Tuesday, March 26, 2013

DONE!

125 Wedding invitations.
I think that sums it up.

Monday, March 25, 2013

You missed it...

I have a birthday coming up this week, but I will be traveling to see my family in Florida.  Because of my trip, I celebrated early.  First was lunch with Pat and Diana on Friday at one of my favorite places, La Grande Orange.  Of course, I didn't deviate from my usual order: hot pressed tuna sandwich.  I don't know how they make their tuna salad different, but it is the best!
Yeah, you missed it because I forgot to take a picture.  This is what was left over.  PLUS, we ordered a piece of peanut butter pie and split it three ways.  We really enjoyed that, too.
Saturday morning was breakfast with Kate and Kim at Cupz 'n Crepes in Ahwatukee.  Surprise!  Nicole and the girls, Myah and Kylee, were waiting for us at the restaurant.  Nicole and I split two crepes so we could try sweet and savory, so we ordered the lingenberry and creme cheese and the mushroom, avocado, and cheese crepe.  It was excellent,  The lingenberry crepe was very good, but a little sweet for my liking.  Hard to believe, I know.
Saturday night was a movie ("Admission") and dinner (Famous Dave's BBQ) with Maryanna.  In between all of this eating, I worked on Ashley and Brian's wedding invitations.  They have to be done  before I leave, so I have been working on them every spare minute.
Today was the card exchange, so ...
I had to finish those.  "Purple" was the theme this month.  Whew!  Busy weekend.

Friday, March 22, 2013

This is so cute!

This picture was posted on Cosmo Cricket's blog and I think it is absolutely adorable!
I am thinking Christmas!  I know, it is only March, but sometimes you just have to plan ahead and there are certain people I like to make gifts for their Christmas presents.  Let's hope I don't forget this one.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Spending my time

designing and making wedding invitations for Kimberly's friend, Ashley.  As a favor to the bride and groom, I am making the wedding invitations:

Front
Back
The front is the actual wedding invitation, and the back is a pocket the holds the Accommodations, Directions, and RSVP cards/information.  We are still trying to decide if we are using ribbon or jewels on the actual invitation.  I think they turned out beautifully!  My goal?  Get them done this weekend and on to the bride for mailing.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Corset Invitation

I previously showed you the assembly line involved in making the lingerie shower invitations.  Well, now I can show you the final result...
They turned out so darn cute, but they were a LABOR OF LOVE!  Thanks to my Cricut, and one of the bridal cartridges, we cut the shape of the corset card, along with the insert and the top (pink pieces) of the card.  We then stamped and embossed the two top pieces with a lace pattern.  Next, we punched the holes, laced the corset with ribbon, and done!  You can see the white tag hanging out?  That gave the sizes of the bride-to-be but it looked like a price tag.  Since we did 50 invitations, it was a lot of work, but I was able to spend some quality time with my daughter, Kimberly.  They have already been placed in the mail and received by the guests.  Next project?  Wedding invitations.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Another little leprechaun

After spending lunch with Kylee, Kimmy and I headed to the west valley to meet with Ashley to discuss her wedding and bridal shower.  While on that side of town, we went by the new Tanger Outlet Mall.  I am looking for shoes to take on my trip this next fall and I want to be sure to break them in now, as opposed to later.  I am excited because I found a pair of walking Sketchers and they feel like marshmallows!
They are lightweight and REALLY cushioned.  I know that I will be doing a lot of walking in Croatia and am glad that this task is one I can check off my list.
After our little shopping spree, we went on over to Ashley's house and I was able to meet Ashley's mother, grandmother, future in-laws, and her fiance's son, Brody.
So Meet Brody!  He is wearing his leprechaun hat and really enjoying the attention he is getting from the women in his life.  He is a sweetie and so very pleasant - and almost three!  A fun afternoon, but time to head home.

