Pre-Birth Story Board Book

This little book was made for a dear friend whose little girl just turned one. During her pregnancy I would see this mommy each week as she worked across the street where I would pick up work. I'd give her a call, and she'd meet me out front, and we'd get a pregnancy photo. I used them for a game for her baby shower, and gave her the poster board from that, but still always wanted to make her some sort of book with the photos it in. I think she and her husband were trying to figure out what to do with that bulky poster board as well (now they can toss it!).
When their little girl was coming upon her first birthday, I finally got the idea I was waiting for. I made a board book that had the photo for each week I had taken a photo (from week 14 to week 39). On each photo was information about how big the baby was, what part of the baby's body was developing, etc.
I bound the book with my Cinch binding tool.

I used chip board for the pages, and printed on card stock, and then laminated the top side. Wanted it to be able to withstand the smudging of little baby fingers.

Then, I added in a little "find the object" game, where I listed small animals, car, boat, shell, etc., and then hid these items throughout the book.

The book had threefold educational purposes. There were fruits and veggies showing how big she was; there were descriptions of what parts of her little body were developing; and then there was the little picture search game.

I loved making this book for my special friend.   She is such a happy girl!!!

Tucked it into a bag I made that came from SVG Cuts' Parkside Row SVG Kit, added a little stuffed critter, and it was ready to go.

Happy 1st Birthday, Macy Flynn!

Baby Shower (Grey-White Theme)

This project is definitely on my "faves" list. I attended a baby shower where the gender is not going to be revealed until birth. The colors chosen were grey and white. I had already done the backgrounds but was unsure what to use to baby-it-up, when SVG Cuts came out with their Carousel Ride SVG Kit. I immediately fell in love with the carousel horse, and it became the element that made it so darling.
I made the cupcake box from the 3D Numbers Party SVG Kit. I designed the papers myself, and printed them on my wide format printer.

I customized the onesies with htv.

I then made customized clothing rod dividers for the baby's closet.  The one-piece box for the dividers came from SVG Cuts' My Day With Dad SVG Kit. I made it a solid top. And again, I used the carousel horse to tie it all together.

The card was also made to match.

I rolled onesies up with a baby sock inside, so that it looked like a cupcake with a cherry on top. So pleased with how this all turned out. Here's a photo with the completed set.

So many babies coming along these days, including my own grandson!  What a fun time.

A Little Gift From Heaven Awaits!

Shine Your Light!

I've definitely been loving lighthouses lately, so I was thrilled when Mary at SVG Cuts designed this wonderful one. I love that it is a box, and that you can put tea lights in the box and in the top of the lighthouse for such a wonderful effect.  This lighthouse comes from SVG Cuts' Seaside SVG Kit. There are some other really nice projects in the kit, so go take a look!

 I had such a nice birthday this year. One of those that got spread out over days containing fun lunch dates and seeing many wonderful friends and family. I had a friend visit from Montana, and we spent a week going to the Scrapbook Expo, attended lots of scrapbook stores (and a crop), did some sightseeing, and some crafting, out to lunch with my besties. It was a great week. I got this triple flip-it die at the Sizzix booth at the Scrapbook Expo, and used it for my thank you cards. So easy and fun to make!

The following two box cards were given to me! How fun to be a crafter and have someone actually make something for you! The Polaroid camera box card was made by Jeannie Lassey as a thank you for the fun week she spent with me in San Diego. The beautiful piano box card was made by Sharayln Morgan for my birthday. They are both amazing. The piano box card came from SVG Cuts' Summer Box Cards SVG Kit. The camera box card came from Parkside Row SVG Kit. Thanks, ladies! I love them both (and they are both still being displayed).

The last thing for this blog is just a pretty little box I made for a gift for my sis-in-law. You can always find the right size box if you look through SVG Cuts. This box was a DVD box that came from the Summer Blockbuster SVG Kit. Such a fun kit, with so many items to make! Perfect to plan that sleepover movie party! Of course, I took a totally different spin on it and the box was perfect for some stamps and dies.

And, that's a wrap for today! Thanks for stopping by.

Make Like a Lighthouse and Shine Your Light!

It's a Baby Boy Shower!

