Birthday Girl Invites

A friend and neighbor asked me if I would help her design and put together her daughter's birthday invitations. She is turning one {very big deal!} and so my friend and her husband decided to throw her a party. I love coming up with invites so I said of course! Here are a few options that I came up with:

Design One

Design Two

Design Three

My friend ended up going with a variation of Design One. I think her little girl is going to have a great party!

Here are just a few tips when putting an invitation together --

1 - Decide on the size of your invitation first. For more cost effective invitations choose a size that has a corresponding envelope that the USPS registers as "normal" mail.

2 - Choose a color palette....one that you can carry throughout your party with decor, plates, napkins, etc.

3 - Use high quality paper and ink for your invites.

4 - Be sure to check and re-check your spelling. Also, be sure to double check your details .

5 - Be creative - colors, graphics, wording & font. The sky is really the limit when it comes to your invitations. It is the first thing people see and associate with your party so be sure to communicate what you need to.

Let's Swap!

HummingBird Unlimited invites you to a purse and jewelry swap!

Despite not liking "life changes", women usually do like "wardrobe changes!" But lets face it....we don't have the extra money to make those changes on an ongoing basis so we make what we have last. Which usually makes us buy what is economical, goes-with-everything and lasts forever even if it's not the fun purse or bracelet we really wanted that only goes with a couple outfits.

So here is your chance to splurge without feeling guilty! HummingBird Unlimited is hosting a gently used purse and jewelry swap. As mentioned in the invite above, this is NOT a white elephant kind of swap. Please find items that may be someone else's treasure but aren't your style or taste anymore....or maybe you've just used it enough and need a change.

We hope that you will invite with you a friend or two for this fun night out of shopping. And don't worry, we will have fabulous goodies to munch on while you shop! Be sure to sign up fast as space will be limited.

The Details:

Saturday, May 21, 2011

7:00 - 9:00pm

6373 Hannah Rose Rd

Colorado Springs, Co 80923

Cost: $5

What to Bring:

Please bring at least one of each item {one purse and one piece of jewelry} but bring as many pieces as you hope to trade {up to 5 total}.

To Register:

Work space

I'm looking for a desk! Right now my husband and I share an office and by share I mean one of us sits at the desk and one of us sits on the floor with a laptop if we want to be in the office at the same time. Don't get me wrong....we work well together, it's just that our space isn't set up well for two people to be working at the same time. It doesn't help that we are remodeling our basement and everything we used to have stored downstairs is now spread throughout the house - most of it being in our office!

So, Amy thought {yes, Amy thought I should start this project and made me think it was my idea - classic!}, why don't I try to find a small fixer-up desk and create a workspace in the HummingBird Unlimited Studio. I've been looking for some inspiration, here is what I've found:

These lovely desks from Restoration Hardware are beautiful and unique....a bit out of my price range and don't need any "fixing". But a girl can dream, can't she!

I think I am getting closer. Smaller, unique, easier to find or make.

Here are some real possibilites.....



I'll let you know what I come up with! But if you have some suggestions or a vote on which one you like best - let me know {leave a comment}!

A creative challenge!

Hello there!

My bedroom has always been a work in progress. Very little matches and fits together well so I am continually looking for new ideas to make it look like what I dream up in my head {or rather what I see in magazines and in the blog world.} So when I came across this picture....





...I fell in love with all of the pillows and decided to give myself a creative challenge. The challenge: to make at least one of each style pillow in this picture. I'm not sure if I will use all of the pillows in my bedroom but they will be used somewhere around my house.

I've already made this one - - - and it turned out so cute!

So, over the next few weeks, I will show you each pillow I've made along with a tutorial on how to make them. If you feel inspired or need a change in your pillows - please join me! But be sure to check back to see the progress, instructions and final products.

Creative Project & Tutorial

I hope that you all had a great weekend!

