Merry = yes, bright = not so much...

I was pretty proud of myself after I cheaply replaced our defective Christmas tree lights a few posts ago:

 

For a very short time. Then the new lights also bit the dust. There are about a dozen out of the two full strings that are still lit. I give up.

 

I'm not going to even bother trying to figure it out until I undress the tree, so we'll just pretend they're all still flashing away happily for a couple more days. We went pretty light on the holiday decor this year, just the tree and a little garland:

 

It actually turned out pretty festive though! We have this great archaway between our living and dining room. A few 3M hooks, some wood bead garland, a red ribbon, and some large plastic Christmas bulbs started us off.

 

As the holidays drew nearer, I punched a hole in each Christmas card we received, threaded it onto a plastic ornament hook, and added them to the garland.

 

A few glittery candy canes on each end for good measure too :)

 

With a toddler on the loose I knew I didn't want to deal with the fish-hook style ornament hangers, I know I pretty much step in one each year and have to extract it from my heel, I definitely didn't want to be pulling them out of The Cupcake's gullet - so I was pleased to find these plastic (and more toddler-friendly, though I'd still her rather not acquire any) hooks.

May your days be Merry & Bright - even if your lights are b!tchy.

The Cupcake meets Santa

We never made it to Santa last year, I had good intentions but froze up whenever I saw the price list for photos, or didn't like the outfit she was wearing, or the mood she was in, or just in general thought I could do better and so I ended up with nothing. This year could have very well been the same, but we took advantage of several happy coincidences and ended up with a sweet snapshot:

 

 

I'm not very happy with the low resolution (we bought the file, for $35 or whatever ridiculous amount I paid I should get a good resolution file) but the pics are cute and made for some adorable holiday cards (cropped a bit). We didn't intend to see Santa that day, we were just wandering the mall and admiring the lights when we came across his cottage with no line. And then we realized The Cupcake was wearing a red plaid tunic, and I had the weekend off to work on Xmas cards if we could get it together, and really wouldn't it just be the perfect opportunity...

 

And then she freaked out when we tried to send her to the big guy, ugly crying and all.

 

So maybe not...

 

We took a detour to the food court, ate some fried rice, and I combed her hair with a fork (where my Little Mermaid fans at? Dinglehopper FTW?) and bought a couple quick hair ties and some bows at a Claires.

 

And with the help of Santa's special bribes (stuffed animals, cookies, patience) we got a few good memories.

 

And I ordered my Xmas cards that night.

 

Mom wins. Claim them when you can.

 

Heather's Mailbag: Knocked Up Edition

I've received several ADORABLE cards from friends and family since word got out, and I'm loving them all. I'm a sucker for mail to begin with, but I also just love cards - the sentiments, the images, the fancy papers...Seriously, they surround me at work so when I'm puking in my garbage can I can remember "hey, this is fun, remember?!?" Yesterday I received this one from my mom's close friend and my childhood neighbor:



Yep, that about sums it up. Thank you everyone for all your love and mail! I've already scanned most of them for the babybook :)

Happy Hallmark - I mean Valentine's - Day!

How do you fight back against the consumerism and still have fun on a so-called "Hallmark Holiday?" By making your own cards, of course! I've never been huge into celebrating Valentine's Day, but hey, any reason to craft is a good one. And who is in love with these little guys? Me, definitely! Here are the rest of my Valentines:



I didn't send out a ton, so don't be offended if you didn't get one - hey, it's not like you send me mail either :)



I love how all of these turned out, both inside and out. For example, here's a front:



and it's corresponding inside decor:



The orange heart was where I wrote my little personal message, very simple and sweet. J'adore! Hope your V-Day is full of sweets and admiration.

Valentine Craft Ideas - mini round up

I've been ridiculously awful about posting this week - I'm so ashamed! I cleaned up my craft room...and haven't been back. It's been a busy week. Please don't abandon me, I promise not to make a habit of it.

In fact, I'm excited to get back to some actual crafting this weekend. Sunday is the day. I've picked up my free DiGiorno's pizzas, stocked up on soda, put together a few other snacks and munchies - and now I just need to decide what to actually sit down and make.

I'm thinking Valentines, but nothing is catching my eye yet. Some type of paper project would be easiest as far as my gathering is concerned - most people will be working on cards or scrapbooking.

I'm a little intrigued by these matchbook valentines at inchmark:



The Paper Source blog has a cute tutorial for "foxy" Valentine gift bags:



Martha has relatively few things that catch my eye, sadly. I do think these "German Cones" have potential:



These tiny gift bags are also pretty cute, but would be hard to deliver/transport:



I think these quilled flowers are very cute:



Papertrey Ink is one of my favorite stamp stores, they make really cute stuff and show you how to use it. I don't have the time or budget to order any stamps, but I'm loving this little birdhouse - and it's a free downloadable template!



