Made for Alissa's Bridal Shower

My sweet teacher friend, Alissa, is getting married this summer so I was privileged to attend her bridal shower on Sunday.  I know some people lament that they pin all these ideas on Pinterest and then never make anything.  I don't seem to have that problem.  Half the food I cook comes from Pinterest and whenever I'm in need of a fresh crafty idea, I just visit my Make It board on Pinterest.

I saw the sweetest Bride's Kit (for getting hitched without a hitch) on Pinterest and decided to make my own version of it. 

I thought of all the mini-emergencies that have happened at weddings I've been in, and bought out the travel-sized section at Target and the drugstore.  I was too lazy to paint and decorate a wooden box like the inspiration photo above, so I bought a little cardboard suitcase to tuck all the goodies into.  I wish I had a better photo than this one because it turned into a super adorable gift.  One I plan on repeating.

Ingredients: mints, tums, ibuprofen, eye drops, deodorant, tape, superglue, tissues, first-aid kit, sewing kit, static guard, safety pins, lint brush, spot-remover pen, clear nail polish, lotion, granola bars, Sharpie, and bobbie pins.  Items I wish I would have thought of and included: fashion tape and matches.  Can you think of anything else that is commonly forgotten on wedding days?

Since I spent all my energy packing the suitcase of wedding essentials, I didn't have any energy for making food for the brunch.  Fortunately for me, Staccatto Gelatto in Sellwood makes the most amazing cake donuts on Sundays only.  I bought a mixed dozen of ginger, cardamom and honey donuts and stacked them on a plate.  They were delicious!  And to make it look like I'm not TOO lazy, I made a little garland with twine, paper straws, and washi tape with the bride and groom's initials. 

Here's the beautiful bride on a grey rainy day brightened by friends, food and spring flowers.  Best wishes, Alissa!  May your wedding day be emergency-free and may your marriage be filled with joy!

Not-Too-Pink Princess Party Invitations

Oh, Japanese Washi Tape! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Washi tape + Exacto knife + blank cards = Not-Too-Pink, Not-Too-Girly Princess Party Invitations

The Sprout Turns 2!! Part 3

Party day! The Wise and Bearded One kept the adults well supplied with coffee and tea while the Littles bounced from station to station. There was the Play Dough Table, the Coloring/Sticker Wall and the Oh-It's-So-Much-Fun-To-Play-With-Another-Kid's-Toys Area. I thought the Little Ones did a surprisingly good job entertaining themselves and each other. Of course there were some parents helping guide the process.




After about 30 minutes of play, we sang some of the Sprout's favorite songs. Of course, she did take that moment to play shy and refused to sing along even to the Itsy-Bitsy Spider which is a longtime fave. Then we sang "Happy Birthday" and had toddler snacks and cupcakes. It was a lovely little party and just the right length for Miss Sprout to have some fun with no major meltdowns (in other words, it was SHORT).

Happy Birthday, Little Girl!

The Sprout Turns 2!! Part 1

It's hard to believe but my beloved daughter turned two this week. It seems such a short period of time since she was just a baby. And now she is a long-legged, long-haired little girl with her own intense opinions and interests.

I spent most of my spare moments the last two weeks planning and preparing for a little birthday party for some of our two and three-year-old friends.

The first task was choosing a theme. Every party needs a theme, right? I know that in just another short period of time, the Sprout will be requesting a Pink Princess Party or a Purple Fairy Party, and I’ll have to figure out how to meet her desires without sacrificing my own beliefs in strong women and clean, crisp design. But in the meantime, I have full creative control (Bwah-ha-ha!).

I took my inspiration from Portland and from the Sprout. One of her favorite activities the last few months has been to wear her rain boots and stump through the puddles. Fortunately, the Pacific Northwest provides a sufficient amount of puddles for stumping in!!! So "rain" became the theme.

Here are the party invitations (with all personally-identifiable information kindly erased by the Wise and Bearded One). They ended up looking slightly more Elementary School Art Project than I intended but I am proud of the fact that I used up some of my considerable stash of paper supplies to make them.

Last Minute Christmas

I've been reading blogs for the last two weeks about "last-minute Christmas" and I laugh. Last-minute Christmas does not kick in until TODAY. If you're like me, you're still putting the finishing touches on a few little gifts and you're still wrapping a few, and you're finally thinking about what you will cook or bake for Christmas day with your little family.

