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Imagine your name is Lily and you were born on the FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Yes, now imagine it’s 13 years later and you are about to celebrate your Bat Mitzvah. Here is how the parents of Lily Haimes partnered with Heirloom to design the elements for their daughter’s very special day.
A simple consultation blossomed into a spring-like lily logo which was used throughout the invitation suite in different ways. Gorgeous childhood photos of Lily found their home in her custom Heirloom Storybook Invite. We then, wrapped her entire package in lots of pretty colors. Sea blue, spring green, deep purple and sun-touched gold. Guests unwrapped all 4 layers of envelopes for the invitation prize.
This custom invitation suite features an invite book all about lily’s life, a reception card, a response card, and directional card and an assortment of matching envelopes.
A special highlight was coordinating with California-based calligrapher Molly Thorpe of Purabelle, to add her pen & style to our spectacular 7×7 purple envelopes. A nice way to wrap the package.
And and this little custom stamp from zazzle just seals the deal.
Now, please step into this glorious garden reception.
Guests, please sign-in on our wall of boxwood beauty. Wooden letters with dangling markers. Wall courtesy of EVANTINE design. The letters were later hung in Lily’s bedroom.
The most beautiful adult reception table I have ever seen.
Placecard design by Heirloom, Calligraphy by Linda Carol Arts, Arrangement by Evantine design.
And for the kids…their very own larger-than-life seating chart!
Table decor creates the illusion of a garden party. Branch-like chairs and flowers everywhere! Room courtesy of Evantine.
The dance floor embellished with a transfer of lily’s custom logo by Heirloom.
Imagine that…your very own soda station. Wow!
The perfect selfie station! A custom backdrop for happy teenage “photo ops”.
I hope you enjoyed your garden walk though this celebration of Lily. Contact Heirloom for inspiration with your next illuminating event! See our latest video by clicking here Heirloom’s Video.
Thank you for reading my blog. Kim Bensing
In September, I was honoured to design a special “Bat Mitzvah Invitation Suite” for Miss Audrey Cole, a dear friend of my daughter, Kate.
Audrey’s parents shared a family photoshoot from 11 years ago, and with that I began to build a custom book invitation. On the spread below I featured a very sentimental letter written by her parents, paired with a touching portrait converted to black and white.
Inside the book, I included bible verses and more gorgeous monochromatic childhood images.
To accent, I designed a custom logo for Audrey which anchored the invitation book and was also used throughout the event, on t-shirts and other give-aways.
A portrait session with Robyn Graham, Photographer, provided the current image below which was placed opposite the formal invitation to the event.
Celebrating with good friends is absolutely the best way to celebrate. Audrey with Kate at the Waterwheel, Doylestown, PA.
Auxiliary pieces with the full Invitation Suite.
Contact Heirloom to create something special to memorialize your next life or business event.
Memories matter.
Graduation Creation
Graduations are a time to have fun with announcements and personalize them extensively. Above, a journalist’s announcement to his family and friends. Keep it interesting, make it special.
Happy New Year to all my Heirloom friends. It’s been a very long time since my last blog, so here is one to get you thinking about summer again. This is a blog about the ART of creating a party from scratch. Brought to you by the Heirloom Studio in Doylestown, PA, BUT brought to life in Rehoboth, DE. last July.
After years of enjoying the royal treatment from my husband’s parents, it was my turn to treat them. This is how it all went down. I decided on a 70th surprise party ….with lots of twists. It all began with the creation of custom designed wearable TARGET props and a scrolled list of invitation directions, uniquely wrapped in a mailing tube. You’ll see these again soon. All props and party supplies were secretly transported to Rehoboth Beach for the grand unveiling.
Here are my in-laws. Susanne and Jeff Bensing. Two of the jolliest folks I have ever known. They both celebrated their 70th birthdays this summer, which I know is hard to believe just looking at them.
After we tricked them into dressing up for dinner, we laughed instead and handed them a tube with these colorful instructions inside. Instructions read: “Because you were lucky enough to survive the last 70 years, today you have to go on a beach scavenger hunt, while being video-recorded.” Wait til you hear some of the things we had them do.
1. Place these “younger you” faces in front of your current faces, and walk up and down the street introducing yourself to complete strangers. 2. Walk toward the beach and draw a hopscotch on the boardwalk, and begin jumping. 3. Go into a boardwalk shop and ask for shark teeth to replace yours when the fall out. Buy them for the future.
Yes complete strangers. They did it.
4. Choose a spot on the boardwalk to sing a Beach Boys song to the masses. Good sports that they are, they also did this.
5. Place these artfully-designed front/back targets on your shoulders and walk back to the beachhouse. Targets read: “Shoot me because I’m 70!” and “Shoot me because I am nearly 70!”.
Kids and Grands all hid behind trees, cars and houses with water guns waiting for the “AMBUSH”. Yes, we got them…good!
They hid behind me, the camera girl, but I was simply too fast.
