Show and Tell

Thank You for your gift

With all of the gifts Britt was getting at her bridal showers, I thought she might need some thank you notes.

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I made her a set of nine cards in three different color ways — varying the placement of the elements.

  

AND TELL: stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Make a Wish) and Inkadinkado (sentiment stamp); notecards are from a stationery store going out of business; ink is Stampin' Up (Basic Gray, Cameo Coral, Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry).

Well, the next few posts will probably be pretty low on the chatter. We have a busy, fun-filled weekend ahead. Hope you do, too. Enjoy — and thanks so much for stopping by here for a visit. (And, by the way, Happy Birthday, Mom!)

honey.... ah, sugar, sugar...

Do you remember that song by the Archies?

I loved that song. It was the first 45 that I bought using my own money. And most of you probably don't even know what a 45 is, do you? It is a little record that has a big hole in the middle that you play on your record player... one song on each side. That probably didn't clear things up much, did it? :)

Anyway, this gift tag was inspired by that song. Obviously, I was running low on ideas...

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As I mentioned before, I like to tie a gift onto the outside of the package, too. This one is a screen printed tea towel that I purchased on Etsy. I originally saw it on one of Cath's posts in her Moxie Fab World and decided that Britt had to have it. Gosh... it's kinda fun being the mother of the bride! :)

 

AND TELL: stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Tea for Two Additions, Warm Happiness Too); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Barely Banana, Very Vanilla); patterned paper is from my stash; ink is SU (So Saffron, Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie); baker's twine is Divine Twine (orange); also used PTI dies (Mat Stack 4, Warm Happiness).

That will have to do for today. Things are busy, busy, busy around here. I've got lots more wedding related posts to share. Come back soon — I love visiting with you!

 

Ticket to Love

So, I had a bit of fun making tags for the gifts that I took to Britt's bridal showers. This one was inspired by something Britt told me that Kenneth says when he's really excited about an event — "punch my ticket... I love this ride!" Seemed like it could work as inspiration for a bridal shower gift tag.

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When wrapping a gift, I like to tie a little something on top of the package — kinda making it a gift outside and in. I bought these wooden utensils at a great little shop in Winona Lake when we were in Indiana last month. They're smooth as silk... so, so nice. (They can be ordered online, too, here.)

And — since I always like to know what's inside a box, I thought you might, too. This box held eight little accent plates that coordinate with the every day dishes that were on Britt & Kenneth's gift registry. (Teal colored every day plate on the bottom.) Pretty, aren't they?

AND TELL: stamps are from Stampin' Up (Alphabits, Straight Up Alphabet & Numbers, ) and Papertrey Ink (Just the Ticket); cardstock is SU (Kiwi Kiss) and PTI (Rustic White) plus some used to diecut birdies a long time ago; ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used K&Company embossed stickers and PTI dies (Just the Ticket border, Button Card, Heart Prints, and Little Bitty Birds).

 And here's a picture that's sort of symbolic of the way things go around here sometimes. That's the upstairs trash that was on its way outside for trash day. Ken said, "I wasn't even moving too fast!" (If you know him, you know how funny that is... he doesn't really know how to move slowly.) :)

Also, today was my final day of work before the wedding. Tomorrow I'll finish up those last minute details (like I still need shoes!!!). Yep... the big day is almost here!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a few minutes here with me. I have another gift tag to show you tomorrow and see no reason why I shouldn't get around to it. Unless, of course, the search for shoes goes awry. (Surely not!) So — see you tomorrow! :)

It's Your Day

This tag should probably read, "It's Your Weekend!" Because that what it was nearly two weeks ago now... Britt's weekend.

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Britt and her mother-in-law to-be arrived from Raleigh on that Saturday morning — an hour before Britt said they would be here. Of course, since she was an hour early, my mom and I weren't home when they arrived. I mean... an hour?!? I was in the dressing room at Anthropology when Britt called to say, "Where are you and what is the code to get in the house?" Gotta use every minute, you know. And... when my house is clean, it's probably best for me to not be in it. I can trash a place faster than anyone I know...  :)

Anyway, this gift (which I actually took to the second shower of the weekend) was put together with Kenneth in mind. He loves to grill and was apparently quite excited about some of the options when they were filling out their bridal registry. Since he also seems to have a love affair with coolers and thermal beverage containers, I included one in the big bucket of goodies that I chose from their registry and supplemented with some party goods that just fit in with the color scheme — then I placed a wrapped grill pan underneath and tied it all together with some gingham ribbon. Yes — I know, I can get a little carried away... but it's hard for me to resist a pulled-together, color-coordinated gift package. Especially when it's for my daughter and her soon-to-be husband!

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Star Prints, Flower Fusion #1, #3, and #4); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White); patterned paper is Kaiser Craft (Vagabond Gypsy); ink is Stampin' Up (Wild Wasabi, Crushed Curry, So Saffron) and PTI (True Black); buttons are PTI (Scarlet Jewel); twine is PTI (Rustic Jute); also used PTI dies (Parisian Doily and Flower Fusion #1, #3, and #4).

