Beth Kruse Custom Creations

doily ball tutorial

2012-02-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

my daughter's lalaloopsy party

has a sewing theme to it.

and since doilies have a lace look to them,

i thought the doily pom pom balls

i saw on pinterest were perfect.

i followed the link but could not find a real

tutorial on how to make them.

since i had made these cupcake wrapper pom pom balls last year,

i had a pretty good idea how to try and use the doilies.

you will need doilies, food coloring, a ball & hot glue.

i looked for colored doilies,

but if i had known how easy it is to dye the doilies

i wouldn't have wasted my time. so easy!

fill a dish with enough water to cover the doilies

and add a few drops of food coloring.

{i used pink from the neon collection.

i thought i might have to add more but i didn't.}

put the doilies into the water.

{i just dropped the bunch in, didn't separate them at all}

it worked really fast! just a minute or two to soak.

{it takes awhile to separate them and lay them out

and if they sit too long they start to rip.}

lay them out to dry.

{i just had paper towels spread out on a table.}

as they start to dry move them around

to get off of the wet part of the towels.

{aren't they pretty?!}

once they are dry

{mine were dry a few hours later, but i waited til the next day}

fold in half and put a dab of hot glue

towards the center but near the fold.

fold in half again

put a dab of hot glue on the corner and press down onto the ball.

{you could probably get away with an even smaller ball}

continue to do this around the ball

{you want the folds to be going different ways

so that the doilies open into each other

instead of forming rows.}

notes...

i think i could've spread them out more.

the ball shows through but if you go back and use double sided tape

to stick the doilies together it solves that problem.

mine was much fuller than the inspiration picture,

but i like that in the original you can see more of the doily.

i ended up using about 30 - 8 inch doilies.

i'll have better pictures when i post all the party details!!

Lalaloopsy Party Invite

2012-01-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

it's been so hard to keep my blog updated

with all the planning i've been doing!

i have lots to share but for now i'd like to show

you the newest party i'm working on:

my daughter's 6th birthday party.

have you seen these cute lalaloopsy dolls?

this is the one my daughter has,

so i based her invite on this doll's outfit.

{i plan to make other invites to coordinate with the other dolls}

i'm focusing on the handmade/sewing theme of the lalaloopsy dolls,

so i made some of the fonts look "sewn" and incorporated

buttons & ric rac.

i made a paper flower following these directions

from little birdie secrets.

for the "envelopes" i bought these cute paper candy bags

from endless inkabilities on etsy.
the address labels were inspired by the doll's black pinstripe coat.

if you trim the bags, they can be folded over similar to an envelope.

then i sealed them with a sticker.

for those kids who want their doll on the invite,

i will also offer this invite

(or a custom one with your child's doll)

in my esty shop.

for the party we will continue to use buttons and all

the lalaloopsy dolls.

we are planning a sewing craft and

other lalaloopsy activities!

check out all the party inspiration

on my pinterest board!

DIY bubble guppies!

2012-01-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

i am now offering a DIY printable package

of party goods from

my bubble party

this package includes the PDFs for:

this welcome sign

these food labels

these cupcake toppers

these juice box wraps

these favor tags

this banner

click here to purchase this party pack!

the invite is also available:

{check out the original packaging idea}

holiday cards

2011-12-21T09:11:00.000-08:00

2011 Holiday Cards

my family card

"have a holly jolly christmas"

address labels - candy cane & snowflakes

{this is for a neighbor, the rest had addresses too}

return address label

last year i did reindeer fingerprints

so this year we did a fingerprint christmas tree

"we believe"

"count your blessings"

subway art

it's a very pinterest christmas

2011-12-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

I just love pinterest for finding great inspiration.

this christmas i have updated

my decorations with a few of these ideas.

burlap bubble wreath

i love it and it was not that hard.

i had pinned this wreath in the fall,

but it was too late to be making a fall wreath

so i added pinecones dusted with glitter.

i followed the tutorial and it took about an hour.

the most time consuming part is cutting the burlap.

i had lots left over from my sister's shower,

but it does take a lot of 4 inch squares. she said about 100.

i didn't count... and you'll need a lot of pins!

advent calendar

i really wanted a way to help instill

the true meaning of christmas in my kids.

but in a fun way.

i searched advent calendars on pinterest

and found so many wonderful ideas.

i decided to do a mix of winter/holiday fun as well as

acts of kindness & thinking of others.

here is my list of activities:
color a winter picture ~ make a card to put
with gift card for the mail carrier~write a note to your
sister telling 3 nice things about her~read a christmas
storybook~make a card for your busdrivers~
make cookies~have a snowball fight~go to starbucks
for a treat~make a sign for the garbage man and
attach a gift card~make a snowman~look at
photo albums~make a card for your REP teachers~
watch a christmas movie & have popcorn~go see
christmas lights~make a winter craft~draw a picture
of baby jesus~make cards to send to
great-grandparents~buy a gift for toys for tots~
help wrap christmas presents
{i put a few of these in more than once}

ruffled tree skirt

{this is more of a blog find}

i used burlap and muslin because i love a natural look.

i had seen this tutorial last year

their skirt was sewn,

and i was all ready to follow their instructions.

i had planned on pulling the sewing machine out....

and THEN i saw this tutorial!

wait, what? i can do this with a glue gun?!

done!

happy holidays!

classrom party ideas -- winter --food

2011-12-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

i have once again been searching for

fun. easy, cute ideas for classroom parties.

our party has to be winter themed so that really narrows

down what we can do.

these are the treats i made last year

i just stacked 2 doughnut holes and made a cupcake topper to

be the snowman head.

my daughter liked helping decorate and attaching the hats.

this year i have found some cute ideas on pinterest

to see all my pins go here.

{there are some christmas ideas too}

i really like these food ideas:

snowman doughnut with carrot nose

snowman snack mix

i plan on making a large bowl with

mini marshmallows {snow balls}, pretzel sticks {arms},

chocolate chips {eyes/mouth/buttons},

and orange sprinkles {nose}

holiday apple slices

i made these for the halloween party and they were a huge hit!

just cut the seeds out with a mini cookie cutter.

i need to find a winter shape now!

this is puppychow,

but since our school parties are peanut free

i thought it would be cute to use a frosted cereal like

frosted mini wheats since they look like they are covered in snow!

i'll share some activities next time!

you're a mean one, mr. grinch

2011-11-29T13:32:00.000-08:00

i had a client contact me to make

an invite for their grinch themed christmas party.

i think this sounds like such a fun idea for a kid's

holiday gathering!

i'll be making some party decorations as well,

so stay tuned!

contact me through my etsy store if

you'd like to throw a grinch party!

growin' baby owen

2011-11-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

as the marathon of baby showers continues,

i bring you the invite for my sister's shower.

my sister is obsessed with her vegetable garden.

like needs a 12 step program obsessed.

like spends most of her free time in the spring

planning, researching & planting obsessed.

like grows seedlings in her guest room obsessed!

i think you all get the picture!

so a garden themed baby shower it will be!

