Terraza Creative

{DIY} Make a Necklace or Bracelet from Washers and Ribbon - MOPS Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 06:29:00 +0000

Another successful craft we did at MOPS last semester were these DIY necklaces made from washers and ribbon. You can also make bracelets with the same amount of washers, we left it up to the ladies to decide!

Follow my image tutorial or download the pdf attachment here to print out the full instructions.

For this MOPS craft, I filled about 60 individual zip-lock baggies with (1) piece of 46" long by 5/8" wide grosgrain ribbon and (16) 1/4" flat metal washers. In addition to demonstrating on how to make this necklace, I provided a complete printout of the instructions for the ladies to look at while they constructed their jewelry.

Repeat steps 11-14 until you have added all 16 washers. Tie off necklace or bracelet to desired length and cut off excess ribbon at an angle. Finish edges with fabric glue to prevent fraying. Enjoy!

{DIY} Chalk Hand Lettering Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 23:17:00 +0000

I have always been in love with the look of hand chalk lettering seen on chalkboards all over from restaurants, birthday parties and weddings. I admire the charming mixture of typography and decorative elements so much that I even tried to duplicate the look myself...and failed. I realized this graphic designer has no skill at freehand drawing. However, I am very skilled on the computer! By creating your own design or finding one off the Internet, you can duplicate the hand chalk lettering look yourself using just a few simple materials. Follow my tutorial to learn how easy it can be!

For my friend's birthday I thought it would be fun to give her a chalkboard with a creative message written on it. I decided on an inside joke of ours regarding pie crust. I knew this would make her laugh and would be displayed proudly in her kitchen. To download the free template of this design, click here.

These are the materials you will need for this project:

Pencil sharpener with a jumbo opening (large enough for a piece of chalk to fit)
White chalk, about 3 pieces depending on how large your design is
Saral transfer paper in white, available here at amazon.com
Ball point pen, preferably in blue ink
Full size image template to fit your chalkboard

Assembly Instructions:

1. If your chalkboard is brand new you will need to prime it first to avoid chalk outlines remaining when ready to erase your message. To do this, rub the long edge of your chalk into the chalkboard surface until it is completely covered. Erase.

2. Scale your template design and print it to fit the size of your chalkboard. If the image is larger than what your printer can print, you will have to "tile" your printout. For instance, the chalkboard I used was 12" x 16" so I had to tape my template together and then trim it down.

3. Cut the Saral Transfer Paper to the size of your template and tape to the two together in a few places at the top to secure. Make sure the chalk side of the transfer paper faces down towards your chalkboard. You can tell which is the chalk side by feeling the paper for a "film" of chalk.

4. Tape the template/transfer paper combo to your chalkboard making sure the image appears to be centered.

5. Now, you will begin the transfer process by tracing your image. Using a ball point pen, trace over the outlines of the text and imagery on your template. Check the chalkboard underneath the template first to make sure the transfer paper is working. I recommend sitting down to a favorite movie or reality show marathon as the process of tracing and filling in with chalk can take a couple of hours. This is both relaxing and fun for me!

6. You're almost there! All that's left to do is to fill in the outlines you made on the chalkboard. It is very important to sharpen your chalk every few minutes as this will help ensure clean lines, plus it makes the filling in process on small areas go much more smoothly.

Now that you are finished, display your finished product proudly! Everyone will be so impressed with your handy work, they will ask you, "How did you do that??". You can share this easy method with them or keep it to yourself! ;)

{DIY} Printed Tile Coasters Made from Napkins

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 23:07:00 +0000

One of my favorite crafts to do are these simple and fun tile coasters made out of travertine tiles and napkins. Because they are inexpensive and easy to make, this made a great craft to demonstrate at one of our MOPS meetings.

Materials Needed:

(4) 4"x4" travertine tiles - available at Lowe's or Home Depot
(1) printed napkin of your choice
Foam brush
Matte Mod Podge
Adhesive cork backing, about 2" x 4" if doing 1/2" squares. More if you want to cover the backs of your coasters completely.
Clear sealer (optional)

Assembly Instructions:

1. Separate the printed layer of the napkin from the white layers.
2. Tear the napkin in four pieces, enough to cover each individual tile.

