Drivin' 55

With a little bit of angst, three weeks ago, I delivered these wedding invitations to a very sweet  Bride to be.  Let me say this bride to be was the calmest of any person I've ever met.  This sweetheart was a dream to work with. I delivered for her, the pocket wedding invitation in a shimmer onyx color, accented with a shimmery silver.  All materials were printed on a pearl, shimmer paper which gave the entire invitation a sense of fun while being so very classy. Inside the invitation, the standard invite is listed on the right. On the left, this pocket holds three different cards, RVSP, Wedding Details and Accommodations sheets. To add a bit more sparkle and dimension, I added 3 clear crystals at the very top. The photograph may not be able to display that there are three clear  crystals located at the v on the pocket. Addressed envelopes were provided with the return address. I must admit, I really enjoyed creating this set for my lovely Bride to Be! ...

Over the last 6 weeks, I have created about 8 different mock ups for the bride who every so graciously decided to hire me to hand create her bridal invitations for her autumn wedding. I was thrilled. I was so honored. Truth be known, I was terrified! That soon passed after 4 trips to the big box store, Archivers. I even took a class for some helpful hints, but honestly, I didn't learn anything other than you will pay a premium price on 5 x 5 envelopes and the other very important thing was that they offer printing templates on their web site. Thank you for that! This design is a very trendy tri fold pocket invitation. We incorporated the colors from the wedding so the invitations will make a statement about the wedding. The pocket design allows the bride to include just about anything on the three cards in the pocket. RSVP, of course. This can be mailed just like a postcard. Event Plans, Directions, Accommodations, etc be used to provide the guests with other very useful info...

I have been remiss relative to my blog these days. My mind has been consumed with the task at preparing several wedding invitations and other such items for a friend of my daughter's. Upon being asked to take on this task, I was immediately honored, however, very quickly I felt a bit of panic and the extreme sense of overwhelming doubts. But.... I quickly wrapped my brain around this project and began planning. On Tuesday, I meet with the bride to be to present my ideas to her. Perhaps, things will settle down after Tuesday. I've been so focused that I missed a local tea party at Joyce's . I am so sorry Joyce! My little Pumpkin is just growing like a little weed and eating me out of house and home! A typical day requires two breakfasts for little Jack. We start off with Cheerios, followed an hour later by cheesy eggs. After his 2 hour nap, I fix him vegetables, fruit and maybe mac and cheese. This holds him over until about 4 o'clock when he demands more than a sn...

Well, maybe you don't! It is not really that obvious, but regardless, here goes! Let me present the big reveal to you. Here is what I have been working on in January. My Valentine's Day Memory Box... I'm thinking of calling myself The Box Lady! However, I have already named my Etsy site It's Just Paper! The paper is so bright and cheery and just the perfect way to express love! Happy Early Valentine's Day!

There are always more projects on my table or in my head than I can truly finish. If I listed them all you would be amazed. I am amazed. But I am resilient and will complete them all... some day! I snapped this photo a few years back when I still owned my own business and visited craft conventions twice a year. The black walnut stain on the frame along with the perfect choice of fabric caught my eye. What better way to tuck away all of those important reminders in one location. So, I will be searching for a frame at several local thrift stores and place this on my "To Do" list!

Today is a fun day for me. I will be driving over to my friend's house, Debra, to teach class number two with a great bunch of ladies. As you can see, everyone was concentrating and crafting. Busy hands. Crafty ladies. So much fun! Even though this is the Christmas box, it will be the first decoration for the Christmas 2010!

Many of you know that I have created lovely little Christmas boxes.  I pride myself in the fact that these were of my creations. Imagine how honored I was when a friend of my sister’s asked me if I would create 4 Hanukkah boxes to give as presents. Well, I completed my project on Sunday and shipped the order to New Jersey promptly on Monday. I didn’t want to post these before my customer receives them because I want her to be surprised. I was very concerned not to create something that would be impropriate. Let me share with you that I am very nervous that she won’t  be totally delighted.  Keeping my fingers… toes, arms and legs all crossed.    What’s next?  Well, thoughts are racing through my head in designing something for Valentine’s Day. Got any suggestions for me???

One project to scratch off of the list! Jack’s Christmas stocking is complete. Yea! I haven’t used my embroidery skills for quite some time. By the time I got down to the lower stocking, all skills of stichery somehow came to the forefront of my brain and I was proud of my accomplishment. Here’s the baby bear saying “Grand Mom, you did an awesome job!”   I already ordered and received the next stocking for baby number 2…whenever he or she makes his or her appearance. 

When my creative juices are flowing, my workspace is NOT orderly. I need everything at my fingertips. Here's proof. Here’s the view of my desk looking straight ahead. Yes, I have Face Book open because I don’t want to miss anything! Clutter everywhere. On my left side, you see a vast amount of very necessary tools and supplies. My Zutter over on the left. My bottle of lemon water (I have to drink 5.33 bottles a day!). My Vera Bradley eye glass case. Lots of paper right underneath the case. And a cute little utility bag that is crammed with so many tools that I just cannot live without. My phone sits on the left. Lots of glue dots, yes, sometimes they stick to me. That tiny green bottle is a Smooch product (something I can’t life without). Oh, my project. You weren’t supposed to see that yet. The green thing is my most loved paper cutter. It is the best! I have a little flat screen over there on the right. I was watching Still Standing. Nice shot of Jami Gertz’ boobies! Al...