{owen is her last name}

it was my husband's idea to use garden puns in the wording

"lettuce" celebrate, the little "pumpkin"

and we'll "pepper" her with gifts.

she likes simple, so i used brown kraft paper.

you can see down by the picture of the address labels

that the back of the invite was the polka dot paper

i used as a backdrop for these pictures.

the baby's name will be amelia, so that is one of the garden signs.

i added a strip of "grass" that i designed and cut with the cricut.

the finishing touch was teal twine and a hot pink button.

i created green dot wrap around address labels to brighten up

the brown kraft paper envelopes.

check out all the party inspiration on my pinterest board!

shower pictures will be up next week.

vintage baby shower

2011-11-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

i'm still not exactly sure what to call this shower.

the original thought was for it to be a vintage toy theme,

but when we found out the baby was a girl, we put more of

a vintage book/schoolhouse vibe in there.

whatever you want to call the theme, it turned out great!

unfortunately, my photography skills are not so great...

once i created the chalkboard for the invite,

i knew that i wanted to incorporate it into all the paper goods.
{especially because the mama is a teacher!}

since the shower was a group effort
{thrown by both aunts and grandmas}

i was just in charge of all paper decor.

it was so nice to have just one job to do!!

the beautiful room

as guests walked in, they saw this table decorated with various vintage toys.

we asked everyone to sign the mommy-to-be's favorite children's book.

i had seen this idea on pinterest,

and decided to make one for baby caroline

flowers were made following this pinterest tutorial

in the center of the room we had a table full of toys/mementos from

the mom and dad's childhood

we got the cutest vintage flashcards from pretty little studio on etsy

i bought the mini cards for this banner

in between the letters, i made pennants with these adorable silhouettes.

the silhouettes are cut from chalkboard scrapbook paper

using the "a child's year" cricut cartridge.

for the gift table i made a banner using pdfs

that i also bought from pretty little studio.

once again, i used the silhouettes from the cricut.
{tip:having a party at a restaurant may mean you cannot
hang a banner on the wall. what i did was attach my banner
to dowel rods and stuck them into vases.
in the vases, i had styrofoam hidden in sugar.}

i saw this idea as part of a really cute "abc baby shower"
and loved it!

the baby's grandma did the cute centerpieces. they were terra cotta vases that she painted white and filled with baby's breath. they also had really cute blue and pink ric rac which you can't really see because of the menu. she also cut wooden blocks, painted them and stamped them.

{menu}

i used the chalkboard background from the invite

and cut out the bracket shape.

all the coordinating paper backing is from hobby lobby.

{drink label}

i'm so happy for my sister-in-law and can not wait for my new niece to come!

shannon has spoiled my kids so much over the years,

i have a lot of catching up to do!

to see all my pinterest inspiration go here!
for all your party needs contact me through my etsy shop!

vintage baby shower preview

2011-11-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

i am so excited!

my sister and my sister-in-law are both

pregnant with their first babies...

and they are due only a week apart!

we are very busy planning showers, but here

is a sneak peak of the first one.

my sister-in-law loves anthropology and anything vintage,

so we wanted to create a shower that had that feeling.

at first it started as a vintage toy theme, but has morphed into

a vintage toy/book/schoolhouse theme :)

i am so proud of the invite.

it's probably my favorite of anything

i've ever done.

i found a tutorial for how to create a

chalkboard background in illustrator.

{and i did 90% of it without my sister's help}

my mother-in-law helped sew the invite to fabric.

i think it makes it looks so delicate and pretty!

the mommy-to-be is a teacher,

so we loved the "G is for Girl"!

the chalkboard is incorporated throughout the shower

including these cute onesie stickers i made

for baby's monthly pictures.

check back next week to see all the shower details!

navy and teal wedding

2011-11-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

this summer, my sister's best friend got married.

they have been friends since high school

so it was really special to be a part of this day.

my sister and i created almost everything "paper" for the wedding.

i don't do many weddings because there is so much involved

and it's so much work to create 200-300 of everything!

but this bride and her mom were so appreciative

that it made everything worth it!

we were all so happy about how the vision came together.

i think it was the most beautiful wedding i have been to.

every detail was perfect!

..............

it all started with the invitation

we created a bracket shaped enclosure which

were individually cut using the cricut.

and wrapped it with wide navy grosgrain ribbon.

a custom made wax seal was the finishing touch.

the inside was a beautiful antique damask

print that my sister created.

isn't she amazing?!?!?

each piece was unique, but all coordinated.

beautiful fonts and details

...........

wedding details

we created pocket programs for the reception.

they were so cute. small, but still easy to read.

..........

escort cards

instead of numbers,

each table was named after a street in chicago

the tables were amazing!

we created the street signs and they looked great

with the dark silver tablecloths and beautiful flowers.

each plate had a little succulent. simple but so pretty!

the only snag we had was that the menus were misplaced...

they were supposed to be placed inside the napkin.

...........

"love is sweet"

candy bar!

candy labels

..........

other details

we did not make this- it was ordered on etsy- but what a great keepsake!

these pictures cannot even begin to show

how beautiful this wedding was, i was so proud to be involved

in such a well planned event!

**some of the pictures shown are courtesy

of the wedding photographer:

life on prints

woodland creature costumes

2011-10-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

when i saw the idea for this costume on pinterest,

i knew my oldest daughter would love it.

her beloved 1st grade teacher was partial to owls,

so they have become a close 2nd to elephants here.

unlike my sister who makes half of her kids' clothing herself,

i do not get a long with my sewing machine.

we have a fight and almost breakup every time i use it.

my glue gun on the other hand is the love of my life!

i made this costume entirely with hot glue!

here's how i did it...

i bought a few yards of felt for 50 % off so it was super cheap

{like maybe $6 total}

i chose 3 coordinating colors.

next, i cut a feather out of card stock

and then traced it over and over on the felt.

cut out all the feathers and warm up the glue gun.

i used a hand-me-down dress that was the shape i wanted

i forgot to take a picture after the first row, but basically just

glue down the top half of each feather, doing one row

{all the way around - front and back} at a time.

i didn't stick to a set pattern with the colors, just

tried to keep a color from bunching together too much.

once the dress was finished, i was so excited to show her.

i made her try it on the second she got off the bus.

first words out of her mouth: "where's the wings?"

my inspiration picture didn't have wings....

but i came up with the shape above,

cut it out and glued it inside the shoulder strap of the dress.

if you look closely, you can see a black jelly bracelet

{pinned for now..will stitch in place soon}

this keeps the wings attached to her arms,

but if they are annoying her she can take off the bracelet

and let them flap behind her!

