Velvet Friends

I'm not sure how familiar you are with SEI's velvet paper, but today I'm wanting to put a little spotlight on it. When I first started working at SEI, I wasn't too familiar with how you could use velvet paper. I learned pretty quickly that you can use it just like card stock paper (duh) and other endless possibilities. The benefit of velvet paper is that it's really pliable, so it can be wrapped around odd shapes & cut into detailed shapes while maintaining it's simple elegance.

We have one customer in particular that we've fallen in love with over their velvet paper creations. They are Lehr & Black. They make announcements and invitations for A-list clients. Below are some of their invitations that have been created using our velvet paper, (pretty exciting). So if you thought velvet paper was outdated, we might be able to change your mind.

click image to enlarge

• First is a Sweet 16 invitation for Francis Cobain. I love the wrapping of the coffin in the midnight black velvet
• Brendan Frasiers' family Holiday Card. The chocolate velvet paper with that beautiful red hair is great.
• Shaquille O'Neal's Holiday party was also done using the chocolate velvet paper
• Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale's wedding invitation used hints of the wine velvet paper

Sorry to brag, but we just had to share. There are so many amazing invitations, so be sure to look up Lehr & Black for some tantalizing eye candy. Have a great weekend!

A slice of pride pie...

So we know you shouldn't brag about yourself, but is it o.k. to brag about your kids? We think of our paper lines as our children so we feel inclined to brag a little. It's been a few months since CHA but the June 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes had something in it that made us smile. Mimosa was voted CK's #1 Favorite Find from CHA! This was their reason for loving it so much:

"With its warm, pink tones, big flowers
and beautiful, golden highlights, this Mimosa
line reminds us of a splendid summer morning."

We were pretty excited to see that we were given this celebrated award. With summer here and beautiful weather, it's a great time to use Mimosa. Have a tea party, make some invitations, frame some gorgeous pictures on a layout... Whatever your summer needs are, Mimosa can be your best friend.

Getting Acquainted

Hi friends! I was so excited when I was asked to be a guest blogger at SEI! This week I'm going to touch on some simple tricks to boost your photography skills and also throw in a little craftiness here and there! Before I get into all of that though, here's a little bio to help us get more acquainted.


I grew up in a small town in the mountains of San Diego. I love the outdoors and started taking pictures of nature when I was very young. I have a passion for landscape photography, although I enjoy taking photos of children and babies as well. In high school I took my first photography class and ended up becoming the photographer for the school newspaper.



In college I started taking engagement pictures for friends and my photography business took off from there. Now I shoot everything from headshots to family portraits, to tabletop photos. I thrive on beautiful lighting and love a good sunset. Although I have a passion for photography, I love cooking goodies and getting my craft on!


I'm married to a wonderful man named Matt and together we have a beautiful baby boy, a dog named Wanda and a fish named Tuesdee. We have a simple, yet wonderful life together.

Heather's beautiful family portrait and bio photo were taken by Nicole Christensen. Watch for Heather's lighting tutorial coming later this afternoon.

Welcome, Maria!

This week we are so happy to have Maria Burke as our guest blogger. She has a lot to teach us, and I think we'll all be able to enjoy what she has to share. She currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada). Below, she gives a link to her blog so be sure to look through the past few months to see projects and photos. Today's post is a little intro, so here she is, Maria Burke.

I'm super excited to be a guest blogger here for the next week. I can't wait to show you some new scrapbook projects I've been working on and share a bit about what inspires me. Since writing my own bio is just a little too frightening for me, I had my husband do it ;-). Check out my blog The Little Things to see more of what I've been up to.

(from Maria's husband, Phil)
"Maria Burke can hang a frame straight without using a level. That is something that has always impressed me. If I hang a picture up, using a level, there's still no guarantee it will be straight. Maria has always had an eye for design. She loves to play with paint colors and move furniture around in our house. We've painted every room in our house at least twice (some a lot more) and re-arranged furniture even more. She has always had a passion for photography, which she inherited from her dad who is an amazing photographer. He bought her her first SLR camera when she was in junior high.

"When our first daughter was born, Maria started to scrapbook. It was something that combined her eye for design, love of photography and a passion for documenting our lives. Maria has been scrapbooking for almost seven years now and our two daughters are following in her footsteps. I can already see their artistic sides developing and they have their mom to thank for that."

Exciting News!

Thanks for all your support of our new lines over the last few days. We love and appreciate every comment! It's been a joy sharing them. We just wanted to quickly put in a good word for a recent feature. Martha Stewart Weddings has three of our papers in their winter 09 issue!


Morning Meadow Dew is the adorable blue box in the middle. They feature a whole crafting section that also includes Morning Meadow's Breeze and Poppy's Ratton. So go check it out on the newsstands or here online!