A New Year...

...and with the new year is coming other new "things". I'm happy to announce our new name...Allison Barnhill Designs. Along with the new name comes a new logo, shown above and a new website... www.allisonbarnhilldesigns.com. Check it out!

Nothing else has changed...it's the same "Allison"...just a new look! We're looking forward to a great year and can't wait to work with you!

Tropics in December

Today in Maryland it's almost 60 degrees outside, which is really rare for this time of year! So as a nod to today's incredibly warm weather, we decided to post a few pro pics from Lauren & Pauls's tropical inspired wedding in July. Here is a picture of their candle favor tag, fan program and table name. Enjoy!

Tuxedo Pockets with a Twist

Here are pictures of two of the pocketfold invitations we finished this week. Both designs were based primarily on black and white and each had thier own twist! Tyler used metallic papers and a red swish, while Kirsten used pink backings and a rhinestone adornment. These are two cute ways to incorporate some flair into a basic black and white invitation. Enjoy!

We have a LOT to be Thankful for!

We definitely have had a LOT to be thankful for this year. So far 2008 has been our busiest year yet! We've been busy the last few weeks working on save the dates, invitations, place cards, table number, etc. Here's some pictures of the most recent items we've worked on. Happy Thanksgiving & enjoy!

Sweet Susans

Karen came to us a few months before her wedding for hand calligraphy on her invitation envelopes. After we delivered, she had another request for us...to create a folded style favor tag for her Black Eyed Susan flower seeds. Of course, we were happy to oblige. Karen sent us this great photo of the favors at the wedding. Enjoy!

Starfish with a Twist!

Tiffany contacted us regarding our very popular Starfish invitation for her upcoming destination wedding, but wanted to incorporate a little different design in her invitations. Since all of our invitations are custom designed for our client we were happy to oblige! So we rotated the design and only included a response set in her invitation pocket. Here are some pictures of the *twist* on our design we did for Tiffany and Joshua. Enjoy!

Magnet Magic

We just finished working on these AWESOME Save the Date magnets for our clients Kasey & Matt. They provided us with this amazing photo from their engagement pictures, we added the wording and *voila* - magnet magic. This Save the Date has been added to the list of some of our favorite client items. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

In love with lavender

Carolyn and Bryan asked us to create custom items for their wedding day that incorporated lavender, chocolate, and a flower motif. Starting with their invitations we were able to create a completely unique design for them. We worked with Carolyn and Bryan on their invitations, brunch invitations, programs, menus, table numbers, custom tented signs for the reception, lavender tags and even created a custom GOBO from the design on the front page of their program. Here are a few pictures of some of the items we worked on for their special day. Enjoy!

Fighting Irish!

Amylee and John got married at the Basilica on the University of Notre Dame last weekend. They asked us to use a celtic knot theme on their invitations, programs, placecards and table numbers. Using a forest green and gold theme we were able to create the perfect invitations & accessories for their special day. Go IRISH! Enjoy!

A picture is worth a thousand.....THANKS!

Clients often ask us if we can do custom thank you notes for them. The answer is "Yes, of course!" Our favorite thank you notes are the ones that incorporate a picture of the bride and groom on the big day. All we need is your photographer to email us a pro pic taken on your wedding day and in most cases we can have the cards finished for you when you return from your honeymoon. Here are two thank you notes we designed using the pro pic from their wedding photographers. Enjoy!

Design Evolution

Andrea and Michael, an awesome couple from California, contacted us in October 2007 and asked us to work with them on all of their wedding items using their copper and black theme. We were excited to have the opportunity to work with them and see the evolution of their design from start to finish. Here are pictures of the items that we did for their wedding. Thanks again Andrea & Michael, we wish you many years of happiness! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch

A few months ago, we featured Danielle's invitation "Hint 'o Pumpkin" in a post, so I wanted to share some of the accessories from her wedding this past weekend. Her program is one of our most popular designs...the folder style with inset panels. And, her table number is a very classic look with her unique monogram design. Enjoy!

Peacock Perfection

We promised pictures from the peacock inspired tablescape, so here they are! We also included pictures of the autumn table...as it was set up at the event. Hope these inspire you too! Enjoy!

We LOVE to create!

We are often asked to attend Bridal Shows & Workshops and display our items on mock table set-ups. We use our creative passion to make unique design ideas for these types of events. Here are some pictures of the fall inspired table items we made for one of the recent events we attended. Tomorrow we will post more pictures of the peacock inspired table that we also did for the event.

More starfish!

Jennifer's "Starfish" invitation is one of the most popular invitations I have designed. So, I wanted to share a few of her wedding accessories that followed the same colors and design of her invitation. Enjoy!

Corners and Cattails

Teresa came to me after she saw one my ribbon corner invitations on the website. She wanted the same invitation in her colors -- we used a sapphire blue metallic backing and navy blue wide grosgrain ribbon with ivory pearl top invite layer. And, she wanted to incorporate a Chesapeake touch...cattails. The wedding is going to place at their home on a river that leads to the Chesapeake. We really loved this invitation and thought it was perfect for our area! Enjoy!

Oh, to be 16 again...

Kaitlin's dad came to us to create a nautical, but fun invitation for his daughter's sweet sixteen birthday party on the Lady Pintail yacht. So with some fun fonts, nautical cording and rhinestones, we designed a unique invitation just for Kaitlin. Happy Sixteenth! Enjoy!

Mr. & Mrs.

Jen Lowe is one of our fav people and photographers (http://www.jlowephotos.com/). So, I'm stalking her blog last week and found out that we had a mutual client...Candice. Candice asked me to make her hanging mr. the groom and mrs. the bride signs for her wedding. While I design and handcraft these accessories, I sometimes think that the real artists are the phenomenal photographers that make my work look even better! Thanks to Jen for capturing some truly unique shots of my work...again! Enjoy!