{the hat}

i saw this hat on pinterest and pretty much copied it.

we bought a woman's hat

(i recommend this because you lose a lot of the

hat height when creating the owl head shape)

okay, for this "i" did sew. when i say "i", i mean

my mother-in-law sewed the hat.

we traced a half circle onto the inside of the hat,

cut and sewed it back together.

check out the link for much better instructions!

button + circle + circle with slits + hot glue = owl eye

ta da!

fly away owl!

my other daughter loves bunnies, i honestly

don't know how we haven't had a bunny costume before.

the costume all started with this

ADORABLE hat

i purchased it from babamoon on etsy

it is so cute and very soft. she was so fast too!

we bought a tutu skirt from target and then my mother-in-law

sewed the fur boa to the edge.

i took a pink shirt and added a couple layers

of white fur with the glue gun.

instead of adding fur to the sleeves,

i wrapped more of the fur around jelly bracelets.

this way, if she has to wear a sweatshirt for trick or treating

the fur will not be covered.

bunny tail!

more classroom party ideas {halloween}

2011-10-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

so here is what i'm planning for

classroom parties this year.

no food pictures yet, but there's some

fun ideas that were inspired by pinterest.

you can see all my pins here.

{spooky water}

make water bottles a little more fun by wrapping them with scrapbook paper.

1) take one wrapper off and make your strips the same size.

2) i took off all the wrappers because the new labels stick to the old

glue, but you do not have to do this.

3) wrap and secure with a piece of clear tape.

{mummy juice boxes}

the full tutorial on how to make these is here.

as i wrapped these, i used less tape and they still looked great.

in the tutorial, it shows the top being taped,

i did this until the end when i started to run low on tape.

for the last few i didn't and i think they looked fine without it,

so next time i would skip that step.

it took me 2 rolls of white electrical tape to do 23 boxes.

{games}

i made this monster bingo game using

the create your own monster clipart

from cloudstreet.

(contact me if you are interested in purchasing

the printable version of this game-

8 unique boards and calling cards for $5)

we are also playing pumpkin bowling

(picture from pinterest)

go here for the original directions

i purchased a "funkin" to use since the party is indoors.

{favor bags}

honesty, i can't stand favor bags.

but i know the kids like them so i got just a few items.

i added a little fun by making the toppers and also stuffing

the bags with that cheap spider web.

making the topper is so easy.

i bought favor bags that were 4 inches wide,

so i cut my scrapbook paper to be 4 inch x 4 inch and

folded them in half.

i folded the bag down to fit close to the prizes

then stapled the topper over the fold.

i loved how this one said

"trick or treat...smell my feet..."

and i'm sure the kids will get a kick out of it!

- - - - - - - - - -

oh and check out the invites we made for

our annual trick or treat party!

i saw the cute witch broom treat bags martha stewart made

and i decided i could use them as invites instead!

i followed her directions (i just stuffed with tissue not candy)

and slipped the invitation strip through the slits.

i think they are so cute!

school party ideas - - halloween

2011-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

i get so many great ideas for holiday decorating

from blogs and pinterest,

but wish i could find more

unique ideas for classroom parties.

i hope to find some more good ones to use in a few weeks,

but i thought i'd share what i did last year.

for my daughter's class party we decided one of

the activities would be a craft/snack.

the kids made these cute spiders.

i had seen the idea on a blog but for the original,

a lot of melted chocolate was used.

that wouldn't work for a classroom project,

so here is how i tweaked it.

you need:

brownie bites

pretzel sticks

mini marshmallows

nerds

you use the marshmallows as "joints" to join

2 pretzels together making a leg

repeat for the rest of the legs.
{we only had 4 legs}

tear a marshmallow in half.

{the sticky part attaches to the brownie}

and

stick 2 nerds into the marshmallows.

fun right?

fun snacks

i wanted to use cupcake toppers that

i had made, but didn't want to bring cupcakes.

so i stuck them into cubes of cheese.

all the kids wanted the toppers so they picked the cheese

even though there were tons of other sweats!

{they still ate the other sweats...but they ate cheese too!}

aren't these witch hats cute??

just take a hershey kiss

dip in melted chocolate {or melt the bottom of the kiss}

stick to the flip side of a chocolate striped cookie.

the example i saw had a piped bow, but i don't pipe...

so i used 2 pumpkin sprinkles & 2 orange jimmies!

{healthy candy corn}

white ~ bananas

yellow ~ yellow peppers

orange ~ carrots

now lets hope that this guy has a better halloween this year!

subway art

2011-10-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

subway art is everywhere these days,

and i love it!

anytime i can use multiple fun fonts, i am happy.

today i'm sharing a few ways i've used

the concept lately.

- toy story pdf -

i offer this pdf in my etsy shop.

it coordinates with all my other toy story party goods.

{you can see those here}

it is the perfect addition to any party display

as well as a great keepsake!

i can customize this for any party theme!

- baby subway art -

i made these for our family friends

who just had twins.

the gift included the custom art using all the

important baby info and coordinating

{new and improved-water/drool proof}

monthly onesie stickers.

both are available as custom orders in my etsy shop

check out other waterproof onesie sticker designs here!

-wedding card-

we typically give money as a wedding present,

so i am happy to have a way to also include

something unique and personal.

i waited until after the wedding and

used the ceremony program to create this

customized card.

i printed the details onto 5 x 7 shimmer card stock

and attached to the card with tape so that

the newlyweds could put the

artwork into a frame if they want.

-thank you card-

a friend of mine has been going through

every mom's worst nightmare.

a couple months ago, she found out that

her son had a brain tumor.

he has been going through chemo and radiation.

she has had many people come forward

with donations and help.

i designed this postcard for her

to send out as a thank you.

