I've always liked making handmade cards, mostly because I like saving money (let's be honest, that's one of the main reasons why I DIY). You might think something as inexpensive as a card isn't worth the trouble of making yourself, but those $5 storebought cards can really add up when you consider all the different occasions that you buy cards for throughout the year (birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, showers, Mother's Day, Father's Day, holiday cards, thank you cards, and so on). Plus, handmade cards are fun to make, and you can customize them with inside jokes and personal details that you'll never find from Hallmark! When you hear "handmade cards" you might think I'm going to show you some intense works of art with intricate details like die cuts, embossed glitter, paper cutouts, and lace. If so, I'm sorry to disappoint you--these are not those kind of cards. I just don't have the patience for all of that. But if you like projects that are simple, quick, and frustration-free...then I think you'll like these!

I'm a huge fan of puns, so I decided to make some stamped cards with different cheesy puns. Turns out that most of the stamps I picked also revolve around food! What can I say, food and puns--they're my favorites.

I used:
-A RE:MARKS stamp (I love these things--they're so easy to use and are self-inking, so you can crank out a bunch of cards really quickly)
-Customized die plates (you can upload your own designs here)
-Blank cards and envelopes in various colors (these are from JAM Paper)
-A fine point pen (not pictured)

Instead of spending a bunch of time on designing my stamps, I looked for free clip art online and uploaded some cute designs to make my custom die plates (so easy). But I also think it would be cute to order a really personal and unique stamp, especially if you're making a bunch of cards that are the same...like an illustration of you and your fiancé for wedding save-the-dates, or a stamp of your baby's name and birthday for baby announcements, etc. The nice thing about RE:MARKS is that you can either choose from the huge selection of customizable stamp templates, or you can upload your own design to make a custom die plate that’s perfect for your project!

I stamped all my cards with the different illustrations I'd chosen...

Then, I added the puns by hand with a fine point pen!

I think these turned out so cute! And I like that I can use the same stamps in the future to create more cards with different sayings (ie: "you're whale-y great", "whale-come, baby!" or "everything whale be okay" instead of "whale you be mine?"). So many options.

Would you (or do you) make your own handmade cards? If so, get excited--I have an exclusive coupon that'll get you 50% off any RE:MARKS products! Use the code ATHOMEINLOVE before 8/12.

Thanks to Rubberstamps.com for partnering with me on this post!

After I wrote my post about Amanda last Friday, I realized she had just posted some photos on her blog from the Friday Harbor Be Crafty workshop that I attended! It really was such a pretty event, so I thought I'd share a little recap with you guys, as well. I mean, an old barn with string lights, bunting, giant colorful balloons, and a long table surrounded by mismatched chairs? Yes, please. Not to mention the cutest picnic lunch I ever did see, plus lots of fun crafts!

I love all the bright and cheery colors against the old wood of the barn. Gorgeous inspiration for a wedding or bridal shower (or even a cool dinner party), don't you think? The simple white paper bunting would be cheap to DIY and looks great as well.

I was totally obsessed with the packaging for this picnic lunch. You could DIY similar labels with plain white stickers and a thin Sharpie.

Sooo adorable! (Photo credit for the above pic goes to @mrsatoms4).

That's my back in the photo above! Haha. I'm next to the girl in the mustard sweater.

Such a fun time!

Photos by Sara Parsons Photography via Be Crafty.

Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week and have fun things planned for the weekend. First off, I wanted to say I know I've been slacking a little on the blog posts--and I'm sorry...sort of. But not really. It's just been so nice this summer, and I'm thoroughly enjoying getting outside and spending lots of time with Ben. We've been paddle boarding, running along the beach, going for long walks, hanging out with friends, playing games, and trying to take advantage of the beautiful weather Seattle's been having. It's been great! Honestly, I'm not very motivated to stay indoors and plug into my laptop in the evenings or weekends right now. But that doesn't mean I've checked out! I'm still very much into blogging, and have lots of fun ideas for future posts and projects that I think you guys will like--I'm just not going to stress about cranking them out quickly. For example, I started writing this post about a month ago, and am just now posting it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's still just as relevant, and I'm still just as excited to talk about Amanda! Which reminds me...now that I've spent the whole intro blabbing about myself, this post was supposed to be about this amazingly creative woman who I find super inspiring: Amanda Rydell. So enough about me, let's talk about her!

