real families choose elm & gray | holiday edition!

One of the most rewarding things about being a designer is the thrill I get knowing that real families are choosing my work to be a part of their lives in some intimate, special way. Whether it's a personalized pillow to add a special touch to their family room or announcing the birth of their newborn to the world...it will NEVER get old.

To celebrate this, I have decided to start a series where I showcase families who have chosen Elm & Gray to be a part of their lives!

So...today I introduce my newest "real family"! Please meet Lauren and her beautiful NYC based family!

Happy Holidays Lauren! I was so excited when I bumped into you on instagram and followed you over to your adorable blog. I love that social media can help two strangers connect like this! Can you please tell me a little bit about yourself?

I started my blog, mama{love}, in April 2013, with the hopes of creating a site where moms can find not only useful parenting information, but also follow me as I chronicle my own journey. The site has evolved from a personal blog to a resource for anything from reviews of the latest products on the baby market to weekly lists of mama must-haves to listings of my favorite places in NYC for families. When it comes to parenting, I LOVE writing about it all: from pregnancy to preschool. As my own children grow, so does my site, and if it weren't for them, none of this would exist. Outside of mama{love}, I also do freelance social media consulting and contribute to other parenting sites. 

My husband, Joe, and I are both teachers for over 10 years at the same outstanding NYC public middle school. We live in Manhattan with our two amazing kids: Brody, 4.5 and Harper, 2.5.  As a family, we love music, travel, cooking together, and thrive off of the upbeat city life. 

Your kids are so gorgeous! I spent some time on your blog and especially loved the post about their amazing shared bedroom! You have a great eye for design! Can you tell me how you picked out your holiday card this year?

We came across Elm & Gray on Tiny Prints, with whom we were collaborating for our 2014 family holiday card. I chose the Eternally Blessed Holiday Card with Slate text. I loved the modern design with the metallic accents, but simplicity of the card. I would classify my style in decor, fashion and pretty much in life as “understated elegance”. I like polish, but not appearing overdone: bohemian with a touch of contemporary and this card was exactly that. It provided a beautiful backdrop for our family photo and our friends and family loved it. 

Because it is the holidays AND seeing my cards out in the real world makes me shine with pride...I wanted to share several other amazing customer photos that I found! I am humbled to know that so many people have chosen my cards to share the spirit of the holidays with their loved ones. BEST. FEELING. EVER.

This photo was taken by Victoria Farnsworth. Victoria is the voice behind a kickass fashion blog, Fashion Flirtation.  You can follow her on instagram // @victoriafarnsworth or facebook // Fashion Fliration Blog

This little gem was taken by Adrian Perry. Adrian is a creative and visual stylist! How fun is that?! You can read about her and check out some of her beautiful work here. For lots of visual styling eye candy, follow her on instagram // @adrianjosephine

I was excited to run across this particular card because I haven't even seen one of my gold foil designs in person yet! This card and gorgeous family belongs to Eva Clark of Belle of the Ball Events. You can read all about Eva and her successful wedding planning business on her website.  You can also follow her in instagram // @belleoftheballevents or facebook // Belle of the Ball Events

Last, but not least, is Christine and her two gorgeous boys, Colin and Jaden! You can follow Christine on instagram // @roxywahine

From my family to yours.....I wish you all a holiday season filled with peace, love, joy and happiness and a healthy and prosperous new year!

xoxo

real families choose elm & gray | the coulter's

One of the most rewarding things about being a designer is the thrill I get knowing that real families are choosing my work to be a part of their lives in some intimate, special way. Whether it's a personalized pillow to add a special touch to their family room or announcing the birth of their newborn to the world...it will NEVER get old.

To celebrate this, I have decided to start a series where I showcase families who have chosen Elm & Gray to be a part of their lives!

So...today I introduce my newest "real family"! Please meet the Coulter's!

Jesse!  I am honored that you've agreed to let me share your sweet family! Please tell us a little about yourself!

Hi there! Jesse here and I write a lifestyle blog, JESSE COULTER, in Austin, TX. My husband and I have a 2 year old son, no pets, and ongoing home projects!

I've spent some time on your blog, it is adorable! You know who else is adorable??? Your sweet little boy, Turner! Can you tell me a little about his recent birthday party?

When planning my son’s 2nd birthday, I knew I wanted a simple birthday theme. I’m not in to character birthdays (at least not yet, because my son doesn’t know how to request it). I found your perfectly simple and beautifully designed invitation on Tiny Prints and fell in love. I knew the black & white polka dots would be the perfect theme. Originally, I bought mainly black & white décor, but as Halloween approached, Target pulled me in with their décor. Halloween is my favorite holiday (also my birthday month), so I decided to incorporate orange and some Halloween décor.  The party was perfect with family, friends and great food. I think I’ll have many more Halloween themed parties in the future.

I love the photo that you used for his invitation! It was a perfect choice - seems to really capture his personality and looks great with the card you chose!

My friend and photographer, Kim, of Kim Neuman Photography took these amazing photos of my son for the invitations and party. 

She did an amazing job!  Just for fun, can you give us a few "random facts" about your family?

1. Turner was named after my maiden name, which is always a bit hard to let go. 

2. My husband and I are avid Dave Ramsey fans and are trying to become debt free and then pay off our house. Can you imagine having no debt and no mortgage? We can’t wait till that day, and are saving like crazy. Although, we do save to go on a trip just the two of us every year.

3. We have painted every square inch of my home. Every wall, door, and piece of trim. Might be one of my proudest accomplishments, other than having my son naturally (won’t be doing that the 2nd time around). You can see most of our home renovations projects here!

4. We have never celebrated a holiday at home, and most likely won’t.  Our families live a few hours away in opposite directions, and we travel to them for Thanksgiving/Christmas (rotating each holiday w/each family).  I don’t think negatively of it, because growing up it was the same for myself. We would take a road trip to my grandparents every year, and celebrate the holidays with lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and a big feast.

5. I am a contributor for Austin Moms Blog, which is a great resource for any Mom in any stage of life. You can check out my posts here!

Thanks again Jesse! I am so honored that you chose my design to celebrate your little boys birthday! Wishing you and your sweet family lots of continued love and happiness! xoxo