Sam Allen Creates: October thru December 2018
I really love the end of the year! October and November are such crazy busy months but I just love my job so much! And then by the second week of December, everything just slows down and I can enjoy that special time of the year with my family! This year was just the best yet, hope you enjoy this glimpse into all the fun projects that crossed my desk this fall and holiday season!
View Part 1 of my 2018 Review here.
Part 2, April–June 2018 Review
and Part 3, July–September 2018 Review
October
The month started with an order of handpainted wedding placecards and table numbers. I adore these photos supplied by Kaitlyn’s wedding photographer, Lyndsie Smith.
Dusty blue envelopes for the win! This shade of blue has just been so popular. I was pretty excited when the inquiry came in! Plus, I LOVE addressing envelopes!
When Kayla Denae told me she was going to do a giveaway for a styled engagement session, I jumped on board to create a special calligraphy piece for the couple. But then when she shared her ideas for the shoot, I couldn’t decide which quote to go with so I just made them both! Please go take a look at Kayla’s blog post, it’s so full of woodsy inspiration and a gorgeous couple!
The letter C made of a sweet little miss’s favorite shades of purple with a neutral green background all ready to be hung in her bedroom! Custom painted letters, created in the color scheme of your choice available here.
A lot of the latter half of October was spent creating an extensive watercolor line… I’ll be sure to post more about this soon, but the basic idea and goal was to create a full package extending from my popular watercolor tags! So those looking for placecards can find matching table numbers and menus too! Oh and bridesmaid proposal and thank you cards! Whew!
As I was working on my product line to be sent to the amazing Stephanie Weber to photograph, I also created her family a watercolor portrait as a thank you! Aren’t they precious?!
Part of my watercolor line includes these table number cards and I love that this bride also ordered matching handpainted signs for her cards and gifts table along with her dessert table! Thanks Eva Lin Photography for the images!
As the month closes, let’s start to turn toward Christmas! Eek! I absolutely adored getting to work on these custom stamps for omslag.se! These photos they’ve shared are just GORGEOUS! Take a look at their Instagram for even more beauty!
November
If the year wasn’t crazy enough, in the month of November, it really picked up (as it usually does).
First up, a styled shoot in Joshua Tree! If you love this peek, take a look at the full blog post here. Photos by Lisette Gatliff Photography.
Just in the nick of time, I created some “fill in the blank” menus for Thanksgiving… a gift for those who signed up for my newsletter! (and I started a newsletter this month too, because I just needed to add more to my plate!).
Another one of the “big” items that I launched this year were these little “thankful for” tags! They were an unexpected smash hit!
In addition to creating tag placecards, I also painted names on these gorgeous marble tiles for a Friendsgiving!
Earlier in the month, I painted a new logo for Harper and Grace Photography! Rachel had it up on her site the very day I sent the final files! Interested in having me write out your business name, take a look at my shop here!
I loved this spin on my usual Floral Lettered last name signs. This customer wanted me to paint more tropical flowers as a gift for a friend who was married in Hawaii last year! I really loved mixing it up!
November is really my busiest month for creating Christmas gifts! This painting was made as a gift from one sister to the other, created from a wedding picture! Watercolor portraits available here.
Creating custom Christmas cards usually starts in November, and sometimes even October! I loved creating this year’s set of cards and am already dreaming of 2019 designs. (this first card is my very own with my guys! at Disneyland!)
In September, one of my forever friends had her first baby, a gorgeous baby girl named Lennon! I loved getting to design little Lennon’s birth announcement as a gift to the new sleep deprived parents, with photos taken by the happy-as-can-be daddy! (See a behind the scenes video of my painting in progress on my Instagram!)
And of course, we must circle back to the happenings in the wedding world…
The first of many vow book sets were made for my friend and fellow creative, Stephanie Weber. I love her welcome packages for her clients. You can see the passion and care she gives her brides right away in these packages! See more on her blog here.
These placecard tags were painted during an Instagram LIVE, during which I answered questions about my process and viewers got to watch me paint in real time! After the LIVE was done, I painted some more for a video which I posted on Instagram here…. But best of all, I got this gorgeous real wedding photo back from their photographer, Darla Winn Photography! I just LOVE getting real wedding photos back from my customers!
A succulent and greenery watercolor painted wreath for an April wedding! Painting in green is my favorite since it’s my favorite color! Custom paintings available in my Etsy shop here.
A watercolor painted Floral Letter H, painted with a touch of gold for a May wedding along with a large poster of song lyrics. I can’t wait to see these wedding photos!
Adorable boutonnieres made for the men at this wedding photographed by Montana Crumlish! I love it when my tags get used with gorgeous florals (San Diego florist, Janna Hatch)!
December
Here we go, rounding the final corner into the end zone of 2018 (I think I may be mixing sports metaphors here, but you know what I mean!).
The month started with not only designing these Christmas cards but also in taking the family photos myself!
And I also got to design this Christmas card for my bestie, there was definitely a theme in all of these cards! They’re still hanging in my house and I feel like you can really tell they were all designed by the same person!
For this year’s annual ornament gift for our family and friend’s, I created these clay ornaments using air dry clay and cookie cutters! Each person or family received a letter to represent their name painted in either pine tree branches or floral leafy vines!
One of the last projects I tackled before Christmas was creating these Friends themed baby shower invites! As a diehard fan of the show, I definitely felt the pressure in designing them but truly love how they came out!
And of course, we can’t let the month go by without some wedding details!
A beautiful boho inspired styled shoot, full of rich detail and even handmade macrame! Photos by Melissa Fe Chapman.
December wouldn’t be complete without sharing some Christmas gifts that I got to work on!
Hand drawn Papercut Silhouettes…
And of course a personalized ornament for one sweet little girl’s first Christmas!
And finally, just days before Christmas, I got this Kraft paper roll sign finished for my new friend Caitlin who I met while working on this styled shoot. I’ll be updating this soon with photos of it hung in her home, so excited to share with you!
And with that, the year 2018 ended. Looking back on all the marvelous work I got to do, I feel so blessed and so thankful for each and every customer, friend, and collaboration! Thank you for taking a look, I appreciate your love and support!!
March 14, 2019
Stephanie Weber
These are all so beautiful! I love that you really do it all!
March 14, 2019
Sam Allen
Thank you!! It’s been so rewarding to learn and grow!