Akula Kreative

I have a freebie for those of you who still need to find a Mother’s Day card! This quote popped up on my desk calendar in March, and the tiny piece of paper has been floating around my office ever since. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away because it was just so sweet.

This printable PDF will make one 5 x 5 folded card.
I recommend using your printer’s best quality photo setting on nice matte paper.

Download it HERE. (This is free for personal use only, please.)

I made the paper flower with the Paper Source Mini Magnolia Flower Kit. A few tips about that: 1) you don’t really need to apply adhesive with a brush – I used quick-drying craft glue and it worked just fine; 2) one flower took me a little longer than I expected, so if you plan on making the entire dozen, don’t leave it for a last-minute project!

happy mother’s day to all!

The colors of the ocean will never cease to amaze me.

Happy Friday!

To view larger versions of the images below, just click on them!

Here it is: the Summer Fiesta Wedding Invitation Suite!

Lucky for me, my friend Caroline gave me complete “creative freedom” to go about designing her invites. After putting together an inspiration board for her, we had a quick meeting to decide on her colors. Paper samples in hand, I met her (in the parking lot of the Grove) and we came up with the basic palette: kraft paper accented by blue, white, and a collection of shades between peach and poppy.

To coordinate with Caroline’s LA-garden-party-meets-cinco-de-mayo vibe, I created with the following graphics: a floral design inspired by Mexican tiles, a pair of paisley boots, and a paisley pinata. I love the boots so much that I just may make some stationery out of it…

Here’s a list of everything included in the suite:

5 x 7 Main Invitation
hand screen printed on kraft paper in white ink

5 x 3.5 RSVP Postcard
hand screen printed on kraft paper in poppy ink on one side and peachy-pink ink on the other

7 x 5 Folded Map (and Info)
digitally printed on white matte paper

A7 Envelope
from Paper Source in Papaya

Wrap-Around Label
inkjet-printed on white matte label paper

Tissue Paper Fringe Belly Band
cut by hand, then sewn across the top

Vintage Stamps
(for the photos)

congratulations, alex and caroline!

Thank you for letting me be a part of your day. :)

I took this photo at the MoMA in New York at least ten years ago. As I approached the railing to take a peek of the painting below, I noticed how every element in view was linear: the metal, the glass, the reflection. Even the “Information” sign was placed perfectly. From here it almost looked like a small museum label for—what was, in reality—a massive painting. The photo itself is not that great, but I still love the composition. And the COLORS, of course. (BTW // This is a perfect example of the power of white space.) What a happy, playful collection of color!

Cheers to FRIDAY!

Here’s a quick preview of the Summer Fiesta Wedding Invitation Suite we designed for our friends
Alex + Caroline. Be sure to check back for photos of the entire suite…as well as our summer wedding invitation giveaway!

What’s inspiring me now: seaweed and sunsets! These colors are so warm and inviting…
I love the coral-like pattern in this piece of seaweed, too.

HAPPY FRIDAY, EVERYONE!

What’s inspiring me now: the soothing colors of the Southern California Coast! Looking at this makes me want to lay in a hammock and read a book.

HAPPY FRIDAY, EVERYONE! I hope you have a relaxing, restful weekend.

Remember the luxury stationery suite we made for My Private Jeweler, Inc.? To coordinate with the sapphire-inspired color palette, we recently put together some custom jewelry packaging for them.

Since they only needed a few packages for upcoming charity auctions, we decided the best plan of attack would be to do everything by hand. After all, it would be highly unlikely we’d find a manufacturer willing to make four 5 x 5 boxes in a variety of white and silver patterns. On top of that, we needed separately wrapped tops and bottoms to allow the jewelry to be displayed then packaged quickly and easily after each event.

In the end, we decided the best solution would be to create the boxes from scratch using high quality card stock. Using a custom box template, we were able to create exactly what we needed.

Sometimes you have to get creative (and crafty) to find the best solution that fits your time-frame, budget, and branding. While it was tempting to buy pre-made packaging, we decided this was the perfect opportunity to reinforce the new brand – even if it required a little extra effort.

To celebrate spring, we’ve created a color palette inspired by a box of beautiful macaroons. They are just too pretty to eat! HAPPY FRIDAY, EVERYONE!

Here is a bold and bright invitation suite we designed for some friends here in San Diego.

The bride’s requests:

• Incorporate red and orange.
• Use the swirly graphic seen above.
• Make it elegant and chic.
• And…finish the design in less than week!

With that, we went to work and came up with a few key elements that would tie the pieces together: we picked gray as the neutral and Sloop as the script, then drew a bright red banner to give it some pop. The combination of gray and red was unexpected, yet somehow it worked…it softened the ceremony invitation, but at the same time gave the welcome party insert a younger, more modern appeal.

Just because you’re a bride on a budget, it doesn’t mean you can’t afford custom wedding invitations. THIS bride had us create the designs, but she took care of the printing, paper purchasing, and assembly. What a great idea!

* CUSTOM WEDDING INVITATION DESIGN GIVEAWAY *

We’re cooking up a giveaway valued at $500 for custom wedding invitation design. Join the mailing list or like us on Facebook for news about how to enter!

It’s a Valentine for pit bull and dog lovers everywhere! Check it out in our Etsy shop by clicking HERE.

Greeting : None (Blank Inside)
Size : 4 Bar (3.5″ x 4.875″ folded)
Fold : Top
Ink : Soy-Based, Pantone BlackU
Stock : 100% Cotton, Brilliant White (tree-free, archival, acid-free, recyclable & biodegradable)
Printing : Letterpressed in limited quantities in the U.S.A.

Quantity : 1 Card with 1 Envelope in RED

Meet Nani, our pit bull mix. Once a quivering bundle of fear at the Humane Society, Nani has become an integral part of our family. She enjoys napping in the sun, chewing on tape and superglue without permission, and dismembering and de-fluffing new toys. The background of this card features a dog-bone pattern in the lightest of light grays.

* This special edition card comes with a coin envelope filled with hand-punched heart-shaped confetti and one blank, unattached pink banner. Think of it as a very simple DIY kit. You write your own message and attach it to the card wherever you like, then you fill the red envelope with confetti. Ta-da!

For FREE SHIPPING in February, use coupon code BEMYVALENTINE at checkout!

A portion of the proceeds from all dog cards will go to animal charities in San Diego.

Pin It

As mentioned previously, we are not wedding planners. *WE DO* create fun and unique wedding paper elements, though! When asked to help with our friends’ wedding, we went to work finding inspirational images for a summer wedding with an LA-garden-party-meets-cinco-de-mayo vibe.

Now, we’re sharing it with YOU. For our official Summer Fiesta Wedding Inspiration Board (the big printable PDF): click HERE.

Materials for the casual and creative affair will include tissue paper, cowboy leather, bright pastels, succulents, and vintage decor.

If you want to keep up with our evolving theme (and find some of the sources of these awesome ideas), follow this board on Pinterest!

To see the complete wedding invitation suite we created based on this board, click HERE!

Our MailChimp Subscribers (the section at the bottom of the side bar) will automatically be entered to win a drawing for FREE CUSTOM INVITATION DESIGN* (valued at $500). We’re giving away one this summer, so get on the list by clicking here! We’ll send an announcement in the coming months.

*giveaway does not include printing or materials