2012 Christmas Cards and Early Bird Special

Happy Wednesday! It's time to kick off the Most Wonderful Time of the Year... The 2012 Beth Hart Designs Christmas Cards are finally here! I'm so excited about these new designs, and I'm happy to share them with you!

The Early Bird Special is officially on! Now through October 20th, you can receive 15% off your Christmas card order... all you have to do is mention "Early Bird," and you're all set! You may either send your order to me at bethhartdesigns@gmail.com, or you may purchase one of the Top 12 designs in my Etsy shop. To view the entire Christmas Card collection, please visit my website by clicking here. Remember that colors, fonts, and wording can easily be changed to your preferences. I look forward to working with you!

I owe a huge thank you to my good friend Molly of SimplyMPhotography for providing the beautiful photographs you see in most of my designs. Be sure to book your Christmas card session with her today!

Monday Motivation - Optimism, Hope & Confidence

Good Monday Morning! I was blessed to spend the weekend in the mountains with our wonderful friends from our community group! We did a little relaxing, hiking, eating, football watching, and of course had lots of fun! My husband and I are so thankful for these people in our lives... Good friends are gifts from above!

Now it's back to reality with a week full of designing, proofs, printing, and checking off the to-do list. I'm so excited about working on my new Christmas cards, and I hope to share those designs with you by the end of the week! The Early Bird Special will run through October 20th... so stay tuned!

Lots of work has to be done this week, but I found comfort in this quotation from Helen Keller. It helps us remember that a positive attitude, faith, hope and confidence can lead us to achieving great things! I'm so much more encouraged to conquer the to-do list when I'm optimistic that everything {and more} can be done! I wish you a very productive week filled with optimism, faith, hope, confidence and lots of achievement!

What's Happening - Bridal Showers and More Chalkboards

Sorry I missed posting this yesterday for a "What's Happening Wednesday" entry... let's just call it "What's Happening Thursday" for this week! Somehow the days keep running away from me!

It's that time of the year when couples get engaged to be married. I'm so excited for my good friend Molly and my neighbor Courtney! Yay for both of you! I've been busy designing new Bridal Shower invitations, and some are now available in my Etsy shop! Here are just a few...

I'm slowly getting into the Christmas spirit so I can finish designing my 2012 Christmas Photo Cards! {I might have to start listening to Christmas music for the extra motivation!} I hope to have the new collection completed within the next week or two, but until then I'd like to share some new chalkboard Christmas prints with you. These were inspired by one of my loyal customers, and they are now available for sale in my Etsy shop as well. Happy Thursday!

Monday Motivation - Uplifting People

Good Monday Morning! I need a little extra motivation today... it's a dreary, rainy morning, and I'm worn out from a fun but very busy weekend! Friday night, my husband and I attended the Homecoming tailgate and football game for my 10 year high school reunion. It was so nice seeing some old familiar faces and catching up with everyone! It's funny how much some things change, but how some things remain the same. I'm thankful to have these people in my life... all of them have contributed in one way or another to my personal growth throughout the years.

A few of us girls from the Class of 2002

Saturday, we traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to see our Ole Miss Rebels take on the Texas Longhorns. It was a game that has been built up for several years now, and the atmosphere was electric! The Grove was busy with excitement, anticipation, school spirit, and of course the tailgating that has made it famous. Although Ole Miss lost the game (after putting forth a good effort), it was fun to be in the midst of the fall football fun! I also loved visiting with my brother whose birthday was yesterday... Happy Birthday, Mark!

My husband and me in the Grove - Yes, I love bringing paper to the Grove! (Homemade banner behind us)

Sunday was topped off with a little relaxation with my parents at Pickwick Lake and coming home to our church's Community Group meeting. I really love our Community Group and the relationships we've established with those friends. They are tremendous blessings to my husband and me, and I wish for everyone in the world to be able to find a group like that with which to "grow up" and experience life. I'm so very thankful for these friends!

This morning as I reflect on the busy weekend with friends & family and look forward to working on my {long} to-do list for the week, I'm reminded that I can be successful because of the amazing people around me. My friends & family are as much a part of my achievements as my hard work and determination. I want to inspire and encourage them in the same way they support me. I'm incredibly blessed, and I urge you to find people around you who will bring out the very best in you! I hope you have a productive and successful week!

Design Inspiration - Black and White Stripes

I'm so very excited to begin this new blog series titled "Design Inspiration!" I really, really love Interior Design and Fashion, and I often find inspiration from both worlds to create new paper products for Beth Hart Designs. At The Stationery Academy, the super talented Emily McCarthy encouraged us to look around and find things we love for design inspiration. I took this advice to heart, and that's why I'm so thrilled to share this new series with you!

I'm planning to share my favorite patterns and trends, while I debut a brand new Stationery Suite design. You can follow my inspiration board on Pinterest to see what's getting my creative juices flowing! I will be adding these designs to my Etsy shop so you can purchase them for yourself or a friend!

And now the debut of the "Black & White Stripes & Dot Suite"

Monday Motivation - Doing the Impossible

Happy Monday! I wish I could have posted this motivation earlier in the day, but thankfully I've been very busy! I was blessed to meet with two creative entrepreneurs this morning to gain inspiration, share ideas, and talk through the day-to-day life of being a business owner - community is so important to me, and I'm grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life! My meetings were followed by a trip to my paper and printing companies, and I'm finally back at the computer cranking out designs!

While I was out and about this morning, my email and phone were blowing up! I'm so grateful for all the business you're sending my way... Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! When business really picks up, I often begin to feel overwhelmed - wondering how in the world I will get it all done! But I ran across this motivational quotation that has helped me break down my never-ending to-do list and at the same time has inspired me to move towards making the impossible happen! I feel confident that if we all take a deep breath, say a little prayer, and get busy working, we will make great things happen! So I better get busy... hope you have a fabulous and productive week!

What's Happening Wednesday - Chalkboard Prints & Gift Tags

Happy Wednesday! I've been overwhelmed by your support for my new Etsy Shop! Thanks so much for adding me to your circles and picking me as one of your "Favorites!" I'm so excited about the future of this little business!

I've noticed the recent trend of "chalkboards" being used in weddings, at birthday parties, and as decorative accents for all occasions! I love this style and have started offering poster prints with a chalkboard look and feel. The two prints shown below are available in my Etsy shop, but you may also order custom prints with your own favorite quotations, Bible verses, or memorable information! These posters are sold as 16x20 prints, but you may order other sizes as well. Please contact me if you have any questions or if you wish to order!

Believe it or not, I'm also working on my new products and designs for Christmas! I love Fall and want it to last as long as possible (I dream of Pumpkin Spice Lattes every day), but I also realize that Christmas will sneak up on me if I'm not prepared! So I've added two new designs to the Gift Tag collection - available as tape-on/tie-on cards or as adhesive stickers. They will be for sale in the Etsy shop very soon, and you may order them blank or personalized. I'm dreaming of designing coordinating wrapping paper, but that may have to be a Christmas 2013 project! Stay tuned for the release of my new Christmas card designs along with the famous and well-loved Early Bird special!