Bridal Luncheon Invite + Thank You Card

 

 

 

 

and now for the newest installation of “Meg is busy doing random things, so here’s something her mom made”

 

 

 

 

yes yes. More cards from my mom. She is so talented with the paper-crafting, I can’t help myself, ya know?

 

 

 

 

 

First off, this super cute thank you card.

 

 

 

My mom has a knack for making thank you cards for people that are exactly his/her taste. Now, that, is the gift-giving love language, am I right???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a thank you card for me since I gave her a divided fabric basket for Mother’s Day (made from this awesome pattern by noodlehead) to hold her paper-crafting materials.

 

 

Did you get that? I made her something to hold the things that she makes, so she made me this card to thank me for the thing that I made. I love my family.

 

 

 

 

 

And next up, this super intense bridal luncheon invite which she made to semi-match the bride’s invitations and wedding colors.

 

The front. So classy.

The band with the text slides off so you can open the invitation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The back (with the bride’s monogram).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The inside

with pull cards for the details and RSVP information.

 

 

 

Super cute, right?

 

 

 

 

Great job once again, mom!

And I CANNON WAIT to share more of the wedding details from Amy’s wedding! We’ve helped her design the invites and lots of other pretty details like the place cards and programs! so stay tuned! :)

Semi-Homemade Birthday Doll Set

Unsolicited frugal tip of the week:

Do your gift shopping after Christmas.

For obvious reasons, yes? EVERYTHING is on clearance.

I have a huge tupperware bin in my studio that is devoted solely to unassigned gifts,

things that I know I can gift eventually for birthdays, showers, and such.

Pretty much everything inside is something that I've purchased on way way way mark down.

And pretty much everything inside is something that I've purchased at post holiday clearance sales.

Being that there are so many children in my life,

and I seem to spend almost 3/4 of my time at baby or bridal showers,

here is what I always have in my magical gift bin,

and therefore what I'm always on the lookout for when searching the clearance aisle:

1) Bridal shower gifts.

Think kitchen utensils, tea towels, pyrex, wine glasses, cookbooks, etc.

Even if I buy something off the registry, I always jazz it up with utensils and some towels.

Way bigger bang for your buck.

2) Baby items.

Unisex newborn clothes for showers, swaddling blankets, little infant toys, etc.

See above about jazzing up a registry gift.

3) What I call "universal" toys.

These are toys like dolls, trucks, blocks, and the like.

Things that pretty much every kid plays with.

Not specific (Sorry kids, you will almost never get that crazy specific action figure on your Christmas list, but it doesn't mean Aunt Meg loves you any less).

Not to mention, have you seen the girls' toy aisle lately??? ick.

I mean really.... gross.

I've never seen so many overly curvaceous, bug-eyed, mid drift-showing dolls things in my life,

and frankly, I'm horrified.

So anyways...

I snagged this normalish baby doll after Christmas last year at Target for $2. Yes. Two.

She wasn't bug-eyed.

She wasn't wearing make up.

I know what you're thinking, newborns don't wear make up.

Ah yes, I'm a grown woman and at this point I rarely wear it myself,

but for some God-forsaken reason, there are (many!) baby dolls that are wearing eyeshadow?

Okay I'm done. Maybe.

Anyway, she came with a pacifier and a bottle and outfit and whatnot,

but I always like to add to a handmade touch to every gift,

so I made her some new clothes,

some dollie diapers with velcro,

and some itty bitty bibs.

The pattern for the dress can be found here.

I used velcro for all of the fastenings, so it would be easy for a 2 year old to change her.

For the diapers and bibs, I just drew a template first on paper and tweaked it to fit her.

As for fabrics, I used some that I had on hand,

cotton for the dresses and cozy flannel for the diapers and bibs.

Ben was psyched to give this gift to his friend, Lucy, for her birthday.

And he had a crazy good time, as always, at her house for the party.

For other ideas on how to "dress up" a doll gift, head over to my Pinterest board

"Education and Just for Fun Toys".

There are pins for baby doll carriers, bassinets, and all kinds of fun stuff.

Till next time!

Handmade Spring Cards

I love having a creative mom.

Not only is she is the one who taught me most of my skills,

she also sends me great stuff all the time including her fabulous handmade cards and photo albums.

March and April are big months for our family.

Ben's birthday.

My Birthday.

Our wedding anniversary.

Chris' birthday.

also a little holiday known as Easter.

So I thought I would share some of the gems my mom sent for said occasions.

Surprise Birthday Card

This one my mom made in mass for a friend's surprise party.

The couple really like suns, apparently, so she came up with this.

So cute.

Monogrammed Birthday Card

This one was for my birthday, and the photo doesn't really do it justice.

That doily looking medallion is about 3 layers thick with an intricately cut pattern.

My mom's style usually involves a lot of layering.

Tagged Birthday Card

This one is for Chris, and once again, the photo just doesn't give you an adequate visual of the details.

My favorite detail is the bicycle tag which is actually an envelope to house his gift.

Once again, there are about twenty million layers involved.

Love it because it's cute but still masculine enough.

Kid's Easter Card

This was obviously for Ben.

And I mean, come on... so cute.

Little fuzzy bunny tail and hand cut grass. Need I say more?