After they dried off, we surprised them with polka dot cupcakes, popcorn cups, ice cream sodas and an assortment of fun games and activities they played against their grandkids for prizes!
All the games had my in-laws competing against their grandkids. Prizes included great memory makers such as: “A morning walk with nana”, “An ice cream treat with Doc (my father in law)”, “A trip to candy kitchen”, “A breakfast alone with your grandchild”.
Here we have the “Great Bubble Blow”. Judges chose the largest soap bubble blown.
This was probably the hardest contest to judge.
Next we had a “Bubble gum blowing contest”.
“The Great Lick Off – A lollipop licking contest”. The fastest wins.
“Traditional apple bobbing”.
Even “Rubber Duckie Water Races” in the pool. No hands, just current. First one to the other side wins!
It was a great day, and a forever young way to celebrate 2 very happy lives.
Back to front: Kim, Mike, Kyle, Angie, Doc, Susanne, Tessa, Kate, Anya, Luke, Noah, Blake and Nick.
I was recently asked to become a founding member and designer for an elite group of specialists, the Bucks County Event Specialists. We are all award-winning Bucks County Artisans, creating together and inspiring each other, to elevate upcoming special events. So whatever your event, holiday party, birthday, anniversary brunch, wedding, backyard picnic…let us help you elevate. Follow us on facebook.
*Design
*Illustration
*Invitations
*Calligraphy
*Photography
*Printing
*Florals
*Favors
*Make-up
*Music
*Culinary
It feels good to win. Recently Heirloom held a facebook contest and Katie Hopkins Kessell of Bucks County won our GRAND PRIZE DESIGN: her very own LOGO!
Several designs were submitted and this is the one she chose. It’s nice to have your own piece of graphic art to use whenever you want, on whatever you want. Here are some great uses:
Gobo lights for a party or event
Gigantic wall art for a kids room
Box design for homemade holiday sweets
Fabulous family t-shirts for a vacation or reunion
Rubber stamps for classy mail
Trendy designed cake topper for an anniversary or birthday
Cocktail napkins for funky backyard events
Wine or beer bottle labels
Thank you cards for everyone
Custom designed hair ribbons
Fabric or wallpaper design
Designer luggage tags
Personal gift tags
Personal logos $100, Corporate logo design by appointment
I had to blog this find right away. It was just THAT cool.
My brother sent me to this wonderful site called Child’s Own Studio that creates a doll out of your child’s piece of art. Is that not one of the coolest things you’ve ever seen? Holidays are coming. Check them out at www.childsown.com
I am not sure what prompted this, my desire for a pretty laundry room, or the nearing of Mother’s Day, but I recently decided to give this little room of ours a much deserved facelift. Most of you know we live in a 19th century farmhouse in PA, so prior to the redesign, laundry was not such a great experience in our home. Baskets teetered on an ENORMOUS wash sink that just didn’t fit the room, and there was absolutely nothing to look at while washing and folding clothes, day after day, hour after hour.
One day this spring I decided to change all that. After I forced my loving husband to agree with me (the toughest obstacle of all), we ripped out the gargantuan sink and faucet and patched the holes. Next we mixed up a bunch of old white paint left over from other jobs and just got to painting, praying I had just enough to cover the walls. I did. Then we bought a little bit of white base trim and covered some old glue that was all around the bottom of the wall to make it disappear.
We kept the same washer and dryer, as an upgrade was not necessary quite yet, but needed to hide the old pipes behind them, so I bought a shabby chic valance and draped it across a wrought iron curtain rod I had lying around, and attached it to a shelf. Presto…pipes gone, but still easily accessible.
We added a pegged shelf from another room, to hold memories and vintage laundry items I’ve been collecting. One of the items I’ve collected is an antique ironing board which I propped against the wall. Next to it I added an old white window that I found in my barn. I grabbed several christening dresses I have acquired from family and hung them on antique baby hangers. The linen dress on the far left adorned every child on my mom’s side of the family since 1927. All 3 of my children were baptised in this precious heirloom. But the main focus of my new room is a small sepia photograph of my mother pushing a bike at the age of 2. She sits centered above the ironing board right in the middle of “our new room”. Since I lost her 21 years ago this May, it’s nice to see her every day now. She certainly makes doing laundry much less of a chore.
This mother’s day week find your least favorite room and give it new life. Use your imagination and your Heirlooms, instead of your wallet. Total cost of renovation. $15 for wood trim, $50 for 2 white valances and $8 for a basket hook. All the rest came from upcycling and repositioning.
Antique ironing board framed by my collection of sepia children in white dresses, including mom, above ironing board.
An old window and a linen curtain hang next to my collection of sepia children in white dresses.
Find a stylish book to prop, grab a little lamp, and take a glass bowl and fill it with laundry detergent, then add a little tin scooper. This adds a fresh linen scent to the room, naturally. I just reach up and grab soap powder.
