Chrissy Marie Design

We've Moved!

2011-07-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Chrissy Marie Design is now Whimsy Place! We specialize in designer announcements and cards for every occasion. Visit our new blog at www.whimsyplaceblog.blogspot.com.

And to kick things off we are doing a $50 giveaway!

Hurry over now to enter.

{Beauty}

2010-10-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have a folder on my desktop that is titled, "inspiration". It's for those images I find that I just love.
It's the folder I go to when I need a fresh idea or just some eye candy.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure where I snagged this image but isn't it fabulous?

I love the colors and what a clever decorating idea to have a framed eye chart.

It reminds me of Potterybarn and their use of letters and numbers in decorating all the time.

Look closely and you'll see it says, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Thank you to those who pointed it out to me! :)

I decided that it can't be that hard to make. So I went at it in Photoshop, sent it to Costco to be printed,

threw it in one of my frames (you can find those on my website) and had it up on the wall in minutes.

Voila! YES! I love instant gratification.

Its not identical, I'll admit but still so cute!

I LOVE seeing this lovely on the wall every time I pass by.

My husband doesn't understand the whole having-an-eye-chart-on-the-wall thing but,

let's face it, what husband would? To his credit, he still hung it for me, adding,

"Only because I love you." Aww.

SO... here's the freebie part. I realize the image below is probably cut off on your screen.

It is, however, the full size JPEG of what you see above. Simply right click, press Save As and

save it somewhere. Then, send it to be printed as a photo and you too can have an eye chart

on your wall!

If your husband asks about it, just tell him you thought he and the kids needed their eye site checked... daily... :)

{Featured}

2010-10-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was featured the other day on My Giveaway Today, a fun site that features a give away every day for it's readers.

I gave away one $75 gift certificate and two $25 gift certificates towards Christmas Cards. I am absolutely astounded at the response! There were over 500 comments on the giveaway.

You can see for yourself here.

I will be featured again the second week in November on My Giveaway Today- I'll post when it gets closer so you can check it out and enter yourself into the giveaway :)

In the meantime, don't forget to enter into the giveaway here on the Chrissy Marie Design blog. Just comment anywhere on the blog and become a follower and you're entered! I will be choosing the winner in November.

AND since fall is now in full swing, here is some fall prettiness.

Such a classy way to do a fall dinner party!

I can almost feel the crisp Halloween air :)

I found these pretty pictures here and here.

GIVEAWAY!!

2010-10-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's giveaway time!! I am so excited to be offering these gorgeous, bright, and fun Christmas cards that I am going to give one lucky person a

Free set of 50 Christmas Cards!!

$75 value

These 6x6 cards are printed on the highest quality linen paper (you know, the real textured stuff!) in full color. Envelopes included.

There are 8 templates to choose from (more coming soon!) and custom card design is available for only $30.

Send Christmas cards that will bring happiness and cheer wherever they go :)

All you have to do to enter is:

Become a follower (on the sidebar)
Leave a comment anywhere on this blog with your email address.
You must do both to be entered!
To be entered a second time, post this giveaway on your blog or facebook with a link. Make sure to tell me you did it in your comment.

That's it!

The winner will be chosen November 15th, just in time to get these little lovelies out to your friends and family.

If you don't want to wait until November 15th to order your cards, click on the "ORDERING INFO" tab at the top of the page.

{The Clarks}

2010-10-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

I got to spend time with this cute (and SO fun) family this last week. I love them!

Grandma and Grandpa with their grandkids.

Look at those BLUE eyes!

Haha. I love the emotion this shot captures.

I caught the lovers in a hug...

SO cute! Don't you just want to squeeze those adorable little cheeks?

I think it was getting to be nap time...

This little girl is SO stinking adorable. I just can't get enough!

She was quite the little poser for me too...

Aunt Charity was behind me giving directions...

Mommy and daughter :)

Give a little love.

