Halloween, Wedding and Baby Shower crafting...

Hi there!  I've had this draft done for a week or so and forgot to post it.  DOH!  You can tell I'm a little distracted with life.  I have been a busy mom, helping to prepare for this upcoming wedding.  I have managed to find some time for crafting too though.  Woman does not live by wedding planning alone!!  :o)

I found this little note holder at Michael's in the dollar section a while back and I thought it would be a nice little gifty if it was covered in a cute scrapping paper so I picked up two of them.

The first one I did was the plaid one but it was a cardstock from Joann's and it split on the creases.  I went ahead and finished it anyway since I had the paper cut but it's not really nice enough to give away as a gifty.  I used a thinner paper for the second one and it worked great.  I used a stamp set from Stampin' Up! and a couple of punches to make the scallop circles. 

I had some down time in wedding preparations so I got my lace bin out and though I would see what it takes to make a garter for the garter toss.  I had plenty but my lace collection is old stuff from crafting, some from my grandma and leftover from various projects over the years.

I also have a collection of items I have purchased at estate sales and have "yet" to use.  But I found some pretty lace and thought I just needed a ribbon and the right sized elastic so off to Joann's I went.

That's when I found this.......for $2.97 a yard!!!!  Already sewn together and for the prices, woohoo, I can add one seam and a bow and be done!

Actually, I added a Detroit lion to it too.  Dave, the soon-to-be SIL loves anything Detroit because his dad is from there in his youth.  I thought it would be a good way to add "something blue" to Ashley.  I had enough to make her a garter to keep for her wedding night too.  Woo woo!

 

Then, I just wanted to share this picture my daughter Kelley made for her friend Brenda who is expecting a little boy in November.  We went to her shower a few weeks ago so I grabbed a picture while I could.  Kelley used scrapbook paper for the sail and I believe it is done in watercolor.  The little "sweet dreams" piece is a scrapbook decorator element.  It came out pretty cute and Brenda loved it!

Tonight me and my bride-to-be will be off to get our dresses altered for the wedding.  Only a few more weeks and then life will be back to normal.....or at least back to "Liz normal", which is anything but normal.  :o)

More wedding preparations

This weekend we wanted to give it a go on the flowers for the wedding.  I had my doubts that we could do this ourselves but my my daughter Stephanie had taken some floral arranging classes in high school and a friend who had no experience did flowers for her daughter's wedding.  She said it was a lot of fun and she's glad they did it.  Soooo, with that information under our belt, we went over to the wholesale flower market on Saturday and bought gerbera daisies, roses and carnations.  Stephanie did the arranging and did a pretty good job.  Her second attempt was better than the first and way better than my attempt.  She thinks she can handle it so we're going to give it a go.  This is just a peek at the small centerpiece she did.

The rest of this weekend was boring old laundry, a little housework (very little lol) and some other tasks for the wedding so I could check them off my list.  We are having a dessert table at the wedding and I had seen on someone's blog or maybe it was on a Stampin' Up website, but they did a pennant across the cake table with the words "Love is Sweet".  I thought that was perfect for our table so I cut the letters and pennant shape with the Cricut, embossed the background with a floral design and threaded it with silver ribbon.  It came out pretty cute.  I didn't take a picture of the finished design because no one was here to hold it.  Pooey!

And this is what my dining room is still looking like.  A few more pieces to be cut out and I think I can finally put things away and get back to 'normal', whatever that is.  :o)

Ashley, the bride-to-be, decided on the design for the table numbers.  We used the same Night of Navy Stampin' Up! paper as the invitations, added an orange  scallop for a pop of color and to incorporate the orange flowers.  This paper is SU also and is called Peach Parfait, though it's more pumpkin than peach. 

Ashley found a Cuttlebug embossing folder that she liked in my "collection" so she embossed the white circles. 

We got a lot done this weekend and can mark a few items off our to-do list.  Time sure seems to be flying by!  If my calculations are right, we have 48 days left!  S C A R Y!!!!! 

Rosettes and busywork

Remember these?  It's called a 'pattern'.  :o)  I haven't done any garment sewing in a very long time.  This isn't really a garment though.  It's for a costume I worked on for my oldest daughter.  She wants to be Lucy as in Lucille Ball for the Halloween shower.  I could not find black and white or navy and white polka dot fabric at Joann's (so I could use my coupon) but I did find brown and white.  My daughter said the show was filmed in black and white so Lucy might of been wearing a brown polka dot dress and who would know?  LOL

I keep forgetting to take a picture of the finished dress.  I guess because it is just hanging on the hanger.  I don't need a dress form for as few times as I make clothing.   Also, it didn't come out as full a skirt as it looked in the pattern.  So our "Lucy" will have to add an apron or something to give her a little more gather.  (I'm such an amateur!)

My artsy daughter Kelley has been making logos for friends who are crafty.  She made her sister Stephanie one and then this one for Becca.  Becca is a former co-worker and makes shadow boxes and cake pops.  She wanted a little tag to put on her filled orders.  She is a tanned girl and Kelley captured that with this drawing.  Becca loves ladybugs and wanted a cupboard in the picture.  Kelley printed some of the logos on round labels to get Becca started.  Pretty cute, huh?

