not your ordinary gno

GNOs are so much fun... but what's twice as fun? when an ordinary GNO becomes a weekend of bachelorette debauchery!! your last weekend as a 'single girl' to rock out with your girls ... where that bachelorette tiara or sash becomes a magnet for men and complimentary drinks... the GNO weekend that'll go down in the books!  i'm recovering from a funtastic weekend spent with some fabulous females! much love and congrats to van on the next chapter in life... marital bliss! our ohana is growing! thank you for including me in these great memories. you're going to make such a beautiful bride! can't wait til your wedding!!

wishing tree tags

i started crafting again for my girl's baby shower. i rarely get to craft these days. when i do get a bit of me time, it fills up quickly with long overdue errands or sleep! i enjoy making things from scratch and sometimes forget that. it's therapeutic and peaceful and makes me light up when i see the finished product. so, with the lack of crafting i've done... i really went all out...

for my first project, i made tags for the wishing tree.  not familiar with a wishing tree?  it's a fairly new trend that's cropped up at weddings, baby showers, birthdays, etc and often takes the place of a guest book.  i find it's an absolutely beautiful way to capture everyone's wishes and thoughts and makes a great decoration piece in your home.

i started with a 8.5"x11" white cardstock and cut that into 4.25"x4.25" which makes 4 per sheet. i used photoshop (love!) to create the tags with the cutest "fill-in-the-blank" message i came across at another baby shower this year. what a perfect idea for someone like me who can never think of anything clever or profound to say. all done and time to print!

next up, i punched a hole at the top-center of the tag using the crop-a-dile to run the twine through later.  i then grabbed one of my favorite tools; 4-in-1 embossing corner punch. imo, this is such a great tool b'coz it takes a simple square card and adds a little flare. if i wanted to, i could stop right here and be done with this project... but that isn't my style...

... inking the edges and corners always makes a statement for me. i love that old, tattered, and rustic look.  depending on how much you ink and what colors you choose can create many different moods in your project.  i ink the corners in a darker color to make sure the embossed symbol pops out.

for the back, i used rubber stamps to create a background and a center focus piece, which in this case was the theme of the event. and of course, i followed that up with more inking. lastly, i ran twine through the hole to create the ability to hang the tag on the wishing tree.

materials + tools:

• white cardstock


• computer w/photoshop or similar


• printer


• twine


• 2 rubber stamps


• stampin' up classic inkpad in bashful blue


• stampin' up classic inkpad in early espresso


• colorbox cat's eye pigment inkpads in 3 shades of brown


• fiskar's 4-in-1 embossing corner punch


• we r memory keepers crop-a-dile all-in-one-tool

 

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tweeny twelve

ryna wanted to have a slumber party for her birthday this year and so we did.  at first i wasn't planning on doing anything since i only allowed 3 friends to spend the night... but the planner in me creeped out.  it went from ordering pizza and baking cupcakes to putting together a full spread.  and i couldn't host a party without goody bags!  managed to pull everything together in less than a week which is a record for me, but this is also the smallest party i've planned/hosted.  i'm so happy with how the decor and everything turned out.  the girls had a blast and so did i.

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