{Klint & Mary}

2010-10-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Klint & Mary Brearton were the videographers at the first wedding I photographed. She had seen my frames and photography at a booth we did in the Freedom Festival and, after talking for a bit, we decided we should do a trade! She wanted pictures of her and Klint and I wanted a wedding video. Klint did our wedding video last fall (which I absolutely love!) and Mary decided it was time this year to cash in on their side of the trade.

So we headed up the canyon to get some fun fall shots. We caught the fall leaves right at the end of changing- it seemed. The colors were gorgeous!

I love these two!

Thanks for the fun afternoon, Klint & Mary!

You two are so much fun :)

{freebie}

2010-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

I have a folder on my desktop that is titled, "inspiration". It's for those images I find that I just love.

It's the folder I go to when I need a fresh idea or just some eye candy.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure where I snagged this image but isn't it fabulous?

I love the colors and what a clever decorating idea to have a framed eye chart.

It reminds me of Potterybarn and their use of letters and numbers in decorating all the time.

I decided that it can't be that hard to make. So I went at it in Photoshop, sent it to Costco to be printed,
threw it in one of my frames (you can find those on my website) and had it up on the wall in minutes.

Voila! YES! I love instant gratification.

Its not identical, I'll admit (though you'll notice I did copy what letters I could see) but still so cute!

I LOVE seeing this lovely on the wall every time I pass by.

My husband doesn't understand the whole having-an-eye-chart-on-the-wall thing but,

let's face it, what husband would? To his credit, he still hung it for me, adding,

"Only because I love you." Aww.

SO... here's the freebie part. I realize the image below is probably cut off on your screen.

It is, however, the full size JPEG of what you see above. Simply right click, press Save As and

save it somewhere. Then, send it to be printed as a photo and you too can have an eye chart

on your wall!

If your husband asks about it, just tell him you thought he and the kids needed their eye site checked... daily... :)

{DIY Tile Coasters}

2010-10-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

My family and I were in San Francisco a few weeks ago. We were right on the bay doing some shopping in the beautiful sunny weather when I came across a cute little tile shop. My first thought was to get some number tiles for our front door, but, couldn't bring myself to pay $7 a tile! I was so sad because I love the authenticity of these tiles- they are straight from Mexico!

But just my luck, they had a pile of tiles in the back of the store marked down to $1 a piece! Most of my DIY projects come from a fantastic deal I just cant pass up. I then start thinking, what could I do with these?

And the idea popped in my head: coasters!

For this project, you will need:

Tiles (I used 5)

sponge brush

paint

cork

scissors

glue

Aren't they darling? I love the little whale.

Tiles are almost always unfinished on the sides- you can see they are made of real adobe. While I wouldn't mind keeping them adobe, I think painting them will add an extra touch.

I love that they feel really eclectic- no two are the same- but keeping the colors uniform still make them

feel like a set.

First, I happened to have some off-white paint and took a brush to the sides. You can paint the sides

whatever color you like! Blue would have been cute too.

They look a little more uniform now.

Next, trace your tiles onto your cork. I picked this up at Michaels for $5.99. You can also buy cork in

rolls. Anything will work really. You could even use fabric or felt. I tend to be very simplistic and use

whatever I can find lying around.

You can see this cork is really thin. It just needs to act as a slip-resister (is that a word?!)

Next, glue your cork onto the tile. I used Allen's tacky glue from Walmart but you can use any glue, really. Even elmers would do the job.

Let your coasters dry upside down (imagine coasters stuck to the table or each other) and then put them on your side table as a cute decoration :)

Voila!

Easy Peasy (and cute, I might add) and took only about 15 minutes to finish. And for just about $7.50 a

set, this is just my kind of project.

Look at those! They have oh-so-much character. AND no one else will have the same set as you!

Well, almost no one. They were such a great deal, I just HAD to buy two more sets to give away as

gifts. If you are one of my friends, don't be surprised if this is your Christmas gift :)

Happy coaster making!

