Parkers Prints

Cricut sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 19:33:00 +0000

Hi there! I'm having a Cricut cartridge sale in my Etsy shop. Five cute cartridges for sale for dirt cheap~ Four are lightly used but never linked to a Gypsy & have all original contents & packaging. You can see them all by clicking here.

What's the reason for this mass sale you may wonder? Well, this summer I upgraded from my Cricut Expression to a Silhouette Cameo. I've had it for almost 2 months & I love it! I decided to keep my Cricut (just in case!) but I'm letting go of my not so used cartridges.

Another upgrade made to my empire (aka craft room), I got a TV! It helps keep me entertained while I cut out & package banners & I don't know what I ever did without it.

Have a great day & don't forget to check out the big sale! :)

wedding gift- scrapbook

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 18:15:00 +0000

Hi there! Last weekend was the big day, my sister in law got married :) We gave them their wedding gift at the shower, but I didn't want to show up empty handed so I made a scrapbook of the shower. I'm NOT a scrapbooker! Paper crafter, card maker, yes, scrapbooking, not so much! So I kept it simple. I bought an album that contained 12x12 page protectors & then bought a pack of 4x6 vertical & horizontal photo holders (I waited until all of this was 50% off at Hobby Lobby). I narrowed down the 300+ photos I took to my favorite 100 & printed them out when prints were on sale at Walgreens for $.10 (100 was the min. order). So this also turned out budget friendly too!

The hardest part about this book was the organization of it. I ended up dividing the book into 3 sections: games, gifts, & guests. I used my Cricut to cut the titles & my paper trimmer to cut 4x6 pink fillers for pages that didn't have enough pictures. On the back of the cover sheet (that says tea party) I put all the tidbits from the shower- the invite, food labels, a balloon, & other bits of decor.

Overall it took about 3 hours & cost less than $40 :)

Me & the bride Me & the husband

A few Instagram pics from the wedding. (@parkersprints if you wanna connect!)

Happy Friday!

♥

my Etsy buys

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:06:00 +0000

Hi there! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good- a lot of laziness (which is fine with me!) I wanted to share my most recent Etsy purchase, pink striped paper straws from a super cute shop, Hey YoYo. I bought these for the shower. I waited til the last minute to buy these, & Amanda, the owner, was super helpful in getting these to me on time! Every time I sent her a message she would reply within minutes, I was so impressed!

The straws arrived & were packaged so cutely! They were wrapped inside the gingham tissue paper. I love the stickers on the packaging, makes me want to order some for my shop :)

And look how cute their business cards are! The front...

...and back :)

Overview:

Shop: Hey YoYo

Price: $4.80 for 30 straws

Shipping: very quick!

My 2 cents: I highly recommend this shop if you're looking for cute party supplies (cupcake liners, straws, bags, etc..). Their customer service can't be beat!

Happy Monday, have a great week!

♥

P.S. I did a little remodeling in my Etsy shop this weekend.. Like the new look? ;)

advice for the bride book

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:32:00 +0000

Hi again! Today is the final installment of the bridal shower photos. Instead of making a guest book, I decided to do an advice book.

The cover says: love notes for the bride to be

The binding rings are tied with random pink ribbon & tulle scraps.

Cover page reads: words of wisdom compiled for bride to be Bridget Johnson April 29, 2012.

The next 20 card stock pages read: my silly advice: & my sweet advice:

I punched the pink hearts from pink card stock & adhered them with glue dots.

The best part was this needed very little wrapping, just a small paper sack & the ribbons acted as tissue on their own ;)

The book was a big hit at the shower & I loved it too! Definitely my favorite creation of the year so far.

My next task: creating a scrapbook of the entire shower. I'd like to give it to the bride at the wedding (we gave her our wedding gift at the shower) which is exactly a month from today... how will I dwindle down the 324 pictures into a scrapbook by then? We'll see!

Happy Wednesday!

♥

Tea party bridal shower

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:09:00 +0000

Hi there! Today I have pictures from the shower! I edited these using a new site PicMonkey so sad Picnik is gone :( but PicMonkey looks promising. Brace yourself for an overload of pictures!

