You're Sweet Shaker Card Die Cut for Baby Shower Thank You

We are getting pounded with a lovely snowstorm right before thanksgiving. Up until now, we've been getting freezing rain and light dustings of snow. We're expecting about a foot of snow. I took my pregnant behind outside and carved out a path in the driveway hoping that the delivery men and Dimma won't get stuck later. Unfortunately, it is covered again. Boo...

Many of the people who are traveling for the holiday are already out of the area. We haven't planned anything, so we will just have a relaxing day at home...I hope. :) I am looking forward to dinner tonight though. For the last month or so I've been steaming and boiling all of my food and seasoning with just plain salt. Today, I will be cheating and making some tacos with ground turkey. Hopefully my body will cooperate or I will pay for it later. :D

Below, are the cards I have sent out to thank everyone who sent gifts and/or attended the baby shower back in Oct. I believe it was 14 cards in all. 

I drew inspiration from this card. "You're" was cut out, backed with acetate, and framed from behind with foam tape to create a compartment filled with glitter and sequins. "Sweet" was printed out using my photo printer. The embossed daisies were created using a Darice plate and the Cuttlebug. I topped off the petals with puffed glitter to create a sparkle to them. 

Wishing everyone a safe and happy thanksgiving!

Entered in:
-Inspiration Destination No. 9  Anything Goes
-The Crafter's Cafe #92 Thank You Card

Personalized Alternative Wedding Guestbook Heart Petals with Stringed Names

This was what I made for guests to sign at my wedding back in April. It's an alternative to the traditional guestbook that I saw on Etsy. I decided to use the idea and make it personalized because I was on a budget. Also, I felt strongly about making something that I can then display as art rather than keeping a book that would probably go into storage sooner rather than later. Boy, was it a lot of work, but I was quite satisfied with the end result. The only thing I would omit are the smaller petals. It was hard to sign on because it was so tiny. I would also use stronger glue or not do a double layer of petals for some of the larger ones. I thought I would be able to get away with it by creating more writing space, but it turns out some of them started popping off because the spine didn't adhere well enough to withstand the wear and tear of people flipping through it.

My personalized touch is adding the stringed writing of our names with gold thread. This part was one of the most time consuming and took a lot of concentration. I don't know if I'd do that again anytime soon, but it did make it more special.

 I liked the coral/peachy tones coupled with gold, so I went with that. Gold is a favored color by Chinese culture, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to make my dad happy about not following tradition. Normally, we would put out a red handkerchief and have people sign that. I felt that it was tacky and what would I do with this napkin afterwards anyway?

This is what the poster looked like after everyone came through. I thought it would be fun to let it be colorful by leaving out pretty colored markers, but I believe permanent markers would've done a better job.









Sweet dreams,

Quilled Hearts and Tulip Fridge Magnet

I miss crafting a lot, but there just isn't much time anymore. I am having a great time looking back at these pictures though. Something about what these hands created that sometimes surprises me. We are a very talented bunch aren't we fellow crafty bloggers? :) 

Everyone tells me that it is absolutely normal to not feel ready for the baby. I think that part is the nerve wrecking part for me because I like to map out all scenarios beforehand usually. This is totally out of my hands though...at least I care, I know this much. I've never read so many books and general prep literature in such a short period of time post-college. lol I think for me 90% of the comfort comes from feeling mentally prepared and so the physical prep for the baby suffers greatly. I am only half packed for the hospital--shame on me. We have no nursery because we might be moving AGAIN. It's almost funny at this point how often we move. Anyway, I've been planning to load music into my phone to listen to in case I'm in the mood, but have still not done that either. I've been a mad lady doing laundry almost daily to keep things up as much as possible beforehand. 

I am already feeling bad for our cats. They're more needy than ever. I'm not sure if it's my hormones or they hear the baby, but all they do is snuggle next to me and cry if I move. They follow me into the bathroom and keep crying if I disappear behind the curtains to shower. I think I might have feline body guards. Many things will change and my dad isn't too happy to have cats near a newborn, so he will be more mean to them when he's around too--I'm guessing it'll be quite often. I've already seen it happen and the baby isn't here yet. I doubt I will have all of this energy to lecture my dad continuously later. I will have my hands full and can't physically be their FT cat mommy anymore. I hope they too will find a new normal eventually. 

My generation is very connected to people on social media and messaging. I've been staying away from that to train myself to prioritize tasks. I actually feel good being disconnected. My mind is more at ease and I have a lot more time to take care of other things; focus on myself. I didn't grow up with all of this technology right away, so maybe this is why I can do it without feeling withdrawal symptoms. I know I will be a better parent because of it too. Freely expressing myself to no one in particular on here also feels good because it feels more like journal writing from younger days. At least there's no commitment to chatting when I don't have time through this method. Feedback or no feedback, my voice will always be put out there and I don't necessarily have to delve into other people's drama when I can't put 100% of myself into it. Win-win for me. hehe 

Let me finish off this post by putting up more magnets...specifically, more blue magnets. Hearts and tulips <3

Wishing you a joyful weekend! :)

Quilled Owl Magnet

Feeling slightly better today, so I'm sorting through more craft projects to post. :D It's already snowed here a few times. I can't believe the cold is here already. The only thing I can wish for is that it won't be icy outside when it's time for me to head to the hospital. ;) 22 days 'til due date!

This is another quilled magnet that I gave away as a baby shower favor. It's an owl and originally I thought we were going for an owl theme for the party, but it never happened.

Stay warm my friends!

Quilled White/Peach Flowers Scrolls for Jenny (Welcome Baby Card)

My long time friend that I've known since 6th grade, Jenny, is expecting her 2nd child and is due just a week before me! She kept it low key throughout, so she didn't have a baby sprinkle or anything. I still wanted to give her something, so I got her a gift card and made her a card. We live so far away now, that I'm a bit sad that I can't visit her in the hospital afterwards. I'm wishing her a smooth delivery and recovery from afar! ;)

The pictures aren't so great because we lost our flash equipment during the baby shower. I apologize for the grainy images. 

Happy Thursday!

Entered in:
-Inspiration Destination No. 8 Anything Goes
-The Crafter's Cafe #91 Anything Goes