{morton family}

2010-09-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

OH! How I love this family.

Not just because the boys are SO STINKIN CUTE...

But also because I've watched them grow up since they were babes.

And because Courtney is one of my best friends.

And because sweet little Mitch boy is about the closest to heaven you can get.

And because we just plain have so much fun taking pictures!

I asked Major to show me the dirt clad he was about to throw.

Pretty soon Maddock needed to show me his too.

Then Maj decided he was going to one-up that.

you're gorgeous Court!

{just because}

2010-09-21T00:43:00.001-07:00

I love birdies

{nothing better}

2010-09-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

than getting your hands a little grubby on the beach.

{baby toes}

2010-09-21T00:30:00.000-07:00

there's nothing better than a sweet new baby.

except for maybe that sweet new baby's toes :)

{first}

2010-09-21T00:19:00.000-07:00

I was looking through old photos and came across this....

My first bride.

LOVE this photo.

{my mom}

2010-09-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

finished her 3rd round of chemo today.

3 down, 1 to go.

love you mom!

{fun}

2010-09-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

These two adorable little ones, and their mom and dad and I

got together for a fun photo shoot. But that's not all we did...

folded our arms for taffy...

thoroughly enjoyed the taffy...

were so dang cute for the camera...

got a little silly...

played on the train tracks...

got off the tracks to watch the train come by...

And just plain had a good time!

Are they not just the cutest family you've ever seen?!

Thank you Chris, Cami, Talmage & Chloe for a very fun afternoon :)

{bride}

2010-09-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

I feel so lucky to get to relive my wedding day through each new bride.

the love

the excitement

the pure bliss

Isn't she just beautiful?

{love}

2010-09-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

is in the air.

I had the pleasure of photographing Ernesto and Kirsten at the electric theatre in Salt Lake. It's where they met and full of memories for the cute couple. You could say their love was ELECTRIC. :)

{lucky)

2010-09-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky

to be able to call this little one

my own.

I love you baby Crew.

{thank you}

2010-09-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

To me, there is something so special about saying thank you. I remember a church lesson when I was probably 14 about the importance of thanking others for what they do. The teacher also quoted Marjorie Hinkley who said that saying "thank you" is a mark of an educated person.

I have never forgotten that lesson and I feel like it has changed my life in a significant way. Since then, I have tried my hardest to be a thankful person: To thank my loved ones for acts of kindness, to thank acquaintances for a job well done, to thank a complete stranger for opening the door for me.

When Lance and I were married, I was overwhelmed at the amount of generous gifts we received from everyone. I insisted on writing each of the thank you cards by hand, not realizing that I would literally get blisters from writing for so long. But it was worth it! I wanted each person to know how much their kindness meant to us.

I also LOVE getting a thank you card in the mail-- or finding one lying on my pillow, placed lovingly by a dear friend or a sweet husband.

So, as you can see-- I really mean it when I say I get EXCITED about thank you cards :)

And I'm excited to be offering them now- printed on textured linen paper in full, bright color (as always)

To order, go to my website (link the sidebar) or email chrissymariedesign@gmail.com.

{introducing}

2010-09-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

The 2010 line of Christmas cards!

I am so excited to announce that I will be offering Christmas card custom design - as well as templates to choose from. I bought a brand spakin' new printer that is specially for cards. This thing is awesome! The color is fantastic and the paper will be heavy textured linen paper. Mmmmm. Eye candy if I ever knew it!

Here are just a few of the templates you can choose from.

I will post more templates to choose from as I finish them. I'm also busy designing thank-you cards, you're invited cards, announcements, and everything in between!

48 6x6 cards with envelopes are $75. To order, click on "website" on the sidebar or email me at chrissymariedesign@gmail.com. Orders will be taken on a first-come first-serve basis so be sure to get your Christmas card orders in quickly!

{stacia}

2010-03-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

Remember these pictures?