This is a special blog for me because it's finally out of the bag and I can say that I'm going to be a grammy to a baby boy. My only baby is having a baby! I'm going to be sharing some of her baby shower ideas. She's not big on paper crafting, per se, so I had to back off a bit from what I would have done if I had full reign.
Her baby shower was an Adventure theme. This would have been the theme whether she had a boy or a girl. No pink and blue for this girl! So many cute pink/blue baby things to choose from, and with this declaration my area of creativity was greatly reduced. But, I have to admit, I love this theme!

The first item of importance at the shower was the gender reveal. These little scratch-off cards were the first game. Each person at the shower got a card and a penny, and on the count of 3 everyone scratched, and one person was the winner and got to announce the gender. The scratch-off circles came from Enchanting By Design on Etsy. 

I re-purposed this old poster frame and added a thin piece of wood sprayed with chalkboard paint for a welcome sign.

I wanted to make some paper trees, but since paper was not really an option, I designed the trees and made a paper template, and then had my husband cut them out of wood on his band saw. The tree stumps had been made by friends for their daughter's wedding. They put votives in the little holes. I made a little trunk on some of the trees to fit into the votive hole.

My daughter's only request was that she wanted some little clothing rod dividers for the baby's closet. I designed these using the animal images painted by her best friend, whose Etsy shop, Studio South Seas, I featured in my last blog post. They are laminated and made into stickers (the stickers are on both sides of the dividers) using print-2-cut on my Sizzix Eclips.

These needed a box, which I made from SVG Cuts' Wet and Wild SVG Kit. Added a little burlap and some string, and made a little graphic for the top.

To match this theme, I also made some monthly photo markers. They are made double-thickness card stock. They can be laid on the baby, leaned on the baby, double-stick taped on a background, or set/leaned on a little stuffed toy. Or, when able, the baby can hold them in their hands. I went this route because I didn't want to guess onesie sizes or to use them as stickers that could be used only once. This way, they can be shared or used for another child someday. Again, I used the amazing art of Regina Moomjean, artist and owner of Studio South Seas.

This box was altered from SVG Cuts' Camp Firefly SVG Kit. I used the bottom of the S'more, and took the "chocolate drippings" off the top edge of the box, and made a graphic for the top.  Each of the boxes has a personalized message on the inside bottom.

Tied them together with a little tag, and there you go!

 As a thank you to the guests, I made a little thank you card with a pocket and a custom-made flower packet envelope that was filled with real flower seeds.

And, that does it! Hope you enjoyed some of the shower goodies. It was a wonderful celebration of what is to come. Thank you to my sweet Vanarama for hostessing the shower at her beautiful home.

Life is an Adventure! Enjoy!

Studio South Seas

Today I'll be blogging on a bit of a different note than usual. My dear friend (and basically second daughter), the incredibly musically and artistically talented Regina Moomjean, has just started an Etsy store called "Studio South Seas." Her art is whimsical and joyful, and I hope you like it as much as I do! You can visit her Etsy store here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/studiosouthseas

Regina lives in San Diego, and sings in the Benedetti Trio along with her sister, both being accompanied by their very accomplished musician dad, Fred. She also majored in Art in college, and has recently been following that passion, turning it into a small business. You'll love her designs. My favorite is Eleanor the Elephant. There's just something about her (and her crown) that I love.

When Regina got married in 2011 she designed and hand drew her own wedding invitations. I was able to help her and set them up and print them out for her. They turned out so darling. I was always so in love with the top border graphic, and ever since that time I have been wanting to make something for her using it. I just didn't know exactly what. When she started Studio South Seas, she drew her initial title word art, and it suddenly hit me. I had just started to try my hand at cutting vinyl, so I came up with a combination of the wedding invite image and the title word art. I cut them out of heat transfer vinyl. I made her a tank top using what I came up with, and the two images blended together perfectly. Here's the tank I made for her.

I ended up also making one for her sister and my daughter (pictured here).

 

And one more for her husband (black t-shirt with white). I'm so happy with the way they turned out. I still have some learning to do with htv, but I'll get there.

Thanks for letting me introduce you to Studio South Seas and Regina Benedetti Moomjean! Please take a look at her Etsy store or visit her Facebook page. And maybe purchase one of her beautiful works of art. They would be perfect for a child's room or really for any area of your home! It'll make you happy every time you look at it!

