Featured Vendor: Seamless Paperie

We haven't done a Featured Vendor post in quite some time, and I really loved the series so I wanted to bring it back. So, let's roll!

This weeks featured vendor is Courtney from Seamless Paperie.  Courtney's work is just amazing - she has such a unique style for the invitation and stationery industry, with designs that include everything from contemporary to elegant.

Courtney of Seamless Paperie is definitely a busy-body when it comes to her businesses - Seamless Paperie and Seamless Creative.  Always the artsy type, with an added interested in typography, Courtney began designing stationery and invitations for herself and friends, which then bloomed into a business when she started receiving design requests from strangers.  Courtney first started her branding and design company, Seamless Creative, and followed it up with her stationery and invitation design company, Seamless Paperie.   Read on to learn more about Courtney and her work.

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How did you come up with your business name?
My branding and design company, Seamless Creative, already existed. So in order to keep the companies consistent, it was a simple decision to go with Seamless Paperie. In terms of the original "Seamless" name, it all grew out of  the idea that design is literally a part of everything I do and how I see the world.

What inspires you and your work?
Everything around me, from old signage to nature to popular culture.

What do you love most about your job?
Even though the general process is the same, every project has an entirely different outcome, so it's never boring.

What is one thing you wish every client knew/did that would make your job easier in assisting them?
That the design process is just that—a process. To get the best result it requires collaboration, patience and clear communication.

 What is your ultimate goal/dream for your business or professional life?
To have my hand in lots of different things—blogging, more long-term branding and stationery projects, paper products for sale—and to be in a position to initiate personal art and design projects as well.

If you weren't a graphic designer/stationery and invitation designer, what would your dream job be?
Design is so intrinsic to who I am that I can't imagine doing anything that didn't have ties to art or design. I've always said that I'd love to be an interior designer in another life. At the moment, my current jobs and responsibilities prevent me from devoting as much time to that as I'd like to in my own home. But hopefully that will change in the near future!

What advice and/or tips would you give to people looking to start their own business adventure?  What did you find helpful when starting out?  What were the most difficult obstacles to overcome?
For me, it really grew out of a passion for what I do. You have to put so much energy into starting and running a business, that it's an absolute necessity to have a love for the work. Otherwise, you'll burn out before you even get off the ground.
My biggest challenge by far, is balance. Fitting in all of the duties involved in running a business with my personal life is definitely something I struggle with on a daily basis. I'm constantly trying to figure out what I can do to make any necessary tasks less time-consuming, so that I have more time for family, friends and relaxation. It's a work in progress, for sure.

Just for fun:

What are five things you simply can't live without?
1. My husband, friends and family. (counting that as 1!)
2. The internet (it is essential to everything I do these days).
3. Apple (the company and all of their products).
4. A sketchbook (I use the Behance Dot Grid sketchbook).
5. Naps! (I take naps far more often than I probably should admit)

What is your favorite color scheme at the moment?
This is a tough one! I love color, so I have a new favorite every day.  But I can never resist a palette of turquoise, royal, teal, lime and kelly green.  I always gravitate toward that blue-green color family.

What is your favorite time of the year to design stationery and invites?
This isn't a time of year I've actually designed for already, but I would love to design for less common occasions - events like a family reunion, an anniversary party, or even an unusual holiday for invitations, like the 4th of July.

What trends are you seeing in the invitation/stationery industry lately?
Less formality, which in my opinion, is great.  It's awesome to see so many couples embracing more colorful and modern designs and themes.

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As I mentioned above, Courtney has a great eye and style for everyone's taste.  Check out some of her favorite collections that she designed for past clients.  I bet it's hard for you to pick a favorite!

If you are interested in checking out more of Courtney's work - check out her web sites and follow her on Facebook and Twitter:

Seamless Creative

Seamless Paperie

Behance

design work life

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Flickr

dribble

Thanks, Courtney, for letting us interview you and show off your gorgeous work!

If you would like to a Featured Vendor on the Cammi Lee Events blog, send us an email and we can chat!

Invite Love: Sweet Suite {wedding}

I stumbled across this simply amazing invitation suite on the LemonLime Photography blog and bookmarked it as a must-share.  The graphic work, I believe, was done by the groom, which I think is awesome!  There were a bunch of unique elements with this invite suite that you don't normally see - one of the perks of having such an artistic hubby-to-be, I suppose!  My favorite piece has to be the "timeline" of Tad and Jessica, starting with the distance between their houses growing up, and ending with their wedding date - too cool!  I also loved the eco-chic reusable bags with their names and wedding theme printed on them - such a great favor for guests!













To see more work by the groom, Tad, head over to his website.  Be sure to check back later today for Jessica and Tad's gorgeous wedding shot by LemonLime Photography!

Invitation Love - Captured Moments by Amy Leigh

Normally for Wedding Wednesday we post a real wedding, but today I thought I would mix it up a bit and throw in some invites.  Keeping with the wedding theme, I thought I would feature a wedding invitation designer whose work I adore!  I came across Captured Moments by Amy Leigh's Etsy shop and was drawn to her work - it's so creative!  I love that she has a variety of designs in her shop - designs that will fit any theme or mood for a wedding - anything from an elegant to a modern wedding.

Check out some of my favorites below!

I always love a grey and yellow color scheme - this little birdie design is just too adorable, too!

I really enjoy checking out non-traditional, fun wedding invites.  I love the carnival feel of this one.