3. Apply a medium amount of Mod Podge to the surface of your tiles.
4. Press napkin on top of tiles gently with the palm of your hand
5. Gently tear away the excess of the napkin from around the edges of the tile.
6. Apply a layer of Mod Podge on top of the napkin and sides of tile. Allow to dry.

7. Spray tiles with a protective sealer and allow to dry.
8. Cut 16 half inch adhesive cork squares (4 per coaster). Apply to back of tiles.

You're finished! Tie the stack of four completed coasters with some twine or ribbon for gift giving. Or, keep the set for yourself to enjoy!

To download the free printable thank you tags I used from The Pretty Blog, click here.

{DIY} 4th of July Burlap Pendant Star Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:20:00 +0000

These DIY burlap pendant stars are inspired by the ones currently available at Pottery Barn. I thought I would take a try and recreate these myself using some leftover burlap I had from a previous project. The result are these super cute and festive decorations perfect for any patriotic occasion!

Play with different sizes and colors to create a variety of pendants that will make a unique and fun 4th of July display!

Instructions are for a 15.5" diameter pendant.

Materials Needed:

1/2 yard of burlap
1/4 yard red cotton
1/4 yard navy blue cotton
(1) roll of Heat N' Bond
Ruler
Iron
Glue Gun
Jute Twine

Cut Instructions:

Burlap

Cut burlap to 15.5" x 25". To figure out how much fabric is needed for your medallion, the length should be 1.6 times the width. For example, for a 15.5 diameter medallion cut 25 inches of burlap. Tip: to ensure a straight line when cutting burlap, follow this tutorial.

Red Fabric

For red lines cut (2) strips of 1" x 25" of red fabric and (2) strips of 1" x 25" of Heat N' Bond. Iron Heat N' Bond to the back of fabric according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Navy Blue Fabric

For the blue center: cut 3" x 25" of blue fabric and 3" x 25" of Heat N' Bond material. Iron Heat N' Bond to the back of fabric according to the manufacturer's instructions.
For zig zags: cut 4" x 25" of blue fabric and 4" x 25" of Heat N' Bond material. Iron Heat N' Bond to the back of fabric according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To Make the Zig Zags:

Fold the piece of 4" x 25" navy blue fabric down 1.5" accordion style.
Mark on paper paper side of accordion every 1/2" and draw diagonal lines connecting the dots.
Using your rotary cutter press down firmly along diagonal lines to create your zig zags. Set aside. For this tutorial, you will need four zig zags.

Assembly Instructions:

1. Fold burlap in half lengthwise to determine center of fabric.
2. Place all of your cut fabric pieces on burlap to determine final placement before ironing. I just eyeballed the spacing of the fabric but feel free to break out the ruler if you want to be precise. Peel off the backing of the Heat N' Bond from the back of the fabric pieces and begin to iron fabric to the burlap.

3. Fold burlap 1 1/2" accordion style and iron after each fold. Be sure to line up the strips of fabric as you fold.

4. Bend the accordion in half at the blue center and bring the sides together. Secure bottom of ends together with glue gun and pinch closed until glue sets. Repeat on the other side until you have a pendant.

5. Glue inside center gaps of medallion front and back. Cover the front center with a navy blue circle if desired.

6. Trim the outer edge of the pendant to create a star shape by following the outer zig zag lines.

7. Glue a piece of jute string to the back of the pendant and cover with a burlap circle if desired.

You're finished! Hang on your front door or group with other size pendants to create a very festive and patriotic look in your home.

Staff Your Weaknesses Art

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 04:50:00 +0000

I heard this statement, "Staff your weaknesses" a while ago and it just stuck with me. I think mostly because I usually try to do it all: be a good mom, have a clean house, make the perfect meal, design the perfect logo, give the best gift...it goes on and on. Realizing that it's okay to admit you can't be the best at everything is freeing. I designed the below artwork to remind myself not always try and be superwoman. It's alright to fail sometimes and you can always ask for help.

To download the FREE printable click here.

