Everyday Celebrating

DIY: Photo envelope liners

I absolutely love lined envelopes.  And while I've made my share of liners, I have never made liners that feature a PHOTO!  Brilliant!

Sidenote: Those that are reading this that usually receive a holiday card from me...you may see this idea again in December.  LOL   Maybe.

Paige of  Paiges of Style gives a tutorial on creating lined envelopes.  This fabulous tutorial gives a photo step by step of creating the template and then she goes on to show you how to use a photo.

This tutorial is one to bookmark for sure!

Don't forget, these will work on ANY envelope.  You don't have to save it for a special occasion or invitation.  You can line any envelope!  Birthday, anniversary or graduation cards or just a special note dropped to a friend.  

Everyday Events: a CARS birthday!

First things first... did you enter the enter to win a couple rolls of Scotch tape?  Perfect for holiday crafts and wrapping!

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This birthday party from Becky of From Rookie to Rockstar has adorable details centered around the movie CARS.  CARS is so big with little boys right now so I'm thrilled to share with you this party as inspiration to many parents who may be wondering how to pull it off.

First up, the invitations.  I love how she had an invitation made as well as another insert that explained what activities to expect.  That REALLY builds excitement!

She borrowed tires from a local shop to use as the entryway to the party!

Favors were toolboxes for each child to take home filled with fun Cars themed items.

 

Look at this!  She made cars out of cardboard for each child attending!  Later than put them on for a race.

Also, she created a large Lightning McQueen prop. The children were able to play "pit crew".  The children were able to add oil, turn the bolts on the tires, wash the windows, etc.  They loved it!

Look at the awesome cake!

There are many more photos on her blog including the adorable outfits the family wore and other activities the children played!   Head over!   What an amazing day for her son, Cooper!

Everyday Events: Fall Hootenanny

Nashville reader Jennifer shared with me her recent party and although it was billed as a Halloween party, the details would work for a super cute fall get together!

From Jennifer:

"This party was obvioulsy inspired by Owls and I had everyone come to the party as their favorite "Creature of the Night". Owls are definitely my favorite creature of the night! ;) I wanted to give my house a "foresty" feel so I brought in twigs and branches from outside and set them around the house. We also hung silver stars and yellow paper lanterns that gave off an eerie glow and served as my full moon. A fog machine added a misty appearance."

"My dessert table was the spotlight and all of the food was owl themed. I made the cake pops. They were devil's food cake on the inside and I made a batch in chocolate and a batch in orange (to match my invitation). They turned out great and were a HUGE hit at the party.

 

"I also made the owl cookies, owl brownies, and mice truffles. The owl brownies ("wise old brownies") were inspired by Dylan of Dylan's Candy Bar in New York. I added a piece of sheet moss in the middle to give it more of an "outdoorsy" feel and draped the table in brown burlap. Black fabric was the backdrop and a large yellow paper lantern hung for a full moon."

One of the guests dressed as a black cat and read tarot cards all night for the other guests. Everyone loved it and had a wonderful time!

If you're in Nashville and need an event planner, check out of Jennifer of Mr and Mrs Events

Vendors used:

My invitations were made my Shawna Sheahen of Paper Millie Press
The food labels were made by Stacy Splonski at Sugar Tree Studio
The fabric owls were handmade by Jason Parker Counce with Jason Parker Counce Designs
All pictures were taken by Daniel Brown, http://www.flickr.com/people/23044994@N06/

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Need more fall and Thanksgiving ideas?  Decor, recipes, crafts and other conversations are happening right now on the Seasonal Celebrations Community on BlogFrog.  Join us!  We'd love to help you create the perfect celebration!

New to the shop: Printable Happy Birthday envelope wraps

I love mail.  Well, I love mail that isn't junk or bills.  So what does THAT leave?  Not a whole lot most of the time.  I think everyone gets at least a small bit of happiness in finding a card or letter in the middle of the junk, right?

I love to SEND mail.  Not only do I like a colorful envelope, but I like a punch of a little something on the envelope if I can.  Like a cute stamp, colored ink or one of my fave things, an envelope wrap.

Since posting the damask envelope wrap a while back, some of you have contacted me about other types of envelope wraps that you can use for various occasions.

Enter the Happy Birthday wrap!  It's colorful and matches most any envelope!

The front:

and the back which says "make a wish"

This wrap is now available in my etsy shop.  You receive one file which includes two wraps per page.  You have the choice of receiving a pdf or a Microsoft Publisher file (if you'd like to type the addresses).