Monday, March 18, 2013

An 8-year-old's birthday party

Sunday was Kylee's 8th birthday!  She celebrated at a wave pool on Saturday with her friends and family and had lunch at Olive Garden on Sunday with more family (I consider myself as family).  Here are some of the highlights:
 As soon as everyone arrived, Kylee opened her presents.
 She got clothes,
 Games and crafts,
 And she read all of her cards - out loud - to us.
 This treat is from her Saturday party.  Sam always makes the cutest birthday cake or treats.  This time she took mini cupcakes and layered them in push-up pops/containers with icing between the layers.  What a fun treat for a birthday!
 While we were at the restaurant, a leprechan came and sat down beside me.
Oh wait.  I think that was Myah!
As always, it ended with birthday cake and Kylee blowing out her candle.
It was a fun day and we loved celebrating with Kylee!
When Kylee got home, she tried on her new outfit...
and she's ready for school tomorrow!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Thought for today...

When your kids are out on their own, it's easy to be queen.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Lingerie Shower

My daughter, Kimmy, and a few others are throwing a lingerie shower for their friend, Ashley.  Kim had seen some invitations she wanted to make and so, today, we set out to do just that.  It was a rough start, but we were able to get it set up, printed, cut, embossed, and glued down.  They are not quite done, but we're not that far from finishing them.  Tiffany came over with Kim and the three of us basically worked all day on these invitations:
 My cricut definitely got a work out today.
Tiff tried her hand at embossing and did a great job.
The finished group - still need the finishing touch of ribbon and a few more to complete.  They are shaped like corsets and when they are completely done later this week, I will put them back on the blog.
Teamwork ~ good work, Kim and Tiff.  You know Ashley is going to love them!  They turned out beautifully!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Ya Ya Sister Weekend

I was so fortunate to be asked to a "Ya Ya Sister Weekend" with Diana and her four sisters!  Three live here in the Phoenix area and two came in from out of town.  Also in attendance were 2 friends, 2 nieces, and 1 cousin.  It was definitely a ladies' weekend!
We started off by meeting at a quilt store called Quilters Oasis.  The picture above is Carolyn buying a few items.  I found some fabric that matched a jelly roll I already have.  Yeah, I'm building up my stash.
This sign was hanging up at the store - I just liked what it said and needed to take a photo.
This is a sample of chalkboard fabric.  Weird, huh?  I bought a small roll of it when we went to California.  I am hoping to use it in card making.
After the quilt outing, we went back to Jean Ann's and started making lunch.  There were definitely a lot of cooks in the kitchen and it was fun to watch them all work together.
My friend, Diana, was in charge of making a bruschetta.  It was soooooo good!  I am definitely going to try making them at home.  I believe it was the best I have ever had.
Since it was a ladies' weekend, there were many types of teas to choose from.  One I had not seen before was a Red Velvet Tea.  My favorite was the Mango Ceylon.
The table is set and we are ready to eat:  bruschetta, lettuce salad with mini shrimp, avocado, tomatoes and thousand island dressing.  We also had tomato soup (it was so yummy) and fruit kabobs.  Everything was really good.
 After lunch, I set up card kits for those who wanted to participate.  The girls got to laughing so hard - they are actually throwing their heads back laughing so hard!
 Here they are, getting down to business.
After cards, Caroline brought directions and did a demonstration on how to make pillow cases.  They were so very slick.  The inside seam was "hidden" so that it was nice and neat.  This would be great for making a travel pillow. Several made their own pillow cases.
It was a very fun day!  A lot of activity, hustle and bustle.  It really reminded me of when my own family gets together.  There are always a multitude of conversations going on at the same time and someone is always preparing food for the next meal.
You noticed the hats that some are wearing?  They do this in remembrance of their mother.  These hats once belonged to their mother and so they wear the hats and some of her necklaces in remembrance of her.  What a wonderful, fun gesture, and a fun weekend to spend with "sisters."

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Lucy's Crab Shack

It has such a nice sound.  I finished the front panel of this jelly roll quilt...

I wanted to get the outside borders on, so that I could get it to Carolyn to take back to California.  Carolyn has a friend who will machine stitch the quilts and does such a fabulous job at a reasonable price.  I have to admit that I had to ask Carolyn for help in cutting the back panel.  She was so gracious.  I am so anxious now to see what they look like when they come back.  I really think the stitching will make them pop!