{the thank you message is on the back}

she sent me this adorable picture of her son

and a bunch of words that describe him.

i think that people will love getting this as a thank you!

see anything you like?

contact me here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bethkruse23

american girl doll party

2011-08-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

every day, at some point,

you can catch my daughter

flipping through the

american girl doll catalog.

so for her 7th birthday,

we decided to do an

american girl doll party.

her favorite color is blue so we picked

the colors navy, hot pink and teal.

we also used the american girl logo for inspiration

and incorporated stars.

because we were doing it outside,

i thought pinwheels and bunting would be great decorations.
the party went late so that we could watch
a movie outside with a projector so
we also used a lot of tiki torches.
the yard looked so pretty!

since the dolls were the main focus,

we tried to use miniatures of many of the party items.

the invite

the cake

i decided to use 6 inch cake pans to make a smaller scale cake.
there were 3 layers so that it still had some height.
it was just frosted white and
then i strung some mini bunting around.
i used 2 of the teal stripe straws to hold the
"ella" banner i made.

the food

i wanted the dessert table to be set up out
in our yard.
it rained all day so we had to
wait until the last minute to set it up.

the large ella banner was cut using the cricut
and then i used streamers to ruffle the background.

mini cupcakes (from target)
with tall tiny flags
{wooden skewers with scrapbook paper}

licorice wrapped in bunches with paper
{idea from pinterest}

mini poptarts on a stick
{recipe from here}

swirly suckers {amazon} for girls
pretend suckers for dolls {made by pippaloo}

cookies wrapped with bakers twine
in cake pan cake stand
-my wonderful sister did all the bows-

chocolate frosted cupcakes
{sparkle star and age 7 toppers}

popcorn bags for the outdoor movie

cans of lemonade-a favorite of the birthday girl
{lemonade banner attached to dowel rods}

american girl wraps for cans
-could also be made for water bottles-
{make them waterproof by using packing tape!}
the girls LOVED these.
they had so much fun finding "their" doll.

drink station

name flags for straws
{the pretty stripe straws are from polka dot market}

goodie bags for girls and dolls
{more goodie bag details here}

other details

pinwheels for girls and dolls
{how to make pinwheels}

mini plates and cups for the dolls
{american girl party supplies from joann fabrics}
i thought these were kind of pricey,
but they were a favorite of the girls.
they were all pretending that their dolls were eating too!

matching pinwheel barrettes i made for
the birthday girl, her sister and their dolls.

birthday hats for the dolls

welcome sign

activities:

dinner

making bracelets

{we wanted to make them for the dolls too, but ran out of time}

waiting for the movie to start!

thank you letter

--we did a little photo shoot on her birthday with some of the
party goods that didn't make it into the party pictures--

pinwheels!!

birthday girl, doll and their suckers

all paper party goods will be available
in my etsy shop

check out the links and party ideas {some not used}
on my pinterest board

american girl party -- goodie bags

2011-08-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

we had our

american girl doll party

this weekend!

the weather and mosquitoes

did not cooperate,

but it ended up being a great time!

while i'm getting all the pictures in order,

i wanted to share the goodie bags.

we made a goodie bag for each girl

and a goodie bag for each doll.

the girls' bag:

each girl got matching pinwheels for her and her doll,

a hat for her doll...

matching barrettes {for girl and doll}that we made,

a lollipop (from amazon),

american girl stickers and their choice of candy

i found these american girl stickers at joann fabrics.

they have a whole bunch of american girl party goods there.

just wait til you see the plates and cups!

they are a little pricey, but i used coupons.

for the dolls we got eraser food which was the perfect size.

we also found these eraser phones!

i bought both at "5 below" where everything is $5 or less.

i bought the lollipops from pippaloo on etsy.

she custom made them to match the ones i bought for the girls.

she has tons of other cute foods for the dolls.

i will definitely be buying some more for christmas stockings!

{the pink chevron stripe mini bags are from: shop sweet lulu}

favor tags for both bags can be custom ordered

from my etsy shop!

american girl party--pinwheels!

2011-08-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

i just LOVE pinwheels!

they are so pretty and colorful.

i figured they would be great

for our girlie outdoor evening party.

there are so many different

tutorials on how to make them.

since i took bits and pieces from all

the great advice,

i wanted to share what i think

is the most easy and pretty way to make them.

you will need:

coordinating papers

spray glue

long pearlized straight pins

glue gun

small beads

lollipop sticks - 8in & 4in (for dolls)

push pin (did not make picture)

first spray the back of one paper generously with spray glue.

place other page on top

trim to 5 inch squares

cut from one corner towards the center.

i just eyeballed it, others may want to fold diagonally

to create lines to cut on.

all 4 cuts made

put a dot of hot glue in the center and fold one corner in.

hold till dry.

repeat until all four corners are folded in.

this is the part that varies in each tutorial.

i used a pushpin to create my hole.

it is strong, so easy to push through and it creates

a hole that is a little bigger than the pin

so the pinwheel will spin easily.

stick the pin through the hole.

add 3 small beads

(this helps keep the pinwheel away from the stick)

put a dab of hot glue on the end of the lollipop stick

then slide the pin into the middle of it.

bend the pin so that the pinwheel is facing forward

instead of up.

pretty, right?

for the doll version, make a 3 inch square

and use the 4 inch lollipop stick

all ready for the party!

american girl invite

2011-08-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

for my daughter's 7th birthday

we are having an "american girl doll" party.

we will be serving dinner, dessert

and watching a movie outside

with our new projector.

since her favorite color is blue,

the color scheme is navy, hot pink and teal.

i am incorporating a lot of stars to go along with

the american girl logo as well as our

movie "under the stars".

the mini bunting banner is handmade,

but i will also be offering an invite with a

printed banner in my etsy shop.

coordinating address label:

{wrap around style}

for the party,

i am planning to have a lot of mini food

and a craft to involve the dolls.

there will also be lot of stars, bunting & pinwheels!

be sure to check back for all the party details!

bubble party

2011-06-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

as i mentioned in this previous post

my son loves the new show "bubble guppies"

so for his second birthday party,

i used that as my inspiration.

pretty much it turned into a BUBBLE party!

unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate

and it was cool and misty.

the kids didn't seem to mind,

but my camera did so the pictures aren't great.

the colors scheme was orange, teal, light blue and navy

{and some lime green thrown it there too.}

the invitation

{the invitation was rolled up inside the bubble container}

the cake

{tip: i use this glass cake stand for most parties,

but i attach a ribbon the coordinates with each party.}

i made bubbles by rolling fondant into different size balls.

then i used wilton shimmer dust to make them iridescent.

i mostly used the pearl, but mixed in a little blue now and then.

the details

welcome sign

food: everything was a circle shape
fruit bubbles, donut bubbles, chocolate banana bubbles,

cheesy biscuit bubbles, pizza bubbles, "pop"corn

food labels

bubble garland

i made this by cutting circles (2 inch with cricut)
out of different colors of vellum.