Last week I was talking to a friend, Brandy, about a project that she saw on HGTV. She is expecting her 2nd child and is dreaming about a nursery. Fun! The project: a white wall where the host of the show added a large sticker of a branch, painted over it, then removed the sticker to show a white branch against a now colored wall. As you can imagine it has a dramatic effect and seems easy enough. So as Brandy and I got to talking about it we wondered....if the sticker was something made by the host or if it was a purchased wall sticker that are so popular these days, how hard it might be to do and how well it might turn out - up close.

Well, not having a blank wall to practice on I decided to give it a try on canvas! Which lead me to my weekend project. Turns out that I think you can use the popular stickers you see in most hobby stores {so your designs are limitless}, it was very easy and you can be proud to show it off to others.

Here is a step by step guide:

Supplies you will need: canvas {mine was a 5X7 flat canvas}, sticker of your choice, paint, paint brush

Start with canvas on newspaper or something you can get paint on.

Peel sticker.

Place sticker where you want it on your canvas.

I painted my sides first so that I wouldn't have to touch the surface of the canvas after it was wet with paint.

Close up of edge.

Start painting. Paint over sticker edges.

Paint entire canvas - right over the sticker.

Leave sticker and paint together for five minutes - then peel sticker off.

You are left with a dramatic silhouette. Note: My edges are a little overun with paint. I don't like anything to perfect, but if you want you can go over the inside with white paint and make the edges smooth.



My finished product! I did three of them because it ended up being so easy and fun. You could attach them to a ribbon and hang them in a grouping as I did here.



 So, Brandy, I think it can be done - large or small scall, wall or canvas.

If anyone gives this project a try, be sure to send us your pictures. I'd love to see what variations you come up with.

To-do lists

Have you ever found yourself with a long list of project related "to-do's" that keep swarming around in your head? These are to-do's that are above and beyond the typical day to day list of things we all do to keep our houses, kids and spouses sane. But if we're not careful they disappear into the oblivion. I find today to be that sort of day for me. I keep having a "to-do" pop into my brain and I should be writing it down OR actually doing the project. Instead, I do the laundry....browse facebook....or get lost in a catalogue or two.

The best thing about creating a list {besides crossing things off} is being able to write it out on something pretty and creative! I think it makes it feel more important than just scribbling on a piece of scrap of paper {although scrap paper is quite useful at times}. My mom gave me a great tablet for Christmas this year and I use it often {thanks, mom!}.

So here are some fabulous "to-do" tablets that I've come across. I hope they help you {like they've helped me} to get motivated to at least write down your list.....it's one step closer to actually doing your projects!



Simple and cute! Found on Etsy.





Vale Design created these FREE printable to do lists! I thought they were unique and easy to use.





This fantastic weekly calendar is also a FREE printable from Jones Design Company. Easy to print, use and very cute! It also has a great verse on the bottom to help keep our priorities in order.





This yearly calendar can help keep the big picture in focus. It can be found at Paper Source.



Good luck!

Creative Project - Baby Girl Room

Happy Monday to you all!

Well, it is only fair....I featured my son's bedroom h e r e. ...

...but what about all of the sugar and spice and everything nice that makes a perfect girls room so cute and sweet??!! I don't have a baby girl, but Amy's little girl Ava {to whom I am known as Auntie Kelsheeee} has the most awesome, girlie and whimsical room around.



I was able to throw Amy a baby shower before Ava was born. I used this sign at the shower and it became my gift to Amy. I used a garland of branches and pink honeysuckle flowers. Cut the branches to the size I needed them to be. Shaped the letters and tied them in place with wire. I then attached pink ribbon to use as my hanger from the wall. They are light enough to use a push pin to hold them to the wall.



We painted one of the walls in the bedroom with these adorable stripes. Bubblegum pink and celery green {not exact colors but close enough!} This touch helped add to the whimsical feel of the room - someplace the girls are able to be creative themselves!



 

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Amy added the girls names in these cute black frames. The butterflies found their home on the walls and door {great idea!} of the room. They add so much texture and pattern. As you can see the rest of the room walls were continued in the celery green color - very fresh.