The theme for the shower was "afternoon tea with the bride to be." I was originally going to match her wedding colors- baby pink & black, but then shifted more towards pink only.

Balloons inspired by Emily Edwards (click to see her party!)

I rented "the President's room" at work for the shower. I decided to keep the tables in this arrangement & it worked out nicely.

Before.

The shower was 2-4:00pm. We arrived around 11:30 to start setting up. The husband, his sister (& shower co-host) & I literally worked up until the second guests started to arrive! When we arrived I had no idea where to start & I just kind of started to do a little of everything without finishing anything. Needless to say I had a small meltdown.. one around 12:30 another around 1:00. Panic set in but it all worked out!

The room has a TV. I brought Bride Wars & 27 Dresses to watch. We had a lot of technical difficulties until the last 30 minutes of the shower.. go figure! Luckily the games were more than enough entertainment. The tea was set up on the small table in the corner. It wasn't too glitzy- the one area I wish I would have planned better for.

Food & gift corner.

Food included: Italian Wedding Soup (made by my mother in law), heart shaped pimento cheese sandwiches, mini cheese balls & crackers, & cupcakes (special ordered by Christina). We also had 3 varieties of hot tea, coffee, & iced water.

The husband makes the most amazing pimento cheese. I had him make a large batch & we cut hearts out of sandwiches & layered them on the stand. I used small picture frames that I already had to create labels.

I came up with the idea to make mini cheese balls that the guests could take to the table instead of having to stand at the table & eat from a large one or try to cut a portion. I thought they turned out so cute! (the husband made these too!)

Small shots of the decor. I made the "tea time" banner & the other banners were from the dollar store (literally $1 each!). The lanterns were from Hobby Lobby. I wish I would have gotten a few tissue poms to go with them, but oh well!

The tea cups were a very lucky find. I found a place that rents tea cups (pretty ones!) but after delivery fees & tax it was just more than I wanted to spend for a 1 time rental. I kept that place in mind as a last resort & the husband & I decided to see what we could find on our own. We shopped some thrift stores only to find coffee cups. We decided to try Burlington Coat Factory because it was next door to a thrift shop we visited & low & behold they had sets of 12 cups & saucers for $9.99. We got 2 sets by the time of the shower. At first I thought they were so ugly & plain, but after adding a doily & butterfly, they were perfect.

The bride's place setting.

I cut butterflies with my Cricut & sat one on each cup.

Butterfly inspiration: Etsy

The bride's chair. She was the only one with an assigned seat.

Speaking of, my sister in law, the bride to be, Bridget. I think she had a good time :)

My co-host Christina (my other sister in law), Bridget (dressed silly from a game), & me.

Coming up tomorrow a closer look at this little cutie, my better than a guest book :)

Happy Tuesday!

♥

Bridal shower card + other decor

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:06:00 +0000

Hi there! Yesterday was the big day- my first time hosting a bridal shower! I'm going to break the pictures down into a few posts- today is the card I made along with a few other things.

The card was inspired by a card I saw in Paper Crafts Magazine around the holidays. I believe it had an ornament made of embellishments on the front, but I can't find the source :(

To create the heart, I just used a larger Quickutz heart die as my outline/template & filled it in with pearls.

Studio G stamp & ink; old Dear Lizzy Enchanted paper for the envelope.

I do believe this is my first monochromatic card- I like it!

I made this sign on a whim for the shower. The 12x12 paper is Echo Park & I used my Cricut to cut out the words. I adhered them with 3D foam (that was a task!) & punched two holes with eyelets with my Crop-a-Dile to hang the ribbon from.

A sign for the back of the bride's chair; later hung with ribbons.

I found this pin/badge at a dollar store & added a few rhinestones & stickers for Bridget to wear.

Well, more pictures to come later in the week- I took over 300! Going through them is almost like watching a movie of the shower at times, lol. Don't worry- I won't be sharing that many on the blog!

Happy Monday!