next i strung the "bubbles" using a needle and fish line.

the help them hang,
i added a small bead to the end.

jello cups with bubble guppies cupcake toppers

i had to have these straws!

i bought them from polka dot market

i added the name flags to help kids keep track of their cups.

i loved these plates/napkins (i can't get the picture to flip)

they are from hobby lobby.

juice box labels

{write the kids names in the bracket-

another way to keep track of unfinished drinks}

this great idea came from "living locurto"

it was a big hit with all the kids!

especially the birthday boy!

banner

the activities

bubble painting

{mix dishsoap, water and food coloring}

making huge bubbles with a baby pool and a hula hoop

i made this bubble solution:

1 1/2 quarts of water

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup liquid dish soap

i guess these wands worked way better than the normal plastic ones.

they are just pipe cleaners

i saw this great idea on pinterest.

just make sure the kids now it's bubbles, not water!!!

i took all the bubble paintings and "framed" them

with paper frames that i cut on the cricut.

then used them as a backdrop for pictures of each kid.

favors

i used clear acrylic "ornaments" and filled them with treats.

sticking with the circle theme,

i used sour fruit chews, skittles and trix (trying to limit the candy)

{my original idea was to use large ornaments and have the tag

inside with some small prizes.

but the craft store did not have enough big ones,

so i ended up doing all different sizes.

the smaller ones had the tag attached with the ribbon.}

they also got these great big bubble wands

(from dollar bin at target and dollar tree)

{bubble mishap}

the shirt is from my personalized tshirt

i have ordered a few shirts from her and she was very accommodating-

especially because i ordered something custom at the last minute!

for more bubble party ideas and links,

check me out on

the cat in the hat

2011-06-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

i just designed these cat in the hat invitations.

i am so proud of how they turned out!

i LOVE the colors.

i did them for a friend, so we agreed that i would design and

print the invite and she would do all the work

cutting the hats and putting them together.

i sent her a template for this hat.
there is a slit cut for the invite to slide out.
on the back there is a strip of paper holding
the invite in place.

surprise!

we saw another invite online that had pics
of the birthday boy with a "cat in the hat" hat
and loved the idea.
she also wanted to include pictures from liam's 1st year.
isn't he the cutest?!

the envelopes were too perfect to pass up!
you can order them at envelopemall.com.
i love the way the address labels look against the blue!

i also created the sticker that was on the front of the hat
to coordinate with the return address portion
of the label.

for more cat in the hat party ideas visit me on pinterest!

chore dice

2011-05-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

i am currently obsessed with pinterest.com

there are so many great ideas!

i came across this one

for chore dice the other day

i definitely wanted to make some!

i changed up the idea a little bit.

my kids are currently very motivated

to earn money.

so i decided to add that in.

first i bought 3 unfinished wood blocks from the craft store

{my daughter helped paint them}

then i printed out the square labels.

{it's unfortunate that i misspelled vacuum for the millionth time}

once the labels were cut,

it was time to assemble using

modge podge.

my daughters wanted them to be sparkly,

so we also added glitter

{just make sure you do

another layer of modge podge

or else you'll need to add "clean up glitter"

to the chore list}

so far it is working really well!

we made one block "before dinner chores",

the second "after dinner chores" and

the third block has the amount of money

they get for each chore.

bubble...bubble...bubble

2011-05-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

my son is turning two!

when my daughters turned two, i planned their

parties around their current obsession.

the problem with my son is not that

he doesn't have an obsession...

those include the chicago bears,

the chicago blackhawks, the chicago cubs

and taylor swift. but, since we had a baseball party

last year i wanted to stay away from a sports theme and taylor

doesn't exactly scream 2yr old boy....

luckily he started to watch ONE kid's show.

-the bubble guppies-

if you do not currently have a toddler/preschooler

you have no idea what i'm talking about.

but he thinks they are very funny

and really likes the theme song

"bubble, bubble, bubble.....guppy, guppy, guppy"

{although here it is more like "buppy, buppy, buppy"}

so we are having a bubble guppy party

heavy on the bubble!

the invitations:

for the kids:

i dumped the bubbles out of these containers

(into a larger bubble bottle)

washed them and let them dry.

next i added a wrap with the guests' names.

i rolled the invite up and secured the bubble wand

to it with with orange bakers twine.

for guests outside our neighborhood,

i actually put their address on the bottle

and mailed it!

it was about $1.50 each

i didn't put a return address on mine,

and my husband ended up having to write

them on at the post office.

i can't really think about how that looked :(

for the adults:

for the adults (grandparents, aunts/uncles)

i just mailed a regular invite.

but i made these cute address labels:

i can't wait to share all the

bubble fun!

minnie mouse party

2011-05-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

i was asked to do a custom

minnie mouse party

for a cute 2 yr old girl.

we used

black sparkle paper, bright pink polka dots

& lots of zebra print.

banner:

cupcake toppers:

favor tags

pictures from the big day!

thanks erika & taylor!

mother's day gift

2011-05-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

this is an easy,

kid friendly

gift for grandma.

i got lucky and a local garden center

had these pots

(already painted and including a plant)

for just $1!

i wanted the kids to personalize them for each grandma.

each kid made a flower and ant body with their

finger print. (i used acrylic craft paint)

then i added the stem, grass, legs and antennae

you can't tell, but the post has 3 flowers and 3 ants.

one for each kid.

i still want to have them each write their name by their ant/flower.

babies are a hoot!

2011-04-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

i was asked to help plan

an owl themed

baby shower.

i was so excited because there are

tons of cute owl ideas out there!

they know the baby is

a boy so i decided on the color scheme

of light blue, sage green, cream and brown.

i loved this blue/cream polka dot paper!

each dot was outlined with silver glitter.

so pretty!

but very messy, my house is still sparkling

{and not in the it's so clean way}

and i just love the "branch" letters!

the mini-banner will go with

a tree that they are going to hang

advice for the new mom.

(i made circles out of the same paper for the advice)

garland:

this garland is made by gluing 3 scalloped circles together

cupcake toppers:

i saw the tutorial on how to make

these pompom toppers here.

more food stuff:

sign for the tea table

food labels

jar for sugar or cream

gift for the new mommy:

onesie stickers in an owl bag.

i saw a picture of this idea here.

onesie stickers for pictures on each of the first 12 months

bunny bunting

2011-04-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

my daughter LOVES bunnies!

so as you can imagine,

this time of year is a big deal for her.

i saw this bunny banner the other day

and knew i had to make something like it.

i went to my favorite standby...burlap.

i printed a bunny shape that i liked,

cut it out, and traced it 6 times on the burlap.

next i threaded some

blue baker's twine

through the bunny ears.