To see more of my mom's creations, click here

and here.

Thanks, mom!

Engagement Gift- Family Recipe Album

I love my family.

And recently, one of my favorite people in the world,

who also happens to be my cuz,

said yes to a young man who asked for her hand.

After admiring the scrapbook/album/family recipe book that my mom made for me before my wedding

(I'll have to share that one later... literally 3 HUGE volumes and crazy detail),

I decided to get her started on some family recipe pages of her own.

Mine are much shorter

and MUCH less detailed than my mom's,

but I like the way they turned out nonetheless.

Each page has one of our favorite family recipes,

a family picture

 some old, some newer,

and I tried to include a tidbit about the recipe or the family with each page.

Congratulations, Amy!

And Erik, if you ever read this, you should know that I've begun to pray for you through the intercession of Saint Bartholomew, the patron saint of cheese(makers).

MAY YOU BE HEALED!

Ben's Valentine's Gift

In the interest of "being real"

I must disclose that I'm not much of a Valentine's person.

Maybe it's all the pink (ick)

or the feeling of forced lovey-doveyness

or the fact that it falls in my least fave time of year...

probably "D", all of the above.

So really it's a minor miracle that this happened at all.

In my 1.5 year(s) of blogging, I don't have the best track record when it comes to V-day crafting

(see above statements).

Last year, I did complete my LOVE mini-quilt/banner,

but by the time I posted it, it was approximately 9 pm on the 14th.

you're welcome blogosphere.

No matter!

I did put together two of these quasi-valentine's gifts for Ben and his lady-friend, Lucy.

I originally intended them to be Christmas gifts,

and guess what?

Didn't order the books on time.

Shocking, I know.

All is well, t hough, because V day is about love

and there are few things that I love more than books.

and felt.

and kraft paper with twine.

The book is one of my favorites from childhood,

that I've been wanted to purchase for Ben since I got pregnant.

It's The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allen Ahlberg.

The gist: a postman delivers mail to different fairytale characters

The best part: yes, there's actual mail that you can open and read.

Take a look! It's in a book! Reading Rainbow!!!

To go with the books,

I got these cute little mailboxes from the dollar bins at Target.

Then made felt envelopes to put inside (tutorial below).

and some heart, of course.

Felt Mail Tutorial

Step One:

Cut felt as pictured here.

Easy enough, yes?

Step Two:

Sew on a rectangular "stamp" in contrasting color.

I zigzag stitched around to keep it in place.

On some of them, I also sewed a zigzag for the "writing".

Step Three:

Fold the envelope so the sides match up and sew along each side (as pictured)

I did some with a straight stitch and some with a zigzag stitch.

Step Four:

I sewed a crease into the top of some of the envelopes so the flap would stay down, and the others I just tucked the flap in.

And done!

So cute.

Wrap it up

and gift away!

Happy V Day, all!

Simple Baby Blanket [Tutorial]

I had the opportunity to make another baby shower gift basket last week (one of my fave projects to put together),

and I couldn't resist including some super cuddly fabrics.

 

I had some fleece and cozy flannel in my stock that were going really well with the colors of the basket,

so I put together a quick and simple blanket.

And since it was so gosh darn quick and so gosh darn simple,

I couldn't resist passing the steps along to you all (see below for tutorial/measurements).

 

While I love to challenge myself, I think it's good for me to remember that more time and more effort is NOT always better, yes? Simple is good, Meg. Simple is good.

 

Side note: this would be a perfect project for an older sibling to make for a new baby, especially if they're learning how to sew. It's that easy/kid friendly. :)

 

You'll Need:

about 1 yard fleece (or other cozy fabric)

about 1 yard flannel

regular sewing implements

 

Tip: you can sub the fleece for minky or other super soft knits, just beware that many of them are EXTREMELY stretchy and can give you some problems when sewing them together especially if you're a beginner.

 

Step One:

 

Cut your flannel.

Mine is is about the size of a typical receiving blanket, measuring at 30"x34".

  

I also used a circle template to round my corners.

I like the look of the rounded corners,

and *added bonus* if you're not a big sewist or you're using this as a kid-friendly project, it's nice to not have to tackle corners just yet. :)

 

 

Step Two:

 

Lay your flannel on your fleece with right sides facing and pin together. 

Tip: I find it easier to pin, sew, then trim the fleece as opposed to cutting your flannel and fleece to the same size and matching up the sides.

 

Step Three:

 

Sew the pieces together using the pressure foot as a guide

and leaving about 6 inches open to turn right side out.

 

Step Four:

 

Trim the excess fleece.












Score your rounded corners, being careful not to cut through your seam allowance.

This will help the blanket lay nicer at the corners.

 

Unpin, turn right side out, and iron flat, spending extra time at the seams so they lay as flat as possible.

Step Five:

 

Top stitch around the edge of the blanket.

At the 6 inch opening, make sure that you catch both fabrics to sew them together.

 

Step Six:

 

"Quilt" the blanket together.

I just sewed straight lines across the blanket from one side (at the top stitch seam) to the other,

and then again across in the other direction (perpendicular).

 

Done! See? I told you it was simple.

















I like to wrap it up like a little bundle for the "little bundle."
See what I did there?
:)













What are your favorite baby shower gifts?