With the Halloween shower lurking, we decided to try our hand at making 'rosettes' or florettes, pinwheels or lollipops.  Whatever you want to call these accordion folded circles, we made them.  These measure about 12" and will either be hung behind the food table or put on sticks like lollipops.  I'll try to write up some directions with a picture or two soon.  They're super easy!

We had some small 2" strips left over so I made these small rosettes.  They measure 4".  Kelley thought we should make one more and put a ribbon behind them and use them as a little corsage-type decoration for the moms and bride-to-be.  We replace the spider with a more 'cutsie' decoration.  These have been big on greeting cards and all kinds of decorating.  I want to make more but that will have to wait.

Last night I worked on a box/holder for wedding cards at the reception.  I need to paint it but can't wait to show it to you.  I cut out the shapes with my cricut.  Soooo cute!

Little Surprises

Love getting double cherries.  It's a little thing but it doesn't happen often so it makes me smile.  And it's a "good" surprise.


A not so good surprise is getting shorted fabric!  I bought some yardage at Joann's for the bridesmaid bags I worked on earlier.  The last piece I bought to finish the bags, got washed, like I do with all my fabric.  (Yes, I'm one of THOSE!)  lol  And this is what I got when I went to cut it.  About 3 1/2" off.....on both sides!!!!  So about 7" of fabric that I paid for and can't use.  I asked the clerk when I went back there for some other supplies what their policy is.  She said to bring it in so they can look at it.  I don't like this kind of surprise.

I doubt my daughter's friends look at my blog but just to be sure, I won't post the bridesmaid gifts but wanted to say I'm glad that job is over with!!!!  But they're awfully cute.

This is the invite to my daughter's shower.  They went against my objection to have a Halloween shower, complete with costumes.  This mother has no control over her daughters!!  At least the decorating has been easy to gather up.  Kelley designed the invitation.  We tell her she should be a party planner but she said she can't give up her day job!  :o)

Hope to keep coming back to the blog but things are starting to get crazy!  I even got medication from the doctor to keep me from bride-mom-overload.  hehe  I am enjoying the ride though, that's for sure.

Weekend of going, going and it was gone!

You know how it is......blink! Where did my weekend go? But this was fun. Friday we headed to the casino for my hubby's 55th birthday. He kept saying he turned "double nickles" so he had to go to one of the Indian casinos for a little card playing. He convinced me to go and said I could shop at the Crate and Barrel outlet out there. (I can't afford anything in the regular store so my only chance to own anything is to shop the outlet. lol) AND IT WAS GONE!!!!! No more C&B in Cabazon. WHAAAAAA. So I stayed in the stinky casino. Pooey. I did make out on the deal though. Hubby feels sorry for me so he gave me a crisp hundred dollar bill. Of course, I took my sewing with me and didn't play the slots so my $$ came home with me. I went shopping on Saturday and used it to buy him some presents. LOL.....yes, he bought his own presents. It wasn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last. :o)

Some of the goodies from our girls. He always gets a stash of peanut butter cups!

Sunday we went to a car show in Belmont Shores/Long Beach. It was such a gorgeous day. They started lining up at o'dark thirty in the morning so hubby went alone and I got a little extra shut-eye.

Richard got an EXCELLENT spot in the shade the whole day and it was right by a sports bar so my future son-in-law Dave could watch football all day long! The lookie-loos were loving Richard's car. Picture after picture. It was cool to see. And the event with this paint job, perfect for each other.
I don't know how I mustered up the energy after we got home and unpacked the cars but I went to Michaels with my daughter. When I got home, she left, Richard passed out and I sealed the wedding invitations. They were mailed today!!!!

I don't know what the post office is crying about going broke! It cost $1.08 to mail each invitation!!!!! It would've almost been cheaper to deliver them in person! lol Off to get some sewing done. Have a great night!

Remembering...

I never understood the feeling that generations before us experienced when they described their experiences of World War 1 or 2....until 9/11. Waking up to the clock radio saying something about a plane hitting a tower in New York and running to turn on the television. And then driving to work to watch the rest of the story there, glued to my chair. It feels like it was yesterday and yet, we have come a long way. I hope we are all a little wiser today then we were back then. It's a shame so many had to die at the hands of the terrorists. God bless all of those families.

My hubby and I will be at a car show with his `34 with the air brush 9-11 paint job. I think of all the days he will drive his car, today will mean something extra special to him and all that see it. Take care.

Happy Labor Day!

I'm going to go use my Joann's coupons for some supplies I need and to take advantage of the Labor Day sale. I hope you are getting in some time to do fun stuff, bar-b-que, sew, garden, whatever you love to do!

Someone shared a link for wonderful cakes made for crafters. I LOVED looking at them and thought I would pass on the link to you. Here is a teaser of a beauty!!!
If you'd like to see the entire album, check it out here at Cake Wrecks. Happy Labor Day everyone! Off I go.............