{later i added the bows}

for the bunny tail,

i hot glued a huge

white pom pom.

i think they are pretty cute!

i'm debating {with myself}

about backing each bunny with some

cute fabric just too add a little

more color...or do i

like them more natural....

onesie stickers

2011-04-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

awhile back i posted a gift 

that i gave my sister for her 3rd baby.

i wanted to show what how cute

they {sticker & baby} looked!

since then,

i have come up with some new styles:

i made these for an owl baby shower

ties!

baseballs

these are for twin girls

made for a baby who has a

cowboy themed nursery

i think these are a great gift

for a baby shower

or a friend who is maybe having a second

or third baby and not having a shower.

if you'd like to order stickers,

send me a message through

my etsy store

the ants go marching 2 x 2... hurrah...hurrah

2011-03-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

my newest party was a custom order

for a client.

she requested a picnic theme

with a childlike feel.

i knew i wanted to use ants

and of course red gingham. i thought

the black polka dots

coordinated well with the red.

the invitation

party goods

cupcake toppers:

favor tags:

banner:

welcome sign:

food labels:

if you are interested in this party,
please contact me through my etsy shop!

new motivation

2011-03-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

i am trying to get myself motivated to take on some

new home improvement projects.

now that my etsy store is a success,

i'm having trouble finding the time...

these 3 kids i have aren't helping either!

maybe if i show you all some
projects in real need of attention,
i will be more motivated!

although i'm not big on modern furniture,
i found this great wallpaper on allmodern.com

it looks like beadboard and you can even paint it!

i'm think about using it inside this closet:

or on the inside of this:

{there used to be doors on this pre-toddlers}

and hopefully someday on the ceiling in here:

{someday meaning the day when i can pay someone to do it}

my goal is to have an "after" picture soon!

i can't forget buzz!

2011-03-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

i get lot of requests for buzz lightyear

items to go along 

with all the woody and jessie decorations

i make.

i just helped someone do a party

where she had the best ideas.

she had a table with all the food

that was woody and jessie themed.

but then she also had a dessert table

that was buzz themed.

i am so jealous of her creativity in

naming the foods.

here were a few of the labels i made her:

"hamm sandwiches"

"mr. potato head chips"

"woody's watering hole"

cute right?

she wanted a sign for the dessert table

that said "star command sweets"

so here is what i came up with:

{these pics are in my family room...
not at her party!!!}

 the background paper was a dark blue

glitter paper

and i LOVE these letters!

aren't the little star cutouts so great?!

buzz & alien toppers

if you are interested in anything

you see, please contact me

through my etsy shop!

valentine's projects

2011-02-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

i was talking to a friend about my blog and

something occurred to me.

i often don't post projects because i have

"copied" something i saw on

another blog. but not all of the people

who read my blog have seen these ideas!

so i am going to try and post more.

the first project is a gift for my daughter's teachers.

i saw the flower pin above and just loved it!

she made hers out of paper.

i decided to make mine out of muslin.

first, i cut it into squares (maybe 4 inch?)

then i used my best cursive... can you tell i taught 3rd grade?!

i used a red glittery gel pen, so it had a tiny sparkle.

i scalloped the edges

this does NOT have to be perfect!

to see how to put the flower together go here.

i hot glued the pin to the back with a

piece of felt (heart shaped of course).

i'm in love with it!

maybe i'll make one for myself someday...

-------------

the second project is a banner

i saw on one of my favorite blogs:

lemon tree creations

it's so easy.

i cut the pennants out of burlap.

then i cut the letters out with my cricut

and used them as a stencil.

i had pink/red glitter glue so i used

that to fill in the stencil.

my favorite part is the pink bakers twine

stitched through!

--------------

okay, last project!

i needed valentine's shirts for my girls.

i decided to use an idea i had seen

on love stitched

{it was originally a christmas

ornament which i also made!}

i'm not going to repeat her tutorial, so go there to check it out!

you need to start out with a piece

of felt cut into the shape you want.
the only other change i made was to cut circles
of fabric instead of squares.

then following her tutorial, hot glue the

petals all over.

i just pinned the heart onto

the shirt because i wasn't sure it

would wash well.

and i didn't want to waste a long sleeve

white shirt! we are always

having to do laundry just for those!

and here's how you make those cute

legwarmers from women's knee socks.

{i bought these at target for $1.50 after

valentine's day last year}

princess and the frog/baking party

2011-02-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

my daughter asked for a

princess and the frog party

and she loves baking...

so i decided to combine them.

since tiana loves to cook,

it really fit.

the colors were lilac and green apple.
i wanted to incorporate a lot of
cupcake wrappers & bakers twine.

i also used a silhouette of tiana
throughout the party.

the invite:

{click here for more invite pictures/description,

click here for an apron pocket tutorial} 

The Cake: 

The Details:

 i made this for the front door

by gluing cupcake wrappers to

a large "5" that i had cut out.

{go here see my inspiration and get a tutorial}

banner

circle garland and hanging balls

the white balls are made from cupcake wrappers.

{tutorial}

the purple flower ball is made out of streamers!

{tutorial}

for part of the girls' favor, they got to

create their own cookie mix.

i started jars with the basic ingredients

then had them each choose what goodies

 they wanted in their mix.

the whole display...so mad it's blurry!

"cupcake toppers"

one is the tiana silhouette and

the other is purple jewel. 

i love cupcake toppers!

 more importantly, the kids love them.

but i rarely serve cupcakes at my parties,

so i have to come up with another way to

use them.  here, it's in grapes...

cocktail picks

i used coordinating papers

and tiny glitter frogs.

chocolate covered marshmallows

the table before the baking started!

i saw this cute idea for

attaching flowers made from

cupcake wrappers to the hats

here!

Activities:

the kids got to add their names

using sticker letters i got

form the dollar bin at target.

{tip: i put the letters each girl needed

for her name in a cupcake wrapper

ahead of time so there wasn't any searching}

making beignets!

these are tiana's specialty!

we found a tiana cookbook which

had the recipe.

it was so easy and a perfect

recipe for the girls to help with.

aren't these little rolling pins cute?!

they are from hobbyy lobby and the

best purchase i made (also very inexpensive).

they kept all the girls involved.

creating a one of a kind cookie mix!

the little bakers

modeling the cute apron my sister

made her!