♥

The birthday card that never was

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Hi there! Long time no post! Today I actually have a card to share :) I made this for my father in law's b-day in March. The sad thing is, it never made it to him! :( We went Lake Charles for our annual casino trip (his fav. way to celebrate his b-day!). As we were entering the casino/hotel, I saw the card/present together. We got on the elevator & as we were waiting to check in, I looked in the bag & the card was gone! I was so upset. The husband went back to the elevator & parking garage to look for it, but it was already swiped. I guess someone thought it would have money/gift card inside & took it. Luckily it was just the card, not the gift & I took pictures!

This card was definitely inspired by Maile Belles!

And a little bit of Nicole Heady too!

My first ever pop-up card, also inspired by Maile.

I've missed blogging & blog reading too! I try to catch up here & there with the reading part, but figured I should catch up a little on blogging too. Next week I should have a plethora of pictures to share- I'm hosting a bridal shower for my sister in law on Sunday, a tea party! I think it's going to be epic, as long as I'm able to make my visions come to life!

Be back soon!

Happy Friday!

♥

guest post...

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:20:00 +0000

Hi there! Today I'm excited to say I'm a guest over at Making Memories blog! See the rest of this card & how I made it over there :)

Happy Friday!

♥

Belated Valentine's

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:12:00 +0000

Hi there! Today I'm sharing the Valentine card I made the husband this year :) Inspired by this card & this layout I wanted to make a pennant style banner card too & this is what I came up with.Sometimes when making cards for the husband, I try to make them more masculine, but for this card I thought, what the heck, it's Valentine's Day, the girliest holiday of the year. So I went all out with pink & frills.
close up. Twine from The Twinery & papers from my scrap pile. All ribbon used is a cross between Michael's & Hobby Lobby.
inside.
As for Valentine's Day itself, it fell on Tuesday which equals a workday. I got a pedicure on my lunch break (my gift) & came home to cupcakes from my fav place along with chocolate covered strawberries (another fav) and dark chocolate (my new love). We ate at the same gumbo restaurant that we went to last year & it was as good as ever :)

In other happenings, last weekend we ventured over west to San Antonio for a one night stay (yay President's Day, no work).

Top row: pics of the hotel outside & in.

Middle row: wildlife tour we did. A drive thru style safari thing where you feed animals from the car. I love, love, love animals. But I must admit this scared me a little- I kept having flashes of youtube videos where the animals stick there head in the car & bite people lol. None of that happened thankfully. I also made a little goat friend at the petting zoo.

Last row: our hotel was next to the Alamo so of course we toured that. All ten orders that accumulated over the weekend on their way to the post office.

Happy Wednesday!

♥

I'm back!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Hi there! I'm back to my blog after a month long hiatus! More on that in a minute... first up I have a card to share- the only one I've had a chance to make all year ;)

My co-worker/friend celebrated her 31st birthday on 1/22 & this is the card/gift bag I made her. The blocking on the card was inspired by my friend/former teammate Emily's card. The embellishments are from Michaels ($1 for the whole pack) & I added some stone twine & pearls to enhance them a bit.

supplies: Recollections (solid paper, embellishments); Canvas Corp (polka dot paper); The Twinery (stone twine); LSS (pink ribbon); Studio G (stamp/ink); Hobby Lobby (tissue paper, clothespin, tag); Etsy (glassine bag)

As for me & my blogging absence, I've been a busy bee & simply haven't had the time to create any new cards besides the one I shared today :/ I want focus my posts more on quality & worry less about quantity, so we'll see how that goes.

2012 has been a busy year for me already & we're only 33 days in! When I came back to work after Christmas break, I found out I won our first ever "outstanding employee of the trimester" title (I work as an admin at a college & our year is divided into trimesters). A little embarassing, but I'm proud none the less :) I get a reserved parking spot (picture 1), a plaque displayed in our building, an article in our newsletter, & a monetary award, not too shabby! Oh & the best part, I get to leave 1 hour early (paid) every Friday this trimester.

Also in January, my Etsy shop was super crazy busy! In 31 days I had 71 banner orders! Which led to a lot of production time & too many post office trips to count! (pictures 2-4).