I had the pleasure of photographing this adorable little one again today for her first birthday...

She was such a doll and I kept getting the most adorable smiles out of her :) Her mom, Shannon, always has the cutest ideas! Thanks Shannon! I had a great time today :)

{Baby Adi}

2010-03-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

Just a couple from my photo shoot with this sweet little one.

She didn't like the whole idea of getting moved around and the poor thing was crying

almost the entire time. But we got some really great shots. Thanks to her parents for

being such good sports!

{carlee bridals}

2010-03-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

I have so many photo shoots that I've neglected to post about. For now,

just a quick preview of my time spent with this beautiful bride and her husband-to-be.

Look at her gorgeous red hair!

Wedding date is fast approaching - I cant wait to capture every moment :)

{so}

2010-01-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't noticed, I have been on a hiatus from Chrissy Marie Design.

I'm so sorry to everyone I've had to turn away over the last few months.

I'm pregnant, and we are thrilled about it, but I was extremely sick for quite

some time. So sick, unfortunately, that I could hardly leave the house, not to

mention make picture frames or take pictures!

I am happy to announce, however, that I am feeling much better and am now

booking for spring photo shoots! I am also busy planning a new line of decor

including framed chalk boards, jewelry boards, magnet boards, animal-print-stained

frames and more! I can hardly wait to get started on it all.

So stay tuned! I promise you wont be sorry :)

{Sainsbury}

2009-10-28T16:44:00.001-07:00

Today, the Sainsbury family and I weathered the storm for our photoshoot on the Spanish

Fork fairgrounds. Despite the freezing temperature and biting wind, the kids were so pleasant

and smiled perfectly for the camera! What more could a photographer ask for?

Cami met me at the UVU women's expo and we have been planning to go out for pictures

for some time. I'm glad it finally worked out with everyone's busy schedules.

I just couldn't get enough of these adorable kids and their mom had them dressed so darling!

Thank you Cami!

{Richards}

2009-10-28T16:37:00.001-07:00

The Richards family and I headed up the mountain in Pleasant Grove to get some family

pictures this last week. The lighting was perfect thanks to the overcast sky and,

while we had a strong-willed little one at first, mom and dad gave her some

fruit snacks and I have never seen a mood change so quickly! :)

From lack of time, I have posted just a few from our photoshoot.

Isn't she just the cutest?

{emma}

2009-10-28T16:31:00.001-07:00

Emma is such a darling girl and it was an absolute pleasure taking

her pictures this last week! We went to Wheeler Farms in Sandy. I have

never been there before but loved all the fun picture backdrop options they had.

Emma was so pleasant, as you can see, and I was happy to get so many good shots.

{shumways}

2009-10-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

{winner}

2009-10-15T08:29:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone that entered! We had 49 altogether, a much larger response than

I had anticipated. And the comments were so kind! Thank you to everyone.

Just so everyone knows, I did choose the winner randomly. AND... the winner is

{COURTNEY BELLISTON!}

Congrats on your free photo shoot :) I cant wait to take pictures of your cute family

after your first baby arrives.

For the rest of you that didn't win, check back often for more free giveaways. I am also

excited to announce that I have an indoor studio now so I can continue to take great

pictures year-round. (Especially for those of you with newborns). I will have all kinds

of fab backgrounds and props to make your photo shoot extra special and unique.

Thank you again to everyone!

{andrew & sutton}

2009-10-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few more from andrew & sutton's wedding. What a beautiful

wedding! And I especially loved all of Andrew's sisters and their

darling outfits.

{canvas}

2009-10-11T21:59:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love canvas? It's so rich with color, depth & texture. I started printing on

canvas early this year and have vowed I will never go back to photo paper!

{Also, just a quick plug for my canvas printing-best prices in town!}

I've seen a couple photographers edit their photos with a canvas-like texture around

the edges which can be such a beautiful addition to a beautiful photograph.