Here are just a few ideas if you're stuck (and some things for me to remember for next year):



Last minute gifts....magnets....any pretty paper or photo could go behind a glass slide or a glass marble--courtesy of not-martha.

Simple embellishments for kraft paper gift wrap from Hege Greenall-Scholtz.

Felt gift bows from Prudent Baby.

After the last-minute scrambling today, we're dressing the Sprout up in her Christmas duds, taking her to the Christmas Eve service at church and then to a friend's house for a small celebration. Tomorrow we'll open gifts, have a nice brunch and Skype with our family scattered across the country.

I'm wishing you a Christmas filled with moments of joy that remind you that you are loved (for after all, that is the real meaning of Christmas).

Japanese Masking Tape Love

I've had this Japanese washi masking tape for many months. I liked admiring it and rolling it around in my hands, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to use it. But this Christmas it has saved the day several times.

Want to make super quick Christmas cards? Japanese masking tape to the rescue.



Can't figure out what to do with the Christmas cards that are cluttering the dining room table? Japanese masking tape strikes again.

Want a quick way to wrap a gift? Tissue paper and Japanese masking tape at your service.

Don't want to put a hole in the wall but want to temporarily display photos or children's art work? Japanese masking tape could be your newest friend.

I feel that Japanese masking tape is the craft supply for people who claim to be not-crafty. If you live here in Portland you can buy it at Collage on Alberta or Woodstock. If you live anywhere else, there are several shops that sell it on Etsy, including this one.

P.S. It's probably a little too late for this year, but I think washi tape would make a fabulous stocking stuffer. Let's remember that one for next year, ok?

Keeping it Simple

Our wreath blew off the front door the other day and took a severe pummeling. Here's our replacement wreath...just a bit of white paint. I couldn't resist taking a picture of Abraham, our Weimaraner. This is where he sits every day waiting for his people to come home.






Recognize anything from the last post? The Housemate and I are inspired.

Inspiring: Lotta Jansdotter

This book is amazing. I keep looking and looking at it and getting different ideas every time. It is simple, Scandinavian, make-it-yourself Modern. I am in love.



Folded paper invitations.



I want this wall display of clipboard for rotating art and photos.



And these paper ball chains have inspired a few things around here lately.

Post-Christmas Post #3: Doug Fir Calendar

I was honored to have the Wise and Bearded One join in on the Christmas crafting this year. This is his version of A Little Hut's calendar. The calendar is a printable PDF that we purchased and downloaded. The original version has fabric or patterned paper behind the cut-outs, but my husband is obsessed with wood. So he sliced very thin pieces from some scrap fir wood that he had. The calendars turned out looking great (although our Exacto-fingers hurt afterward) plus they smelled great too!

Simply Christmas

Whooshhh!!! That's the sound of the last two weeks passing by in the blink of an eye. So much has happened. A few gifts have been hand-crafted around here but they're supposed to be surprises so I can't talk about them on this here blog because the recipients just might be reading.

We're keeping it simple this year. And by simple, I mean downright minimal. The Christmas decor may be the least I've ever done. Everything must be above the four-foot high reach of tiny hands. So we have this little tiny tree on top of one of our credenzas and some greenery on the mantel. But the stockings hung temptingly low so they are now hanging from nails on the wall. No candles within reach of the little one. All the gifts are tucked up and away. It's a little spartan for me, but necessary for this first Christmas with the Sprout around.

I did manage to get a few Christmas cards in the mail. It's a tradition I actually love--everyone's awkward attempts at summarizing a year's happenings on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. Those cheesy posed family photos that show you just how much everyone has grown and just how little they wanted to have their picture taken. We tend to be a little isolated out here on the left coast with most of our family and friends back in the Midwest. So a Christmas card is one little way to try to maintain those cherished relationships across the miles. (If you're reading this and you didn't get a Christmas card, know that you are still cherished :)

I hope to post a few more things between now and Christmas day. But just in case Life happens and I don't get back here before then, have a very Merry Christmas with the ones you love!

Transition

According to my blog counter, you may be one of the 24 poor souls who checks this blog on a daily basis and recently you have been checking it in vain. No posts, no posts, no posts. That does not mean I haven't been living creatively though. With a newborn, every day requires creativity...What novel movement or device will calm her today? What can I do to amuse myself while I feed a baby, change a baby, calm a baby, try to get the baby to go to sleep (repeat and repeat and repeat)? How can I sneak just a few more minutes of sleep?

