confetti

pack your bags...

here's another recent invitation i worked on.  the challenge was to create an invitation that would also be the party favor and include items needed on an overnight trip to the country.  the party was small, so i was allowed to "go big"--which was quite fun to do!  girly camo was also part of the request and i think i found the perfect bag to go with.  believe or not, i designed the invitation before i found the the bag.  how lucky is that?!  here's a close-up...

since each girl was getting the same bag to bring and they were being delivered to their homes, i included a laminated bag tag on each one.  that way, they could tell them apart and they'll be labeled for any future uses, too.

i also labeled a few of the items since they each would have them, using my handy vinyl stickers again so that they would last longer.  this was yet another fun project to work on--i love my customers!  now, i may have to think of a variation on this for colleen's sleepover in may...

:) lexi

workin' at the car wash!

i finally had a chance to edit the pics from mignon's birthday party last weekend--she had a car wash and it was such a fun party!  as always, it all starts with the perfect invitation.  we started with a car wash name, mignon's splash-n-dash, and created a logo, and then the invitation just took off from there.  it was a bit of a middle of the night project for me (surprise, surprise!), but it all came together!  don't you think every car wash needs a dirty limo to clean?!

so that became the cake too!  although it turned out looking more like a hummer than a limo in the end.  i even gave it "dirty" windows with messages and doodles in every one!  it's a little rough, but it is my first car.  my two favorite parts are the tail lights & license plate, and the sun roofs.  completely 3d cakes are always a little more challenging for me, but it was fun and it all gets cut up and eaten anyway!

one of my last minute ideas was to have t-shirts for the employees!  it had been really hot the week before the party, but was supposed to be cooler that day, so i thought it would be good to have the t's for during their breaks.  wilton t-shirt transfers for inkjet printers made this so easy and the girls looked really cute in them!

along with the car wash, we had a lemonade & cookie stand.  the first girls at the party helped create the signs to place at the front of the house, in front of the lemonade stand, and by the driveway where the actual washing took place.  we also had plenty of refreshments for the girls, too--whenever there were no cars, they were either having water fights complete with water balloons, or camped out around the snacks!  i found the little plastic buckets at the dollar store and used them all around the party and for the party favors...

a few little car wash supplies along with some things just for fun.  the christmas tree air fresheners were probably the biggest hit in the bucket!  when all was said and done, mignon raised $150 and decided on the local SPCA as her charity.  if you have the right space for a party like this, i highly recommend it.  and it really doesn't matter how much money you make.  it's more about the effort and embracing the idea of giving back, and i think turning 10 was a great time to do that in this way.  plus, it really was an absolute blast--good ol' wet & messy fun!

'nite!
:) lexi

birthday mouse

here's another birthday card i made for mignon--can't just do one right?!  i love this little balloon mouse from the saltbox studio and it's perfect for birthdays.  i really liked how the paper pieced umbrellas turned out earlier this week, which gave me the idea to do a few balloons that way.  normally, the mouse is holding just one, but i wanted more so i just added them and doodled the strings, popping the front two up for dimension.  for the first time, i colored the mouse white for a little bit of pop on the blue background--i usually color him gray or brown, but i think i like the change.  and since the other card said happy birthday, i chose "onward & upward" since turning 10 is definitely that!

have a great weekend!  i have a busy one, so i probably won't be back until monday...
:) lexi

supplies:  celebration companion {the saltbox studio}, sky blue note card + latte, blush, & sage juliette papers {a muse}, memento tuxedo black dew drop, white signo pen, copics and foam tape.

a fondue birthday

here's a quick card i made for mignon on tuesday--she turned 10 and i just can't believe it!!  She wanted to go to the melting pot for her birthday, so we got together with the grandparents and had a nice little dinner party, dipping this and cooking that.  it's been a while since we've been there and it was the first time for everyone else, so it was a fun treat.  of course, since i have this fondue pot image from the party time clear set from a muse, i had to make one of her birthday cards with it!

thanks for stopping by...
:) lexi

supplies:  party time & celebration kids clear sets; french roast, surf, orange crush & swiss red sheer ribbon; and kitchen yellow & orange crush note cards {a muse}; memento rich cocoa dew drop, and copic markers.

today's forecast: new stamps!

the umbrella is yet another of the oh-so-cute stamps from the new a muse love blooms collection.  perfect for a variety of occasions--baby shower, wedding shower, get well, etc.  and today's the day you can buy it on the a muse website, along with the rest of the collection--new stamps, new paper, new cards, oh my!  of course, if you have a local a muse selling shop, you can run out right now and pick it all up today, no waiting.  click here to see what linda and some of the creative team members have to say about the new loot.  and, did you see the a muse newsletter today, featuring my first a muse card of the week--how cool is that?!

