Thursday was a wild day at work. I didn't sit down until after all the kids and most of the staff were gone — probably 2:00. Can you imagine how exciting it was to know that I was coming home to this box?
I've said it before, but I LOVE ordering from Emma's Paperie — because getting a box from them is like receiving a present in the mail. They wrap your purchase in colored tissue and tie it up with a bow. And they include a piece of candy. I'm all about candy. A day without sweets is like a day without... well, I can't even think of a day without sweets.
This was an extra special package because it also included the doorprize that I won during their 2nd birthday celebration last weekend. And a little glassine bag of goodies as a party favor. Oh. And my order. Now, how fun is all of that?!
Today's card uses some of the items that were included in my doorprize. Like the patterned paper. I love the colors in this paper. So bright and cheery.
The card also follows Laura's Sketch 47 from 2 Sketches 4 You.
SHOW
This card is obviously not too mail-friendly with that big, fluffy bow, but I love it anyway. I've always liked sheer ribbon, but haven't been using it much lately. I think it's a great, airy, spring-like touch for this card. AND TELL: stamp is from Papertrey Ink (Communique Curves Sentiments); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White, Hibiscus Burst, Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist, Spring Moss); patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye Confetti collection; ink is PTI (True Black); ribbon is sheer white from Michaels and Berry Sorbet from PTI; circular bracket sticker is from Luxe Designs (Simple Labels: Lime); also used Marvy's 3" circle punch (purple) and Stampin' Up's Two-Step Bird Punch.
Ken and I had a good time last night — as I knew we would. I just have such a hard time stepping that far out of my comfort zone. The outermost station for the light rail line is not far from our house, so we drove over there to catch the train. The nearest stop to the little theater was several blocks away, but the weather was agreeable, it was still light outside, and the walk took us by lots of open lots that were mown and not scary-looking. We were way early, but hung out in the lobby eating peanut m&ms while we waited for them to open the doors.
The play (musical, really) was "There's a Monster in My Closet." Very cute and funny. These high school kids are so very talented and it's a joy to watch them have so much fun on the stage. Molly (our neighbor) was a purple monster in the chorus. It took us forever to figure out which one she was and finally just had to do it by process of elimination — she looked nothing like herself. And that's probably a good thing — after all, what 16 year old girl wants to look like a purple monster in real life?
One of the funniest things in the play was in Act 2. Each performance they are having a different local celebrity play the part of the dad. He has one line that is repeated several times — "I don't know." Last night's celebrity was Peter Gorman, the superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district. He played his part beautifully and it was hilarious. If you're local, former mayor Pat McCrory and current mayor Anthony Foxx are celebrities for upcoming performances. It's definitely worth going to. And if you have kids, they'll enjoy it, too. Here's a link to ticket information. And here's a link to the celebrities.
The impressive organization that Molly's a part of, Playing for Others, gathers talented and arts-focused kids city-wide and teaches them to use their gifts to help give back. There is a non-profit partner every year that the kids volunteer with and that PFO helps to raise funds for. We're happy to be associated with them through our neighbors. I know both of my kids would have loved this if it'd been around when they were in high school.
Well, I wasn't really planning to go into all that. So, anyway, it started pouring down rain during the performance (we could hear the thunder and the rain on the roof — which kind of added to the "monster" feel) and it was still raining hard after the performance. Lucky for us, Molly's grandpa was there to pick her up and take her home so we squeezed into their car and they dropped us off at a local night spot, the EpiCentre. (So all my worrying about walking 7 blocks or so through the dark, scary city was unnecessary. Isn't that most often the case?!) We ended up eating at a sports bar/bowling alley called Strike City. It was loud. It was crowded. And we were probably the oldest people in there by 10-20 years. Haha! But — March Madness is underway and the NC State/FSU game of the ACC tournament had just started, so we ate and watched a little basketball and occasionally tried to yell some conversation to each other across the table. :)
All in all, it was a fun evening and I'm glad that Ken pushes me out of my comfy little box once in awhile. Now, I'm going to go bake cookies. One of our neighbors decided to make a big pot of spaghetti sauce and we're having an impromptu neighborhood party this evening with different people bringing cooked pasta, salad, bread, parmesan cheese, dessert, etc. I opted for dessert — because you know how I am about sweets!
Whew! All that personal stuff got kind of long. Sorry about that. Sometimes I'm chatty. Sometimes I'm not. :)
Have a great weekend! It's feeling spring-like here and I'm so ready for that! Thanks for stopping by!!
What great spring colors ... love that awesome little bird & the fun gauzy bow.
Posted by: SmilynStef | 03/13/2010 at 12:10 PM
I love boxes like that! :) I LOVE this card... love it! So glad that you guys had a great time! I like it when you are chatty... nice to know there is someone else chatty out there! :)
Posted by: Kelley Eubanks | 03/13/2010 at 02:17 PM
What a sweet card! Love your sheer ribbon bow! :)
Posted by: Kathryn Martin | 03/13/2010 at 04:06 PM
Very pretty!
I love the bright colors :)
Thanks for playing at 2S4Y!
Laura
Posted by: Laura Davis | 03/13/2010 at 04:10 PM
This is so bright and cheery!! I love the colors, and that fabulous punched bird!! Great job with Laura's sketch!
♥♥♥Lea
Posted by: Lea Lawson | 03/13/2010 at 04:20 PM
I was so excited for you when I saw your name as a winner of some birthday goodies last weekend. The card you made from them is so cheerful. Love the bow and how it complements the design.
Enjoy your spring weather. We are in the midst of torrential downpours here in NJ, even lost electricity for a short time.
Posted by: Nancy M | 03/13/2010 at 07:47 PM
Such a cute card!!! Lovin' that gorgeous bow!!
Posted by: Cheryl N | 03/13/2010 at 09:01 PM
This is so so pretty! I adore how you used the sketch! That bow is fab!
Posted by: Courtney | 03/14/2010 at 02:54 PM
Hi Janelle - nice to have caught you at a chatty moment! I just wanted to say that every now and then, very occasionally, I see a card about which I think IT'S PERFECT and this beautiful card is one of them.
Posted by: Crafting Clare | 03/14/2010 at 06:22 PM
super cute!
Posted by: Stacey Schafer | 03/15/2010 at 12:40 AM