It's shown here as an Xmas ornament, but you could easily make it Valentine-y with some "love birds" puns and pink paper. I think this might be in the lead so far.

Anybody else have any cute Valentine ideas/plans?

It's not delivery...

Remember HouseParty.com? That's the site I won my Amazon Shopping Spree on, but the real purpose is to select "hosts" for various product parties. I've applied for a bunch - craft supplies, books, bacon - and I've finally "won" one! This Sunday we're hosting a "DiGiorno Game Day Believer Pizza Party!" My "party pack" just arrived this weekend:



Isn't that cute? It's not delivery...but it's in a pizza box :) Actually there isn't any pizza in there at all, just coupons for me to go and pick some up (6, in case you are wondering, and a bunch more $4 off coupons for guests), and some party favors:



Somewhere in there is a pizza wheel, magnet, potholder, and of course all those rally beads. The idea is that you throw a playoff party and gnosh on pizza between...innings? quarters? Clearly I care very little about football, so we're shaking our party up a bit. The "man cave", AKA basement will host the aforementioned playoff viewing - which I hear the home team is involved in. Some people care. Other people :)

But the real party is upstairs, where I shall finally be returning to my crafty roots! This is what motivated me to clear out the craft room last weekend. Last year around this time I hosted a Stampin' Up workshop where we made Valentine cards and had a lot of fun - this year I thought I'd do it again, but the timing doesn't work out with my other obligations, so I mashed these two ideas together - and invited non-football-fans over to craft with me. I have plenty of supplies to share, and having people over forces me to actually sit down and use it all. So voila, the football/crafting mash up was born!

This way we all get pizza - will it taste like delivery? I guess we'll find out...I don't usually buy DiGiorno since they're fairly expensive and we either go with super cheap frozen varieties, or actual delivery. I'm actually pretty excited to try a bunch of flavors. And I don't have to sit through football, win-win! I'm looking forward to making some cards, and hope to have a few good ones to show off along with my review of the pizzas next week.

Flashback Birthday

I've shown you a few of my fab birthday gifts, but I have a few more I thought I'd feature - including one I don't really "get" for a few more months, from my parents. Let me give you a hint:



I'm going to the Bon Jovi concert this spring! With my dad :) Adorable you say? Well then just look at the gift card he put with the tickets:



"Happy Birthday!!!
Like the movie 13 going on 30.
You were 13 for your first Bon Jovi concert.
Now at 30-you return.
Love You,
Mom & Dad"

Bon Jovi was my first "real" concert, which I attended with BOTH of my parents and my cousin Mindy in 7th grade. It was the night before my Odyssey of the Mind competition, and I distinctly remember not being able to hear the next day. We thought we were SO COOL. I think I might have even held on to the concert T-shirt, though it's somewhere in the pile waiting to be assembled into my T-shirt quilt (MOM: The one you promised me 11 years ago. Just a small reminder.)

I can't wait to figure out my iPod so I can get the most recent album and start practicing my air guitar and lighter waving. Thanks so much, mom & pop!

All in the Cards - Episode II

I got such BEAUTIFUL and FUN cards for my 30th birthday that I just couldn't toss them out. So much thought clearly went in to choosing each one, I wanted to save the memories. Since I scrapbook digitally, I decided to scan them in. Here's a sample of the lovliness - they were ALL different, and all so unique!

Some cards sang ("Everybody wants to rule the world")

Some were complimentary

Some were funny (Can't dodge this one!)

Others were sweet and nostalgic

And one was a glittery mermaid - does it get any better?!?!

Thanks for these and many other beautiful cards everyone, I'm so impressed by your thoughtfulness!

All in the cards

30 is a good birthday for greeting cards, and boy did I get some GREAT ones :) And no duplicates! What can I say, I'm surrounded by creative people. This first one cracked me up pretty hardcore, especially since it's from my husband's best friend & his new wife:



Inside there's a list of things to do on your 30th b-day. Of course there are some that nobody should ever have to see me do - skinny dip, streak, moon somebody; some things that I would love to be able to do - take a hot air balloon ride, shop till you drop, quit your job; but check out the suggestions I've indicated with arrows (click to enlarge):



Is it a bad sign when your husband's friends want you to date? Online, speed dating, and party lines? :) ha ha. Oops :)

But I'll definitely consider quitting my job while hopped up on cookie dough, crying over lost youth, and doing the birthday dance. Do you think "My lawyer friend told me to" will hold up in court when they question my sanity?

Thanks J & B - Lots of laughs :)

Heritage Makers Holiday Cards

Now that most of my holiday cards have been received, I feel like I can finally share them here! I used Heritage Makers, and this was the first time I had made anything besides a scrapbook through their system.

