Rainy Day Crafting - Personalized Beer Cozies

I'm up in the Northwoods visiting Aunt Ruth and my in-laws and have been rained in for the past two days. Thankfully, I brought my laptop, my Silhouette, and two bags of craft supplies "just in case." I caught up on some projects that I've been tripping over (literally - the bags were sitting near the craft room/laundry room/bedroom door) for two months now.

I was excited to try the heat transfer material on beer cozies. I bought neoprene cozies on ebay and ironed on the design. I traced a google maps screen shot of the lake in Illustrator and imported the image into Silhouette for cutting.

 

{Gifts, Paper} Gocco Note Cards

I've been dying to get my hands dirty on something other than a mouse, so I busted out the 'ole gocco printer to whip up a fast, personalized present for a friend's birthday party. I had a more elaborate design planned, but the screen didn't burn correctly. I couldn't bare to waste precious gocco supplies like that, so I cropped out the design for a minimalist set of personalized stationary.

I paired the cards with envelopes in an array of preppy colors.



I also included a white gel pen for writing on the dark envelopes and these cute postage stamps that will look great with all of the envelope colors.

In case you're curious, this was my failed design. Andy said he liked the final result better than the intended design.

I considered playing aroud with some washi tape, but decided to quit while I was somewhat ahead.

Not working with the gocco for a few years seems to have voided my memory of what a pain in the ass it can be. I thought this would take me 30 minutes or, you know, an hour and a half. GOCCO! Click here if you'd like to see my Gocco of Years Past.

Etched Northwoods Wine Glasses

Wine glasses with cute charms aren't the most realistic vessel for drinking on boats and hanging with a two year-old with a mean throwing arm. I made Northwoods-inspired wine glasses for Aunt Ruth's lake house using the process outlined in this tutorial. I swear, I love my Silhouette every more every day. These turned out super cute and were a total hit with our family.

I was making these in the middle of the night and working in the dark, as our bedroom door is broken and the kitchen light would have shined right into the bedroom while Andy slept. I didn't realize that I had etching cream on my hand and etched my thumb print onto one of the glasses. Thankfully it wash just my glass.

Gifts for a Woodsy Wino

As you probably guessed from last week's 366 photos, Andy's Aunt Ruth bought a new vacation home in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Lucky her! (And us, huh?) While she's embracing the log cabin theme with gusto, we couldn't resist getting her some fancy wine stuff to help her remember her roots!

I ordered some woodburned wine charms cut from a fallen spruce tree branch from Etsy seller, The Hickory Tree. I asked her to attach some silver rings for me to insert the charm loop. Then I picked up some earth-toned beads at Caravan Beads for embellishment. Each family member and a few of AR's "Wine Diva" friends received a charm.

My sister-in-law, April, looooves the bling, so her charm had some fancy crystals instead.

I packaged all of the charms in a sturdy gift box from Paper Source that could be left out on a counter for easy access.

That went into a box with an electric wine opener, a bottle of a family favorite wine for special occasions, and other accoutrement that are fun must-haves for any wine-lover on vacation. 

{Paper} Washi Tape Place Cards

This month's brunch club gathering was a baby shower for our friend on Team Green, Tara. It was such a nice celebration as everyone contributed something. Colleen tirelessly hosted and made the most spectacular ham and cheese sandwiches I've had since France, Natalie baked incredible muffins, Ami took photos with her fancy camera, and devon made witty favors inspired by the super cute invitations received from Colleen. I don't want to share any photos in case Tara is planning on blogging about it, but here are some place cards that I designed using washi tape and my Silhouette SD.

{Photo by Ami of Elizabeth Anne Designs and Entouriste)

I downloaded the shapes from the Silhouette store and re-sized to fit my cards.

Next, I applied the tape to some regular text-weight printer paper. (This was a time-consuming task, so be sure to build some time in for it.)

Then, I ran that through the Silhouette machine using the largest blade tip. (Pink on my model.) It worked like a dream! I was short on time, so the back layer of the houses was simply cut out of plain gravel paper from Paper Source.

