Happy 2012

The holidays have come and gone and it is now 2012 (and I am now a decade older). Apologies for the lag time in between posts, it was a busy past few months for MADE WITH HEART with wedding invites and holidays cards. We hope this momentum continues into the New Year! 2011 was a great year and I think 2012 will be even better.

I'd like to share some photos of the projects from these past few months, taken by our friend, David Jin Photography.

Below are just a few of the cards MADE WITH HEART created for this past holiday season. I love the variety! Definitely not the typical, tired old holiday cards. These cards began as a client's inspiration and became something they could send to clients, friends and loved ones.

And of course, I had to throw in our holiday card!

MADE WITH HEART has also been busy with creating invitations for engagement parties, weddings and birthdays. Below are some of the most recent invitations.

For more photos of the cards and invitations, please visit MADE WITH HEART website and don't forget to check out our Facebook page too.

My Favorite Time of the Year

Summer has come and gone and now it is time for my favorite time of the year, Fall. I love the crisp cool air and the changing of the leaves to the bright reds, oranges and yellows, but most of all, I love Halloween! Ever since I was a little kid, I have always enjoyed Halloween, mainly because of the treats and dressing up in costume.

This year will be especially great as Brian and I have picked out awesome costumes which were inspired by a recent trip we took for our honeymoon. Traveling to Mexico in May was very special for me not only because I was there with my new husband but also because we both got to experience the culture and beauty of my heritage. As we toured around the Yucatan Peninsula, the imagery of skulls was something that really stood out in my mind.

The ancient stone carvings at Chichen Itza...

...and the hand painted ceramic skulls...


... and skeletons in traditional dress (often referred to as calacas or catrinas) seen in shops all over the area...


all had me thinking about Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (celebrated on November 2) and how I would like to celebrate both this year with my card designs.

While I cannot share what exactly our costumes are this year, I can give you a sneak peek of two of the cards that were inspired by our trip, my heritage and the upcoming holidays. I hope you have as much looking at these as I did in creating them.


The Dia de los Muertos card is great for not only the Mexican holiday but for Halloween too. Actually, this card is so cute and colorful, it could be used any time of the year!


The best part of Halloween are the treats! And what better way to say Happy Halloween than with this cheeky pumpkin cookie card.

Contact me to pre-order these cards and have them in time for the holidays. Happy Halloween and Feliz Dia de los Muertos!

Cupcake Inspirations

I have always had a sweet tooth and find it very hard to say no to dessert. When I started cooking, cupcakes became a favorite of mine to bake (and eat). I enjoy trying new recipes and tweaking them to create my own. It may sound a bit weird, but its actually very therapeutic for me and somewhat relaxing. It probably helps that at the end of it all, I get to eat a tasty cupcake!

With BBQ season in full effect, cupcakes are pretty much my staple dessert to take to parties (especially since I have my handy dandy cupcake carrier) and have basically become the "cupcake lady" to our friends' children. They can always count on me to bring little sweet treats.

Below are some photos of cupcakes I have made in the past, a trip down cupcake memory lane, if you will.

Chocolate Mint Cupcake (garnished with some mint from the garden), a personal favorite of mine.

Tequila Lime Cupcake, dangerously tasty.

Fig Cupcake, a recipe I came up with.

S'more cupcakes, brought back childhood memories and it was fun to torch the tops!

My love for cupcakes has definitely carried over into my designs and illustrations. There is something so cute about the shape of the cupcake and the way the frosting sits on top.

Now that the MADE WITH HEART Etsy shop is open, you will find our cupcake inspired collection of birthday note cards.

This card comes in 4 different colors and can be purchased as a boxed set so you can always have birthday card on hand!

This card also comes in a blue/orange combo for your cupcake lovin' birthday boy.

Food and cooking will always continue to inspire my designs so stay tuned for the next batch! And don't forget to check out our Etsy shop and shop away.

Wedding Invitations

Two months ago today I married the love of my life (I know, so cheesy, but it's true!) and what a beautiful day it was. We were so happy with the way everything turned out, especially our invitations...created by yours truly.

I'd like to share some photos of our invitations, which were taken by our wonderful photographers, Britney and Joe from Turn Loose the Art.


Inspired by our garden (and our newly planted grass), we wanted a design that was simple, modern and elegant.


We wanted our theme to be carried throughout the wedding, so we used the design from the invitations to help us do that. We placed the design on our programs, table menus, favor boxes and even created a gobo!


Invitations are definitely a significant part of a wedding. It is the first thing people see and it helps to set the tone for the event. When thinking about your wedding invitations it's important to think about what reflects you as a couple. I think the sort of branding we did for our wedding not only helped to express the two of us and our love but it also helped to tie everything together. Whether its DIY or someone you've hired, keeping attention to detail in mind is key because that's what makes your guests feel welcomed and like you care about them enjoying the party too.

If you'd like for us to a custom design wedding invitations for you, please go to the contact page on our website: www.made-with-heart.com.

Up and running

Welcome to the MADE WITH HEART blog! This is where we will be sharing inspiration behind the invitations and cards as well as any updates to the MADE WITH HEART website.

Each month we plan to have a free e-card that will be available for download that you can send it off to a loved one. And very soon, our ETSY site will be up and will have cards from the Everyday collection available for purchase.

Please follow us and stay updated on MADE WITH HEART happenings. Don't forget to like us on our facebook page too. Spread the word and share with your friends!