Sailing on the South Seas...Now that would be an Adventure!

Custom Wedding Favors

I volunteered to make the wedding favors for my very special niece's wedding. Much was discussed, but she pretty much said she would appreciate anything at all. Her wedding reception was very muted colors, white and beach sand and gold. After much thought, we came up with these little pyramid boxes.

The basic pyramid box came from SVG Cuts' Gift Boxes SVG Kit. I removed the small holes at the top that are used to tie it shut. I also made them small enough that I could cut two per 12x12 sheet of scrapbook card stock. The base ended up at about 2-1/2"x2-1/2". I cut out 120 of them on my Sizzix Eclips, and embossed each one with my Big Shot.
I then cut out the beige triangles for the front. I made a small hole at the top of the triangle in order to hang a silver star fish charm with some 1/16" wide gold ribbon. Each of the triangles was also embossed at the bottom edge.

I next designed these inserts with a message printed on top (p2c). Had to glue the four corners on 120 of them. They were then glued into the bottom inside of the pyramid.

These were made so that when I inserted the "message in a bottle," they would not fall over in the box. The bottles fit snugly, but not too tight.
I printed and cut out some little bottle shapes, and put a Bible verse that the bride and groom chose on either side of them. They were then put into the bottle, along with some sand and tiny shells.

 

There was another triangle that was glued onto the inside back of the pyramid that held a ribbon that was threaded into that back seam. Once the box was closed, the ribbon was tied around to the front to hold all of the sides up. And, all that needed to be done to open the box was to lift the bow over the top of the pyramid box, and the sides would open down.

 

 

 

These were a lot of work, but I found that after the initial cutting, the rest could be done leisurely while watching a movie with the family. I don't know how people do these types of things for a living. For one, they are extremely time consuming. Secondly, you'd never be able to charge a customer enough for each one to cover the materials and the time. These were definitely done as a labor of love, and I was thrilled to be able to do it for her.

Congrats to the Bride and Groom!

Wishing you both much happiness

What's the Story, Morning Glory?

I had been wanting to make this little telephone for quite some time now, but was just not sure who I'd make it for, and for what occasion. The right time came when I designed a poster for a children's theater company that will be performing Bye Bye Birdie. I made this telephone box as a fun gift for the director. The pattern came from SVG Cuts' Call Me Later SVG Kit.

 The telephone is a box that opens up, and I put some candies inside. I chose to glue the receiver down so there weren't so many loose pieces. The coiled telephone cord is from a little key chain.

 And, this is the show poster I designed (and photographed).

What's the Word, Hummingbird?

Pop-Up Box Cards (or Card in a Box)

These pop-up box cards seem to be very popular right now, and after making a few of them I know why. Firstly, they are so fun to look at. Secondly, they fold flat so you can slip it into an envelope for mailing. And, they are so easy to make, and can be made and personalized for virtually any occasion. This first one I'm posting was for a 60th birthday of a good friend, whose name is also Deb.

 

All of the elements came from SVG Cuts' The Green Room SVG Kit. The finished box is just over 6" tall. There is another panel on the very back where I put a sentiment and signed it.
The next one was made for my sis-in-law.  I printed a photo of her as a baby and used that for the front panel.

Here you can see how it folds down flat. There is no bottom on the box, so it's folds very easily. I made the envelope for it with the Envelope Punch Board from We R Memory Keepers.

And, here's the back of this one.

Here's another one made for a friend's birthday. I love the beach/underwater theme.

On the back of this one I made a little pocket where I made a couple of tickets for an event and lunch.

Here's one made for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day. I used my own cut file for the box itself, but the darling elements and design came from SVG Cuts' Box Cards SVG Kit. There are five different box cards in the kit, each one as darling as the next.

And, here's one more that I made for a graduation. You can make these for pretty much any occasion at all. The sky's the limit! There was a little pocket on the back side where some $$ was inserted. I made the 2014 background design paper myself.

The papers I used for all of the boxes was digi paper (and elements) purchased from Jessica Sprague and solid A/C card stock and Bazzill card stock. I made the pattern for this box myself. You can find tutorials on youtube. Or, if you purchase the SVG Cuts kits, they come with not only the decorated boxes with the elements, but also the basic boxes so that you can design your own.

Sending Wishes in a Box!