Although I haven't been posting, I've done some thinking about this blog. I have two blogs: barkdust shared with my husband (where all the baby pictures reside) and beesnest. Originally, my intent was for this to be more of a private journal, but, with time, it has morphed into an art/craft blog. Keeping two blogs sometimes seems like more work than it is worth and I've considered merging this blog into barkdust.

However, I'm holding on to this blog for several reasons. The main reason is that this blog keeps me accountable for learning new skills and practicing my creativity. That may seem silly, but there have been periods in my life (graduate school, for one) when I didn't take the time to "make" and it was not good for my spirit. I believe the Creator has designed us to create, and art and craft are a form of worship for me. I need to keep this blog because the thought that other people check this blog motivates me to be more creative, and I need to keep this part of my life alive even more so now that a child dominates my life.

All that to say that, no, this will not become a mama blog. Yes, I am going to keep posting here. Yes, I'm doing well and I AM finding little pockets of time to make things. So there will be new posts coming soon although they may come a little slower and more infrequently for a while. Thanks to the 24 of you for being patient with me during this transition time.

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Here's the birth announcements for the Sprout. I was tempted to use one of the fancy online photo card services but most of them cost about $2 per card. I wanted to spend less than $1 per card including postage while still having an attractive, high-quality announcement. So I made a trip to PaperSource and cranked up yee olde inkjet printer. The lovely, heavy paper is Ecowhite and the envelope is Papaya from the PaperSource. The wallet prints are el cheapo (and el crappy) from Walgreens. By my calculations each announcement cost $.25, the photo was $.25 and the postage was $.42. Grand total: $.92 per announcement.

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Question: How much personally identifiable information should one share about oneself or one's child on the internet? I know I'm careful to make it difficult to match my physical address and phone number to my online identity. I'm trying to decide if I should blur out the particulars of full name, birthdate, etc. for the Sprout in this picture. Any advice out there?

Baby Shower Favors

IMG_1142
Originally uploaded by ndmiller

My creative friend and super-mama Michelle hosted a baby shower for me two weeks ago. It was a small group of friends, mostly from church, and I felt very loved. I don't have a lot of women friends here in Portland, but I treasure the ones I have.

Michelle's gift is planning and throwing parties. I thought the party favors were so creative and perfect for me and the Sprout:
-take-out boxes with chocolate
-a little candle to light when you pray for the Sprout
-a prayer card
-an origami crane, compliments of the talented Mr. Porter
There was also a small handmade album in which my women friends wrote encouraging notes for me. Very sweet.

Crafty Women Challenge: Paper Cutting

Our Crafty Women group decided that we would challenge ourselves to try papercutting this month. Here's my first (and only?) attempt. I'm not sure if this is the final version or not. I might carve out a little more yet. I'm also not sure what paper I'm going to mount them on. What do you think? What's working? What needs some revision?

The top image is Keegan and the bottom one is Abraham.

This I love

for the paper*quilt project
Originally uploaded by Liquid Paper.

The Paper Quilt Project on Flick'r

Soldered Glass Charms

One of my pre-Chrismas projects was experimenting with making charms out of glass slides, copper tape and solder. I kept seeing cool charms at the crafty stores that I haunt when I am on a creative whim. Most of the work other people are doing is very Victorian or "heritage" as they like to call it. I think this is due to the fact that old images are usually copyright free and can be used and sold with no problems. However, I am not really enamored by the look. I figured that I could come up with more creative original images on my own. I made a series of little houses using an old dictionary, some funky paper scraps, and soldering tools that I bought on-line from Scrap-a-Latte (who can resist a store with Latte in their name?). On the back side I put quotes that I love about the importance of Home. Some of them I soldered all around the edges and also soldered a ring to the top to run a ribbon through. This makes a pretty sturdy charm but my soldering technique is rudimentary at best and some of them turned out blobby and pointy. On a few I didn't even bother with soldering--just used copper tape and a little E600 glue. We'll see how those hold up with use. I was pleased with how the last couple that I made turned out, so I might make a few more before I clean up all the scraps of paper and shift to...sewing? I need curtains and want to make a cloth book for my neice.