I got to meet Amanda about a month ago at a Be Crafty workshop she held in Friday Harbor (that's me on the left, Amanda in the middle, and my friend Renae on the right). I've always been enamored with her cheerful, colorful Instagrams, so meeting her in person was a joy. She's awesome. I love everything about her style, from the creative parties and workshops that she hosts, to her beautifully decorated home, to the way she adds personal touches and crafty details to everything. She's like a magical fairy that sprinkles pretty dust on everything she touches, haha. But seriously--she has a great eye for seeing the potential in things that I would probably never pick out, like an ugly thrift store dresser that suddenly transforms into an awesome dresser under her care (and paintbrush).

Such a difference, right? It's amazing what a coat of paint can do.

That's one thing I love about Amanda! She's not afraid to paint anything and everything--her bed, a bunch of chairs, and even mason jars. I absolutely love the color palette she works with too: pink, coral, aqua, mint green, yellow, and gold. All my favorites!

Speaking of paint, the backdrop for this dessert table was made out of a bunch of painted paper plates. GENIUS, amiright?! This is an awesome and inexpensive idea for a baby shower, bridal shower, birthday party, or wedding. I love it so much.

This is a clever idea too--painted shipping pallets, suspended from the ceiling.

Plus, I feel like Amanda might be my spirit animal when it comes to decorating. I have a very similar White Faux Taxidermy deer head in my bedroom....

And a pink tufted wingback armchair that looks almost identical to this...

And another shell back armchair that's pretty similar to this one (except mine is pink).

I even have those same colorful latte bowls from Anthropologie!

Another thing that impresses me is Amanda's supernatural thrifting skills. I mean...a bunch of berry baskets for $1? Gold flatware, colorful Pyrex, and vintage linens--all in one trip? Clearly, I need to tag along on one of her thrift store excursions so I can learn her secrets.

 

If you don't already follow Amanda, be sure to check her out on Instagram (@amandarydell), and if you get the chance to attend one of her workshops, I would totally recommend it!

Now I'm inspired to do some thrifting and tackle a few painting projects this weekend...anyone else? Hope you all have a good one! See you next week.

P.S. For more inspiring people to follow, check out these posts and my blogroll.

All photos by Amanda Rydell.

Hope everyone had a fun long weekend! Crazy to think we're already a week into July, isn't it? Now that June's all wrapped up, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Instagram photos from the month.

Peonies...

reading at the beach...

...and donuts and coffee (almost every day--whoops).

My niece turned one and had the cutest birthday party--including this pretty balloon arch.

I went to a peony farm (well, I tried anyways--we got there right after they closed)...

...and ate a LOT of ice cream.

These are a few of the books I've been reading this summer! All The Light We Cannot See was super good (recommended), and I'm currently in the middle of The Distant Hours (it's good so far, too).

I got these pretty blue earrings from Rocksbox (which is kind of like Netflix for jewelry). If you're interested in trying it, you can get your first month free with the code athomeinlovexoxo!

Confession: I'm pretty much always up for fast food (Chipotle and Five Guys are my faves). So when Chick-fil-a finally opened up a location in Washington, of course I made Ben take me! What can I say, I'm a classy girl.

Last but not least, it's berry picking season! Raspberries are my fave, so a couple weekends ago we went and picked a ton. Then promptly ate them all in, like, two days.

All in all, it was a great June! Summer is my favorite season, so I've been really trying to get outside and enjoy it. What about you?? How was your month?