Engagement Gift

Coffee of the Day - only drinking green juice right now. out of almond milk, which I need for my coffee. have a cup of Victorian Earl Grey tea brewing, which is a fabulous Earl Grey with lavender, rose hips, and rosemary.

That horrid migraine came back to rear its nasty head, so I've been in bed ever since we came back from Indiana. yuck. :(  But I did want to share with you how I wrapped the engagement gift for Ryan and Elizabeth.

Please excuse any typos.... the headache makes it hard for me to see. having to rely upon my typing skills from way back in the high school days. can't see the monitor very well as it's all a blur.

I had picked up some neat typeprint style wrapping paper at Michael's a while back, thinking it would be great for crafting. since we don't tend to give many wrapped gifts that aren't holiday based, this seemed to work out well for the engagement present.

Elizabeth really enjoys period type television shows such as Downton Abbey and Save the Midwife, so I knew that going with a pretty floral stamp would be perfect. I chose 'Strong and Beautiful' from Unity Stamps to stamp across the paper in various shades of her favorite colors - plum, sage, and lavender.  vintage lace was used for the bow.

I also stamped the flower in plum ink on a tag made from the same cs used in the card for her letter. (see previous post) it was stamped again in sage ink as a shadow effect. a doily portion was adhered in addition to some crochet trim and pretty little Wild Orchid Crafts blossoms & leaf. a cheesecloth bg stamp was used on the tag base and then the SU! ink squirty tool. Zipper Stop seam binding that was distressed was tied at the top and a re-purposed bit of plum twine anchors the tag to the lace bow.

and here is a photo of what was inside. We gave them a Lladro bride and groom figure. Dave and I had one on our wedding cake. I used to collect Lladro pieces. it seemed only fitting to give them one as they begin their happily ever after together. :)

Challenges:
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Creative Moments - anything goes w/optional spring theme
Inspiration Destination - #147 anything goes
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes

It's an Engagement! :)

Top 3 Pick at Creative Craft Cottage

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

So not only are you getting my first craft project in almost a year, but you are also getting the happy news of another happy engagement in our family! :)

I am so excited to announce that Ryan and Elizabeth are engaged!

This weekend we drove to Indiana for a surprise engagement party that Ryan (our youngest son, for those of you who aren't familiar) and Elizabeth's family planned. Mick (our middle son) and his girlfriend, Lauren were able to join us, too!

Ryan asked David and I to each write Elizabeth a letter. Of course I had to make a very special card to present my letter to her.

The little fairy proposal image is so sweet that I just couldn't resist using it. Papers are from the Prima Indeed digital pack, ribbons are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, mulberry flowers & leaves are by Wild Orchid Flowers, digital tickets and post cards are from Create With TLC, and little butterfly die is by Cheery Lynn.

vintage buttons, crochet trim, and doily are from my stash. lots of distressing was done with inks and a paper distressing tool. Stampdendous Frantage powders in wine were added to the main image. distress stickles in black soot were added to the butterfly. tiny pearls have been added both inside and out to the corners. the interior vintage button was tied with SU! linen thread.

it's a bit hard to see, but on the inside pocket, I have added a flourish that was die cut from some clear packaging that I re-purposed. the die is by Tim Holtz. it's a subtle, but very pretty element that packs a lot of punch irl.

Thank you for hanging in there and waiting on me to get something made! I hope you think it was worth it. ;)

and congrats to the happy couple!!!!

Challenges:
Southern Girls - die cuts (butterfly & flourish)
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - any project with patterned paper
DL Art - flowers
Inspiration Destination - #146 anything goes w/optional spring/pastel colors
QKR Stampede - anything goes
Mod Squad - ready for spring
Die Cuttin' Divas - flowers
Craft-Dee BowZ - anything goes with a handmade bow
Creative Craft Cottage - make it feminine

Ready and Now to Wait and Wait and Wait.....

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia Nut (hubby had Caramel Apple)

So hip hip hooray, my card is finally finished! but y'all have to wait until Sunday for it to post here on the bloggy blog. sorry about that, but it has to get to the intended first. ;)

So while I wait, I am going to be the little bunny getting ready for Easter, because in the midst of all the nasty headache business, that lovely holiday has snuck up on me! yikes! are YOU ready? do you have your stock of Reese's peanut butter eggs? or do you go for jelly beans?

we are really odd here in our family because we get Peeps and have wars with them in the microwave. yep, it's strange, but so much fun! that's what happens when you have a house full of guys! :) then we make s'mores out of them. and Peep shakes.

Have a most amazing weekend! See you back here on Sunday!
lots of love to you!
Jennifer

Gettin' Crafty Today! Hooray!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (a cup of my all time favorite to get my crafty motor going! I stockpile this stuff when it first comes out in the fall. I don't want to run out during the year. grins!)

So excited to not only be heading into my craft room for the first time in a VERY long time, but to actually be feeling well enough to do it! yippppeeeee!!!!! :)  I have a special card that needs to be made for this weekend, so have to get going on it. goodness, as long as its been since I last made one, it might take me that long to get it done! wowsa!

anyhow, it's snowing like crazy here, as it tends to do all the way through May. I don't mind because I am one of those odd ducks who actually enjoys the snow.  it also helps out the maple syrup season, which our area relies upon.

Y'all have a fabulous day and I'll be back later to show you, FINALLY, something crafty! thank you for your kind and encouraging comments & emails! you make my heart overflow!!!!

love to all of you!
Jennifer

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme, of course! :)

I've been drinking some wonderful Irish teas from the quaint little tea shop up in Ann Arbor, Michigan that we love so dearly. they have an online store and monthly special that we have just become aware of. so happy happy happy to discover this! :) this month's special is all about Irish teas, so of course we ordered some. oh my goodness, are they ever delightful! now if we could only get them to ship their lavender shortbread and macaroons! grins! It's called the Tea Haus if any of you are interested.

I am still battling this terrible migraine. it has been years since I last had one of this magnitude. some days I can't even get myself downstairs to say hello to anyone. I need the dark because any kind of light is just too painful. this one is a doozy.... my high powered migraine medications aren't even touching it. ick. hopefully it goes away soon. this is getting ever so tiresome.

so I do apologize to all of you that I haven't been able to share any craft projects with you. I really want to get to my craft room and create, I really do. hopefully it won't be too much longer.

until then, wishing all of you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!
love to you,
Jennifer