{available in her etsy shop:

"Dressed to the Tees"}

Favors:

in addition to the cookie mix,

the girls each got a tiana barrette.

i got them from Crystal's Creations.

it was a great party!

for any of the paper goods you see here

please visit my etsy shop.

princess and the frog party preview

2011-02-07T11:14:00.001-08:00

the party was a success!

until i can get all the details
up here is a little
preview:

welcome sign

banner

"party hats"

apron invite tutorial

2011-02-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

my newest invite is for a
princess and the frog/
baking party.

today i'm going to show you how i
made the apron part of the invitation.

i had never seen anything like this,
but as i was searching for
cheap aprons for the party i came across
an invitation that looked like an apron.
if you google it, you will see
many that are more decorative than mine,
but i just wanted something simple to
not take away from the actual invite.

first, you need to cut out an apron shape.
you can also google this and find many templates.
although, it's really not that complex.
just make sure it is 2 1/2 inches longer than
you want the finished product to be.
{mine was 9 inches from top to bottom
and 5 1/4 inches side to side}

next, you will score 2 1/2 inches
from the bottom then fold up toward the top.
{if you don't have a scoring blade,
you can just fold it}

put a thin line of glue on both edges
and fold closed to create the pocket.
{i like to stick it under a heavy book
while it dries to make sure it stays}

next you will add the loop that
goes around the "neck".
just punch two holes and tie the ribbon.

use an craft knife to cut two slits
for the "belt" to slide through.
the ribbon goes behind the apron
so that just the loose ends are hanging.
this is a picture of the back.
from the front it should look
like the ribbon would tie behind your back.

these are buttons i found at michael's
over a year ago and just knew i'd have a reason
to use them someday...they were only a dollar!


i tied them on with purple baker's twine
{from the twinery}

to finish off the invite, i rounded the edges.
it's not necessary, but i think it
makes it look so much more finished.
this tool is definitely a
good buy.

i don't know how well you can see it here,
but this shows how it looks
with normal corners vs. clipped.

the princess & the frog invites will be
available in my etsy shop soon!

hopefully i will be posting the party next week!

princess and the frog invitation

2011-01-27T06:32:00.000-08:00

my daughter's birthday is coming up!
she wanted a tiana (princess & the frog) party.
we all know how i feel about character parties...
i gotta do it for the kids, but want to change it up.
so i decided to take a cue from tiana
and her goal of owning a restaurant.
we are having a baking party!

the invitation i designed can be used for any
princess & the frog party

but to make it a bit more special...

i decided to add the apron enclosure!

check back soon...
i will have a tutorial on how to
make the apron!

the invite itself will be in my etsy shop soon!

and in couple weeks i'll show you the party!

zebra - butterfly banner

2011-01-09T17:00:00.001-08:00

i know the funniest little girl.
when you see this banner you will probably
think she is a super girlie tween.

but no, she is a 4 year old who wanted
a butterfly/zebra party.
because she has an "imaginary"
(my word, NOT hers)
pet zebra.

i made her this banner and a bunch of pretty
butterflies on ribbon to hang
at her party.

her mom planned the rest of the party and it
was so cute that i'm hoping to show the
whole thing here soon.

we had a blast!
but really, who wouldn't have fun
at a party where you play
"pin the butterfly on the zebra"?

london party

2010-12-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

i was asked to come up with some ideas
for a going away party.
the client's sister and her family
are moving to london,
so the theme is "london".

i used the flag of england
as my inspiration for the color pallet.
i googled london images
and was really drawn to the color red
in the double decker buses and phone booths.

1. some patterns i plan to use

2. farewell banner

3. images i loved

4. option 1 wine glass marker
(a 2 in circle with a label to write name.
the circle has a slit to slide onto the
base of the wine glass)

appetizer pick (done in all patterns)

option 2 for wine marker
(tag with a famous image-ties onto glass.
each guest would get a different image)

5. food labels

this year's holiday card

2010-12-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

my family's card

i am so excited about how these cards turned out!
the pictures don't represent the great
quality of the printing.
i'm so glad i have found a good printer
so that i can create any format i want.

front of the card.
it is a 4.75 in square when folded.

according to the printer, this is what you
call a "z fold".
i love the simplicity of having just the photos,
but then making it more festive
with the snowflakes and swirls.

i totally copied this idea from another blogger,
but can't find the link!
cute and easy.
i took each kid's thumbprint, added antlers and a red nose.
since i needed about 80, i scanned it and printed them out
on sticker paper.  then i used a circle punch to
make it perfect for sealing the envelope---no licking!
later, i wished i had printed the year under it...oh well.


my sister-in-law's cards

she brought me a picture of this idea and
i was really excited to try and replicate it.

i think it turned out so pretty.

she decided to go with the green, but i
really love them both.

teacher gifts

2010-12-16T19:17:00.001-08:00

as a former teacher, it's important to me to
give functional but fun gifts.

this year, i designed stationary for
my daughter's teachers.
who doesn't love beautiful, personalized stationary?

i made this one a pad of paper.
(well technically the printer made it a pad,
but it was my idea!)

perfect for a quick note home to a student's parent.

she also has a student teacher.
she is engaged so i didn't want to make her paper
that she wouldn't be able to use once
she has her own class.

so instead i made her note cards with
her first initial.

hope they like them!

more banners!

2010-12-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

"believe" banner

a small banner made from burlap.

the letters are cut from a dark green shimmer card stock.

santa banner

this is a mini banner that i thought would be perfect to hang on the end of your child's bed just to make sure santa knows to stop!

we are refinishing floors, so do not have any beds to model with :(

"hitched" banner

i made this banner for a gift to newlyweds.

on one side it has their new monogram

and the other side has their wedding date

i think having the date added makes it a special memento. hopefully they can hang it up on their anniversary for years to come!

Goldalicious Banner

my neice told her mom that for her birthday
party she wanted this picture.

so my sister planned a perfectly pink tea party

she asked me to do a banner and using the picture as
inspiration, this is what i came up with.

i used a bunch of different patterned papers
with polka dots, stripes & flowers.

when i was looking at the picture i noticed
a lot of butterflies flying around pinkalicious...

so i hung butterflies from the banner with fishing line!

don't they look cute?!

princess & the frog...and jessie too!

2010-10-24T05:05:00.000-07:00

i can sew. well kind of...

i can make pillow case dresses out of bandanas

(half the seams are done for you!)

and i can make leg warmers out of knee socks.

so i thought... hey i could make a "real" costume this year.

like use a pattern and everything!

stay tuned to see how that turned out...

but first, here are the finished products:

of course she wanted to be jessie

(see why here)

and after a year free of princess costumes,

she begged me for this one

it's so pretty how can you say no?

