Minted Archives - Page 2 of 2 - The Curated House

Announcing The Babe

I am long overdue in sharing our newborn photos with you, so in the spirit of Throwback Thursday, I’m playing catch up today! The truth is, I don’t think cuteness has an expiration date, and there is a serious overload of cuteness in what our dear friend Gabriela Hansen captured here, friends. Yes, I’m biased, but oh my heart! Looking back I still swoon and turn into a puddle of mama-mush at the site of my sweet newborn babe, and I had the hardest time narrowing it down to just a few photos to share with you on here. I mean, just look at those precious little feet!

He looks so tiny and delicate in those early days, doesn’t he? I absolutely love this shot {below} of his big brother tenderly kissing his forehead as Tate fusses and reminds us all who’s in control. You’re surrounded by love, little man. It’s all good.

Noah truly is an ah-MAZE-zing big brother, loving Tate and paying such thoughtful attention to his needs. And yes, even changing diapers! {Hi fives for that mama win!}

As you can see above, Noah’s got the “big bro glow” and it hasn’t faded yet. Such a gift…

…As is the sight of my love holding our second born baby boy in his arms. There’s nothing like the bond between a dad and his boys to melt the heart of his wife. {Graham would have been featured in more of these photos if he hadn’t been working! Love that man. SO much!}

As you can see, we are pretty seriously smitten. It’s for real, folks. This little guy has my heart.

We couldn’t keep all that goodness to ourselves, so working with Minted we created this very special birth announcement to share with our family and close friends.

I can’t say enough about how impressed I am with Minted. I’ve worked with them twice now and they have totally exceeded my expectations each time. From the high quality of the extra thick, matte card stock to the customization with designs created by indie designers to the proof process to the customer service and super fast shipping, I am a fan. Simply put, they are my kind of people.

And they are your kind of people too, because in the spirit of generosity Minted is offering readers of The Curated House a 10% discount AND free shipping on any orders from now until May 21st when you use the code CURATED10FS at checkout! Translation: It’s time to set down that cup of coffee and go check out all they have on offer! Not only do they do birth announcements and invitations and printed paper goods of all kinds, but they also have an amazing collection of limited edition art prints which is exactly where I would be heading if I were you!

I do plan to share much more with you in the coming days, including Tate’s nursery and Noah’s pied-à-terre and more about our birth story {the early days}. But for now, our pace is being decided by the sweetest little dictator I know.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|May 8th, 2014|2 Comments

Our Family Photos + Some Gorgeous Custom Christmas Cards from Minted

As my sneak peek from Tuesday suggested, we just had our family photos done by the fabulously talented Gabriela Hansen. Unbeknownst to her, Gaby is the first photographer to take our family photos for us two years in a row. With many portrait photographers, once you’ve done one session with them, you’ve pretty much captured their aesthetic and there’s not really anywhere else to go with it. Gaby, on the other hand, just keeps growing and evolving and I knew she would do a brilliant job of capturing the essence of our family in a fresh new way again this year.

And I really think she nailed it. I mean, just look at these shots of Noah for starters!

Somebody call Kinfolk Magazine, because I think I just found their next photographer/model team. I know I’m biased, but is this kid not irresistible?

I’ve loved this man for almost half of my life, and I’m going to love him for the rest of it. He makes me laugh and supports me and loves me through thick and thin. I am truly blessed.

I love how Gaby captures the feeling of family. One of my favourite things in life is holding hands with my boy. I didn’t tell her that, but she seemed to know it intuitively, and she captured it beautifully. In fact, I would say her editorial style captures moments and creates memories, even as you’re enjoying the shoot with her. Noah loved the afternoon just as much as the rest of us, despite the chilly temperatures. If you can make a 10 year old happy and get him laughing while taking his photo on a freezing cold day, you’ve succeeded in my book!

We actually laughed a LOT, and there may or may not have been some photobombing that took place.

The truth is, there were so many great shots to choose from that we had a really hard time landing on just one to use for the front of our custom Christmas cards from Minted. Pretty great problem to have, right? And we had the same awesome problem when it came to choosing the card style!

I was beyond thrilled when the creative team at Minted generously reached out to me and offered to provide us with our cards for this holiday season. Minted is a crowd-sourced design company based in San Francisco that draws upon design talent from all around the world with monthly competitions to find the most creative and refreshing designs and designers going. The winning designs are then printed in a variety of products, including totally customizable holiday cards.

Just take a look at some of the gorgeous options available:

And they can all be customized with seemingly endless options, from super thick paper to folded cards to laser-cut shapes and even Christmas ornaments like the first image above! I guess I’m a bit of a traditionalist, but I still like writing inside a folded card, so here’s what we chose:

And here’s how we customized it inside. I love that there’s still room for us to write a personal message while having our broader family holiday wishes captured for us ahead of time with the customization of this layout. Brilliant!

If I’d been a tad more organized, I totally would have taken advantage of the free option to have them print all of the addresses on the envelopes as well. How awesome is that?! Even the liner of the envelopes and the Skinny Wrap return address stickers are adorably detailed:

In the spirit of generosity, Minted has offered my readers a 15% discount on all holiday card orders now until the 27th of November. That’s one whole week to make it happen, and then you can kick back and relax with a good cuppa knowing your gorgeous custom cards are on their way to you, lickety-split! {Shipping and turnaround times are super fast.}

Just use the discount code CURATED15 when you check out, and let me know how your cards turn out! This is probably the most excited I’ve been yet to send mine to family and friends. Thank you Gaby for the gorgeous photos, and thank you Minted for the incredible cards!

