Everyday Celebrating

The National Stationary Show - My Mecca.

So I'm KICKING MYSELF that I'm not at the National Stationary Show that starts this weekend in NYC.

If you know me, you know I'm all things paper and ribbon.  Cards, stationary, wrapping paper, ribbon, embellishments, etc.  The list goes on.  To say that I have tons of stationary and note cards and the like would be, well, a severe understatement.  Matter of fact, I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to turn a closet into a haven for it all.

Anyway, my good friend Dianne of Colorblind Productions, invited me to go this year and I declined and opted to go to Blogher instead.   Maybe D invited me because she walked me into Kate's Paperie for the first time in NYC, where I literally teared up.  And while I'm excited for Blogher, I'm kicking myself that I'm not at the NSS.  I'm friends with several stationary designers who are abuzz on Twitter about packing up and heading to the show.  It's like being left behind while your friends are going to the carnival.  LOL

But next year is my year.  I'm saying it here and now. D and I are gonna take it by storm!
(I should probably purchase extra luggage between now and then to lug it all home in, right?)

I leave you with photos of a previous show.  As usual, click on the photos for their full fabulousness.

Swoon. Drool. Bliss.

50 free prints!

Now's the time to stock up on prints!
Get 50 free 4 X 6 prints at Shutterfly by using the code:

FREEPRINTS

(shipping and handling and taxes are not included)

Don't forget!  Mother's Day is approaching on May 10!
Hurray!  Offer ends April 27.

Head to Target - now!

The big 15 packs of Peeps are 75% off at Target! $0.37 a pack!
Even the red ones!  Know what that means?  Stock up and plan on making a Peeps Christmas wreath!
Who cares if they are stale by then?  You actually NEED them to be harder for the wreath anyway, right?

And all Easter is 75% off as well.
Stock up on egg dying kits for next year.  Or use egg dying kits ALL year.  You can dye eggs anytime, add your child's name to the eggs to celebrate an "egg-ceptional" accomplishment!  Good grades, home run, etc.

Along with Easter, some stores have some of the Dollar Spot at 75% off too.
All the items with Blue dots are 75% off!
Here's what I got for $6.
60 sheets of tissue paper (martha stewart poms anyone?)
Several cards, some cute luggage tags which would also work for scrapbooking.
Not pictured, I got a plastic rolling pin for my son to use with play doh. 

Go!  Stock up!

Org tip: The mini photo album

You may not gather it from my posts, but those that know me personally know that I'm big on cards and written correspondence in general.  Remember that scene in the movie Cocktail where the guy says he can bet that Tom Cruise has at least one get-rich-quick book under the bar?  Well, that's me with cards and stationary.  LOL  You can bet that if I have a bag nearby or a drawer, I have SOMETHING with me. Whether it be stationary, cards, return labels, stickers, etc.  And usually all of the above.

Recently, someone complimented me on how I always remember and acknowledge important days in other's lives.  And they phrased it within the context of "how do you be a mom, work full time, run two blogs.. and still manage to do it all on time?"  Well, I don't.  At least not all of the time.

But..you ready?  I'm sharing one of my "behind the curtain" secrets.

Enter the mini photo album.

This is mine.  (I apologize in advance for the notsogreat photo of it.) 
This is your typical photo album that you can buy anywhere.  Fits your standard 4X6 photo.
(That's my hubby and son, btw. :) ) 

This album lives in my purse.  And here's a bit of what I keep in it:

Stickers, which I use mainly as envelope seals.  The ones on the right are ones that are especially for my online community friends who mostly know me by my screen name.

Address labels.  Lots of address labels.  I heart address labels.  I love them so much that my son, Keaton (2 years old) has his OWN labels for his correspondence.  See?

Also (at the upper right) - stamps!

I keep other things in there too like sometimes coupons or appt cards from doctor's offices, etc.

As far as addresses, I'm old fashioned in that I don't keep a PDA or cell phone book. I have a super mini address book I keep that matches the album here.  (Anal, much?)  LOL   For some reason, I love writing in new addresses and seeing the old ones marked out when someone moves.