In my personal time, the husband finally decided he was ready to hit the gym so we've been working out every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday for the past few weeks. It was really hard to get started, I threw a pretty big fit on our first day, but now it's something I enjoy again.

This year I'm really trying to better manage my time & take time to really enjoy life. I stopped taking custom orders for my Etsy shop back in November. It was a tough decision, but it needed to happen. Custom orders take at least an hour more than normal banners & to be honest they are stressful. I've finally created a good balance: time to work out, time for my family/friends (weekends & weeknights), & time for my shop (before work). I'm also trying to loosen my wallet a little & splurge on myself every now & then. Right now life is good. I am so blessed.

I'll be back with more posts as I create new cards... Valentine's Day is right around the corner & it's my favorite card making occassion so I'm sure I'll be making one or two of those soon :)

Happy Thursday!

♥

heartfelt gift

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Sometimes the most touching gifts are the least expected ones. On Christmas Eve, this precious mug arrived in my mailbox. It's from my blog friend Antoinette who also has an Etsy shop, Dreaming by the Sea. I had no idea this was coming & it means so much to me that she'd take the time to make me such a special gift! She etched my shop/blog logo onto the glass coffee mug & I absolutely adore it!

I love, love packaging & seeing how others pack & mark their items. Her simple kraft tag tied on with a red string was the perfect touch! It looks so professional & has the perfect nautical hint to it :)

My failed attempt to photograph the cup in use... I wish I could have captured better pictures to show just how flawless & detailed the etching really is, glass however isn't my strong photography area! If you're ever on the hunt for a personalized gift, you must check out her shop! You won't be disappointed!
& yes, I like a little coffee with my cream ;) (this almost looks like milk!)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Antoinette!
You have no idea how much this gift made my day!

Well, today is day 7 or 7.5 of my time off from work. I'm sad it's almost over but at the same time having a hard time staying productive. I love being at home during the day & making supper every afternoon. The dogs love it too, we've had a lot of fun being lazy together :) I've gotten lots of shopping accomplished (oh how I love shopping early before the crowds come out) & yesterday I began a little craft room cleaning...

Hope you're having a fab Thursday!

it's a wrap!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:08:00 +0000

Hi there! Thought I'd share some Christmas tree/present pictures :)
Above, my sweet Roscoe helping wrap the last of the presents.

Bad Roscoe peeking through the stair rails.

He got in trouble so he laid down, head still between the rails (he's the daredevil of the 3)

Thursday afternoon we went to a "fancy" restaurant after work for a nice Christmas treat. I got surf & turf. I was so full I didn't eat supper that night!

Our outdoor Christmas lights.

The tree + 10 million presents!

This year I went with polka dot & stripe wrapping paper. I love it.

These ones on the tile are for me & the husband, the ones under the tree are all for family.

Well, Christmas is pretty much here. I've only waited all year for it & it'll be over before we know it :( I definitely enjoy the days leading up to it & the sights & feelings of the season more than the day itself.
Merry Christmas Eve/Day! May your day be blessed :)

the best for last

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:29:00 +0000

Hi there! Today I have another thank you card to share. This could be the last card I blog this year (only 9 days left in 2011!). This could also be one of my favorite cards I made this year :)
I cut each of the letters using different papers with my die cutting machine. I accented each with The Twinery twine using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Inside I added "so very much" using stickers from Echo Park's Little Boy collection. I let the stitching show & just tied little bows to secure the twine.

I love this card & I hope its recipient will love it too :)

Well, this is officially my last day of work this year! The boss is treating us to lunch when we get off at 1:00 & then it's 11.5 days of freedom. I hope to get back into a fitness routine during the next week & maybe do a complete overhaul of my craft room (it needs it!). I'm looking forward to being home with the dogs who I miss so much everyday. This is the first year in a long time the husband won't have a week off after Christmas but he will be off on the weekends as usual & he'll likely be off the day after Christmas. We already have plans to try to catch some good sales before & after Christmas Day ;)

Happy Thursday!

