father christmas and all that

Oh Christmas card, oh Christmas card, why are you so hard to decide on?  Picking a design and sticking to it was a harder decision for me than what college to go to.  But here is the final product. Lucky for me, I have strict Christmas card rules to follow from my English husband. The photo card thing, not surprisingly, is uniquely American. So every year I get to pick a photo for the American family and friends, and a non-photo card for the Brits. Yay! Options! 

First up, my card. Photo from our engagement session – it just looked a little more Christmassy than our August wedding photos. It does seem silly to have just a picture of us. I can’t wait to get a dog, or a baby, purely for inclusion in Christmas card photos.

Second up, these GORGEOUS cards from a Portland artist. I sent these to people I knew would rather have a piece of art than my mug on their fridge. I found her on Etsy and fell in love with her stuff.  I hope to someday procure a whole room full of her works. www.theblackapple.net

  

Okey dokey, now for the English! I saw these cards advertised in some indie craft mag and thought they were super neat. www.paperspring.com  We leave this Saturday to spend 2 weeks with my husband’s friends and family in Sheffield, I can’t wait to answer them when they ask if I designed them… Nope.

From the bottom of my heart - I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a fantastical 2011!!

a brooklyn Chanukkah

“Are you Jewish?” said the adorable teenager handing out menorahs outside the Matisyahu concert on Sunday. “No. But I wish I was tonight!”

My sister bought tickets to Matisyahu at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.  I knew he was an Orthodox Jew, and I knew it was Chanukah, but did not realize what a fantastic cultural experience I was in for.

The concert was amazing not only because I like his stuff, but because it was truly a Chanukah celebration. Being an Anglo-Christian from the Northwest, I have had little-to-no exposure to Jewish culture. I loved seeing the different sects and cultures all celebrating together in a truly modern way.  And there was a disco ball Dreidel. C’mon – how much better does it get?

  

The Wedding Streak

This whole blog, and Hobson House Design for that matter, exist because my husband asked me to marry him. The night he proposed, visions of letterpress wedding invitations and custom menus danced in my head. I know, strange. But when you work for a commercial construction company churning out project proposals comprised of mainly masculine colors and straight lines, the opportunity to design feminine and frilly wedding ephemera is a dream.

{Engagement Night - May Day 2009}

In fact, I loved it so much, I want to spend all my free time doing it. Lucky for me, after my wedding in America, I got to do the whole thing over again with my husband's friends and family in England a month and a half later. (Two different wedding invitations... so awesome!) 

On top of that, I am in the middle of a 14-wedding streak. Yes. We have gone to, or are invited to, 14 weddings in 24 months. And we're not talking third cousins or my Mom's boss' Kid's wedding - we're talking close, wonderful, real friends tying the knot. I have had the pleasure of helping some of them out with paper products and the experience has been wonderful.

To say that I have led a charmed life over the past couple of years is an understatement. Not only have I married my soul mate, but I have been able to witness my friends do the same. I love being surrounded by people in love and starting on their journey together. And what proceeds and follows weddings? Bridal showers, bachelorette parties, baby showers, and house warming parties! The fun never ends! As this is my first official blog post, I would like to say congratulations to the following couples in wedding order!

• Kate + Jeff – September 29, 2009 (Spokane, WA)
• Anne + Dan – October 16, 2009 (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
• Jen + Mark – May 8, 2010 (Woodinville, WA)
• Elle + Chris – May 29, 2010 (Seattle, WA)
• Lacey + Shaun – July 10, 2010 (Spokane, WA)
• Tanya + Kevin – July 24, 2010 (Hood Canal, WA)
• Erin + Richard - August 21, 2010 (Seattle, WA) & October 16, 2010 (Sheffield, England)
• Michelle + Bill – October 2, 2010 (Woodinville, WA)
• Ariane + Darren – November 27, 2010 (Oak Harbor, WA)
• Cadi + Trent – February 11, 2011 (Seattle, WA)
• Nicole + Chad – June 4, 2011 (Seattle, WA)
• Kelly + Andrew – August 4, 2011 (Lake Como, Italy)
• Jenny + Eddie – August 20, 2011 (Lake Guarda, Italy)
• Sue + Chris – TBD 2012 (Pick Europe! Pick Europe!)

engagement photo shoot & whisky tasting

Kim and Adam Bamberg of La Vie Photo are probably the nicest people you'll ever meet. No. Seriously. The NICEST. And Kim? Kim can get you excited about air. Or the sky. Anything at all, really.

So spending what ended up being 6 hours running around Seattle on a Saturday was so much fun, it didn't feel like work. Well, not to us anyway. They had us kissing, cuddling, nuzzling, 90's prom posing, all day and before we knew it, it was all coming naturally.  And after letting me drag them from the market to old town, we ended up at the brand-spanking-new Four Seasons hotel for a little whisky sipper... yum.

We can't wait to spend our wedding day with them! They are the only wedding vendor that when walking out of our first meeting, Richard and I turned to each other and said, "we gotta have 'em."

Below are just a few from our amazing shoot!

so behind...

Hobson House Design is currently learning the ins and outs of blog format. Hope to be posting random thoughts soon!