I'll be honest, I had been planning to just make cheap Costco cards which run around $0.25 each (with the right coupon). They're quick and easy and cheap - but not very personal. As soon as I saw our fall photos from Olivia I knew what I wanted to do for a "theme" - but none of Costco's designs worked for me. I thought for a while about my options because Heritage Makers is not cheap - flat cards run about $1 each, but they are fully customizable on both sides, so I could use the three photos I really wanted to, and my own wording. I put in the order with other credits I was purchasing for myself and for gifts, and basically I was able to get my holiday cards free with host credit. Here's how they turned out:



Isn't that cute? I love it when you greeting and photos can work together in a theme, aka the "HUGS & KISSES" with the photos of us (including Normy) giving hugs and kisses :) Then on the reverse of the card, I wanted to use one larger photo, and have a little place to write:



I included the white space at the bottom so that I could write a personal note and sign each card, I think that is a nice touch. I didn't use a template, but stayed pretty simple - the background is all one piece (the red, gree, and gold stripes), I added the frames, the snowflakes, and the text piece by piece.

The cards are bright and professional, and they're on a slightly glossed cardstock which feels more substantial than photo paper and is much easier to write on. One thing I was really surprised about was the envelopes - they were REALLY NICE. This isn't a huge deal, but it was a little something that stood out to me - with photo center cards you usually get really thin, cheap envelopes. With Heritage Makers I got thick, textured envelopes, which I don't think I've seen outside of wedding invitations for quite some time. Very impressive.

Overall I was really happy with Heritage Makers' cards, and I think I might be hooked :) I just love being able to design my own from scratch, match the colors and themes I want to, and have something truly one of a kind in the end :)

I'm workin' on it...

Hello again world!

I'm in an uber-festive mood today, as the first real snowfall of the season hangs overhead. I'm not nearly ready for it, but I did manage to fish out a cheap thin hat and gloves set this morning, so I'm headed in the right direction. The new snow blower has yet to be un-packed, but I did catch a glimpse of where the shovels are hanging in case I need to pull them out. I'm still hoping to get the outdoor tables & chairs put away before they become part of the Winter Wonderland, but we'll see. I notice there's a light dusting already, so I might just cut my losses there :)

I'm headed home early today and planning to spend the afternoon getting the rest of my holiday decor in order - very important, considering my cookie exchange is just a week away! If time allows I have plenty of updates to post - new glasses, the last of my Amazon prizes, Xmas decor, cookie recipes - and my Xmas cards should be delivered today as well! Can't wait to see them, and get them out.

Pump punch

This is actually the card that inspired the bachelorette invites I featured previously, and I didn't make it for any specific purpose. That's a black textured card and pink glitter cardstock, and this punch from EK Success (not from this store - I found it on clearance at Michael's). And that's it! So simple, yet such a stylistic impact, I love it. Punches are my favorite papercrafting tool, they are precise and easy and hard to mess up, unlike stamps which are rarely even (at least in my case).




The inside is embellished as well, of course there is the pink which is what shows through the front and gives the great color combo when it is closed, then a tiny piece of trim from the black card separates the space visually, and one of the shoes punched out of the front makes a great little detail inside.

I think this one might go to my lil' sis on her bachelorette party, which is already this weekend!

Get this party started...

Here is the mock up of the bachelorette party invites I just put together! Though the lighting is terrible, I'll remind you that the colors are brown & teal ("pool" to be precise). I'm going for a sort of "Sex and the City" vibe. There will be a Carrie Bradshaw shoe-related quote on the top, the silver rub ons I featured previously on a brown circular medallion with a striped ribbon band, and then the party details below the band. They will all be printed in brown directly on the teal card stock. The back of the invite will just have a full teal panel with all of the party details - addresses, parking, hotel, etc.

How great is that high heel shoe punch? Those are punched through the teal so that the brown shows through, and then they are adorned with a jeweled sticker. Adorable! I think this sets the tone for a classy fun ladies' night out, don't you?

Martha Stewart Rub Ons

I also worked on bachelorette party invites this weekend for a friend's upcoming shindig, and while wandering the aisles of Archivers, found these rub ons for a great deal (75% off brought them down to $.98 for 24 images). I have had a love-hate relationship with rub ons in the past, when they transfer well I much prefer them to stamps, they are more precise and crisp. But I've also often had trouble getting them to fully transfer, and sometimes they just don't work for me. But, for this price, I thought I'd give them a try.

I took them home and mocked up my design (TBA), using the trendy color combination of teal blue ("pool") and brown. I punched circles out of the brown just larger than the rub on designs, cut apart the rub ons, and set about rubbing them with the Popsicle stick.