♥

heart felt thanks card

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:49:00 +0000

Hi there! Today I have a special card with a special meaning. I made this heart felt thanks card for someone I had the pleasure of working with this year & I hope she'll like it! I know everyone is in full on Christmas mode by now, but don't forget all the thank yous needed after Christmas! To me thank you cards take priority over Christmas cards :)

I used my beloved Amy Tangerine Thickers for the thanks part & I think they really make the card!

A quick close up.

Inside of the card... it's actually a standard 4.25x5.5" card, I trimmed down the white base so it would fit in the envelope & let the scallops show.

Well, today is my second to last day at work this year. I only have to work 4 hour days this week & today is an afternoon day. This morning I went to the mall & got 2 last gifts for myself- jeans. I'm having a little buyer's remorse & keep wondering if I made the right decision in color & styles. I hate being so indecisive! This past weekend we ended up getting a few more gifts for people so I'm due for more present wrapping asap. I can't believe Christmas is just 4 days away, so bittersweet!

Happy Wednesday!

birthday card

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:51:00 +0000

Hi there! Last Wednesday was the husband's birthday & I made this card for him... at work... Wednesday afternoon! I brought the papers & twine with me & was able to generate this in about 20 minutes!

I've seen this present stacking concept before & wanted to recreate it for this card.
Each present is wrapped in twine & the 2 hearts are adhered with 3D foam.

For the sentiment, I printed "happy birthday" onto cardstock & cut it to fit the card (card is about 4x9").

I'll be back this week with a couple more cards :)

Happy Tuesday!

♥

Twine and the holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:46:00 +0000

Hi there! This is my last post for The Twinery. As Sheri said on Monday, all good things must end but I'm happy to see all the inspiration the new team will bring in the coming year! My best wishes to all that applied, you're in for a fun time :)

Today I have a few Christmas related projects to share for those still in need of last minute ideas!

First up, this super simple gift "wrap." This little box was definitely the easiest present I've wrapped all year! To recreate, die cut a shape (in this case the kraft heart), punch a hole in each side, loop twine through, & tie bow. I added a few embellishments to this, but I think a "to & from" would be nice too.

Next I have a tree shaped card with twine ornaments inspired by our team leader, Julie Ranae. To create these "ornaments" I used a 1/2" glue dot & swirled maraschino twine around (I started on the outside edge & swirled to the center). This card was very quick & easy if you still have cards to make!

Last, an initial tag. I used my die cut machine to cut 1 regular tag & 1 tag with an "e" cut out. On the solid tag I used the glue dot/twine swirl technique from the card above. Then I used 3D foam dots to adhere the cut out tag on top.

Well, I hope these ideas inspire a baker's twine project in your future :)
Happy Friday!
♥
P.S. Have you seen The Twinery's latest giveaway?!

supplies: maraschino & peapod baker's twine: The Twinery; kraft paper, green box, tree card: Michael's; wrapping paper & bow: Hobby Lobby; embellishments: Crate Paper; "e": Cheri font

birthday party invites

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:47:00 +0000

Hi there! Today the husband is 27! Unfortunately we both have to work today but this evening his family is coming over for a small shin-dig I'm hosting :) Above is a sample invite I made last Thursday to pass out to his family at the weekly bowling league.

Here's a shot of all their invites together that night- no time to wait for the morning's natural light :(

My father-in-law sometimes has to work Wednesday nights so I didn't know whether we'd have the party on Wednesday or wait til Thursday after bowling. I created a sticker for each date/time & ended up putting both on & writing "or" between.

I'm new to invites, I've never made any before, so I searched Pinterest for inspiration & pulled my favorite ideas together to create these.

I wanted to have a 3D element so I die cut the 27 out & adhered it with 3D foam dots.I love washi tape & the flag trend is too cute to pass up. I used some Mandarin twine from The Twinery to make a little flag pole.

I really wanted to type the invite using cute fonts from the computer, but once I got going on the design, I decided it would be better to just use my label maker for the text. Since I only needed 3 invites, I didn't have to worry about running out of tape.

This afternoon I must finish assembling the birthday card I made him (I know, I'm really cutting it close!) & I'm leaving a little early to do some last minute cleaning at home before everyone arrives. I stopped by the bakery this morning & picked up a dozen cupcakes and for dinner I think we're just going to take the easy way out & order pizzas-works for me!