So — I thinks that's it for now. I went to work today... and plan to go tomorrow, too — then it'll be one day at home pulling things together and early Friday morning we'll set off for Raleigh in two cars and with loads of bridal shower gifts, wedding gifts that have been delivered here, wedding clothes, and a variety of decorations and things for the festivities. Can't believe it's almost here! Just four more days. Woohoo! (How's that, Britt?) :)

Things seem under control, so I plan to be back again tomorrow. Thanks so much for visiting and I'll see you again soon!

Welcome

If you've visited me here before, you may remember that I like to leave a little welcome card in our guest room when we have overnight company. A couple of weekends ago, we had guests in three rooms at our house — my mom, Britt, and her soon-to-be mother-in-law. Time was short (as it has been often lately), so I made these simple tags.

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But simple tags are no good by themselves. They need to be attached to something. And since, like I said, time was short, I punched holes in prepackaged snacks and attached them all together with a binder ring onto which I tied the tag with baker's twine. That way my guests had snacks at their fingertips in case I didn't remember to offer goodies (which happens a lot to me these days... the not remembering thing). That means I started out our bridal shower weekend by making sure we had snacks... that's just so me... :)

AND TELL: stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Wreath for All Seasons, Tag-its #3); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip); also used SU markers (Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie).

If I get a chance over the next few days I'll show you the tags that I made for the shower gifts I gave to Britt. And maybe some pictures from the showers, too. And then, before long, I should have some wedding pictures to show... it's only 5 days away now. (And, since yesterday I was gently chastised for saying "eek" after my countdown number, today I'll say, "YAY!" — just five more days! :) )

Thanks so much for stopping by... hope to see you again soon!

thanks

This card uses the stamped image that I contributed to our stamp club image swap. It's a simple straight line of patterned hexagons from a former Unity Kit of the Month. Here's a picture of what my stamp club friends did with the image (you can click on it to make it a little bigger.) Funny that two members chose the same color scheme, isn't it? And I don't know if I would have ever in a million years thought to make it into a honeycomb and sat a cute little bee atop it. Such a fun thing about the stamped image swap — seeing what everyone did with your image.

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I decided to cut mine apart and make it into two sort of Asian-looking vases and color them with Copics. Adding the Crystal Effects made them look even more vase-like.

AND TELL: stamps are from Unity (July 2010 Kit of the Month: Happily Ever After...) and Stampin' Up (Paradise, So Happy For You); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream); ink is SU (Old Olive) and Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used Copic markers for coloring the vases and SU's Crystal Effects to make them shiny.

This morning was the first worship service in our church's new sanctuary. I took this (not very good) picture from the back about 15 minutes before church started.

By the time the first service was underway, the place was filled... including all those roped-off rows at the back. Hopefully things will even out some. I'm sure the church staff would really appreciate some time with just two services as opposed to the four they've been leading every weekend for the past several years.

There's also a nice foyer.

How fun... we're going to see people that we haven't seen in ages because of several years where everyone was spread out over four services and two days. Yep... exciting stuff!

And that's it for now. Thanks so much for stopping by. Depending on how the week goes, I'll be back with some bridal shower and wedding related posts. The big event is just 6 days away now... eek! Have a great evening and hope to see you again soon!

birthday wishes

Here is another card from our stamp club's image swap. Cindy stamped this image (to the right) down the side of a half-sheet of cardstock. I trimmed a bit of the excess white to the right of the image and folded the card so that the stamped edge was still visible. That made the card slightly wider than the standard 4-1/4".

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The coloring was done very simply (and amateurishly) with colored pencils and blended somewhat with blender pens. The rest was simple... add a dry embossed panel, a sentiment strip, and a flower punched from tissue paper. I decided to hold the flower layers together with a french knot made with baker's twine. I kinda like that baker's twine french knot... I think the mix of the yellow and white gives it a unique look.

AND TELL:  sentiment stamp is from Stampin' Up (So Happy for You); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used SU's watercolor pencils and blender pen, SU's punches (5-Petal Flower and Boho Blossoms), purple tissue paper, baker's twine from Divine Twine (Lemon), and a Sizzix embossing folder (Diamonds).

Before I sign off I just want to tell you how wonderful you all are. One of the great things about blogging is that you have a whole network of friends who will encourage you and affirm you when you really need a boost. And lately I've really needed that. Thanks for being there for me. :)

So — at your advice, I'm not stressing about posting... but I do have about two weeks worth of posts started, most of them with wedding-related projects, so if I get a chance... well, I may as well start sharing, right? But — I promise that I won't sacrifice the fun and enjoyment of this exciting time for the sake of posting on the blog. OK?

