I made a tie... yup... a tie

I saw this picture flash on my mom's screen saver the other day and couldn't believe that I had almost forgotten about this day.  Yes, I know... a stunner.

I made a tie.  A man's tie.  And it actually worked!  :)  My sister found the pattern online, chose the fabric (that matched the wedding colors) and asked if it was possible.  Possible, yes.  Fun, no.  But it got done.   Here it is on a more handsome fella... and looking good.  That's a nice looking tie, if I do say so myself.  Not to mention the stunning bride.  :)

Owl fabric update...

I wanted to update you on my cute owl fabric and what I was making.  Here they are, invitations for my sister's upcoming baby shower.  Aren't they cute!  (I removed some of the personal info... due to the whole world wide web factor :)  Anyways, I love the fabric that my sister found and requested for the shower, and I love what I did with it.  Aren't the little fabric pockets just the cutest?  I love the different textures too.  The card that the invite is on is wooden... yup... wood.  It is so cool to have that texture added in with the whole owl theme.  :)  I also did a little stitching on the envelope so that they fit nice and snug.  I liked that whole texture thing as well... I hope the post office didn't mind.  :)  So there you have it.  Now, onto the decorations!

Rolodex Update

Well, after a lot of web surfing I found what I was looking for on etsy... love that place for both hand crafted and vintage items. 

Now, I need to track down a punch for the holes.  Found one on ebay... the auction ends in a few days. 

Looking forward to my Rolodex's arrival.  Better start cutting papers up soon... This should be fun!

Something is in the works....

So, I spent some time creating a bit today in between family gatherings for both Justin's family and mine.  I can't show you any details because I want it to be finished before showing you... so for now, I am just going to show a clue... I love this fabric... and you will never guess what I am making with it.  :)

Today's inspiration...

So, Justin is off to Scott's for the night to watch the first night of NFL football... I am not knocking the NFL season at all... I am actually a football fan, but it's the first week of school and I needed some inspiration and down time instead.  :)

I started my searching at Craft Warehouse and was lucky to find a 40% off one item coupon waiting at the door for each and every person that enters.  That NEVER happens there so I felt quite lucky.   Found a couple things on sale that I just couldn't live without and got the Tim Holtz tiny attacher at 40% off that I have wanted for a long time... it has teeny tiny staples and I love them.

Came home and started searching some blogs... I also love getting lost in the blog world these days.  In my searches I found this...

It got me started thinking... I could do this... I could also just spend the $60 bucks and have it sent my way... but I have sooo much paper that I am pretty sure I could pull something like this off.  I also found this great blog... with an idea for guiding wedding guests to the correct table here... 

using free downloadable printable papers here and free downloadable printable maps here... 

Here are the cute and colorful cards she made.

And then... grand finale... I found this on ebay...  awesome... and it looks heavy... just what I need around here... more bulk. :)

Wow... this would make my job sooo much easier, but I really don't need to spend the money... I get it.  But could I make lots of them... give them as gifts....  probably.  But then I remember, that most people don't like stuff that clutters up their counters and desks as much as I do.  Most people don't like PAPER as much as I do.  Most people don't like colors and rainbow ordering as much as I do... and most people actually use their computerized address books... unlike I do... (yup... it's true... all of my contacts are still written in an actual paper address book :)

So, thus ends my inspiration for now...  Now... what should I make tonight???

First Day Wishes...

Tomorrow is the first official day of school... and not just the official first day for me in the 2010-2011 school year, but for so many of my preschoolers it is going to be their first day as well.  Their first day of hopefully years and years of education.  This seems like a very straight forward thing to say, but I think that some years, I forget and I focus more on how I am feeling about the change of schedules the night before rather than focusing on them.  For this special day in so many little lives, I wish I can offer the following:

~ A safe place to feel happy, scared, nervous, thrilled, overwhelmed, and excited.

~ A wonderful look at what fun learning can be.

~ A space to meet a new friend... whether it be a friend for the year, or a friend for life... (I have those you know:).

~ A place to make art... to create... to find self confidence through making stuff :)

~ A place to sing and dance like no one is watching... and hopefully love every second of it.

~ A place to feel confident and loved by their teachers... and know that we are good friends to have.

~ A space where making noise is not only embraced, but often encouraged.  :)

~ A smiling and comforting face and set of words to make even the most scared more at ease.

~ A set of simple boundaries and rules that everyone can follow and feel pride in following.

~ A really really fun day that they are really looking forward to having more of.


Tomorrow is a big day for us all.  I can't wait to meet my classes as a whole.  I know many of the kids, but don't know yet how they will interact as a group.  It is always such a busy day and I am truly looking forward to it.  Good luck to all of you kids (and parents) out there.  Please know that your kiddos are in good hands.  :)

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

We are ready...

We are ready... bring it on first day of school... I truly can't wait :)