Happy Wednesday!

♥

easy (lazy) card

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:48:00 +0000

Hi there! This is birthday week in my family :) My 2 most important people- the husband & my mom are just 2 days apart. Today I have my mom's card to share. Her birthday isn't until Friday the 16th, but it's already on its way in the mail.

I found this card at a scrapbook store. The front has the floral pattern, the back is black, & inside is white. I've been sick since last Thursday (sore throat + killer cough= blah) so I went super simple this year. I just adhered Jolie flat flowers along with some Prima flowers & a few Kaiser pearls randomly around the card. Inside I stamped Happy Birthday with my beloved $1 stamp from Michaels & used some photo corner stickers to insert the gift card. Now I just have my fingers crossed that it arrives to her safely, I get so nervous with the post office & mail at this time of year.

In other news, this weekend was big- all Christmas shopping (minus a few gifts for ourselves) is complete & all presents have been wrapped! I have to take a picture of the tree with all the presents underneath to share asap! I don't think I've ever been done with shoping/wrapping this early before- it feels good!

Happy Tuesday!

♥

feel better card

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Hi there! Last week, a week ago today actually, my sister in law had an outpatient procedure done. I made her this card to wish her a speedy recovery & so far I think she's doing just that :)
I adhered a few hearts with 3D mounting foam for dimension.

The "bandaids" are just 2x1" rectangles & I used my corner chomper to round the edges. I cut a little square for each center & adhered it with double stick tape.

The paper, stamp, & ink are from the dollar bin at Michaels & the orange washi tape is American Crafts :)

Next week I have 2 birthdays to celebrate- the husband on the 14th & my mom on the 16th. I really want to have a "party" at our house for the husband, I just have to see if his parents & siblings will be able to attend. Now if only I could find a gift for him, he's so hard to buy for!

Happy Thursday!

♥

non-traditional Christmas color card

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:23:00 +0000

Hi there! Yesterday I was perusing the internet & noticed the CARDS challenge for this week is cards using non-traditional Christmas colors. I then remembered this card I made a while back but never posted ;) it's 4x4"

I made this card using a pink & navy blue combo. I love non-traditional Christmas color combos. Aqua & red is another favorite of mine.

I'm kinda starting to loose hope in making/mailing out handmade Christmas cards this year :( I didn't get around to it last year either, but this year I've come to accept that it's okay if I don't.

In other happenings, ever since Thanksgiving, I'm in full on vacation mode! Although I still have to work, I'm kind of just here ;) Starting the 19th we'll only be open 4 hours per day until the 22nd & then I'll be off until the new year. I just love this time of year, my heart is full :)

Happy Wednesday!
♥

Supplies used: Recollections (navy & green cardstock, buttons); My Mind's Eye (pattern paper); American Crafts (tag); The Twinery (cappucino twine); Cosmo Cricket (stickers); Martha Stewart (holly punch)

my Pinterest wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:46:00 +0000

Hi there! Today I have a wreath I made for our front door. I originally found this idea on Pinterest from Antoinette/bhg.com & I couldn't pass up recreating it for my house.

This wreath was SO easy to make & cheap too! I bought this wooden hoop from Michaels with a 50% off coupon a few weeks ago making it only $2. The snowflake ornaments are from Hobby Lobby- 24 for $5 (after 50% off). The bow is from Michael's & it was $1.12 after discounts on Black Friday.

To make the wreath, I spray painted the hoop white (was a light wood color). Then I simply hot glued 2 layers of snowflake ornaments to the circle & attached the bow to the door hanger.