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and I may see you again soon! (You're the best!!)

cheers to you

Thanks for all the kind words sent my way yesterday. Truth is, I haven't been feeling like myself and finally went to the doctor this morning — who, basically, diagnosed me with being overwhelmed, stressed out, and pretty much not dealing well with life at the moment. So — for the very first time in my life, just going to bed early and then carrying on has not worked for me... and now I have some special little pills that I may decide to try out. Hopefully they'll get me through the next week and a half without going crazy. :)

Or maybe I just need some of what's in the image that Judy chose for her swapped image card...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I wasn't really happy with my coloring — although I had fun doing it — so I took a deep breath and punched a few circles from the image, coated them with Crystal Effects, stamped a background on my card base, and then added the glossy circles and a sentiment. Oh, add a few rhinestones for some bling-y distraction.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Snow Burst, Lots of Thoughts) and Judy's collection (don't know where she found that beverage stamp); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White) and SU (Going Grey); ink is SU (Going Grey) and Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used Copics (every color I own, I think!), two SU circle punches (1-3/4", 1-3/8"), a Marvy circle punch (yellow), Kaiser clear rhinestones, Corner Chomper, and SU's Crystal Effects.

Thought I'd show you pieces of my day...

spray painting frames for a display at the wedding...

patronizing the neighbor girls' lemonade stand on this steamy hot day...

and saying good-bye to Ken as he headed off to Fayetteville, NC for the night to help with some window treatments for an Extreme Home Makeover house (the episode will air sometime this fall).

Now I'm going to watch the end of So You Think You Can Dance and then get to bed. Gotta take care of myself, ya know?

Thanks so much for stopping by tonight... and I'll be back as I can. :)

 

OLW62 and OLW52

Sorry for being absent for awhile there... I'll give you an update later. But right now I just need to get these One Layer Wednesday cards posted before the next challenge is introduced tomorrow. The first card here is for OLW62, to make a thank you card for a specific person — and mail it.

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I think I may have cheated a bit here — or at least strayed from Susan's intention. I can't seem to make thank you notes for my bride-to-be daughter fast enough these days, so this little stack (just seven cards because I only had seven envelopes left!) will be going to her. She is a great girl, though, so I'll just say here... thanks for being such a wonderful daughter, Britt — always a voice of reason saying just exactly what I need to hear. :) (And, what a beautiful bride you'll be in just eleven days!)

AND TELL: stamp is from Stampin' Up (Gently Falling); paper is from a stationery store that was going out of business; ink is SU (Late November Spectrum stamp pad).

 

 

 

 

Now since I'm still trying to catch up from challenges of past weeks, here is the card I made for OLW52 — to use circles on your card.

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Not much to say about this one. Just a very simple, graphic card. 

AND TELL: stamps are from Stampin' Up (Great Shapes, Little Pieces, Enjoy Every Moment); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White); ink is SU (Sahara Sand, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Real Red).

That is going to have to be it for today. I promise I'll catch you up on our lives as soon as I can. Things are definitely busy right now. I have plenty to post... just not a lot of time to write and edit. Hope you understand. 

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me and stopping by for a little visit. Hearing from you makes my day! I still have some stamp club cards to share, plus lots of wedding related stuff — so, I hope to be back soon.  Have a great evening!

Mr. & Mrs.

Here is another card from my stamp club's image swap. Kathy brought this image to share — a floral-y rectangle — and it screamed wedding present to me. I must have weddings on the brain. :)

I saw the set this image is from when I was browsing through the new Stampin' Up catalog. It's from the set, Clearly for You, in case you want to look it up.

 

 

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I elevated the present by placing it on the cake pedestal from Crazy for Cupcakes. Isn't it kinda fun to selectively ink your stamps and come up with something new and different? :)

You can't see it well on the card — it's tucked in under the ribbon — but there's a little bitty Mr. & Mrs. tag on there. And that's what makes me think wedding card... or anniversary, I suppose. Change out the tag and it could be most any gift-giving occasion. It's still hard to see even in the close-up picture at the right... I guess you'll have to practice your visual figure-ground skills to take a closer look.

AND TELL: stamps are from Stampin' Up (Crazy for Cupcakes, Tiny Tags); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White) and SU (Night of Navy); patterned paper is from Basic Gray; ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black) and SU (Always Artichoke, Night of Navy); also used PTI's Parisian Doily die, SU's water color pencils and Tiny Tag punch, plus a Sizzix embossing folder (Tropical Paisley).

I know that I said I wasn't going to be chatty this week, but I did do some around the house cleaning today so I thought I'd post pictures — mainly in the hope that sharing will keep me motivated. 

 

Of course, it would be more impactful if I'd photographed before cleaning, but you don't need to see that. It was pretty scary. It's bad enough that two of our bathrooms are a bit torn up, getting new tiles, vanities, etc. But we'll finish them eventually. :) And at least they're clean now.

Well, I best get back to all the household projects that are awaiting me. Hope to see you again tomorrow for another card that I made for our stamped image swap. Thanks for stopping by for a little visit. I love hearing from you!