I also wanted to point out this great blog I recently found that features not only how to write thank notes, but also photos of the actual notes.  Great wording inspiration!  And I love her handwriting!

Soon I'll put up another post about the online site I use for organizing the thoughts in my head and all the to do lists that fill my life!

Envelop me in fun mail.

If you know me personally, or have read this blog for any time at all, you know that I'm big on packaging and presentation.  (Those that know me are nodding right now, I'm sure.)

Remember my airplane party where the envelopes were made from maps?

I've run across another etsy seller who makes some super cute custom envelopes that I want to pass along to you.

It's about this time of year that people start thinking about their class reunions.  And summer is a big time to host them since most include one day event where you can bring your children.  Most children are out of school in the summer, lending that time of year as perfect for casual events.

Sidenote:  how crazy is it to see some of your wild classmates now with KIDS? 

Anyway, I digress.

How cute is this yearbook envelope?  Wouldn't that make an impression to send your class reunion information?

She also makes Mother Goose stationary sets which you could easily turn into invitations or glue birth announcements on the top of the cards.

Goldilocks!

Cat in the Hat set

And many many more including sheet music, food, historical envelopes, etc.
The possibilities are endless, really.  So get to planning something just so you can use these folded works of art!

Find them here, at adnamgam's store.

Say goodbye to boring baby showers!

How many times have you sat through a boring baby shower?
Especially the ones where it's a mix of several areas of the Mom's life?  A bunch of strangers in a room desperately trying to make small talk... all the while just waiting for the gifts to be opened so there's a distraction.

Introducing the conversation starter... icebreaker of baby showers.
This Box of Baby Questions is filled with entertaining and amusing questions such as....

 - What famous person would you want as your childbirth partner in birthing class?

 - Who of the parents' friends will be the worst influence on this child?

 Get the idea?  Fun questions that spark laughter and warm up the crowd.

52 glossy questions!  Makes a perfect hostess gift for that woman you know that always throws the showers!  Or a great favor!

Certainly worth the $19.95 price tag!

Remember making your Valentine's box?

Remember in elementary school.... finding a shoebox and decorating it with doilies and construction paper hearts? 

Well...we've gotten a lot more crafty over the years, huh?

I received my February issue of Family Fun magazine and thought this Valentine's box was one of the cutest I've ever seen.  And EASY!

You start with an empty cracker box.  Like a saltine box. 
You can make it gray two ways... either cover the box (before cutting) with silver scrapbook paper or
(what I'd do) is cut the door first and then spray paint the box silver metallic.  This way, you're going to be able to make the edges of the door gray as well.

You'll cut the door with a craft knife (xacto).  If you'd like, you can cut a mail slot in the top of the locker or children can open the door to deposit their valentines.

Use a black marker to draw on vents, a handle, etc. 

The padlock is a small white button glued to a larger black button. Make a school pennant out of cardstock... maybe put a school sticker on if you have one.  And I love the finishing touch of the 2008 made with the Dymo label maker. 

Will your child need a box for their valentines?  Start thinking of your design now!

The hand that rocks the ... pen.

Let me introduce you to something stunning.

Go ahead. Click on it.  Make it larger.  You have to see it closer!

Isn't this calligraphy breathtaking?
For a paper and font junkie like me, it literally makes my heart skip a beat.

This is calligraphy created by hand!  Simply gorgeous. 

This beautiful work is created by Emilie Friday.

Sure, several people offer calligraphy services, but I've never seen the finished product this stunning.
It's so even and perfect.

She offers many services... wedding or event envelopes, of course.  And many different styles of calligraphy.

Look at this!

So you may already be married.  So what?
How about having Emilie create a fabulous love letter for Valentine's Day?  Or even just address the envelope?

Or maybe create beautiful place cards for your next dinner?

The possibilities are endless to wow your loved ones!

For those that like a little extra something in their xmas cards...