So I have been working to come up with my own version and am pleased to

now offer a canvas edges option for my clients. I know I have already posted

a lot of shots from this photo shoot but I absolutely love the colors. So here is a sample!

Click the picture to see it larger.

My include-all {photo shoot, edited & non-edited shots along with copyright privileges}

prices will stay the same and the canvas edges will be just another service included

in that price. I just LOVE finding good deals and want each of my clients

to feel like they are getting the very best value for their photography investment.

from me to you :)

{korbi}

2009-10-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Korbi and I met at the UVU women's expo and have been planning on going

out to get pictures of her ADORABLE kids for a couple of weeks. I was

excited to go out yesterday afternoon {despite the freezing cold weather!} to

get some fun fall shots of her kids. They were all such good sports- even

her youngest :) Here is a preview to this darling family.

{new name}

2009-10-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

When I started out almost a year ago, my intention was to focus my work and attention on making frames. But after framing my own photographs, I found a large amount of people asking about those as well. Now that my photography side of things has grown (much to my surprise!) I decided I needed a name more descriptive of that side of things. And so... introducing...

I love the name! I've been excited to put in on my pictures too :) So here are a few more shots from my photoshoot this week. Enjoy!

And, in case you were wondering, my frame side of things will still be Chrissy Marie Design. Eventually, I will have separate websites for the frames and photography but there will be ONE main page to navigate from. But for now, all my photos and frames will be found here and at www.chrissymariedesign.com.

{free photoshoot}

2009-10-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to announce a giveaway! Enter to win a free photoshoot.

Here is how to win:

Leave a comment anywhere on this blog (be sure to include your name)
Leave a post about the contest on your own blog or facebook status
That's all! I will post the winner on October 15th.

Happy blogging!

{Jason, Emylee & Boston}

2009-10-01T16:30:00.001-07:00

I'm a little late in posting these but still wanted to share a couple of
pictures from our fun photoshoot on the beach.

What a darling family!

{will, courtney, mitch, maddock & major}

2009-09-29T19:08:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to go out this afternoon for a photo shoot with my favorite family! I nannied this family for 4 straight summers and have watched their boys grow from drinking bottles to kindergarten! I cannot believe how big {& stinkin cute} they are now.

Enjoy a few shots from our fun afternoon.

Love you Court! Thanks for the fun time.

{nate & cali}

2009-09-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from Nate & Cali's big day.

{andrew & sutton}

2009-09-26T17:19:00.001-07:00

Just a quick preview to andrew & sutton's big day.
I'm so happy for you two!

{stacia}

2009-09-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

This sweet baby girl is Stacia, my friend Shannon's daughter. We went out

this afternoon to get some family shots and of course a photo shoot for the baby.

She is such a happy little gal and it was an absolute pleasure taking her and her family's photos.

I wont be able to finish editing the rest for another 2 weeks or so but just HAD to post a few.

I will post a few more of the family photos later.

{expo}

2009-09-10T20:03:00.001-07:00

Come visit my booth in the What Women Want Expo at UVU September 11th and 12th 11 am to 8 pm. I am so excited to be doing my second expo! I feel like I learned a lot from the last one and this time kept things a little more simple. I also finished a new large sign to hang above my booth today. Pictures to come soon.

Deon Thomas, who is the owner of Tribal Jewelry, has been so sweet and taken me under her wing! She is an expo pro and when the expo called her up to have her jewelry in a TV segment, she insisted that they feature my frames in the segment as well. Yay! I have officially made my television premiere. Even if the spot was at 6 in the morning. It still counts, right? Of course it does :) Next stop, Good Things Utah!

{senior pictures}

2009-08-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very good in the past about posting my new photo shoots. BUT I have been making an effort to be better if you haven't noticed :) Here is Kenny, a handsome young man that graduated this year from high school. He is very photogenic and I had a blast getting these fun shots for his senior pictures.