Here is another look at the striped wall. Along with the embellishments that Amy has added to make the room so unique. If you are looking for a way to make your room look larger - add a mirror. This pink oval mirror adds to the space dimension and helps to group other things on the wall. Lighting is also key to any room. Here Amy has added the fun little pink lamp as well as a clear chandelier. Both help give the room the right amount of light, add texture and contribute to the look of the room.



This plaque not only is a good reminder of where our thoughts should be at all times but the font adds fashion and pulls the looks in the room together.

 



 This room can bring out the little girl in any woman and take us back to dress up, dolls and our imaginations. More importantly, this room is a haven and safe place for two very special girls.

The best craft ever!

So Amy and I belong to a craft group that meets once a month. Sometimes I'm not sure I fit the bill for this group because the ladies in it are much better at crafts than I am. But I have a fun time getting together with these gals and there is always a yummy dessert to be devoured!

This past month was my month to host. So I thought I would share some pictures of our night and our craft. My title of this post is "the best craft ever!!" because I think it truly is. What constitutes that definition you ask? Well, for me it means....EASY, inexpensive, useable and I can't just make one, I have to make a gazillion.

We made silk flowers that you can use as a pin, clip, headband....or a garnish on just about everything. I got this idea from my friend, Emily's, FABULOUS website

Jones Design Company,

where you can find step by step instructions on how to make your very own.

So I gathered all of our supplies and explained how to make it.

I showed them some samples and then let them loose to design and create their own. It was so fun to see what each person came up with. Here are a few pictures of the ladies and their final products. {I apologize for the quality of these pictures, I took all of them with my IPod.}





Headbands and pins.



Amy's hair pin was made for her daughter Ava whose hair is perfect for this pin!!


And of course.....our dessert! I could have eaten five of these if it weren't for all the women around!

I think overall it was a fun night and the ladies enjoyed themselves. I am on my way to making a gazillion and one silk flowers. Thanks Em!

Creative Project - Baby Boy Room

Hello. One of the things I'm hoping to accomplish on this blog is to share creative projects with you. Maybe I've done them myself or I've seen someone else work on them but either way, I hope they inspire you to try something new or find encouragement that there is an end in sight for your current project.

One of my favorite places in my house is my son's bedroom. He just turned one so it is a baby room yet when brainstorming ideas for the space I wanted to make sure it was something he could grow with. So far, it has proved to do just that.

Catalogs and blogs of baby rooms are always so themed. I couldn't ever land on one that I liked more than another. So, my theme just became "anything boy".....bugs, animals, a little western, a little  lot of pattern, maps, transportation, etc. My colors: red, blue, green, brown, yellow, white.

So below are some pictures of the transformation {it used to be our guest room}. It took about a week to pull together all of the main components {thanks to my mom!} and I continue to tweak the extra paraphernalia that make the room inviting.

The Guest Room

The brown wall you see here is also in the baby room. I didn't want to take the time to paint over it so I incorporated the color into the stripes we used on the other walls.

Masking and Painting

It definitely takes a lot of time to mask off your paint area but it is worth it in the end. We also used silicone to help our paint not to bleed past the tape. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't on our textured walls.

Finished Stripes

Green {Olive}, Navy Blue {Moon Shade}, Red {Cabin Red}, Baby Blue {Porcelain Blue}, Brown. All Valspar from Lowes and all Matte Finish.

Curtains

This material was an awesome find! We trimmed it out in a camel colored corduroy. They are heavy, dark and lined....and they do a good job keeping out the light for nap time!

Crib Skirt

I am not afraid of mixing patterns {as you can see}. The repeat use of the navy star material {same as the curtains} pulls the look of the room together. The giraffe print adds some fun and the strip gives us some color freedom. So cute!

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Be sure to check back because I will be adding more pictures of some added "boyness" that makes the room more complete!