:) lexi

one last amuse-bouche...

before you can see and buy the whole love blooms collection from a muse--tonight at midnight!  today's little treat is all about the new juliette paper.  isn't it beautiful?!  i used the juliette sky blue for my base card, paired with a piece of a sky blue note card layered on a white scallop rectangle for the image/sentiment detail.  blossom branch is stamped below the sentiment in light blue dye ink for an additional hint of pattern.  super easy, but thanks to the beautiful paper, it packs a pretty punch!  don't forget to check in with the other muses for a few more last minute morsels...

yum!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: gown

i'm sorry i didn't make it back yesterday with another little morsel for my a muse stamping friends, but i was super busy this weekend with my ten year old's birthday party--pictures from that coming soon!  anyway, here's a new amuse-bouche for today featuring the new gown.  i was channel surfing late saturday night while waiting for mignon and her friends to go to sleep and was totally inspired by the opening song from my best friend's wedding, wishing and hoping.  (<--click to see it on youtube)  i stamped all of the dresses directly on the colored paper i needed and when cutting out the images, i cut the dressform off of the bridesmaids' dresses, leaving it on the wedding gown so that it had a bigger presence.  i also glittered the wedding gown and popped it up on foam tape.  the pale pink & green and punched flowers on the bridesmaid's dresses and the bright pink background are straight from the inspiration video.  the yellow is too, but it was in the lettering on the video, so i translated it into the sentiment strip here.  i love the challenge of recreating things like that on paper, especially when it works!!  i think stamping or coloring the gown as a bridesmaid's dress opens it up to so many more uses--thank you to the bridesmaids or to the hosts of a bridal shower or luncheon, info packet to the bridesmaids, save the date etc.  you could even use it for prom or another gown-wearing occasion!  be sure to check around the a muse creative team blogs for more tasty treats--and remember you can get the main course at your local stamp store if you have one and online at a muse very soon, march 25!!

happy snacking!
:) lexi

here comes the bride!

another day, another amuse-bouche to whet your appetite for new stamps!  this card is a perfect combination of the collection.  new wedding couple + new floral = love blooms!  it's actually the sister card to the mr. & mrs. card posted on the a muse news today--i usually create in multiples because i can't waste good usable pieces!  so while it's mostly the same stamps, it's good to see a slightly different take with them.  open zinnea is one of my favorite of the florals, and don't you love the font combo on this sentiment?  there's sure to be more amuse-bouche out there today on the creative team blogs, so be sure to check them out.  and if you're lucky enough to have a local shop that carries a muse, you might even be able to enjoy a stamping main course...

happy saturday!
:) lexi

love blooms amuse-bouche!

how about a tasty treat from a muse?  actually, my first official amuse-bouche as a member of the wood mount design team!!  my name popped up on the lists over there, and i've added the lists and links here--it's one of those things that i've been so busy with lately!  so now i'm thrilled to be able to give you sweet little "complimentary appetizers" over the next few days.  i just love modern poppy, stamped in chalk inks and paper pieced here.  the elegant "thank you" is new too.  every stamp in this release is just beautiful!  and they're already arriving in your local shops, so go check them out!  but don't worry, if you don't have a shop to run to, there are more amuse-bouche to enjoy on the various a muse creative team blogs and i'll have another tomorrow...

bon appetit!
:) lexi

more baby gifts

i'm on a roll!!  today, i have another recent baby gift--this time, for the cutest little girl.  a while back, i was on a "b is for baby" kick and made lots of these, so when i needed something super cute and super quick, it was perfect.  i love the simplicity of this design, but thought it needed just a little something extra, so i trimmed the edges with scallop shears for a more dainty look.  the stickers, personalized with the baby face, are a special label with vinyl in them and can be washed--great for bottles and all kinds of baby stuff!

while i'm showing baby gifts, i wanted to be sure to share this one, too.  a few weeks ago, i posted a baby boat gift set including gift enclosures, stickers, and a luggage tag.  when one of my customers saw it, it inspired her to order a set, but she wanted note cards instead of the luggage tag.  so now, i have more options for an even more complete baby boat set.  i think i need a baby boy to give a set to myself!