{makenna}

2009-08-13T11:48:00.001-07:00

isn't she just the most darling little girl you've ever seen?

{nate & cali}

2009-08-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Nate & Cali and I went out this last Tuesday to get some engagements. They were so much fun to shoot and the three of us had a great time hiking mountains {in heels in Cali's case! Dont know how she did it} and trying to figure out the 'serious' face {in Nate's case!}. All-in-all, it was quite a success. And since I have finally figured out how to change single area focus on my camera, we had a lot of great shots.

Thanks Nate & Cali! I'm so happy for you two.

{business cards}

2009-08-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

I spent a good portion of my day today designing this:

My new business card! I was inspired to design my own after seeing the persnickity cards at the last booth we did. The man I talked to with Persnickity was so nice and even told me where the best place to get them printed is! They also do a 4x6 postcard which I think is such a cute idea.

I also found this design online that I love! So i tried to pattern them after it {of a sort}.

I have ordered and will now wait anxiously for my package to arrive!

salt lake temple

2009-06-30T13:32:00.001-07:00

The other day I had the chance to go up to the Salt Lake Temple and take pictures. My Aunt Kate, who is a photographer, told me to go on a Monday and it was a great tip. There were very few people around so I took my time and enjoyed the peace of the temple grounds. We are so blessed to have temples so near to us.

I've printed and framed these and a few others for my freedom festival booth. I am so pleased with how they turned out and they are even better framed. I cant wait til I have a chance to make one for my own home. :)

alisa

2009-06-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Here are the gray frames and canvas prints I
made for Alisa's wedding. She was a beautiful bride
and the reception- almost as beautiful :)

Next are orange-stained frames for Melissa's wedding.
I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Freedom Festival booth

2009-05-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have been involved with the Freedom Festival 4th July Parade for 8 years now! And this year, because of my crazy schedule, I couldn't be involved. But I am so pleased and excited that I will have a booth in the Freedom Days. I will be busy making frames over the next few weeks to get prepared for it.

Some of the products I will have at the booth include: framed mirrors, magnet boards, decorative pillows, canvas prints, temple pictures, jewelry boards and much more! My head is full of new ideas all the time. Come visit me the two days and day of the 4th July Parade!

weddings

2009-05-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Two of my good friends Melissa and Alisa are getting married! I am so happy for them and very excited to make them custom frames to put their bridals in. Melissa is having orange and pink as her main colors so we went hunting the other day and found a gorgeous orange stain to make her frames out of. Have you ever seen a frame stained orange? I sure haven't. It is going to be so unique and very classy at the same time. Alisa has chosen my newest gray stain for hers with a dry-brushed edge. They are both going to be gorgeous! I can hardly wait to see how they turn out. Pictures to come soon.

A picture I took of my beautiful friend Whitney.

kirstin

2009-03-23T18:50:00.001-07:00

Here are the canvas prints I worked on this weekend. The pictures do not do them justice! The texture of the canvas is my favorite. It brings character to these pictures that photo paper could never bring! :) I am finishing up the frames this week and cannot wait to see the finished product. Kirstin ordered the light brown stain with the dark dry-brush around the edges (my personal favorite finish). I will post more pictures when they are finished.

Great pictures! Plus, little Savannah is an absolute doll.

Tori

2009-03-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

Tori ordered these three BIG frames for her family pictures. And they turned out so well! I was at her house Saturday dropping off a 27 inch board of the same finish that she hung under the picture of Ellie and put clips on to hang her art. What a cute idea! And while I was there I got to see the pictures all hung up in their places. I must say, they were gorgeous. They looked even better than I had imagined. Tori has such a nack for decorating.

The largest of the three: 20x30 (30x40 with the frame).

16x24(26x34)

My favorite of the three: 17x25.5 (27x35.5) Tori put this up in the playroom. Isn't she adorable?

prices

2009-02-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have been wondering about my prices. It took my husband Lance and I awhile to decide the best way to price frames. I want to be very competitive with the other custom framing shops out there (JoAnns, Michaels, carpenters) and still make it worth it for us. And when you are making custom sizes, color, details, etc, it gets hard to tell someone an exact price...but I think we have found a great way!