I’m a grateful girl.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 21st, 2013|5 Comments

Oh Baby! | Laurel Edwards of Sugarplum Sisters

Having met one half of the lovely Sugarplum Sisters when I introduced you to Pam a couple of weeks ago, today I get to introduce you to the other fashionable half of this blogging sisterhood! Friends, meet Laurel Edwards and her take on a fresh and modern nursery.

Crib // Change Table // Glider Chair and Ottoman // Yellow Ikat Dot Fabric // Flat Iron Mandarin Fabric // Canary Fretscene Fabric // Cameron Fabric in Storm // Arington Boudoir Pillow // Etsy Stripe Pillow // Geometric Giraffe Art Print // I Heart U Art Print // Paper Family Tree Carving // Piggybank // Mobile // Drapery Panels // Wide Stripe Wallpaper // Lamp //

Things I love about Laurel’s plan: The acrylic rails on the crib are fiercely modern! The glider chair and ottoman by Gus are truly Canadian. Love the softness of the neutral grey and white, and love the subtle herringbone pattern in the Cameron Fabric from Tonic Living! Thank you, Laurel, for giving us your take on a modern day nursery!

Laurel has also graciously done a wee interview with me so you can get to know the other half of the Sugarplum Sisters team.

How long have you been blogging and what got you started?

Pam and I started blogging just under 2 years ago…October of 2011. Together, we had worked in interior design for the past decade but were both simultaneously feeling like we had more to share. After much contemplating and resounding support from our husbands, we took the plunge. It was the land unknown, and though we have so much to still learn, we are loving what we are doing. We are in a good place.

How would you describe your style?

For starters, my style has changed dramatically over the last number of years. I love a clean and modern aesthetic. I also love to include something unexpected of my simple and unfussy look…whether an edgy pair of shoes, or a vibrant and quirky throw pillow, I like to incorporate fresh and fun trends. Splurge on the backbone of both your home and wardrobe…and choose less costly pieces to accessorize and raise the wow factor.

What is your favourite thing about being a lifestyle blogger?

This can be a double edged sword, but I love that I can work when I want to…when the inspiration hits. Conversely, it has me pulling some crazy hours! I also love that I immerse myself daily into the task of finding the beautiful. Each and every day, I find myself searching for something which can be received as pure and positive and beautiful. Some days it’s looking at the ordinary in a completely different light. Other days, it’s being bowled over by a new and extraordinary find!

How old are your children and how would you describe each of them?

Alexis is just about to turn 14…she is an eclectic mix of tomboy meets grace (years of dance helped her with that!). Her beachy waves tell the story of who she is…a chilled out, athletic girl who loves to spend time with her fam and friends, hanging out. Melina is 12 and is a ton of fun…She is a gentle soul who loves nothing more than feeling helpful and needed. Put her in a room full of little kids and she is completely in her zone. On the flipside, she is a comedian and she keeps us guessing with her random and humorous commentaries…that run on and on and on! Lincoln is 9 and I love that he’s not too old to give his mommy a hug and a kiss in front of his friends. He’s a hockey fanatic who loves nothing more than suiting up in his gear and hitting the ice! His outward chatty and boisterous nature belies the fact that he’s a soft hearted kid. All of our kids have the wit that is at least three times as fast as mine!

What do you love most about being a mom?

The daily dose of unquestioning love I get, the joy I have at watching them do what they love and the amazement that I have been trusted with these three awesome kiddos.

What do you find hardest about being a mom?

The daily dose of frustrations….the messy rooms, the newfound teenager “opinions,” the challenge of keeping my word and being consistent. It’s a journey. Plain and simple… crazy enough, a hug/squeeze can squash the frustrations into oblivion in about 2 seconds. That’s a gift!

If you could do the newborn/toddler phase all over again, what would you do the same and what would you do differently?

I would stress less and savour more. I think I was able to do this slightly more with each new baby, but I still wish I could have worried less and lived in the moment more. I would also give more credit to the advice from those I know and love… and less airtime to those I didn’t. If I had to do it over, I would be ever as vigilant in establishing the “sleeping through the night” routine. What can I say? Sleep is HUGE!

What are your top survival tips for pregnancy?

Treat yourself…I remember trying to give myself a pedicure at 8 months pregnant. I only tried that once. After that, pedicures were justified! Getting a good haircut was also right up on the list…it seemed like it was the only part of my body that I could keep control of, so I was going to keep it looking as good as possible!

What are your top survival tips for the first few months after the babe is born?

First, sleep when your baby sleeps. This is tough when you have more than one child, but once the kids are in bed, go to sleep instead of waiting for the last midnight feed! Second, the best advice we ever got was to teach our babies to sleep in a playpen. Unless you’re willing to give up your social life (which I wasn’t!), training your kids to sleep in a playpen was huge!

How do you get away and recharge so you can bring your best to your family and your business?

My parents taught me the importance of “getting away,” specifically as a couple. Growing up, they went away at least once a year without us children. When I entered the married stage, they encouraged us to follow suit…their take on it? If you commit to going, the details (with childcare, etc) will work themselves out! Scott and I look forward to our annual trip away, where we are positive we come back as better spouses and parents. Our kids busy schedules also mean that we are quite selfish about breaks during the school year. We take advantage of any time that we can spend together as a family. And truthfully, it’s hard to put “technology” on hold…but it’s ALWAYS worth it. Recharging is vital to keeping our creativity and sanity.

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Thank you so much for sharing your insights on motherhood, entrepreneurial life and taking good care of yourself at every stage along the way, Laurel! I’m with you – sleep is HUGE and will be big on my “must have” list in those early days. I look forward to being more relaxed and better at looking after myself while caring for this new little person. I think you’re right – experience is an amazing teacher!

Looking forward to sharing the journey with you all.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|August 14th, 2013|0 Comments