A custom wedding invitation suite based on the Wes Anderson film, Moonrise Kingdom.
Read moreYou need this for 2017
2017 is here, so we thought we'd share some of the things we loved from 2016. Check out these products and vendors, and you'll be sure to have a smile on your face for 2017.
LOCAL FAVORITES
An awesome gift especially for teachers. Our kids teachers absolutely loved them. Molly's low quantity high quality letterpress tags are the image of perfection. They are the first of their kind to offer low quantity Letterpress for a great price! A unique gift for sure, and Molly the owner is an absolute talent and sweetheart. Another mom making it happen. Lover her. Follow Molly on Instagram.
An amazing talent on the rise. I absolutely love her stuff. Best thing is that as good as her calligraphy is, she is a better person.
FOOD & DRINK
An awesome dark chocolate that you won't feel too guilty about enjoying. A perfect way to satisfy that chocolate craving.
As a cider aficionado I can attest that this is one of the best I have ever had. Flavors including honey, pineapple, and even a hopped cider are absolutely fantastic.
ENTERTAINMENT
If you are a fan of history, you need to check out Dan Carlin's Hardcore History at dancarlin.com. From Alexander the Great to his current event podcast, called common sense, Dan Carlin provides theater of the mind like no other podcaster out there.
Set in England during the early reign of Queen Elizabeth, The Crown is a fascinating look into not only the life of the Queen, but of her young family. A great show to binge watch on rainy days while having a cup of Early Grey tea!!
Happy Holidays!
The new year is here, so we wanted to take some time to let everyone know how thankful we are for your business, support, and loyalty. We've had a wonderful year working with amazing couples, planners, and businesses around the world. Artistically, we have pushed the boundaries further than we ever have before, and we couldn't have done it without our amazing clients and vendors. We are consistently amazed by the wonderful people we get to work with, and still get just as excited creating a new wedding map or custom invitation like we did almost a decade ago. Thank you.
CW Designs saw tremendous growth in 2016, including a new move to Downtown McKinney where we have enjoyed becoming more connected to our local community. We've gotten the opportunity to work with many local businesses and we look forward to expanding upon those relationships. Our partners at the 305 Event Gallery (Five Star Events, Lot 207, Azure Photography) have been so great to work with and we look forward to continued success. If you are ever in the McKinney area stop in and see us at 305 W. Louisiana, even if it's just for a Friday afternoon cocktail :).
We would also like to take a moment to address our core clients; the couples starting their new life together as one. Just some advice. Remember to say I love you, let little things slide, address big issues, use WE, and support each other. We hope that your first Holiday's as a married couple are filled with fun and loving memories.
We can't wait to share an awesome 2017 with all those we've worked with in the past and can't wait for the relationships built in the future.
We wish everyone a peaceful and love filled Holiday Season and Happy New Year.
All the best,
Jeremy, Carol, Olivia, Kienan, and Lulu
Jillian and Brady • McKinney, Texas
This past week my good friends at Lot 207 and In Season Catering hosted an amazing rehearsal dinner for some really great people, Jillian and Brady Luby. We began working with Brady's mother, Donna, months ago creating custom invitations, menus, seating charts, table numbers... you name it. We even used a design Carol created on chocolate made by Yelibelly Chocolates! It was such a blast working with Donna, and we hope to work with her again very soon. Congratulations Jillian and Brady! Oh, and of course, Carol designed a map for their wedding! Check out some of the photo's before the party started below.
SHOUT OUTS!
Flowers: The Stalk Market
Farm Tables: Propmaker Event Rentals
Table Numbers, Stationery, Figures: CW Designs
Chargers: BBJ Linen
Dining and Glassware: TLC Event Rentals
Catering: In Season Catering
Venue: The Venue at Lot 207
Halloween Wedding Map
Over the years, we have had the privilege of working with some amazing couples, and more often than not, they take time out of their hectic lives to send me amazing photo's of their wedding day. These photo's are of a wedding map CW Designs created as a focal piece for a Halloween wedding this past fall. The colors we carefully selected to bring a vintage chic look while staying true to a Fall wedding. Awesome photo's, thanks Josh and Jill! Congratulations and here's to a life full of love and health together!
Family Business
This past Wednesday our family (CW Designs) took a field trip to The Alexa Machine Company in Dallas to watch one of Carol's designs screen pressed for the first time. A while back Carol and I started thinking about creating a map that highlighted some of the awesome places to eat on the Square in McKinney, TX. Carol spent months going over layouts, concepts, and materials while I offered my occasional two cents! Finally, last week we had a layout and concept that we liked. Carol always wanted to have one of her designs screen printed on a tea towel, clearly her first generation Scottish roots were at play. We looked around the Dallas area to find a shop that would best fit our needs and were rewarded when we found the people of The Alexa Machine Co.
The Alexa Machine Company is a small family business that services small businesses like CW Designs. Roseamber and her husband, Jan, own the small shop located in a nondescript business park in North Dallas, but their work is anything but nondescript. They are truly dedicated to their craft and take pride in bringing an artists vision to life. They've worked with bands from all over Dallas, small businesses, and even some of Dallas' best know artists. Besides being kick ass at what they do, they are down to earth people who know the challenges a small business faces. We spent the morning talking about pigments, Jan's former life in metal bands, and discussing the leap of faith it took to do something they loved. It was a pretty great morning and it reaffirmed our efforts in making CW Designs a full on family business. Owning a small business has made us acutely aware of where our money goes and who it goes to and when Carol and I were watching Jan and his assistant set up the press in an increasingly warmer garage while humming classic rock tunes I saw where our money was going and it made me smile.
This map only highlights a small portion of what makes McKinney a great town. We hope that you'll support all of the great small businesses in McKinney because that's what makes it special and why Money Magazine rated it the #1 place to live in America. Small businesses across the country are what makes this country great and we appreciate every order from newly engaged couples, small businesses, real estate agents, and wedding/event planners from all across the country and the globe. Your money goes to helping us achieve our goals as a small business and to provide for our children.
The final result!
Support a small business on ETSY, buy from artisans, and shop at your neighborhood grocer. Should your travels ever take you to the burgeoning outpost of McKinney, head to the Square and shop, have a drink, and eat a fantastic meal, all while knowing you are helping a small business and a family. Oh, and buy a tea towel to remember your trip.