OMG (congratulations!)

We have arrived at an exciting stage in life and feel oh so happy to celebrate wonderful news of babies and marriage with our loved ones!  I created these note cards to express this joy to our friends.

Preppy Print Key Chain

I am always misplacing my work keys on my busy desk, so I decided to make a fun key chain to help them stand out among the clutter.  I designed some bright prints and loopy monograms on my computer, and cut them to fit a 2x3 photo key chain.

Burnin' Love Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

I took inspiration from a matchbook greeting card I saw at Papyrus for my Valentines this year and re-created a version of my own.  I LOVE the matchbook, heart-tipped matches, and "burnin' love" message.

Sending you wishes for a HOT Valentine's Day!  :-)

V-Day Rosette Wreath

My weekend craft project was cheap and simple!

Materials used:
- two small rolls of crepe paper
- heart wreath from Michael's
-  basic glue (i.e. Elmer's)
- hot glue gun
- ribbon

The project is delightfully simple!

1.  cut the crepe paper in various lengths

2.  crinkle the crepe paper in a ball to add more texture and volume

3.  unwind the crepe paper and start to roll into a rosette, starting with a tight roll in the center, and loosening as you go to create the effect of the petals

4.  use a bit of Elmer's glue to hold the end in place

5.  hot glue the rosette to the pre-made wreath

6.  finish with a ribbon and anchor to your door!

I was inspired by a similar wreath for sale on Etsy, and took some tips from this great tutorial.

Ode to Cards of Valentine's Days Past

February arrived today -- where does time go?!  January seemed to speed by especially fast this year because of the delightfully mild winter we've been experiencing in the Midwest.  Keep it coming!

To celebrate February's dawn, a look back at my handmade Valentine's Day cards from the past two years . . .

2011

2010

Picture-Perfect Birthday Invitations

Here are some images of the paper invitations I made for my dad's 60th birthday.  After seeing these photo-booth inspired invitations from Martha Stewart, I just had to use the precious photo strip of my dad (trying to figure out how to work the photo booth) from our wedding.

I stuck with the black, white, grey and red theme and used silver photo corners and brads to complete the invites!

Check out the rest of the party details here!

Picture-Perfect Birthday Party

My dad turned the BIG 6-0 in early January, so we threw him a surprise birthday party!  I believe the final headcount came to 75 . . . impressive that my dad has so many friends after ALL of these years!  ;-)

This article in Martha Stewart magazine from January 2011 provided inspiration for the photo-themed party.  In place of Martha's yellow, I used red as my accent color to the black, white and grey color scheme to tie in NIU Huskies colors (my dad is an alumnus and a huge  NIU sports fan).    

I asked guests to send old photos of my dad for a slideshow, and arranged black and white copies of some of these photos to create a "60" sign.

I found these amazing beer mugs at Dollar Tree and used photo corners to affix a photo to each glass.  Leftover pictures from the party invitations and silver-wrapped mints served as confetti.  Easy and affordable table centerpieces!

Noise makers were ready for the SURPRISE! in coordinating cardboard six-pack carriers.

Guests were asked to leave a message for the birthday boy.  Love the look of silver Sharpie on black paper!

Mini cupcakes from Swirlz - YUM!

Lots of beer was consumed at the party, so the koozie favors were used from the get-go!  Shout-out to CustomInk -- I was impressed with their superior customer service!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!  XO