Father's Day Gift Idea - Handprint Tree {Free Printable}

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 06:25:00 +0000

Here is a quick and easy Father's Day craft that can be done two ways, on paper or on a different surface such as canvas or wood. Read below for the complete tutorial.

In general, I find it is hard to shop for men. They are not very good at telling you what they want, but they sure are specific about what they don't want! They also tend to be more sentimental than we sometimes give them credit. This hand-print tree made up of your little one's hands is an easy craft that is sure to make any dad smile!

There are two options for this craft:
Print the free printable on paper and frame the finished product or transfer method on to a porous surface such as canvas or an unfinished wood panel.

Either option is designed for a completed 8"x10" design. Keep this in mind if framing the tree, you don't want those cute little hands to be cropped! Below is the complete tutorial on how to apply this tree to a wood panel.

Supplies Needed for Wood Panel Version:

(1) 8" x 10" x 1/2" thick wood panel (I found mine at Joann's)
white paint for the wood
green paint in two shades for hands
paint brushes
matte mod podge
standard printer paper
white tissue paper
masking tape

Instructions:

1. Paint the front and sides of wood panel with one coat of white paint. Let dry.
2. Prep the paper with tissue paper for printing. This works well on a regular home ink-jet printer. Cut tissue paper to the size of your paper and secure corners and edges to paper with masking tape. Use the mirrored image provided in the printable and print on the side with the tissue paper. The printed side will be applied face down on the wood. Remove the printed tissue paper away from the printer paper by carefully peeling off the masking tape.
3. Cover the entire wood surface with a thin layer of Mod Podge.

4. Immediately place the printed side of the image down on top of the Mod Podge slowly. Gently smooth out wrinkles with the tip of your fingers. Be careful as the tissue paper can tear. Let dry for about 20 minutes. Smooth out any last wrinkles with the palm of your hand.
5. Paint on top of tissue image layer with a think layer of Mod Podge to seal. Let dry completely, about an hour.

6. Now, it's time to get messy! Grab one of your kid's hands and paint the entire palm of their hand with green paint. Be sure not to paint it on too think, you don't want the paint to bleed.
7. Have your child spread their hand wide open and help them press gently down on the surface, over the tree branches.

8. Repeat steps 6-7 changing hands and using different shades of green.

You're finished! Wrap this beauty up and wait to see dad beam with pride when he opens his special handmade gift!

To download the FREE printable of the tree image, click here.

Mobile Phone Scavenger Hunt {Free Printable}

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 03:41:00 +0000

Here is a great ice-breaker game for larger groups to encourage introductions!

This past year at MOPS we had about 60 moms sitting at 7 different tables making it somewhat difficult to meet all who attend. To encourage the moms to get to know the women outside their tables we did this fun Mobile Phone Scavenger Hunt. Everyone was instructed to find the items on the above handout by asking the women around the room what was on their phone. They were only allowed to get two answers from one person; thus encouraging them to mingle and meet everyone. Great conversations developed as women met and interacted during this easy 10-minute game. At the end of the activity the woman with the most 'finds' won a Starbucks gift card. Use this game is a quick ice-breaker for almost any large group setting!

To download the free printable of the Mobile Phone Scavenger Hunt, click here.

{MOPS Craft} DIY I Spy Bags

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Wed, 28 May 2014 23:28:00 +0000

This adorable I Spy Bag is sure to keep little hands busy!

One of our most popular crafts at MOPS this year was this fun 'I Spy Bag". We prepped everything ahead of time so all the ladies had to do was fill their bag with little trinkets and poly pellets. A few crafty moms brought their sewing machines to help sew the opening of the bags closed.
To learn how to make your own I Spy Bag,
see the complete tutorial below:

I Spy Bag Supplies:

1/2 cup of poly beads
7.5" of 1/4" ribbon
(2) 5" x 5" cut pieces of fabric
(1) 2.75" x 5.5" clear vinyl
(1) 2.75" x 2.75" clear vinyl
(1) 2" x 2" paper square for window cut-out
water soluble fabric marker
clear tape
(16) trinkets of your choice

Assembly Instructions:

Center your paper square pattern on top of one fabric piece and trace around square (#1). Cut an "x" inside the square up to the inside corners (#2) and fold cut fabric towards wrong side of fabric. Place 2.75" x 2.75" vinyl square on top of folds and secure to fabric with tape for sewing (#3). This will make viewing window for the bag. Since the vinyl is clear it may not show up in all these pictures, but it's there!

