane Press is giving away a $20 gift card to Staples.  The only rule is that you must use it towards classroom items for a teacher that you know or if you happen to have your own classroom.  Even if you do not have your own school-age children, I am sure you know a teacher, right?!  And if you don't I am sure that your local elementary school would gladly take a few donated goodies bought from Staples. 


Rules for entering giveaway:
Mandatory Entry:
1. Leave a comment below sharing what you will buy for your favorite teacher using the giveaway gift card to Staples.

Extra Entries:
2. Like Libby Lane Press on Facebook
3. Follow Libby Lane Press on Twitter
4. Share this giveaway on your blog, Facebook page or twitter page.

You have a total of 4 possible entries per person.

This giveaway will close on Saturday, August 27th at 10am EST.  The winner will be selected using Random. org and announced on Sunday.

Good Luck and we can't wait to see what you will add to your favorite teacher's collection!

REAL PARTIES: Pancakes & Pajamas Celebration

I love when customers share their party pictures with me! I recently had the honor of working with Merry to personalize the Pancake and Pajamas Printable Collection for her daughter's 5th birthday.  She loved the theme {and of course I do to!} so we brainstormed and Merry hit the ground running. The girls created Fruit Loopy Necklaces, listened to If you Give a Pig a Pancake read by Landry's dad, created crafts and snacked on delicious breakfast treats. The menu was delectable and Merry did not miss a beat from the adorable glass milk bottles with straws, to the fruit kabobs, fruit parfait cups, or coordinating the polka dot table cloth and runner.
All of the hard work truly paid off and Landry and her friends will not only have their stylish pink monogrammed aprons as a reminder but also sweet memories of eating pancakes with good friends in pj's.
Thanks for sharing, Merry, and I can't wait to work with you again.