I ran all of the pieces through my Xyron 900 and assembled them on 4-bar note cards printed with each guest's name.

{Paper} Recipe Shower Invitations

I have a total party fail that turned out to be pretty cute nonetheless. My friend, The Wick, asked me to make some invitations for bridal shower she's hosting for a co-worker. She couldn't think of a theme, so I suggested a recipe shower inspired by the Taste Test Recipe book I've been eyeing at Anthropologie for the last year:

{Source, Book Images: Anthropologie}

I've been wanting to plan a party around this book ever since I saw it. I had envisioned stitched invitations with matching recipe cards and cute homemade linens. Unfortunately, none of that worked out. Here's an incriminating photo to prove it:

So yeah, I bagged that. Then I sat on the project for three weeks feeling uninspired and not knowing what to do...until I purchased the "Mishka" and "Mishka Ornaments" fonts from My Fonts. I love them! They really made the design fall into place.

Envelopes

Return Address  Label

Envelope Liner

I designed an envelope liner using a Mishka Ornaments character.

Invitations

I scanned the cover of the book and cut the spoon out as a template. I then traced it onto the thick cardboard tops from carryout containers purchased at the Dollar Tree. I tried roasting pans for a shinier look, but they were too flimsy.

The inside of the invite included a recipe card in the party colors and a giant ribbon from Mishka Ornaments.

Miscellany

I also made some miscellaneous signage, streamers, and paper elements with directions for the guests.

There were two styles of food cards in the party colors. The book pages are bright red, green, and orange, which is fun, as the bride and all of her guests are elementary school teachers.

I originally planned to hand cut some spoons and stitch them to the cards with rainbow thread, but decided to use my Silhouette and some silver paper for a cleaner look (and less work).

In lieu of a guest book, the guests will leave messages on the inside covers of the recipe book. Wouldn't you love to have that in your kitchen? It would make me so happy.

"Book Plate" for the Recipe Book

A Sparkly Brunch

I hosted a super cute brunch for my girlfriends this weekend. Our group has some important December and January Birthdays and one newly engaged friend. I thought a sparkly, confetti-themed brunch celebrating our good friends and good will would be a great way to kick-off the new year.

I scheduled this spontaneously right before the holidays. I was inspired by a sparkly party that I saw in a 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living that had lots of sequins and paillettes. This evite design sealed the deal on the theme.

I picked up red, purple, and fuchsia glitter wrapping paper from Paper Source, I happened to have a gold Chilewich runner from a sample sale, and I found a pack of eight fuchsia napkins at Home Goods for 99 cents. It was party kismet.

Whole Foods had these PERFECT fucshia and purple flowers.

I used my circle punches to make "confetti" for the place cards and napkin rings. Each place card and napkin ring had a unique pattern.

 

I also made some party hats with the glitter paper and crowns by stapling crepe paper fringe onto dollar store crowns.

I started making some "HAPPY" signs to hang above the mirrors, but, as always, time got away from me. I didn't get past the "H" and "Y."

I forgot to take a photo of the food spread. The menu included:

• Mimosas
• Orange LaCroix and O.J.
• Bacon, Leek, and Gruyere Quiche
• Ham, Shallot, and Cheddar Quiche
• Vegan White Bean Quiche (made by my friend)
• Hashbrowns
• Mixed Greens served with Fresh Vinaigrette Dressing
• Fresh Berries
• Bread and Butter

It was the easiest meal I've ever hosted! I had intended to make fresh brownies and sticky buns, but that Friday snowstorm threw a loop in my plans. I got some delicious bakery from Whole Foods, which was a million times better than anything I could have made myself.

I sent everyone home with a Godiva chocolate candy bar wrapped in glitter and more "confetti."

Our casual brunch turned into a four hour luncheon! It was so fun and a great respite from the snowy weather.

P.S. I used some scraps to make "Thank You" cards for the hostess gifts I received. I think that I want to make some "Tina" cards like this. Might as well use up the glitter spares before they become soooo 20XX.