Sew a zigzag stitch on the right side of fabric through the clear vinyl and edge of fabric (#4).

Pin right sides together of the two 5" x 5" fabric pieces (#5). Leaving an 1 1/2" opening, begin stitching around fabric with an 1/4" seam allowance, remembering to reinforce your stitches at the beginning and end your opening (#6). Clip corners and turn inside out through opening. Use a bone folder or other pointy object to sharpen corners (#7).

To make the tag attachment:
Fold the 2.75" x 5.5" piece of vinyl in half and insert one end of your ribbon in between the fold, about 1/4". Beginning at the top right of the vinyl opening, top stitch with an 1/8" seam allowance along sides securing the ribbon (#8). Be sure to reinforce the stitches over the ribbon a few times to secure it in place. Pin the other end of the ribbon through the bottom of the 1 1/2" opening of the bag (#9). Beginning at the bottom of the opening, top stitch over the ribbon and around the bag with an 1/8" seam allowance, stopping just at the top of the opening (#10).

You're almost finished! Using a funnel, fill the bag with about 1/2 cup of poly beads (#11). Now, the fun part. Placing all those little trinkets in the bag (#12)! I had my 3 year old daughter get in on this activity. She enjoyed choosing what she wanted to put in the bag and "patting" it down after each insert. When you have all your trinkets inside the bag, (I used 16) it's time to sew it closed. All you need to do is complete that top stitch you did around the bag, making sure to reinforce your stitches at the begining and end of the opening (#13).

Lastly, make up a list everything inside the bag. Sometimes even those with the best memories can forget what we put inside! To download the free printable of the blank list I created, click here.

Now you're ready to pass on the I Spy Bag to curious little hands to explore. This is a great toy to save for car rides or visits to the grocery store!

Teacher Appreciation Gift - Mason Jar Cookie Mix Recipe and Free Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Tue, 20 May 2014 19:10:00 +0000

Handmade Teacher Appreciation Gift

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

Teachers deserve a cookie break! A decorative jar with pre-measured & stacked cookie ingredients is a thoughtful gift to show your appreciation. A hand tied bow and this free printable tag offers unique gift personalization that any teacher will enjoy. The presentation is as good as the cookies!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

Ingredients for Jar - use a 1 quart jar

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Place flour mixture in a 1 quart jar. Layer remaining ingredients in order listed above, pressing firmly after each layer. Seal with lid and decorate with ribbon and attach tag.

Ingredients for Baking

1 stick of softened butter
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Beat butter, egg and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add dry contents of jar to bowl, mix well, breaking up any clumps. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 375° F. oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Download the printable tag with baking instructions here. Print page 1, turn paper over and print page 2.

Recipe courtesy of verybestbaking.com. Click here to view the original recipe and instructions.

MOPS Craft - DIY Journal Welcome Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Sat, 17 May 2014 05:44:00 +0000

DIY pocket journals made an excellent welcome gift & craft at our first MOPS meeting.

For our first official MOPS meeting, we wanted to create a "Welcome to MOPS" gift. My clever crafting partner, Traci, came across these adorable pocket-sized journals from cremedelacraft.com. We were inspired and thought it would be great to make this journal our first craft and gift. To make the journals a little more special, I designed some information pages to fit inside. They featured our theme logo for the year, a place to write contact information, a list of all our upcoming meeting dates and blank pages for meeting notes.

Inside pages of journals.

To save time, we assembled the journals beforehand. The ladies at the meeting would sew on the button, string closure and glue on the decorative spine cover themselves. Traci and I spent many hours beforehand cutting down over 60 cereal and cracker boxes that would make up the spine of the journal. For the spine covers, I cut down scrap-booking paper leftover from my card making days. We had our church trim the paper inserts to make for easier prep. Now the fun part; securing all that paper to the spine! In the original tutorial, it shows how to hand sew the paper to the spine. Since we had a lot of paper to attach, we thought it was best to break out our sewing machines. A denim sewing needle and regular white thread worked just fine to accomplish the task. We also punched holes in the cardboard spine so the ladies would know exactly where to sew on their button closures.

