One Simple Trick for Dressing Up Your Holiday Cards

This is the first of many posts to come in a new holiday series here on the blog! I've teamed up with photographer Candice Hackett to bring you all things holiday that I'll be sharing throughout the rest of November and December. I'm so excited to reveal more of what's in store.

I'm starting things off with this simple DIY. I am a big fan of DIY (see exhibit A: our wedding) So naturally, if it's possible to DIY it, chances are I've tried it. I've enjoyed designing our Christmas cards each year, and I print them myself for the most cost-effective method. One trick I've found to making my DIY cards look more professional is with this simple tool:

A corner rounder! (sneak peek at last year's card!)

Paper makes a statement in the details, and I love that this is a quick, simple and easy way to make a big impact. 

I have this corner rounder by Fiskars, and I simply place each of the edges into the slot and press. It cuts my 110 lb heavyweight cardstock easily, and my cards are instantly upgraded.

Do you send holiday cards? If so, do you DIY your cards or order pre-made? Would love to hear about your process!  

photography in this post by Candice Hackett 

Summer Reading List

For many reasons, summer lends itself to more time for reading. Longer days, more time outside, road trips and vacations, the list goes on and on. I love summer for a hundred reasons and this is one of them. Here are my current favorites:

Bread and Wine – Shauna Niequist

I recently discovered Shauna Niequist this year thanks to recommendations of a few friends and I can honestly say that she is my current favorite author. Love both her writing style and her outlook on life. She feels like a kindred spirit to many of my friends, myself included, and we hope to someday gather people around our tables to foster relationships and community the way she so artfully does. 

The Meaning of Marriage –Tim Keller

Hands down, my favorite book written on marriage. I read this book thanks to a recommendation from our pre-engagement class, and I read it cover to cover when we were engaged last summer. It’s dense and I ate it up. It shifted my entire mindset of what the purpose of marriage is, and it has enriched my marriage for the better. If you are looking for one book on marriage, read this one.

Cold Tangerines - Shauna Niequist

The first book of Shauna’s that I read, and what initially hooked me to read all three of her books. She writes a collection of short essays that are witty, easy to read, meaningful, and entertaining. A perfect summer read.

Bittersweet - Shauna Niequist

Another excellent book of Shauna Niequist's, and possibly my favorite of the three. In this one she talks openly about loss, change, and disappointment. A good gift for a friend going through a hard season.

The Nesting Place - Myquillyn Smith

My current read and current obsession. The subtitle is “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful” which is such a great motto for both housekeeping and life. This book is about creating a meaningful and inviting home, instead of attempting to decorate to perfection. As both a design enthusiast and imperfection lover myself, I am hooked. Looking forward to reading the rest of this one.

Marriage Rebranded - Tyler Ward 

We meet together regularly with a group of 5 couples, and we are all just started reading this book. We've heard great things about it and are expecting good discussions.

Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream - Molly Moon Neitzel

Just for fun and because I'm on a major ice cream kick this summer. Good recipes and pretty photos for DIYing ice cream at home.

Darling Magazine - issue 8

This publication deserves it's own post really, but I have to highlight it here also. When I first discovered this magazine I posted to Instagram that it is "Hands down, the best new magazine on the market. Rich, inspiring content paired with beautiful images on thick, oversized pages celebrating modern femininity. A huge win and an instant favorite." And I still believe those words. An excellent, well designed magazine and such a far cry from traditional fashion magazines.

What's on your summer reading list? Share your favorites below!

Brown Water Coffee

Brown Water Coffee

 contacted me via 

instagram

 and offered to send me a bag of their grounds to try. Of course I never turn down free coffee, so I happily agreed. After taking a quick look at their website, I realized this company is about much more than just good coffee. Their motto – “Drink brown water so others don’t have to” immediately intrigued me. 

Brown Water Coffee is a new coffee company located in Denver, and the founder wanted to combine both philanthropy and a for-profit business. With each sale of coffee, Brown Water helps fund clean water projects around the world.

Clean water seems like a given to many of us, but this is not the reality for a startling one in seven people worldwide. Not having access to clean water contributes to a whole host of diseases, and is a preventable problem. A portion of each sale of Brown Water Coffee goes directly to addressing this issue.

For the good that this company is doing alone, I’m a fan. But on top of that, they make an excellent product. We tried their Guatemala roast in our French press both hot and cold-brewed, and we were thoroughly impressed with both.

The Guatemala roast is light, and the package lists passion fruit tasting notes. The flavor is almost citrusy sweet, and it’s perfect iced for summer. 

Brown Water Coffee, we are big fans. Congratulations on your recent launch and kudos to you for all the good you’re doing.

Not a paid endorsement.