(& he got stuck as her side kick)

princess & the frog

princess tiana

i felt bad that i was spending so much time on the

other costumes and all she got was a dress

but then i found this hat here on etsy.

i think it's hilarious! and she loves it!

the jessie costume:

i made a braid out of red yarn and hot glued it to the hat.

she is very detail oriented and also requested

a "pull string". of course! (she's just like me)

i used a strofoam ring i found in the floral department at joanns

and wrapped it with ribbon.

then i hot glued the end of the ribbon to the shirt.

for the shirt, i bought a white dress shirt.

i made a template out of paper then traced it out onto the yellow fabric.

i cut it out, used that liquid seam stuff and then

stuck it on with iron on transfer or whatever you call it.

(can you tell i'm an expert yet?)

the i looped some ric ric and hot glued it on.

for the sleeves, i ironed on the the fabric again.

i just sliced the fabric with a craft knife so the button can get through.

i added the ric rac and little yellow loops of ribbon to match jessie's.

heaven forbid, my daughter would have to wear pants,

PANTS!?

so i said i would make a skirt. we had this jean skirt

that was a little too "western" for every day so it was perfect!

the cowprint is a bandana (remember what i said about the seams).

i did have to cut and sew 2 pieces together.

but i decided to leave the top "rough"

you know that deconstructed look is really trendy right now!

i learned how to make a ruffle from My Backyard Eden

then i hot glued it onto the skirt.

finally, the belt is just made out of felt.

they had this nice felt with a design on it too.

the belt is hot glued together,

but i added velcro circles to "buckle"it.

frog:

here is where the story of the pattern comes in.

i looked everywhere for something I could use

for his costume. ( i knew i wanted to use this hat)

but finally i broke down and bought the $10 pattern

(which by the way was 99 cents 2 weeks later...

after my receipt was long gone!)

it was actually for a duck...but i could work with that.

anyway, after pinning/cutting out 8 pieces

and reading that i would have to pin/cut about 12 more,

i decide to veer off the pattern.

i had the shell done,

so i just cut out a piece of fleece and hot glued it to the inside of the shell.

then i stuffed it with polyfill and hot glued the last side shut.

i did the same thing on the back side.

the bottom was supposed to be elastic, but that involved

a lot more sewing and stringing through the elastic...

plus i thought it kind of looked like a dress.

so i decided to make it more like a onesie.

i trimmed it down on the sides

and cut the shape for the leg holes.

then i hot glued the flaps together.

by this time, i have no idea what i was supposed to

do according to the pattern.

i put velcro circles on the the shoulder straps

(reinforced with hot glue).

and here is the finished product!

onto the feet.

i cut out this shape two times for each foot.

i also cut it out of cardstock.

then i glued them all together (cardstock

in the middle for structure)

i added a ring of elastic to go around his leg

and the velcro on his shoe goes through

the ribbon to keep the foot in place.

i'm so excited with how it all turned out!

i think i learned that i'm not a "pattern" person.

i just don't like all the rules!

i would like to point out that i don't expect that this costume will

last and be passed down to his children like the rainbow bright

costume my mom must have spent

thousands of hours sewing.

but i'm okay with that.

i hope that this inspires other people who don't necessarily have

sewing "skills" to go ahead and try to create

something. sewing machines are great,

but so are glue guns!!

trick or treat!

2010-10-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

just in time for halloween!

cupcake toppers

for any party or just some family fun!

boo!

these spooky images are backed

with black dotty paper

or orange sparkle paper

these witchy toppers are backed with

black sparkle paper

or orange polka dots

sparkly candy corn cutouts

or candy corn images backed by the sparkle

banners:

trick or treat

i think i will hang this

over my door on halloween.

it's hard to see in the pictures, but

the black letters are sparkly!

trick

treat!

candy corn

simple & without bows

or fancy with bows

mini "bunting"

like any of these ideas,

but don't have time to make them yourself?

visit my etsy store here!

more toy story banners

2010-09-26T07:18:00.001-07:00

here are some new (less expensive) alternatives

to this toy story banner made out of bandanas.

these banners are made out of

scrapbook paper and cardstock

and strung on raffia ribbon.

they are available with any of the characters

at my etsy shop.

the cool kids' luau

2010-09-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

i was asked to help plan a luau

for a boy turning 14.

he really doesn't want anything cheesy,

but there will be a lot of

adults there as well, so his mom

wants it to be sophisticated too.

first i'm working on the invitations.

here are 3 samples i came up with.

option 1:

the hibiscus is cut out of scrapbook paper

using the cricut. it is glued down in the center

but not on the edges so that it pops off

the paper a bit.

option 2:

surfboards cut out of scrapbook paper and

glued onto a square card. corners are clipped

and edges are distressed.

option 3:

i created a surfboard image

with the birthday boy's initial and also

added a small hibiscus to one corner.

which one would you pick???

may the force be with you....right?

2010-09-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

so, i was asked to make some

toppers and favor tags for a star wars party.

now, back in the day, i loved star wars!

but now there is all this new star wars stuff

that i had no idea about!

(i think by looking back over my previous

parties, you can tell we are pretty

princess obsessed around here)

so anyway, this was a great learning

experience for me... guess this is what

is in store for me in about 5 years.

i thought adding the star paper background on some

looked cute... umm... i mean boyish and cool!

if you have a boy who loves light sabers

and ..... hmmm.... stars.... ???

(guess i need to do a little more research)

then visit my etsy store for these goodies!

a great and unique baby shower gift

2010-09-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

my sister is pregnant with her

3rd baby. for the first time she isn't

finding out what she is having

ugh!

i have seen a lot of bloggers photoshopping

the months onto their baby's onseies,

which i think is brilliant!

but no offense to my sister,

we are all kidding ourselves if we

think she will be doing that.

in fact, if you have 3 kids and are doing that

then you are way more on top of things than i am!

anyway, around here we are just proud of ourselves

for getting the monthly picture taken.

so...anyway...

i made stickers that she can put on any

onesie that she wants.

i also bought a little lovey for either sex.

now each month when she takes the picture,

she can lay the toy next to the baby

and you will see him or her growing.

girl stickers...

i really hope it's a girl just so she can use these!

do you see the little flowers on the letters?!

but these boy stickers actually remind me

a lot of my baby boy...

so i guess i want another boy too!

(HER to have another boy--NOT me.)

if you'd like to give this great gift,

email me or stop by my etsy store!

i can customize however you want.

how cute would it be to match the nursery

or the baby shower theme?