A Sweet Celebration

Posted on July 21, 2013 by My Running Leap

I have this amazing friend. You know, the kind who is pretty much good at everything and makes it all look really easy? She has a three year old and one year old twins, and while I struggled to keep up with my ONE child… she created an amazing birthday party for the three of hers. Thankfully she’s letting me share it with you!

For some reason the candy theme was difficult for me. I went through a LOT of ideas when I creating proofs for her. This one was my definite favorite, so I was super happy to hear that it was hers too!

(Yep, that’s right. It was back in March. Over 4 months ago now, and I’m just now getting a chance to blog about it. Sometimes I try to channel her energy, but then I get tired just thinking about it…. so I usually just take a nap instead.) Okay, back to the party.

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A Little Mardis Gras Inspiration For Your Day

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Happy Fat Tuesday, Everyone!

This is an invitation I did last spring for a senior tea, but never had a chance to share. This is about as festive as my “Fat Tuesday” is going to get this year. I figured I would share it for those of you who find yourself in the same boat. Hope that you are having a wonderful start to your week!

Falling into Place

Posted on January 28, 2013 by My Running Leap

2013 Jan Chalkboard_edited-1

This is a photo of the chalkboard in our house right now. (Please forgive its imperfections… I am new to this whole chalk thing.) Towards the end of last year I had planned on my first post of 2013 being an announcement about how excited I was to re-open my etsy shop. Here we are almost a full month into the year and I am just now posting!

The truth is, there remains a whole other part of my life that requires some attention at this moment. In an effort to break away from my usual tendency to say yes to everything and assume it will work itself out, I’m doing things differently this year. I’m saying no. I’m focusing on what I can control, and doing what is best for my little family.

I hope that all of these things fall into place sooner rather than later, and I can get back to running my little online shop. Until then, I’m working on the fun part of the business that made me want to start this in the first place… the creating. For those of you who have been asking, I am most definitely still here. Still working. Just not through Etsy at the moment.

In the mean time, If there is something that you are interested in, please feel free to contact me via email or facebook. I would LOVE to help you with your event!

Little Man Baby Shower

Posted on November 9, 2012 by My Running Leap

One of my dear friends is having her baby in just a few days, and I recently had the honor of being one of the hostesses at her darling baby shower. We {admittedly} got a little carried away with this one, but it’s kind of hard not to when you’re dealing with babies! Thankfully, we were surrounded with wonderfully understanding friends and family who not only reminded us of how crazy we were being, but jumped into the trenches with us to make sure we made it across the finish line by 1:00 on the day of the party. If you were one of those individuals… We cannot thank you enough!

We selected the “little man” theme initially because we weren’t sure if we were going to be hosting an all girl shower or a couples shower, and wanted something that would work well either way. I designed several invitations for the event and oddly enough, four women seemed to come to an easy consensus on the invitation.

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Halloween Trick-or-Treat Printable

Posted on October 28, 2012 by My Running Leap

Halloween is just around the corner! My son is starting to get to the age that he really enjoys stuff like this, so I’m really excited about taking him trick-or-treating.

As much as I hate to admit it, the last 4-5 years my husband and I were one of the “lights off” houses. We lived on a street that didn’t get much halloween traffic though, so it was much easier to justify being “that” house. THIS year, however, we’re on a new street in a new home and are guaranteed to be seeing more than a few little ghosts and gobblins out there.

Unfortunately, my husband leaves on a business trip the morning of Halloween, so there won’t be anyone to stay and pass out candy while my son is collecting his own. Not only that, we’re also going to be missing a special trick or treat session organized for our local fifth graders.

SO, in an effort to redeem ourselves from the past several years, I created a “please take one” sign for our candy bucket that we plan to leave out on the porch!

I made two versions of the sign. One orange and black, and another with purple as well. Please feel free to download your own copy here!

special thanks to mjranum for the Halloween shape!

Pennant Baby Shower

Posted on August 12, 2012 by My Running Leap

One of the designs that I feature on my etsy shop is this Pennant Baby Shower invitation. Designed to celebrate one of my dear friends, she really wanted something that wasn’t too girly. She originally told me NO pink whatsoever, but being the mom of a boy I was dying to have at least some pink! Luckily we ended up being able to slip a little bit of it in there without going too over the top, and mom was still happy.