Purchase the file and print them out as many times as you like!

Stay tuned... holiday wraps coming up soon including a red damask! 

P.S. Let me know if you need something in particular to go with your holiday cards/invitations. I just matched a holiday card in a beautiful olive and tan damask. Beautiful!

Peanut themed baby shower invitations!

An adorable baby shower theme!  Aren't these invitations from Friday's Child so cute?

Love the use of peanuts which later can be used in the shower for vase filler, etc.

DIY: Trick or Treat party!

Today, I'm over at Everything Mom talking about a great SAFE alternative to having your children go door to door this Halloween.

Host an easy Trick or Treat party!  Come on over and find out how.

Everyday Events: Mastering the Art of French Cooking Dinner Party

The time of year is perfect for an outdoor dinner party!  Julie of A Reason to Get Together took advantage of the perfect weather and her love of Julia Child to put together a French dinner party in her back yard.

Julie had each of her guests bring a dish out of a particular cookbook as well as the wine that complimented the dish.   For invitations, she used Evite which kept track of what everyone was bringing and avoided duplications.  

This party was extremely budget friendly and Julie shopped her decor from previous parties as well as her local thrift stores and yard sales.  For example, the ties on the backs of the chairs were strips of sheets she found at yard sales.

She created 60 YARDS of bunting herself that draped from the fence and trees.  The same patterns of fabric were used as napkin rings.

I love the fabric flowers! 

Drop in to Julie's blog to see more photos of this fresh vintage design!  

Everyday Events: Teddy Bear Picnic

Have you met my friend Tonya of Create Celebrate Explore?   She's one crafty talented girl.  And meeting her in person, you notice her beautiful smile and sparkling eyes first and then this glorious Australian accent!  Charming!

Tonya has twins - a boy and a girl and they recently turned 4 years old.  So Tonya put together a Bears and Bees birthday picnic that is precious.

First, the adorable invitations!  Love a fabric element to invitations!

and the bears and bees hats that she made herself!

And this adorable and HUGE cake?  Yep, Tonya made that as well.  

And the treat bags, filled with various bee and bear themed treats and activities.  

Visit Tonya's blog where she has more photos and lists all the details of her party with links.  Don't forget to follow her on Twitter and also like her Facebook page. :)

FREE for my readers! Paperless Post invitations!

Ok. I'll admit.  I love invitations.  Well, who am I kidding, anything paper really.  And while I spend a ridiculous amount of time looking at, choosing and putting together the perfect paper invitation, I realize there are plenty that love to use electronic invitations.  And for quick, beautiful electronic invitations, I fell in love with the products of Paperless Post.

What is it?  It's an electronic card store!  They feature everything from wedding save the dates to party invitations to birth announcements to formal invitations and even thank you cards.

What makes them different?  Here are the top two and MOST important reasons:

1.  Their designs.  Hands down gorgeous.  They have something for everyone!  And each piece can be customized from the texture of the "paper" to the color of the "ink".  

2.  Their presentation and delivery.  When you receive a Paperless Post card, it comes to you in a virtual envelope with your name on the outside.  You click the envelope to open and the invitation unfolds beautifully.  It's my favorite feature!  The drama of the opening!

With Paperless Post... you're not sacrificing style!  The designs are sharp and modern and the color schemes are gorgeous.  

Just in time for your fall gatherings, Paperless Post is offering readers of Everyday Celebrating the gift of 35 free "stamps". Use them for your next gathering - whatever that may be.. Halloween, baby shower, dinner party, bunco or try them out for thank you notes.

Just click on this link exclusively for Everyday Celebrating readers and enjoy 35 free stamps! 

Also, don't forget to connect with them on Facebook and Twitter to see more designs and updates.

 

Paint Party invitations!

Over a year ago, I posted some ideas for a fun children's paint party.  My son, Keaton, loves to paint!

I just happened upon these super cute paint party invitations over at Shorties Funny Farm which would go along fabulously with the ideas I posted some time ago.

First, the paint set invitation.  She bought paint sets at Walmart for $1 each and added an insert for the invitation.   How cute, easy.. and best of all.. they can USE IT!  

Outside:

 and inside:


Second is this cute palette invitation:

 which features the party details on the back:

These are great fun invitations that are perfect for a planned play date or birthday party!  
Best of all, they are easily made at home and have great impact!