A few things I noticed:
1. they transfer very easily.
2. you can easily see where they transfer, so it was easy to center them in the circles, and if you missed parts - like a few of the dots in the borders - it was pretty easy to go back and re-align them and rub some more. Not as easy if you missed a letter, but since the font was small it was pretty easy to be sure you hit the whole phrase.
3. they are not at all sticky on the back, like most rub ons are, which is probably why they transferred so easily but also made it difficult to keep them in place. Since they are kind of small, you had to hold them with one finger while you rubbed, then be careful not to move the paper or transfer when you moved the finger to rub underneath it. A little learning curve involved, but it was still okay.
4. the design with the little lines making up the ring were impossible. I'm not sure why. The dots and swirls were fine, but the lines just didn't transfer right, and when you went back to go over them again, that actually seemed to transfer more of it BACK TO THE PLASTIC, instead of to the paper. So I think I successfully did 2 of those, and bombed the rest. Oh well. For the price, it was still well worth it for the designs that did work. The color is a very foil-y silver, which really pops on the brown and would be great on any dark background.

Overall, I give these a big thumbs up - especially if you can score them for under a buck. I might have to run back and see if I can scoop up a few more for future use.

Weddings, weddings everywhere....

I actually did a ton of crafty things this weekend, but most of it was in preparation for upcomming weddings. Thursday I helped assemble invites for one of my best friend's August wedding, and Sunday I spent all day working on things for my lil' sis' wedding in a couple weeks. I didn't snap pics because they're not my surprises to share :) But here is a sneak preview of one of my own projects I'll be mailing off this week, another wedding-related craft.

This is a card we're sending for the wedding we can't attend this weekend in Colorado, the couple is a really earthy/granola/folksy/outdoorsy couple, so I used paper from the DCSW "green" stack, and die cut letters with my cuttlebug.


The inside has a gift card/money pocket made with a nestabilities scalloped die and then cut in half. We'll tuck a little something in there and write our regrets on the right side, and voila! In the mail it goes!

Same Old Story

Not a lot new to show you right now, I'm stressing to get packed up for my trip, so forgive the slowing posts.

This is the inside of the card I featured this weekend, which is now in the posession of bride-to-be lil' sis, and my most favorite card I've made to date. The closed umbrella is from the same die cut set as the open one on the front, and out of the same coordnating sparkly cardstock.

I am currently locked in an epic battle with my Italian sewing machine and we've stomped off to opposite corners of the house to cool off away from each other. It's apparently unhappy with my marathon sewing session today and has decided to start making knots rather than stitches. I am desperate to come up with a mermaid costume by the end of the weekend. I'm not sure who's winning.

So, in the optimistic vein of "lookin' on the bright side" I'm going to feature a sneak peak of something I made that I think I turned out rather well.

Here is the card my lil' sis is getting for her wedding shower tomorrow - ta dah! I think it's one of the best I've made so far. The umbrella and letters are die cuts, the right edge is punched with a scalloped border punch, and the color combo is just gorgeous in my opinion - light lemon card with navy & sky blue sparkle decorations. I'm pretty proud of it!

Thank You - Breast Cancer 3-Day

These were thank-you cards I sent out to all of the donors and sponsors who supported me in the 2005 Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, which raised funds fight & treat breast cancer. I did a lot of fun and creative things in order to help raise the required $2,100.00 in donations, and yes, I walked the 60 miles. It was one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done, and by the 3rd day I was basically hobbling, not to mentioned sunburned and tearful. Somehow I made it to the end, and felt quite accomplished - and appreciative of all those who helped me participate.

I made these cards on the Kodak Gallery and it was very easy. They're a little more than a Costco or Walmart photo card, but they had a lot more options and this perfect design for my needs with the pink ribbon. I had to play with the story a little to fit my message into the small number of characters allowed, but I thought what I came up with was pretty heartfelt and touching. I knew the picture wasn't the most flattering, but did show my "battle scars" - at least the sunburn :)

It took a few weeks for me to be able to walk normally again, so you can bet when I decided to tackle it again the next year, I was intent on TRAINING a little more, and that made all the difference in the world (well, that and having Al there with me :) Though I won't be doing it again (ask me about my skin cancer...closely linked to this event - nice irony, right?)I am very glad to have experienced it. The whole event from fundraising to crossing the finish line was extremely moving and I am proud of my accomplishment both physically and philanthropically.

The first card workshop...

Every few months I just have to entertain, so round about February I was recovered from the holidays and ready to try again. I decided to have a "Stampin' Up!" workshop since they offered a style of party where everyone could just pay a flat fee and make stuff, rather than be bothered to buy things. I looked up the representatives close to me and came up with Colleen who lives just a couple miles away and she was more than willing to be our leader.

She set up a series of cards and we each made 6 - I'm really annoyed that I acutally suck at rubber stamping, but I'm really getting in to using decorative papers, punches, stickers, and brads. At least a few of my guests really took to it as well, and we've recently been hosting our own card workshops in my craft room! More about that later, but first a look at these - my "first" cards :)