The paper was sewn to the cardboard spine. Button holes were punched ahead of time.

We provided the ladies with a wide variety of decorative paper and buttons to personalize their journals. Plain linen embroidery floss was hand sewn through the button with an embroidery needle for the closure.

Completed journals!

To download the PDF version of assembly instructions, click here. Or visit www.cremedelacraft.com for the original tutorial.

MOPS - A Great Get to Know You Mixer

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Fri, 16 May 2014 00:24:00 +0000

Here is a fun large group mixer you can use to get to know new people.

We called this our "m&m mixer"

The first MOPS meeting of a new semester can be exciting for returning members and perhaps a little nerve-racking for the new members. Many of these moms do not know their tablemates and may need some help in breaking the ice. To get conversations going and facilitate introductions we provided this fun "m&m mixer". It was a great way for the moms to get to know one another without the anxiety that can come in first meetings.

Each mom was provided the above printout and a fun-size bag of m&ms. They were instructed to share a little bit about themselves based on the color of m&m they pulled out of their bag, using the printout as a reference. For instance, if I pulled out a yellow m&m I would tell the ladies my favorite things about my daughter, (which is her sense of humor and cuddles)! We set a 10 minute limit on the mixer, just enough time for everyone to learn fun and interesting tidbits about one another!

To download the PDF of the m&m mixer, click here.

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Creative Activities

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Thu, 15 May 2014 04:56:00 +0000

This past year I became the Creative Activities Leader for my local Friday MOPS group. MOPS stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers" and is a program designed to nurture mothers with children from infancy to kindergarten. This year is my second year as a member of MOPS and my first year as part of the steering committee. I must say I feel so blessed to have become part of such an amazing organization! The friendships I have made and the lessons learned are ones I will cherish forever.

As the 2013-2014 semester wraps up, I thought I would share the crafts and mixers we came up with for our creative activities. I remember when I first started searching for craft ideas at the beginning of the semester I was racking my brain for ideas! I wanted to find creative activities that would be fun, quick and affordable. Thank goodness for Pinterest...

Before the semester began, my creative activities partner and I created two Pinterest boards. The first board titled MOPS Crafts was where we pinned just our random ideas and inspirations we found across the web. Once we were sure we liked an activity and wanted to proceed with it, we then pinned it to our board MOPS Crafts Final. Check these boards often, we are very active pinners!

I plan to post all the activities we did throughout the year on my blog with supporting pictures and documents. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did at MOPS. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments!

Tuscan Inspired Table Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Wed, 14 May 2014 21:34:00 +0000

This gorgeous Tuscan inspired tablescape was used at my husband's recent company retreat at The Resort at Pelican Hill. The theme for the evening was "Festa!". I love the rustic mix of lemons and artichokes paired with the ranunculus flowers and rosemary sprigs. The Italian pottery and wood vases looked beautiful against the blue and white embroidered linens. This look was a great representation of the food served and the current spring season.

Custom Art from Creative Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:09:00 +0000

A while ago I wrote about a great find on Etsy, Creative Thursday. I fell in love with Marisa's whimsical art and immediately contacted her for a custom piece. I wanted something for my daughter's first birthday that would capture all of the cuteness that is our "Allie Brynnie Bear". I told Marisa what I wanted her to create based on some of her existing images, plus a few ideas of my own. The result is a beautiful hand painted drawing on wood that I will cherish forever!

Our Allie Brynnie Bear holding her Mr. Bun-Bun.

Cute Find - Creative Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:18:00 +0000

I'm in love with the art by Creative Thursday available on Etsy. Marisa's fun and whimsical prints from her original paintings make great gifts.

We are in Paris

This animal alphabet print is a happy addition to any kid's room.
Also available in a canvas print.

Alphabet Sky Blue

Creative Thursday also does special requests on her original artwork. What a great gift for a baby shower or birthday!