I'm so proud of this wreath & I love how it stands out against the dark colors of the door. Also, our Christmas lights this year are red & white so it fits in perfectly ;)
Happy Tuesday!
♥

Black Friday finds

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Hi there! Long time, no blog! I've been busy with so many things (who hasn't been?). For starters, last weekend we began a big DIY project- we installed new floors in our kitchen & living room- that's a post in itself. We began late last Sunday & did a huge portion Monday & Wednesday night & then finished Thanksgiving Day- all in time for Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws :) Before that we spent a few weekends outside trimming trees & putting out Christmas lights- another post in itself! All leaving little time for crafting, which means not a lot to post about :(

Well, if you've been around for a while, you know I'm a Black Friday shopper & this year we got a lot! I can't help but dedicate a post to my fab finds:

This year Wal-Mart's sales started at 10pm on Thanksgiving. We showed up a little after 10 & it was super crowded as usual! The rest of the stores I went to starting at 7:30 Friday morning (the husband had to work so I was already up to help him get ready). Disclaimer: 95% of the things we buy on Black Friday are for ourselves, it may look selfish, but we buy gifts for the family at other times because they are all so hard to shop for!
On to the goods in the first picture:
Wal-Mart- Bissell 3 in 1 vac, $8+ (my only regret of all our loot)
Rubbermaid 30 pack containers, $6+ (we got a few more for the in-laws too)
Ninja small blender- $18+ (I got lucky they had 1 left Friday morning, we didn't find it at the Wal-Mart we went to on Thursday)
Sam's- Electric salt & pepper mills, $10!
Target- Pyrex 16 piece set, $16 (this was a black Friday deal, however, we got it on Wednesday for that price)
Oster steel finish toaster- $19 (we really needed a new toaster!)

All Target:
black faux leather jacket, $15
sweater, $10 (a Wednesday deal)
Modern Family season 2 DVD, $13
Lady Gaga CD, $6

Old Navy- scarf, $1; socks $3
World Market- stacking mugs, $6 (for my mother-in-law); earrings buy one get one free- $5

A close up of the earrings, as you can see I've already worn the diamonds. How can you beat 2 for $5?
My Saturday finds.. Fiskars non-stick scissors (had no idea these existed!) $4 from Joann. The paper from my local scrapbook store that had 20% off entire purchase for Small Business Saturday. We also stopped by the cupcake shop to support them on Saturday as well :)

Not pictured: I also went to Michaels & got some paper, rhinestones, pearls, & Christmas ribbon using my 25% off entire purchase coupon. The Shark steam mop we wanted was sold out in stores so we ordered one online for the black Friday price & it's shipping to our house for only $.97 from Wal-Mart. It'll be great for our new floors :)

One last deal, a few weeks ago I got this Xyron Mega Runner after seeing Kristina Werner using it in her Holiday Card Series. I got it for $15ish at Oh My Crafts & at the time shipping was only $2! I was drawn to it because it has 100ft of adhesive. I've been using it a lot & while I like it, I don't just love it. A lot of times, the adhesive doesn't come off all the way which is wasteful, but other than that it holds really well & it's easy to use.

Well, that's about it for today! I'll be back this week with a wreath I made :)

Did you do any shopping this weekend? What did you get? Do share!

Happy Monday!

♥

The Twinery & Authentique BLOG HOP!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Hi there! Welcome to my stop on The Twinery + Authentique blog hop! You should have made way from Natalie Dever's blog, if not, be sure to start at Authentique's blog so you don't miss out on your chance to win some fab prizes!

I made this sign to hang in my craft room (aka my empire!). It would also make a great gift for someone- you could use their name or any special word. I chose "blessed" because if you asked me to describe my life in one word, blessed definitely sums it up accurately!

I started with a metal sign from Hobby Lobby. I got it in the Christmas section & it was 50% off making it less than $3. It was originally red, but I spray painted it white.

To hang the sign, I used vintage seam binding twisted with buttercream twine.

The background is a strip of Uncommon- Gifted paper I cut to fit the center of the sign. I adhered it with Scotch double stick tape. The "blessed" stickers are from the Blissful collection. I also added stone twine around the edges using a glue dot in each corner.

I cut out flowers from the Blissful collection- Happiness paper & accented them with pink sorbet & stone twine. For some of the flowers, I laid down adhesive & swirled pink sorbet twine in a circle. For others I made little twine knots. I also accented the petals by stitching stone twine.
In case you're new to my blog or maybe just missed these posts, I've been combining Authentique products with The Twinery's baker's twine for a while now. You can see more of each of these cards that exclusively use these 2 brands in these posts:
1. anniversary card

2. thank you card

3. baby Anabel card

Don't forget to comment at all stops on the hop! You don't want to miss a chance to win The Twinery's Colorful Bunch Sampler Pack!

