Color Palette: "double impatiens"

I took this photo last summer. I plant double impatiens in the garden every year. They remind me of tiny roses. With Spring just weeks away, I thought I would create a color palette from this photo. I'm growing impatient for my double impatiens. (pun fully intended!) What's flowers are planted in your garden each year?

p.s.
Happy leap day!

March Madness: Photo-a-Day

As many of my readers know, Kathryn Doran (a.k.a. The Coastal Chick) and I started a "Photo-a-Day" project for the 2012 calendar called the 366 Project. Our only rule: post a photo every day of 2012. We thought we'd shake things up a bit and add a March Madness Challenge. You can participate in this challenge regardless of if you're part of the 366 Project or not! So jump in, grab your camera or cell phone, and join the fun! Simply take a photo each day of March using the subject topics below. Then post your photo to our Flickr Group each day. Simple! Feel free to copy the chart below and post it on your blog if you like. Please give credit and be sure to invite your readers back to this blog and The Coastal Chick's blog.

In the comments below, let me know if you'll be joining the challenge and if you'll be sharing the fun on your blog!
xoxo
Patti

Pull Up A Chair

Love these classic lines... which is your favorite?

a. pottery barn  b. williams-sonoma  c. abc carpet & home  d. zinc door

Wordless Wednesday: 366 Recap Week 7

Color Palette: Blossoms on the Trees

I took this photo April, 2011. Lovely reminder that this is just a few weeks away for 2012. Have a beautiful day...

xoxo

Patti

Color Palette: Bold and Muted

While browsing Pinterest I came across this amazing photo by photographer Brian J. Kelly. I immediately knew I wanted to make a color palette from this poppy. After studying the flower for a while I decided to make two color palettes.

The actual photos are exactly the same, only the palettes are different. Which do you prefer... the bold or the muted palette?

A special thank you to Brian J. Kelly. You can see this and many more beautiful photos by visiting his flickr account.

Valentine Wrap-Up with some Truffles!

I hope everyone reading this had a lovely Valentine's Day. Mine was filled with so many things and people I love. Breakfast in the morning with my boys, a round of tennis with some of my best friends, a special "date lunch" with my husband and a little something sweet whipped up in the kitchen. Today I'm sharing with you a recipe for chocolate truffles. I actually thought they would be difficult to make since they are so expensive when purchased in a chocolate shop, but to my surprise they were easy. I adapted this recipe by Jacque Torres. Of course, I'm not a baker nor a chef, so my version is the "easy" version. I shared the truffles with my tennis club and I didn't hear any complaints!

Ingredients:
10 oz. of Dark Chocolate (I chose to use large chips by Ghirardelli)
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 tbs. Unsalted Butter

Coating:
Shredded Coconut
Instant Coffee Drink (I used General Foods International Coffee)
Peppermint Sugar Sprinkles

Directions:
Melt choc. chips in a melting pot or in a double boiler.
Heat cream and butter in small sauce pan until tiny bubbles just begin to appear around the edges.
Pour warmed cream & butter into a glass bowl.
Add 1/3 of the melted chocolate and whisk well.
Once well blended, add remaining melted chocolate and whisk well. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
After mixture has set up in refrigerator, prepare for truffle making! Set your coatings in bowls and prepare your paper cups. For scooping the truffles, I used a small cookie dough scoop, but you can also use a teaspoon if you like.

(special thank you to "Thing 1" for helping me mix the chocolate)

Make small balls of chocolate and set on wax paper. Coat each truffle in the topping of your choice. Enjoy!

Finally, I'd like to recognize those who participated in the Valentine Card Swap. If you don't already follow them on twitter, read their blogs or visit their shops... please do! They're all sweethearts.

Alicia Colina-Ashby 

Heidi Shenk

EA Stewart

Paige Ronchetti

Lauren Bird    

Betty Ann Quirino    

Marnely Rodriguez-Murray    

Kristen Skelton

Angel Robinson    

Jenni Alexander    

Morgan Rescorla-Wolfe

Jaimee McClellan

Ashli Crowe

Jenna Rostek

Amanda Cobb

Lynn Capps

Sara Stroman

Isa Maria Seminega

Cheryl Kraynak

Dianne Fernicola

Kristin Kane

Cathy Sundermann

I'd love to hear about any special valentines you received this year. Let me know in the comments below!
xoxo
Patti

Happy Valentine's Day... with a printable

Hello, and Happy Valentine's Day friends! I've been celebrating Valentine's Day (so to speak) for the last two months. It started for me with new designs for the special occasion. This year I launched 4 new greeting cards in my etsy and my dot com shop. I also created a couple of color palettes here on my blog and I organized a Valentine Card Swap with several people via twitter & facebook. Today I'm capping off this "holiday of love" with a free printable for the kids (or kid at heart).

Do you remember making paper fortune tellers when you were a kid? I have distinct memories of sitting on the school bus with friends, making and playing with those little paper goodies. Well today I've created one with a Valentine theme. And in case you've either forgotten how to fold one, or never knew how to fold one, I've included step by step instructions. To download your own copy, simply click here. Print on 8.5" x 11" printer paper with settings on borderless.

I wish to thank all of those who participated in my Valentine Card Swap! I hope you had fun giving and receiving your Valentine Goodies. I'll be posting a Valentine's Day follow up Wednesday!
Hugs & Kisses,
Patti

Spring Dreams...

I've been enjoying creating color palettes from recent photos of mine, but today I came across a photo, belonging to someone else, that instantly had me dreaming of my garden in Springtime. I couldn't resist creating a color palette! I plan on leaving a thank you for the person responsible for the lovely photo. Only problem is, the blog is in German and well... Ich spreche nicht Deutsches. (I do not speak German.) In any event, the name of the blog is Wunderschon-gemacht. Have a visit. If you do know who to communicate in German, feel free to tell the author I sent you :) 

Color Palette: Succulent Shades

This time last year I was in the thick of planning my son's Bar Mitzvah. The photo above is from that special day. We used many plants in the green family, but these succulents were among my favorite that day. The beds of moss were also quite rich with color. I love that nestled in all of the greens and browns you could find a pop of vibrant pink and orange. Nature provides the best color palettes!

Print Ads with Easton Place Designs

Today I received a wonderful surprise in the post. One of my favorite clients, India Rose of Martha's Vineyard Wedding Studio, sent a hard copy of "Martha's Vineyard Wedding" magazine. The magazine featured an amazing article on India's studio and it also had the print advertisement I designed for her business! I was so excited to see one of my ads in print. See for yourself below...

A huge thank you to Ms. Rose for being such an amazing client. It has been a joy working with her. I look forward to many more design projects with India and her growing firm!

Should you be planning a Martha's Vineyard wedding or soiree, be sure to contact Martha's Vineyard Wedding Studio for all your event planning needs.

If you're interested in Easton Place Designs creating a print ad or other marketing materials for your business, you can contact me for more information.