There's a baby on the way...

My dear friend and daycare provider is having a beautiful baby girl in October. When she told me that she was having a baby shower and she wanted me to do her invitation, I was THRILLED! #1 -- I love getting to do anything baby girl -- because our house is ALL boy. And #2 --- well, it was Jessica... I would need to pull out the big guns!

Here's the invitation

The shower was this last Saturday -- and thanks to Pinterest --- I got the fun idea to make monthly onesies for baby Grace to have her photo taken in each month. Well, if you know me.... I wasn't just going to order stickers from another designer on Etsy and put them on a onesie... I was going to design, print and iron those suckers on myself!!! And you better believe that's JUST what I did :) 

What a great photo op AND a great way for me to incorporate the design on her invite (which Jessica LOVED) into the gift I was going to give her.

They turned out beautiful! Here are the pics:

Introducing Caleb Joshua....

I had the pleasure of being ask by a wonderful set of new parents, Katie and Jason, to do their newborn son's birth announcements. The photography was provided by JennieD Photography out of Glenwood, Iowa. She's one of my favorite photographers in the area! Her photography makes my job much easier too. And a side note... if that cloth diaper doesn't make you want to go green, I don't know what will. So.stinkin.cute!

 

(This one was mom's pick!)

 (And this one was dad's pick!)

Charlie Brown, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and well... Charlie Barenek, of course!

Ok, these were by far some of the best baby announcements to work on! Jason and Joanna have such a great sense of humor and their newborn photos were beautiful. My mission from the parents -- Charlie Brown theme, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory theme and a third traditional announcement. Mission accomplished? I'll let you decide.... but Joanna did order some of each!

Postage rate increase in April

Did you know postage rates are going up in April??

Starting on April 17th, USPS postage rates will be increasing across a range of denominations. While the one-ounce first class stamp will remain at $0.44, several other postage values will be changing.


New USPS Postage Rates
Postcard - $0.29
1st Class, 1oz. - $0.44
1st Class, 2oz. - $0.64 (This is your common wedding invitation postage)
1st Class, 1oz. Odd Size - $0.84
1st Class, 3oz. - $0.84
1st Class, 3.5oz. - $1.05
1st Class, 4oz. - $1.48
Priority, Flat Rate Envelope - $4.95

 

WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 Winner!

Omaha, NE – January 25, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Courtney Brewer Designs (formerly Simply Said by Courtney) has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Invitations! 

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. 

Courtney Brewer Designs stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. 

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Courtney Brewer Designs for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” 

We are happy to announce that Courtney Brewer Designs is among the very best Wedding Invitation Designers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. 

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/courtney-brewer-designs-omaha/2a5c32339b48da49.html. 

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com. 



About WeddingWire, Inc. 
WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS). 

Babies, babies, babies

I love welcoming babies... and what better shower invite than showering the mama-to-be with lots of love as she welcomes her little bouncing baby boy. Thank you, Heather, for coming to me once again for your invitation needs!

And this little lady should be joining her very excited parents any day! This shower was super cute with all the pink goodies, fun games and – my favorite – the pink champagne punch! And Lola is going to have the cutest nursery ever.... it made me want a little girl so darn bad :) Guess I'll have to work on that! For now, the firetrucks will have to do at the Brewer household!

A Little Catching UP

Where does the time go? These pieces are from a wedding in August. A friend of mine got married and asked me to do her rehearsal dinner invitation. I also co-hosted her bridal shower, so I'm adding that invite in here too... plus a photo of the bride and bridesmaids (I'm the second from the left if you could guess)!

Hog Wild for Father's Day

A previous client approached me wanting a Pork Rub label designed for her husband's favorite concoction, so she could give it to him for Father's Day. That stuff must be good if it's worthy of a label! Hope he loves it!

As graduation time nears

It was a blessing that my co-worker Jen's husband forgot to order his formal graduation announcements for his upcoming graduation from Creighton. Maybe she didn't think so, however, until she asked me to do this personalized design for her. Not only does it invite everyone to the party, but it also expresses his love for motorcycles along with the exciting journey he's been on leading him from the Marines, to his bachelor's degree and now on to Pharmacy School. Jen recently posted this comment on facebook: "Just got Billy's invitation proof! LOVE It!!! Courtney Brewer you are an amazing graphic artist! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Can't wait to send them out!!" 


I always love to see a happy customer! Thanks for thinking of me Jen!

A quick sneak peek

My baby brother is getting married and I was lucky enough to get to design the wedding invitations for them! They are going for a vintage theme using salmon, black and ivory. These will feature a custom linen black folder with the information cards held in with a custom printed vellum belly band. I just got all the files sent off to the printer and I can't wait to see the final product! In the meantime, I'll be cutting, scoring and folding those black linen folders :)

First Birthday Monkey Invitations

First, wedding invitations then baby announcements and now, 1st birthday invitations. I love being able to see my clients' families grow! And what better way to celebrate the first year of this little monkey, then having a girlie monkey birthday party theme! I'm also designing up some party decorations including party hats, cookie bags and a birthday banner. I'll post pictures after the party. This mom goes all out, so it's going to be cute!

Two months later...

Yikes, my last post was January 12. Apparently I'm not being as good as I should be about posting in 2010. I blame it on that whole new mommy thing. Suddenly I lose all track of time!

But to (hopefully) kick off the spring, here is some pro-bono artwork I did for a friend who is adopting a baby from Ethiopia. They have the opportunity to sell t-shirts in an effort to raise funds with friends and family to cover the adoption costs. This couple is so passionate about this adoption, which made the designs easy for me. It's amazing to watch the journey this couple has been embarked on. There is so much that goes into adopting from another country! Read about their journey or buy a t-shirt (or two!) to help support them.

In honor of the winter weather

These wedding invitations are at the printer as we speak and will be delivered during the storm via courier. Yay for not having to leave the house on days like this! We're using a fun pearlescent cardstock and metallic silver vellum for these winter themed invitations. I'll even be adding a little "bling" on the vellum overlay as well. Excited to see the final product! Now if only real snow was as fun and beautiful as these invitations...

Colin's Baby Announcement

Ok, I designed this for myself but I'm so proud to show off my little guy that I couldn't resist posting it on my blog. I incorporated the green gingham that we used in his nursery. These are a 4 x 6 card that I printed on picture paper using snapfish.com. They turned out great, but then again I'm a tad partial because I'm the mommy!

Steeplechase Apartments Stationery and Brochure

Here is another local business that I worked with to develop a marketing package. Their package includs letterhead, a window envelope and business cards as well as a tri-fold brochure with a mailing panel featuring location photography, amenities, map and floor plans.

Simply Elegant Wedding Invitations

This post is a little past due since this wedding was in May, but these are timeless and seasonless invitations. The paper was a natural white shimmer cardstock printed in metallic gold ink and all were nestled nicely in a pocketfolder wrapped with an antique gold ribbon and topped with a nice monogram card. I haven't seen any pictures from the wedding itself, but I heard that it was very elegant! Liz and Andy, I wish you the best on your journey together and it truely was a pleasure working with you both!

Fun Fall Wedding

A really great friend of mine is getting married next month and we couldn't be more thrilled with how her invitations turned out. We tried out a vendor I hadn't used before so we could print all digital at a decent price. Jessica is so brave for being my guinea pig! She added a lime green ribbon to the real things and I just got mine in the mail yesterday! Thanks Jessica and Casey for letting me get so crazy with these! Your wedding is going to be a blast and we can't wait to share in your special day!