Your next stop is the talented Emily Lanham!

Have a great weekend & good luck :)
♥

Supplies used: The Twinery baker's Twine, Authentique paper & stickers, vintage seam binding, sign: Hobby Lobby

another anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:37:00 +0000

Hi there! Here's a card I wasn't sure would ever come to be, but I squeezed in time to make it last night. My in-laws had their 27th (? I may be a year off) anniversary this week & tonight we have reservations to take them to the same Brazilian steakhouse we went to for our anniversary last month. I'm excited to get stuffed to the max again :)

On to the card, I went with a grey/black/green theme to keep it neutral for both male & female.

I created a twine border for the card using honeydew twine. The frame is on the inside too. I tied a little knot at the top corner & trimmed it down. I wanted to make it a bow but since the corner is so close to the edge of the card, I didn't want it to show from the front.

I've been seeing 3D embellishments a lot lately & wanted to make one of myself. I used Quickutz nesting heart dies to layer the hearts. The embellishments I've been seeing are stitched together but for mine, I stapled the bigger hearts together & then adhered the smallest one with a brad to cover the staple.

And Thickers to spell "love" at the bottom.

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow/this weekend for what's sure to be an amazing blog hop- The Twinery + Authentique!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday, happy Veteran's Day, & happy 11-11-11 ;)

♥

supplies used: cardstock: DCWV; green pattern paper: SEI; book pattern paper: Authentique; honeydew twine: The Twinery; brad: Joann's; ribbon & stamp: Michael's; Thickers: American Crafts

Thursday in pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Hi there! Besides participating in blog hops, my blog has been pretty bare as of late :( I thought I'd do a little catch up of sorts in pictures.

Last weekend the husband & I stopped at a new cupcake shop called Rise Cupcakes. I snapped a few shots when the employees weren't looking (I'm sure they wouldn't mind, but to me it's embarrassing taking pictures of food). The cupcakes were delicious & the place was gorgeous! Their milk comes in glass bottles from a local farm (unfortunately you don't get to keep 'em). We'll definitely be back & the husband has already requested that his birthday cake this year be a dozen cupcakes from here :)

New Sunday tradition: homemade breakfast consisting of an egg, mushroom, & zucchini omelet covered in avocado & queso blanco with a side of bacon. The first few times we made this I made pancakes too, but it was just too much to eat without feeling miserable afterwards.

The other day we went to Sam's Club & there was a lady giving out cups of Keurig coffee. A few days later we returned to get a machine of our own. We've always wanted one but never got one. Ours came with 36 Kcups & only one of those is decaf. I'm saving it for a special occasion, perhaps tomorrow, Friday ;) until the ones we ordered online arrive.

A week or so ago I made meatloaf in the Crockpot. To my surprise it turned out just as good as the oven. I'm not much of a Crockpot user, but after seeing so many amazing recipes on Pinterest I'm coming around to it.

Besides the "extra hour of sleep" of the time change, I really hate falling back. Why? Because now my drive home from work looks like it's already midnight, not 5:35 like it really is.

I picked up a new pair of flats. I call these the grown up version of The Wizard of Oz shoes. I love the sparkle & shine :)
And last, Michael's has been doing little black Friday preview sales. Although the deals aren't OMG good, they are good enough to reel me in. Above is around 100 sheets of cardstock - 6/$1. I prefer this brand for my banners so I have to stock up when I can :)

I've been consumed in Pinterest lately, finding a million things I want to do & try. I have a few Pinterest inspired projects already in the works that I hope to share soon!

In TV news, I am still loving Revenge, New Girl, & 2 Broke Girls- all keepers in my book!
Well, that's about it for today :) I'll be back Saturday for a fun blog hop with The Twinery & Authentique! You won't want to miss this one!

Happy Thursday!
♥