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Imagine designing your life-changing event around a bird, albeit a gorgeous fowl. These two cuties did.
Nicole Ponist and Devon Simmons met their junior year in high school at Central Bucks East. It’s fortunate that they met because they had so much in common, sort of.
The couple approached Heirloom to design their 2013 “Peacock Inspired” wedding suite. Heirloom took the challenge. Since we had the dear bird for reference, colors were easy. Jewel-tones print very well, but we needed a concept. How does a designer take two similar but drastically different personalities and combine them into one compelling STORY of Love?
I began by pointing our their similarities, I mean differences, with little bubble pages and bound and entitled them…Birds of a Feather, a glorious tale of Nicole and Devon.
This is the cover of their 8-page wedding invitation book.
Inside, I tell the tale of how they met, why they love and on the last page, invite guests to their “flocking”, or ceremony of marriage. Dating images and jewel-toned bubbles convey their messages of loves & likes.
Giant Polka-dot Programs rounded out their suite and little hand-made round guest tablets and peacock pens made interesting Sand Castle Winery Placecards and Favors- all in one.
Even the funky response cards prove rsvp’s should never be dull.
I enjoyed the simple but very nice “peacockish” touch created with the little polka-dot table numbers. This is a great example of creativity ruling over cost!
The very simple bold confidence of their cake, really impressed me.
Feathers off to Nicole and Devon. Wedding well done.
Contact Kim at Heirloom for help designing your next life-changing event!
The countdown is on for Valentines day, my second favorite holiday of the year. So in honour of St. Valentine, I am sharing inspirations, tales, ideas, and images of My True Loves. Soak them in & celebrate these weeks of waiting, sentimentally.
To begin, it’s certainly not cheating if I am in love with a font, or twenty. Here’s one I desire. It’s called Desire, and it’s designed by lettering artist Charles Borges de Oliveira. With hundreds of ligatures and alternates, the sky’s the limit.Yippee.
“Always choose the right font.” People notice even though they don’t realize it. Heirloom’s –The Art of Marriage– Wedding Suite created for Stephanie and Clayton Kissel and their wedding at Fonthill Castle, told their true love story, with text.
This font is Absinthe. It’s just perfect.
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.
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
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 –
This weekend I had an urge to start making things. Little things out of little things. I found plastic pieces, paper, buttons and glue and all I wanted to do was spend a day building stuff. The kids were home, but sadly, no one shared my enthusiasm.
Not sure why…because as I recall, just last February, on one particular snowday, the EXACT same three children and I had the urge to BUILD some Valentines. There was no special trip to the store, no pre-planning. We just loaded the table with our STUFF and began creating. I hope our story inspires you this February.
1. It helps to start with a good frosty day.
2.Grab good stuff & just place on table.
3. Separate, review, put on some music and then build build build!
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Just last week I was commissioned by Pearl S. Buck International to create the logo above for their annual Taste of the World event. The event will take place on Friday, May 18th under a garden tent, on the grounds of the beautiful estate in Bucks County. The creative process was such a nice collaboration, they then asked if I could update their sponsorship brochure, below, in time for a mail date at the end of the week. This is a wonderful event to attend and Heirloom Corporate is proud to make a contribution. See other logo work by Heirloom.
“Take one look at our Taste of the World logo and you can clearly see the creativity that came from Kim Bensing at Heirloom-Occasions. What you can not readily see is how great it was to work with Kim on the project. She truly delivered despite a tight deadline. As a designer she comes to the table with a lot of great ideas and a tremendous enthusiasm for the creative process.”
Pam Carroll
Marketing Director
Pearl S Buck International
A little bit about Pearl S. Buck International
Pearl S. Buck International is the umbrella organization under which Welcome House’s international adoption programs, Opportunity House’s child sponsorship programs, and the Pearl S. Buck House National Historic Landmark operate.
Welcome House® was founded by Ms. Buck in 1949 as the first international, inter-racial adoption agency in the United States. Later, in 1964, the Pearl S. Buck Foundation (now called Opportunity House) was established to address the issues of poverty and discrimination faced by children in Asian countries. Then, before her death in 1973, Pearl Buck bequeathed her 68-acre Bucks County estate, Green Hills Farm, to what would eventually become the headquarters for Pearl S. Buck International.
Pearl S. Buck International is dedicated to preserving the legacy of this incredible woman through the programs for which she dedicated her life.
Consider purchasing tickets to Taste of the World 2012 or sponsoring a child through this very good cause.
Heirloom – Award-winning, CUSTOM DESIGNED STORY INVITATIONS for EVERY EVENT.
Happy New Year. After that cold spell a few days ago, aren’t we all ready for a little snow shower? If it’s going to freeze, I think we should shiver in a blanket of white. There is something very pretty about a simple snowflake. Here is the story of how one transformed a July wedding. Yes, you heard me, July.
Several years ago, my sister and brother-in-law came to me searching for the perfect wedding story to enhance their invitations. After a few conversations we settled on a sweet and simple story they told me about their engagement. The entire suite consisted of several 4″x 4″ stacked square cards tucked into a hand-sewn cream fabric pocket and placed into a decorative square envelope.
Quickly we had the story, then the words developed, but we still needed the ART. We decided to commission a dear friend of the bride. This subtle cream snowflake illustration was painted with watercolors and then used as the central focus throughout the wedding. Taking advantage of the talents of a friend or family member to create your artwork, saves on costs and adds that “something sentimental” to your day.
Small response cards, doubling as escort cards, were die-cut into circles and hung on a tree of brown branches to look like snow. Guests removed them to find their table.
Little square Thank You Cards were included in the stationary suite. They were printed at the same time to save money, but sent after the affair. If you or someone you know is planning a winter event (or even one in July), Take a look a this blog by the Offbeat Bride – Alter your thinking. I hope it alters your plans.
Thank you to my dear loyal readers. Contact Kim at Heirloom to design your next event whether large or just a simple snowflake of an idea.
Creating Heirlooms 