How perfect would this be for an outdoor backyard wedding that's held under a large tree?  Too perfect.

Another non-traditional invite, this would be the perfect invite for theatre lovers or anyone who's hosting their wedding at an old theatre.

Hot pink and black - one of my all time favorite color combos... just had to throw it this in there!

White and black weddings hold such a classic feel... these are just gorgeous!

These would be perfect for an outdoor wedding in the Spring.

This set would be perfect for a fall wedding - I'm thinking around Thanksgiving??

Simplicity is always beautiful.  Love the simpleness of this set.

Head over to the Captured Moments Etsy shop to check out her other great designs and pricing!  

Be sure to check back later for the Real Wedding feature for today's Wedding Wednesday!

Letter for Santa

I just can't believe that tomorrow is December already!  Goodness - before you know it, it's going to be the new year and I'm going to be a new auntie (my sister's due date is January 1st).  Since I'll have so much more responsibility as an auntie, I have to start thinking of fun things to do with my little lady, Eva!  When she's old enough, I would love to have her do something fun like this Letter to Santa kit below, created by Heather of Chickabug.

The story behind the Letter to Santa kits:  Heather was inspired to create these cuties while looking at the form for a letter from Santa in the grocery store.  The letter includes some boxes that your little kiddies can check whether they have been good or bad... and what they're doing when they're being good.  It also gives space for them to write their Christmas list and sign their name!

To purchase one of these cute little Letter for Santa kits, head over to the Chickabug shop... or head over to their blog to find out how you can get it for 50% today only!

Featured Vendor: A Milestone Paper Co.

Some of you may remember reading my post last week regarding our new series that will feature a new vendor each week whose work we adore!  Because invites and other paper items can totally set the mood for an event, and are one of my own favorite elements to a party, I thought we would kick off our first feature with A Milestone Paper Co., located here in Minneapolis.

Meet Sarah from A Milestone Paper

I came across Sarah's (the creative mastermind behind A Milestone Paper Co.) work at the Twin Cities Bridal Fair last week and loved it!  I must admit, I really loved her business card, too - what a great piece of business marketing material she has!!

With that said, read below to find out more about Sarah and A Milestone Paper Co.

After designing her own wedding invitations, in addition to several friends and family members invites, Sarah and her two sisters, Sue and Kate, started A Milestone Paper Co.  They wanted to start a business that allowed people the opportunity to purchase reasonably priced custom designed invitations.  A Milestone Paper Co. focuses on the customer's individual interest.  They make sure the style and design of the order fits the personality and style of the client, which makes every stationery or invitation set unique.  They also offer services at multiple price-points, making their services available to fit into any budget.

I'm always curious to hear where people get their inspiration, and Sarah says her number one source of inspiration comes from her clients.
"Just this week I worked on Minnesota Twins ticket wedding invitations, tropical invitations for a wedding in Grand Cayman, Art Deco 1920s-themed invitations, vintage-inspired Save the Dates and formal elegant invitations.  This job is never, never boring!"

In addition to her inspiring clients, she finds inspiration on the many wedding blogs, online fabric shops and on Design Sponge for graphic design inspiration.  For business related inspiration, she turns to the vendors she's come to know and work with.

If there was one thing Sarah wishes every client knew to make her job easier to assist them is that she always wants to know their story!
"I really want my clients to share as much of their story/vision/style as possible.  The more I know, the more I can reflect in the projects I create.  I love hearing about little details that are meaningful and finding ways to incorporate those bits and pieces into the designs".

So where does Sarah hope her business is headed in the future?  Well she hopes to continue to meet with clients face-to-face and create custom designs for them.  In addition, she hopes to work collaboratively with other like-minded entrepreneurs in a loft-type space - "there's a lot of positive energy when you gather together people doing what they love to do".  She also wants to share her story in hopes of inspiring others to find a way to do what they love {like me!}!

Because a lot of my readers, and myself included, have hopes of starting their own small business ventures, I wanted to know what advice Sarah had for those starting.  What did she find helpful and difficult when starting her journey as a small business owner?
"Most of all, go for it!  Hone in on what you love, find a way to market it and take the leap!  Reach out to others in the industry who are farther along in their business adventure and ask questions.  Have faith in your unique set of skills and heart and put it out in the world.  Also, I think it's important to identify the things that are holding you back or causing fear.  Then face those things head on - realize that fear is in your own mind and work through it.  For me, I knew the money/business side would be a challenge for me, so I found a good accountant and bookkeeper as soon as I could.  My most important advice though is always BE YOURSELF!"

Fun facts about Sarah:

1. What are 5 things she can't live without:
- Family
- Wine drinking, laughing and chatting with her favorite girls
- Faith
- Challenge
- Chocolate

2. Favorite color scheme right now:
- Deep purple and lime green

3. Favorite time of year to design invites/stationery for:
- summer because of the bold bright hues that are used

4. Trends in the invitation/stationery industry right now:
- a lot of acrylic and laser cutting


Check out some of Sarah's favorite items from past client's events...

super adorable set!

Here's an example of a laser-cut invite - adorable!

To check out more products offered by A Milestone Paper, check out their web site here or become a fan of them on Facebook!  Thank you, Sarah, for allowing us to interview you for our first Featured Vendor post!

My hope for my featured vendors is for my readers to get to know other professionals in the industry, getting them some exposure and allowing me to get to know them better, too!  If you are interested in becoming a feature vendor, please contact us today by sending us an email today!