At the shower, we stayed fairly simple with the decorations, and created some name banners that matched the invitation design. Continue reading →

It’s all just a game of LIFE

Posted on August 6, 2012 by My Running Leap

It’s been about a month since we moved our family into our new home. Our second move for the year, this one was a bit easier seeing as most of our things were already packed. Settling into the new home, however, has been a bit more difficult for us. We’re getting there though… slowly but surely!

Unfortunately, with everything we have going on I think my original plan of opening my etsy shop up by the end of the month is going to have to be postponed. In the mean time, I’m going to be sharing more of my new (and some not so new) projects. This particular post would fall in the “not so new” category.

A little over a year ago I had the pleasure of co-hosting a couples shower for some very dear friends of mine. Bridal showers involving the guys are always a little tricky (they can be such complainers!), so we tried our hardest to find a theme that didn’t just scream bridal shower. The result? A Game of LIFE shower!

None of us had played the game in ages, so we had a bit of recon work to do. Luckily one of my co-hostesses knew several families who were gracious enough to let us borrow their games. After a few days of research and planning here is what we came up with!

The invitation. Mostly, anyway. The actual design of their invitation was slightly different, but very similar to this one.

We created larger versions of the game pieces to decorate with. It took a bit of planning (and a lot of scotch tape), but I was so excited with how they turned out! Continue reading →

Happy (late) Independence Day!

Posted on July 16, 2012 by My Running Leap

We finally got internet again! I’m so stinking happy about it I can’t even begin to tell you! I’m obviously a few days behind on this post, but my poor little 3G connection just wasn’t going to be able to handle a new blog post.

Anyway… Independence Day. An awesome holiday, and one that I appreciate more and more each year as I realize just how many people have payed for the freedoms that I am able to enjoy each day.

This year was especially exciting for me professionally because I was able to design my very FIRST set of wedding invitations! The happy couple tied the knot in Mexico over the holiday, and celebrated with friends and family following their return. They wanted something red-white-and blue without being too over the top. Here are the designs that they finally decided on!

THANK YOU to the happy couple for allowing me to be a part of this memory, and of course to her sweet daughter for the referral! I appreciate you guys so much!

Two by Two – a TWIN Baby Shower!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by My Running Leap

I’m not sure what is in the water around here, but we know TWO wonderful couples who are adding TWINS to their families. One set of girls, one set of boys. The little girls just made their debut into this world last week, and the little boys aren’t too far behind!

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of co-hosting a shower for the little boys. The theme? Noah’s Ark of course!

I LOVE how the invitation turned out.

And since there are two boys… there were two sign in sheets! Continue reading →

Free Valentine’s Day Printables

Posted on February 11, 2012 by My Running Leap

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away! It’s not a holiday that I’ve always been a huge fan of, but ever since I had my son it has started to grow on my a little more.

As I have mentioned previously, my son is a huge fan of all things cars. However, there are several little guys in his class who also love cars, and unfortunately there are only a few pre-made car valentines out there this year. I AM aware that the kids wouldn’t mind receiving the same valentines that they gave out to their friends, but decided to go ahead and make a printable valentine to use instead! Here’s a look at the finished product.

I also made another version using bees.

I’m pretty happy with how they turned out! Links to download all of the files shown in the photos above can be found here. All you need to do is print, cut, and assemble! No special printer needed (These were printed using an old all in one printer that is about 9 or 10 years old). Just note that colors will vary depending on your printer.

For reference, these were printed onto Canon Matte Photo Paper which I found at my local office supply store. Regular paper works fine, but the finish on this paper is a little bit smoother and the color tend to come out a little brighter.

Hope you like them!

Special thanks to Goodness and Fun for the car clip art!

Car Birthday Party

Posted on February 1, 2012 by My Running Leap

Just now finally starting to catch up on blog posts. yikes! It has been a whirlwind few months, but thankfully things are finally starting to wrap up. I’m ready to get focused back on what I love!

My little man turned two last October, and to say that my son loves cars might actually be an understatement. This kid is REALLY into his cars. He has been for well over a year now, which made picking the theme for his second birthday pretty easy (and could potentially be the theme of his third birthday as well).