Free Photography, Illustrations, and Fonts from Veer

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:17:00 +0000

If you're looking for some inspiration or just want to update the background on your computer with something quirky and fun, check out Veer.com. Each week they offer free photography, illustrations, and wallpapers handpicked from their collections for you to download. Check back monthly for a free font download too.

www.veer.com/products/free

A Cute Alternative to the Standard Alarm Clock

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:03:00 +0000

You'll be sure to wake up in a good mood when you hear gentle bird tweets coming from this cute birdie alarm clock available from the MOMA Store.

Battery operated clock has digital display featuring time, date, and day.

The clock features a snooze button and can wake you gently to the sounds of birds chirping, or a traditional alarm. It can be displayed on a table or wall-mounted. A great alternative to your traditional alarm clock!

Create Your Own Custom Fabrics

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:30:00 +0000

Spoonflower makes it possible for individuals to design, print and sell their own fabric designs like this pattern I designed below:

Circle pattern I'm calling "Modern Stained Glass"

A more detailed view of my pattern.

I just ordered myself a sample print of this fabric and will upload a picture of it once it arrives. Spoonflower prints their fabrics digitally, using eco-friendly water-based pigment inks on natural fiber textiles. I'm eager to see how my design turns out.

While browsing through their online gallery of designs I came across this bird fabric by Lydia Meiying that of course, because of the birds, I love.

A detailed view of the design.

The printed result looks pretty good.

"Tweet" fabric by Lydia Meiying available at www.spoonflower.com/fabric/95550

Custom Glittered Name Plaque

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 01:49:00 +0000

Here is my latest handmade glitter creation. Customized for my sister-in-law's new baby, Audrey Gene.

The baby's room will feature purple bedding with butterflies and flowers. This will be a nice addition to complete the room and give it a personalized touch!

Serena & Lily Letter Pillows

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:14:00 +0000

These letter pillows, available from Serena & Lily, are an adorable way to personalize your child's room.

This one features a pink letter with pink piping and a cute pattern on the sides.

What a sweet addition to your little one's bedroom or playroom!

Clothbound Penguin Classics For Children

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 05:09:00 +0000

Add some cuteness to your library with these clothbound classic childrens' stories by Penguin Books.

These clothbound books are a great addition to your child's library or make a great gift for a young girl. The books come in fun colors and feature whimsical artwork on the cover pertaining to the story.

Such classics as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan and The Secret Garden are available for purchase at Anthropologie.com

DIY Inspiration for a Downhome Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:27:00 +0000

I just love the style of photography from photographer Joy at Wildflowers Photography located in Thousand Oaks, CA. In this "downhome" themed wedding she captures the do it yourself details the bride and groom created for their outdoor wedding.

See more pictures from this wedding and amazing photography at: http://wildflowersphotos.com/blog/leeanne-jacob-the-wedding/

A Destination Wedding Invitation

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:30:00 +0000


Custom Invitation Set for a Destination Wedding

For my sister's wedding on the island of Kauai we came up with a fabulous invitation using paper from The Paper Source, adding our own special touches.

The background image came from a piece of artwork my sister had purchased on a previous trip to the island. We used just the corner element for inspiration and went from there, incorporating it into the information and response cards.

The invitation was secured with hemp string wrapped around the outside an inserted into a matching envelope with a heat embossed palm tree.

Handmade Gift Bow

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:33:00 +0000

If you ever find yourself in search of the perfect bow to match a special present, why not make your own? I came across a tutorial on the blog, How About Orange, on how to make a gift bow out of a magazine page. I made this one out of wrapping paper and made a corresponding "ribbon" as well. Below is another bow/ribbon set I made out of craft paper.

Here is the link on how to make the bow: http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html

Glittered Thank You Card

noreply@blogger.com (Creative Ever After) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:15:00 +0000

This card was made with a wood grain craft paper cut to size and folded to 4" x 6". The rose graphic was printed on a separate piece of paper where I hand glittered the design. I then it cut out with an exacto knife and applied it to the front of the card with plain craft glue. The "Thank You" text was stamped with a special glue stamp pad and then black glittered was applied.