I will be charging $2.08 per linear inch. So if you would like to order a 16x20 (which comes to 26x30 with my most popular 5" wood frame) it will cost $149.76 (16+16+20+20=72 * 2.08= 149.76).

This price includes:

Wood of any design you choose- I have dozens to choose from
ANY stain color- I can match anything :) - or paint if you prefer
Your choice of matte to gloss finish -I prefer the semi-gloss
Your choice of plain or dry-brushed edges
And your choice of a routed-out edge for glass and photo paper or a flat back for canvas.

The nice part about pricing the frame like this is that the larger the frame, the less and less it costs compared to these other custom framing shops. To go larger doesn't cost much more! Buying huge frames can be affordable.

I also have small sampler pieces of wood that you can take home to see which would match best with your decor or bring me something you would like matched. I will also post some pictures of the different wood profiles I offer in the next couple of days. Also, keep in mind that I can do mirrors & magnet boards as well.

If you are interested and think you have friends that would be as well, ask me about my referral deal!

with care,
Chrissy Marie

my love affair with canvas

2009-02-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

The Greeks had many different words for love. Ethos is the passionate love between partners, agate is the uninterested unlimited love. My love for canvas is not like those. Its the love you would have for a favorite pair of jeans or the best flavor of Ben & Jerry's. Canvas is, for me, my favorite catalog. It inspires me to be more creative. The possibilities are endless! It is a crisp white script waiting for life's best memories to be written on it and shared with everyone.

At first I was a little hesitant to buy the roll of 100 feet. Only ritzy art galleries use that stuff! Now I am so sad I didn't have it for my wedding portraits. There is something about it that shares such character and emotion. Forget about the old days of a flat piece of photo paper behind glass; welcome to dimension and color!

Pictures!

2008-12-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

I have finally gotten a hold of my camera again so here are some pictures of the frames! This is the larger frame that is roughly 34x46 inches. The picture inside is 24x36. It's enormous! The pictures just don't do them justice.
This is the 26x30 inch frame (or 16x20 picture). It looks a lot larger than that because the frame is 5" wide on each side.

All of the frames you see are made out of knotty alder. This is my favorite kind of wood for furniture and frames because, as you can see, it has so much character! The stain brings out the beautiful grain of the wood and accentuates the gorgeous (and natural) color changes. Then, to really give the frames visual appeal, I have dry brushed the edges with a darker stain.

My next set of frames will be with red stain. I can't wait to see how they turn out! I also have many MANY options for the design of wood for the frames. You can choose from beveled, bead board style, flat, and so much more! The sky really is the limit.

I also had a lot of questions about the wooden candles Lance & I put together for the wedding. Let me know if you are interested :) In the meantime, I am going to be working on the orders I already have.

pictures to come

2008-12-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Many of you saw the picture frames at the wedding. They were so fun to make! I was very pleased with how they turned out & especially with the gorgeous pictures Melissa took inside of them.

Because of the large response of people about the frames and questions on how to order some for their own home, I decided to create a blog as a reference. Feel free to email me with questions or comments or call me on my cell (860.1799).

Also keep in mind that I can make any size, any finish, any style. The sky is the limit! I will also be offering custom mattes, photo editing, and large format printing; all at much cheaper prices than you can find anywhere. I cant wait to help you frame your memories.

doing what i love

2008-12-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

I am a creator. I get this vision in my head of exactly what I want for a table, an outfit, anything and it is way too hard to find its match. It's much easier to just make it :) And that piece always means so much more because there was love in the making of it.

I have always dreamed of taking this love of mine and doing it for others too. And so, from the love and encouragement from close friends, my family, and especially my sweet husband, comes Chrissy Marie Design.