The inspiration for the invitations and party decor came from the birthday outfit that he wore. He loved these invites so much that he carried TWO of them around with him for at least a week after they came in the mail.

His Daddy and Paw Paw built this awesome track to race matchbox cars. We loved the idea that we found here, but decided to go with a simpler (and less expensive) option. It was a HUGE hit. Continue reading →

Take One Down, And Pass It Around

Posted on September 8, 2011 by My Running Leap

I am not much of a beer drinker. No particular reason why. For some reason it just hasn’t ever really appealed to me. I DID, however, happen to graduate from a college whose senior tradition involved drinking a pitcher of beer as quickly as you could to get to the ring that you had dropped to the bottom. Not very appealing when you don’t like beer, so I chose to dunk my ring beneath 8 delicious scoops of ice cream instead. It was glorious. I’d definitely do it again if I didn’t know any better.

My husband on the other hand? He went the traditional route, and downed his pitcher in just eighteen seconds. Definitely a beer drinker (with very proud parents I might add).

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to design a couples shower invitation for a {soon to be} husband and wife who both happen to be beer drinkers, and are looking forward to their upcoming honeymoon to Canada. Fun, right? Never in a million years would I have thought to create something like this!

A little help from the internets was definitely required. Normally, this is not something that I would share with you guys. However, while doing my research, I realized that beer might actually deserve a little more respect than I’ve been giving it! Seriously… This stuff is legit.

Beer is the world’s most widely consumed[1] and probably oldest alcoholic beverage;
It is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea.
[It] is one of the world’s oldest prepared beverages, possibly dating back to 9500 BC, … and is recorded in the written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Archaeologists speculate that beer was instrumental in the formation of civilisations. (obviously not written by an American Archaeologist).

Now, I do have to share with you guys that the lovely ladies I am working with ended up going with one of my other designs. BUT, I had such a great time making these that I just have to share them with you all! Both were inspired by canadian beers. The first by Molson. The second by Carling Lager (albeit very loosely).

Too bad I don’t have any Canadian friends. I’m thinking a Texas version of this might be fun too though. Shiner Bock maybe? Any takers? Let me know!

A World Without Alzheimer’s?

Posted on September 1, 2011 by My Running Leap

A friend of mine recently gave me a wonderful opportunity to work with the Blondes Vs. Brunettes of Dallas, a group who hosts a powder puff flag football game each year to raise money for the Greater Dallas Chaper of the Alzheimer’s Association. (Don’t let the phrase “powder puff” fool you though. These girls are SERIOUS about their football.)

I’m sure you are like many people out there (myself included), and know of at least one person who has been affected by this horrible disease. According to this video created by the Alzheimer’s Association this year, an estimated 5.4 Million Americans are living with the disease. It is the sixt leading cause of death in the United States and the ONLY cause of death among the Top 10 that cannot be prevented. So staggering to me.

At this year’s event, these amazing ladies announced that they raised over $250,000 to help support the Alzheimer Association’s mission. It is the largest amount raised by any Blondes Vs. Brunettes organization throughout the country…. and all in a matter of a couple of months! Now, these ladies obviously needed a way to say thank you to these donors, and my friend was kind enough to refer me as an option! I have had such a great time working on thank you notes for these ladies, and getting to see all of the photos that they picked for their cards. Here’s a little peek at some of the finished products!

My sincere congratulations and THANKS goes out to these ladies for all of their hard work!

There are several BVB organizations around the country, so next time you see the event happening in your hometown I highly suggest you check them out… and maybe make a donation. :)

A Blog!

Posted on August 25, 2011 by My Running Leap

For quite some time now I’ve been thinking that I needed to create a blog devoted to Paloma Paper Designs. I love checking out blogs for inspiration when I’m working on a project, and wanted to be able to share some of the things that I am particularly proud of with others who might like them as well. I have just been so intimidated by the thought of creating something that isn’t completely embarrassing that I kept putting it off. While I may have majored in a somewhat computer related business degree in college, HTML is not my thing.

TODAY is the day though! You’re not going to find anything too fancy (at least not until I am able to hire someone to help me with all of this), so please excuse the “minimalist” look while you’re visiting. The good news is that, despite the lack of flair, you WILL be able to check out some of the latest projects and ideas that I’m working on and hopefully be inspired for something going on in your own life!