my posting streak will definitely continue tomorrow--with something stampy & new...

don't miss it!!
:) lexi

message in a bottle

i did it--i made it back for a second day in a row!!  a few weeks ago, i posted this pirate invitation i created a long time ago for a new customer interested in throwing a pirate party.  i also suggested that it would be great in a bottle since she was planning on sending them from school rather than mailing them.  so i just had to repost the new version including the awesome bottles she found.  it was too windy to burn the edges outside, so i had to do it inside--i don't recommend that unless you have to like me!  but, that aside, these will probably always be one of my favorite designs.

she also had me create a set of personalized note cards for thank you's.  the a muse poison bottle was the perfect image.  she wanted to see a couple of font options, so i mixed up the colors, too--choices, choices!  the one on the left was the final pick.  and while we're talking pirates...

how about a few highlights from the "pirates in the caribbean" party on the disney cruise?!  you can click for a closer look.  this was definitely one of our favorite nights--dressing up, lots of characters singing pirate songs, a take-over by captain hook & co., and mickey zip-lining in to save the day...

followed by fireworks, dancing, and a late night dessert buffet!  aren't those the cutest pirates ever?!

:) lexi

green, green & more green!

lucky ewe!  i could not get the idea of a green saltbox sheep out of my head, so i just had to put ink to paper.  of course he needed a little shamrock, too, which was easy peasy with a mini heart--one of my favorite little tricks!  i wasn't sure about sentiment, but finally came up with "lucky ewe" after spying the "thank ewe" in the sheep set.  so i wrote "lucky" and stamped "ewe" from that.  quick, simple & cute--but most importantly, i stamped for fun!!  and because you can never have too much green on st. patrick's day...

by special request, i created the girls' favorite green meal again.  a little green food coloring goes a long way!  i still have so much to share, but also so much to do.  i'm getting there, though and should be back to normal soon...

happy st. patrick's day!
:) lexi

think spring

it's always funny to feel like you need a vacation after your vacation, but as much fun as a disney vacation is, it's not a relaxing one.  we were constantly on the go and i loved every minute of it.  and now that i've had a weekend of sleeping in, i feel much more rested!  i even squeezed in a few minutes to stamp a new card to share today--warm weather is here for us and coming soon for others, so spring colors and themes are in order!  yellow is my favorite color and i love combining orange and green--the three together were perfect for this adorable saltbox garden bunny.  i'm still busy catching up with orders and design work, and have lots of stuff to share from last month, so stay tuned...

:) lexi

supplies:  april banner {the saltbox studio}; kitchen yellow, irish green, & orange crush mod dots note cards, summer tiny flower pretty little papers, micro dot twinkle stickers {a muse}; memento rich cocoa dew drop, su! garden green ink pad, marvy punches, and copic markers

i'm back!

i'm sorry for being away for so long, but the events of february just took over--mardi gras, a 4th grade class play, getting ready for our land & sea disney adventure--all while still teaching and working on orders.  something had to give, and that ended up being the blog.  i was creating like crazy during the month though, and took pictures faithfully along the way, fully intending to pop in from time to time.  but then i misplaced my camera cord.  mostly, the problem was time, though!  we got home monday (a day late thanks to the snow in atlanta), and i found the camera cord last night, so here's a quickie little project i created for our stateroom...

i ran out of time to make it at home, but since i'd already bought all of the disney stickers, i quickly grabbed the supplies the day we left and made it in our hotel room the night before we boarded--brightly colored papers from a su! designer paper pad, lots of 3d disney stickers from michael's, thin black ribbon, and a page of circle labels with the letters printed on them in different colors and styles.  for the stickers, i was sure to include aladdin (the 4th grade play), the little mermaid (the theme of the girls' mardi gras ball), pirate mickey (a cruise theme), it's a small world (a favorite ride at disney), and of course, mickey and minnie and friends!  basically, i just placed the labels in the middle of a different colored paper, surrounded them by the stickers, letting some of them hang over the edge, and folded each one over the ribbon to attach.  i really didn't have time to think through the colors and layout out much before i left home, so i'm glad it worked!  i left a little bit of ribbon hanging from each end in case i could tie it or tape it, but my best idea was the last minute one to bring a couple of washers and strong magnets--the ceiling was metal and it attached perfectly!  the girls loved it and it really was such a cheerful addition to the room!

i promise to be back with all of the projects i've been working on, a few pics from the trip, and new card designs on a more regular basis again.  many thanks to those who are still checking in on me...

:) lexi