Those that know me, know that I heart paper products.  I love notecards, thank you cards, invitations, stationary, etc.  I have drawers full of it at home and heck, I even have two packs of thank you notes in my purse right now.  Yes, it's obsessive, I know.

Introducing the photo pocket cards from Pear Tree Greetings
For those that love the envelopment concept, these are right up your correspondence alley.
Pear Tree Greetings has several designs that are chic and yet affordable.  Now before you say anything, affordable is relative, people.  If you're the use-the-run-of-the-mill-box-of-cards-you-bought at-the-after-Christmas-sale-at-Walgreens.. type of person... then you may not want to "invest".  But if you're the type that appreciates beautiful stationary and the like, then feast your eyes and your wallets.

There is still plenty of time to get your cards out.  I say that as MINE aren't out yet.  Designed and addressed... but not out.  LOL

Etsy Entertaining! Etsy details of the airplane party.

NOTE:  If you're looking for all the main photos from the airplane party, make sure you see the post below this one!  :)

A few Etsy sellers provided some amazing product for my party and they really added some beautiful and fun touches!  I wanted to make sure I noted them here so everyone could check out their stores and make note of them when you are hosting your next get together.

Interested in the template of the airplane invitation or logo?  Visit my Etsy store!

REMEMBER:  Click on any picture to see more detail.

1.  Handmade airplane suckers from Custom Candy Creations
Summer from Custom Candy Creations sent me the most adorable airplane shaped suckers!  She made them in red to match the color scheme and they were too cute!  Cherry flavored, of course!   I have to say that they were HUGE and made a great impact!  And she packed them so well, there wasn't a wing or a tip broken!  Go visit her store.  She sells other candy as well, but you have to see the suckers.  She does Blues Clues, Tool sets, stockings, etc.

Here they are on top of the other favors.  I tied star garland to the sticks to add a contrasting color.

2.  Cupcake wrappers from Yummy Cuppy Crafts
Kim at Yummy Cuppy Crafts designed the great cupcake "cuppies" or holders that adorned some of my cupcakes at the party.  She was so great to work with and even offered to include the logo in the cuppy.  These come flat and and you wrap them around and close them with a sticker she provides.
You have to go see her store and see all the cute themes and animals she can do (the giraffe is particularly adorable!)

Here's a side shot so you can see the back as well:

3.  Mini Banner from Mary Had a Little Party
Kristen at Mary Had a Little Party made this super cute mini banner for the children's table.
These are a smaller take on the huge banners you see a lot now.  She makes those too, but when you need something smaller, these are just the trick!  The letters are about 2 inches wide and she'll even customize the font to match other details of your party, like the airplane logo.

4.  Cupcake toppers from Simple Sensations
Stephanie at Simple Sensations took the time to custom design these airplane toppers especially for this party.  You can now find them at her store and I can't brag enough about the detail these had.
It took quite a bit of time and steady hands to put these together.  And the children loved them!  Not to mention how she made sure to match them to the color scheme.  Visit her store to see gift cards and tags and the cutests gingerman cupcake toppers for the holiday season!

5.  Airplane gift tags by Lori Long Designs
Lori had these great gift tags that I used for the children's favors.  They were the perfect size. Not HUGE and not too small. I love to use a custom gift tag whenever possible, especially at events like these where you want each person to know they favor/gift was especially for them.  Children especially love to have their name on things, ya know?   Her shop if filled with cards and adorable holiday tags all at amazing prices! 

The tags are attached to these coloring books.

6.  Photography Art by Sue Bees.
Sue takes these amazing photographs!  She had provided me with two fabulous photos that I had intended to use as large backdrops for the runway table.  In the end, I my vision was larger than my working space so I didn't get to use them, but they are fabulous and I wanted to make sure she was mentioned here.  Her etsy store is filled with all types of photography.  Think outside the box of what other ways you can use photography besides hanging it on the wall.

One of the photos she provided.  Isn't it dreamy?  Wouldn't it have made a fabulous backdrop?

Keep these etsy sellers in mind when planning your next event!  I've never worked with more generous and accommodating vendors!