5 PUMPKIN DESSERTS

Just a warning: this month's posts are going to be full of all things fall!

Yesterday, painted pumpkins. Today, pumpkin desserts. You can also expect pumpkin food (non-desserts) and drinks in the future. I like pumpkin stuff. It's delicious. The good news is, you won't have to scramble around before family get-togethers this fall for something to make because I did all of the searching for you (and now I'm hungry).

Here are the 5 pumpkin desserts I found that made me drool the most (I excluded pumpkin pie because it's kinda boring. Delicious...but boring):

Recipes:

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting | Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies | Pumpkin Fudge | Pumpkin Doughnut Holes Baked with Cinnamon Sugar

PAINTED PUMPKIN IDEAS

It's already October! That means it's time to start thinking about fall decorations. I've never been a big Halloween fan, but I do like to decorate pumpkins in the fall, and painting rather than carving seems like a great alternative. Less mess and more options! Here is some inspiration:

Image Sources & Tutorials:

ombre | white pumpkin with flowers | glitter | candy corn | gold foil | geometric

NEW WEDDING ORDER PACKAGING

I have written before about my packaging for HWP, but lately I've been wanting to take it up a notch, especially for wedding orders. Packaging is something that I find not only fun, but also really important. The wedding invitations industry is pretty flooded right now, so I want my customers to know how much I appreciate them choosing me out of all the other options. I think one of the best ways to do that is to make the experience of opening their order really exciting and fun. I want them to feel like they're getting a present, not just a purchase.

Outside the box:

I added this sticker...

...and a logo stamp to make the boring brown box a little more unique.

Inside:

I made a quick and easy little garland out of washi tape and strung it to the top of the box.

Then I added colorful elements like the thank you sticker and mini business cards. I want the box to feel like a celebration, so I punch some big confetti circles out of tissue paper and sprinkle them around the box. 

One of my favorite additions to my packaging is a little muslin bag with these sheets I designed with tips to have a more joyful (less stressful) wedding. As exciting as the engagement experience is, it's also a time where a lot of couples feel stressed and overwhelmed, so I added these as a way to remind couples to enjoy this time and remember what's important.

I hope that these additions will make my customers smile, and make opening their mail a little more exciting!

LINK LOVE / 33

This Twitter handle will take you back to the days of AOL messenger haha - made me laugh: @yourawaymessage

Well this is strange.

I was obsessed with The Babysitter's Club books when I was younger, so this made me happy.

Reese Witherspoon named her son Tennessee - here's a list of other place names.

Articles like this one make me happy to be a small business owner right now!

Memories from fifth grade

HIMYM (and really anything with Jason Segel):

This little pumpkin:

Brad Goreski has some awesome business cards:

These pretty scrap paper bottles:

I made these party garland invitations inspired by the Confetti System tassel garlands (which I love, I mean who doesn't?):

...and much more on Pinterest! Follow me?

Have a great weekend!

CHEAP VINTAGE CAMERA ART

I have to share this free download that I came across on The Design Editor blog. The blog writer, Catherine, enlarged photos of her vintage cameras at Staples for around 3 bucks and you can download her photos for free and do the same! Really cool art for cheap = awesome.