Found this great oval bucket one day and couldn’t pass it up. Paired it with an embroidered laundry bag I’ve had for decades. It was probably my mom’s.
Here is the collection of linen christening dresses. Some from my side, some from Mike’s. The one on the left has been passed down in my family since 1927, and christened my grandfather, my 3 children and almost every cousin and aunt and uncle in between. Antique laundry beater hangs alongside.
Pretty basket hook from Lowes.
Make sure it’s sturdy enough for everyday use.
Above the pegged shelf I have an assortment of things I just pulled from places around my home. Vintage sewing spools plopped in a cream crock, a little white McCoy pitcher with flowers, a vintage comb and brush holder and a book I love about New England design. Above all is a framed vintage school photo passed to me from my mother’s sister. The pretty white vase came from the salvation army shop, and I placed scrub brushes inside.
This wooden yellow table (now work surface) was just the right narrow width for the space. This, I found a long time ago at the Habitat for Humanity Re-sale store. It was a steal. I “repurposed pottery barn baskets” which were once lined in red checkered fabric and used in my children’s playroom, a gift from my mother-in-law. Now they store, plastic bags, rags and detergent under the table very neatly.
Found a wrought iron curtain rod and attached it to the shelf with a white eye-hook. Draped the valances to hide the ugly pipes and knobs. Who wants to see that!
A wrought iron candle holder from my uncle’s farmhouse. Incidentally, my mother’s brother.
I took a glass bowl from my kitchen and filled it with detergent, then found a old tin cup to scoop soap into the machine. The tin cup came from my mom.
And old lantern I had lying around, a framed piece of art from a neighbor and the framed photograph I had commissioned of the 1927 vintage christening gown sit on this shelf, along with dryer sheets tucked into a basket for easy access. I use the little lamp for all-day lighting. It provides a nice glow.
It’s Easter, my favorite week of the year. As I watch the birds outside my studio perch on limbs with brand new buds, I anxiously prepare for our Annual Vintage Easter Brunch. Each year I try some new ideas, simple cakes, lavender cookies, and a little luxurious outdoor table art. We live in the Northeast, so we can’t always rely on the weather to cooperate, but we try our best to set a few pretty tables outside, just in case we get lucky!
I am obsessed, by the way, with this artform, so I studied the internet for some great examples for you. You can also see them on my new pinterest board which will be continuously updated, Outdoor Tables.
Here are some simple ideas that do NOT need to be reserved for weddings and big events. Try some of these the next time your best friend is coming over for lemonade, or when your kids invite a few friends for backyard soccer. Lovely ideas when the neighbors stop by with a new bottle of wine. And remember, don’t buy anything, instead use vintage tablecloths from your grandmother, buckets from your shed, pretty vintage glasses from a consignment shop, and any pretty plates you pick up! Place your table in an unexpected spot and enjoy.
Take note of the bucket of flowers off to the side and the mix matched chairs –
all colorful and perfectly positioned in this lovely orange grove above.
I think this table is stunning. Fun bird houses dangling from trees.
You can use a giant curtain and just throw it over any old table.
I just love lime, so this image above spoke to me.
I could not take my eyes off this table and natural lattice. Dangle a little chandelier, and you are all set.
This is colorful and fun. Just hang some paper butterflies or birds above your table of cakes.
Every afternoon should look like this.
My favorite place.
Above I love the big benches and the huge vase of water and greens.
Simple and easy. Enjoy Easter and Passover, a little bit outside if you can!
– Award-winning, CUSTOM DESIGNED STORY INVITATIONS for EVERY EVENT –
One thing I love to do is blow up random photos of my family and frame them for our playroom and art studio. We recently renovated an outbuilding and turned it into a loft playroom with an attached art studio for the kids. We host rockin’ birthday parties, paint girl scout Swiss Alps props and even create soap box derby cars with a whole gang of Adventure Guides and dads, right in our backyard.
So to decorate on the cheap, while on vacations or in interesting places, I constantly instruct my kids to flash me a smile, and pop out for quick snapshots. Every once in a while, a great photo emerges – which is amazing, considering my lack of pre-planning! When I do find an intriguing shot, I blow it up to a 10×13 poster via Snapfish and frame it in a lime green metal frame from Michaels. The playroom and art studio walls are now covered from floor to ceiling. I love it that way.
These two shots are taken while touring the mansions of Newport Ct. It’s not all about the homes. I often use the grounds of famous sites to capture their cheeky grins. Try that next time you are on vacation.
Below is one of my all-time favorites. It was completely UNSTAGED. Blake was running from a very slow apple tractor at Solebury Orchards here in Bucks County. The funny thing about this is that he was running in slow motion when I turned to take his picture. I am so glad I captured this, it reminds me of the apple picking day we had and is now hanging on my wall forever. Take your camera EVERYWHERE… you never know what is waiting or who is running in slow motion.
Heirloom
– Award-winning, CUSTOM DESIGNED STORY INVITATIONS for EVERY EVENT –
Creating Heirlooms 
